Deputy Mayor Melkorka Kjarval’s Monthly Reports
January, 12th, 2026
Red Hook Together
The group meeting is organized by Bard Center for Civic Engagement & meets every first Thursday of the month. January’s meeting was held over Google Meet on the second Thursday (Jan 8th, 2026) due to the first Thursday being New Years Day. Various members of the community groups shared out dates to coordinate calendars. Below is a summary of some of the events shared:
| Jan 14 | Chamber Speed Dating | redhookchamber.org/events |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 20th | Dutchess County Legislature Meeting | dutchessny.gov |
| Jan 24 | Soup Night, Historic Red Hook | historicredhook.org/upcoming-events |
| Mar 5th | Community Conversations, RHCSD | redhookcentralschools.org |
| April 18 | Repair Cafe, Town of Red Hook | redhookny.gov/307/Red-Hook-Repair-Cafe |
| May 2nd | Annual Clean up Day, Town of Red Hook | redhookny.gov |
| First week of May | Red Hook Area Chamber Spring Mixer | redhookchamber.org/events |
| May 7th | Budget Expo | redhookcentralschools.org |
| May 9th | Apple Blossom Day, Red Hook Rotary | .redhookrotaryclub.org |
| May 9th | E-Waste & Shred Day, Town of Red Hook | redhookny.gov/428/E-Waste |
| May 19th | Budget Vote, Mill Rd, RHCSD | redhookcentralschools.org |
| Oct 24th | Repair Cafe, Town of Red Hook | redhookny.gov/307/Red-Hook-Repair-Cafe |
| Sept 19 | Hardscrabble Day | hardscrabbleday.org |
| Sept 26th | Community Center Gala | redhookcommunitycenter.org |
| Early Sept | Ascienzo Fall Funding Applications Due | ascienzofamilyfoundation.org |
Also of note the Red Hook Area Chamber is producing their first digital & printed area guide & map that they plan to have available in the first week of May at their Spring Mixer.
Human Relations Committee Indigenous History Project:
By mutual agreement, given historian Heather Bruegl’s family and health issues, the scope of the Indigenous History Project has been curtailed. The Village paid Bruegl a deposit of $1000 which was a third of the total contract. That deposit is fair compensation for the work Bruegl was able to accomplish. The Village is grateful for Bruegl’s expertise; her work will provide a foundation for any future development of this project.
Town of Red Hook Comprehensive Plan:
The Town committee meets monthly from 7:30pm to 9pm on the fourth Tuesday at Town Hall. There was no meeting during the month of December.
| Links to Learn more about the Town Comprehensive Plan: | Links to Learn more about the Town Comprehensive Plan: |
|---|---|
| Comp Plan Site: | redhookny.gov/578/Town-of-Red-Hook-Comprehensive-Plan |
| Key facts about RH: | redhookny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4982/ |
| What is a Comp Plan?: | redhookny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4933/ |
| Online survey: | surveymonkey.com/r/RedHookVision |
| VisioningWorkshopSummary | redhookny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/5069/ |
Town of Red Hook Community Preservation Fund:
| Town of Red Hook Community Preservation Fund: | Town of Red Hook Community Preservation Fund: | |
|---|---|---|
| From the Monthly Statement of the Red Hook Town Supervisor | Balance | |
| (These fgures were reported in last months report) | ||
| M&T Consolidated Account | ||
| Cm C’munityPres 0102 - | 426,778.80 | |
| NYclassMaster Account | CmCommunityPres.0203 | 1,576,383.69 |
| Green CPF 0204.100 Investment | 1,834,216.48 | |
| Greene(Cpf Funds)0204 | 69,967.24 | |
| Previous balance (10/31/25) | 3,509,567.36 | |
| Town of Red Hook CPF Total Balance as of 12/12/2025 | 3,907,346.21 |
Note that I included the previous month’s balance to illustrate that in a little over a month - the CPF balance rose by $397,778.85
Village of Red Hook Communications:
I completed the new trash & recycling pickup calendar & dual stream recycling guide (see below).
Village and Zoning Review:
On December 12th, 2025, Mayor Smythe and I met with planning consultant Bonnie Franson to discuss the comments made at the December 6th, 2025 Public Hearing regarding the “North Broadway Corridor Land Use and Zoning study”. We discussed how some of the comments were focused on allowing or disallowing individual parcel development (which falls outside the powers of the Land Use Study). In order to ensure that the purpose and scope of the study was clear to the public; we requested that Franson draft a basic FAQ that could inform community members about why the board needed to pursue a Comprehensive Plan amendment before changing the Zoning Code, and for those concerned with individual development projects how they can make their objections heard during the official and public site review process. The FAQ prepared by Bonnie Franson is attached to my report. The comments made were summarized in the Minutes of that meeting posted online: redhookvillage.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_12082025-711, and are available in full in the PANDA video recording. youtube.com/watch?v=UbQtSa90Bh4