North Syracuse Village Trustee Gary Butterfield is anxious to get the Village Center’s streetscaping project underway.
Earlier this year, the village received approximately $850,000 from Onondaga County’s Save the Rain Program to pay for the Village Center Streetscape Improvements.
At their July 10 meeting, village trustees declined to approve specifications for the work which will focus on a half-mile stretch on Main Street from Fergerson Avenue north to Gertrude Street.
“Let’s hold off on the specs until we can nail down the dates,” said Mayor Mark Atkinson.
Village engineer Amy Franco of Clough, Harbour & Associates still needs to coordinate with the state Department of Transportation to schedule the streetscaping, she said.
Butterfield suggested that the village should make sure to pour concrete before the end of summer, “so it has time to dry before the weather changes.”
The work will include curbing, lighting and some changes of vehicle entrances and exits from properties. The project will also assist with water run-off along Main Street. Cobblestoned streets and decorative benches are planned to enhance the Village Center.
Now that summer’s officially here, North Syracuse Parks and Recreation is busy running summer camps, offering swimming lessons and staging live concerts.
“We have 100 registered for summer camp at two sites,” Parks Director Teresa Roth reported to the trustees last week. “We also have 96 signed up for swimming lessons.”
The village has a new summer camp counselor, Nathan Russell, who started work on July 2 at a rate of $8.20 per hour.
Roth said the recently refurbished Centerville Park at 609 South Bay Road is seeing plenty of action, especially on its basketball courts.
“Now that it’s been renovated, it’s getting much more use,” she said. “Every day someone stops me and says how great it is now at Centerville Park.”
Atkinson noted that the village is working with Onondaga County Purchasing Department to seek bids for the resurfacing of Kennedy Park Pool, at 114 Grove St.
Six more free outdoor concerts are scheduled this summer at Lonergan Park, 524 South Main St., including The Other Guise featuring Jan Fetterly at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 16; and the Custom Taylor Band with singer Chris Taylor on Wednesday, July 23.
Longtime North Syracuse resident Vera Desimone appeared at the July 10 village board meeting to thank the Department of Public Works for its prompt removal of heavy trash and brush, especially in her neighborhood along Belmore Drive.
“The DPW crews do great work,” Desimone said.
Both DPW Superintendent Gary Wilmer and Atkinson thanked Desimone for her comments.
“It’s great to get that kind of feedback,” Atkinson said.
