Marine Corps veteran Charles Farnum stood in Schenectady's Veterans' Park on Veterans Day and looked at a space that bore little resemblance to the one he'd complained about just months earlier. New pavement, accessible walkways to the memorials, fresh landscaping, benches and trash receptacles now line the park across from the county offices and courthouse on State Street. Farnum, who has two uncles listed on the memorial walls there, called the transformation a place of beauty and honor, like a dream.
It was Farnum who set the renovation in motion back in July, when he contacted Schenectady County about the park's condition. At the time, the site had garbage and needles on the ground, unkempt landscaping, and memorials in need of cleaning, according to The Daily Gazette. Interim County Manager Bob Lawton walked through the park with Farnum soon after that outreach and took notes on problem areas, and county officials Peter Frisoni and Gary Hughes have since credited Farnum's advocacy for pushing the project forward. Frisoni described Farnum as a great advocate for the park, while county officials said they want the space to be a place for veterans to gather with families and recognize those who served.
From Needles and Neglect to New Walkways
The county owns responsibility for the park's upkeep even though the city of Schenectady owns the land, and it has leaned on that maintenance role to carry out the overhaul. The county annually sets aside $15,000 for Veterans' Park maintenance and had set aside $50,000 in its 2026 budget specifically to refurbish veterans' monuments across the county, the paper's earlier reporting noted. Plans call for adding more lighting, fencing, security upgrades, and accessible pathways to the monuments as the work continues.
Separate from the county's park work, the Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority has continued its own sidewalk improvement project near the park. In September, Metroplex said it was moving ahead with improving the sidewalks and streetscape on State Street where it borders Veterans Park as well as on the 500 block of State Street, according to Schenectady Metroplex. That project is set to include new or reset pavers, concrete sidewalks, and landscaping.
The Fountain Question Lingers
Not settled yet is the fate of the Charles P. Steinmetz Fountain, a fixture dating to the 1940s that has not operated for years. County officials have said the fountain will involve the largest financial commitment of the entire park renovation, since the underlying electrical and plumbing infrastructure needs evaluation before any decision can move forward. Some residents have argued the fountain should simply be renovated and restored.
The county's current plan, however, calls for removing the fountain and replacing it with a gathering area that Hughes has said could include a running water feature. Officials have cautioned that removing the fountain could turn into a multistage, multiyear project rather than a quick fix. The county plans to resume park updates next year, with the broader renovation possibly finished by Memorial Day 2027 depending on winter weather.
A Veteran's Thanks
For Farnum, the unfinished fountain work didn't dampen the moment. He said the improvements restored honor and respect to fallen service members, a sentiment he carried with him when he visited the memorial bearing his two uncles' names during the county's Veterans Day ceremony. He also spoke at that ceremony, telling those gathered he was thrilled by the renovated park he had once pushed the county to fix.
