The first master plan in more than 30 years for Buffalo's parks system includes a reconstruction project at the Johnnie B. Wiley Amateur Sports Pavilion and the adjacent Masten Park.
The project will provide state-of-the-art facilities for indoor and outdoor athletic, recreation and education activities for students and community members in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Buffalo, officials say.
“The park master plan … reflects two years of reviewing our existing park assets and the collection of commitments and feedback from over 1,200 residents, stakeholders and nationally recognized experts,” Mayor Byron W. Brown said.
“We now have a plan that reflects the diversity of Buffalo’s parks users while also ensuring an equitable level of investment all across the city for all of our city parks,” he added.
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The Johnnie B. Wiley reconstruction is one of the projects that specifically follows the guidelines underscored in the new city parks master plan, which was unveiled Thursday.
There will be new athletic fields, a splash pad, outdoor pool, playgrounds, landscaping, shelter buildings, multi-use pathways, site lighting, parking, demolition of existing buildings, and construction of indoor sports courts, restrooms, locker rooms, concessions, and multi-purpose space. And indoor community space will offer opportunities for programming beyond athletics, such as education support services and efforts to reduce gun violence and digital access gaps.
The city will use $23 million of its $331 million allocation in American Rescue Spending Plan funds to pay for the reconstruction project.
The plan was developed in collaboration with Trust for Public Land and funded by the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation. The plan can be found at www.buffalony.gov/2021parksplan.
The master plan will help determine where to focus capital investments. It includes an assessment on the need for parks and recreational spaces in neighborhoods.
And it highlights how the city’s park system can better serve all residents, especially those in poorer neighborhoods.
“The city parks master plan will provide improvements and expansions to local parks to address the needs of underserved communities by providing safe recreation areas, increasing economic parks opportunity, promoting overall health and wellness and contributing to environmental improvements,” said U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo.
The plan outlines strategies to meet the goals identified by community members:
Increase park information. The lack of information was identified by residents as a barrier to park use. To address this, the city created an interactive park map.
Provide recreational access to school yards. Joint use agreements will open publicly-owned land at schools and athletic fields to the public after school hours, on weekends and during the summer to improve access to outdoor recreation.
Provide more support to volunteers. Buffalo is working to create two new programs: Adopt-A-Park to let neighborhood block clubs and other groups adopt their local park and Love Your Park Grant Program to allow community groups solicit funds for park improvement projects.
Create a rating system. Community members will be able to rate the quality and upkeep of parks to help managers to prioritize the ones with the greatest needs.
