BUFFALO, N.Y. — Construction has officially started on the new Shoshone Park field house in North Buffalo.
City leaders were there for a special groundbreaking ceremony Saturday morning, reflecting on the man who the field house will be named after, Thomas Smith.
Mayor Byron Browns says Tom was "one of the people in the community that had the idea to benefit all off the children of the city so everything that he put into this park that he put into getting this facility built he literally poured heart and soul into this."
Councilman Rasheed Wyatt echoed that statement, saying "He's touched so many lives and bringing things together and being a problem solver and we need those people those people in the community are invaluable and so his legacy will live on in this facility. I heard there was a lot of conversation with him on this facility and making it happen and so I really appreciate his legacy and the community is gonna benefit from his life."
The Thomas M. Smith Athletic Center will be the first public facility in Buffalo that will give kids a chance to play sports all year long.