UPDATE: Mill Creek moves to 11th in Coke contest, East Liverpool park in 3rd

YOUNGSTOWN

Mill Creek Park has moved up from 17th place Thursday to 11th place today in the Coca-Cola contest for a $100,000 recreational grant.

The park has accumulated 711 votes as of this evening.

Meanwhile, Thompson Park in East Liverpool has acquired 2,161 votes, placing it in third behind a Lorton, Va., park that has 5,172 votes and the leader, in Moore, Okla., at 12,249 votes.

April Stanislaw, Mill Creek MetroParks marketing coordinator, said this week that the park district stumbled upon the opportunity to enter the contest when she met a gentleman at this year’s Get Outdoors’ Day, who then emailed her information about the contest.

Mill Creek and Thompson are among 8,097 parks participating in the contest,

There are three ways residents can vote:click here; check in at the park via the smartphone application Four Square; or get active by logging 20 minutes of activity using the application MapMyFitness.

You can vote once each day.

Stanislaw noted that five votes can be amassed if a voter checks in using Four Square and 10 votes will be recorded if a voter logs activity on MapMyFitness.

Coca-Cola is awarding four prizes: the $100,000 recreational grant for first place; $50,000 for second; $25,000 for third; and a drawing for $15,000 for fourth.

Stanislaw said that gives Mill Creek Park a good chance at winning something. Point totals will be doubled June 21, the first full day of summer, and during that last weekend of voting from July 13-14.

Stanislaw said Mill Creek would use the $100,000 to finish the Wick Recreational playground project on Youngstown’s West Side.

“It’s [the project] pretty massive,” Stanislaw said. “It really means a lot for the community. This would service the community.”