SUNY Chancellor Malatras announces new grant and internship program to accelerate PPE production across SUNY
New SUNY chancellor Jim Malatras toured SUNY New Paltz last week, accompanied by Ulster County executive Pat Ryan and SUNY New Paltz president Donald P. Christian. He announcing the new SUNY Prepare Innovation and Internship Program, designed to accelerate the production of personal protective equipment (PPE) through new innovation and technologies at SUNY colleges and universities statewide.
Malatras and Christian reviewed the campus reopening plan previously approved by SUNY before meeting with students to discuss their goals for the upcoming semester and the importance of Covid safety protocols. The visit came as the campus community prepared to begin classes. on Monday.
“SUNY New Paltz leaders have done tremendous work designing an evidence-based plan for safely reopening,” said Malatras. “Their plan — like every college reopening plan this fall — can only succeed if the entire campus community is committed to keeping themselves and those around them safe. I am also proud to announce the launching of our statewide SUNY Prepare Innovation and Internship program during my visit to New Paltz, where students and faculty were among New York’s leaders in manufacturing PPE at the height of the pandemic.”
SUNY is providing $100,000 in initial seed money to launch the SUNY Prepare Innovation and Internship Program, with the goal of raising more money to assist faculty and students working with innovative technology to produce PPE. Grants will be available to faculty to develop new technologies to improve design and production of PPE. Proposals must also have a student internship/research component so that students are afforded access to new academic opportunities. SUNY New Paltz was an early leader in manufacturing face shields. Using 3D printers and with the help of funds from the state of New York’s NYSUNY 2020 grant program, students and faculty at the Hudson Valley Additive Manufacturing Center on campus have partnered with community organizations to produce more than 32,700 face shields to date. Those same 3D designs were shared with other SUNY colleges doing similar work.
Saugerties woman dies in UTV accident
On Saturday, August 29 at 3:09 p.m., Saugerties Police responded to a 911 call reporting a utility terrain vehicle (UTV) rollover in a wooded area behind 67 Old Patch Road in the Town of Saugerties. 911 reported the victim was pinned under the UTV. Upon arrival, officers and fire personnel from the Centerville Cedar Grove Fire Department located the victim approximately one-quarter of a mile into the wooded area, where the victim and others had been camping.
The victim, 52–year-old Annmarie Agosta, of 67 Old Patch Road, was operating an UTV down a steep embankment when she lost control of the UTV as it started to slide on the muddy earth embankment, causing it to rollover. Agosta, whom was not wearing a seat belt nor wearing a helmet, was found pinned under the UTV. Emergency personnel extricated Agosta out from under the UTV, finding that Agosta had succumbed to her injuries. Agosta was pronounced dead at the scene.
Saugerties Police were assisted at the scene by members from the Centerville Cedar Grove Fire Department, DIAZ Paramedics and the NYSP.
SUNY New Paltz now has three Covid cases; 12 in quarantine
In a letter to students on August 31, SUNY New Paltz president Donald Christian reported that two additional on-campus resident students have tested positive for COVID-19. These are the second and third SUNY New Paltz students to have tested positive since the first day of classes for the fall 2020 semester.
Both of these students were known close contacts of the student whose positive test was reported on August 27. That student, the first to test positive, had participated in two outdoor, off-campus pick-up basketball games on Monday, August 24 at 6 a.m., and Wednesday, August 26, at 7 a.m., in Tony Williams Park in Highland. The student was not wearing a mask during the games, which is allowed by New York State sports and recreation guidelines (but not by SUNY New Paltz standards).
The 12 students who were involved in those games have all been tested and have been in quarantine. Christian said the matter is under investigation. The Student Health Service will monitor these students’ health, and they will remain in quarantine until cleared by Student Health Service (generally 14 days post-exposure or ten days from onset of symptoms, per CDC guidelines).
According to the college’s testing and quarantine procedure for fall 2020, contact tracers have already been deployed to interview the students about where they have been and with whom they have been in contact.
City of Kingston Police Commission appointment
Kingston Mayor Steve Noble has appointed Shaniqua Bowden a Kingston police commissioner. “I am very honored and pleased with my new appointment as a member of the police commission,” said Bowden. “I look forward to being an instrument of the community in such a way that will support and uphold the trajectory of Kingston we are each creating together.”
Bowden, a Kingston resident for nearly ten years, studied communications and interdisciplinary studies at Empire State College. She is an active mother of two, involved in her community in many capacities, such as her work with the Kingston Land Trust. Along with her husband, Frank Waters, she founded MyKingstonKids, an organization created to help the parents find children’s events and activities in a central location.
She hosts the Nubian Cafe weekly on WKNY Radio Kingston projecting the voices and issues effecting women and people of color. Bowden helped found Black History Month Kingston, and she’s also a board member of the Hudson Valley Current. Her work promotes openness through dialogue and self-awareness.
Kingston man takes wrong turn
The Ulster County sheriff’s office reports the arrest of David H. Smith, 35, of Kingston, following a traffic stop on Lakeview Terrace in Esopus. Smith is alleged to have possessed approximately 250 bags of heroin after a search of the vehicle by a sheriff’s K9 unit.
He was charged with the felony of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and the traffic infraction for failing to signal a turn. He was released with an appearance ticket returnable to the Town of Esopus court on a later date.
NPCSD computer drive
In response to COVID-related supply chain and delivery delays for district-purchased Chromebooks, the New Paltz Middle School Parent Teacher Association (PTA) will be collecting new and used laptops, tablets and Chromebooks for students to use as they begin their remote school year. Devices can be dropped off at the middle school courtyard (off Lincoln Place) on Wednesday, September 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Thursday, September 3 from 2 to 6 p.m.
The district will wipe data from all donated devices and configure them for student use. The wiped machines will then be distributed to students in need of technology during the first week of September. Any donations received above and beyond student needs will be donated to Family of New Paltz.
To ensure that your donated device will be compatible with the district’s technology specification requirements, please visit the link below. Webcams and microphones are required. We ask donors to be mindful that the district must bear the disposal costs of any non-working devices, so please ensure that your donation is in working order and has a compatible charger.
Please contact the Middle School PTA at npz.ms.pta@gmail.com with any questions.
Check compatibility here: https://guide.neverware.com/supported-devices/
Empire State Trail in Kingston
Construction has begun for the 1.3-mile section of the Empire State Trail that travels through the City of Kingston and the Town of Ulster. The trail stretches from the former Hutton Brickyards property on North Street through Scenic Hudson’s Quarry Waters Park to John Street in Ulster. This northern section, expected to be completed by December, will continue across the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge before heading north to Albany and beyond. Funding for this project comes from a Department of State grant.
The southern portion of the trail is funded by the NYS Department of Transportation. Since spring, NYDOT has been working on the southern section of the Empire State Trail in Kingston, which connects from the Wallkill Valley rail-trail to Route 32 and up Greenkill Avenue. The two local sections will connect through a series of roadway bike lanes and the Kingston Point rail-trail.
The Empire State Trail is projected to be the largest multi-use trail in the nation. This network of trails will contain 750 miles of pathways for walking, hiking and bicycling along scenic vistas and through New York’s historic communities.
Film commission separates
The Hudson Valley Film Commission (HVFC) is on its way to becoming an independent organization headed by Laurent Rejto, the co-founder of the Woodstock Film Festival and founder/commissioner of the HVFC. The move is part of a reorganization effort to marshal and streamline resources.
Lauri Andretta, president of the WFF board of directors, says the step has been a long time coming. “Like many organizations, our needs have changed with time and we saw this period as an opportunity to move forward and better equip WFF for whatever challenges lie ahead,” said Andretta. “We will miss Laurent’s talents and contributions, and thank him for the tireless work he’s done over the past 20 years.”
The Hudson Valley Film Commission has worked on more than 500 regional film productions and says it has brought in more than $250 million to the Hudson Valley economy. Since March, the WFF and HVFC have been presenting online virtual programming, with WFF also offering screenings with live filmmaker interviews at area drive-in theaters.
The upcoming Woodstock Film Festival from September 30 through October 4 will additionally feature virtual filmmaker panels, musical performances, more drive-in theater screenings and other special events.
Historic Huguenot Street Presents the “Power of Native Women”
As a part of the museum’s 2020 initiative to shed light on the history of women’s rights, Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz will honor the stories and celebrate the lives of native women in the larger narrative of communities. “The Power of Native Women” is a three-part multimedia event: Visitors can choose to attend in person Saturday, September 19 from 4 to 6 p.m., join the museum online for a live-streaming of the speakers that same evening, and attend follow-up themed virtual sessions to learn more on special topics.
On September 19, a guide stationed at the replica Munsee wigwam will explain the significance of the structure and the daily life of a Munsee woman living in the region, pre-contact. Indigenous chef Quentin Glabus will be serving sample dishes of his modern take on traditional Munsee cuisine. Heather Bruegl, the cultural affairs director for the Stockbridge-Munsee Community of Mohican Indians, will be streamed in from Wisconsin to talk about the important role that Indigenous women played within their families and communities for thousands of years.
Anyone who does not live locally, or who is not comfortable participating in the in-person program, may register for the virtual experience at a slightly discounted price. All registrants will be invited additionally to participate in follow-up virtual sessions the following week. These sessions will allow participants to have more intimate conversations with the speaker, tribal representatives and activists working to preserve Indigenous land, rights and culture. Those interested in attending can learn more about the event and register for the sessions on the event website at https://www.huguenotstreet.org/native-women.
Virtual 5K run/walk
The Rotary Club of Kingston is sponsoring the new virtual Capital to Capital 5K run/walk this fall to benefit the Hudson Valley Center for Veteran Reintegration. The Capital to Capital 5K commemorates the story of the Burning of Kingston, when, in October 1777, over 2000 Kingston refugees fled to Hurley as British soldiers burned their city to the ground. Participants who want to run or walk the route of the original refugees will be able to view a map of this route and register for the event at kingstonnyrotary.org.
Registration will be open to all via Zippyreg.com. Participants should walk or run a 5-km (3.1 miles) distance on a trail or park in their hometown or elsewhere, anytime between Sunday, October 11 and Sunday, October 25.
To receive an official finisher’s certificate, entrants must log their time on Zippyreg.com by no later than Monday October 26 to qualify. For information, contact Richard Cattabiani at cattabianir@gmail.com.
Shakespeare Festival to move
The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (HVSF) plans to move from its longtime home at Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison to a new site in Philipstown, gifted by philanthropist Christopher Davis as a permanent home for the company. In this challenging moment for the performing arts, the gifted parcel of land will offer HVSF the long-term stability of a secure foundation and will serve as a year-round resource for theater artists, audiences and the entire Hudson Valley community.
The 34-year-old not-for-profit repertory theater will rebuild its iconic tent as a permanent open-air structure and plans to commence performances at its new location in the summer of 2022. HVSF has launched a new program to commission artists to animate the site and provide an artistic home and creative time for artists. Among the artists offered inaugural commissions are theater makers Marti Lyons, Ryan Quinn, Kholoud Sawaf and Madeline Sayet, visual artist Melissa McGill of Beacon and composer Heather Christian, also based in Beacon.
“I am delighted to have found the perfect steward for this extraordinarily beautiful land,” said Davis. “HVSF is a nationally recognized arts organization with deep roots in this community. With this gift, we can assure that this place continues to be a positive force for the region while becoming a cultural hub for the Hudson Valley.” A review process of the proposed changes to the site will occur with the Philipstown Planning Board this fall.
Due to the global health crisis, the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival cancelled its 2020 season. For information please visit hvshakespeare.org
Work by Bruce Pileggi on display at Knaus Gallery & Wine Bar in Highland
Knaus Gallery & Wine Bar in Highland will be having an opening reception for an exhibit of paintings, drawings and photographs by New Paltz artist Bruce Pileggi on September 5 from 2 to 8 p.m. The exhibit, “Bruce Pileggi: Artist in Transition,” will be on display through September 27. Face masks and social distancing will be required.
The gallery is at 79 Vineyard Avenue. Gallery hours are Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. For additional information, call 843-3144 or visit knausgalleryandwinebar.com.
Sawka show to reopen
The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz announces the reopening of “Jan Sawka: The Place of Memory (The Memory of Place),” an exhibition featuring expansive paintings and intricate prints from the Polish-born contemporary artist, from September 12 until November 22. The exhibition initially opened on February 8, 2020, a month before The Dorsky closed its doors due to the pandemic. The museum is extending its run to allow more visitors to experience Sawka’s work in person.
This exhibition showcases a sweeping, 12-panel polyptych, “Ashokan 1-4,” depicting a vista of the Ashokan Reservoir framed by the Catskill Mountains, which reminded Sawka of his homeland. Also included is a folio of drypoint prints titled “Post-Cards,” which takes viewers on a journey through 36 places of significance as they appeared in the artist’s mind’s eye. A manuscript by Jan Sawka recently discovered in the Library of Congress archives will illuminate this artwork from his singular point of view.
“Jan Sawka: The Place of Memory (The Memory of Place)” features works from private collections and from The Dorsky Museum’s permanent collection. This exhibition comes 31 years after a mid-career retrospective of Sawka’s work was exhibited at SUNY New Paltz’s College Art Gallery in 1989, which was curated by The Dorsky’s founding director, Neil Trager.
For additional information, visit http://www.newpaltz.edu/news.
Wurts Street bridge closure
The engineering firm of WSP USA has been retained to perform the general inspection of the suspension bridge carrying Wurts Street over the Rondout Creek in the City of Kingston. To perform the inspection, the company must close the bridge to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The inspection has been scheduled for Monday-Friday, September 14-18 and if necessary Monday-Friday, September 21-25.
Wurts Street will be closed between Abeel Street in Kingston and Connelly Road in Port Ewen from 9 a.m. through 3 p.m. each day.
Stalin’s last days
The Louis and Mildred Resnick Institute for the Study of Modern Jewish Life will begin its lecture series via WebEx with Joshua Rubenstein’s “The Last Days of Stalin” on Wednesday, September 9 at 7:30 p.m. To join the lecture, use this link: https://newpaltz.webex.com/newpaltz/j.php?MTID=md17a1bd07e4252a62490ae9430fd981e
When you sign on, you will be asked to download the WebEx app. Please sign on at least five minutes before the scheduled lecture time. There is a possibility that you will need the following information: meeting number — 161 183 4728, password — GRwVHR4B64d.
The series is directed by Gerald Sorin. Upcoming lectures and dates include: September 16 — Esther Schor on Emma Lazarus and the immigration debate. September 23 — Nancy Sinkoff on Lucy S. Dawidowicz: East European immigrant daughter and Jewish New York intellectual. September 30 — Gerald Sorin on the early years of Saul Bellow. October 7 — Jonathan Rosen on Louis Brandeis and the “imbeciles” case. October 15 — Benjamin Taylor on his friendship with Philip Roth.
Esopus Library presents Legendary Creatures of the Hudson Valley
Everyone knows about the Loch Ness Monster, and most New Yorkers have probably heard about our own state’s famous cousin to Nessie, Champ, who reputedly dwells in Lake Champlain. But did you know that there’s an alleged Hudson River monster as well, called Kipsy after the City of Poughkeepsie? Sightings have been attested in a June 1899 issue of The New York Times, and also attributed to the crews of the Half Moon, the Clermont and the Clearwater.
Stories about Kipsy are part of the content of Legendary Creatures of the Hudson Valley, a program developed by Brian James for the Esopus Library. James presented the material online for the first time on August 19, in PowerPoint format, and both the video and the slide show remain accessible to all visitors on the library’s website. Watching the program earns youngsters a badge in the library’s virtual summer reading program. It’s a fun wallow for imaginative folks of all ages who enjoy cryptid lore.
According to James, the plesiosaur-like Champ and Kipsy could be manatees, harbor seals and sturgeon. Some believers suggest that remnant populations of zeuglodons – prehistoric toothed whales thought to have gone extinct 34 million years ago – might still persist in parts of the world. Because they’re mammals rather than reptiles, zeuglodons could conceivably survive in our cold northern latitudes. James said that their fossils had been found in the Champlain Valley.
New York State, including the Catskills and Hudson Valley, has its share of Bigfoot sightings as well, including a recent report from Dutchess County. James linked these tall, hairy humanoid creatures with the Wendigo, an evil spirit common in legends of Algonquin peoples from the Atlantic Coast to the Upper Midwest and Canada. A sort of personification of greed, gluttony and excess, the voracious creature is thought to have been used by indigenous tribes to reinforce cultural taboos against cannibalism during harsh winters. A horror movie titled Wendigo, directed by Larry Fessenden, was filmed in Shokan in 2001.
Venturing farther afield, James explained the folklore behind the Headless Horseman who appears in a terrifying practical joke played on the hapless Ichabod Crane in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Washington Irving’s inspiration was derived from tales of the ghost of a Hessian soldier decapitated by cannon fire during the Battle of White Plains. But Irish immigrants to the Colonies had brought with them older tales of the Dullahan or Dark Man, a terrible headless fairy who drives a coach made of bones to collect those doomed to die.
Viewers of this presentation will also learn about Eelissa, the White Lady, a famous ghost from the Rochester area, as well as that dreaded bat-winged cryptid of the Pine Barrens, the Jersey Devil. But you won’t need to stray far from home for stories of UFO sightings. The mid-Hudson has long been a hotbed for these, peaking from 1985 to 1992 and again from 2008 to 2018. Often described as enormous, silent and triangular in shape, these aerial visitors seem to favor southern Dutchess County and the Pine Bush area on the Ulster/Orange border.
So, if life in our neck of the woods during the year of Covid 19 is beginning to feel mundane and humdrum, here’s a chance to remind ourselves that things can always get a little weirder. Check out Legendary Creatures of the Hudson Valley at www.esopuslibrary.org/legendary-creatures-of-the-hudson-v.
– Frances Marion Platt
Art and nature in Gardiner
The Gardiner Library will host a four-week series of art and nature classes with Elissa Rinaldo on Thursdays beginning September 17 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. for children grades 3-5. Each class will inspire a separate work of art. Registration is required by September 10 by emailing Nicole at nlane@rcls.org. The series costs $120 with limited scholarships available. The class will meet at the Majestic Park pavilion. Masks will be required, and all social-distancing protocols will be followed.
Rinaldo studied visual arts at SUNY Purchase and received a degree in ornamental horticultural degree. She has been a professional gardener and is a special-events floral artisan through her business Flowers by Elissa and for events venues.
Teen literary magazine
As Gardiner Library prepares to launch its literary magazine, teens will continue to meet virtually via Zoom on Monday, September 14 at 7 p.m. Middle and high school students who enjoy writing poetry, short stories and graphic novels are invited to join. Submit work through email and fellow authors will share critiques, suggestions and compliments. The teen literary magazine will be formatted and published from the library website quarterly. Printed copies will also be available at the library.
For those interested in joining or for more information including the Zoom link to access the meeting, contact Carolyn Thorenz at cthorenz@rcls.org. Virtual teen literary magazine meetings will continue on the second Monday of each month.
“Marlene Wiedenbaum and James Cramer — New Work” debuts at the Mark Gruber Gallery in New Paltz
The Mark Gruber Gallery in the New Paltz Plaza presents its first exhibit change since the start of the pandemic. “Marlene Wiedenbaum and James Cramer — New Work” debuts on Saturday, September 5 and runs through October 17. In lieu of an artists’ opening reception, the show is free and open to the public during the gallery’s new normal business hours: Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Masks are required and sanitizer is supplied.
For information, contact Gruber at 255-1241 or visit markgrubergallery.com.
Highland Rotary Club’s restaurant revival project helps the local economy
Instead of holding the Hudson Valley Ribfest this year, the Highland Rotary Club substituted a sales event that helped support local restaurants. The Rotary Ribfest Restaurant Revival sold hundreds of gift cards at a discount to generate $35,000 for local restaurants, mostly in Ulster County.
The annual Ribfest Food and Music Festival is a fundraiser the Highland Rotary Club conducts to raise money to support local community initiatives like food and warm coats for needy, scholarships for high school students and many other local and international charitable causes.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has made it impossible to conduct events that reduce the social distancing that our government wants us to practice, so we needed to come up with something else,” said event coordinator Steve Laubach.
Highland Rotary Club president Don Verity credited a network of corporate and private sponsors for the success. “We were able to sell $50 gift cards at a discounted $30 and then were able to pay the participating restaurants the full value because of donations from dozens of other caring businesses,” said Verity. “It was a win-win-win for the end user, the restaurant community and our Rotary Club.”
The sales event was augmented by a “virtual concert” that visitors to the Rotary’s website could watch and listen to while purchasing gift cards. Many up-and-coming local and regional bands and artists from all music genres were featured, including some tribute bands that paid homage to classic rock groups Pink Floyd, Foreigner and The Doors. As a result of hundreds of views, additional donations to the Hudson Valley Food Bank were generated.
“The Highland Rotary Club wishes to thank Color Page Marketing, I heart Radio and our many sponsors whose support was needed to make the event happen,” said Verity. “It is never easy to launch a new idea, but we believed that residents would support this cause because everyone knows how the restaurant business community has been affected by the pandemic. We also wish to thank area residents for supporting their local eateries.”
Reuse and recycling closed
The New Paltz Reuse and Recycling Center on Clearwater Road in New Paltz will be closed Tuesday, September 8 (the day after a holiday that falls on Monday, September 7). The center will re-open Wednesday, September 9 at 9 a.m.
Kingston air quality initiative
The City of Kingston will partner with the Center for the Study of Land, Air and Water at Bard College to monitor the city’s air quality and work to assure that every resident has access to clean air. A conservation advisory subcommittee has been working on air quality as part of its mission. The Kingston Air Quality Initiative (KAQI) has been collecting data since January that will provide baseline information about Kingston’s air quality. Monitoring is being conducted by Kingston residents, students, staff and faculty of the Bard community science lab.
“Studies have shown that exposure to certain air pollutants can lead to serious health problems, and we know that climate change is likely to exacerbate the connections between air quality and human health,” said Kingston mayor Steve Noble. “This is the first time we will have hard data to help us drive policy and/or operational decisions in the future in Kingston This partnership is crucial to the public health crisis we are now facing and also for future generations.”
KAQI’s initial monitoring efforts are focused on fine particulate matter, or PM2.5. According to the American Lung Association, short-term effects of exposure can result in premature deaths, increased infant mortality and increased severity of heart and asthma attacks. Longer-term effects include the development of asthma, heart disease, cancer, dementia, and increased susceptibility to respiratory conditions.
The data thus far indicate that Kingston is meeting 24-hour standards. The major outdoor sources of PM2.5 include vehicle exhaust and wood/oil burning. High spikes in the winter may indicate more fuel-burning activity for heating purposes. For information, visit https://kingston-ny.gov/airquality.
The DRAW’s first exhibition at Energy Square to showcase migrant culture
The first show at the DRAW’s new studio at Energy Square, 20 Cedar Street in Kingston, will feature paintings depicting migrant culture September 5-30.
The free show, “Masking Identities: Rebuilding Deterritorialized Cultural Memories,” by Humanamente executive director and Kingston artist Marielena Ferrer, will also include wire sculptures and an artist’s book.
The studio will be open from noon to 3 p.m. Saturdays, including September 5 and at other times by appointment. Due to the pandemic, everyone in the studio will be required to wear facemasks and practice social distancing. Most of the artwork will also be visible from outside the building through the studio’s large, ground-floor windows.
Ferrer, originally from Venezuela, moved to Kingston in 2011 after living in Spain for a decade. She designed the exhibit as the COVID crisis spread and she was confined to her Kingston home.
“The irony of planning this installation while following the state’s stay at home order has not escaped me,” Ferrer says. “It’s ironic because migrant culture always involves feelings of being in transit, suspended between two worlds.” Those worlds are the migrant’s place of origin and new place of residence. I am among the migrants who worked to adjust to life here in the United States. Many migrants struggle with this. We struggle with balancing the new society’s ways of life with our original values and traditions. We have to decide who we are, who we were and who we want to become.”
The DRAW, or the Department of Regional Art Workers, is the art education project of Kingston Midtown Arts District, or MAD. Humanamente is a diversity management organization.
To learn more about the show or make an appointment to view it, call (845) 633-0815 or write to info@drawkingston.org.
Join the family! 
