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Alfred State
College’s Heavy Equipment Operations students working at the Fassett
GreenSpace.
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WELLSVILLE – What is happening at the Fassett GreenSpace? The board of Art for Rural America, a Wellsville-based nonprofit organization that runs the public garden, has a plan for the area in the back where the lot slopes down toward the Giant Market. Thanks to help from Alfred State College, they are finally able to start new construction on their 55 North Main Street park.
Art for Rural America’s vision is to construct a
multipurpose outdoor classroom, shade pavilion, and event space. This
"flexible theater" design will feature built-in bench seating for 75
individuals underneath the cover of shade sails. The built-in seating will have
two rows of tiered bleacher-like benches that face the center of the labyrinth.
Adding a shaded space will reduce exposure to harmful UV rays and protect
guests from the elements. It will also increase the gardening area that the
public can harvest from throughout the season. Art for Rural America is still
seeking funding for the poles, shade sails, and labor to construct the top
portion of their pavilion. However, the construction of the pavilion’s base
will be completed in 2020 thanks to help from multiple community-minded
organizations.
Support for this project comes from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr.
Foundation’s Design Access Legacy Funds, Western New York Foundation’s Small
Grant Program, and Rochester Design Firm, Clark Patterson Lee. The foundations
have supported planning and funds for supplies needed to grade the back of the
lot such that the area is leveled flat with labyrinth. After the lot is graded,
a group of volunteers will install the retaining wall blocks to form bench
seating that will be the base of their new outdoor classroom. Nate Piscitelli,
Wellsville native, has been collaborating on the design and execution of the
space since he was a student of Architecture at Alfred State College. Now, Piscitelli
works at Clark Patterson Lee (CPL) in Rochester, NY. The company has happily
taken on this new pavilion as a community project. A special team at CPL has
been working with Art for Rural America to create structural and grading plans.
Second-year students in the Heavy Equipment Operations
program in the Building Trades Department at Alfred State College and Professor
Brian Adams are spearheading the current build. In 2018, a different cohort
helped to grade the lot for the labyrinth’s construction as a Civic Engagement
endeavor. Earlier this year, students in the same program were gearing up to
excavate the lot. Almost a week before construction began, the COVID-19
pandemic spread to New York and Alfred State Students resumed classes virtually
after their spring break in March. Thankfully the Building Trades Department
has stayed committed to the GreenSpace. Now, students in the Fall semester of
2020 are working with Art for Rural America once again to help this community
group see their vision come to life.
For more information about the project or to become involved
in The Fassett GreenSpace, email ArtforRuralAmerica@gmail.com. You can follow
the group on Facebook at The Fassett GreenSpace Project or visit their website,
www.artforruralamerica.org.
