FEW COMMUNITY leaders have good news to share with residents these days, but the City of St. Clairsville's mayor recently unveiled a plan to transform the longtime home of the county fair into a top quality public park.
"This is a project that will have a direct and very positive impact on the quality of life in and around our community for generations," said St. Clairsville Mayor Robert Vincenzo. "This will be a wonderful addition to our community. As soon as the weather changes enough in the spring, work will get started at the site."
Tapped to move the project from being little more than an abstract concept to an attainable goal is the St. Clairsville based Hays Landscape Architecture Studio, Ltd.
Leading the project team for Hays Landscape Architecture Studio are Gabe Hays and Phillip Cole, both area residents.
Taking an unusual approach to the project's overall completion and the desire of city leaders to make the new resources available to the community as soon as possible, Hays and Cole structured the design so sections of the venue can informally be opened to the public as each is completed.
"When the whole park is finished we will hold a grand opening celebration," noted Vincenzo. "The public has expressed a desire for this type of recreational area and there are those people who will come forward to assist with donations or fund raising."
The "St. Clairsville Central Park" a temporary means of identifying the park project - is presented as being comprised of a "menu of items" contained in one large recreational park, explained Hays and Cole.
The park project -- as presented to council at the mid-December meeting --will require support from across a wide array of funding sources.
"Private sector assistance is key to the ultimate success of a project of this magnitude," said Hays.
Vincenzo announced the unique plan for transformation the longtime site of the county fair during the final regular meeting of city council for 2008 which was held Monday, Dec. 15, 2008.
Vincenzo, Hays and Cole all likened the anticipated positive impact of the "multi-faceted community park" on the community as even exceeding the benefits seen from having an arm of the National Road Bikeway in the city. The city's portion of the national bikeway project has been open to the public for more than a decade, and its popularity continues to grow.
The large park's design includes numerous individual features to appeal to the public in general and to make the resources there as flexible as possible.
The park, referred to initially as "St. Clairsville's Central Park" would be a "means to an end" say project supporters, pointing to expectations that upon completion the entire park will be a revenue generating entity.
Two areas earmarked as first-pick projects -- items to be acted on quickly -- will be the events hall renovation and establishing the community garden, offered Vincenzo.
The community garden, slated to open this spring, is expected to be the initial source of revenue for park components, with the events hall following not long afterward.
Work on the hall renovations are mandated to wait until after the close of the last Belmont County Fair at the site during September of this year, said Hays.
Elements of the park's design as presented include the following:
"The plan, as presented, is a proposal of what can be done at the site and we've made a point to base everything on the type of services people have long said they would like to see available in St. Clairsville," said Vincenzo. "Much of the overall success of the plan will rest squarely on willingness seen in the private sector to help cover project costs both large and small. We are hopeful people will see the quality of this plan and will be moved to support it."
Tonight's regular meeting of St. Clairsville City Council will be the first time the entity is due to meet since Council-at-large member Ginny Favede's resignation was enacted at midnight on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008.
Her resignation from the city's post resulted from having been elected to a seat on the Belmont County Board of Commissioners.
Favede was sworn into her new county level duties several days ago in a ceremony involving area residents U.S. District Court Judge Ed Sargus and Belmont County Court of Common Pleas Judge Jennifer Sargus.
Council has a limited amount of time to reach a decision concerning who will step into Favede's at-large council seat to complete her term in office. If council is unable to reach a decision, the duty falls to the mayor.
Tonight's meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. in council chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building in downtown St. Clairsville.
