In case you missed this in the newspapers. . .

I wrote this to celebrate community cooperation, and it was in the POST STANDARD, COURIER, and OD.

A project begun five years ago received a tremendous financial impetus in late November of 2010. It was then that the Village of Chittenango and the Village Trail Committee, which is a municipal entity, received news that a grant had been reserved by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation for the trail committee’s use. The grant has created great excitement in Chittenango and has highlighted the good things that happen when citizens, civic committees, and service clubs work together.

The work of the Chittenango Neighborhood Trail Committee had already begun when, in late 2007, the Chittenango Lions Club was approached with a special proposition involving a piece of property along Dyke Road. It so happend that the trail committee would eventually need access to Valley Acres to realize its plan to connect the village neighborhoods with downtown. And what has occurred in the years since then, seems to be a combination of “kismet” and “serendipity,” fate and good fortune.

This good fortune began when Chris Kendall, Canastota Lion and attorney, approached the Chittenango Lions Club with a proposal. The finger of land that runs north and south from Sun Chevy’s car lot to Valley Acres was owned by the Shapiro family, who Kendall represented. The family wanted to donate the land, bordered on the west by Dyke Road, and the east by Chittenango Creek to the Village of Chittenango. But, the Shapiro Trust wanted a civic organization such as the Lions to take stewardship of the land to guarantee it would be used for the public good. After lengthy consideration, the Lions decided to take on the responsibility and began discussing uses for the rather inhospitable piece of property. On July 22, 2008, a Lions Club committee led by Lions Jim English and Steve Kinne, including Lions Dick Sullivan, Nelson Smith, Pete Owens and Mike Lynch approached the village board and presented the Lions plan of stewardship of the Shapiro land. Mayor Ronny Goeler and the board voted their support of the development of the property at that meeting.

Two years passed and the Neighborhood Trail System grew. At a meeting in the spring of 2010, the Lions and representatives of the Trail Commitee discussed joint usage of the land. Donna Lynch and Bill Nickal of the Trail committee explained that in October of 2010, the first phase of the trail system from Kirschenheiter Park to the trailhead in the village, would be officially dedicated. The next step was to wind the trail to Valley Acres, and the best way to go was through Shapiro tract. The Lions Club agreed that it was a fine idea. In fact, it almost seemed fated.

At the Chittenango Lions first meeting of the 2010-2011 Lions Club year, Lion Kinne announced that the village in cooperation with the Lions had officially “acquired” the Shapiro property. The village trail committee and the Lions Club would work together to see that it was used as “part of the village’s Master Plan for parks, green spaces, and connection of neighborhoods via a system of trails.” The property would be developed as a botanical park and arboretum, focusing on education and providing opportunites for recreation. Very importantly, Lion Kinne’s announcement included the fact that, “Within this park, a southern extension of the Neighborhood Creek Walk Trail will be built to connect Valley Acres to downtown.”

To add to the excitement was the announcement that the Lions and Trail Committee would be partnering with the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s School of Landscape Architecture in creating possible designs for the Dyke Road area. The landscape architecture faculty had chosen the Chittenango project because one of the major foci of the school’s curriculum is community design. Morrisville College’s Landscaping program also wanted to be involved in the project.

Meetings were held with the ESF students during the fall of 2010 at the Sullivan Free Library and the American Legion Hall. The meetings were open and citizen input was requested by the students and the civic groups involved. Sixty people attended the public forum, a real show of community support.

Most recently has come the great news that the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation had presented a $200,000 matching funds grant to the project titled: “Dyke Road Spur of the Chittenango Creek Walk.” Thanks to the grant writing ability of Elizabeth Bough Martin of the Village Trail Committee, funds will be available to develop this virtually unused piece of property.

It should be mentioned that the trail system has had other benefactors as well. A parcel of land has been generously donated by Philip and Phyllis Buchanan. Also, Robert Hall and Richard Clark have offered land they own to the village, and Stephen Davie has

additionally promised a permanent easement for the trail system.

Is it a mixture of ”kismet” and “serendipity” or is it just proof of the old statement that “sometimes things just work out.” However, one may choose to look at it, the trail system and the Dyke Road Project are evidence of the wonderful things that can happen when citizens, civic organizations, and government work together.