Wick Park effort begins

By JOE GORMAN Tribune Chronicle
YOUNGSTOWN — An effort to revitalize Wick Park and the neighborhood around it got under way Saturday.

Two community organizations –– Defend Youngstown and CityScape –– with help from the City of Youngstown and the Kent State University Urban Design Team, hosted a forum at the park’s pavilion that was attended by about 80 people, said Phil Kidd of Defend Youngstown.

‘‘It was a large cross-section of folks,’’ said Kidd, adding that the city and CityScape helped to notify businesses and residents about the meeting.

Kidd, who is also downtown director for the city, said the hope is to make some improvements to the park, which was constructed in 1890, and then spin those improvements off to the rest of the neighborhood.

Kidd said residents in the neighborhood are encouraged to come up with a plan for the area, with help from the city and that Saturday’s meeting was the first step in that process.

By the end of this week, he said a Web site, wickparkproject.com, should be up and running with more information. He also said another meeting will be held within the next 30 to 45 days at the park to get more input from residents.

Sharon Letson from CityScape said the improvement group was planning on a project at Wick Park this year, so the idea by Kidd fit into its plans. She said residents at Saturday’s meeting talked about lighting and maintenance at the park, getting the fountains working again and planting flower beds in the corners of the park.

‘‘There were a lot of great ideas,’’ Letson said.



jgorman@tribune-chronicle.com