By Kate Hill

Staff Writer

The Madison County Planning Department is currently seeking input from residents regarding the future of Delphi Falls County Park.

Located at 2006 Cardner Rd. in Cazenovia, the park consists of 64 acres of woodlands, two waterfalls, multiple parking lots, and a handicap accessible trail leading to the base of the lower falls.

The property also includes a vacant single-family house and a barn, which are both currently unavailable for public use.

The space opened to the public in August of 2018, following the purchase of the land by the county.

According to Madison County Associate Planner Jim Petreszyn, the property was privately owned for decades.

“About three years ago, Rob Hiltbrand, the regional director of state parks, contacted me . . .” Petreszyn said. “The family that owned Delphi Falls since 1961, the Allen family, was looking to sell it and they wanted it to go into public domain. [Doreen Allen] contacted state parks to see if they wanted to buy it to make a park. The state, which usually takes larger parcels, said they probably wouldn’t want it, but Rob — knowing that I’m the one who manages the county parks — [directed Doreen to me] . . . It took us a while to go through the purchasing process. We found a wonderful gentleman, named Harold Jones, who gifted much of that property to us.”

Jones, a retired Syracuse University professor, purchased the property for $900,000 and sold it to Madison County for $150,000.

According to Petreszyn, the county’s top priority upon acquiring the park was the creation of a “universally accessible” trail to bottom of the falls.

Currently, the county is planning to use a $500,000 state grant to develop a trail to the top of both falls and to redo the temporary parking lot.

“We’ll do a parking lot on the opposite side of the creek from where it is right now,” Petreszyn said. “From there, we will have a pedestrian bridge that brings people across Limestone Creek so they can visit the bottom of the falls (like they are doing now) and then go up the east side of the creek to the top of the upper falls. Most of our land — 63 acres — is up on that side of the creek, so we will make a trail up there.”

While some enhancements and short-term plans have been made, the property will take years to fully develop.

To help guide future decisions at the park, residents are encouraged to complete a public use survey, available online at facebook.com/MadisonCountyNewYork or surveymonkey.com/r/DelphiFallsMC.

“We want to get input from the public on how the park should be used in the future and what types of things people would like to see, aside from the obvious trails” said Petreszyn. “There is no sense doing something that five of us in here would like to do when the public would like something different. It’s their property. I’ve been working on parks for 25 years, this is the first time that we have a piece of ground that is brand new and we get to decide collectively how we should use it. I think it’s going to be exciting.”

In addition to questions regarding park uses and additions such as camping grounds, a community garden, reservable space for outdoor events and a visitor center, the survey asks residents to consider the future of the existing house and barn and the potential establishment of a private business or enterprise like a private wedding/event venue, B&B or short-term housing rentals in the park.

The survey will be open until July 10, 2020.

For additional information, contact the Madison County Planning Department by phone at 315-366-2498 or by email at [email protected].