Mayor’s Message June 2020

Mayor’s Message for June 2020 It goes without saying that we have never been through anything like the COVID19 pandemic in our lifetimes. The retail, restaurant, and service businesses here in the Village of Rhinebeck have been severely impacted, along with our vibrant street scene. As we stayed home to flatten the curve, many of us lost income and jobs. Now, as we pivot towards re-opening the Village, we all have more challenges ahead. Dutchess County was declared safe to start Phase 1 or re-opening on May 26. If the infection rate stays stable, we will move to Phase 2 as soon as June 9. There are four phases to be accomplished, always while monitoring the data. Phase One: Construction, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting, Retail (curbside, delivery), Manufacturing, Wholesale Trade Phase Two: Professional Services, Essential and Phase 2 In-Store Retail, Real Estate, Vehicle Sales, leases and rentals, Retail Rental, Repair and cleaning, Commercial building management, Hair Salons and Barbershops. Phase Three: Restaurants, Food Services Phase Four: Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, Education You can access the guidance for Phase 1 and 2 via the https://forward.ny.gov/ny-forward The Village Board of Trustees recognizes that the current COVID19 pandemic is creating significant financial hardship for many Rhinebeck residents. To ease the burden somewhat, we have adopted a plan which allows for the payment of Village taxes in installments. Under power granted by the Real Property Tax Law §1434, we worked cooperatively with the Village of Red Hook and other villages in Dutchess County to change the payment schedule. Rhinebeck Village taxes are due by July 1, as always. If you decide to pay by installment, approximately half will be due on that date. The second installment will be due on September 1. If you choose to pay by installment, no interest will be charged. Failure to pay or neglect to pay on time will result in the standard interest, penalties and other charges set forth in the NYS Real Property Tax Law. Taxes which are paid through a real property tax escrow account may not be paid in installments. Unless renewed, this resolution shall apply only to the 2020-2021 tax year. To read the exact wording of the law, please go to the Village website. https://www.rhinebecknyvillage.org/ As we move forward through the phased re-opening, each step will require careful preparation and planning. To help our merchant community get up and running under the new health guidelines, we have formed a Village government task force made up of myself, Deputy Mayor Lewit, and Chamber Board member restaurateur Josh Kroner. We are drafting a plan to assist business owners. When the Village enters Phase 3, or at such a time as permitted by NYS, restaurants will once again be able to seat customers, although with a limited number of diners and other distancing measures. That’s why we would like to make it possible for restaurants to open additional outdoor dining spaces. We are proposing limiting traffic flow to one way east on East Market Street from Route 9 to the Municipal Parking lot for the summer. The travel lane will be narrowed to the center of the road to allow on-street dining areas to be set up. Restaurants will be issued permits to set up open air seating for food and full bar service in the extended outdoor space. Alcoholic beverage service will be subject to NYS Liquor Authority permission and guidance. Access to the Rhinebeck Bank, CVS, and other off-street parking lots will be maintained. Restaurants with existing parking lots will be allowed to convert them into outdoor dining spaces, not to exceed their occupancy limit. Restaurants with designated parking spots will be limited to 360 square feet, arranged at their discretion and subject to safety requirements. To assist our retail owners, we are proposing that merchants can have display and sales areas along the length of their storefronts. That will mean current limits and restrictions on rack and table length will be waived for the time being. In order to put this plan into effect, we will need clearance from the NYS Liquor Authority, as well as the State Departments of Transportation and Health. The Village Hall will be part of the Phase 2 re-opening. Our preparations for safely re-opening include continuing to perform many services remotely, identifying PPE requirements for on-site workers, and putting new technology in place. We want our employees and our residents to feel safe when they come to Village Hall. Once we are open, please do not come without making an appointment first by phone with the department you need. Everyone will be required to wear PPE, sign in at the front, and observe social distancing when inside. There are now glass barriers installed at each office. And, if at all possible, you can still use phone and video technology to conduct most village business. We are all set up for video conferencing, and there is a dropbox at the front door so you can pay bills without entering the building. It is very important that everyone continues to be careful and stay home if you are feeling sick. As we move to re-open, our Village officials, and emergency personnel are preparing for the possibility of an uptick in cases. It is up to every one of us to continue working to flatten the curve. On other business, our water infrastructure project and the repaving of our Village streets are both continuing as planned. So far Livingston, Chestnut and Platt streets have been repaved. We are expecting to start paving on Mulberry Street the week of June first after finishing the drainage improvements there. On Montgomery Street the main line has been completed with service connections. Weather permitting, paving will start the week of June 15th. I want to thank everyone for your patience as we work on this project of improving our Village! I want to congratulate Police Officer Daniel Alberg, on his work anniversary of 29 years. Wear masks when in public spaces and continue to use social distancing! 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 76 East Market St. Rhinebeck, NY 12572 845-876-7015