Mayor's Message

Andretta Pool House Renovations Complete!

Kingston's Latest Grants Activity Update

Puerto Rican Day Events This Weekend

Mayor Noble's Tuesday Update

New Community Kitchen at AMNC

City Launches New Budgetary Tool

Paving & Roadwork Update

City of Kingston Job Opportunities

New Safety Surface at Hasbrouck Park Playground

Mayor's Message:

Dear Friends -

This week we cut a lot of ribbons. We opened the brand new community kitchen at the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center and we re-opened the Hasbrouck Park playground with a new bouncy safety surface.

I am so pleased to unveil the renovations to the Andretta Pool House, just in time for the 2023 pool season. The Andretta Pool has been a wonderful resource for our community. It’s a place where so many of our children have learned to swim through the years and where families gather on the hottest summer days. The repairs to the pool and pool house were much needed, and we were able to add some helpful amenities like a gender-neutral changing room, a family changing room, and outdoor showers. I am happy to open the pool free of charge to our Kingston residents again this year. I want to thank the Parks and Recreation staff for leading the renovation effort, and I look forward to many summers at the pool to come.

We have many projects getting started and we are well into paving season. To learn more about our portfolio of grant-funded projects, check our latest Grants Activity Update.

-Steve

Andretta Pool House Renovations Completed!

Mayor Noble is pleased to announce that the Andretta Pool Improvements Project Phase 2 for the interior of the pool house is now complete.

The first phase of the Andretta Pool Improvements Project included the exterior of the pool house, improvements and repairs to the pool, and the addition of a splash pad. These upgrades were completed in summer 2021.

Phase 2 of the project is a total renovation of the interior of the Andretta Pool House, which began in September 2022 and included all new plumbing systems, all new electrical systems, upgrades to the changing rooms, the addition of a gender-neutral changing room, family toilet room and family changing room, and poolside showers and lockers.

The Andretta Pool Improvements Project is part of the $20 million Dietz Stadium project to renovate and modernize the stadium complex. The project was funded with $2.5 million from the City of Kingston’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) award. Phase 1 construction cost $719,500, and Phase 2 construction was $1,347,880.

The Andretta Pool will open to the public on June 24, 2023, and will be free to Kingston residents again this summer. The pool schedule can be found here. Hours for the pool, and splash pad are subject to change, based on staffing and weather. Updates will be posted at the Andretta Pool Facebook page.

New Grants Activity Update

The latest Grants Activity Update is now available. The grants portfolio currently totals 55 grants with $62 million in funding. The total cost for all projects in the grants portfolio is $90.8 million. 

“I am so proud of the work that my team does to secure competitive grant funding for costly infrastructure projects and vital services for Kingston residents,” said Mayor Noble. “I thank the Grants Office for collaborating across City departments to assess each department’s needs, and then source funding from State and Federal agencies and private foundations. This ensures our staff have the equipment they need, the City can move forward on important infrastructure projects, and can launch forward-thinking initiatives. Many of our crucial housing initiatives and sustainability efforts are grant funded – these impact our community on a daily basis and plan for the future. Without this outside funding, we would not be able to accomplish all that the City does, especially not without raising taxes for Kingston residents.”

The Grants Activity Update is available at https://engagekingston.com/grants-activity-update. The next Grants Activity Update will be released this fall.

Mayor Noble established the Grants Office in 2019 to secure and manage funding for infrastructure projects, programs, and services that improve the quality of life for Kingston residents. The City applies for and manages grant awards that fund street design and transportation projects, park improvements, upgrades to the water treatment plant and sewers, plans for a healthier and sustainable future, arts initiatives, special programs and events, and more. 

Puerto Rican Day Events

The City of Kingston will celebrate Puerto Rican Day with movies and music on June 9-10, 2023. All Puerto Rican Day events are free and open to the public.

Funded by the City of Kingston’s ARPA Community Events Grant program, Puerto Rican Day celebrations will kick off with a free screening of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story at UPAC on Friday, June 9 at 7:30pm. The event will feature a pre-show performance by David Gonzalez.

On Saturday, the Puerto Rican Day festivities continue with the Music in the Parks/Movies Under the Stars series hosting two musical performances, a live art performance, and a movie at TR Gallo Park. The Alessandra Latin Band will perform from 5:30pm-7:00pm and the Pablo Shine Latin Jazz Band will perform from 7:00pm-8:30pm followed by the movie Selena at 8:30pm. Nancy Ostrovsky’s live art performance will take place from 6:30pm-7:30pm. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets.

Mayor Noble's Tuesday Update

Mayor Noble's Tuesday radio show is on hiatus during the campaign season, but in its place, he will be doing a weekly update on Facebook Live each Tuesday at 5:00pm to give brief update on the latest City of Kingston news.

Click below to hear this week's update.

New Community Kitchen at the AMNC

A brand-new community kitchen has been completed at the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center in Midtown Kingston.

The new kitchen, which includes all new appliances such as an all-electric stove, is approved by the UC Health Department and will be made available for Kingston community events. Funding for the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center’s kitchen renovation came from the City of Kingston’s Community Development Block Grant and funding from the NoVo Foundation. Scott Dutton was the architect and Bradley Construction was the contractor for the project.

With the City of Kingston’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, design plans will be created for the next phase of AMNC renovations. 

City Launches New Budget Tool

The City of Kingston is now utilizing a new platform, Clear Gov, for the City budget to increase transparency.

“As we head into the next budget process, we are pleased to release the 2023 adopted budget on a new platform, which gives residents a different view, with charts and graphs that may be more user friendly for the average citizen deciphering a $50M budget. Using this new technology, residents now have more than one option to review the City budget,” said Mayor Noble. “The City Comptroller, myself, and the Common Council spend weeks working on the City budget each year, and encourage the public to be a part of the process. We’re hoping by providing another tool for ready access to the budget document, the public will have more clarity into this complex document.”

Find the 2023 Budget Book at: www.engagekingston.com/budget.

With the 2023 Budget, the tax levy was reduced to the lowest level seen since 2015. The 2024 Budget process begins in August. Future adopted budgets will be available via the Clear Gov software.

Paving & Roadwork Next Week

Paving: the next round of paving will be Madden Street, Arlington Place, and Field Court. Milling is expected to begin Friday, June 16, 2023. Paving is expected to begin Thursday, June 22 and be completed by Friday, June 23, weather depending. 

Central Hudson: Main work and service replacements have been completed Uptown. Restoration crews will continue working in the area.

Main and service installation will occur on Elizabeth St and S. Wall St with road closures and detours.

Sterling Street Sewer Project: paving is complete, finishing clean up work early next week.

Henry Street Safe Routes to School Project: work continues to remove old sidewalk and prepare base for new sidewalks.

Regular roadwork updates can be found here.

New ADA Curb Ramp at Sterling & Cedar (pre-pave)

City of Kingston Job Opportunities

The City of Kingston has the following full-time job openings: Motor Equipment Mechanic, Motor Equipment Operator, and Fire Inspector.

The Kingston Water Department is accepting applications for Business Manager, to oversee the Department’s Business Office. This is a full time, competitive position within the City Civil Service with an annual salary of $87,000. It is expected that the successful candidate will have a bachelor’s degree in accounting, business management, finance or some other closely related field and have at least three years of professional financial management that includes staff supervision.

Applications are due June 23, 2023. A job description and instructions for submitting applications for this position may be obtained from the Civil Service Office in City Hall or on the City’s website at https://kingston-ny.gov/Employment.

Upcoming Civil Service Exams include:

Payroll Supervisor - July 15, 2023

Police Officer Exam - September 9, 2023. The deadline to apply for the Police Officer Exam is July 7, 2023. The Physical Agility Exam will be given on July 29, 2023.

More information about job openings and exams is available at kingston-ny.gov/employment.

The City of Kingston has over 25 boards & commissions, and we're always looking for volunteers to serve the community. Currently there are openings on the Kingston City Land Bank board and the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Apply here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KingstonBoards.

New Surface at Hasbrouck Park Playground

The Hasbrouck Park playground is now open with a brand-new safety surface. Mayor Noble, officials from the Parks and Recreation Department, and students from JFK Elementary School’s student government, gathered to cut the ribbon on the newly improved playground.

The improvements are part of Mayor Noble and the Parks and Recreation Department’s plan to replace wood chips in all City of Kingston parks. Previously, Rickel Knox Park, Barmann Park, and the new playground at Kingston Point Beach have been resurfaced.

Funding for this project came from the City of Kingston’s Community Development Block Grant. 

Kingston Releases RFP For a Food System Plan

The City of Kingston has released an RFP for a Food System Plan, which will help strengthen Kingston’s local food system by addressing food insecurity and increasing access to nutritious foods.

The City of Kingston will utilize its federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for the Food System Plan, as per the Kingston Economic Recovery Plan. The project will be managed by the City’s Department of Health and Wellness. The Plan will provide a blueprint for how the City of Kingston can support strengthening the local food system to improve food security, through specific actions and through collaborative action with community partners.

“When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the City of Kingston, we, like many municipalities, witnessed the vulnerabilities in our food system,” said Mayor Noble. “In response, the community stepped up in a big way to make sure that no one in our community went hungry. When we started creating the Economic Recovery Plan, food insecurity was top of mind, and funding to develop a food systems plan was included. We hope this plan will lead to an increase in local food production and will provide actionable ways to improve our resilience in times of crisis and beyond.”