Monday, July 29, 2013

Funds Needed for Timothy Murphy Park Project

By Trustee William B. Morton

The Village of Middleburgh has announced that it is establishing a waterfront park across the Schoharie Creek from the Village at the intersection of NYS Routes 145 and 30. The park will be designated as the Timothy Murphy Park. Route 30 from Esperance to the Delaware County line has been designated by the NYS Senate as the Timothy Murphy Trail. Later this year, the park will have a 20’ x 40’ pavilion which will be funded through fundraising activities being conducted by the Middleburgh Rotary in partnership with the Knights of Columbus. The new pavilion will replace the pavilion that was lost during the 2011 flood. The new pavilion will be higher in elevation than the earlier pavilion and will feature picnic tables and charcoal grills.

The park also will include a 5’ high x 2.5’ wide x 8 inch deep polished black granite monument with a bust of Timothy Murphy etched onto the stone. Timothy Murphy’s name will appear below the bust along with his date of birth and death. Underneath the dates will be the following inscriptions in descending order: “patriot, soldier, and farmer."

A portrait of Timothy Murphy will be used to create the bust. The portrait was recently completed by Jonathan Stasko, a local artist who specializes in historic renderings. As no portrait of Timothy Murphy existed, Mr. Stasko had to research the literature describing Murphy. Among other things, his rendering was influenced by a portrait of Peter Murphy who, according to the literature, bore a striking resemblance to Timothy, his father. Stasko’s work provides the most accurate rendering of Timothy Murphy to date. Mr. Stasko donated his time and expertise to the monument project.
A fundraising initiative is underway to fund the monument project. The goal of the project is to raise $6,000. The stone with etchings will cost $2,400. Installation costs will be upwards of $1,000. The balance, $2,600 will be used to construct a kiosk near the monument describing Timothy Murphy, his life in Schoharie Valley and his achievements as a Revolutionary War hero. The balance of the funds will be used for landscaping. The Landscape Architecture Department at SUNY Cobleskill is participating in the landscape design. To date, $2,800 has been raised according to Bill Morton, Village Trustee and Commissioner of Parks for the village.

According to Morton, there are four categories of tax deductible giving: The categories include “Patriot” $1,000 and over; “Soldier” $500 to $999; “Farmer” $100 to $499 and “Pioneer” $99 or less. Of the $2,800 raised to date, Morton says that donations have been received in all but the pioneer category. The names of individuals and organizations donating to the monument project will be placed permanently in the kiosk.

Another form of giving will be to purchase brick pavers. Individuals and organizations can have their names engraved on the pavers which will surround the monument. Both 4” x 8” and 8” x 8” granite and “fired” clay pavers will be available at a modest cost. Individuals and organizations making a donation in any of the top three categories of tax deductible giving can have an engraved paver at no expense. For further information, contact Bill Morton at 827-4343.

Successful Arts and Crafts Celebration

The Middleburgh Rotary held another successful Arts and Crafts Festival over the last weekend. The July 27th event attracted hundreds of visitors to the High School lawn and down Main Street. The event featured dozens of antiques dealers, the Flying Song Garden, and booths from the businesses. Trustee Bill Morton was selling brick pavers for his Timothy Murphy Park project. The Best House ran a popular watermelon eating contest.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Stream Progress Continuing

The culverts are still being cleaned out while the creek behind the old Library is now fully cleaned. Below are some pictures from the process.


Wildflowers Blooming

Trustee Morton's wildflower project is paying off all across the Village. Some examples near the bridge:




Scenes from Middleburgh Pride Day

Scenes from the July 6th community celebration.






Russian Orthodox Church Consecration Set for July 20-21st

The Mountain View Russian Orthodox Church is planning a grand opening for this weekend. Events take place on both Saturday the 20th and Sunday the 21st. The Church, formally, the Church of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia is located at the former Mountain View Manor old age home on Route 145 heading toward Cobleskill.

The schedule is:

Saturday:
3pm: Guest arrival and registration
6:30pm: All night vigil
9:30pm: Tea under the canopy

Sunday
8:30am: Great Blessing
10am: Liturgy
1pm: Lunch under the canopy
2:15pm and 2:30pm: Church tour in English
3pm: Concert and program

All are invited, especially those curious about Russian history and culture and the Orthodox faith.

Dealing with Reddit Today

If anyone is interested, I'll be taking part in questions and answer on the popular site Reddit. Drop me a line if there's a question you have about local government or Middleburgh's progress.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Village Acts on Flood Risk

The Village of Middleburgh's July meeting was shadowed by concern about June's flash flooding and the risk of future flooding. At the meeting, local residents voiced concern about problem areas. DPW Chief Dale Nunamann explained that his crew has been working to minimize future risk. The Village approved immediate action over the last week. Supervisor Buzon of the Town and Mayor Avitabile declared a preparatory state of emergency on Friday June 28th to enable cleaning of two of the problem streams. The Board also heard of a plan to repair the creek near the former MCS District Office. The plan was prepared by the Schoharie County Soil and Water District. The Village approved up to $50,000 for pressing flood debris removal. Deputy Mayor Dr. Thomas Gruning proposed a local law that would impose fines for dumping in the creeks within the Village. First offense would be a $1,000 fine. Subsequent violations would incur a $5,000 fine. Trustee Sheryl Adams thanked DPW Chief Dale Nunamann and his crew for outstanding work during the June 14th event. Nunamann thanked his crew and the Middleburgh Fire Department.