With climate change, or whatever you want to call it, we now face record, fierce storms that are larger than anything we experienced when we were younger.
The Saturday Otsiningo Park Farmers Market near Binghamton will go on today as scheduled - Frankenstorm has not moved in yet on us here in upstate NY. (I will announce some news about the market later in this post.) But before the storm comes a calm, and I want to share the last bit of upstate NY fall with you before the hurricane moves in.
So, with the beauty of fall about ready to end with a fierce storm, it is time to announce that our Regional Farmers Market is going to be a reality by next year. It is official.
Construction will begin next January, with a building on the edge of the park that used to be a rest area building (the rest stop closed back in the 1990's) being remodeled. And at long last, we will have a year round farmers market. Not very big compared to, say, Asheville, North Carolina, but it's a start. I'm sure the building will have to be expanded and that will happen come spring, when the ground defrosts.
So what is the problem? Speaking of potential heavy rains and flooding....
Otsiningo Park is situated along the Chenango River and has flooded several times over the years. The area where the building is has not flooded in the 25 plus years I've lived in this area but the park is closed whenever it floods and if the park is closed, you won't be able to get to the market.
There must be a reason why this park is a park and is not part of the residential neighborhood it adjoins. So maybe local government had a good reason back when not to develop the area. Maybe today's local government should give that some thought.
If we gave the increasingly likelihood of flooding in our area some thought, we might want to rethink some things, including putting a year round venue inside this park. Or, if they want to go ahead, make sure the design is in harmony with the fact that the park may flood. And that our climate is changing.
I'll sure be curious to see, come January, what the design will be like.
In the meantime, I will enjoy this calm before the storm. And, apart from a bit of anxiety over the coming storm - I can't wait to have a year round farmers market.
Why should Asheville have all the fun?
Wow! Lovely reds! Hello from a blogger in France who loves Fall (or Autumn as we Brits call it), which is why I've been mosying aroung Blogger for pix of leaves, Fall, trees etc, and just to meet people. That bush is very pretty although I'm not sure if they are present in France.
ReplyDeleteIf you're interested I recently started doing photoblogs (weaning myself off blogs on politics) and just posted some pix which give an artistic dimension to Fall. Here's a link in case you don't get back here for a few days..
http://undertheburningbridge.blogspot.fr/2012/10/autumn-creations.html
Have an excellent day, full of good stuff.
I usually don't allow links in my bog comments but I as intrigued, and visited your blog - I've put it on my blogroll. I have never been to Europe, and I enjoyed those unusual autumn pictures very much. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteAnd yours in on mine. Off I go to read your new piece. Seems like I may learn things there....
DeleteI love the reds bushes:-) One of my favorite as I drive around my neighborhood. I live in Bethesda, MD. Congrats on the new Farmers Market. I thuink you brought up some good considerations with the contruction in this area considering past weather condition. It'll be interesting to see how everything unfolds:-)
ReplyDeleteOooo, can't wait for a response from Asheville! ;-)
ReplyDeleteStay safe! My daughter is in East Pennsylvania... you are all in our prayers back here in the midwest.
A year round farmer's will be a big plus. I hope they figure out how to deal with the flooding issue. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how much city planners and contractors DON'T have a more holistic view of the buildings they want to construct in relation to its environment. Narrowmindedness, and this doesn't get anyone too far, does it?
ReplyDeleteHope the local government will proceed with careful deliberation -- perhaps you should remind them politely?
Helene, good point. On Friday, as it happens, a county legislator running for reelection knocked on our door. He lives in a nearby neighborhood that flooded due to Tropical Storm Lee-he had 56 inches of water in his basement. He's a retired home remodeler and shared with us some of the changes he made in his house in case it happens again - which we both think it will. We didn't speak to him about the regional farmers market construction but we do have his home phone number. Hmm...
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