Village of Red Hook Mayor’s Report September 2025
DUTCHESS COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COUNCIL (DCTC)
The DCTC had a planning meeting on Wed. Sept 24. The DCTC serves as the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for Dutchess County. Federal statutes require that urban areas with over 50,000 people be represented by an MPO. An MPO ensures that federal transportation funds are committed through a locally driven, comprehensive planning process.
A Federal Certification review takes place every 4 years. That process is happening now for DCTC. DCTC is working on updating their transportation plan – Moving Dutchess Forward. This is a new long-term plan looking out 20-25 years. It’s scheduled to be completed in 2026. We discussed data on trends and expectations for the future. There is a website that lays out a lot of information about the plan: www.movingdutchessforward.com. There will be opportunities for public engagement coming up soon.
DCTC is working on a Safety Action Plan. A second Data Report is now on the website – DCTC section of - the Dutchess County website: https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/Transportation Council/Transportation-Council.htm. A toolkit for addressing traffic safety issues will be available soon. Field investigations are in progress. The “Desktop” reviews are also in process. Every municipality has one area that is being reviewed. For the Village of Red Hook, it will be a Desktop review of the intersection of Church St. & St. John St. at Rt. 199.
Current project updates and grant funding opportunities were shared. Annual traffic counts are taking place the week of 9/29. Results will be posted on the DCTC website. The next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 29 at 10am.
CROSSWALK UPDATE
Deputy Mayor Kjarval created drawings for the four crosswalks highlighting the proposed new buffer painting layout. DPW Foreman Smith has the drawings and will confirm the details before we notify our NYSDOT Region 8 Highway Coordinator. The work is planned to be completed by the end of October.
TRIBUTARY/WETLANDS
I met with PVEDI Engineer Conor Tarbell on Friday, Sept. 5. We reviewed the proposals that Zoe Evans had requested from PVEDI. The proposals primarily focus on deep soil sampling. We discussed the possible impacts of the WWTP discharge violations. He confirmed that partially or non-treated discharge from the WWTP would dissipate over time and that the long-term issue is really permanent metals such as PFAS. We reviewed the DEC cleanup of the brownfield from 2006, including the follow up testing that confirmed that the majority of the area was cleaned up to “residential” level – which is the level below “unrestricted”. The wetland itself had a remaining residue of arsenic, a standard product used to spray orchards for many years. The wetland was cleared to allow for possible trails for the public, just below “residential” use. Next steps are to discuss the goals of a wetland project.
SEWER PROJECT II
I met with Natalie Lincoln, Grants Coordinator for Congressman Pat Ryan, on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025 to discuss our sewer expansion project, as well as other projects, to see what grant opportunities there might be.
SAWKILL WATERSHED COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL (SKWC)
The SKWC met on Sept. 24. At 6:30pm in Village Hall. Attendees were Karen Schneller-MacDonald, Sheila Buff, Henry Woods, Jen Adams, Amy Shein, Ruth Ford, Zoe Evans, Amanda Sandor & Karen Smythe. Jen discussed the successful event on the new Sawkill Trail that Winnikee Land Trust had
recently. About 30 ppl walked the trail then cleared out some vines. The Hudson River Watershed Alliance (HVWA) mixer was attended by a few members. Spring sampling follow up was discussed. Zoe shared information about the Town Comprehensive Plan process and the opportunity to add input which the group felt was important. A review of the remaining $4,000 Bard funding that needs to be spent by Dec. 31. A public meeting regarding all the data the group has collected over the years is scheduled to be held – originally in December but looking to move the date to later January. The HVWA has offered to help if it’s later January. Tentative dates are Jan. 21 or 22. They expect about 50 ppl. The SKWC has an email list of about 300.
A discussion about choosing a fiscal sponsor followed. The choice is between Good Works Institute and Open Space Institute (OSI). There was a healthy discussion about the pros and cons of each one. Next steps are that Ruth is going to begin to fill out the applications for both and Karen SM is going to contact OSI to set up another meeting for follow up questions.
The group agreed to change the name of this group to the Sawkill Watershed Community Advisory Council.
RED HOOK LIBRARY (RHPL)
The RHPL had their September board meeting on Sept. 18[th] . Attendees were President Anna Greig, Vice President Martha Tepepa, Treasurer Grace Kachigan and Board members - Leah Bahnatka, Gareth Davies, & Kelly French, Executive Director Alex Geller. Guest: Jarod Vengrin.
There was a meeting between the Red Hook & Tivoli library boards to discuss collaboration and ensure they were not duplicating efforts. They both receive their funding from the same tax base so it makes sense to coordinate. They reviewed the map of card holders and discussed a reorienting of boundaries for each library. They are not exploring consolidation at this time.
The parking lot is being newly paved. After review from the Village building department, the Library produced a storm water management plan for the parking lot and also a buffer plan for the residential neighbor. The paving was scheduled to be completed in 1 ½ weeks.
The revenue & expenses are on budget. The Community Relations Committee mentioned the “Meet & Greet” on the Library Porch on Oct. 16 from 5-6pm.
For more information, you can find their board packet on the library’s website – redhooklibrary.org/board-of-trustees. Their next board meeting will be Thursday, Oct. 16 at 6:30pm.
PUBLIC SPACES/ABRAHAMS PARK
The Public Spaces Committee met on Monday, Sept. 15[th] at 7pm in Village Hall. Attendees: Linda DiGasper, Barbara Westerman, David Sokol, Betsy Brauer, & Karen Smythe (by phone). The discussion focused on Abrahams Park. David shared & the group discussed a list of possible grant opportunities. Karen mentioned Scenic Hudson and agreed to reach out to Heather Blaikie, Sr. Park Planner, to see what collaboration might be possible. Barbara mentioned the possibility of a Bard intern from the Landscape Architecture program. We discussed inviting the other Abrahams Park Task Force members to come to our next meeting. All were encouraged to visit the Park and review the public input that we have received so far. Barbara was going to put together a list of ideas for a 2026 public event. Next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 20 at 7pm in Village Hall.
CLIMATE SMART COMMUNITY TASK FORCE
The Task Force met on Thursday, Sept. 25[th] at 6pm in Village Hall. Attendees were Betsy Brauer, Michelle Gluck (via Zoom), Karen Smythe, Scott Kleinberg of CCE, Ifetayo Tyler of CCE (via Zoom). We focused on the resiliency planning framework for Climate Smart. Michelle remembered that she worked
on this review in 2019 when she was working for CCE (Cornell Cooperative Extension). Scott was able to locate the report. We reviewed the prior document and used it to help fill out an updated version. Next steps are to look up the referenced documents and see if there are any updates. The goal of CCE, based on their current grant, is to provide an updated report with recommendations on our resiliency planning by year’s end. We will look at possible funding sources to enable CCE to continue to work with us to gain Bronze Certification in 2026. Next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 23 at 6pm at Village Hall.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
I joined a panel for the Bard Class – All Politics is Local on Sept 5[th] . Ulster County Legislator and Majority Leader Peter Criswell, Red Hook Town Council Member Jacob Testa and I made up the panel. We shared information about our roles in local government.
One of the requirements for the students in All Politics is Local is to have an internship with a municipality. I have an intern starting Oct 3[rd] who will work with me on the mayor’s newsletter.
I participated in a roundtable discussion for Historic Red Hook as they work toward a new strategic plan. Historic Red Hook is working toward an exciting future that I think will benefit our community and add to our historic knowledge.
On Friday, Sept. 19, a Bard Women & Leadership Class started their morning class at Village Hall where I shared about the role of mayor and my journey here. The class then explored the Village and met with a few Red Hook Village women business owners.
I attended, by invitation, a roundtable discussion sponsored by the Red Hook Chamber of Commerce between Congressmember Pat Ryan and local business owners regarding the current challenges that businesses are facing, especially with the newly added and often changing tariffs. I was grateful to be able to hear the different stories and perspectives. One big takeaway was the difficulty of having to explain to customers why prices are rising and that the higher prices do not always mean higher profits.
On Thursday, Sept 25, I met with the new Red Hook High School Student representatives on the Board of Education, Maddie Clements and Marina Kregel. RHHS Principal Kyle Roddey asked if I would meet with them as part of an on-boarding orientation for the students. We talked about board service, how to be a productive board member, the Village board, and local government. I look forward to seeing their contributions to the BOE.