Staff photo / J.T. Whitehouse Poland Township Park Director Ken Filicky stands at the entrance to the new handicap walkway at the soccer fields. The new walkway was completed with no taxpayer funding.

POLAND TOWNSHIP — The township park is constantly being improved as more venues and efforts are giving residents a lot to do and enjoy. The most recent addition is a long-awaited handicap walkway at the soccer fields.

The new handicap sidewalk runs from the parking lot to the concession stand between the soccer fields. It also wraps around the concession building to provide access to the restroom facilities on each side of the concession.

“(The walk) has been three years in the works,” said Park Director Ken Filicky. “We started three years ago by looking for grants.”

He said the township applied for an Ohio Department of Natural Resources grant that required the township to provide a property title search. They were informed earlier this year the township would receive approximately $30,000 in an ODNR Nature Works grant. That amount was two-thirds of the $46,000 project.

Filicky said the tough part of the grant was that it had to be used by December 2025 or it would be cancelled. That is when Castlo (industrial park), Poland Soccer Club and the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley came through with donations to finish the project.

“The sidewalk project was completed last week,” Filicky said. “Soccer started practice July 1 and will be playing games come August. The sidewalk is ready and being used now. Grandparents and any wheelchair-bound park visitors will now have easy access to come watch the soccer matches.”

Filicky said the nice thing about the handicap walkway is that it was done by grants and donations. He said not one dollar came from taxpayers.

The walk is not the only new feature at the park. Two new grills were installed away from the pavilion area for any park-goer to use. He said the two existing grills were close to the pavilion and were often tied up by those who reserved it. A new porch swing was also added near the pavilion.

The pickleball court is also nearing completion and is awaiting the painting of the courts and installation of the nets.

“The pickleball courts should be ready in a few weeks,” Filicky said.

He said future projects at the park include installing a tetherball court and adding a bocce court scoreboard.

“We also have two Eagle Scout projects going on this year,” he said.

The first is a 24-by-24-foot sand-filled, fenced in play area specifically for preschoolers. Filicky said the huge sandbox will have big toys the youngest park-goers can use to move sand and play.

“Monica Moore from Scout Troop 44 is doing the sandbox project as her Eagle award,” he said.

Another project coming this fall is a warming station at the sled-riding hill. He said Scout Alex Cook, also from Troop 44, is planning to put up wind breaks and a place for firewood storage. The facility will have the sled-riding rules posted on one of the walls and include benches.

On the safety side, trustee Eric Ungaro said much has been done.

“Everything we do at the park is for the residents and the community,” Ungaro said.

“We’ve added eight cameras and lighting,” he said. “The park is safe and accessible for everyone. And it didn’t cost the taxpayers a dime.”

Filicky said one thing on the future projects list regards one particular tree.

Next to the pavilion and bocce courts stands a tall pin oak. Filicky said it is estimated to be 150 to 165 years old.

In the late 1800s, the entire Poland Township Park was farmland. Farmers back then used to grow trees near their homes to provide cooling since they had no air conditioning. It is suggested the pin oak was planted for that purpose. He said the rest of the trees were planted around the mid-1900s.

“That pin oak is the oldest tree in Poland Township Park,” Filicky said. “It has been nicknamed ‘Old Bulldog’ in keeping with the Poland community. I would love to put a fence around it to preserve it for future generations. It is just one of many things that make Poland Township Park special.”