Mayor's Message

Renovations Complete at the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center

Kingston Rail Crossing Public Meeting

Community Preservation Fund Now in Effect

Free 2-Hour Holiday Parking Starting December 14

Kingston Shop Hop on Saturday, December 14

UCAT Route Optimization Public Survey

Mayor Noble's Tuesday Radio Show

Weekly Roadwork/Infrastructure Update

City of Kingston Board & Commission Opportunities

Mayor's Message:

Dear Friends -

We are so thrilled to have the enormous renovation project completed at the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center, and have the building back open to the public and the Parks and Recreation staff.

We are grateful for NoVo in Kingston’s support in undertaking such a large-scale project in a small amount of time, so that we could get this building back in operating order for our fall and winter programming.

In addition to our ongoing Replace the Parks program on Tuesdays and Fridays, join us at the AMNC tonight for a holiday movie!

-Steve

Renovations Complete at AMNC Auditorium

Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center auditorium and entryway asbestos abatement and lead remediation is complete.

Other work included a complete rehab to the Broadway entrance vestibule and corridor with new lighting, brick and mortar repairs to the gym, new floor and ceiling trim, and fresh painting throughout the gym and stage areas.

As part of the project, new play equipment for ages 18 months to 5 years was purchased, including 200 square feet of toddler activity mats, a large indoor play set with two slides and tunnel, a smaller indoor play set, a large slide, a playhouse, two kids picnic tables, toddler riding toys, two teeter totters, blocks, balls and more.

New bleachers will be installed this spring. The new ADA-compliant bleachers will be six tiers of automated telescoping plastic seating for 300 people.

This project was made possible by funding from the City of Kingston’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and support from NoVo in Kingston.

With the completion of the renovations, the Kingston Parks & Recreation Department will start the 2024-2025 ‘Replace the Parks,’ a drop-in, indoor playground program at the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center, which will be open to the public starting on Tuesday, December 10, 2024. The free indoor play space will be open to pre-school aged children from 9:00am to 2:00pm on Tuesdays and Fridays in the AMNC gym. Adults are required to stay with their children at all times.

Replace the Parks is a drop-in program, no registration is required. The program will take a holiday break beginning on December 24, 2024, and will resume on January 3, 2025. The program will run weekly on Tuesday and Fridays until March 28, 2025. When Kingston City Schools are on a 2-hour delay or closed due to inclement weather, the program will be cancelled.

More information is available at: https://kingston-ny.gov/replacetheparks.

Kingston Rail Crossing Public Meeting

Ulster County Transportation Council (UCTC) invites the public to learn about project findings of the Kingston Rail Crossing Study. Initiated in early 2023, the purpose of the Study is to evaluate safety along the West Shore Rail Corridor in the City of Kingston, NY, which includes six highway/rail grade crossings.

Over the past several years, the City of Kingston has experienced several pedestrian and vehicular accidents, including fatalities. The Rail Crossing Study aims to evaluate the existing highway/rail crossing and trespass events and the physical configuration along the rail corridor to identify solutions to help address the current issue through:

• Enhancing the safety along the rail corridor
• Assessing the current risks posed by hazards or vulnerabilities
• Developing a comprehensive risk reduction strategy by applying appropriate mitigations
• Providing recommended improvements to enhance safety including planning level costs and funding sources

The study considered both vehicular and pedestrian incidents at highway-rail grade crossings as well as trespassing hotspot locations along a 2-mile segment of the rail corridor within the City of Kingston. The plan considered mitigations and safety measures utilizing best practices and guidance from both the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as well as the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

Project staff will host a Virtual Public Meeting on December 18, 2024 at 11:00am to present the findings of this study. Registration is required.

To review the final document and to register for the public information session, visit https://participate.ulstercountyny.gov/kingston-rail-crossing-study

Community Preservation Fund Now in Effect

Effective December 15, 2024, the City of Kingston’s Community Preservation Fund is now in effect. This ballot measure was passed on November 5, 2024, with overwhelming community support.

The Community Preservation Fund allows the City of Kingston to protect open spaces and natural resources, environment, and community by developing a reliable, ongoing source of funding without increasing annual property taxes to support local for parks, trails, land conservation, and historic preservation.

The fund is generated by a tax in the amount of 1.25%, on the purchase of property that exceeds the Ulster County median sale price (currently $376,500). The revenue generated by the fund supports the purchase of land and conservation easements to protect water resources, preserve historic properties, develop trail systems, protect ecological resources, and other similar land conservation activities.

Going forward, anyone purchasing real estate or property located in the City of Kingston will be required to file a Transfer Tax Form with the Ulster County Clerk and pay the required amount of tax due, if any, to that office.

More information about how to file the Transfer Tax form can be found at the Ulster County Clerk’s website here: https://clerk.ulstercountyny.gov/countyclerk/land-records/recording-deed

The final Community Preservation Plan can be found here, and more information on the planning efforts is available at https://engagekingston.com/community-preservation-plan. 

Free 2-Hour Holiday Parking

The City of Kingston will offer free 2-hour holiday parking from Saturday, December 14 through January 1, 2025. Parking in municipal lots and at meters will be free for up to two hours.

During this time, City parking staff will focus on meter repair and routine maintenance but will issue safety violations such as blocking fire hydrants, parking in handicap spots, double parking, and expired inspections. Vehicle owners must observe all traffic and parking rules and park in legal spots. Regular enforcement of parking meters will resume on January 2, 2025.

The 2025 parking permits for the City’s municipal lots are now for sale and renewal at https://kingstonny.cmrpay.com. Permits are electronically linked to license plate(s), there are no physical tags. Households will be allowed to assign up to two vehicles to each 2025 parking permit purchased. Only one vehicle will be able to use the permit at a time. If both vehicles need to be parked simultaneously, separate permits will need to be purchased.

Get your 2025 permits now before the price increases in January!

Kingston Shop Hop is Tomorrow!

The three Kingston business districts have teamed up to sponsor a citywide Shop Hop on Saturday December 14, from 11:00am-7:00pm.

Shoppers can travel around Uptown, Midtown, and Downtown on a decorated, bike-friendly, 24-passenger free shuttle bus. Get all your holiday shopping done, stop for lunch, grab a drink -- hit all your Kingston favorites along the way!

There will be 4-5 convenient stops in each district. Route map to come.

UCAT Route Optimazation Public Survey

UCAT is partnering with the Ulster County Transportation Council (UCTC) to study how the existing UCAT system — including its routes, schedules, and services — can be transformed to better serve the public.

Please take the latest survey to learn about and evaluate preliminary routes and share your feedback! The survey, which can be found here, is open through December 20, 2024.

More info at participate.ulstercountyny.gov/ucat-route-plan.

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 representatives from the Kingston Uptown Business Association (KUBA) and the Midtown Business Alliance (MBA) about their event this weekend, Shop Hop, which will take place Saturday, December 14 from 11am to 7pm. A free shuttle will be making stops in all three business districts for easy holiday shopping and dining!

Click below to hear their conversation.

Weekly Roadwork/Infrastructure Update

Clinton Avenue Intersection Improvements– small areas of concrete sidewalk will be placed early in the week, mainly near the Albany/Pearl/Clinton intersection.

Central Hudson– service replacements will continue on Washington Ave.

Prospect Street sewer project– St. James Street between Broadway and the People’s Place driveway will be one-way from Broadway toward Clinton Ave from 7:00am to 7:00pm each day, Monday, December 16 to Friday December 20 for sewer and storm drain installation.  

The section of St. James Street between the People’s Place driveway and Clinton Avenue will remain open to two-way traffic for access to People’s Place and other local businesses, however through traffic should use alternate routes to Broadway.

Archtop Fiber-- work with continue on Ringtop Rd, Valentine Ave, Wilkie Ave and Overlook Dr. Another crew will be on Emerson Street, then moving to Main St, Johnston Ave and Lounsbury Pl soon. Crew 3 will be back to work on Elizabeth St and Marius Street, then heading toward Glen St and Josephine Ave. Crew 4 will begin working on Chapel Street, then move onto S. Wall St and W O’Reilly St from there.

Post Office Park-- construction continues with bluestone decorative elements and solar lights are being installed. 

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:



• Arts Commission
• 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/