• Freedom Park – The ABC is partnered with the City, the Downtown BID, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and Sunnycrest, Inc. to add a seat wall/planter, improve views to the river, relocate benches, and improve the plantings in the park. This project was completed just prior to Memorial Day.
  
  
• Downtown Flower Pots – Teaming with the City, the Downtown BID, and Baumes Greenhouse, the ABC installed 58 hanging flowerpots throughout downtown Auburn. All 58 pots were installed prior to Memorial Day.
  
  
• Hoopes Park – Working closely with the City, the ABC will begin a phased effort this year to return Hoopes Park to its glory days. Using plans drawn in 1931, the ABC and the City will make an effort each year to expand and replicate the planting beds that once drew visitors to Hoopes Park from all over upstate New York.
  
  
• Auburn’s Gateways – The ABC and the City will upgrade the “Welcome to Auburn” signage that greets every visitor to our City. The refreshed signage and new plantings will improve that first impression. We’ll begin this year with the North Street gateway.
  
  
• Municipal Sign Reduction – The ABC and the City are systematically reviewing the type, number, and placement of municipal signs. Where signs are repetitive or redundant or where signs are no longer needed, the City is removing them.
  
  
• Holiday Lights – The ABC is partnering with Nucor, the City and the Downtown BID to develop a phased program to systematically improve the holiday lights in downtown Auburn.
  
  
• Urban Forestry Program – The ABC is just beginning the development of an urban forestry initiative for the City. This will entail the inventory of the City’s trees and the development of a plan/program for planting additional trees and preparing for the loss of those trees we currently have.
  
  
• Steward Program – The ABC is carefully developing a program that will allow selected volunteers to care for a block, a street, school grounds, etc. There will be two types of stewards – neighborhood and project. The first type will tend to his/her neighborhood, the latter will help maintain an ABC project after construction or installation is complete.
  
  
• Design Assistance – The ABC will provide limited design assistance to businesses and homeowners. We’ll meet once on site and discuss the intentions of the project and offer practical design advice.
  
  
• Genesee School – The ABC provided a sketch plan for upgrades to the school’s main entrance. The partnership of the Emerson Foundation, the Carol Roberts Fund, the City of Auburn, and the School District has completed the first phase of these upgrades.

As projects are completed, the ABC will identify new initiatives that will help make Auburn
a better place to live. If you have a project you’d like the ABC to consider, contact us here.