Proposal for improved rec fields unveiled


 

PINE PLAINS — Ideas are flowing among the members of the town’s Recreation Committee. Representative Jim Jackson presented a plan to the Town Board during its meeting last Thursday.

"We put together some ideas for the rec park," he said. "I met with [Town Engineer] Ray Jurkowski and he’s going to take the map and at the next meeting I will have some numbers for everybody."

Jackson said that with a little planning, there should be enough room to accommodate T-ball, rookie, minor-league and major-league teams at the recreation fields that now exist. He also proposed a 50-foot by 50-foot skateboard park, to be open only during hours when there is supervision.

Town Highway Superintendent Robert Harpp suggested Jackson visit the skateboard park in East Fishkill, which has a reputation for being a great park, before developing plans for a similar structure in Pine Plains. The best part about it, Harpp said, is that the East Fishkill facility was engineered by Jurkowski.

Jackson said even if the plan for the skateboard park is more of a long-term plan, he’s eager to get started on the simpler parts of the plan, and soon.

"I know this [recreation field expansion] has been talked about before, but we as the Recreation Committee are committed to doing this," Jackson said. "And I want to get the work done as soon as possible. We’re going to try to get the work started by spring."

The Recreation Committee has some long-term goals for the rec area as well. It would like to build soccer fields, tennis courts, and, of course, the skate park. On top of that, it would like to install lighting so activities can be run during the evening hours.

After his presentation, Jackson was thanked for his work.

"We’ve been looking for someone crazy enough to start this thing and it looks like we found him," town Councilman Bob Couse said.

Latest News

Housatonic softball beats Webutuck 16-3

Haley Leonard and Khyra McClennon looked on as HVRHS pulled ahead of Webutuck, May 2.

Riley Klein

FALLS VILLAGE — The battle for the border between Housatonic Valley Regional High School and Webutuck High School Thursday, May 2, was won by HVRHS with a score of 16-3.

The New Yorkers played their Connecticut counterparts close early on and commanded the lead in the second inning. Errors plagued the Webutuck Warriors as the game went on, while the HVRHS Mountaineers stayed disciplined and finished strong.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mountaineers fall 3-0 to Wamogo

Anthony Foley caught Chase Ciccarelli in a rundown when HVRHS played Wamogo Wednesday, May 1.

Riley Klein

LITCHFIELD — Housatonic Valley Regional High School varsity baseball dropped a 3-0 decision to Wamogo Regional High School Wednesday, May 1.

The Warriors kept errors to a minimum and held the Mountaineers scoreless through seven innings. HVRHS freshman pitcher Chris Race started the game strong with no hits through the first three innings, but hiccups in the fourth gave Wamogo a lead that could not be caught.

Keep ReadingShow less
The artist called ransome

‘Migration Collage' by ransome

Alexander Wilburn

If you claim a single sobriquet as your artistic moniker, you’re already in a club with some big names, from Zendaya to Beyoncé to the mysterious Banksy. At Geary, the contemporary art gallery in Millerton founded by New Yorkers Jack Geary and Dolly Bross Geary, a new installation and painting exhibition titled “The Bitter and the Sweet” showcases the work of the artist known only as ransome — all lowercase, like the nom de plume of the late Black American social critic bell hooks.

Currently based in Rhinebeck, N.Y., ransome’s work looks farther South and farther back — to The Great Migration, when Jim Crow laws, racial segregation, and the public violence of lynching paved the way for over six million Black Americans to seek haven in northern cities, particularly New York urban areas, like Brooklyn and Baltimore. The Great Migration took place from the turn of the 20th century up through the 1970s, and ransome’s own life is a reflection of the final wave — born in North Carolina, he found a new home in his youth in New Jersey.

Keep ReadingShow less
Four Brothers ready for summer season

Hospitality, ease of living and just plain fun are rolled into one for those who are intrigued by the leisure-time Caravana experience at the family-owned Four Brothers Drive-in in Amenia. John Stefanopoulos, pictured above, highlights fun possibilities offered by Hotel Caravana.

Leila Hawken

The month-long process of unwrapping and preparing the various features at the Four Brothers Drive-In is nearing completion, and the imaginative recreational destination will be ready to open for the season on Friday, May 10.

The drive-in theater is already open, as is the Snack Shack, and the rest of the recreational features are activating one by one, soon to be offering maximum fun for the whole family.

Keep ReadingShow less