Progress at Little Stony Point
Fred Martin, President of The Little Stony Point Citizens Association, Inc. (LSPCA), attended the Friends gathering at the John Jay Homestead Historic Site back in 2016, and he says “Boy am I glad I did that!” At that time, LSPCA had been working on applying for a CFA grant to fund their Volunteer Center project but were feeling very overwhelmed by the process. It was at the Friends gathering where Fred learned about the grants available through the Parks and Trails Partnership Program (PTPP). The Friends group felt the PTPP application was more streamlined and user friendly so they decided to pursue a PTPP grant.
In May of 2017, LSPCA received a $50,000 PTPP Stewardship and Public Access Capacity Grant to fund their Volunteer Center. Their project was necessitated by the imminent collapse of their original shed, which was at least 80 years old.LSPCA’s past President, James Hartford, envisioned a Volunteer Center /shed combination which would replace an existing storage shed and create new space to support volunteer activities at the park.
The new structure would provide space for meetings, event planning and support, equipment, materials, volunteer amenities and a covered porch for hikers. The overall goal of the Volunteer Center is to enable LSPCA to host more engaging and fun events, which would attract more volunteers and members to their group.
“Having our own structure in which we can meet and host others will help establish stronger group identity on the park premises. The number of visitors to the area is increasing and as a result, we have more opportunity to recruit new volunteers and membership from amongst the visitors. The increasing visitor traffic in turn demands more volunteer resources to enable LSPCA to assist the Parks staff in mitigating the impact of the visitor traffic on the preserve.” Fred explained in their application.
Six months into their projects, PTPP grantees are required to submit an interim report, stating the progress they have made and if they've encountered the need to amend or make changes to their project. LSPCA noted in their interim report that they had to adjust the Volunteer Center’s location slightly to accommodate the septic engineering of another building on the property. This sudden and unexpected change to their project didn’t discourage the Friends group, instead they focused on the positive impact of the site change. Fred said “We are very happy with the new site, which has an amazing view south across the river to West Point. The location's grade did lead to additional steps required to reach the hiker's porch. Nonetheless, it is already apparent that the steps will be a great place for visitors to sit and watch trail walkers go by.” The group also decided to expand the building’s footprint by a few feet in each direction to better accommodate a vehicle, to enable the potential use as an accessory structure.
Some other obstacles LSPCA encountered during the process according to Fred was “a tendency to ‘(re)design by committee’. Namely nailing down the specifics --e.g., location, and there was a suggestion that we put in a basement. In the end, the Board backed keeping with the original design approach as that was what the grant was based on.” The group also had to learn how to manage all their volunteers and put one person in charge of managing such a complicated project. Fred said, “While a lot of people wanted to help, we needed to settle on a single GC to see it through. We had to figure out what were the right jobs for volunteer labor versus the professional.”
When asked what he found most rewarding about the process Fred said, “When we needed help, people responded. That was most gratifying. The support of PTNY, major donors, and a myriad of smaller donors made me feel like George Bailey at the end of It's a Wonderful Life.”It’s obvious that LSPCA has lots of support from the community, as evident by the fact that they were able to raise an additional $20,000 in private donations to support the Volunteer Center project. "I could not feel more grateful to be part of the community we have here,” Fred boasted. This amount of community support shows how much the community values all that LSPCA does to support and promote the park. It is through this type of grassroots support that enables many of the Friends groups to carry out their important stewardship work.
The Volunteer Center, though still in the final stages of construction, has already had a huge impact on the Friends group, and more importantly, their mission of promoting the park. It is raising the profile of LSPCA and there has been an increase in attendance with their events as a result. The Volunteer Center will also give them an opportunity to host new programs covering a wide range of activities to attract new visitors. “We have a lot of great ideas and I am sure there will be more. Themed hikes, writer workshops, Scout meetings, art workshops for the young and old, from photography, plein air painting, to drawing landscapes; plus hosting environmental classes, talks and possibly multimedia and performance. . . I see the opportunity for people to develop deeper connections with the Park through these types of engagement,” explained Fred.
LSPCA targeted I Love My Parks Day, May 5, as opening day of their new Volunteer Center. When asked what he found most rewarding about the PTPP process, Fred replied “In hindsight, I feel that the grant process helped us focus on and be able to express the goals of our project, which in turn has helped people say ‘I am in’. I want to emphasize how much our partnership with Parks staff, PTNY and our Park Commissioners has lifted us up as a group. It is has been a great experience.”