Staff file photo / Ed Runyan Richard Scarsella, president of the William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society, stands by the William Holmes McGuffey Wildlife Preserve’s McGuffey Family Pond and Dock on the East Side of Youngstown in 2023. The society has been pushing to get the pond preserved for several years and the dock was removed in 2022 by the Mill Creek MetroParks board because of safety concerns.

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN — The Ohio NAACP State Conference adopted the resolution of the Youngstown / Mahoning County Branch urging the restoration, maintenance and preservation of the William Holmes McGuffey Wildlife Preserve’s McGuffey Family Pond and Dock.

The 73-acre facility is located on Youngstown’s East Side, near Coitsville and Campbell. The pond is in poor shape and the dock was removed by Mill Creek MetroParks in 2022 because of safety concerns.

The local NAACP branch has asked for a permit to be obtained from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to partially excavate the wetlands back into a pond and rebuild a dock.

The restoration of the pond and dock has received support from politicians, nonprofit organizations and foundations with the hope it could be restored to provide recreational opportunities, particularly for those who live near the site.

The wildlife preserve was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966 by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The site includes the family well and pond of William Holmes McGuffey as well as a trail and drumlin — the latter is a geological feature formed by the actions of a glacier.

McGuffey was raised in Coitsville and was a 19th century educator best known for writing the McGuffey Readers, a well-known series of elementary school textbooks.

The McGuffey family homestead was donated in 1998 to Mill Creek MetroParks by the William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society.

CONTROVERSY

In a 1998 agreement, the historical society donated the property to the MetroParks. Controversy arose when the society said the park system should maintain the pond and surrounding area, and MetroParks officials said such a move was never part of the agreement. Specifically, MetroParks Board President Lee Frey contended that the word “pond” was not mentioned in the 1998 contract.

A July 18 letter to Frey from the Mahoning County commissioners urged the park board to support Scarsella and the historical society “in having this landmark restored to its original historical integrity.”

The letter mentioned the historical society’s “Pond Restoration Proposal, which was submitted by Next Nature Environmental Consultants,” which was included with the letter.

The June 10 proposal, signed by Gavin Switzer, owner and lead designer of Next Nature, is for a “comprehensive project to restore the McGuffey Family Pond, transforming it into a vital kettle bog habitat.”

It states the restoration “will enhance the ecological and historical value of the preserve, promoting biodiversity and providing educational opportunities. Additionally, the project includes the installation of a boardwalk and educational signage to inform visitors about this rare habitat.”

When Aaron Young, MetroParks executive director, responded to a request for comment on the letter and proposal, he said, “We are in receipt of the letter dated July 18, 2024, from the Mahoning County commissioners. The area in question located (in) the McGuffey Wildlife Preserve is a category II wetlands and provides many benefits to water quality and are critical natural systems that we serve to protect.”

He said it is the position of the MetroParks that the area in question will remain as it is.