Bill Text: NY J01491 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Honoring Peter Radosta upon the occasion of his designation for special recognition by the Town of Nelson and Erieville-Nelson Heritage Society with the Norman Odell Citizen of the Year Award

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2024-01-09 - ADOPTED [J01491 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-J01491-Introduced.html

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Senate Resolution No. 1491

BY: Senator GRIFFO

        HONORING  Peter  Radosta  upon the occasion of his
        designation for special recognition by the  Town  of
        Nelson  and  Erieville-Nelson  Heritage Society with
        the Norman Odell Citizen of the Year Award

  WHEREAS, Individuals who give of their time and  energies  to  serve
the best interests of their communities are an asset beyond remuneration
and cannot be sufficiently extolled; and

  WHEREAS,  This  Legislative  Body  is  justly  proud  to honor Peter
Radosta upon the occasion of his designation for special recognition  by
the Town of Nelson and Erieville-Nelson Heritage Society with the Norman
Odell  Citizen  of  the  Year  Award, presented during a ceremony at the
Erieville Fire Hall on Sunday, November 5, 2023; and

  WHEREAS, Established in 1996, the Norman Odell Citizen of  the  Year
Award is bestowed annually on a Nelson resident who has made outstanding
contributions  to  the town through his or her volunteer work; the award
is named in honor of longtime Nelson resident Normal Odell,  who  served
as  a  town  planning  board  member,  as the Nelson historian, and as a
volunteer fireman; and

  WHEREAS, Residing in the hamlet of Erieville, Peter Radosta  is  the
founder  and  president  of  the  Friends  of  Stoney  Pond  (FROSTY), a
non-profit  organization  that  exists  to  foster  year-round   outdoor
recreation  throughout  Madison  County; he is also a past member of the
Town of Nelson Zoning Board of Appeals, a past director of the Wanderers
Rest Humane Association, and a past president and the  current  director
of the Partnership for Community Development in Hamilton; and

  WHEREAS,  Peter  Radosta  was  nominated  for the 2023 award for his
volunteer work at Stoney Pond State Forest in Erieville and for  helping
to transform winter outdoor recreation in Nelson and the Cazenovia area;
and

  WHEREAS,  Initiating his trail rehabilitation efforts in 2017, Peter
Radosta started working to improve Stoney Pond after recognizing that  a
decade  of  neglect  had  left  the  trail  network overgrown and nearly
unusable;  he  then  approached  the  New  York  State   Department   of
Environmental   Conservation  to  enter  into  a  Volunteer  Stewardship
Agreement for trail maintenance and overall stewardship of  the  16-mile
trail network; and

  WHEREAS,  Forming  FROSTY  with his wife, Karen Storne, in 2018, the
non-profit organization operates as the stewardship organization for the
DEC Volunteer Stewardship Program and  started  clearing  and  preparing
trails  for  hiking,  snowshoeing,  cross-country  skiing,  and mountain
biking; under Peter Radosta's leadership, volunteers also built walkways
over muddy trails and constructed a classic wooden lean-to; and

  WHEREAS, Once the trail network was reestablished,  the  DEC  issued
FROSTY  a special permit to enable mechanized snow grooming in the state
forest, which has brought  countless  families  outdoors  and  onto  the

trails  during  the  winter  months;  the  non-profit  also  invested in
equipment and tools for year-round trail maintenance and snow  grooming;
and

  WHEREAS,  In  2021,  FROSTY  expanded its services and volunteers to
assist  the  Cazenovia  area;  partnering  with  a   myriad   of   local
organizations,  including  the  Cazenovia Preservation Foundation (CPF),
Lorenzo State Historic Park,  Meier's  Creek  Brewing  Company,  Madison
County  Distillery, and the Shoppes at Johnny Appleseed, FROSTY provides
over 30 miles of groomed trails for community use; and

  WHEREAS, Peter Radosta has given not only of his time  and  energies
but also of his competence, intelligence and leadership and consequently
has been designated for special honor; and

  WHEREAS,  Throughout  the  entire period of his community service, a
period of constructive involvement, Peter Radosta has stood constant  in
dignity, good grace and humor; and

  WHEREAS,  Rare  indeed  is  the  impressive  dedication  shown by an
individual for the benefit of others which Peter Radosta  has  displayed
throughout his life; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Peter Radosta upon the occasion of  his  designation  for  special
recognition  by the Town of Nelson and Erieville-Nelson Heritage Society
with the Norman Odell Citizen of the Year Award; and be it further

  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted to Peter Radosta.