Spring 2013 Conference Be sure to register for our 5th annual Placemaking Conference scheduled for March 15th in Newburgh. This ½ day conference will focus on successes and challenges in creating great places in the Hudson Valley. Topics include farm markets, trails, healthcare, the arts, and managing aging infrastructure. We’ll also present our first annual Placemaking Awards. For more information, to register or to nominate an individual or project for an award, click here. Thanks to the Greater Newburgh Partnership, Crystal Run Healthcare, and Orange County Municipal Planning Federation for their sponsorship of this event. Citizens Foundation Partners with the Newburgh Armory Unity Center The Citizens Foundation is pleased to announce that it will be conducting an evaluation and needs assessment of the Newburgh Armory Unity Center this spring to help this new nonprofit organization determine its long-term goals. Founded by long-time Newburgh resident and philanthropist Bill Kaplan and a dedicated Board of Directors, volunteer corps and executive director, the Center offers community groups a safe place to conduct sports, educational, arts, and other programming for children and adults. To participate in the study, contact Nancy Proyect. TZ Bridge Update Construction of a new Tappan Zee Bridge remains a top issue for the Orange County Citizens Foundation. President Nancy Proyect recently attended an informational meeting in Tarrytown on the topic and will offer input on remaining mass transit options on February 22nd to a recently formed task force exploring short and long-term solutions to the transit issue. The Citizens Foundation had advocated for a more forward-thinking bridge design that would provide strong mass transit options in the first phase of construction. Unfortunately, the chosen design keeps New York auto-centric and only references unspecified mass transit options sometime in the future. There’s still an opportunity to include mass trans ...