Revitalized for veterans

August 24, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Many urban planners and grass-roots groups will tell you that neighborhood revitalization tends to have a built-in domino effect.

A small number of people mowing an overgrown vacant parcel, boarding up a dilapidated structure or removing trash from an area can attract other residents’ attention and move them to action. That tends to create an incentive and desire for more people to better maintain their homes and properties.

If done consistently, a once-blighted area looks noticeably cleaner and is safer – and people take more pride in their surroundings.

A microcosm of that scenario continues to play out in one South Side neighborhood, aided by Sunday’s Day of Caring cleanup at American Legion Post 472, 323 E. Indianola Ave.

“I help clean Indianola from South Avenue to Market Street twice a year,” said Eddie Gonzales of Campbell, a Post 472 member and sergeant in arms. “You won’t see trash in that area.”

On Sunday morning, Gonzalez was among a few dozen people who busily mowed and removed weeds from a lot behind the post. Also spurring him on was a desire to give back to veterans who have served their country honorably, he said.

Another of the cleanup’s main goals was to dig, then fill with cement and gravel and add padding to two 30-inch holes in front of the building. Each is to house a 20 mm silver battleship cannon, noted Will Midkiff, commander of Post 472, which has close to 200 members.

“They were off a World War I or a World War II ship, so the records probably aren’t that good,” Midkiff said, adding that each weapon weighs at least 600 pounds. “They were pretty deplorable before, but right now they’re looking pretty good.”

Midkiff also supervised numerous other projects that included removing concrete blocks from the backyard, trimming weeds, mowing grass, rototilling part of a lot, digging a small trench to install lines to bring electricity to a nearby garage and adding posts to extend a fence 80 feet.

In addition, Midkiff said he is working with the Mahoning County Land Bank and the mayor’s office to demolish a vacant, three-story house next to Post 472 and acquire that property. A banquet room and dining hall will be added to the post after the eyesore is gone, he said.

Gonzalez and Angie Maynard were part of a crew that removed wooden podiums, helmets, old paint cans, wheelchairs, furniture, American flags and other items from the garage to create more room and convert it to storage space.

“We got a lot of stuff out that we don’t need,” said Maynard, president of Post 472’s Ladies Auxiliary. “This is a good group of people. Everyone’s willing to help out.”

Helping to set the fence posts and get rid of overgrowth, brush and trash was Mason Carratt of Youngstown, who founded the Youngstown Inner City Garden and Youngstown Food Forest.

Carratt, who also assisted with padding the holes for the battleship cannons, estimated that he helped get rid of close to a ton of debris on the property.

In addition, John Brincko, the post’s financial officer, spent much of the morning pressure-washing the building.