YOUNGSTOWN — The city’s board of control is expected today to award a $2,756,473 contract for major downtown improvements to sections of Boardman and Walnut streets, and increase the cost of a roof replacement project to the Covelli Centre by 10%.

The board will vote to award the contract for Boardman and Walnut streets to Parella-Pannunzio Inc. of Youngstown, which had the lowest of three bids opened April 11. It was the only proposal below the city’s $2,929,431 estimate for the work.

The city initially had $1.6 million in state and federal funds for the project, but it was able to obtain an additional $500,000 in Transportation Alternatives Program funding with a request on the board’s agenda to accept those funds.

“It’s a good deal for us,” said Charles Shasho, the city’s deputy director of public works. “We didn’t have that additional money when we planned the work.”

With $2.1 million in state and federal funds, the city will pay the remaining $829,431 for the project and any increases from change orders that may occur.

The work will begin in early June and take four months to finish, Shasho said.

The work is to Boardman Street between Walnut and Market streets, and Walnut Street between Commerce and Wood streets.

One street will be done at a time because the work will require closures and using that process will reduce issues, Shasho said.

The work includes repaving, reducing vehicular lanes, adding diagonal on-street parking on Walnut Street, new crosswalks and curb ramps, improved lighting, landscaping and new traffic controls.

The project also features a pedestrian walkway, or step street, on Walnut Street to better connect downtown to Youngstown State University.

The site of the walkway is currently a steep asphalt hill near the Choffin Career and Technical Center at the top and a parking lot for the downtown YMCA at the bottom.

This will be the second set of concrete steps with a few landings and landscaping tying Commerce Street to Wood Street. A project on the west side of downtown near Phelps Street was done about 13 years ago to replace an aging walkway.

The work comes after an extensive $27.65 million project that improved numerous downtown streets between 2020 and 2024. That included Federal, Front, Commerce and South Phelps streets, and Fifth and Rayen avenues.

That work included repaving, reducing vehicular lanes, realignment of curbs, new crosswalks, new lighting, wider sidewalks, bicycle lanes and some parking spot changes.

The board will also vote today on paying an additional $164,986 to Boak & Sons of Austintown for the replacement of a large portion of the city-owned Covelli Centre’s original roof.

The company’s initial price for the work was $1,236,000.

But the increase, which is 10% higher than the initial cost, is needed because more work to the roof was needed than anticipated, Shasho said.

The work was finished in October.

Ice and snow caused extensive damage to the roof, resulting in water leaking into the kitchen, office space and some of the loges.

The board plans to hire A Neider Architecture LLC of Boardman today to design a storage facility for the Covelli Centre that would eventually be used to store 1,800 temporary chairs on the floor and other equipment. Center officials also want to replace those chairs.

The board is expected to approve a request today to enter into an agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation on an estimated $1,275,986 repaving project to sections of four streets.

Under the agreement, the state would pay $1,020,789 of the project’s cost, with the city responsible for $255,197.

The work includes resurfacing, drainage rehabilitation, new curb ramps, signage and road striping.

The streets are:

* Wood Street from Belmont Avenue to Wick Avenue.

* McGuffey Road from Jacobs Road to state Route 616.

* Sheridan Road from state Route 170 to Powers Way.

* Powers Way from Sheridan Road to the Pine Hollow Bridge.