New Ideas, New Beginnings, A New Newburgh

The Lightbulb Project- Success!

2013-06-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

All 52 Light bulbs placed around the City of Newburg are on this unofficial list, but if you are looking for these light bulbs over the course of the next week, some light bulbs may have been moved to different locations.

Watch who's looking at this light bulb
(daylight hours work best when viewing)

#1 - #14 Washington's Headquarters:

13 light bulbs within the park
1 light bulb at the Grand Street Entrance

#15 - #20 Liberty Street:

The Wherehouse: 119 Liberty St. (two light bulbs)
Mrs. Max Boutique: 101 Liberty St
Jenny's Floral Design; 85 Liberty Street
The Vinyl Resting Place: 113 Liberty St.
Design By Sue: 128 Liberty St.

#21 - #34 Broadway:

Center divider near City Hall
Healing Arts Studio: 75 Broadway
El Solar Café: 346 Broadway
DMU Music: 86 Broadway
Mesh Realty: 79 Broadway
Anna's Restaurant: 491 Broadway
Commodore Chocolatier: 482 Broadway
Broadway Tailor: 281 Broadway
Sofokles Tax Service: 450 Broadway (two light bulbs)
Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum: 94 Broadway
Newburgh City Hall: 83 Broadway
Ritz Theater: 107 Broadway (two light bulbs)

#35 - #38 Grand Street:

Newburgh Art Supply: 5 Grand St. (three light bulbs)
Newburgh Free Library: 124 Grand St

#39 - #40 Front Street:

Downing Film Center: 19 Front St.
Captain Jake's: 40 Front St

#41 - #42 Montgomery Street:

David Crawford House: 189 Montgomery St
Edison Power Plant: Montgomery St

#43 Ann Street:

Ann Street Gallery: 104 Ann St

#44 - #50 Downing Park:

7 light bulbs in the vicinity of the festivities

#51 Bay View Terrace

#52 188 Liberty: 188 Liberty Street

Light bulbs to be found: 0

Thank you to all the artists who participated, Gerardo Castro for curating, and Newburgh Art Supply.

The Lightbulb Project- So Close

2013-06-22T22:33:00.002-07:00

Almost all have been spotted, the unofficial updated list only 3 light bulbs shy:

Washington's Headquarters:

13 light bulbs within the park
1 light bulb at the Grand Street Entrance

Liberty Street: 6 light bulbs

The Wherehouse: 119 Liberty St. (two light bulbs)
Mrs. Max Boutique: 101 Liberty St
Jenny's Floral Design; 85 Liberty Street
The Vinyl Resting Place: 113 Liberty St.
Design By Sue: 128 Liberty St.

Broadway: 14 light bulbs

Center divider near City Hall
Healing Arts Studio: 75 Broadway
El Solar Café: 346 Broadway
DMU Music: 86 Broadway
Mesh Realty: 79 Broadway
Anna's Restaurant: 491 Broadway
Commodore Chocolatier: 482 Broadway
Broadway Tailor: 281 Broadway
Sofokles Tax Service: 450 Broadway (two light bulbs)
Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum: 94 Broadway
Newburgh City Hall: 83 Broadway
Ritz Theater: 107 Broadway (two light bulbs)

Grand Street: 4 light bulbs
Newburgh Art Supply: 5 Grand St. (three light bulbs)
Newburgh Free Library: 124 Grand St

Front Street: 2 light bulbs

Downing Film Center: 19 Front St.
Captain Jake's: 40 Front St

Montgomery Street: 2 light bulbs

David Crawford House: 189 Montgomery St
Edison Power Plant: Montgomery St

Ann Street: 1 light bulb

Ann Street Gallery: 104 Ann St

Downing Park: 6 light bulbs in the vicinity of the festivities

Light bulbs to be found:
1 2 3 ~~4 5 6~~ ~~7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14~~ 15 16 ~~17 18~~ ~~19 20~~ ~~21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28~~ 29 ~~30 31 32 33~~ ~~34 35 36 37~~ ~~38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50~~ ~~51 52~~

The Lightbulb Project- Getting Closer

2013-06-21T22:05:00.002-07:00

Light bulbs are still appearing around the City, my unofficial updated list (still more to come):

Washington's Headquarters: 13 light bulbs
Liberty Street: 6 light bulbs

The Wherehouse: 119 Liberty St. (two light bulbs)
Mrs. Max Boutique: 101 Liberty St
Jenny's Floral Design; 85 Liberty Street
The Vinyl Resting Place: 113 Liberty St.
Design By Sue: 128 Liberty St.

Broadway: 14 light bulbs

Center divider near City Hall
Healing Arts Studio: 75 Broadway
El Solar Café: 346 Broadway
DMU Music: 86 Broadway
Mesh Realty: 79 Broadway

Anna's Restaurant: 491 Broadway
Commodore Chocolatier: 482 Broadway
Broadway Tailor: 281 Broadway
Sofokles Tax Service: 450 Broadway (two light bulbs)

Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum: 94 Broadway
Newburgh City Hall: 83 Broadway
Ritz Theater: 107 Broadway (two light bulbs)

Grand Street: 4 light bulbs

Newburgh Art Supply: 5 Grand St. (three light bulbs)
Newburgh Free Library: 124 Grand St

Front Street: 2 light bulbs

Downing Film Center: 19 Front St.

Captain Jake's: 40 Front St

Montgomery Street: 1 light bulb

David Crawford House: 189 Montgomery St

Ann Street: 1 light bulb

Ann Street Gallery: 104 Ann St

Light bulbs to be found:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ~~11 12 13 14~~ 15 16 ~~17 18~~ ~~19 20~~ ~~21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28~~ 29 ~~30 31 32 33~~ ~~34 35 36 37~~ ~~38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50~~ ~~51 52~~

The Lightbulb Project- The Search Continues

2013-06-20T07:54:00.002-07:00

More light bulbs are appearing around Newburgh, and so far, I've found about half of them. There is such a range in style and mediums used and even in the subjects the artists chose to create.

My unofficial list (so far):

Washington's Headquarters: 13 light bulbs

Liberty Street: 6 light bulbs

The Wherehouse: 119 Liberty St. (two light bulbs)
Mrs. Max Boutique: 101 Liberty St
Jenny's Floral Design; 85 Liberty Street
The Vinyl Resting Place: 113 Liberty St.
Design By Sue: 128 Liberty St.

Broadway: 4 light bulbs

Center divider near City Hall
Healing Arts Studio: 75 Broadway
El Solar Café: 346 Broadway
DMU Music: 86 Broadway

Grand Street: 1 light bulb

Newburgh Art Supply: 5 Grand St.
Newburgh Free Library: 124 Grand St

Light bulbs to be found:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 ~~30 31 32 33~~ ~~34 35 36 37~~ ~~38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50~~ ~~51 52~~

The Lightbulb Project- First Glimpse

2013-06-18T14:58:00.000-07:00

Fifty-two artists created fifty-two 'light bulbs", each being four-foot tall (one actually measure in at six feet) outlines of light bulbs, each being uniquely designed. These light bulbs have been sponsored by various people or businesses and are appearing throughout the city. In no particular order, aside from the order I come across them, these are the locations where light bulbs are to be found:

Two light bulbs, sponsored and displayed at The Wherehouse ( 119 Liberty Street)

Light bulbs by
Amanda J. Light (left) and Amanda Holt McDowell (right)

Artist: Amanda Holt McDowell
"My love of Newburgh, History, Rabbits and most importantly my very talented Mother (who collaborated with me on this project) are my inspirations for my LightBulb Project. I’m excited to be participating with artists so passionate about Newburgh and the arts.

Artist: Amanda J. Light
"My artwork is a map, marking epiphanies and periods of feeling throughout my experience. Art is also my chosen method of communication, a visual common ground for others on the same journey to relate to and perhaps find answers, or questions, in their own lives."

Light bulbs to be found:
~~1 2~~ 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52

Thank you to all the artists who participated,
Gerardo Castro for curating, and Newburgh Art Supply.

If you've spotted light bulbs, let me know where!

There Are Differences

2013-04-28T02:54:00.001-07:00

It's about 4AM and something has been eating away at me the past few hours... This is one of those moments I need to vent or even come across as being preachy, and I want to apologize for that up front.

Everyone has an opinion as to why Newburgh is the way it is, and you could probably rattle off a dozen reasons why without giving it more than a second's thought. The reason that irks me most is the one about the landlords. Not so much that it's about landlords, but that all landlords seem to get lumped together. I hate the term "landlord"; to me it implies a feeling of superiority and we are no longer living in feudal times, but I yet to come across a word or name that has softer sound to it.

Often, Newburgh's issues are blamed on landlords, and the term slumlords comes up constantly. I know a lot of the places are below the standards of living that most of us are used to, and that term should apply, but not all landlords attribute to that issue. I like to think we are one of the good ones, and I get the impression from my tenants that we are, and I think a couple of tenants would attest to that. One tenant sent me a letter not to long ago, which she closed with the words "I love you guys", and another tenant just mentioned she couldn't ask for better landlords.

I know we are not perfect, like we will not be up there that same day when a toilet keeps running or a faucet is developing a small drip, but we are close enough to the place and are there as soon as we get a call that the fire alarms go off at 2AM (which fortunately was no apparent reason; we suspect it was either an electric surge or batteries needing to be replaced) or when an old gas line collapses from the street side, and Central Hudson has to replace the main feed. I don't use a management company because I want to know exactly what's going on in my place and want to make sure things are taken care of in the right way and are not just quick fixes. Things are always in need of repair, floors take no time to get deep gouges in them, relatively new appliances break. The thing is I buy the same sort of things for the house I live in , the only difference is things seem to hold up a lot longer at home. I know its not a matter of quality of items purchased, but how they are cared for, or how they are abused.

You also have to wonder if expectations on either side are unreasonable since any place/property can always use some sort of improvement, but at times you have to look at what necessary as opposed to what you would like to do. One example of an "I'd like to do" is put in a slop sink in the laundry area and mount cabinets in there so the tenants can keep some of there supplies there instead of having to carry them back and forth, but I know that will not be happening in the near future. As you read this though, keep in mind the laundry area was also an "I'd like to do" which I was able to get done. I recall reading something, somewhere, some time ago, about a place in Newburgh being substandard, with the person giving the reason of the bathroom not having soap dishes or toothbrush holders. I intentionally opt not to put these sorts of things in, but that is a matter of personal preference, not necessity.

Landlords have the reputation as being in it only for the money, and even though we got the place thinking it was an investment, I tend to let an apartment sit empty and tend to turn a prospective tenant away for various reasons rather than have them there so I don't lose a month's rent. In my entire time here, this is the first one year stretch where I have everything rented, but even saying that doesn't give a true picture. I have everything rented, but it doesn't mean I'm getting full rent. One tenant had gotten laid off last year and wasn't able to pay her rent. This tenant keeps her apartment impeccably clean and keeps everything nice, and tenants like this are hard to come across in the area, because the neighborhood is hard to sell. She was straightforward with me; she told me as soon as it happened rather than play games and make excuses as to why the rent was late when the time came. My response was that I'd work with her, but I needed to see something. No set figures put out there, and she's been paying what she can. She just recently caught up through December, thanks to a tax refund, without my asking for money, and I have no intention of starting any eviction processes at this time due to being four months behind. Maybe that will dispel the idea that all landlords are heartless and in it only for the money.

Another issue that comes up is that landlords charge an exorbitant amount of rent and just sit back and collect their money. I was recently watching a city council meeting where someone mentioned how reasonable housing was not available in the area, but the person who spoke just before him had mentioned how he owned a number of building in Newburgh and that a good number of them paid less than $250 a month in rent. He mentioned specific numbers, but I couldn't those figures escape me now. What irked me about this person who said there was no reasonable housing is that he said something along the lines landlords pick up buildings for a penny at auctions and then charge $1,000 a month for rent. When I heard the guy say this, I wanted to jump up and yell "then why don't you buy one and never have to pay rent again."

No one gets a building of a penny. First of all bidding never starts that low, and you are never the only one at an auction bidding on a property. The thing to keep in mind with City auctions is they are primarily properties foreclosed on due to delinquent taxes, and in addition to the bid price, you have to pay back taxes on the property as well. Aside from the auction price and back taxes, most of these buildings need serious work. My place was a shell, and I had to purchase everything you'd need to build a house, expect for the exterior brick, but even then, I had to buy some bricks too. Even if the property went for a penny add the back taxes, add the cost of building a "new" house to that, and then you have a starting point of that the building really costs. Even if you didn't' have to do a single thing to get the property up to code, there is the ongoing cost of current taxes, utilities (although apartments have their own meter in my place, there is a good amount of common area, such as the laundry area and machines, at least a dozen light fixtures throughout, exterior and safety lighting, heating for the hallways and common areas), water, sewer, sanitation, insurance, and other costs here and there for maintenance.

It's almost 6AM and starting to get light out. I think I've done enough ranting for now... time to get an hour of two of sleep.

A Taxing Situation

2012-05-10T16:34:00.002-07:00

"If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all".

With that being said, there are several posts that I write, but never publish. I wrote this about two years ago to the day, but note, the nice part comes at the end.

Being that my building was a burnout, everything in it is new. In the process of renovating everything, I had a vision in my head as to how I wanted the finished product to look. I can't say the rehab was high end, but we didn't skimp either. There are hardwood floors in every room, porcelain tile in the bathrooms, decorative light fixtures, ceiling fans and recessed lighting generously placed everywhere, stainless steel alliances and full wood cabinetry in the kitchens, full paned windows, mosaic tile in the entryway, and so on...

Days when my taxes were almost non-existent

In researching another property in the vicinity, I was reviewing the tax roster for that building. Out of curiosity, I looked at my place, and found I was the second highest assessed property on the street, the only one higher being a building that had twice as many units, and its taxes being only slightly higher than mine.

I'm not trying to shirk my responsibility to pay taxes or dispute the fact that the City needs the revenue, but my reward for making my building as nice as I could is being charged more than anyone on the block, while other buildings reap the reward of their lesser taxes by doing as little as possible to improve anything. If the City wants to preserve their historic district and wants people to make improvements, they need to come up with a better way to determine how taxes are assessed. Sure, the value of the building is the main driver, but there should be other factors that either help moderate amount you're paying or reward you for improvements. For example, when filing income taxes, I can deduct expenses I incurred in making the improvements, and something similar should be imposed when the school and property taxes are calculated.

The assessed value of the property should remain in line with the market value, but there should be some sort of rebates or discounts offered to encourage improvements, like discounting the taxes due a fraction of a percent for every so many dollars you reinvest in the property.

Now for the nice part. With ideas buzzing around in my head again, I called the tax assessor about a particular property, to see what would be the final impact of a project I have in mind. Talking to her, she mentioned a 444A Historic Real Property Alternation or Rehabilitation Exemption. Basically, you do not get taxed on the improvements you do for ten years, but note the percentage of what you don't get taxed on decreases over the ten years. This gives you a chance to be rewarded for the effort, and even helps you ease into those higher taxes without going into shock. It even buys you time to get things in order before you get that big tax bill.

The form is even linked onto the City's website (along with a number of other exemption forms), so there was no need to jump through hoops in order to find it. Even the phone call was painless- I called the number that was posted on the city's website, Joanne Majewski (the assessor) answered the phone herself on my first try. No voice mail, no pressing ## to reach so-and-so, no holding on, as we've so come to expect when dealing with official agencies. I know, saying that last part wasn't nice.

It was only adopted by the city a couple of years ago, so unfortunately, it can't help me with my prior project and my current taxes, but it definitely helps making a new one much more tempting!

It's Illuminating

2012-05-09T04:24:00.001-07:00

Last night, I had a chance to hear about ideas for Newburgh Illuminated, a three day festival, scheduled for June 21-23, 2013. Even though the event is more than a year away, ideas are in abundance. Those ideas reflect many aspects of Newburgh's history and culture, and initial plans are to have events throughout the city, in places like (in no particular order) Washington's Headquarters, the Waterfront, Downing Park, and too many more places to mention. The assortment of venues being considered include different music genres, arts, historical information presented in fun and interesting ways, and plenty of activities for the kids.

The Hudson River being a part of this celebration goes without saying, and what would a festival titled "Newburgh Illuminated" be without paying homage to Thomas Edison?

See more on the image below in "New Light for Newburgh and for the Nation".

New Light for Newburgh and for the Nation

A Picture Perfect Dinner

2011-06-23T20:31:00.000-07:00

Last night, with weather being hot, muggy and at times wet, it wasn’t an ideal night to be outside, but at the same time I didn’t want to stay home. Having one of my urges to try something new, I went to a dinner fundraiser at the old train station.

The Railroad Playhouse (at the old West Shore Station; 27 South Water St.) hosted the spaghetti and meatball dinner fundraiser to benefit Northeast Gateway to Freedom (104 Broadway) in support their Newburgh Kidz Summer Initiative, a free program for kids (1^st through 12^th grade) in the city of Newburgh.

It didn’t matter that I was by myself and didn’t know a single person in the place. I tend to occupy myself by taking pictures, and as soon as my camera came out, that broke the ice. Kwajae, one of the Kidz at my table noticed its size and was eager to try it. I took out a point and shoot camera for the sake of simplicity, asked him if he wanted to take some pictures for me, gave him a quick rundown on the camera (push this button, hold it from the sides because of the touch screen, and be careful where your fingers are not to block the lens) and sent him on his way, with the instructions simply to take pictures of anything in the room that looked interesting. Not wanting to be left out, his cousin Khalil was just as eager to try the camera, we went through the routine again, and off he went working his way around the room. Before I knew it, I had two miniature photographers taking pictures for me, and that set the tone for an entertaining evening; the entertainment not just being the people on stage.

On stage entertainment included inspirational songs sung by Pastor Rosey and Vinnie, keyboard playing (sorry, I didn't get a name, but if anyone knows, please let me know!), and a violin solo by Moline.

Kidz were called on stage at times and recited short biblical verses. When Kwajae was called up, he suddenly turned shy and didn’t want to go. He had still wanted to try the big camera, so I made him an offer- if he went on stage, he could use the camera after. Up to the stage he went, quickly doing his thing while trying to hide behind his hand. As soon as he was done, on we went to take pictures with the big camera, with his cousin wanting to do the same thing too.

All the while food was being served by attentive servers. Dinner included the obvious spaghetti and meatballs, that being the dinner theme, as well as salad, pizza, breads, beverages, and a myriad of desserts to choose from (including homemade Italian Ices from Simple Gifts and Goodies). In addition, raffles were taking place throughout the course of the evening, with a wide assortment of prizes being given away.

The dinner was prepared by TheWherehouse (119 Liberty Street) and Simple Gifts and Goodies (19 Liberty Street). Panera Bread (1278 Route 300) and the Pizza Shop at the Railroad Playhouse (27 South Water Street) contributed to the meal.

Collaborators included American Cleaning, Baptist Temple, Minard Farms, Guardian Self Storage, Bon Ton, Aglow International, Dutch Sheets Ministries, Hudson Valley Christian Church, ARC, Stairway Ministries, Triumph Textile & Knitting, His Table Ministries, Simple Gifts & Goodies, Adams, Natures Pantry, Mother Earth, Shop Rite, A & P, Panera Bread, Skonberg Family Chiropractic Care, Windsor Dental, Pine Hill Farm, Clegg Bros, Stewarts, Cornwall Presbyterian, Soho Two, ADR Bulbs, Sorbello Landscaping, Star Quality Painting, Thomas O Miller, Sullivan County Correctional Facility, StewartsShops, Price Chopper, City of Newburgh, Little Sisters of the Assumption, Elozua Studies and Morehead Honda.

City Sidewalks

2011-01-05T08:41:00.000-08:00

When it came around to doing the sidewalk in front of the house, many options came to mind. Being that it was a brick building, the first thing that popped into mind was a brick walkway, perhaps in a herringbone pattern, but matching old bricks get tricky, not to mention what vintage bricks cost. Another thought was cobblestone, but there was nothing style-wise to tie the cobblestone to. Looking up and down the block, I saw mostly uneven blacktop. Even if it formed a consistent look along the street, I couldn't picture asphalt sidewalks 100 years ago, so I refused to have anything blacktopped .

Considering form, function, and budget, we laid a cement sidewalk. Cement was the most durable option we had being that slate or stone is more susceptible to the elements and traffic. If they are not cemented in place, water (snow or rain) seeps in in the colder months, that water freezes, slowly dislodges the stones over time. If the stones are cemented into place, the mortar tends to wear away and then you still have the problem of the stones being displaced.High foot traffic also displaces these walkways over time. The biggest factor we considered was what was the best when it came time to start shoveling snow off of the sidewalk.

As a small compromise to having a cement sidewalk, we stenciled a brick border around the sidewalk. It wasn't the bricks I wanted, I had even considered inlaying real bricks for the border, but another thing working against us was the seasons changing. It was late fall when we were finally done with anything that had to run underground from the street to the building, and wanted to get the sidewalk in before winter hit.

Laying the sidewalk took a day. With as much cement as we needed we had a truck deliver premixed cement, we'd spend less time and money just going with the cement delivery, not to mention a cement truck is better equipped and has more control than if you were trying to mix it yourself..

As the sidewalk was done and we were roping off the sections of fresh cement, I was wondering if the smooth finish would survive the night, wondering if I'd find names, drawings or who knows what etched into the cement the next morning. I'm happy to say that nothing was disturbed overnight, and the sidewalk had set just as we left it.

Christmas in the City

2010-12-25T09:03:00.000-08:00

New Things Coming

2010-12-10T14:34:00.000-08:00

With less than a month in 2010 remaining, focus is starting to shift to the new year, while thinking about what took place as this year flew by. For more the past month, I've been meaning to mention the final Ann Street Market of the season, but time just keeps escaping me.

Held October 30th, I saw promising things coming Newburgh's way. Along with live music and flea market types of finds, there were several somewhat new businesses participating, and this was another great chance to meet people who can see all the potential in the area. Offerings ranged from health screenings and educational services, to tasty sweets and treats. Being Halloween weekend, tons of candy was readily available for both the kids and those young at heart to get a head start on their Halloween treats.

Dr. Erik Brower, of Innate Chiropractic, (located in the Target Shopping Plaza at 52 Rt 17K), was providing free neurological diagnostic tests, utilizing rolling thermography and Static EMG (electromyography), which allows him to see exactly where problem areas are. Growing up in the Mid-Hudson Valley, graduating from Life University located in Marietta, GA, his choice to open his new practice in Newburgh came from multiple reasons. "After gaining the experience I needed to start my own practice, I began searching the entire country and abroad for the perfect location. I had thought I had the location for me; several websites such as findyourspot.com pointed me to the same location outside of San Francisco, CA. I visited this area 3 times, had a real-estate agent helping me find the ideal commercial building for my dream practice. It was my third trip out to California when I realized I was making a mistake and that my home state of New York is where I wanted to be. The pros of moving out to California did not outweigh the cons of returning to New York. Newburgh reminds me a lot of the city I practiced at down in Georgia. Newburgh has some rough edges but once people see your sincerity you will meet the most amazing and appreciative individuals and families. Like many cities and towns, including the one I grew up in, Newburgh is having some hard times; the difference I see in Newburgh is that there is such a large population of people dedicated to helping this city thrive once again. It is these people that have motivated me to join the board of the YMCA, actively pursue a role on the board of Habitat for Humanity, as well as participate in other volunteer activities. Newburgh has so much to offer; easy access to NYS thruway and I-84, an airport, a beautiful Hudson River waterfront, 60 miles north of NYC and pristine wilderness all around. Like all processes it will take time, but due to its location and people I see a great future for Newburgh. I could not be happier with my decision to open my practice and live here." Anyone interested in learning more about principled chiropractic care please feel free to call Dr. Brower at (845) 565-5410 to schedule a complimentary consultation

On a sweeter side, Hudson River Apiaries had an assortment of local raw honey being offered. Selections included Wildflower, Clover, and Pumpkin Blossom honey, as well as creamed honey and bee pollen. An observation hive was on display, where live bees were busy at work, and you could see the honey in its purest form. The honey is unprocessed and unheated, which is the best way to consume the product, as honey has many health benefits, and heat processing destroys many of the enzymes that make honey so beneficial. Honey is a natural energy booster, a great immunity system builder, and a natural remedy for many ailments. Local honey is a natural way to help fight seasonal allergies. Currently, the bees are located across the river, but plans are in the works to set up hives within the city in the springtime.

Another sweet find was Baked With Love Cakes and Cupcakes. A home owned bakery based in Dutchess County, they cater to much of the surrounding area and "make homemade baking available to everyone". Nicole had homemade treats dressed in costume, being that it was the Halloween weekend. Not only did they look great all dressed up, they tasted even better!

Local Businesses Are The Key

2010-11-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

More often than not, I run to the big chain stores thinking I have better odds of finding what I need and the prices will be better. Lately, I've decided to stick to the "support local businesses" mentality, and find its really to every one's benefit. My latest experience involved locks and keys. I always thought going to a locksmith would be pricey, and I would be better off going to Home Depot or Lowe's. I had gone with the latter option previous occasions, so I know what to expect price wise, and wanted to see how a local locksmith compared. Finding something very specific tends to be hit or miss at the larger stores, and the last time I was in search of something similar, all I basically walked out with was a "sorry, we don't have those".

Walking into the store, I found it refreshing that it was a family business. A couple worked the business, and their children had just gotten off the bus after school, went straight into the shop and started their homework. It was really cute to see one of the girls getting a customer to help check her homework, and see the kids enjoying their Halloween surpluses as they unloaded their backpacks.

For starters, the locksmith is just around the corner, and that in itself might be worth an extra dollar or two for saving me the trouble of having to contend with all the traffic lights along Broadway and having to deal with busy parking lots and lines you expect to find at Home Depot or Lowe's. The prices were right on par, and I actually made out better, since the locksmith was able to advise me on less expensive options. Another thing about the local business is the variety of merchandise they had. Their displays were geared more towards the styles you'd expect the buildings in the area to have had years ago, whereas the bigger stores always tend to have the same generic styles you see everywhere. I don't remember the last time I saw those crystal-sort of door knobs, but when I saw them on display, it took me back to days when I was little and would pretend they were diamonds.

Whether its locks, food, hobbies, etc., don't overlook what's right next door. If not to "support local businesses", try going to one just to make your own life a little simpler- do you really want to go all the way to Home Depot, when in the time it takes you just to get there, you could have your entire job complete?

Safe Harbors of the Hudson: Cornerstone Residence

2010-10-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

"Safe Harbors of the Hudson, incorporated in 2000, is a nonprofit organization that is committed to transforming lives and building communities through housing and the arts in the City of Newburgh."

This week, I had a chance to see what is within the walls of the old Hotel Newburgh. Renamed "The Cornerstone Residence", this space now offers supportive housing, and this probably the exact opposite of what you think of when "affordable housing" comes to mind. I didn't see any of the actual apartments, but I had met a Cornerstone resident on a previous occasion, and he had mentioned how much he loved his place, with the high ceilings, hardwood floors, etc. Although this is nothing like the old Hotel Newburgh, you'd find many amenities available in hotels today. Some of these features include a fitness room (complete with a meditation room), library, computer lab, and rooms for group events.

After signing in with security and entering the lobby, you're surrounded with artwork from one resident artist. The artwork changes monthly, where a different resident's work is featured each month, and its almost a shame that this isn't visible to the general public (some of the residents do have works displayed at the Newburgh Free Library, if interested in viewing some of the talent residing here). The lobby being so spacious, there was so much more than I had a chance to look at in the brief period I was waiting there. This month, the walls were adorned with paintings from "Tusay". While seeing the artist studios, Tusay was painting away- the art being displayed is only a fraction of his inventory. While down there (in what used be be part of the Sears automotive department) he was more than happy to show me more of his work and was sweet as can be. I'm lucky to have the Cornerstone and its residents in my neighborhood!

Tusay sporting his "Ritz Kidz" t-shirt

Cindy Cashdollar And Steve James Perform At The Ritz Theater

2010-10-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, October 16, 2010, the Ritz Theater and La Bella Strings (which is actually based in Newburgh), in association with the Bardavon, welcomed Cindy Cashdollar and Steve James. The concert is a part of the 2010-11 Tom Humphrey Guitar Series.

Cindy Cashdollar is one of the foremost steel and dobro players in the country and has collaborated with everyone from Bob Dylan to Rod Stewart.

Steve James is a well known name among devotees of contemporary acoustic folk and blues.

The theater itself is under renovation, so the concert was actually held in what will be the future lobby of the renovated theater. What this means is an intimate space, where every seat in the house is a good seat, you are up close to the performers and there is no straining to see the stage. The two artists played together for what was well over an hour, and their different styles of instruments complimented each other beautifully. I have to admit, this isn't my usual type of venue, but then again, I'm all for trying new things, and this just fit the bill. I more than enjoyed the entire show and the different type of music (from what I'm used to), and I even recognized a couple of songs!

A reception followed in the Green Room (catered by the River Grill), where we all had a chance to meet the artists, take pictures, get autographs and talk with them. As usual, this was another great chance to meet others who realize how much Newburgh has to offer. I look forward to attending many more events here, and am eagerly anticipating the restoration of the theater itself. If interested, the next concert the Ritz will be hosting is Frederic Hand with Esopus Musicalia on Saturday, November 20 at 8 pm.

New Opportunities Just Around The Corner, at The Cornerstone

2010-10-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

I just happened to be in the neighborhood today, and me being me, had to wander around the area aimlessly. I saw the sign for a job fair around the corner, and just checked it out.

Independent Living Inc. is sponsoring the Diversity Job Fair, and it was in a beautiful setting, being held at the Green Room at The Cornerstone, and had a large variety of participants attending. Such participants include the following (in no particular order and may not be all inclusive):

Check it out if you happen to be in the neighborhood!

Touring Newburgh

2010-10-08T06:26:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, when I attended the "Hudson Valley Ruins" lecture at the Newburgh Free Library, I met a lady briefly at the end of the event, and she was more than enthusiastic on sharing what Newburgh had to offer with me. She gave me her phone number, with the idea of her showing me around the area.

I gave her a call, and after a couple of rounds of phone tag, we met up at the Captain David Crawford House, home to the Historical Society of Newburgh Bay and the Highlands. The house itself is something worth seeing, from the ornate front door with its antique hardware, to it being situated on a corner lot overlooking the Hudson River.

This lady, being a Newburgh native and holding a seat on the Historical Society's Board of Managers, was a wealth of information. I could ask her just about anything, and she gladly answered. If she felt she didn't have enough information, she was more than happy to the contact information of someone to get in touch with. She took me all over Newburgh, pointing out houses and different neighborhoods, and providing information on each unique area, whether it be relating to the types of houses, architects involved, or the general use of the areas today. What I liked best was the fact that she didn't try to sugarcoat anything, or avoid places you probably wouldn't want someone to judge the area on. In fact, I think those areas are the best to see.

Aside from just wanting to get to know the area more, she also pointed out how many things there are to do in the area, reasons to just come spend a few hours or even a day there, such as the Ann Street Gallery, the Karpeles Manuscript Library, the Downing Film Center, and the Ritz Theater. Other places not to be left off the list of to-do's here are the restaurants and shops on Liberty Street and the Waterfront area. A friendly stop at Newburgh Art Supply and lunch at Caffé Macchiato were also on our itinerary.

What she really showed me is that the true essence of the area isn't in the historic buildings or quaint shops, but the people in the community. I can't even say how I came to talking to to her that night, but she went above and beyond making someone new feel welcomed.

Heating Up

2010-10-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

It's damp outside, there's a chill in the air, and heat comes to mind. I can already imagine that faint smell of the dust burning off the baseboards (no, I don't move the furniture and vacuum the elements of the baseboard heaters). One thing I want at home is radiant heat, which we installed as part of this project.

The hallways seemed narrow, but needed to be heated. For brief moments, I wondered if we really needed to heat those small areas, but after spending some cold days there, there was no doubt the halls needed heating. Baseboards seemed clunky and I just envisioned them getting trashed in no time, with things being moved in and out and trying to maneuver those tight spaces. We went with the option of underfloor heating, running PEX tubing (polyethylene), over the sub floor and under the tile, throughout the halls and in the basement.

Installation starts out with prepping the sub floor with moisture barriers and wire mesh. They are rolled out to cover the sub floor surface, similar to the way carpeting is laid out. Next came the rolls of PEX tubing. This starts out as a neatly rolled coil and ends up looking like a big mess of spaghetti as you work with it. As it is being unraveled, the tubing is placed over the grid in loopy snakelike patterns and is secured to the grid with tie wraps, so the tubing will lay flat in the placement pattern.

After, a layer of cement is poured, in order to provide a level surface to install the floor on. From there, floor installation proceeds as usual. I don't know the technical aspects of feeding this into the heating unit (this is where a plumber's expertise comes in), but some sort of a fluid is cycled through the tubes, which are then connected to the boiler. The result is an evenly heated area, without signs of any heaters in sight.

For me, the benefits are no baseboards getting in your way, having a nice toasty feel wherever you are, since the heat is laid under the entire area (rather than a heater running along one wall of the room), and no scent of burning dust. Now if only I get this installed at home...

Hot or Cold?

2010-09-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

As the seasons change, it’s hard to decide whether it's hot or cold. One minute, I have the windows open, the weather being just perfect, another I'm turning on the air conditioning, and even within the same day, I can be switching the heat on. I have the same battles with my husband- I up the temperature, he likes it lower, he's opening the windows to enjoy the breeze, I'm closing them to block out the cold flow. If I can't decide myself, or the two of us can't agree on what's comfortable, how could we expect a couple of apartments to be equally comfortable?

With that in mind, we installed tankless water heaters, which control both the heating of the apartment and the hot water for that individual apartment. Quietside makes on-demand water heaters, which means the hot water is heated as it is needed, and there is no bulky water tank sitting in a far off corner or basement, taking up space you could be using for something else. Another plus with an on-demand system is that you don’t run out of hot water, as opposed to a water tank that holds only so many gallons of water at a time. Ever end up with a cold shower because someone else spent a little too much time in their hot shower? With these heaters, it’s not an issue- hot water can flow all day and night without worry.

Although these turn out to be more energy efficient in the sense that you aren’t paying to keep water hot all the time, whether you use it or not, that wasn't the biggest selling point for us. What we liked the most is that this controls the heat as well. Each unit was set up with one of these boilers, and a thermostat was placed in each apartment. One person could keep their thermostat at a temperature equivalent to those in the tropics, while another could enjoy the brisk winter temperatures if they wanted. Also, by splitting the heating systems by apartment, we could have each apartment responsible for their heating costs. If you drive around the city in the winter, you can always tell who pays for heat and who doesn’t. I’ve seen windows open as far as they can in the dead of winter, so someone somewhere is paying to heat the outdoors. With our set-up, if someone chooses to do so, it’s at their own expense, and you’d be surprised at how much more they are aware of those expenses.

After several years of having these units installed, I’ve found them to be low maintenance, but these units like to be worked. We left one apartment empty for about two years, so the heat was set to a “vacation mode”, which turns off the heat, but triggers a safeguard setting to prevent the pipes from freezing if the outside temperature suddenly drops, and when we went to start it up, it was a little temperamental, but after a few minor adjustments and just letting it run, it works great.

Another drawback is that some of the controls on the thermostat are too advanced for people who are not used to controlling the heat, with different setting for the summer months, options to turn the system off altogether, and economy modes where you can automatically lower the heat at a set time and have it warmer at a later time (for example, when you leave for work, you’d have the temperature lowered slightly, and then have it programmed to raise the temperature around the time you usually come home, this way you aren’t paying to heat an empty place all day). When we get a new tenant we tend to get a call at some point about the heat not working, but that’s easily fixed with the turn of a switch.

Regardless of what each person decides their ideal temperature is, I’m not caught in the middle. I’m still trying to figure out if I want the heat on or off myself…

Touring Hudson Valley Ruins Without Ever Leaving The Newburgh Free Library

2010-09-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

Robert J. Yasinsac, a graduate of SUNY-Oswego, is the Site Manager at the Union Church in Pocantico Hills, N.Y., and a Museum Associate at Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, NY, both properties of Historic Hudson Valley. He serves as a Trustee on the Board of the Irvington Historical Society.

All from a chair at the Newburgh Free Library, a number of people got to explore "Hudson Valley Ruins". Through both current and vintage pictures, we were taken to places like Wyndclyffe (in Rhinebeck), the Briarcliff Lodge (Briarcliff Manor), West Point Foundry (Cold Spring). We toured brickyards and cement factories, saw long lost pictures of the Edward J. Cornish Estate (Cold Spring). We were provided with examples of possible modern day uses of structures like the Yonkers Power Station (Yonkers) and looks inside Bannerman’s Island Arsenal/Pollepel Island. Of course, Newburgh's very own Dutch Reformed Church and West Shore Railroad Station were part of the evening.

Robert J. Yasinsac, preservationist and co-author (Thomas Rinaldi, the other half of this team, was unable to attend) of Hudson Valley Ruins: Forgotten Landmarks of an American Landscape, provided us with a free lecture, answered questions people had, and signed copies of his book. Mr. Yasinsac also authored a book titled "Images of America - Briarcliff Lodge" (Arcadia Publishing), spotlighting what was once considered America's premier resort hotel.

As a bonus, I had an unplanned meeting with a new Facebook friend and exchanged information with another lady, who I plan to call to find out more about this great city!

Thank you to Chuck Thomas (Outreach Services) of the Newburgh Free Library for being our gracious host.

Color Me Happy Too

2010-09-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

My little experiment went a little further than I expected. The next time I was in Newburgh, the girl that was on the stoop asked if I had any more of the engraving kits, which I did, and again, she went right to work. Also, someone I assume is her father says "hello" whenever he's outside and I pull up.

The trio of kids approached me one day, too. The seemed a little apprehensive at first, but they came to ask if I had the photos I had taken that day. Unfortunately, I didn't have them that day, but promised them I'd bring them up on my next visit. The next time I was there, I didn't see them, but someone else told me exactly which apartment to find them in. I went inside, and the older boy opened the door. I gave him the pictures, and also asked him if he wanted something else to do. He said yes, and we went to my car, which always seems to be stocked with something (I refer to as mobile storage; others have referred to it as such things like a garage sale on wheels). I gave him a kit for making multiple key chains out of pony beads, and asked him to share it with the others. I'm curious to see if they completed them or how they turned out, but regardless, I'll be sure to keep my car stocked with various items. Little things seem to go a long way!

Following an Unknown Stream Through Time

2010-09-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

The hallway is the part of the building I see the most of, so I wanted to look at something more than just plain walls. Some time ago, I had started picking up old postcards of the area and had them framed in clusters. Every now and then I still look to see if I can find anything different and I just came across one of a place I hadn't heard of before: the Vale of Avoca, Newburgh, N.Y. I bought the postcard, and as soon as I got home, I started looking for where this place was.

The first reference I found dated back to 1883, in a publication named The Newburgh Centennial.The passage that applied to this picturesque place was an account about an attempt that was made to capture George Washington along "the river to the south for some distance, for right in front of the headquarters the bank was a hundred feet high, and went sheer down to the water. This, with little variation, continued for a mile, or almost down to Lafayette's headquarters. Half way down the Quassaiek creek bursts from a gorge into the Hudson. This chasm ran back into the interior nearly a mile before it sunk away so that it could be spanned by a bridge. As it approached the river the south bank swept off in a wide semi-circle but again crowded against the creek, just before it plunged into the Hudson. The semi circle enclosed a beautiful little valley, known afterward as the "Vale of Avoca.""

In 1891, John J Nutt briefly described the stream in Newburgh; Her Institutions, Industries and Leading Citizens: "Southward from Newburgh extend several other broad highways which split into feeders every few miles. One of these, after passing through a manufacturing district, crosses Quassaick Creek at its mouth. This creek is the southern boundary of the city, and has a dozen mills and factories on its banks from Orange Lake to the river. Near its mouth it flows through a deep valley called the Vale of Avoca. From a small glen a mile west of the river the chasm widens and deepens as you follow the course of the stream. The south bank sweeps off into a semi-circle, but again crowds against the creek just before its union with the Hudson. The banks on either side are over a hundred feet high and precipitous. To one passing the mouth of the stream in a boat the sides of the chasm once presented a gloomy pass, just wide enough for the water. Now railroad tracks run along its sides and cross the creek; but even these changes cannot wholly deface its olden charms."

Any references to this part of the creek seemed to disappear for the next hundred or so years, until George Lankevich explains why, in River of dreams: the Hudson Valley in Historic Postcards. A portion of this 2006 publication tells us how the entire Hudson was in crisis, and uses the Vale of Avoca as an example to demonstrate this."One typical tale of decay of the Quassaick Creek in Newburgh, a stream called the "Vale of Avoca" in the 1830s and so lovely that it drew visitors from abroad to the town. By 1842 the creek also hosted grist and woolen mills, plaster and candle makers, rug and furniture factories, a brickyard, a foundry and a carriage maker; by 1850 it was an open sewer." He then goes on to mention current conservation efforts for the Hudson being undertaken in the 21st Century, although any present day references are in regard to the Quassaick Creek.

PAST INDUSTRY TO NEW ACTIONS: ENVISIONING THE KEYSTONE PARK FOR A HUDSON RIVER ESTUARY TRAIL

In 2007, Marcy Denker (SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY; Faculty of Landscape Architecture) came up with a proposal titled Deep History Wide Connections: Creating a Vision For a Small Urban Park To Spark a Broad New Conception Of a Hudson River Estuary. The general idea was to turn the former industrial site along the Quassaick Creek into a neighborhood park. She also uses the Vale of Avoca as a way to demonstrate "(t)he history of the appreciation and abuse of this part of the waterway creates a key piece in framing the interpretation and reassessment of the proposed park. For example, Irish immigrants called it the Vale of Avoca because it reminded them of a beautiful valley in Ireland. But readers of The Riverkeepers by Robert Kennedy Jr. may recall that as late at the 1980’s the Quassaick was a soup of industrial chemicals so volatile you could set it on fire."

This all being only a small part of the Hudson River Estuary, and the numerous programs relating to it, I'm not sure where this all stands, but I see positive things happening. A couple of examples would be the Volunteer River Herring Monitoring Program, where the Quassaick Creek was one of eight streams that would monitor river herring, which play an important role in the Hudson River ecosystem, and the Barrier Mitigation in the Hudson River Project, where the Quassaick Creek Dam was one of two dams in focus, and remnants of the dam were to be removed to restore natural riverine function and flow for the benefit of river herring and American eel.

Now this seems a somewhat lengthy way to answer "Where is this place?", but this stream has managed to simultaneously lead me through history, and lead me to positive efforts being undertaken today. I may still not know where the exact location of the stream, or even if it still exists today, but through a simple postcard, I was able to travel back through a beautiful period in time and see how it is all leading up to the great future awaiting our area.

The End Of Summer

2010-09-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

I am convinced that as kids we really get to enjoy the summer. As adults we just have glimpses of what it used to be. I hope everyone is enjoying the summer. I find summers are a time where all I want to do is be outside and just soak in the sun, so I've taken a sort of internet break.

As we go into fall, this is an ideal time to get things done outside, without the overbearing sun beating down on you or freezing from the winter chills. Around this time, we were buttoning up the building, protecting it from addition weather damage. The top of the list was putting a top on the place- replacing the non-existent roof. There wasn't a whole lot to work with, so in reality, we were putting an entirely new roof on.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t brave enough to venture up the stairs and wander around before the roofing started, so I have very little recollection and no pictures of the starting point, like what remained of the original roof. Eventually I made it up there, and I’m glad I did. It was one of the greatest feelings being up there, being that much closer to the sky, in the crisp air, looking around with a bird’s eye view of what surrounds. One window even had a view when you stood at just the right angle. Being that I try to make the most of everything, that window was another place where my stubbornness won out. That window opening had to stay, and be used for something more than storage space.

Looking up from the street, I wondered how they’d get all the materials four flights up. My exposure to roofing prior to this was small roof repairs, where all you needed was a few bundles of shingles and a several 2x4s, quantities you could get yourself with a single trip pickup truck or van. Delivery of these roofing materials came along with a boom truck, where pallets could be raised directly to the fourth floor, provided the patches of floor could hold the weight, which it was able to do. One thing that helped is how much more solid structures were built way back when.

The roof itself was a gable style roof (where the side walls come to a triangular point) as opposed to a flat roof often seen on buildings. I think a gable roof adds a little more to the aesthetics of the building, but I find the thought of a flat roof where I could place a rooftop garden and enjoy the feeling of being up there on a regular basis very tempting. Our framework of the roof (the truss) consists of approximately 16 rafters (the beams that actually hold the roof up) and was topped off with asphalt shingles. This type of shingle is relatively common and doesn’t provide too much visual interest to the roof, but the roof line was high enough were the material really wouldn’t be noticed. If the roofing were more visible from a distance, I might have wanted a more original option.

The fingerprints meant someone had to paint again

We played up other aspects of the roof, things you might not even notice, They were visible, or invisible by design, if you ever decided to look up: the overhanging part of the roof. One thing we did was have Yankee gutters installed, rather than the exposed metal gutters you usually see today. Yankee gutters are gutters that are incorporated into the cornice, along the roofline and are not easily visible from the outside.

Choices were limited due to the style of the building (remember, this is in the historic district, and choices have to stay true to the original style of the structure) and the plain fact that there really isn’t a lot you can do to the roofline. The decisions that were to be made came in the form of the paint colors and the design of cornice (the part that sticks out past the walls). It was kept very simple. Everything was painted a white, providing a very clean look, except for the edge of the cornices. The cornice has a simple scalloped edge, and we painted that edge with a burgundy, just to provide some contrast to the white and help highlight the scalloped edge of the cornice.

The transition into the autumn season gave us the motivation to get the roof done, and with the roofing being completed, we were ready to take on colder days.

"The Evolution of An American City"

2010-06-10T19:38:00.000-07:00

No one ever wants to go to court, but today was an exception. The Newburgh City Court held a dedication for the courthouse murals painted by artist and designer Bryan Guglielmi. The series, named "Newburgh- The Evolution of An American City" depicts scenes of Newburgh during different phases of time.

I had previously seen the murals and asked to take pictures, but cameras aren't normally allowed in the courthouse. I happened to be picking up some forms, and being that it was a press free-for-all, I had my chance to get some shots. The work is beautiful, and the artist is a sweetheart. He was easily approachable, and gave me the opportunity to capture him and his work with a few photos.

Even the staff at the courthouse was in high spirits, which I'm assuming was because of this event. Come 4PM, everything usually comes to an abrupt standstill, but today was an exception. The event started at 3PM, but I was allowed to linger well after 4. It seemed like no one was rushing me out, no one was in a rush to end their day, and everyone was just enjoying the moment. Seeing these murals is definitely worth a trip to court!

The Evolution of An American City

The Awe of Awnings

2010-06-07T15:56:00.000-07:00

Do little things make a difference? Are these small efforts contagious? I hope so.

Driving down Broadway the other day, I noticed an awning over what I thought was a storefront. I think it’s new, but I can’t say for sure. It wasn’t a commercial sort of awning you’d expect to find over a store with a bright color and the store name screaming out at you. This was a subtle awning with deep red and beige stripes and coordinated perfectly with both the color of the brick and the pointing between the bricks.

However a small a detail this might be, it brought to mind images I had seen of the Palatine Hotel (opened in 1893, and demolished in 1970). When I first came across a picture of this hotel years back, I fell in love with it. I couldn’t understand how they could tear it down, but that was exactly the imagery I wanted to see when I’d think of the future of Newburgh.

In writing this, I was looking for a picture of that grand hotel. When I found one, I realized why that new awning reminded me so much of the hotel, it was practically identical to the hotel’s awnings in both style and color The Palatine must have left a positive impression on someone else, too, enough for them to want to mimic the style of the former hotel’s awnings. I hope this triggers some similar thoughts in someone else’s head, and they in turn do something small in nature to remind us of how great Newburgh was, and so on, and so on…

I still don’t understand how you could let such a structure fall apart and get torn down. The Palatine may be gone forever, but to me, this small insignificant awning symbolizes the return of what was once great.