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On a typical summer day in Jamestown, the children of Appleyard Terrace indulge in an impromptu game of kickball.
But unlike others who frequent an idyllic park or even a sports field, these children play right outside their doors, on the very driveways that wind in and around their apartment complex at East Second and Winsor streets.
The result, according to Pat Morris, executive director of CODE Inc., is a scene out of New York City; of children with seemingly no space to play and who are forced to run around near moving cars.
“We’re sort of the victim of our own success,” Morris said.
“We’ve got units that are really nice, but because of state funding, there was (not much left) for recreational space. So what happens is the driveway in the summer becomes the biggest kickball game you’ve ever seen. We just don’t have enough space for the kids to play.”
Indeed, Appleyard Terrace is a product of CODE Inc., an organization that provides affordable housing for low income families, the elderly and the disabled. Between Appleyard Terrace and its other buildings, CODE Inc. houses more than 150 school-age children.
Unfortunately, Morris said, a recreational area has been hard to come by. That is, until now.
According to Morris, a successful application sent to the New York State Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation in June will bring in more than $380,000 for an ambitious recreational park just west of Winsor Street and south of East Sixth Street. Additional funds, Morris said, will be courtesy of the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation.
The park, dubbed Appleyard Greenway, will consist of a 3,200-square-foot playground and a 6,850-square-foot sports field, each separated by a walking path which, Morris added, will not be accessible by skateboards.
In addition, CODE Inc. is developing a new basketball court next to the YMCA on East Second Street, one that will replace the older, asphalt court currently owned by the YMCA.
“The tenants are crying out for (a park like this),” Morris said. “Traditionally, people build parks and want kids to go to it. Here, we’ve got the kids, and we’re bringing the park to them.”
Morris referred to the project as a :privately owned public park” in that it will be open to the public, but CODE Inc., not city taxpayers, will pay for it.
“We know what the financial situation of the city is … and we didn’t want to go to them and ask them to pay for this,” Morris said. “(CODE Inc.) will pay for it and maintain it … and it will be open to the public.”
Morris added that a $25,000 grant from the Chautauqua Region Community will help set up a more extensive security system for the apartments and nearby park, with additional lighting and dozens more cameras.
This, of course, becomes much more salient after the September shooting at Appleyard Terrace that left one Jamestown man wounded. The shooting occurred approximately 30 feet from a toddler playground at the scene.
While Morris acknowledged the importance of security, he said he didn’t want such incidents to lead to a misconception that the place is a hotbed for crime.
“The only time we have crime or drugs is when people from the outside come in … it’s never our tenants,” he said. “It wasn’t our tenant who was the shooter … and the incident wasn’t even drug-related.”
Morris hopes the park, if anything, will bring a greater sense of security for tenants and those in the surrounding area.
“(This) is not just an apartment complex, it’s a community,” Morris said. And (this park) will be a game-changer for the neighborhood.”
Construction plans have already been drawn by Sandberg Kessler Architecture, P.C. The estimated completion date for the park, according to Morris, will likely be late next year.