Getting Answers: Neighbors say east Toledo park not living up to full potential

And it’s been this way for years, but this summer, neighbors are rallying on behalf of kids in the area.

You can watch the story, here.

TOLEDO, Ohio — Yondota Park in east Toledo. When you hear the word “park,” it may not be the exact visual that comes to mind — and that’s true for some neighbors in the area.

“I’ve been living in the neighborhood now for about eight years. I live right next door to the park, and the whole time I’ve lived here, we haven’t had a playground to play on,” said Amanda Cook, who lives next door.

A challenge especially for a neighborhood filled with high-energy kids, on top of the fact that maintenance doesn’t tend to be routine.

Cook walked me along the fence line of the park, which brought some concerns of its own. From litter to poison ivy to even issues managing plant growth.

“It’s kind of hard even to just get the grass cut. One day, me and the neighborhood kids, we had to pick up all the trash in the park — and the only thing the city did was come to pick up the can; they didn’t come pick up the big ol’ leaves or clean up the edges for us or anything,” she explained.

One neighbor who’s lived across the street from the park for over 30 years tells me it used to be much more than what it currently offers today.

“They had a sliding board, swing, merry-go-round, little horsies that all of us- we’d get on it and rock back and forth — had that — the monkey bars. They had a lot of variety of things to play with on the playground,” said Cyncere Russell.

And because the reason these adults are fighting so hard to improve this lot near the corner of Yondota and Jay Streets is the kids, I, of course, had to speak with some of the neighborhood kids, who had plenty of ideas.

“I want a trampoline.”

“A garden.”

“Swings.”

I did reach out to the City of Toledo to see if this park is a priority for them, and Monday, it was added to the list of parks that could receive updates:

This doesn’t guarantee something will occur at Yondota Park, but it’s definitely a first step.