Mayor’s Message July 2023
Juneteenth display at Village Hall
I hope everyone had a wonderful Independence Day. In June, we also celebrated the Juneteenth holiday. Both of these days serve as a welcome reminder of the values upon which America was founded.
This year’s Juneteenth brought us this beautiful display created by the seventh graders at the Bulkeley Middle School, organized by Culture Connect. Each student learned the history of a person of color who was part of our community, and created artworks which symbolized the story of that person. The blank signs represent stories yet to be discovered. The talented students also wrote poetry to capture the voices they are helping our community rediscover. Historian Bill Jeffway provided the source material which was included in the display . The overall message was about all of us coming together as global citizens to strive for inclusivity.
The Village Board has passed a resolution to adopt a local law which will keep the Village Historical District Overlay consistent with both NY State and Federal mandates for protection of historic buildings, reflected in the 2021 National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. The law will also amend Chapter 64, governing demolition or modification of historic buildings to clarify which are protected, and amend the boundaries of the revised Historic District Overlay. Many thanks to everyone who contributed to this initiative which will help preserve what is unique in the Village. Trustee Slaby spent several years bringing this to fruition.
The engineering firm Tighe & Bond on behalf of the Village Board has completed a sewer service feasibility study for the proposed Locust Hill housing development. Existing users, future development and comprehensive plan input was considered. The board has approved a request from the developer of the project to have access to the Village Sewage treatment plant. The development is proposed for wooded land, which is under Town jurisdiction, on Rhinecliff Road west of the Village.
We have started discussions with the Kingston company ArchtopFiber which is requesting a right of way to install 11 miles of underground fiber at no cost to the Village. The company provides multi-Gigabit, Fiber Internet, and phone service to residents and businesses in the Hudson Valley, with an emphasis on fast, reliable and environmentally friendly internet access. It would mean another choice for our residents.
Now, that summer is here, a pitch for everyone to get outside, get walking and biking and head to the park! And, also a pitch to our drivers to drive carefully, as more children, cyclists and others are out on our roads and sidewalks at this time of year. Below is some useful information from the Dutchess County “Watch Out For Me” campaign and the NY Biking Coalition called “Sharing the Road”.
The Village of Rhinebeck continues to work to create a fully accessible, walkable, bikeable village with sidewalks, trees, bike lanes and crosswalks. We have made a lot of progress with more to come! Regular physical activity can help protect you from serious diseases such as obesity, heart disease, cancer, mental illness, diabetes and arthritis. Riding your bicycle regularly is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of health problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle.
The Tree Commission, with the help of Kris Hall, will be updating the Village website with new information, like tree plantings, hazardous tree removals, and new information with links about invasive species that threaten our trees and how we can help to protect our trees against the challenges of climate change. Any resident who wants to prune or remove a tree in the Village right of way, must fill out and submit an application Request form and return it to the Village Clerk, Martina McClinton.
While this spring was an exceptionally beautiful flowering tree year, it has presented many challenges to trees due to erratic weather events. We had very early 90 degree days followed by freezing days, which killed off new growth and fruit buds. Then, five days of very heavy rains caused a burst of growth but was followed by almost a month of NO rain. Residents can help protect their tree(s), particularly newly planted ones, by ensuring that they get a weekly deep watering and mulching around the trunks to 3”. If you are interested in a replacement tree in the right of way you can contact the village clerk to request a tree.
We have been hard at work conducting our greenhouse gas inventories, and have now completed a major milestone in the collection of data. A huge thanks to Trustee Bertozzi, Michael Forlenza and others for their efforts which help us towards reaching our Silver Certification as a Climate Smart Community. To view the presentations please click here:
Dutchess CAPI Meetings – Hudson Valley Regional Council
The Village of Rhinebeck has an open position for a Trainee or Licensed Operator within the Wastewater Department. Pay is $20/hr for a trainee or $26/hr for an operator. (Full job description is available upon request.) If hired as a trainee, certification for the wastewater plant must be obtained within 12 months. Anyone interested should contact the Village Clerk at 845-876-7015 option 3 or mmcclinton@villageofrhinebeckny.gov for an application. Should you meet the requirements, an interview will be scheduled.
Welcome to Leonard Nevarez a village resident, who’s been appointed to a three year term on the Village’s Ethics Committee. Leonard is a Vassar professor with expertise in the sociology field of urban governance, quality of life and community development.
We also welcome Moises Gomez to the Village of Rhinebeck Fire Dept. Congratulations to all for your support.
Congratulations to Karen McLaughlin, Treasurer, celebrating 8 years, Water Plant Operator Anthony Fata, 22 years and Tom Johnson, 22 years as MEO at the Highway Dept. Thank you to all!
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 MayorBassett@Villgeofrhinebeckny.gov
Mayor Gary Bassett