Schilling Park Dedication

At the May 2010 village board meeting the park on Maple Avenue was officially named Schilling Park, in honor of the Schilling family and their contributions to the village.

For its entire existence, Altamont has been defined by and has enhanced a strong sense of volunteerism in its citizens. For over 50 years, the Schilling family has personified that sense of volunteerism.

The Schilling family first arrived in Altamont in the early 1950’s. From 1953 to 1982, John and Phyllis lived at 152 Maple Avenue and raised their 4 children, John, Carl, Lisa, and Stephanie.John shared a law practice in Albany with his father, and Phyllis became involved with community activities, her church, and the PTA. Together, they supported the village’s acquisition of the vacant home and property at 149 Maple Avenue (the former Deitz home), which saved the property from development. A tennis court was built in 1967, and Phyllis and others organized the neighborhood into tennis leagues and encouraged the support of the new tennis court.

Phyllis served as village trustee from 1983 – 1998, and joined the Albany County Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener program in 1986, applying her knowledge to developing the village’s green spaces. The gazebo in Orsini Park was replaced in 1978, and as part of the village’s centennial celebration, Phyllis organized volunteers to plant and landscape the park. Through the Master Gardener program, she organized “Twilight Garden Tours” of the gardens of Altamont in 1990 and in 1997. She headed the effort to design and plant the entrance to the Benjamin M. Crupe Bozenkill Park and collaborated with NYDOT to select the tree and replacement plantings after the road reconstruction.

She supported community efforts to have the green space at 149 Maple Avenue declared “forever green” by the Village Board, in May 2003. In March, 2004 the tennis court was removed, and based on input from a November 2004 public meeting, she developed the plan for planting the entrance garden and installing an iron arch to define the park space. Phyllis supported the request of a local day care center to provide space for a “tot lot” playground and figured prominently in organizing a quilt raffle that raised seed money to develop the playground.

As development of the park progressed, Carl Schilling made a proposal to the Village to construct a shelter in the new park that would replicate the waiting area at the train station, and donated his labor for the construction. He, along with Village volunteers, constructed the shelter pavilion now sited dominantly in the park space. Carl currently is working to complete the project and will install several benches within the pavilion this summer. Gardens and trees will be planted at the front of the park.

In the past 120 years, the property at 149 Maple Avenue has seen many changes – from the site of a root beer brewing business owned by one of Altamont’s more prominent businessmen Alanson F. Dietz, to a tennis court, and finally a park and tot playground.  Designating this treasured community space as “Schilling Park” is a fitting tribute to the Schilling family’s many years of public service to Altamont and to one which has exemplified the best of Altamont’s community spirit.