Mayor’s Message October 2022
I don’t know about you, but I cannot believe it’s October already.
As we begin to see the beautiful fall foliage, I hope everyone in the Village also gets a chance to see the decorated streets by the intersection of South Street and South Parsonage near the Lions Park. These were created by our students along their walk to school as part of their collaboration with the Climate Smart Community Task Force and the Comprehensive Plan process. Their drawings will fade away, but our incredible engaged community of people of all ages who really care, will remain resilient and involved.
This project was part of our recent Climate Week which included screenings, panels with scientists, entrepreneurs, and activists as well as free e-bike test rides with Bewegen and ValleyBike. If you have not heard the term “Tactical Urbanism”, it means a hands on approach to urban design and building community. The Village of Rhinebeck Climate Smart Task Force and community partners hosted the series of events. Please share your feedback here: Safe walk to school
A huge thanks to the Village of Rhinebeck Police Department for their support. We also want to thank our Village businesses who are taking part in our Village Compost pilot and running a BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) promotion. Look for decals in shop windows!
In order to protect our urban forest, the Village Board has made the difficult decision to remove many of the aging Norway Maples along Montgomery Street. These trees have been badly damaged by climate change, human interference, as well as their age. The Tree Commission has argued that it is time to let them go.
Village Trustee Ric Lewit said, “they will be replaced by a variety of more than 30 trees – some understory trees like cherry, crabapple, and hawthorn under the lines and some top story trees like oaks, planes, catalpas, honey locusts and tulips next to sidewalks away from power lines. By planting multiple kinds of trees with varied growth patterns and life expectancies, we will be creating a diverse ecosystem for wildlife and insects as well as a healthier urban forest, so we will never again be in a situation where more than twenty trees need to be removed all at once”.
The proposed development of 6 Mulberry Street will be the subject of a public hearing scheduled for 10/3/2022. The date was set and public notices went out following the discussion of the proposal by the Village Board. Trustee Slaby introduced Brandee Nelson from Tighe & Bond who analyzed the proposed zoning amendment: Mulberry St. Zoning Proposal. She explained that a zoning amendment has to encompass a larger area and if zoning were to be changed, it would need a public hearing for a local law, which is where the public comments would be heard.
Tighe and Bond also updated the Village Board on the Center Street Water Line and Drainage Improvement Project. The current estimated cost of the project has increased significantly to $1.7 Million from the original $900,000. Because of the increase, we are reevaluating the proposal. We have asked for revised proposals which include (1) eliminate the north side of Center St (except for paving) and (2) eliminate the drainage work for the entire project.
September was National Preparedness month, and Cathi Tegtmeier, the Rhinebeck Emergency Response Coordinator, led a series of programs culminating on September 30th. These practical and educational events mean that our community is better prepared for emergencies:
● 2 Citizen Preparedness sessions in partnership with the County (Emergency Manager and the Medical Reserve Corps)
● Active Shooter and Stop the Bleed class in partnership with Rhinebeck Central School District, the Sheriff's Office and the Medical Reserve Corps
● ERC participated in the planning of the Rhinebeck Healthcare Preparedness Coalition full scale evacuation exercise held on 9/20/2022 and the Village of Rhinebeck PD, FD, Highway, Mayor and ERC participated in the evacuation exercise
● Village of Rhinebeck PD, FD, Highway, Mayor and ERC conducted an Asher Dam Emergency Action Plan activation tabletop exercise
For those who want to learn more, printed preparedness materials are available to be picked up at Village Hall:
- A Guide to Alerts and Warnings
- Cyberattack Info Sheet
- Extreme Heat Info Sheet
- Financial Emergency Info Sheet
- Flood Info Sheet
- Hurricane Info Sheet
- Power Outage Info Sheet
- Winter Storm Info Sheet
- Family Communication Plan
Another excellent preparedness tool at our disposal is the new “ReadyDutchess” mobile app for smartphones and other devices. This enables users to receive information directly from Dutchess County Emergency Management, including emergency notifications, regional weather alerts, closure and outage updates, training opportunities, and more. The app also includes a feature for creating an individual or family emergency plan that can be shared with loved ones directly from the app. “ReadyDutchess” is available for free download through the Google Play store and the Apple App Store for android and iOS devices. All app features are FREE and easy to use.
New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released his annual Fiscal Stress Score analysis. I'm proud that our 2021 Fiscal Stress Score and Environmental Stress for the Village continues to remain at a low level. Having predictable budgeting year after year, we continue to remain in the category of “no designation” which means we have no stress factors. Fiscal Stress Monitoring system
We are now dealing with a new invasive agricultural pest here in the Hudson Valley, the Spotted Lanternfly. Please everyone can be on the lookout for this destructive pest, report sightings, and kill adults and egg masses. They're here: Spotted lanternfly makes its way to the Hudson Valley
Department Supervisor Kyle Eighmy reports that Colby Hesleitner, who previously worked for the Ulster County Wastewater Department, has joined the Village Wastewater Department. Additionally, Thomas Mueller has started working for the Village Water Department. We welcome both to the Village of Rhinebeck!
We have a couple employees who had anniversaries this month: Highway Working Supervisor Scott Minn- 27 years and Chief Water Operator Bryan Alix- 9 years. Congratulations and thank you for hard work!
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
Mayor Gary Bassett