Latest Covid-19 Information |
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Next Round of Paving: Pearl Street |
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Gun Buyback Event on June 5 |
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Tiny Homes Pilot Project Awarded |
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Stormwater Report Now Available |
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Mayor Noble's Tuesday/Thursday Updates |
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Center for Creative Education Event Tomorrow |
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A Message From Mayor Steve Noble:
Dear Friends,
Our Covid-19 numbers here in the City of Kingston continue to move in the right direction. In consultation with the Health Department and new CDC recommendations, this week we updated our protocol for municipal buildings.
City offices will continue to operate with limited public hours (10:00am-2:00pm and by appointment), as we work toward fully reopening to the public. City staff will no longer be required to wear a mask. Visitors will still be required to take a brief health screening upon entering, but vaccinated visitors will not be required to wear a mask in our buildings. Each office will continue to maintain additional cleaning protocols.
The Building Safety Department will resume routine Health and Safety Apartment Inspections, including for multi-family apartments. Board and Commission meetings will continue to be held virtually while a hybrid meeting set-up that allows in-person and remote attendance is put in place.
I am extremely proud of my staff’s response to the Covid-19 crisis, and I thank all of the City of Kingston employees who helped us navigate through this difficult year. We look forward to restoring full access to the public as long as our Covid numbers remain low. I will continue to do everything in my power to keep our community safe.
-Steve
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COVID-19 Information
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As of Friday, May 21, there are 127 active Covid-19 cases in Ulster County, 25 in Kingston, and there have been 258 deaths across the County. More local resources at Ulster County Covid-19 Information
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The Open Enrollment Period for uninsured New Yorkers has been extended through December 31, 2021. New Yorkers can apply for coverage through NY State of Health or directly through insurers.
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Health care workers can text NYFRONTLINE to 741-741 to access 24/7 emotional support services. Any New Yorker can call the COVID-19 Emotional Support Hotline at 1-844-863-9314 for counseling.
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Next Round of Paving: Peart Street
The next round of paving will be Pearl Street from Clinton Ave to Johnston Ave. The Department of Public Works Street is currently preparing Pearl Street by rebuilding manholes and catch basins.
Milling operations will begin the first week of June and paving is scheduled to start on June 9, 2021. Paving is expected to be completed by June 11, weather permitting. There will be intermittent lane changes and detours, which may cause slight delays.
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Gun Buyback Event on June 5
New York Attorney General Letitia James’ Office, in collaboration with the Kingston Police Department, will host an in-person guy buyback event on Saturday, June 5, 2021 from 10:00am to 2:00pm at the Andy Murphy Midtown Neighborhood Center.
For the event on June 5, gift cards will be provided in the amounts of:
$25.00 for non-working or antique firearms
$75.00 for rifles and shotguns
$150.00 for handguns
$250.00 for assault weapons
Anyone wishing to bring a firearm to the event is asked to make sure it is unloaded and transport the weapon securely in your trunk. This initiative is open to anyone in the City of Kingston, excluding licensed gun dealers, and active or retired law enforcement officers, who are not eligible to participate. This is an amnesty program and no questions will be asked.
Launched on March 26, the Kingston Police Department’s own Groceries for Guns program has been hugely successful to date. KPD has collected 20 pellet guns, 26 handguns, 22 rifles, 11 shotguns and one musket in exchange for Hannaford gift cards.
“We are extremely proud of the Groceries for Guns initiative, which has removed 80 guns from our community and has potentially saved lives,” said Mayor Noble. “This is one of the many proactive programs that the Kingston Police Department has initiated in recent weeks and is part of ongoing efforts to stop gun violence in our community. I commend their work, and look forward to working with the Attorney General’s office to get more firearms off the streets at this event.”
“We appreciate the assistance of the Attorney General’s office in combating gun violence in our community,” said Kingston Police Chief Egidio Tinti. “We know the impact that these kinds of programs can have in crime reduction and we welcome the support of our State’s highest law enforcement agency.”
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Tiny Homes Pilot Project Moves Forward
On March 4, the City of Kingston issued an RFP for qualified independent firms to provide construction, case management, and property management services for a pilot tiny home project. The proposal review committee voted to award the contract to Family of Woodstock, which has been serving the community with crisis intervention and support since 1970. This pilot program will launch with $200,000 in allotted funds from the Anti-Displacement Learning Network grant to build homes for families who are facing eviction or are at high risk of displacement from the Midtown neighborhood, and is modeled after the “A Tiny Home for Good” project in Syracuse, New York.
Designated for single-parent households, the proposal includes three 400-700 sf two-bedroom homes with a kitchen and bathroom. Family of Woodstock, working with Gen Z Homes, will oversee construction of the community as well as case management services for future residents. Family of Woodstock is working to identify potential locations on city-owned land in Midtown.
“We are thrilled to partner with Family of Woodstock to make a tiny home community a reality. These three homes will have a huge impact on three families almost immediately,” said Mayor Noble. “We also acknowledge that the need for affordable housing is great among all populations. The ADLN project team is actively working on another proposal targeting single adults at high risk of displacement. The tiny home project is just one piece of my ambitious, multi-faceted housing agenda for Kingston, which also includes permitting accessory dwelling units, drafting and implementing a form based code, and pilot projects like this one.”
“Family is excited to work with the City to test the tiny homes model as a vehicle for helping single head-of-household families develop employment skills and address other critical needs to become self-sufficient after two years of supported living,” said FOW Executive Director Michael Berg.
“I’m very excited that, together with the Anti-Displacement Learning Network and Family of Woodstock, we are advancing a pilot project that will provide safe, comfortable, and permanent homes for single-parent households facing considerable hardship,” said City of Kingston Director of Housing Initiatives Kevin Corté. “No child in Kingston should have to grow up in subpar housing and no parent should have to make the choice between affordability and safe and healthy living conditions. Providing alternative housing options for low-income families at high risk of displacement is incredibly important in the effort to stabilize our community in the face of a severe housing crisis.”
“The creation of a tiny home pilot program is a great step to address Kingston’s housing crisis, and I look forward to working with FOW on the creation of the program,” said Council President Andrea Shaut. “The ADLN team remains committed to finding other solutions to help even more of the community, because we recognize that creating this program is the beginning of what needs to be done to best serve and protect all community members.”
In 2019, Enterprise Community Partners, a national non-profit whose mission is to address America’s affordable housing crisis, selected the City of Kingston and nine other New York State municipalities for participation in a 10-month Anti-Displacement Learning Network (ADLN) program. Each municipality was asked to create an ADLN Volunteer Team to examine existing conditions, structures, and programs in their communities. The team were also charged with identifying one or more new strategies that could be implemented to prevent displacement of residents at risk of eviction and/or homelessness.
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Tiny Home For Good Project in Syracuse |
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Annual Stormwater Report Now Available
Polluted stormwater runoff is commonly transported through separate municipal storm sewer systems, which are designed to collect stormwater through drains, pipes or ditches. The collected water is often then discharged, untreated, into local water bodies, such as the Hudson River.
To help prevent harmful pollutants from being washed into its storm sewers, the City of Kingston is required to maintain a State Pollutants Discharge Elimination permit, and operate a Stormwater Management Program (SWMP). Kingston's SWMP continues to develop with the assistance of our Conservation Advisory Council. This group of community volunteers offers guidance on Climate Smart Community and Adaptation Planning Initiatives, among many other important environmental practices.
Every year our Engineering Department compiles and publishes a Stormwater Report as is required by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. This report details the activities and measures the City has conducted to reduce polluted discharge. Reported measures include education and outreach about topics from recycling, pesticide use, and hazardous waste disposal to smart growth, wetland protection, and water conservation. The report also addresses specific actions such as street maintenance, salt storage and marine operations, among many other items.
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Mayor Noble's Tuesday/Thursday Updates
Mayor Noble has been giving regular live updates since mid-March 2020. His twice-weekly updates can be heard on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:00pm via Radio Kingston and the City of Kingston Facebook page.
This week Mayor Noble was unable to give his Thursday update this week. Click below to hear Tuesday's update.
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Center for Creative Education Event Tomorrow
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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.
This system is a valuable resource to submit service requests for streetlight replacement, roadwork, City signage, traffic calming measures and other concerns. Issues with snow removal and reporting of vehicles and sidewalks not in accordance with the Snow Emergency restrictions can also be submitted via Kingston 311. Photos can also be attached to illustrate service orders. Dial 311 from any phone within City limits to reach us.
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Sent on behalf of:
Mayor Steven T. Noble
845.334.3902
mayor@kingston-ny.gov
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:
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