Mayor’s Message February 2023

February is Black History month and the 2023 theme, “Black Resistance,” explores how "African Americans have resisted historic and ongoing oppression, in all forms, especially the racial terrorism of lynching, racial pogroms and police killings," since the nation's earliest days. 

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history.

On January 24, the Village Board held a public workshop as we wrestle with the question of how to handle the State and Federal expansion of the Village of Rhinebeck Historic District. As Trustee Slaby explained in her presentation,  the Village needs to reconcile the impact that this expansion has had on its zoning and historic buildings protection laws. The board, informed by multiple ideas and comments from the public, will continue to work on this issue and will report back to the public in the next couple of months.

The Village of Rhinebeck has received a request from a developer to provide wastewater service to a proposed 80-unit development which they are calling Locust Hill. The Workforce Housing Development is being proposed for the 23 acre parcel between Astor Drive and Rhinecliff Road in the Town of Rhinebeck. The Village of Rhinebeck currently provides municipal sewer service to a limited portion of the Village with the Wastewater Treatment plant located on Astor Drive. The capacity and condition of the sewer was evaluated in 2021 by Delaware Engineering and in 2019 by Tighe & Bond; these reports will be valuable going forward.

The Village Board will also look at the current and estimated future demand from Village residents when determining whether we have excess capacity. Per Section 91-25 of the Village Code, “connection to the Village of Rhinebeck sewer system from any properties located outside of the Village boundaries shall be at the total discretion of the Village Board of Trustees.” 

As we are in the middle of updating the Village Comprehensive Plan, this will give us an evaluation of growth potential in the Village, plus anticipated demand for sewer services over the next decade. Tighe & Bond has been retained to complete a wastewater planning evaluation and produce a draft technical memorandum to the board that includes assessment of current usage, review of previous evaluations and growth based on data developed by the Comprehensive plan. The Developer covers the cost of these evaluations.

The Village Board declared itself as the lead agency for the SEQRA Review of the Bulkeley School petition by a developer who wants to rezone the property to allow for multifamily residential reuse of the School building as well as construction of four homes on lots subdivided from the remainder of the property.  In doing so, the Board has retained Tighe & Bond for engineering assistance in its review of the project and will retain a professional planner for further assistance in its review.  

The Village Board is reviewing the 1991 franchise agreement with Spectrum Cable. Our friends in the Town of Red Hook have given us the draft of their agreement for our consideration. The agreement allows Spectrum to construct, operate and maintain a cable system along the public way within all or a specified area.  The primary discussion revolves around the definition of “Gross Revenues”.  The Village of Rhinebeck receives an amount of the subscribers fees as part of its revenues. A Public hearing on the proposals is set for Feb. 14th at 6:00PM.

Karen McLaughlin presented the Board with a Village budget review for the six months ending on 12/31/22. There are six months left under the 2022-23 budget. The financial health of the village is good. Of course it is a daily challenge with the ever increasing costs of equipment, supplies, fuel and electricity. The Water and Wastewater Treatment plants with their collection and distribution systems are aging and require infrastructure repairs and replacements. The board has been actively seeking Grants and funding for these high-cost projects.

Adaptability will be the focus of the budget season of 2023-24: 

  ·        Keeping an Optimistic Outlook 

·        Confidence 

·        Logical Reasoning 

·        Setting realistic goals 

·        Time Management 

·        Emotion Regulation 

·        Accepting what you cannot control 

 The Village of Rhinebeck board and staff are committed to our future growth and prosperity.

Village Clerk Martina McClinton informed us of the upcoming Village Election on Tuesday March 21, 2023, and would like to remind voters that March 10, 2023 is the last day for individuals to register with the County Board of Elections to be eligible to vote in the Village Election. Also, for those who wish to vote via absentee ballot (and are not already registered as an absentee voter) applications must be submitted to the Village Clerk. If you need your ballot mailed, the Village Clerk must receive your application by March 14, 2023. If you pick up your ballot in person, the Village Clerk must receive your application by March 20, 2023. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Village Clerk at either 845-876-7015 option 3 or mmcclinton@villageofrhinebeckny.gov

The Village Highway Department is excited to announce that after pilot testing over the past couple seasons, we have purchased a used road brining system from Dave’s Tree Service. Using salt brine on highly trafficked roads prior to certain winter storms is proven to reduce the total amount of salt used—which is a cost savings—and the amount of salt that bounces to the side of the road, a co-benefit that protects our ecosystem, waterways, and aquifers from salination. It's important to note that salt brine serves as just one tool in the Highway Department’s winter weather tool-kit. We can't completely phase out rock salt.

Upcoming events: The Taste of Rhinebeck is returning on April 26th. Sponsored by the Rhinebeck Area Chamber of Commerce with 50% of the proceeds donated to the Village of Rhinebeck's Autism Supportive Committee.

As always, please reach out to me with any questions or comments. You can reach me by phone 845-876-7015 ext 2 at Village Hall or via email to MayorBassett@Villgeofrhinebeckny.gov

Mayor Gary Bassett