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Wick Park neighborhood properties get a facelift
By ELISE McKEOWN SKOLNICK
YOUNGSTOWN
Vacant properties in the Wick Park neighborhood on the North Side have received facelifts.
More than 40 volunteers, mostly Youngstown State University students, came together Saturday to clean up – and board up – about 10 homes. Many of the properties have been vacant and not maintained for several years. YSUscape decided to address the issue.
With the help of a $2,100 grant from the Raymond John Wean Foundation, the YSU student organization purchased supplies and then solicited the help of student organizations, neighborhood associations and neighborhood stakeholders for the workday. Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. and YSU’s Center for Urban and Regional Studies helped with the project.
YSUscape was formed nearly two years ago and works to unite university and citywide organizations to revitalize and beautify Youngstown through various projects. Members are committed to revitalization of not only the YSU campus, but the city of Youngstown. It has about 30 members.
Workers grabbed gloves, rakes, shovels and more to clear brush and clean up trash Saturday. They also secured the properties so people cannot enter them.
The group has participated in YNDC work days, but that organization does not have an action plan for the Wick Park area, so YSUscape came up with the idea to clean up that area, said Nick Chretien, YSUscape president.
It made sense for the group to target the neighborhood, said Chretien.
“Campus is just south of here,” he said. “Many of our members reside in the Wick Park neighborhood.”
Christopher Olszewski, a YSU senior, helped out. Though he’s originally from Akron, he said it’s important to help clean up Youngstown.
“I’m always happy to participate,” he said. “This is my second home. I live here more than I do at home now.”
Nick Torres, also a YSU senior, agreed.
“Youngstown’s like home,” he said.
Torres is from Center, Pa. He liked seeing many YSU student organizations work together.
Members of YSUscape, the basketball team, fraternities and sororities were all present, he noted.
“I think this is honestly making a big difference,” he said. “It’s really awesome that a bunch of YSU students can make a difference like this.”
Torres would like to see Youngstown completely revitalized, and said by tackling one neighborhood at a time that can be achieved. “Small steps make big changes,” he said.
Cleaning up the vacant homes will make people feel more comfortable, Olszewski added.
“Because if you see broken bottles and all this debris, people aren’t going to feel safe walking around,” he said. “If it’s all cleaned up, people are going to feel safer.”
YSUscape has planned another Wick Park neighborhood work day Aug. 29.