Mayor’s Message for July 2021
Happy July! I hope everyone had a wonderful Independence Day holiday. It had extra significance this year as we could celebrate together again. I know we are all looking forward to more time spent with family and friends and neighbors this summer.
The Rhinebeck Village Board will be back together for our first in person meeting since NY State authorized virtual meetings under the State of Emergency declared during the COVID 19 pandemic.
The meeting will be July 13, 2021 at 6:00 PM at the Village Hall, 76 East Market Street. The public is invited to attend in person. There will be no remote access to this meeting, If you cannot be there, you can (as always) view it on PANDA, Public Access TV Channel 23. All future meetings of the Board will be held in person on the regular schedule listed on the Village website.
Later this month, we will be holding a special meeting to discuss the allocation of funds we will receive under the federal government’s American Rescue Plan. It is very good news that we are eligible for two payments totaling $261,802. The first will arrive this summer, the second in the summer of 2022.
The NY State Division of the Budget informed us that the amount is calculated using the entire population of the Village. The Town of Rhinebeck’s share is based on the town-outside-Village population.
Under the Recovery Act, we have flexibility in where we can use the funds.
The list of eligible items include:
● Costs from the Covid19 public health emergency
● Offsetting negative economic impacts to households, business, nonprofits and tourism
● Support essential workers with funds or grants to employers
● Covering revenue losses
● Investments in water, sewer or broadband
The money cannot be used for tax cuts or pension fund offsets. We would very appreciate your input on how to allocate the money. A date for the special meeting will be posted soon. Big thanks to our own Congressman Antonio Delgado who is the sponsor of the funding formula delivering dollars directly to counties, cities, towns and villages (Direct Support for Communities Act). Congressman Delgado is co-sponsor of the American Rescue Plan, and proudly voted to pass the package.
The Village of Rhinebeck, has issued a BOND RESOLUTION DATED JUNE 8 , 2020 for improvements to the Water Treatment Plant totalling - $6,156,000. A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING, SUBJECT TO PERMISSIVE REFERENDUM, A comprehensive water system evaluation was performed by Delaware Engineering of Rhinebeck water system and an Engineer’s Report dated January 2021 was prepared to document the needs of the water system. The recommended upgrades include improvements to the water treatment plant, sludge dewatering, water tank, water mains, and other system apparatus.
● Upgrades are needed to address regulatory compliance, replace equipment that has reached the end of its useful life, address electrical deficiencies, and improve water system operations.
● Upgrades are needed to provide sufficient chlorine contact time (CT) and reduce the creation of disinfection by-products (DBP). A mixing system is recommended for the water storage tank that will further reduce the DBP in the water system.
● Upgrades are needed to improve the operation of the water treatment plant when the turbidity in the Hudson River (source water supply) is high and severely limits the treatment capacity.
● Upgrades are needed to address the solids collected during backwash of the filters and flushing of the clarifiers to limit the amount of sludge that is stored on-site.
● Upgrades are needed to the electrical and control systems at the water treatment plant to address electrical code compliance issues and improve the operations of the water plant.
Summer means paving season as the Village continues to move forward on its repaving of our streets. Callanan Industries got the bid to begin work in the area of Cramer and Orchard Streets. The work will include milling, and re-profiling the road for proper drainage, furnishing and installing and leveling asphalt with a 1.5” top course. This will make the roads better and safer for everyone. The $89,850.00 price will be paid for by NY State grants.
After all the rain we have had, our urban forest is especially lush and green this year. Protecting and developing the trees that are so much part of our Village life is a big job.
The Village Tree Commission is looking for some new members after the Board approved expanding the Commission from 5 to up to 9 members. If you are interested please reach out to Meg Crawford megcrawford37@gmail.com. Residents of the Village of Rhinebeck or the Town of Rhinebeck or owners or operators of businesses within the Village are eligible. However, preference will be given to Village residents. Knowledge of arboriculture is desirable but shall not be a requirement for membership on the Commission. You can find the details on the Village website at: Tree Commission — Village of Rhinebeck
The Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) project is underway! The Village of Rhinebeck, as part of our Climate Smart efforts, is creating a NRI. The Village, the Town of Rhinebeck, and Town of Hyde Park are grateful to be receiving expert support from the DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program to jointly conduct an NRI process. We also thank Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County (CCE Dutchess) for their mapping assistance. The project kicked off in Spring 2021 and anticipates completion in Summer 2022. To learn more about this program please visit:
General 2 — Climate Smart Rhinebeck
The Village Police has recommended that we install pedestrian crosswalk signs at the (4) major crosswalks downtown. Pedestrian crossing signs provide advance notice of areas of high pedestrian activity to allow drivers to prepare to slow or stop on short notice. For more information about the laws, you can go to:
New York Consolidated Laws, Vehicle & Traffic Law - VAT §1202
Safety is always a major concern for the Police Department. Please remember that the Village will be extra crowded through the warm summer months! Always follow the laws and stay safe!
As always, please reach out to me with any questions or comments. You can reach me by phone 845-876-7015 ext 2 at Village Hall or via email to MayorBassett@VillageofRhinebeckny.gov
Gary Bassett
Mayor Village of Rhinebeck