Parks, Rec panel mulls future of park
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The City of Warren Parks & Recreation Commission has signed off on a recommendation to seek funding to develop a plan for Washington Park.
The decision was made during the commission's Tuesday meeting.
City Manager Nancy Freenock said the city is working on a recreation, park and open space plan that will become part of the city's comprehensive plan.
She said an opportunity has arisen to potentially secure some state funding to do a site plan for Washington Park.
Freenock said the plan would be an addendum to the park plan "so that when the city is again ready to apply for DCNR funding (we) will have a shovel-ready project."
Opinions from the commission were decidedly mixed about what to do with the park.
Freenock said member Kirk Johnson submitted written comments "questioning why Washington park needs to be developed at all."
"It's always been a passive park," Mark Zavinski said. "Funding is tight everywhere."
He said he would prefer the city focus on issues with its active parks.
Commission member Jackie Angove noted there were six other cars up there when she was on Thursday.
"It's beautiful," she said.
Department of Public Works Director Mike Holtz said discussions have included a "bike-trail focus.
"The thought was (we) weren't thinking of putting (up a) real playground."
"It's a question of using our limited resources," Zavinski responded. "When push comes to shove, (you are) not going to find the funding to do this."
Freenock then asked if -- funding aside -- if trails there would "spoil the atmosphere. It's a pretty large park."
"I just think it's a massive lost opportunity," Commission Chair Mike Suppa said. "I think when you have a thing like Jakes Rocks, if you can leverage other types of similar activities (you) tend to get people here spending their dollars that aren't here.
"Jakes Rocks has proved there is certainly a market for that kind of activity," he said. "I go up there quite a bit (to Washington Park), I don't see the pastoralness used a whole heck of a lot at times."
"This is just a conceptual plan," Freenock noted. "If the state is willing to help us pay for this, I think it's a good opportunity here."
She said the North Country Trail Association has agreed to help with the project and said she would like the plan to be ready to go if the opportunity presents itself.
The commission then approved moving forward with the design, assuming the grant funding is secured.
On the park plan more generally, the consultants with Mackin Engineering indicated that the recommendations received will be molded into the draft plan.
"The initial plan had a lot of maintenance-type issues," Freenock said. "Most of the parks are already built out."
She said the plan would go before the Commission for consideration and then on to Warren City Council once completed.