YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Youngstown residents will get their say Wednesday evening on the demolition of the former Eastern Gateway Community College building and parking garage and the construction of the new Mahoning County Government Center planned for the site. The Western Reserve Port Authority is inviting the public to a community meeting on the project, according to The Business Journal Daily.
The meeting runs from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, in the Covelli Centre’s Community Room, The Business Journal Daily reported. Attendees will hear updates from representatives and have an opportunity to ask questions about the project. Light refreshments will be provided, and all are welcome.
The session follows action by the port authority’s board of directors, which awarded a $4.2 million contract to Carl Walker Construction Inc. of Sewickley, Pennsylvania, to demolish the structure at 101 E. Federal St., according to The Business Journal Daily. The demolition contract was one of three awarded in connection with construction of the new government center at the site.
The port authority acquired the building and the neighboring health workforce building at 39 S. Champion St. in September 2025, after the closure of Eastern Gateway Community College, The Business Journal Daily reported. The downtown properties have stood at the center of redevelopment discussions since the college shut its doors.
For Mahoning County residents, the meeting is the public’s chance to hear directly how the demolition will proceed and what the new county government center will mean for downtown Youngstown. County services now spread across older buildings would gain a modern home, while the Federal Street corridor would lose a landmark tied to the former college.
Wednesday’s meeting is informational, with representatives on hand to take questions rather than votes. Residents who want to weigh in on the demolition timeline, the government center plans, or the future of the surrounding block can do so in the Community Room session.
What happens next is the demolition itself: with the Carl Walker contract awarded, work at 101 E. Federal St. is the first visible step toward the new Mahoning County Government Center, and Wednesday’s briefing is the last scheduled public update before that work takes shape downtown.