“Leave It On The Lawn, Kingston!” Initiative Marks Its Second Season in 2010

Kingston resident Kate Lawson leads by example.

“Leave It On The Lawn, Kingston!” initiative continues for a second year in the City of Kingston.

The City of Kingston’s Mayor James Sottile, DPW Superintendent Michael Schupp and The Kingston Land Trust hope to save Kingston citizen’s tax dollars for a second year by encouraging residents to mulch their leaf landscape waste.

KINGSTON – With the recent passing of a mandatory leaf bagging law in the city of Kingston, public officials in connection with the Kingston Land Trust are asking residents to “Leave It On The Lawn, Kingston!” for a second fall season. The federal program that was initiated locally hopes to save citizen’s tax dollars by asking them to ‘help Kingston help itself’.

“Mulching leaves takes a serious waste disposal problem and stops it at its source,” says Rebecca Martin, Executive Director of the Kingston Land Trust.  “Additionally, it takes 1/4 of a persons time rather than bagging them, avoids all municipal collection costs and provides valuable plant nutrients stored in leaves throughout the season to fertilize lawns and gardens naturally.”

A helpful brochure will be available at the city of Kingston’s Clerks office, Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Kingston Land Trust offices after October 10th about the program.  To learn more on the initiative online, visit the city of Kingston’s website or contact Rebecca Martin, Executive Director of the Kingston Land Trust at 845/877-LAND (5263) or rebecca@kingstonlandtrust.org

The Good Stewards aka ‘Project Forsyth’


There are many good works underway in the city of Kingston in the midst of some pretty tough economic times. For instance, stewards of the ‘Project Forsyth’ program are working to gain a substantial grant to update the park at Forsyth in Kingston for all of our families and visitors to enjoy. Forsyth is a premier location that hosts our city zoo (with a wide array of rescued animals ranging from bulls to peacocks), nature center, open space, tennis courts and children’s playground.

Read more…

Youth Build Helps Maintain the City of Kingston’s Foreclosed Properties

By Rebecca Martin
(excerpts taken from a letter generated by Fire Chief Rick Salzmann)

With the increasing number of foreclosures that the city of Kingston is experiencing, Building safety is receiving daily complaints regarding properties that are vacant and not being maintained.    In an effort to better deal with these properties, Ward 9 Alderman Hayes Clement suggested a meeting with Bonnie Landi at YouthBuild. As a result, Youth Build will cut grass and perform basic yard work at vacant properties, where owners have ignored the notices that the Building Safety Department have sent to them.

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South Pine Street Garden Makes First Food Donation to Queens Galley

Farmer Frank and Rebecca Martin making a delivery of turnip greens to the Queens Galley from the South Pine Street Garden. Photo credit: Kevin McEvoy

The South Pine Street Childrens/Community Garden off of Greenkill Avenue in Ward 5 made a large food donation of Turnip Greens to Queens Galley.

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Garden Volunteers: We Need You

By Arthur Zaczkiewicz

Earlier this month I attended a conference in North Carolina relating to the national effort behind the local “Healthy Kingston for Kids” project, which aims to reverse childhood obesity through environmental and policy change. It was a “mind-opening” experience to meet others working on the same issues from places such as Buffalo, Oakland and Chicago.

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Kingston Celebrates Earth Day with Earth Week

There are a whole week of events scheduled in celebration of Earth Day this year, 2010. Here’s the scoop:

EARTH WEEK 2010: Kingston Celebrates Earth Day’s 40th AnniversaryGreen Streetscape Improvements on Broadway

Date: April 20, 2010

Time:     2:30pm

Location:  Adjacent to 630 Broadway (Intersection of Broadway and Oneil Street)

The City of Kingston will hold a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Broadway to signify the installation of Mr. Big Belly Solar Compactors and dozens of Bicycle Racks along the Midtown Broadway Corridor. These streetscape improvements were made possible through the NYS Main Street Program, administered through the Rural Ulster Preservation Company. This funding has allowed the City of Kingston to improve amenities along Broadway with the purchase of 4 solar powered trash compactors and recycling units. Kingston will be one of the first cities in New York to purchase and implement these unique waste handling systems. Over time, these units will decrease the number of trips necessary to empty refuse along Broadway, while working to beautify the Midtown Area.  Representatives from Direct Environmental Corporation, makers of Mr. Big Belly will be on hand to demonstrate the units and answer questions.
Funds were also use to purchase bike racks, which will be placed along Broadway this Spring to encourage more Kingstonians to bicycle to and from residences and businesses along the Broadway Corridor.

RUPCO worked closely with the City of Kingston and the Green Corridor Project, which includes representatives from Sustainable Hudson Valley, Kingston Parks and Recreation Department, Mid Hudson Energy Smart Communities, RUPCO and numerous environmental professionals and Kingston residents to make this project a success. The Green Corridor Project aims to link environmentally minded businesses and institutions along Kingston’s main thoroughfare to attract and encourage a green economy in Kingston.
For more information, contact Steve Noble, 845-481-7336 or snoble@kingston-ny.gov

Forsyth Nature Center Hosts Kingston’s Storyteller Laureate

Date: April 22, 2010

Time:     4pm

Location:  Forsyth Nature Center, Kingston, NY

The Forsyth Nature Center will celebrate a very special Earth Day this year with Karen Pillsworth, Kingston’s Storyteller Laureate. Karen’s vibrant and energetic telling of stories for the earth will inspire audiences of all ages. All participants will receive an Earth Day gift of a tree sapling donated by the Friends of Forysth Nature Center. This event is free and weather permitting. For more information, you can call 845-481-7339 or visit the Forsyth Nature Center’s website.

Kingston Clean Sweep

Date: April 24, 2010

Time:     9am-12pm

Location:  Kingston Corridor

A spring clean-up of litter lying along the newly instituted “Kingston Corridor” will take place on Saturday, April 24, 9 a.m. to noon. The Kingston Clean Sweep is being sponsored by the Friends of Historic Kingston with support from the City of Kingston and more than 20 other local business and service organizations.

The city will be divided into eight sections, each overseen by one or more of the participating organizations. Volunteers will be provided with City-supplied trash bags that will be collected by the Department of Public Works following the event.  People are asked to bring their own work gloves and a broom, if possible, to sweep dirt piles from the sidewalks.  The event will take place rain or shine.

Volunteers are still needed in several sections along the “Kingston Corridor” which runs from the Thruway Circle down to the Rondout Creek.  Anyone who wishes to volunteer can call the Friends of Historic Kingston at (845) 339-0720 or e-mail fohk@hvc.rr.com .

How About a Little De-Tagging During the Citywide Clean Sweep on April 24th?

In the spirit of the upcoming citywide clean sweep event on April 24th, KingstonCitizens.org is giving away ten “Team D’Arcy De-Tagging Kits”  that include spray paint remover, rubber gloves and a full roll of paper towels (towels courtesy of Kingston Natural Foods).   The first ten residents to arrive at the citywide Neighborhood Watch Meeting on Tuesday, April 13th at the Kingston Library will be given one.

I’m going to keep a kit in the car to remove tags when I see them. How about you?

For more on the upcoming Citywide Clean-Sweep, visit this LINK

BEFORE: Graffiti on Wall Street
AFTER: Citizen and community leader Michael D'Arcy takes matters into his own hands and removes blight from our Uptown business district. It's easy for us all to do.

Upgrading the YMCA Playground by Making Community and Children’s Gardens

This just in! I am so happy to learn of the news, as that play area is really beautiful and completely underutilized.

Good news indeed.

– Rebecca Martin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 6, 2010

Citizen Help Sought for YMCA Park Clean up and Garden Projects

DEP volunteers launch initiative at YMCA playground that includes creating community and childrens gardens.

Employees from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection office in Kingston have volunteered to clean up the YMCA playground as well as install a community garden and children’s garden at the site, which is behind the YMCA building on Broadway in Midtown. The coordinators are conducting the first cleanup this Saturday, April 10 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and need community volunteers to help.

The work involves making repairs to the jungle gym as needed, cleaning up trash at Summer and Susan streets, and removing brush, dead limbs and trees as well as removing invasive plants. Additional cleanups are also planned in the coming weeks.

For more information about the clean up as well as to help out with the garden project, contact Ed Blouin at eblouin@hvc.rr.com or by calling him at (845) 616-2677.

For more information about other community garden projects in Kingston, contact Arthur Zaczkiewicz of the Kingston Land Trust at zaczkiewicz@yahoo.com.

UCRRA Collects Pharmaceutical Waste in April

The Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency is hosting its annual April collection on the 17th. This year they will be collecting Pharmaceutical waste in an effort to keep residents from flushing them where pharmaceuticals end up in streams, wells, and other waterways.

Here is an article from the New York Times titled “Drugs In The Water. Does It Matter?” to give our readers a bit of insight on the problem.

For more on this upcoming event and to print a PDF flyer visit this LINK.

After The Election: Recycling Campaign Lawn Signs

After an election cycle, have you ever wondered what to do with those campaign lawn signs that you agreed to place on your property? Do you call the candidates and offer them back? Take them apart to recycle them? Re-use them for lawn sales?

I decided to take a look on-line to see if New York State had any lawn sign recycling program in place.

Nope. At least not so far as I could see. There are, however, several municipalities who have created such a thing (in Florida for example and of course California).

I wonder if those running for office would agree to do away with lawn signs. Not plausible? Then how about holding onto them to re-use in the case that they run again in the future. Most everyone has an attic, right?

Here is a good link to ‘Planet Green’ where you can read more about the recycling possibilities.

– Rebecca Martin

All Hands On Deck: Neighborhood Clean-Up At Forsyth Park

This is just the kind of thing we love to relay to our Kingston Citizens.

Earlier in the year, several of the Ward 1 residents organized a clean-up of the Forsyth Playground to help make a beautiful space more so for our children and families.

This fall, there is another group from Ward 1 organizing a clean-up – and this time, it’s the entire Forsyth Park.

On Saturday, October 17th from 9am – Noontime (rain date the following day, Sunday, October 18th at the same time) they will meet, stating: “Forsyth Park is one of Kingston’s best attractions. With the current budget woes of Kingston, now more than ever we all need to do our part to keep our neighborhood park clean”.

Thanks to Andi and Butch for making the effort. If anyone would like more information, they can contact Andi at: 917/975-3039 or Butch at 845/594-3811.