Quote:
Originally Posted by ckhthankgod
|
Binghamton gets $1M for youth center: How city will spend the money is unclear:
https://www.pressconnects.com/story/...PS-E-NLETTER11
From the article: "Binghamton's plan to expand youth services in the city received a $1 million boost Tuesday, but it is still unclear how officials will spend the money after a proposal to build a youth and community center at Columbus Park fell through.
Mayor Jared Kraham and city councilmembers have talked about more cost-effective options, including expanding existing facilities at a nearby church, but talks are still in the preliminary phase.
"We're still evaluating our options about what that looks like," Kraham said. "The new construction element, at this point, is prohibitive in terms of its expense but we are still engaged in active conversations with St. Mary's."
The funding, which came from a federal spending package, will also allow the city to expand its youth programming and boost recreational and after-school opportunities.
Also, "Previous plans for a youth and community center in Columbus Park were put on hold earlier this year when the total cost for the project rose to $10 million.
The intended $6.1 million in funding for the project came from the American Rescue Plan Act, the federal program aimed to boost public programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, but was returned as unallocated funds.
The city also secured $1.1 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funds for design and construction costs, and the Community Foundation for South Central New York facilitated additional fundraising for the project.
"That price tag is simply too much to spend for what we would be getting," Kraham said. "You never want to have a situation where you spend a lot of money building a new, beautiful building but do not have the programming after the fact to actually make it an active space."
Columbus Park is the primary neighborhood park for residents of Binghamton’s two downtown Census tracts, which have the highest childhood poverty rates in the city.
In September 2021, former Mayor Richard David called the Columbus Park project the city's "single largest investment ever" in its youth.
The project faced pushback from the start, with some local advocates voicing their concern about a lack of community input early in the planning stages.
What makes St. Mary's a strong option
In recent months, St. Mary of the Assumption was thrown into the mix of possible locations to create a youth center because it already fulfilled the main amenities community members were seeking, making it a more cost-effective option.
St. Mary's, which is a block away from the park, already has a kitchen area, classroom space and a basketball gym, three items Kraham said came out on top in the survey.
And since the funding is no longer going toward constructing a new building, the $1 million would help renovate and upgrade a pre-existing building, Kraham says.
"No matter what it is, we'll need to do some work, whether it's St. Mary's or any other building for that matter."
What city council members are saying
District 3 city councilwoman Angela Riley, who voted against a previous agreement with Binghamton-based CPL to provide architectural, engineering and design services for the former Columbus Park project due to cost concerns, is excited for the city to receive the funding.
"That's excellent news," Riley said. "Particularly since we pulled back some of the money we had allocated and used it towards other priorities."
Riley also feels St. Mary's is the best use of the funds and would like to see some of it go toward hiring a team to run future programs at the youth center.
"Think about what we could do for our children," Riley said. "Particularly now, as our youth are struggling with returning back to school, dealing with their friends being shot or fights. We've had a lot of negative press surrounding our youth and I think this would be a win."
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In Johnson City...
