And the home to Spiedie Fest, Otsiningo Park, is about to undergo a half-million dollar upgrade.


The project on the trail that runs from the Bevier Street entrance of the park, along the Chenango River will be widened from 8 feet to 12 feet and will be transformed from a walking path to a multi-modal trail. Construction will begin right after the Spiedie Fest and is expected to wrap up at the end of October. During that time the trail will be closed to the public.


"The county park here, Otsiningo, is the county jewel as far as the parks go. As you heard, millions of people come here walking. We're doing events. The Spiedie Fest, things like that are very important. And this is another quality-of-life issue we're trying to improve in Broome County," said Legislative Majority Leader Jerry Marinich.


Broome County was awarded over $406,000 from the Federal Highway Administration, which covers about 80% of the project. The total cost is a little more than $500,000.