Mayor's Message

Kingston Acquires Rondout Uplands Open Space Land

Public Art Committee Seeks Members

Kingston Repair Cafe on February 22

Grants 101 Workshop on February 26

Mayor Noble's Tuesday Radio Show

Weekly Roadwork/Infrastructure Update

City of Kingston Board & Commission Opportunities

Reminder: Snow Emergency Procedure

Mayor's Message:

Dear Friends -

Today, we announced the acquisition of 70 acres in the Rondout Uplands area to be preserved as open space and eventually opened to the public. In partnership with Scenic Hudson, we are so pleased to acquire and conserve this land and expand our recreation offerings for the residents of Kingston.

Rondout Uplands is wilderness with varied terrain and challenging conditions that will need to be readied for public use. We ask the community for their patience while we work to create a safe space to be enjoyed for generations to come. It will be worth the wait!

-Steve

Kingston Acquires Rondout Uplands Open Space Land

The City of Kingston and Scenic Hudson have closed on a 70-acre open space property in the Rondout Uplands. 

Made up of seven distinct parcels spanning Kingston and the Town of Ulster, this new forested upland property will serve as open space in the City’s portfolio. The property is to remain closed to the public for the near future to ensure public safety.

The City of Kingston adopted the Open Space Plan in November 2020, with the ambitious goals to preserve hundreds of acres of land, forge new trails, and improve public access to our natural resources. This unique property in the Rondout Uplands is the City’s first major open space acquisition.

The City of Kingston also owns an adjacent 4.5-acre parcel on Rodney Street with an abandoned single-family home and will be conducting a feasibility study for returning affordable housing to that site.

The City of Kingston has also worked closely with the Kingston Land Trust (KLT) to conserve additional land in the open space priority area, including 20 acres of land at the Red Fox Ravine on Wilbur Avenue and properties across the City which were designated as surplus properties and were reclassified as green space. These recent acquisitions include: 10.4 acres of Hudson Uplands, 12 acres of Twaalfskill Corridor, and 14.4 acres at the rear of Hurley Ave. With the Rondout Uplands land, this recent work to preserve open space in the City totals 106.8 acres. (see map)

These acquisitions help the City of Kingston reach the goals set forth in the Open Space Plan, with 100% completion of the goal to protect 60 acres of land in the uplands along the Rondout and 67% to completion of the goal to protect 500 acres of land in the uplands along the Hudson.  

Public Art Committee Seeks Members

In implementing the City’s first-ever Municipal Public Art Policy and Municipal Art Collection Plan, a Public Art Committee will be formed.

The Public Art Committee will comprise two members of the Kingston Arts Commission and at least three Kingston residents with expertise to guide public art programming, approve final designs for new public artworks, and review public art donations to the City, and more. Meetings will be held bi-monthly, or as needed, to review project development, select public art, recommend panelists, and other program- and project-related issues. Public Art Committee members will serve 3-year renewable terms. The committee application can be found here.

The Public Art Committee will follow guidelines set forth in the Municipal Public Art Policy, the creation of which was recommended in the City of Kingston’s comprehensive Arts and Culture Master Plan. The policy provides a process to commission new public art, addresses how public art owned or commissioned by the City will be acquired, managed, and maintained, and outlines public engagement methods and strategies. The Municipal Public Art Policy pertains to public art in all forms—including, but not limited to: visual arts, performing arts, literary, and new-media arts on city-owned properties/sites and does not apply to public art on privately owned properties/sites.

More at https://engagekingston.com/municipal-art-plan-policy/.  

Repair Cafe on Saturday, February 22

The Kingston Repair Cafe will be held on Saturday, February 22 from 11:00am to 3:00pm at the Clinton Avenue Methodist Church, located at 122 Clinton Ave.

Please limit to 2 items for repair. Masks are strongly recommended indoors.

More information at https://www.repaircafehv.org/. For questions, or to volunteer, email RepairCafeKingstonNY@gmail.com

Grant Writing 101 Workshop

Kingston’s Office of Grants Management will host a free Grant Writing 101 workshop on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at 12:00pm at City Hall.

The Grant Writing 101 workshop will be geared toward supporting local nonprofits to secure grant funding for their organizations. The workshop will cover fundraising basics, research, eligibility, applications, budgets, project management, reporting, and more.

While designed to help nonprofits, anyone interested in learning grant writing basics is welcome to attend. The hybrid event will be available in-person at City Hall and online via Zoom.

Grant Writing 101

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

12:00pm

City Hall, Conference Room 1

420 Broadway, Kingston, NY

Online registration

For in-person registration, please contact Grants Manager Natalie Kikel at nkikel@kingston-ny.gov or 845-334-3961.

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 the Kingston Police Chief Egidio Tinti about the Kingston Police Department's Traffic Safety Unit. Click below to hear their conversation.

Weekly Roadwork/Infrastructure Update

Central Hudson– the previous project area wrapped up. Work in a new project area will begin in March, including Fairview Ave, Howland Ave, Stickles Ave, Merilina Ave, Boulder Ave, Voorhees Ave, Alcazar Ave, Merritt Ave, Court Ave, and Catskill Ave.

Archtop Fiber– one crew will be in the area of Flatbush Ave and E Chester St beginning next week. They will continue on Grant, then move to Hutton and Meade St. A second crew will move onto S Clinton Ave, Klingberg Ave, Petit Ave, Washington Ave and Brook St.

Please be aware that final restorations will pick up in the spring.

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 Job and Board/Commision Opportunities

The City of Kingston is hiring! The City has an immediate opening for a full-time Traffic Electrician, part-time Housing Inspector, and other job openings.

• Traffic Electrician
• Part-time Housing Code Inspector
• Motor Equipment Operator
• Heavy Motor Equipment Operator

For more information, please visit https://kingston-ny.gov/employment

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

The following currently have openings:

• Ethics Board
• Recreation Commission
• Conservation Advisory Council
• Zoning Board of Appeals
• Kingston Local Development Corporation Board

Find the application at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KingstonBoards.

Reminder: Snow Emergency Procedure

A Snow Emergency is declared if 3+ inches of snow is forecasted. When a Snow Emergency is declared, there is no parking on either side of designated Snow Emergency Routes and dead-ends.

For all other streets, alternate side parking rules are in effect, which means parking is permitted on the odd side of the street on odd numbered calendar days and on the even side of the street on even numbered calendar days. The odd or even side of the street is determined by house numbers.

The best place for vehicles is off the street.

At 7:00am the following day, vehicles must move to the opposite side of the street. Vehicles not in compliance will be ticketed and towed.

During a Snow Emergency, regular parking rules are suspended. On-street and off-street parking meters are suspended. Pre-existing parking restrictions which allow or prohibit parking on a particular side of the street are temporarily superseded by Snow Emergency alternate-side-of-the-street parking rules.

No parking is allowed within 50 feet of any street corner and vehicles must not block fire hydrants, driveways, entryways or exits for parking lots, or in any hazardous manner.

No street parking is allowed on dead-end streets during a Snow Emergency. 

The City of Kingston will announce a Snow Emergency in the following ways:

• Online at http://www.kingston-ny.gov and at the City of Kingston Facebook page.
• By phone or text using the City’s notification system, Smart911. Sign up to receive calls or texts here.
• By e-mail. Recipients of the Mayor’s newsletter will receive an e-mail notification. Sign up for the newsletter here.
• Via media—all local media will be alerted.

For a snow-related service request or to report hazardous road conditions, call the Department of Public Works dispatch at 845-338-2114 or use Kingston 311. For towed vehicles, call the Kingston Police Department at 84-331-1671. 

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 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/