2011 Mountaindale Sullivan Renaissance Phase 1 Guide

Dear Mountaindale Community Stakeholders:

Please find attached to this letter a copy of the “2011 Renaissance Category B Project Implementation Guide Phase 1” document which outlines our goals and needs from now through May 14th, 2011 as we gear up for this year’s Renaissance project. Please review the document, share it with friends and family, and feel free to call me (845)693-4513 with any questions, suggestions that you might have. We are looking for volunteers and donors, and hope we can count on your support in making this year’s Sullivan Renaissance Project a grand success that Mountaindale and our neighbors are very proud of.

As we move forward, you can stay abreast of the project, and keep up on news and events for our community by visiting http://mountaindalenews.blogspot.com/ or our Mountaindale Renaissance Blog at http://2011mountaindalerenaissanceproject.blogspot.com/. The attached document has been posted on our Renaissance Blog to make it easier for all stakeholders to share/read the materials.

I look forward to meeting many of the people in town I have yet to meet, and looking very forward to working WITH ALL OF YOU in making our 2011 Mountaindale Renaissance Project a great success, and wonderful addition to our “Rails to Trails” corridor.

Sincerely,

Sherwood Martinelli
Committee Chair-2011 Renaissance Project

2011 Renaissance Category B Project Implementation Guide Phase 1

Mountaindale Community Development Project has received a grant from the Sullivan Renaissance for the purpose of implementing improvements and beautification in the area known as the “Rails to Trails” corridor here in our local community.  To facilitate the completion of our goals, the Renaissance Committee’s core group has put together this implementation guide where in we describe the tools, citizen involvement and tasks needing to be accomplish for successful conclusion of our multi-phase project in a timely fashion.

Citizen Involvement-Volunteers

First, we are pleased we our off to such a great start with our volunteer efforts this year.  We have already had the help of our local Girl Scouts in doing trail head cleaning in the area of our 2011 project.  April 30^th is a Community Involvement Day with commitments from both local citizens and business to help in doing maintenance/cleanup/staging work related to past Renaissance Projects, as well as helping in further pre-project tasks for this year’s project.  A special thanks to all those involved.

We are looking for some individuals or local businesses willing to step forward to chair two sub-committees for this year’s project, so if you are interested in chairing either of these sub-committees, please contact Committee Chair Sherwood Martinelli at (845)693-4513 or Barb Schmitt at (845)434-4747 for additional details and information.

Volunteer Recruitment and Coordination-The duties of this committee will include local/extended committee outreach to individuals, businesses and civic groups seeking volunteers, and then scheduling those man/woman hour commitments into the project calendar so that we provide our volunteers with a worthwhile and memorable experience as participants in our projects.  As committee chair, you will have the freedom to put together, build your own team, drawing on those already involved, and/or bringing in new members to join the team.

Fund Raising Coordination-The duties of this committee will include local/extended committee outreach to individuals, businesses and civic groups seeking donations of cash, goods and/or in kind services.  Additionally, working with the full Committee, this sub-committees duties and responsibility will include the creation, planning and implementation of various fund raising events here in the Mountaindale Community.  As committee chair, you will have the freedom to put together, build your own team, drawing on those already involved, and/or bringing in new members to join the team.  Our goal this year is too A) involve our community (both local and extended) in finding/having donated most of the building materials for our sculptural installation, as well as raising enough money to not only cover the cost of installation, but to have money banked for long term maintenance/repair/improvement of this project over an extended period of time.  (IE-additional plantings, bulbs, replacement plants, fresh mulch)

Volunteer/Fund Raising Goals

Volunteers-Our goal is to simple…through community reach out, and creative thinking A) involve as many people as we can in our Renaissance Project, and B) include as participants as many civic and business groups as we can.  Volunteers and the retention of them once found is key to the success of any civic project.  We want volunteering in Mountaindale to be a fun memorable experience, the kind of experience that sees groups and individuals calling us to find out when they can come HELP AGAIN.

Of special need this year…there is going to be a lot of hard physical work involved in this year’s project, as well as some tasks that require some skilled tradesmen. 

Fund Raising Goals

Fund raising is divided into two specific areas of need.  First is an actual cash donation from private/public/civic donations.  Our goal benchmark for this year is $5,000.  This would allow us to successfully complete this year’s project, and have money set aside for future enhancements…as example, though not included in our Project Plan; we would like this fall to do some spring bulb naturalization in the project area, thus adding another bloom season.  IT is estimated that securing these spring time bulbs will carry a cost of $750.00 The second area of fund raising is the actual donation of goods or services…in this area, it is possible for the two committees to dovetail one another as businesses step forward to donate their skills to the process as an in-kind donation of services.  Below is a list of some (but not all) of the goods we are looking for this year.

Seeking Donation of Goods

Ornamental Flowering Trees-Trees of any size get very expensive very fast, but they also not only make a beautiful statement in a landscape, but they also help to anchor it.  Our plans call for seven of these trees.

Planting Materials…bulbs, scrubs, bushes, perennials, annuals of ALL KINDS, though we do have a particular list of MOST NEEDED PLANTS.

Top Soil-It is estimated that this year’s project needs 12 yards of HIGH QUALITY top soil (not fill).  We have secured two prices on this…we can get delivered, a total of 16 yards (four more than we will probably need) for $575.  If we have a way of picking up the top soil ourselves, the price is $28 per yard…a very significant savings.  A local business could donate the costs of the top soil; offer an in kind donation of pickup and delivery of the material, or both.

Lumber-we are in need of some lumber for building the skeletal bones of this project.  These materials can be (preferred actually) weathered.  If you are in construction and have old lumber you would like to donate to our project, please contact Sherwood at (845)693-4513.  Treated lumber would be idea, but not mandatory.  We have need of 2x4’s, 2x6’s, 2x12’s, 6x6 landscaping timbers, as well as several sheets of plywood.

As a subset of this…do you have 16 common nails, some number 8’s, and some 3-5 inch screws that maybe got rusted, cannot be used on a commercial/residential project, but would be perfect for a project like this out in nature?  We would love to have them.  Also, looking for a spool or two of wire that could be used to bind/twine elements together.

Old piping that could be used to turn the sculpture into a rain water collection and watering system for the garden.

30 and 55 gallon drums.

Birch branches, poles…these will be used as sculptural highlights.

Field Stone…self explanatory.

Large…I MEAN LARGE landscaping stones.  WE are looking for some statement pieces.

Project Priorities-Staging This Year’s Project-This year’s project includes three main elements.  Clean, rejuvenation and enhancement of the “Rails to Trails”, creation of a small landscaping element to showcase a historical relic from the old O&W Railway, as well as a major landscaping element (including the building of a significant sculptural element) in a historical location, and including therein a second historical element.

Pre-Project Clean Up and Staging

1.       Using florescent construction tape (pink and orange) mark off the area of the project.  Orange tape to define the area, pink tape marking trees/debris to be removed from the area.

2.      Working with the town of Fallsburg, clean up the woods and trail area for the project.  This will include thinning of woods to promote better tree growth, clean up of woodland and train floor.  Some grading work also needs to be accomplished, either with the town of Fallsburg, or using our own equipment and labor here in the hamlet.

3.      Find/Define materials staging area.  Begin task of gathering, finding and/or purchasing necessary materials to build the train.  Start pricing out plant materials needed for the project.

4.      Using spray paint, layout the project footprints so that these areas can be further shaped, defined and sculpted.

5.      Move/Transplant the large spruce to its new location.

*On-site meeting is scheduled for week of 2^nd with Henry from the town of Fallsburg to find out what they will be able to assist us with.

**Additional leg work needs to be done to track down and get some kind of commitments on access to water…Ken is handling this.

*** Verify with Raymon his commitment to be available for welding work…furthermore, discuss with him best practices for turning the four barrels into a water collection/storage and disbursing system so that our sculptural element is also a rain garden.

Target Goal for completion of Phase one goals as outlined above is May 14^th, 2011.

Please feel free to add your comments or suggestions to this plan by emailing Sherwood at marcwoodsocialimaging@gmail.com or calling me directly at (845) 693-4513

Saturday April 30th...Volunteer Opportunity...Mountaindale Maintenance Day

This article appeared today in our Mountaindale NY News Blog...worth bookmarking.  This up coming Saturday, April 30th is our Mountaindale Maintenance Day...we will be sprucing up Renaissance Projects from past years, and doing some site prep work for this year's project.  Time is 2-5PM.  Also in the first article is news on Fallsburg's Spring Clean Up Weekend...May 20-22, 9-5PM.  In the second shared article is a run down of the events over at Radiant Yoga...including Janet's workshop on "Fool Proof Composing"! Do hope you will come join in the fun, attend one or all of this wonderful offerings and volunteer opportunities.

Rainy Monday Mountaindale Announcement of Clean Up/Maintenance Days

Greetings to everyone on this rainy day Monday in April. Trust everyone enjoyed their holiday(s) during this past week? Wanted to bring some important announcements and important dates to your attention.

First Up-Mountaindale Maintenance Day
Saturday April 30, 2011
2-5 PM...meet up in front of 60 Main Street.

The purpose of this event is two fold in purpose, and gives volunteers OF ALL AGES a chance to lend their hands to the task of keeping Mountaindale the beautiful little hamlet that it is. As said, the purpose of this Mountaindale Work Day is two fold.

1. We will be picking up the town (litter, branches and the like) and doing some spring maintenance work on past projects. Raking, turning the soil, trimming off die back on some of our perennials as they get ready to start their spring growth.

2. Sharing plans for this years Renaissance Project, and doing some Pre-Project clean up in the area (Entry to Rails to Trails Corridor) where this years project is to be installed.

We hope you can plan to attend this Work Day, and if you or your organization would like to schedule a Volunteer Day here in Mountaindale, please contact Barb at (845)434-4747 or Sherwood (Committee Chair of this year's Renaissance Project) at (845)693-4513.

We also would like to remind everyone that the "Fallsburg 2011 Spring Clean Up" weekend is scheduled for May 20-22, 2011. This is a PERFECT TIME to clean up those hard to get rid of items, and see that they are disposed of properly so we keep our pristine community looking beautiful.

Residents of Fallsburg
2011 Spring Clean Up

Dates: May 20th-22 Hours 9:00AM-5:00PM

Will be held ONLY at the
*South Fallsburg Sewer Plant

1 Pickup Truck Load PER HOUSEHOLD

All material must be separated.
PIPE MUST BE CUT INTO FOUR FOOT SECTIONS
DRUMS AND TANKS MUST BE EMPTY AND CUT OPEN
OR CRUSHED...PAINT CANS MUST BE EMPTY
NO BRUSH, YARD WASTE, OR BAGS OF LEAVES
NO STUMPS OR ROCKS, NO HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE

ONLY *2* TIRES OFF RIMS PER HOUSEHOLD

NO COMPUTERS, MONITORS, LAPTOPS OR TV'S
NO FLUORESCENT BULBS

PROOF OF RESIDENCY REQUIRED!!!!!

 

Some Don't MISS Events/Classes Weekend of April 29th at My Radiant Yoga With Janet

Janet at "My Radiant Yoga" has some really great things on the calendar this upcoming weekend as we say goodbye to April and its shower, and welcome May. In addition to being a fabulous Yoga instructor, she also happens to be VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE about organic gardening, and will be hosting a great workshop on the timely topic of "Fool Proof Composing" as we all prepare to put our hands in the ground, feel the rich dirt as we start our own plantings, begin preparing our own gardens. Make sure to RSVP for this one as it is a great way to start off the Spring Gardening Season.

This Coming WEEKEND'S HIGHLIGHTS

Friday, April 29

Relax and Recharge with Restorative Yoga
5:30-7 pm

Great for many in reducing the occurance of migraines, lowering blood pressure, and releasing
tension in neck, shoulders, and lower back...A treat on the radiant-heat floors.

Saturday, April 30 Tone and Strengthen
8:45-10 am
Free for Newcomers!

Composting Made Easy-A must attend workshop for ALL GARDENERS!
10-10:45 am

Learn Full-proof Composting in the yoga-studio garden $5 donation benefits Community Gardening Projects.

Manure for your garden and non-resin wood chips...to start your compost pile...will be available to take home (by donation to benefit neighborhood gardening projects)Bring buckets or bags.

For non-composters:

Your non-fatty vegetarian kitchenscraps welcome in our yoga-studio garden pile.

Community Cleanup in Mountaindale
2-5 pm

Help Create Beauty where it's Really Needed: Weed, Prune, Divide Plants, and Mulch Together
in Our Community Effort in Back of the Former High School Learn Gardening tips from My Secret Gardener (that's me!)

Enjoy a special, radically relaxing floor-yoga class after
FREE to all Volunteers!

Sunday, May 1

Celebrate May Day in Mountaindale!
8:30-10 am

Yoga for Gardeners Create strength AND ease in hips and lower back with Anusara Principles of Alignment Intermediate Level.

Plant and Seed Exchange
10:15-11 am

Bring seeds and/or clumps of perennials and herbs to share. Take home what you can use.

Yoga Therapeutics for Gardeners
11:15-12:30

(Create ease in the hips and lower back with Anusara Yoga Universal Principles of Alignement)
ALL LEVELS WELCOME

 

 

Sullivan Renaissance Project Plans Coming Down Home Stretch...Input Still Being Accepted

 Greetings Residents:

As our plans for this years 2011 Renaissance Project get closer to submission, thought it a good idea to post the general outline of everything here on this blog.  If you have any questions, please give Sherwood a call at (845) 693-4513.  Deadline is fast approaching as everything has to be submitted to the Sullivan Renaissance folks no later than Wednesday March 23rd.

Mountaindale Community Development Project (MCDP) 2011 Sullivan Renaissance Project-Grant Proposal Information Sheet/Project Guide

Our goal in this years proposed project is multifaceted, and touches on some keystone areas of our community which need to be enhanced and better presented…our specific area, in which we will be making significant improvements, is the area known and identified as the “Mountaindale Rails too Trails” wherein we will be doing two large projects, and two smaller ones.

Sign enhancement and beautification of the Rails too Trails entrance-it is our goal here to improve upon work done in previous years by rearranging some of the landscaping elements (IE-moving a spruce), and adding additional elements to the area to enhance the pre-existing signage, and make the entrance to the Mountaindale Rails too Trails really stand out.  Existing flower boxes which were built and installed by the city of Fallsburg will be replanted, and additional landscaping elements added as more clearly delineated in drawing titled, “Rails To Trails Entrance.

With the first two hundred or so feet of Mountaindale’s Rails too Trails are several historical elements we wish to emphasis by incorporating them as a part of the bones of one large, and two smaller projects.  The first of these historical bones from days long gone is an original O&W Mounting Block…we will be clearly the ground around this old concrete block, adding some taller landscaping materials behind it, then letting the block itself act as a back drop for shorter bedding plants which will be arranged in front of it.

Our Third Project involves two O&W Railways elements…the first is an old O&W Battery box (40”x52”) which will be cleaned out and turned into a planter as a part of the larger part of this project.  The second O&W element here is the actual location…we will be working in what was the Mountaindale Siding where cars were placed for temporary storage and/or unloading…the lumberyard routinely had cars left there for a period of time to be unloaded, the goods moved over the rails and down to the lumber yard site located opposite the siding.

This area is going to be cleaned up significantly, and after prep work is completed (we have opened discussion with the town of Fallsburg to get help in grooming of this area, as well as in the task of brush removal)  we will be using (as much as possible) items from nature, and found goods (IE…four 55 gallon drums) to construct a sculptural interpretation of an old O&W Locomotive (said locomotive will be built at close to half scale).  Said sculptural element will bear a resemblance to the old number 33, which is significant in that said Locomotive and its train cars crashed at the exact location of our new train station here in town back in 1904.  Once the sculptural element is built, it will receive numerous landscaping additions as can be more fully understood in the drawing titled, “Montaindale Renaissance Main Project”.


One of the interesting goals of this project from an environmental stand point is our plan to use the 55 gallon drums used to recreate the steam producing section of the locomotive as a rain water collection and storage facility, thus allowing us to water much of the project with water collected from nature, rather than relying upon water carted in, or hosed in…we have made inquiries about the possibility of accessing water from the well/pump house which located across the road from the entrance to Rails Too Trails.


The last location we will be working with for 2011 is another O&W element located some 50 up the bike path from the locomotive and on the opposite side of the bike path.  It was one of the blocks used to mount up switching lights and the like.  We plan on placing barrels here, beautifying the area, and turning it into a collection point for both litter and recyclables that those using the trail are looking to dispose of.  We will be moving signage that is currently mounted to a tree to this area.  Three cans will be painted and labels and placed here for this purpose, holes drilled into the bottoms of said cans to allow rain water to train out. 

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center-Species Identification Resource
http://www.wildflower.org/collections/collection.php?collection=NY
Fiddle Head Creek
http://www.fiddleheadcreek.com/
Mountain Valley Growers
http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/mvv2-94.htm

Native Plants…Plants being considered:
What plants we will be considering too some degree will depend on A) Budgetary restraints as the project unfolds, B) changing light conditions as we clear out and thin the surrounding woodland area around the main project area.  It is our goal to include as much as possible native plants to our area…to accomplish this goal, some considerable time was spent looking for a fairly comprehensive list of plants native to our area, and the inventory list from Fiddle Head Creek (which specializes in native New York plants, as well as plants specific to the Adirondacks) provided us with a good model list from which to work from.   Said list is copied below, and where possible, selections from this list based upon availability from our local nurseries will be used in making our final plant selections, and as these native species are added into the project, our original plant list will be supplemented to reflect these more appropriate selections in the landscape plan.

Rails Too Trails Entrance…Plant Inventory

A) Ornamental/Native Grasses  (6)  The types chosen depend a lot of local availability.  Purple Moor Grass, Japanese Silver Grass (nice fall bloom), or Northern Sea Oats (seeds heads and bronze foliage provide excellent winter visual interest) would be varieties considered.  All three of these are multi-zone (4-8) grasses that would do well in our garden plans.

B)  Ornamental Tree (1) Considering the Eastern Red Bud.  It grows well in full sun, or in partial shade,  flourishes in zones 4-9, and provides multiple season eye appeal with it’s blooms in spring, and changing leaf colors.   George Washington spent a great deal of time uprooting this tree from the local forest to transplant into his garden if rumor is too be believed.

C)  Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) (2) These will flank either side of the currently existing sign located in the entrance area, chosen for their ability to draw in the hummingbirds which Mountaindale is so well known for, as well as acting as a magnet for butterflies.  This selection will act as a great anchor on either side of the sign, and should begin blooming about a month after the Eastern Red Bud has lost it’s spring blooms, thus providing an additional flowering element for the summer season, and bringing movement and sound into this area as the visitors arrive, or perhaps settle onto one of the two benches for a break before traveling further down the Rails Too Trails path.  This is a Zone 5 selection that will grow in full too partial sun, so is well selected for the area, and requires low maintenance once established.

D)  Dwarf Lilacs (2) This is supposedly a Zone 3 plant, however I have had very good luck in having them adapt too and florish in Zone 5 landscaping projects, including at my own home in Peekskill NY.  This selection is made for several reasons.  First, the bushes bloom at a young age, and the blooms are long lasting.  Secondly, the scent is a wonderful tease to the senses, and the leaves of this bush are very resistant to disease.  They do well in full sun, or partial shade, and once established do not have to be watered.

E)  Landscaping Stones (2) Maintenance free,  do well in sun or shade, and require no water.

F)  Iris (2 Clumps ) We are looking to get these donated through taking rhizomes of various varietals that people in the community are letting us pinch stock from.

G)  Wild flower seed mix…please seed seed mix particulars.

Mountaindale Renaissance  Main Project

A) Ornamental/Native Grasses  (6)  The types chosen depend a lot of local availability.  Purple Moor Grass, Japanese Silver Grass (nice fall bloom), or Northern Sea Oats (seeds heads and bronze foliage provide excellent winter visual interest) would be varieties considered.  All three of these are multi-zone (4-8) grasses that would do well in our garden plans.

B)  Ornamental Tree (3) Considering the Eastern Red Bud or Flowering Dogwood (white).  Both grow well in full sun, or in partial shade,  flourishes in zones 4-9, and provides multiple season eye appeal.

C)  Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) (3) These will flank either side of the currently existing sign located in the entrance area, chosen for their ability to draw in the hummingbirds which Mountaindale is so well known for, as well as acting as a magnet for butterflies.  This selection will act as a great anchor on either side of the sign, and should begin blooming about a month after the Eastern Red Bud has lost it’s spring blooms, thus providing an additional flowering element for the summer season, and bringing movement and sound into this area as the visitors arrive, or perhaps settle onto one of the two benches for a break before traveling further down the Rails Too Trails path.  This is a Zone 5 selection that will grow in full too partial sun, so is well selected for the area, and requires low maintenance once established.

D)  Dwarf Lilacs (3) This is supposedly a Zone 3 plant, however I have had very good luck in having them adapt too and florish in Zone 5 landscaping projects, including at my own home in Peekskill NY.  This selection is made for several reasons.  First, the bushes bloom at a young age, and the blooms are long lasting.  Secondly, the scent is a wonderful tease to the senses, and the leaves of this bush are very resistant to disease.  They do well in full sun, or partial shade, and once established do not have to be watered.

E)  Landscaping Stones (1) Maintenance free,  do well in sun or shade, and require no water.

F)  Iris (2 Clumps ) We are looking to get these donated through taking rhizomes of various varietals that people in the community are letting us pinch stock from.  These will be used to soften/naturalize as available.

G)  Azaleas (3)

H)  Morning Glory Seeds…using a mixed variety of seeds from commercial seed company…already in house.

I)  Black Eyed Susan (7)   A Biennial, the Black Eyed Susan requires almost no maintenance, grows well in full sun, or partial shade along a woodland edge.  Though the plant dies back every two years, the pollination/seed process should allow this to be an ever blooming source of pleasure in the garden area.


Historical Mounting Block  Bedding Project

A)  Ornamental/Native Grasses  (3)  The types chosen depend a lot of local availability.  Purple Moor Grass, Japanese Silver Grass (nice fall bloom), or Northern Sea Oats (seeds heads and bronze foliage provide excellent winter visual interest) would be varieties considered.  All three of these are multi-zone (4-8) grasses that would do well in our garden plans.

C)  Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) (3) These will flank either side of the currently existing sign located in the entrance area, chosen for their ability to draw in the hummingbirds which Mountaindale is so well known for, as well as acting as a magnet for butterflies.  This selection will act as a great anchor on either side of the sign, and should begin blooming about a month after the Eastern Red Bud has lost it’s spring blooms, thus providing an additional flowering element for the summer season, and bringing movement and sound into this area as the visitors arrive, or perhaps settle onto one of the two benches for a break before traveling further down the Rails Too Trails path.  This is a Zone 5 selection that will grow in full too partial sun, so is well selected for the area, and requires low maintenance once established.

Wild Flower Seed Mixtures

Deer Resistant Wildflower Seed Mix
Fast Facts:
 50/50 Perennial/Annual Mix
Deer Resistant
Suitable for planting in all 50 states
Coverage is 2000 Square Foot per pound…we have one pound.

Seed Mix Includes: 

Yarrow (perennial), Columbine (perennial), Bachelor Button/Cornflower (Annual), Godetia (annual), Lance Leaf Coreopsis (perennial), Fox Glove (biennial), Purple Coneflower (perennial), California Poppy (annual), Blanket Flower (perennial), Candytuft (perennial), Lupine (perennial), Forget Me Not (perennial), Black Eyed Susan (Annual-self seeding)

*note…we have secured adequate enough seeds to do multiple plantings through the spring and summer, which should allow us to STRETCH the bloom.

Burst of Bloom Wildflower Mix
 

Fast Facts:
50/50 Perennial/Annual Mix
Will tolerate full sun, or part sun environments
Plant in all 50 states
Seed Coverage is 500 Square Feet per ¼ Pound, and we have 1 ¼ pounds of this seed.

Seed Mix Includes: 

Dwarf Bachelor Buttons/Cornflowers (annual), Baby’s Breath (annual), Tall Cornflower/Bachelor Buttons (annual), Red Corn Poppy (annual), Lance Leaf Coreopsis (annual), Shirley Poppy (annual), Cosmos (annual-reseeds if lucky), California Poppy (annual), Blanket Flower (perennial), Black Eyed Susan (biennial) Wild Lupine (perennial), Purple Coneflower (perennial), Russell Lupine (perennial), Plains Coreopsis (annual), Siberian Wall Flower (biennial), Blue Flax (annual), Scarlet Flax (annual), Drummond Fhlox (annual),  Sulfur Orange Cosmos (annual), Gloriosa Daisy (perennial)

Morning Glory Seed Mix (for growing up into the train)
 

Fast Facts:
50/50 Perennial/Annual Mix
Full Sun or Partial Shade
Plant in all 50 states
Seed coverage is 500 square feet per ¼ and we have ¼ pound of seeds.


Site Prep Work

The areas to be worked on this year require some preparation work before the landscaping and construction work can begin on the site.

Woodland clean up and debris removal.  

As you look at the entrance to the Rails too Trail area, the road gracefully curves off to the right, with a track of woods that has a width of around 75 feet which fronts the road.  It is our goal and plan to work with the town of Fallsburg to clean up this woodland area to a depth of about 150 feet, taking down scrub trees, thinning the woods, and pulling out much of the dead fall, as well as human dumped junk such as abandoned chairs.   This will first provided a much more groomed look, and secondly by thinning the woods, and cleaning up the ground, more native woodland plants should thrive because of the increased filtered light making it’s way down to the woodland floor.

Entrance Area to Rails too Trails

Again, we will clean up and carry out brush and garbage removal in this area on both sides of the trail going into said trail about 150 foot on both sides giving it a more manicured look.

A spruce tree that is now about eight foot tall will be located further up from it’s current location by about ten feet, thus nestling said tree up against the corner of a pre-existing chain link fence.  The already placed planting containers will be repaired, and freshly painted.

Areas for new landscaping will be prepared.  Additionally, while we have equipment there, it is hoped that we can pre-stage some landscaping stones close to where they will be needed, thus allowing us to use a spud bar latter on to move them into their final positions.

Main Project Area

Again, clean up and junk tree removal is planned to make room for our sculptural element.  Additionally, we would like to grade the area a bit to make the installation and landscaping project for this area less problematic.

One thought is to take some of the dead wood from the clean up of woodland area, and create a large pile of wood by the train to look as if there had been fuel at the ready for the locomotive…especially since the history of  the O&W had the crews carrying with them the necessary tools to go out into the woods when necessary to find fuel to keep the trains running.

Community Buy In/Involvement and Inclusion

We so far have involved the community in various ways as we seek both support and buy in for this project.  There have been two meetings for all interested parties, both of these publicly notified in both the Mountaindale News Blog, and the Mountaindale Renaissance Project Blog.

Our first meeting was well attended, and several of the suggestions from that roundtable discussion have been implemented into our forward vision.

Additionally, numerous private discussions and mini-meetings have been held with our local business owners such as Radiant Yoga, Upstate Karate, Mountaindale Inn and others with support expressed from each of these sources.

We have also presented our plans to the local O&W Railway Historical Society, and they are behind our project, and have offered to lend whatever assistance they can…this help has already included providing us with historical photographs and plans of the locomotives we are going to be using to model our own project after.

We are in contact with a local runners group, the Girl Scouts and other organizations as we work to line our volunteers for this year’s project.   We have tentative commitments from two sources for work days that will involve the children of the local area, and are considering a fund raising project that would be catered to the talents and skill sets of our kids under 16.

The 2011 Sullivan Renaissance Centerpiece…Creation of a Sculptural Interpretation of Engine 33 which wrecked here in Mountaindale back in 1904 at the location of our new Train Station.

After doing some historical research on the subject, our goal is too build a representative sculptural installation piece which will resemble old Engine 33 inside the entrance to Mountaindale‘s Rails too Trails at the location of the old siding which used to hold cars waiting to be off loaded by the lumber yard.  The location was chosen for it’s historical significance to our community, and Engine Number 33 is being used as a model, as that is the Locomotive involved in a spectacular train accident back in 1904 at the location of our newly built train station.

The train sculpture will be approximately half scale, with a finished length of around 20-22 feet and a height of around six feet tall.  The basic sculptural element will be created using treated lumber, refurbished 30 and 55 gallon drums, and 6x6 landscaping timbers which will be used for structural stability.  Dead wood and other found materials will be used to begin adding and creating detail on the train.  Current plans envision bending and strapping together small green saplings to create the train’s wheels, and fallen birch limbs will be used to build the front cowl and the side iron pieces that drove the locomotive.  The back cab area will be built in such a fashion as to allow for locked storage for small tools, hoses and other maintenance items such as watering buckets.

Four barrels will be welded together to create the primary steam canister of the train…envisioning cutting slots of drilling holds into the tops of the barrels which would then allow us to catch/collect rain water that could then be pulled off from said barrels as a means to meeting at least a part of our watering needs.  Additional barrels strategically places will be used to store water that will be carted in, unless we are able to secure permission to tap into the well/spring building located across the street from these projects…efforts are now under way to secure said permissions.  If granted, hose would be used to water the gardens on and as needed basis.

Once the train is in place, the remainder of this garden will be bedded and landscaped with appropriate plantings.

Sullivan Renaissance Project-Meeting Update

First, a BIG THANKS to everyone who showed up last night for our first planning meeting for this years Sullivan Renaissance Project under the umbrella of Mountaindale Community Development Project, with a special thanks to Legislady Leni Binder who was a wealth of both information, and support for our vision for 2011. Want to also thank all the businesses here in town that had a presence at the meeting, including Diversified Realty Services, My Radiant Yoga, and our own Upstate Karate...as a small rural community, support from citizens, and our local Main Street business community is imperative to the success of these projects, so thank you very much everyone for showing up, contributing your ideas, asking questions, and being a part of this years project.

Group consensus was found, and we will be doing a three component project in the area of our Mountaindale entrance to "Rails to Trails" this year as a Category B grant applicant.

Part 1-clean up, re-staging, and improving the formal entrance to the trail, building upon the bones of the entrance to give it a more formalized crisp look. This project will include some new landscaping elements, and builds upon work our volunteers have carried out in previous years as we look to build upon past successes as we take a previous project, and elevate it to the next level.

Part 2- Just inside the entrance off to the left is one of the original concrete blocks belonging to the old O&W lines that would have been used as a mounting block for various kinds of equipment. At almost six feet in length, and over two feet in height, this piece of history is a perfect backdrop for a small multi-season perennial bed, and if fund allow, perhaps a flowering ornamental for a beautiful spring POP just inside the entrance to "Rails to Trails", as well as serve to draw the eye into the trail, where part 3 of our project will be installed.

Part 3-Just down from part two of this project is an old concrete switching box (complete with rusted out hinges) as well as an old siding where cars/locomotives would be parked just off the main track. Phase one of this project will be the cleaning up of, and grooming of a large area of the woods from the front entrance of the Rail's to Trails back to and including this siding area including and encompassing the Switch Box. The siding area and switch box will see a large landscaping statement which will include the construction of a Mock of of the old O&W number 70 locomotive.

These three projects incorporate several elements that make them a perfect selection for this years project. First, we are building upon projects from previous years, both upgrading existing projects, and expanding their footprint and visual appeal. Secondly, are the historical elements that will embrace and bring into our projects actual relics from this bygone era, giving them new life as significant parts of our landscaping project. Additionally will be two environmental aspects (at least) to this project that are exciting. First we will be adding cans (or if we can find them old barrels) into the project that will be used for litter control/recycling of the debris that those using the trail may need to dispose of. Secondly, the sculptural element of our main project (the train) is going to be built in such a fashion as to act as a water collection system, thus allowing us to meet some of our project's water needs through the collection of, and reuse of rainwater.

Today we took our first measurements of the project spots, and this weekend are planning on taking extensive project photographs, begin the task of laying out some of the design plans. If you have questions or suggestions at this stage, or would like to volunteer for this years projects, please email Sherwood (news@mountaindaleproject,org) or give him a call at (845) 693-4513