Glens Falls’ First Ideas Night

22 May Glens Falls’ First Ideas Night

Back in 2016, Rich Cirino, then-President of the Glens Falls Collaborative, led “Glens Falls’ First Ideas Night” at Davidson’s. Participants wrote their good ideas for Glens Falls on Post-Its and added them to the window. We discussed, we categorized, and we dreamed. It was an uplifting night, and so many people had so many brilliant ideas – and many of them coming to fruition over the nine years since.

You see Glens Falls’ regular movers and shakers in the photo I took below, with Rich leading the charge, along with Dr. Jacquiline Touba, Nancy and Bill Turner, Frieda Toth, Enid Mastrianni, Kate Boyle, Craig Murphy, Margot Cirino, and others.

This was a brilliant move on Rich’s part, to my mind. Leadership that brings people together, lets all the ideas air out, and finds the common threads, is the best kind of leadership.

As Glens Falls opens up the ED events center on South Street and does more planning, I think it’s an interesting piece of our history, worth reflecting on to see which ideas have come to be after all this time, and which are still on the list and worth actualizing. There are plenty of good ones to choose from. Pick one and make it your mission to see it through! Advokate is here for it.

The typed compilation from the archives is pasted below.

Glens Falls 1st Idea Night
September 26, 2016
Davidson Brothers

Poster 1

• Late bus from at SUNY Adirondack to downtown and back.
• Small shuttle bus to bring people to various destinations around town. As in a ride to the Hyde.
• Trolley to Saratoga July and August.
• Local links to sports mentality with Downtown offerings.
• Commissioned downtown awesome sculpture by local art in restaurants monthly or openings.
• More parking for events.
• Better integration of the vehicle and bicycle traffic.
• Bridge of flowers over Pruyn’s Island to Betar Byway on riverfront.
• Rock painting project. Paint rocks small and hide them around town for kids to find like Pokémon Go.
• Off leash dog park area.
• Painted rock scavenger hunt and Pokémon Go idea (submitted on behalf of Cie McCullough)
• Rooftop gardens and bars at restaurants.
• Bring back an event like the Adirondack chairs downtown to bring in tourists.
• More block party events and more off-season draws.
• Picnic tables out all the time. Have them painted by local artists.
• White lights in trees all year.
• Recycling bins for deposit bottles.
• SUNY Adirondack wine and culinary move to South Street.
• Riverfest involvement with fireworks and vendors.
• More trolley all year long to SUNY Adirondack in Lake George hotels.
• Community policing – more visibility.
• Persuade Glens Falls Police Dept. and Citi’s and Citizenry that K-9  attack dogs are inappropriate for Glens Falls.(pop 14,500)
• Bring back another Downtown Emporium type of business.
• Encourage code enforcement and returning homes from apartments to private homes –  via Presentation Grants.
• Printed register tape with local events calendar on back.
• “Thousand”plus trees planted in Glens Falls.
  Based on the widely successful million tree New York City, which has used public and private funding to create citizen involvement and tree stewards, block by block, to plant and care for 1 million trees.
  Why more trees?
  1.) Trees remove air pollution. (We have a cement plant and paper mill in town)
  2.) Trees absorb excess stormwater runoff.
  3.) Trees reduce crime and increase property values.
  Steps to create 1000 trees GF
  1.) Create community and mission statement.
  2.) Create tree survey.
  3.) Write an action plan.
  4.) Find donors – public and private.
  5.) Recruit neighborhood stewards.
  6.) Plant trees!
• Consider adopting “DTGF” for the whole downtown region.
• Winter outdoor skating rink in park with bonfires.
• More Community Gardens.
• Network with schools to work in gardens.
• Butterfly Gardens without bug killing fertilizer.
• Groomed walkway between the Y in Crandall Park.
• More Green Spaces.
• Exit 18 street lamps.
• Park Street parking garage.
• More block parties.
• More off-season draws.
• Winter Carnival.
• Snowman building contest.

Poster 2.

• More Murals
• The idea of a wall mural project is a good one
• Mural project
• Collaborative murals around downtown
• Really unique sculpture that people could drive to see.
• More public art, sculpture trail, murals.
• Outdoor sculptures along the Arts Trail.
• Commissioned  sculptures downtown in various locations. Local art in restaurants monthly art openings.
• Shuttle bus to all art galleries and museums.
• Picnic tables out all year during good weather. Have local artists paint them.
• Lights in trees all year
• Cohesive branding for the city with exit signs on the Northway. Welcome signs to the city and marketing plan brand guidelines.
• Connect all the arts organizations through an Arts Trail.
• Market the city as the Arts District
• Artists Live & Work space.
• Artist co-op building with studios shared work shop/class space co-op gallery.
• Battle of the bands
• Performance art festival with:
  Free painting
  Theater company
  Bands
  Bellydancing
  Mimes
  Juggling
  Comedy etc.
• Garbage cans and dumpsters downtown, painted by area artists à la “Have a seat Glens Falls”
• Recycle bins for empty bottle and cans!!
• Grant for green buildings (echo friendly building materials green roofs etc.)
• Direct traffic into town from exit 18 and give them somewhere to park.
• Get the visitors from Lake George and Saratoga into Glens Falls.
• City tourism Website
  Up to date
  Responsive
  Calendar of events
  Comprehensive business directory.
• Be able to walk through Cooper’s Cave.
• Restore the Falls
• Do more to promote history of Coopers Cave.
• Bike Rentals
• Communication collaborative.
• Get the Chronicle calendar online!
• Cross promote learn from Rutland, Vermont (sister city)
• Build a “Green”community kitchen /Art co-op
• Walking Trail walking tours start here at the GFFM
• Conference center over Glens Falls Civic Center.
• Driveway up the hill to new chain plus
• Hotel with a rooftop restaurant and terrace overlooking the river.
• Build a community OVEN for the Rite Aid community garden. Weekly bread baking.There is one in Ottawa, Canada.
• In-park food pantry for those in need.
• Community kitchen and dining room.
•  Year – round GFFM building with:
  Timeshare kitchen
  Community canning
  Potlucks
  Workshops and demonstrations.
  Can also serve as a back up emergency shelter.
• Support for city tourism and events department.
• Open a Glens Falls visitors bureau downtown.
• City appointed tourism department!
• Welcome center.
  1) Community – maintained out reach programs.
  2) increase tourism
  3) improve city planning and communication.
• Free housing for students – following Netherlands model where students are required to put in a certain amount of community service at nursing homes.

Poster #3

• Kayak rentals at the Champlain Canal.
• Citywide Wi-Fi.
• Really partner with Queensbury on appropriate plans in actions.
• Fix cracks in sidewalks.
• Cut down dead trees in farmers market pavilion.
• Maintain pavilion… like:
  Electric outlets
  Rainwater spouts
  Pave parking lot.
• Video of the city of Glens Falls.
• Encourage independent street vendors (especially at lunch times.)
• Convert odd concrete area next to Burger King into open air amphitheater.!!
• Downtown splash pad in Burger King park interactive sculpture kids can play on.
• Citywide gift registry.
• Winter Carnival. Tie in with West Mountain.
• Snowman man building contest.
• Hot cocoa cider tastings
• Porta potty’s at Crandall sledding hill. December through March
• Program to re-– convert apartments in older houses back to private residence.
• Community bus trips.

Poster #4

• Micro lending from banks.
• Prorated text credits.
• Small/local business of the week/month promotion.
• Business incubator space.
• Local discounts.
• Comprehensive plan for filling empty office residential spaces.
• Offset rent costs so new shop or shop owners can get started.
• All – summer sidewalk sales.
  1) Encourage work on development of waterfront and Eastside areas Pruyn’s Island.
  2) Walking bridge over to Betar Park from Pruyn’s Island
  3) Portapotties on bike paths
• Recruit minority owed business.
• One group to UNITE
  BID
  Glens Falls Collaborative
  ARCC
  Arts District
  City Gov’t
• Bag lunch program for children of low-income families when school is not in session, made from community kitchen.
• Teen center.
• Children’s playground.
• Homeless shelter.
• Secular (non-religious) help for those in poverty.
• Farmers market year-round integrated with food co-op.
• Natural foods grocery store Fresh Market Whole Foods.
• Community fundraiser for the Glens Falls Food Co-Op to expand the store.
• Get bike rentals like they have a New York City put in your credit card and unlock the bike then drop it off at any rental location.
• Make Exchange Street like Church Street in Burlington, Vermont:
  – Pocket park
  – One way or closed street
• Create a series of online shorts.
• Maybe commission Snarky Aardvark Production about the history of Glens Falls in a ghost story or amazing but true story style include the Crandall’s, Hyde’s, Totter families, plus major events in our history.
• Glens Falls occupancy tax tax use for Glens Falls tourism.
• Bring back 3rd Thursday Art Walk (need volunteers)
• Create a “walking” mentality.
• Walking tour of Glens Falls
• Have flags around downtown to their key areas. Each would say the same thing at the top “Welcome to Glens Falls”or “Meet Our City”. Then have an icon symbolizing one of the following:
  * Finance
  * Education
  * Art
  * Retail
  * Dining
  * Local Hx
  * Etc.
• Walking tour of Glens Falls
• Create a hardcopy map of the tour with these flags plus some others.
• Create a mobile app to self guide on the tour. The app could be made available on Amazon, Google, etc. And help draw people to Glens Falls website.
• Walking ghost tours near Halloween.
• Create a more walkable/bikable city.
• Free bikes to be more bike friendly.
• More bike racks downtown. Either sculptural in nature E.G. looks like a tree or minimalist. (Pull it out from sidewalk-recessed)
• Better bike lanes!!!
• Walking street for shops (think this might be in works for Exchange Street?)
• The End Of 1st Chapter.