Mayor’s Message for June 2022
It was wonderful to see so many of you lining the streets for the Memorial Day Parade. Many thanks to all those who participated in this event which honors those members of the military who lost their lives while serving in the United States Armed Forces. I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day holiday.
We had a big turnout of approximately 100 people at our May 23rd forum on Outdoor Dining on Public Sidewalks. Brandee Nelson from Tighe and Bond presented the results of their research and recommendations:
Generally, 5-Foot width of walkway maintained along the public sidewalk
Minimum 3 to 4 feet of space for entrances & commercial entrances
Enclosed outdoor dining areas are to be located along the building facades
All dining areas should be enclosed, whether they sell alcohol or not
Retain a 3 foot clearance (access aisle) between tables for accessibility
No permanent structures for outdoor dining and retail areas
Here is a sample of some of the many comments on the plan:
Design for ADA compliance to insure accessibility, inclusivity and diversity
Stricter enforcement needed with penalties
Love it, but not on sidewalks
Covid has changed everything, we need to adjust and recoup losses
Adds congestion to sidewalks
Retailers want it, drives foot traffic to retailers helping merchants thrive
Restaurants are losing customers due to no outdoor dining
Love outdoor dining – brings a lot of life to Rhinebeck
Aesthetics are important in our Village
Businesses want this, it helps the create an inviting atmosphere to the Village
Village Attorney David Gordon proposed a two-part process, starting with a short term permit for 2022 while the Village board works on a local law.
Thank you to everyone who turned out for this discussion and gave us input. Your comments are very valuable to Trustee Slaby and me as we continue to work on the plans. To see the presentation and discussion, go to the Outdoor Dining Forum on the Village website. Outdoor Dining Forum
As of May 31st, Village Street lights will be dimmed to 75% capacity every night from midnight until 5am. Trustee Lewit is overseeing the project which allows us to save money and energy by using a web based dashboard to control the lighting. Under an arrangement with the NY Power Authority, we are taking part in a pilot program. There will be groups of lights at crosswalks that will remain at full capacity. Please contact us if you see any inconsistency or have any comments as this program goes into effect.
The gardening season is upon us, and the Building and Zoning Department is asking all residents to continue to maintain their lawns and yards. The rules are listed in the Village of Rhinebeck Zoning Code Village of Rhinebeck, Chapter 37, Brush , Grass and Weeds. Your neighbors will appreciate it, and it keeps our beautiful village looking its best. If you have a professional lawn/property maintenance contractor, please let them know the guidelines as well!
For more information, please contact Zoning Enforcement Officer Justin Noyes at jnoyes@villageofrhinebeckny.gov or Clerk Ryan Dowden rdowden@villageofrhinebeckny.gov.
The Village has now formally adopted The Natural Resources Inventory for the Village and Town of Rhinebeck Spring 2022. Trustee Bertozzi oversaw the data collection which identifies important community resources within the Village and Town of Rhinebeck. It was an enormous amount of work, and the information will be an appendix to the Rhinebeck Village Comprehensive Plan. It will also be very useful to municipal boards, agencies and residents involved in development, management, and protection of our resources. The NRI will be updated and amended as needed. To read the document, go to: Natural Resources Inventory for the Village of Rhinebeck
Speaking of our resources, Trustee Lewit has released the results of a comprehensive survey of our local parks. For details go to Park Survey on the Village Website. The Village of Rhinebeck has once again been recognized as a 2021 Tree City USA, by the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation for the 11th year in a row. Many thanks to all those who work so hard to manage and protect our urban forest.
The work continues on the Comprehensive Plan Update. The Board has hired Tighe & Bond to prepare various program components for us, as well as developing plans for public engagement, GIS support, graphic designer support, and development of web-based content.
The Village, as of June 1st, will charge $.25 for every fifteen minutes at our EV electric charging stations. After 3 hours there will be an additional “Parking Fee” to encourage freeing up the space for the next user. Initially the cost for usage was covered by grants, but those have now expired.
We are accepting applications for a 4 year term on the Rhinebeck Village Planning Board. Please submit an application to the Village Clerk, Martina McClinton by October 18, 2022. During our board meeting in May, we chose to reappoint Michael Ghee to the Planning Board and Kevin Curry to the ZBA. We appointed Tim Decker from alternate to full member to complete Colton Johnson’s term, and appointed Marc Isserles to be our second alternate on the ZBA.
Many of you know Antonio Delgado as your Congressman from the 19th District, as well as our neighbor in the Village of Rhinebeck. Now, he has a new title, Lieutenant Governor for the State of NY. He was sworn in to serve in Governor Kathy Hochul’s administration.
A final note: There is no way for any of us, no matter where we live, to not mourn the innocent lives lost in Uvalde, Texas and many other communities in our country. We can pass common sense laws that limit the availability of high powered weapons designed for war. Let’s do all we can to call for passage of laws which could prevent more tragedies like Uvalde from tearing our communities apart.
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@Villgeofrhinebeckny.gov