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Mahoning County plans $250K for Lowellville’s Riverfront Park; more fundraising needed

By Jessica Onyegbula
Lowellville City Hall along Liberty Street in Lowellville.
Lowellville City Hall along Liberty Street in Lowellville. (Village of Lowellville)
LOWELLVILLE

Mahoning County commissioners plan to put up more than a quarter of the total funding for Lowellville’s planned Riverfront Park, projected to cost $918,300.

With potential grants and village funding on the table, that leaves $597,300 left to raise for the recreational area planned along the village’s stretch of the Mahoning River.

The village recently applied for a $30,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ NatureWorks program. The grant requires a 25% match. Awards are expected to be announced in the fall.

That same program put $52,000 toward the village’s new boat livery, launched on the Mahoning River last year, The Business Journal reported.

In a July 12 letter of support for that new ODNR grant, commissioners pledged to support the Riverfront Park project with a $250,000 allocation from the county’s American Rescue Plan funding, to go toward phases one and two of the project, expected to be completed in 2023.

Commissioners said the project will “preserve the flood plain and native species and create a passive recreation area where the public is able to enjoy the riverfront,” the letter states. “We are confident that with the completion of the Lowellville Riverfront Park project land conservation and preservation improvements will improve our regional economy, increase tourism and the quality of life for all residents.”

The village also plans to put up another $41,000 for the park, Mayor James Iudiciani said.

That leaves $597,300 left to raise. He said the Lowellville Community Improvement Corporation is now seeking funding from other nonprofits to make up the difference. In the coming weeks, the village will plan its new funding requests with help from local nonprofit development group CASTLO.

The Riverfront Park project plan has four phases and a total cost of $918,300:

  • The first phase is for building parking and driveway access at the park, for a total cost of $164,300.
  • The second phase includes a 400-square-foot overlook, benches, picnic tables, a bike rack and signage, for a total of $69,700.
  • The third phase includes extensions for electric, water, sewer and gas utility lines, as well as construction of a pavilion, for $375,900.
  • The new NatureWorks grant would go toward the park’s fourth phase, expected to cost $308,400 and include removal of invasive plants and tree-clearing, as well as 2,300 square yards of limestone for a trail and a bridge to be erected over the Grays Run stream.
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