POLAND Council OKs route for walking path

The dissenting councilman said he thinks the money could better be spent elsewhere.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
POLAND -- By a 4-1 vote, village council has approved plans for the walking path along Yellow Creek with an altered route at Poland Manor.
"I think it's a good idea to get people walking instead of riding" in motor vehicles, said Councilman Joe Mazur, who made the motion Tuesday in support of the path with its modified route. "The woods are for everybody. We have a beautiful woods, and the path is an enhancement of the woods," he said.
The path, which may have a total length up to 31/2 miles, is to begin at Walker Mill Road and run to Riverside Drive or the village limits. Under the modified route, the path will leave Poland Municipal Forest, cross Poland Manor and use sidewalk, rather than running in the forest behind homes on Poland Manor.
Public opinions: About 20 people speaking to council Tuesday expressed support for the path and its modified compromise route, while two expressed total opposition.
"We don't have enough of these kinds of opportunities to allow people to recreate, to become physically active away from traffic in some of the most beautiful, peaceful, serene surroundings in this entire area," said Gordon Longmuir of Boardman, a path supporter.
Longmuir is a professor of physical education at Youngstown State University and president of the Friends of the Poland Forest, an advocacy group that has endorsed the path. Longmuir, who lives on the edge of the forest, said he hikes, runs, cross-country skis and snowshoes in the forest.
The sole dissenting vote came from Councilman Marc Cossette, who said he has heard significant opposition to the path from village residents. The village recently spent money for sidewalk installation to improve pedestrian access, Cossette said, adding that he thinks the money for the path could better be spent for other village needs, including street improvements.
Pete Foxx, a Poland Manor resident who opposes the path, said vandals broke several statues in his yard this past summer and that a would-be burglar tried unsuccessfully to enter his house. "It's a safety issue," Foxx said, adding that he fears the path will bring more strangers and more potential for trouble.
Cost: The total cost of the path is estimated at $185,000, of which $150,000 is for construction and $35,000 for design, engineering and other costs. The Ohio Department of Transportation will pay 80 percent and the village 20 percent, plus engineering and design costs. The first segment of the path has already been built at the new public library, which opened Monday.
"The path will come right next to my house, and I am strongly in favor of the path. I think that it's important to provide a place for people to go not only for recreation, but to use as a means to get from one place to another," said Mayor Ruth Wilkes of Poland Manor.