By Rebecca Martin
The Pike Plan process has been a real quagmire. Whether you are for or against it, here we are.
A notice was sent out to the public advising that the city will hold a Pike Plan Pre-Construction meeting on Tuesday, March 1st at 5:30pm. The meeting will take place at the Kirkland Hotel located on Main and Clinton in Kingston. The purpose is to discuss the ‘Rehabilitation’ of the Pike Plan Project.
In preparation for the meeting unfortunately for citizens, it will be hard to find information that isn’t polarized to one side or the other. Earlier on in the Pike Plan Commission process, there weren’t minutes kept – so what is true and what isn’t relies mainly now on perspectives.
What I can suggest is that you speak to the following parties to become familiar with both sides as things currently stand.
Kingston USA, Robert Tonner, President: tar@tonnerdoll.com or Eric Francis: bookofblue@gmail.com
I think this organization is the most reliable in obtaining factual information as to where the project lies today. This group is opposed to the pike plan, and says that the project isn’t a rehabilitation, but a complete tear down and rebuild project that will cost far more than what is budgeted – impacting the citizens of Kingston and still covering the historic character of the buildings while diminishing business for those who are struggling under the current design. Kingston USA is made up mainly of those business and building owners living in the Pike Plan district.
KUBA, Kevin Quilty, President: kubainfo@kingstonuptown.org
Kevin supports the project, and represents the ‘business’ community in Uptown Kingston. Surprisingly, there are 400 members (give or take) who comprise this organization. The majority of members are not impacted by the pike plan.
KURA, Gerry Soldner, President: info@uptownresidents.org
KURA (Kingston Uptown Residents Alliance) is a volunteer organization made up of esteemed members in our community. Gerry is a Kingston Citizen who I hold up high. He is intelligent, investigative, and sensible.
There are others who have played an integral role in the process which I will gladly share if you need more contact information. For others, please feel free to post your opinions or helpful tips regarding this matter in the comment section for citizens as they prepare for this upcoming meeting.
THIS JUST IN: I received this from KingstonUSA . Feel free to contact them if you have any questions.
The area affected is quite small, and at the same time, all the “stakeholders” are invisible…
1) there is no simple list of businesses who are actually in the affected area and how they vote, up or down.
2) you’d think there would at least be signs in the windows, a visual statement of “yes” or “no”
3) you’d think there would be a simple summary, a white paper by those who are opposing the plan
In the meantime, there IS a plan, there IS money, and all the words to the contrary are mere opinion. Excited opinion? sure. Stakeholder opinion? Maybe that too.
But. There. Is. No. Data.
And not enough actual presence to display the sentiments in the windows! I mean, kids do way better on Halloween than the whole bunch of “stakeholders”, KUBA, BAK, whatever…
How about a simple statement: Uptown Kingston without the canopies would result in 10% increased sales, and 15% increase in property values which would result in 250K tax revenues/year to Kingston from sales and 100K revenue from increased property tax. True? False? Got data?
And then there are the costs to tear it down.
I can keep it simple. They’re ugly and are far from “historic”. I can’t see the names of business’s when I drive past, so why I should I bother to stop? We now know why some people would rather shop in the Town of Ulster. Businesses need to be seen!