Deputy Mayor Melkorka Kjarval’s Monthly Reports
Mar 10th, 2025
Red Hook Together: meets on the first Thursday of the month. The latest meeting was held over Zoom on Feb 6th, 2025. County legislators Kristofer Munn, Brennan Kearney & Chris Drago spoke to the group about initiatives they were prioritizing as well as issues they believe are important to address. The three members that spoke are members of the minority Democratic Caucus - which also puts out a newsletter that the members promoted: dutchessvoice.com. The Legislators collectively suggested any constituents that were looking for ways to be involved at a county level, should consider applying to serve on a Legislative Committee. Committees that have vacant seats are listed at: dutchessny.gov/Departments/County-Legislature/Appointment-List.htm
Also present were representatives from Family Services which is slated to expand their offices and services available to our region with a new location in Rhinebeck. More info about the organization can be found at: familyservicesny.org
Finally, concern about EMS response times to the Red Hook Central School district was raised. Staffing can be a challenge for volunteer EMS services, while private ambulance providers can be a very costly service for users and or/ taxpayers. The concern stems from the delay that is caused when 9-11 calls that cannot be served by the primary responder in a designated service area are not readily released to the next available responder.
Red Hook Town Economic Development Committee: Currently inactive.
Dutchess County Safety Action Plan - Advisory Committee:
Mayor Smythe and I attended a meeting on Thursday, March 6th, that was designed to elicit feedback from Dutchess County Village Mayors, Town Supervisors, & Highway & Public Works Supervisors. We were given a brief presentation about the plan, as well as the opportunity to speak to the various consultants and give feedback on developing aspects of the plan.
You can follow along with the process at: dutchessny.gov/SafetyActionPlan
Village of Red Hook Communications Committee: meets every first Wednesday of the month at
1:30 pm in the Village Hall. On Wednesday, March 5th, ed Karen and I met and discussed the Police phone installation, as well as how we may reconfigure signage around the main entrance door to accommodate the new phone box.
On feb 26th I had a meeting with a Civic Plus representative, Civic Plus is our current website platform. We discussed the change to a .gov address as well as possible redesign packages. We are waiting on updated quotes to bring to the board ahead of adopting next years budget.
Village of Red Hook Human Relations Committee: meets every first Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm in the Village Hall conference room. The latest meeting was held on Thursday, March 6th.
Historian Heather Bruegl, in conjunction with the committee, will be holding a Public Info session on the project, on Tuesday, May 13th at 7pm in the courtroom. We hope anyone who is curious about the project, may have questions for Heather, or are even interested in adding, or contributing to the research project - please attend.
Also discussed was the possibility of the Human Relations Committee hosting a free crafting opportunity at an upcoming Neighbors Night, details are still being discussed.
Village Public Works Department:
| Village Public Works Department: | Village Public Works Department: |
|---|---|
| 1. | |
| **Scrap Metal Program:**There has been no revenue received since my last report. | |
| Revenue received (2/10/25) since my last report was | $720.00 |
| Total revenue for this Fiscal Year (Jun 2024- May 2025) to date is | $4,096.90 |
| Since the Program’s inception, in Sep 2007, donations have yielded a total of | $58,959.74 |
| Proceeds from the program go towards the purchase of tools & equipment for the Public Works Department. | |
| Residents & businesses interested in donating metal may contact the Village Clerk’s ofce to schedule a | |
| pickup. |
- Snow Removal & Seasonal Parking Rules: We have one remaining month left in our snow season, please remember that till March 31st, no overnight parking is allowed on village streets. Also items may get damaged by the plow trucks if they are left on the street edge. Please remember that if you have a sidewalk adjacent to your property you are required to keep it clear of snow and ice within 24 hours after the end of a winter storm, Sidewalks include the entrance to any pedestrian street crossings. So if you have a street crossing, you must clear up to the curb cut.
No all-night street parking is permitted in the Village from November 1st thru March 31st. Vehicles parked on the streets between 11 PM - 6 AM may be ticketed and towed at the owner's expense.
Property owners are reminded to remove athletic equipment, garbage receptacles and/or any other temporary obstacles from the side of streets to prevent their damage during snow removal operations.
The owner and/or occupant of every building/lot in the village with an adjoining sidewalk, is required to remove snow and ice within 24 hrs of the end of a snowstorm. The Village Public Works Department, at the direction of the Village board of Trustees, may remove uncleared snow/ice , at the cost of $2.00 per linear foot to the property owner. Charges will be assessed and collected with the next tax levy.
3. Trash & Recycling Pickup:
Trash & Recycling must be 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.
Bulk Item tags are available for purchase at the Clerk's office.
Recycling Pickup alternates between Yellow (Paper & cardboard) & Blue (Metal, Plastic & Glass). The Dual-Stream Recycling calendar and guide can be picked up at the Clerk's office, or found online at redhookvillage.org/recycle
Residents can drop off household compost at the Town Recycling Center, Wed & Sat 7:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
4. Street Light Complaints:
If you notice a street light out in the Village: You may notify Central Hudson directly by going to: cenhud.com/en/outages, selecting ‘Report a Street Light’ and filling out their online form.