About Us
Sid Fleisher
Sid has been an urban dweller all his life and loves the excitement and energy of the city. He has renovated several 19th and 20th Century buildings, renewing their life and giving them another 100 years. As manager of the design workshop at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute School of Architecture for 25 years he taught model building and furniture design while instilling a love of materials in his students. www.sidbuilds.com
“Alleys are the back roads, shortcuts, and dark passages that people love to fear.”
Pleasant DeSpain
Pleasant has traveled the world having adventures and collecting tales. Author of 18 award-winning story collections and picture books, and creator of the “Eight Point Plan for Young Authors,” he has told his stories to hundreds of thousands of children and adults over the past four decades. He now finds himself living in Troy, NY and has fallen in love with his adopted city.www.storypro.com
“Please, no more graffiti! And who dumped that old sofa behind my fence?”
Dorcas and Ken Rose
Dorcas and Ken live in Troy’s Little Italy Neighborhood and have long helped promote home ownership. They are involved with Weed and Seed, VITA and CPTED programs and have worked with the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) for over thirty years. They use Technology of Participation methods (ToP)to facilitate community forums, strategic planning and design charettes locally, statewide and nationally.
www.ica-usa.org
“In Troy, an alley was where the soldier came home from the war.”
Barbara Nelson
Barbara is an architect, campus planner and muralist with a penchant for community design. She shares a love of cities with her Alley Project cohorts. She enjoys sharing the message of empowerment and stewardship in regards to public space.
“People need only be reminded that as citizens, they own public space. They have the right to improve it and the responsibility to sustain it. Once they learn that they have some control over their environment, things change for the better. It’s contagious.”
Cheryl MacNeil
Cheryl, an Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy at The Sage Colleges, is a founding member of the Pottery District, a neighborhood association committed to the renaissance of Troy, NY. The Williams Street Alley behind her home provided the palette for the first year of the alley projects.
“I enjoy splashing colors on fences and alley walls with my neighbors. What better way to spend an afternoon!”
Colleen Goldston
Colleen, a lifelong city resident and a member of the city’s Police department, currently assigned to the Community Policing Unit. As part of the Community Policing mission, Colleen works with residents on a variety of neighborhood restoration initiatives, including addressing graffiti and blight. Also involved with Weed and Seed and “CPTED” (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design), her focus is on improving “Quality of Life” for Troy’s citizens. “Most folks need just a slight nudge to involve them in their communities. Mural projects present the ideal “ice breaker” to accomplish this”.
