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December 24, 2016 - In This Issue:
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A Message From Mayor Steve Noble:
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Dear Friends,
I want to wish each of you a safe and joyous holiday. I believe wholeheartedly that our community is special because of the people who choose to live, work and visit here. Knowing each of you and having the opportunity to serve as your Mayor this past year has been the greatest honor. Your trust that I will carry out this incredible responsibility is the most significant gift that I could receive, one that I treasure every day. While we have already achieved so much together in 2016, I am excited to prepare for a new year, filled with peace, unity and collective prosperity.
Whether you are spending time with your families, volunteering with our local helping agencies, or celebrating the traditions of our diverse cultures, I hope that you are doing so knowing that Kingston is a greater community because you are here.
Happy holidays!
-Steve
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Community Development Block Grant process begins
The City of Kingston must prepare its Annual Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2017 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018), which details the use of its estimated $600,000 annual grant under the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's) Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) Entitlement Grant. Public comments regarding specific projects or program priorities you would like to see included in the Consolidated Plan or Annual Action Plan are accepted at the City's Office of Economic & Community Development at any time. The citizens of Kingston are also invited to participate in informational and public comment sessions on the 2017 Annual Action Plan.
Click
here for a schedule of CDBG meetings.
Click
here for information on the CDBG process and a copy of the 2017 application.
Click
here for contact information.
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Laws and Rules Committee endorses memorializing resolution
On Tuesday, December 20th, dozens of community members attended the Common Council's Laws and Rules Committee to express their views on a memorializing resolution proposed by Mayor Steve Noble. After a passionate public speaking period, the resolution to reaffirm Kingston as a welcoming and inclusive city was endorsed by a majority of the Committee. The resolution will now be voted on by the full Common Council at its January 10th meeting.
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Kingston High School students present 100 ideas to Mayor Noble
From our partners at the Kingston City School District:
KHS students who contributed to The Pop-Up Gallery Group (PUGG) of Kingston were able to meet with City of Kingston Mayor Steve Noble to showcase some of their artwork and ideas for improving the city.
PUGG was created in conjunction with the City of Kingston as an afterschool program that teaches students gallery management skills and is supported by the City of Kingston's Economic and Community Development Office. The groups mission is to show the work of KHS Alumni in pop
up galleries located in empty storefronts on Broadway.
Students presented the Mayor with artwork most recently displayed in Kingston's (P)optimism Shoppe, located at 622 Broadway. The gallery space is operated by artist G. Riley Johndonnell (a/k/a Uncle Riley), who, along with his business partner Whitny Sobala, is the organizer of an "optimistic" art movement.
As part of the "Pollination" project at the (P)optimism Shoppe students at KHS each painted a flower of their own design on one of the circles, then wrote a suggestion on the back for how Kingston can make Midtown a brighter place with ideas like fixing sidewalks, repairing buildings and improving transportation.
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Kingston High School choir visits City Hall
The beautiful sounds of Kingston High School's Choir echoed throughout Kingston's historic City Hall. Employees and visitors gathered around as they were treated to a handful of holiday classics.
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Pilot amnesty program for late penalties on parking citations launches;
participants encouraged to donate food
Mayor Steve Noble is pleased to announce the launch of a parking citation amnesty period in the City of Kingston. Individuals with parking tickets issued earlier than December 1st and who therefore owe a late penalty will have that late penalty waived if the citation is paid in person at City Hall during the amnesty period, scheduled for Thursday, December 15th through Friday, December 30th.
"As we close out 2016, I am eager to help our community members resolve any outstanding parking citations," said Mayor Noble. "By offering the waiver on late penalties, we hope people will come in, pay their original tickets and start off 2017 with a clean slate."
Modeled after other community's "Food for Fines" programs, Mayor Noble is asking those participating in the amnesty period to consider bringing in non-perishable food items to be distributed to local food pantries this winter. This food contribution is not required to participate in the amnesty period.
"I believe this is an excellent opportunity for individuals to settle these lingering citations at a lower cost and, if they so choose, help their fellow neighbors," continued Mayor Noble.
In order to participate in the program, tickets must be paid on-site at City Hall, 420 Broadway, main floor, in the City Comptroller's office. The office is open Monday-Friday, 9:00am-4:00pm. It will be closed on December 23rd and December 26th in observance of the holiday. Payment methods include cash or check. Food donations should be brought to the same location.
Recommended items include:
canned tuna or chicken; canned fruit (in water or juice); beans; soups; peanut butter; jelly; olive or canola oil; canned vegetables; bottles of 100% juice; cereal; oatmeal; rice; pasta; pasta sauce (can); crackers; granola bars; pancake mix; nuts; dried fruit; spices; etc.
Please ensure all donations are of good quality, unopened, and within their sell by date.
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Calling all artists and industrial designers
The City of Kingston,
Live Well Kingston
and O+ Festival invite artists and industrial designers to design an artistic bike rack (which will be replicated) for the newly designed Cornell Street as part of the Kingston Connectivity Project.
The
KINGSTO+N Bike Rack Design Competition
seeks to add a new element of distinctive public art to Kingston streets and provide an opportunity for the community to think creatively and imaginatively about public streetscapes.
Each design will be reviewed for aesthetics, site appropriateness, and feasibility for fabrication and installation. Each rack should exhibit the artist's own original creative intent. Bike rack designs must meet the following criteria:
- Must be capable of securing at least two standard bicycles - each of which is two feet wide by six feet long - upright by their frames using standard bike locks, including a U-lock.
- Fit in a maximum footprint of 60" long X 12" wide.
- Provide a minimum of two points of contact - at least 6" apart - for each bike, e.g. touch each bike on two wheels or one wheel and the frame for stability. The points of contact should be at least 32" above ground.
- Rack tubes should be no larger than 2" to accommodate the use of smaller U-locks.
- Be boltable to the cement ground by a surface flange mount in a way that will prevent the racks from being removed from the location.
- Include no sharp edges or other potential safety hazards. Rack must not create a trip hazard for pedestrians.
- A bicycle should not have to be lifted off the ground in order to be secured to the rack. Racks that would be easy to climb are not encouraged. It is important to consider the 'friendliness' of the rack to the bike (i.e. holding the bike upright, hazard free, etc.).
- Use of the bike rack should be intuitive and not require written instructions.
- Racks should be able to be fabricated using durable materials suitable for outdoor installation with little or no maintenance. Designers should approach this project as a permanent installation with a minimum 10-year life expectancy.
- Designs should be appropriate for public display. Inappropriate or vulgar designs will not be considered
Designs are due Jan. 17. This competition was made possible by a grant through the American Planning Association - New York Metro Chapter as part of the Plan4Health program (http://plan4health.us/). The grant supported Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County to coordinate the Live Well Kingston Coalition. Partners in the bike rack competition include: the City of Kingston, Bike Friendly Kingston, the Kingston Complete Streets Advisory Council, and the Kingston Land Trust Kingston Greenline Committee.
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City Hall will be closed on the following days:
- Monday, December 26th
- Monday, January 2nd
To stay up to date on all municipal meetings each month, check out our monthly calendar
here.
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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!
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