City must do its part to support volunteers at park

Harris Riverfront Park is looking much better now that spring is here and the last high water of the season is probably past. The tulips that had been at the 10th Street entrance of the park are gone, having been replaced by other flowers. Meanwhile, flowers bloom elsewhere in the park.

True, the concrete areas along the river need a good cleaning. And as of Wednesday morning, the grass still needed a good cutting. But the park is starting to look good again.

Much of that is due to efforts of people such as Gene and Robin Howell. The Howells have worked countless hours and spent money from their own pockets to clean up Harris Riverfront Park and, most recently, Huntington City Hall.

Their efforts began at a public forum in October to discuss how the community could help revitalize Harris Riverfront Park. The next day, they bought flowers to plant in the empty circular planters at their park.

With help from a handful of volunteers, the Howells planted dozens of tulips at the park's 10th Street entrance that have since been replaced with rows of vibrant, colorful flowers that will last through the summer. And a few weeks ago, they planted a bed of David Austin roses next to the restroom facilities.

The Howells and others show us what a splash of color can do to an area of trees, grass and concrete along the Ohio River.

However, the city cannot rely on volunteers such as the Howells forever. Volunteers burn out. They cannot be expected to continually bear the burden of maintaining a city property. Sooner or later, preferably sooner, the city will have to step up and provide the resources and manpower to keep the park looking good.

Having said that, good things are happening at the park.

The city has plowed the seating area of the amphitheater and is resodding it to make it more level. Funding has been arranged to build two basketball courts. The city has adopted a policy of painting over graffiti as soon as it is found. Security cameras should be going up in about two weeks.

But other work remains to be done. The city needs to replace the benches along the top of the river bank. Many of the old ones have been bent to resemble futons and no longer function as benches. And the city needs to police the area, too, as the panhandlers are coming back with the warm weather.

And sometime the city must add a traffic signal at 10th Street and Veterans Memorial Boulevard so pedestrians can easily get to the park from Pullman Square.

Harris Riverfront Park is getting better. The Howells and other volunteers have done their part. More remains to be done. The community must constantly remind City Hall of what it wants the park to be so it does not fall into the same neglect and disrepair that it was in last summer. Panhandlers and the homeless must not be allowed to take it over again.

Harris Riverfront Park once was the prettiest spot along the Ohio River for miles and miles. With one more summer of attention and effort, it will be again.