Lucille Ball Memorial Park. Celoron, NY (Google Maps)

The Village of Celoron has received $165,000 from the Regional Economic Development Council Initiative toward a new playground at Lucille Ball Memorial Park.

The grants from the Environmental Protection Fund are administered by the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Mayor Scott Schrencengost said the current play structure at the park is 25 years old and is unsafe.
He said at a public meeting in July that Consolidated Funding Grant from the state requires the village to come up with a 25% match.

The village will use the funding from the state to building an accessible playground with inclusive equipment. They also will use the monies to further improve the park with site work and plantings, including new trees and benches

The town of Sheridan also is receiving EDC funds in the amount o $421,725 to upgrade the Sheridan Bay Campground located on Lake Erie. A new accessible bathhouse will be constructed, campsite electrical hook-ups upgraded, and the pavilion and check-in office will be replaced.

In addition to those upgrades, the town will be preserving lakefront green space while ensuring the continued use of needed campsites.

Village of Celoron public input meeting on new playground for Lucille Ball Memorial Park

Celoron officials say public support may be the key to success in the Village’s grant application to New York State for a new playground at Lucille Ball Memorial Park.

The village held a public input meeting Tuesday night that was attended by a little less than a dozen people.

Mayor Scott Schrencengost said the current play structure is 25 years old, “It’s been built in a pit. It’s full of water every Spring. Nobody can enjoy it. We have such a large usage of this park all Spring, Summer, and Fall that we just have to have something that’s better for the kids.”

Schrencengost said the current quote for a project is $150,000 and that the Consolidated Funding Grant from the state requires the village to come up with a 25% match.

He added this is the seventh time the village is applying for the state grate for the playground project and that state officials recommended the village hold a public input meeting to gauge support, “We can take support letters from anybody, even outside this area. I think that makes our application even stronger. It shows we have multiple people using this, other than residents.”

The village has petitions that can be signed by those supporting the project and anyone who wants to write a letter of support is asked to submit those by July 25th to: Village of Celoron, PO Box 577, Celoron, NY 14720-0577.