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Partnership for Onondaga Creek Records

An inventory of their records at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: DTF
Date: 12 May 2023



Biographical History

The Partnership for Onondaga Creek (POC) was a grassroots environmental justice group formed in Syracuse, NY in 2000.

In 1999, Onondaga County announced its plan to evict 35 low-income Black residents in order to build a sewage treatment plant on the south side of the city of Syracuse, New York. The plan to remove the Black residents was seen as one more instance of the local government demolishing Black neighborhoods for urban renewal projects, beginning in the 1960s with the leveling of the 15th Ward, a majority Black neighborhood, for the construction of Route 81. Moreover, residents argued that the sewage treatment plant could negatively affect the quality of life for the surrounding community. Southside residents and concerned citizens formed the POC in 2000, and for the next decade the organization advocated for green infrastructure as an alternative to the plant.

In 2004, the POC filed a Title VI complaint to fight the construction of the sewage treatment facility. Their complaint was dismissed by the EPA’s Office of Civil Rights in 2005, but in 2008, the POC and its allies were able to convince the county to modify the plan and embrace green solutions. The POC ceased operations in 2013.


Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Partnership for Onondaga Creek Records contains clippings, correspondence, event records, legal material, promotional material, reports, and miscellaneous media.

Clippings contains newspaper clippings related to the planning and construction of the Midland Avenue Regional Treatment Facility (RTF) and actions by the Partnership for Onondaga Creek.

Correspondence contains communication between the POC, regional politicians, and assorted government bodies. Politicians represented include Syracuse mayors Roy Bernardi (served 1994-2001) and Matt Driscoll (2001-2009), Onondaga County Executive Nicholas J. Pirro, New York State governors George Pataki (1995-2006) and Eliot Spitzer (2006-2008), and the Senate offices of Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton. Governmental offices represented include the Environmental Protection Agency and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The majority of correspondence relates to the Midland Avenue RTF and the POC’s Title VI complaint.

Event records contains invitations, flyers, permits, attendance lists, and photographs from events hosted by or including the POC.

Legal material contains documents relating to the 2004 Title VI complaint filed by the POC regarding the Midland Avenue RTF.

Promotional material includes form letters, phone scripts, press releases, a photograph of a POC billboard, and a POC zine with an assortment of protest chants. It also includes VHS and USB copies of the “Not in My Back Yard” news program and a USB drive containing the files from the POC’s website.

Reports are by members of the POC, and cover topics such as environmental injustice, green infrastructure, and sewage plans.

Miscellaneous media consists of CDs and a DVD presumed to contain photographs and presentations.


Arrangement of the Collection

Clippings and correspondence are arranged chronologically, and the rest of the collection is arranged alphabetically.


Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Access to recordings requires advance notice to produce a use copy.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.


Subject Headings

Persons

Bernardi, Roy A., 1942-
Clinton, Hillary Rodham.
Pataki, George E., 1945-
Schumer, Charles E.
Walsh, James T., 1947-

Corporate Bodies

New York (State). -- Department of Environmental Conservation.
Partnership for Onondaga Creek.
Syracuse University. -- College of Law.
United States. -- Environmental Protection Agency.

Subjects

Environmental justice.
Environmental racism.
Racial justice.
Sewage -- Purification.
Sewage disposal plants.
Water -- Pollution.

Places

Onondaga County (N.Y.)
Syracuse (N.Y.)

Genres and Forms

CD-ROMs.
Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence.
DVD-ROMs.
Legal documents.
Photographs.
Printed ephemera.
Technical reports.
USB flash drives.
VHS.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Partnership for Onondaga Creek Records,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Aggie Lane, 2023.


Table of Contents

Clippings

Correspondence

Event records

Legal material

Promotional material

Reports

Miscellaneous media


Inventory