Walsh calls shared-services agreement between city, Syracuse University “important step forward”

This agreement outlines how the university and the city will work together to improve public safety, infrastructure, education, culture, and overall quality of life for those who live and work on campus and in the surrounding neighborhoods, Syracuse University said in a separate news release on the topic.

It’s an agreement the two entities have had “for nearly 40 years,” the school added.

The agreement will provide $11 million in revenue to the City of Syracuse, as well as a “wide range” of other community benefits and in-kind assistance, Walsh noted.

“At my request to [Syracuse University] Chancellor [Kent] Syverud, the University agreed to increase its annual services payment from $1 million to $2 million and continue to provide an additional $500,000 annually for the neighborhood through the University Neighborhood Services Agreement Advisory Committee (UNSAAC). SU’s voluntary support for the City is the kind of collaboration we need to strengthen Syracuse’s fiscal condition,” Walsh said.

“The value of our relationship with the city is in many ways incalculable,” Syverud said. “Still, when we update this agreement every five years, it reminds us of the investments we have each made in this region and in each other, and how we depend upon each other to be successful. This pandemic brought us even closer, demonstrating how important it is to be aligned in vision, both for public health and public prosperity.”

The city’s top official also says he has “deep appreciation” for the assistance provided by neighborhood partners and for the concerns expressed by some in the Thornden Park area.

“I assure those neighbors and all city residents that the agreement protects the City’s complete control over Thornden and Walnuts parks, where SU will provide maintenance help only with approval of the [City’s] Parks Department. I thank the Common Council for its due diligence and thorough consideration of the agreement. I also express my appreciation to Chancellor Syverud and the entire University community for its continued support for the City of Syracuse,” Walsh said.