Rails To Trails Project Making Great Strides Forward

First, a reminder...don't forget to put this upcoming Sunday, July 17th 2011 on your calendar! The Sullivan Striders are hosting the Second Annual Rails to Trails Run and Walk here in Mountaindale, and we hope all our readers will join them in the walk or run, with the proceeds benefiting the Rails to Trails corridor, the money being used for maintenance and improvements.

For all of our summer visitors (waving to all my friends from Skyway), want to let you know you can rent bikes from the Cinder Track Bike Shop in Mountaindale. Charlie is a great guy, and his rental bikes ARE TOP OF THE LINE! He also has a full service repair department, and can tell you from first hand experience that he does wonderful work...he tuned up both of my bikes this year, and they have never pedaled better.

It's been awhile since I have done a update on Mountaindale Community Development Project's Sullivan Renaissance project, so let's jump right into it.

Yesterday we had a volunteer work day, and it was a huge success with lots of work getting done on the trail, and around town as we race to put things in pretty good shape for all the guests we are expecting on the trail this upcoming Sunday. People young and old showed up at various times throughout the day to lend us a hand on various projects, and when we put our tools away at around seven in the evening, you could see the bounty of everyone's efforts. *A special thanks to Eric Lynch, a fellow camper at Skyway and a New York City Fire Fighter who showed up and worked on the difficult task of figuring out how to attach certain additions to our train. We also want to thank Master Instructor Alexandra Th. Lalieu and her Upstate Karate students for all the help they provided yesterday in the task of spreading yards and yards of mulch...their discipline and ability to stay focused were very apparent and appreciated.

A check list of sorts...

1. We have already put out ten hanging baskets on Main Street to compliment the flowers boxes. Hanging baskets are a experiment in progress as we learn what does best hanging seven feet up in the air...some plants do a lot better than others, and all the baskets require a lot more watering than the flower boxes do.

2. Thanks to some of our local Girl Scouts, who were in attendance yesterday, we were able to complete a new flower bed on the side of our community Mountaindale Art Center located at 58 Main Street. The girls were fast learners, and as always, their help invaluable as we move through our projects this year. Cannot wait to get the mulch down this morning so that this item can be crossed off our to do list as completed.

3. The BASIC TRAIN is now officially up on the trail in the old O&W siding across from the old lumber yard.

4. We HAVE WATER! A very special THANK YOU to Steve Vegliante, Will Illing, the Water Department, and the entire Town of Fallsburg government for making this happen. We appreciate all the help we are receiving in doing some of the heavy lifting that needs to be done, and water was a crucial component! *Another special thanks goes out to Allen Frishman for his work on the trail this past week.

4. The basic framework for our Litter Control station is in, and with luck that part of our project will be completed and in use just in time for the Second Annual Rails to Trails Run and Walk on July 17th.

5. The workout station areas have been completely weeded (Aaron Schmitt, our summer intern can be thanked for this) and re-mulched...we are hoping to start repainting and staining this week at some point.

6. One of our O&W Railway relics is now surrounded by a beautiful new flower bed, and we have brought in some beautiful stones that beautify the area, while at the same time make it harder for all terrain vehicles (which are NOT allowed on the trail) to access/exit the trail from our Mountaindale entrance.

As of right now, we are hoping to be doing a MAJOR PLANTING on Tuesday afternoon evening, so if you are looking to volunteer, you can call Sherwood at 845 346-6523 (cell), or just show up with a shovel or trowel. Again, thanks to our many volunteers...you are the force that makes community improvement and beautification possible.

Mountaindale Renaissance Project Moving Foward

Despite some disappointing, even childish local politics, our 2011 Renaissance Project is slowly moving forward, despite the efforts of some to derail our plans to build a sculptural interpretation of a train just inside the "Rails to Trails" corridor entrance. Wish someone could explain to me why all the in fighting is necessary, why all the various assorted factions in town cannot set aside their differences, and pitch in for the common good of the community...isn't that what this is all supposed to be about? Is it all about moving our small hamlet forward, or is it about who gets their name in the paper, who gets credit for what? If a flowering plant needs dead headed, and you are walking by, why not JUST DO IT, instead of thinking to yourselves, "It's not MY FLOWER BOX!" If a flower box needs repaired and planted, why not step forward as a volunteer, instead of stirring turds and trying to claim ownership of it?

I'm new to Mountaindale, and want to spend my time and efforts trying to make it a better place in which to live, want to work with any one that will work with me in trying to bring new businesses and citizens to our community. I'm stubborn, but I am giving, and willing to WORK WITH ANY ONE and EVERYONE...so please, can we set aside old animosities and grudges, and get on with the truly important tasks at hand?

On to more positive news about the Renaissance Project.

1. We are hoping to have water access to our site area by the end of this week (June 10th). Good thing with this heat wave we are experiencing.

2. Thanks to the generous donation of a local citizens (who chooses to remain nameless), last Saturday saw us bring in a great deal of rehab lumber...we are currently cleaning the nails out of this in preparation for building. This fits in with our overall GREEN THEME for the project, which includes creative re-use of materials whenever possible. This also saves our budget for use in other areas of the project. For those wondering, we could REALLY USE A) some treated 2x12's, B) Some four inch decking screws (guessing about ten pounds), and another sheet or two of plywood at the moment. Also, anyone have some rebar we could cut into three foot pieces?

3. Thanks to the generous support of our Renaissance Project, we have had another member of our community, Marty Weiner step up big time...he is in the process of lining up ten 55 gallon drums that we need for the project. Wondering if anyone out there has some 8, 10 and 12 inch diameter pipe (three foot sections) laying around we could requisition for our steam stacks on the Locomotive? We would also LOVE LOVE LOVE finding an old bell.

4. We are trying to tracking down FOUR old wagon wheels of identical size that we can use as the back wheels of this project...anyone have leads on this item?

5. We have gotten much of the site area clean up done, and our intern for this year Aaron Schmitt seems very enthusiastic about the project...speaking of interns, as Committee Chair, I have to get more adept at the paperwork end of this project.

6. The first steps of the installation project are slated to begin later this week, so if you see us in the Rails to Trails area working, stop by and say hello.

Look for a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT about our July Fund Raiser soon...It will be a really fun evening of wine, food and music!

Some Event Reminders, and Mini Grant Opportunity.

The sun is shining outside as evening makes its way into our lives, the week is waning, and wanted to bring a couple of reminders and a opportunity to the attention of our residents and business owners.

Events:

1. Saturday, we will have our first community clean up/maintenance day here in Mountaindale from 2-5 PM (April 30th)

2. Don't forget starting this coming Tuesday May 1st Aerobic Cadio Belly Dancing is coming to town from 6:30-7:45 PM on a weekly basis.

Small Business/Entity Mini Grants From Sullivan Renaissance

Sometimes, something sticks in your head...one of those things sees us here in Mountaindale reaching out to our various business owners in the hopes of seeing all of us as a community kicking it up a notch with the help of Sullivan Renaissance. Our committee, the Mountaindale Community Development Project has sent out the following email on the Sullivan Renaissance Mini Grants Program.

Dear Mountaindale Business Neighbors,

For the moment anyway, the rain has stopped & the sun is shining, the grass is green & verdant and I can see brilliant yellow daffodils from my office windows. This makes me think about how beautiful our Main Streets will look in a few weeks when we put the flower planters out. However, what if we were to work together to kick things up a notch? Sherwood pointed out to me that Sullivan Renaissance is offering $200 Mini Grants that can be used for a business' storefront beautification. I am attaching a copy of the description & application to see if we might work in a coordinated effort to garner a few of these so that we have a very dynamic display this year. For example, what if some of the funding went toward lush hanging baskets in front of all the businesses that could be started from seeds in the greenhouse? Plz let me know if you would consider this initiative for us to work on cooperatively & then Sherwood & I will help us to submit for a few grants and we'll see what kind of an impact we might make w/ a collaborative effort over the next several months.

BTW, we are starting our maintenance work this Saturday from 2 - 5 PM & would love to see you as volunteers either behind the school or at one of our other community flower beds. Tea & homemade cookies will be served as light refreshments.

Thank you all!
Barb

Looking for Kindred Spirits and Community Volunteers

Hello Readers...sharing this article from the Mountaindale Sullivan Renaissance Project 2011 Blog...our hamlet is looking for volunteers as we seek to build new bridges, perhaps mend some old broken ones, and work towards furthering bonds, building community as we plan our 2011 Sullivan Renaissance project. Let hear your voices.

A proposal For 2011 Project To Consider...

Mountaindale and our surrounding area have a rich and vibrant history, and a part of that fabric that tells the tale of the ups and down of both Mountaindale, and its surrounding countryside includes a significant tie to the railroad industry dating clear back into the 1800's when construction was begun in the late 1860's, with the railroad open for business in 1873...today, some of those once active train routes that carried people, and coal are now a part of the "Rails to Trails" program that is supported by many groups, organizations and individuals including the Sullivan Renaissance. It just so happens that Mountaindale is blessed with an entrance point to these wonderful paths that provide walkers, runners and biking enthusiasts a wonderful place in which to exercise while taking in some of the scenic beauty that abounds here in Sullivan County, and the greater Hudson River Valley.

As an artist, I have always been excited at the cycle of life as great things come to life, thrive, decline, and eventually get absorbed back into the natural landscape as Mother Nature reclaims what is hers. Talk to old timers in the area, and you can hear wonderful tales of coal trains heading down the Red Hill grade, and crossing the Little Falls trestle just east of Mountaindale, and for those of us who love to walk and/or hike, there are signs everywhere it seems of the once great iron steeds that used to move our nations commerce. Those signs are fading, railroad ties rotting and becoming soil from which new flora and fauna sprout, grow and flourish. Streams are slowly eroding away the bridge abutments that used to support track that was long ago taken up and moved away.

Looking at this, my artistic mind mulling over this history, I wondered what it would be like to reenact in some small way this rich vibrant history...recreate and relive Mountaindale's historical ties to the rail industry. As I was pondering this, I found out talking to some of the locals that just inside (maybe 100 yards) our hamlet's portion of the "Rails to Trails" segment are the remnants of a siding station...a space/place where they would park rail cars. (Sure some of our local railroad buffs can correct me if my lingo is not quite accurate?)

My initial thoughts were to spruce up and clean up the entrance to "Rails to Trails", then create a nice landscaping statement at that spot...which as a side note is still on the table, but this to me seemed more like the starting point of a great project, rather than an ending point, so I put some more thought into it.

One of my loves of life is photography, more specifically, I love photographing old barns and homes as they slowly give away their exteriors exposing their delicate skeletal interiors, the sunlight filtered down through trees dancing along its spine as the roof slowly, season after season, collapses in on itself as Mother Nature reclaims the land that was and is always hers.

It was odd...at Saturdays Sullivan Renaissance Winter Conference an idea started jelling in my mind...what if we could clear away and spruce up that old siding, landscape it...more specifically, what if we were to take advantage of Mother Nature's bounty, collect saplings, branches and vines from the surrounding woodland of our area, and use those raw materials to build a reasonable facsimile of one of those old gallant steeds, landscape around it, plant bugle vine, morning glories and other vine type plants around this locomotive, returning it to it's perch once again a part of our present returned magically from the past.

Sitting there listening to the speakers I began drawing a very primitive sketch of this idea...after the presentation of awards, I went to my first seminar...Design 1, and one of the first things the presenter talked about was the importance of a projects bones. That is when it hit me...such a garden sculpture would be born, rise from the ground, take shape, the vines twining in and around creating a stunning reminder of our once great railroading history...then, over a period of some years (maybe 5-8) this art work, like the trains would slowly decline, eventually collapse into the ground, returning back to Mother Nature what is hers, and in doing so, reenact that same great history which has been lived by the trains that used to whistle through the night as they passed through our community.

So, in a nut shell, I am proposing we clear off that old siding, clean up the area surrounding it, plant two or three flowering ornamental trees, bring in some large stones, create the illusion of the train coming down the tracks from out of the woods, bursting into sight as travelers on our portion of "Rails to Trails" happen upon it at the start of their journey. This would be the significant project of a two phase/two element grant application.

Right now, looking to find other kindred souls that are supportive of this proposal, looking to find people willing (as it were) to buy into the program to breath this vision into reality through the generous donation of their time, talents, goods, services, and even money. Sullivan Renaissance graciously awards $1500 grants for community beautification, and these projects could never happen without their generous financial support, and the tremendous support to our community given by their staff when we have questions and seek advice. That said, it is amazing how fast funds can vanish when buying and moving a few large stones

Mountaindale Commuunity Development Project Renaissance Project 2011...Call For Volunteers

A little bird tells us that the Mountaindale Community Development Project has big plans in the works should they be a recipient of a Sullivan Renaissance Project grant this year. You can follow the project this year LIVE ON LINE, as they have launched a blog to journal this years project, from pre-starting point through too completion. We have copied the first post below with a link the blog, and will be adding a link to it in our side bar here at the Mountaindale NY News blog.

Go directly to the blog here.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Official Introduction-Mountaindale 2011 Renaissance Project

Yesterday I spent some very enjoyable and rewarding time being in attendance at the Sullivan Renaissance Winter Conference and Awards Ceremony. Hearing the stories of some of the reward recipients, such as Butterfly Botanical and their restored 1730 barn, it was truly inspiring, and the guest speaker, Dr. Peter Harlow a internationally known and respected tourism specialist was perhaps the most captivating and engaging speaker I have heard in over a decade. Add to that mix a gaggle of very friendly people, some wonderful seminars made available to us, and I am truly excited at the prospect of being this years Committee Chair for the Mountaindale Community Development Project's (MCDP) Sullivan Renaissance Grant project here in our small hamlet.

With that said, perhaps I should introduce myself to those visiting this blog that might not know who I am here in town. My name is Sherwood Martinelli, and I am one of the newest full time residents here, though my own involvements with Mountaindale, and Sullivan Renaissance go back a few years now. I have been a seasonal camper at Skyway now for several years, and a few years back learned a back way into the camp from my home in Peekskill NY...that shortcut led me into and through the quiet little hamlet of Mountaindale, and having been a potter and sculptor for 20 years, I was intrigued that this little crossroads from where I was coming from too where I was going hosted a small clay studio, so I parked my car to have a look around. Since that day, I have become somewhat of a part-time permanent fixture in town, helping out where I could with projects such as the Hummingbird Garden across from our post office.

I use the word our, as I officially took up residence in town on February first of this year, and have plans, or perhaps a vision dream of opening up a studio/gallery in the currently vacant building next to my apartment in the late spring or early summer which will be known as, "Second Time Around"...hoping once the location is opened that some of you will stop by, have a cup of coffee or tea and sit and talk for a spell.

Having been involved in two previous Sullivan Renaissance projects prior to becoming a resident as a volunteer, I lept at the chance to Chair this years project, and suppose in some ways, the launching of this journal blog is my first official task. As winter wanes, spring knocking upon our door, there is a LOT OF WORK TO DO, so lets get started.

Barb and Ken Schmitt, and Janet from Radiant Yoga here in town have kindly offered to send out a carbon copy of this first post with a link to this blog to their email lists in the hopes that some (or all) of you will be a part of our 2011 Sullivan Renaissance Project in whatever way you might feel comfortable. The deadline for Grant submission is March 23, and this year we need to submit renderings of our project design(s) as well as a expected plant list with our application. In short, the time to get to work is NOW...I know, we are still not done with the winter snows, and yet it is time to think of spring and planting. So, if any of you have some ideas you would like to bring to the conversation, please email them to news@mountaindaleproject.org in the next couple of days.

Also, for anyone interested in knowing more about this years efforts, or if you might be interested in volunteering, making a donation of goods or services to our efforts, we will be holding an informational meeting this Wednesday night, March 2nd at the Mountaindale Art Center on Main Street here in downtown Mountaindale.

If you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call. Sherwood Martinelli (845) 693-4513

*note-I will be posting up my own ideas for our 2011 project in the next post.

February 26th-Sullivan Renaissance 2011 Winter Conference and Expo

SULLIVAN FIRST ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Sullivan Renaissance 2011 Winter Conference and Expo

FERNDALE–Nine individuals, businesses and organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to improving the appearance of Sullivan County will be recognized with “2011 Sullivan First Achievement Awards” during the Sullivan Renaissance Conference and Expo on Saturday, February 26 at the CVI Building in Ferndale, NY.

This year’s “Sullivan First Achievement Awards” will be given to:

Upper Room Farms – For the aesthetics of its property and participation as an agri-tourism business

Butterfly Botanicals – For its community and educational contributions, and support of Sullivan Renaissance projects

Rock Hill Diner – For its innovative approach to landscaping the front and back of its building

Wendy Levinson – For her outstanding and ongoing commitment to engaging youth in volunteer activities including Sullivan Renaissance

Al Frangipane – For his long-term volunteerism to Bethel First, Sullivan Renaissance and his leadership in the seasonal luminary

Daniel Ratner, Jr. – For his dedication and volunteerism in the Town of Liberty

Highland Renaissance – For its perseverance in overcoming adversity and relocating an entire park

Ashley Machera – For going above and beyond her role as a Sullivan Renaissance Intern

Meg Goble – For going above and beyond her role as a Sullivan Renaissance Intern

This year’s Sullivan Renaissance Winter Conference and Expo will focus on the positive effects of community beautification on economic development and tourism. The conference features exhibits and workshops on garden design, trees for public places, community gardens, recruiting volunteers, cultivating leaders, partnering with young people and economic development.

All are welcome. There is no fee for this conference, but please RSVP by February 22. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. with breakfast and expo. The program starts at 9:00 a.m. and continues until 1:00 p.m.

Details of this year’s Sullivan Renaissance grant program will be announced and 2011 applications will be available. They are also on-line at http://www.sullivanrenaissance.org/.

The keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Peter Tarlow, an international consultant on the positive effects of community beautification. In addition to the keynote, Dr. Tarlow will present a workshop on “Making the Most of Your Assets.”

Workshops and presenters include:

The Experience of Volunteering – Ellen Lutvak

Cultivating Community Leaders – Elaine Fettig, Matt Migliaccio, Matt Dorcas

Community Gardens/CSAs – Olivia Lightle, Greg Schwartz

Trees for Public Places – Tom Manza, Paul Manning

Garden Design I – Design is FUNdamental – Mary Lewis

Garden Design II – The Real Dirt – Mary Lewis

Reaching Out Through Your Windows – Alan Sorensen, Vivian Multari-Ginsberg

Making the Most of Your Assets – Dr. Peter Tarlow

Youth-Adult Partnership: What Does It Take? – Amanda Galigher-Speer

Dig Art! Cultivating Creativity in the Garden – Susan Dollard

Workshop space will be limited to the first registrants. To sign up on-line, go to http://www.sullivanrenaissance.org/ and click on the Sullivan Renaissance Rooster at the top of the page.

To obtain a workshop registration form, call Sullivan Renaissance office at

845-295-2445.

To send in a registration form, email to sgonzalez@sullivanrenaissance.org; fax it to 845-295-2746; or mail to Sullivan Renaissance, c/o Gerry Foundation, PO Box 311, Liberty, NY 12754.

Conference attendees will have an opportunity to vote for their favorite exhibit. Door prizes will be awarded at the conference conclusion.

This is a recycling event; appropriate receptacles will be provided for attendees.

Sullivan Renaissance is a beautification and community development program principally funded by the Gerry Foundation. Additional funding has been secured by NYS Assemblywoman Aileen M. Gunther.

For more information, call 845-295-2445.