OUTSIDE MEDIA COVERAGE OF MILL CREEK METROPARKS

Donation to MetroParks will plant thousands of trees

A gift to Mill Creek MetroParks from a Boardman car dealership will result in the planting of 3,000 trees.

A check presentation was held Friday at the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm in Canfield.

Boardman Subaru owner Rob Fellman presented the $5,000 donation to Mill Creek MetroParks as part of its “Subaru Loves Earth” initiative to plant a tree. For every vehicle sold during April, $25 was donated up to $5,000. In turn, Metroparks’ “Keep Mill Creek Green” program plants a tree for every $25 donated.

Boardman Subaru gifted the same amount last year toward planting trees in the Collier Nature Preserve, but the trees will be planted in a new area this year.

“This year we are transitioning over to the Wildlife Sanctuary Expansion property,” said Nick Derico, natural resources manager at Mill Creek MetroParks. “So these funds will bolster that project and allow us to plant even more trees. Right now we are moving into a 10-acre site which was a former agricultural field. These funds will supply probably around 3,000 trees.”

This is the third year of the partnership between Mill Creek MetroParks and Boardman
Subaru, bringing the total donation to $13,500.

 

Read the original article at WKBN.

New mobile app offers Mill Creek MetroParks info

Are you looking for an easy way to discover new places to visit in Mill Creek MetroParks?  There’s an app for that.

Park officials on Thursday unveiled a new mobile field guide to the entire park system that fits on your wireless device.

The new app allows access to information about the entire park system including facilities, points of interest, and trails from their mobile devices.

Using the OuterSpatial platform, the new mobile application is free and available for both iPhone and Android devices.

The app includes offline mapping and navigation allowing users continued access even without a cell phone signal.

Visitors can use the app to:

  • Plan a visit and make the most of the visit
  • Navigate while on trails
  • Discover new places
  • Locate parking, restrooms, picnic areas, and other park amenities
  • Access information about ecological, geological, and historical points of interest
  • Receive notifications about hazards, closures, and other timely information
  • Special event information
  • Share experiences and photos and connect with others who love the outdoors
  • Report conditions, hazards, and incidents at visited locations

To download the free app, visit www.millcreekmetroparks.org/mobile-app/

 

Read the original article at WFMJ.

Mill Creek MetroParks introduces mobile app

Mill Creek MetroParks visitors now have a new way to access information on the entire park system.

The information will be available on the “OuterSpatial: Get Outside” app. According to its description, the app “connects you with other like-minded adventurers and the organizations that protect and manage your favorite outdoor places.”

Details on Mill Creek MetroParks facilities, points of interest, trails and more will be available, a release from the park states. The app also includes offline mapping and navigation allowing users continued access even without a cell phone signal.

Visitors can use the app to:

  • Plan a visit
  • Navigate while on trails
  • Discover new places
  • Locate parking, restrooms, picnic areas and other park amenities
  • Access information about ecological, geological and historical points of interest
  • Receive notifications about hazards, closures and other timely information
  • Receive special event information
  • Share experiences and photos and connect with others who love the outdoors
  • Report conditions, hazards and incidents at visited locations

Read the original article at WKBN.

Boardman Subaru donates to Mill Creek

Officials at Boardman Subaru today will donate $5,000 to Mill Creek MetroParks as part of the automaker’s “Subaru Loves Earth” initiative to plant a tree for every vehicle sold in April.

During the month, $25 was donated for each vehicle sold up to $5,000. The park system plants a tree for every $25 donated, which in this case is 200 trees.

This year is the third that the dealership, a certified Eco-Friendly Retailer since 2016, has partnered with Mill Creek MetroParks, bringing the total donation to $13,500.

 

Read the original article at The Vindicator.

Sewage overflow work to begin in Mill Creek Park this week

Work is expected to begin in Mill Creek Park this week as part of an effort to eliminate sewage overflows that spilled into the park, contaminating the water.

Crews will begin site work on Monday, June 17, throughout the northern section of the park.

This phase of work is expected to last three to four weeks, according the a Facebook post made by the park.

Youngstown City Council recently designated $4.8 million in ARP funds to start designing an updated sewer system that will prevent waters in the park from becoming contaminated with sewage.

MS Consultants has been contracted to design and construct the system that will divert wastewater flow away from the park’s water channels.

It was previously reported that rain is the main cause of the overflows impacting the parks.

“Anytime you had a heavy rain event or significant rain event, within 24 to 48 hours you [would] find elevated E.coli levels within those stream systems,” Ryan Tekac, Mahoning County Public Health commissioner previously told 21 news.

Park drives and facilities will be open during the work.

Read the original article at WFMJ.

Interceptor project begins in Mill Creek Park

As part of Youngstown’s ongoing project to eliminate combined sanitary overflows in Mill Creek Park, soil boring equipment will be on site and operating in Mill Creek Park beginning today.

Under the direction of MS Consultants, subcontractors will be performing site work throughout the northern section of Mill Creek Park.

Park drives and facilities will remain open during the work.

This phase of work is expected to last three to four weeks.

In the event of inclement weather, the work schedule will be delayed and adjusted accordingly, according to a news release from the MetroParks.

Read the original article at The Vindicator.

Upgrades set at Fellows gardens, McGuffey pond

Several improvements are slated to add a bit of color — and plenty of practicality — to many people’s favorite Mill Creek Park landmark.

ne project entails upgrading the outdoor restroom at Fellows Riverside Gardens for year-round use, Justin Rogers, Mill Creek MetroParks’ planning and operations director, said after the park’s board of commissioners met Monday at the MetroParks Farm.

The work, estimated at $147,000, should get underway in the summer, though Rogers was unable to provide a timetable. To make it able to be used all year, the facility will receive a new roof and entrances; it also will be heated and insulated, Rogers said.

The restroom improvements are important also because the facility is an anchor to the nearby Elizabeth Fellows Education Building and the future revamped children’s garden, he said.

The park entered into a 75-day contract with Claysville, Pa.-based Graham Construction for the project, Rogers said.

Also Monday, Debbie Metzger, who sits on the Friends of Fellows Riverside Gardens’ board, said the annual Mother’s Day plant sale last month brought in $4,175. Proceeds will go to the Youngstown Foundation, with a request the funds be used to enhance the rose garden portion of Fellows, she said.

Such a move is important because the pedigree roses are expensive to plant and require a lot of care. In addition, that section of the botanical gardens is popular among brides and others, Metzger said.

In other business, Gavin Switzer, who owns Youngstown-based Next Nature LLC, discussed with commissioners a proposal to restore a small pond at the McGuffey Wildlife Preserve in Coitsville.

The William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society contracted with Switzer’s company to “get the pond back to a deep water habitat,” Switzer said.

Specifically, the proposed restoration effort will entail using specialized equipment to dredge the body of water to remove accumulated sediment and convert it to a functional kettle bog habitat with minimal environmental impact, Switzer said.

Kettle bogs are water-filled, circular or elliptical depressions formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters that are usually deeper than they are wide. They also are typically fed by precipitation instead of streams or groundwater.

The dredging will entail five phases: assessment and planning, such as environmental-impact studies, dredging and initial habitat establishment, vegetation planting and habitat structuring, monitoring and managing to ensure ecological stability, and installing a boardwalk and signage to inform visitors about the restored habitat’s environmental and historical significance.

The ecological benefits of such a restoration will be an increased biodiversity, improved water quality and vital ecosystem components that include flood mitigation and a viable habitat for pollinating insects and other species, the proposal states.

The pond has been a source of controversy in recent years because some historical society members and others have accused the park of neglecting to properly maintain the body of water and allowing it to degrade.

 

Read the original article at The Vindicator.

Upgrades planned at Mill Creek MetroParks

At Mill Creek MetroParks, some important upgrades are planned for this summer.

A $260,000 upgrade will pave the way for smoother roads on Valley Drive, West Cohasset, and Lily Pond Drive. Close to half of the resurfacing project will be paid for with money from an Ohio Department of Transportation local funding opportunity grant.

“Paving will start probably midsummer. While the work is ongoing, those roads will be closed so we will detour around Mill Creek Park,” Justin Rogers, Director of Planning and Operations for Mill Creek MetroParks.

A $140,000 project will pay for a portion of the bike trail in Austintown to be repaved.

“That will take place from Kirk Road and New Road in Austintown. That is scheduled, probably midsummer,” Rogers said.

The south lot at the Golf Course will see about $200,000 in upgrades. That plan is also set to take place midsummer, include improving connections between the East Golf Hike & Bike Trail, with some park paths and improving access for walkers.

“Physical connections for vehicular and pedestrian traffic, making it safe across West Golf and around the parking lot with the connection over through the East Golf Hike and Bike Trail,” Rogers added.

Money for the parking lot and connectivity improvement project will come from the parks capital improvement fund, or taxpayers dollars.

A $140,000 project at the Fellow Riverside Gardens outdoor bathrooms will include insulation and state building code upgrades will be put in for bid again. That must be done because the bids submitted were over the allotted amount. When complete, those using the Cushwa Outdoor Education Building will be able to use those bathrooms all seasons of the year.

The year-round bathrooms in the future will also be able to be used by the future Children’s Garden redevelopment.

Money for that project will come from the parks operating budget.

The old police department that is deteriorating could be demolished in the next few weeks.

At the end of the year, the third phase of the Vickers Nature Preserve in Ellsworth Township is expected to begin. That includes a new indoor and outdoor four seasons pavilion to host events and programs. The design phase for the project is expected to take six months.

Mill Creek MetroParks believes the changes there will improve accessibility to the equestrian themed facility and hiking trails.

Read the original article at WFMJ.

New Partnership brings E-Bikes to Mill Creek Park

New partnership brings E-Bikes to Mill Creek Park.

Watch the original video at WFMJ.

Mill Creek Golf Course on WFMJ Today

Mill Creek Golf Course was featured on three segments of WFMJ Today. Click on the links below to view the segments.

Mill Creek Golf Course 1

Mill Creek Golf Course 2

Mill Creek Golf Course 3