What happened to the Catskill Community Garden?

I received a call from Nancy Richards in mid September in which she told me the Town of Catskill was planning on paving over the area behind the Senior Center where the garden and the Open-Air Classroom were. The reason being that they could rent parking spaces to the Greene County workers for 5$ a day.
She  said she would keep me posted and that we'd probably have till mid November.

Then on September 24th I received another call from Nancy and that she found out we only  had till October 1st to remove everything. She was also a little dismayed since she was having a hard time getting any info on who was making these decisions.

I thought it was interesting since after our meeting we had on April 27th 2011, prior to our first day of building, the town of Catskill's only concern was that it didn't interfere with the Irving School Parking spaces which It didn't. The Spaces were over 30 yards away.
See Daily Mail Article

So what changed? Why was there no conversation with anyone from the Garden or Community?
How much does the paving cost and how many cars have to park there to break even with the money put in for  the paving? Why does Greene County employees need more parking. (They also have a giant lot on bridge st)
I look forward to finding out the details.

New Scarecrow Watches Over Garden

Thanks Julie Chase and The Catskill Community Center After School Program for  Creating this Great new Addition to the Community Garde

n

stone aged vehicle/gazeebo

Here's the flintstone car/shade structure as requested by Carol J. Be on the look-out for her version.

In the car is little Lea and Laura

Carmen Borgia sing songs of praise

Carol Johnson: Master Gardener

Solomen and Sarah weeding the bed

Some folks here for the Occupy the Landscape Walk

Open Air Class-room Poster

Poster Design: Cara Turett

Poster Design:Cara Turett

New Additions to the Open air Classroom

Greg and Emily sitting in their freshly built shade structure chair

The Info Board/ Collaborative drawing surface as proposed by Dina of the Thai restaraunt

Ernest Armstead EMT built this new bed in which he will utilize Food cans from the Senior Center. Watch and see how it develops. Photos taken by Christian Dautresme

Chairs, and Educational Plant Beds- Josh in the foreground, Brian in the Middle ground(orange shirt) Max, Miles and Cory in the background.

John Peters and his new Cedar slat chair

1st day of Fun

Pat and Dina taking break

First Day of Building

benches and beds Special Thanks to all those who came out and created the Space they wanted to see... Miles,Jessie,Brian,Langley,Pat,John,Emily, Greg,Cory,Eli,Josh,Josh, Carol,Danielle,Dina, Julie,Peter,Matt,Laura,Lea,Max,Miles,Allison,Pepper......

Article in the Daily Mail

Catamount creator wants to design park-like space at Community Garden

Posted: Thursday, April 26, 2012 1:00 am

Artist floats idea for ‘open-air classroom’ By Doron Tyler Antrim
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers registerstar.com | 0 comments

The Village of Catskill Board of Trustees heard this week from the creator of the Catamount People’s Museum on West Bridge Street about his amended plan for a second project.
Last fall, Matt Bua unveiled a proposal to create a hand-built fence around Catskill’s Community Garden, located on property owned by the Town of Catskill behind the Washington Irving Senior Center.

But that idea has been abandoned for the latest proposal, what is being dubbed the “open-air classroom.”            
The project site would be north of the garden.
“The open-air classroom will be created collaboratively by people from the community,” Bua says in literature handed out at the board’s meeting on Monday. “The purpose of the space will be to provide an open-air classroom for the garden as well as a public space to relax. If you like to build, design or enjoy public spaces, we need your help.”                                                                                                                             
Unlike the fence idea, the open-air classroom will not be a permanent installation.
Aspects of the proposal include creation of small shade structures, additional picnic tables, a user-friendly compost system, collaborative drawing surface and more raised beds for the garden.
Bua has talked with the Catskill Town Board about his proposal.
Garden Cleanup Day is Saturday, from 9 a.m. to noon.
Those interested in helping with the open-air classroom project can contact Bua at 917-291-7404 or Jessie Able at 518-943-4221.
The open-air classroom on the web: http://openaircatskill.blogspot.com/.

What Happened to the Catskill Skate Park?

BMX'er John Brown's You Tube Video
 showing the ramps and their construction

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1SkSamnTjo

files below given to this blog by Paul Dowd....

brainstorming session

Cob Bread Oven
Forts for Kids
Large Collaborative Drawing Surface
Long collaborative raised bed along the north boundary
Higher Deer Fence
Better composting system- Multi-Chamber
Swings
Space for 20-30 people to have a pot luck
Water Tasting Festival
Home Brew Fest
Stinging Nettle Fence
Plant Resource Library
Super Impose wood onto existing fence
More Garden beds

Where is the Catskill Community Garden?

THe open air classroom will be on the north side of the Marker "A"

Meeting March 24th at the Catskill Community Center

The open air classroom will be created
collaboratively by people from the community in May. This
space will be next to the Community Garden behind
the Senior Center. The purpose of the space will be
to provide an open-air classroom for the garden as
well as a public space to relax.
If you like to build, design or enjoy public spaces,
we need your help !
A meeting will be held at the Catskill Community Center Saturday March 24th at 4 pm for all those interested.

We are beginning to design, collect materials and
collaborate with one another on ideas.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE PART OF THIS COMMUNITY PROJECT or

have any questions,

PLEASE come to the meeting or CONTACT

MATT BUA @ 917-291-7404 or

JESSIE ABLE @ 518-943-4221 "This project made possible in part with public funds from the Decentralization Program of the NY State Council on the Arts, administered through the Community Arts Grants Program by the Greene County Council on the Arts.*