Published: March 26, 2008 07:58 pm            

FIXING THE FALLS: Leveling the playing field

$900K will go a long way to improve city parks, officials say

The recreational facilities at Hyde Park are considered by many to be diamonds in the rough.

From the golf course, hockey rink, swimming pool, baseball diamonds, tennis courts and picnic areas to hosting events such as classic car nights to kids golf and fishing tournaments, the 800-acre park is promoted as a popular hotspot for residents and tourists alike.

Now it’s just a matter of working out the “rough” part.

Through its $7.6 million capital project plan, the city has designated a half million dollars to improve numerous aspects of Hyde Park, including costly upgrades earmarked for the ice rink pavilion, tennis courts and golf course.

“I really think we’re starting to turn it into a world-class park,” Mayor Paul Dyster said recently. “It’s a quality of life issue for all of our residents.”

The bulk of the $650,000 being spent on Hyde Park is for needed repairs and improvements at the ice pavilion, which is owned by the city and leased to a private operator. A study to identify specific needs will soon begin, but a definite problem area is a leaky roof, according to Department of Public Works Director David Kinney.

Councilman Steve Fournier pushed hard for the pavilion’s inclusion in this year’s capital project. He said the $300,000 allocated will allow the city to keep up its obligation to maintain the facility and address cleanliness problems.

“It’s in such poor condition and I get a lot of complaints on how the facility is kept up,” he said. “I’m just trying to bring it up to standards.”

Fournier pointed out the rink hosts several tournaments a year, bringing in thousands of tourists, who leave with a negative opinion because of the poor conditions.

“The city needs to lead by example,” he said. “If we don’t keep our own facilities in order, how do we expect other people to do the same with their properties?”

DPW also will be spending $49,000 on a Bobcat machine, $10,000 on an equipment lift and $16,441 on a new mower, which will aid the department in maintaining the greenspace more efficiently, Kinney said.

Elsewhere at Hyde Park, the city will spend $150,000 on resurfacing the tennis courts, which along with the baseball diamonds and bocce courts are among the most actively used facilities. Currently cracks and holes are splattered over most of the surfaces and most of the lines need repainting.

“The tennis courts are playable, but not enough to have high school matches on them,” Kinney said.

The remaining $125,000 will be spent at the golf course for a new golf ball picker ($12,500), an above-ground diesel tank ($25,000) to service park maintenance vehicles and $84,866 on new technology to operate the facility’s sprinkler system. The upgrade will automatically determine the precise amount of water needed to maintain the greens each day based on the amount of rain fall, if any, overnight.

Hyde Park, named after Charles B. Hyde, was established in the mid-1920s shortly after the longtime Erie Railroad freight agent died and left the city his property east of Sugar Street (now Hyde Park Boulevard). The city has expanded the initial site over the years and multiplied the park’s facilities and programs.

“It’s already a world-class park, just look what you have there, it’s phenomenal,” said DPW Deputy Director John Caso. “That’s a diamond and it always has been.”

While projects at Hyde Park eat up a lot of the capital project money earmarked for city parks, construction of a new play area at the corner of North Avenue and Lockport Street will receive a $100,000 contribution.

The new playground will feature more than 30 pieces of equipment designed for children aged 5 to 12, including slides, swings, climbing structures, bridges, balance beams, a jungle gym and more. A basketball court and bleachers are also included in the design, along with shelters, picnic tables, benches and bicycle racks. It will be the city’s first handicapped-accessible playground in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities act.

In total, the city will be in charge of maintaining 25 parks this summer, including the newest one at the site of the old Century Club property on Buffalo Avenue. On Monday, members of the City Council voted to officially designate the site as a city park. Located east of the North Grand Island bridges, the property is the only undeveloped land owned by the city that sits along the upper Niagara River.

The capital plan includes $50,000 to conduct a survey and come up with a plan of possible uses at the site, such as a fishing dock and picnic facilities. The city also will be seeking greenway money for projects, including the recent proposal to install comfort stations.

Other parks in the city will benefit from the capital plan through the purchasing of new maintenance equipment, Kinney said. Each summer, the city runs an extensive youth program that spans nine weeks and almost a dozen parks and offers participants recreation and educational activities, special events and the use of sports equipment.

“It gives the kids something to do and a safe place to go,” Associate Youth Director Mark Stott said.





Game on

The city’s $7.6 million capital project plan includes nearly $900,000 to upgrade and improve various parks. Here is a breakdown of what’s included:

Hyde Park

• Improvements for the ice pavilion: $300,000

• Resurfacing tennis courts: $150,000

• Bobcat: $49,000

• Equipment lift w/accessories: $10,000

• Jacobsen 600 Series Turfcat Mower: $16,441

Golf Course

• New technology to operate sprinkler system: $84,866

• Above ground diesel tank: $25,000

• Golf ball picker: $12,500

Small Parks

• Donation to new North Avenue park: $100,000

• Jacobsen HR 5111 Mower w/trailer: $44,255

• Jacobsen 600 Series Turfcat Mower: $16,441

Century Club

• $50,000 toward survey and designs to determine future use.



ABOUT THE SERIES

In the past five days, the Niagara Gazette took a closer look at specific projects and purchases listed in the city’s approved $7.6 million capital plan for the upcoming year. Here is a breakdown of what was included:

• SUNDAY: Potholes and Street Repairs

• MONDAY: Reconstructing 77th Street

• TUESDAY: Police Department

• WEDNESDAY: Fire Department and demolitions

• TODAY: City Parks

        

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