After having a limited 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Youngstown Parks and Recreation Department Director Dawn Turnage is eager to reclaim a sense of normalcy this summer.
“The parks are the heartbeat of the community, and we want people to understand the importance of getting outside,” Turnage said. “They’re more than just a playground, they’re a place for people to gather.” She said city parks offer healthy opportunities – everything from walking trails to exercise equipment.
The annual budget for the parks department is $2.8 million. The budget allocated for summer programs, including seasonal employment, is $400,000. The department has 18 permanent staffers and 100-150 seasonal employees.
Summer Camp, Jazz in the Park
As the summer season kicks off, there will be more opportunities for the community to get out and enjoy what the parks have to offer. Among them is a Summer Camp Program (July 7-Aug. 6), which is free to those who register. The camp is open to youth ages 5-17.
“Jazz in the Park” returns, but has relocated to Wick Park in order to accommodate more people and maintain social distancing. The series kicks off Sunday, July 18. Its final set will be Sunday, Sept. 5.
Youngstown Parks and Recreation is also planning “Sunday Jazz” at Northside Pool and “Jazz at the Grass” at the Eugenia Atkinson Recreational Center.
Turnage suggested that movie nights could be added to the schedule as COVID restrictions are being lifted.
“We still ask that social distancing is practiced and, if not, vaccinated signs will be posted asking those who are not vaccinated to wear a mask.”
The Parks and Rec team recently hosted a Summer Camp Registration and Community Fair for the Camp Program, but spots will be limited due to COVID-19.
Summer Camp Director Dorphine Peace spoke to the troubles the department faced last year during the pandemic.
“Last year all of my sites weren’t opened up, so we ended up with just 36 kids for our summer camps,” Peace said. “I understand parents were scared but we did what we had to do for those kids and we made it work and, thankfully, nobody got sick.”
Peace is expecting this year’s numbers to again be lower than average.
The Summer Camp Program usually has an open enrollment with 400 registrations but, according to Peace, they’re only looking to fill 103 spots this season.
The number of camp locations also took a hit, being scaled back to five – John White, Wick, Homestead, Lynn and Crandall parks.
But this year camp-goers will get to travel to other locations around the Valley, including Camelot Lanes, Youngstown Skate and a pop-up library.
Free ready-to-eat meals will be available at Glenwood Park, 2538 Glenwood Ave.; Lincoln Knolls Community Park; and Mahoning Valley Sanitary District Park on the city’s West Side. Beginning June 7, Parks and Recreation will serve meals Monday through Friday from noon to 1 p.m.
Peace says “donations, organizations, grants and funding from the city and state” are vital to making programs like the Summer Camp and meals possible.
“We got our food from the state and we’re under an umbrella of the Children’s Hunger Alliance to help feed the kids this year,” Peace said. The Children’s Hunger Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating childhood hunger. Some of their work includes providing free meal funding to youth programs statewide.
Facility openings, program updates
• The Henry Stambaugh Golf Course recently opened. Beginning June 3, the golf course will be open for extended hours – from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday-Thursday.
• Northside Pool is scheduled to open on Monday, June 21.
• Youth Sports League – A newly formed Youth All Sports Planning & Advisory Committee is in the early stages of organizing a Youth Recreation Sports program.
Parks and Recreation will partner with Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV), the Youngstown Police Department and the YMCA to oversee the formation of youth recreation sports programs.
As organizers eye a tentative July 1 start date, the committee is welcoming the community – parents/guardians, Little League coaches, potential team sponsors and referees – to give insight into the formation of the league.
“We want people to participate and in getting that input, we want to move really quickly on that because I know that the season is right around the corner, when it comes to fall sports,” Turnage said.
Community Liaison Malik Mostella, stressed the importance of involving coaches, considering the amount of time they spend with the kids.
“Coaches are like surrogate parents; the kids get to see them every day and they’re with the kids every day, they deal with them every day,” Mostella said.
Committee member and CIRV Director Guy Burney, has been involved in a number of sports leagues; he hopes to see the program evolve beyond athletics, into a mentoring and character-building opportunity.
“I want it to be about building each other up and learning how to handle conflict properly. That’s my objective in being involved with this,” Burney said.
Turnage shares in Burney’s hopes to see what more the league can become in the future, hoping to eventually establish a STEM and entrepreneurship program.
• Move with the Mayor – Mayor Jamael Tito Brown will be participating in the nationwide “‘Move with the Mayor” campaign, which occurs Aug. 1-Oct. 15. The program challenges constituents and community members throughout the U.S. to get active and be mobile around the city.
“What we’ll do is we’ll have a ‘Walk Wednesday’ and we’ll let individuals know where the mayor will be, and as he walks for 30 minutes,” Turnage said. “We’re trying to be hands-on and have that touchy relationship with the leader of our community.”
• Cleanups – In addition to new programs, park cleanups have been underway, with Turnage stating they’ve been receiving help from all over. “Youngstown State University and Honors College students, as well as other organizations, such as the Youngstown Lifeguard Academy have all been joining us in cleaning up our parks.”
She emphasized how important the upkeep of our parks is – not only to the community but to tourists who come to visit.
“If there’s a group that wants to do a cleanup project, we will provide anything that they need, in order for that to happen,” Turnage said.
• Grants – Securing grants is a vital part of maintaining parks around the Valley.
“Due to the challenges of funding support facing urban parks, such as Youngstown Parks and Recreation, applying for grants is the most common method of raising funds for city parks,” Turnage said.
The parks department applies for grants monthly, but currently two grants are being eyed to help with upkeep at several parks locations.
The Nature Works Grant, from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), would go toward upgrading the B&O Station, providing improvements to the commons area and a deck normally utilized for kayaking.
The second, the Kaboom Grant, is earmarked to fund new playground equipment at Falls Park on the city’s South Side. The grant accounts for $85,000 toward the project.
“When awarded grants and approved donations, both private and individual as well as from corporations, this allows for the investment in landscaping, healthy green spaces, safe play spaces and the ability to manage the undertaking of revitalization of recreational facilities,” Turnage said.
• Renovations – You can see the impact these grants play in improving the parks with some of the recent renovations.
The kitchen inside the Wick Park Pavilion now offers stainless steel appliances. Turnage said the park system will be installing additional round tables to safely accommodate more people in the main seating area.
After being repurposed as a COVID testing/vaccination facility, the Eugenia Atkinson Recreational Center will go back to hosting its normal recreational activities.
The cafe there will feature an updated commercial stove to allow cooking classes and is available to rent for small gatherings.
“At that location [Eugenia Rec] we will offer programs through Mercy Health for exercise and health,” Turnage said. “We had a dance class that had 35 people show up, which was our first day opening since COVID.”
• Employee and Volunteer Woes – Like many places across the country, the worker shortage is causing some issues for Parks and Recreation.
“I’m hoping to hire a few more staff members with the worker shortage, but I’m having a hard time,” Peace said. “I’m hoping that things will turn around and people will come out and want to work.”
During a normal parks season, Turnage says, “100 or more individuals apply for employment and we hire about 40 percent.” She said applications are currently running low.
Turnage and Peace speculated that people receiving the extra unemployment may contribute to the issue but added that people weary of working through the ongoing pandemic could play a role as well.
The parks department is currently taking applications for lifeguard positions at Northside Pool and Stambaugh Golf Course, among other areas.
For those seeking employment or wanting to get involved with volunteer cleanups, Turnage advised contacting the parks department by phone. People can also follow the parks department on social media to learn about job opportunities.
Despite the worker shortage, Turnage has high expectations for the parks department during this upcoming summer season. She wants locals and visitors to know how vital parks are to establishing and maintaining the quality of life in the community.
“Our goal is ensure the health of our families and our youth are up to standard, as well as contributing to our economic and environmental well-being which is definitely something that our community needs,” she said.
Parks and Recreation Department, City Hall, 26 S. Phelps St., 1st Floor, Youngstown, Ohio 44503. Phone: 330-742-8711.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article had the incorrect opening date for Northside Pool. The correct date is Monday, June 21.
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