Parks: 

• Forestry Management Project –Still in Progress. I understand there are Community members have expressed some concern which I am always willing to look into and consider. We are in the process of a Long Environmental Assessment process which needs to be completed so we are not on any planning board agendas anytime soon. The majority of people do understand the type of project we are pursuing was always with good intent from the beginning, which is primarily to manage the parks, to ensure public safety in both our current trails, as well as our powerline infrastructure going up to camp, remove invasive species, enhance the local ecosystem and encourage natural regeneration, this is normally considered a valid park maintenance project that is discussed among Recreation Professionals on a regular basis.
• Trail System – On hold until results of the forestry project are determined. Either way, a plan will be submitted at some point after the new year 
• Bike Pad – Paving has been completed and the painting is 80% complete. Unfortunately, the weather did slow us down a bit with the painting portion of the job
• Stage – The research not going as easy as I would have liked. Most options, whether mobile or fixed are a considerable amount money. We will continue researching. 
• Front Field – In the process of getting estimates for several different option on how to proceed. Also, very early in the process and should be able to present those options over the next few months

Programs – With the summer programming officially over, we have moved on to the afterschool and adult programs. We are currently running anywhere from 10-15 programs at a time. Our Basketball Program preparation and registration will start in the next few days. Once again, I urge you to pay attention to the upcoming deadlines, that will be out within the next few days on the website and social media.

We are also starting the planning for our 2 remaining events of the year which are the Harvest Fest on October 16th and our Winter Holiday event in the park. Information on both of those to follow and will be posted on both the website and social media pages

Children Center/ camp – We’ve concluded a great camp season. Our staff receives countless compliments, and even in the face of a few emergencies, they performed their responsivities as outlined in our emergency plans perfectly. Just a great job all around.

Children Center has begun and is going well, but we do need staff. Unfortunately, if we cannot consistently staff according to our requirements, we may need to downsize. This would be unfortunate as this program is often at capacity. 

After consulting with several agencies, we have decided to delay the start time to 8:00 PM due to the current Heat Warnings.

To help everyone stay safe and comfortable, we will have water coolers available throughout the field & Sprinklers running at the far end of Johnson Field periodically for anyone who would like to cool off.

Please take precautions and stay hydrated, starting today. We encourage everyone to drink plenty of water before heading to the event. Shuttles will be running from the Elementary School, and we will still have our Local Food Trucks!

In addition to the revised festivities the VFW has graciously offered to be open with AC at 5:30 PM through the evening if anyone wants a place to cool off, chat with our Veterans, and celebrate the Fourth of July!

We look forward to celebrating with everyone. Stay cool, and we’ll see you tonight!

Board Notes
Parks

• Forestry Project –For those who don’t know, we continue to work on a forestry Project for both the Town Park and the Camp facility –If everything goes right, the plan will start in the fall. Bids to go out in mid to late summer. As mentioned previously everything is done in cooperation with the DEC and their recommendations and should serve as a benefit to the town in several different ways including financially
• Trail System and grant –Still waiting on response, we should hopefully hear something in the next few days actually. Should we not get the grant, I will work on a smaller scale trail improvement project in the park that can hopefully be done in house.
• Senior Center Garden – the garden at the senior center has been completed. A special thanks to two local citizens for their tremendous contributions. Also, to the Town Supervisor and Parks and Recreation crew for their assistance and continued maintenance on the garden throughout the summer

The area currently known as “the bike pad” is slated to be repaved and painted in July. While it became an unintentional facility after removing the old hockey rink, it is highly used and in need of refurbishing.

Departmental

• Programs – we are still running a full slate of programs in addition to summer camp and sports camp preparation. Check PVPR.com and our social media pages for updates
• Concerts will begin on July 2nd along with our Independence Day celebration. I put a few flyers out on the table here with the schedule for the summer and it can also be found on the PVPR website.
• Camp prep is going well and we are looking forward to a great season all around

Putnam County Residents Coalition Farmers Market  at Tompkins Corners Cultural Center Every Summer Friday starting May 29th from 3 – 6:30PM

Turn your food scraps into chicken food with Cucumber Hill Farm!

This program allows people who are unable to compost at home to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills and incinerators.

What’s Allowed:

• Fruit and Vegetable Scraps, cooked or raw (please remove stickers)
• Bread and other grains
• Eggs and eggshells (crush them first)
• Cooked meat leftovers and bones
• Dairy products

Please avoid:

• Avocados
• Yard waste (due to pests and herbicide)

Visit the Cucumber Hill Farm Table to drop off your scraps. Please store them in the fridge or freezer to avoid feeding chickens spoiled food.

Thank you for supporting local business while reducing organic waste!