Benefits & Impact

The Sullivan Renaissance beautification program continues to foster successful community pride and awareness because participants work together for the larger good of Sullivan County.

Photo Galleries

Photo One 2010 Spring Forum
Liberty, NY 2010

Solar Renaissance
Sullivan Renaissance partners with NYSERDA

More Galleries...

Sullivan Renaissance

< Back to Getting Started

Sullivan Renaissance is a county-wide program, which has sponsored beautification projects in all 15 towns and 6 villages. Each project requires collaboration among two or more groups; many have seen participation from multiple organizations. There are thousands of active volunteers throughout Sullivan County.

Core Community Program

Over 408 community beautification projects have been funded since Sullivan Renaissance began in 2001. .
Individual projects have raised and spent over $5 million as part of beautification projects in their communities. This amount does not include the growth in pride and spirit in communities throughout the entire county.
Sullivan Renaissance has awarded $891,000 as Phase II grants for additional community projects ranging from a library addition to playgrounds to park improvements. The Phase II recipients are determined by a panel of experts.
NYS Senator John Bonacic has provided ongoing support for Sullivan Renaissance efforts, including $75,000 grants in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. This assistance directly aided three-year community development projects in several communities, including: Barryville, Hurleyville, Jeffersonville, Kauneonga Lake, Lumberland, Rock Hill, Roscoe, Swan Lake, Woodbourne and Wurtsboro.
Sullivan Renaissance emphasizes planning, development and community involvement. A staff community planner assists organizations with visioning, resource development, capacity building and other planning services.
The $50,000 Golden Feather Grant was initiated by NYS Assemblyman Jake Gunther in 2003. The first recipient was Liberty ALIVE. The grant has been continued by NYS Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, recognizing Lumberland’s Circle Park in 2005, Swan Lake in 2006, Kauneonga Lake in 2007, Roscoe in 2008 and Wurtsboro in 2009 for the highest level of achievement in all aspects of their projects
Corporate sponsorships have enabled more projects to be funded and recognized communities for addressing specific issues with annual stewardship awards in the areas of historic preservation, the environment, best practices in project maintenance and the showing of flowers.

Green Initiatives

Beginning in 2008 Sullivan Renaissance hosted or collaborated to present several seminars with a “green” focus. We partnered with the Center for Discovery to present a series of seminars called “Demystifying Green Building.” In 2009 we offered a sustainable landscaping seminar entitled “All about Trees” in partnership with the Sullivan County Division of Planning and the Manza Family Farm. A “Stormwater Solutions” seminar was offered as part of public outreach in connection with the County’s Open Space Plan. Sullivan Renaissance also worked with the Delaware Highlands Conservancy to present the benefits of land conservation and conservation easements to the SC community

Sullivan Renaissance coordinated the “Eco Expo” at the Heroes of Woodstock – 40th Anniversary concert at Bethel Woods. Renaissance invited local and regional conservation organizations to participate including Basha Kill Area Association; Catskill Mountainkeeper; Clearwater; Delaware Highlands Conservancy; The Eagle Institute; Sullivan Alliance for Sustainable Development.
Staff from Sullivan Renaissance assisted the Sullivan County Division of Planning and Environmental Management in completing and rolling out the Open Space Plan for Sullivan County. Initiatives designed to implement some of the plan’s recommendations were presented through seminars including: Open Space Planning in Your Town; Stream Management Solutions; Making Trail Connections; Farmers Marketing; and Wildlife Habitat in Your Backyard.
The prospect of natural gas drilling continues to be an issue of concern in Sullivan County due to the potential for significant environmental and aesthetic impacts. Sullivan Renaissance staff continued this year to participate in researching the issue and attended several public forums to further discuss the challenges associated with this activity.
October 2009 marks the culmination of the Solar Renaissance Lamp Post Demonstration Project with the release of the independent study by the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The LRC publication, Field Test DELTA: Post-Top Photovoltaic (PV) Pathway Luminaries, is available for free download at www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/DELTA/publications/outdoor.asp
Sullivan Renaissance was chosen to participate in a year-long field study of a fully electric zero-emission Mini Cooper (dubbed the “MINI-E”) being conducted by the BMW Group in the summer of 2009. Sullivan Renaissance and Bethel Woods staffs will road test the vehicles for a period of one year, then communicate their experience and help the BMW Group determine the commercial viability of electric vehicles in big cities and elsewhere.

Youth Involvement

Sullivan Renaissance encourages youth participation by making it a criteria at the core of our program. Involvement of young people is also encouraged through a “Spruce Up Your School” grant program which has supported projects in all eight school districts. Eight projects were funded in 2009 through this program. This program will be expanded for 2010 to support youth led initiatives in the community.

To further support community initiatives, Sullivan Renaissance collaborates with the Center for Workforce Development to offer a gardening intern for Category B and Category C projects. Interns work alongside volunteers to assist with gardening and to help ensure an abundance of flowers. During this time they also participate in a leadership development program and community service project. In 2009, 20 interns participated in the program, working in various communities.
Since 2003, Sullivan Renaissance has collaborated with the Sullivan County Community College Foundation to award scholarships for individual participation in a Sullivan Renaissance project. Eligible recipients are recent graduates of a Sullivan County high school and/or an adult resident of the county planning to attend Sullivan County Community College (SCCC). Since 2003, the SCCC Foundation has awarded 11 full-time Sullivan Renaissance scholarships and 7 part-time scholarships, all totaling $21,750.
This year we continued our collaboration with the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan Counties to offer a limited number of Sullivan Renaissance Scholarships. Eligible recipients were asked to demonstrate that they had volunteered for a Sullivan Renaissance project in a significant way and describe the impact that the experience had on them. Seven individuals were selected by the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan Counties to receive scholarships ranging in amounts of $500 to $1500, to attend a variety of colleges and universities

Support for Communities

Monthly seminars on gardening, planning, fundraising and securing volunteers are held for community groups and the public.
The Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce partners with Sullivan Renaissance in our Merchant Discount Program. The program provides groups with reductions of 10% to 30% or more on products and services used to clean up and beautify their communities.
Like our core grant program, our public awareness campaign includes a special emphasis on volunteerism and flowers. We continued our successful print campaign in 2009 using photos of our community volunteers and Sullivan Renaissance projects with beautiful blooms. “We are a Renaissance County”, “I am a Renaissance Flower Child” are some examples of our print campaign theme that was designed by Danielle Gaebel. “Do Something Good” by the Somerville Brothers continues to be a successful musical bed for our on-air segments.

Other Programs

The Environmental Initiatives Grant Program is intended for grassroots efforts to promote environmental stewardship through projects or programs that raise community awareness and involvement. A limited number of grants up to $2,500 are available for this purpose. Beginning in 2010, in addition to initiatives ranging from recycling, composting efforts and conservation issue this program will also fund tree planting initiatives and community vegetable gardens.
New in 2009 were the Sullivan Renaissance Maintenance Grants which provided 10 well-established Renaissance groups with $750 each to assist in sprucing up previous beautification projects. Groups may not receive two maintenance grants in a row.
The Mini-Grant Program reaches out to groups and individuals who want to plant flowers. Since 2004 over 80 projects received up to $200 grants to remove litter, plant gardens and undertake other beautification projects.
The Municipal Clean-Up Program has provided matching grants for municipal projects to take down unsightly building, cleanup roadsides & streams and install cameras to assist with enforcing litter control laws.
Seasonal Grants for demonstration projects are available to assist summer camps, bungalow colonies and seasonal businesses with beautification improvements that demonstrate best practices for other seasonal properties throughout Sullivan County. This is a matching and reimbursable grant program.
Since 2008, Technical Assistance Grants are available to projects for professional expertise and assistance with landscape design, concept rendering sand organization development.
The Sullivan County Board of Realtors has recognized dozens of owners of homes and businesses that enhance the area through its Sullivan Showcase Awards. A $2000 Sullivan Renaissance grant is awarded for improvements to a municipal or public building each year.

Benefits & Impact

Recent News

2011 DECENTRALIZATION GRANTS AVAILABLE

NOMINATE YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS FOR A SULLIVAN SHOWCASE AWARD