August 23, 2019 - In This Issue:
A Message From Mayor Steve Noble:

Dear Friends,

We had a lovely Music in the Parks event last night with Cabaret songs under the pavilion at Hutton Park. There's one more chance to enjoy Music in the Parks - at the Maritime Museum's Heroes Day on September 14. There's also one more Movies Under the Stars on Friday, August 30 at Loughran Park. 

This weekend I will help celebrate the first annual Kingston African-American Festival and am so happy to be a part of this important event, more details below. 

I am also very much looking forward to the Grand Opening of the Kingston Point Rail Trail on Friday, September 6 at 4pm. Hope to see you at one of these wonderful community events. 

-Steve
Burning of Kingston is Scheduled for Oct 18-19
 
The Burning of Kingston commemoration has been scheduled for October 18-19, 2019. The City of Kingston will be sponsoring and supporting the two-day event, which will include: reenactments of colonial life, cemetery tours, a historical lecture, a documentary screening, and children's games like the beloved Bucket Brigade at the Volunteer Firemen's Museum.

The City will be working with local organizations and historic sites to present a family-friendly and historically accurate commemorative event.  The 2019 Burning of Kingston will not include battle reenactments but there may be new additions to be announced soon.
 
"One of the things that makes the burning of Kingston such a unique moment in history, was not the battle or the fire itself, but the rebuilding that the community did after," said Mayor Noble. "This year's Burning of Kingston will be a great opportunity for area residents and visitors to learn about the history and to also celebrate how the first capital came together to rebuild the City and its community."
 
The City of Kingston has formed a Burning of Kingston Planning Committee. Interested volunteers should contact Summer Smith, Director of Communications and Community Engagement at 845-334-3945 or [email protected]
 
Businesses interested in participating or supporting the 2019 Burning of Kingston should contact Adrielle Farr, Director of Art and Cultural Affairs at 845-334-3929 or [email protected]
 
Updates will be posted to http://www.burningofkingston.com/ and at the City's website.
Next Round of Paving Announced
 
The next round of paving will begin with milling on Monday, August 26 with paving completed by Friday, August 30, weather depending, on the following streets:
 
Coffey Place
Apple Street
Snyder Avenue
Taylor Street
 
Roadwork, which is near J. Watson Bailey Middle School, will be completed before the school year begins. These streets off of Hurley Ave are being paved ahead of the Hurley Avenue Revitalization Project, which will include paving of Hurley Avenue from Washington Avenue to the Town of Ulster line. The Hurley Avenue Revitalization Project is scheduled to begin in late October or early November.
 
The next scheduled paving project will be announced in the next couple of weeks.
 
The City of Kingston has created an online hub for all things paving, including a list of streets paved in 2019, photos from current projects, letters to residents regarding upcoming roadwork, and forthcoming projects that involve paving. Visit www.kingston-ny.gov/paving for more information.

Participatory Budgeting Survey Open Until September 6
 
The 2019 Participatory Budgeting Project Survey is open for voting! The survey includes all of the proposed projects submitted by community members either online, by mail, or at one of the three public workshops held throughout the city in July, and also includes projects proposed but not chosen in 2018. Voting is open for residents who live, work or play in the three business districts -- Uptown, Midtown and Downtown. 
 
This year we set aside $20,000 for each of the three business districts to be spent however the community chooses. We hope everyone will weigh in on projects they would like to see happen in their neighborhood. Kingston residents can vote in more than one district, so for example, if you work in Uptown but live in Midtown, you are welcome to vote for your favorite projects in both polls.
   
Participatory Budgeting is a process in which community members directly decide how to spend part of a public budget. For the pilot project in 2018, $15,000 was set aside for improvements or projects in each business district for a total investment of $45,000 to be decided by the public. These funds were allocated based on revenue received from off-street parking fees. In the 2019 budget, Mayor Noble set aside $20,000 for each district, for a total of $60,000.
 
Paper surveys are also available for distributing at your local business, community center or other organization upon request.  The survey is open until September 6. 
 
Harambee's African-American Festival on Sunday
 
I am happy to support the first annual African-American Festival, which will be presented by Harambee on Sunday, August 25 from 1:00 to 7:00pm. I am excited to be participating in the parade which kicks-off the festival activities. Thank you to Harambee for working so hard to make this festival happen for our community. 

Hooley on the Hudson on September 1
 
The 18th Annual Hooley on the Hudson will take place on Sunday, September 1 from 11:30am-9:00pm at TR Gallo Park. It's a great free, family-oriented event that brings local and internationally renowned musical acts to our community. 

Three stages will feature live music, step dancing, and traditional music for all ages.  I look forward to participating in the festival and opening up the parade! 

Kingston Greenline Block Party! 
 
Save the date for September 21, when there will be a Block Party for the Kingston Point Rail Trail. The  celebration  will go from  4pm - 7:30pm at the  Rondout Savings Bank Broadway parking lot/ Jansen & East Chester Avenue Trailhead parking lot. 

There will be lots of activities, food trucks, a DJ, and a guided walk on the trail.  Mayor Noble will give out Trailblazer Awards to honor those who helped bring this fantastic trail to life. The after-party is at nearby  Kingston Standard. Don't miss this fun event!     

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
[email protected]

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: