Park is open for event rental, sports tournaments
The Willis Carrier Recreation Center opened last year after phase one was complete, bringing two handicap accessible baseball diamonds and a concession stand to the 28-acre parcel of land donated by Carrier Corporation. The project’s potential doesn’t stop there, which is something the organizers of a sign campaign hope to bring to the attention of DeWitt residents.
The Carrier Park project has been in the works since 2010, when Carrier donated the land for the park to the town of DeWitt. It was proposed to be the first outdoor, integrated multi-sports complex in the United States for youth that was designed for both the general public and the special needs community, specifically as the home to the Syracuse Challenger League baseball games as their “Field of Dreams.”
The 28-acre property is bordered by Roby Avenue, Kinne Street and Grover Avenue, and is partially encased by woods. The project broke ground on the first phase in May 2013, and phase one of the concessions area and two baseball diamonds was complete in the May 2016.
Phase two and three would include building an all-inclusive playground, basketball courts and a walking trail, along with up to nine championship tournament quality fields, including two dynamically-designed super turf fields that could be utilized for baseball, lacrosse, softball, football and field hockey.
The total cost of the full project is estimated to be $12 million, though taxpayer money was not use to fund the first phase of the project. Kelly Grace Smith, a communications consultant for the Carrier Park project, was hired by the Town of DeWitt using a grant to better inform residents about the park. She said the project so far has raised about $2.55 million in donations, received about $1.75 million in various grants and received $800,000 from the Friends of DeWitt Parks and Recreation committee.
The Carrier Park project has been carried out largely by the Friends of DeWitt Parks and Recreation, the Town of DeWitt Government and the Syracuse Challenger Baseball League. The Challenger Baseball League consists of children ages five to 21 with various special needs, physical handicaps and developmental delays, and the Syracuse League is one of the largest in the nation. A major goal of the project was to provide a baseball field for the players of the Challenger League to play their games, which is why there is focus on making the park fully accessible.
Though many residents may be aware of the Carrier Park facility, Smith said she believes many may not be aware of its potential to bring a positive impact to DeWitt. Smith said the completion of the Carrier Park facility could bring in different sports leagues from around the country, bringing more visitors to DeWitt who would patronize the businesses in the area. DeWitt also has a high number of hotels, and they bring in more than $4 million in property taxes to the town each year. These factors all add together to strengthen the tax base, which would increase the value of homes and business, said Smith.
One other thing Smith said people may not know is that the park is also open for private event rentals and the baseball fields can also be rented.
To bring awareness to the potential the completion of the project has for DeWitt, the Town of DeWitt has undertaken a lawn sign campaign. Signs can be purchased for $10 each by going to the Town of DeWitt Recreation Department offices at the DeWitt Town Hall, 6400 Butternut Drive, East Syracuse.
“We’re building community. Economically this park has the potential to bring in so many visitors, which will strengthen DeWitt and in turn the greater Syracuse area,” said Smith. “I think the sign campaign and the slogan for the town, ‘More than you think,’ really sums it up.”
Another planned event to raise funds for the project is a golf tournament, which will take place on Saturday, July 29 at Drumlins Country Club.
To learn more about the Willis Carrier Recreation Center go to carrierpark.com, or to make a donation, go to friendsofdewitt.org.
