Windshield Survey Woodstock New York

“ The Colony of the Arts” Janine Mower Community

Health Nursing Fall 2012

A Rural upstate NY town founded in 1787 – settled by the Dutch and English.

The township covers 78 square miles and includes part of the southern edge of the Catskill Mts.

total population 2010 census- 4851people median age 53 46.7 % male 53.3 % female 91.5 % White 2.1 % Black or African American 4.8 % Hispanic or Latino Other 1. 6 % American Indian, Asian, other

Who lives in Woodstock today ?

My community project is about “Families living in the shadows” . Woodstock's bilingual or Spanish speaking residents. Many are only visible while working in our restaurants or waiting at school bus stops. I conducted the survey while walking along the side walks and driving the streets and rural roads of the town.

One of the main economic drivers for Woodstock is tourism. Services for residents and second homers is another important economic component of employment .

Tourism is linked to the arts organizations that call Woodstock home. This is an evolution that began in 1903 and continues today .

Arts organizations include

Theatre- Music Performance

Byrdcliffe a utopian arts community founded in 1903.

There are many small private galleries and shops in the village.

You will find a bakers dozen restaurants within a mile of the center of town to visit. Breakfast lunch or dinner- you choose!

Creativity is evident, even in the bluestone leaves embedded in the side walk.

The Woodstock Library

A special place, the Library provides internet service, including WiFi, for those without computers. There is also a Spanish and an English story hour available for children. The Library sponsors forums and provides meeting space for public events . http://www.flickr.com/photos/woodstocklibrary/page2/

People work in the shops, restaurants and stores, most are open year round. Many full time residents drive to Kingston, about 12 miles one way for employment. Others, drive to Albany or commute to NYC for employment. There are a number of people who work from home.

The arts and tourism offer employment

Hippie shops are very popular.

There is an out door flea market every weekend.

Many shop buildings are over 100 years old. At one time, residents called them home.

Many homes have been converted to B and B’s.

However, there are derelict buildings, evidence of manufacturing jobs that were available to residents of the past .

Over the past 15 years Simulaids and Rotron have relocated elsewhere and taken the jobs with them .

Model Optics closed in 2011

Former Laundromat, now waiting for new use

Government Services

There is a paid police force and a volunteer ambulance squad and fire department to service Woodstock’s emergency needs.

The town is currently renovating the old firehouse and town hall to fulfill an expanded use as a police and court facility .

The former firehouse and town hall

It’s taken at least 5 years to begin work on this project due to its controversial nature

Repurposed buildings.

The former Comeau residence serves as town offices

The former Roman Catholic Chapel serves as a community center and senior group meeting place

There is also a 70 acre park near the town office on the Comeau property that is used for soccer, dog walking, hiking, sledding and observing wildlife.

The Playground near the community center There is also a youth center and

skate park nearby.

The swimming pool for the summer recreation program The pool was built in the fifties, and

is use in July and August for the youth summer recreation program.

The former Methodist Church serves as a movie theatre Throughout the town one finds older school and church

buildings now experiencing a new life.

Spiritual Practice

The Woodstock Reformed Church A picture post card scene for over

two centuries.

The Shady Methodist Church At one time there were at least 5

Methodist Churches in Woodstock

Built near the top of Overlook Mt.

The Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Monastery

North American monastic seat of His Holiness the Gyalwa Karmapa, the spiritual head of the Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism

Founded in 1986, The Woodstock Jewish Congregation Kehillat Lev Shalem

The Rabbi, Jonathan Kligler on the left, uses music to share the message of Judiasm.

There is also a Roman Catholic and Episcopal Church in Woodstock. The nearest Spanish speaking services are in Kingston, about 12 miles away.

Other houses of worship

The Shady NY School

At one time, there was a one room school found in each of the seven

the hamlets of Woodstock.

The Woodstock Elementary School The Onteora school district is downsizing due to decrease in

enrollment. There is a junior senior high school, and a 4th thru 6th grade building in Boiceville NY, about 15 miles from

Woodstock. There is an elementary school in Phoenicia and an elementary school in Woodstock serving grades K – 3 .

A pre school is located within a mile of the elementary school. Elementary school students walk, are dropped off by parents or arrive by bus. Funding for the crossing guards was cut from town and school budgets. There is little to no graffiti at school.

There is a community built playground at the elementary school.

Housing

There is a variety of housing in Woodstock There are about 150 single family homes, built in the 50’s in the Bearsville development. They

are considered “ affordable” and currently selling for about $160,000.

There is a popular little league field and playground near by There is also a dog park located to the east of the little league field.

This is an example of a multifamily rental The building is an 18th century single

family that has been converted to multi family.

Rental apartments

Homes have also been converted to office space

There is a municipal sewer and water district that serves the main part of Woodstock. High speed cable and electric and phone service is

readily available in the main part of the village.

Older building have been converted to rentals. New single family homes are being put up in the outer regions of Woodstock. Through out the whole town is an inventory of single family homes that range in price from 200, 000 to 2 million dollars.

The RUPCO housing complex now taking applications to a waiting list . This will provide additional affordable housing for seniors, families and artists. http://www.rupco.org/ra.html

Services

All shopping is located in the center of town. There is also a very popular health food store. One can drive or walk to a green grocer, about one mile out side of the village. There is a Cumberland Farms that advertizes Miller Lite, Budweiser, cigarettes. There are no stores in Woodstock that display signs in any language other than English. There is a food pantry and soup kitchen that is available to all persons in need, no questions asked.

Proprietors offering shipping to soup can be found along Tinker Street and Mill Hill Rd.

It has been said, that the funeral home is the most beautiful in the center of town.

Woodstock has three pharmacies This building was the site of a Grand Union Food Store. People must now drive 3 miles to West Hurley to do their food shopping .

Family of Woodstock- any problem under the sun.

Transportation

Cars are the most common mode of transportation. Woodstockers drive on roads maintained by town, county and state highway departments. State Route 212 bisects the town and is a main East West state road.

Traffic in Woodstock

The Hurley Ridge Market Located about three miles from the center of

Woodstock. This plaza has a bank, liquor store, dry cleaner, grocery store, gas station and there is an

optometrist near by.

Walking is very convenient.

Many sidewalks are well cared for

Caution is required in some sidewalk locations

Modes of Transportation Include

The Ulster County Rural Transportation Bus

Bicycles are most convenient

Bike Racks are located around town

Every Sunday there is a drumming circle in the center of Woodstock. Occasionally, our Spanish speaking residents will come out of the shadows to observe this cultural phenomenon. Click the video to play.

Conclusion: Over all, Woodstock has a healthy population. Community health illness is not evident to the casual observer. This is also a relatively safe place, unless one is living on the edge, on the street, and/or the drug culture. The Spanish speaking community is somewhat isolated, therefore are at a different public health risk.

The town government has yet to think in terms of how to assess or relate to Spanish only speaking residents. It does appear that thought in this direction are occurring within private agencies and local employers.

References  Byrdcliffe http://www.woodstockguild.org/artist-in-residence  KTD http://www.kagyuoffice.org/dharmacenters.ktd.html  Ulster County Area Transit Rural Route Service http://www.co.ulster.ny.us/ucat/rural.html Woodstock Jewish Congregation http://www.wjcshul.org/second-night-seder-2012 Woodstock Playhouse   http://www.woodstockplayhouse.org/ Spanish Family http://www.aliceneel.com/gallery/?mode=display&category=12&painting=114 Zip – Codes.com 2010 census population for Zip code 12498 http://www.zip-codes.com/zip-code/12498/zip-code-12498-2010-census.asp