MAD pulls together Himebaugh patrons to discuss state of park
COSHOCTON – Himebaugh Park was created as a place for people of all ages to enjoy, but unfortunately the community is not taking care of it.
Karen Casey from MAD (Make a Difference) is concerned about the state of the park, especially the trash that is being left around the park, the graffiti on the picnic tables and the drugs that were found there. On July 30 she brought pizza and pop to the park and encouraged those who enjoy the park to come share their thoughts and feelings on how they can work together to make a difference.
“I’m very concerned about the park because it’s a disaster most days,” Casey said. “The city built this for everyone to enjoy, but people are trashing it. We need to keep it clean and have no violence here.”
The teens and young adults who attended Casey’s meeting came up with the ideas of having extra trash bags in the bottom of the trash cans so anyone can change the bags, having ashtrays put up and painting the picnic tables black to make it harder for them to be written on.
“We can’t control other people’s actions, but we can control how we react to them,” she said.
MAD will adopt the park for the month of August and do its part to keep it extra clean and a group of 11 people who regularly hangout there stepped up to take care of it for the month of September.
One of those 11 people is Josh Kincer.
“I just moved back down to Coshocton and I come here almost every day,” he said. “I don’t like what happens here. We all need to try to keep it clean.”
Kincer is 26 and was one of the first to step up to Casey’s challenge. Sixteen-year-old Zac Wolfe also was outspoken about keeping the park tidy.
“I’m here all day every day,” he said. “I try to clean up, but it gets old picking up other people’s trash. I tell people to pick stuff up, but they just don’t listen. I think the only reason we aren’t getting a skate park here is because people are tearing up and not taking care of what’s already here.”
Mayor Steve Mercer and City Service Director Jerry Stenner however were there to listen and express their own concerns.
“We created this as a place for people to come to, but the trash has got to end,” Mercer said.
Casey informed the mayor about people like Kincer and Wolfe who agreed to keep an eye on the park for the month of September and shared their ideas with the city officials. Stenner couldn’t make any promises, but agreed to look into their suggestions.
josie@coshoctoncountybeacon.com
Category: People & Places
