Follow-up On the June 14th Government Meeting

On Thursday, June 14th, twenty-eight representatives from the local, regional, state, and Federal government offices gathered in the Syracuse University Warehouse overlooking Onondaga Creek to learn how a revitalized creek can benefit a community. Staff from the Onondaga Environmental Institute (OEI) briefed them on ideas that community members have contributed to the Onondaga Creek Revitalization Plan (OCRP) project over the past year and encouraged them to discuss the roles that their organizations and agencies can play in realizing those goals.





Sponsored by the Onondaga Lake Partnership with funding provided by Congressman James T. Walsh through a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the goal of the OCRP project is to develop a community-based revitalization plan for the Onondaga Creek watershed. Over the last year, stakeholders and community members have contributed their goals and concerns for the future of Onondaga Creek through a series of community meetings. These ideas are being integrated into a draft revitalization plan for Onondaga Creek created by the Onondaga Creek Working Group. The Working Group will base the Onondaga Creek Revitalization plan on their firsthand experience and technical documents, as well as the community input.

Thursday's meeting allowed government employees to hear the community's wishes and begin to build the bridges across organizations that will bring those goals to fruition. OEI president, Edward Michalenko summed it up stating, "One of the best outcomes of today's meeting is that individuals from various agencies and organizations see how the function of their organization fits into a project like creek revitalization."

The Onondaga Creek Revitalization Plan will provide a big-picture guide for linking current fragmented projects that revolve around Onondaga Creek. It is expected to be completed by fall and will be released to the public for comment thereafter.

Further questions can be directed to the Onondaga Environmental Institute at 315-472-2150 x22, or by email at outreach@oei2.org.

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Follow-up from the Business and Organization Stakeholder Breakfast

The Onondaga Environmental Institute hosted the Onondaga Creek Revitalization Project (OCRP) Stakeholder Meeting at the Museum of Science & Technology March 20th, 2007. The breakfast meeting built on discussion from a series of seven public meetings from 2006 about Onondaga Creek. The purpose of the meeting was to collect input from local businesses and organizations to integrate into the draft revitalization plan for Onondaga Creek. Thanks to donations from several corporate contributors, the event featured an excellent breakfast to complement the buzz generated in the weeks leading up to the meeting.





From left to right, Paul O'Connor, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County; John Felleman, SUNY ESF; Fred Odhner, Tully Action Group; Meredith Perreault, OEI; Ed Bogucz, Syracuse Center of Excellence and table facilitator

The meeting's turnout was wonderful. A total of 118 were in attendance that, along with community residents, included individuals from local businesses, government agencies, realtors, developers, Syracuse University, SUNY ESF, Onondaga Community College, non-profit organizations, recreational clubs, religious organizations, and engineering firms. Small group discussions headed the agenda, with ten displays from various organizations providing additional perspective on Onondaga Creek. News outlets watched on as voices from all over the watershed came together to contribute their input for Onondaga Creek. The participants expressed a remarkable range of thoughtful and positive feedback about the value and future of the creek.


A broad array of participants filled out a total of 70 questionnaires to gather input on Onondaga Creek. The importance of the spoken and written input collected can't be overstated. The 26 miles of Onondaga Creek passes within a half mile of more than 10,000 homes and businesses, with influence reaching even further into the heart of the communities it touches. It was encouraging to see so many interested people from the region coming together to share their visions of the potential of a great community resource.

The members of the OCRP Project Team would like to thank everyone who was able to participate, including table facilitators who volunteered their time, our event sponsors COR Companies, Wachovia Securities, and Hancock & Estabrook, LLP, along with community members. It's important to note, however, that getting involved with the Onondaga Creek Revitalization Project is hardly limited to this meeting. Both businesses and individuals who missed the event can still get involved in a variety of ways. For example, the OCRP Project Team is engaging any and all interested groups through April of 2007. Feel free to invite us to your meeting to ensure that your ideas are considered in the development of the revitalization plan.

Read about our Onondaga Creek Community Forums held in 2006

The Onondaga Creek Conceptual Revitalization Plan project is sponsored by the Onondaga Lake Partnership with funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency