+ CITY NEWS
Syracuse City Updates Exciting New Improvements to Founders Park The city is putting improvements in at Founders Park! Such improvements include the following: six new Pickleball courts on the southeast side of the park, along with a new playground, pavilion, and restroom. On the west side of the park, a new pavilion and new restrooms will be constructed. The west parking lot will be improved too! These improvements will be paid for through a combination of the following funding sources: •
Impact Fees
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Park Maintenance fees from monthly utility bill
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Fundraising efforts from citizens
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Recreation, Arts, & Parks (RAP) Tax
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General Fund (property tax, sales tax, and general fees).
•
General Fund money that would have been used to pay for 2020 Syracuse Heritage Days festivities. Due to cancellation of these festivities, the city will reinvest that money back into the park in the form of new improvements.
Total cost of the Founder’s Park Project is $759,965 and is expected to be completed by October 1st.
RESTROOMS PICKELBALL COURTS PLAYGROUND PAVILION
COMMUNITY QUESTION CORNER BY PAUL ROBERTS, CITY ATTORNEC
QUESTION: Can the City resolve my property boundary dispute with my neighbor? Answer: In short, no. The city’s involvement in establishing boundaries between properties is limited to our review of plats for adequate square footage and verifying setbacks for new construction. The city does not employ a surveyor to ensure that fences are placed exactly on boundaries or that other markings meet precise boundary descriptions; that is the seller’s responsibility. Nor does the city file criminal citations against those who are exercising plausible property rights in such cases. We do not prosecute someone for taking down a fence or bush on a
mutual border, for instance, or for trespassing on land that may belong to either party. A police or code enforcement officer cannot determine an exact property boundary. When two abutting neighbors dispute a boundary, whether it be due to fencing, vegetation, or other uses, it is a civil dispute between those neighbors – the only way the government will resolve the difference is through a District Court Judge, after a party brings suit against the other. If you find yourself in this situation, we recommend that you do your best to work out an amicable arrangement.
Do you have a community question? Submit your question to proberts@syracuseut.com.
August 2020 | syracuseconnection.com 5
