SALT DISTRICT OF THE NEAR WESTSIDE

2011-2012 Report

THE SALT DISTRICT NEIGHBORHOOD

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Syracuse Art Literacy Technology

THE NEAR WESTSIDE INITIATIVE

The Syracuse Art, Literacy, Technology (SALT) District of the Near Westside is directed by the Near Westside Initiative Inc. (NWSI), a not-for-prot organization. Syracuse University and The Gifford Foundation jump started this initiative. SU School of Architectures UPSTATE, the Syracuse Center of Excellence and Home HeadQuarters play pivotal roles in the project. The NWSI leverages the resources of SU, the state, the city, private foundations, businesses, not-for-prot corporations, and neighborhood residents to achieve its goals. A creative community is converging here to foster economic development, jobs and stability for the neighborhood, and rich academic experiences for SU students. Within this neighborhood, the premise that art and culture can unite to create a revitalized community is being tested and is proving to be true.

MISSION & VISION

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MISSION
Combine the power of art, technology, and innovation with neighborhood values and culture to revitalize Syracuses Near Westside.

VISION
Diverse cultures will converge and thrive on the Near Westside. Residents will help design and become fully vested in the project. The revitalization will be fueled by interdisciplinary scholarship, international connections, and the seed capital and commitment of Syracuse University. It will be sustained by the residents, businesses, foundations, and the local government of Syracuse. A community of artists and innovators will become property owners within a cluster of renovated
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warehouses and new structures centering in and around West and Wyoming Streets, creating a link between the Near Westside and Armory Square.. Many new and/or renovated homes will be constructed for owner occupancy throughout the neighborhood. The historic architecture of this, the oldest neighborhood in Syracuse, will be preserved whenever possible. New construction and neighborhood planning will demonstrate sustainability in urban design and

serve as a test bed for green and clean technologies emerging from the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems. The project will create jobs, home ownership opportunities, and beautiful public spaces for the people who live in the neighborhood. A vital neighborhood association will be the catalyst for creating bridges between new and current residents, students, and businesses involved in this effort.

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY AS ANCHOR INSTITUTION

As an anchor institution in the city of Syracuse, Syracuse University is building on its historical strengths and pursuing collaborations that simultaneously enrich scholarship and change the face of this older industrial city. Through extensive partnerships with the public, private and non-prot sectors, SU is creating meaningful opportunities for students and faculty to learn and discover, while tackling pressing issues in communities like the Near Westside, that resonate in our nation and world. The collaborations are focused in ve key interlocking areas: art, design, technology, environmental sustainability, global collaboratories, inclusive urban education, and neighborhood and cultural entrepreneurship. Syracuse University is driven by its vision, Scholarship in Action - a commitment to forging bold, imaginative, reciprocal, and sustained engagements with our many constituent communities, local as well as global. SU is a public good, an anchor institution positioned to play an integral role in todays knowledge-based, global society by leveraging a precious commodity intellectual capital - with partners from all sectors of the economy: public, private, and non-prot. Each partner brings its strengths to the table, where collectively we address the most pressing problems facing our community. In doing so, we invariably nd that the challenges we face locally resonate globally.

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THE TEAM
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Sean Branagan - Communigration, Inc. Ed Bogucz - Syracuse CoE Tim Carroll - City of Syracuse Bill Delavan - Delavan Art Gallery Peter Dunn - CNY Community Foundation Tanya Eastman - Green & Seifter Attorneys P.C. Regina Gabrielle, Lac, DHom - Onondaga Community College Kathy Goldfarb-Findling - Allyn Foundation Bea Gonzalez - University College Eddie Green, Treasurer NWS Board - Green & Seifter Attorneys P.C. Karla Green - Huntington Family Center Marilyn Higgins, President NWS Board - Syracuse University Carole Horan, Secretary NWS Board - Resident Michael Kelleher - SUNY ESF Father Jim Mathews - St. Lucys Church Kevin McAuliffe - Hiscock & Barclay, LLP Paul Nojaim, Vice President NWS Board - Nojaims Market Kerry Quaglia - Home HeadQuarters Maria Revelles - Resident Mark Robbins - Syracuse University School of Architecture Isaac Rothwell - Resident Ben Sio - CEO CenterState Gladys J. Smith - Resident Mary Alice Smothers - PEACE Inc Dirk Sonneborn - Rosamond Gifford Charitable Corporation Mark Sweeney - Steri-Pharma Peter Thompson - Resident Bill Veit - Scottsman Press Suzanne Williams - Habitat for Humanity

COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Annie E Casey Foundation ArtPlace Boys & Girls Club Cab Fab CenterState CEO Cooperative Federal Credit Union CNY Community Foundation Education Foundation of America City of Syracuse Gifford Foundation Green & Seifter Attorneys Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity SU & ESF Hiscock & Barclay, LLP Home HeadQuarters Huntington Family Center Imagine Syracuse King + King Architects La Casita Lerner Center Messenger Associates National Grid Nojaim Bros. Supermarket Northside UP NWS Business Association Onondaga Earth Corps PEACE Westside Family Resource Center ProLiteracy International Queri Development Red House Arts Center Say Yes to Education Second Olivet Missionary Baptist Church Spanish Action League of Onondaga County Steri-Pharma St. Lucys Church & Learning Center Syracuse Center of Excellence Syracuse University UPSTATE: (School of Architecture) WCNY Westside Arts Council Westside Family Health Center Westside Residents Council 601 Tully

BUSINESS ASSOCIATION MEMBERS

Jacobs Architectural Woodworking The Landscape Elf Szozda Gallery WRKDesigns The Art of Massage / Spa at 500 Ultraclean Signature Band and Choir Camp Delavan Center WCNY Nojaim Brothers Grocery Store 831 West Fayette Street, LLC Onondaga Small Business Development Center Agency Specialist Insurance Group Central New York Services, Inc. Isaiahs Table King and King Proliteracy

ADDITIONAL LEADERSHIP
Alvenas Bell - ProLiteracy Anne Messenger - Messenger Associates Darlene Kerr Matt Ural - Near Westside Sustainable Solutions Brian Anderson - National Grid Rick Destito - Gear Factory Chris Clemans - CAB Fab Hilary Mansur - Home HeadQuarters Juan Cruz - Patch Up Studios Luke Dougherty - City of Syracuse Sheena Solomon - Rosamond Gifford Charaitable Corporation Tywana Mother Earth James - ProLiteracy

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY DEAN PARTNERS

Mark Robbins - School of Architecture Anne Clarke -College of Visual Performing Arts Elisabeth Liddy - School of Informational Studies George Langford - College of Arts and Sciences Douglas Biklen - School of Education Diane Murphy - David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics Bea Gonzalez - University College James Steinberg - Maxwell School

NWSI STAFF
Maarten Jacobs - Director Don Western - Finance Director Beverly Everding - Senior Administrator Dan Queri - Consultant Stephen Klimek - Engagement Fellow

Syracuse Art Literacy Technology

SALT SHAKER DONORS

Annie E Casey Foundation ArtPlace Courts 4 Kids CNY Community Foundation Charles and Patricia Nojaim Ed and Sue Bogucz Education Foundation of America Darlene Kerr Father Jim Matthews Jim and Juli boeheim foundation La Casita Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County Nojaim Bros. Supermarket ProLiteracy Rich and Gardner Construction The Rosamond Gifford foundation Spanish Action League of Onondaga County Syracuse Housing Authority Syracuse University Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor WCNY Connected WellCare

ADDITIONAL DONATIONS
Sean Branagan Tanya Eastman Eddie & Joan Green Karla Green Marilyn Higgins Carole Horan Michael Kelleher Maria Revelles Isaac & Karaline Rothwell Dirk Sonneborn Bill Veit Suzanne Williams

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A HISTORY OF THE NWSI

WCNY Moves into Case Supply Building ProLiteracy Ribbon Cutting Home HeadQuarters Annual Block Blitz on Marcellus Street Annual Multicultural Block Party ArtPlace Grant Announced for SALTQUARTERS arts-in-residents studio on Wyoming Street Paul Seymour Playground Ribbon Cutting in Skiddy Park NWSI Annual Board Retreat focus on energizing neighborhood and engaging residents Governor Cuomo announces $758m in Economic Development Funding Through Regional Councils, $1m of which will support Nojaims Supermarket expansion 2 Annual NWS Tree Lighting and Neighborhood Holiday Event WCNY Campaign Kickoff LaCasita Dedication Event in Lincoln Building First NWS GreenTrain Graduation Construction begins at the Case Supply Complex to make way for WCNY and ProLiteracy Home HeadQuarters Annual Block Blitz on Otisco Street ProLiteracy and Red House/SubCat awarded the Groundbreaker Award Annual NWS Picnic held Renamed to NWS Multicultural Block Party Red House Grand Re-Opening & Courts For Kids Ribbon-Cutting at Skiddy Park Caf Kubal opens for business in 601 Tully & Grand Opening 601 Tully NWS Board authorizes president to execute term sheet with First Niagara Bank for a construction loan for $1.9m Annie E Casey Foundation approves a grant of $75,000 to be used for the Say Yes Learning Lots on the NWS Skiddy Park Fundraiser launched City of Syracuse will match $40,000 for new playground equipment Board approves Loan Loss Reserve Agreement with Syracuse Cooperative Federal Credit Union to support small business micro-loans NWS board approves permanent loan agreement on the Lincoln Building for $1.8m with the Community Preservation Corporation

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Senator Gillibrand Tour of the NWS Zoning Board approves plans for 601 Tully Writing Center, a business incubator for Fowler students and community teaching garden CMD 352 students make presentations on solutions to improve NWS to the community, NWSI Board and SU Board of Trustees A Love Letter to Syracuse public art project on the NWS train trestles by Steve Powers Free public picnic celebrating Art Shark installation and Rebirth of Syracuse mural NWSI Board approves purchase of Community Gardens at 410 and 412 Gifford Marion Wilsons class design plans for 601 Tully Street to include space for a classroom, caf, gallery and ofces Leaving a Legacy A History of Syracuses Near West Side produced by Onondaga Historical Association Syracuse, New York SU Board of Trustees authorizes Syracuse University to enter into a agreement for Say Yes to Education to lease space in Lincoln Building Development agreement executed between NWSI and WCNY for development of the WCNY broadcast and education center in the Case complex Construction begins on Juan Cruz live/work residence Home HeadQuarters Annual Block Blitz

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The NWSI is formed as a collaborative effort among Syracuse University, the Gifford Foundation, the Center of Excellence (CoE), the School of Architecture (SoA) and area residents and civic leaders Certicate of Incorporation led for West Side Initiative, Inc. First NWSI board meeting held at St. Lucys Rectory - adopted bylaws and elected ofcers of the board; added board members >> Board votes to pursue purchase of Case Supply Warehouse, Lincoln Supply as well as the vacant lot at 201 Wyoming

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Julie Eizenberg teaches studio with SoA students on Case Supply Warehouse NWSI & SNI Press Conference held at St. Lucys announcing $2.2m SNI funds to HHQ for NWS The ESDC approved a $13.5m debt reinvestment to the NWS NWSI Press Conference at City Lot/Wyoming Street announcing WCNYs commitment to move to the NWS Marilyn Higgins starts new position at SU as VP of Community Engagement & Economic Development Gov. Spitzer announces that he would commit $2m to WCNY in the NWS as part of his Revitalization of Cities Initiative SoA & HHQ announce partnership to transform 223 Marcellus into a neighborhood revitalization information center $2.9m Restore NY funds awarded for housing and Lincoln Supply project HHQ announces $2,500 Neighborhood Initiative grants for NWS homeowners to improve energy efciency HHQ offers $5,000 Neighborhood Initiative grants to NWS homeowners to make exterior home improvements First Resident Engagement Public Meeting held at St. Lucys Gym Rep. James Walsh & Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll announce $250,000 of $1.2m in federal funds for NWS neighborhood improvements Earth Day Clean-Up NWSI Board members volunteered to clean up the city lot at 201 Wyoming Street Julia Czerniak of UPSTATE in the SoA starts work with students on an alternative neighborhood plan County Executive Joanne Mahoney stops $12.8m sewage treatment facility next to the NWS, proposing alternative green infrastructure solutions By May, HHQ had or made plans to buy 64 of the 217 parcels in the horseshoe around Skiddy Park Syracuse CoE & HHQ plan deconstruction of a NWS house, including workforce development, market development, and policy initiatives HHQ Block Blitz brings 100+ volunteers to clean up a block of Tully Street across from Skiddy Park NWSI Board organizes a committee to work on efforts to keep Blodgett on the Joint Schools Construction Boards list to be renovated

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SoAs From the Ground Up Competition (FTGU) nalists selected to build three homes; Livework house, Ted House, and R-House DOT agrees to repaint and x up walking intersections from downtown to the NWS Strategic Plan is adopted as an Operational Plan by NWSI Board Schumer announces inclusion of the NWS in The Community Regeneration, Sustainability and Innovation Act Syracuse enters $3m program to purchase and renovate vacant homes on the NWS First HHQ renovation project sold on NWS - 422 Marcellus Street Wall Street Journal Article The Green House of The Future - features FTGU homes The Near Westside Arts Council holds Creative Bike Showcase at Shonnard Street Boys & Girls Club The Link House, a modular home designed by SU architecture students delivered and installed at 521 Tully Rain Garden installed on Walrath familys property on Tully Street SALT District businesses inventoried and surveyed to develop Small Business Association CNY Works & Nojaims organize Youth Workforce Development Program - Artworks, Greenworks, Foodworks HHQ Block Blitz held on 400 Block of Otisco Street

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2011 NWS MULTICULTURAL BLOCK PARTY HITS RECORD ATTENDANCE

The third annual Near Westside Multicultural Block Party brought food, fun and music to Skiddy Park again this August. The Block Party has quickly become the largest annual event in the NWS, drawing over 1,200 community members in 2011. This years event was sponsored by the NWSI, the Spanish Action League, La Casita Cultural Center, Peace Inc., and ProLiteracy. Each year the Block Party serves as an opportunity for the Near Westside to celebrate progress in the neighborhood and recognize those individuals and organizations who have contributed to the community. The 2011 Groundbreaker awards were presented to ProLiteracy and The Red House SubCat Studios and the Youth of the Year Award was presented to Leah Tucker. Dozens of volunteers from across Syracuse facilitated activities including entertainers for the children, a D.J. showcase, childrens games, bouncy houses, a parade and food. The popular salsa band Grupo Son Boricua was the main act before the Block Party segued to Jazz in the City on Oswego Street.

AUGUST 2011

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OTISCO STREET GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE CONSTRUCTION BEGINS

The Otisco Street Green Corridor is the rst residential green project to be constructed as part of Onondaga Countys Save The Rain program, an initiative to reduce the affects of storm water run-off pollution to local water ways and improve water quality in Onondaga Lake. The existing curb lines along Otisco Street at the intersections of South Geddes, Ontario, and Seneca Streets were extended approximately 6 feet into the road. The new curb stormwater inlets allow stormwater to drain into new bioretention areas between the new curb and existing curb, reducing runoff while creating a new area for plants. As part of the construction work new sidewalks will be installed on both sides of Otisco Street. The sidewalks will become a great neighborhood asset and increase the value of homes. The curb extensions will not only provide substantial stormwater capture, but they also act as trafc calming devices by slowing trafc at intersections, making it safer for pedestrians and children in the community. The curb extensions bioretention area will be planted with rain garden plants, beautifying the neighborhood while reducing water run off.

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SEPTEMBER 2011

NEW HOMES BUILT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

In collaboration with the NWSI Home HeadQuarters builds and sells new affordable homes, buys, rehabs and resells existing homes, helps people secure mortgages, provides assistance with down payments and closing costs, and offers a range of educational services, among other efforts. Since 1996, Home HeadQuarters has renovated or constructed over sixty-ve homes in the Near Westside neighborhood, ten of which were completed in 2012. Following the success of building innovative and affordable housing through the From the Ground Up Competition, Home HeadQuarters partnered with VIP Structures and School of Architecture Professor Tim Stenson and visiting critic Fred Stelle to rehabilitate two homes on the 600 block of Otisco Street as part of a design-build studio. Students designed renovation plans for 609 and 615 Otisco, utilizing green building technology and introducing new elements to increase quality of life and provide for modern family living all while maintaining affordability.

OCTOBER 2011

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CASE SUPPLY COMPLEX BEGINS TRANSFORMATION

The Case Supply Complex renovation nanced by JPMorgan Chase on Marcellus and Wyoming Streets will soon become a new cornerstone for the Near Westside neighborhood. In 2011, construction began to transform several buildings into the new headquarters for Central New Yorks public broadcasting station, WCNY, and ProLiteracy, the largest international literacy organization in the world.

WCNY is a community asset, the community owns it and we want the community to use it, says Robert J. Daino, president and CEO of WCNY. The new facility will be a destination in the community featuring interactive community production, a public courtyard, a wireless caf, a concert auditorium, and more. WCNYs learning center will offer education programs for students of all ages. It will feature a program that

will allow middle and high school students to become employers, employees and consumers in a mock city designed to give them hands-on business experience. After ProLiteracy reexamined its mission and decided that the best way to improve adult literacy was through a community oriented approach, and focused specically on central New York. They launched the Ruth J. Colvin Center for Innovation

and Excellence in Adult Literacy which will be housed at their new headquarters in the Case Supply building. Our staff will be more directly involved with the people we ultimately serve, says Mark Cass, Vice President of Community Engagement for ProLiteracy. We believe its going to change the quality and depth of what we do.

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NOVEMBER 2011

NOJAIMS GROCERY & ST JOSEPHS WESTSIDE CLINIC PLAN EXPANSION FOR HEALTHY NEIGHBOHROOD

Nojaim Brothers Supermarket is a ninety year-old grocery store and a cornerstone of the Near Westside neighborhood. In December 2011, Nojaim Bros was awarded a $1 million grant from the New York State Regional Economic Development Council to expand its operations and advance healthy neighborhood initiatives in the NWS in collaboration with the St Josephs Westside Family Health Center. The project is part of a larger transformative blueprint for the regions economic development

which is leveraging key assets and developing strong regional collaborations. The expansion will continue Nojaims commitment to serving Syracuse as the last independently owned grocer in the city. It will be further enhanced by St Josephs Hospitals plan to expand their Westside Health Center to 18,000 sqft to run joint wellness, nutrition and education programs for neighborhood residents. Nojaims has adapted its business
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to be sustainable, by focusing on the specic needs of the local community and offering high demand specialty produce items used in ethnic cooking. Nojaims has worked closely with community partners to establish a workforce development program in the food industry for neighborhood youth. I view my entire store as a community center says Paul Nojaim. The expansion will help the store function even more like a community

center as it partners with the County Health Department, the Lerner Center and the FAULK School of Sport & Human Dynamics to make healthy food and nutrition information more accessible to residents. A new Neighborhood Navigator system funded by the Annie E Casey Foundation will supplement Nojaims community partnerships and become a key resources for residents and visitors living and working in the neighborhood.

DECEMBER 2011

Syracuse Art Literacy Technology

NWSI BOARD RETREAT ENERGIZES PLANS FOR NEIGHBORHOOD

On January 12, 2012 members of the Near Westside Initiative Board and community residents and stakeholders met to review what was accomplished in 2011 and establish priorities for 2012 and beyond. Through an entire day of charettes and brainstorming, four words were identied as goals for 2012: connectability, innovation, livability and sustainability. With these broad goals in mind, we asked ourselves two questions. First, what services, businesses, or ventures would really energize and activate the Near Westside? Priority projects to further investigate included recreational facilities & youth programs, rehabilitating the Skiddy Park clubhouse, a child care center, a new dollar home program and a neighborhood business directory. And second, what projects or programs would make the Near Westside have the greatest number of vocal and engaged residents in the city? Suggestions included a 5K fundraiser walk throughout the neighborhood, Taste of the Westside Festival, Skiddy Park summer movie nights, Take Back Our Streets safety program, civic engagement and political education program, neighborhood navigators, and a Boys & Girls Club youth based citizens academy.

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JANUARY 2012

NWSIBA DELIBERATES WEST STREET CHANGES

The Near Westside Initiative Business Association invited dozens of businesses and residents located along West Street to a presentation of proposed changes along the West Street arterial and gathered their input. West Street is a high-volume North-South corridor for West Side and South Side residents and commerce; it must function safely for all motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Proposed changes include reducing the number of car lanes on West Street and creating a 2-way cycle track with area businesses and residents. The benets of which include increased green space and porous surfaces, more trees and shade, improved access into the neighborhoods for pedestrians and bicyclists, and a trafc-calming effect that will slow trafc and make it easier to cross West Street. The NWSI Business Association members and guests were able to provide feedback to the City on the details of the lane reduction, Otisco Street crosswalk and other infrastructural elements of the design. Suggested additions to the streetscape included more trees, a plaza, more onstreet or off-street parking and wider sidewalks.

FEBRUARY 2012

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LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES INSTALLED

The Near Westside of Syracuse is blessed to have a public library at the edge of its community. The Mundy Library, located on Geddes Street, has done a wonderful job serving hundreds of families each year. The Little Free Libraries project goal is to supplement the resources of our community libraries by promoting literacy and conversation in the community. The libraries theme is to take a book and leave a book, encouraging books to cycle throughout the neighborhood. Empty phone booths that once dotted the NWS are being lled with books, which residents can borrow for free. The idea is that when folks are done, theyll return them for others to read. Little Free Libraries is a collaboration between Syracuse Universitys iSchool, the Visual and Performing Arts program and the Near Westside Initiative. The rst Little Free Library at 323 Gifford St. is the rst of its kind in New York State. Two additional locations include 601 Tully and 300 Otisco. Books will be available in English and Spanish, to accommodate the multilingual makeup of the Near Westside. This is a way of putting books out into the community, said Jill Hurst-Wahl, director of the Library and Information Science graduate program.

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MARCH 2012

PAUL SEYMOUR PLAYGROUND DEDICATED

In May 2012, Near Westside residents gathered in Skiddy Park to celebrate the opening of a new playground and dedicate it to Westside native Paul Seymour. Seymour was a great American basketball player and coach, a three-time All-Star and the team captain of the 1955 NBA Championship Syracuse Nationals. In 2011, the NWSI raised a total of $40,000 in private and corporate donations within two weeks for the new playground which was matched by The Syracuse Parks Department. Karen Armstrong, architect for the playground, and Glen Lewis, of Syracuses Parks department, met with children who live on the west side to get some input as to what they would like to see incorporated into the new playground. The event included remarks from Mayor Stefanie Miner, Baye Muhammad of the Syracuse Parks Department and sports legend and Seymour teammate, Dolph Schayes. This is obviously a great day memorializing the history of Cuse and the legacy of Paul Seymour, said Dolph Schayes. He was a wonderful player and a wonderful man. We are honored with this playground.

APRIL 2012

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MAY 2012

ART PLACE GRANT ANNOUNCED FOR SALTQUARTERS

The former Shermans Restaurant, located at 115 Otisco Street will be transformed into The SALTQUARTERS, a center for the arts, with artist studios, exhibition space and affordable housing, thanks to a $400,000 grant from ArtPlace. The grant is one of 47 ArtPlace has released to support creative placemaking initiatives in 33 communities nation-wide. The 4,000-square-foot former restaurant space will house artists-in-residence and provide them with studio space, and will feature an art gallery at the front to showcase their work and the work of other local artists. By building on the existing talents and assets of the area, the NWSI hopes to attract artists, musicians, businesses and entrepreneurs to the area. Through this ArtPlace grant, a vacant building on the near Westside will become a vibrant community space, says Chancellor Nancy Cantor. We are excited about the opportunity to leverage the arts to further strengthen and transform the near Westside neighborhood. SALTQUARTERS will build on the already bustling arts community in the NWS and further enliven the streets by having the studio spaces and gallery on the rst oor open to the public. Not only will SALTQUARTERS exemplify the best in creative placemaking it will cement the near Westside as the new epicenter of art in Syracuse.

JUNE 2012

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PROLITERACY MOVES TO CASE SUPPLY

The NWSI reached a new milestone in July as ProLiteracy, the largest international literacy organization in the world relocated to the Case Supply building bringing more than 65 Syracuse-based employees to the SALT District. Operating out of the NWS will give ProLiteracy the platform it needs to get involved in local projects for the rst time. Its one reason why we moved to the West Side. ProLiteracy wanted to

make a contribution locally, which weve not done in the past, says David Harvey, ProLiteracy president and chief executive ofcer. As part of its local contribution, ProLiteracy will open its new computer lab to the public for free at least 20 hours each week, said Mark Cass, director of ProLiteracys Ruth J. Colvin Center for Innovation and Excellence in Adult Literacy.

ProLiteracy will offer free computer literacy courses and will make the lab available to other adult literacy programs and community agencies. The Near Westside Initiative covered the $2.1 million in renovation costs and it has signed a 10-year lease for the 20,000 square foot space. ProLiteracy raised more than $1 million from local and national donors to equip the space. ProLiteracy

has begun partnerships with organizations such as the Westside Residents Coalition, the Literacy Coalition, Home HeadQuarters and Say Yes to Education. Oftentimes, people know what they need, but they dont have the resources to get it, Cass explains. With this space, we are trying to make things as accessible as possible.

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JULY 2012

SUMMER MOVIES STARTED IN SKIDDY PARK

The NWSI Neighborhood Improvement Committee hosted an evening movie series in Skiddy Park for neighborhood residents, families and friends to enjoy. The the project grew out of an idea from the 2012 NWSI Board Retreat and was realized through a collaboration of community stakeholders, faculty and students in the School of Visual and Performing Arts. Once a month at dusk a big screen and a projector are set up in Skiddy Park, screening new release movies such as Puss in Boots and The Muppets. The rst movie in July drew over one hundred residents. Residents brought lawn chairs, blankets and snacks for a great outdoor family event. The 2012 movies were sponsored by ProLiteracy and WCNY.

AUGUST 2012

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SAY YES SUPPORTS SUMMER ARTS PROGRAM

This summer a group of 18 artists in training participated in Talent Agency, an intensive 5 week visual art portfolio program. The young artists worked under the guidance of Syracuse University art professor Yvonne Buchanan and visiting SUNY Oswego art professor, Dorene Quinn, in a converted artist studio at 831 West Fayette Street. Launched after a pilot program sponsored by the Annie E Casey Foundation the focus of Talent Agency is to build the skills to create high quality portfolios for application into college, university and training programs for youth of all backgrounds, with ability and interest in visual art. A great portfolio, that shows the skills that programs are looking for in prospective students, is the key to choices, scholarships and future careers in the creative eld. Suburban teenagers have access to good arts programming in their schools and through after-school programming. We felt we had to level the playing eld, says Buchanan. Talent Agency is funded by Say Yes to Education, and the NWSI. The students selected for the program participate tuition free.

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SEPTEMBER 2012

The Warehouse, Suite 405 350 W. Fayette St. Syracuse NY 13244-3050

315-443-8052 mjacob01@syr.edu In partnership with Syracuse University

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