North Street Extension Athletic Fields

Because Mr.Cox feels strongly about this ,he is trying to let the public know what the school district is trying to cram down our throats ,give me a break.The city council allready said NO,What part of that don't you all understand.
You said....A city councilman has been fueling the fire and rallied several people to attend tonight and speak against it.
Is this not the USA ..Were does it say we can't rally support for a cause..You call it fueling the fire,I call it stopping the fire from starting..

This is why this issue should be made an election issue. It will not be decided tonight or at any other hearing. Neither side will change their mind. Again, the three Republican candidates for City Council are against it.

One Democrat, Rose Mary Christian, running for the County Legislature is against it also.

We do not need another park. We do not need another track when we already have two. We do not need the higher taxes this will bring after it is built.

C. Clark,
Nobody seems to be willing to tell me what's wrong with the School Board just giving this land to the city as green space, with a no build restriction?

Is there something in the Education law that does not allow property transfer from one gov. group to another?

I as a parent of children who are playing sports do agree that we are in need of this space. We DO need more playing fields. Our children DESERVE this! We as a community should pull together and allow this expansion to take place. Those of you who are complaining of our tax dollars being used need to stop and think. Adding more fields will be a huge asset to our community. Not to mention this will keep our children off the streets and on the field!!

Isn't field maintenance paid for in part by league and other sports fees?

If we already mow it and maintain it, how much more would it cost to make it actual sports fields where leagues could be formed (and partly paid for)?

If it brings in traffic and people, isn't that GOOD for Batavia? More people to frequent our stores and restaurants, more people to find the beauty of Batavia?

And, if it creates more jobs in the parts/schools in order to maintain it, isn't that GOOD? It might CREATE jobs and the exchange of money, both of which many people complain that there isn't enough of here.

If it stays as green/open space, isn't that good to those who complain about green space disappearing?

I understand about rising taxes, and people "not wanting" it. I also am new to Batavia and don't know much about previous attempts at creating things like this, but aren't there a lot of good things that can come out of a sports complex?

PS -- I come from Hilton, where now barren fields cannot be made into rolling green grass and fields, because people don't want "more people, traffic, and litter". I'd rather see kids playing soccer on well-kept fields than a field that isn't plowed, planted, or kept at all.

field maintenance for North Street after the project is completed will amount to about 40 cents per city resident per year

Thats 40 cents that i don't want to pay..Maybe Puzio can give up her raise to pay for some of it...

Hey everyone,
I am speaking for the children of Batavia. I really do think that athletics fields are needed in Batavia. Lets face it, to me Batavia is a very boring place. I really think that athletic fields make up for that. It will benefit alot of kids, because if they see a brand new sports complex they will come. Just like in a classic movie , If you build it, they will come. This will not only help the kids that play soccer and lacrosse but even it will give the Softball team the fence they need for their field behind the high school. Not many people know this but their arent alot of soccer fields in Batavia. Lions Park and JK and Farrel Park are pretty much it. I dont count the High school because its only for varsity and cedar street is the little kids fields. I dont see much complaining about the soccer fields out by bank street road. My dad put it great tonight. He wants to see kids playing soccer because if they are out and active then they arent cooped up playing video games. I thought America is so concerned about obesity but some citizens of Batavia dont want kids to be active. I think these people should think about the kids and not about taxes or whatever. Make Batavia more interesting and give the children another place to play.

Mark,

Seems to me that 40 cents is a small price to pay for progress. The reality is that your share will probably be much less than that.

Several years ago, I went to the School Board to complain about the announcement to cease bussing kids from my street (Grandview Terrace) due to costs. The new plan would require our Elementary students to walk the nearly two miles to John Kennedy.

The School Board changed their plans because it was the right thing to do. That additional cost was included in the budget and flowed down to the taxpayer. We (Batavia taxpayers) pay it because it is the right thing to do. I applaud the School Board for continuously improving the District.

I now pay about four times the school tax that I would have paid if I still lived on Grandview Terrace. Am I concerned about cost? Yes, I am. I also look at the cost/benefit comparison. Am I prepared to do my share? Yes I am.

We will always have costs to bear in order to provide the services we do in this School District. Some of those costs are directly related to the classroom while others are more supportive to the overall education of our kids. We all share this cost because that is the society we live in.

I only hope that we can produce children that are smart, confident and hard-working so that our society can keep pace. That would benefit Batavia the most and, hopefully, create new homeowners and taxpayers.

Chris,

While I agree with the statment "He wants to see kids playing soccer because if they are out and active then they arent cooped up playing video games" I didn't say that last night.

Another concerned resident (or two) said it.

While I agree with Chris, not all kids play video games. I wish the kids had a youth club of sorts. I wish someone would open a kids club where they could go dance and listen to music, have activities and dance contests. Kind of a night club for teens. I would call it Second Chances. I would go with the 2 strikes your out policy. If disruptive 1st time your out for 2 weeks second offence your out for good.
I think the kids would love it, and want to behave, and have fun. Teens love music, and I would have a dance floor with lights, a few large tv's, Kareoke, beverages and snacks. I would also have a handful of adults, male and female to monitor them. One big thing I would want is a nightly prayer, where all the kids and coucilers would gather and hold hands in a big circle. I would want them to go home with a sense of peace. They would have so much fun, it would give them something to look forward to on the weekends.
For some kids it is very boring for them in Batavia. Wouldn't it be nice for parents to know where their kids are, and have peace of mind knowing their kids were learning how to all get along, accept each other, and express themselves in a positive way, instead of bullying, and being non productive, wandering the streets? I dont know its just a thought, and a dream of mine. I just dont have the money to do it.

[old man voice] When I was a kid [/end old man voice] we didn't have a youth facility or structured activities. I went up to the nearby high school in the summer and we organized our own pick up games with whatever kids were around. Or I went to the park about a mile away and played softball with the adults. Or we played various games right on my block.

But I don't pretend to know what's best for today's kids. Video games these days can be pretty active and social activities, and are getting more so that way.

I will say to Chris, or anybody who think Batavia is boring. New York City can be boring, too, or Disneyland. It all depends on your perspective and industriousness to not be bored. There's only one person who can overcome boredom: You. (and I mean that generically, Chris, not just you personally, but individuual responsibility). But I realize that's a hard lesson to teach a kid, especially a teen, who knows everything already (like I did when I was a teen and always thought I was bored -- and I was growing up in San Diego!, which I thought was the most boring big city on earth when I was 16).

Howard, All Im saying is we need to cater to more than the athletic kids. We need to provide activities to all kids. They are so different these days. Most of us were lucky, and raised by 2 parents. Most of us chose to go to the sports field and play baseball. Then their are the other kids that dont like to play sports. That doesnt mean their need is less important. It was just a thought meant in the best interest of all of Batavia's youth. They are our future. Howard you havent lived here long enough to see the big picture. The need for activities for the kids is great. Maybe you should ask the youth officers in Batavia, the police, and the parents before you assume.

Yep, back in the day, we used to ride our bikes to school and spend all Summer in the park. I remember walking from Porter Ave to Kindergarten at St Joes (well I kinda remember, it was a long time ago).

Today, I have to be a bit more careful with my kids' freedom to do that. My elementary-age kids would never be allowed to walk to the nearest park (John Kennedy is exactly one mile from my house) without adult supervision. On the other hand, my teen can and does. His opinion of Batavia probably differs from his older, adult brother who suggested that it was boring here. I agree that it is what you make it. I think that Chris' point is that it would be less boring if there were more parks available to City residents.

I certainly believe that the national guidelines have merit and that city neighborhoods must include amenities like parks in order to be efficient.

Regardless of the School District's use of thier own property, the City of Batavia needs to take a good hard look at what draws people to a community and what keeps them. I suggest that parks are an important component of a community and agree that we don't have enough.

Mike,
Do you know if that study counted the County Dewitt Park?

We played tackle football in the streets on Prune Street, Jerome, and McKinnley. A home run at JK was on top of the school roof, then ya had to shimmey up the windows to get the ball. Kids rode their bikes door to door to get enough guys for a team then rode from park to park with their ball gloves on the handle bars and bats tied to the cross bar to find a game. When was the last time someone saw a kid with a ball glove on his handle bars. Park league baseball was at times better than Little League the whole town turned out for the park league championship under the lights at Kibbe. Oh yeah and JK ruled. By the way what happened to the parks program?

"Posted by John Roach on October 7, 2009 - 12:07pm
Mike,
Do you know if that study counted the County Dewitt Park?"

John,
The study was listed on one of the slides last night. I am pretty sure it said 1997. I hope to get a look at it some day.

I don't remember when the County's Dewitt Park was created. Based on the few times that I have been to that park, it seemed to me that there are only a few acres of usable green space in the front and a lot of water. So, if it was not included in the old study, we are a few acres closer to correcting our 33 acre shortfall.

Another statistic noted last night was that public parks are intended to serve a 1500 ft radius of houses in a neighborhood. We can count the School property at JK as one. If the City was planned properly, there should have been a park between N. Spruce and Naramore. I don'tthink there is a park at all in the sixth ward. It becomes a quality of life issue.

I doubt that the City would consider installing a new park. Several City Council members have already said that the City should not pay for a park.

After North Street gets extended and Garden is connected to East Ave (per City plan), the new houses that everyone wants to see built will benefit from the school's property without the City having to spend a dime. It would add to the tax base, we solve the field shortage problem that the School has and we provide basic services to local residents in the form of a park. Win, win, win.

What amazes me is that some North Street residents believe that the street will never be extended. It has been in the City plan for a long time. Everyone who moved there in the last ten years knew that. They can't honestly say that they thought it would remain dormant forever.

If the folks who want the school's property developed for housing were to get their wish, the street would be extended anyway. The reality is that people will drive on those streets if it is a park or if there are houses there.

Having a park at our end of the City is not only smart, it is the right thing to do.

The city is having a hard time keeping up the sidewalks and streets because of lack of funds,and now some would have us create more parks.Where does all this money come from..

Mark,
Yesterday you said that houses should be built. I think that the park would help make that happen on new building lots off the new street. The additional city tax money from the new houses would certainly help pay for street maintenance. In fact, it would probably generate more tax revenue than required to maintain the new street. That surplus would help the City pay for all the other sidewalks, wouldn't it?

Of course, the alternative is to remain stagnant, fail to improve our infrastructure and drive people away from the City so that existing costs are borne by those of us who stay. Translation: higher taxes for us.

At Bill Cox's first meeting a retired Asst. City Engineer spoke. He said the City master plan calls for a 1st ward neighborhood park in that area when the development you mention is completed. So there is a park planned.

The Dewitt Park has come a long way since it first opened. It has playground equipment, a great walking track and pavilions. And the county keeps improving it.

There is a park in the 6th, besides Dewitt. I can’t remember the name of it and it is small. There is also Kibbe and Wallace parks over there.

Nevermind.

My mistake. I meant the Fourth Ward. The Sixth Ward has the most park space of all wards (Dewitt, Lions, Farrell and a playground at Jackson School).

If we follow the advice offered last night, there should be parks available to residents every 3,000-4,000 feet.

If the City expansion plan includes a park for the area and the School District property meets the need for the park, why would the City not embrace the current proposal?

The city can't sensibly allow more houses to be built without following thier plan which includes a park. Seems pretty straight forward to me.