Free holiday parking in the City of Kingston
From this Wednesday, December 16 to the end of the year, Kingston will offer free holiday parking. Parking lot kiosks and meters across the city will be bagged.
“In the spirit of the holiday season and acknowledging the difficult year we’ve had, there will be free parking in the City of Kingston for two weeks,” said Mayor Noble. “I hope this helps brighten your holidays, and I encourage everyone who is able to visit your favorite local shops and restaurants — safely and following all appropriate Covid protocols — during a crucial time for businesses.” Staff will be issuing safety violations such as blocking fire hydrants, parking in handicap spots, double parking and expired inspections. Regular enforcement of parking meter expiration will resume on January 4.
Parking permits for 2021 for the City’s municipal lots are also available for sale. The permit is $100 and permits are valid from January 1, 2021–December 31, 2021. To purchase or renew permits for the upcoming year, visit http://www.buymypermit.com/kingston.
Water use advisory in New Paltz
For the next nine days (until Christmas eve), residents and businesses using New Paltz’s municipal water should minimize use to support repairs inside the Catskill Aqueduct.
During parts of autumn and winter for the past three years, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection has shut down the Catskill Aqueduct to clean the aqueduct, replace century-old valves and repair minor leaks. New Paltz buys approximately 60% of its water from the Catskill Aqueduct.
During these annual shutdowns, DEP has used a pumping system to send water back to New Paltz, ensuring it has an adequate supply.
That pumping system will not be available during the next nine days, which means New Paltz will be sustained by the reservoirs on Mountain Rest Road. “To ensure that local sources of water meet our needs, we are asking all our neighbors and customers to limit their use until Christmas Eve,” said New Paltz mayor Tim Rogers. “The pumping system is being shut off for a rather unique and tricky part of DEP’s repair.”
Rogers explained that a specially trained team of divers will plunge more than 300 feet into part of the aqueduct to remove a valve, install a plug and perform an inspection with a remote-controlled vehicle. For their safety, these divers must remain in a pressurized environment for the next couple weeks to acclimate their bodies to conditions that are more than ten times the normal atmospheric pressure that our bodies feel on a typical day.
“This is the most technically complex effort to rehabilitate the Catskill Aqueduct since it was first activated in 1915,” said Rogers. “Help from our community in New Paltz is key to making the work happen successfully. Please do all that you can over the next several days to minimize your use of water. This work ensures that we will have a reliable supply of water for many more decades to come.”
Saugerties restaurant closes
The owners of the Dutch Ale House in Saugerties announced last week that it would close until March, citing safety concerns connected with Covid-19. The restaurant previously closed for a time in November after a staff member tested positive and subsequently reopened for several weeks.
Ulster BOCES, Kingston, Saugerties, Onteora, New Paltz middle and Lenape elementary schools go fully remote until January
With caseloads rising across the county, several local school districts announced last week that they would extend or implement fully remote instruction until after the holiday break. After beginning the 2020 school year remote, local public school districts adopted a hybrid model with a mix of in-person and remote instruction, split up by day of the week. Now as the second wave of Covid-19 continues to increase, and students and staff receive positive diagnoses, more and more districts are opting to go fully remote on a temporary basis.
Kingston: After deciding to go fully remote from December 4-11, district officials announced last week that “due to the increasing number of positive cases in our region and the number of students and staff who remain on quarantine” they would be extending all-remote instruction until after the holiday break, which ends January 4, 2021. The full announcement can be read at https://www.kingstoncityschools.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=8&ModuleInstanceID=4969&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=19069&PageID=9. The notice also includes information on how students can obtain meals.
Onteora: Onteora had been operating on a fully remote schedule since November 30. Superintendent Victoria McLaren announced last week that the district would extend that through January 15, “based on the continued increase in cases within our county and our communities.” The full announcement can be found at https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1607696072/onteorak12nyus/l2napya0wrkriysdtafu/GoingRemote_2.pdf. The notice includes information on how the school would implement testing if Ulster is designated a yellow zone under state guidelines.
Saugerties: Saugerties, which opted to stick with hybrid model following Thanksgiving, announced last week that classes would be fully remote for the rest of 2020, with in-person instruction returning January 4, 2020.
New Paltz: In New Paltz, Duzine Elementary and the New Paltz Middle School had gone fully remote from December 4-11. While Duzine returned to the hybrid model Monday, December 14, the middle school will remain fully remote until after the holiday break, January 4. The district announced on Monday that Lenape Elementary School will also be remote until January 4. For additional information, visit https://www.newpaltz.k12.ny.us/Page/13157.
Ulster BOCES: Ulster BOCES will shift to fully remote instruction beginning Wednesday, December 16, citing increased cases in Ulster County and the indoor classroom as a possible vector for spreading. The plan is to resume hybrid instruction January 15.
Saugerties men busted for heroin
Members of the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team (Urgent) report the arrest of Brian Shultis, 31, and Cody Tompkins, 29, both of Saugerties. Shultis and Tompkins were arrested on December 2 after an investigation into heroin and fentanyl trafficking into northern Ulster County. They were taken into custody during a traffic stop in Ulster and were found to be in possession of approximately 800 bags of heroin and fentanyl, according to police. Both were charged and released to appear in court on a later date.
Shultis was subsequently taken into custody on December 7 on an Ulster County bench warrant for a previous felony arrest, in which he violated the terms of a conditional arrest with the new arrest.
The hidden story of artificial intelligence
The Rosendale Theatre is showing on its virtual platform the movie Coded Bias, a timely movie about the somewhat hidden story of artificial intelligence (AI). Modern society sits at the intersection of two crucial questions: What does it mean when AI increasingly governs our liberties? And what are the consequences for the people that AI is biased against? When MIT media lab researcher Joy Buolamwini discovers that most facial-recognition software does not accurately identify darker-skinned faces and the faces of women, she delves into an investigation of widespread bias in algorithms. As it turns out, AI is not neutral, and women are leading the charge to ensure that their civil rights are protected.
This 90-minute documentary will be available until January 28 and costs $10. To subscribe, go to: www.rosendaletheatre.org.
Benkert will swim for Iona
Ashely Benkert, a senior at Highland High School, has signed with Iona College to join their girls’ swim team in 2021. “Being a swimmer my whole life has definitely been a challenging experience,” she said. “I have qualified for several sectional events for the past six years, starting in seventh grade.”
She qualified for the New York State Championship as a freshmen and sophomore in the 100 butterfly, and then as a junior also qualified in the 200 Individual Medley. “I have realized that the more work I put into the sport, the more it pays off,” said Benkert. “I am so grateful for all of the opportunities that Highland has given me, and I am looking forward to continuing my career at Iona College next fall.”
Kingston GOP seeks candidates
The Kingston Republican Party is seeking community input for candidates in the coming 2021 election cycle. The positions to be filled are: alderman and county legislators. Contact City of Kingston Republican chairman John P. Quigley by email (johnpeter@quigley.email) or by phone at 594-2698.
This year’s potential candidates will go before a review panel and upon completion be provided with the necessary tools and resources to compete in the upcoming election cycle. Recommendations (anonymous or not) may be submitted at the following link: https://bit.ly/2JOS7Om.
Change of meeting date
The Historic Preservation Commission of the Village of New Paltz will hold its January meeting on January 11 at 7 p.m., rather than on the previously scheduled date of January 25. Applications must be submitted by Wednesday, December 23 at 1 p.m. to be considered at the January 11 meeting.
The meeting will take place via Zoom and will be livestreamed on YouTube for public access. The meeting agenda with livestream link will be posted in advance on the Village of New Paltz website. For information, contact hpc@villageofnewpaltz.org.
Virtual art show extended
An annual New Paltz art show sponsored by the village government and Elting Library :has gone online as the safest way to engage the public. An added benefit of the new platform is long-term access to the works of local, area and out-of-state artists who enthusiastically participated again.
The youngest painter in the show, 12-year-old Rhys Coddington from Florida, prolonged his visit with his grandparents due to Covid and created a watercolor of Skytop.” His is only one of many poignant artworks depicting the natural beauty and historic architecture of New Paltz and other nearby destinations.
River-to-Ridge hosts a record-breaking 200,000 trail visitors in 2020
The River-to-Ridge Trail in New Paltz is on track to host more than 200,000 visitors in 2020. The visitorship is more than double the number of visitors from the previous year.
Said Peter Karis, OSI’s vice president for parks and stewardship, “We always knew that the trail would be popular, but more than a place to recreate, River-to-Ridge is proving to be a place to safely get outdoors, connect with family and friends, or simply rejuvenate.”
“Being able to get out of the house and into nature is a major factor in maintaining mental and physical well-being during this pandemic, said Neil Bettez, supervisor for the Town of New Paltz.
“The trail has become a sanctuary, an invaluable ritual for many. Our community is incredibly lucky,” said village mayor Tim Rogers.”
Throughout the year, the River-to-Ridge Trail has continued to host community gatherings and outdoor events, including the release of rehabilitated peregrine falcons and tree plantings to benefit the Wallkill River, while closely adhering to public health and safety guidelines.
Climate-harming investments
On December 2, the SUNY New Paltz faculty senate passed a historic university faculty resolution pushing financial giant TIAA to divest from fossil fuels and from deforestation-risk investments. The faculty’s union chapter also passed a similar resolution on December 3. The measures are part of a growing effort to pressure pension funds and other financial institutions to end support for the fossil fuel industry. Two SUNY New Paltz faculty members, Brian Obach and Scott Minkoff, co-wrote the resolutions.
“How can we be against climate change while at the same time be sponsoring the fossil fuel industry through our retirement funds?” asked Brian Obach, SUNY New Paltz professor of sociology. “The New Paltz faculty have spoken: we want TIAA to take our money out of the climate change industry.”
The SUNY New Paltz resolutions act as a nonviolent shot across the bow of TIAA, which is actively searching for a new CEO to replace Roger Ferguson when he steps down in March. The TIAA Divest! campaign “strongly encourages TIAA to pick a CEO who will guide them through the process of divestment from fossil fuel holdings and deforestation risk investments, which are unjust, harm climate, and reduce the likelihood of human survival.”
Soil building session
The Village of New Paltz Environmental Policy Board and Future Fruits Kingston are hosting a soil building session for the New Paltz Village Hall on Saturday, December 19 at noon. (The rain date will be Sunday, December 20, same time.) The plan is to place compost and mulch down in front of the building. The work will be relatively simple and is in preparation for the Bee City pollinator friendly landscaping project this spring, transforming the front of the hall into an inviting community space that is also environmentally friendly. Bring your own shovel, and please wear a mask or face shield.
If you would like to help out, please RSVP at npbeecity@villageofnew-
paltz.org.
Sports registrations open
Spring registration for New Paltz Recreation baseball and softball is open now through January 31. It is open to children of all ages. Children ages 13 years or older can also register for league umpire positions. Visit www.npbsa.com for information and secure, online registration.
HHS virtual field trips
Historic Huguenot Street (HHS) has launched two new virtual field trip experiences: “Learning & Leisure in the 18th Century” (grades 3 to 6) and “In Her Shoes” (grades 7 to 12). Modeled after HHS’s on-site school programs, these virtual field trips replicate the experience of visiting Historic Huguenot Street and learning about the many groups of people who inhabited it and made our community what it is today through interactive house tours and hands-on activities.
“Learning & Leisure” allows students the opportunity to travel back in time and be immersed in the history and culture of the Esopus Munsee, Huguenot and enslaved Africans who lived on Huguenot Street in the past. The program takes students through the day-to-day lives and experiences of these groups through four engaging modules composed of virtual house tours and hands-on craft activities.
The new “In Her Shoes” program will focus on the history of women’s rights and suffrage, the “In Her Shoes” virtual field trip program was created specifically to inform students about the lives, roles and responsibilities of Indigenous, African American, Huguenot and early-American women in their respective communities and time periods. Students will learn about the differing roles and rights of women in these communities through virtual house tours, interactive craft activities and a research-based debate. The program also contains an optional module with supplemental information and activities.
All existing and future school programs are aligned with state standards. Contact school programming coordinator Alyssa Bruno at alyssa@huguenotstreet.org for information about programs, pricing and registration.
Preservation board volunteers
The Town of New Paltz is looking for volunteers to serve on its Community Preservation Advisory Board. The purpose of the board is to review and make recommendations to the town Bboard on conservation projects as envisioned in the New Paltz Community Preservation Plan. Information can be found at www.townofnewpaltz.org. To apply, send a letter indicating your interest and experience with conservation or land and/or historic preservation activities to assistant@townofnewpaltz.org.
New Paltz taxpaying
Due to Covid-19, the Town of New Paltz will be limiting payment options for the 2021 tax-collection season. It will not be accepting cash payments or payments made in person. You can mail in your payment, drop it in the secure dropbox on the outside the town fall or call the office to arrange payment by credit card. All credit-card payments will be subject to a 2.65 percent transaction fee. Please call 255-0100 with questions.
Join the family! 
