Tusky dedicates new food truck park

The Village of Tuscarawas dedicated its new food truck park on May 24. The park contains spaces for two food trucks, a play area, gazebo and picnic tables. The park is located on Main Street in Tuscarawas near the post office.

Mayor Dana Moore credits the village council and others for the completion of the park when the Main Street property became available.

“We had a decision to make, whether to try to sell the property or do something worthy,” Moore said. “We made that decision, that we need more parks, and food trucks were an up-and-coming thing.”

Moore thanked the Ohio Division of Natural Resources and the Tuscarawas County Office of Community and Economic Development Corporation for providing the funding for the project. The TCEDC also went through the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association to complete the grant application.

“We welcome you all, and we hope you take advantage of what we have here,” Moore said.

The Fresh Lemonade trailer and the Dandy Dogs trailer, which serves a variety of sandwiches including hot sausage and hamburgers, were set up for the dedication.

A schedule of food trucks is being developed and will be available on the Village of Tuscarawas Facebook page. For more information on setting up a food truck, call Village Hall Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon at 740-922-4189.

The park isn’t just for food trucks though. Area organizations, libraries, churches, schools and others in the community may use the park too.

“This is for you. We’re here for everybody to use it,” council member Matt Smith said.

The village does want to keep activities scheduled so there are no conflicts. Anyone interested in using the park may call Village Hall about getting on the schedule.

Scott Reynolds, director of the Tuscarawas County Office of Community and Economic Development, attended the dedication. He was impressed with the finished project.

“I think it turned out very nice,” Reynolds said. “I think it’s going to be a benefit to the village.”

The new park is the only food truck park project Reynolds has seen.

“I think it was somewhat visionary for the village council to conceptualize a food truck park here,” Reynolds said. “Food trucks have to go somewhere to park, so why not do it at a park where you can bring your kids and walk down and get something different than you might normally eat on a weekday evening or a weekend evening. It’ll be a good thing for the village.”

Tuscarawas residents Janet, 87, and Don Decker, 88, think the new food truck park is great. They are looking forward to visiting often. It also might save on cooking while offering them some new menu options.

The Deckers are looking forward to the opportunity to see their family, friends and neighbors at the park. They don’t go to fairs and festivals much and are happy they will be able to park nearby and enjoy different food trucks.

Prior to the dedication, families in town had already begun to bring their children to play at the park.

The village wants to continue to make improvements to keep families in Tuscarawas. Moore reported on several improvement projects in the works.

A new water line, storm drain and sidewalks project is nearing completion on Cherry Street. New sidewalks are planned for other areas. Improvements at the Tuscarawas Memorial Park on Cherry Street will include a pathway around the entire park and upgrades for basketball and pickleball. An upgrade to the wastewater treatment plant is planned too. These projects have been fully funded with help from grants the village received.