MILL CREEK PARK Trail project would pave the way for pedestrians to reach roads

Park employees also will work to remove plants that are foreign to northeast Ohio.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mill Creek Park officials are hoping to give pedestrians a way to get between West and East Newport drives without having to make a mad dash through traffic.
The officials have proposed constructing an 850-foot-long, 10-foot-wide paved trail connecting the two drives north of Shields Road. The trail would allow pedestrians to get between West and East Newport drives at the south end of Lake Newport without having to brave traffic on Shields Road and Sheban Drive.
It would be closed to motor vehicles.
Local residents can comment on the proposal during a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Davis Center in Fellows Riverside Gardens.
Safety concern
Steve Avery, the chief landscape architect for the parks, said park officials have been concerned about the safety of pedestrians who use Sheban Drive and Shields Road.
"The problem's been out there for decades, and it's been increasing because of the traffic flow in the road," he said.
There are no sidewalks along Sheban Drive or Shields Road in the park.
West Newport Drive ends in a stop sign at Sheban Drive. Pedestrians and drivers must look past pine trees at the intersection to determine if any cars are coming south on Sheban Drive before they can turn left.
From there, it's about a quarter-mile to the stoplight at the intersection of Sheban Drive and Shields Road. To the south, Sheban Drive becomes West Golf Drive.
Many pedestrians head east, walking, jogging or biking with traffic for a quarter-mile on Shields Road so they can get to East Newport Drive or the East Golf Hike/Bike Trail.
The new paved trail is slated to be built amid trees just northwest of a small picnic area on West Newport Drive near the Sheban Road intersection. A bridge will be built to carry the trail over Mill Creek.
Cost
Construction could start late next summer, cost $164,000 and be paid for using a Federal Highway Administration grant that has already been approved for the parks. The grant was administered by the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments.
Park Executive Director Susan Dicken noted that during the construction of the trail, park employees also will remove species of plants that are not native to northeastern Ohio from the area around Lake Newport. Those species have crowded out other plants that serve as food and shelter for some native animals, said Mindy Henning, the park's manager of interpretive services.
"They're beautiful, they look beautiful, but it's really affecting the animals' habitats," she said.
Among the plant species that are not native to northeastern Ohio but can be found in the park are Garlic Mustard, Honeysuckle, English Ivy and Norway maple trees. Seeds for some of those plants were carried into the park by birds, Dicken said.
Others were planted by park staff decades ago, before they knew how it would affect animal habitat, Henning added.
hill@vindy.com