Another busy day so I am posting late. But I thought I would catch you all up on the weather before the long MLK weekend.
Although the rain over the last few days had taken most (but not all) of the major snow away, The valley folk woke up this morning to a fresh blanket of the white stuff covering everything. It was not much though, less than an inch. So cleanup was not a problem. And even though the temps are in the 20's there is not much ice around anymore. So that is a good thing.
The roads at this point are clean and dry but do watch out for rocks on the road. Whatever sand/salt mix the highway department is using to coat the roads has some fairly large size stones in it. So I would recommend staying well behind any other vehicle coming up into the valley. If a truck or other vehicle's tires toss something up onto your windshield it could cause some damage. So don't follow too closely.
I think we are supposed to get some snow over the weekend but we will have to see how that works out. That's all for now folks!
Showing posts with label WV Road. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WV Road. Show all posts
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Finishing Road Repairs
The Town Highway Department has been finishing the road repairs that were started this past summer on Woodland Valley Road. They have spent the last couple of days paving the section from just below Fawn Hill Bridge to just below the Holz farm. That will finish off that part of the road just in time for winter.
For those of you who are wondering why the highway department doesn't do the whole road at once, I found out this week from Eric Hofmeister that it costs $100,000 per mile to repave the roads and highways here in Shandaken. Since Eric is trying to keep costs as low as possible and stay within his budget so as not to increase taxes, he plans to have the crew do incremental sections of different roads in town each year. So be patient, they will get all the way up into the valley, it just may take another year or so.
Drive slowly as you come up into the valley in the next couple of days. Men at work!
Monday, September 9, 2013
WV Road News
I talked to Eric Hofmeister (the Town Highway Supervisor) a couple of days ago and asked him about the status of the road repairs on Woodland Valley Road. He told me that the road crews should be back within the next two weeks to finish the final resurfacing on the section of the road that had been ground and graded earlier this season. Along with the upgrade in the road surface, Shandaken Highway Department replaced a number of old culverts to improve drainage along the road. These were most needed upgrades. As Woodland Valley residents we appreciate the Highway Department's efforts in the continued maintenance of our town road.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Road Crew On WV Road
The Shandaken Highway Department is working on repaving a couple of sections of Woodland Valley Road in the past couple of days. The road is being torn up and make ready for resurfacing from Roxmor to just before the Fawn Hill bridge and then again from just before Tonisgah Road to right before the Holz Farm (they may go up further tomorrow). These sections were originally scheduled for repair a few years ago but, when Hurricane Irene hit, the town's resources were directed at the urgent highway repairs needed throughout Shandaken. Now that the dust is settling from that situation, the regular road repairs are getting back on track. So be aware that there are road crews in the upper valley and that the road itself is loose stone and dirt. So DRIVE SLOWLY in these sections. And plan extra time to get in and out of the valley because while they are working they may narrow the traffic to one lane and/or stop it completely to let the crew do their work.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
More About Turtles
After I posted the photo of the turtle a week or so ago several people told me they saw it. Lorraine DellaPena sent me these two additional photos of the reptile. She saw it the same day I did in the same spot.
Harry Jameson saw a snapping turtle matching the size of this one a few days later a little further up the valley near the Pantherkill Bridge. So that might have been the same one too. Anyone fishing or walking in that area with kids or small dogs should be on the lookout.
Linda McDonald sent me the message below about another turtle she saw years back. If anyone else sees this turtle let me know and I will post it. Here is what Linda had to say:
"The turtle is amazing ! In my 65 years in Woodland, I have only seen 1 other turtle. (It was a Painted Turtle, red & yellow on it's neck and small red tips around the edge of it's shell, not really painted, it was about 9 inches across the back) That was when I was about 13 and it was stuck in a big smooth tar spot, on the Woodland road, between Bethken's and Botchford's, where there is a small stream on the left, that comes up (if there is a lot of rain). I figured it came down from the pasture pond at Botchford's. It was stuck solidly to that tar and I pulled & pulled as gently as I could, so as not to hurt it's shell. We finally got loose (I say we, because now my "beloved Loafers" were stuck in the tar, too.) I left them there while I carried the turtle to the little stream, so it could get to the pond again and then pattered in my socks over to the tar & pulled my shoes free. I was always told there were no turtles in the Woodland Stream itself, because the water was so cold, but that there might be more in the pasture ponds. "
- Linda
Harry Jameson saw a snapping turtle matching the size of this one a few days later a little further up the valley near the Pantherkill Bridge. So that might have been the same one too. Anyone fishing or walking in that area with kids or small dogs should be on the lookout.
Linda McDonald sent me the message below about another turtle she saw years back. If anyone else sees this turtle let me know and I will post it. Here is what Linda had to say:
"The turtle is amazing ! In my 65 years in Woodland, I have only seen 1 other turtle. (It was a Painted Turtle, red & yellow on it's neck and small red tips around the edge of it's shell, not really painted, it was about 9 inches across the back) That was when I was about 13 and it was stuck in a big smooth tar spot, on the Woodland road, between Bethken's and Botchford's, where there is a small stream on the left, that comes up (if there is a lot of rain). I figured it came down from the pasture pond at Botchford's. It was stuck solidly to that tar and I pulled & pulled as gently as I could, so as not to hurt it's shell. We finally got loose (I say we, because now my "beloved Loafers" were stuck in the tar, too.) I left them there while I carried the turtle to the little stream, so it could get to the pond again and then pattered in my socks over to the tar & pulled my shoes free. I was always told there were no turtles in the Woodland Stream itself, because the water was so cold, but that there might be more in the pasture ponds. "
- Linda
Thursday, August 25, 2011
More Paving News
The major paving on Woodland Valley Road is done for this season. About a mile of new asphalt was laid down from Fawn Hill to just above Hide-A-Way campground. I talked with Highway Superintendent Eric Hofmeister about the state of the road from Tonisgah Road up to the Woodland Park Association. He is aware that the road is still bad and full of potholes at that point. Due to town budgetary restrictions, it doesn't look like that stretch is going to get paved until next year. He has promised to fill in the potholes to make the situation livable through the winter. That will happen sometime in the next week or two. I will keep you posted.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Paving on Woodland Valley Road
Eric Hofmeister, the town highway supervisor, has asked me to let you know that a crew will begin paving part of Woodland Valley Road on Monday August 22nd (weather permitting). They will start working from Fawn Hill Road and go up to a point just beyond Hide-A-Way campsite. Remember to drive slowly in that area and be ready to stop and/or slow down as directed by the highway crew.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Work Begins on WV Road
The work to repair the stream bed along WV road just before the Fawn Hill bridge began earlier this week. The trucks, heavy equipment and stone have been brought to the site and staged along the side of the curve. If I have the time I will try and get some photos of the progress in the next few days. Drive slowly as you come in and out of the valley to avoid the men and women who will be working on the project.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Stream Bank Rebuild Information
Yesterday I got an email from Cory Ritz who is working on the stream bank rebuild for Woodland Valley Road at the curve just before Fawn Hill Bridge (coming into the valley). He clarified and expanded on the information I already had so I wanted to pass it along to everyone.
Although it is a bit hard to see because of blog photo size limitations, look carefully at the photo on the bottom of this post. It is a good indication of how bad the bank is getting. Notice the people standing down by the edge of the stream. This will give you an idea of how dramatically the bank above is washing away. The top yellow line is Woodland Valley Road. The trees you see leaning on the edge are just off the side of the road. This photo is great because, unless you actually get into the stream below, you don't realize how serious the situation is getting. You certainly can't see it when you are driving. So Cory has provided us a good opportunity to get a idea of what needs to be fixed and how important it is that they do it before the next flood washes that part of the road out.
Here is what Cory had to say:
My name is Cory Ritz and I work for Ulster County Soil and Water Conservation District. I am helping to coordinate the Woodland Valley near Fawn Hill stream project. Compete repair to the stream bank will be a cooperative team effort from NYC DEP, Ulster County Soil & Water Conservation District, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County and the Town of Shandaken. I just read the blog update on Woodland Valley View. I don't have too much to add but if you wanted more info please see below or give me a call.
- We are working with the town and hopefully we'll be selecting a contractor this week.
- I suspect the real work i.e. road interruption, won't begin until September.
- The project consists of a stacked rock wall at the base of the hill, and a bio-engineered wall above it. This still leaves a fairly large section at the top of the slope that will be planted normally with trees, shrubs and grass. Our NRCS engineer modeled the 25yr, 50yr and 100yr floods to help determine the size requirements for the walls. Most likely, residents will only ever see the trees at the top of the road as they drive by. Also, we are working hard to ensure the pool at the base of the rock wall is not changed by our activities.
- The failing bank is approx. 8 ft away from the road. Unfortunately, it is migrating towards the road. I believe the property owner, Ed Twerdack, and former highway supervisors have been keeping their eye on it over the years but it seems like it's time has come (see attached photo).
- Mostly likely, we will not get the 75% matching FEMA funds (as you mentioned in your update). As it stands today, the funding will come from the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program Implementation Fund (http://ashokanstreams.org/). Cornell Cooperative Extension maintains these funds and CCE has committed their support to this project. Also, for clarification, NYC DEP Stream Management Program is the ultimate funder for the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program and they have been supportive with assisting towns with their priority stream projects.
- Cory
Cory Ritz
Stream Project Manager
Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program
(845)-688-3047
Although it is a bit hard to see because of blog photo size limitations, look carefully at the photo on the bottom of this post. It is a good indication of how bad the bank is getting. Notice the people standing down by the edge of the stream. This will give you an idea of how dramatically the bank above is washing away. The top yellow line is Woodland Valley Road. The trees you see leaning on the edge are just off the side of the road. This photo is great because, unless you actually get into the stream below, you don't realize how serious the situation is getting. You certainly can't see it when you are driving. So Cory has provided us a good opportunity to get a idea of what needs to be fixed and how important it is that they do it before the next flood washes that part of the road out.
Here is what Cory had to say:
My name is Cory Ritz and I work for Ulster County Soil and Water Conservation District. I am helping to coordinate the Woodland Valley near Fawn Hill stream project. Compete repair to the stream bank will be a cooperative team effort from NYC DEP, Ulster County Soil & Water Conservation District, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County and the Town of Shandaken. I just read the blog update on Woodland Valley View. I don't have too much to add but if you wanted more info please see below or give me a call.
- We are working with the town and hopefully we'll be selecting a contractor this week.
- I suspect the real work i.e. road interruption, won't begin until September.
- The project consists of a stacked rock wall at the base of the hill, and a bio-engineered wall above it. This still leaves a fairly large section at the top of the slope that will be planted normally with trees, shrubs and grass. Our NRCS engineer modeled the 25yr, 50yr and 100yr floods to help determine the size requirements for the walls. Most likely, residents will only ever see the trees at the top of the road as they drive by. Also, we are working hard to ensure the pool at the base of the rock wall is not changed by our activities.
- The failing bank is approx. 8 ft away from the road. Unfortunately, it is migrating towards the road. I believe the property owner, Ed Twerdack, and former highway supervisors have been keeping their eye on it over the years but it seems like it's time has come (see attached photo).
- Mostly likely, we will not get the 75% matching FEMA funds (as you mentioned in your update). As it stands today, the funding will come from the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program Implementation Fund (http://ashokanstreams.org/). Cornell Cooperative Extension maintains these funds and CCE has committed their support to this project. Also, for clarification, NYC DEP Stream Management Program is the ultimate funder for the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program and they have been supportive with assisting towns with their priority stream projects.
- Cory
Cory Ritz
Stream Project Manager
Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program
(845)-688-3047
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Road Repair Update
I recently talked to the Shandaken Highway Supervisor Eric Hofmeister about the road repairs scheduled for Woodland Valley. He told me that the FEMA money they had been waiting for had not come through yet. So that means that they will only be doing the stream bed rebuild by the Fawn Hill bridge. The project scheduled for the road in front of Roxmor will not happen until some time in the future. The bids for the site by Fawn Hill must be in by August 17th. They will then decide who gets the contract and start work immediately. All work must be completed by September 30th when the contractors are required to be out of the stream. Woodland Valley Road will be down to one lane during the day while the repairs take place. I will keep you all posted as I get more details.
- Carol Seitz
- Carol Seitz
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Weather Station, Deer and General Goings On
The Woodland Valley weather station is back in full operation. Hawley Botchford sent me this note a couple of days ago.
"The weather station is up and running fine. We learned when the electricity goes off the modem for the station has to be restarted. The other modem (wireless internet) comes on automatically. We thought the backup battery had gone out since snow was covering the solar panel but that was not the case. I bought a new battery so I'm ready when it does go out."
- Hawley
For those of you who don't already know you can get to the WV weather station by clicking through on the link to the Weather Underground on the right side of this blog. Scroll down to the bottom of the page where you see all the local weather stations. The WV one should be at the top. I think it is excellent that we can get such an accurate reading of the valley's conditions at any time.
On another note, even though the snow has melted down making the road normal width again I would advise you to continue go more slowly than usual. I have seen quite a few herds of deer on Woodland Valley Road. They are there for several reasons. First, they can search for food in the ground that is beginning to reappear on the shoulder of the road. Second, when the snow is still deep up in the higher elevations and it has melted and crusted over on top the coyotes try and run the deer and get them to cut their legs so they will fall and they can hunt them more easily. (Sorry, I don't mean to be a bummer but that is what happens.) So the deer have been sticking to the roads. Remember to go slow. You don't need one of those bad boys coming through your windshield.
The highway department has been out all week cleaning up the mess along the road from the storms. They are chipping up everything that would be potentially hazardous to motorists. Many of you who haven't been to the valley in a while can expect to find a lot of tree limbs around your yard. Most people seem to have been very lucky though. I haven't heard of too much really serious damage.
The weather has been glorious all week. Sunny and in the 40s and 50s during the day. The snow has melted a lot. But there is still a lot laying around. The forecast for the weekend is for some serious rain. I am unclear whether I think that there is enough snow around for things to start flooding when it melts. I guess we will just have to wait and see. That's all for now folks.
"The weather station is up and running fine. We learned when the electricity goes off the modem for the station has to be restarted. The other modem (wireless internet) comes on automatically. We thought the backup battery had gone out since snow was covering the solar panel but that was not the case. I bought a new battery so I'm ready when it does go out."
- Hawley
For those of you who don't already know you can get to the WV weather station by clicking through on the link to the Weather Underground on the right side of this blog. Scroll down to the bottom of the page where you see all the local weather stations. The WV one should be at the top. I think it is excellent that we can get such an accurate reading of the valley's conditions at any time.
On another note, even though the snow has melted down making the road normal width again I would advise you to continue go more slowly than usual. I have seen quite a few herds of deer on Woodland Valley Road. They are there for several reasons. First, they can search for food in the ground that is beginning to reappear on the shoulder of the road. Second, when the snow is still deep up in the higher elevations and it has melted and crusted over on top the coyotes try and run the deer and get them to cut their legs so they will fall and they can hunt them more easily. (Sorry, I don't mean to be a bummer but that is what happens.) So the deer have been sticking to the roads. Remember to go slow. You don't need one of those bad boys coming through your windshield.
The highway department has been out all week cleaning up the mess along the road from the storms. They are chipping up everything that would be potentially hazardous to motorists. Many of you who haven't been to the valley in a while can expect to find a lot of tree limbs around your yard. Most people seem to have been very lucky though. I haven't heard of too much really serious damage.
The weather has been glorious all week. Sunny and in the 40s and 50s during the day. The snow has melted a lot. But there is still a lot laying around. The forecast for the weekend is for some serious rain. I am unclear whether I think that there is enough snow around for things to start flooding when it melts. I guess we will just have to wait and see. That's all for now folks.
