Mayor's Message

City Partners with SolarApp+ for Quicker Permitting

Music in the Parks Returns!

Midtown Scene Summer Fridays Tonight!

Black Fourth of July Event on July 7

LYE Parklet Community Events This Summer

Mayor Noble's Listening Tour Ward 4 Meeting

Upcoming Paving + Roadwork & Infrastructure Update

City of Kingston Board & Commission and Job Opportunities

Mayor's Message:

Dear Friends -

Happy Pride Month! We are excited to kick off Pride Month tomorrow with a parade at noon, followed by the Pride Festival at Academy Green.

Kingston is a welcoming and inclusive city, and we are excited to celebrate our LGBTQ+ community.

Pride Month events can be found at https://biggayhudsonvalley.com/events-calendar/.

-Steve

City Partners with SolarAPP+ for Quicker Permitting

The City of Kingston will become the first jurisdiction in New York State to adopt automated permitting for residential rooftop solar and residential battery storage systems.

Mayor Noble said, “As rising utilities cost continue to burden household budgets, we are looking for ways to help our residents. By utilizing this free app, Kingston homeowners will be able to cut red tape and install rooftop solar more quickly and easily. We are pleased to partner with SolarAPP+, which will not only benefit our residents but will also help alleviate some of the Building & Safety Department’s workload.”

Starting in July, Kingston residents will be able to use SolarAPP+, a free platform developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies in collaboration with building safety experts, to select from pre-qualified local companies to install solar on their homes.

Automated permitting offers residents a safe, expedited alternative to manual plan review for simple home solar installs. Applications are automatically screened for local codes and standards, and permits are issued for compliant projects in minutes rather than weeks.

Local solar installers will be able to submit applications and receive approved permits the same day for projects that meet the City’s code requirements.

Slow and complicated permitting is one of the biggest barriers to going solar. Permitting hurdles can add $6,000 to $7,000 to the sticker price of a typical rooftop solar system, and roughly one in five residential solar projects that begin the permitting process are abandoned before installation.

Local installers interested in utilizing the SolarAPP+ platform for their business can register today at gosolarapp.org/sign-up.

Starting in July, the SolarAPP+ can be accessed from the Kingston Building Department’s website at https://kingston-ny.gov/building 

Music in the Parks Returns!

This year’s Music in the Parks is themed, The Music That Influenced American and World Society, featuring established and emerging performing artists from the Kingston area.

Wednesday, July 15, 2026

6:00-7:30pm

Alessandra Latin Ensemble

Hasbrouck Park

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

6:00-7:30pm

The Professors Jazz Ensemble

Kingston Point Beach

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

6:00-7:30pm

Soul City Band featuring Madelyn Phelan

Kingston Point Beach

Saturday, September 19, 2026

2:00-3:30pm

M’Bollo featuring Amadou Diallo

with a live performance by artist Nancy Ostrovsky

Rain date: Sunday, September 20

an Art Walk Kingston event

TR Gallo Park

All events are free and family friendly. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, picnics, and bug spray. In the case of inclement weather, rain dates will be announced.

Kitt Potter, Director of Arts and Cultural Affairs said, “American music has profoundly shaped global society. By merging West African rhythmic traditions with European harmonies and folk instruments, the United States created universally influential genres like jazz, blues, rock and roll. These genres defined eras, fueled countercultures, and served as powerful vehicles for social change across the world. I look forward to welcoming everyone to these great performances this summer!"

Music in the Parks is made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Special thanks to the Radio Kingston Tech Team.

For further information about this series please visit https://www.kingston-ny.gov/musicintheparks 

The series is part of the City’s 250 Years of America’s Voices, Stories and Histories programming commemorating our country’s semi-quincentennial. For information about other 250 Years of America’s Voices programming, please visit https://kingston-ny.gov/250yearsofamericasvoices.

Midtown Scene Summer Fridays Tonight!

Join the first Midtown Scene-Summer Friday today, Friday, June 5, from 3:00pm to 8:00pm! The event features deals and special hours at Midtown businesses including, Hole in the Wall Donuts, Freakout Spot, Red Owl, Masa Midtown, Dallas Hot Wieners, and many more!

From 4:30-8pm, CPW is hosting local businesses and food trucks on-site on Dederick Street. Music provided by Radio Kingston at Field Court, and family-friendly activities will be led by Rewind Kingston. More at the Midtown Business Alliance website.

Black Fourth of July Event on July 7

The City of Kingston, with Old Dutch Church, Harambee, and the Pine Street African Burial Ground, will host 250 Years of America’s Voices: Black Fourth of July Commemoration on July 7, 2026, at Old Dutch Church at 7:00pm.

The Black Fourth of July Commemoration will be a community gathering celebrating Black heritage, independence, and resilience through live music, historical education, and poetry.

The event will feature a musical performance by Juma Sultan’s Aboriginal Society, and readings from Old Dutch Church’s Pastor Liz Estes, Pine Street African Burial Ground Steward Tyrone Wilson, Former Poet Laureate Kate Hymes, Poets Antonya Barnes and LotuZ, and a special performance by the Redwing Blackbird Theater Puppets.

Black Fourth of July is made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature with thanks to the Radio Kingston Community Tech Team.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, please visit https://kingston-ny.gov/250yearsofamericasvoices.

LYE Parklet Summer Events

The parklet at 101 Wall Street will host a series of events this summer, including a talk by the City of Kingston's Urban Forester on how trees help cities like ours, and the City's Director of Housing Initiatives about the importance of creating housing locally, as well as lots of music, entertainment and other community events. All are welcome!

Mayor Noble's Ward 4 Listening Tour Meeting

Mayor Noble, along with Council members from each ward, is hosting ward meetings with residents to hear their thoughts and concerns.

The next meeting will be Ward 4 on Monday, June 22 at 5:30pm. The meeting will take place at the Clinton Avenue Church at 122 Clinton Avenue.

The Ward 5 meeting will be held on Monday, July 20 at 5:30pm at Good Work Institute at 65 St. James Street.

Immediate requests for services can be made by calling 311 during business hours (Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm) or submitting a ticket here: https://www.kingston-ny.gov/311

Upcoming Paving + Roadwork & Infrastructure Update

Paving: this week, paving was completed on Leonard Van Dyke Lane and the Building & Safety Department parking lot at 5 Garraghan Drive.

The third round of paving in 2026 will be the following streets:

Grandma Brown Lane from Washington Avenue to Joys Lane

Joys Lane from Grandma Brown Lane to Lucas Avenue

Lucas Avenue from Washington Avenue to Green Street

Westbrook Lane from Clinton Avenue to the railroad crossing

Milling is expected to begin on Monday, June 22 and paving is expected to be completed by Friday, June 26, weather depending.

Foxhall Avenue: waterline work will continue on Foxhall between Hasbrouck and Wynkoop. Parking restrictions will be in place. In addition, a road closure in this section is expected on Tuesday, June 9 and a detour route will be posted.

Central Hudson: main installation/retirement will continue the week of June 8 on Albany Avenue with lane changes and/or closures. 

Main installation will begin the week of June 8 on Ten Broeck Avenue with lane changes and/or closures.

Service replacements will begin the week of June 8 on Downs Street.

Please note: NYSDOT sidewalk project on Albany Avenue has been pushed to after the Central Hudson work on Albany Ave. is completed.

Weekly roadwork updates can be found here. For more information on paving projects, please visit https://kingston-ny.gov/paving

Building & Safety Department parking lot

City of Kingston Job and Board/Commision Opportunities

The City of Kingston is hiring!

The Department of Public Works has several opportunities for Motor Equipment Operators. The annual salary is $58,101 with competitive benefits. The position requires a commercial drivers license. Apply today!

Additional available positions include:

• Skilled Laborer - DPW
• Senior Building Inspector
• Skilled Laborer (Parks & Recreation) - evening shift
• Heavy Motor Equipment Operator

The following Civil Service exams are being offered:

• Spanish Speaking Clerk on November 7 (deadline: Oct. 22)

For more information on civil service exams and job opportunities, please visit https://kingston-ny.gov/employment



The City has over 25 boards & commissions, and we're always looking for volunteers to serve the community. For more information on what these boards & commissions do, read up here.

The following currently have openings:

• Ethics Board
• Conservation Advisory Council
• Zoning Board of Appeals
• Ulster County Planning Board (Kingston representative)

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

Kingston 311

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 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/