I want to build a climbing gym in the city of Ralson zone 2. The reason why I think this would be beneficial is that rock climbing is a great way to get exercise. The second reason is that a Rock climbing gym would also be a great contact community zone. In addition to this, we can set up groups to educate people about proper trail maintenance and educate people about why nature should be protected. The rock gym would also improve the mental health of the community and teach people to confront their fears and work through them. I feel this will make the bond between community members stronger and make them feel more empowered.
Ralston Blog
Ralston Courthouse
On the corner of South Shore Rd and McGarrigle Rd, will be the Ralston courthouse. It will be the hub of civil and criminal affairs for the entire city. It will be this adequately sized brick building, with large white pillars in front. Inside will be two courtrooms, one for civil trial and another for criminal. The Town will host two judges, which are to be elected every five years. One for the civil division, and another for the criminal division. With the rate of crime high in Ralston, this project will allow the city to handle its own affairs, and to begin cracking down on crime in Ralston. In the long run, the quality of life and Ralston’s appearance to people outside the city will improve. The project will also be near City Hall, and shall create a new government center, where all of Ralston’s affairs can be handled. By keeping them in proximity, it allows people to know that their is an essential heart, to the governing of the city. This could realistically create a new contact zone right in the heart of Ralston, and allow for everyone in Ralston to interact with each other in a part of town focused on the way Ralston is governed.
Police office of ward 2
I propose a police station for ward 2. As the hub of the city, ward 2 is where majority of the engagement happens and with that that also means an increased likelihood of crime or other altercation between two citizens of Ralston. The ward 2 police station is in place to help locals secure lost or stolen goods and to keep the kind citizens of Ralston safe and happy. The ward 2 police would be all local citizens and only come from the community of Ralston. The unofficial motto of the ward 2 police would be Libertas per praecepta which translates to “Freedom through rules”. The police force in ward 2 would be there to keep the peace in this wonderful community of ours with a diverse group of officers from multiple backgrounds of our community. The proposed police station in ward 2 would properly hold the people of this fine community to the rules and the formal mechanisms of law made by the government of Ralston. Keeping the peace and protecting the citizens of ward 2 would be the top priority of the ward 2 police. The police of ward 2 would stand as a shield against thoughts who wish to harm or destroy the community of Ralston and its people.
History of the police station ward 2:
The ward 2 police station would be the oldest official police station in Ralston with it originally being the location of the first sheriff’s office. The police office would have been set up this way since the early 1900s after the sheriff’s office had been found to not be enough for the larger community that was being built up.
Ward 2 Local Business: Ralston Bookstore & Cafe
My proposal to Ralston is a small locally owned bookstore and cafe in Ward 2. Both kids and adults can benefit from having a book store. I believe that this bookstore/cafe would work well in Ward 2 because that is where the central hub of the city is located. Reading books is a pastime or hobby of many people including myself, so I think that this would be a great addition to the city. I think that the best way to buy books is to buy them locally, and that is something that Ralston is missing. The cafe part of the bookstore would be a way for people to relax and read a book with some coffee or other drinks.
The cafe could also be a good place to meet with friends or family. The bookstore & cafe would be a contact zone in the city. I think that placing it near the middle of ward 2 would probably be the best location because it would be near the elementary school. I think that if it was near the elementary school, it could encourage the kids to get into reading. I believe that the bookstore & cafe would fit into Ralston because it fits into the values of the city. The city has mostly small businesses, and I think that the bookstore & cafe would fit right it.
Ward 1 Public Space
Ward 1 currently suffers from a general lack of neighborliness, possibly due in part to the economic diversity between what are essentially the two halves of the ward. The inclusion of a public space of some kind would benefit the ward greatly in bringing the residents together in a meeting space for everyone living there. The challenge in the ward comes in space, as it is relatively tightly packed surrounding the golf course. Therefore, the best solution would be to secure as much land as possible in order to construct a public community center that includes some kind of outdoor space. The most probable location for this community center would be near the country club. This would also serve as an excellent “Welcome to Ralston” look, as the first thing you see as you cross the bridge would be a brand new community center building.
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This building would serve greatly in constructing a powerful contact zone in a ward that does not have a great one: a space for people to gather for whatever purpose that they see fit, building a better sense of community and neighborliness. The space outside could also serve as a place for events and gatherings for the ward. It is due to the benefits that a Ward 1 community center and outdoor space would bring that it is worth the intrusion on the seemingly tight usage of land.
There was a previous proposal to create a community center in Ward 1 of Ralston, so if that proposal is completed then it would be highly beneficial to secure extra land outside of the building in order to include an outdoor space surrounding the building. This would give the building a better feeling of home and fitting in next to the golf course rather than just being a building with a parking lot.
Ralston Public Museum
Ralston has many special attributes that help it stand out from the rest of land-ridden Vermont. It’s hard when major city Burlington has everything people need; not many come looking to Ralston for what’s missing. However, with this new proposal, many in Ralston will find people from all over Vermont flocking to what we can now call one of our crown jewels.
Ralston Public Museum was an idea born by a couple who have been long-time residents of Ralston. Nicola Duffy and her partner, Malcolm McCormick, who were both born and raised here in Ralston, found themselves digging in their backyard one summer day, looking to make their own garden. After breaking through a hard layer of clay, Malcolm found a bone. This bone belonged to Plesiosaur Tatenectes, an underwater dinosaur from the late Jurassic period.
Malcolm, a historian, contacted some of his archeologist friends over at a local college, UVM. A team of archaeologists helped McCormick and Duffy dig up the rest of the fossil. Since Malcolm was friends with the archaeologist, they applied for a permit to keep the bones and use them to create a museum here in Ralston. With the help of his partner, Nicola, they came up with the layout, design, and story for the museum. This public museum would follow the history of Vermont all the way from the Paleozoic era, to the Mesozoic era (when the plesiosaur tatenectes were alive), to the Cenozoic era (now). The museum would walk the visitors through these eras, each exhibit leading into another. The Paleozoic area would take you through the coral reefs that once covered what is now Vermont. With fossils of trilobites, arthropods, stromatoporoids, and of course corals. It’s important to note that much of Vermont’s prehistoric history was underwater until the Cretaceous period, which occurred at the end of the Mesozoic era, that pulled what is now the Green Mountains from the sea. The Mesozoic era, however, will not start with the end, instead, it will start with the Triassic period and the Jurassic period which will contain the newly found fossil of the plesiosaur tatenectes. Going through how these creatures lived with the seascape covering the walls so it feels like you are there too. Then the Cretaceous period will walk you through extinction and the formation of some of Vermont’s landscape. Of course, the Mesozoic era has to end, but this will lead into the Cenozoic era. In this section of the museum, you will be walked through the formation of the physical landscape of what we now know and love to be Vermont. There will then be a large portion dedicated to the history of the Abenaki, the indigenous people of Vermont. In collaboration with the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation, this large section will walk you through how they lived their lives while surrounded by their buildings, community setup, and tools. There will be a part of this section talking about and showing the First Abenaki War and the subsequent migration to what is now Canada, as many were forced out by the French. The section will end with how the Abenaki people are living now in Vermont. The next section will focus on Vermont’s history in the USA and how people live here now. The museum will then lead you to our gift shop, full of fun knick nacks, toys, art, and Vermont maple syrup, which is made here in Ralston!
Ralston Public Museum is planned to go in Ward 1, right next to Route 20 and the Community Garden. Not only will this bring many people from all over Vermont to Ralston, but this museum will also add so much to the community. This museum will add to the heart and soul attributes of our community as it will bring many people closer together and add so much to our schools’ curriculum as the museum is planning on allowing free tours for Ralston’s public schools only! This museum will also bring jobs into our community and revenue into Ward 1, which desperately needs more funding and community spaces. This museum will also be a great contact zone as many will be faced with the history of the Abenaki and what happened to them.
Our goal is to make sure this museum is the furthest thing from white-centered as we want everyone’s voice and stories to be heard. There will also be a bus stop right outside the museum to ensure everyone is able to visit. Admission is $7 for adults and $3 for kids.
Nature Center and Hiking Trails Expansion
To contribute to the community of Ralston, I would propose expanding upon the Nature Center and Hiking trails to include more appeal and activities. This would come in the form of combining multiple other proposals all into one. There were proposals for community gardens, which should be implemented in multiple sections of town, but would be an easy addition to the nature center. The Nature Center can serve as the office space and information center for the nature preserve, with additional services being run around the park. Including areas in the park that could be used for a summer day-camp would create a new contact zone for children, and combine the built environment with the natural environment. This contact zone can assist with childhood development as it encourages children to play and emphasize with one another (Pratt 2005). This could be as simple as building some pavilions near a mowed field with public bathrooms within walking distance. The camp could utilize the hiking trails and work to teach children about local ecosystems and how to help maintain the natural biodiversity. The mowed field would give children a space to run and play active games, whereas the pavilions could be used for meals, free time, and guided activities (crafts, journaling, short lessons, etc.).
An educational building could also be vital for rainy days, younger ages, or days where the heat is too much for children. The building could contain a small kitchen, bathrooms with showers, and an open space that can be utilized for a plethora of activities. It can also serve as storage and contain more natural artifacts like animal skeletons, preserved plants, and educational information that may not be available in the nature center due to supervision issues. It would also be vital with preschool age kids to serve as the daycare when outdoor time is not possible. You could even include public art exhibits within a section of trails to encourage community visitation as well as support local artists and the arts.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure
I propose that Ralston invest more heavily into bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, or at the very least, prioritize non-car infrastructure. This will be very beneficial for both the residents of the island, and in drawing tourists as an attraction.
Mackinac Island is a very good example of the potential success of prioritizing bicycle infrastructure on an island. Despite the town only having around 500 residents, the island can get as many as 15,000 visitors a day, which is a lot of potential money. The infrastructure also has evidently allowed much of the natural landscape of the island to be preserved, as it prevents sprawl.
Though I do not think banning cars is necessary like it was done in Mackinac Island, Ralston can still benefit greatly in implementing in a similar fashion what Mackinac Island has done. The residents of the Ralston will benefit greatly from bicycle infrastructure due to the size of the island, it being small enough where not a lot of roads are needed, yet large enough where it may take some effort to get from one end to the other. This will make commuting in town significantly easier, and lower car congestion from all the unnecessary cars it takes off the road. The tourist industry of the town will also benefit from such infrastructure. It makes the town look smaller, quaint, and therefore more livable and attractive. The infrastructure will also differentiate the town from other parts of the country, making it more attractive to visit. Finally, it will make the transportation of tourists throughout the town more manageable, as giving visitors the option to use bicycles over a car will ease traffic congestion within the town.
Ralston Family Skating Rink
I would like to add a family outdoor skating rink to the town of Ralston. Its location would be in the Old Meadow Park in Ward 3. People would be able to gather and experience outdoor ice skating right in their own backyard. In the spring, summer, and fall, people could roller skate, take lessons, and boogie down during open skate. This beautiful facility could offer the town and residents a lot of exercise and entertainment year round including open skating, rink rentals, and skating lessons. I see the skating rink as a great contact zone for the residents of Ralston. The family skating rink would encourage another way for residents to build relationships and friendships within the community in a safe, healthy environment. It would also help generate revenue as well. Weekend evening s’more bonfires would be a fun social element to add to the rinks’ offerings. Ideally, there would also be a restaurant/snack bar area on site for people to enjoy hot chocolate, light fare, snacks, and sweets.
Fishing Pier
One of the heart and soul attributes of Ralston is that it’s on an island, giving it its own unique landscape and geographical character. For my community contribution, I plan to utilize this aspect of Ralston to the fullest by installing a fishing pier. I plan for this pier to be installed right outside the canal gardens in Ward 1. This location will make it easy for both residents and tourists to see when crossing over the bridge to Ralston, so it should be easy for it to catch people’s interest. At the foot of the pier, there will be a stand where people who don’t have their own fishing rod can rent or buy one, giving the opportunity for everyone to participate. There will be a list at the end of the pier giving patrons the types of fish that can be found in the lake, as well as basic details such as size and rarity. A few times a year, there will be contests on who can catch the most fish or biggest fish. Hopefully this project will help bring residents and tourists together, as well as bring some much-needed attention to ward 1.
Ralston, Vermont's "Green Island" City 
