Outside media coverage of Mill Creek MetroParks

Parts of Mill Creek MetroPark will be closed to public on Saturday, Sunday

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Saturday is expected to be a beautiful last day of summer. However, some may need to change plans to enjoy if your plans include some parts of Mill Creek Park.

A cross-country event will take place at the MetroParks Farm in Canfield on Saturday.

During the event, public access to the following MetroParks Farm facilities will be prohibited from dawn to mid-afternoon:

  • MetroParks Bikeway (closed between Leffingwell Road and Route 446)
  • MetroParks Farm Parking Lot
  • MetroParks Farm Bikeway Spur Trail
  • Disc Golf Courses
  • Mindy Henning Hiking Trail
  • Animal Barns
  • Archery Range
  • Natural Playground
  • Recycling Area

Parking lot access will be for cross-country, event-related personnel and private rentals only.

On Sunday, the first day of fall, some roads in the park will be closed for vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians from 6 am to 1:30 pm for the Youngstown Half Marathon and Relay, 5K, and Kids Fun Run.

Closed roads will include:

  • East Cohasset Drive
  • Cascade Road
  • West Valley Drive
  • East Park Drive
  • Old Mill Drive
  • East Newport Drive
  • Kreider’s Entrance
  • West Newport Drive
  • East Golf Drive & parking areas both at Route 224 and Shields Road
  • West Golf Drive from the Mill Creek Golf Course Parking Lot north to Shields Road
  • Lanterman’s Mill

 

 

Read the original article at WFMJ.

Wick Recreation Center Reopens to Public after $1.5M Makeover

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After receiving a $1.5 million makeover, the Wick Recreation Center building in Mill Creek Park has reopened and will serve the public for the first time in about two decades.

The building, constructed in 1961, is in the park’s popular Wick Recreation Area on the West Side. The area is also the home of Morley Pavilion for performing arts, a par-3 golf course, a splash pad, batting cages, tennis courts, sand volleyball courts, soccer and baseball fields, a children’s playground and a sled riding hill.

The building was formerly the warming house for the ice rink that was once behind it. The rink closed in 2010 and has since been replaced by a Dek hockey rink that gets a lot of use, according to Jamie Yohman, the park’s spokeswoman.

The new Wick Recreation Center building “is another prime example of what we can offer the public on a regional scale,” said Justin Rogers, director of planning and operations for Mill Creek Park, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday morning. “We have always promoted Wick Recreation Area as our regionally significant active-recreation space, and this building will serve as its hub and support all activities that go on here.”

The building now “mirrors and matches” other park buildings, Rogers said.

The renovation of the Wick Recreation Center building took two years, with the work done by Declan Construction of Brookfield. The project was funded entirely through Mill Creek MetroParks’ general fund.

The building has several new features that cater to the public:

  • A pro shop that sells and rents equipment for golf, hockey and other games that can be played in the park. It also sells the park system’s licensed apparel.
  • A snack bar, with sales windows that face both an interior hallway and an outdoor covered patio. An outside company will be contracted by the park to operate the snack bar, which will offer pizza, hot dogs, beverages and other items.
  • A banquet room that can be rented for parties. The room’s signature features are a fireplace and a wall of windows that overlook the hockey rink.

The building also has rest rooms for the public and park administrative offices.

The structure had been closed to the public since the early 2000s and used mainly for storage, Yohman said.

The Wick Recreation Center building is the second upgrade of an existing structure in the park in as many years. The Ford Nature Center reopened in 2023 after a three-year, $4 million renovation.

The park last year also opened a new indoor golf player development center with digital simulators.

 

Read the original article at The Business Journal.

Mill Creek Park opens new recreation center featuring patio, playground, splash pad

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Mill Creek MetroParks is celebrating a grand opening Thursday.

At 10 a.m., it held a ribbon cutting for the brand-new Wick Recreation Center.

The building was already there but the park made some major upgrades using $1.5 million from its general fund.

There’s a concession stand with a patio, and a place to buy Mill Creek merchandise and rent sporting equipment.

Inside, there’s a community room for rentals.

It’s also the perfect spot to enjoy outdoor activities.

“It offers multiple recreational activities such as deck hockey, soccer, baseball, tennis, batting cages. We have playgrounds and splash pads, all available for use by the community,” said Jaime Yohman, community engagement director.

It’s a good thing the new Wick Recreation Center is open year-round because it’s located right next to the sledding hill.

 

Read the original article at WKBN.

Mill Creek MetroParks open $1.5M Wick Recreation Center

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A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Thursday to mark the opening of the Wick Recreation Center located at Wick Recreation Area in Youngstown.

The center features a multi-functional, 4-season space offering a team shop with equipment rentals, concessions, a community room for public programming and private rentals, an outdoor patio, recreation offices, and new restroom facilities.

This project was a 2024 capital improvement project funded entirely through the Mill Creek MetroParks general fund. The total project cost was approximately $1.5 million.

The Wick Recreation Area is at 1861 McCollum Road in Youngstown.

 

Read the original article at WFMJ.

YSU opens cross country course at Mill Creek Park

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The Youngstown State University cross country program has been making strides over the past decade.

The Penguins have gone from a mid-major program to a respected group of runners in the regional rankings.

YSU took the next step on Friday, opening The Brian, Charlotte, Jersey, Beau Gorby Family Championship Cross Country Course. The course will be the new home for the Penguins inside of Mill Creek Park in Canfield.

The course is made up of a two-mile route with 1k, 2k and 3k loops for middle school, high school and collegiate competition.

“Mill Creek Park has been a foundation of our family, a foundation for the YSU cross country program,” Gorby said. “(Coaches Eric and Brie Rupe), they live next to the park, training it everyday.

“Love Mill Creek Park. It’s probably one of the top two parks and training facilities in the country with 30 miles of trails.”

The course was a capital improvement project funded through the Mill Creek MetroParks general fund. The Gorby family provided private funding. Mill Creek Park is now the home for three YSU programs since the men’s and women’s golf programs used the Mill Creek Park Golf Course for competition.

The Penguins had operated without a home course. This led to frequent road trips throughout the fall. But now, YSU has its own space to practice and host events.

Gorby and the Penguins will host the inaugural YSU Alumni Cross Country Meet on Sept. 21 at Mill Creek Park.

Gorby said the goal is to bring in larger meets, similar to how the track and field team began hosting conference championships after the construction of the Watson and Tressel Training Site.

“We’re able to run Horizon League Championships, first-round nationals, and hopefully, nationals in five to 10 years,” Gorby said. “We’re always trying to take the program up another level. This course, it’s pretty cool to have our name associated with a championship-level situation, just like (WATTS).”

 

Read the original article at the Tribune Chronicle.

Mill Creek MetroParks unveils NCAA cross country course at Canfield MetroParks Farm

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The Brian, Charlotte, Jersey, Beau Gorby Family Championship Cross Country Course officially opened Friday at the MetroParks Farm in Canfield. The course meets NCAA specifications with a two-mile course and 1k, 2k, and 3k loops to facilitate middle school, high school, and collegiate events.

It features a 38-team starting grid, ten-meter course width, with permanent start and finish mile/km markers, plus directional signs. There are multiple accessible spectator viewing areas at the Brian, Charlotte, Jersey, Beau Gorby Family Championship Cross Country Course. The course was a capital improvement project funded entirely through the Mill Creek MetroParks general fund, with private funding provided through the Gorby family.

Find the course at 7574 Columbiana-Canfield Road in Canfield.

To rent the new facility, apply on the Mill Creek MetroParks website.

 

Read the original article at Mahoning Matters.

Mill Creek MetroParks adds new cross-country course

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Mill Creek MetroParks opened its family championship cross-country course at the MetroParks Farm in Canfield.

A ribbon cutting was held Friday morning to celebrate.

The course meets NCAA specifications with a 38-team starting line. The course will be used for high school meets. too.

It’s a permanent cross-country course and will be available for runners to enjoy.

“When it’s not being used for those specific races, it will be open to the public, so it’s another several miles worth of maintained trails that the public at large can use,” said Justin Rogers, of the MetroParks.

The first college meet at the course will be on September 21.

It will host over 30 high school teams on September 28.

 

Read the original article at WKBN.

Local artist showcases more than 40 paintings of Mill Creek Park in upcoming gallery

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Mill Creek MetroParks presents Painted Memories showcasing work from local artist Beth Basista. This exhibit will feature more than 40 colorful paintings in oils, acrylics and watercolors most capturing the essence of landscapes found throughout Mill Creek Parks’ 2,658 acres. “I hope my works inspire others to enjoy this gem of a park, nestled within the city of Youngstown, and to appreciate those who have preserved its natural beauty for us, like founder Volney Rogers, and all who have followed his mission to protect this incredible space,” said Basista.

This free exhibit will be on display Sept. 1 through Oct. 16 within the Weller Gallery inside the Davis Center at Fellows Riverside Gardens, during normal operating hours of 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Tuesday through Sunday, closed Mondays.

Shell Art florals and shell art paintings will be displayed in the entranceway to The Weller Gallery. Basista’s unique shell art paintings start with an acrylics or watercolor painting of under-the-sea, beach, or sunset painted on a canvas board.

Next, she makes figures like fish, turtles, dogs, seahorses or “Beach gals” out of shells and attaches them to her painting, followed by an occasional epoxy finish. Save the date for a Meet the Artist session from noon – 2 p.m. Sept. 15 in the Weller Gallery at Fellows Riverside Gardens. In addition to over 50 originals available for sale, prints will be available for purchase at the Shop in the Gardens inside the Davis Center at Fellows Riverside Gardens.

For more information on this exhibit, visit Mill Creek Metroparks’ website or call Fellows Riverside Gardens at (330) 740-7116.

ABOUT ARTIST BETH BASISTA

Artist Beth Basista was born in Youngstown and resides in Boardman with her husband George. She studied art at Youngstown State University. Basista developed and used her skills as an illustrator, designer, and photographer in her advertising agency Techni-Graphics, Inc., before devoting her time to painting.

Basista is an active member of the Mahoning Valley Watercolor Society (MVWS) and hosts paint outs throughout the area. Beth’s award-winning paintings have been juried in a variety of shows, including the Butler Institute of American Arts Area Artists shows, YWCA Women’s Art shows, the Canfield Fair, the YMCA Artist shows, the Salem Gallery of Arts Exhibit, and several MVWS exhibits. Her paintings have sold at The Source Gallery in Lisbon, through social media, by commission, and through direct contact in Youngstown, Ohio and Ft. Myers, Florida. To learn more and connect, visit BethBasistaPaintings.com, follow Beth Basista Paintings on Facebook and Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. To commission a painting or shell art, email Beth at beth@BethBasistaPaintings.com or send a message through Facebook.

 

Read the original article at Mahoning Matters.

Mill Creek MetroParks to add boulder climbing area

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If you’re looking to give boulder climbing a try, Mill Creek MetroParks will soon have more opportunities for you to do so.

Climbing boulders is currently permitted at the Wick Recreation Area on Bears Den Road and New Cross Drive, and a new expansion project will be located right across the street.

The new space will double the amount of approved climbing area within the park.

Mill Creek MetroParks Executive Director Aaron Young expects the new area to open by the end of the year.

The MetroParks website recommends helmets and bouldering pads for safety.

 

Read the original article at WFMJ.