It’s been a long time coming, but Heath Park in Syracuse now has another entrance. SUNY Environmental College of Science and Forestry has officially given two acres of land that borders a residential neighborhood to the city parks department.
Frederick Celke gave ESF the additional land in 1996, which now completes the full trail and forest land into Heath Park. ESF President Quentin Wheeler says the college opted not to sell the land for other development because it would have cut off access to an entire side of the park. The land was once used for research, but Wheeler says it'll go to a much more community-focused cause now...
The existing section of the park was originally established as city property in 1962, but Mayor Stephanie Miner took time to give credit where it was due.
Miner said, “We in the city have a historic recognition of how important parks and green spaces are. One of the entities that has been… thinking about this long before talking about sustainability and the future of our planet long before it came into vogue was ESF.”
In a release distributed by the city, The ESF College Foundation said, "At ESF we believe that parks and open spaces enhance appreciation of nature. It is our hope that current and future generation of City residents will enjoy this addition to heath Park."
She thanked Wheeler and others who took time to address any red tape in the way of providing important green space to Syracuse residents.
A few of those residents expressed happiness that it was the James E. Heath Park benefiting from the land donation. Judy Hand and her husband Bryce live just a few houses away from the park, and they remember James Heath very fondly since his death in 1969...
Finding the new entrance to Heath Park might be just as much reason to bring along your compass or GPS device before heading into the forest. It’s located off Lynn Circle in Syracuse’s Valley section. You can find more information about the city's public parks at http://www.syracuse.ny.us/PARKS/.
