A look at OrangeSeeds' "Big Event" and two ongoing projects in Syracuse's Near Westside neighborhood.
Students in Syracuse University’s OrangeSeeds program chose to focus on the Westside community downtown for their annual “Big Event” on April 24, bringing a group of 150 to 200 volunteers to clean up the area and help out with a variety of projects taking place there.
SU professor Marion Wilson leads volunteers from OrangeSeeds in rethinking and shaping up a Near Westside house.
Less than a year ago Marion Wilson bought a house on the Near Westside through Syracuse University's Scholarship in Action. The house had been run down and used as a drug headquarters among some area residents.
Artists, students and volunteers combine forces to create art, vegetation out of a neglected space in downtown Syracuse.
A collection of Syracuse University students and local volunteers gathered in Lipe Art Park in April to clean up and prepare the area for gardening and art projects taking place there. Brendan Rose, a masters degree student in architecture at SU, used volunteers to mix cement for an art installation he is creating for the city. The installation is located in the center of the park and will serve as both a graffiti wall and shade canopy for the residents.
As Stephanie Miner takes office, community leaders expect her to do more to address the environment and development.
For a better and greener Syracuse, people expect the new mayor Stephanie Miner to make important decisions in projects related to sustainability and the environment during her term.
“I think the character of her leadership will be very different than the past few mayors,” said Deb Warner, vice president for public policy and government relations in Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce.