Project Description:
At the adjacent Barker Park, a rain garden was installed between Tracy and Wilkinson streets. The rain garden was planted with a mixture of native shrubs, flowering perennials, and grass species that foster evapotranspiration and infiltration, preventing runoff from entering the combined sewer system.
The final feature of Barker Park is a new basketball court that is made of porous asphalt, allowing stormwater to infiltrate directly through the asphalt surface and thus making the court playable even after a rain storm. This basketball court was implemented in conjunction with the Courts4Kids, an initiative of the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation and the Carmelo K. Anthony Foundation.
The green infrastructure at Leavenworth Barker Park is designed to capture up to 1” of rainfall at a given time, reducing annual stormwater runoff by approximately 1,574,000 gallons.
Historical Information:
The park and adjoining Leavenworth Avenue were named for Elias Leavenworth, Mayor of Syracuse responsible for the founding of many of the city parks, including Fayette Park. Mayor Leavenworth, first elected in 1849, also encouraged the planting of the many trees along the streets of the city. Mayor Leavenworth also served in the New York State Militia with a rank of Brigadier General.
Historical information courtesy of: Paul Pflanz, Author of “Exploring Green in the ‘Cuse – A User’s Guide to Salt City Parks” and the Syracuse Parks Conservancy.
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