Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories

Youngstown planning for 2025

Fri, Jan 24th 2025 07:00 am

YBPA meeting includes news on annual grant, community happenings

By Terry Duffy

Editor-in-Chief

Members of the Youngstown Business and Professional Association reviewed plans for 2025 in northern Niagara, at a winter get-together held recently at Ray’s Tavern in Porter.

Following leadoff introductions, the session opened with lengthy moments of silence in tribute to Youngstown Lion Debby Comerford; and to Skip Mazenauer, longtime Niagara Frontier Publications publisher – both of whom recently passed.

News on a number of YBPA initiatives for the year ahead followed. Included was YBPA’s annual participation in the William G. Mayne Jr. business/community enhancement grant – a matching financial package provided by the Town of Porter and Niagara County.

“This is a wonderful program that the Town of Porter provides to organizations like us,” YBPA board member Mark Butera said. “We receive funding that we use for matching funding that helps support the projects that we do.”

“We support the YBPA with $1,500,” Town of Porter Councilman Tim Adamson noted. “What the YBPA does with that, they go to the Niagara County Legislature. It’s for the William Mayne Bridge Commission grant. For them to get a $3,000 grant, they have to have matching funds from a municipality, which is us.”

All of this enables the 80-member-plus YBPA to pursue a number of programs and community happenings in the area. For 2025, these include YBPA’s Youngstown/Porter community brochure and improvements to the association’s website. Both are now in progress.

Also discussed at the meeting: YBPA’s annual community celebrations in the village. Included are the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, set for noon, Saturday March 15; the “Beginning of Summer Street Dance,” from 6-10 p.m. Thursday, June 19; and YBPA’s annual honoring of business of the year and community service awardee, set to take place this fall.

“We need some people to jump on board, be a part,” YBPA board member Cheryl Irish Butera said. “We do need some people to step up; we got to get moving on these things.”

Other community happenings include the Youngstown Lions annual St. Patrick’s Day “cash bash”; the Youngstown Free Library’s upcoming Super Bowl chili cook-off, sponsored by Bandanas; and the fourth annual Stone Jug 5K on Saturday, Feb. 1, with all proceeds to benefit the library.

“The race draws over 100 runners from all over Buffalo, Western New York and even some that come in from Canada,” library Director Sonora Miller said. “It’s truly a generous way to help fund the library.”

For more on upcoming happenings in the village for 2025, visit the YBPA pages on Facebook, and keep an eye out for the debut of the 2025 Youngstown/Porter brochure.

Hometown News

View All News