“WE WANT TO RESTORE THE OLMSTED VISION”
Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) – On a crisp November Saturday afternoon in Delaware Park, the Olmsted Park Conservancy led a rally to save Delaware Park.
The group is working to pull the plug on the New York State Department of Transportation’s latest plan to revamp the Scajaquada Expressway corridor along the park.
“This process began in 1999”, said New York State Assemblyman Sean Ryan as he stood before the dozens of demonstrators, many of whom admit this latest DOT plan is better but not what it could be. “Our goal and our vision is simple, we want to reunify Delaware Park”, said Ryan.
Pointing to the mistake of generations ago when an expressway was carved through the center of Delaware Park, Ryan said all of the plans since the DOT began considering options nearly 20 years ago have been “highway focused” plans. Instead of working toward a goal of moving more people and cars faster, the save the park contingency wants to change the end game to reconnecting neighborhoods, the parks and Buffalo State.
“We want to tear down our version of the Berlin Wall, we want to restore the connectivity to our neighborhoods”, said Ryan.
The #SaveDelawarePark group will be dispatching lawn signs across the park neighborhoods and will be visible at the upcoming Turkey Trot race on Thanksgiving Day.
An onlne petition is also being used to help convince the DOT to put a halt to their latest plans and consider a different approach.
