Riverside fitness trail

[Towntalk]

You bet Rick. As I said in an earlier post, the area along the river is loaded with historic sites.

As to the markers, how about concrete. Heavy concrete that the bums and scrap thieves can't sell or destroy.

Too bad you didn't have a couple of tough guys with very short tempers along with you in your adventure that could have put the fear of the Almighty very deeply in the seat of that guys sit down area if you know what I mean. These guys brains are fried on drugs, and not worth polite consideration.

A whack upside the head would not have been amiss.

[Rick Rowlands]

If you are going to put markers down in that area they better be made of plastic, otherwise they'll be GONE....

There is quite a neighborhood of homeless between Market Street and Spring Common along the river.  This would have to be addressed if the bike trail goes in.  All that needs cleaned up and those people evicted.  If this is not done the trail will be perceived as being unsafe. 

A couple of years ago I was down there in my pickup with a friend showing him the backside of the William Tod Co. Plant.  A man walked up to us from his hideaway on the riverbank, spotted the set of cutting torches in the bed and must have thought that I was down there to steal scrap.  He gave us an ultimatum.  Either come to his camp and smoke some weed or get the f**k out of there.   We beat a hasty retreat.

Maybe the very act of opening that area up with a bike trail will help convince those people to move on. 

Why not an historical marker for the Tod plant?  You know the gates for the Panama Canal were made in those buildings as were the engines that drove the original Ferris Wheel!   Betcha didn't know that!

[Towntalk]

Two other historic points are along that trail:

(1) The very first Youngstown Fair Grounds was located in an area underneath the present Market Street Bridge. The fair grounds was later moved to an area near Arlington Street.

(2) There was an early amusement park located west of Spring Commons. The River Boats would haul passangers to the park. Exactly where that park was I can not say, but the park was mentioned in an article published by the Vindicator January 17, 1932 - "AMUSEMENT PARK ON NORTH BANK OF MAHONING DREW "YOUNG BLOODS"", placing it "on the north bank of the Mahoning River opposite the mouth of Mill Creek."

[Defend Youngstown]

Let's do it and let's do it when we rename/rededicate the park area by the B&O Station "John Young Memorial Park" at the return of CityFest June 27, 2009 (Ytown's B'day).

PK

[Towntalk]

Phil:

This is just a suggestion for what it may or may not be worth, but the trail along the river follows the path of the old Penn-Ohio Canal, and there were three basens in that area where the canal boats were turned around and where they were placed when another boat was coming from the opposite direction.

The Historical Society would have a detailed map, but as I understand, there was a basin at the foot of Basin Street, another at Market Street and another just above Spring Commons.

We wouldn't be amiss if historic markers were placed at these points.

As for Baldwin Dam, or what's left of it, a historic marker could be placed there also. Baldwin Dam was under the Spring Common Bridge.

Another Historic Marker in this same area could pay tribute to the Mahoning Pleasure Boat Company which ran small steamboats up and down the river.

There are a lot of historical points along the trail.

[Defend Youngstown]

I'm going to meet with Sarah on Tues. and will print out these questions. Also, from a total resource standpoint, I think linking Point A to Point E might make more sense (at least right now) then building out toward Point G. However, I haven't spoken to Sarah about this particular plan in any detail yet. There may be good reason for it. I'm assuming that it probably has something to do with preparing the line to extend/connect further down river.

[Elmo-Ytown]

Went to the fitness trail again, this time I saw the dock at the parking lot and the dock at the B&O, hadn't seen either before. I didn't get an upclose look at the parking area dock, but I went out on the dock at the B&O, and it didn't seem that bad, only a few boards needed replaced. Would the price for the wood be included in the work on the trail? Who is responsible for the docks right now? It looked like there was supposed to be a light pole on the dock at the B&O.

Does anyone know where I can rent a canoe? And does the B&O allow you to park there if you are canoeing?

The city should send a couple people down the trail with weedwackers, then maybe all the people hanging around the parking lot will venture down the trail. The cuttings could be dumped in the cities compost heap (I assume we have one?)

At least the part of the trail that I was on wouldn't take all that much work to make useable, it and the docks look like they would make a great Eagle Scout project.

[Rick Rowlands]

Phil sent me the proposal and here is a map that was in it:

A is the YSU wellness center.
B is Spring Common Bridge
C is under Mahoning Avenue bridge
D is the Fellows Riverside Garden
E is the YMCA
F is the Chevy Center
G is the Republic Steel Brown Bonnell Bessemer converters site

[Towntalk]

Turning it over to Mill Creek Park would be a great idea. They are far better at maintaining things than is the city, and by having more Park land inside the city would ease the hard feelings that other communities have about us so far as the Park is concerned.

[northside lurker]

That brings up the question, would they want it?  

I would be surprised if they didn't want it if was offered to them.  They have been making a real effort to acquire land in the city recently.  There is probably a legitimate reason, but I think they want to push themselves up the largest urban parks list.

[Rick Rowlands]

OK in an attempt to be more productive in my comments, here are a few thoughts.

I read from Phil's post that the city has to pay for the study, then some outside source will provide grants to actually build the trail.  I see that its now being called a bike trail and not a fitness trail.  OK I can see that.  The fitness trail was a bad idea. A bike trail connecting Mill Creek Park and the B&O Station is good though.

We all know that the Mahoning River floods and the area where part of this trail would be built will at some point again be flooded.  This will almost certainly washout parts of the trail.  Grant money will pay for the initial construction of the trail but if it washes out where will the rebuild money come from?  If those funds are not assured we could be facing this very senario again in a few years.

If this trail is to be the responsibility of the City Parks Dept. will it indeed be maintained this time?  Would it not be a better idea to make it the responsibility of Mill Creek Park instead? That brings up the question, would they want it?   

[jay]

If someone volunteered to cut some of this brush, where should the cuttings be placed?

[ForumManager]

The blue poles are the fitness stations and they normally have instructions posted for use.  It is probably there but can't be seen.  We never made as far as the area of the dock at the B&O ... we couldn't get through the dense growth.  We turned around at the stage in the back.  Maybe people are checking it out and that is why it looks recently traveled. 

[Elmo-Ytown]

Just got back from the Riverside Fitness Trail. I walked it from the parking near Tod Ave. all the way to the B&O. Most of the time it was overgrown at a height taller than me. Ran into two spiderwebs head on with my face. Hit many thorns. Ended up with blood all over my pants from my arms rubbing against them. It was evident that at least one more person had gone the entire length somewhat recently.

What are the blue poles that are every so often along the trail?

It was bad enough going the one way that I walked back on Mahoning from the B&O all the way down to West Ave. It looks to me like the thing that trail needs most is someone with a weedwacker.

There were several people enjoying the river at the parking area, fishing and hanging out.

Will post a couple pictures later.

[ForumManager]

The path I trekked on would need deep concrete construction for a hike/bike trail similar to  boardwalks  along large water bodies. The area was covered in water a few years back and the flooding was as high as the level of the B&O Parking lot, completely submerging  the trail with  swiftly moving waters.  I feel that is the reason it is so unkempt at this time.  The railings are in shambles and the path is rutted and gullied by water run off.  It would need to be less of a nature trail and more of a paved byway in order to withstand flooding.