Osborne City Park is located in a densely populated residential neighborhood in Auburn, sitting only a short distance away from the busy Loop Road. But lacking the amenities that would have made the park a safe play-space for hundreds of neighborhood children, it was not living up to its full potential.
With the help of strategic partners like the City of Auburn and the Osborne Park Improvement Project, the Auburn Beautification Committee (ABC) secured a $1,000 grant from the Cayuga Community Fund to rehabilitate the park. Modifications were designed to create recreational opportunities for community families and children with playground equipment, benches, lighting and trees that made it a safe and appealing place to play.
Preparing the park for new installations was quite labor-intensive. ABC secured critical public and private partnerships to leverage donations towards the park’s rehabilitation. The Cayuga Fund helped towards some of the finishing touches, including the purchase of playground equipment.
“The outcomes of the Osborne Park Renovation Project exceeded the expectations of the Committee,” said Laura Turo, Chair of the Auburn Beautification Committee. “The final product was a night-and-day improvement from what was there before, and created a safe and family-friendly environment for the local residents.”
With the park now boasting beautiful landscaping, shade trees and benches, ABC and its partners clearly achieved all of their goals for the project by providing residents a beautiful space to relax and play. ABC board members found themselves pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming use of the park once it opened. Children of all ages were observed utilizing the playground apparatus and greenspace.
“Pooling your resources, whether it be financial or sweat-equity, with other groups who share the same mission can produce successful projects.” said Turo. “It is truly a pleasure knowing that through public-private partnerships, citizens are making Auburn beautiful one space at a time.”
The Central New York Community Foundation is a public charity established in 1927 that collects contributions from donors, manages them to grow over time and then distributes funding to local charities to help them thrive. It is the largest charitable foundation in Central New York with assets of more than $280 million and has invested more than $200 million in community improvement projects since its inception. As a grantmaker, civic leader, convener and sponsor of strategic initiatives, the Community Foundation strives to strengthen local nonprofits, encourage better understanding of the region and address the most critical issues of our time.
