Bald (Rondaxe) Mountain
Fire Tower Restoration Project Progress Report
Website Provided By
Friends of Bald Mt., Box 914, Old Forge, NY 13420

Project Completion DATE set for 2005!

Thanks to the generosity of individual donors - no corporate - no state or local government funds - the Volunteers of the Friends of Bald Mountain are making steady progress on the restoration of the Fire Tower on Bald Mountain just north of Old Forge, New York. This summit is the destination point for more than 20,000 hikers a year. Contact us below if you would like to make a donation or become a volunteer. 

June 2003

Following 13 years of neglect, volunteer crew members begin the tower prep work by scraping rust from the metal components and removing dilapidated security fencing. The lower steps are dismantled and taken to the staging area. Measurements are made for stairs and landings to be replaced with new pressure treated lumber. Materials are ordered and pre-cutting of the treated lumber is coordinated by Jack Ball.

Links to photos

July 2003

Five loads of supplies are transported via six-wheelers to the staging area 3/4 of a mile from the tower. The primer coat ($40.00/gal.) is mixed with a converter and applied to the tower - when weather permits. It takes a good 8-hrs for this coat to dry. Meanwhile - fundraising continues - patches are selling like hotcakes at the Old Forge Hardware Store - 2000 more brochures are ordered to meet the summer-fall demand.

Links to photos

August 2003

Volunteers from Old Forge area and the Genesee Chapter of ADK continue painting the tower - this month with the silver finish coat. Measurements are taken for the open bars for the windows. Committee members have a donor willing to custom make the windows for the cab. Once installed, the tower can be re-opened to the public.

Link to photos

September 2003

Two more days of painting and finally on September 20th, volunteers are ready to begin installing the new steps. Materials need to be carried over from the landing site - 3/4 of a mile from the tower. The view over the Fulton Chain of Lakes at this time of year is spectacular! Climbers all extend their appreciation and encouragement to our volunteers.

Link to photos

The Bald Mountain Fire Tower Restoration Work is completely dependent on donated funds from all those who agree with us that the tower is an historic treasure, a destination point for thousands of visitors in the Old Forge region annually, and a tangible link to the dedicated foresters that help to preserve thousands of acres of forestland in the Adirondack Park during the past century. 

Progress Notes from 2002 - A summer of fund raising & public awareness

August 23, 2002 - OLD FORGE, NY: The Friends of Bald (Rondaxe) Mountain Steering Committee met recently to outline work projects for the fall of 2002. Priority will be given to upgrading the staircase of the Bald Mountain Tower by replacing stair treads, landings, and security fencing. Depending on fundraising efforts during the winter of 2002-2003, the committee hopes to repair and paint the cab, replace the flooring, add security windows, and install an interpretive map of the geological features viewed from the tower. Treasurer Janice Walter Ferrick announced that $917 has been collected to date from donations to the restoration fund. Expenses for brochure printing and postage total $181.65. A collectible patch design has been selected which the committee hopes to produce and sell at $5 each plus $1 for shipping. 

September 4, 2002 - Old Forge, NY: The Friends of Bald (Rondaxe) Mountain Steering Committee have distributed nearly 2000 brochures to date. Our funds are growing and we have collected $1,557. Thanks to all who are getting the word out and to all our donors! Members of the committee are working on a new brochure, final approval of the patch design, publicity releases to area newspapers, and details of the "Adopt-A-Natural-Resource" agreement with the DEC so that work can commence soon. 

September 20, 2002 - OLD FORGE: Steering committee members L. Coon, D. Ulrich, and P.  Masters met with ADK Fall Outing Hikers on the summit of Bald Mt. over the weekend. More than a third of the group attending the conference at Water's Edge in Old Forge made the trip to the summit to hear about the fire tower's history and plans of the committee for their restoration project. Photo provided by Larry Coon of the ADK Genesee Valley Chapter.  NYS Forest Ranger Doug Riedman from the region reports that in 2002 thru 8/31/02 - 10,014 signed the register book. This compares with an average of 6500 users per year over the past several years. Friends of Bald Mt. Treasurer Janice Ferrick reports that as of September 18, 2002, the restoration project had received $3,492! 

Friends of Bald Mountain
Box 914, Old Forge, NY 13420