It disappoints me greatly to criticize the behavior of The Friends of Prospect Park. As one of the first mission-based “neighborhood associations” born in our city, the very active and dedicated members of the group have shown us that when you show you care, others will begin to care. They are real citizens of Troy. They showed us, with their actions, how to be good stewards of our public spaces. They were at the forefront of people banding together for the common good. Therefore, it is unfortunate that the current uproar over the Uncle Sam Memorial Pavilion is occurring.
During last evening’s council meeting, it was stated that the Friends of Prospect Park did not want to make this political. It was further stated that the group was a-political. Ok, so I am not buying that. It was political from the outset; couldn’t help but be. One of the definitions of politics is the total complex of relations between people living in society. I don’t know all the facts and won’t pretend to. As an outsider to this particular political game, I can only speak to what I sense. I sense that someone’s ego got a little bruised here.
Ladies and gentleman, as I see it, this was Mr. Jacques dream. Mr. Jacques has been working towards this for almost a decade. Would there be an Uncle Sam Memorial Foundation if it weren’t for Mr. Jacques’ pursuing HIS dream? His intention has always been to memorialize Sam Wilson. His pavilion – built where it stands – will do just that. According to Mr. Jacques last evening, the pavilion was specifically designed for the overlook area. I believe he selected the ideal location and that the city administration was correct in allowing construction to begin.
Where were The Friends a decade ago? The Friends were in their infancy. If I recall correctly (and I’m sure if not, someone will let me know), The Friends of Prospect Park were initially formed in an attempt to keep the park’s pool from closing and then became dedicated to ensuring that the pool structure was preserved. I do not know whether that is still part of their mission. I also recall talk of rebuilding the band shell at the park. It was only further along in the group’s development that beautification become part of their mission.
Mr. Peter Grimm (president of The Friends of Prospect Park and County Legislator representing the City of Troy) is quoted in the September 1st edition of The Record as saying “The problem here is not the pavilion at all, it is the structure of people trying to work together to get things done and a non-resident renegade can do what he sees fit, not in accordance with the two organizations.” This is pure political spin, plan and simple. Mr. Grimm, you were a renegade when you established The Friends, weren’t you? Although Mr. Jacques now resides in Haynesville, he was a decades-long resident of Troy. He’s no outsider. He is president of the Uncle Sam Memorial Foundation. He is well known for his tireless work to see recognition is properly given to Sam Wilson. To besmirch his character is reprehensible.
What I think happened is that these people were unable to persuade this determinedly dedicated old Seabee from seeing HIS dream come true. Were The Friends attempting to get Mr. Jacques to change his pavilion and its location so that it could be used as a band shell too? Were the members of his foundation lobbying for a bigger facility? If that is indeed the case, a consensus was never going to be reached. It was his concept. He lived long enough to see it built.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Taking a Ride on a Course with History
Golf is my Dad’s passion. Frear Park Municipal Golf Course is why. Opened in 1931, Frear became an 18-hole course in 1964. Robert Trent Jones, designer of Hazeltine National and Port Royal, designed the back nine. Frear Park is a gem of a course and she belongs to us - the 5th hole’s signature ravine; the vistas from the 4th fairway and the 7th green. Her rolling hills, jotting knolls and tricky greens make her a challenging course that deserves respect. She’s 79 years old. For 62 of those years, my dad has played her. He’s seen changes – some good, others not.
My dad is Tony VonFricken. If you’ve played a weekend tournament there this year, Dad was your course ranger. He enjoys working for Larry Riley and with guys like Billy McConnell, Ronnie Frazier and Gus Gorman. He served as Chairman of the Rensselaer County Amateur Tournament for 8 years following Col. Bill McGiff. As a founding member of the Frear Park Golf Association he worked to improve the course, serving as Vice-President then President. During his tenure, the FPGA and the RCAT donated 125 Austrian Pines to the city for the course. We went for a ride on his course and he told me how he was hooked on golf as a kid. This is his story, told to me from his unique perspective.
One day, I was running around the park. John Monahan was giving golf lessons over at the Sunday Tee. He called out to me asking if I’d like to shag balls. Said he’d pay me $.40 a lesson. I’d roundup the balls, put them in a bucket and bring them back to him after each lesson. Shagging balls netted me $4.80 a weekend. Can you imagine how happy I was at 10 to be earning that kind of money to give to my mother? My father was only earning $8.00 a week. As I earned, I learned by listening to Mr. Monahan. Later, I caddied for some of the best players in the area - men like Tony Camprone, Al Serian and Gerald Messier. The mayor’s “Hook a Kid on Golf” program is the best thing I’ve seen up here in a long time. It gives kids a chance to learn the game. I love it. Hope it comes back next year. I’d like to help out with it.
This place is nothing like it was back in 1948 though, when it was a pure links 9-hole course. The tee boxes didn’t have grass just dirt, the greens were hand-mowed using push mowers, and the bunkers were mostly stony sand. These fairways were lined with 2-foot tall hay fields, called heather. Farmers came in and baled it for the city every fall. It was farmland – mostly hay and cornfields. There was a farmhouse near where the 8th fairway is. We used to pump the water up from its well, taking a sip from the tin cup attached to it by a chain. That was great water. The well was capped off years ago though.
The course is in rough shape. Lots of reasons but the staff isn’t one of them. Mark (Yamin) is top notch. So’s his crew. It’s hard work to keep this course playable especially with half the fulltime staff needed. The players aren’t helping either with their disrespectful lack of etiquette. Most don’t follow the 90-degree rule, driving the carts on the fairways instead of the cart paths and they’re not removing their broken tees. Do you know the havoc those things play on the mowers?
Mainly, it’s the drought. There hasn’t been enough rain this year to green anything that isn’t irrigated. The soil is so compacted in the fairways on the front nine that it’s like golfing on concrete. The grounds haven’t been aerated in at least 6 years. The city doesn’t own the right equipment. The tractor used to do it broke down and sat for a few years. They finally fixed it. Once the season ends, Mark will get the course properly aerated. That’ll make a big difference in how the course plays next year.
Water’s the problem on the back 9 too. Only here we’ve got too much and the drainage system isn’t working right. Water from the underground spring isn’t flowing where we need it too. See these ponds. They're supposed to be drainage ponds. Instead they’re algae farms, so stagnant that ducks and geese won’t use them. This pond, built two years ago to drain water from the 13th, 14th and 15th fairways, isn’t finished. The outlet pipe sits 6” above the water line. Neither pond has flowing water. Easily fixed by installing water spray units in there. The request for them apparently was denied.
The 6th tee used to be here (between where the basketball court and the softball fields are now off of North Lake). Lou Anthony had it moved so that playground could be built over there. As far as I'm concerned, the city ruined the best hole on the course doing that. See that port-a-potty? That’s the only bathroom out here. We’ve been told there’s no way to get water and sewer onto the course. That pot sits 100’ from North Lake. Water and sewer lines could be brought in from there without too much trouble and another added near the 13th green/14th tee by running lines in from Humiston Avenue. Bathrooms out here would not only serve the golfers and ballplayers in the summer, they’d serve the sledders in the winter too.
There’s Arcadia Pavilion. Great building, you should see the stone fireplaces in there - magnificent. Dances were held in there back in the 30’s. Now, it’s storage. They move the equipment down here from the buildings up by the 1st green during the summer. It doesn’t make sense. Storage isn’t what the space was meant for. I’ve always thought it would be great to have our Clubhouse and Pro Shop in there; that’d be classy. Wouldn’t it?
My dad is Tony VonFricken. If you’ve played a weekend tournament there this year, Dad was your course ranger. He enjoys working for Larry Riley and with guys like Billy McConnell, Ronnie Frazier and Gus Gorman. He served as Chairman of the Rensselaer County Amateur Tournament for 8 years following Col. Bill McGiff. As a founding member of the Frear Park Golf Association he worked to improve the course, serving as Vice-President then President. During his tenure, the FPGA and the RCAT donated 125 Austrian Pines to the city for the course. We went for a ride on his course and he told me how he was hooked on golf as a kid. This is his story, told to me from his unique perspective.
______________________________________________________
One day, I was running around the park. John Monahan was giving golf lessons over at the Sunday Tee. He called out to me asking if I’d like to shag balls. Said he’d pay me $.40 a lesson. I’d roundup the balls, put them in a bucket and bring them back to him after each lesson. Shagging balls netted me $4.80 a weekend. Can you imagine how happy I was at 10 to be earning that kind of money to give to my mother? My father was only earning $8.00 a week. As I earned, I learned by listening to Mr. Monahan. Later, I caddied for some of the best players in the area - men like Tony Camprone, Al Serian and Gerald Messier. The mayor’s “Hook a Kid on Golf” program is the best thing I’ve seen up here in a long time. It gives kids a chance to learn the game. I love it. Hope it comes back next year. I’d like to help out with it.
This place is nothing like it was back in 1948 though, when it was a pure links 9-hole course. The tee boxes didn’t have grass just dirt, the greens were hand-mowed using push mowers, and the bunkers were mostly stony sand. These fairways were lined with 2-foot tall hay fields, called heather. Farmers came in and baled it for the city every fall. It was farmland – mostly hay and cornfields. There was a farmhouse near where the 8th fairway is. We used to pump the water up from its well, taking a sip from the tin cup attached to it by a chain. That was great water. The well was capped off years ago though.
The course is in rough shape. Lots of reasons but the staff isn’t one of them. Mark (Yamin) is top notch. So’s his crew. It’s hard work to keep this course playable especially with half the fulltime staff needed. The players aren’t helping either with their disrespectful lack of etiquette. Most don’t follow the 90-degree rule, driving the carts on the fairways instead of the cart paths and they’re not removing their broken tees. Do you know the havoc those things play on the mowers?
Mainly, it’s the drought. There hasn’t been enough rain this year to green anything that isn’t irrigated. The soil is so compacted in the fairways on the front nine that it’s like golfing on concrete. The grounds haven’t been aerated in at least 6 years. The city doesn’t own the right equipment. The tractor used to do it broke down and sat for a few years. They finally fixed it. Once the season ends, Mark will get the course properly aerated. That’ll make a big difference in how the course plays next year.
Water’s the problem on the back 9 too. Only here we’ve got too much and the drainage system isn’t working right. Water from the underground spring isn’t flowing where we need it too. See these ponds. They're supposed to be drainage ponds. Instead they’re algae farms, so stagnant that ducks and geese won’t use them. This pond, built two years ago to drain water from the 13th, 14th and 15th fairways, isn’t finished. The outlet pipe sits 6” above the water line. Neither pond has flowing water. Easily fixed by installing water spray units in there. The request for them apparently was denied.
The 6th tee used to be here (between where the basketball court and the softball fields are now off of North Lake). Lou Anthony had it moved so that playground could be built over there. As far as I'm concerned, the city ruined the best hole on the course doing that. See that port-a-potty? That’s the only bathroom out here. We’ve been told there’s no way to get water and sewer onto the course. That pot sits 100’ from North Lake. Water and sewer lines could be brought in from there without too much trouble and another added near the 13th green/14th tee by running lines in from Humiston Avenue. Bathrooms out here would not only serve the golfers and ballplayers in the summer, they’d serve the sledders in the winter too.
There’s Arcadia Pavilion. Great building, you should see the stone fireplaces in there - magnificent. Dances were held in there back in the 30’s. Now, it’s storage. They move the equipment down here from the buildings up by the 1st green during the summer. It doesn’t make sense. Storage isn’t what the space was meant for. I’ve always thought it would be great to have our Clubhouse and Pro Shop in there; that’d be classy. Wouldn’t it?
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Our Parks need Historic Preservation Too
I have been blessed to enjoy every major public park in Troy. Each is special. I learned to swim at Knick; my son at the South End Pool. I climbed the monkey bars in Beman. My wedding reception was in the pavilion at Prospect park. I've spent more than a few bucks at Powers Park Flea Markets. I played baseball at Frear Park and have even golfed a couple of rounds. The history each park carries forward requires her owners – the real citizens of Troy – to tend to their needs attentively. It requires the highest level of stewardship. Groups like the Friends of Prospect Park and Frear Park Conservancy have been showing us the way for many years.
These green spaces and historic structures tell the recreational story of Troy. The 1920’s era Art Deco swimming pool at Prospect is a prominent example of craftsmanship and design from the Roaring ‘20’s. Closed in the mid-1990’s as a cost savings measure, that pool is one of only a few that remained in the US still standing. It’s use as a pool is long past yet the structure could be re-purposed perhaps for skateboarders. What a great way to get the newest generation using, enjoying and appreciating Prospect. The locker area could be rehabbed and that wonderful structure could be put back to good use.
The Arcadia Pavilion’s splendor and beauty are being wasted at Frear Park. It was built as a community-gathering place. City of Troy’s Parks and Recreation Department currently uses the space as a storage facility. The golf course lost its clubhouse years ago when the city chose to lease out that space to a private entity. It has since lost its pro shop too. How grand it would be if the pavilion were to be re-purposed as the course’s 19th Hole and Pro Shop.
These green spaces and historic structures tell the recreational story of Troy. The 1920’s era Art Deco swimming pool at Prospect is a prominent example of craftsmanship and design from the Roaring ‘20’s. Closed in the mid-1990’s as a cost savings measure, that pool is one of only a few that remained in the US still standing. It’s use as a pool is long past yet the structure could be re-purposed perhaps for skateboarders. What a great way to get the newest generation using, enjoying and appreciating Prospect. The locker area could be rehabbed and that wonderful structure could be put back to good use.
The Arcadia Pavilion’s splendor and beauty are being wasted at Frear Park. It was built as a community-gathering place. City of Troy’s Parks and Recreation Department currently uses the space as a storage facility. The golf course lost its clubhouse years ago when the city chose to lease out that space to a private entity. It has since lost its pro shop too. How grand it would be if the pavilion were to be re-purposed as the course’s 19th Hole and Pro Shop.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
She woke a sleeping giant
As a 10-year-old sixth grader at Lansingburgh Elementary School, my attention was focused on family and friends with school being a necessary evil. Although attentive in class, I never did homework. I passed the tests anyway, so saw no need to bother. Homework repulsed me. Homework took me away from my friends. That is until Ms. Kathleen Tivnan (my history teacher) convinced me, that at least for her class, it was worth doing. When I failed to turn in an assignment, she kept me after school. “Write ‘I will do my homework’ 100 times” she would say in her ever eloquent manner. I caved after about a week of this and started to do her homework assignments.
Many of the reading assignments were on ancient Greece. Before long, the stories of the city-states and the gods they honored became enjoyable for me to read. I wasn’t only reading what she told me to, I was checking other history books out as well. The more I read, the more interested I became in current events. I figured, someday these events will be history. Since my parents sheltered me from world events taking place in 1971, (the Vietnam War was still being waged and campus riots seemingly a daily occurrence) I turned to my grandparents. I asked them about events that occurred in their lifetimes like The Great Depression and World War II. What was history to me was life for them. How cool it was to learn their lives. The family historian was born.
Had it not been for Ms. Tivnan’s insistence, my love of history may never have been awakened. Ms. Tivnan woke the sleeping giant. To her I owe my passion for history: my family's and Troy’s in particular. It was this passion for history that made me rail during the Urban desTroyal that occurred here in the ‘70’s. I carry that same passion today. Historic preservation and restoration are necessary, vital. They are keystones. For it is in our history that the real citizens of Troy will find their future.
Many of the reading assignments were on ancient Greece. Before long, the stories of the city-states and the gods they honored became enjoyable for me to read. I wasn’t only reading what she told me to, I was checking other history books out as well. The more I read, the more interested I became in current events. I figured, someday these events will be history. Since my parents sheltered me from world events taking place in 1971, (the Vietnam War was still being waged and campus riots seemingly a daily occurrence) I turned to my grandparents. I asked them about events that occurred in their lifetimes like The Great Depression and World War II. What was history to me was life for them. How cool it was to learn their lives. The family historian was born.
Had it not been for Ms. Tivnan’s insistence, my love of history may never have been awakened. Ms. Tivnan woke the sleeping giant. To her I owe my passion for history: my family's and Troy’s in particular. It was this passion for history that made me rail during the Urban desTroyal that occurred here in the ‘70’s. I carry that same passion today. Historic preservation and restoration are necessary, vital. They are keystones. For it is in our history that the real citizens of Troy will find their future.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Time Passes
Time passes,
Memories remain.
Thoughts collide with present times.
You are gone.
Yet you are here.
Never again and ever near.
Stay, Stay live within me.
Love remembers
Times past.
Memories remain.
Thoughts collide with present times.
You are gone.
Yet you are here.
Never again and ever near.
Stay, Stay live within me.
Love remembers
Times past.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Real Citizens of Troy - Part II
This is your last call to action, my fellow Real Citizens of Troy! Today’s the day. Yepper. Sure is. Today is the last day that we can comment on the proposed expansion of the County Waste Transfer Station down on Main & Water Streets in South Troy. And we’ve been raising quite a stink about the whole process. And, yes, the pun is intended. And, no, I’m not talking about the stench of trash. I’m talking about the stench from the incompetence that allowed the process to breakdown in the first place.
I figured out a long time ago that issues don’t go away when one ignores them. Instead, what happens is that they grow fungus. I’m just saying that issues tend to mushroom when you ignore them. If an issue is not properly dealt with upfront, there can be a peck of difficulty trying to eradicate the spreading spores.
I’ve taken my stand. It’s time for you to take yours. Click to email Nancy Baker or call the Region 4 permitting office at 357-2456.
I figured out a long time ago that issues don’t go away when one ignores them. Instead, what happens is that they grow fungus. I’m just saying that issues tend to mushroom when you ignore them. If an issue is not properly dealt with upfront, there can be a peck of difficulty trying to eradicate the spreading spores.
I’ve taken my stand. It’s time for you to take yours. Click to email Nancy Baker or call the Region 4 permitting office at 357-2456.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Will the Real Citizens of Troy Please Stand Up
The proposed expansion of the County Waste Transfer Station, located at the South Troy Gateway into Troy, is on the fast track and it’s all because of a lack of response from our mayor’s office to a letter from NYSDEC that they may or may not have received. Let’s throw the blame here right where it belongs. The mailroom clerk. You know, the one who may not have DONE THE JOB THEY WERE HIRED TO DO by delivering the mayor his mail back in June. Gees, you just can’t get good help these days. Someone's ineptitude has put the city and her citizens right into a big trash bin.
Regardless of why the city administration’s office didn’t respond to the letter, they didn’t. And since that letter to the Mayor’s Office from NYSDEC regarding lead agency status for the proposed expansion back in June wasn’t responded to, NYSDEC assumed lead agency status of the project. On July 20th - as lead agency - NYSDEC made a negative declaration, clearing the way for the expansion to proceed WITHOUT a full and complete Envirnomental Impact Statement. It appears that no one in the city administration, on the city council or the citizens who will be directly impacted by this expansion were notified of this declaration either. We can only assume that, if a letter notifying the City of Troy of this was sent, it found it’s way to the same place the June letter did.
Since the letter may or may not have been received, the city administation wasn't able to notify the city councilmen about this lead agency status either. After all, if the mayor's office didn't receive the letter, they couldn't have shared the information, right? As far as I know, no public hearings regarding the proposed expansion were held. Until the citizens spoke out at the council meeting on August 5th (including one who suggested that the city take lead agency status), no one in city government apparently was aware that anyone other than the "trash talkers" from South Troy were concerned. When it became apparent to the council members that many residents outside of South Troy were also concerned, the councilmen agreed that more thought needed to go into the process. They said that they would explore taking lead agency status. No one at that meeting seemed to be aware that the NYSDEC had already assumed that role or that a negative declaration regarding the expansion had in fact already been made.
NYSDEC had only received a handful of comments regarding this during the regular comment period. Given that no informtion regarding this was made public, it surprises me that NYSDEC received ANY comments at all. They were not aware that the real citizens of Troy were against the expansion. Because of the outcry of at that council meeting, (and I suspect at the request of our city council) NYSDEC has extended the time period for public comment through August 19th. This is the final week that anyone will be able to comment on the proposed expansion.
Now this is where the trash talking REALLY has to start flying. This expansion will bring increased truck traffic to EVERY neighborhood in the city. This increased truck traffic will further strain our already teetering infrastructure, both above and below ground. It will further degrade the appearance of one of our cities MAIN gateways. It will further erode property values throughout our fair city. It will give the City of Troy federal slum status. No real citizen of Troy could want any of this. I certainly don't. It's time for the Real Citizens of Troy to STAND UP. Are you a Real Citizen of Troy? If you are, please contact Nancy Baker at NYSDEC or call the Region 4 permitting office at 357-2456 to make your opinion known.
Regardless of why the city administration’s office didn’t respond to the letter, they didn’t. And since that letter to the Mayor’s Office from NYSDEC regarding lead agency status for the proposed expansion back in June wasn’t responded to, NYSDEC assumed lead agency status of the project. On July 20th - as lead agency - NYSDEC made a negative declaration, clearing the way for the expansion to proceed WITHOUT a full and complete Envirnomental Impact Statement. It appears that no one in the city administration, on the city council or the citizens who will be directly impacted by this expansion were notified of this declaration either. We can only assume that, if a letter notifying the City of Troy of this was sent, it found it’s way to the same place the June letter did.
Since the letter may or may not have been received, the city administation wasn't able to notify the city councilmen about this lead agency status either. After all, if the mayor's office didn't receive the letter, they couldn't have shared the information, right? As far as I know, no public hearings regarding the proposed expansion were held. Until the citizens spoke out at the council meeting on August 5th (including one who suggested that the city take lead agency status), no one in city government apparently was aware that anyone other than the "trash talkers" from South Troy were concerned. When it became apparent to the council members that many residents outside of South Troy were also concerned, the councilmen agreed that more thought needed to go into the process. They said that they would explore taking lead agency status. No one at that meeting seemed to be aware that the NYSDEC had already assumed that role or that a negative declaration regarding the expansion had in fact already been made.
NYSDEC had only received a handful of comments regarding this during the regular comment period. Given that no informtion regarding this was made public, it surprises me that NYSDEC received ANY comments at all. They were not aware that the real citizens of Troy were against the expansion. Because of the outcry of at that council meeting, (and I suspect at the request of our city council) NYSDEC has extended the time period for public comment through August 19th. This is the final week that anyone will be able to comment on the proposed expansion.
Now this is where the trash talking REALLY has to start flying. This expansion will bring increased truck traffic to EVERY neighborhood in the city. This increased truck traffic will further strain our already teetering infrastructure, both above and below ground. It will further degrade the appearance of one of our cities MAIN gateways. It will further erode property values throughout our fair city. It will give the City of Troy federal slum status. No real citizen of Troy could want any of this. I certainly don't. It's time for the Real Citizens of Troy to STAND UP. Are you a Real Citizen of Troy? If you are, please contact Nancy Baker at NYSDEC or call the Region 4 permitting office at 357-2456 to make your opinion known.
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