March 30 Enews- Park is Open (for now); Social Distancing on Trails; Solo Waterfront Trail Cleanups

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Best practices for park and trail use in the time of COVID-19, plus how you can make a difference along the waterfront

Tuesday, March 31, 2020 Dear Park and Trail Friends, Stewart Park and the Cayuga Waterfront Trail, along with Cass Park and the Black Diamond Trail, remain open and in use by many of us who crave the outdoors and physical activity during this unprecedented time.  The latest Tompkins County Health Department messaging  reminds us to stay at home to limit the spread of COVID-19, but also tells us that park and trail use is fine, with proper distancing.  So, if you feel the need to get outside for some fresh air and exercise, as many do, please maintain distancing and do not touch surfaces, such as benches and water fountains. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) reminds us "Getting outdoors to walk, jog, hike, ride a bicycle, fish, or visit a park or state lands is a healthy way to stay active, spend time with immediate household family members, and reduce stress and anxiety when practicing social distancing. While indoor spaces and restrooms may be closed out of an abundance of caution to prevent community spread of COVID-19, many parks, grounds, forests, and trails are open during daylight hours, seven days a week."  City of Ithaca Park Status  Earlier today Cass Park Director Jim D'Alterio sent an update on City parks and trails. The following City Parks and Trails are open for public use: Stewart Park, Cass Park,  Cayuga Waterfront Trail, and other neighborhood parks including the Skate Park.  Open air pavilions  in the parks are open but not available for reservation. One set of restrooms at Stewart Park is open (in the Wharton Building/Maintenance Building). The following park facilities are closed: playgrounds, tennis/pickleball courts, and basketball courts.  Athletic fields are open but cannot be reserved for exclusive use at this time. The new Treman Marine Park Waterfront Trail extension is open and a wonderful place to visit.  Of course many are visiting our state parks and hiking trails.   Check out this NY State Parks link before you plan your park visit.    Friends of Stewart Park remains committed to revitalizing our beloved waterfront park and caring for the Cayuga Waterfront Trail in these uncertain times. Please read on for some of the ways we are working with the City of Ithaca keep our waterfront safe and clean for park and trail users.  Stay safe! Stay well! And keep your distance!  Social Distancing When outside of your home, social distancing is critical for keeping us all safe during this time of rapid virus spread. Do your part by keeping at least 6 feet between you and other park and trail users. Friends of Stewart Park placed these signs out along the Cayuga Waterfront Trail last week to remind others to do the same.  We like this diagram from the Austin Parks Foundation shared by Erin Marteal of the Ithaca Children's Garden.    To reiterate, six feet is the minimum distance you should keep between you and people not in your household, and it is farther than you may realize!  Please be respectful of other trail users by keeping your distance. The trail bridges over Fall Creek in Stewart Park are only 5' wide, so please wait your turn before crossing. Luckily, Ithaca's many one-lane bridges have been priming us for just this task - think Forest Home or Brindley Street.  Solo Waterfront Cleanup This is the time of year that Friends of Stewart Park and many of our waterfront friends - Greenstar, TC Dog, and the Ithaca Dragon Boat Club to name a few - would normally be hosting a large spring waterfront cleanup.  As we all know, this is no longer possible. However, we invite you to do your own solo cleanup! Wear your boots and gloves (definitely gloves!) and take a garbage bag down to the Cayuga Waterfront Trail to pick up trash……or push a broom down a section of the trail….or adopt a garden bed to tend (with coaching only please)!  There are lots of ways to help while maintaining best practices of social distancing with anyone outside of your household. Want to adopt a garden bed or learn about a high needs areas that especially need clean up? Contact Rick rick@friendsofstewartpark.org. Playground Phase II Work on Hold The City of Ithaca is currently awaiting guidance from the State of New York on whether construction of Phase II of the playground can proceed as planned during the next two to three months. We were very fortunate to have nice weather last fall and made great progress. There are a few modifications and additions to the new play structure before the accessible safety surfacing is installed. This rubber surfacing will be placed throughout most of Phase II and parts of Phase I and will greatly enhance its accessibility! Another upshot to the delay is that this will allow for better grass establishment on the sloped berm.  We will keep you posted as the schedule becomes more clear. Want to help with the cleanup up? Volunteer another way? Join a committee?  Email Rick! rick@friendsofstewartpark.org Your tax deductible donation to FSP helps revitalize Stewart Park now and in the future! CLICK  TO  MAKE  A  GIFT Copyright © 2019 Friends of Stewart Park, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you were subscribed to the joint newsletter  for Friends of Stewart Park and the Cayuga Waterfront Trail.  Visit us on the web: www.friendsofstewartpark.org Our NEW address is: 120 Brindley St. Suite 4, Ithaca, NY 14850 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

This email was sent to <<Email Address>> why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Friends of Stewart Park · 1001 W Seneca St, Suite 101 · Ithaca, NY 14850 · USA

2019 Annual Report

Friends of Stewart Park continues its goal of revitalizing Ithaca’s historic lakefront park for its 2021 centennial as a public park.

2019 was an active and productive year of successful projects, events and fundraising. 

Park Projects

Playground Phase I: 2019 saw completion of Phase I (which opened in fall 2018) with the installation of boulders, fibar surfacing, safety railings, sand fill, landscaping and signage. 

Playground Phase II:  Groundbreaking of Phase II of the Inclusive Playground took place on September 5, 2019 with City of Ithaca’s Mayor Myrick and Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton in attendance. 

Excellent progress was made on the installation of the expansive school-age play structure and the creation of a berm due to a dry fall. 

Construction will continue starting early spring 2020, with the Inclusive Playground slated to open in May.  A new cover for the Carousel cover is included in Phase II. 

Cleanups:  FSP hosted several park clean-up events including a Waterfront Cleanup in March, the “Coach’s Sweep” Trail cleanup in late April, and several Trail Adopter clean-up days.

Picnic Pavilion Restoration:  The $500,000 project to restore the Picnic ”Large” Pavilion concluded in a ribbon cutting/grand opening on June 4, 2019, with City and County representatives in attendance. The project included restoration of all seven original semi-circular door and window units; construction of new bathrooms and a new roof; new lighting; and the repair and painting of  interior walls, and the veranda’s ceiling and columns. 

Information Kiosk:  A kiosk, designed to evoke the park’s 1896 water tower (destroyed by Hurricane Hazel in 1954), was built by former FSP intern and community-build manager Lucas Raley this summer and displayed information about playground construction for visitors to the park. Moving forward, the kiosk will feature information about park revitalization efforts and events taking place in Stewart Park.

Board Planting: In June, the FSP Board of Directors planted a pollinator garden on the northern edge of the pre-school playground comprised of native perennials and grasses that grew into a beautiful border during the course of the summer.  

Boathouse Restoration:  A $367,000 state grant from the Regional Economic Development Council was awarded to the City of Ithaca to restore the exterior of the Cascadilla Boathouse. For the past several years, FSP has led the effort to restore the Boathouse, and in 2019 worked with Historic Ithaca to submit the grant application, with the funds going to the City of Ithaca to complete the project. 

Park Events

Bird Walks: The Cayuga Bird Club led early morning bird walks every Saturday in May. 

Ithaca Festival Parade: Friends of Stewart Park walked in the parade for the first time. FSP was represented by members of its Board of Directors, staff, and Girl Scout Troop #60333.

Fireworks: As it has for the past several years, FSP co-hosted July 4th Ithaca Rotary Fireworks, with live music, food vendors, and fun activities.

Watermusic: Nice weather made for a good turnout for Watermusic & Dancing on the Trail in July. Since 2010, this annual event, led by Triphammer Arts, features musicians and dancers performing throughout the park and on the Trail. The event is free and open to the public. 

Movies in the Park : Presented and sponsored by the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce and Chemung Canal Trust Company, Movies in the Park  took place at Stewart Park again this August. 2019 movies included Incredibles 2, Mary Poppins, Captain Marvel, the Mighty Ducks, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The State Theatre served as a rain location. 

Park Tours: Rick Manning, FSP Executive Director and Diana Riesman, FSP Board President and Wharton Studio Museum Executive Director, hosted park tours for a Girl Scout troop, County Legislators, a group of university educators from Buffalo, the Lifelong Walkers, and a tour produced by Historic Ithaca. The tours focus on park history, Wharton Studio movie history, and current revitalization efforts. 

Paddle, Pedal & Play Festival:  On September 14, 2019, FSP hosted its inaugural outdoor recreation festival, Paddle, Pedal & Play. The P3 festival, created to promote Stewart Park as a destination for family friendly recreation, was made possible by funding from a Tompkins County Tourism Program grant and sponsor support from Paddle-N-More. An estimated 250 people participated in various activities, with the most popular being free bike rentals from Ithaca Youth Bureau, tree climbing with Cornell Outdoor Education, and juggling with Nate the Great. 

Fundraising Events

Pub with a Purpose: Kilpatricks and Hilton Garden Inn generously selected Friends of Stewart Park to be the recipient of their Pub with a Purpose fundraiser for January and February.  Each Tuesday evening, a percentage of the proceeds from the bar and restaurant went to FSP. Rick Manning reached out to musicians who graciously showed up to play, which helped to help draw in more people. 

Wild About Stewart Park: This 3rd annual February fundraiser at Cinemapolis featured nature photography by Sarah Blodgett, Rachel Hogancamp and Dan Segal, with music by Tim Ball, Dave Davies, Tom Hodgson, and Rick Manning. Hilby made a surprise comedic appearance. 

Strings for Stewart Park: This musical town-gown fundraiser in April featured Cornell University's Ariana Kim, Ithaca College's Susan Waterbury, and Ithaca musicians Judy Hyman, Tim Ball, Dave Davies, and Rick Manning, with special guest Alice Saltonstall, Dana Paul,  and 11-year-old Nellia Mattson who sang and played the ukelele. LaTourelle graciously hosted the event. 

Philanthropic Friday at Ciao’s: FSP was invited to create a pizza to be sold at Ciao’s on Friday, August 16 for its Philanthropic Fridays event. For every “Friends of Stewart Pork” pizza sold that night, FSP received $20. FSP thanks Ciao’s and Jerry and Margaret Dietz for their generosity.

Party for the Park: FSP and Wharton Studio Museum’s 4th Annual Park for the Park took place in the newly-restored Picnic Pavilion. Luna Inspired Street Food catered the evening and music by the lake featured Ariana Kim, Rick Manning, Harry Aceto, and Tom Hodgson. Along with Rick Manning and Diana Riesman, speakers included Common Council member Laura Lewis (5th Ward), and Patrick and his wife Ashley Bohn. Patrick has used a wheelchair since childhood, and he and Ashley highlighted how the new accessible playground at Stewart Park gives him the ability to take his children to the park, and talked about the importance of kids with mobility issues being able to play alongside siblings and friends.  

Fundraising Campaigns

Make a Splash!: This campaign began last fall and now continues as FSP focuses on Phase III of the playground which encompasses a new splash pad for Stewart Park. 

Annual Appeal: Our Annual Appeal Letter was our most successful to date. It was mailed to 1,400 people in total with three different letters sent to major donors, donors and non-donors. We thank everyone who donated to this campaign!