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August 5, 2017 - In This Issue:
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A Message From Mayor Steve Noble:
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Dear Friends,
It was my pleasure to open the new Greenkill Avenue Bridge earlier this week. In addition to helping to alleviate traffic on Broadway, the new bridge looks beautiful! I want to thank all those who worked on this project, which came in under budget and three months ahead of schedule. In addition, thanks to all of you for your patience during this major infrastructure project.
We also just completed submission of another round of grants through the NYS Consolidated Funding Application. As you may recall, in 2016 we were awarded a record $3.3 million in grant funding through this process. Of course, every competition is different and we will not know if and how successful we were until later this year. However, I am proud of the 9 highly competitive applications that we submitted for a total combined request of $5,520,365.
Finally, this week's newsletter includes information about a new public survey being administered by the Ulster County Transportation Council. It gives you the opportunity to share your opinions about Citibus and UCAT services. By completing this survey, you will be helping the leadership of both the City of Kingston and Ulster County be best informed about the public's perspective on these services. Please consider completing the survey and sharing it with your neighbors.
-Steve
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Service Information Reminder
Summer hours are in effect from now through August 31st. During this time, the Department of Public Works will be providing service from 6:00am-2:00pm and City Hall will be open from 9:00am-4:00pm.
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Greenkill Avenue Bridge Opens
It was a beautiful day on Monday when the Greenkill Avenue Bridge was opened. Mayor Noble was joined by
Common Council members, including Majority Leader Bill Carey and Aldermen Doug Koop, Rennie Scott-Childress, Tony Davis and Deb Brown. Also in attendance were
City Engineer Ralph Swenson, Kingston Fire Department Chief Mark Brown, and Department of Public Works Superintendent Joe Chenier.
While there are a few remaining items to be completed, include the staining of the bridge's facade, the bridge is open to traffic.
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City of Kingston and Ulster County Invite the Public to Weigh in On Public Transit Service
Electronic Survey Open Through August 31st
The Ulster County Transit Systems Integration Plan was initiated in September 2016 by the Ulster County Transportation Council (UCTC) at the request of both the City of Kingston and Ulster County.
As part of this process, the public is now being asked to participate in a general survey regarding their opinion and use of the Citibus and UCAT services. You don't have to be a rider to participate - all opinions are welcome. The survey is short (only 13 questions) and is anonymous.
Paper copies of the survey will also be made available at local community centers, senior centers, and other frequently visited areas.
The survey will contribute to the development of a plan that will allow local leaders and the public to clearly and objectively evaluate the benefits and costs associated with consolidating and improving services, particularly when considering the overlapping service areas of UCAT and Citibus.
Survey Deadline: August 31, 2017
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Laser Scanning to Assess Sidewalk Conditions
As part of the City of Kingston's ADA Transition Plan, we have been working to identify sidewalk conditions within the City. The first step of this process was accomplished this spring with the development of mapping that depicted sidewalk locations throughout the City. Special thanks to Ada Bellantoni, who was interning with the Office of Economic and Community Development and worked on this project. Our next step is to document the condition of existing sidewalk and make a determination as to its compliance with ADA regulations (condition, slope, continuity, etc.) With approximately 60 miles of sidewalk, this would have been a daunting task if completed manually.
The City contracted with Maser Consulting P.A for laser scanning of sidewalks in sections of Midtown and Uptown. The process began on Thursday, August 3rd and was expected to take two days to complete.
Results of this laser scanning and the subsequent mapping will be shared with the Common Council and public when the report becomes available.
Alderman Doug Koop, who serves as the Chair of the Finance Committee of the Common Council, joined Mayor Noble and City staff to view the equipment to be used for the project and learn about the scanning process.
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"Movies Under the Stars" Summer Movie Series
Join us on Friday, August 11th at 8:15pm at T.R. Gallo Park for a free screening of Lost Rondout: A Story of Urban Removal - A film by Stephen Blauweiss & Lynn Woods.
According to the filmakers, "This film chronicles the destruction of our downtown waterfront district of Rondout by a federally funded urban renewal project in the late 1960s. Interviews with former residents, historians and urban renewal experts bring the destroyed neighborhood back to life and illustrate the impact of urban renewal's problematic legacy which destroyed hundreds of similar working-class urban communities across America."
The evening will start at 8:15 with a brief presentation by the filmmakers and local photographer Gene Dauner, including rare photographs of Rondout through the years.
DVDs will be available for sale.
In the event of rain, notifications about postponements or cancellations will be sent to all media and radio stations and posted at www.kingston-ny.gov and on the City's Facebook page.
Movies Under the Stars 2017 Remaining Schedule
Friday, August 11th-
Lost Rondout: A Story of Urban Removal - A film by Stephen Blauweiss & Lynn Woods at
T.R. Gallo Park
Sponsored by: Stephen Blauweiss and Lynn Woods
Friday, August 18th- WALL-E at Forsyth Park
Sponsored by: Friends of Forsyth Nature Center
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Saturday Shuttle to Consolidate with A-Bus
In an effort to most effectively and efficiently use the City's resources and after studying the weekly ridership of the City's Saturday Shuttle service, the Saturday Shuttle will be ending its run earlier in the season than originally announced. However, the City's A-Bus will be extending its hours until 9:00pm. The A-Bus route and schedule is very similar to the Saturday Shuttle route, with additional stops along the way. The fare is $1.00 each ride. For a full schedule and more information about the A-Bus, check out this brochure.
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Celebration of the Arts a Wonderful Success
Hundreds of people joined together for the 3rd Annual Celebration of the Arts event at the Collective at Broadway Commons in the Midtown Arts District. Curated by accomplished composer and musician, Peter Wetzler
, the Celebration of the Arts 2017 featured the eclectic and unique talents of several local musicians, artists and dancers.
This was one of the first major events to be held at Broadway Commons since the Kingston Common Council designated the front greenspace of the property as the "Deep Listening Plaza in Honor of Pauline Oliveros."
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Save the Dates
2nd Annual Community Budget Forum
Monday, August 28th at 6:00pm at City Hall
The evening will begin with opening remarks from Mayor Noble, followed by a general overview of the components of the City budget led by City Comptroller John Tuey. Following this presentation, participants will be invited to break out into small work groups where they will discuss the budget in greater detail and offer feedback on where the City should prioritize its resources.
Leadership from the various City departments will also be participating throughout the evening. Questions, suggestions and general comments will be gathered by city staff to be referred to during the budget planning process.
This is the second annual community budget forum. Mayor Noble instituted this new part of the budget process in 2016 in an effort to better inform his administration of the priorities and concerns of Kingston taxpayers. As in 2016, an online survey will be launched immediately after the budget forum in order to facilitate additional community input.
Community Forums on Parking
Various Dates and locations (see below)
As part of the ongoing work to address parking issues within the City of Kingston, we need your input. Join us for one, two or all three community forums at various locations throughout the City.
Wednesday, August 30th at 6:00pm- LGBTQ Center, located at 300 Wall St.
Thursday, August 31st at 6:00pm- City Hall, located at 420 Broadway
Wednesday, September 6th at 6:00pm- Hudson River Maritime Museum, located at 50 Rondout Landing
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Upcoming Municipal Meetings
Monday, August 7th
No meetings scheduled at this time.
Tuesday, August 8th
Conservation Advisory Council
6:30pm
City Hall, Conference Room #1
Wednesday, August 9th
Water Board
5:00pm
Water Board Offices (
111 Jansen Ave)
Thursday, August 10th
Arts Commission
4:30pm
City Hall, Conference Room #1
Friday, August 11th
No meetings scheduled at this time.
To stay up to date on all municipal meetings each month, check out our monthly calendar
here.
Most meeting agendas and minutes can be found
here.
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Kingston Happenings 
The City of Kingston often receives requests to share upcoming events happening in our community. Our partners at
KingstonHappenings.org
do an excellent job of centralizing this community information. So while our website is the best resource to gain information about City of Kingston sponsored events and important municipal information, Kingston Happenings can give you a greater preview of community events. Check them out today!
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