Deputy Mayor Melkorka Kjarval's Monthly Reports — September 9, 2024

Deputy Mayor Melkorka Kjarval’s Monthly Reports

September 9th, 2024

Red Hook Together: I attended the meeting held on September 6th at the Elmendorph Inn. The Red Hook Central School District spoke about their upcoming capital project proposition vote. This past spring their proposition for turf fields did not pass. They will have three separate capital projects up for vote this fall, the first is for various building upgrades such as AC systems and replacing the columns in the facade of the Middle School. The second proposition raises the option again of replacing the grass field within the track with a synthetic turf field. The third proposition is for repairing two separate grass fields. There was also a robust discussion about mental health services in the region, as well as services available for unhoused persons within Red Hook.

Erin Cannan, Vice President for Civic Engagement at Bard College, is leading an advocacy roundtable regarding mental healthcare access that has been meeting with County leadership. They have been successful in getting Sara Ugolini, director of the Red Hook Community Center, appointed to the Dutchess County Mental Hygiene Advisory Board. A new subcommittee of that board has been proposed to focus on access to services for rural communities in Dutchess County. There was also talk about designated warming & cooling centers (not overnight shelters), as well as the NYS protocol referred to as ‘code blue’ for when the weather falls below 32 degrees. This issue is ongoing as there are multiple warming and cooling centers in Red Hook, but they operate during often limited business hours and are not able to provide overnight shelter.

October’s meeting time and location is TBA.

Red Hook Town Economic Development Committee: Bi-weekly meetings have been taking place at Village Hall on the second & fourth Wednesdays of the month at 8:40 am. There were no meetings held for the month of August. At July 24th’s meeting the topic of pedestrian traffic in the Village’s business district and Short term rentals in the Village were raised. Many of the Town EDC members are pro-allowing short-term rental in the Village. Currently short-term rentals are not an approved use within the Village of Red Hook. EDC meetings will resume this week.

Dutchess County Safety Action Plan - Advisory Committee: Dutchess County

Transportation Council is creating a Transportation Safety Action Plan for the whole of Dutchess County. I attended the August 9th initial committee meeting on behalf of the Village. A Transportation Safety Action Plan is a requirement for each municipality in order to be eligible for the Federal Safe Streets for all (SS4A) program. Dutchess County is taking on this project on behalf of all of the municipalities within Dutchess County with the hopes that creating a combined plan will be cost effective and allow for a greater number of communities in the county to be eligible for the program.

The advisory committee made up of various officials in various roles and throughout Dutchess County will help the consultants create a plan that takes into account the local communities, data, unique conditions and priorities. I was pleased to hear that the consultants are planning on analyzing each of the municipalities in Dutchess County and will be recommending projects or initiatives that could help to make our shared streets safer for all of those who use them.

The proposed plan must also align with the (USDOT) for a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, NYS DOT’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), NY Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee’s Highway Strategic Safety Plan (HSSP), and the DCTC Metropolitan Transportation Plan. One of the challenges for a community that is as rural as ours - is that plans such as New York State Strategic Highway plan calculate priority project scores in such a way that rural routes rate higher much lower than urban roads that have higher volume of traffic and/or accidents.

I was very pleased to hear that the consultants (Cambridge Systematics, Inc, Sam Schwartz Engineering & Westin & Sampson Byer Planning, LLC) plan to present priority rural roadways in comparison to other peer rural roadways in their report. I will keep the board updated on further progress and or outreach.

Village of Red Hook Communications Committee: The Communications committee meets every first Wednesday of the month at 1:30 pm in the Village Hall conference room.

The September 4th meeting the language access grant was discussed as well as the newsletter, signage, press releases and various ongoing communications projects. We are excited to present our Language access “What does the Village do for you” brochures at Hardscrabble day at our new Village “question booth” - so please look out for that underneath a red and white umbrella in the Village lot on Hardscrabble day.

Village of Red Hook Hardscrabble / Events Committee: The events committee meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 6pm at Village Hall.

The committee met on August 13th, and planned details regarding the Hardscrabble Music Festival (September 14th, 10am-10pm) as well as Neighbors Night (September 13th - 5:00-6:30).

The Main Stage lineup has been finalized: Lara Hope & The Ark-Tones, Yard Sale, Miles Taylour + The Upstate, & Phat Inc. There will be a Kid DJ in the morning at 10 am accompanying a free “Kid Village” carnival of Village Helper activities set to a “Busy Town” theme. Following Kid Village there will be teen bands. There will be a variety of food vendors all-day and the Cider tent will open at 5pm selling local beer and cider as well as Hardscrabble Tees.

Neighbors Night, a low-key neighbors meetup with free games, food and mingling will feature Annabelle's Bakery Quiches. We want to thank Anne from Annabelle’s for fitting in this event during her very busy last month of business. Her corner bakery has been a big presence in the village and her cakes have graced many community celebrations over the past 7 years, so we are extra grateful that her delicious food will be part of our 5th Neighbors Night.

The next public meeting will be September 10th at 6pm in the village courtroom.

Village of Red Hook Human Relations Committee: The Human Relations Committee meets every first Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm in the Village Hall conference room. The committee did not meet in July or August due to a quorum not being available.

During the September 5th meeting, there was a wide range of topics discussed as well as possible projects or focus areas raised. Due to the limited number of members - there was no commitment to a particular project as of yet. Members were tasked with bringing suggestions for guests and or topics for the next meeting.

The next public meeting will be on October 3rd.

Village of Red Hook Highway / Public Works Department:

1. Village Brush / Yard Waste Pickup - Pickups are scheduled for the first full week of every month, pending weather conditions and scheduling. Residents are reminded of the following rules:

   • Avoid creating long-term piles, place piles out just prior to pick-up week.

   • Lawn clippings and brush should be set out in separate piles.

   • Place piles on the edge of your lawn (not on the sidewalk or in the street).

   • The Pile should not include: Construction debris, Soil or dirt, garbage, stumps, and/or branches larger than 6” in diameter.

   • Piles should be limited to 6' x 6' x 6'.

   • Consider combining smaller piles with a neighbor to facilitate efficient pickups.

2. Trash & Recycling Pickup -

   • Please put your trash & recycling out before 5am on Monday mornings.

   • Cardboard bundles should be bound together with string or tape. Paper recycling should be placed loose within a lidded tub or bin.

3. Potholes: You can notify the village of potholes on Village roads by calling the Village Clerk’s office or filling out the “Report a Concern” form at: redhookvillage.org/concern. Please note that the Village is not allowed to conduct repairs on State Highways. If you would like to report a pothole on a State Highway, The Village can forward your concern - or you can submit your complaint directly to the NYS DOT by calling 1.800.POTHOLE (1.800.768.4653).

4. Street Light Complaints: If you notice a street light out - you may notify Central Hudson directly by going to: cenhud.com/en/outages, selecting ‘Report a Street Light’ and filling out their online form.

5. Scrap Metal Program:

Proceeds from the program go towards the purchase of tools & equipment for the Public Works Department. Residents & businesses interested in donating scrap metal may contact the Village Clerk’s office to schedule a pickup.