The Oneonta Family YMCA unveiled its new outdoor urban sports park Wednesday, Aug. 12.
“This park wasn’t about the concrete,” said Frank Russo, the organization’s executive director, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. “It wasn’t about the fencing. It’s not really about the basketball courts.
“It’s about the people,” he said. “It’s about the child who will learn competence here, the teenager who builds passion for sports, the families who will make memories together, and the friendships that haven’t even begun yet.”
Including dedicated space for basketball, soccer, pickleball and outdoor fitness, the new sports park at 20 Ford Ave. converted what the Y called in a prior announcement an “underutilized space” into “a vibrant outdoor recreation destination for the community.”
The project was funded through donations and sponsorships, the largest being a $150,000 donation from Community Bank and a donation match from Brian Wright.
“This truly is a privilege for us to have this opportunity to participate so much here in Oneonta, and to leave a legacy,” said Dimitar A. Karaivanov, CEO of Community Bank’s parent company, Community Financial System Inc.
“Community is in our name, and truly is who we are. And it’s things like this that really make it all make sense for all of us,” Karaivanov said.
Russo said after the ceremony that the total investment was about $450,000. In addition to the two largest sources of Community Bank and Wright — without whom the project would not be possible, he said — many local people and organizations contributed to the project.
“We hope to get more little kid programming out here,” he said of the new park’s future use. “There’s also going to be some adult fitness and some adult things going on, but it’s built primarily for the kids first and the adults second.”
Toby Centerwall, a teacher at Oneonta’s Riverside Elementary School who spends his summers working for the Y, said a lot of the kids he teaches at schoool spend time at the Y.
He added that the new space will offer kids more opportunities to get outside.
“I think that’s what’s so great about this,” he said. “Kids can get outside in fresh air.”
“The Oneonta Family YMCA extends its sincere appreciation to Community Bank, the Wright Family, Elizabeth Miller and the many donors, partners, volunteers, and supporters whose generosity helped bring this exciting community asset to life,” the organization said in a statement ahead of the ceremony.