New group aims to back Mill Creek MetroParks

Opinion: May 22, 2016 at 12:00a.m.

Mill Creek Metro- Parks continues to suffer public scrutiny and negativity from the community. A new group has been formed consisting of individuals who seek to support the park and find a way to work through these challenges. That group is Partners for Progress Mill Creek Park. It can be found on a Facebook page of the same name.

Its mission is to partner with the park and systematically add structure through collaboration, dialogue and agreement. It is our vision that through this process, the relationship between the park and the public will mend and evolve over time.

It didn’t take days to get into this dilemma, and it won’t take days to get out of it. Partners for Progress Mill Creek Park is willing to do the work. With decades of dysfunction, lack of policy, inconsistent processes, there is much to talk about and much to accomplish.

If we do not step up now, these issues will continue to challenge the stability and sanctity of our beautiful park.

Many park employees and volunteers are passionate about what they do and give their heart and soul to their work. However, board members, employees, and volunteers have resigned as all this upheaval does not help morale. While one public group calls this loss of talent “success,” Partners for Progress seeks to develop a culture of community support and security before additional talented, passionate employees and volunteers decide to leave.

There is more than one voice for the community in regard to park concerns. Your voice matters. Many of you have not spoken up. Many didn’t want to risk upset of their career or family or public image due to the hostile environment around park issues. Many were initially involved, yet turned off by the negativity and lack of proposed solutions. Now, you can help stand beside Partners for Progress Mill Creek Park as brothers and sisters who love our park and seek progress to save our park.

We are urging local politicians, businesses, employees, volunteers and all taxpayers to come to Mill Creek Board of Commissioners meetings and observe. The next board meeting is June 13 at 6 p.m. at the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm, 7574 Columbiana-Canfield Road, Canfield.

You will see a park board that is trying to move forward and a level of public negativity that accepts none of their efforts as progress. Anger and hostility and set demands get us nowhere. Together we will save our park.

Tracie Balentine, Youngstown