In less than two years, the village of Manlius will celebrate its bicentennial, and a new park will help mark the occasion.
The Manlius Village Board last week agreed to purchase the property at 301 Pleasant St., a home that’s been vacant for four years, to build a bicentennial park. The 105-foot by 153-foot corner lot cost just over $20,000, which the village is paying through contingency funds. According to ongov.net, the total market value and assessment are the same at $101,900; land assessment is $26,000.
The plan is to create a green space.
“At this point, I envision a beautiful corner pocket park with as many of the mature trees preserved as well as gardens and benches,” said Mayor Mark-Paul Serafin. “The final details will be determined with input from the Parks & Rec Board as well as the Early Village Neighborhood Association.”
Village resident Les Ryon, of 305 Pleasant St., said he spearheaded the project some time ago, convincing neighbors and officials of the opportunity to build a bicentennial park. Ryon, a member of the neighborhood association, said a number of neighbors are willing to ease village costs by holding fundraisers such as neighborhood yard sales.
Marilyn Jeffery, of 501 Pleasant St., said she too is excited to see this new, positive change.
“As a neighborhood, we are going to be helping in making it a park,” said Jeffery, who is also involved with the association. “We’re going to have neighborhood work days to keep the cost down to the village, so that our neighborhood is really invested in this. It’s a village park, it’s not exclusively for us … but we feel a little more responsible for it.”
A demolition date has not yet been set. Serafin said he is currently setting up meetings with Habitat for Humanity so the not-for-profit can determine what material can be salvaged for reuse.
“I prefer as much of the structure to be deconstructed and repurposed as possible,” he said.
