Last night, “something extraordinary happened” at Gabriel’s on John Street: twenty six community leaders gathered for an intimate meal and a “pointed discussion on the positive efforts being had in the city of Kingston,” according to Plankingston.org. After introductions and a fine meal, the group was broken into smaller groups by facilitator Tom Caplan and charged with the task of answering this question: “What question, if answered, could make the most difference for the future of Kingston?”
The process resulted in a half dozen responses, and the dialogue is continuing. See Plankingston.org for more details and updates on this project. The organizers promise more sessions down the road. Here’s the list of who attended last night:
Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Executive Director, Kingston Land Trust
Carl Frankel, Community Consultant
Chris Silva, Executive Director, UPAC and The Bardavon
Cliff Cooper, Steering and Program Committee, US Green Building Council
Donald O. Waters, Lystra Ministries
Ev Mann, Executive Director, Center for Creative Education, Organizer, Carnegie Library Project
Guy Kempe, Director of Community Development, RUPCO
Jennifer McKinley, President, Natural Foods Buying Club
Jennifer Schwartz, Deputy Director, The Ulster County Planning Board; Co-founder/co-professor, Kingston Together
J.Michael O’Hara, Director of Operations, Sustainable Hudson Valley
Julie Hedrick, Artist
Julie and Steve Noble, Environmental Educators, City of Kingston Parks and Rec Department, Forsyth Nature Center
Kevin McEvoy, Community Activist
KJ McIntyre, Realtor, Volunteer w/ Kingston Digital Corridor and A.S.K.
Kristin Wilson, Extension Educator, Cornell Cooperative 4H Program
Lowell Thing, Chairman, Friends of Historic Kingston
Mark Greene, Founder, Kingston Digital Corridor
Melissa Everett, Executive Director, Sustainable Hudson Valley
Peggy Atwood, Assistant Coordinator, Mid-Hudson Energy $mart Communities
Peter Wetzler, Composer and organizer of the Carnegie Library project
Rebecca Martin, Musician. Founder, KingstonCitizens.org and Chair, Garden Committee of The Kingston Land Trust
Sandy Thompson-Hopgood, The Everett Hodge Community Center
Sharron Bower-Greene, Actor, Organizer
Vic Melville, The League of Women Voters