Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks And Trees topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Syracuse parks dept. seeks $1.69 million USDA grant to plant 3,200 trees; several small event contracts also on agenda
Summary
The Syracuse Parks Department asked the Common Council to authorize a USDA-funded tree-planting project worth $1,690,000 (100% reimbursable) to plant about 3,200 trees over four years, and presented a set of smaller contracts and reimbursements for youth programs and tree-planting efforts.
The Syracuse Parks Department asked the Common Council to authorize a tree-planting program funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and presented a suite of smaller contracts for youth programming and tree reimbursements.
The request covers a plan to plant 3,200 trees over four years under a USDA Forestry Service grant administration agreement with a total not-to-exceed amount of $1,690,000, described in the meeting as “100% reimbursable.”
The tree-planting request was presented by Taisha Byrd, Commissioner of Parks. Byrd also asked the council to pull items 10 and 11 related to a dog shelter and proposed an overall parks-campus study for the Spencer property. “We’re actually gonna propose that we do a overall, campus study for our parks property at, on Spencer,” Byrd said when requesting the pull.
The parks presentation included smaller, separate items the department brought forward: authorization for an urban forestry restoration program with a not-to-exceed total of $50,000; acceptance of a National Grid tree-reimbursement program transferring $21,850 to the Syracuse Parks Conservancy to support planting 437 trees in 2024; and payments for youth programming and events that include a mobile skating unit contract not to exceed $3,400, music programming via the Music Performance Trust Fund not to exceed $3,400, a DJ payment not to exceed $500 and a catering payment not to exceed $1,000 for a cooperative play day.
Byrd said the parks team would withdraw the dog-shelter items (10 and 11) from the agenda and pursue a parks-campus study instead. She also described community programming and invited the public to local events: “Tonight, Pops in the Park features Danny. Danielle. She’s the lead singer for Brown Skin. It’s from 7 to 9… At Kirk Park. Come join us. Dance with us,” Byrd said.
Council members asked clarifying questions about individual line items (for example, confirming the “not to exceed” amounts for several contracts) and placed the dog-shelter items on hold as Byrd requested. No formal vote on the USDA tree-planting authorization or on the smaller event contracts was recorded in the meeting transcript.
Why it matters: The USDA-funded planting would expand tree canopy citywide and is presented as fully reimbursable, meaning the upfront cost would be borne by grant funding rather than the city's operating budget. The parks-campus study for Spencer could affect future site plans for parks facilities and functions.
What’s next: Byrd said the Parks Department will proceed with the campus study and follow up on items the council pulled from the agenda. The meeting record does not show a final council vote on the USDA grant authorization during this session.
