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Dear Editor:
I want to kindly ask the citizens of East Liverpool for their consideration in passing the capital improvement levy for Thompson Park.
I take great pride in Thompson Park. I’ve put my heart and soul toward bettering the park and the great strides that have been made within the last few years. We found a way to make our beautiful, newly-installed playground structure a reality. The park is home to wonderful community events, which seem to be growing in number every year. I am proud of what we have accomplished together up to this point, but in order to continue expanding on the progress we’ve experienced, it’s imperative to receive the funding generated through passage of this levy.
While the park receives money annually from the city of East Liverpool, the budgeted funds barely allow for the park to be maintained. Our severely-outdated equipment, which we affectionately say is “held together with bubblegum and duct tape,” is costly in terms of both time and money. With only two employees and more than 120 acres, spending more time working on a piece of equipment than running it is not efficient by any means. Our roadways are in dreadful condition and our pavilions are in need of repairs to preserve them for future generations.
The funding generated by passing the proposed levy would create an opportunity to not only repair the deteriorating park infrastructure, but also make many improvements throughout the park. The generated funds will also allow us to utilize matching grant opportunities otherwise unavailable due to the inability to fund the matching portions.
Thompson Park may have finished in fourth place for “America’s Favorite Park,” but it will always be number one in our hearts. For more information on the levy, please visit: www.thompsonpark.org/levy
On March 15, I urge voters to vote Yes and support the ongoing improvements within Thompson Park.
JC Blackhurst
East Liverpool