Development in and Around Syracuse Discussion

[Newhouser]

Dumb question but I have less confidence in the city plowing the street than I do in maintaining a green median. the current strategy on city streets seems to be let traffic pat the snow down - will that be the same for the new roads?

 

[OttoMets]

Dumb question but I have less confidence in the city plowing the street than I do in maintaining a green median. the current strategy on city streets seems to be let traffic pat the snow down - will that be the same for the new roads?

Given the classification, NYSDOT's probably on the hook for plowing. Not sure they'll do much better, but they've got deeper pockets.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Dumb question but I have less confidence in the city plowing the street than I do in maintaining a green median. the current strategy on city streets seems to be let traffic pat the snow down - will that be the same for the new roads?

With snow they have to do something. Medians overrun with weeds do not present a crisis. Show me a well-manicured median in the city and it will be the first. The city is facing an annual budget deficit. They will not allocate $3 million every year for this and I don't blame them.

 

[MG44]

proper landscape maintenance is expensive, especially to the extent that is being touted. Talking millions of dollars annually and I’m sure that is not being factored in. That’s why we’ll end up with weeds, dead grass, and sickly trees.

Greenery? Maintenance? fill that biotch with billboards!!!

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

I had a couple of days of meetings there a while ago. I parked kitty corner to the hotel and walked a block to the main entrance. It worked out well for me...

Our clients are generally 65+

 

[orangehomer]

Our clients are generally 65+

people over 65 can't park in a garage and walk a block?

 

[orangehomer]

Our clients are generally 65+

so what you do is, you pull in to the parking garage that is 1/2 block from the hotel. you get a ticket from the thing and then you park. on your way out, you pay and exit the garage. if that is too complicated for your clientele than i would posit that the hotel syracuse wasnt the place for your event to start with.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Medians are a maintentance PITA and the city does not have the budget to keep up with the required landscaping suggested in the renderings. Weeds start growing and within a year it will look like Erie Blvd. Just separate the north-south traffic flow on BL81 with post dividers which takes up the least amount of space.

I work downtown and the City does a very nice job with upkeep on hanging plants, small green spaces, etc. I believe it's Parks Dept. employees who do a lot of the work.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Kind of like the pointless man vs zone debates.

WHAT?!??
Those pointless debates helped make this board! Hahahaha

 

[shandeezy7]

I work downtown and the City does a very nice job with upkeep on hanging plants, small green spaces, etc. I believe it's Parks Dept. employees who do a lot of the work.

Those are actually tended to by the Downtown Committee of Syracuse. In fact, you can sponsor a flower basket here:

Downtown Beautification » Downtown Committee of Syracuse

 

[javadoc]

Those are actually tended to by the Downtown Committee of Syracuse. In fact, you can sponsor a flower basket here:

Downtown Beautification » Downtown Committee of Syracuse

This is my favorite thread on the board. Alternately entertaining and informative.

 

[FrancoPizza]

I work downtown and the City does a very nice job with upkeep on hanging plants, small green spaces, etc. I believe it's Parks Dept. employees who do a lot of the work.

Is Erie Blvd outside of their wheelhouse? That's the closest analog I can come up with for BL81. Those medians are just fugly and attract panhandlers.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Is Erie Blvd outside of their wheelhouse? That's the closest analog I can come up with for BL81. Those medians are just fugly and attract panhandlers.

A large part of Erie Boulevard is the responsibility of the Town of Dewitt.

 

[sutomcat]

A large part of Erie Boulevard is the responsibility of the Town of Dewitt.

The city line extends to Thompson Road. The portion from there to the intersection with Route 92 near the I481 interchange is indeed in Dewitt. If there are medians with greenery in the section in Dewitt, they must be really small. Really really small.

 

[Cusefan0307]

The city line extends to Thompson Road. The portion from there to the intersection with Route 92 near the I481 interchange is indeed in Dewitt. If there are medians with greenery in the section in Dewitt, they must be really small. Really really small.

So we are talking about a section of Erie from Teall to Thompson as that is the part that has a green median. I think the issue there is they don't mow enough.

 

[Cheriehoop]

The median green area on Erie Blvd is the city’s responsibility. Take a look at it’s ‘beauty’. The median that is little more than a strip of concrete is Dewitt’s responsibility.Dewitt obviously decided a long time ago that maintenance of a green area was too expensive. Dewitt is in a better fiscal situation than the city too.

 

[shandeezy7]

This whole Erie Blvd maintenance conversation could become moot if the state's proposed plan goes through. At that point, I'm assuming the NYSDOT would be responsible for maintenance and upkeep.

DOT releases images of proposed changes to Erie Boulevard for statewide bike trail

 

[cpatrocks]

Those are actually tended to by the Downtown Committee of Syracuse. In fact, you can sponsor a flower basket here:

Downtown Beautification » Downtown Committee of Syracuse

Let me know when I can sponsor a cop to stop people from smoking in the designated "no smoking" areas downtown, like the sidewalk in front of the galaries. That I will gladly chip in for.

 

[OttoMets]

This whole Erie Blvd maintenance conversation could become moot if the state's proposed plan goes through. At that point, I'm assuming the NYSDOT would be responsible for maintenance and upkeep.

DOT releases images of proposed changes to Erie Boulevard for statewide bike trail

They're talking with the city about some shared maintenance.

So we are talking about a section of Erie from Teall to Thompson as that is the part that has a green median. I think the issue there is they don't mow enough.

Agreed. All things considered, they do an OK job, but those passive green areas are and should be a lower priority than real parks. And there's not enough money for real parks.

When Parks or DPW does its own mowing, they can be more responsive (if they've got enough time and labor). When they contract the work out, they're at the mercy of Mother Nature: they contract for exactly 15 mows a year. (The calendar year is split by the fiscal year, so they're currently mowing on last year's contract.) If it rains a lot and the grass grows fast, they can't keep up - they need to save some of those 15 mowings for next April, May, and June.

On the whole, though, they do a decent job. Looks way better than the DeWitt portion. But they'd be insane to build infrastructure that makes even more work for them. History should be the guide: NYSDOT's responsible for all the benches and decorative stonework under the existing interchange. They haven't touched it since the '60s. Heck, before Cuomo became governor they couldn't even afford to trim weeds and pick up litter at the off-ramps. And the city's even poorer.

 

[shandeezy7]

Let me know when I can sponsor a cop to stop people from smoking in the designated "no smoking" areas downtown, like the sidewalk in front of the galaries. That I will gladly chip in for.

I'm assuming that is not a city thing, but the responsibility of building security. They can tell people to stop smoking and if they refuse, tell them to leave their property. If they refuse that as well, then the police can be called for trespassing.

 

[Cusefan0307]

There's a police office in the galleries. I went there once when my bicycle was stolen out of Dey's like 8 years ago...

 

[cpatrocks]

I'm assuming that is not a city thing, but the responsibility of building security. They can tell people to stop smoking and if they refuse, tell them to leave their property. If they refuse that as well, then the police can be called for trespassing.

Right - and I'd pay someone through the downtown committee to act like a cop and make them walk across the street.

 

[FrancoPizza]

So we are talking about a section of Erie from Teall to Thompson as that is the part that has a green median. I think the issue there is they don't mow enough.

Considering many of the panhandlers are topless, I'd say manscaping is also badly needed.

 

[maxxyz]

Considering many of the panhandlers are topless, I'd say manscaping is also badly needed.

They also have a weed problem, but that's a different conversation.

 

[Fly Rodder]

This whole Erie Blvd maintenance conversation could become moot if the state's proposed plan goes through. At that point, I'm assuming the NYSDOT would be responsible for maintenance and upkeep.

DOT releases images of proposed changes to Erie Boulevard for statewide bike trail

I was going to post this same thing. Everyone knows Erie Blvd is ugly as sin, they're working on improvements.

Also, after cleaning up stuff for earth day, cigarettes should have another tax on them to pay for picking up the butts. Alternatively, tobacco companies should be regulated into using only biodegradeable butts.