Hudson Valley Seed Library “Pack Art 2011” Featured at KMOCA in Kingston

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The Hudson Valley Seed Library is one of my favorite local businesses in the region – and they are about to show their new ‘pack art 2011’ at KMOCA in Kingston.

Hope you can make it –

Rebecca Martin

The Hudson Valley Seed Library strives to do two things – to create an accessible and affordable source of regionally-adapted seeds that is maintained by a community of caring farmers and gardeners; and, to create gift-quality seed packs featuring works designed by New York artists in order to celebrate the beauty of heirloom gardening.

In 2011, we expect to offer over 60 varieties of locally grown seed and around 100 varieties sourced from responsible seed houses. Most of our varieties are rooted in the history and soils of New York or are chosen because they do well here. Every year we plan on growing additional varieties on the Seed Library farm and contracting with organic and certified naturally grown farmers in the Hudson Valley and upstate New York to grow even more varieties.  By 2014, we aim to be 100% New York grown, though certain tricky biennials may be holdouts for a few years beyond.

At KMOCA (Kingston Museum of Contemporary  Arts), they will present “Pack Art 2011” – Original art from the Hudson Valley Seed Library.

Opening reception:
Saturday, November 6, 5-7pm.

Dreaming is an essential part of gardening in the Northeast. Throughout the winter, our dreams will hold the flavors, fragrances and beauties of the greener seasons. And the Hudson Valley Seed Library is here to help keep those dreams alive until springtime with “Pack Art 2011” at the Kingston Museum of Contemporary Arts.

“Pack Art 2011” is a an exhibit of original works commissioned by the Seed Library, which is known almost as well for their artistic seed packs as the seeds themselves. This year’s artists come from all over the Hudson Valley and New York City. Each artist interpreted one variety of herb, flower, or vegetable from the Seed Library’s catalog. Mediums include collage, encaustics, oil, watercolor, digital imagery, paper cutting, and ink. The diversity of the artworks reflects the wide variety of genetic wonders they represent.

16 different artists present works depicting such summer delights as Kaleidoscope Carrots, Velvet Queen Sunflowers, Ragged Jack Kale, State Fair Zinnias, and many more. This show marks the first time the Seed Library will be making available signed, limited edition prints of the original works in the show. Art Packs filled with seeds and framed seed packs will also be available.

“Pack Art 2011” continues at KMOCA through November 27th.

Hours: Saturdays, 12 to 4pm, or by appointment.

Kingston Museum of Contemporary Arts
103 Abeel Street, Kingston.

Community Forum Scheduled for November 4th

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Kingston Cares has organized a community forum at 721 Media on Thursday, November 4th at 6:00pm. All residents are asked to join them to learn of recent survey results, develop work groups and address serious neighborhood issues that include housing, community safety, beautification, substance use prevention, community perceptions and media and job and business development.

For more on this, contact Megan Weiss,  Project Coordinator at 845/331-1110.

A Farm Grows in Kingston

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By Rebecca Martin

Kingston Land Trust partners Diane Reeder (The Queens Galley) and Diane Davenport (Binnewater Ice)  approved the mission and business plan for turning the South Pine Street Garden into a ‘Farm’ under the stewardship of Farmer Jesica Clark.

Community outreach and a press release will be available in the coming months. In the meantime, Jesica will begin preparing the plot in it’s entirety to include erecting a fence, doing soil tests, bringing in compost and other augmentation and trimming/removing trees in preparation for planting in 2011.

A working mission, partnerships and collaboration and bio of Farmer Clark is below. The garden name will change to reflect the farm’s mission.

If you wish to make an early donation towards this project, you can do so through the Kingston Land Trust.



Those who worked to farm this location during the 2010 season should be directed to Jesica while she is devising a new system for the space. If anyone is interested in working with Jesica this fall please email her directly as well.   jesicaclark21@gmail.com

If you have any additional technical questions at this time, please feel free to contact the Kingston Land Trust  at rebecca@kingstonlandtrust.org or call their office:  845/877-5263.

This is exceptional news for the garden movement in the City of Kingston.

Mission

The South Pine Street Garden will serve as a model of urban agriculture for the city of Kingston and beyond.  A small scale market garden will show that agriculture can thrive in an urban environment and the site will be a place of learning as well as teaching for community organizations, businesses and schools.

Partnerships, Collaboration, Community

The garden and its growers will work in partnership with individuals and organizations in the community to achieve a garden and food based network.   Partnerships include: Binnewater Ice Company, The Queen’s Galley and the Operation Frontline Program, the community (*) and the Kingston Land Trust.

In particular, an extraordinary partnership between the garden and the upcoming restaurant “Rosemary” is planned wherein the garden would provide featured produce to this high profile, innovative Kingston restaurant and the garden would also serve as a learning space for the restaurant staff.

(*)  We will encourage members of the community to participate in the garden through volunteerism, workshops and organized garden “work and play” parties.

Farmer Jesica Clark Bio

Jesica Clark has worked in farming and small scale agriculture for eight years.  She has organized community gardens, managed a small diversified farm in the Hudson Valley and worked for several for-profit as well as not-for-profit, educational farms.  Having grown up in New York City and apprenticed in central Pennsylvania, she has experience in both urban culture and rural living. She is comfortable working with all members of a community and feels that good food is integral not only to physical health but also to social health.

Cast an Educated Vote on November 2nd, 2010. Here’s How.

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By Rebecca Martin

Last week, I poked around in search of a list of all the candidates running for office this election cycle to share on KingstonCitizens.org.  What I learned was how difficult (and that day impossible) it was to find – and with only 1 1/2 weeks away from an important election.

Once, the League of Women Voters provided an impressive run down  of all of the candidates and their platforms. Also included were candidate questions and answers as well as a thorough text of each candidates past record to help citizens be better informed. Where was it?

Sure, I could have put together a list of each individual candidates websites.  But a one sided point of view wasn’t going to help you in your decision making process.  In some circles, voters are told to ‘vote across the line’. All that is is a party tactic that encourages voters to not be educated ones,  further diminishing the process.

I came across the phone number of Dare Thompson (what a great name, yes?), the president of the League of Women Voters and decided to call her to see what I could find out.  Luckily, she was home – and we had a wonderful discussion.  Dare was surprised that the ballot that once existed on the Ulster County Board of  Elections  site was not working correctly. When we finished our conversation,  she contacted them immediately and was able to work with them to straighten it out.  No one had caught that error until that moment. What does that tell you?

It’s repaired now, and you can easily access the names of everyone running on the ballot. The process here does ask that the resident do some investigative work, and there is still time to do it. Research the names on the ballot. Not only the candidates you are not familiar with, but those that you think you know as well.

Here’s how:

1. Visit – http://www.co.ulster.ny.us/elections/

2. Click on “Look up your polling site and view a sample ballot”

3. Put in your zip code, street number and street name.

4. You’ll be taken to a page where you’ll find all important voting details.  Look for the ‘Sample Ballot’ box on the left hand side and “click here” to see a sample ballot. The list of candidates you will have to choose from are there. Print this out, and do some research while there is a little time left.

If you have any additional tips for readings in finding good information, please include it in the comment section of this post.

Be on the look out for an interview with Dare Thompson on KingstonCitizens.org shortly…


Strike the Pike?

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This is an interesting development.

Sometime back, I learned of what  I believe to be a $1.3 million dollar amount  (in state/federal funding that has grown since) slated to be used to restore and upgrade the current Pike Plan located in Uptown, Kingston.  This sort of ‘canopy’ was popular in and around the 1970’s, when Main Streets were looking for ways to compete with the fairly new “mall mentality”.

Today, Kingston’s Pike Plan is seen by many as nothing more than an idea that didn’t stand the test of time and is now backfiring. Its canopy covers both sides of Wall Street’s sidewalks between John and North Front, and creates a dark and decayed feeling that many feel is hurting what business we have in the Uptown area.

Those in support of the development say that the Pike Plan is ‘historic’ and worth preserving.  The Uptown area where it is located is deemed historic, it is true. But there is nothing historic about the Pike Plan.  Furthermore, I have been told that the canopy is one of the last (if not the last) left in the Country.   That might seem like a good thing, except the reasons they were torn down to begin with was mainly due to their being a deterrent to foot traffic and to business in general.

I learned that the ever impressive KURA (the Kingston Uptown Resident Association) has serious reservations of this project moving forward.  The letter was written to the Mayor by Gerard T. Soldner, President of KURA.  His findings are significant.

I wish those who are so keen on this project might have had the same enthusiasm for saving what was truly historic – the old Trolley Barn on Broadway and W. Chester Street. Their lack of vision now provides residents with another drug store chain. The third within a one mile radius.

Are those at the helm  following the money, or are they doing what’s right by the uptown  residents, businesses and citizens of Kingston overall?

I’m not so certain. But what do I know?

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Since this was posted, we made a few changes to it by adding a ‘visual’ of the letter written by KURA. We expect to also include the petition of businesses and building owners concerned with the current Pike Plan effort.

Some additional reading in no particular order. More to come:

– Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters – Ulster Publishing
– Pike Plot, The Hudson Valley Chronic
– KUBAs Pike Plan Meeting – Neighborhood Watch
– RUPCO: More than a Roof Overhead

Bluestone Festival A Success!

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Congrats to the organizers of the Bluestone Festival for a successful year!  With little to no budget, they pulled it off in 2010 without a hitch, and beautifully so.

Special thanks to the Maritime Museum and all of the performers and presenters that gave their time and talents that day.

Read about it here by following this LINK

Rally For The Galley!

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WBPM 92.9 annual Rally for the Galley radiothon continues today, Saturday October 2nd. Now is an important time to make a donation to support the Queens Galley.

The radiothon live broadcast is being held at the verizon wireless store
on rte 9w in Kingston with electric morning show hosts Jack Hammer and Andre Kane and Randy Turner with many special guests.

Make a donation by following this LINK

“Leave It On The Lawn, Kingston!” Initiative Marks Its Second Season in 2010

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Kingston resident Kate Lawson leads by example.

“Leave It On The Lawn, Kingston!” initiative continues for a second year in the City of Kingston.

The City of Kingston’s Mayor James Sottile, DPW Superintendent Michael Schupp and The Kingston Land Trust hope to save Kingston citizen’s tax dollars for a second year by encouraging residents to mulch their leaf landscape waste.

KINGSTON – With the recent passing of a mandatory leaf bagging law in the city of Kingston, public officials in connection with the Kingston Land Trust are asking residents to “Leave It On The Lawn, Kingston!” for a second fall season. The federal program that was initiated locally hopes to save citizen’s tax dollars by asking them to ‘help Kingston help itself’.

“Mulching leaves takes a serious waste disposal problem and stops it at its source,” says Rebecca Martin, Executive Director of the Kingston Land Trust.  “Additionally, it takes 1/4 of a persons time rather than bagging them, avoids all municipal collection costs and provides valuable plant nutrients stored in leaves throughout the season to fertilize lawns and gardens naturally.”

A helpful brochure will be available at the city of Kingston’s Clerks office, Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Kingston Land Trust offices after October 10th about the program.  To learn more on the initiative online, visit the city of Kingston’s website or contact Rebecca Martin, Executive Director of the Kingston Land Trust at 845/877-LAND (5263) or rebecca@kingstonlandtrust.org

Brother, Can You Spare Some Blood?

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The BEAHIVE of Kingston is sponsoring a blood drive next Tuesday, September 28th in uptown, Kingston. They need a few more sign-ups in order for the drive to not be canceled. Can you help?

Every 3 seconds someone needs blood and every day 2000 pints are needed in area hospitals.

To schedule an appointment, contact Kerri: kk@companykmedia.com or 845/797-3443.

Thanks Scott Tillitt, Kerri Karvetski and Amara Projansky for pulling this together.

To learn more on the BEAHIVE, visit this LINK

Common Sense: Open Arms to the Film Industry in the City of Kingston

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By Rebecca Martin

Come on city officials. It’s one thing to have a lack of ideas on how to create jobs in the area, specificially in the city of Kingston. It’s a whole other ball of wax to be potentially chasing away the lucrative film industry from coming to set up shop here. Good grief.

Lets get real about our budget woes. It’s a tricky, inflated pandoras box not because of the growing costs of city services. It’s due to unrealistic contracts and pensions. So collecting a few thousand dollars from a film production company who stands to pour tens of thousands into our local economy (not to mention a good amount of free press) doesn’t make any sense what-so-ever.

In today’s Daily Freeman, the always sensible Ward 9 Alderman Hayes Clement is quoted as saying, “By all means, continue to charge, as the city has, for all direct costs associated with film shoots, such as police or other municipal workers. But beyond that, we should be looking at local film producation as an opportunity to market Kingston and develop a new local industry, not as an opportunity to generate fees for City Hall”.

You can count on me being at the front of the line to speak in support of welcoming film production to Kingston. I’m sure there will be dozens of others who will be happy to speak in favor as well.

That IBM chip on our shoulder has got to soften. Those days are over, and Kingson better get with the program to reinvent itself if it wishes to be successful and competitive. We sit in an opportune position right smack dab in the middle of New York City and Albany. It’s a bedroom community waiting to happen if I’ve ever seen one.

Cool Communication – The Town of Ulster

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Have you checked out how impressive the Town of Ulster’s website is?  They’ve created a site that is easy and clear in its design and navigaton, making it simple to get important, up-to-date information. It offers timely agendas and minutes from each meeting and you can subscribe to the site and receive frequent updates on the weeks meetings/events/public hearings.

Check it out: Town of Ulster Website

Kudos to the Supervisor and his crew. 

City of Kingston, let’s follow their lead here. How hard can it be?

A Call For Citizen Input: Redesigning the I-587 & Albany Avenue Intersection

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The Ulster County Planning Board is seeking citizen participation. Here’s the scoop:

The focus of this meeting is to hear from you about improving the intersection at I-587 and Albany Avenue/Broadway to help traffic flow, maximize safety, and enhance this vital gateway to the city.

The objective of this public meeting will be to gather ideas and issues from the community in order to form a vision for a plan for intersection improvements. Part of this meeting will be a “hands-on” interactive workshop to collect ideas from the public for further evaluation by the study team. We want to hear from the community to target key areas of concern in this intersection study area.

Date: Tuesday, September 28th, 2010
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Place: First Baptist Church
77 Albany Avenue

* Can’t attend the meeting? Take the on-line SURVEY.
* Visit the UCPB web page and learn more about this project LINK