Smith Twp., Mill Creek Park plan joint event

By Denise Dick

The community day will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday in the township park.

SMITH — In an effort to reach out to taxpayers in Mahoning County’s western communities, Mill Creek Park plans a joint event with the township.

David Imbrogno, executive director of Mill Creek MetroParks, said one of his goals when he began the job was to engage people in the county’s western areas in park activities.

“We don’t have a physical presence in the western part of the county,” he said. “But we figured if we can’t have a physical presence, at least we can have a programmatic presence.”

A community day begins at 4 p.m. Saturday with nature hikes and displays.

At 6 p.m., the blue grass group Get Out and Push will entertain the audience.

The event will be at Smith Township Park, the site of former Mapleridge School at the corner of Bandy Road and Ohio Avenue.

Ball fields and playground equipment remain at the site although the school building has been demolished.

Dave Mannion, township trustee, said the township hopes to one day build an administration building on the property.

“A lot of residents out in this portion of the county feel underserved by the park district for the taxes that they pay,” Mannion said.

The trustee hopes the event becomes a regular happening.

“We hope it’s more of a regular thing rather than a one-shot deal,” he said.

Imbrogno said other events, typically conducted at park facilities, may be planned in the western portions of the county as part of the continuing effort to engage more people.

He said plans for a joint event with the township started before a suggestion by Judge Mark Belinky of Mahoning County Probate Court for an expansion of the number of Mill Creek Park commissioners from three to five.

The judge said in making the suggestion that having commissioners from other parts of the county would make those communities feel they have more of a stake in the park.

Park commissioners decided not to take the judge’s suggestion and to remain with three members, believing task forces and committees are a better way to gather wider input.

“The judge’s point about getting more people involved in the park is an excellent point,” Imbrogno said.

“He was right on the money. This is a way of addressing those issues that he brought up.”