The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Oakwood Park discussion goes on
Park committee reports on first meeting
Oakwood Park still needs help, but it appears city residents and officials need more information before they can agree on a plan for the future of South Lorain’s 68acre green space.
On April 24, Lorain City Council’s Parks & Recreation Committee spent almost two hours deliberating on the future maintenance and improvements needed for the park.
The meeting included a report from Bob Renney, chairman of an Oakwood Park Planning
mittee appointed by Mayor Chase Ritenauer.
That group met for the first time this month. Its recommendations are in the “embryonic” stages, but the members already recognize several issues, Renney said.
The city needs to take care of basic amenities — benches, picnic tables, restrooms, playgrounds, mowing and weeding — just so people know Oakwood Park is not forgotten, Renney said.
The park staff of Lorain’s Public Property Department are doing their best, but the city does not have enough resources to take care of a park the magnitude of Oakwood Park, and other parks, he said.
The city needs to address day to day operations and secure funding for future improvements. The committee aims to create plans for immediate needs, one year, three years, five years and 10 years out, Renney said.
The committee also heard from Alan Siewert, urban forester of the Division of Forestry in the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, who explained his
February analysis of the trees at the park.
He noted the study is an assessment of risk, not a prediction of the future. Making a visual inspection, it is not always possible to tell the inner health or structural strength of the tree just by looking at bark or a leafy canopy.
A number of Council members, committee members and citizens spoke. In summary, those interested need clarity on the existence of possible wetlands and drainage issues in Oakwood Park, said Committee Chairman Mitch Fallis.
Council members and the public contributed some great ideas for funding sources to pay for park improvements. Those could include donations or sponsorships from businesses or residents, Fallis said, citing ideas that came up in the discussion.
“It’s very heartening to hear that from our residents, that we’re on the same path trying to make improvements to our city,” he said.
Among other suggestions, it’s also clear that Lorain needs to hunt down grant money for park improvements and to bolster the park operations in the city’s Public Property Department, Fallis said.
“So the committee has a charge of working on some short-term goals along with the administration, and we continue to develop a longer-range vision of Oakwood Park, and we look forward to your comments and suggestions on making Oakwood Park a beautiful park again,” Fallis said.
Based on Siewert’s study and the removal of trees with an “extreme risk” of falling down due to age, no one called for the city to cut down more of the estimated hundreds of trees in the park.
The city cutting down trees in October 2016 prompted the continuing public debate about how the city should direct the improvements to the park.
However, Councilman Joshua Thornsberry said he had “serious concerns” about the committee and it was “very premature” to declare no more trees are coming down. He also noted various reactions to the expert opinions about what can or should be done at the park.
Thornsberry said he is confident in the Oakwood Park Planning Committee, but there seems to be a mass rush to appease the public who were upset with what has transpired there so far.