In 2017, New York high-school students redesigned a downtown park; 9 years later, their idea has finally been built

What began as a classroom design exercise by high-school students in New York has taken nearly a decade to become a reality. In 2017, students from North Tonawanda High School's engineering academy were asked to imagine how a downtown park could be transformed. One of the winning ideas featured a clock tower and a landscaped gathering space.Nine years later, that concept has become part of a $1 million downtown improvement project in North Tonawanda, New York. The city recently marked the completion of Smart Growth 2.0, a redevelopment initiative that includes a new clock tower at Charles Fleischmann Park, upgraded walkways, landscaping, seating, lighting and other pedestrian improvements.The project was officially celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 2, 2026, bringing to life an idea that originated with local teenagers nearly a decade earlier.A student idea takes shapeThe clock tower is among the most visible changes at Charles Fleischmann Park. The concept traces back to 2017, when students were invited to think about what could make the small downtown park more attractive and useful to the community.The city eventually incorporated one of the students' winning...