New Skiddy Park playground honors Syracuse basketball legend ...

Paul Seymour left a strong mark both in Syracuse and in basketball history. A 6-foot-1-inch guard, he was a three-time all star and team captain of the 1955 National Basketball Association Championship Syracuse Nationals.

Following his successful career as an NBA player and coach, in which he was known for having a principled role in helping to integrate professional basketball, Seymour returned to Syracuse and opened a successful business on the Near West Side. Here, he became well known for his generous spirit and commitment to the neighborhood and its people.

Near Westside Initiative (NWSI)?board members and neighborhood residents found it fitting that the new playground at Skiddy Park honor Seymour?s impact on the neighborhood, the City of Syracuse and the sport of basketball. The unveiling of the Paul Seymour Playground will take place at Skiddy Park, located at the intersection of Tioga and Otisco streets, on Thursday, May 17, at 3:30 p.m. This location is particularly fitting as Seymour was part of the first scrimmage game, played at Blodgett School, directly across from Skiddy Park, using the experimental 24-second shot clock developed by Nationals-owned Danny Biasone in an effort to bring time limits to the game. The clock was adopted by the NBA and is credited with saving the sport from dwindling popularity.

Mayor Stephanie Miner will attend the event, which will feature a five-minute video of highlights from Seymour?s career and remarks by Syracuse sports legend Dolph Schayes, a teammate of Seymour. Members of the Seymour family will be there to unveil the park. The NWSI will celebrate the event with sports equipment giveaways to neighborhood children and refreshments. All are invited to attend.

The completed playground is the result of a collaborative neighborhood and community effort. The NWSI, through the generosity of more than a dozen donors dedicated to the revitalization of the neighborhood, raised more than $40,000 for the playground, which was then matched by the City of Syracuse Parks Department.

?The Paul Seymour Playground is a great example of how government, nonprofit agencies and the private sector can pool their resources to benefit the community,? says Baye Muhammad, Syracuse commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Youth Programs.

The City of Syracuse Parks Department, the NWSI and park and landscape design firm Parkitects Inc. worked with neighborhood children to design a space that incorporated what they were looking for in a playground. The design includes two age-appropriate playgrounds, several seating areas and a new water feature. Additionally, porous pavement is incorporated throughout the park as part of the Onondaga County Save the Rain program.

Maarten Jacobs, director of the Near Westside Initiative, is anxious to unveil the playground with summer around the corner. ?The new playground at Skiddy Park is exactly what the Near Westside community deserves. As the cornerstone of the neighborhood, Skiddy Park now offers a comprehensive safe place for kids in the community to play and exercise,? says Jacobs.

?The last time Skiddy Park had a new playground was 40 years ago,? says Near West Side resident Carole Horan. ?A new playground was way overdue, and is greatly appreciated by the community.?

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