Mill Creek details plans for new acreage acquired in city

YOUNGSTOWN

Six acres may not seem like a lot, but Justin Rogers, planning manager for Mill Creek MetroParks, says two newly acquired properties adjacent to the park will make a meaningful contribution to the park’s perpetual preservation effort.

“Three acres here, three acres there doesn’t seem like a lot, but in the city, in the urban core, when we get those opportunities [to acquire property], we take them,” Rogers said.

The park system recently acquired the two vacant parcels — one on Bear’s Den Road, the other at Glenwood Avenue and Devonshire Drive — using grant funds administered by the Ohio Public Works Commission from a state program that promotes conservation of green spaces.

“We probably have preserved over 700 acres over the last 15 years using Clean Ohio [funds],” Rogers said.

The park has steadily acquired chunks of property since it was founded more than 120 years ago on a few hundred acres. Today, the park encompasses thousands of acres.

Read the plans for the new parcels in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.