DEAR EDITOR:

Having been born and raised on the city’s West Side, I read the Youngstown news daily. I recently read an article on the WFMJ app about the grants to several Mahoning Valley community parks. I found the quotes within the news article to be hypocritical given what Aaron Young hasn’t done to keep up with the maintenance and safety of Mill Creek Park! Worse yet, allowing the park to become a killing field, eliminating the deer population along with other wildlife! For decades, there never seemed to be the need for slaughter and the removal of animals from Mill Creek Park and nearby areas in such a barbaric manner!

I live in Florida and return home to visit my family and friends who live in Youngstown. Every visit includes a leisurely ride throughout Mill Creek Park. It saddens me to see unkempt park land and waterways that were always maintained. In the past, Mill Creek Park was noted as one of the top city parks in the country. No doubt this was partly based on beauty and wildlife!

I find it hard to believe the individuals providing the quotes are not aware of the atrocity going on in Mill Creek Park and surrounding areas! They obviously believe the $150,000 grants are going to make the citizens of Youngstown who are concerned about what’s happening in Mill Creek Park forgive and forget! All of it is sad and just wrong!

Quotes from the article:

“We take pride in our parks because they are an important central gathering place in our local communities,” said Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.

DeWine continued,” We hope the projects funded by these grants will encourage more Ohioans to enjoy the outdoors with friends and family.”

“We want Ohioans to be able to discover an amazing park in their own backyard, and that’s why we support our local parks,” said ODNR Director Mary Mertz.

LORETTA WILLMITCH

Longwood, Florida