MOUNT VERNON – Three years ago, Mount Vernon City Councilman John Francis vowed to “clean up” his neighborhood.
A 30-year resident of Mount Vernon’s northwest end, he told the Mount Vernon News at the time that he’d found drug paraphernalia on the railroad tracks near his house. He said he’d witnessed people riding their bikes through the neighborhood at 2 a.m., and that he once broke up a drug deal in his front yard.
He vowed to do everything in his power to turn things around.
On Friday, as Francis stood alongside city leaders at the corner of Marion and Madison streets, he smiled. His vision was coming to life.
“When I focused on the drug dealers and the pushers, and told them I was going to do everything in my control to drive them out of my neighborhood, well, here we go,” said Francis, who represents the city’s Second Ward. “This is phase two of cleaning up our neighborhood and making it an enjoyable place to live and raise our children.”
Francis spoke from the future site of Shellmar Park, which broke ground Friday. The park will occupy a former two-acre Shellmar Corporation parking lot, facing Marion Street, which Francis said has been vacant since the company left in the 1990s.
It will include a playground, pavilion, basketball court and green space. Trees will be planted along the perimeter, and three grills will be installed for community cook-outs.
“This neighborhood has never had anything like this, so this is huge,” Francis said. “And it’s not just because I’m down the street, but it’s an example that now we’re going to give the people who live in this area a place to go to within walking distance, and to enjoy their neighborhood.”
The city has linked arms with the Ariel Foundation to foot the $75,000 bill for the project. Construction began last week, and Mayor Matt Starr expects the park to come together piece-by-piece over the next couple of years. Given the city’s projected financial losses due to COVID-19, Starr said it will have to “be judicious with our spending.”
“We’re gonna start with some playground equipment; we can’t afford everything right now,” Starr said. “So we’ll add to that eventually. And then hopefully we’ll see people actually out here using it recreationally, having picnics and everything like that.”
The park is a key part of the city’s long-term plan to bring economic growth and prosperity back to the west side.
The Knox County Land Bank owns the park property, as well as the 27-acre property that sits behind it, which used to house the Shellmar manufacturing plant.
The Area Development Foundation is looking to split the property into nine three-acre lots, which will then be sold for “industrial manufacturing purposes,” President Jeff Gottke said Friday.
“We’ll almost have kind of a mini-industrial park right in the middle of the city,” he continued. “That will go a long way to help benefit the neighborhood. That’ll bring jobs and investment back into a part of the city that used to have it, and could use it again.”
In addition to serving the surrounding community, Shellmar Park could benefit those who occupy the future industrial park, Gottke said. Employees could eat lunch at the park, or visit their families there after work.
“With John’s efforts to clean up the neighborhood and the potential for development here, as well as this new park, I think we’ll see some good things happening in this neighborhood in the near future,” Gottke said.
The idea for the park began three years ago, Starr said. Francis began soliciting feedback from his neighbors about what the best use of the vacant property might be. As the idea grew, and the economy “loosened up,” Starr said the city began budgeting for the project. The Land Bank gladly turned over the property, Gottke said, as it believes the two acres along Marion Street are “best used as a park.”
Starr seemed excited Friday about the project, and about the city’s renewed commitment to enhancing the neighborhood.
“We’re moving forward. We’re ready,” Starr said. “We want you to come here. We’re investing in the community and we want you to come join us.”
Francis spoke with great pride on Friday about the history of the property. Shellmar came to town before World War II, he noted, and during the war, it helped manufacture special packaging for Army food products. Shellmar and two other Mount Vernon industrial companies were honored by the U.S. military for their wartime production efforts.
Shellmar eventually became Continental Can Company, and then American National Can. Francis remembers living in the neighborhood during the early 1990s, when the Gulf War took place. As the U.S. military geared up for Operation Desert Storm, Francis recalled Shellmar’s parking lot being full around the clock. The company was manufacturing meal packaging for troops overseas.
“This parking lot was loaded, and the parking lots down inside were loaded…” Francis said with a smile. “It was 24/7 work.”
After Shellmar left in the 1990s, the property sat vacant. Francis said things went downhill quickly.
“That was a refuge for the homeless, dope addicts and pushers who live in that area…” Francis said. “That was their hideout.”
Francis decided to use his standing as a longtime City Council member to influence change. In 2017, when he “put the drug dealers and pushers on call,” the city began to clear the area out. This led to discussions about what the property could become.
“Once they cleared all that out, and more vision was put on what’s going on there, it didn’t take long,” Francis said. “They tore it all down and they’re keeping it all clean and safe. You can’t really go back in there like you could … Probably two years ago, we discussed what to do with this. And we said, ‘Let’s make it a park.’ It could be very viable for the community and for the city.”
Francis called the groundbreaking a “huge event,” considering what the park would mean to the community.
“This particular end of town, this particular neighborhood, has never had any enhancement. So, it’s time…” Francis said. “I think we’ll begin to unite and open up the neighborhood – more people talking with each other, getting out, being able to get around. Just (within) walking distance, you’ve got a nice place to just relax. You know, maybe you don’t have much of a yard for playground equipment – they’ll have it there.”
Francis said Mount Vernon’s northwest end is “probably the most impoverished neighborhood in the community.” He believes building a park will improve the livelihoods of all nearby residents.
“They deserve a place to go to, a place to grill out, a place for their kids to come and play hoops, get on the playground, and they’re just within walking distance … Like I said, it takes a blight and makes it bright,” said Francis, a Mount Vernon native who raised his children on Marion Street.
“People will have more respect for their neighborhood, and then they’ll want to get out more. They’ll feel good about themselves … This is just going to enhance the local neighborhood hugely.”
