Mayor’s Message September 2019

I want to wish every one of our young people a wonderful, productive, and safe school year. Now that schools are back in session, we are encouraging motorists to be extra careful. Signs are posted around school zones to remind everyone to be careful, but please also be on the lookout everywhere in the Village for students walking to and from school, as well as school buses stopping for pick-ups and drop-offs. Rhinebeck PD officers will be out and about in the next weeks, monitoring school zones in the Village to make sure motorists are driving safely. Sidewalks contribute to pedestrian and motorist safety. We will be discussing the idea of installing a new sidewalk from Montgomery to Oak Street at the next Village Board meeting. It would make walking to the parks and library on that route easier and safer, plus serve the residents of Oak, Prospect, and Chestnut by providing safe access to downtown. This idea came from the very productive special meeting on August 27 with residents to talk about ideas for submission to the Community Development Block Grant for 2020. There was agreement from the community that walkability and bikeability were important to Village residents and this project meets all the criteria. Good news to report on Rhinebeck’s water quality. Independent labs have reported that the trace contaminants in water samples from 8/6 and 8/13 are much lower than those found in the May sampling. Usually samples taken in August have the highest levels because warm water increases contaminants. So, we are waiting for a response from the County to allow the Village to use the averages from the two August samples for our third quarter filing. Meanwhile, sampling continues, but this means that we likely will not have any additional violations. Rhinebeck is leading the way for other communities as we are the first “Autism Supportive Community” in the country, in partnership with Anderson Center for Autism. I recently took part in the filming of a video, filmed by Brian Berusch from Story House video productions, about the success of our initiative. I said that I have been blown away by the spirit of this community and the response from restaurants, businesses, volunteers and our residents who have taken part. This enthusiastic adoption shows not only that this project is badly needed, but that Rhinebeck is ready to lead the way. We are hoping to partner with Anderson to launch a phase two of the project and we welcome anyone who wants to do “#1thing” to contribute to making Rhinebeck an Autism Supportive Community. Another of our wonderful local initiatives is the Rhinebeck Farmers Market “Taste of the Market” fundraiser, coming up on September 22nd. Talented local chefs have been paired with market vendors to create seasonal dishes for a tasting event. All proceeds with benefit the market’s John Honey Scholarship Fund, which is awarded to local students who are interested in studying agriculture, food science, environmental studies, or a related field. Funds are also given to local vendors who are pursuing continuing education in these fields. This is a fun and delicious way to contribute, please mark your calendars for 12-2 pm on 9/22! For more information:hp://www.rhinebeckfarmersmarket.com/store/p9/Taste_of_the_Market.html

As of September 4th, the work on the cell tower at Village Hall has been completed. Phew. The parking lot has been reopened, and the electric vehicle charging stations are once again accessible. Apologies for the inconvenience, it’s nice to have the work completed.

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 or come to see me during open hours from 1pm to 2pm daily. Gary Bassett Mayor Village of Rhinebeck 76 East Market St. Rhinebeck, NY 12572 845-876-7015