Today Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, Parks Commissioner Julie LaFave, and Second District Common Councilor Pat Hogan welcomed community members for the unveiling of the new playground at Grace & Massena Playlot, located at the corner of Grace Street and Massena Street, on the Westside of Syracuse.
“The Westside is a special part of town,” said Mayor Walsh. “We want to make sure we are investing in the people on the Westside and this new playground is a great example of how we are doing that.”
The City of Syracuse Department of Parks, Recreation & Youth Programs committed $150,000 towards the project and hosted several public engagement meetings with the neighborhood to gather feedback on play features most important to the area.
“We’ve really had an emphasis on playgrounds this summer,” said Commissioner LaFave. “We’ve been doing a great initiative, named ‘Mulch Madness,’ where we are making our parks and playgrounds safer, better looking and more enjoyable for the kids.”
The new playground, designed by Parkitects, purchased from Landscape Structures and installed by Terlouw Construction, has vibrant colors and many play features. The play equipment offers two areas of play, one geared towards 2 – 5 year olds and the other for 5 – 12 year olds.
“This is a great project,” said Mayor Walsh. “The whole team came together and engaged with the community, because this is for the community. Judging by the kids already playing on it, I think we got it right.”
The City of Syracuse is in the final stages of obtaining three adjacent properties to expand the footprint of the park, increasing the park’s acreage from 0.66 to 1.96. When recreational land use is determined, community stake holders and neighbors will be encouraged to attend a public engagement meeting to offer input on what additional amenities are best suited for the park.
Any adaptive equipment for disabled children?
Hello. Thank you for your question. Parks will be installing an adaptive swing which is currently in the process of being ordered. There is also a Tic-Tac-Toe panel that can be used by children of all abilities.