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October 17, 2017 - In This Issue:
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A Message From Mayor Steve Noble:
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Dear Friends,
As many of you know, we have a bit of an odd tradition here in the City of Kingston. Every two years, hundreds of people come together to reenact the 1777 Burning of Kingston, in which British troops invaded our city and burned most of it to the ground. While, thankfully, the townspeople had left the area before this invasion and some of our beautiful stone buildings even remained standing, most of the city was forced to rebuild. I'll admit, it may be somewhat strange for a city to want to relive such a difficult moment of its history. But, as we all know, Kingston isn't your typical city. It's a community that has seen its share of adversity and challenges and instead of seeking to forget those memories, we cherish them. We learn from them. We build from them.
Pictures from this past weekend's Burning of Kingston event will be featured next week, but for now, thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this event such a success!
-Steve
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Road Closure
Due to the continuation of Central Hudson's gas main replacement project, and in the interest of assuring the safety of all residents and visitors to this area, certain traffic restrictions will be in effect.
Mary's Avenue, between West O'Reilly Street and Pine Grove Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic daily from 6:00AM to 6:00pm, beginning on Monday, October 16, 2017 through Friday, October 20, 2017.
To review road closures, Executive Orders, changes in trash pick up, etc., visit
www.kingston-ny.gov and look under "Service News."
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Mayor Noble to deliver Budget Message on Tuesday, October 17th at 5:30pm
Community members are encouraged to attend Mayor Noble's 2018 Budget Message this Tuesday, October 17th at 5:30pm at City Hall, located at 420 Broadway. Mayor Noble will give an overview of his 2018 Recommended Budget, which will be posted on the City's website (
www.kingston-ny.gov) later that evening.
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Comprehensive Plan Zoning Sub-Committee
Public Forum
Tuesday, October 17th
6:00pm
City Hall- 420 Broadway
Join us this Tuesday, October 17th at 6:00pm at City Hall for the
October Comprehensive Plan Zoning Sub-Committee Public Forum
. The presentation and discussion for this month's forum will focus on the roles of the Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission, the Heritage Area Commission, and the Planning Board.
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Kingston's Festival of Scarecrows at Frog Alley Park/Louw-Bogardus House Ruins
Saturday, October 21st
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Please join us for Kingston's Festival of Scarecrows at Frog Alley, a community event sponsored by the City of Kingston, Friends of Historic Kingston & the Junior League of Kingston, featuring stylish scarecrows crafted by local artists, area businesses and members of the community, on Saturday, October 21 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (event will be cancelled if there is wind/rain)
at Frog Alley Park, the ruins of the Louw-Bogardus House on Frog Alley, adjacent to the Wiltwyck Fire Station.
Artwork from local Kingston City School District elementary students will be on display and select farm animals will be visiting from the Forsyth Nature Center!
New this year is the opportunity for community members to bring a carved
pumpkin to display during the event. Also several uptown planters maintained by KUBA's Beautification Committee/sponsored by area businesses will also be decorated with scarecrow installations.
Please contact the Friends of Historic Kingston or
scarecrowsatfrogalley@gmail.com with any event questions.
The Friends of Historic Kingston is committed to Keeping Kingston's History Alive by raising funds for the stabilization and restoration of the walls of the Louw-Bogardus Ruins in an effort for Frog Alley, a pocket park, to be accessible to our community and to be utilized for free programming, concerts and events, as well as educational opportunities to explore the historic ruins and former grist mill.
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Project Update
For the most recent project information please visit:
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City of Kingston "Downtown Revitalization Initiative" Kick-Off Scheduled for Monday, October 30th
Date: October 30, 2017
Time: 6:00pm-8:00pm
Location: City Hall, located at 420 Broadway
Mayor Noble is pleased to announce the kick-off event for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) program in the City of Kingston, scheduled for Monday, October 30th, 6:00pm-8:00pm, at Kingston's City Hall, located at 420 Broadway.
The event will include a summary of the New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative, including goals and expectations of the program, an overview of Kingston's initial proposal and potential projects in the Stockade District, and an outline of the DRI planning process. Attendees will be invited and encouraged to participate in small group feedback sessions. These group sessions will be interactive and will be facilitated by staff from the City of Kingston and the consulting team assigned by New York State to the City for this project, including VHB, WXY, and Arch Street Communications.
The City of Kingston was selected as the winner of the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative in the Mid-Hudson region. The City was described as having "...an ideal combination of recent strategic investments, shovel-ready future opportunities, involved anchor institutions and partners, recent infrastructure improvements, and supportive policies and plans to jump-start the DRI planning process."
The October 30th event will be one of many community engagement events and activities throughout the DRI process. Subsequent community meetings will be announced in the coming weeks and will be held at various days, times and locations to enable all stakeholders to give input into the plan.
About Governor Cuomo's Downtown Revitalization Initiative
Now in its second year,
Governor Cuomo's Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), is transforming downtown neighborhoods into vibrant communities where the next generation of New Yorkers will want to live, work and raise families. Participating communities are nominated by the state's ten Regional Economic Development Councils (REDCs) based on the downtown's potential for transformation, and each community is awarded $10 million to develop a downtown strategic investment plan and implement key catalytic projects that advance the community's vision for revitalization. For more information, visit:
https://www.ny.gov/programs/downtown-revitalization-initiative
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8th Annual O+ Festival
Thank you to all of the organizers, volunteers, artists, performers, and attendees for making the 8th Annual O+ Festival so wonderful!
 
Photos by Kevin Godbey/Kingston Happenings
View more pictures from this incredible event here.
Learn more about the O+ Festival and its mission here. |
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Pay Stations now live in six municipal parking lots
Pay stations that have been installed in six municipal lots throughout the City of Kingston were activated on Tuesday, October 10th. A fee of 75 cents per hour is now in effect Monday-Saturday, 9:00am-6:00pm at the following locations: all 3 North Front St. lots; the Cornell St. lot; the Prince St. lot; and the Dock St. lot. Users who have purchased and received a 2017 parking permit are not required to pay the hourly fee.
The pay stations accept coins, credit cards (2 hour minimum, no service charge incurred by user) and mobile app payments through Parkeon's Whoosh! app (2 hour minimum, 35 cent transaction fee charged to user.) The pay stations allow users to "pay by plate." Users are instructed to input their license plate numbers into the pay station. While users receive a printed receipt after their transaction, they do not have to return to their cars or display any proof of payment on their dashboard. The City's parking enforcement staff are able to verify the purchase by looking up the license plate. If a user has purchased a parking permit, that permit must be displayed on the vehicle's dashboard.
Frequent users of these parking lots are encouraged to purchase a 2017 parking permit. These permits, which are currently for sale for $10, will be valid through December 31, 2017. Permits do not guarantee parking availability.
Permits can be purchased in two ways:
2) By mail by either downloading the PDF application at
www.kingston-ny.gov/parking or picking up a paper application in person at City Hall at 420 Broadway in Kingston. Applicants are responsible for mailing their completed applications and check or money order directly to the processing center.
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HOME REPAIRS ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE
The City of Kingston has Community Development Block Grant funding available to assist low or moderate income, single family homeowners make repairs to their homes. The Residential Rehabilitation Program aims to make communities better by improving the housing stock, making essential repairs, and correcting basic structural deficiencies that present health and safety hazards.
"The Residential Rehabilitation Program is a key component of our efforts to assist local families in accessing and maintaining safe, quality housing," said Mayor Steve Noble. "I encourage homeowners in need of this assistance to contact our Office of Economic and Community Development immediately to identify whether they are eligible for this program."
Up to $25,000 in rehabilitation funding will be provided to eligible homeowners in the form of a 10 year, forgivable, interest-free loan. Homeowners do not have to pay back the loan, provided they remain within their home for 10 years following the rehabilitation project. Eligible households will have income at or below 80% of the area median income, which is currently $62,800 for a family of four and adjusted based on the actual number of household occupants. Eligible properties must be located within the City of Kingston limits and the property must be the homeowner's primary residence.
Items which may be addressed during rehabilitation include: correcting code violations; radon mitigation; asbestos and lead paint hazards mitigation; porches; window replacement; water heaters; water and sewer connections; accessibility improvements; repairs to or replacement of roofs or heating systems; and other eligible repairs.
The City is also looking for fully insured contractors to perform the construction work for these projects. Contractors must complete a contractor`s qualification form and meet basic criteria to be placed on the City`s bid list for residential rehab projects.
Interested City of Kingston property owners and contractors should contact Steve Knox at the Office of Economic and Community Development for more information at (845) 334-3928 or [email protected]. Applications may be obtained at the Office of Economic and Community Development in City Hall, located at 420 Broadway, or online by
clicking here.
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Employment Opportunities and Exam Announcements
The City of Kingston recently posted a number of civil service exam announcements and job vacancies.
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Upcoming Municipal Meetings
Tuesday, October 17th
Mayor's Budget Message
5:30pm
City Hall
Comprehensive Plan Zoning Sub-Committee Public Forum
6:00pm
City Hall
Wednesday, October 18th
Police Commission
4:00pm
Kingston Police Department
Live Well Kingston Commission
4:00pm
City Hall, Conference Room #1
Thursday, October 19th
Kingston Local Development Corporation
8:00am
Laws and Rules Public Hearing
6:30pm
City Hall
Laws and Rules Committee
6:30pm (Following Public Hearing)
City Hall, Conference Room #1
Friday, October 20th
No meetings scheduled at this time.
To stay up to date on all municipal meetings each month, check out our monthly calendar
here. Most meeting agendas and minutes can be found
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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