The Revitalization of Newburgh is Finally Happening.But For Whose Benefit? click to enlarge
This mural on the side of a building between Liberty and Johnes Streets commemorates
Frederick Douglass’s visit to Newburgh in 1870. Twelve years ago I was participating in a community clean-up of a vacant lot in downtown Newburgh when someone found a deer leg. The rest of the deer was nowhere to be found. The cleanup ended for the day shortly after that, on account of temporary demoralization. That lot has since been transformed into a lush and sustainable urban park, complete with sculptures that double as public cell phone charging stations and massive, stately photographic portraits of Newburgh residents peering down from the wall of the once-and-future Ritz Theater. If you re looking for one thing to symbolize the positive changes happening in Newburgh today, stand on the corner of Broadway (the widest main street in America) and Liberty Street
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Frolicking on Hudson River ice in early February near the Saugerties Lighthouse. Ask someone from Saugerties how they re doing and they tell you the truth. They re exhausted. They re tired and fed up with all the endless extra work that s yet another side effect to the pandemic s trauma. Saugerties has always been extremely proud of its community spirit. Residents seem preternaturally compelled to support each other, but to sustain the level of organizing and charitable giving necessary to keep their collective heads above water is draining. Yes, it is exhausting, says Peggy Schwartz, Chamber of Commerce co-chair, owner of Town and Country Liquors, mother-in-law of Congressman Antonio Delgado, and community matriarch. But we are existing. There is activity and we are keeping on. Saugerties is a very social town. People love to get together. Another e-word:
Children at play at the YWCA of Ulster County in Kingston. Last March, at the beginning of the quarantine, the YWCA of Ulster County hoped to stay open and promised to continue their programs and services to the community for as long as they could. They kept that promise and never closed, but unfortunately many people who were now working from home didn t need their early childhood programs. Lack of attendance seriously impacted the YWCA s bottom line. It was an enormous financial hit, with the programs being reduced by 75 percent, says Susan Mack, executive director of the YWCA of Ulster County.
Photos by Bill Wright Railroad Street is a neat thoroughfare off Main Street that houses a number of restaurants and retail businesses like Baba Louie’s Sourdough Pizza and Karen Allen Fiber Arts. This year here, there, and everywhere was really, really bad, but in Great Barrington a surprising sentiment endures: optimism. We want the Berkshires to remain the Berkshires, says Betsy Andrus, executive director of the Southern Berkshires Chamber of Commerce. The key thing now is getting people to understand that shopping local isn t just a phrase. It s hugely important. You need to invest, eat, shop, and donate if you want to keep the character of your community intact.