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June 29, 2020 - In This Issue:
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A Message From Mayor Steve Noble:
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Dear Friends,
After careful consideration, we have decided that the City's Parks & Recreation Summer Parks Program will remain closed.
After reviewing the New York State mandates for day camps and in consultation with my staff and other cities in our region, I have made the difficult decision to keep the Summer Parks Program closed this year. Our programs were designed to provide safe and fun experiences for hundreds of children. We do not feel that we can provide the type of large, high-quality recreation programs we have traditionally offered while adhering to these new restrictions. I recognize how disappointing this is, but our commitment to public safety is the top priority. O
ur community has made incredible progress in to flatten the curve, but the pandemic is not over.
A reminder that Kingston Point Beach is now open at a reduced capacity. Hours of operation are Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 5pm. A Safety Coordinator is on-site to ensure proper social distancing measures are in place and to support the City's safety plan.
Parks and playgrounds are currently open. Users of the playground equipment should keep 6' physical distancing and use hand sanitizer and wash hands after using any playspaces.
Please continue to stay safe, and take care.
-Steve
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Summer Youth Respite Programs Offered
The City of Kingston is collaborating with youth-serving organizations to provide summer respite services for children in need.
Family of Woodstock, Inc, Center for Creative Education, Boys and Girls Club, YMCA, and Read and Write are working together to provide small group short-term, free or low-cost drop-in programs. All programs will be kept to 10 or fewer children and will support youth struggling with the impact of COVID-19 and in need of social interaction, educational assistance, skill building and other services.
The coalition will share a number of resources, including specialized facilitators, safety procedures, and training, including a licensed social worker, who will provide free consultations for families, as needed, as well as training for all staff on social/emotional learning practices, trauma, and other topics relative to youth development during the pandemic.
The City of Kingston will support with staff and the use of its three community centers.
Boys and Girls Club
Program Location: Boys and Girls Club
Specialty: Education, character/leadership skill-building, arts, & physical education.
Center for Creative Education
Program Location: Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center
Specialty: Arts, dancing, music, wellness, storytelling and fun.
Family of Woodstock, Inc.
Program Location: Everette Hodge Community Center
Specialty: Skill-building, neighborhood attachment, healthy youth development, and support services.
Read and Write
Program Location: Rondout Neighborhood Center
Specialty: Reading and writing, arts and crafts, recreation, bike safety, dance, and lots of fun.
YMCA*
Program Location and Specialties: Various
*The YMCA is not a drop-in program and will be operating its summer camps under reduced capacities.
Families in need of longer term, traditional day care can contact Child Care Connections, the New York State Resource and Referral Agency for Ulster, Columbia, and Greene Counties, at 845-331-7080 to learn more about child care options and potential subsidies.
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Residential Rehab Assistance Available
City of Kingston homeowners may be eligible for home repair assistance through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Housing Rehabilitation Program.
CDBG funds will be used to provide up to $25,000 of rehabilitation assistance to owner-occupied households that meet low- to moderate-income eligibility criteria. Funds are provided in the form of a deferred interest-free loan that is forgiven after 10 years. Eligible household income must be at or below 80% of the area median income, which is currently $66,650 for a family of four, and is adjusted based on the household size. Eligible properties must be located within City of Kingston municipal limits and the property must be the homeowner's primary residence.
Items which may be addressed during rehabilitation include: correcting code violations; mitigating health and safety hazards such as radon, asbestos and lead paint hazards; and repairs like roofs, heating systems, porches, water heaters, water and sewer connections, and accessibility improvements.
"We are pleased to be able to offer the Housing Rehabilitation Program to our residents, especially in these financially precarious times," said Mayor Noble. "Homeowners in need of making critical improvements, and who meet the program criteria, are encouraged to contact the office of Community Development and apply. These funds can be extremely helpful to maintain the safety and well-being of families and individuals in our community."
Applications can be found here. City of Kingston homeowners with questions regarding the program may contact Arlene Puentes at 845-334-3920 or [email protected] in the Office of Community Development.
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Fourth of July Weekend Motorcade to Honor Essential Workers
The City of Kingston will host
a Fourth of July Weekend Motorcade for Essential Workers on Sunday, July 5 at 4:00pm.
This year, in lieu of the traditional Fourth of July fireworks display, the City of Kingston - and other municipalities across Ulster County -- will participate in a coordinated parade of vehicles. The celebration is intended to honor and celebrate essential and frontline workers, and will include driving past essential workplaces to show support.
The Motorcade will be led by the Kingston Fire Department and Kingston Police Department, along with City officials and community groups. Decorating of vehicles is encouraged. Any family, group or organization who would like to participate, can register here.
Line-up at 3:30pm at Dietz stadium parking lot, and the motorcade will begin at 4:00pm. Registrants will be sent more information on the route and other details.
Radio Kingston will be playing music and giving shout-outs to local essential workers. Email [email protected] to nominate your favorite essential worker for a live on-air mention for their heroic work!
Fourth of July Weekend Motorcade for Essential Workers
Sunday, July 5, 2020
Line-up at 3:30pm at Dietz Stadium lot
Motorcade at 4:00pm
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Mayor Noble's Daily Update
Mayor Noble has been live on Radio Kingston
daily
since mid-March to give the latest information about Coronavirus and issues effecting the community. These updates have also streamed on the City of Kingston Facebook page for the past 12 weeks. He will be taking a break for the holiday and will be back on Monday, July 6, 2020.
Let us know if you would like to Mayor Noble to continue with these daily updates from Monday to Thursday, or if you feel we can scale back to fewer briefings each week. Email
[email protected] with your thoughts!
Click below to hear Wednesday's update.
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Kingston Reads! So You Want to Talk About Race
The first Kingston Reads! city-wide book selection is
So You Want to Talk About Race by
Ijeoma Oluo.
Copies of the book are
available free of charge at Rough Draft, thanks to a generous sponsorship, while supplies last.
Local organizations can get discounted copies with bulk orders.
Loaner copies will be available at the YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County.
Radio Kingston (1490 AM 107.9 FM or streaming at
radiokingston.org
) has started broadcasting the entire book Monday through Friday at 6:00pm.
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Parking Lot Improvements at Forsyth Park
The Forsyth Park Improvements
project will be completed this week with the paving of the Forsyth Park playground and tennis courts parking lots.
Paving is the final component of the project, which was funded by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) and completed the Forsyth Park playground, Kinderland 2. Paving preparations are being completed by the Kingston Department of Public Works and the parking lot paving and construction work will be done by Callanan Industries this week, weather permitting. On the day of paving, the sections being paved will be closed, and will be clearly marked with cones and no parking signs.
The Forsyth Park Improvements project was awarded in December 2014 for upgrades to the playground and tennis courts, which have already been completed, and paving of the parking lots and access road.
"This final component of the Forsyth Park project allows us the opportunity to make needed improvements to long-neglected informal parking areas of one of our most popular parks, and closes out a long-standing grant affording us future opportunities for funding through OPRHP that have been previously limited. This new formal parking will be a far safer and clearer system for park users and will be much easier for us to maintain," said Julie Noble, Project Manager and the City's Environmental Education and Sustainability Coordinator.
"This is great news. Forsyth Park is one of our greatest assets in Uptown and I'd like to thank this administration and especially the personnel at DPW for all their work to make this happen, said Jeffrey Ventura-Morell, Alderman Ward 1.
Funding for this project is from a New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) grant in the amount of
$304,354.00, with a $197,629.00 match from the City of Kingston.
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Roadwork Update
Central Hudson's f
inal pipe connections on Clinton Ave at the intersection of Franklin, St James and Liberty Streets will be completed this week.
Service installation to be completed on Andrew Street, and
in the area of the Governor Clinton to 592 Broadway, and
West & East O'Reilly Street.
I-587 Roundabout: Sewer installation along with manholes continues this week on Broadway and East Saint James Street, contractor is moving toward Albany Ave. Sewer laterals installation on Broadway to businesses/homes have started and will continue in the coming week. Plans to begin installation of proposed water main will commence this week.
Empire State Trail: Half section of barrier will be installed on Route 32 over the next two weeks. Milling and paving of new shoulders on Route 32 will start this week and continue for a few weeks. Sidewalk and curb installation to start on Route 32. Expect traffic delays.
Broadway Streetscape:
Current work includes curb installations from Henry Street to Pine Grove.
Sidewalks installation expected to start in the next two weeks, which is typically laid about 500' per day.
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Kingston 311
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.
This system is a valuable resource to submit service requests for streetlight replacement, roadwork, City signage, traffic calming measures and other concerns. Issues with snow removal and reporting of vehicles and sidewalks not in accordance with the Snow Emergency restrictions can also be submitted via Kingston 311.
Photos can also be attached to illustrate service orders. Dial 311 from any phone within City limits to reach us.
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