January 14, 2017 - In This Issue:
A Message From Mayor Steve Noble:
Dear Friends,

As you will see below, I am in the process of developing a small work group to assist my administration with the development of long-term, community-based strategies to address our parking needs. While the work group will consist of about 10 individuals who will meet regularly, there will be a great number of opportunities for larger group discussions and input sessions. If you live, work, or own a business in Kingston, I hope you will consider applying to serve on this work group and help us navigate these difficult and important issues. 

-Steve  
Community members asked to serve on        Parking Work Group

Do you have ideas and suggestions as to how the City could improve parking? Do you have comments about the planned changes to parking fees? Are you willing to volunteer some time and energy to working with residents, employees, business owners and local leaders to ensure that the City's short term and long term parking plans meet the needs of the entire community? Consider applying to serve on the City's new parking work group. 

Read more about the responsibilities of the work group here.
Applications are due Friday, February 10th and can be found here. 

Mayor Noble visits students at Kingston High School

Shared from the Kingston City School District Facebook Page:

Law enforcement patrol routes, snow removal, and the city's response to mental health crisis - no topic was off limits when Mayor Steve Noble visited Kingston High School for a candid discussion with students about ways to improve the city.

Student Katherine Houston urged the Mayor to provide enhanced training to equip police officers with more tools to support citizens struggling with mental health issues. Mayor Noble agreed, lauding the recent response of Kingston police officers who were able to diffuse a potentially violent domestic violence situation involving an armed citizen.

The meeting was planned after KHS student artists met with Mayor Noble this fall. Students who contributed to The Pop-Up Gallery Group (PUGG), coordinated by art teacher Lara Giordano, were able to showcase some of their artwork as well as ideas for improving the city.

In this subsequent meeting, which also included members of the KHS class Project Global, taught by Gene Purdy and Amy VanKleeck, the conversation continued.

Student Casey Wiley, President of the School's Gay Straight Alliance, told the Mayor many members of her peer group aren't used to feeling safe, and asked that he consider ways to support all members of the Kingston community. Mayor Noble agreed. "For our community to be successful, we have to be inclusive and welcoming of everyone," he stated.

Student Daeanna Green questioned why some neighborhoods had more police presence than others, while student Nadia Torres advocated that more of the city's budget be allocated towards funding for family and youth activities.

Mayor Noble embraced the opportunity to hear from local youth, and promised to visit the school again soon.
Photo Exhibit planned for this Friday, January 27th, in honor of Steve Finkle

All are welcome to attend the opening of a photography exhibit in honor of the late  Steve Finkle, former Director of the City of Kingston's Office of Economic Development. The event is scheduled for this Friday, January 27th at 5:00pm at City Hall, 420 Broadway in Kingston. 

About Steve Finkle:
Born and raised in Queens, NY, Steve Finkle was a Kingston resident beginning in 1995. He had an accomplished career in economic development throughout the Hudson Valley for over 30 years, including 16 years as the City of Kingston's Director of Economic Development. Achievements during his tenure in Kingston included the restoration of Kingston's historic City Hall and numerous waterfront revitalization efforts.

About the photography exhibit:
In his free time, Steve had a passion for photography and enjoyed taking pictures of nature, particularly flowers. He also experimented with other styles of photography. A compilation of his work will be available for viewing at the upcoming photography exhibit. 

Check out the Facebook event here.
Community Development Block Grant
Applications due this Friday

The City of Kingston must prepare its Annual Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2017 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018), which details the use of its estimated $600,000 annual grant under the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's) Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) Entitlement Grant. Public comments regarding specific projects or program priorities you would like to see included in the Consolidated Plan or Annual Action Plan are accepted at the City's Office of Economic & Community Development at any time.  The citizens of Kingston are also invited to participate in informational and public comment sessions on the 2017 Annual Action Plan.

Click  here for a schedule of CDBG meetings.
Click  here for information on the CDBG process and a copy of the 2017 application.
Click  here for contact information.
City of Kingston and Conservation Advisory Council Meeting to Feature Natural Resource Maps


The City of Kingston with the Kingston Conservation Advisory Council is inviting the public to attend a special presentation that will introduce the City's new Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) maps and data on Tuesday, January 24th at 6:00pm at the City Hall Common Council Chambers, which is located at 420 Broadway in Kingston.

The meeting is designed to introduce the public to the many natural assets within the City of Kingston, displayed on user-friendly maps and compiled into data sets. This meeting will serve as an introduction as well as information solicitation from attendees, to best inform the completion of the project. Participation and feedback will be encouraged both during the meeting as well as following.

John Mickelson, Principal of Geospatial and Ecological Services, and consultant to the City for the NRI will present the data and maps created to date as well as different methods to use them including hard copy maps, online data access, and Google Earth manipulation. Julie Noble, Chair of the Conservation Advisory Council and Environmental Education and Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Kingston will facilitate the event.

Laura Heady,  Conservation and Land Use Coordinator with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's Hudson River Estuary Program, will give an overview on the ecological benefits of natural areas and the ways that NRIs can inform community planning, with examples from the Hudson Valley.

"The NRI will serve to increase awareness of the natural areas in the larger, undeveloped areas of Kingston while illustrating the connections of the land to the Hudson Estuary and adjacent communities," said Julie Noble, Environmental Education and Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Kingston. "By compiling a large amount of map information into one planning tool, such as geology, streams, and land use, NRIs are an important component of comprehensive planning and can reveal the areas most suitable for community growth, development of parks, and conservation of the most important natural features. Habitat information is an additional component of an NRI, which the CAC is working to develop."

Support for the City of Kingston Natural Resources Inventory is provided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program with funds provided under the NYS Environmental Protection Fund (EPF).

This program is free. Light refreshments will be served. Residents, business owners, developers, planners, consultants, elected officials, policy makers, neighboring municipalities and non-profits who are interested in the future of Kingston's open space and natural resources are encouraged to attend.

For more information, please contact Julie Noble at (845) 481-7339.

Sign up for Swift911

Did you know that the City of Kingston has an Emergency Notification System? This system allows the City to notify residents of emergencies, changes in services and other important information. Winter is the best time to sign up for this service so you can receive text messages and/or e-mails to alert you of snow emergencies and parking restrictions. 

Note: While the system does allow the City to place "robo-calls", we will only use this feature when a State of Emergency is declared or other serious events transpire. 


2017 Refuse and Recycling Calendar Now Available



Upcoming Municipal Meetings

Monday, January 23rd
Finance and Audit Committee
6:30pm
City Hall, Conference Room #1

Tuesday, January 24th
Community Development
6:00pm
City Hall, Conference Room #1

Conservation Advisory Council
6:00pm
City Hall, Common Council Chambers

Wednesday, January 25th
Tree Commission
3:30pm
City Hall, Conference Room #1

Climate Smart Kingston
4:30pm
City Hall

Public Safety/General Government Committee
6:30pm
City Hall, Conference Room #1

Heritage Area Commission
7:00pm
City Hall, Conference Room #2

Thursday, January 26th
Kingston Local Development Corporation
8:00am
City Hall, Mayor's Conference Room

Laws and Rules Committee (Originally scheduled for 1/17, rescheduled due to weather)
6:30pm
City Hall, Conference Room #1


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.
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!
Sent on behalf of:
Mayor Steven T. Noble
845.334.3902
mayor@kingston-ny.gov

The purpose of this newsletter is to share important information, project updates, pictures and news from the City of Kingston. For more detailed information, visit: