Mayor's Message

Two Special Burning of Kingston Events

Mayor Proposes Purchasing 70 Acres for Preservation

2024 O+ Festival This Weekend

Italian Festival on Sunday

Midtown Thriving Survey Open Until November 3

Mayor Noble's Tuesday Radio Show

Weekly Roadwork/Infrastructure Update

City of Kingston Board & Commission Opportunities

Mayor's Message:

Dear Friends -

As our County Clerk, Nina Postupack served us all with compassion and respect. As a long time Kingston resident, she cared deeply about our city, its history, and her fellow community members. She will be missed greatly by all of us. On behalf of the City of Kingston, I send my condolences to Nina’s family during this difficult time.

-Steve

Two Special Burning of Kingston Events

The full line-up of events and programs for the 2024 Burning of Kingston: Voices Lost in the Fire is now available online.

Events, held from October 17-20, will include live battle reenactments, historic tours, musical performances, a grand ball, presentations and discussions, a commemorative 5k run from Uptown Kingston to historic Hurley, and more. Programming will provide historical context for Kingston’s defeat by the British and the plight of its refugees, what life was like for indigenous peoples, women, LGBTQ+, enslaved people, and American militia and British soldiers and mercenaries.

Two special events will be held at the Saint James Church. On Saturday, October 19, starting at 4:00pm, Stories From Ghana Before the Slave Trade will feature Maxwell Kofi Donker and the Sankofa Dancers and Drummers. At 5:00pm, the film “Black Patriots: Heroes of the American Revolution” narrated by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be screened. Then at 6:00pm, Jazz Vespers: The Plight of Slaves During the Buring of Kingston will feature storyteller Evelyn Clarke and Ulster County Poet Laureate Kate Hymes accompanied by Kitt Potter on vocals, Paul Marienthal on flute, Joe Vincent Tranchina on piano, Eli Winograd on bass, and Hector B on drums.

On Sunday, October 20, 2024, to wrap up four days of Burning of Kingston events, a special finale concert, Chamber Music of the Revolutionary War Period featuring Bard Conservatory musicians will be held at Saint James Church at 3:00pm.

A pre-concert talk by the Bard Conservatory Director Frank Corliss, will be followed by Bard musicians Francis Huang (piano) and Yangxin Song (violin) performing works by WA Mozart and Chevalier and the world premiere of a new chamber work by Samuel Mutter, composed for the Burning of Kingston.  

Saturday, October 19, 2024

African American Voices

4:00pm: Stories From Ghana Before the Slave Trade

5:00pm: “Black Patriots: Heroes of the American Revolution” film

6:00pm: Jazz Vespers: The Plight of Slaves During the Buring of Kingston

Saint James Church, 35 Pearl St, Kingston, NY

Sunday, October 20, 2024

Bard Conservatory Musicians Chamber Music Concert

Pre-Concert Talk by Frank Corliss, Director

3:00pm-5:00pm

Saint James Church, 35 Pearl St, Kingston, NY

All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. For the full schedule, please visit www.burningofkingston.com.

Mayor Proposes 70-Acre Preservation

Mayor Noble presented a plan at the Common Council’s Finance & Audit Committee meeting on Wednesday night to purchase a 70-acre tract of land for preservation. The acquisition would be the City’s first Open Space purchase.

The property, in an area known as Rondout Uplands, was identified in the City’s Open Space Plan as an area of natural value and was recommended for preservation.

Mayor Noble said, “To continue to expand on our strategy for responsible stewardship of important natural resources, to protect our beautiful landscape, to maintain clean drinking water, protect natural habitats, provide more recreational opportunities, and position the City to mitigate impacts from future climate change trends, I am proposing that the City of Kingston purchase the largest open space tract of land in the Rondout Uplands. The forested land, which is known as Kingston Wilderness and comprises seven parcels with combined area of 70 acres, would become permanent parkland for future generations of Kingstonians.”

The City of Kingston already owns an adjacent 4.5-acre parcel with an abandoned single-family home and will be conducting a feasibility study for returning affordable housing to that site.

Two separate appraisals have been conducted, which support a purchase price of $840,000. Scenic Hudson is working to contribute a portion of the total cost.

If the City of Kingston voters approve the Community Preservation Fund Real Estate Transfer tax on the ballot in November, this bond and future improvements to the site could be paid for by using the City’s Community Preservation Fund.

The City has worked closely with the Kingston Land Trust (KLT) to begin to conserve lands in the Open Space priority area, including 20 acres of land at the Red Fox Ravine on Wilbur Ave and 38 acres of land on Mason Hill. The City also prioritized surplus property conservation in 2023 to protect 12 acres of land along the Twaalfskill Creek and Wilbur Avenue.

The City of Kingston adopted the Open Space Plan on November 10, 2020, with the ambitious goals to preserve hundreds of acres of land, forge new trails, and improve public access to our natural resources. 

2024 Italian Festival on Sunday

The Ulster County Italian Festival returns Sunday, October 13, from 12pm until 8:00pm at the Kingston Waterfront! Attendance is free and the event is open to all!

Join us for great food, live music, street performers, fun activities for kids. The Ulster County event is the largest Italian Festival in the area, so there's always something for everyone.

2024 O+ Festival

The O+ Festival returns to the streets of Kingston October 11-13th, 2024 with a three day schedule featuring over 55 live music performances, dozens of visual and performance art activations, spoken word, a BlO+ck Party filled with vendors and a variety of health and wellness workshops open to the public. 

Midtown Thriving Survey Open Until November 3

A public survey for the City of Kingston’s Midtown Thriving initiative is now open here!  The survey is available in Spanish and English and is open until November 3. Help determine the future of your neighborhood by sharing your experiences, hopes, dreams, concerns, and challenges. 

The City of Kingston and Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress created Midtown Thriving: A Community Vision to Revitalize Vacant Properties, an initiative to create a community plan for the redevelopment of vacant and abandoned properties within a 270-acre area running along the Broadway corridor. 

The final plan will be submitted to the State to complete the BOA nomination. Designation as a BOA by the State will give development in the area priority and preference for State programs, eligibility for pre-development funding, and it will unlock additional brownfield cleanup program tax credits for property owners and developers.



More information at https://engagekingston.com/midtown-thriving. 

Mayor Noble's Tuesday Radio Show

Mayor Noble's weekly radio show, "It's the Mayor" airs on Tuesdays at 5:00pm on Radio Kingston.

This week, Mayor Noble spoke with Lindsey Wolkowicz and Lara Hope about all the O+ events happening this weekend. Click below to hear their conversation.

Weekly Roadwork/Infrastructure Update

Clinton Avenue Intersection Improvements– work is continuing in the Clinton/Albany intersection. Work will start on the west side of Clinton for new curb and sidewalks. Traffic pattern remains one way on Clinton from Westbrook to Albany Avenue. 

Paving—the final round of 2024 paving will be Saint James Street from Green Street to 38 St James and Smith Avenue from Garden Street to Albany Avenue. Milling is scheduled to begin October 21 with paving to be completed by Friday, October 25, weather depending. 

Central Hudson—service replacements will continue on South Wall Street with expected lane and/or road closures. Main installation will continue on South Wall Street and South Pine Street with possible lane closures and/or road closures. 

Paving for Fair/Wall project area will begin on or around October 16. Crews will mill and pave on Warren and/or Linderman, and /or Wall Street.

ADA Curb Ramps—crews will be on Cornell Street for final curb ramp restoration. Crews will also be on Shufeldt and Linwood for final restoration. Crews will begin ramp construction at the intersection of Maiden Lane and Green Street.

This project includes 58 new ADA Ramps along Cornell St, Smith Ave, Maiden Ln, and St James Street, and is anticipated to be completed in November.

Prospect Street sewer project– sewer work continues between Liberty and St. James. No parking will be allowed on this section. 

Post Office Park— concrete amenities including a bench and art pedestals will be poured in the coming weeks. After that, soil, mulch, trees, perennials, and shrubs will be planted. 

Kingston Point Rail Trail – NYSDOT has closed the pedestrian bridge over 9W on the Kingston Point Rail trail for painting. A detour is in place through mid-October. 



Weekly roadwork updates will be posted on the City website here.

New curb ramps at Linwood Place and Shufeldt

City of Kingston Commission & Board Opportunities

The City of Kingston has over 25 boards & commissions, and we're always looking for volunteers to serve the community.

The following currently have openings:

• Zoning Board of Appeals
• Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission 
• Live Well Kingston Commission
• Complete Streets Advisory Council
• Conservation Advisory Council

Find the application at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KingstonBoards.

The Kingston 311 app, website, and phone system allow residents to quickly and easily report issues and submit service requests.

The Kingston 311 app, available for Android & iPhones, is a fast and simple way to connect to City officials in non-emergency situations. Photos can be attached to illustrate service orders.



This system is a valuable resource to submit municipal service requests. Examples include:

• Streetlight replacement
• City signage, including overgrowth blocking traffic signs
• Snow removal, reporting parking violations, and other snow-related issues
• Parks & playground repairs
• Report graffiti or vandalism
• Trail issues

Dial 311 from any phone within City limits to reach us, use the app or visit www.kingston-ny.gov/311/