Mayor’s Message September 2020
Autumn is upon us, and in the Village of Rhinebeck schools will be reopening with altered attendance schedules designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But like every fall, please keep an eye out on the streets for yellow school buses and for kids walking to or from school. We are still in Phase 4 of reopening under the strict NY State health guidelines.
Speaking of Covid-19, as of today, the infection rate in Dutchess County remains below 1%. As we move towards full reopening we must stay the course by wearing masks, practicing social distancing, regularly washing hands and always be considerate of others.
I want to again acknowledge what a great job our residents and businesses have done by following health guidelines, flattening the curve, and keeping the infection rate as low as possible. Fall also brings the usual flu season, which means we must stay vigilant.
The Village of Rhinebeck is committed to providing a safe environment during the election for Village Trustees which will be held at Village Hall on Tuesday, September 15th from 12pm to 9 pm. Voters will enter from the back of the Firehouse off Center Street and exit through the front towards East Market. Everyone will be asked to wear a mask and sanitize their hands when entering for the protection of themselves and other voters as well as the election staff. For more information, please view the excellent video by our own our YouTube star and Rhinebeck Village Clerk, Martina McClinton: https://youtu.be/NNSrx6y4tos
Our wonderful community continues to step up to provide help for those in need, especially during the pandemic. Food Pantry at The Reformed Church is on Tuesdays from 10AM-12PM at 6368 Mill St. and at the Church of the Messiah on Saturdays from 10AM-1PM at 6436 Montgomery St. The Rhinebeck School lunch program continues. And the Rotary Club has a home repair program, call Mike Frazier at 845-876-7463 or email michaelfrazier@earthlink.net.
We are continuing to work with Dutchess County on the Police Reform Initiative mandated by the Governor. The county committee’s goal is to gather and review policies from all police departments in Dutchess County and have a completed a draft of applicable policies and procedures by November 2020. If you are interested in following the effort, please go to DutchessNY.gov/PoliceReform.
The county task force has formed two workgroups:
1) a workgroup to collect and review local municipalities’ current policies and procedures focusing on how to build public trust, enhance connections to the community, and establish accountability, transparency, and professionalism. Also, under discussion is the use of force and training policies. Rhinebeck’s Sgt. Pete Dunn and I are part of this group.Deputy Mayor Lewit is also taking part in the discussions with the County.
2) a Countywide Community Engagement Committee.
We will be asking for public input every step of the way. There will be a virtual regional public forum for our area on Saturday, Sept. 26, 3pm-5 for the Town and Village of Rhinebeck, the Town of Red Hook including Villages of Red Hook and Tivoli, and the Towns of Milan and Clinton. Sign up here if you would like to join us for the September 26 Forum.
Rhinebeck Village will also be setting up a residents working group to determine local priorities and make certain any proposed changes align to the policies and procedures tailored to the needs of the Village.
The Village Board will soon get details of the evaluation performed by Delaware Engineering on the potential transfer of ownership of the Water and Wastewater Departments to Dutchess County Wastewater Authority. Trustees’ Neuneker and Rossi have been working on the study which was funded by Dutchess County. The study includes technical, infrastructure and fiscal conditions when considering whether to recommend further action.
The Joint Environmental Committee is working with the Town and Village Highway Departments to discuss reduction of road salt during the winter season with the use of BRINE. Millbrook as well as NYSDOT are already using BRINE. Over the long term, the accumulation of road salt seeps into our water and has devastating effects on watersheds and the ecosystem. Employees of the Rhinebeck Town and Village Highway departments recently met to discuss current practices and techniques for maintaining the roads during the winter season.
I am going to start holding “Virtual Village Town Halls” to give all of you a chance to weigh in on local issues of concern to you. If you are interested, please contact the Village Clerk, include a subject or issue you want to talk about. The meetings will have up to ten people, and will be held at 6 PM, on the second Wednesday of the month.
So, if you would like to join in, please tell Martina McClinton at Village Hall, and she will sign you up. Hope to see you there!
Wear masks when in public spaces and continue to use social distancing!And remember on September 15th, to VOTE in the Village Election!
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
Chair, Hudson River Drinking Water Inter-municipal Council
76 East Market St.
Rhinebeck, NY 12572
845-876-7015