Boardman stormwater park to open soon
BOARDMAN — The Forest Lawn Stormwater Park is set to open at the end of the month, and just about all of the officials and dignitaries are lined up for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Township Administrator Jason Loree, who also is Boardman’s representative to the ABC Stormwater District, said speakers will represent the township, Mahoning County, ABC and Boardman Local School District.
Gov. Mike DeWine will not be in attendance, but Loree said Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel has been invited, though he has not yet stated if he will attend.
The event will also welcome students and teachers from the Boardman school district.
Market Street School closed in 2019 and the district donated the property to the project with the understanding that part of it would be used to help mitigate flooding problems, while the front of the property will be the site of an educational facility yet to be built.
The project thus far has been completed with $4 million from federal, state and county sources. In February 2023, Boardman received a FEMA grant for $2.1 million for the park. Another $750,000 came from the state for the educational pavilion and walking path.
“None of that money was paid from ABC district fees,” Loree said. “We were extremely pleased to get this project up and running. It was a mutli-agency effort.”
At the back of the property will be the retention pond for water from the Cranberry Run Watershed to collect, significantly reducing flood threats to homes and businesses along Market Street, Southern Boulevard and surrounding neighborhoods. The park also will include trees — the roots of which will suck up some of the water and beautify the area, pollinator gardens to do the same, and a hike and bike trail.
Loree said that after all the officials speak, everyone will take an inaugural lap around the walking path to open it officially to the public.
Parts of the township have experienced years of extensive flooding after heavy rains. Those areas include Boardman Plaza and surrounding businesses and neighborhoods, the Ridgewood Estates section near Cranberry Run Creek, and residential areas on and near Shields Road, Market Street and Southern Boulevard.
Last year, Boardman announced it had received a $47-million Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant from FEMA for a massive project along U.S. Route 224 and Glenwood Avenue for an overhaul to the floodplain and drainage systems there.
“The stormwater improvements that are needed in Boardman are insurmountable. Our job is to look at the worst areas first and provide relief. The Cranberry Run floodplain is the worst,” Loree said. “After we’re done with improvements here, we’ll be shifting our focus then to other floodplains and look for solutions to help those like we’re doing for Cranberry Run.”
The project at Forest Lawn extended the storm sewer pipe and created an underground basin. The park expands available stormwater storage from the previous limit of 93,500 cubic feet to 556,500 cubic feet and mitigates flooding for downstream residents.