Oneonta contains a series of public parks for both active recreation and passive enjoyment. The City of Oneonta’s primary parks are Neahwa Park and Wilber Park. Wilber Park is a 55 acre park located in the northeastern section of the city, east of SUNY Oneonta. Neahwa Park (66 acres) to the south of downtown, is the city’s most active park and features multiple sports fields and areas for passive and active recreation. Neahwa Park is home to Damaschke Field, Veterans Memorial Walk and Ted Christman Field. Wilber Park includes the Waddington Tennis Complex, Briggs Pool, and Applebaugh Garden.
Other parks include Maple Street Park, located at the corner of State and Maple Streets, Huntington Park located downtown, and Curtis and Miller Parks, located at the end of Lettis Highway. Muller Plaza is a prominent public square on Main Street that is used for various events, including the Farmers Market. The City’s parks and recreation offerings are described in further detail below:
Damaschke Field. Photo Credit: Chris Chase via Vimeo
Hodges Pond. Photo Credit: SUNY Oneonta
Neahwa Park
Neahwa Park is the largest and most active park in the City. The Park also includes Veterans Memorial Walk, a picturesque pedestrian promenade that highlights numerous historical markers and memorials. The park includes the following facilities and amenities:
Historic Damaschke Field, a baseball stadium that is home to the PGCBL’s Oneonta Outlaws
Skateboard Park
Brenner Recreation Center & Laskaris Skatehouse
Tennis and basketball courts
Playgrounds
Sand volleyball
Numerous athletic fields
Mill Race Trail
Historic Little Red Caboose
Hodges Pond
Picnic pavilions
Photo Credit: Everything Oneonta
Catella Park
Catella Parks features several multi-use athletic fields used for baseball, softball, and soccer. The park provides fishing access to the Mill Race stream. The trailhead for the Catella Park/New Island Trail is at the northeast corner of Catella Park.
Briggs Pool. Photo Credit: 21st Century Pools & Spas
Wilber Park
Wilber Park features Waddington Tennis Complex that has eight tennis courts, and two that are suitable for pickleball. Briggs Pool is located in Wilber Park providing outdoor public swimming facilities in the summer. The park also includes Applebaugh Garden, a serene setting available for outdoor events. The following facilities and amenities can be found at Wilber Park:
Tennis courts
Briggs Pool
Applebaugh Garden
Basketball court
Picnic pavilions & Playground
Multi-use fields
Wooded trails and open space
Oneonta Susquehanna Greenway. Photo Credit: This is Cooperstown
Susquehanna River Park
The Susquehanna River Park is located at the end of Silas Lane, near I-88 Exit 13. The Oneonta Susquehanna Greenway is located around the park and has two miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, show shoeing and cross-country skiing. The Park also has soccer fields available for use.
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Since the last Comprehensive Plan in 2007, there has been an increased emphasis on parks and public space. In 2013 the City’s 1996 parks master plan was updated. In 2014, the “Oneonta Streetscape Assessment” was released. The report makes recommendations on upgrades to the streetscape and identifies funding sources for the various projects. Through the Downtown Revitalization Initiative process, Oneonta is seeking ways to activate public spaces like Muller Plaza and the City’s gateway areas.
Swart-Wilcox House. Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Swart Wilcox Historic Park
The Historic Park features the Swart-Wilcox House, but also contains soccer fields, a baseball field, and plots for the City’s Community Gardens program. A total of 24 plots are provided on a first come, first served basis for a small fee.
Oneonta Mountain Biking Trail. Photo Credit: Timothy W. Stevens (From Where We Stand Episode 2 via YouTube).
Trails System
The Oneonta State Mountain Biking Club, consisting of college faculty and students, has developed a system of trails in recent years for hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, and snow shoeing. These include the following:
College Camp Trails
Catella Park/New Island Greenway
Homer Folks State Forest Trails
Oneonta Susquehanna Greenway at Silas Lane
Wilber Park/Glenwood Creek Trails
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Figure 16. Parks and Public Space Map
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Park Access
Parks are an integral part of the quality of life and health of community residents and studies have shown the importance for residents of a community to be within walking distance of parks. Figure 17, provided on the following page, shows the residential areas of the City located within 1,500 feet of a public park, which correspond to an approximate 5-minute walk.
The analysis shows that there is large proportion of the population that lives beyond a 5-minute walk of a public. Therefore, there may be a need for the City to explore creating additional neighborhood parks in underserved areas.
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Figure 17. Residential Distance from Public Open Space
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