Youngstown Finance Committee and city council met Wednesday to discuss several proposed ordinances, including updates on the loan restructuring plan with the DoubleTree hotel and plans to remove several low-head dams in the Mahoning River.

Plans on a proposed loan repayment plan for the DoubleTree in Downtown Youngstown will be further discussed in the city's next finance meeting at the end of the month after council did not vote to pass the ordinance Wednesday.

"It will extend those lease payments, it will provide a better financial foundation for the hotel and the city will continue to have a quality hotel operating downtown," explained Kyle Miasek, Youngstown's Finance Director. 

This comes after the hotel struggled to pay back some installments of a $2 million dollar loan from the City of Youngstown.

"Now they're asking for a total restructuring," explained Mike Ray, 4th Ward Councilman. "They did that with the OWDA loan that they have for $4.9 million so they're asking us to do the same thing. The OWDA's restructuring is contingent upon the city's restructuring."

As the hotel continues to struggle with payments, Youngstown council could approve a restructured $845,000 loan to be paid back to the city over the next 25 years. The hotel also was approved by the Ohio Water Development Authority to restructure its $4.9 million loan under the same terms.

"The first 5 years will have no principle payment by the interest rate of 2%," Miasek explained to 21 News. "And the payments will be semi-annually and they'll be approximately $8400."

After that, it turns into a semi-annual payment for 20 years for the principal and interest. That payment would be more than $25,000.

Passing at council on Wednesday, a plan to remove 3 low lead dams in the Mahoning River. Public Works Director Chuck Shasho said this has taken some time and they needed council's approval to enter into contracts with various property owners.

"The benefit is for water quality," Shasho said in the public meeting. "It's related to various industrial issues we've had over the past century or so. There's a lot of heavy metals and so forth trapped behind these low-head dams."

Shasho added the dam removal will allow the river to flow more freely and improve water quality.

Council was held at the Covelli Centre because of structural concerns about City Hall's fire escapes.

Council also gave the thumbs up to add cameras around Wean Park, the Covelli Centre and Amphitheater.