Planting for a better Youngstown

Downtown Youngstown’s grown a bit today.

It’s not a new tech business or a new restaurant.

It’s 1,200 flowers and plants spread throughout the many blocks of the city’s core that were planted Saturday as part of the 13th annual StreetScape 2010.

More than 400 volunteers took to the streets Saturday morning and, in various waves, dug, planted, mulched and weeded their way around the many planting beds that give Youngstown some spruce:

Wick Park, West and East Federal Street flower beds, the historic monument in Federal Plaza, “The Garden Bunker” at Boardman and Champion streets, the stairways and hillsides that connect downtown to the college blocks, the John Young Memorials at Oak Hill and Spring Common, the Smoky Hollow Memorial, etc.

The proud mom over the entire event was Sharon Letson, executive director of Youngstown CityScape, which organizes the effort. On Saturday, she was thrilled at the far reach of this year’s event.

“We’re in all the city’s wards this year, and that’s just great,” she said, rattling off citizen groups, streets and neighborhoods that were all being touched by this year’s efforts.

Dave Knowlden and Jack White were tackling Wick Park. It wasn’t just a feel-good task, but also an investment in their neighborhood. The two are among the wave of twentysomethings that have taken residence in the neighborhoods around the park.

They dismissed the notion that they’re part of new wave; it’s now a norm.

They’re optimistic that efforts such as this will sustain the norm, but it ultimately depends on jobs, Knowlden said. If their friends find work, they’ll stay.

As for Saturday’s effort, Knowlden was just glad to not repeat last year’s StreetScape effort: He ended up combating poison ivy. This year, his task was safer across from Park Vista.

In his crew were the Ryan brothers — Eric of Covelli Centre and Tim of congressional fame. (They’re not really brothers, but such charges keep them on their toes.)

That Tim Ryan ended up working at Wick Park was no fluke, said Letson.

Wick is a tool in the city’s dream to retain and recruit residents — younger professionals such as Knowlden and White. It has a $2.8 million capital- improvement plan set to go that will convert it into a showcase park.

It just needs a funding source — and there he was, knee-deep in mulch Saturday.

Letson hoped that Ryan’s seeing the park that closely will help make the dream happen.

One step at a time, was the feeling of city Councilman Tito Brown, who also was at Wick Park.

As he shared his optimism of the long-term effect of such projects, a dude drove by in a car. At 35 miles per hour, he pumped his fist out of his car and yelled, “Go Youngstown ...”

As quickly as he came, he was gone. But it lingered with Brown.

“With efforts like this, one day, a guy like him will stop and join us.”