Did you read Bill Bebko's letter in the News this week? An interesting proposition: He thinks the village and Friends Care should swap properties, the Barr Property for the village owned Beatty-Hughes Park. Beatty-Hughes Park? His point exactly. The park on Corry Street, close to downtown, is little-known and less-used. It butts up against the parking lot on Kieth's Alley, which could provide easy access to the Senior Center from the senior apartments if they were built there. Meanwhile, wouldn't it be great to have a park in the center of town; take down that fence; knock down that old house (or move it), put up a gazebo?Unfortunately, Bebko's proposition was never reached at the last Council meeting due to the long and sometimes stormy conversation about the Comprehensive Plan.
The Blog is inviting readers to weigh in on this by commenting on this post. Just click on the comments link below this post. If there is sufficient interest, we will conduct a poll.
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12 comments:
Sounded like a super idea to me, a wee park with perhaps a gazebo, BUT, would it invite a lot of noise that would disturb nearby residents?
As much as I like the idea, I think I would want to hear what potential residents of a senior facility and residents near the barr property feel about it, and how it would impact them.
Just my humble take on it.
No question about it - we have to hear from a lot of people who would be affected. In fact, we will all be affected in one way or another.
My 2 cents on the noise issue: Typically, parks close at dark. Enforcement is another issue. Maybe keep the fence..?
Thanks for your comment, Jaffa Girl. It is exactly the kind of well thought out response I am hoping to get.
thanks Virgil :) I do have some other thoughts or questions. Such as comparative land value? Would the owner of the barr property get the same land value on the other property? Tax base be the same? Would it increase costs too much to have architects redo the plans for another piece of property?
Would being so close to the fire station make it unpleasant or unattractive to potential buyers?
I think a land swap would be a good idea, but the project isn't on hold over the location. I believe the question is the funds for building and maintaining the Senior Apartments. Until they can get enough money to begin, its all a moot point as it is built.
I think we all know why the FCC project is on hold: their business plan was insufficient to get financing. They have to rework it and that is going to take time. I believe Karl Zalar was talking about nine months, the last I heard.
Here's another potential stumbling block to a swap. Usually, when someone donates land for a park they put restrictions on its use, e.g. it cannot be sold, or it cannot be used for any other purpose than a park. I'd be willing to bet that's the case here.
Virgil, no such restrictions were ever brought up the several times that turning the park into a parking lot was discussed.
As for the restrictions on the little park next to Keith's alley... The village own's it yes.
When it was donated to the Village it had a residence on it and the proceeds from the rental house were to be donated to the YS Widows Fund at Christmas each year. To pass out flour and sugar to the Widows in our town.
The residence is gone though you can see remnants of where it's foundation once laid... and the police department now pitches in does things for the widows and the needy at Christmas, since there isn't a house there anymore.
This is my understanding of it's history and restrictions that it once had. The YS Historical Society may have some insight on it.
As for the fire department being so close, I think it would be an asset for elders to have help close at hand if ever the need arises. But, I've heard the fire department want to move to oneday. So that might be a mute point.
I can't imagine Seniors crossing Glen Street at Speedway to get downtown with their walkers from the Barr property anyway, can you?
I know the Park is smaller than the Barr property. But I think it's a great idea and it would be a lot safer for the Seniors to come downtown from the Park area.
"I can't imagine Seniors crossing Glen Street at Speedway to get downtown with their walkers from the Barr property anyway, can you?"
I don't know, I guess I will ask my senior friends about it. Most of them seemed really happy about the Barr property, but I haven't talked to them since this idea came up.
good point about emergency help being nearby though.
This park has been proposed many times to expand Keith's Alley parking for downtown business. There has been a HUGE uproar each time. Complete with quoting Joni Mitchell's song about parking lots and the necessity of greenspace downtown - even though Glen Helen is across the street. Pages of letters to the editor in the YS News., A study by DP&L years ago identified the need for parking downtown to be a major necessity for economic survival, yet one of the only spaces available to provide it has always been nixed as a necessity.
This park has been proposed many times to expand Keith's Alley parking for downtown business. There has been a HUGE uproar each time. Complete with quoting Joni Mitchell's song about parking lots and the necessity of greenspace downtown - even though Glen Helen is across the street. Pages of letters to the editor in the YS News., A study by DP&L years ago identified the need for parking downtown to be a major necessity for economic survival, yet one of the only spaces available to provide it has always been nixed as a necessity.
I think the neighbors who opposed the senior appartments would be happy to have a park instead of a large apartment building. I wonder how the neighbors near Beatty Hughes park would feel about having the apartments near them. It seems like a reasonable idea worthy of further investigation.
Anyone who has actually lived on Keith's Alley can tell you that the noise of dumpsters crashing at all hours and the constant delivery trucks to business are extremely disturbing to residents and not something that can be changed. I'm not sure how seniors would cope with this.
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