Ironton has a few of them now and is about to get another one.

Economic Development Director Bill Dickens told the city parks and recreation committee a part of what used to be the old River Valley Health Systems property is going to become a pocket park, a small park to serve the surrounding neighborhood.

Dickens said the park will have a 30-foot frontage along Eighth Street adjacent to the Lawrence County EMS parking lot.

“This is the in-thing,” Dickens told the city parks and recreation committee. “The neighborhood is filling up fast with toddlers and young kids.”

Dickens envisions a wrought iron fence along the front with a chain link fence along the back and sides. The park would have a swing set,right now there are no firm figures on what such a park would cost.

He said financing will come from different sources. The Ironton Port Authority and the Ironton-Lawrence County Community Action Organization have partnered to find various grants to pay for the construction and equipment.

Ironton Benefits Specialist Katrina Keith said the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency gives grants to incorporate education in parks. Grants are given to pay for native-species plants and signage explaining what the plants are.

“This is to get people involved in green spaces,” Keith explained.

Ironton Recreation Director Brett Thomas said the park will likely be constructed in phases.

The former hospital was closed in 2001 and later torn down. The land was then parceled off for house lots, with the stipulation that the new homes reflect the ambience of the established neighborhood around them.