New Spray Pad Launched at Woodlawn Park
Grass-roots initiative funded by the Thriving Neighborhoods Challenge

SCHENECTADY – Mayor Gary McCarthy and The Schenectady Foundation joined the Woodlawn Neighborhood Association to reveal a new Spray Pad and Cooling Area at Woodlawn Park. The project is one of twelve grass-roots neighborhood initiatives funded through Schenectady’s Thriving Neighborhoods Challenge.

“We are extremely proud to celebrate and unveil the new Spray Pad at Woodlawn Park that will be a wonderful asset for children in the community,” said Mayor Gary McCarthy. “The Woodlawn Neighborhood Association really came together for this project and we are thrilled to see its success. We look forward to continuing our partnership with The Schenectady Foundation which has helped bring new resources and energy into our neighborhoods.”

Last year, the City partnered with The Schenectady Foundation to announce the Thriving Neighborhoods Challenge, which would engage residents to come forward with their ideas for neighborhood improvement. In January, it was announced that $250,000 would fund twelve of these grass-roots initiatives, $100,000 of which was allocated by the City through Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds in its 2018-2019 Consolidated Plan.

The Woodlawn Neighborhood Association’s Park Redevelopment Committee led by Spero Zoulas submitted a proposal to the Thriving Neighborhoods Challenge to install a Spray Pad at the park, which was awarded $55,000.

“The efforts of Woodlawn neighborhood leaders on this has been fantastic” said Robert Carreau, executive director of The Schenectady Foundation. “Funding was needed, but the real catalysts are the people in the community who brought this to our attention and made their dream a reality.”

“This was a long-time coming,” said project leader Spero Zoulas. “It’s something we’ve been working toward – a real need that we’ve finally met. Our volunteers and all the people who supported them worked diligently to bring this to completion. We are grateful for the support of the City, the Foundation, and all the contractors who gave us their gifts and expertise.”

The City included an additional $100,000 in its 2019-2020 Consolidated Plan to support a second round of proposals through the Thriving Neighborhoods Challenge.

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