Central Catskills Collaborative October 22, 2009 Pine Hill Community Center

Transcription

1 Central Catskills Collaborative October 22, 2009 Pine Hill Community Center Members present: James Krueger (T Shandaken); John Duda (V Fleischmanns); Fred Miller (V Margaretville); Helen Chase, Robert Selkowitz (T Olive); Doris Bartlett (T Shandaken); Advisory Members: Carol O Beirne (Center Catskills Chamber); Jennifer Schwartz Berky (Ulster County Planning); Bill Rudge (NYS DEC) Support Staff: Peter Manning (Catskill Center for Conservation and Development); Barbara A. Puglisi (Catskill Watershed Corporation) Guests: Peter DeModica, Manny Chikonis, Bob Stanley, Ezra Birnbaum, Pauline Vos, Rich Schaedle, Joyce Greenberg, Craig Appolito, Chandra Lencina, Manny Chaconis Welcome James Krueger discussed that Pine Hill has been awarded a grant by the Catskill Watershed Corporation through the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) to create a plan for Pine Hill s main street. Pine Hill is working with Jennifer Schwartz Berky, Ulster County Planning, to take them through the process. This process will inform the corridor management plan (CMP) that is being developed by the Central Catskills Collaborative for the scenic byway nomination, which is also funded through the LTAP. This meeting is an opportunity for both groups to work concurrently. After introductions around the room, Jennifer and Peter outlined both projects by presenting slides and outlining the exercises and objectives of the meeting. The purposes of the meeting are to engage partners in a series of exercises to envision a healthy future for Pine Hill and the Route 28 Corridor and to identify strategic actions to achieve a vision. Peter provided a brief background on the Central Catskills Collaborative and the scenic byway project, including what a scenic byway is, the proposed route, what the purpose of the CMP is and how this document is submitted to NYS DOT staff and the NYS Scenic Byways Advisory Board. A vision for the corridor was drafted at the last Collaborative meeting and this meeting begins the assetmapping or inventory stage of the CMP process. The Pine Hill Main Street project, in addition to enriching this hamlet, will offer all the corridor communities ideas that will inform the inventory stage of the CMP process Jennifer then described the Ulster County Main Street Toolbox Program and how it will be assisting Pine Hill, Phoenicia, and Shokan in the coming months.

2 Jennifer discussed that she has set up an online toolbox for marketing analysis along the Route 28 corridor to reflect the centers and the needs. Pine Hill is the pilot community and the second workshop will be held on Saturday Nov. 21 st at the Pine Hill Community Center from It was also mentioned that Helen Budrock of the Catskill Center conducted visioning exercises in Pine Hill several years ago. The current project will build on this existing work and provide the community with a chance to look back on accomplishments and challenges. Peter will make the results of the earlier project available. Asset Based Planning is outlined by a series of community exercises: Get Organized> Develop a vision> Identify assets and needs> Establish goals and strategies> Understand capacity for community improvement> Create a plan> Take action. Tonight s exercises tonight will focus on assets, needs, goals, and action strategies and they will provide an overview of the other stages. A booklet providing more details on Asset-Based Planning will be distributed at the end of the meeting. This resource can be used by other corridor communities as part of the CMP inventory. The first exercise was a warm-up, mini-visioning exercise and it considered what people love about Pine Hill and how strengths can be built upon to improve the community. Assets were recorded and are summarized as: Accessible to recreation (access to trails); active main street off Rte. 28; history and heritage (buildings, hotels, architecture, bridges, first to supply spring water to NYC); bus system from NYC, it is in the heart of the Catskill Park; the lake with pavilion; a community center and sense of community; government services, businesses and schools; transportation (bus to and from NYC); museum; rail corridor benefits rails and trails, part of a network from south of Kingston to Roxbury, Grand Gorge and Bloomville; availability of grants - Pine Hill already received a greenway grant for the Parks and Recreation Committee and is awaiting the completion of a sewer system before sidewalks and signage can be restored; infrastructure, such as high speed internet. Needs were recorded and included: Improve access to recreation, clear markers for the hiking trails; improved interpretation for visitors to know what Pine Hill offers kiosks, signage; better accommodations for visitors/ historic hotels need rehabilitation owners need assistance with tax-credit and other programs; improved cell service. Basic goals/ strategies from the mini-exercise included: Install signage for trails/ work with DEC; Attract more businesses/ enlist assistance of Small Business Development Center (Kingston and NYC Watershed personnel, who could conduct workshops for businesses); Improve streetscapes/ activate beautification committee. Although a vision was not recorded in writing, discussion focused on the main components of such a vision. Peter then reviewed the results of the Collaborative s visioning exercise for the scenic byway, which took place at the previous meeting. Major assets of the corridor include: striking vistas of

3 mountains and waterways; historic hamlets and architecture; local businesses (no chains stores); opportunities for recreation. In terms of what could be changed to improve the corridor: better connections to trails and waterways; gateway-welcome center; improved signage, interpretation, information; more rail corridor revitalization; less visual clutter (junk and billboards). The working draft vision for the scenic byway nomination was presented: The [Central Catskills] Scenic Byway wends through the heart of the Catskill Park and the Catskill Mountain Region, offering the traveler a unique experience of mountain scenery, clear waterways, and rolling farmland, complemented by historic hamlets and it is this combination of resources that gives the region much of its character and is vital to the region s economy. The Byway will celebrate the Catskill Park, the New York City Watershed, and the wild scenery that influenced the appreciation of nature in America culture and continues to inspire artists, writers, spiritual followers, and tourists. The Scenic Byway communities will benefit through increased cooperation and will realize multiple opportunities for interpreting and promoting a wide range of assets for the environmental and economic well being of the region. Travelers will have greater awareness of the numerous historic landmarks and cultural attractions along the corridor. Visitors will gain an appreciation for the role of working landscapes and local businesses. A much improved system of signage will enhance connections with trail systems, waterways, other recreational resources, and vibrant downtowns. Byway communities envision improved public and nonmotorized transportation, including bike lanes and corridor trails. Continued restoration of the historic Ulster and Delaware rail corridor will enhance connectivity. These transportation improvements, along with means of sustaining species biodiversity and ecosystem integrity adjacent to and across the corridor, will help retain the rural feel of the traveling experience. A more pronounced gateway will greet travelers and play a key role in the interpretation and celebration of the byway and the region. Modification of the language to include the term Catskill Park in the first sentence was recommended by Robert. Two breakout groups one for Pine Hill and one for the corridor -- were then formed for the main exercise, which focused on a more in-depth listing and analysis of assets and needs, and the formulation of goals and strategies. Corridor Group - Community Assets: Catskill Park; Margaretville Pavillion; Pepacton Reservoir; Route 30 and other side trips from Rte. 28 e.g. 214, 42, etc; Small Local Museums; Hamlets, business district, small shops, small scale lodging; Night Sky; Proximity to NYC;

4 Hospital; Second homeowner population; Surviving older skills/ folk life/ talented people, crafts people, artists; Pine Hill lake; Rail line potential; History - historic sites (e.g. schoolhouse in Middletown), and famous individuals in history, events in history (e.g. Anti-Rent War); New York City Watershed; Open lands; Ashokan and Pepacton Reservoirs and streams and waterways Esopus and E.B. Del; Belleayre Mountain; Four-season vacations; Potential for improvement and expansion of tourism economy; Farm stands; Forests; Vistas; Friendly neighbors/ everyone knows your name; Wildlife; Waterfalls; Hiking trail network; Fishing access; Boating; Catskill Mountain Railroad and Delaware and Ulster Railroad; Woodstock; Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce Website; Pine Hill Community Center; Fresh air; Site of proposed Catskill Interpretive Center; Every main street; A good road (Rte. 28) and varying beauty along route ; Integrity of landscape; Sightseeing; Promenade at Ashokan Reservoir; Old sections of Route 28; Gateway opportunities at both ends of corridor; Transportation varieties; Bridges; Excellent climate May-November; Good local restaurants; Human-scale habitation no high rises, high density; Attraction of area to visitors who put down roots and start businesses. The following is a summary of the results. Corridor Group Community Needs Better kiosks, information, signage, and access; a system of interpretation ; Websites and their promotion; Broadband/ cell service, wi-fi; Community working together/ better inter-community communications; Actual money spent to fulfill plans; Welcome Center, gateway, entry points; Community identities; Central Catskills theme song; A museum that interprets watershed; A conference facility (but not a city on top of a mountain); Better awareness of Catskill Park as an entity; Better accommodations and family friendly accommodations; Electric jitneys; Compatible commercial development. Goals and Strategies The corridor group identified a number of goals, but did not discuss strategies at length. Goals: Improve website presence; improve signage with emphasis on homogeneity and uniformity, e.g.; Rail line and trail development (one participant stressed this as the key catalyst for regional revitalization); Create more activities for children and work to get area residents and organizations to plan more of these activities; Improve public transportation get zip cars, create a non-profit organization, develop taxing strategies, and connect the train to Kingston. Implement more interpretation across the board but begin on a small scale; Engage in more business planning to encourage appropriate businesses to

5 locate in the area, and have local businesses open for more hours; Improve broadband and cell phone service/ and develop partnerships to leverage support and action; A stronger regional voice is needed to advocate more for regional issues and leverage support for regional goals work with the Catskill Center. Pine Hill Group Assets Overall character of the place: Active cul-de-sac a calm, but interesting enclave off 28; History, sense of connection to past, visible in architecture, bridges, cultural heritage, old cemeteries; Sense of community ; Village integrity Community Facilities and Infrastructure: Community Center (7), active community center ; Municipal Sewage/Water (6); Shandaken Museum (5); Morton Library great (4); Post Office (2); Cell phone service - very lucky we re the only ones in the area!; Good schools and knowledgeable people in the area; High-speed internet Environmental/Scenic: Streams many flowing streams (3); Spring water source; Views; Catskill Park; Forever Wild - under-utilized asset Recreational: Pine Hill/Belleayre Lake (4); Cross-County Trails (2); Hiking Trails (2); Proximity to Belleayre; Rail Trail; Lower Birch Creek Road - State use area Commercial: Access to public transportation: Trailways to NYC, UCAT; Accommodations/Hotels - 2 active, 2 inactive (2); Restaurants good (2), Other: Grant money (CWC, Greenway, Smart Growth, LWRP, future funds for Byway) Needs: Sidewalks (5); Breakfast/Lunch Restaurants (4); Parking (3); Bank (2); Street Lights (2); Signage; Trees; Not being over-developed Goals and Strategies General: Build on improving: access to recreation, consistent signage, wayfinding,, trailhead markers, accommodations, - need more and better ones, awareness of offerings; cooperation between rail and trail; connections between vibrant businesses in Rte. 28 corridor and main street Add: Information kiosks, Promotion of year-round offerings (currently winter centric); Creation of inventory of all assets - use in attraction and promotion; Cultural resources survey

6 Goal 1: Create better signage and information system to guide visitor access Strategies: Use the grant/planning effort, work with.dec for trail signage, address need for trail head parking and marking Goal 2: Attract more business to Main Street with good business plans/models Strategies: conduct market study of Main Street to see what could work; work with Small Business Development Center on holding a local workshop; develop attraction and retention strategy Goal 3: Improve the streetscape Strategies: start/build a beautification committee to spearhead strategy; work with town s engineering consultant to participate in the Phase II of the storm sewer project to incorporate goals for sidewalks and streetscapes (including lighting and signage) Exercise wrap-up The discussion in the abbreviated reality check included the benefits of starting small to demonstrate progress, setting priorities, and citing and observing success in other places. The current effort to erect an interpretive kiosk at the site of the proposed Catskill Interpretive Center was noted as a good example of starting small. Discussion followed on how to document need for a visitors center by recording usage at a temporary center or kiosk site. CCC Business The notes from the September 24, 2009 meeting were approved as submitted and the meeting 10:00 pm.