Adirondack Town Of Franklin
Adirondack Town Of Franklin

VOLUME EIGHT

Franklin, TOWN OF FRANKLIN

KATE MOUNTAIN RECREATION PARK DEVELOPMENT 1998

By Recreation Committee

SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAM - Town of Franklin sponsors a 8 week Summer Youth Program at no charge for the children of Town of Franklin. Lunch is provided by St. Paul's Food Pantry. The program begins the 2nd week of July and runs through the 3rd week in August. For more information, please contact the Town Clerk either by email townclerk@townoffranklin.com or by calling 518-891-2189.

Kate Mountain Recreation Park Pavilion, TOWN OF FRANKLIN

The Recreation Committee volunteers, consisting of Chairwoman Betty Wilson, Dave Dekkers, Alan Oliver, Lorrie Rumble and David Vossler, with Town Board liaison John Martino, have put in a year of planning, difficult decision making and hard work on the Kate Mountain Park site.

"For the most part, it was a good year," said Chairwoman Wilson. "There's so much work to do. And, of course, there are always more projects and ideas we'd like to consider, too. We're grateful for the volunteers who helped us this year."

The town was fortunate that most of the work at the park was done by volunteers, saving the town a considerable amount of money. Grants applied for didn't come through, and the committee needed to plan carefully to be sure work done was within the town's budget limits. The committee continues to receive donations, and fundraising in the fall (a raffle and a spaghetti dinner) was very well supported brought in over $2,000. The committee is grateful to all the volunteers who helped with the raffle and dinner, and to all those who participated and donated toward the fund.

Kate Mountain Recreation Park Pavilion,TOWN OF FRANKLIN

After the site was prepared by John Martino and Hugh Tyler, the pavilion was begun. Don Rumble, working in his free time, agreed to get the building up. Thanks to volunteers and inmate crews, most of the work was done by the end of the building season. Allie Pelletieri donated equipment for the foundation; in addition to the inmates, volunteer workers included Richard A Hough, Don Vorrath, Joe Rumble, Paul Rumble, Mike Stender and Frank Karl. Work progressed throughout the summer and fall as Don's time permitted and volunteers were available.

After testing the ball field soil, the Cornell Cooperative Extension recommended several steps to build up and improve the turf. Roger Symonds arranged for the school district to lend to the town the aerator and fertilizer spreader. John MacDowell brought his tractor to the field and spent a day thoroughly aerating the field to prepare it for liming, fertilizing and seeding. Plans for the summer of 1998 include dugout fencing and benches.

Last fall, donated money was used to purchase and put in a flagpole and flag, and this spring new basketball backboards and hoops will be purchased. Again, because of the support to the park by our friends and neighbors, these purchases did not need to be made with town funds.

Early spring, Josh Tyler joined the committee volunteers to plant 75 cedar trees along the property line. The Bloomingdale Boosters came over with rakes and shovels to prepare the baseball field's infield for the season. The second application of lime, as recommended by the Cornell Cooperative Extension, was spread over the field.

Plans for the summer of 1998 are being helped along with the addition of Robin Oliver to the committee. Robin is researching playground equipment, hoping to see it installed this fall. An important component to getting it done is you: Your continued help by supporting this summer's fund-raisers is needed to make it happen.

The committee's biggest disappointment was that there was no skating at the park again this year. A great deal of work went into preparing the skate shack and 100 square foot rink in the field. The first problem was that there was no response to the town's want ad for a skating supervisor. The committee decided to go ahead and hope for the best, but "the best" turned out to be mild temperatures, more snow than we've seen in years and, of course, Ice Storm '98.

We need to keep reminding ourselves that some day the tree seedlings will be a windbreak, the ball field will be all lush grass, the pavilion surrounded by picnic tables and a playground. We hope you, too, can keep that picture in mind and continue to support the park. It's hard to imagine all the work will ever be "done". The committee's wish list is long, but with our neighbors' and friends' support and help we've come a long way, and we plan to keep working!

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Town of Franklin
P.O. Box 209, Route 3, Vermontville, NY 12989  ·  Tel: 518-891-2189  ·  Fax: 518-891-6389  ·  info@townoffranklin.com
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