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Groups spruce up vacant Brier Hill lot
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Lien Forward and V&M Star organized a group of about 30 volunteers to spruce up a vacant lot at the corner of Oakland Avenue and Columbia Street in Youngstown’s Brier Hill area Wednesday. Above, Robert Flores, a V&M Star employee and member of V&M’s Sons and Daughters program, helps clear brush from the lot.
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Sandy Wilson with Lien Forward Ohio prepares the ground for planting grass and trees at the corner of Oakland Avenue and Columbia Street in Youngstown’s Brier Hill district. Lien Forward and V&M Star organized a group of about 30 volunteers to spruce up the vacant lot Wednesday.
By SEAN BARRON
YOUNGSTOWN
If you drive by Oakland and Lafayette avenues in the city’s Brier Hill area, you’ll likely notice a small patch of property blanketed by straw.
At first glance, it may not look like much, until you consider that only two months ago the site was occupied by a dilapidated home with broken windows and a rotted frame.
The straw is a prelude for what is shaping up to be an urban meadow — and a symbol of efforts throughout the city to eliminate blight and improve neighborhoods.
“It’s a combination of low-growth grass and wildflowers,” explained Debora Flora, executive director of Lien Forward Ohio, a regional council of governments established in 2005 that performs land acquisitions throughout Mahoning County.
About 18 months ago, Lien Forward and V&M Star formed a partnership to demolish abandoned structures in neighborhoods north of U.S Route 422 near the plant and to beautify
the area, Flora noted. The meadow, along with a similar one near Oakland and Columbia Street, is part of that effort, she continued.
Earlier this week, V&M broke ground for its $650 million expansion project.
More than 20 volunteers primed the property Wednesday by extracting tree roots, removing weeds, planting seed, rolling the soil and adding straw. Most of the volunteers are members of V&M’s Sons and Daughters program, a community collaborative the business set up to give children of V&M employees a chance to perform a variety of community-service projects.
One of those rolling up his sleeves was Kyle Frazier, whose mother, Sherry Webster, works for the company.
“It’s a nice experience to give back to the community” the 21-year-old Poland man said after tilling the land and laying seed. “The city of Youngstown has done a lot for V&M. I’m happy to give back.”
Members of the Sons and Daughters program perform 12 weeks’ worth of general-labor work each summer, noted Nancy Biegenwald, who oversees the program. Wednesday’s effort was the first such project for many of the young adults, she pointed out.
“It’s nice for all of us. It makes you feel good,” added Tim Rhodes, V&M’s facilities maintenance supervisor who also oversaw the work.
Also helping were several members of Treez Please, a nonprofit organization formed in 2007 that’s dedicated to addressing the need for a greener city.
The meadow should be fully established in a year or two and eventually will include trees, noted Jean Engle, the organization’s co-president.
Members of Jubilee Gardens and Habitat for Humanity donated tools for the project.
Since 2006, Lien Forward Ohio has focused on using liens and other legal tools to clear hundreds of abandoned, tax-delinquent properties of outstanding debt and turning them over to responsible people, businesses, churches and other entities, Flora explained.
“We need people who demonstrate responsibility for what they have and what they want to own,” Flora added.