Upgrades to Greece Canal Park priced
Construction could begin by spring on $2 million in improvements for Monroe County’s Greece Canal Park.
But, county officials have yet to decide what those improvements may be.
During a public forum late last month, community members weighed in with their ideas: a second entrance, better trails, more Erie Canal-related amenities, lacrosse fields and garden plantings.
County Parks Director Larry Staub said he was impressed with the variety of ideas people had for the park.
“Our engineering consultant is looking all the ideas over and putting price tags on them,” he said. “Then we will try to see how we can fit some of these ideas into our $2 million budget.”
A meeting will be scheduled in January to review potential costs for each of the suggested improvements.
Phil Lau of Greece lives near the park off Elmgrove Road. He’d like to see the county add flowering trees and garden plantings that could be cared for by local garden centers and garden clubs. He said the park should be a place where people can go not only for recreation but also to enjoy nature’s beauty. “There’s nothing beautiful about this park,” he said.
The park’s proximity to the Erie Canal makes it an ideal spot for the county to invest in water-related amenities, said Keith Kroon of Greece, with the Canalway Trails Association of New York. He said a small camping area and perhaps a visitors’ center for those using the canal and Canalway Trail would be a good idea.
A winter skating area topped the list for Steve Fowler, director of recreation for the town of Parma. “I think that would be a very popular recreational venue,” he said.
Most mentioned at the public forum, however, was having the county add a new park entrance off Manitou Road. Currently, access to the park is through a single entrance on Elmgrove Road. A second entrance was called for in the park’s 1994 Master Plan. The park is bounded by the Erie Canal and Elmgrove, West Ridge and Manitou roads.
“It would be wonderful for west-side residents to get access from our side,” said Joyce Lobene, mayor of the village of Spencerport.
Anthony Messura with the Greece Hurricanes Lacrosse Club said new lacrosse fields would be an asset to the area. “With 100 kids in our club, we only have one field to play on,” he said.
Others cautioned that the county needed to strike a balance between active recreation and keeping the park natural.
“We need to keep recreation in this park as passive as possible,” said Joan Wood.
June Summers, a member of the Genesee Valley Audubon Society, said the park doesn’t need improvement.
“We want to keep the ecosystem in the park as it is,” she said. “It’s really a great place for winter bird watching because not a lot of people come.”
Greece Canal Park already offers hiking trails, bird watching and cross-country skiing. There are baseball diamonds, soccer fields, tennis courts, playgrounds, a youth camping area, lodges and shelters.
Staub said the county intends to strike a balance between passive and active recreation within the 661-acre park.
The $2 million earmarked for Greece Canal Park work is from the county’s capital improvement fund.
