Binghamton City Council voted 6-0 on Feb. 25 to rename Columbus Park to Center City Park, kickstarting a new era.
After months of collecting community feedback and hearing stories from residents about their personal connections to the area, Center City Park will be reimagined to celebrate all people.
The goal of the “Reimagining Center City” campaign is to create an inclusive space for all the ethnic groups who resided in the area by partnering with local organizations, educational institutes and regional partners.
Councilwoman Kinya T.S. Middleton expressed her feelings about the proposal to rename the park, noting that the people of the neighborhood are more important than a name.
“I honestly do not care about the name change. What I care about is making sure that we are taking care of the people that live in Center City and that we are doing right by them,” she said.
The Reimagining Center City campaign will continue over the next several months with City Council asking residents from Rutherford Street to Exchange and Susquehanna Street to Court “to define what Center City means to them and what they want their neighborhood to look and feel like,” Majority Leader Rebecca Rathmell said.
The possibility of introducing another name change after the campaign is complete and the park is upgraded is not off the table, according to Councilwoman Hadassah J. Mativetsky.
One of the ideas that could be incorporated into Center City Park is an interactive oral history throughout the park sharing some of the stories residents have shared over the last eight months.
The new name is neutral, which Mativetsky says opens more opportunities for local involvement by removing any hesitation because of the controversy around the previous name.
Rev. Dr. Damond Wilson introduced the resolution to City Council back in June during a session and has been advocating for redevelopment and reinvestment of the area. Wilson said that some of the people who were not too fond of the name change are starting to come around to the idea since the resolution passed.
In an email statement sent on March 3, Wilson said the renaming of the park will serve the Binghamton area in “two key ways” — the acknowledgement of the Sherman Place Clearance Project that displaced 150 families from the area, “most of whom were families of color,” and creating an inclusive space in the heart of the city.
“This change offers an opportunity to design a welcoming environment for all residents and to highlight Binghamton’s cultural diversity in future development,” Wilson said.
Rathmell said the goal of the Reimaging Center City campaign “is to give residents the opportunity to tell us what matters most for them and their families,” in collaboration with the organizations who have deep ties to the district “and in partnership with Binghamton University’s Harriet Tubman Center, Binghamton City School District leadership, and Broome County Executive Jason Garnar.”
“We will launch a number of engagement initiatives, including plain old door knocking, to receive as much feedback as possible between now and May,” Rathmell said. “And as summer starts and the park and new Rec Center fill up, we will not only make that feedback public but will seek commitments for mutual and collective investment in restoring Center City to the vibrant and neighborly district local youth and families desire and deserve.”
Kalyn Grant reports on public service issues for the Press & Sun-Bulletin, focusing on schools and community impact. Have a story to share? Follow her on Instagram @KalynCarmen and on Facebook under Kalyn Kearney. Get in touch at KCGrant@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Binghamton’s Columbus Park renamed in city campaign. What’s next
Reporting by Kalyn Grant, Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin / Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
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