A park in the center of downtown Syracuse that has struggled to find its identity in recent years is about to get a facelift. City councilors Monday approved an agreement for site preparation to begin soon at Perseverance Park on South Salina between Fayette and Washington Streets.
Efforts to completely redesign the nearly one-acre park go back at least five years, but nothing has ever materialized. The blue and white flowscape painted in 2014 was only meant to be temporary, and has badly faded. Commissioner of Neighborhood and Business Development Stephanie Pasquale calls this a modest redevelopment of the parcel.
"We will be tearing up the existing tarvia and concrete to have a visually interesting pattern with some new benches, lighting, trash receptacles, bicycle racks, tree pits, and landscaping that will reactivate that same space that right now has the blue squiggly lines on it."
The entire $173,000 cost of the project will come from leftover Connective Corridor funds. Previous, more ambitious designs to overhaul the space had a price tag of up to $2.5 million, and also included a mixed-use building on part of the site.
In other business, councilors approved a grant application to continue phase two of the Onondaga creekwalk project from Midland Avenue to Kirk Park. And, councilors also gave the go-ahead to spend more than $300,000 on 113 additional police body cameras, which also includes video storage.
