The Columbiana County Park District is running out of funds to keep up with regular maintenance. Some of that un-fixed wear and tear can be seen when you ride down the Greenway bike trail. 

“In parts it is crumbling…the roots are coming up through the trial,” Peter Wilson, the Mayor of Lisbon said. “The asphalt is cracking in places.” 

But a levy on November’s ballot looks to smooth things out. The park district has decided to put the park levy back on the ballot for a fourth time. 

“There's an anti tax mentality,” Eileen Dray-Bardon, the chairman of Columbiana County Park Board said about why she believes it was shot down three times. “I think a lot of people see another tax and think ‘oh no another tax’ without consideration necessarily of what that tax is bringing to them.”

If the levy passes, a $100,000 would be billed $3.50 a year. That would go towards regular upkeep, like mowing, of Scenic Vista Park and Hellbenders Bluff. It would also allow the Greenway trail to get a coat of fresh pavement.

The district keeps up with the parks on a small budget. They get 15,000 from a local government fund annually and the rest comes from gas lease bonuses that are about to expire. 

“It was one time money, it's running out,” Dray-Bardon said. “So very soon we’ll have nothing to rely on other than that $15,000.”

Mayor Wilson uses the Greenway Trail and parks often and said keeping it around is important for locals and for economic growth. 

“If the visitors are using the greenway trail there's a good chance they're going to be spending money throughout the county and that’s good for the entire county,” Mayor Wilson said. 

This time around, the levy has lower mileage. The district hopes that will get more people to vote ‘yes’ in November.

Scenic Vista Park is located at 11523 Township Highway 764 in Lisbon. It’s 250 acres and includes a pavilion, kids play set and a disc golf course. Hellbender Bluff Park is located at 14424 E Liverpool Road and in Lisbon and is 752 acres. The Greenway Bike trail runs along Little Beaver Creek. One entrance can be found off of South Lincoln Avenue in Lisbon and runs for another 15 miles.