TRR photo by Chris Conroy Frank Gerchman of the Woodstock Preservation Alliance (left) was one of roughly 20 people who turned out to help Gay Donofrio (right) and other members of Bethel First at the first workday at the Bethel gazebo site. (Click for larger image)

In the round

By CHRIS CONROY

KAUNEONGA LAKE — They’ve received grants from Sullivan First and Sullivan Renaissance; now folks have begun digging to plant the seeds of a new Bethel gathering spot.

On April 21, members of Bethel First and other groups gathered to break ground on a gazebo construction project near the state boat launch in Kauneonga Lake. Upon its completion, says Bethel First’s Gay Donofrio, the 20-foot gazebo will serve as a stage for bands and social gatherings.

Starting before 9:00 a.m., the group began preparing the flowerbeds that will flank the gazebo. By noon, the work was almost done. Fertilizer donated by Bethel councilman Harold Russell and trucked in by S&D Sanitation was spread on the freshly tilled earth, making the beds  ready for flowers to be planted in May.

“This has been our most active project,” Donofrio said, taking a short break from organizing the roughly 20 volunteers that were performing the labor. What made things move as fast as they did, she said, was using the power equipment (a small back hoe and front-end loader) that was donated by Frontier Construction.

During the day, donations were also collected from the steady stream of traffic that passed the work site. By the end of the day, nearly $380 dollars had been collected. That money will be put toward construction of the gazebo and development of the land surrounding it.

Bethel First will be holding another workday at the gazebo park on May 26, meeting at 9:00 a.m. in Vassmer’s General Store.

For more information about what Bethel First is up to, contact them by writing Bethel First, PO Box 464, Kauneonga Lake, NY 12749 or by calling Gay Donofrio at 845/583-5760.