City of Shelby officials and interested citizens gathered in Shelby Thursday for the groundbreaking of a new park and town square, Black Fork Commons.
The project is an innovative solution to a 100-year-old flooding problem, and it has garnered some national recognition.
FEMA featured the City of Shelby and the Black Fork Commons park concept in a case study called, “Shelby, Ohio: The Economic Upside of Mitigation.”
Eleven homes in the area were deemed uninhabitable, and thus the residents were relocated to higher ground. This left a 3-acre area, which will be the location of the new park, located at the corners of West Main and Blackfork streets in Shelby. Comprised of a town center loop, amphitheater and trails/walks, this phase of the development is projected to cost $363,000.
The project has been in development since 2009. In addition to government grants, the Richland County and Shelby foundations funded some of the initial planning for the project.
Marilyn John, Mayor of Shelby, thanked project supporters, the park board and key business partners for their hard work and support, but she extended the invitation to a community that has weathered a great deal in the wake of the flooding.
“The biggest thanks really needs to go to our community and the residents. We have the best residents. They support the parks and the city in great ways and they have historically done that. It’s because of them that Black Fork Commons is breaking ground today,” said John. ”We look forward to Black Fork Commons being an anchor in our downtown.”
Phase One of the project is slated for completion in early November. Phase Two remains unscheduled pending funding.
Dave Downs, Vice President of the Shelby Park Board, extended his gratitude to the mayor. “The mayor forgot one person to thank –herself. I wanna thank Mayor John for all the support that she has given the parks, the community, and this project. Having a vision for what is really a devastated area.”
“The biggest thanks really needs to go to our community and the residents. We have the best residents. They support the parks and the city in great ways and they have historically done that. It’s because of them that Black Fork Commons is breaking ground today,” said Shelby Mayor Marilyn John.
