September 20, 2019 - In This Issue:
A Message From Mayor Steve Noble:

Dear Friends,

I hope you all will join me on Tuesday for a community forum to discuss the 2020 City of Kingston Budget. The purpose of this meeting is to get community feedback on how taxpayer dollars are spent and how the City allocates its resources. This a concept I introduced and is the first time residents have been included in the budget process. It's a great opportunity to see inside the City's budget up close and how it personally affects individual residents. I encourage everyone to attend, or send an email to [email protected] with your thoughts! 

I also wanted to acknowledge all the construction notices the City has been putting out on Facebook and to thank you all for your patience as we rebuild our infrastructure. I recognize the construction can be inconvenient but it's an important step in getting this vital work done. 

-Steve
 Burning of Kingston Youth Writing Contest
 
Calling young writers: The City of Kingston and the  Kingston Times are teaming up for a Burning of Kingston writing contest! The winner will have their work printed in the newspaper! The contest is open to youth ages 9-13 who live in the Kingston City School District. (Entrants can also be private or parochial school students, or be homeschooled students.) Entries can be an essay, a poem or a fictional story related to the 1777 burning of Kingston by British troops. Be creati ve and imaginative - the piece of writing can be about the burning itself, the people living in and around Kingston at the time or the rebuilding afterwards. The deadline for submissions is Oct. 11. The winning piece of writing will be printed in the Oct. 17 edition of the Kingston Times and the winner will also get a certificate from the mayor and be invited to City Hall to get a tour from the mayor and visit the mayor's office.

Entries can be emailed to [email protected], or dropped off or mailed to Ulster Publishing, attn. Dan Barton, 322 Wall St., Kingston, NY 12401.


 The BARK Crew's Music Video, "Trash Talk"
 
Last year's Participatory Budgeting Project funds supported the YMCA Farm Project to create B.A.R.K. (Beautifying and Restoring Kingston), a group of Kingston High School students who spent their Mondays in Midtown and Thursdays in Uptown cleaning up and beautifying the City. These kids are so passionate about keeping our community clean and inviting, they made a music video on the subject! 

Click here to watch the BARK crew's "Trash Talk" video, which I got to see with the crew themselves in a special City Hall premiere. 

Kingston Greenline Block Party on Saturday
 
Hope you can join us tomorrow, Saturday, September 21 from 3:30-7:00pm, for the Kingston Greenline Block Party. Details below! 

2020 City of Kingston Community Budget Forum
 
Mayor Steve Noble is pleased to announce a community forum regarding the City of Kingston's budget process will be held on Tuesday, September 24 at 5:30pm at City Hall, located at 420 Broadway.
 
The evening will begin with opening remarks from Mayor Noble, followed by an overview of the major components of the City budget led by City Comptroller John Tuey. Following this presentation, participants will be invited to break out into small work groups where they will discuss the budget in greater detail and offer feedback on where the City should prioritize resources.
 
Leadership from the various City departments will also be participating throughout the evening. Questions, suggestions and general comments will be gathered by city staff to be referred to during the budget planning process.
 
This is the third annual community budget forum. Mayor Noble instituted this new part of the budget process in 2016 in an effort to better inform his administration of the priorities and concerns of Kingston taxpayers.
 
Written comments about the 2020 budget may also be emailed to [email protected]. 
 
New Safety Coordinator Hired
 
The City has hired a new Safety Coordinator, who will work at the Department of Public Works developing detour plans and initiating safety training and programs for City staff. 

Kenneth Sickler is a Kingston native, a graduate of Kingston High School and SUNY Purchase with a B.A. in Political Science.  Kenneth served as Infantry Officer in the NY Army National Guard for over eight years in a variety of positions including Operations Staff Officer with the 69th Infantry Battalion and 27th Infantry Brigade. We welcome Kenneth to the City of Kingston team! 

KCSD Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony 
 
The Kingston School District  celebrated the official opening of Meagher Pre-K Center at 21 Wynkoop Place with a r ibbon cutting event  on Wednesday . We are excited to see   the Meagher School   re-open - it will be a huge asset for the community.  Thank you to Superintendent Paul Padalino for seeing this project through! 

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: