A greener landscape, cleaner roadsides, and a place to gather in the heart of town were among the ideas Pine Plains residents brought to a public forum Tuesday, Oct. 13.
The forum, hosted by the town’s Beautification Committee in the community room above the Pine Plains Free Library, gave residents an opportunity to suggest improvements to public spaces and raise concerns about the town’s appearance.
The committee is already working on several projects, including repainting the Town Hall sign, adding “Come Again” to the backs of welcome signs at town entrances, planting daffodils around town, and screening an electrical box, committee member Matthew LeBaron said.
Christine Clayton, who has lived in Pine Plains for nearly two decades, proposed planting more native species throughout town to create a colorful landscape that would also support local wildlife.
“I’ve done it at my house, where the bees, the butterflies, and the hummingbirds have a better, more wholesome place to be,” Clayton said. “We live in a place that is vibrant with wildlife and we should really promote maintaining a better environment.”
The idea drew support from other attendees, including Lauren Kaplan, chair of the town’s Conservation Advisory Council, who said native perennial plants could reduce maintenance while providing habitat for birds and other wildlife.
“We can lead the way by doing that in our public spaces to demonstrate how beautiful these plants can be and what an ecosystem service they can be,” Kaplan said. “As a way to also promote some education about how folks can start to do that on their own properties.”
Dick Hermans, a Planning Board member who also serves on the board of The New Pine Plains Herald, suggested improving the town’s entrances, including along County Route 83. He proposed native plantings near the Highway Department to create a more park-like setting in an area that now resembles an undefined roadside pull-off.
Other residents focused on litter.
Annie Mallozzi, assistant director of the Pine Plains Free Library, said she frequently sees discarded cups and other trash along Route 199, where she lives between the town center and Town Hall. She suggested coordinating cleanup efforts with Stissing Mountain High School classes that have community service requirements.
The discussion also turned to the former library building in the town center, which has stood closed for years.
LeBaron reminded attendees that the committee’s projects are limited to town-owned properties. Town Board member Jeanine Sisco, the committee’s liaison, and co-chair Vicki Soracco said they have been in contact with the building’s owners about their plans for the property.
Town Board member Trevor Roush, who is running for town supervisor in November, also noted limits on the town’s ability to require improvements to private property.
Roush offered a separate proposal for town-owned land at 8 and 12 North Main Street, which the Town Board previously considered as a possible site for a new Town Hall. He suggested constructing a small pavilion, approximately 20 feet by 20 feet, to provide a gathering place in the town center.
“It could be a space where the community can gather in and recreate in the middle of town,” Roush said. “You could create a walking path through there that would also lead to the Graham-Brush House, so you could be in the town property and meander through that little path and tie that together.”
Roush envisioned the pavilion as a community project, with residents helping to build the structure.
He said he is also working with former Town Board member Matt Zick to explore moving the town’s ice skating rink to the property this winter. The two are considering where to place the rink to keep falling leaves from accumulating on the ice.
The proposals remain ideas rather than approved projects, but they offered the committee possible directions for future work.
Residents interested in volunteering or suggesting improvements can contact Sisco at jsisco@pineplains-ny.gov.