Mayor's Message

City of Kingston's 2024 Annual Report Released

Black History Month Kick-off Breakfast at City Hall

New Grant Funding Update Released

Kingston's Memorial Day Parade to End

Mayor Noble's Tuesday Radio Show

Weekly Roadwork/Infrastructure Update

City of Kingston Board & Commission Opportunities

Mayor's Message:

Dear Friends -

This week, we released our 2024 Annual Report. City of Kingston staff keep our city running smoothly -- from the swift action of our Kingston Fire Department to establish ambulance service to weekly curbside pick-up of trash and recycling, residents rely on our employees to make their day-to-day life better.

With this annual report, residents will find much of the additional work our staff does, work that may not be as visible to the public. I want to thank all the men and women of City Hall, the Police Department, the Fire Department, the Parks & Recreation Department, Building & Safety, Public Works, Water Department, and the Waste Water Treatment Plant. Kingston would not be the safe, clean, wonderful place to live without these efforts!

I look forward to working with my staff to see what we can accomplish in 2025.

-Steve

2024 City of Kingston Annual Report

Mayor Noble has released the City of Kingston 2024 Annual Report.

The 2024 Annual Report is a comprehensive report for each City Department’s accomplishments, along with goals for the next year. Some of the many accomplishments highlighted in the 2024 Annual Report include:

• Completion of the 2024 Assessment Roll, without non-reappraisal reassessment
• Arts & Cultural Affairs developed the City’s Public Art Policy and Municipal Art Collection Plan
• Building Safety Department issued 2648 permits and conducted 4,859 inspections
• City Clerk’s Office issued over 500 Kingston ID cards
• Civil Service Office administered 32 State Examinations
• Community Development dispersed more than $1.5M in CDBG funding
• Communications Department issued 110 press releases and 47 weekly newsletters
• Comptroller’s Office implemented a new billing system for the City’s ambulance services
• Engineering Department completed the Clinton Avenue intersection improvements, Post Office Park construction, the installation of 58 ADA-compliant curb ramps, and the renovation of 20 Broadway.
• Fire Department purchased four ambulances and hired 12 medic/EMTs to provide 24-hour emergency service
• Grants Office oversaw a portfolio of approximately 66 competitive grants for a total of $97M 
• Health & Wellness supported 33 early care programs with Family of Woodstock for physical activity and nutrition education
• Housing Department launched a study exploring redevelopment of the Kingston Business Park into housing and mixed-use development and a study with the Center for Public Enterprise to determine how to create a public mixed-income housing development model
• Human Rights Department provided information to tenants and landlords of their rights and responsibilities under NYS Tenant’s Rights Laws
• IT set-up and installed Wi-Fi and cameras in several parks and municipal buildings
• Parks Department completed the Dietz Stadium construction project and renovations at the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center
• Planning Department hired the City’s first Urban Forester and was awarded grant funding for maintenance and planting of 350 trees
• Kingston Police Department responded to over 20,000 requests for service and made over 1,000 arrests
• Public Works paved 20 streets with 11,885 tons of blacktop, covering approx. 4.6 miles of road
• Sustainability assisted in purchased 70 acres of open space, the City's largest land conservation purchase and helped adopt the Community Preservation Plan to establish a Community Preservation Fund
• Waste Water Treatment Plant completed major plant improvements project.

The 2024 Annual Report can be found here.

Black History Month Kingston Kick-off at City Hall

Partnering with My Kingston Kids and Harambee, City Hall will host a breakfast event on Monday, February 3, 2025, at 10:00am to kick-off the eighth annual Black History Month Kingston. The event is free and open to the public.

On the first floor at City Hall, renowned sculptor Trina Greene’s Sojourner Truth: First Step to Freedom is on display. The bronze statue depicts Isabella Baumfree Vanwagenen (later Sojourner Truth) in 1826 as she is walking to freedom carrying her daughter, Sophia. The statue captures Truth’s escape from enslavement and the beginning of her heroic journey to advocate for women’s rights and the abolition of slavery.

The Sojourner Truth: First Step to Freedom statue will be on display during regular City Hall business hours (Monday to Friday from 8:30am-4:30pm) until August 2025. The City of Kingston’s Department of Arts & Cultural Affairs will host group tours, artist talks, and programming throughout the installation that will contextualize the artwork and Sojourner Truth’s legacy. For more information on installation, visit https://engagekingston.com/sojourner-truth-first-step-to-freedom.

An art exhibition entitled, FREEDOM! on the ground floor at City Hall, will also be on display through August 2025. The exhibition, which is inspired by Sojourner Truth, features artwork by local artists.

For the full schedule of Black History Month Kingston events, please visit: http://blackhistorymonthkingston.org/.

Kingston's Memorial Day Parade to End

Mayor Noble and the Kingston Veterans Association wish to inform the public that, due to declining attendance, the annual Memorial Day parade will not be held going forward.

In lieu of the parade, the Memorial Day ceremony, which is typically held in Veterans’ Park in front of City Hall, will be expanded.

Mayor Noble said, “I want to thank the Kingston Veterans Association for their many years of planning the Memorial Day parade. Over the years, we have found it more difficult to get a crowd for our parade--with the folks traveling over the holiday weekend or planning family gatherings. We know the declining attendance is not a reflection on the community’s reverence for our veterans and respect for our fallen heroes. We will continue to host the Memorial Day ceremony at City Hall, and will announce details of this year’s event as we get closer.”

Veterans Association Chairman Bill Forte said, “After over 75 years of organizing the Kingston Memorial Day parade, the Kingston Veterans Association will no longer be doing it. Due to an ever-decreasing public showing, and a serious lack of participants, it was decided to focus our efforts on the Memorial Day ceremony, where the focus will be on our departed servicemembers, as it should be.”



Veterans Association Parade Chairman Chuck Polacco said, “It's with heavy heart we had to make the decision to cancel the Memorial Day parade. Unfortunately, there has been a tremendous decline in attendance these past few years. Through the years we have had support from the City of Kingston, military organizations, as well as our great community and surrounding communities. We will continue to honor our veterans by placing flags on graves, ceremonies with our Honor Guard at local cemeteries and memorial parks, and other events and initiatives. In March, we will be renaming part of Lucas Ave between the Kingston and Town of Ulster line to the Town of Rochester as ‘Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Highway.’ Again, we would like to thank the Kingston community for your continued support over the years, and hope everyone understands our shifting priorities. God Bless America.”

The Kingston Veterans Association will continue to place American flags on veterans' graves in the City of Kingston, will conduct the annual Memorial Day ceremony and maintain the Mount Zion Cemetery, coordinate six Memorial Day ceremonies prior to Memorial Day, and provide speakers for local schools and civic organizations, as well as facilitate annual Veterans Day events.

For more Kingston Veterans Association events throughout the year click here. 

New Grant Funding Report Now Available

The City of Kingston’s Office of Grants Management has released the latest Grant Funding Report.

Biannually, the Grants Office issues the Grant Funding Report with the status of current grant-funded projects. The portfolio currently totals 66 grants with just under $97 million in funding. The total cost for all projects in the portfolio is $115,428,890. 

The January 2025 Grant Funding Report includes a summary of the grants portfolio, a summary of the new awards since the last update, a list of projects completed since the last update, a list of all projects completed since 2016, and updates on all other current grant-funded projects.

“The City of Kingston’s stellar Grants team works tirelessly to secure competitive grant funding from State and Federal agencies and private foundations for projects that would otherwise burden the taxpayers. These grants help us to keep the City running smoothly and moving forward while also saving our residents money,” said Mayor Noble. “This latest update highlights the breadth of projects across City departments, including new grants for historic preservation, water infrastructure improvements, facility repairs, and solar panels on municipal buildings. With the Grants office’s support, our staff have the equipment they need, infrastructure is continually improved, and we can continue to launch new forward-thinking initiatives.”

Ruth Ann Devitt-Frank, Director of Grants Management said, “This past year has been one of our most successful in securing awards, thanks to support from community advocates and all of the hard work that City staff across departments put in behind the scenes. Our office is both fortunate and proud to see tangible improvements taking place across the City with the grant monies that we’re able to bring in.

The Grant Funding Report is available at https://engagekingston.com/grant-funding-update. The next report is expected to be released in the spring.

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 with Tracy Snyder (Program Manager for Nutrition and Physical Activity in Early Childhood Education at Family of Woodstock) and Ninette Warner (Creating Healthy Schools Coordinator at Cornell Cooperative Extension) about their Creating Healthy Schools & Communities grant work, which is part of the City of Kingston's Health & Wellness Department's initiatives.

Click below to hear their conversation.

Weekly Roadwork/Infrastructure Update

Central Hudson– gas main replacement will continue on Marius Street, Donovan Place, Arts Circle and Josephine Avenue with possible lane changes and/or closures.

Service replacements on Marius Street, Donovan Place, Arts Circle and Josephine Avenue will begin when gas main installation is complete.

On Monday, one lane will be closed with flaggers and alternating traffic on Washington Ave. between Linderman Ave and Marius St. for gas main installation.

Archtop Fiber– crews have slowed down due to the frigid temperatures. Work will pick back up next week, weather permitting. One crew will in the area of Flatbush Ave. and E. Chester St. They will wrap up Gage St. and move to Tammany, Hutton, Grant and Lincoln St.

A second crew will continue in the Rondout area. They will wrap up on W. O’Reilly St as well as the north end of Hudson St. From there they will continue onto S. Wall St. and Hampton St.

Post Office Park-- amenities are still being added, including a ping pong table expected to be installed next week.

Active work on Prospect Street, Clinton Avenue, or ADA ramps projects is expected to be on hiatus until spring.

The weekly roadwork update can be found on the City website here.

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/