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Mid Hudson Times , Wednesday , July 26 , 2017
IN THIS ISSUE
Calendar .................. 12 City of Newburgh ............. 18 Classifieds ................ 28 Crossword ................ 30 Letters to the Editor .......... 8 Meadow Hill ............... 20 Town of Newburgh ........... 23 Newburgh Heritage ........... 10 New Windsor ................ 21 Obituaries ................ 24 Opinion ................... 8 Service Directory ............ 31 Sports ................... 36
PUBLIC AGENDA
THURSDAY , JULY 27 Town of Newburgh ZBA , 7 p . m . Town Hall , 1496 Route 300 , Town of Newburgh .
MONDAY , JULY 31
New Windsor Town Board work session , 7 p . m . Town Hall , 555 Union Ave ., New Windsor .
WEDNESDAY , AUGUST 2
New Windsor Town Board , 7 p . m ., Town Hall , 555 Union Ave ., New Windsor .
THURSDAY , AUGUST 3 Town of Newburgh Planning Board , 7 p . m . Town Hall , 1496 Route 300 , Town of Newburgh .
THURSDAY , AUGUST 10
Newburgh City Council Work Session , 6 p . m . City Hall , 83 Broadway .
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The Mid Hudson Times , ( USPS 000-5947 ) is a weekly newspaper published every Wednesday at Newburgh , NY 12550 , with offices at 300 Stony Brook Court , Newburgh , NY . Single copy : $ 1 at newsstand . By mail in Orange , Ulster or Sullivan Counties : $ 40 annually , $ 44 out of county . Periodicals permit at Newburgh , NY . POSTMASTER : Send address changes to Mid Hudson Times , 300 Stony Brook Court , Newburgh , NY 12550 .
Urban Farm in full bloom
Center for Hope ’ s Marisa Brink in a pumpkin patch at Downing Park Urban Farm . The pumpkins grew from seeds left over from Halloween decorations at the center last year .
By SHANTAL RILEY sriley @ tcnewspapers . com
There were hefty heads of cabbage and chunky bunches of Swiss chard . Watermelon vines wondered over the edges of raised beds , and gangly garlic stalks stood in a long row , ready for picking and curing .
Vegetable beds are in full bloom at the Downing Park Urban Farm this month . Boasting more than a dozen kinds of vegetables , grown in 30 raised beds , the urban farm is also home to hundreds of Italian honey bees .
The vegetables are grown organically , with no chemical pesticides or fertilizers . “ This is fish fertilizer ,” said Carl Jack , gesturing to a barrel full of pungentsmelling liquid last week . “ It ’ s made with fish and seaweed . The plants love it .”
Jack is the director of the Center for Hope youth center , which has transformed the two-and-a-half-acre urban farm into a thriving center for agriculture and learning this summer .
Funded by a grant from the Ogden Foundation , the pilot program aims to give Newburgh youth an opportunity to learn hands-on farming techniques and sustainable-growing practices . The program employs four young people from the Center for Hope and lasts for eight weeks into August .
“ We want to engage youth in Newburgh that may have an interest in gardening , farming and sustainability as something they would be interested in doing for a living ,” said the farm ’ s Outreach Manager
Elijah Dodson , 15 , at the Downing Park Urban Farm .
Virginia Kasinki . “ As it gets organized , we ’ re hoping to train more youth .”
The City of Newburgh , Newburgh Community Land Bank and the Downing Park Committee partnered to create the urban farm in 2015 .
A thin mist of rain fell on the plants at the farm on Friday . Melon plants inside a small greenhouse stayed warm and dry . The cool weather was perfect for weeding .
“ We pull weeds and fertilize the plants ,” said 15-year-old Elijah Dodson , who helped to build many of the garden beds . “ I like getting dirty ,” said Roedasia Hardgrove , 18 .
The farm teaches the kids skills in irrigation , plumbing and carpentry . “ It ’ s also a way of helping them to get organized ,” said Kasinki . “ They learn how to work in a team . Gardening and farming is a team effort .”
For the center kids - some who have grown up in tough circumstances - farming is therapeutic , he said . “ They come here and you can just see them relax ,” said Jack , a farmer by trade . “ Farming is not just about growing . Farming is life .”
The vegetables will be sold in the coming weeks at the Downing Park Farmers Market , which takes place at the park on Fridays from 10 a . m . to 3 p . m . through October 31 .