Sullivan Renaissance Press Release:
JUDGES TO PICK FLOWER WINNERS
Awards Ceremony on Monday, August 13at SUNY Sullivan
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| Rock Hill Farmers Market Project |
[BETHEL] – Teams of experts from outside Sullivan County
will spend August 9 to 12 visiting 25 Sullivan
Renaissance projects before selecting winners in three
beautification categories and honoring one project for the best overall showing
of flowers. For the first year, judges
will also recognize one of 11 long-time maintenance participants for the
abundance of flowers in their community.
Judges will also acknowledge projects with stewardship
awards for excellence in historical preservation and best design. All participants will receive completion
grants.
The
eleven experts – all with past Sullivan Renaissance experience – include
individuals with horticultural, planning, community and international
knowledge. This year’s panel
includes:
·
Ted Blowes – Communities in Bloom, Stratford, Ontario, Canada;
Immediate Past Chair of the Communities in Bloom Program in Canada; has been a
Renaissance judge since the program began in 2001.
·
Nicole Franzese – Director of Delaware County Planning Department since
2000 (with department since 1990); provides technical assistance on
comprehensive plans, main street revitalization, zoning review, grant writing,
SEQRA compliance, watershed management issues.
·
Donna
Harrison – Has judged
over fifty communities with Communities in Bloom in Canada, six years
provincially and nationally starting in 2000; has also been involved in the
judging of The Winter Lights initiative for several years.
·
Michael Newhard
– Life-long resident and four-term
Mayor of Warwick; artist and partner in Main Street retail store; is an
advocate of community re-vitalization, historic preservation, farmland and
environmental protection; Warwick was 2003 national winner of America in Bloom
and is the 2010 international winner of Communities in Bloom.
·
Linda Onofry – Retired Montessori school
teacher at the Homestead School in Glen Spey; grew up and resides in Port
Jervis; a 21 year member and past president of the Garden Club of Orange &
Dutchess Counties.
·
Peter Patel – Horticulturist/arborist
for the Orange County Arboretum in Montgomery; Certified Arborist –
International Society of Arboriculture, Cert. Nursery/Landscape Professional,
and member of the Tri-County Nursery Association; owns ArborHeights Designs,
LLC.
·
Karen
Schneller-McDonald – Ecologist and wetland
specialist; Hickory Creek Consulting LLC, Red Hook, NY; provides natural
resources planning, wetlands identification, and environmental impact
assessment services to municipalities and specific projects.
·
Ann
Smith – An avid gardener for over 35
years; member of New York Botanical Garden, Friends of Boscobel
and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; past board member
of Cornwall Garden Club; garden associate specialist for Devitt's Garden
& Supply, New Windsor.
·
Deborah Sweeton – President and co-owner of Techni-Growers Greenhouses
Inc.; published books in Common Sense Gardener series; past OFA board member; chairs
Cornell Floriculture Advisory Committee; chaired Warwick in Bloom in 2004; won
1st and 2nd prize in Kathy Puhfal container competition
at Cornell University in 2007 and the international challenge in 2010.
·
Michael Sweeton – General manager/marketing director for Techni-Growers
(clients include Brooklyn Botanic Gardens); NYS Certified Nursery Professional;
Town of Warwick Supervisor; President of the Orange County Association of
Towns, Villages and Cities; serves on Orange County Citizens Foundation Board
and Orange County Planning Board.
·
Tim Stoddard – Has a design degree and lived in Western Europe for
years where he pursued an interest in architecture and landscape design; works
on projects for the federal government, corporations, community and private
homes; lives on Jersey Shore and heads his community Beautification and
Landscape Committee.
Projects are judged for aesthetic improvement,
collaboration, youth involvement, permanence and an ability to be
maintained.
Winning communities will be announced at the Sullivan Renaissance Awards Ceremony on Monday,
August 13 in the Seelig Theater at SUNY Sullivan in Loch Sheldrake. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. with light
refreshments; the program begins at 6:45 p.m.
Communities selected as the most successful in completing
their Category A and B projects will receive additional grants between $1000
and $10,000. The Golden Feather Grant of $25,000 will go to one of four
Category C projects. Judges will also award separate grants for “Showing
of Flowers” including a special prize to communities that received maintenance
support.
Participants in all Sullivan Renaissance programs will be
recognized, including: mini-grants, seasonal communities, and environmental
initiatives. Young people will be
acknowledged for participating in the intern leadership program. Scholarships will be announced by SUNY
Sullivan Foundation and the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan
Counties.
Sullivan Renaissance is a beautification and community
development program principally funded by the Gerry Foundation. Sponsors include Bold Gold Media
Group/Thunder 102, FisherMears Associates, Kristt Company, Robert Green
Dealerships, Sullivan County Democrat, The River Reporter, Thompson Sanitation
and WSUL/WVOS.
For
information, contact 845-295-2445 or www.sullivanrenaissance.org.
