Bald (Rondaxe)
Mountain
Fire Tower Restoration Project
Friends of Bald Mt., Box
206, Old Forge,
NY 13420
2007
Progress Report
Foggy Day at the Bald Mt. Fire
Tower in April of 2007
Photo submitted by Warren Johnson
The Friends of Bald (Rondaxe)
Mountain (FoBM) executive board continued to work on
Phase III of our restoration projects during 2007. One of the primary
initiatives was to renew our 5-Year
Adopt-A-Natural Resource (AANR) agreement with DEC. The application was
submitted in April of 2007 by Co-President Ann MacBride and news of its
approval was sent to our Treasurer Janice 
Ferrick in the late summer.
It is hard to believe 5-years had gone by
since our restoration group organized. One of the first decisions the board
addressed at its November 2006 meeting in Old Forge (photo left) – was to
elect officers for the upcoming year. All 2006 officers, who have been members
since the formation of FoBM, agreed to stay on in
their current positions. The officers for 2007 are: Co-Chairmen Ann MacBride
from Wilmington,
Co-Chairman Barb Ball, Treasurer Janice Ferrick, and
Secretary Peg Masters, all from Old Forge. Our five-year association with
Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) - headquartered in Keeseville, NY as
the not-for-profit sponsor was also due to expire. The policy of AARCH to
assist fire tower groups during their startup period greatly helped us obtain
tax-free restoration materials, not-for-profit benefits for donors, and
statewide governmental support and recognition for our project. THANK YOU AARCH, and especially Exec. Director Steven Engelhart, for being there for us!
Not-For-Profit Status
During our first 5-years, donations totaling $15,536.44 were collected and we
entered 2007 with a balance of just under $4,000 in our treasury. The Board
decided to establish an account in Old Forge to allow for deposits and
withdrawals locally and maintain our local mailing address. Since Phase III of
our AANR agreement focuses on maintenance of the tower, the trail, and
interpretation, the balance is being held in reserve as an endowment fund. The
decision to incorporate as a not-for-profit organization on our own was deemed
financially too expensive. Affiliation with one of the newly formed regional
fire tower groups in the Adirondacks/Catskills is a possibility the Board plans
to consider.
Route 28 Construction at the Rondaxe Rd. in
the fall of 2006 (left) and the spring of 2007 (right)
Maintenance & Interpretation
No workdays were scheduled during 2007 by FoBM partly
because we did not receive the AANR agreement until September, we were not
called upon to assist with trail maintenance by our local ranger, and most of
our volunteers live a great distance from the Old Forge area. Our thanks to
Larry Coon – volunteer from Rochester,
for re-staining all the steps, cab floor and landings. Throughout the entire
restoration process, none of our volunteers have received reimbursement for
travel expenses. Our website too is provided without charge, as are all
expenses related to correspondence with committee members, donors, agencies,
affiliates, and inquiries. FoBM 
members continued to monitor and photographically
document progress on the access to the Rondaxe Rd. off
Route 28 just north of Old Forge which remained under construction throughout
the spring. The new parking lot opened in time for the summer crowds. In 2005, FoBM assisted Chuck Vandrei at
the DEC Historic Preservation office in Albany Herkimer in the design of an
interpretative sign to be placed in a new kiosk-trailhead register once the
parking lot work was completed. FoBM paid for two
all-weather signs at a cost of $250/each, which are on display at the DEC
office in Herkimer, NY. Construction of a new trailhead kiosk to
house the interpretative sign we were told was underway at the Lowville DEC
headquarters. Despite several visits in 2007 to DEC office in Herkimer by FoBM Board members and email/letters to DEC regarding our
new interpretative sign, it has not been installed at the trailhead as of yet,
but we remain hopeful.
The steel fire tower celebrated its 90th
year on the summit of Rondaxe Mt.
in 2007. The restored tower with its interpretative map table in the cab
sustained very little wear & tear in the past year (photo right). Thousands
of visitors enjoyed the panoramic views of the Fulton Chain of Lakes and very
little garbage was collected along the trail or summit. More history has been
discovered on former tower observers and several people sent vintage photos to
us which we love to receive. Patch sales, our primary fundraiser project, have
dropped off but a limited quantity are still available via email requests, at the Old Forge
Hardware and Souvenir Village stores in Old Forge, and at the Adirondack
Mountain Club headquarters in Lake George, NY. Interpretative brochures at the
trailhead have been discontinued as a cost-saving measure for the time being.
Thanks to those who wrote to ask that we keep the website updated – we
are always glad to hear from supporters and enjoy hearing about your trips up
to the fire tower – and past connections to this historic landmark.
More History of the Fire Tower
The Rondaxe
– or Bald Mt. controversy has
surfaced for years as illustrated in the May 11th, 1927 Utica Daily
Press article when local businessmen urged the State Conservation Commission to
revert back to Bald Mt. rather than Rondaxe Mt. which
“has proved most unpopular among residents of section.”
An April 27, 1936 article
in the Utica
Observer Dispatch acknowledged Harriet Rega as the
State’s only female fire tower observer. Harriet, formerly of Rochester,
was starting her 11th year working as a fire tower observer. The
article also included a reader-submitted poem in her honor. George Fallon of
Old Forge followed Harriet as the summit observer and is shown in a 1938 photo
with his dog “Pete.”
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Last updated: May 8, 2008
