Mayor's Message

Snowflake Festvial Tonight!

Kingston Point Wetlands Restoration Grant

New Archtop Fiber Internet Breaks Ground in Kingston

City of Kingston Tree Planting Program

Announced Parks & Recreation's Indoor Playground

ARPA Business Promotion Grant Awards Announced

ARPA Affordable Housing Fund Deadline December 15

Mayor Noble's Tuesday Radio Show

Paving Recap and Roadwork Update

City of Kingston Job Opportunities

Mayor's Message:

Dear Friends -

The holidays are here and with them, many community events to enjoy, starting with the Snowflake Festival tonight Uptown, the YMCA Reindeer Ramble 5k on Sunday, the Edie's Fairytale Theater's free Party at the North Pole performances on Saturday at Old Dutch Church, the Catskill Mountain Polar Express train rides, and so much more.

It's a time for merriment and it's also a time for giving back. Radio Kingston is hosting their 59th annual toy drive for People's Place on Saturday at Frank Guido's Little Italy from noon to 5 pm. 

And City Hall is also hosting the Red Cross for a blood drive. Click here to register for a time to donate on December 19 from noon to 5pm.

-Steve

Snowflake Festival Tonight!

The annual Snowflake Festival is tonight, Friday, December 1! The celebration starts at 6pm, with Uptown Kingston transformed into a truly magical place.

For a full schedule of events, visit https://kuba.network/snowflake/

Kingston Point Wetland Restoration Grant

Kingston has received $552,500 from the Department of State’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program for Kingston Point wetland restoration and a waterfront kayak dock.

As part of the Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) grant announcements, the City of Kingston was awarded funding for the Kingston Point Wetland Restoration and Public Access Improvements project to restore wetlands and construct a public access point to the Hudson River.

The project, part of the City’s comprehensive Weaving the Waterfront initiative, includes demolition of two condemned City-owned houses in the flood zone on North Street and the construction of a small parking area, boardwalk, and pier with kayak dock to provide public access to the waterfront. The dock will provide safe access to kayakers of all skill levels to explore wetlands, which are currently accessible only from the Hudson River. It will also serve as a wetland viewing platform with educational interpretive signage for visitors.

“We’re thrilled to receive funding from the Department of State, which will not only help us protect our unique natural environment, but this project will also support economic recovery and the overall well-being of our residents by enhancing Kingston’s outdoor recreation options,” said Mayor Noble. “The Ponckhockie neighborhood sits at the confluence of the Rondout Creek and Hudson River— an area of stunning scenery and tidal freshwater wetland. I am happy to bring such a special amenity to this historically underserved area.”

Julie Noble, Environmental Education & Sustainability Coordinator, said, “This project aligns with the City’s Weaving the Waterfront revitalization initiative by enhancing resiliency and providing access to a unique riverine habitat. The blighted, unoccupied houses sit in the FEMA 100-year floodplain and are condemned due to frequent flooding. Returning this area to wetland will improve flood resiliency, support economic recovery, and serve as an opportunity for environmental stewardship and education.”

More info at: www.engagekingston.com/wetland-restoration-and-public-access.

Archtop Fiber Internet Breaks Ground in Kingston

Archtop Fiber has broken ground to install and launch a new, 100% fiber, multi-gig Internet service that will provide faster connections for Kingston residents.

Archtop Fiber will provide Internet speeds up to 10Gbps and will offer symmetrical upload and download speeds to meet the rising demand for more robust connectivity as data usage and cloud adoption increase. The new broadband network will support more efficient streaming, a house full of Wi-Fi connected devices, video conferencing, e-commerce, and more. Internet service is anticipated to roll out neighborhood by neighborhood and be fully available this winter.

“Archtop Fiber empower the City of Kingston’s businesses and residents with more connectivity and tech jobs, while helping us achieve our goal to build a more sustainable community that promotes environmental stewardship,” said Mayor Noble. “Fiber is one of the greenest types of broadband available, using up to twelve times less energy than traditional cable providers. Archtop’s new network will enable us to significantly reduce the release of greenhouse gas emissions and protect our natural resources in this area.”

The first phase of installation has begun with the use of 74 existing Central Hudson utility poles for aerial fiber deployment. The second phase of installation includes microtrenching, a minimally intrusive process that enables fiber lines to run through very narrow underground trenches, which will begin in the next couple of weeks. Microtrenching is performed with special equipment and will not require street closings. Up to 1,500 feet of fiber optics can be run in one day in trenches measuring approximately 1 inch wide.

To learn more about Archtop Fiber and ongoing installation work in Kingston, visit www.archtopfiber.com.

City of Kingston Tree Planting Program

In 2023, the City of Kingston’s Street Tree Planting program has planted 38 street trees with funds from the NYSDEC Urban and Community Forestry Grant program and the annual City of Kingston Shade Tree budget.

The street trees were planted across Kingston, including four cherry trees in Academy Green to replace trees that suffered storm damage, four at Rondout Gardens Apartments, three at St. Mary’s Cemetery, three at Community Action on Lindsley Ave, two at Kingston Point Beach, one at the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center, one at the former Visitor’s Center at 20 Broadway, and 20 residences throughout Kingston, with a concentration in Midtown.

The street tree application is open to City of Kingston residents and business owners with the agreement that the care and maintenance will be the property owner’s responsibility. Species are chosen by the Tree Commission, which identifies types of trees that will have a positive impact on biodiversity and will be the appropriate size for the planting locations.  

In addition, as part of the Henry Street Safe Routes to School project, six trees were planted in 2023, with 22 more being planted in spring 2024 at the project’s completion. As part of the Midtown parking lots green infrastructure project, 12 trees were planted. For Arbor Day, a Sweetgum tree was planted at Rondout Neighborhood Center and an Eastern Redbud Tree of Peace was planted at City Hall during a Native American ceremony. The City of Kingston has been a Tree City USA for 27 years. 

For more information, visit https://www.kingston-ny.gov/Trees.

Parks & Recreation's Indoor Playground

Kingston Parks & Recreation's ‘Replace the Parks,’ a drop-in, indoor playground program at the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center will be open to the public starting on Tuesday, December 5, 2023.

The free indoor play space will be open to pre-school aged children from 9:00am to 2:00pm on Tuesdays and Fridays in the gym at the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center, located at 467 Broadway in Midtown Kingston. Adults are required to stay with their children at all times.

Replace the Parks is a drop-in program, no registration is required. The program will take a holiday break beginning on December 22, 2023, and will resume on January 2, 2024. The program will run weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays until March 22, 2024. When Kingston City Schools are on a 2-hour delay or closed due to inclement weather, the program will be cancelled.

More information is available at https://kingston-ny.gov/replacetheparks. 

ARPA Business Promotion Grant Awarded

The awardees of the ARPA Business Promotion Grant are the three local business district organizations: the Kingston Waterfront Business Association, the Midtown Business Alliance, and the Kingston Uptown Business Association.

The ARPA Business Promotion Grant program was designed to assist in promoting Kingston’s many attractions, with a focus on local small businesses. With funds from the City of Kingston’s Federal ARPA grant, this program is intended to respond to the negative economic impacts of the pandemic by supporting small businesses. Each organization will receive a $16,500 award to promote their respective business districts. 

Mayor Noble said, “Our local businesses are what make our community unique—they drive our economy, they serve our residents, and they attract visitors. We were proud to offer the ARPA Small Business Grant to 150 different local businesses, and are so pleased to now grant our local business district organizations this funding, so they can collectively continue to recover from the pandemic. Supporting local business is an essential use of our ARPA funding.”

Chris Baker of the Kingston Waterfront Business Association said, “This ARPA Business Promotion Grant award is an incredible boon for Kingston's Rondout waterfront, and comes at a critical time. Between anchor businesses who struggled but survived the COVID-19 pandemic and a large number of fledgling businesses who have breathed life into empty storefronts in the past two years, we are working together to put our beautiful neighborhood on the map for residents and visitors to our region. We are profoundly grateful to the City of Kingston for directly entrusting the Kingston Waterfront Business Association and our close partners in Midtown and Uptown with the resources to build up our community and collective futures.”

Miles Crettien of the Midtown Business Alliance said, “The MBA is pleased with the roll-out of the city of Kingston’s ARPA grant funding to support small business recovery from the pandemic. We’re appreciative and thrilled by the opportunity to receive funding to continue our work to support the small businesses underlying the fabric of our developing local economy.”

Miriam Gibbons, President of Kingston Uptown Business Association said, “KUBA is honored to be a recipient of this business district promotion grant. We thank the efforts of the Mayor and his staff to support our business districts, making Kingston ever more dynamic for residents and visitors alike.”

More information at www.engagekingston.com/arpa-business-promotion. 

ARPA Affordable Housing Fund Deadline: December 15

The deadline for applying for the ARPA Affordable Housing Fund grants to incentivize the creation of new affordable housing units in the City of Kingston is December 15, 2023.

The City of Kingston has allocated $1,000,000 of its federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for the Affordable Housing Fund, with the goal of prioritizing development or rehabilitation projects that result in the creation of housing rented at no more than 60% Area Median Income for a period of 20 years. The fund offers grant awards of up to $75,000 per affordable housing unit, up to $300,000 per owner or property.

Grant funds may be used for essential construction or rehabilitation, including but not limited to roof repair/replacement, upgrade of electrical systems, environmental remediation, windows, accessibility ramps, plumbing, and heating systems. Depending on the total cost of the repair, a certain number of units will be subject to the affordability restrictions for the full 20-year period.

Deadline is December 15, 2023. Further information, eligible fund uses, application & more at www.engagekingston.com/arpa-affordable-housing.  

Mayor Noble's Tuesday Radio Show

Mayor Noble's weekly radio show is back! "It's the Mayor" airs on Tuesdays at 5pm on Radio Kingston. This week, Mayor Noble spoke with City Engineer John Schultheis about construction projects that were completed in 2023 and what to expect next year.

Click below to listen to their conversation! Next week's guests will be DPW Superintendent Ed Norman and Parking Supervisor Vinnie Perry discussing Snow Emergency procedures and parking rules.

Dietz Stadium Construction Update

The Dietz Stadium renovation project is moving along! Site demolition is complete. Mass re-grading at south end of field is 80% complete. Foundation excavation of the ticket booth, visitor concessions and visitor side storage building sites started this week. Grandstand exterior demolition is finishing up. The interior demolition of the grandstand is nearing completion and the asbestos has been abated. The structural supports for the new tunnel cutting through the grandstand were installed. 

2023 Paving Recap & Roadwork Update

The last paving project, Roosevelt Avenue from Albany Avenue to Kiersted Avenue, was completed last week. Previous paving projects in 2023 include:

Arlington Place

Cordts Street

Cornell Street

Field Court

Hooker Street

Linwood Place

Lucas Avenue

Madden Street

Main Street

Moore Street

North Street

Pearl Street

Shufeldt Street

Syzmanski Street

Valentine Court

Valentine Avenue

Willow Street

“This year, we were able to pave over 4 miles of roadways that includes 18 streets, the driveway and parking lot at Hasbrouck Park, as well as North Street leading up to the Empire State Trail,” said Mayor Noble. “Over the last eight years, we have paved more than one third of all Kingston’s streets, and we will look forward to continuing this work in the spring.”

In addition, as part of the Henry Street Safe Routes to School project, Henry Street was paved from Wall Street to just past Clinton Avenue, and from Broadway to Sterling Street. Due to ongoing sewer work, the remainder of the paving will be completed in the spring.

To date, 92 ADA compliant ramps have been completed on Clifton Avenue, Roosevelt Avenue, Walnut Street, E. Union Street, Gill Street, Highland Avenue, Hasbrouck Place, Stephan Street, Smith Avenue and N. Front Street. Restoration work included 110 feet of bluestone sidewalk on N. Front Street and the installation of 40 new feet of concrete sidewalk on Roosevelt Avenue.

Central Hudson: Service replacements will continue on W. Chester St. 

Wurts Street Bridge: Noise will continue to be loud on occasion while steel repairs are performed. The Electrical contractor will be working this Saturday, December 2. The project will pause from December 22 until January 8, 2024.



Regular roadwork updates can be found here.

City of Kingston Job & Board Opportunities

The City of Kingston is hiring! Current openings include:

• Deputy Assessor

Job descriptions and details available at https://kingston-ny.gov/Employment.

Upcoming Civil Service Exams include:

Assistant Director of Building Safety and Zoning on January 13, 2024

Building Inspector on January 13, 2024

Housing Code Inspector on January 13, 2024

Plumbing Inspector on January 13/2024

Senior Building Inspector on January 13, 2024

Firefighter Paramedic Trainee on January 13, 2024

Emergency Services Dispatcher I Trainee on January 27, 2024

Purchasing Assistant on February 10, 2024

Purchasing Coordinator on February 10, 2024

The following civil service examinations will be given on a continual recruitment basis. Exams will be given every six months and names will be interfiled on the eligible lists.

Office Assistant

Office Assistant I

Typist

There is currently one opening on the Ethics Board. By the City of Kingston charter, Ethics Board members must be a resident of Kingston, and no more than two Ethics Board members may be registered in the same political party. Members serve a five-year term. Apply here.

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