Village of Red Hook Mayor’s Report December 2026
RED HOOK LIBRARY (RHPL)
The RHPL had their December board meeting on Dec. 18[th] . Attendees were President Anna Greig, Treasurer Grace Kachigan and Board members - Leah Bahnatka, Gareth Davies, & Kelly French, and Executive Director Alex Geller & guest Karen Smythe were also in attendance. Absent: Vice President Martha Tepepa, Board Member Jared Vengrin.
The 2026 Budget was discussed. Some adjustments were made from November’s meeting – including higher expected revenue from the annual appeal, reducing the tax increase request. The main numbers stayed the same.
Discussion of the ebook Overdrive spend. Mid-Hudson Library flagged this due to Red Hook not spending at the required rate. The previously discussed allocation between Red Hook and Tivoli was not applied. Alex to follow up with MHL Director Rebecca. The 2026 Budget was approved by vote.
The change of the Children’s Librarian to go from Part Time to Full Time was approved. Pay will be $19.50/hr.
The Board decided to elect officers at the January meeting. The Treasurer reported that the Library was on target with the budget. They have hired a new accountant. The new person worked with the previous accounting firm that decided to get out of the library business. This person is trying to pick up their dropped clients. Parking lot project – final payments are in tonight’s warrants.
The Executive Director reported that foot traffic is following normal patterns with a reduction in the Winter. The ADA compliant back door project is included in the 2026 budget. Trivia Night will be Feb. 1 and the Board will have a 2-hour retreat prior to Trivia Night. There is now an Art Display on the 3[rd] floor. The Naturalist in Residence is Randy German for 2026.
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, Jan. 15[th] at 6:30pm.
SAWKILL WATERSHED COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL (SKWC)
The SKWC met on Dec. 17[th] at 6:30pm in Village Hall. Attendees were Karen Schnelling-McDonald, Sheila Buff, Henry Woods, Zoe Evans, Ruth Ford, Amanda Sandor & Karen Smythe.
The application to Open Spaces Institute (OSI) has been approved. Next steps are to determine signatories and officers. Need for storage space, a bank account, and PO Box.
Amanda ran into issues with the website. They have subsequently been resolved. Discussion around control of the website and the current webmaster ensued.
The final grant project event is planned for February. This is the final project to satisfy the Hudson River Foundation grant through Bard College. The event will include the SKWC database unveiling and celebrate 10 years of the SKWC. It may also be the kickoff to fundraising for the future of SKWC.
SKWC will be facilitating a kitchen table conversation for the Town’s Comprehensive Plan with a focus on water and water protection. It will be held on Thursday, Jan. 22 from 1-2:30pm at the Red Hook Library.
The next meeting is scheduled for Wed. Jan. 28[th] at 6:30pm in Village Hall.
CLIMATE SMART COMMUNITY TASK FORCE
The Task Force met Dec. 4[th] at 6pm in Village Hall. Betsy Brauer and Karen Smythe were present. We agreed that our next steps are to be 100% focused on gaining points for Bronze Certification. Betsy will continue to work on a comprehensive vehicle list for the Village. Karen will meet with Michelle Gluck to discuss how she can help us toward certification.
We discussed targeting Mar/Apr to present to the board, and in particular to ask whether the focus should be more on Resiliency or Addressing Climate Change.
The next meeting is scheduled for Thurs. Jan 22[nd] at 6pm in Village Hall.
PUBLIC SPACES/ABRAHAMS PARK
The Public Spaces Committee met on Monday, Dec. 15[th] at 7pm in Village Hall. Attendees were Ash Bradley-Rickard, Linda DiGasper, Camille Norvell, David Sokol, Barbara Westermann & Karen Smythe.
We reviewed the contact with Bard Professor Dr. Ross regarding a possible student working on a master plan for Abrahams Park as their senior project. We discussed grant opportunities. *Karen to report to the Board about the Committee’s interest in applying for a grant. *
Barbara plans to see if there is a possibility for an art project with Bard after the holidays. We reviewed the drawings and ideas for Abrahams Park.
No meeting scheduled for January due to the regular meeting falling on a holiday. The next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 2[nd] at 7pm in Village Hall.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
There were many Holiday events around the Village in December: Village Tree Lighting put on by the Red Hook Chamber on Fri. Dec. 5[th] , Historic Red Hook Holiday Open House on Sun. Dec. 7[th] , Parade of Lights organized by Kyle Streib on Dec. 13[th] , Menorah Lighting by the Rhinebeck Jewish Center, Christmas in the Village at the VFW on Sat. Dec. 20[th] .
The VFW held a Pearl Harbor Remembrance ceremony on Sun. Dec. 7[th] . It was a moving and informative event.
i2Evolve was among the first businesses to earn a County “Think Accessible” Community Bronze Certification. County Executive Sue Serino and County All Abilities Program Director Dana Hopkins visited owner Kimberly Popolizio on Dec. 10[th] to present her certification. I was able to join them.
I attended the Red Hook Chamber ribbon cutting for Upstate Pines on Fri. Dec. 12[th] . With half of their building located in the Village, the Village benefits from the sales tax revenue they generate.
Red Hook Town Highway Dept holds a potluck holiday party each year. They were kind enough to invite me to attend as well – along with our DPW team.
Sunday, December 28[th] , I joined Bill Moore and three others on a judging panel at the VFW for Voices for Democracy to judge the final selections. The 2025-26 theme is: “How Are You Showing Patriotism and Support for Our Country?” We reviewed and scored 8 submissions.
On Tues. Dec. 30[th] , I joined a group from Tivoli on a tour of the construction progress at the Tivoli Wastewater Treatment Plant. I certainly know more than I ever thought I would about Wastewater Treatment…