Back after a short four year quiet time.  I light mostly on my websites:
www.danielmack.com and www.the casualalchemist.com
BUT I'l see what happens when I embrace blogging a bit more.

Closed State prison emerges as Town Woodlands

Wickham Woodlands rises from former prison site

Exciting things are  happening at the former Mid-Orange Correctional Facility!

For one thing, the newest Town Park has an official name. At a recent Town Board meeting, the 600-plus acres that the Town acquired for $1 for non-commercial, recreational purposes was officially designated Wickham Woodlands. “These newly available lands represent a once-in a-lifetime for a community like Warwick,” said Town Supervisor Michael Sweeton. "With Wickham Lake and the combination of open space, woodlands, and usable buildings, the potential is enormous.”

Aerial view of portion of Wickham Woodlands,Wickham Lake, and Sugarloaf Mt in the background

To oversee the realization of that potential, the Supervisor designated citizens’ committee headed by Town Board member Russ Kowal. "The committee’s work began with a Town-wide “visioning” meeting in the spring where hundreds of ideas from the community were collected,” said Kowal, "and now those ideas are starting to come to fruition.”

So far, here’s is a listing of the new facilities that either are or are planned to be in the near future:

— A specially-designed baseball field designed for people of all abilities;

— A floating dock — generously donated by local company Meeco Sullivan — for canoe and kayak launches;

The Meeco Sullivan team: from L: Adam Schlomann, Mike Keppler, Bob Sullivan, Jim Mason, Mike Hennelly and Steve Sullivan.

— A lakeside picnic area 

— A beautiful 2+ mile walking trail that will link the various activity centers of Wickham Woodlands, including the sports fields, the Lake, and the barn area where potentially , cultural, educational and artistic facilities could be created.

Supervisor Sweeton and Committee Chair Kowal have announced that a day of “food, festivities and fun for the whole family” is being planned for Sat, Sept. 26 (rain date Sept 27) from 1pm to 5pm to celebrate all that is happening at Warwick’s newest park. Catering trucks will be there but feel free to bring your own  lunch and enjoy the picnic field.

Said Sweeton, “The closing of Mid-Orange could have been a huge negative, costing us many local jobs and leaving a slowly decaying hole of 733 acres in the heart of the Valley. Instead, we now have a new Corporate Park, 400 acres of protected wetlands, and Wickham Woodlands, over 200 acres of land available to us for recreation and public use. New jobs, healthy additions to our tax rolls, and wonderful recreation — definitely a cause for celebration for all of us!”

The day of festivities will give Warwickians a chance to see and experience the exciting potential of Wickham Woodlands. Added Kowal, “This is not just about seeing, it’s about celebrating. 

While plans are not yet finalized, it is hoped that people and families will be able to circulate to the 3 main areas — the ball fields/pavilion, and a drive by at barn and “piggery.” and the lake — by either walking the path, taking a hop-on/hop-off bus, or riding a hay wagon. Families will also be encouraged to bring canoes or kayaks for a “community flotilla” on the lake.

At each of these areas, a member of the committee will be there to explain what has already been done and what future plans are, with opportunity for everyone to share their thoughts about what might be included in the plans.

A Matrix for Growth... update September 2011

Warwick, NY has a long history of tending to itself. There have always been very active associations, granges, clubs and organizations... planning, discussing, plotting futures for this Town and its villages, hamlets and farms. In the 1870's, local dairy farmers planted maple trees along the main street, not just for beauty, but to keep the fresh milk shaded and cooler as they took it to the local rail head. It's a can do community.

In 1993, a dozen or so people were tired of community groups forming in opposition to some issue or another and found a radical, old idea: "What if we got together to dream and plan the future(s) we want?" It was called "Community 2000". During the next year or two, hundreds of people met in large and small groups to map out a dozen areas of interest for the futures of Warwick.
In time, many of these committees became their own organizations. The Farmers Market started like this in 1995 and the new Master Plan for the Town, and Artist's Studio Tours, Land Use and, and, and...

Today, Community 2000 is still a matrix for people and ideas in the Town of Warwick. It is a 501c3 with a kindly Board of Directors who encourage people with interests, passions and ideas to get them going. It offers backroom support, so good new ideas can grow. It make getting involved pretty easy.



It has just been named the community conduit for tax-deductable donations to Warwick FarmAid 2011... to help the Warwick farming community which was badly hurt by the hurricanes of 2011.

Currently Community 2000 is the extended family organization for:
Sustainable Warwick
The Warwick Summer Arts Festival
Art on the Green
Huge Cup Productions

and a few less active projects:
The Barbara Hall Graphic Arts Scholarship
The Warwick Valley Center for the Arts
Lakes Theater Collective

In 2010, it co-sponsored a Community Forum on proposed zoning changes to beautiful, commercial land on Route 94 just outside the Village of Warwick.

Anyone interested in joining others in helping shape the future of our town --in arts, culture, the environment, and more...We are looking for new people to get involved and always new projects to help move along.
contact Dan Mack, the Board President, rustic@warwick.net