Hot or Cold?

As the seasons change, it’s hard to decide whether it's hot or cold. One minute, I have the windows open, the weather being just perfect, another I'm turning on the air conditioning, and even within the same day, I can be switching the heat on. I have the same battles with my husband- I up the temperature, he likes it lower, he's opening the windows to enjoy the breeze, I'm closing them to block out the cold flow. If I can't decide myself, or the two of us can't agree on what's comfortable, how could we expect a couple of apartments to be equally comfortable?

With that in mind, we installed tankless water heaters, which control both the heating of the apartment and the hot water for that individual apartment. Quietside makes on-demand water heaters, which means the hot water is heated as it is needed, and there is no bulky water tank sitting in a far off corner or basement, taking up space you could be using for something else. Another plus with an on-demand system is that you don’t run out of hot water, as opposed to a water tank that holds only so many gallons of water at a time. Ever end up with a cold shower because someone else spent a little too much time in their hot shower? With these heaters, it’s not an issue- hot water can flow all day and night without worry.

Although these turn out to be more energy efficient in the sense that you aren’t paying to keep water hot all the time, whether you use it or not, that wasn't the biggest selling point for us. What we liked the most is that this controls the heat as well. Each unit was set up with one of these boilers, and a thermostat was placed in each apartment. One person could keep their thermostat at a temperature equivalent to those in the tropics, while another could enjoy the brisk winter temperatures if they wanted. Also, by splitting the heating systems by apartment, we could have each apartment responsible for their heating costs. If you drive around the city in the winter, you can always tell who pays for heat and who doesn’t. I’ve seen windows open as far as they can in the dead of winter, so someone somewhere is paying to heat the outdoors. With our set-up, if someone chooses to do so, it’s at their own expense, and you’d be surprised at how much more they are aware of those expenses.

After several years of having these units installed, I’ve found them to be low maintenance, but these units like to be worked. We left one apartment empty for about two years, so the heat was set to a “vacation mode”, which turns off the heat, but triggers a safeguard setting to prevent the pipes from freezing if the outside temperature suddenly drops, and when we went to start it up, it was a little temperamental, but after a few minor adjustments and just letting it run, it works great.

Another drawback is that some of the controls on the thermostat are too advanced for people who are not used to controlling the heat, with different setting for the summer months, options to turn the system off altogether, and economy modes where you can automatically lower the heat at a set time and have it warmer at a later time (for example, when you leave for work, you’d have the temperature lowered slightly, and then have it programmed to raise the temperature around the time you usually come home, this way you aren’t paying to heat an empty place all day). When we get a new tenant we tend to get a call at some point about the heat not working, but that’s easily fixed with the turn of a switch.

Regardless of what each person decides their ideal temperature is, I’m not caught in the middle. I’m still trying to figure out if I want the heat on or off myself…

Color Me Happy Too

My little experiment went a little further than I expected. The next time I was in Newburgh, the girl that was on the stoop asked if I had any more of the engraving kits, which I did, and again, she went right to work. Also, someone I assume is her father says "hello" whenever he's outside and I pull up.

The trio of kids approached me one day, too. The seemed a little apprehensive at first, but they came to ask if I had the photos I had taken that day. Unfortunately, I didn't have them that day, but promised them I'd bring them up on my next visit. The next time I was there, I didn't see them, but someone else told me exactly which apartment to find them in. I went inside, and the older boy opened the door. I gave him the pictures, and also asked him if he wanted something else to do. He said yes, and we went to my car, which always seems to be stocked with something (I refer to as mobile storage; others have referred to it as such things like a garage sale on wheels). I gave him a kit for making multiple key chains out of pony beads, and asked him to share it with the others. I'm curious to see if they completed them or how they turned out, but regardless, I'll be sure to keep my car stocked with various items. Little things seem to go a long way!

Color Me Happy

In the area, kids have a hard time finding something to do and often can't really entertain themselves. I was curious to see how receptive they would be to simple activities. The art influence is rapidly growing throughout Newburgh, and every great artist had to start somewhere. With that thought in mind, I brought a number of small  art/craft  projects. The cost of these items were extremely meager, each being about a dollar and I figured there's no harm in a little coloring.

A group of four small kids were running up and down the block. I asked them if they wanted to have a little contest, and that got their attention. I pulled out coloring kits comprised of a drawing and a set of crayons. They quickly ripped the packaging open and when right to work. They had questions like if they could color them any way they wanted, to which I answered yes. They finished their masterpieces in no time and we very eager to show me and see who won the award. They were all very proud of their work, and not wanting to choose, they each won, the prize being little origami books with several projects and detailed instructions in each.

Another girl was just sitting on her stoop and I mentioned how she looked bored. I asked what she liked to do, her reply being swimming. Being that I couldn't help with that at that given moment, I asked if she liked drawing. She said yes, and I pulled out a small engraving kit comprised of a coated silver foil page and a scratch tool. I explained how it was done, and she also went to work right away. She seemed to take her time on the pre-printed seahorse design and seemed to pay attention to detail. About half an hour later, she was still working on it when another girl came out and started calling to her. She didn't respond to her friend right away and just kept working. After a bit, she went inside with her work and came right out. I was pleased to see she brough her kit inside and not just discard or abandon it on the stoop.

This tells me it really doesn't take much to make these kids happy, they're willing to try different things, and they welcome the chance to do so. They even said thanks!

I hope to help them find things they enjoy doing and provide a positive outlet. If we encouragement them now, hopefully they will find something they love doing, hopefully that something will make a difference for them, and hopefully that difference will make us all better off.

More Than a Facade

"Ferry House Mural"

Having a place in what's referred to as the "Historical District", I think too much emphasis is put on the structures and what people passing by on the streets see of these old time buildings. These places have a lot to offer, but we can't always see past those facades, and it's an appearance that does not look so promising to the naked eye.

TRESTLE INC: Community Through Art

What should be the focus is what's behind all that brick and mortar: the people who live within those walls, the mindset around these places, and the perception of the neighborhood to others. The biggest obstacle is finding a way to make everyone living in these once great places care about where they live. Even though the majority of occupants are renters, we all need to take ownership of where we spend our time. This isn't necessarily financial in nature. It could be a matter of something as simple as picking up a soda can littering the sidewalk, and tossing it a garbage can that's just a few steps away.

Newburgh Trestle Mural Archways

I'm noticing people are starting to feel passionate about the area, myself included, and I hope that passion is contagious. A giant face lift is taking place within the city, but that's only the beginning. Fresh ideas are coming through by way of new visions, new places (homes, stores, restaurants) and even new faces. The true beauty is coming through, and I see great things are already in the works!.

What do you see for Newburgh and what are your ideas?

Trestle Mural Dedication

Welcome to the Neighborhood

I've always had he privilege of having great neighbors around me. Growing up in NYC, I knew just about everyone in my building of about 25 apartments at least by name, and I even got accustomed to considering some of these neighbors family. My parents never had to pay for daycare or a sitter- the neighbors were always there (a majority of the neighbors were retired) and took care of my sister and me whenever it was needed. They made the holidays extra special. Since my parents are from a different background, Christmas was not something they celebrated; still on Christmas morning we'd wake up to a living room full of everything a child could dream of. My neighbors made the holidays and everything else so special, and those thoughts still stay with me today to the point where we're that house on the street that is full of lights and decorations.

These days in my suburban world, I'm surround by neighbors who constantly look put for each other and always help out. My husband has the to travel from time to time, and when he does, I get an extra stream of support from the people around me. I tend to joke about my not having decided if the they think I'm totally helpless or useless, but I always appreciate their gestures. During the winter, one offered to dig me out after a snow storm, where his named price was a cup of tea. Another time, as the weather has been getting warmer and my husband is away once more,  I come home and find my lawn is mowed. In addition I get numerous calls about dinner and making sure I have something to eat, since they all know how great a cook I'm not. I am a whiz with a phone and take-out menu, so food is never a problem . I realize I'm getting off track here and talking about myself a little too much, so back to Newburgh.

Sunday morning, I was drinking a cup of coffee while sitting on the stoop, when someone passed by and said hello. He went on to ask me if I had just moved in; my reply was that I was only waiting for someone. He then continued to explain how he was about to welcome me to the neighborhood... This got me thinking about the people in the neighborhood. Although I'm not here that often, I've always had positive experiences with the people around. They are friendly, look out for each other, and will help if needed, even from time we were brand new faces.

When we first started construction, the property owner next door saw us working with a small generator, and offered us help with the electric supply. He ended up running extension cords from his building so we could plug various tools into without worrying about overloading the generator. He also let us use his lot to set up a dumpster; sparing us the need for a permit to have one on the street. He made an effort to help us out several ways over time, and never asked for anything in return, not even a dime.

Other instances included residents across the street encouraging our work. One person went as far as to show me her apartment to see how visible the differences between the two places were and how great we were doing. On another occasion, someone called us at home to see if anyone should have been in the building in the evening, as he saw lights on in one of the apartments. Our phone number had always been plastered on the trucks we were using, and he must have taken note of it. It turned out we didn't switch off the lights when we left that day, but the fact that he was concerned speaks volumes to me. This showed me people are aware of what's going on around them, they care about what's happening, and aren't afraid to do something if needed.

The point I'm trying to make here is that although things may look run down, you can't use this to judge the people around. There's a large sense of community, examples of this would be all the work being done by volunteer organizations or something as basic as the number of churches with a small radius. The people are ready to welcome new faces; the only thing is we just need to give them the opportunity to do so.