No matter how busy the Mayor’s office is today, a “State of the City” address isn’t an elective. It’s an obligation.
According to the City of Kingston, NY Charter in Article IV: Mayor, Section C4-4 Annual Message it is written that “The Mayor shall prepare and present during the first month of each fiscal year of the City an annual message to the Common Council. The annual message shall describe the condition and state of the city and shall identify matters and issues the Mayor believes should be addressed by the Council in the ensuing year.”
…and no matter how sympathetic to the Mayor one may be (and in all fairness, I am – as I think it’s far too large a job for only one person – hence, my desire to learn more on City Manager/City Administrator Forms of Government), it may not be legal for an elected official to not follow the charter as written. That certainly should be looked into.
Have a look at “Revising City Charters in NY State” and read the introduction and history of this important document. The charter is “the basic document that defines the organization, powers, functions and essential procedures of city government. It is comparable to the State Constitution and to the Constitution of the United States. The charter is, therefore, the most important law of any city“.
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The city of Kingston’s Common Council, on the other hand, has its own set of rules outside of Kingston’s charter.
The “Council Rules for Government” is a document that is not currently available on the City of Kingston website (as far as I can tell, and it should be accessible to the public in the same way the Chater is). I am happy to have received a copy and to make it public here.
In the way of the “State of the City Address” for council members, have a look at page 48, Rule XVII State of the City Address. For some reason, the council found it sound to require “…unanimous consent of the Majority (and Minority) party, the Majority (and Minority) Leader may deliver a State of the City Address at the regularly scheduled Febraury Common Council meeting each year.”
What does that mean? If one alderman decides to vote ‘no’ (as what did occur last week with Ward 2 Alderman Brian Seche), the entire opportunity for the public to hear from their council majority/minority leaders is thrown out the window?
Maybe now is the time to look closer at these documents. The public should take the time to read and get to know both the charter and the council rules so that it collectively understands how its city works from the inside out.
Here are some suggestions:
1. OUR MAYOR: Write and call the Mayor’s office and request that the law be respected, and that the annual ‘State of the City Address” be delivered.
Mayor Shayne Gallo 845/334-3902 sgallo@kingston-ny.gov
Assistant, Ellen DiFalco
2. MAJORITY/MINORITY LEADERS: Write to both our Majority Leader Matt Dunn (Ward 1) and Minority Leader Deb Brown (Ward 9) in support of their performing a ‘State of the City Address” whether it be official, or unofficial.
Alderman Matt Dunn ward1@kingston-ny.gov
Alderwoman Deb Brown ward9@kingston-ny.gov
3. ALDERMAN-AT-LARGE JIM NOBLE: Write to Alderman-at-Large Jim Noble and ask him to explain the meaning behind the rule that requires a vote for our Majority/Minority leaders to speak to the public annually on the State of the City.
If a vote is necessary, then ask that the council take up the “Council Rules of Government” and change the ‘unanimous’ to ‘majority’.
Given what happened last week, it’s astonishing that one single vote can derail this opportunity for citizens.
KingstonCitizens.org will host a public educational forum and discussion on “City Administrator and City Manager Forms of Government” on Tuesday, March 25th at the Kingston Public Library 55 Franklin Street, in Kingston NY from 6:00pm – 8:00pm. Panel guests include Meredith Robson, City Administrator of the City of Beacon, NY and Chuck Strome, City Manager of New Rochelle, NY.
Kingston, NY – For the past twenty years, the city of Kingston, NY has what is known as a ‘Strong Mayor’ form of government, where a mayor is elected into office based on popular vote to manage the city’s $36+ million dollar budget, departments, committees, commissions and an aging citywide infrastructure.
KingstonCitizens.org is pleased to present a public educational forum and discussion on two alternative forms of government titled “City Administrator and City Manager Forms of Government” on Tuesday, March 25th from 6:00pm – 8:00pm at the Kingston Public Library located at 55 Franklin Street in Kingston, NY. All are welcome to attend.
Guest panelists include Meredith Robson, City Administrator of the City of Beacon and Chuck Strome, City Manager of New Rochelle, NY to discuss their roles and relationships with the public and elected officials.
The evening will be co-moderated by Rebecca Martin, founder of KingstonCitizens.org and former Executive Director of the Kingston Land Trust and Jennifer Schwartz Berky, Principal at Hone Strategic, LLC and the former Deputy Director of Planning at Ulster County.
Meredith Robson, City of Beacon Administrator: Meredith Robson has served in a variety of governmental positions for over 26 years. She has served in all levels of government, except County government, and her career has spanned three states. She is currently the City Administrator for the City of Beacon. Ms. Robson has been very active in professional associations throughout her career, including serving on the New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials Executive Committee and in her current roles as President of the New York City/County Management Association and Northeast Regional Vice President for the International City/County Management Association. Ms. Robson is an ICMA Credentialed Manager and has a Bachelor of Science from Southern Illinois University and a Master of Public Administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She has participated in numerous professional development programs, including the following leadership training opportunities: Wallkill Valley Community Leadership Alliance, Leadership Greater Waterbury and Pace University Land Use Leadership Alliance Training Program.
Chuck Strome, New Rochelle, NY City Manager: On November 12, 2002, the City Council unanimously approved the appointment of Charles B. “Chuck” Strome, III as City Manager. Mr. Strome served as Acting City Manager since March 2002 and as Deputy City Manager since 1995. Prior to that, he served as Director of Emergency Services from 1989 through 1992, and then became Assistant City Manager / City Coordinator. Mr. Strome has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communications from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, and a Masters of Public Administration-Government from Pace University. Before joining government, Mr. Strome held positions at Hudson Westchester Radio where he was News Director, Vice President, and Program Director. Mr. Strome is a member of the International City Managers’ Association, and former president of the New York State City / County Managers Association. He is also past President, Vice President, and Secretary of the Municipal Administrators Association of Metropolitan New York.
Our Moderators
About KingstonCitizens.org: KingstonCitizens.org is a non-partisan, citizen-run organization focused on relevant and current issues about Kingston, N.Y and working to foster transparent communication by encouraging growing citizen participation. The founder of KC.org and evening co-moderator Rebecca Martin is a world renowned and critically acclaimed musician who has 25 years of experience as a manager, community organizer and activist.
About Jennifer Schwartz Berky, Principal at Hone Strategic, LLC: Berky, the evening’s co-moderator, has over 25 twenty years of experience in the fields of architecture, conservation, economic development, and urban planning in the non-profit, government, academic and private sectors. Prior to launching Hone Strategic, she served as Deputy Director of Ulster County Planning for over seven years, where she was the lead researcher and liaison to the Ulster County Charter Commission. Before moving to Ulster County, she worked in Washington, DC at the World Bank and Urban Institute, at the University of Rome (Italy) and as a project manager of design and construction for New York City’s major cultural institutions. Berky has lived for extended periods in Argentina, Chile, France, Israel, Italy, and Spain. She earned a B.A. in Art History from SUNY Stony Brook and Masters’ degrees in Urban Planning (M.Phil.) and Real Estate Development (M.S.) at Columbia University, where she is also currently completing a Ph.D. in Urban Planning on the subject of environmental economics.
(This piece was originally printed in the Kingston Times in August of 2013 after a flurry of firings at Kingston City Hall in Kingston, NY. This is an edited version).
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“When you find that change is constant, will you shun complacency?” – J. Harris
As a kid, I grew up in a household of ‘activists.’ That’s what my parents were called anyway. It never occurred to me then, or now, that they were anything out of the ordinary. For is it activism or ones duty to shine the light on a problem that lies inside or out of the community?
In the mill town where I am from, my father was a family doctor and my mother a nurse. Together, the two cared for generations of people who one day began to show up at an alarming rate with both common and also extremely rare types of cancers. Wanting to understand this phenomenon led my parents to the discovery of a dioxin contamination that was produced by the mill. A by-product of the bleaching process in papermaking, it’s a severe carcinogen also found in the notorious Vietnam War defoliant Agent Orange. All day long, they put out a large pool of muddy dioxin-laced sludge right out in the open. Without good management regulations at that time, it was disposed of by being dumped into the rivers, buried on mountaintops and burned close by. The geography of the area made for a noxious smog that hung over the valley like an impending death sentence. But noone listened.
Years later, my hometown was dubbed “Cancer Valley”. You’d think it to be enough to wake even the staunchest of cynics. But it wasn’t. The industry scurried about to downplay the statistics and public officials obliged. “Those damn elitist activists.” they’d say with their heads buried in the sands.
How do you get away with such a thing?
The people’s needs are simple. They want a job to best utilize their skill set, a roof over their head, food on the table and a good education for their children. With jobs scarce in most rural places, a lack of alternatives allow for easy management of a problem like this. Vocal residents were diminished by threats from their large employer to pack up and leave. Residents without options would resort to nostalgia. “Our town will prosper as it always has”. Even as it slowly bled to death.
Now thirty years later, the town that I knew is barely recognizable. The population has aged out. Young families have moved away. Generations no longer generate. It is necessary today for mill workers to be brought in to keep the mill in business with those who haven’t a connection to the history or the spirit that once was. The wealthy are no longer professionals. They are those who have the means to gobble up foreclosed properties to use as Section 8 housing.
A cautionary tale.
I turned out to be an artist. Things that the average person fear are just a part of ordinary life for me – and so that “fearlessness” and then a knack for organizing make for one hell of a tool chest in these times. Four years after moving into this adopted city of mine (and today, I’m a Kingston resident now for 12 years – the longest I’ve lived anywhere else other than my home town) and shortly after becoming a mom, I became what they call a ‘community organizer’ or ‘activist’ I suppose – and what I found was a gaping hole between the people and city hall that was downright disconcerting. Over the years and with the help of many volunteers and good souls, close to 50 initiatives both large and small to help repair that disconnect were created and diligently worked upon that would serve the public for a long time to come. Those of you who have come along for the ride for the past 8 years know what I’m speaking of.
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I’ve been dismayed by recent events in Kingston. The decisions and reactions of our mayor have disappointed me, but it’s not something I haven’t already seen in one form or another in Kingston’s recent past. On first blush, I find my inner dialogue focused on the politicians short comings. But the truth is, that our collective lack of knowledge and resignation in how local government works is where the problem lies.
Furthermore, the people’s collective acceptance of bad behavior from those working on their behalf is mystifying. With such low expectations, what chance is there to develop and attract a greater range of talent and professionalism in high office elected positions?
Starting from the top down, Kingston has what is known as a “strong mayor” form of government. That means that whoever is elected into office essentially has full administrative authority. The people are encouraged to vote ‘across the line’ (promoting lazy voters in my estimation) and your mayor ends up navigating a $36.8 million dollar budget, a population of about 24,000 people and an entire aging citywide infrastructure.
Here’s the thing. He or she isn’t required to have any specific qualifications for a job like this because qualifications is unconstitutional for any elected official. Did you know that? In essence, that means that anyone at all can be your mayor, whether they are experienced in city management or not. Think about that for a moment and try not to panic.
The city charter currently allows ‘mayor’ to appoint department heads and membership to the city’s internal committees without much or in some cases any oversight. They might choose to cast a net to hire the most qualified candidates locally, or enlist those whose merit lies mainly in having helped them to become elected into office. As we have recently witnessed, the latter approach has led to an unprecedented number of firings.
Take a look sometime at the City of Kingston’s charter and read Article IV: “Mayor “General Powers and Duties.” The executive duties are light at best.
Compare that to municipalities with a City Manager (Oneonta, NY) or City Administrator (Beacon, NY). Pretty astonishing don’t you think?
What would be in the public’s best interest is to have an ongoing community discussion on the choices that exist for how a city like ours could be run.
Twenty years ago for a hot minute Kingston actually had a city manager form of government. It was a hard earned effort that was forged by a group of active citizens with the support of the chamber of commerce.There is an article written by Tom Benton that the Kingston Times published describing how it all came to light. Prior to that, the mayor’s role was considered a full time position, but with only part time pay. More of a role had by a retiree with some clout in the community as I understand it.
City Manager wasn’t long lived here in Kingston – as T.R. Gallo, who petitioned at the last minute to reverse the ‘City Manager’ outcome before he himself ran for mayor, strengthening its role to what it is today.
If set up correctly, a city manager could diminish the power of party politics by placing more responsibility on a larger body of elected officials and therefore, placing more control in the hands of the people.
I like that.
How about requiring those newly elected council members to take a course in civics and in Kingston government? (new school board trustees get mandatory training.) Furthermore for our council, what about term limits with a maximum of two terms? It should be a common man’s position. Like jury duty. There is no better way to learn how your local government works than by landing a role in it for a short time. If you find that you have a knack for public service? Run for higher office.
Kingston is in the midst of rewriting its citywide Comprehensive Plan, a process that hasn’t been undertaken since 1961. They are calling it “Kingston 2025” and it’s meant to act as a road map for creating a resilient and sustainable community over the next 12 years. That’s entirely possible given the efforts of a good number of initiatives that have been underway for some time. Kingston citizens, get in there. Give your input and ask that once the new plan is in place, that it is looked at again for proper updates under each new executive office term. That’s every four to five years.
City government is ours and as soon as we are afraid of it, we no longer live in a democracy. What is necessary to make things run smoothly in todays climate is organization, cooperation and different points of view. Be inquisitive, stay current and together make the changes that are needed and available to us.
This image was used from the Bainbridge Voter. Click on the image to learn more.
Did you know that in 1993, the City of Kingston adopted (by a landslide) a City Manager form of government? This is a great old article that helps us to understand what happened back then and also how we ended up with a strong mayor form of government.
How Kingston got its ‘strong mayor’ Commentary by Tom Benton
(originally printed in the KINGSTON TIMES)
This is how it actually went down, nearly 20 years ago. I should know; I was there. In fact, in a way I was caught up right in the middle of it all, though that was not my intention.
Some time around 1992, Kingston Mayor John Amarello got to thinking that the city’s charter, which hadn’t been modified since the late 1800s, could use a little updating. Maybe it was those provisions prohibiting displays of magic and legerdemain (sleight of hand) on city streets that got him thinking, or the ones dealing with where horses could be tied up. In any event, the mayor decided that it would be useful for someone to take a look at the charter to see if some modernizing might be in order.
And so it was that he decided to create a Charter Revision Commission to tackle the task. John — I knew him well enough to call him by his first name — approached me about acting as chairman of the committee. At the time, I was a young attorney practicing in Kingston, very much involved with various civic groups and friendly with many of the business and governmental figures in town. And best of all from the mayor’s standpoint (or so I believe now), I had no political axe to grind. I have never sought or held elective office (unless you count student council in high school) and had no aspirations to do so then. So I think the mayor felt that I would be somewhat free from the rough-and-tumble of local, partisan politics. If I may say so, they don’t get more fractious anywhere than they do in Kingston (with the possible exception of the recent debt ceiling imbroglio in Washington).
With some reservations about the time commitment it would involve, I signed on, so to speak, along with a half-dozen or so other local appointees. Significantly, one of those original members was then-Alderman T. R. Gallo, who resigned from the commission after several meetings (more about that later). We set about our work at frequent evening sessions, studying the charter of Kingston along with those of other similarly sized small cities. As it happened, I was also then the president of the board of directors of the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce. Some chamber members I knew believed that the “city manager” form of local government was preferable to the traditional model, theoretically being more efficient and business-like, and they encouraged me to introduce that concept into our discussions.
A brief overview of the “city manager” form: Traditionally in the U.S., most governments, be they state, county, city, village or town, have followed the federal model, wherein three branches (executive, legislative and judicial) regulate the entity’s affairs. This structure is designed to provide checks and balances on the uses and potential abuses of power. By the beginning of the 20th century, progressives started to wonder whether all that power-balancing was really needed at the smaller and more local levels of government. Couldn’t the legislative body (city council) just hire an executive to conduct the administrative affairs of the community? After all, the council has its own internal checks and balances built in by virtue of its multiple members. It was also thought a hired executive, with specific training and expertise, would provide better and more efficient operation than might be expected from an elected mayor who, well-liked and popular though he or she might be, usually has no real training for the job.
I don’t remember the number of meetings we had, but in the course of many weeks, a consensus began to build in the direction of the “city manager” form. I believe that this was about the time Mr. Gallo bowed out. Be that as it may, after months of meetings and many hours of discussion and debate, the commission ultimately finalized a proposed revised charter for the City of Kingston, incorporating the city manager concept. This was submitted to the city for consideration and potential adoption.
During the spring and summer of 1993, the charter revision commission held a number of public information meetings throughout the city, so residents would have the opportunity to learn about the new proposal. These were well-attended and aroused great interest and passion on both sides. In due course, and in accordance with the required procedure, Kingston’s Common Council approved the submission of the proposed charter revision to the local board of elections so that it could be placed on the ballot as a referendum item to be voted on in the fall of 1993. Supporters of the measure conducted an aggressive grass-roots campaign, handing out flyers door-to-door in Kingston neighborhoods and taking out ads in local newspapers. On Election Day, the revision was approved.
Those of us who had been active in the revision process, including prominent local business figures like Frank Bailey, George Hutton, George Bell and others, were celebratory. But it should be admitted that there was no certainty about how well the “city manager” form of government would work in Kingston. The “city manager” form had been quite successful in some cities — Austin, Texas, for example — but arguably less so in others. And the work of transition still lay ahead, as the new charter structure was to take effect in January 1995.
As it happened, the 1993 vote also brought about the defeat of the incumbent Republican mayor, John Amarello, by the Democratic candidate, T.R. Gallo. It was no secret that T.R. had long dreamed of becoming Kingston’s mayor. His late father was a fixture in Kingston politics two decades earlier. The new charter preserved the office of mayor, but significantly reduced his or her official duties and authority to what might fairly be characterized as “ribbon-cutter in chief.” This was far from what the newly elected mayor had envisioned for himself.
After a few weeks, then-alderman-at-large, James Sottile, responsibly formed an ad hoc committee to work on the transition process and to begin the search for a city manager. Because of my past involvement with the new charter, I was invited to participate in that group as a citizen member at meetings throughout the winter of 1993-94. Some time in the spring, word began circulating in Kingston about a new proposal which would supplant the recently adopted city manager charter by providing for a so-called “strong mayor” — an elected mayor with greater authority than is traditionally found. The document itself soon surfaced as Mayor Gallo began a public petition campaign to place the new charter revision proposal on the 1994 ballot as a referendum item.
To place a referendum on the ballot (an alternative to the mayoral commission procedure) requires the signatures of certain percentage of the affected voting public. Even for a mayor as popular as T.R. Gallo, this was a large undertaking, particularly in the turbulent wake of the previous year and a half of charter debates. As for the proposal itself, it was rather ingeniously constructed by taking the newly adopted charter and merely replacing the words “city manager” with “mayor” throughout. There were some other modifications, of course, but that was the essence of it. And here was the effect: Under the adopted charter, the city manager was given very broad and powerful executive authority, the governmental check on that authority being control and supervision by the Common Council. Under the new proposal, an elected mayor would have the same broad authority, but would be entirely free from any such control or supervision by the council. Strong mayor, indeed!
By late August, it appeared that the petition campaign would fall short of the required number of signatures. With time was running out to meet the filing deadline for the fall vote, Mayor Gallo hastily created a his own charter revision commission, whose appointed members immediately adopted the new “strong mayor” proposal without discussion or debate. A single public information meeting (a half-hour in duration) was held a few days later at City Hall and in short order, the “strong mayor” charter was submitted to the board of elections for placement on the ballot. As I recall, all of this took place in the space of less than two weeks.
With Election Day looming, there ensued an intense period of public debate and a visible war of lawn signs. Things took a turn toward the uncivil. At a public information meeting sponsored by The League of Women Voters, I was loudly and aggressively heckled throughout my presentation by a small group of partisans. Such was the tone and tenor of the time.
Many Kingstonians will remember the outcome. In one of the largest voter turnouts in city history, the “strong mayor” charter revision was passed into law. Although the margin of victory was narrow (around a hundred votes, as I recollect), the city manager charter adopted a year earlier was consigned to history without ever having been tried and the era of the strong mayor was ushered in.
Disappointed as some of us were, we all moved on. But the city manager issue has recently resurfaced in comments by some Kingston mayoral candidates. Knowledge of historical precedent can be instructive, so perhaps the foregoing will be useful to some. For others, it might merely be an interesting story. I do note that the county has recently changed to an “executive” structure. If Kingston does decide to revisit the city manager concept, it is hoped that the residents display the political will to give it a fair chance the second time around.
Tom Benton is a retired attorney who owns and operates the Tom Benton School of Music in Woodstock.
The first fundraiser for the Kingston YMCA Farm Project is planned.The event will take place on Saturday, May 18th at 8:00pm at the Shirt Factory located at 77 Cornell Street in Kingston.
Kingston, NY – A new farm project is underway at Kingston’s YMCA located off of Susan Street in Kingston. Their mission is to educate and empower young people by directly engaging them in sustainable food production on an “urban farm”. Youth will learn and practice the skills needed to produce their own food and to make healthy choices throughout their lifetime, while increasing the community’s access to fresh produce.
Led by first generation organic farmer Kaycee Wimbish who is also managing the South Pine Street City Farm in 2013 in Midtown Kingston, the location already hosts 33 community garden plots and a greenhouse on almost 1 acre of land.
The groups first fundraiser party will take place on Saturday, May 18th at 8:00pm located at the Shirt Factory, 77 Cornell Street in Kingston. There will be live music provided by Pocatello and the Rosendale Brass band. DJ Liz will also provide music, and Keegan Ales will provide the beer. A suggested donation of $10 – $20 will be collected, but noone will be turned away. The group encourages all supporters to give what they can.
If you can’t attend but wish to give a donation, you can do so by following this LINK.
For more information, contact KayCee Wimish at: kaycee.wimbish@gmail.com or call 845/332-2927
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About the Kingston YMCA Farm Project: This fall we will break ground on a quarter acre farm in Midtown Kingston. The farm will be a place of education and community food production. The Farm Project will engage young people in the magical process of growing food. With planned integration into the YMCA’s on-site afterschool and summer camp programming, the farm will train 200 young farmers each season. Children will be involved in all aspects of food production and garden care: seeding, transplanting, watering, weeding, harvesting, and ultimately preparing and enjoying the harvest. YMCA Farm Project participants will know exactly where their food comes from, how it grows, and the energy and effort it takes to arrive on a plate. Children participating in this program and the wider community will gain access to fresh, healthy, chemical-free food as the result of the YMCA Farm Project.
Below is the Press Release issued from UC Executive Mike Hein on a public meeting regarding the transition of the Sophie Finn Elementary School into a SUNY Ulster Satellite Campus. The details are below. Is an opportunity to hear a presentation from the key players on the proposal for re-development.
ULSTER COUNTY EXECUTIVE MIKE HEIN INVITES COMMUNITY TO DISCUSSION OF SUNY ULSTER’S FUTURE SATELLITE CAMPUS AT SOPHIE FINN Meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 8th at 7 PM at Sophie Finn
Kingston, NY – Ulster County Executive Mike Hein and SUNY Ulster President Donald Katt invite the public to discuss proposed plans for the conversion of the Sophie Finn School into a SUNY Ulster satellite campus. The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 8 at 7 PM at Sophie Finn: 94 Mary’s Avenue in Kingston. Officials from the County, the City of Kingston, SUNY Ulster and the Kingston City School District are expected to attend.
Converting Sophie Finn into a SUNY Ulster satellite campus in midtown Kingston is part of County Executive Hein’s Strategic Taxpayer Relief through Innovative Visions in Education (S.T.R.I.V.E.) Project. S.T.R.I.V.E is designed to improve educational opportunities for local Kingston area students, support revitalization of midtown Kingston, and provide financial savings for taxpayers. Through the S.T.R.I.V.E. Project, the County Executive is creating the foundation for an educational corridor with a modern community college campus right in the heart of Kingston.
Officials from the City of Kingston, Kingston City School District, and SUNY Ulster will discuss the goals of the S.T.R.I.V.E. Project, and SUNY Ulster’s architectural consultant, CSArch, will explain the design. The meeting is also intended to provide an opportunity for neighborhood residents to discuss the project with SUNY Ulster, County, Kingston City School District, and City of Kingston officials while the planning and design phase is in its early stages.
There is so much going on that is good in the city of Kingston, it’s hard not to share it all. Even in the form of an end of the year annual plea letter from the Kingston Land Trust, an organization that I am Director of. This NFP has a dynamic board, and is doing great works that I hope you will enjoy reading about here. Come and celebrate with a special KLT Rosemary/Coriander Brew on 12/29 and say hello…
What a year it has been for the Kingston Land Trust.
Since July when the KLT hired a full time Executive Director, we have done some pretty heavy lifting to establish several substantial projects. With so much potential in the City of Kingston, it has been a great pleasure to be a key partner in many collaborative efforts new and ongoing alike. We look forward to our continued efforts in preserving and protecting our historic treasures, discovering new avenues for sustainable and healthy living and creating programs utilizing open space that encourages citizens to take full advantage of the fun and adventures in Kingston’s great urban out-of-doors.
Because we appreciate your interest in the Kingston Land Trust, we have organized a Holiday “mixer” to share our work and to socialize with old and new friends. Join us at Kingston’s local brew pub Keegan Ales in Kingston where you can meet our staff and Board Directors and share in our 2010 successes and strategic plans for 2011.
To make this event a special one, Keegan’s has created a special Kingston Land Trust Rosemary Coriander Brew (using Rosemary from my personal garden) just for us that evening. To top it off, a portion of the proceeds of each one sold that evening will be generously gifted to us (drink responsibly, and bring a designated driver).
The Kingston Land Trust Holiday Mixer
Wednesday, December 29th Keegan Ales
20 Saint James Street
Kingston, NY 12401
845/331-2739
6:00pm – 8:00pm
At the end of the year, we wish to challenge our friends in helping the Kingston Land Trust ring in the new year successfully. One of our generous benefactors has offered to match each dollar that we raise up to $5,000. That means that the KLT has the potential to earn at least $10,000 that will be added to our annual operating costs. We have until January 31st to reach this goal and any donation large or small plays an important role. Admission to Keegan’s is free, but we ask that you consider making a donation. If you cannot be present but wish to support us with a secure, online donation to our Annual Fund, visit our website at www.kingstonlandtrust.org. You can also send along a check or money order to: The Kingston Land Trust PO Box 2701 Kingston, NY. 12402. Contributions are tax-deductible.
Your involvement is crucial to the movement for economic revitalization, sustainability, and land conservation in our community. Please join us.
With thanks and gratitude,
Rebecca Martin Executive Director
The Kingston Land Trust
Executive Committee Steve Noble, Chair Kevin McEvoy, Vice Chair/Treasurer/Chair of the LUAMP Committee Julie Noble, Secretary
Board of Directors/Advisors/Staff Bill Berardi, Director Hugh Cummings, Director Barbara Epstein, Advisor Gregg Swanzey, Director/Chair of the KLT Rail Trail Committee Steve Liebowitz, Director Ann Loeding, Director Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Advisor/Staff
What’s happening at the Kingston Land Trust?
The Kingston Land Trust BLACK HISTORY Committee
With a wide variety of churches, historians and community members, The Kingston Land Trust’s Black History Committee is organizing a re-dedication of the Mt. Zion African-American Burial ground in June, 2011. The event will help to celebrate and honor past Kingston residents and veterans who are now laid to rest there. Research projects to help document the people and their families at Mt. Zion and in the 17th Century Pine Street Slave Cemetery are currently underway. For more information, contact rebecca@kingstonlandtrust.org
The Kingston Land Trust RAIL TRAIL Committee
Led by Kingston resident Gregg Swanzy, the Kingston Land Trust recently was awarded trail development assistance from Parks & Trails NY to engage the community in exploring the feasibility of connecting existing trails outside the city to the Midtown area. We were one of three programs awarded state-wide! For more information, contact Gregg at gregg@kingstonlandtrust.org
The Kingston Land Trust LAND USE/ACQUISITION/MANAGEMENT/PLANNING Committee
Led by KLT Vice Chair/Treasurer Kevin McEvoy, the Kingston Land Trust’s LUAMP Committee in collaboration with other key stakeholders has participated in and remains committed to the ongoing open space planning process with regards to the approximately 300 acre area proposed to be preserved at Hudson Landing. In addition, the committee participated and is committed, together with key stakeholders, in the planning process for portions of the Ulster-Esopus Ridge in Town of Ulster which includes wetlands and a highly significant Native American lithic workshop discovered during the archeology. With a growing portfolio throughout the city of Kingston, the committee handles all parcels and easements gifted or otherwise conserved to assure protection. To learn more, contact Kevin at kevin@kingstonlandtrust.org
The South Pine Street City Farm Project
About 1/4 acre of land in the Midtown section of Kingston is currently being transformed into Kingston’s first City Farm. Led by first generation farmer and city of Kingston resident Jesica Clark, the Kingston Land Trust has teamed up with The Queens Galley, The Queens Galley’s “Cooking Matters” program and Binnewater Ice Co. to take steps in making Kingston an urban agriculture epicenter. For more information, contact Farmer Clark at jesicaclark21@gmail.com
“The Dig Kids” – An urban farming program
With the help of a grant from the Columbia Foundation, The Kingston Land Trust has created “The Dig Kids”- a farming program located at the Everett Hodge Community Center in Midtown Kingston to help youth learn important farming skills while being paid a stipend to do so. Harvests will be sold at local farmers markets as well as used for cooking instruction and distributed throughout the immediate community for those in need. For more information, contact rebecca@kingstonlandtrust.org
The Kingston City Hall Victory Garden
The Kingston Land Trust will be in its third year helping to develop the Kingston City Hall Victory Garden, an organic ‘square foot gardening’ project to illustrate the amount of food that can be grown and harvested in an 8×8 foot raised bed. Managed by City Hall employees, the harvest is donated to a different soup kitchen in the city of Kingston each year. If you are a soup kitchen and wish to be included, contact rebecca@kingstonlandtrust.org
Yoga in the Park! Creating Healthy Communities
The KLT in collaboration with Shatki Yoga, MAC Fitness and the City of Kingston’s Parks and Recreation department, we’re excited to announce “Yoga in the Park! Creating Healthy Communities” starting on May day (Sunday, May 1st) at Cornell Park in the Rondout section of Kingston. Join your neighbors on the first Sunday of each month starting in May through October for Shatki’s exceptional yoga series that will accommodate every level in the gorgeous setting of one of our most wonderful urban parks. Contact rebecca@kingstonlandtrust.org
Healthy Kingston For Kids (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)
The Kingston Land Trust is a proud partner of the “Healthy Kingston for Kids” program led by Cornell Cooperative Extension. Leading an initiative to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic in Kingston through environmental and policy change, the project is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation with $360,000 over four years. Recently, a resolution for complete streets was approved by the Kingston Common Council and other such as community gardens and more are on their radar. Contact Arthur Zaczkiewicz for more information at arthur@kingstonlandtrust.org
A little over a year ago, Kingston resident and KC.org contributor “Wilbur Girl” wrote an exceptional piece on her “Environmental Focus on Kingston” series titled “Give me an “C”, “S”, “O”! laying out the city of Kingston’s troubled sewage treatment problems.
She writes, “On average Kingston receives 47.48 inches of rain a year, with May being the wettest month. This summer alone (2009) we’ve been deluged with roughly 17 inches of the wet stuff. While my friends are all bemoaning the loss of blight ridden tomatoes, I’ve been worrying about a problem that runs a little deeper. Yup, I’ve been thinking about combined sewer overflow systems (CSO’s).
Kingston’s antiquated sewer system is a CSO. They were all the rage and considered the newest and greatest in waste flow management along the eastern sea board following the Civil War. The EPA defines these types of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems as “remnants of the country’s early infrastructure and so are typically found in older communities.” They estimate there to be roughly 772 CSO communities in the US today.
A CSO was designed to collect rainwater runoff, domestic sewage and industrial wastewater all in the same pipe. This slurry of toxic sludge is transported to a sewage treatment plant. Periods of heavy rainfalls or quickly melting snow exacerbate the volume of storm water runoff so that it exceeds the capacity of the system. Excess, untreated wastewater instead empties directly into nearby bodies of water – in our case, the Rondout Creek. Also, because of their age, CSO’s often fail or collapse at an accelerated rate.”
I’ve included the link to her piece in full up above and encourage you to read it as a refresher. Here’s why:
Please be advised that the Office of the City Engineer will hold a Public Hearing on Thursday, December 2, 2010 at 6:30 PM in the Common Council Chambers at City Hall. The hearing is for the purpose of discussing the recently completed Combined Sewer Overflow Long-Term Control Plan submitted to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation on November 1, 2010.
All interested persons are invited to attend and express their views.
A copy of the Plan is available for review in the Office of the City Engineer, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM.
Please notify the City Engineer’s Office twenty-four hours in advance of the Public Hearing should special accommodations be required.
The plan is available at the Kingston Library also.
What are Combined Sewers?
Combined sewer systems (CSS) are sewers that are designed to collect storm water runoff, domestic sewage, and industrial wastewater in the same pipe. During rain events, when storm water enters the sewers, the capacity of the sewer system may be exceeded and the excess effluent will be discharged directly to the receiving water. A combined sewer overflow (CSO) is the discharge from a combined sewer system that is caused by snow melt or storm water runoff.
Last night, the Common Council approved a resolution for Complete Streets in the City of Kingston, which serves as an important component in support of the Climate Smart and Green Jobs Community Pledge. Thanks to Kristen Wilson, David Gilmour, Emilie Hauser and the entire team of the “Healthy Kingston for Kids” project for their hard work and tenacity.
In most cases, a parent and child in this country are grossly under supported by our society and system. I learned this after having a son. For instance, who was the genius that came up with three months as the magic number for a woman to recover from a delivery and get settled into her new role as “mother”? It’s a funny thing, the discussion of family values in America while forcing both parents to work full time jobs so early in a child’s life (in places like Sweden for instance, a mother has a minimum of 69 weeks paid maternity leave).
For now, that’s just the way things are and in Kingston, we are fortunate to have some excellent choices for child care and early child development. Whether you have to work, or you wish for your preschooler to be in a sensitive, nurturing and community based program, this is it.
KingstonCitizens.org: Can you tell us a little about yourself, and how you came to Kingston?
Cheryl Demuth: I grew up in Middletown, NY and got my Bachelors degree in Psychology at SUNY New Paltz. After graduating, I moved to Kingston with my then boyfriend, now husband, Tim. Tim was accepted to graduate school at Carnegie Mellon University shortly after coming to Kingston and we moved to Pittsburgh eighteen months later. We stayed in Pittsburgh for a couple of years, but moved back to the Hudson Valley in 2004.
After moving back to Kingston, I began working as the Head Teacher in the toddler classroom at Vassar College Infant Toddler Center (ITC). The ITC is an inclusive childcare center and laboratory school. Given the lab school setting, alongside the toddlers in the room there were researchers observing and studying children in the group care environment, student teachers learning classroom management and developmentally appropriate practice, and Vassar College students in the work-study program. This type of setting gave me a solid foundation in management, communication skills, working with young children, developing innovative curriculum, and engaging parents and community (just to name a few).
I worked at the ITC for two years before deciding to go back to school at Bank Street College of Education for Early Childhood Leadership. Working full-time and going to school full-time was not easy, but after two years I received my Masters degree. My wish was to open a progressive early childhood program in Kingston. Upon graduating from Bank Street in 2008, I left Vassar College to pursue my dream.
KC.org: The Livingston Street Early Childhood Community is a combination of school and daycare. Can you explain how your program works?
CD: Livingston Street operates from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm Monday through Friday, except for Wednesdays when we close at 3:30. In thinking about what I wanted for children and families it was important to me to offer high quality care for the working part of the day. Yet, I also wanted to have a structured routine similar to school that offers engaging and challenging activities for young minds and bodies. Thus, Livingston Street meets the needs of working families with full-day care and high quality, progressive early childhood programming.
KC.org: What is your philosophy and approach to caring for and teaching young children?
CD: Livingston Street’s mission is to nourish the emotional well-being and social competence in young children through the creation of meaningful relationships with a diverse group of people, the development of early literacy and communication skills, and program wide participation in the process of community service.
I approach early childhood teaching and care from a social/emotional standpoint. Jack Shonkoff, director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University said it simply when he stated, “Emotional well-being and social competence provide a strong foundation for emerging cognitive abilities. Together they are the ‘bricks and mortar’ of the foundation for human development.” With that said, I am most interested in making sure that young children believe in themselves and feel competent and effective in social settings.
What we do:
At Livingston Street, we expose children to a variety of experiences, including walks through the neighborhood, large group mural projects and individual artistic creations, music and movement, cooking projects, early literacy, and so much more. All of these experiences challenge and encourage development in a safe, nurturing environment where children feel comfortable to explore and learn at their own pace.
Part of the Livingston Street philosophy is to allow for a democratic classroom where the children lead the curriculum. This is called emergent curriculum and is based on the idea that children know best what they would like to learn about. It is the teacher’s responsibility to follow their lead and create experiences and challenges that teach based on the children’s interest.
Along with the work we do with young children, Livingston Street also has the component of community service. Twice during the calendar year, Livingston Street staff, friends and families volunteer for a community service event. The project is simple, something that the children can manage alongside the adults. The purpose is three-fold. First it brings the children a greater sense of security in the surrounding community. Second, it enables young families to learn together the joys of helping others and believing in a cause. Lastly, it connects the Livingston Street community with the broader community in a very meaningful and positive way.
KC.org: You have a new location that will be open shortly. Why did this space inspire you?
CD: We are located in a space at Immanuel Lutheran Church at 20 Livingston Street in Kingston. The building housed a school that closed in the early 1970’s. The classroom that we are using is a large, newly renovated open space. It has high ceilings, a wall of large, south facing windows that look back on the wooded play area, and a striking wood floor.
If ever a classroom could, this room stimulates imagination and creates an atmosphere of friendship and engaged learning. Each time I walk into the room I feel excited for the children that will be use this beautiful space and the families that will reap the rewards of delighted and inspired children.
In the midst of perhaps the busiest year yet, I’m feeling gratitude for those working hard in helping to make Kingston a safe and cool place to live in these modern and tricky times.
I just arrived home from a wonderful visioning session held at 721 Media in Midtown. I loved being there, and was impressed at how much was accomplished in just two hours. I have many favorite moments from the evening, but at the top of my list goes to Valeria Gheorghiu who coined the phrase “Midtown Mojo”. I hope someone uses it to promote our midsection because it’s perfect.
I wish I had more time to sit and contemplate to make a comprehensive list, as there are dozens and dozens of initiatives and people worthy of praise. The end of the year is near, when I’ll recap 2010 and share more of what I’ve seen around the city.
Until then, here goes. In no particular order.
Behind the Scenes
Kristen Wilson, Project Manager of Healthy Kingston for Kids of Cornell Cooperative Extension It’s no easy feat to score a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, but Kristen did it. She successfully brought together people working all throughout the area in a partnership to create ‘Healthy Kingston for Kids’ – a project that addresses childhood obesity through initiatives that include safe routes to school, complete streets, gardens and healthy eating. Managing efforts, people and grant administration is a hard job, so kudos to Kristen and all of those working alongside to bring Kingston up-to-date on many important community aspects.
Megan Weiss,Kingston Cares At 25 years of age, Megan has worked tirelessly to help the youth be better understood in the midtown area of Kingston. Her office is in the Everett Hodge Center on Franklin Street, and you’d be hard pressed to visit her when there weren’t youth hanging out in her office. Her walls are plastered with artwork and I noticed a guitar in the cornerof her office last I looked. A girl after my own heart. Megan’s intuition, compassion and grace is gifted to this community.
Jennifer Schwartz-Berky and Dennis Doyle, Ulster County Planning Board
These two highly trained professionals and their department work tirelessly at some of the more important projects in our communities. From comprehensive planning to main street revitalizations and more – their office secure grants, provide skilled recommendations, host community meetings and are as approachable as those working in your neighborhood deli. They are unsung heroes who deserve a great deal of thanks.
Kevin McEvoy and Barbara Epstein, Historians/Documentors What’s historic in Kingston? Just ask Kevin McEvoy and Barbara Epstein. Their efforts quietly pack a punch. Whether they are composing lists to help update historic landmark records or researching properties little known to even the most hard core preservationists, they volunteer their expertise to help connect our historic city’s past to its present.
Cynthia Lowe,Community Foundation of Ulster County
I love the Community Foundation. Their efforts in Ulster County ” is guided by a local board of community leaders and monies raised for Ulster County that stay in Ulster County. The board’s goals are to grow philanthropy in Ulster County, raise money, establish new endowed funds and make grants to make the quality of life in Ulster County even better.” Cynthia is wonderful who will give anyone with an idea in mind the time that they need to see if they might qualify as a designated fund or grant opportunity. It’s a fantastic resource.
Lawrence McCauley, Community Organizer
Ward 9 resident Lawrence McCauley for years now has taken it upon himself to organize community meetings at his home while providing some of the best baked goods in the Hudson Valley that he makes himself. His monthly meetings allow citizens in his neighborhood a place to go to discuss quality of life issues to encourage action on important initiatives.
Sean Griffin, Community Organizer
Sean might be better known as the ‘ice cream man’ of Uptown, but his little shop collects locals with a place to go ‘where everybody knows your name’. He’s a passionate newcomer, who is always on the cutting edge with one idea after another. He’s also a badass musician – one of the best in Celtic music in the country. Julie, his wife is equally as wonderful and is a Montessori teacher. I’m so glad that they landed here.
Farmer Jesica Clark, South Pine Street City Farm and ‘The Dig Kids’ Steward Soon to be a household name in Kingston, Farmer Clark has moved to Kingston with one wish in mind. To make Kingston a destination for urban farming and sustainable living. Her projects include a Farm on South Pine Street and the stewardess of ‘The Dig Kids’, a farming program sponsored by the Kingston Land Trust that pays youth a stipend to farm at the Everett Hodge Center. The big picture is helping to create youth jobs while making farming accessible…and hip again. You go girl.
…and Those Seen
Valerie Hannum,Principal, GW Montessori School
Who could have imagined this? A public Montessori school in the middle of Kingston providing a heart felt education and place of respect for our youth. Valerie Hannum did.
I encourage you to visit sometime. If you go early enough when the children are arriving to school, you’ll see Valerie out on the front steps welcoming and shaking students hands – every single day. You will not believe the peaceful environment when you enter through the front door. The kids are happy, engaged and learning. Every community should be so lucky and every school should look to her leadership to imagine ways to incorporate public education with alternative methods.
O + Festival Organizers Here is major evidence that Kingston is a city of Artists in the Hudson Valley. Charged with connecting artists of all sorts with the medical arts, this crew has launched what will no doubt be a powerhouse of a concept in the State of New York and beyond. Their motto is to go about it alone with private donations. Have you noticed the artwork placed beautifully all around Uptown on our historic buildings? It’s fabulous. Keep an eye out in future years as they continue to drive the arts, business and good health everywhere.
Gerald Berke, The Kingston Corridor
There isn’t a meeting that this man isn’t at these days. Gerry (as I like to call him, who wears a signature cap as I do) is working hard to connect all three sections of Kingston into one with an effort called ‘the Kingston Corridor’. Most recently, I caught him gorilla gardening all throughout midtown with a car filled with hearty mums to help spruce up vacant lots.
Michael and Claudia D’Arcy, Kingston, NY Neighborhood Watch
These two dedicated Kingstonians have helped to create one of the more important initiatives in Kingston to date. Every day, they put themselves in the middle of hard stuff, shedding light on criminal activity through projects, events and meetings. They are also wonderful parents, and Claudia is a major advocate on adoption rights.
Hayes Clement, Andi Turco-Levin, Jennifer Funtes, Council Members
In my short time in community work, I haven’t seen such a show of interested council members as I have in these three. It’s a complicated balance providing stability for their parties while being out in the public listening to their constituency as they do. Their roles come with a deep amount of baggage and quite often, city government takes many lumps from citizens who should consider taking on a more responsible role than they do.
We have three rising stars in government and I watch with respect and patience in what they have and will contribute to the City of Kingston.
Conservation Advisory Council
Have you all caught the works of the CAC? All I can say, is thank goodness this council has arrived. “This volunteer board is an advisory body that will work to ensure the sustainable use of Kingston’s natural resources and the enhancement and protection of its environment”. Kingstonis one of only 12 cities in New York State that have a Conservation Council and is now one of 16 other Ulster County Conservation Councils. Filled to the brim with volunteer professionals and experts on many subjects, this board meets the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm in Kingston City Hall Conference Room 2. Led by Kingston Environmental Educator Julie Noble, meetings are open to the general public and I encourage you to attend sometime.
Diane Reeder and Michael Berg,The Queens Galley and Family of Woodstock
Yeah, yeah. I know. We all are aware that Diane and Michael represent all that’s good in the world. I’d like to refer to them here as the Matriarch and Patriarch of good will. But these boats float on donations and their work need our support now more than ever. With an economy that has tanked, many of our neighbors need assistance and Diane and Michael in their work have the smarts and the hearts to provide . Remember, that giving is a person’s greatest fortune. Don’t get hung up on your taxes taking care of food and shelter, because it is only a part of it. We need organizations like these to find creative solutions, education and support to those who face downtrodden times.
Feel free to add to this list in the comment section.
According to Wikipedia, a Complete Street is described as: “In urban planning and highway engineering, complete streets are roadways designed and operated to enable safe, attractive, and comfortable access and travel for all users. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and public transport users of all ages and abilities are able to safely and comfortably move along and across a complete street.[1] Proponents claim that Complete Streets also create a sense of place and improve social interaction, while generally improving property adjacent land values.”
According to Kristen Wilson, Project Director of “A Healthy Kingston for Kids” program through Cornell Cooperative Extension, an important opportunity is upcoming for Kingston citizens to help support a Complete Street effort in Kingston.
Here’s how:
“Our Complete Streets working group met with the City of Kingston Common Council’s ‘Public Safety, Audit & General Government Committee’ last summer to explore the benefits of Complete Streets. There was positive dialogue about the benefits of safe and vital streets. At their request, the working group drafted a Complete Streets policy, and last Thursday the Committee initiated review of a proposed Complete Streets resolution. While the forthcoming legislative process is uncertain, there is a good chance that the Complete Streets policy will be considered by the full Common Council this Tuesday, November 9, 2010 (meetings start at 7:30).
Interested persons are invited to attend the City Council meeting and speak to the resolution during the Public Comment part of the agenda.
A Common Council Caucus this coming Monday will determine whether the Complete Streets resolution will go forward on Tuesday. Either way, a follow-up note will be distributed on Tuesday afternoon, reviewing progress and confirming whether consideration of the policy will be part of the full-Council’s business that night. In the meantime, to review the proposal, please contact David Gilmour, AICP, Community Planner and Complete Streets Topic Liaison at completestreetscce@yahoo.com or (845) 255-6528. To learn more about Complete Streets, including the June presentation, visit the City web page at: http://www.kingston-ny.gov/content/120/2336/2344/default.aspx
The Hudson Valley Seed Library is one of my favorite local businesses in the region – and they are about to show their new ‘pack art 2011’ at KMOCA in Kingston.
Hope you can make it –
Rebecca Martin
The Hudson Valley Seed Library strives to do two things – to create an accessible and affordable source of regionally-adapted seeds that is maintained by a community of caring farmers and gardeners; and, to create gift-quality seed packs featuring works designed by New York artists in order to celebrate the beauty of heirloom gardening.
In 2011, we expect to offer over 60 varieties of locally grown seed and around 100 varieties sourced from responsible seed houses. Most of our varieties are rooted in the history and soils of New York or are chosen because they do well here. Every year we plan on growing additional varieties on the Seed Library farm and contracting with organic and certified naturally grown farmers in the Hudson Valley and upstate New York to grow even more varieties. By 2014, we aim to be 100% New York grown, though certain tricky biennials may be holdouts for a few years beyond.
Dreaming is an essential part of gardening in the Northeast. Throughout the winter, our dreams will hold the flavors, fragrances and beauties of the greener seasons. And the Hudson Valley Seed Library is here to help keep those dreams alive until springtime with “Pack Art 2011” at the Kingston Museum of Contemporary Arts.
“Pack Art 2011” is a an exhibit of original works commissioned by the Seed Library, which is known almost as well for their artistic seed packs as the seeds themselves. This year’s artists come from all over the Hudson Valley and New York City. Each artist interpreted one variety of herb, flower, or vegetable from the Seed Library’s catalog. Mediums include collage, encaustics, oil, watercolor, digital imagery, paper cutting, and ink. The diversity of the artworks reflects the wide variety of genetic wonders they represent.
16 different artists present works depicting such summer delights as Kaleidoscope Carrots, Velvet Queen Sunflowers, Ragged Jack Kale, State Fair Zinnias, and many more. This show marks the first time the Seed Library will be making available signed, limited edition prints of the original works in the show. Art Packs filled with seeds and framed seed packs will also be available.
“Pack Art 2011” continues at KMOCA through November 27th.
Hours: Saturdays, 12 to 4pm, or by appointment.
Kingston Museum of Contemporary Arts
103 Abeel Street, Kingston.
