NORWICH – On November 2, city officials, community members and local organizations gathered to celebrate the reopening of Auburn Park. The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the completion of improvements made as part of the City of Norwich's 2025 Parks and Recreation Master Plan, an initiative focused on enhancing public spaces, improving accessibility and expanding recreational opportunities throughout the city.

The improvements to the park include two new play sets, benches, picnic tables and landscaping made possible through support from Friends of the Parks and other local foundations. City of Norwich Mayor Robert Jeffrey said the project was made possible through support from Friends of the Parks and other local foundations, describing the reopening as a point of pride for the city.

“This gives residents a nice place to bring their families, it’s a win for the City. These are spaces where kids can play, families can spend time together, and people can enjoy their neighborhood. We want people to be proud of where they live, and the improvements made by Friends of the Parks helps the City do that,” Jeffrey said.

He emphasized that the enhancements made Auburn Park safer for all residents.

“Auburn Park is safer, more ADA compliant, and welcoming for people of all ages. The park was beautifully designed and the end result is fantastic.”

He also expressed thanks to the groups that helped make this possible.

“It has been exciting great to see Auburn park come together,” said Jeffrey, adding, “I especially want to thank the Friends of the Parks because they along with other local foundations donated all of the funding for this project. That’s a big commitment to our community.”

The Auburn Park project is one of several improvements included in the city's ongoing effort to revitalize neighborhood parks and recreational spaces.

Jeffrey said the city plans to continue pursuing improvements to its park system, with future improvements planned for Bruchhausen and Weiler parks through state funding opportunities.

Earlier this year, the City of Norwich was awarded $810,000 for improvements to Bruchhausen Park through Governor Kathy Hochul's Municipal Parks and Recreation (MPR) Grant Program, as well as a $1.18 million grant through New York State’s Places for Learning, Activity and Youth Socialization (NY PLAYS) grant program for improvements to Weiler Park.

“We have a lot of work we want to continue doing with our parks throughout the City. We’ve already seen some great progress, and we have more projects coming up, including improvements at Bruchausen Park and Weiler Park,” said Jeffrey.

Jeffrey said the city will continue to look for additional funding opportunities for improvement projects in order to reduce the burden on local taxpayers.

“We’ve been fortunate to secure state funding for these projects, and we want to keep looking for those opportunities so we can make improvements without putting the entire cost on our local taxpayers,” he said.

The Auburn Park improvements represent one component of the city's broader Parks and Recreation Master Plan, available to view at https://ecode360.com/NO0235/document/753225134.pdf.

“At the end of the day, we want our parks to be places that residents can enjoy and be proud of, and we’re going to keep working toward that,” said Jeffrey.