Lowellville plans safety day

By EMMALEE C. TORISK

etorisk@vindy.com

LOWELLVILLE

Most residents’ interactions with the village’s police and fire departments come only when something bad has happened.

That’s why Lowellville Safety Day presents “the perfect opportunity” for residents to meet members of the safety forces, and for those members to become more familiar with the community as well, said Police Chief Ryan Bonacci.

“It gives the people a chance to see and interact with the people who do protect them on a daily basis,” he said.

This year is the first for Lowellville Safety Day, which will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. May 12 in the gymnasium of the Lowellville K-12 School, 52 Rocket Place.

Bonacci said he’s hopeful, though, that the day dedicated to disseminating safety tips and information to village residents will soon become an annual event.

Hosted by the police and fire departments, the event coincides with Bike Helmet Safety Week, which is May 9-18, said Capt. Stacy Karis, an officer with the village’s police department and the district’s school-resource officer.

Thanks to a grant from the Ohio chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, along with a donation of more than $400 from the Lowellville Village Council, 116 children in the village will have new helmets, set to be distributed during the event. The helmets are available in a range of sizes —

including those for children as young as 3 years old — and rain checks will be issued if the supply runs out.

Karis said she applied for the grant in early March after noticing the large number of residents, especially children, who ride bikes in the village. The grant required that the helmets be given out within a week of Bike Helmet Safety Week, so Karis then began planning the event that eventually would become Lowellville Safety Day.

In addition to the village’s police and fire departments, other entities that will be present during the event include Mahoning County’s game and dog wardens, the Coalition for a Drug-Free Mahoning County and the Ohio Utilities Protection Service.

In all, more than 20 organizations responded to Karis’ invitation to appear at Lowellville Safety Day. Among the topics they will offer information about are bus and train safety, furniture tip-overs, texting and driving, diabetes awareness, and drug abuse. Children’s identification kits and gunlocks, among other free items, also will be available.

“There are so many [safety organizations] here in the Mahoning Valley, and not everybody knows about them,” Karis said. “[Lowellville Safety Day] will help just to spread the word.”

Bonacci added that he wants village residents to glean from the event important information about safety organizations and their services, just in case a need arises for them in the future.

“At least they will know who to contact, and be able to see some familiar faces,” he said. “I want the community to take away a sense of knowing we are here for them.”

For more information about Lowellville Safety Day, contact the village’s police or fire departments at 330-536-6326 and 330-540-2006, respectively.