City Gets Grant for Freedom Trail

The city has been awarded a $15,000 grant to make improvements to Freedom Trail.

Recreation Director Bryan Bogre said he applied for the grant to the National Recreation and Parks Association, which made the money available through a partnership with Darden Restaurant Group.

Mayor Tom Perciak congratulated Bogre on snaring the grant and said all the city's directors are looking for outside money.

"All those little pieces add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year," Perciak said.

Bogre said he doesn't know exactly what the money will be used for, but said it could including lighting and benches. He said he expects about $4,000 will go for a drinking fountain.

Freedom Trail is a mile-long paved walking path that connects the City Commons with the Ehrnfelt Recreation and Senior Center and features a veterans memorial, a gazebo and gardens that represent the wars our nation has fought.

It ranks among the largest veterans memorials in Ohio.