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Coffee and Music

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Karin Edmundson penned a nice article about our good friends at Monkey Joe Coffee Roasting Co. here in Kingston. The article, which can be read here, appears in the March issue of the Catskill Mountain Region Guide.

Monkey Joe co-owners Gabe and Kathy have some neat quotes in the story, which reminds us that they roast single-origin coffee. The story also ties in Gabe’s love of music and the couple’s mindfulness of being good citizens and stewards of the environment.

At one point in the story, Edmundson writes, “Some time later, a fellow came over and asked about help in selling his guitar and—just before I left—a slight young man in a navy pea coat and fashionable slacks entered the café, ordered his usual brew from the counter and measured out a bag of coffee beans. This somewhat dashing (for downtown Kingston) figure turned out to be a talented music producer who has worked with the likes of Daniel Lanois.”

Edmundson didn’t name the music producer, but by her description, it is no other than Ward 9 resident Malcolm Burn.

Green Economy Program This Friday

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The Hudson Valley Progressive Coalition is having an event this Friday, March 6 between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. at Backstage Studio Productions (323 Wall Street in Kingston). The title of the program is “Federal Stimulus, Local Strategies: Building a Green Economy in the Mid Hudson Valley.”

The program should be a “must attend” for anyone who sees the role of a green economy in these new macro-economic realities as a high priority.

To learn more about the stimulus package, which includes policy changes and a high-speed rail system, check out this New York Times page.

To RSVP to HVPC event, email Vicki Stockard at hu******************@***il.com.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz

High Honors for Jazz Students

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The Freeman reports today that the Kingston High School Jazz Ensemble is “one of 15 school jazz bands from across the country to qualify as finalists for this year’s prestigious 14th annual Essentially Ellington Competition and Festival at Lincoln Center in New York City.”

The students will compete with other ensembles, and attend workshops. The program/festival culminates with a performance. Read the article here. To read more about the festival, click here.

Toward Common Business Goals

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From Kevin Quilty of KUBA:

As newly elected President of the Kingston Uptown Business Assn., I have committed myself to securing the necessary funding and establishing the Main Street Manager position to represent the 3 business districts under the recently reconstituted Business Alliance of Kingston (BAC).

Three reps from each of the 3 districts (9 total) currently serve on this board and have been meeting regularly to garner the necessary political strength to make our voices heard to the members of the Common Council and the Mayor. There are Community Development Block Grant Funds available which we hope to use as seed money over a two year period to fill the position, establish hard and fast goals for some measure of success and then make the position self sustaining through assessments of the businesses.

It is an about face for us to finally raise our heads up from our own turf and come together to solve some common issues as a full fledged business group. We would love your support in terms of letters to Common Council members or the Mayor and would be happy to supply you with additional information should you request it. There will be a public hearing at City Hall on March 10 at 6 pm. We will be asking for $50K each for two years to establish this position from CDBG funds which we fully qualify for and then will be on our own.

I welcome any comments/questions from you about this bold initiative. The time has come for us to work as a community to solve our own problems and show the greater business area that we are alive and aware and focusing on building a better business environment for all of us.

Fleisher’s as Meat Mentor

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There’s a terrific story in The New York Times today that Paul Joffe pointed our way, which mentions Kingston’s own Fleisher’s butchers as meat mentors to a couple of culinary movers and shakers in Brooklyn.

The Times story, which can be read here, says that “Tom Mylan at Marlow & Daughters, a butcher shop opened in December by the owners of Marlow & Sons, found mentors. Mr. Mylan apprenticed himself last year at Fleisher’s, a highly regarded butcher shop in Kingston, N.Y., where he slept in the owners’ TV room for a month and a half.”

Bravo, Josh and Co.!

Committee to Address Accessibility on Key Rondout Streets

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This just came in from Lei Isaacs:

Hi folks!

This Thursday night (night after tomorrow) the Public Safety Committee of the Kingston Common Council will be meeting at 7 p.m. at Kingston City Hall. Among the items to be discussed will be a proposal by Alderman Senor of the Eighth Ward changing some of the parking patterns in Kingston’s Gallery District.

It is my understanding that he will be proposing a “Loading Zone” by the corner of Spring and Broadway, and two parking spaces reserved for person’s with mobility challenges down the street a bit by Donskoj Gallery. As most of you know, ASK is embarking on a wonderful project to improve its accessibility to persons with physical challenges, and this consumer base is going to need to be able to park closer to the galleries that over in the police station parking lot!

Please forward this to other artists (and persons with physical challenges)(and persons who are both, of course) whose e-dresses I don’t have. A big turnout at the meeting will ensure constructive discussion and will show the Public Safety committee that there is support for these changes! If the proposal is recommended by the Public Safety Committee, it can go to a vote of the whole Common Council.

Lei Isaacs (founder, “Restore Access Ward 9”)

Ev Mann on Carnegie Library Project

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Robert ‘Evry’ Mann, founder of the Center for Creative Education, took some time with the KingstonCitizens.org blog to update the community on the next steps in the Carnegie Library Project as well as why this work is important for youth of our community. He also said the Bank Street College of Education approved a proposal to work with CCE to develop an academic program at the Carnegie Library.

Editor’s Note: I was going to format like a traditional Q&A, but thought his responses work well as a straight narrative.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz

Read more…

What’s New on Kingston Citizens…

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Welcome to the blog of KingstonCitzens.org! We’ve added some important links on the right-side column of the website, which includes a monthly magazine, the Catskill Mountain Region Guide, under the media tab and the League of Women Voters Mid-Hudson Region website (under a new tab titled “Citizenship”) as well as the Center for Creative Education, under the Education and Personal Enrichment tab.

The League’s website has an archive of its newsletters, which can be found here. As previously mentioned here on Kingston Citizens, the League is a terrific resource of municipal news.

The Catskill Mountain Region Guide is a magazine that is readily available in print form, but the website has an arts and events calendar that is rich and easy to use.

If you know of any websites that would be good to link to, please let us know.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz