Mosaic unveiling at Saugerties village pollinator garden
An unveiling of R. Stang’s butterfly mosaic will take place on Saturday, August 17, 11 a.m., at the Saugerties village pollinator garden on Partition and Montross Street.
Stang and Saugerties village mayor Bill Murphy and trustee Don Hackett will assist in a ribbon cutting along with Saugerties Chamber of Commerce co-president Mark Smith and members of the village tree commission.
Stang said that the creation of the garden itself would not have taken place without the “dedication” and vision of Rosemary Consoli, the village’s tree commission board chair, along with commission members Melanie Cossovo-Avalon and John Stafford. The three designed the garden intended to follow the path of what’s become a nationwide movement of creating habitats beneficial for butterflies and bees along with other pollinators.
Stang, who is a multi-talented artist, downplays her own role in the garden, but they have been a steadfast worker and visionary along with others in maintaining what’s become a charming village oasis.
The piece de resistance is Stang’s intricate and colorful mosaic which now graces the garden’s magical entryway under an arbor, which is an old bus stop entry. Stang attracts volunteers like bees to flowers and many showed up for the arduous task of breaking and installing tiles following Stang’s intricate design. “I had plenty of Band-Aids,” Stang said with a chuckle. “My friend Greg Mitchell helped me all along the way researching, prepping and laying the mosaic. I made all the mosaic butterflies at Kingston Ceramics Studio all last summer and it has taken a year to complete the project. The entire installation process itself has taken a few weeks.”
The garden is open to the public and the public is invited to attend the unveiling
Enroll in Lifespring
Lifespring, Saugerties Adult Learning Community, is now enrolling new and returning members for the 2024-25 academic year! Members are retired and semi-retired adults who have a passion for learning and socializing with other lifetime learners.
Lifespring’s goal is to provide diverse learning experiences for all its members, regardless of previous educational background. An all-volunteer organization, this fall Lifespring features a varied and engaging schedule that includes a mix of online courses via Zoom, in-person courses in rented classroom space at the Woodstock Jewish Congregation building located off Route 212 in Saugerties and some outdoor nature rambles.
To learn more about Lifespring, including how to become a member and register for classes, visit www.lifespringsaugerties.com and refer to the fall ’24 catalog of courses.
The deadline to enroll as a Lifespring member for the 2024/25 year is a firm Thursday, August 22. For additional information, email Lifespring.saug@gmail.com. Please note: although Lifespring is affiliated with the Town of Saugerties, membership is open to anyone in the Hudson Valley.
Absentee ballots available
Requests for absentee ballots for the annual Saugerties Public Library budget vote and trustee election will be available at the library beginning on August 20, 2024. Residents requesting a ballot will have to sign an affidavit attesting that they will not be available to vote in person at the library at 91 Washington Avenue on Thursday, September 5, 2024, between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Residents must be registered to vote in the Town of Saugerties in order to cast an absentee ballot or to vote in person.
Two five-year terms and one one-year term are up for election. Candidates running for election are Teresa Giordano, Patrick Hammer Jr., Rebecca Lang, Brian Collins, Erin Poll, April Young, Sheila Dinaburg-Azoff and Kenneth Goldberg.
Voters will also be asked to approve a 2025 library operating budget of $775,258 of which $707,326.36 shall be raised by taxation. Copies of the proposed budget are available at the library and on the library’s website.
For additional information, contact director Jennifer Russell at director@saugertiespubliclibrary.org.
Ethics committee to meet August 15
Town of Saugerties Ethics Committee will be holding a meeting on Thursday, August 15, 6 p.m., at the town hall, located at 4 High Street in Saugerties in the building department conference room.
Join the family! 
