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For FHIA Meeting Minutes, please see the Meeting Minutes page. See the Traffic Calming page for updates as they are announced.
Cornell U. Integrated Deer Research and Management Study: The 2010 IDRM Progress Report (PDF, 451K) details deer management methods and outcomes to date. The Forest Home community falls within the sterilization zone, while specific outlying lands have been designated as hunting and control zones.
The Forest Home community and the Forest Home Chapel hosted a Blueberry Social. Neighbors visited in the shade of a large tent and purchased delicious blueberry treats, ice-cold refreshments, and walking tour packets at a fundraising table as the younger generation created nature-based craft projects and provided live jazz piano music.
Updates are posted here.
Forest Home residents showcased their abundant musical talents for appreciative friends and neighbors at a community musical event held in the Forest Home Chapel, with refreshments following. A good time was had by all!
Forest Home neighbors joined together to pick up refuse, followed by coffee, doughnuts, and conversation at the Forest Home Chapel.
Bruce Brittain led community residents in a historical walking tour through Forest Home on a chilly Sunday afternoon, beginning at the little park on Judd Falls Road just below the Jug Handle, proceeding down McIntyre Place, around the Byway, then out Forest Home Drive, stopping at points of interest along the way. The tour culminated with light refreshments at the Forest Home Chapel.
Dani Novak (of Halcyon Hill) is again offering Family Math Club sessions at Ithaca College on most Sundays from 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm. It's a great opportunity to explore how math is all around us! The Family Math Club meets on the third floor of Williams Hall on the Ithaca College Campus. Meetings are free and open to everyone. Kids aged 8 to 13 have reported enjoying the club. To get there: travel to South Hill on 96B. Turn into the Ithaca College main entrance. Go 3/4 around the circle and then along a straight stretch. Take the first right (a sign here says "admissions"). Williams Hall is the second building on the left. Consult http://ithaca.edu for parking ideas. Recent Family Math Club activities have included:
Forest Home Holiday Party - December 18, 2009 Forest Home residents gathered at the home of Mary Kane Trochim to share potluck dishes and holiday cheer.
A new slate of officers was elected at the FHIA Annual Meeting.
In September 2009, the Town of Ithaca submitted the Forest Home Traffic Calming - Phase I Plan to the New York State Department of Transportation. See the Forest Home Traffic Calming - Phase I Plan here.
Plenty of food and fun could be found at the Forest Home Block Party in the park and on Forest Home Drive near the downstream bridge. Photos will be posted soon.
A small but energetic group of Forest Home residents formed a Historic Preservation Working Group in March. The group met six times in the spring and summer, identifying a long list of ideas and activities to support the historic preservation of Forest Home and beginning to tackle some of the tasks. Possible preservation activities fall into the categories of:
The History of Forest Home link is now live! Please help us build this area of the FHIA website by sharing anecdotes and photos.
Bernard "Bud" Stanton made a presentation for Forest Home residents about the life of George Warren (1874-1938), an influential Cornell professor in the agriculture college, a member of the Roosevelt administration, and a long time Forest Home resident. Stanton was a member of Cornell's Department of Agriculture Economics for 39 years and is the author of a biography of Warren published by Cornell University Press in 2007. The talk will be held in the home of Valerie Hans and Michael Bend, 127 Warren Road, where Warren lived from 1907 until his death.
Current TCAT bus routes can be seen here. Proposed route changes are explained here. Many of the routes pass close to Forest Home. Please check the links for details.
The Forest Home Improvement Association conducted a survey in February 2009 to gauge community support for elements of Phase I Implementation of the Forest Home Traffic Calming Plan. See survey results and comments here.
Long-time Forest Home neighbor Clara Goodman passed away on January 25 at the age of 91. A memorial service was held at the Andrew Dickson White house on July 18. In recognition of Clara Goodman's service to the community as a Supervising Public Health Nurse for over forty years and the organizer of Tompkins County's Certified Home Health Agency, a conference room at the Tompkins County Health Department (55 Brown Road) was dedicated in Ms. Goodman's name on May 8. A January 27th article on Clara Goodman in the Ithaca Journal describes Ms. Goodman's special contributions to the community, excerpted here:
Clara Goodman, the mother of Tompkins County's long-standing public Home Health Care program and a strong supporter of Meals on Wheels, passed away over the weekend.
FHIA Meetings October 23, 2008 - FHIA Annual Meeting
Minutes of the Meetings of the FHIA Board in 2008
Forest Home Community Lectures at the Forest Home Chapel November 22, 2008 - Make a Date with a Tree: Dendrochronology and What We Can Learn about the Past from Tree-Rings Forest Home resident Sturt Manning, professor of Classical Archaeology and the director of the Cornell Tree Ring Laboratory, gave the talk. His presentation explored tree-ring analysis and dating and how it can work both locally and overseas in buildings and at archaeological sites to provide key evidence for dating, and information on past climate. The techniques involved were demonstrated on some old beams salvaged from local houses. The techniques can be used to help homeowners get a better idea of the construction date of an older house. November 1, 2008 - Pearl Buck's Cornell Years: a lecture, celebration, and reception On the 70th anniversary of Pearl Buck's Nobel Prize for Literature, the lecture presented an opportunity to celebrate and learn more about the third American and first American woman to win this prestigious prize. Valerie Smith, a historian and expert on Pearl Buck's life, lectured on Pearl Buck's Cornell years: a bridge between her life in China and here in the United States. The lecture included photographic and recorded illustrations from Smith's recent "Buck Footprints Tour" of sites in China where Buck lived, taught and wrote. March 27, 2008 - Book Talk: American Juries Forest Home resident and Cornell Law School professor Valerie Hans talked about her recently published book, American Juries: The Verdict. She discussed the O.J. Simpson jury, the so-called litigation crisis, the jury's competence to understand complex scientific information, and many other interesting and timely matters regarding this important institution. Other Forest Home community events in 2008 December 23, 2008 - Forest Home Holiday Party - at the home of Mary Kane and Bill Trochim September 14, 2008 - Adventure in the Woods Children and teens of Forest Home had the opportunity to join a team to traverse a course in the Forest Home woods and the Cornell Plantations in which they solved challenging puzzles and riddles in order to reach their final destination at the "bell" vista in the Plantations. There they built and walked through a labyrinth, enjoyed watermelon and ice cream, and shared tales of their experience. August 26, 2008 - Piano Recital Donna Bloom gave an evening piano recital at 118 Judd Falls Rd. for Forest Home neighbors. "Bach, Beethoven and Brahms at the Blooms" offered 45 minutes of music (plus some program notes) as well as an opportunity to visit with neighbors. August 5, 2008 - Plantations Welcome Center presentation Representatives from Cornell made a presentation to the Forest Home community about their plans for a new two-story, 6,000 square foot Plantations Welcome Center that will be located adjacent to the Lewis Headquarters Building (the old Forest Home School). June 14, 2008 - Forest Home Progressive Dinner Party April 26, 2008 - Spring Clean-Up April 2008 - Touchdown: The Story of the Cornell Bear - a bear and an author with a Forest Home connection John Foote (Cornell class of 1974), who with his with Kristin Rupert owns a home on Forest Home Drive, has written Touchdown the Bear, the story behind the real Cornell Big Red bears, who came to campus in 1915, 1916, 1919, and 1939. Touchdown IV was a resident of Forest Home. A website and an article in the Cornell Chronicle provide more information. Winter Forest Home Newsletter: http://fhia.org/FHN_Feb2008.pdf (1.8 mb PDF file) In Memoriam: We are saddened to report that our long-time neighbor John Swan passed away on October 12, 2008 at the age of 90. John lived on Crest Lane with his wife Mary for many years. A Cornell graduate, he worked for the Cooperative Extension Service for over thirty years. He was an enthusiastic and skilled outdoorsman, enjoying hunting, fishing, camping, skiing, golf, and gardening. He was an active member of the community and the Forest Home Chapel. Friends and family shared stories and memories during a memorial service at Forest Home Chapel on November 15th. It is with great sadness that we announce that Frank Shipe, long term Forest Home resident and treasured neighbor and friend, died on May 20, 2008, at the age of 88. A Professor Emeritus of Food Science Department at Cornell, Frank lived on Forest Home Drive for 60 years and raised his family here. He was an active member of the community. Neighbor Bruce Brittain described him as the "informal guardian of the Upstream Bridge." Many have admired the beautiful pocket of garden that he and his wife Margery, who died last year, maintained on the corner just before the bridge. A memorial service was held at St. Paul's United Methodist Church on May 31st. 2007 News: The FHIA Annual Meeting was held Thursday, November 29, 7:30 p.m., in the basement of the Forest Home Chapel.
The final report Forest Home's Traffic Calming Committee is now complete.
Final Report of Forest Home's Traffic Calming Committee
Our 2007 Forest Home News to date can be found in recent issues of the FHN - October 2007 (285K PDF file)
Highlights: During the Cornell Reunion weekend, June 8 - 10, Forest Home resident and Cornell professor Sturt Manning gave a talk on what tree rings can tell us about past civilizations. After a several-year hiatus, the Embroidery Club enjoyed a luncheon at the Forest Home Chapel on June 9, thanks to the organizational efforts of Ellen Lane. Construction is nearing completion on a new home at 31 Fairway Drive. The community bagged an awesome amount of garlic mustard this spring, and nearly 20 residents helped with the Forest Home Spring Clean-Up in May.
Comings and Goings: Jennifer Tegan and Warren Allmon of Forest Home Drive are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Alexandra Tegan Allmon, born Thursday, March 8. Shana, Chad and Abigail Proell of 116 Warren Road are moving to Madison, Wisconsin where they will be working at the University of Wisconsin as professors. In Memoriam: Our dear neighbor Elizabeth (Lib) Delahanty passed away in March. A memorial service celebrating her life was held on July 21 at the First Unitarian Church of Ithaca.
Margery M. Shipe, our friend and neighbor for nearly sixty years, passed away Friday, August 31, at the age of 86. She kept a garden in front of her house on Forest Home Drive that cheered the community and she was always ready to welcome a neighbor into her kitchen for coffee and baked goods. Her presence will be much missed. A service of remembrance was held on September 3 at St. Paul's United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Margery's memory may be directed to St. Paul's UMC, 402 N. Aurora St., Ithaca, NY 14850, or the American Cancer Society, 6725 Lyons St., East Syracuse, NY 13057.
2006 News:
Proposed revisions to Cornell's transportation study: Several local neighborhood organizations have worked together to develop proposed revisions to a draft of Cornell's Transportation-focused Generic Environmental Impact Statement (t-GEIS) for Ten-year Transportation Impact Mitigation Strategies (TIMS). In Memoriam Our dear neighbor Carl Sundell passed away on December 2, 2006 at the age of 89. A memorial service was held on December 7th at the Forest Home Chapel. Carl had lived in Forest Home since he was a boy, helping his father to build their home at 310 Forest Home Drive from a Sears mail-order design and materials. Years ago Carl put a TV antenna on an old windmill tower on Halcyon Hill, then ran wires from it down to his shop, and from there to many parts of the Forest Home community, in what was perhaps the first cable TV service in Tompkins County. More recently, Carl served as chair of the FHIA Oral History Committee, and organized and collected many oral histories of old and former Forest Home residents. He also revised and printed the Forest Home Directory for a number of years, under the name of "Potterbit Press." He was instrumental in initiating the New York State Scenic Road designation process for Forest Home Drive. Carl was a genuine FH-er, and a colorful character. Events in Forest Home during 2005: Annual Meeting: The Forest Home Annual Meeting was held on November 3rd. Read the minutes here. Looking out for Forest Home community interests: Opposition to the proposed 10-foot-tall Arboretum deer fence: On April 27th, residents of Forest Home met with Don Rakow, Director of the Cornell Plantations, to discuss a proposed plan for a 10-foot-tall deer fence to surround the 150-acre Newman Arboretum. Strong concern about the plan was expressed by many of the 30 residents in attendance. A committee of concerned residents had prepared and distributed a deer fact sheet and a memo itemizing issues of concern to the Forest Home community and proposed alternatives to the fence, prior to the meeting. After that initial meeting, the Forest Home Deer Committee members continued to have conversations with the Plantations. The result of these conversations was a plan to work together to find solutions to the Plantations' deer damage problems. They agreed that the Plantations would assemble a committee made up of representatives from the Plantations, the Town of Ithaca, and Forest Home. David Gross, Dani Novak and Darcy Binns were chosen to represent Forest Home. After a lengthy holding pattern during which time the full committee never formed or met, in late October 2005, the proposed deer fence was handed off to the Cornell administration, which is taking a look at deer management issues across the whole campus. The Forest Home community continues to express strong concern about the proposed deer fence. Traffic Calming:This past spring, our consultant Walter Kulash returned to Ithaca to meet with representatives from various stakeholder groups to discuss and refine the Forest Home traffic calming plan. Out of these meetings came a general acceptance for the concept of traffic calming in Forest Home. Since then, the plan has continued to undergo refinement, and implementation has already begun. John Foote paid for resurfacing his sidewalk above the wall on the "S" curve of Forest Home Drive. The walkway was laid out according to the draft traffic calming plan, and a private contractor constructed it (although some of this has now been torn up by construction work on the barn). The walkway consists of stone dust over crushed stone, and is a prototype for future walkway surfaces in the rest of Forest Home. Efforts this summer also focused on the design of the Warren Road hill, which is scheduled to be rebuilt next year, in general accordance with the Forest Home traffic calming plan. The reconstruction plan calls for the pavement to be narrowed to 18 feet with a concrete gutter and a granite curb on each side. The existing informal path on the eastern (up-bound) side will be upgraded to a 4-foot wide walkway for the full length of the hill, and the grade of Halcyon Hill Road will be reworked to make it less steep near the intersection with Warren Road. We are very pleased that the Town and County are incorporating so many of our suggestions into this project. Overweight Truck Count:On November 10, volunteers conducted an 11-hour count of overweight trucks passing through Forest Home. Read their report here.
Lecture Series: On Thursday, November 10th, Jon Miller talked about his radio documentary series, "Worlds of Difference: Local Culture in a Global Age," which is airing this fall on public radio stations across the country. Jon played selections from the series and answered questions about life as an international radio producer. For more information about "Worlds of Difference," visit http://homelands.org/worlds or contact Jon at mil@twcny.rr.com. On Tuesday, March 29, 2005, Lee Miller discussed "Edible and Medicinal Trees," and provided some fascinating history of the Northeastern forests and native peoples. Celebrations: There was an Easter Egg Decorating Party Thursday, March 24, in the Forest Home Chapel basement. Continuing in the tradition of Mary Swan's annual Easter egg decorating party, all kids big and small were invited to come together in the FH chapel basement to decorate Easter eggs while the superintendent had her conference day (school holiday). On Saturday, February 12, 2005 there was a young musicians' concert in memory of Mary Swan, who lived in Forest Home for many years and passed away recently. Many people came and the music was wonderful. Here is a picture of the young musicians.
Pictures from the closing bridge ceremony in summer 2004. Forest Home Chapel News: On Sunday, November 6, there was a Chapel concert to celebrate Forest Home Chapel's new organ, dedicated to the memory of sisters Martha Warren Hertel and Mary Warren Swan, long-time members of both the Chapel and the community. The concert featured organist Dr. William Cowdery, formerly at the Chapel and currently musical director and organist of the First Congregational Church of Ithaca. Bill performed a program of works by Bach, Handel, Mendlessohn, Brahms, Widor and others that showcased the abilities of this fine new organ. On Sunday, October 23, Dr. Robert Hill returned to Forest Home to Celebrate 90 Years of Forest Home Chapel history. To further commemorate this occasion, a memory quilt documenting 131 Chapel members and friends was hung. For more detailed information on the Chapel's unique history, please contact Elizabeth Mount at elizamount@yahoo.com. |
