Northside Urban Partnership

The Cathedral Academy at Pompei (CAP) proudly promotes the accomplishments of its faculty but especially of its students. Recently, Raymond Vartuli, a student in Mrs. Luber’s fourth grade classroom at CAP, was the recipient of the Tiger PAW Award. The Tiger PAW award is given to students who demonstrate the ability to Perform appropriately within the school community. The student must have an Appreciation for Christain faith. The student must be Well behaved and show compassion towards community members. Raymond will be a shining example for the other students to look up to throughout this coming school year.

Cathedral Academy at Pompei is located at 923 N. McBride Street in the City of Syracuse, it is centrally located to all of the hospitals, Syracuse University and downtown businesses which makes it an ideal place if you want to be close to your children while you’re at work. The school offers pre-K as well as before and after school programs to help parents with longer schedules. The school is strongly supported by Father Champlain’s Guardian Angel Society, which helps to ensure that all students can afford a quality Catholic Education. For more information please check out the school website by clicking here.

The Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau shares fun facts about Syracuse & Onondaga County each week, and this past Friday they asked: Did you know…
…that the Northside of the city of Syracuse was the home to many German immigrants?  Contributions over the years to our area include Syracuse’s many great breweries of the 1900′s, several Lutheran churches, Catholic churches such as Assumption & historic Holy Trinity as well as monuments.  The Goethe & Schiller monument, located in Schiller Park on the city’s north side is one of only 4 in the United States dedicated to these German authors & champions of the humanistic ideals of freedom & political liberty that stirred German desires for national unification & liberal reform during the early 19th century.  The Sniper Monument, erected in 1905, honors the contributions of Civil War veteran Gustavus A. Sniper (1836-1894), a German immigrant who became a beloved son of Syracuse. The monument, located in Schlosser Park in the 400 block of North Salina Street, is Syracuse’s only equine monument.

Did you also know that the Our Northside Newsletter is out and available for you perusal? No? Well, it is! And you can check it out by clicking here or browsing over to the ‘Newsletter’ tab on top of the page.

For more information on the Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau you can click here to visit their website.

The Butternut Community Policing Center is having a fall tutoring program and would like your help. In an email to volunteers Officer Ken Burdick mentions, “While I was writing this email, a 14 year old girl came in looking for assistance with math and science homework.  On Tuesday I was helping a 15 year old with math.  White Library is at their limit with tutoring, and they are sending people up the street to us.  It has officially started!” So what can you do to help out? The center would like volunteers to help with the kids.  Right now, they’re starting a Tuesday tutoring program from 5:00pm-7:30pm, and if they get enough volunteers, will expand to Thursday too. Of course, volunteers would only be asked to do ONE DAY a week, unless you want to do more.
 
Please join Officer Burdick and the organizers of the program at the Butternut Center on Tuesday September 21 at 6:00 p.m. for an organization meeting. Officer Burdick urges us all to please not assume that the need is taken care of, or that someone else will do it.  A committed community started our Butternut Center, and we need a committed community to continue the work.  We need you, and more importantly, the kids need you. 
TUESDAY, SEPT 21, 6 p.m., The Butternut Center, 907 Butternut St. 
Parking is available at the Key Bank across the street.
(Image is from the February 4th edition of the Post-Standard’s Neighbors section.)

September marks the completion of “Phase 1” of housing development on Prospect Hill. Today, September 20th, Housing Visions will officially announce the opening of “Prospect Hill Homes”, a housing development along the 500 and 600 block of North Townsend Street, with additional housing on the 600 block of Catherine Street.  A total of 21 lots were acquired with 13 buildings demolished.  The result is 12 new homes and 3 houses being substantially rehabbed, for a total of 50 units of quality affordable housing for families. 6 units will be fully accessible and adapted for individuals with mobility impairment and 2 units will be adapted for persons with hearing or vision impairment; all 8 of these units will be reserved for persons with physical disabilities and support services will be provided by ARISE, an organization located in Prospect Hill on the corner of James and Catherine Streets.

 
This project is significant in that some of the once most blighted blocks in all of Syracuse have been transformed into high quality, well-managed affordable housing. It represents the first step in creating an attractive and economically vibrant neighborhood. “Phase 2” of the Prospect Hill is already underway, as Home HeadQuarters continues to renovate once-blighted homes; the majority of these units will be sold to owner occupants. Several renovations will be completed in the coming months.

Event: Housing Visions Ribbon Cutting
Where: The 500 block of North Townsend Street
When: Monday, September 20, at 1 PM

Third Thursday (Th3) on the Northside this month is filled with fun cultural events from a birthday party and art opening celebration to a staged reading of one of the greatest film scripts regarding group dynamics the silver screen has ever known. Craft Chemistry’s Th3 revolves around featured artist Sarah Averill who celebrates a milestone birthday tonight, as well as showcases her photographs and assemblages at the opening reception for Holding Phenomenae & Object Transitions, her exhibition will be on display until October 16. The fun at Craft Chemistry begins at 6 PM and goes through 8 PM, so stop on by. While you’re in the area, grab a bite at Sparky Town while you check out the current art showing there before the opening reception this Sunday, September 19 from 3-5 PM presenting New Paintings by Karen Burns.

Finish out the evening with a dramatic reading at the ArtRage Gallery of 12 Angry Men. Not Another Theater Company presents this famous play by Reginald Rose, where each juror reveals his own character as tempers get short, arguments grow heated, and the jurors become 12 angry men. The jurors’ final verdict and how they reach it—in tense scenes that will electrify you and keep you on the edge of their seats—add up to a fine, mature piece of dramatic literature, an experience you’ll never forget. The performance directed by Dustin M. Czarny has a $10 suggested donation at the door. For more information please click here.

For more information on other Th3 events please check out the website by clicking here.

This past weekend volunteers took on a variety of projects throughout the area in observance of Women Transcending Boundaries’ “A-OK! Acts of Kindness” event, promoting positive thoughts and actions in remembrance of the September 11 tragedy. Here on the Northside volunteers planted bulbs in area gardens, painted the gym at the CYO on North Salina St., and clothing and food were handed out to those in need. Thank you to all involved for making improvements in the area and spreading positive energy throughout the Northside.

St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center will observe a milestone in the construction of its new emergency services building; the final beam will be hoisted onto the structure this week.

On Wednesday, September 15, at 10 a.m., employees will gather to watch the crane install the final steel beam. Before the beam is hoisted, the hospital will take a moment to recognize and honor the local Emergency Medical Services community and representatives will sign the beam.

As the cold weather settles into the area and the summer festival season in Syracuse winds down, the question beckons: what to do on a Friday night? Briana Kohlbrenner has the answer: fun on the Northside! The owner of Craft Chemistry (C2) is hosting Friday “fun-to-dos” each week from 7-9pm at her store located on 745 North Salina Street. The anticipated activities include workshops, craft circles, film screenings and game nights. The kick-off evening happening tonight will be hosted by Theresa Barry, former owner of Razz Barry in Armory Square, who will get you stuck on decoupage. Everything will be provided for the evening, including snacks, drinks and materials, so along with the $10 for the workshop, all you need to bring is the item you’d like to spiff up with pasted pictures.

“Fun-to-dos” Fridays aren’t the only changes taking place in the beaker of creativity on North Salina, in fact, the Friday evening events mark the beginning of new hours for the store, which will be open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1 PM – 7 PM, Fridays from 1 PM – 9 PM and Saturdays from 10 AM – 4 PM. Other changes include an influx of eight new artists, so there’s new crafty and artsy goodness ready for consumption. Another addition is vintage housewares for sale, from bowls to glasses to anything else that has that funky feel can probably be found among these timely treasures.

For more information on all the changes happening in the C2 lab go to the website by clicking here.

The Syracuse City School District and the City of Syracuse are currently developing a master plan for all school facilities. They invite us all to participate in an interactive community forum and learn:
What is a master plan?
Why does the City need it?
What benefits does it offer?
In addition to providing information on the master planning process, the district also wants to hear our thoughts.

The community forum will be held on Tuesday, September 14, at 6:30 PM in the Rosamond Gifford Zoo Meeting Room.

COME TO THE COMMUNITY FORUM AND LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!

To view the flyer, please click here or the image at left to view a PDF.

The A-OK! event happens this weekend, and the Northside is gearing up to make major changes in the area. If you would like to be a part of changes, go to the Assisi Center, located next to Assumption Church, at 800 North Salina Street at 9 AM on both Saturday and Sunday. Some of the projects in the neighborhood include the construction of a rec room in the basement of the Butternut Community Policing Center, improving the style of Butternut Street, and planting bulbs in several locations.

The Butternut Style Project is a collaborative effort of several Northside planning groups, and will include facade improvements, yard work, street clean-ups, one block at a time along Butternut. For the A-OK! event the project will focus on the 600-700 blocks of Butternut, but future projects intend to take the improvements all the way up to Grant Blvd. For more information on the Butternut Style Project please click here.

The basement renovations for the Butternut Community Policing Center at 907 Butternut St. will double the space for the center. The increased space will allow the center to have a space where they can host children’s birthday parties, as well as give them the opportunity to reach out to the 12-16 year old demographic in the neighborhood. The new space also allows the current rec space to be converted into a tutoring and computer center, increasing the effectiveness of the center.

As the new school year begins, the Butternut Policing Center is also looking for adult volunteers to help with staffing the center, as well as in monitoring and working with the children who come to the after school program. The after school program runs from 3pm until 8pm, and any time slot that volunteers can fill would be greatly appreciated, as at least 3 adult volunteers are needed each afternoon. Volunteers can contact the center at 315-422-2745 between the hours of 8am-8pm. For more information on the volunteering and the Butternut Community Policing Center please click here.

For information on the bulb plantings that will be happening throughout the city, please click here to be taken to the A-OK! website.