August 16, 2019 - In This Issue:
A Message From Mayor Steve Noble:

Dear Friends,

We shared a lot of good news this week, including the paving of Washington Avenue from Lucas Ave to Route 32. The project was completed Thursday and the street is beautifully done. Happy driving and biking, everyone! 

As a part of our overall sustainability plan for Kingston, twelve buildings were converted to LED lighting. The City will reduce its annual greenhouse emissions by over 300 metric tons of C02e, the equivalent of removing 64 cars from the road for one year. This is another measure for conservation and savings to taxpayers. 

This afternoon, Live Well Kingston and the Y are hosting a Family Day of Play , and then tonight we have Movies in the Park at Kingston Point Beach, where they're showing  Aquaman. 

And don't forget to cast your vote for Participatory Budgeting! 

-Steve
Washington Avenue Paving!
 
You asked for it, and you got it- the City of Kingston paved Washington Avenue from Route 32 (Boulevard) to Lucas Avenue this week! DPW, with help from the Town of Ulster and Town of Esopus and an assist with traffic from KPD, laid 1850 tons of asphalt in two days! 

Central Hudson contributed $125,000 toward the City's paving on Washington Avenue in lieu of their own restoration work.
 
The City of Kingston has created an online hub for all things paving, including a list of streets paved in 2019, photos from current projects, letters to residents regarding upcoming roadwork, and forthcoming projects that involve paving. Visit www.kingston-ny.gov/paving  for all things paving-related. 

City Converts to LED Lighting in 12 Municipal Buildings
 
Mayor Steve Noble is pleased to announce that the City of Kingston has completed the conversion to LED lights at 12 municipal buildings. The installation at all 12 buildings was subsidized by Central Hudson and was implemented at a total cost to the City of $128,880.69. This investment is estimated to be paid off in 2 years and 6 months. Once the investment is paid off, the City can expect to save $51,147.72 each year in electric lighting costs.
 
The buildings include the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center, City Court, City Hall, DPW's Administration Building, Garage, and Wilbur Ave facility, the Everette Hodge Community Center, the Police Station, Rondout and Uptown Fire Stations and the Transfer Station.
 
The City will save 426,231 kWh in energy and related greenhouse gas production per year, the equivalent of the electricity use of 36 homes. The energy savings from this project represents 7% of the City's energy use in 2017 (5,984,150 kWh).
 
Through their Small Business Direct Install Lighting Program, Central Hudson funded nearly half of the City of Kingston's LED conversion, subsidizing $116,921.30 of the entire project.
   
Participatory Budgeting Survey Open Until September 6
 
The 2019 Participatory Budgeting Project Survey is now open for voting! The survey includes all of the proposed projects submitted by community members either online, by mail, or at one of the three public workshops held throughout the city in July, and also includes projects proposed but not chosen in 2018. Voting is open for residents who live, work or play in the three business districts -- Uptown, Midtown and Downtown. 
 
This year we set aside $20,000 for each of the three business districts to be spent however the community chooses. We hope everyone will weigh in on projects they would like to see happen in their neighborhood. Kingston residents can vote in more than one district, so for example, if you work in Uptown but live in Midtown, you are welcome to vote for your favorite projects in both polls.
   
Participatory Budgeting is a process in which community members directly decide how to spend part of a public budget. For the pilot project in 2018, $15,000 was set aside for improvements or projects in each business district for a total investment of $45,000 to be decided by the public. These funds were allocated based on revenue received from off-street parking fees. In the 2019 budget, Mayor Noble set aside $20,000 for each district, for a total of $60,000.
 
Paper surveys are also available for distributing at your local business, community center or other organization upon request.  The survey is open until September 6. 
 
Harambee's African American Festival on August 25
 
I am happy to support the first annual African American Festival, which will be presented by Harambee on Sunday, August 25 from 1:00 to 7:00pm. I am excited to be participating in the parade which kicks-off the festival activities. Thank you to Harambee for working so hard to make this festival happen for our community. 

The City of Kingston Applies for Nearly $10M in Grants
 
The Office of Grants Management has completed $9,761,200 in grants applications from various state agencies through the 2019 NYS Consolidated Funding Application (CFA). The City of Kingston applied for ten grants for seven separate projects throughout the City. The awards will be announced at a ceremony in Albany in December 2019.
 
The grant funds the City applied for would help make major improvements across many key aspects of our community - transportation, economic development, recreation and parks, and vital infrastructure and would take a significant burden off the taxpayers.  This diverse portfolio of projects has the potential to increase quality of life in all areas of the City.  The City requested funding for the following projects: 

Rondout Riverport Shoreline Stabilization Phase 1 
Hasbrouck CSO Sewer Separation Phase 2 Project  
Academy Green Park Improvements  
Dietz Stadium Green Infrastructure Site Improvements
Kingston Point Rail Trail Phase 2 
Midtown Brownfield Opportunity Area Designation 
Kingston/Ulster County Transit System Integration 

More info on all the project grant applications can be found at the City's website. 
Retirement Ceremony for Historian Ed Ford
 
This week we celebrated a true local hero. The City of Kingston held a ceremony on Tuesday for longtime City Historian, Ed Ford, who will retire  at the age of 101 after 35 years of service . Mayor Steve Noble, his staff, County Executive Pat Ryan, County Clerk Nina Postupack, Friends of Historic Kingston, and many others honored Mr. Ford at the farewell ceremony at City Hall.  Watch the live-streamed event at Radio Kingston's Facebook page . 

Mr. Ed Ford at Tuesday's retirement ceremony
Live Well Kingston's Family Day of Play  
 
It's not too late to head over to the Family Day of Play, happening today (Friday) at Hasbrouck Park from 3:00 to 6:00pm, which is sponsored by the Kingston YMCA and Live Well Kingston. Come out and play! 


Midtown Make a Difference Day Talent Show   
 
Auditions for the Midtown Make a Difference Day Talent Show are happening this weekend at the Hodge Center. Students from the Kingston City School District are welcome for try-outs tomorrow at the Everette Hodge Center from 1:00 to 3:00pm. If you can't make it tomorrow, there will be another audition on August 21. 

Midtown Make a Difference Day will be held on Saturday, September 7, 2019. 

Kingston Happenings
The City of Kingston often receives requests to share upcoming events happening in our community. Our partners at 
KingstonHappenings.org  do an excellent job of centralizing this community information. So while our website is the best resource to gain information about City of Kingston sponsored events and important municipal information, Kingston Happenings can give you a greater preview of community events. Check them out today!
Sent on behalf of:
Mayor Steven T. Noble
845.334.3902
[email protected]

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: