The 75th Anniversary

Community Supports $6 million in Park Improvements

On behalf of the Board of Park Commissioners, Joyce Mistovich, Trent Cailor and Ken Goldsboro, as well as our staff, I would like to express our deepest gratitude for the community’s ongoing support and appreciation of the Green Oasis and its mission.

Our purpose is to create wholesome opportunities to live and interact with family, friends, neighbors, and communities. The Park offers a variety of recreational facilities and programs year-round that enhance the quality of life for the Community it so proudly serves.

I am proud to announce that Boardman Park, the “Green Oasis,” is celebrating 75 years of serving the recreational and educational needs of our Community. As we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Park District, I would like to take the opportunity to reflect on several important aspects of its history:

The Beginning

First and foremost, on November 4, 1947, when the seed from which Boardman Park, the "Green Oasis,” would grow was planted after the voters of Boardman overwhelmingly approved establishment of a township park district. The seed may have never been planted if it were not for the generosity of William F. Maag, Jr., who in 1946 donated 72 acres to the Township in order to establish a community park, hence the seed was planted.

Over the years, the seed has grown into a community park, rich in natural beauty, comprised of 227 contiguous acres located in the heart of Boardman. Fortunately, the Park has acquired an additional 67 acres of greenspace bringing the total acreage to 294. Therefore, the size of the Park has more than quadrupled since 1947, where today the Park provides 60 acres for active recreational purposes and preserves 234 acres as greenspace and natural habitat, within Boardman Township.

Through the Decades

Throughout the decades, the Board of Park Commissioners and its staff have worked diligently to meet the recreational needs of the Community, while serving as prudent stewards of the tax dollars entrusted to them. For 74 years, the Park has been operating on the equivalent of a 1-mill levy. In 1948 the Park District’s first Real Property Tax Levy was approved, which was a 1-mill levy, and today, 74 years later, the Board continues to operate maintain, preserve, and improve the Park on the equivalent of a 1-mill levy, which consists of two (2) voted levies, 0.3 mill and 0.6 mill, and one (1) non-voted levy of 0.1 mill.

Community-Built

Boardman Park is truly a community-built park and is definitely a treasure that we should all be proud of and cherish. Please understand that it has been the generosity of the Community that is responsible for making Boardman Park what it is today. This unique and diverse footprint of facilities and programs has been made possible by the generous support of the Community; 23 major projects have been completed, with a cost totaling over $6 million.

Approximately 80 percent of the cost of these improvements has been realized by private donations of time, materials, and money coupled with our success in securing grants. Due to the generosity of the Community, the Green Oasis has evolved into one of the most unique and popular recreational facilities in the Mahoning Valley; therefore, it is without question, that the appreciation and support of the Community is responsible for making the Park a viable recreational and natural resource. Annually, over 500,000, people enjoy the facilities and programs that the Park provides.

23 Major Improvement Projects

• The 23 projects below reflect over $6 million in major improvements to the Park:
  
  
• Maag Outdoor Arts Theatre – Built in Memory of William F. Maag, Jr. implementing the Community-Built concept
• Elton Beard Family Cabin – Built through the generosity of Elton Beard & ODNR NatureWorks Grant–One of the first grant awards in the Valley
• Kenneth Hofmaster Pavilion – Built in memory of Kenneth Hofmaster devoted Boardman Kiwanian
• Hike & Bike Trail
• Main Septic system - elimination of an antiquated on-site Leech Bed system and the connection to a public sanitary system at the Shops at Boardman Park
• West Quadrant Improvements Project - includes the Thomas C. Masters Pavilion w/restrooms, a 300-car lighted parking lot and landscaping,
• Two Sand Volleyball Courts
• Practice Tennis Wall
• The acquisition of 35 acres of greenspace - increasing the size of the Park to 227 acres, with 40 acres of Open Space property located in several areas of the Township
• The Renovation of Kids’ Town playground with plastic lumber made from recycled materials
• St James Meeting House - Exterior Renovation of Boardman’s most prominent Historical Landmark
• Memorial to the Veterans of Boardman – Partnership with Boardman Township Trustees
• Historical Village Septic System – elimination of the on-site Leech Bed/Holding Tank system and the connection to a public sanitary system at the Shops at Boardman Park
• West Quadrant Phase II - includes the Lariccia Family Bocce Pavilion, ADA Accessible Playground and the asphalt paving of the 300-car parking lot
• Boardman Park Lariccia Family Community Center Phase I – the renovation & expansion of the 33-year old Community Center
• Oswald Detchon House – Exterior Renovation of a local historic landmark
• North Trail project – 8-foot paved ADA accessible walkway that travels parallel to the Main Drive and connects all the Park facilities, as well as connecting to existing nature trail system = 4 miles of trails
• Georgeanna Parker Activity Center – the renovation & expansion of this 37-year old facility-made building ADA compliant, replaced antiquated/inefficient mechanicals/windows/doors/flooring, technology improvements, provided additional office space for Recreational Director.
• Marge Hartman’s Paws Town at Boardman Park – 3.25 acres that is fenced-in and divided into Large Dog and Small Dog play areas, which is for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners
• 18-Hole Disc Golf Course
• Two Pickleball Courts
• Arnie Nashbar and Family donated 16 acres of greenspace to the Park
• American Food Forest donated 11 acres of greenspace to the Park