School considers buying city park

By David Skolnick

YOUNGSTOWN — The city is considering selling Bancroft Park to the Youngstown Christian School, which is adjacent to the city-owned property.

Before negotiations commence, Councilwoman Janet Tarpley, D-6th, will hold a town hall meeting to obtain the opinions of the potential sale from residents in her ward — the location of the park and the school. The meeting is at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Youngstown Christian School, 4401 Southern Blvd.

A town hall meeting was held about two months ago with about 20 residents in attendance and none objecting to the sale, said Tarpley and Michael Pecchia, the school’s president.

“We want to make sure everyone’s voices are heard,” Tarpley said.

The property is appraised at $44,000 to $45,000, said Jason Whitehead, the city’s interim park and recreation director and the mayor’s chief of staff.

“We haven’t discussed a sales price,” Whitehead said.

The park on 1.24 acres on Wychwood Lane has a storage building, two basketball courts and playground equipment, Whitehead said. The city has owned the park since 1931.

If the park is sold, the city would remove the playground equipment and place it on another city-owned lot nearby, Whitehead and Tarpley said.

Since the school opened in 1975, its pupils have used the park as a recess area, Pecchia said.

“It’s used primarily by Youngstown Christian kids during the school year,” Whitehead said.

There have been recent complaints by some residents of drug sales and loud music at night at the park, he said.

If Youngstown Christian, located in the former Bancroft School building, buys the park, it plans to use most of the space for an expansion of its high school, Pecchia said. Until then, the school would continue to use the park for recess, he said.

“I can’t secure the park because it’s a city park,” he said. “If some drunk comes [to] the park grounds, I can’t tell him to go.”

The school has expressed interest over the years in purchasing the park but was rebuffed by previous city administrations, Pecchia said.

skolnick@vindy.com