News

After four years of dedication, collaboration, and your support, we are delighted to announce that Bramley Mountain Fire Tower has been completed! On Tuesday, November 19th, 2024, the construction of the iconic structure officially concluded, a well-earned achievement for our community. 
 
While we await the final certificate of occupancy before opening to the public, we couldn’t wait to share this exciting news. Hikers can already catch a glimpse of the majestic tower from the trail below the summit, and its striking silhouette can be seen from various points across the Delaware River Valley. For a particularly breathtaking view, head to Route 10 between Bloomville and Hoag’s Crossing!

We finally broke ground! Large holes were dug in preparation of creating new footers for the tower. The original footers from the tower will remain – a reminder of the first time this tower stood on this site.

We were hoping that the construction of the fire tower would begin in May, but there have been delays in the permitting process, and we are now aiming for construction to begin in late summer/early fall.

When we applied for our building permit, the Delhi Town Code Officer required several variances and so referred our application to the State Codes Committee.

Having our application go to the state committee was an unforeseen delay, but the Chair of the State Codes Committee has been extremely helpful in pinpointing the steps needed to be granted the variances. Another hearing on the variances will happen in mid-July, and, once we are granted the variances, we are hopeful that The Town of Delhi can process our building permit application quickly.

We are now aiming for tower construction to begin in August or September, and we will keep you posted.

We are now recruiting Tower Stewards who will staff the tower on weekends, from opening day until Indigenous Peoples Day.  We have a number of enthusiastic volunteers already signed up, but we need more.  

Are you interested in serving one or more weekend days this summer on the summit of Bramley Mountain, greeting visitors to the new tower?  If you’d like to join our group of Tower Stewards, please email us at info@bramleymountainfiretower.org and let us know.  More information can be found on our Tower Steward page ….and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

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With a personal passion for the outdoors and an extensive conservation easement background, Ryan has dedicated his career to finding the balance between the economic, environmental and political stresses that farm and forest communities face. The Fire Tower exemplifies projects that find that balance. Ryan is the Executive Director of the Watershed Agricultural Council and is an area native and eco-business owner. Naatz holds degrees in Environmental Science and Geography, with several specialized business certificates. In his free time, you’ll find him with his family in East Meredith NY rehabbing a 200 acre dairy farm, on the water at Goodyear Lake, wandering in the woods, hiking Bramley Mountain, or pursuing a number of property investments.

December 1, 2023 Press Release

Over the past two months, The Bramley Mountain Fire Tower Project has taken many positive steps forward.

In October, the A. Lindsay and Olive O’Connor Foundation approved a $10,000 grant towards the construction of the fire tower. 

On November 8^th, the owners of EIGHTYMAIN, James Arafut and Will Johnson, put on a fundraising dinner for the tower.  At the dinner, a tasting menu which featured dishes using flora and fauna that can be found on Bramley Mountain was served.  Over 40 people attended the dinner, and over $2500 was raised for the tower.

During the first half of November, NYC DEP workers improved the Summit Trail Road, a former logging road so that the fire tower components and the equipment needed to build the tower can get up the mountain more easily.  They also cleared the summit area to make room for the construction of the tower.  Finally, they built a second parking lot just uphill of the existing trailhead and parking area on Glen Burnie Road. 

Read more…..

We want to give a big thank you to James Arufat and Will Johnson for dreaming up and putting on this extraordinary event at EIGHTYMAIN restaurant in Delhi. James and Will and their staff put on a fundraising dinner for the tower on November 8th. At the dinner, a tasting menu which featured dishes using flora and fauna that can be found on Bramley Mountain was served. The tasting menu was creative and, most importantly, delicious. The staff at EIGHTYMAIN could not have been any more friendly or attentive. Over 40 people attended the dinner, and over $2500 was raised for the tower. There was an amazing amount of positive energy, and many fire tower supporters who had never met discovered that there were surprising connections between them.

The Friends of Bramley Mountain Fire Tower, would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Delaware County Board of Supervisors Chair Tina Mole, the Board of Supervisors, and Glenn Nealis, Director of Economic Development for their significant efforts and support to get the fire tower project back on track. We are very excited to establish this formal partnership and to reconstruct the Bramley Mountain Fire Tower in spring/summer 2024.

DELHI – Delaware County has interceded on the Bramley Mountain Fire Tower project, stalled by the town of Delhi over a permitting and insurance dispute. 

Delaware County Economic Development Director Glenn Nealis announced at a committee meeting held May 3 that late Davenport Supervisor Dennis Valente and Tina Molé, county supervisor chairperson, asked that the county take the lead on the project as permit holder, to move it forward, as a outdoor recreation/tourism project.

Nealis reviewed draft contracts, lease agreements and permits between Friends of Bramley Mountain and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, he said; and changes have been requested to documentation to make it more clear which organization is responsible for what.

It is anticipated that there will be insurance costs to the county for the fire tower structure, Nealis said, and has requested a quote for liability insurance from the county’s insurance carrier. It is possible, he said, that insurance costs may go under the county’s umbrella policy with minimal or no charge. Once he has received a quote for insurance costs, Nealis said, he will ask economic development committee members to support a resolution for approval by the board of supervisors.

The disassembled fire tower is proposed to be reassembled at its former site at the summit of Bramley Mountain in the town of Delhi, as an recreational attraction accessible by hiking trails maintained by the Catskill Mountain Club.

In February, a petition signed by 781 people was presented to the Delhi town council, urging the town authorize contracts to advance the project. Delhi councilmembers voted against entering into an agreement with the DEP, required for a land use permit to reconstruct the tower on DEP-owned property. Delhi Councilmembers said local code enforcement is prohibited on DEP-owned land. 

The Bramley Mountain Fire Tower and hiking trails, Nealis said, will create an outdoor recreation asset for Delaware County increasing tourism. “It will encourage visitors to further explore Delaware County,” Nealis said.

This story can also be found at:
www.the-reporter.net/stories/delaware-county-intercedes-on-bramley-mountain-fire-tower-project,98242?

For previous coverage of the project in the Reporter, see the below links:

www.the-reporter.net/stories/residents-petition-delhi-council-for-fire-tower-rebuild,93947?

www.the-reporter.net/stories/no-vote-explained-in-delhi-fire-tower-rebuild,93770?

www.the-reporter.net/stories/advocates-push-for-delhi-fire-tower-rebuild,93429?www.the-reporter.net/stories/bramley-mountain-fire-tower-delays,86201?