Although I walk and bike in Kingston often, here’s an interesting solution for urban travel: it’s a two-wheeled Segway that’s enclosed and can travel up to 35 miles per hour. See the full story here: Segway and GM team up.
— Arthur Zaczkiewicz
Earth Day Street Fair Set for April 25
In celebration of Earth Day there will be a street fair on Satuday, April 25 between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Clinton Avenue United Methodist Church, which is on the corner of Clinton Avenue and Liberty Street in Kingston.
There will be information on green living, organic gardening, composting, green pets and more. Activities for the kids are also planned. Live music will be by Glory Road. For for more information call 331-7188.
Walgreen’s Construction to Begin
The Daily Freeman reports today that construction of the Walgreen’s on the corner of Broadway and East Chester will begin soon. The contractor is Rondack Construction, a local owner-managed firm based in Red Hook. To learn more about the contractor, see its website here.
Recent projects by Rondack include the First Hudson Valley Bank in Newburgh, an affordable housing unit in Beacon and renovation of the Dutchess Amulatory Surgical Center.
Regarding Walgreen’s, the $60 billion company has been faring well in the recession. As its competitors have posted steep declines in sales and profits, Walgreen’s profits have fallen, but not as much as other companies in the sector. The company had delayed store openings and reduced its debt load over the past year. If the opening in Kingston reflects any changes in strategy, it seems the company is back in an expansion mode. The drug retailer has spent about $2.2 billion on capital expenditures, and with $60 billion in sales could easily spend the same amount over the next few years on new store openings.
Elephant Featured on Stop, Shop and Get to Know
Our favorite tapas bar is now being featured on the Stop, Shop and Get to Know website. See it here. As you may know, Elephant offers top-notch tapas and wine that is simply amazing. Check out their website for details. Menu items include roasted carrots and baby arugula. A must have are the Spainish almonds, and check for the marrow bones, which will change your life — if you eat meat 😉
Time to Step Up
There was an interesting story in The New York Times this past week on the challenges libraries and librarians face during a recession. The bulk of the story talked about how library staffers face increased stress associated with higher usage from resume-writers, kids and homeless folks.
‘Something Extraordinary’
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.
What You Can Do
As you most likely heard already, the Key Bank on Wall Street was robbed again — the second time within a week. Police have a suspect in the first robbery, and are pursuing leads in the second, and unrelated, robbery yesterday.
It’s important to note that bank tellers, employees and other staff of banks and credit unions are trained what to do during a robbery. But consumers are not. However, About.com has a great page on what consumers can do during such an unfortunate incident.
“Every law enforcement official will tell you the same thing: the most heroic act you should take in a bank robbery is noticing any details about the robber,” the site suggests adding that remaining calm is essential. For more information, see here.
Feds Ask People to Avoid Caves
There’s an article from the Associated Press that was sent out this weekend asking people to stay out of caves that might be inhabited by bats, who have been taken ill with a myterious illness. Given that the Kingston and Rosendale areas are full of caves, the advice should be of particular concern. Read the story, here.
Upcoming League Meeting to Discuss Future of Golden Hill
One execellent resource on county-wide issues is the work of the League of Women Voters. Of note is a consensus committee charged with determing the future of the Golden Hill facility here in Kingston. On April 18, the league is holding a meeting at the Port Ewen Library regarding the facility.
“The Mid-Hudson League of Women Voters will present a program in order to come to consensus on the future of the Golden Hill Health Related Facility in Ulster County,” the League says on its website. “It will include an overview of our study and the pros and cons of the consensus questions will be discussed.” For detailed information about the league, see its website and calender, here.
Lessons in Civil Disobedience
Over 200 Kingston High School students walked off campus and gathered on the sidewalk at City Hall about 11 a.m. today to protest the school’s pending “closed campus” proposal. One student said she wasn’t sure who had organized the walkout, but said school officials had warned students earlier in the day that they would be suspend any student who participated in the walk out.
Such a Sap
My wife Nell and our daughter Marina recently spent a cool March Sunday boiling down five gallons of maple water into three, small jars of the best maple syrup I’ve tasted in some time. The sap was tapped at our friend Jeff Parker’s house in Hurley.
Nell boiled the sap water on a hot wood fire in our backyard, for several hours. Nell and Marina said it was well worth the time.
— Arthur Zaczkiewicz
Ward 1 Sets Meeting Date
Maria Loeffel, who runs the Ward 1 Yahoo! Group has set March 31 for the group’s first community meeting. The event will be at the Kingston Library, and runs from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Alberman Al Teetsel and Rebecca Martin will be there.
“In regards to Neighborhood Watch, Mr. Teetsel will have information on any criminal activities that have accorded recently in our ward and Rebecca Martin will discuss community involvement in regards to Government and Community outreach,” Maria wrote on her post in the discussion group. For more information about the group, see the discussion page here.
Forbes Cites Kingston as Top Place for Small Biz
Check this post from KingstonDigitalCorridor.org, which cites a Forbes story rating Kingston number 90 on a list of the top places for small business and career. Go K-town!
What Worries Us
According to this article today, the Kingston Planning Board is set to vote on April 13 on the environmental findings statement for AVR’s Hudson Landing project, which is on the site of the Tilcon property. This would be the last step for the project to move forward. This project has been years in the making, and involved many reviews and hearings.