Mount Utsayantha - Mountain-top Meeting

Mountain-top Meeting – August 5, 2003

Village Hall, Stamford

Mayor Bray hosted an informational meeting Tuesday evening at Stamford Village Hall concerning the redevelopment of the top of Mt. Utsayantha. The top of the mountain was gifted to the village by Dr. Churchill who had been prominent in developing the area as the Queen of the Catskills at the end of the 19th century. It was to always be used in the public interest and in the past was a popular picnic/sightseeing destination. In recent years public usage has declined and vandalism has been a recurring problem.

The meeting began with the gathering of over 30 people from the area. Lifelong residents sat side by side with newcomers to the community. People seeking information and people loaded with information shared with one another.

Helen Budrock, Assistant Director of the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, was on hand to facilitate the meeting, as she has been providing assistance to the Village with this project over the past few months. Budrock began by explaining the chain of events that led up to the establishment of a committee charged with exploring options for revitalizing the mountain-top, including the historic observation building.

In October of 2002 the Village Newsletter carried an article asking, "Do We Want to Save This Historic Building?" An article in, the local weekly newspaper, The Mountain Eagle, followed this piece. Budrock was made aware of the article and the Village's concerns and contacted Mayor Bray to offer her assistance. At the same time, Village Trustee Anne Slatin had recommended to the Mayor that he should contact Budrock because she might be able to help the Village with this important project. An attempt to get to the top of the mountain to begin discussions was made, but winter closed in first. As soon as the weather opened in the spring, contact was resumed and Mayor Bray asked local residents Joe Gardiner, Doug Murphy and Lou O'Connor to meet with himself and Budrock to begin the process of consideration.

Since that initial meeting, two more concerned citizens -- Dave Turan, a neighboring property owner, and Don Dales, from Hobart -- have joined the ad hoc committee, as well as David Koehn of the Utsayantha Flyers Organization, which organizes hang-gliding events and currently helps to maintain the site. Anyone wishing to help with the project and join the committee are welcome and need only contact Mayor Bray by calling his home (652-7978) or Village Hall (652-6671). There will need to be a number of subcommittees as progress goes forward over the next few years.

Budrock went on to explain that since May, she has assisted the village in securing a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts to employ a restoration architect, Marilyn Kaplan, to evaluate the observation tower. The Village Board committed $600 to this project to leverage a $1,200 technical assistance grant from NYSCA, and Kaplan's initial report indicates the building is not beyond restoration.

At the same time, Budrock has committed $2,000 in grant funding received by The Catskill Center from the Catskill Watershed Corporation to hire local landscape architect, Birgitta Brophy, who is preparing a landscape master plan for the park.

On Friday, August 1 – despite a steady rain -- a group consisting of Helen Budrock, Birgitta Brophy, Doug Murphy, Don Dales, Dave Turan, Mayor Bray and Jennifer Harvill from Delaware County Planning Department met on the mountaintop and walked over several proposed trail routes. These routes include a possible picnic area and a proposed trail crossing private land from the top of the mountain to NYS Route 23 near the DOT yard. This route can be open to the public with proper permissions and a parking area on the highway.

The group at Tuesday night's meeting was generally positive in discussing the prospective uses of the mountaintop. Most indicated a desire to see a restoration of the beauty of the site. The vast majority responded with a show of hands to the need to save the fire tower. The prospect of more visitors in the area was in many of the statements. Many remembered the "old days" and the many times they went onto the mountain with parents and family to picnic and hike. Concerns were expressed as to how to keep the cost of restoring and maintaining the mountaintop without increasing village taxes.

In soliciting input from those in attendance, Budrock presented five areas of discussion including suggestions for improving security, restoring the observation building, improving the access road, revitalizing the park itself, and restoring the fire tower. The process will take several seasons and many grants as well as individual contributions. One suggestion brought up was the formation of a "Friends of Utsayantha" group. This group could include school children as well as adults who work together to raise funds and do volunteer work at the mountaintop. It was suggested that linkage to 4-H, Scouts, the Stamford Historical Society and other organizations would enlarge community participation.

The ad hoc committee, under the guidance of Mayor Bray and Helen Budrock, will continue the task of collecting information and analyzing various options for redeveloping Mt. Utsayantha. A preliminary report, including the preservation architect's recommendations and Birgitta Brophy's landscape plan for the park, should be completed sometime in September. The report will also include cost estimates, potential funding sources, and a proposed time frame for completing the project. Another informational meeting will be held at that time, but suggestions and ideas are welcome from anyone in the community in the meantime.

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Any who are interested in helping should contact the mayor by calling his home, 607.652.7978 or Village Hall 607.652.6671.

Mail can be addressed to:
Village of Stamford
Mountaintop
P.O. Box 68
Stamford, NY 12167