Mill Creek Mentality
Earlier last month I promised to write about an incident that happened at Mill Creek Park. I have been putting it off, but can’t get it out of my mind. I always intended this website and blog to be a positive resource promoting local and regional opportunities. However, this incident a lot of the reasons why this region seems to have trouble moving forward and embracing new ideas.
As many readers know, I bought a couple Inflatable Kayaks earlier in the year. My Family and I have been enjoying them at Lake Newport and Pymatuning, and wanted to try them out on lake Glacier. We loaded up our gear, and drove down to the boathouse to do a little paddling after the Summer Arts Fest. We asked the attendant if it was OK to launch, Inflated the gear an had gotten one boat into the water and were launching the second when a Manager came out of the boathouse waving a piece of paper.
She stated we could not launch Inflatables into Mill Creek waters. The paper she showed us was brown, creased and stained an had about ten thumbtack holes in it. It looked like it was printed on an IBM Selectric circa 1985. And it did say no inflatables: Right under No Kayaks and No Canoes.
I pointed out that the Paper was out-of-date, as Mill Creek Metroparks does have an active Kayaking schedule, rents rack space for kayaks and canoes, and actually does rent canoes at the very boathouse she came storming out of.
Well, yes, she said. The paper was out of date, but it still said no Inflatables.
It takes a lot to work me up, especially in front of my family, but this did it. We got into a heated argument,embarrassing my family. I stated that we bought these kayaks specifically to paddle around Mill Creek, that we had Life jackets and proper gear and that maybe, just maybe she might recognize that these boats were designed for paddling on placid lake waters, since there really was no way to hold you in your seat if you tried white water kayaking in them. I also suggested that she contact the office to see exactly what the boating regulations were in this century.
She agreed and we walked to the boathouse where she made a quick call.
Aha, she said, they need to be registered watercraft.
Aha, I said, they have PA launch permits right there, since the first time we used them was on Pymatuning.
Oh, She said, I’m Sorry. I was only trying to do my job ( Emphasis mine) and protect you since I once, many years ago had someone try to put an inflatable bed in the water and waving the piece of paper worked on them.
…
I bring up this story now because there’s been a lot of great reporting in the Youngstown Blogosphere about how there’s a new generation of leaders in the region who are more open to dialogue and change. I think this is a classic example of the kind of old school, tin-star potentates that have kept Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley mired in the past for so long.
Here was someone who had probably stared at that paper at least every day this summer, if not for years, and had never once thought it was her job to update it, or verify it, or do anything other than sit in her shack and keep people from using the boating center to actually, you know, go boating.
Here was someone so ill-trained and ill-prepared for her job, that a twenty second phone call caused her to completely reverse her position. I could argue with her all day using facts and logic, but all it took was one superior asking one question, and she would accept that.
Thankfully, this attitude that the status quo might not work for everyone but its working for me does seem to be changing. Read Defend Youngstown, Shout Youngstown, or Youngstown Renaissance for some great reporting on the changes taking place throughout our area. And don’t be afraid to make some noise and stick up for yourself once in a while.
By the way: We still go Kayaking in the wetlands at Newport. It’s nicer than Glacier was anyway.
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I owe you a coffee!!
nice post.
Maybe you can send an email to some of the park commissioners?
Rick Shale is a YSU prof and nice guy.
Thanks.
I was thinking about it, but really didn’t want to.
I was really venting, and didn’t have much else to write about. I’d been staring at the draft of this post since June, and finally just decided to put it out there.
I also want to say that I think Mill Creek is really doing a lot of things right and is pretty proactive with regards to park usage. They do have a nice Kayaking program that complements traditional par usage, and they maintain a lot of nice bike trails and keep a good range of nature programs going.
We went paddle-boating earlier this summer and hope to get back out to do kayaking and other activities. Thanks for sharing your experience. You’re right that we need to push the valley into the 21st Century! (When we moved here this year, our realtor didn’t use e-mail!)