Staff file photo / R. Michael Semple Runners wind their way through colorful Mill Creek Park during the 2012 10K Peace Race on Oct. 21, 2012. The Peace Race is one of the local foot races that winds through Mill Creek Park that has been affected by the park’s recent increase of race fees.

YOUNGSTOWN — Organizations that use Mill Creek MetroParks for foot-race routes are being hit with significant fee increases, even though many of the foot races benefit charitable organizations.

Several races, including two of the area’s largest — Panerathon and the Youngstown Peace Race — that operated under the newly adopted fee schedule earlier this year have paid their increased bills in full, park officials said.

The new charges instituted by the taxpayer-funded park district include a dedicated race fee of $1,500 per day, along with a scaled participant fee that decreases based on how many people participate in the event.

The participant fee schedule starts at $2.50 per participant from 0-100 participants, and decreases by $0.25 for each 100 additional participants, down to $1.25 for races with 500 participants or more. The fee includes a $250 deposit with the MetroParks district.

Mill Creek also charges additional service fees, including portable toilet rental for $150 per unit per day. Jaime Yohman, Mill Creek MetroParks community engagement director, said one portable toilet is required for every 50 participants beyond the 100-participant level, if the race course does not include access.

Mill Creek also charges $75 per day for food vendors.

Mill Creek MetroParks fees from five races in 2023 totaled $9,137.

“In the past, we usually have always done them for free, but in November 2022 we put out a fee schedule for races and the board approved it in November, and we started that for this race season,” Yohman said.

She added that course fees and participant fees are not unusual, as they offset expenses for maintaining park facilities and any facility rental revenue that was lost on the day of the race.

“Many events we host in both golf and recreation are fundraisers, nonprofit, church and / or charity events,” Mill Creek’s Golf and Recreation Director Brian Tolnar said. “In addition, many events we host via MetroParks facility or building rentals also fall into these categories. The MetroParks felt this is not any different from these types of rentable options.”

Yohman said the fees cover all of the amenities the park provides for the events. Those include a dedicated, closed road course, hike & bike trail, bikeway and / or primitive trail layout(s) throughout the MetroParks; multiple, accessible spectator viewing and parking areas; access to restrooms and comfort stations along the race course; and the race host’s ability to use the grounds for fundraising by charging participation and registration fees, with park board approval.

Panerathon’s 2023 event on Aug. 27 had 607 racers, Yohman said. The total bill to the organizers of Panerathon, an annual event to raise funds for breast cancer treatment and research, was $2,008.75, according to Mill Creek MetroParks officials. Specifically, Panerathon’s proceeds go to the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center in Youngstown.

Yohman said Panerathon officials initially were surprised when they were notified of the new fees, but their bill has been paid in full, and none of the race hosts have raised any objections.

Covelli Enterprises and Mercy Health Foundation underwrite the costs of hosting Panerathon, so 100% of community sponsorships and registration fees may be donated directly to the cause.

Allen Ryan, Covelli Enterprises director of corporate affairs, declined to comment on the fee increase but confirmed any fees related to the race, including those paid to the MetroParks, are covered by Covelli Enterprises and Mercy Health Foundation. Those fees are not taken from race profits.

The Youngstown Peace Race, another large foot race that winds through Mill Creek MetroParks each fall, benefits various local charities. When contacted about the increased fees, Peace Race organizers also declined to comment.

The Peace Race was charged $1,874 for its Oct. 8 event. Mill Creek also charged $1,540 for the Youngstown Ultra Trail Classic (YUTC) on Sept. 9; $1,958 for the Run YTown event on April 23; and $1,756 for the Mill Creek Distance Classic on March 28.

In 2022, Mill Creek brought in a total of $4,367 from those races. According to Mill Creek Park records, in 2022 the park charged $1,525 for the Youngstown Distance Classic, $872.50 for Run YTown, $637.50 for Panerathon, $1,332 for the Peace Race, and YUTC was not charged a fee of any kind.

Yohman said YUTC was not charged because it was a trail race, and the rate structure didn’t apply. In 2023, however, it fell in line with off-road pricing, which will be similar when the cross-country course opens shortly, she said.

Representatives of Trumbull MetroParks and the Columbiana County Park District said they do not charge for races or other events that pass through park property.

Lisa Shafer at Columbiana said that in most cases some portion of the proceeds from events like 5K races are donated to Friends of the Park, a nonprofit organization with a mission to assist, support and improve parks in Columbiana County, but there are no formal fees for hosting the events.

Summit (County) MetroParks charges by the hour, and its fee schedule adds an hourly rate for assignment of park rangers and general staff if necessary for the event.

For example, a four-hour event organized by a Summit County resident at $20 per hour, requiring the assignment of one staff member at $30 per hour and one ranger at $40 per hour would cost approximately $360, based on a total hourly rate of $90.

Brand manager Lindsay Smith said that rate would increase accordingly if more staff and rangers were needed, or if the entire park needed to be closed.