Mayor’s Message November 2023
The leaves are falling and the conversation around the Village has quickly changed from “How warm will it be?” to “How cold will it get?” Halloween was a spooky success and now we turn our thoughts to the holidays to come.
The Village board is continuing its efforts to provide “Safe Routes to School” and has taken the following actions;
Approved a traffic safety review by Tighe & Bond of the intersection of South Street and South Parsonage Street to determine the feasibility of implementing “All-Way Stop Control” at the intersection. South Street runs east to west with both approaches under stop control( a beacon that flashes red). South Parsonage Street runs north to south and is uncontrolled on each approach( flashing yellow beacon). The review will include developing options for how to best improve safety by reconfiguring the intersection to accommodate pedestrians, cyclists, vehicles and buses. The report will be ready for our December Board meeting.
In the meantime, Village police have been at the intersection during peak times to assist students walking or biking to schools when available..
The Village board has also hired the engineering firm Greenman-Pedersen(GPI) to provide initial design, budget, and grant application services for a Federal TAP grant (2023 TAP/CMAQ), for the Village of Rhinebeck. If the application is successful, we will prepare a cost- plus fixed fee contract with GPI to administer, design, provide construction support, and construction inspection services for the project.
At the November 14th Village Board meeting, we will propose a public hearing regarding amending Chapter 109 Vehicle and Traffic Code to allow a stop sign at the intersection of South Parsonage and South Street. The date will be announced at that time: Schedule VII: Stop Intersections.
Trustee’s Bertozzi and Lewit are working on criteria for the use of crossing guards and speed bumps in the Village.
On September 26, 2023, the Village of Rhinebeck opened two bids for the Village of Rhinebeck Village Accessibility Improvements Project. This would add curb ramps at the intersection of Center Street and East Market Street, and install new sidewalks and ADA improvements around Village Hall and the Fire Department.
The bidders and their respective bid price were are as follows:
Peter Luizzi & Bros Contracting, Inc $319,920.00
Con-tech Construction Technology, Inc $317,350.00
The Village awarded the project to Con-Tech Construction Technology, Inc. We have asked the contractor to complete the work this year, weather permitting. That way, the paving of Center Street can be done next spring. The majority of this project is funded by a grant.
The Village Board calendar has been very full, so we found it necessary to add an additional public monthly meeting at 1:00PM on the fourth Tuesday of the month. These meetings will be open to the public, viewable on the website, and aired on PANDA.
Our Village Compost program is moving ahead! We have discontinued the proposal to compost at the Village Highway Garage, and received permission from the NY State DEC to use their $200,000 grant to work with local farm, Ellerslie Stable. Now, we can craft an agreement with Ellerslie Stable to act as subcontractor to process compost for the Village.
The Village has taken the lead in the rehabilitation and improvement of the existing Rhinebeck/Red Hook bicycle trails. These trials are part of the Hudson River Valley Greenway Trail System, and intersect with the newly constructed Empire State Trail. We are working in conjunction with the Towns of Rhinebeck and Red Hook. The Hudson River Greenway Conservancy is offering matching grants for Village and Town centers to connect to the State Trail.
There is no moss growing under the Tree Commission, they have been hard at work! Members and volunteers from the community came out in force to plant 21 trees in the Village on a beautiful fall Saturday morning. Thank you to all who participated in this event and hope to see you all again in the spring for more tree plantings! To learn more about the valuable work performed by our dedicated Tree Commission go to: Tree Commission
Here is a group photo taken at the tree planting demonstration site on Sat morning, 10/28/23
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 MayorBassett@Villgeofrhinebeckny.gov
Mayor Gary Bassett