Syracuse Common Councilors approved a plan to install a new "Eternal Flame" monument in Clinton Square this week. The monument, which has not yet been fully designed, will provide a space to grieve for families who have lost someone to violence. Councilor Rasheada Caldwell said the project's approval was years in the making and will be a valuable asset to the community.
"It means a lot to me," Caldwell said. "I lost my son to gun violence, which still has not been solved, and just to have somewhere where you can go and have good memories in a safe place, it means a lot. And not just to me I know for a lot of families it means a lot to them."
She said this is just the beginning of the project which is in part funded through the Capital Improvement Project.
City councilors also approved an agreement with Marsh Mill Ranch to provide meat processing services in conjunction with the city's deer culling program. The processed meat will be donated to homeless shelters, something Caldwell said benefits everyone.
"We are still, as far as poverty, in the city of Syracuse still ranked number one, of the smallest cities in the United States, as far as poverty," Caldwell said. "I think it will help out, as far as food resources, to feed some families throughout the year. I think it was a good coming together, a collaboration with the Food Bank and like I said the city, and the USDA to make sure we are making sense of what we are doing and utilizing it."
The deer culling program runs through the end of April.
Councilors held off on voting to modify the income level requirement for the city's broadband pilot program, Surge Link.
