Boardman officials discuss license plate cameras, Southern Park Mall

BOARDMAN  Boardman Township officials and business leaders gathered at the newly opened Ninja Nation Thursday night for Good Evening Boardman, hosted by the Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber. 

While much of the evening was spent celebrating the successes of local businesses, officials also made sure to address some common concerns in the township.

Boardman Police Chief Todd Werth took a moment to defend his police department's use of Flock cameras. The AI-powered license plate readers have caused some concern over privacy, which Werth attempted to assuage. 

“That data is only stored for 30 days, and then it's erased,” Werth said. “It's only accessible by those law enforcement entities, and we instituted a policy here in Boardman that's very, very restrictive on our use. … We can only use it for law enforcement purposes.”

The police chief also said the system has helped in criminal investigations, using as an example a $100,000 piece of equipment stolen from a Boardman business. Law enforcement had no leads or information on any suspects in the case until the Flock cameras generated leads, which ultimately led detectives to recover the equipment in Akron. 

Later, Township Trustee Steve Yacavone addressed what he called the ‘giant concrete elephant on Route 224’: the Southern Park Mall and its owner, Kohan Retail Investment Group. Kohan owes more than a million dollars in property taxes on the mall and is known for allowing properties to fall into disrepair.

“There are certain things we can't do. We can't force the sale of a private business,” Yacavone said. “What we can try to do is look at alternate ways to either assist the tenants that are in the mall now, or try to solicit a sale, which is ultimately what we want.”

Yacavone told the crowd he has planned a phone conference with Congressman Michael Rulli's office next week to look for more solutions.

“It’s no promises, but just know that this administration is trying to figure out what we can do with that mall, because we want it to be the center of Boardman Township just like everybody else does,” Yacavone said. 

The trustee also said he hopes the issues with the mall don’t “put a bad light” on other businesses in Boardman, which he described as a “premier destination in the Valley” for shopping and dining. 

Boardman Local Schools Superintendent Chris Neifer presented information on the district’s trajectory, including updates on its strategic plan and some of the challenges it currently faces. 

Neifer addressed the district’s drop from 4 to 3.5 stars on its annual report card. He said the decrease was due at least in part to the introduction of a new category: College, Career, Workforce, and Military Readiness (CCWMR), in which the district received just one star. 

However, Neifer said he has “no concerns” that the district will return to at least a four-star rating next year, including improvements in the new category.

“I know what the data looks like from last year. You have my word that we should be at least a three-star next year on that [CCWMR],” Neifer said. “We just had to make some adjustments and some pieces to play the game, if you will.” 

Neifer laid out the district’s strategic plan, which covers August 2025 through July 2028. He described the plan as a “living document” and the “road map for the next three years.” 

A major piece of the plan is facilities. Neifer said the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission will do assessments of all six of the district’s buildings, but said not to expect new building construction. 

“Anytime people look at that, it's, ‘What, we’re building new schools?’ That's not what that means,” Neifer said. “It means we are establishing committees to get feedback from what it is we want from our kids and what's important we have from the community.”

The district will take the first steps in the process of developing its Master Facility Plan in January.