MAHONING COUNTY Officials to sell land along bicycle trail

People will be able to park cars and find water and restrooms at the facility.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A former outpost for the Mahoning County Engineer's office will become a haven for riders on the Lake to River Greenway bike trail.
County commissioners voted Thursday to sell 1.7 acres along Kirk Road in Austintown Township to the Mill Creek Metropolitan Park District for $10. The land is adjacent to the bike trail.
Susan Dicken, director of park development, said it will be developed into a parking area and outbuildings for people who ride the trail.
Seeking grants: The park district has applied for grants of $135,000 from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and $133,200 from the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments to pay for the project.
The two-tiered property is divided by a 15-foot bank, Dicken said. The lower portion will be developed into a parking lot for up to 50 vehicles, and a stone building will be revamped into an open-air picnic pavilion.
A building on the upper part of the property will also be renovated into a service area for trail riders, decorated and set up as a miniature train station, Dicken said. Environmental, safety and trail information, as well as water and restroom facilities will be available there.
Not used in years: County Administrator Gary Kubic said the county bought the property in the 1930s and used it as a satellite station for the engineer's office. It was most recently used for storage of hazardous materials management equipment, but has not been used in several years, he said.
Commissioner Vicki Allen Sherlock said the county is glad to be a part of the project by providing the land at a nominal fee. "It's a quality-of-life issue," she said.
Kubic said the property once had underground gasoline and diesel fuel storage tanks for the engineer's equipment, but they have since been removed.
Dicken said the site should be ready for use by this time next year.