Sycamore playground now open
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STEUBENVILLE -- What began as a dream in 2019 has finally come true and will give area young people a chance to enjoy outdoor activities.
Those plans brought supporters, community leaders and representatives from the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce together Tuesday afternoon for the ribbon-cutting that officially opened the playground and educational pavilion at the Sycamore Youth Center.
“We didn’t have any playground equipment, and we did just not have things for the kids to do when they would first come over,” said Bobbyjon Bauman, the center’s executive director. “They needed to be able to work off a little energy because they had been sitting in school for such a long time. This gives them that opportunity.”
Located along the Fourth Street side of the building, just north of the intersection with North Street, the complex includes a play area with equipment surrounded by a soft landing area to protect children if they fall. In front of it is a covered area with picnic tables which will be utilized for outdoor learning opportunities.
It’s secured with fences and gates, as well as a camera system so the area can be monitored. Another enclosed spot in the playground can be used as a basketball court.
Bauman explained the cost of the $492,000 project was covered through grants -- including support from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. That left about $120,000 to be raised locally, he added, with support from the Steubenville Kiwanis Club, PNC Bank and the Charles M. and Thelma M. Pugliese Charitable Foundation.
The addition has been in the works for a long time. Bauman said the vision for the playground goes back to when he and Paula Stevens opened the Sycamore center about a decade ago. They looked into different grants to try and bring the playground to life. Bauman wrote the first grant -- the one from the state -- in 2019, ground was broken on Aug. 29, 2025, and the students began to use the playground just moments after the ribbon was cut.
“It’s an investment in our youth. It shows our commitment to keeping young people in Steubenville and Jefferson County. We had a regional meeting in Weirton today, and the talk was about keeping young people in the area and not letting them leave,” Steubenville Mayor Ralph Petrella said after the ceremony.
Among those who took part in Tuesday’s program was J.R. Lawrence Lewis, who detailed how the Sycamore center had made a difference in his life. And it began with a couple of chance meetings.
He said his first encounter with Bauman came when he was selling candy bars in the parking lot of the Hollywood Plaza Kroger. He had just moved to the area at the time, he remembered, and said Bauman paid him but did not take the candy, because he didn’t often eat sweets.
Then, during his junior year at Steubenville High School, Lewis said he was walking past the center when Bauman asked if he wanted to join in a game of kickball and have some fun. He became a volunteer and, when he turned 16, Lewis joined the staff. Lewis also has helped with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes program.
“He’s been my mentor for six years. It’s been a long time coming, and now we are spreading the gospel in the public schools,” Lewis said during the ceremony.
Afterward, Lewis, who teaches classes and works in the afternoons at Sycamore Monday through Friday, said the addition to the center, which serves more than 500 children each week, is good for the students.
“It’s actually really big because there are not a lot of resources for the kids to have outside of school,” Lewis explained. “They added a playground at the high school (for the Wells Academy students) and that really gives them an opportunity to get that extra energy out because they are at school all day. They are sitting down all day and are not doing much, just listening.”
“When they come to Sycamore, they now have a place where they can get that extra energy out and then come in, learn about the lord, have fun, learn different life skills and be around people who actually love them and are there to love on them,” he continued. “We’re not here for the money -- we don’t get paid anything. We’re there to love on them and just express the love of Jesus Christ to them, and they have that opportunity through activities. We’re trying to incorporate the Gospel into physical activities, and that’s what’s really big for what they are doing here.”
Bauman said the project was designed by Mike Thompson of Arch-IT-tech, and Fort Steuben Maintenance and Cody Saltsman were responsible for the work.
“I think this is something that’s going to be here for years and years,” Bauman said.