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Councilors review Hanover Square bond increase for fountain rehab and $55,000 Clinton Square security purchase
Summary
Parks Commissioner Saisha Byrd described three NYS parks grants and asked the council to amend a bond ordinance to increase the Hanover Square rehabilitation allocation by $300,000 because bids came in higher. The council also reviewed a $55,000 purchase of security planners and barriers for Clinton Square.
Parks Commissioner Saisha Byrd told the Syracuse City Common Council the Parks Department was presenting multiple items including state grant applications for youth programs and requests tied to capital projects in downtown parks.
For Hanover Square, Byrd asked the council to amend an existing bond ordinance authorizing the issuance of bonds for rehabilitation of the fountain and related work. Byrd said the original authorization capped the project at $1 million and the department seeks an additional $300,000 because “the bids came in higher.” She said the project has been worked on “for a couple years” and that construction is split into three contracts — general contractor, plumbing and electrical — with plumbing and electrical being rebid after no bids were received earlier. Byrd told councilors the project is scheduled to start in May.
Byrd also presented an item to purchase security planners and crowd-control barriers for Clinton Square in partnership with the Department of Public Works and the Syracuse Police Department for an amount “not to exceed $55,000,” saying the equipment is intended “to protect Clinton Square” during festivals and events in light of safety concerns.
Councilors asked for more detail about existing cameras at parks and requested a list of park cameras and their placements; Byrd said the city has been updating systems and would provide answers about camera locations at McKinley Park and others. Byrd said the city had recently upgraded Schiller Park’s system and continues to expand coverage across parks.
Byrd also described two New York State Historic Preservation grants for summer youth programs: “Connects Kids” for parks field trips (not to exceed $30,000) and the “ladders program,” an outdoor program for youth. She said those are recurring summer programs the department runs each year.
No formal votes were recorded in the transcript. Councilors asked for follow-up information about camera locations and the rebidding schedule for plumbing and electrical contracts on Hanover Square.
