Land for proposed park given to school district
Plans for New Hartford site slowed by economy
The New Hartford Central School District now owns the land where officials hope to one day build a 22-acre park near Perry Junior High School.
Once completed, the park would include new athletic fields and also could feature tennis courts, picnic areas, a playground and a walking trail.
But none of that looks likely soon given the current financial climate.
“We realize nothing is going to happen for quite some time due to the economy and everything else that’s going on,” said Daniel Gilligan, the former district superintendent who led the fundraising charge for the land purchase.
The land was purchased by the New Hartford Central School Foundation in February for $250,000 from O.W. Hubbell & Sons Galvanizing, which is owned by Daniel Hubbell. It officially was given to the district Feb. 24.
Gilligan has said the desire for more land was a response to the town’s traditional shortage of playing fields.
The town's Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which was updated most recently in November 2005, identifies shortages in baseball, softball and soccer fields, based on a review of the town and standards of the National Recreation and Park Association.
The foundation actually raised $267,525 total in the fund drive, Gilligan said. The extra money will go toward purchasing signs there.
In the near future, it appears there is little use for the land. Maintenance will be minimal, excluding even grass-cutting, until plans are put into action for construction there, Superintendent Robert Nole said.
Beyond that, the school district will embark on an effort with town government to secure the resources to turn the land into a park, Nole said.
“We will have to study the concept and work again in conjunction with the town and community in making it a part of the long-range facility planning,” Nole said.
School Board President James Davis said the land is a gift the board “gratefully accepts.”
“It is rare for our district to be afforded the chance to expand any one of our campuses, since they are all nestled in residential neighborhoods,” he said.
