Children need water recreation on all four sides of Youngstown

Children need water recreation on all four sides of Youngstown

I found the recent article about the splash pads in The Vindicator puzzling.

First, how do you justify using a half-mile radius around John White Park when the next nearest public parks on the East Side are Lincoln Park, two miles away, and Nick Johnson Park, three miles away?

The city of Youngstown has 30 public parks, six of which are no longer being used.

According to a park survey that covered only a specific amount of hours and days, John White Park has the sixth highest usage, a total of 454 children and adults. Borts Field was 20th on the list with a total usage of eight children and adults.

The West Side through Mill Creek Park has a water feature in Scholl Park off of Bears Den Road with a water feature coming to Wick Recreational Area near Belle Vista in the near future.

During our budget hearings, because the city has only one pool, we wanted to have six splash pads. This water feature can be used longer in the summer and without lifeguards. The cost was a lot more than we anticipated. We decided to do two a year.

The mayor had already discussed the demolition of the pool and a splash pad with park committee for next year.

At the end of the day, children and adults deserve to have parks and a water feature for summer weather on all sides of the city regardless of usage figures or population.

If you build it, they will come.

Annie Gillam, Youngstown

Annie Gillam is the 1st Ward councilwoman in Youngstown.