NORWICH – Friends of the Park has entered the final stages of its planning process for the East and West Park improvement project.  Delaware Engineering is preparing bidding documents for the construction portion of the work which will not be completed by volunteers, and this will be available to contractors on Feb. 3. 
Bid packages will be available at the Norwich Business Improvement District’s office at 1 City Plaza, Norwich. Local contractors are encouraged to participate in this portion of the project. Bids will be due by Feb. 17 and construction is slated to begin sometime after April 1st and conclude by June 30.
As previously announced, much of the work on the Parks will be provided by local volunteers. Gary Brightman has spearheaded this effort, with assistance from Matt Burrell. Many local contractors have volunteered their personal labor to this grassroots effort, and without them the project would not be possible. Organizers have also expressed gratitude to Carl Ivarson, who has devoted a considerable amount of time and expertise to the project. “He really stepped forward, and has helped us in so many ways,” said Gary Brightman. “We really appreciate his willingness to go above and beyond.”
 Organizers of the Park’s Renovation Project also wish to thank the local donors who provided the funds for all the materials necessary for the renovations. Major contributions were received from the Greater Norwich Foundation, Follett Foundation,  R.C. Smith Foundation, and NBT Bank. Gold Sponsors include Preferred Mutual Insurance, Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, and Frontier Communications. Silver Sponsorships were received in memory of Ralph Larsen, and from the Norwich Rotary Club, Dr. Thomas & Esther Flanagan and family, and Cliff Crouch.  Bronze Sponsors are Mr.  & Mrs. Trip DeCordova, Mr. & Mrs. Irad Ingraham, Mr.  & Mrs. Steve Palmatier, Mr. & Mrs. Clarence Rappleyea, and the Patricia M. & H. William Smith Foundation. 
Pegi LoPresti commented, “We have an incredibly generous community, and they have once again demonstrated their commitment to our quality of life here in Chenango County. This was a locally funded effort from start to finish, and we received contributions from over eighty Chenango County businesses and individuals. Our thanks go out to all our donors, because every dollar was needed to reach our goal.” 
Total donations now exceed $450,000, with additional contributions still being accepted for phase two improvements. 
“We’d love to be able to install a Civil War cannon as a memorial to replace the ones removed from the Park during World War II,” said LoPresti. “If we could raise another $30,000 we could move this amenity into the first phase of the project.”
The Friends of the Park also wish to express their thanks to those community members who agreed to serve on the Advisory Board. They are Peter & Virginia Chaplin, Martin & Susan Dietrich, David & MaryEl Emerson, Dr. Thomas & Esther Flanagan, Irad & Jan Ingraham, Clarence & Nancy Rappleyea and Richard & Mary Snyder. 
“We couldn’t have asked for a better group,” said Eric Larsen. “These individuals have once again demonstrated their commitment to seeing their community be the best it can be.”