VILLAGE OF FAYETTEVILLE – A ceremony was held Nov. 29 officially dedicating Fayetteville’s Canal Landing Park in honor of former mayor of the village Mark Olson.
Now the Onondaga County legislator for the 10th District, Olson was recognized, as a commemorative placard propped up for the ceremony said, for the “dedication, determination and love” for the village of Fayetteville he demonstrated throughout his 20-year tenure as its mayor.
At the gathering Olson was surrounded by officials he served alongside as mayor, including current trustees, as well as a number of his family members in town for Thanksgiving, including siblings, nephews, nieces, in-laws, his mother and his sons.
“To have them all here makes the whole thing even more special,” said Olson. “Four generations of Olsons have lived in Fayetteville—I’m third generation as the youngest of seven total brothers and sisters, and my sons are fourth generation.”
Fayetteville Mayor Mike Small—Olson’s successor in the role—marked the occasion with a brief speech, during which he commended his predecessor for his accomplishments as the longest-serving mayor in the village’s history.
Small said Olson has “defined what public service is all about” and that he left the village in better condition than when his two-decade run as mayor began, adding that he appreciates Olson now serving the more widespread community as county legislator.
Small said Olson began his service to the Fayetteville community at a young age within the village’s fire department and rose through the ranks there, eventually becoming a village trustee and then, as mayor, overseeing the development of Canal Landing Park from an abandoned, contaminated New York State Department of Transportation site to what it is now.
“When I was first running for mayor, I kept looking at this place and saying, ‘Why can’t this be redone?,’” Olson said.
After taking office in 2004, Olson approached then-assemblyman Jeff Brown asking for help as the fifth of five Fayetteville mayors over the years to give cleaning up the site a try. In response, Brown was quick to offer any guidance needed and he secured money to get the effort started, which is why Olson invited him to be in attendance for the Nov. 29 ceremony.
Olson said plenty of other people and organizations lined up to assist him throughout the process of turning the site into a park from the time of its acquisition to its opening to the public in 2011, including employees of the state parks system on board to make it happen, Fayetteville trustees over the years who trusted the vision, and the architects, engineers and SUNY ESF students who worked together to design the future park.
Olson also thanked the four mayors preceding him who paved the way for the site to one day be a park, the village’s department of public works for maintaining the park and making it look good, as well as village clerks Marty Lynch and Lorie Corsette, volunteers behind the scenes, and director of the New York State Canal Corporation Brian Stratton for their tireless commitment and support.
“It was really always supposed to be enjoyed as a park…I always said to build it and they will come, and we built it and people are coming all the time,” Olson said. “This park represents not just a physical space, but a symbol of community, history and a shared vision for the future of this wonderful village.”
Olson said the park, which is connected to the Erie Canal, is now a “vibrant and welcoming” space for all to enjoy where memories are made, families can gather, and “the heart of Fayetteville will continue to thrive.”
Saying it was hard to put his feelings into words, Olson extended his “deepest gratitude” to the municipality for the recognition and dedicated the dedication of Canal Landing in his name to his family and the citizens of Fayetteville.
“To have the park named in my honor is something I will cherish for the rest of my life,” he said. “I am forever grateful, and I look forward to seeing this park grow, flourish and become a beloved gathering place for generations to come.”
To conclude the ceremony, just before everyone escaped the cold by entering the nearby Freedom of Espresso, Olson and Small undid the ribbon and pulled off the cloth of the specially “gift-wrapped” park sign to reveal the words “Mark Olson Park.”