Section 3: Report of Findings

 VII. Health and Safety

VIII. Social Cohesion, Culture and Recreation

• Highlights
• The Ideal
• Significant Findings
• Indicators for Social Cohesion, Culture and Recreation

  IX. Economy, Employment, and Welfare
   X. Housing and Environment
  XI. Positive Development Through the Life Stages

Highlights

• The county has much scenic beauty that lends itself to numerous outdoor recreational opportunities for the entire family. (Table SC-1)
  
• There is a rich historical past well documented in our several area museums and kept alive by our historians. (Table SC-2)
  
• Art and cultural experiences are available to all in Cortland County. Currently there are plans to turn an old church building into a center for artists and the arts.
  
• Except for the most recent presidential election, a greater percentage of registered Cortland citizens voted compared to NYS as a whole. (Table SC-3, SC-4)
  
• Retired senior citizens are very active at the City Senior Center and the sites throughout the county. They also volunteered more than 67,000 hours of community service last year for a value of $345,972 in minimum wage dollars. (Table SC-5)
  
• Marriages and divorces take place in Cortland to the same extent as they do statewide. (Table SC-6, SC-7)
  
• A third of all births in Cortland County are out-of-wedlock (OOW). This is greater than the OOW percent for upstate NY (57 of the 62 counties). It is only slightly lower than NYS as a whole. The NYC data sometimes skews NYS data due to the large low-income population in the city. (Table SC-8)

Back to top

The Ideal

Community residents in focus groups, community visioning, and surveys indicated their "ideal" conditions to achieve social cohesion and enhance cultural and recreational opportunities. These are the conditions that they would value for themselves, their families and their community.

There is a desire for the community to work together for the betterment of the society regardless of individual political, religious, ethnic or economic differences. Among the many ideas raised in these surveys were: everyone in the community should be involved in community decisions; there should be a positive attention to diversity and better town/gown relationships; one of the high schools should be a magnet school for performing arts; and there should be more cultural events and recreational opportunities.

The community definitely enjoys and wants more music in the parks! The thirty year anniversary of the Cortland Repertory Theater located in the turn-of-the-century pavilion on Little York Lake gives evidence of the on-going community support for the arts.

Crafts and music at the Farmers Market were suggested. Music for Munchkins (musical performances by high school kids for young children), a cultural center and a children’s museum were other interesting ideas put forth. The River Trail and the Sports Complex were seen as two very positive steps in the right direction for increased social cohesion.

There is an element of community excitement associated with the rebirth of the old Cortland Arts Council. Now named the Cultural Council of Cortland County, it is embarking on 3 projects for 2001. These include the publication of a guide to cultural resources in the county, an assessment of the cultural needs and a quarterly newsletter/calendar. The Cortland Arts Grants Program exists to fund local arts projects.

Back to top

Significant Findings

Rates of violence are generally lower in neighborhoods with higher social cohesion. In the city of Cortland, Neighborhood Watch committees and ward meetings provide opportunities for citizens to work together for this and other goals.

The city of Cortland and the Cortland County Planning Department are both involved with the creation of comprehensive plans to guide future growth and development. Meetings scheduled before regular Common Council meetings have solicited community input for the city plan. Town meetings do the same for the county plan.

Throughout the year 2001, there will be a series of town meetings to discuss the proposed River Trail project and draw community ideas from the riverfront property owners, naturalists, historians, recreational experts, cyclists, walkers, runners, the disabled, the commercial interests, and those who fish, canoe and kayak.

SUNY Cortland serves as a major cultural contributor to the community. Plays, art exhibits, and musical and dance events are brought to the campus and shared with the community. State of the art recreational facilities are also shared with the community.

The physical education emphasis of the college sets a fitness model for the county. Soon, a new SUNY stadium will draw many thousands to Cortland for major sporting events.

A year of centennial celebrations for the city of Cortland in the year 2000 brought new spirit and interest in civic renewal. The Centennial Committee created a yearlong celebration of Cortland commencing with a First Night celebration on New Year’s Eve on Main Street. The Cortland Standard, one of the few surviving locally owned daily newspapers, did a centennial series to remind us of our historical roots -- the Underground Railroad, the McGrawville College, Victorian architecture, and the famous social reformers (Susan B. Anthony, Henry Ward Beecher, etc.) who spoke at the Cobblestone Church.

Even greater citizen involvement is a community ideal and could be fostered with school requirements and employer policies for community service. The annual United Way Day of Caring is a fine example of this giving back. SUNY Cortland student internships, service-learning, and cooperative educational experiences are wonderful learning experiences for the students that greatly contribute to the community.

Back to top

Indicators for Social Cohesion, Culture and Recreation

Back to top