City's First Large-Scale Solar Array

City of Kingston Job & Other Opportunities

CCE's Second Annual Hispanic Heritage Festival

Midtown Business Capital Program

NYS Early-Stage Business Grants

Touch a Truck Event on 10/1

Community Yard Sale on 10/15

Roadwork Update for Week of September 26

Drought Emergency Remains in Effect

Mayor's Message:

Dear Friends -

In celebration of Hudson Valley Climate Solutions Week, we are thrilled to announce that, in the City of Kingston, we are taking real, concrete actions to combat climate change and lessen our local impact on the environment. This week, we cut the ribbon on solar panels at the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center, which produce 100% renewable electricity at one of our most utilized City buildings.

This is a great first step toward reducing our overall impact and setting a standard for the community.

-Steve

City of Kingston's First Large-Scale Solar Array Produces 100% Renewable Electricity

The City of Kingston’s first large-scale municipal solar panel array, located at the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center, is now fully operational.

The solar panel system on the roof at the Andy Murphy Center, has 110 panels and is designed to meet 110% of the demand of the entire building’s electricity usage. The system was installed by Sun Common and became live on August 24, 2022. Since the installation, the solar panel array has saved 8,716 pounds of CO2, which is the equivalent of 65 trees planted.

Funding for solar at the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center came from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)’s Clean Energy Communities Program, with additional support from the Kingston Common Council to match grant funds.

The City of Kingston is a designated Clean Energy Community and a Silver Certified Climate Smart Community. In our 2030 Climate Action Plan, we committed to achieving 100% renewable electricity in municipal operations by 2030. The Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center is the first municipal building to achieve this goal. City staff also worked with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Cadmus, to develop a Roadmap to 100% Renewable Energy, a plan which outlines the energy transition for Kingston.

The solar panels at the AMNC are connected to the SolarEdge app, which reports real-time energy production, along with historical data to date.  

For more information on the City of Kingston’s sustainability initiatives, please visit https://kingston-ny.gov/sustainability. 

City of Kingston Job & Other Opportunities

The City of Kingston has several current job opportunities available, including a full-time Spanish-speaking Clerk, a part-time Historic Preservation Administrator, Motor Equipment Mechanic, and Motor Equipment Operator.

To apply and to see other opportunities, please visit www.kingston-ny.gov/employment. 

There are several upcoming Civil Service Exams. To see the list and apply, visit kingston-ny.gov/employment.

We're always looking for volunteers to serve on City of Kingston boards and commissions. We currently have openings on the Kingston City Land Bank, the Arts Commission and the Kingston Local Development Corporation. Apply for these and other commissions here! 

CCE's Second Annual Hispanic Heritage Festival

The Center for Creative Education (CCE) is hosting the 2nd Annual Hispanic Heritage Festival on Saturday September 24, from 11:00am to 6:00pm on Cedar Street in Midtown Kingston.

All are welcome to enjoy Hispanic heritage and culture with great food, music, and dancing. The event will feature music by DJ R and performances by Alessandra, Kano Casanova, Ávila Ensemble, Ray Pearson, Mateo Cano, Peruvian Dancer Judith Limanco and a special performance by Alex Torres and his Latin Orchestra.

Rain or shine, there will be lots of food vendors, crafts, entertainment, children’s activities, dancing and much more! The event is free and open to all. Bring a folding chair to enjoy the performances. 

Midtown Business Capital Program

Rondout Savings Bank has launched a program to improve access to financing for small business owners in need.The primary mission of the Midtown Business Capital Program is to improve access to financing for small business owners in need, at the speed of business.

Businesses will be eligible to participate if they are in the designated Midtown Kingston area, have been established for a minimum of one year, and have less than $500,000 in annual sales.

Join an information session on Thursday, September 22 at the Broadway Bubble, 718 Broadway, at 6:00pm to learn more. If you miss the meeting, find more information, including how to apply here.  

Watch the promo video here, featuring some of the Midtown businesses in the heart of Kingston!

NYS Grants for Early-Stage Businesses Affected by COVID

Governor Hochul Announced the launch of New York's first-in-the-nation $200 million seed-funding grant for early-stage businesses impacted by COVID-19.

These grants provide assistance to help small and micro-businesses, which were in the early stages of operation when the pandemic hit, to recover and grow in a post-pandemic economy. The State's successful COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program will expand eligibility as it winds down available funding. More Information on the Seed Funding Grant program can befound here. 

Touch a Truck Event on October 1

Community Yard Sale on October 15

Visit http://kingstonparksandrec.org/ for more information. 

Roadwork Update for Week of September 26

Milling on Clifton Avenue will be finished Friday, September 23, with paving on September 29-30. 

Central Hudson: work will continue on Westbrook Place and Sharon Lane with crews heading to Lucas Ave near Emerson Ave late in the week or early the following week. 

There will be No Parking in the Cornell Street parking lot on Monday, September 26, and possibly the morning of Tuesday, September 27, to allow for paving and striping work.

Regular Roadwork Updates are posted on the City's website here.

More info about paving projects can be found at https://kingston-ny.gov/paving.

Milling today on Clifton Ave.

City of Kingston Drought Update

Water conservation tip: faucet leaks are usually visible; however there are some unnoticeable leaks in areas like the on/off handle or in the pipes below the basin. Even a small drip can add up to a significant amount of water over a billing cycle and each drip increases your water and sewer bill.

Find your water meter. If all the water in the home is off and the meter is still running, you have a leak! You can also find your usage history on our portal, https://kingston-ny.gov/waterpayments.

More information about the Drought Emergency can be found here.