Beacon’s Mayor Kyriacou Responds To Teamster 445 Letter Regarding Acting Police Chief Decision

Just 24 hours after the Teamsters Local 445 issued their open letter on social media, Beacon’s Mayor Kyriacou issued the following press release on Tuesday evening. It is published in full below.

It appears that the parties involved - the Beacon PBA, Teamsters Local 445, and the Mayor and City Council have not had a meeting sitting around a table together. Perhaps as policy reforms happen, they will. Until then, the method of letters and press releases seems to be the method of communication.

Beacon’s police officers have attended 2 City Council meetings in order to answer questions and provide feedback to the City Council as the group dives in to understand how the department works before making any decisions or recommendations, including current Lieutenant Figlia who has provided helpful information and feedback.

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Beacon City Mayor Lee Kyriacou expressed disappointment that the police union is resorting to intimidation and escalation – exactly the opposite behavior of what is appropriate in today’s charged environment.  The Mayor pointed out that such belligerent tactics do not represent the training or behavior of the city’s police officers, and that his door remains open to calm, constructive discussion.

Late yesterday, just before a City Council meeting, some City officials became aware of a letter posted online – but not actually sent to anyone in the City – from the Teamsters Local 445 and the City of Beacon Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.  One newspaper called seeking a response before the Mayor had even seen or read a copy.  

Upon review of the material today, which contain non-specific and unsupported assertions, the Mayor made the following statement:

“I have supported the honorable men and women of the Beacon Police Department from my first day in office six months ago.  In hundreds of individual interactions with officers since then, my first words have always been ‘thank you’ and most recently, ‘I appreciate the difficult situation you are in.’  That support continues unabated – and is never inconsistent with either listening to the concerns of our community or asking questions to consider what change may be needed.

“I am deeply disappointed by the approach of the police union, which has resorted to intimidation and escalation in a highly charged environment – where the community-building approach should be outreach and dialogue.  Neither I nor the City Administrator has received a single meeting request, call or email from the leadership of the PBA, requesting a discussion or anything else.  Other than a statement from the PBA that I offered to read at a protest, I have heard nothing from them.

“Our police officers are all trained in and must practice de-escalation.  The police union tactics ignore de-escalation training – at a time when our community needs to come together.  I would encourage them to reach out and be constructive – my door remains open for calm, honest discussion.

“The PBA’s dissatisfaction came to light immediately upon the unanimous appointment of former Beacon Lieutenant William Cornett as Acting Police Chief, to fill in for the short-notice retirement of our chief and captain.  I chose someone with a long history in the Beacon police, with a record of integrity and transparency, and with no interest in continuing in the role.  That choice safeguards our community, our police department and the City, as we search for permanent leadership.  If the PBA is disgruntled at not being able to hand-pick leadership, that simply reflects their failure to engage in dialogue as well as unrealistic expectations.”

“Finally, let me reiterate some of the things I have said in public.  I have repeatedly discussed the department’s successful completion of a lengthy U.S. Department of Justice oversight process, as well its continuing accreditation by the NYS Law Enforcement Accreditation Program – the latter an achievement shared by only a handful of local departments.  And while anyone who has observed me on City Council knows I am incredibly protective of spending taxpayer dollars, I have made no definitive statements regarding funding levels of the police department going forward. 

“Again, my door remains open.”

Teamsters Local 445, Who Represent Beacon Police, Issue Open Letter On Facebook - Without Contacting City - Regarding Mayor And City Council During Reform Period

The Teamsters Local 445, which is connected to Beacon’s Police Benevolent Association (BPA), issued an open letter to Beacon’s City Council on July 15 and published it to Facebook. According to Mayor Kyriacou, the letter was not sent to the city directly. Their letter is in response to the recent appointment of Acting Chief of Police, William Cornett. During that public appointment, a representative of Local 445, Mike Pitt, proclaimed: “We’re going to follow this closely.“

A Little Beacon Blog has reached out to the president of Beacon’s BPA, Michael Confield, for comment, but has not received a response yet. If we do, the response will be published here.

Mayor Kyriacou has since responded with a press release in response which has been published in full here, expressing “disappointment that the police union is resorting to intimidation and escalation – exactly the opposite behavior of what is appropriate in today’s charged environment.

The open letter from Teamsters Local 445 has bee republished in full below:

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Teamsters Local 445, a public and private sector labor union based in the Newburgh, New York area, with almost 3,000 members, including about 250 members in its Law Enforcement Division in Orange, Sullivan, Ulster, and Dutchess County Police Departments, supports its law enforcement members in the City of Beacon.

On behalf of the men and women of the City of Beacon Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, we write this open letter after a majority voted to release the Association’s position. Unfortunately, circumstances have left us with no other recourse. We have lost all trust, faith, and confidence in the Mayor and City Council’s ability to lead this city and the police department during these trying times.

For the past several weeks, Mayor Kyriacou and the Council have continued their push of anti-police rhetoric and policies, which have included the thought of disarming and de-vesting police. How does one comprehend a police officer’s response to an emergency call without a weapon or protective gear?

The Mayor and Council have failed to correct untrue public accusations of police mis-conduct. This failure could lead to a wholly unfounded, dangerous reaction from the public, causing a dangerous environment for the members of the police department, as well as the public.

The Mayor and Council have shown zero support for the police department during these times. Talk of defunding or significantly cutting the department’s costs and of cutting its already dangerously low staffing level are some of the only talk they show the department. This department is an accredited police agency in New York State; an honor that few departments in the area still retain.

After the leader of the department offered to lead this accredited agency through these times without a chief in place, the Mayor and Council recently voted to appoint a temporary police chief who has not worked actively as a police officer since almost the year 2000. The Mayor and Council have stated that they want a smooth transition to the next police chief as leader of the department, but they seem to have an agency very different from minimal support, let alone different from the best interests, of the men and women who serve all day every day.

In the course of the Council meeting in which the Council voted to appoint the temporary Chief, Teamsters Law Enforcement Division representative Pitt pointed out that the certification of this appointee must have lapsed due to the length of his time not serving as a police officer since retirement in 2000. As per General Municipal Law 209-q, the certification required for police officers by law lapses after four (4) years. Without that certification, the appointed temporary Chief “lacks the power to execute arrest and search warrants, make arrests without a warrant and use physical or deadly force in making an arrest when necessary”; he “may not lawfully carry a firearm without a license if he is not certified as a police officer.” 2003 N.Y. Op. (Inf.) Atty’ Gen. 1. If this Chief sees a crime being committed, he cannot make an arrest; he needs to call the police.

The Council has spoken about reform, but you cannot have reform without funding. You do not deescalate by defunding the police. If you want the most qualified and most trained officers on your street, you cannot defund yet expect to keep, not to mention improve, the quality and level of service that these men and women currently give this great city.

In closing, we would like to reiterate that the men and women of the Beacon City Police Department PBA have lost all trust, faith, and confidence in Mayor Kyriacou and the entire City Council’s ability to lead this city.

About Teamsters Local 445 Union

Teamsters Local 445 is a public and private sector labor union based in the Newburgh, New York area, with almost 3,000 members, including about 250 members in its Law Enforcement Division in Orange, Sullivan, Ulster, and Dutchess County Police Departments.

View the original announcement on Beacon’s PBA Facebook Page.

Beacon Appoints Acting Chief Of Police, Bill Cornett For 90 Days; Beacon PBA Representative Responds, Mayor Gives His Reasons

After Beacon’s Police Chief and Captain each gave their 30 days notice of entering retirement, which commenced on July 7, 2020, the City of Beacon has been seeking a new Police Chief. Mayor Lee Kyriacou announced at this week’s City Council 7/6/2020 meeting that they have found a temporary, “Acting” Police Chief for no more than 90 days, who has come out of retirement to serve. Bill Cornett has accepted the position, and is no stranger to Beacon. He lives in Beacon, and served on the force during Beacon’s darker period of excessive overtime, leadership change, and the Department of Justice investigation.

Before the appointment, a member of the public called in during the Public Comment portion of the meeting to say that he wished for a pause in order for a thoughtful appointment to occur. Council person Dan Aymar-Blair asked for a hiring freeze. Mayor Kyriacou presented the appointment with the following logic:

“Civil Service Law requires that we have ay chief for any police force greater than 4 people. There was an earlier discussion...We went down the initial path that we would have an Acting Police Chief from within the department, and we made a decision after examining that, that we should not do so. What we're doing here is making it very clear here that we are not advantaging anyone in this process, we are not pre-disposing anyone in any direction in this process. What we are trying to do is to have someone fill the spot on a purely temporary basis, not a permanent one, and it be an acting position for up to but not more than 90 days. In doing so, we will enable an open and deliberate process to find the full chief. So view this as the first step in the process. Finding the chief will be a longer process.”

Civil Service Requirements As They Pertain To Hiring Service Employees

The new Acting Police Chief worked for the City of Beacon during a major time of transition. The 2002-2007 period was an exceptionally difficult time in the City, where Mayor Kyriacou was challenging the expenditures of overtime, which led to a number of leadership issues within the police department, which lead to multiple lawsuits, both internal and external. This eventually led to a request by the City of Beacon to the Department of Justice to investigate the Beacon Police Department, which resulted in some reforms, ending in 2010.

During that period of time, Bill Cornett was the Senior Lieutenant. Said Mayor Kyriacou during the City Council meeting the night of the appointment: “Of anyone in the department during that period that I trusted, that provided me straight answers that was by the book, it was [then] Lieutenant Bill Cornett. Bill was one of the few people in the department during that period to have a college education. He is a Fordum Grad with a Bachelors Degree in Sociology and a Minor in Philosophy and Theology. I think it served him exceptionally well. Again, I trust Bill with my life. He was instrumental in helping the process of going from what I would describe as an Old Boys Department to the professionalization of our police force.

”We had to change our leadership. We demoted a Chief to Lieutenant; we were sued multiple times; I was targeted; I was investigated. I had all sorts of interesting things occur. During all that time, the person that I trusted and always gave me straight answers was Bill Cornett. During that time, the City discovered that Bill was Acting Chief at times, which means that under Civil Service, he is capable of taking the position [today].”

Bill responded to the appointment with the following: "I look forward to serving the city, and I am also looking forward to returning to retirement. Yes, the 90 days is a good time." The City of Beacon’s press release on the announcement stated that Bill has not interested in the permanent position. Bill is quoted in the press release: “If I can help my community during a difficult transition, I stand ready to serve.”

A Representative From Teamsters Local 445 Representing Beacon’s PBA Responds

Later in the meeting during the 2nd Public Comment period, Mike Pitt, the Business Agent for the Teamsters Local 445 which represents the City of Beacon’s PBA (Police Benevolent Association, the police union) called in to voice his opinion. Mike expressed concern with the Civil Service requirements, with regards to Mike thinking that retired police officers lose their certification after 4 years of not working as a police officer. “I’m interested in seeing how this is possible,” Mike stated.

Mike continued by encouraging the route of hiring from within, and issued the following statement: “The Mayor continues to say that it is “Acting Police Chief” and totally disregarding the promotion or acting part of someone who is already in a command position in the police department, who can make the transition a lot smoother until you actually make an appointment of a police chief, after a thorough search.

“To get certified in a police department as “accredited” is a huge accomplishment for a police department. To get that, the City of Beacon showed that the administration did their job. That means the police officers did their job. It shows that the men and women there have followed the regulations, followed the rules, and the state saw that.

“It’s something that you need to take into consideration. You’re bringing in someone who hasn’t worked in 18 years. He’s not today’s world of police work, where you guys are trying to disarm police going to calls. I don’t understand that. I don’t think anybody in the union does. I look forward to hearing that point. You’re saying that it’s not appropriate for somebody to get put in this position who is in the command position now in the City of Beacon Police Department. I think the men and women deserve better. We’re going to follow this closely. We hope that you make the right decision moving forward.”

The Mayor responded that he had been advised by council and Civil Service that the Ts were crossed and Is were dotted. Bill rose his hand to speak: “Good evening!” he said, and alluded to work he had done recently with local organizations. “It’s nice to be back! Even if I am one of the dinosaurs.”

A Little Beacon Blog pursued the legalese of the crossed Ts and dotted Is, and received this response from the City of Beacon’s attorney:

“The appointment of the Chief of Police, be it temporary or permanent, is not subject to any Union rules. The Chief of Police is not a member of the Beacon PBA. The Chief of Police’s position is outside the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the City and the Beacon PBA and therefore not subject to any limitations, other than those promulgated by New York State and Dutchess County Civil Service Department Rules and Regulations. The temporary appointment of William Cornett to Acting Chief of Police is consistent with the requirements of Civil Service Law for the position of Chief of Police, which is Five (5) years of permanent competitive status as a Police Lieutenant or seven (7) years of permanent competitive status as a Police Lieutenant and/or Police Sergeant. William Cornett served as Police Lieutenant in the City of Beacon from 1987 to 2002. Moreover, the expiration of Mr. Cornett’s NYS certification is irrelevant to this appointment. 2003 N.Y. Op. Atty. Gen. (Inf.) 1001 (N.Y.A.G.), 2003 N.Y. Op. Atty. Gen. No. 1, 2003 WL 326937.”

About Bill Cornett

Bill Cornett is a former Beacon Police Department Lieutenant and is a lifelong Beacon resident. According to the City of Beacon’s press release: “During his career in the Beacon Police Department, Bill was FBI certified as an instructor in de-escalation techniques. He initiated the STOP-DWI program, prepared and submitted Uniform Crime Reports to the FBI, oversaw Beacon’s Traffic Division, and served on the Dutchess County Traffic Safety Board. Bill retired from the department in 2002 as senior lieutenant and continues to live in Beacon.”

No City Council Meeting Tonight: A Scheduled Skip

Regular attendees - and new attendees! - of the weekly Monday night City Council Meetings can enjoy the night off, as the weekly session has a scheduled skip. Beacon’s City Administrator, Anthony Ruggiero sent out a reminder to the media this morning, stating: “Please remember that today is the 4th Monday, and there is no Workshop Meeting tonight. The next regular schedule Workshop Meeting is Monday, June 29, 2020.”

When there are 5 Mondays in a month, one week is usually skipped.

You can watch past meetings at the City’s website, or here at A Little Beacon Blog’s Easy Access Local Government section, which also includes Zoning meetings and Planning Board meetings.

TONIGHT (Monday): Public Hearing To Get Feedback On Many Zoning Table Simplifications In Beacon

Since before Mayor Lee Kyriacou was elected mayor, the council has been working closely with its City Planner, John Clark, to make the city’s Zoning Tables easier to understand. According to reporter Jeff Simms, who covers City Council meetings for the Highlands Current, the City Council has been working on this simplification “for 2 years at least,” he told A Little Beacon Blog right before the meeting began at 7pm (watch it live here on the city’s new YouTube Channel!).

You may have received a robo-call about a Public Hearing about a Zoning change that affects your property. If you are subscribed to the Emergency Alert System and checked all of the boxes to get all of the calls, then you maybe have gotten this one. The City Council has expressed interest in reaching people more proactively about when Public Hearings happen, and considered using the robo-call system.

The Public Hearing about the Zoning tables will cover the following:

Draft Use Table
1. Simple X - Y axis chart grouped by use types – shorter and easier to understand;
2. Combines Off-Street Parking (PB) and Office Business (OB) into Transitional (T) zone with some additional uses and residential options;
3. Combines Local Business (LB) and General Business (GB) districts;
4. Reduces the number of required Special Permits and shifts some Special Permits to the Planning Board;
5. Adds several new use categories:

• Vehicle Sales or Rental Lot

• Animal Care Facility

• Golf Course

Eliminates a few use categories:

• Ski Facility

• Retail Truck or Trailer

• Medical Service Structure

Draft Dimensional Table
1. Adds standards for new Transitional (T) district;
2. Eliminates inconsistencies in the table;
3. Decreases some setbacks in single-family districts and increases side setbacks in certain multifamily districts;
3. Adds dimensional standards (setbacks, building height, building coverage, minimum open space) instead of floor area ratios;
4. Removes more than half of the existing footnotes.

Draft Zoning - Major Text Amendments:
1. Updates uses and cross-references to be consistent with the new tables;
2. Broadens the general Special Permit conditions in Section 223-18 to include potential conflicts with adjacent blocks and adds traffic hazards or congestion, emergency services, infrastructure requirements, and consistency with the Comprehensive Plan as factors to consider;
3. Adds hotels to the list of potential uses allowed by Special Permit in the Historic District and Landmark Overlay Zone
4. Requires 25% non-residential uses in the Waterfront Development district within 400 feet of the Train Station;
5. Requires 1st floor non-residential uses in the Linkage district along the north side of West Main Street and Beekman Street;
6. Removes the expedited review process in the Linkage district;
7. Adds missing definitions.

In response to these changes, Beacon’s Planning Board reviewed the change and submitted feedback, which is attached to the meeting’s agenda on the City’s website, and republished here on A Little Beacon Blog.

“As requested, the Planning Board reviewed the Local Law amending Chapters 223 and 210 of the City of Beacon Code concerning the Schedule of Regulations and associated amendments, and changes to the Zoning Map at their May 12, 2020 meeting. City Planner John Clarke gave a detailed explanation of the proposed zoning amendments and creation of the Transition Zone. A lengthy discussion and review of the revised zoning tables took place. There was much debate about the commercial requirement for the Linkage Zone and the affect increased density would have on properties in the Transition Zone. Members felt the City Council should consider generating a schematic example of both a commercial and residential site by applying the new zoning regulations to better understand the resulting bulk increased density would have on neighboring properties.”

For those new to this, the Linkage Zone is the area down by the train station, where Brett’s Hardware is. The Parking PB district was an area created years ago when Beacon was being planned as a walking mall and parking was projected to be needed. According to Jeff: “The Transition Zone replaces an existing zone and gives it a better name that makes more sense. The one it replaces is PB (Parking).” The goal is to better transition from Main Street to the residential areas. There is flexibility for commercial as well as residential in these proposed changes.

Some uses are proposed to have changed in these changes. All of the details of this can be found in the agenda documents that can be found in detail at the City’s website here.

UPDATE: The meeting was adjourned to 2 weeks from today, to await Dutchess County comments.

Tonight's (Monday) City Council Workshop Meeting

Every Monday at 7 pm, there is a City Council Meeting or Workshop discussing things around the city that need improvements. Workshops are when certain topics are discussed in depth. Tonight is one of those nights.

A Little Beacon Blog republishes the agendas on our website in our City Government section, as well as the videos of the meeting when they become available. Lately, the Mayor’s Office has been including how many minutes each topic has been allocated.

In short, this Workshop will focus on how areas of Beacon are zoned. This has been a large project that is ongoing and deals with changes in how the city controls development projects. This includes discussion on building height, and what requirements are proposed to build a fourth floor of a building during this phase of Beacon’s development. The Greenway Trail project continues to be a topic, as does infrastructure.

Click here now to see all of the items on the agenda >

In Coronavirus Time, you can listen to this meeting live at 7 pm on the City of Beacon’s YouTube Channel.

Beacon's City Council Meetings Move To Video-Conference; Public Can Dial In; Live Footage Available

Like all of the Main Street shops who want to stay in touch with people and continue selling to them, the City of Beacon has been making progress in technology as well. Not only can you now pay your water bill online, but Beacon’s City Council meetings have moved to video-conference only, where council members are meeting from their own remote locations.

Each councilperson’s head can be seen on the screen, and the conversation happens from there, with legal updates from the City Attorney, and all of the regular answers from the City Planner regarding zoning. The meeting can be streamed live at a channel on YouTube, and the public can ask questions (when appropriate) by dialing into the number below.

The Video Conference Press Release From The City of Beacon:

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE, that effective immediately and based upon notices and health advisories issued by Federal, State and Local officials related to the COVID-19 virus, the City Council will not hold in-person meetings. Until further notice, all future City Council meetings (including public hearings) will be held via videoconferencing, as permitted by the NYS Open Meetings Law.

Due to public health and safety concerns, the public will not be permitted to attend at the remote locations where the City Council members will be situated. The public, however, will be able to fully observe the video-conference meeting and comment during regular City Council meetings (i.e for public hearings and during designated public comment periods).

To the extent internet access is not available, the public can attend and comment via telephone by dialing 1-929-205-6099 and entering the Webinar ID 285 630 104.

The City Council’s agenda is available online in advance of meetings at http://www.cityofbeacon.org/index.php/agendas- minutes/. The public can email written comments or questions for regular City Council Meetings by 5 pm on the day of the meeting, addressed to cityofbeacon@cityofbeacon.org.

Any member of the public who has questions should contact the City Administrator in advance of the meeting at (845) 838-5010 or aruggiero@cityofbeacon.org.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE, that any Executive Session of the Council will be initiated with the Council first convening on the public videoconferencing site, and then adopting a motion to go into Executive Session.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE, that the City Council Meeting of Monday, April 6, 2020 at 7 pm can be accessed live at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvPpigGwZDeR7WYmw-SuDxg. Please note that there is a 20-second delay on the YouTube Live Stream.

First City Council Meeting Took Place Since CoronaCrisis Awakening - COVID-19 Update Released

Published Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Last week, the City of Beacon announced via press release that their regular Monday meeting would meet at a larger space to allow for social distancing, so that people could sit apart from one another. Similar measures have taken place in New York City for Governor Cuomo’s press conferences; after one day the governor’s meetings were the usual shoulder-to-shoulder arrangement, and then the next day there was an awkward array of seating.

The City of Beacon set up teleconferencing so that City Council members who were not comfortable or able to attend could call in and participate. Councilpeople Terry Nelson, Amber Grant, Jodi McCredo and Air Rhodes were dialed in on the line, which came in loud and clear. George Mansfield, Dan Aymar-Blair and Mayor Lee Kyriacou attended in person at the table. The City Attorney, Nick Ward-Willis, also attended in person, as did City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero. “I think you can all agree, we are certainly at appropriate distances right now,” he said.

Teleconferencing was set up in a day, as mentioned by Mayor Kyriacou. Participation for the public is also possible via teleconferencing, or the public can attend in person, provided that there is enough space between people. The mayor read the press release that was issued last week, which stated how several procedures will work for the foreseeable future. Read that press release (including a helpful fact sheet of COVID-19 symptoms) on the City of Beacon’s website, or right here.

All leaders were concerned about the coronavirus/COVID-19 and its impact on the Beacon community. Mayor Kyriacou urged people to check on their neighbors. To do so casually, or to let them know you want to check in on them. He also urged people to order out from their restaurant friends, and to continue to support those businesses.

Councilperson George Mansfield owns a bar/restaurant, Dogwood, and had this to say: “As a bar owner who was forced to be shut down by the state yesterday, I believe that it is the right and prudent thing to do. Hundreds of people have lost their jobs today... Maybe people live paycheck-to-paycheck, and now are without that paycheck.”

Councilperson Dan Aymar-Blair informed the public about Mutual Aid, a new group that has organized quickly in order to help people. There are “limits to what the state and county can do,” Dan said, “and we rely on each other.” The group is for the elderly, people with pre-existing conditions, and anyone who needs to quarantine. “This group is here for you,” said Dan. Call (845) 206-9836 or email mutualaidbeacon@gmail.com. They are on Facebook here, where you can see direct requests as they come in, and offer to help for each one.

Don’t be shy. Especially if you are a solo parent or person living without someone at home often. Call if you are not able to get out to get what you need.

Councilperson Jodi McCredo proposed to initiate a resolution to get local aid directly to Beacon. Mayor Kyriacou contributed insight he has from nearly all-day meetings: that Dutchess County was aware and working on directions. The following day (today) the mayor shared a press release about the low-interest disaster loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). It is a low-interest federal disaster loan for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

According to that press release: “SBA acted under its own authority, as provided by the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act that was recently signed by the President, to declare a disaster following a request received from Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont on March 15, 2020.” Actions like this from neighboring states continue, as the states work together regionally to plan and protect.

Additionally:

• Evictions have been halted statewide with no end date as of yet (after the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office did agree to halt them for two weeks to start, and was open to a lengthier period). Evictions are now suspended until further notice.

• Seven-day waiting period for unemployment was waived (Governor’s Executive Order)

• State Aid Penalty waived for schools closing (Governor’s Executive Order)

• Utilities are not to be shut off, as directed by the Governor to the Department of Public Service.

• Source: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/after-weeks-demanding-approval-governor-cuomo-announces-fda-gives-new-york-state-authority

Councilpersons Jodi McCredo and Amber Grant both encouraged people to give elderly people physical space - especially in the grocery store. Councilperson Grant encouraged people to shop and help Beacon businesses and to take the 2020 U.S. Census! Letters are arriving in the mail now. Don’t miss that opportunity. Filling that out is how communities get approved for grants. Money. Federal funding for many things you see - and want to see - around you.

The press release from the City of Beacon is below:

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The City of Beacon is working closely with Dutchess County and New York State to ensure public health and safety in connection with COVID-19, and wants to inform the community of the following current information and actions.

Public Information

The City of Beacon recognizes that the best statewide health expertise is provided by New York State, and the best local health expertise lies with the Dutchess County Health Department. Accordingly, the City will where possible promptly re-communicate relevant, accurate information provided by these sources, whether electronically on the Beacon Public Access Channel (Channel 22) , the City of Beacon website (http://www.CityofBeacon.org), links in documents, or in printed form. The primary objective of the actions being taken by public health officials is to reduce the pace of transmission of COVID-19, to “flatten the curve” as many describe, so as to avoid exceeding the capacity of our hospital services.

City Preparedness

The City is working closely with expert state and county governmental partners, participating in multiple daily calls and meetings involving communities throughout the region. Information is passed on to all city staff, including police, fire and other departments, and the community, and the City is taking the appropriate recommended actions to properly inform to safeguard our community, including actions and recommendations to reduce the pace of transmission of COVID-19.

Limiting Gatherings

Today (Monday, March 16), the Governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut announced a lower crowd capacity limit of 50 people for recreational and social gatherings (e.g., theaters, sporting events; but not e.g., libraries, retail establishments), effective at 8:00 PM tonight. This follows an earlier order from last Friday (March 13) with an initial limit, which was the lesser of 500 persons or 50% of venue capacity. Today the Governors also announced that restaurants and bars will close for on-premise service (but still allow take-out and delivery service), and the temporary closing of movie theaters, gyms and casinos. Dutchess County and the City of Beacon collectively have the authority to enforce this limitation through our police, fire and building departments, and will promptly begin doing so.

Schools

All school districts in Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties were closed for regular classes starting today (Monday, March 16). The Beacon City School District is closed for two weeks. The City’s school-based recreation programs are also closed.

State & Local Government Workforce

Today (Monday, March 16), the Governor announced that 50% of non-essential state employees should not report to work, and if feasible may work from home, and called for local governments to do the same (we understand this will become an executive order by the end of the day). The City of Beacon will implement this directive beginning tomorrow. We have identified executive, police, fire, water and sewer departments, and code enforcement officers, as essential employees. Other employees will be working for the most part on an every-other-day schedule.

City Facilities & Services

The following changes have been made regarding city facilities, board meetings and activities.

• Essential Services: Beacon Police and Fire Departments are unaffected by any mandated reduction in staffing; these departments have their own protocols with respect to staffing in emergency situations and interacting with the public. Water and Sewer Departments are unaffected, and trash collection is handled by a private contractor and is on schedule. The roles of Mayor, City Council and City Administrator are unaffected.

• City Hall: The window in the front entrance of our Municipal Building will remain open during regular hours for in-person service. Note that this window will as needed service in-person interactions with City departments located in the lower level of the building. Municipal buildings are being cleaned twice a day, and are safe for the public. Residents are encouraged to contact the City by phone or e-mail, where you will receive excellent customer service.

• Board Meetings: Meetings of the Beacon City Council, as well as other regular and ad hoc board meetings will continue to meet on schedule, with a change of location on a trial basis, from the Court Room at the Municipal Building to the much larger public meeting room across Route 9D at the Lewis Tompkins Hose Meeting Room located at 13 South Avenue. This will allow for appropriate “social distancing” in a larger venue; the City will monitor and limit public attendance as necessary. The City will continue to televise City Council and other board meetings, and has installed teleconferencing for meetings. Board members are of course free to make individual choices regarding attendance specific to their individual circumstances.

• Recreation Programs: The City has already discontinued after-school programs consistent with the school district decision. Other City-sponsored recreational activities are already seeing reduced attendance, and the City will discontinue all recreation programming.

• Transfer Station: The City’s recycling and transfer facility on Dennings Avenue will be open for some services, with details to be determined.

Some Accurate Sources of Information

Below are some links to accurate and up-to- date local information on health and safety. Take care to find and rely on accurate official sources, and not unofficial, informal or uninformed ones.

• Dutchess County Coronavirus Information Hotline: 845-486-3555
• NYS DOH Website: https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus/
• NYS Department of Health Novel Coronavirus Hotline: 1-888-364-3065
• Dutchess County State of Emergency: https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/County-Executive/Dutchess-County-Announces-State-of-Emergency.htm
• Dutchess County Department of Health: https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/DBCH/2019-Novel-Coronavirus.htm
• Dutchess County Mental Health Services: https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/DBCH/Mental-Health-Services.htm

Public Health Reminders

The City of Beacon wishes to repeat some official common-sense public health guidelines including personal hygiene, social distancing, and avoiding large public gatherings and events. These come from the Dutchess County Department of Health and the New York State Department of Health.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
Please see attached COVID-19/Coronavirus Fact Sheet.

2nd Forum Held By Mayor For Community To Learn Beacon Development

The second of two community forums held by Beacon’s Mayor Lee Kyriacou happens today, Saturday, February 29, 2020 at 10 am in the Memorial Building at 413 Main Street (same location as Beacon Farmers Market in the winter). Mayor Lee and the City Council surrounding him ran on campaigns to alter and steer the course of development in Beacon, which is currently booming as a result of approvals made years ago for new commercial and residential buildings.

For the past several years, residents of Beacon who have attended City Council meetings as members of the public have called for easier ways of understanding how development works in Beacon, and at large. People have wished for glossaries to explain acronyms that are used during development presentations by City Council members, the City Planner, the City Attorney, or any person presenting on a piece of land and how it will be used.

Over the course of those years during the previous administration under Mayor Randy Casale, the City Council made a number of changes to alter how development is done in Beacon, from changing legislation, to acquiring control over certain areas of the broad process that developers must go through in order to get various approvals on small and large decisions.

The easiest way to keep up with these changes has been to watch City Council meetings on the city’s public access channel, or the Vimeo account where they are posted. It feels a like a lot of homework at first, but homework is how acronyms are learned, and how the inner workings of the process are conducted. This forum is one way that the administration has created to connect directly with the community to teach the background of Beacon and how it came to be in this moment.

As you’ll see when you start listening to these presentations, major shifts can happen within a simple year of each other. If you wonder why one building looks one way, and another looks completely different, it is usually because rules changed somewhere in between the years of them being built or renovated.

A Little Beacon Blog does republish City Council meeting videos in our City Government section, to make it easy for you to get meeting agendas and the videos in one place. In-person events like this can help you follow along in the reporting of major decisions that are made, and how they impact the landscape or the ability to do something.

If you missed this event, A Little Beacon Blog will be publishing notes that the City Planner has been presenting to the council (they are fascinating!) or watch the video below.

Trash Cans Replaced On Main Street For Better Containment - At No Cost To City

As Beacon increases in popularity as a tourist destination as well as a lifestyle change destination, away from the big city - or just by people relocating here for job opportunities - trash disposal needs also change. Two major shifts have happened that triggered a metal trash can swap-out on Main Street:

• Overflowing Trash: Residents have complained of trash overflowing from metal trash cans on Main Street after regular weekends, three-day holiday weekends, or weekends that have special public events.

• Recycling: The crash of the recycling market has rocked recycling collection across many communities in the United States. In short, most of the recycling isn’t getting recycled because China, who buys most of the world’s recycling, has tightened its restrictions on what it will accept. Most recycling sent to China is dirty, as in, coated in food, contaminated with non-recyclable objects (like plastic bottle caps not screwed onto a bottle - who knew?!) or is wet paper (only dry, non-shredded paper is accepted - nothing smaller than 6” x 6” actually, according to Beacon’s recycling processing center).

• Recycling Must Be Clean: What came out of the 2018 City Council Meeting discovery session with the facility who processes our recycling, is that dirty recycling does not get recycled. If you throw in a plastic container coated with food: it won’t get rinsed at the recycling center. If you throw in straight up food, or other items that are not part of the Single Stream, you are contaminating the recycling collection, and the haul cannot be used. This makes recycling on Main Street pretty useless, being that most people throw in food containers that have food on or in them, and items that are not recyclable at all.

City Council Agrees To Larger Hole At Top Of Trash Cans

The Beacon City Council, which consists of four representatives (called Council People) from each area of the City, as well as a Member-At-Large, the Mayor, the City Administrator, and the City’s Attorney, all consider many details about how the City of Beacon functions. They even think about the design of the trash cans. At one point years ago, two holes were considered to help with trash: a small one for recycling (presumably cups and other small objects), and trash. But not too large, so as to guard against residents of nearby apartments putting their household trash into the public containers, as recalled by Mayor Casale during a City Council meeting.

Trash Cans Replaced At No Cost To The City

During the May 29, 2018 City Council Workshop meeting during which Royal Carting, the City’s contracted trash collection company, presented their proposed budget for a new contract, Royal Carting’s presenting attorney, James Constantino, suggested a replacement of the cans at no cost to the City. “The designs of the cans are not accommodating or giving capacity. We have agreed with the Highway Superintendent for a new can… I can assure you the Mayor has been very clear that he wants the trash cans maintained, and doesn't want to see litter.”

Beacon’s City Administrator confirmed with A Little Beacon Blog in August 2018 that the City was moving forward with the replacement of the cans. By January 2019, the new trash cans lined Main Street.

3 Public Hearings Tonight: Arcade Law, Signs Law, Municipal IDs - Tonight's City Council Meeting

Tonight, there are three Public Hearings scheduled for the 12/17/2018 City Council Meeting, in which you are invited to contribute your opinion and feedback about drafts of laws put before the City Council. This is your chance to speak in public to the City Council, so that they may consider your thoughts before signing proposed legislation into law.

Usually what happens at the meetings is people attend - sometimes it’s just one - then they have a chance to voice their opinions at a podium, and the City Council considers what they said. The City Council may then take the draft of the law back into a “Workshop” session where they meet again to talk about it in detail, and/or the City Attorney may take notes from the City Council and make changes to the draft law, and present it again. If no one shows up to a Public Hearing, the City Council has what it needs in the draft law to vote on the proposed new law or change to an existing law, and possibly sign it into new law that night if they get majority votes from themselves.

Here’s What’s On Deck Tonight:

“SIGNS” - HOW SIGNS HUNG OUTSIDE IN PUBLIC VIEW ARE TREATED
From the City’s Agenda: “A continuation of a public hearing to receive public comment on a proposed Local Law to delete Chapter 183 entitled “Signs” and to amend Chapter 223 Sections 15 and 63 of Code of the City of Beacon, concerning sign regulations in the City of Beacon”
Background: Highlands Current reporter Jeff Simms has been covering this signage development that was triggered by a large white political sign hung on a building on Hanna Lane that can be seen on Route 52. You can read about that here from June 2018, and here from November 2018. According to the November article: “The law was called into question after the city repeatedly clashed with Jason Hughes, a business owner who hung politically topical banners on the side of a warehouse he owns that faces Route 52. The draft of the new regulations would require permits for certain signs but not others… Real estate and construction signs, for example, would be allowed in residential zones without a permit, as would lawn signs (not exceeding 3 square feet) for elections, yard sales and other events as long as they were removed within seven days after the event took place.”

MUNICIPAL IDs
From the City’s Agenda: “A public hearing to receive public comment on a proposed local law to create Chapter 42 of the Code of the City of Beacon to establish a Municipal Identification Program in the City of Beacon”

ZONING LAW TO ALLOW ALL ARCADES, NOT JUST VINTAGE ARCADES
From the City’s Agenda: A public hearing to receive public comment on a proposed local law to repeal Chapter 223, Article III, Section 24.8 and to amend Chapter 223, Attachment 2 of the Code of the City of Beacon concerning amusement centers containing only vintage amusement devices
Background: Proposed new business offerings at a property at 511 Fishkill Avenue (which is in Beacon but just outside of downtown Beacon, past AutoZone), include a brewery, an arcade, and an event space. The property owners are seeking the allowance of an arcade, without being restricted to offering vintage games/machines that were built prior to 1980.
Deep Dive: We took a Deep Dive into this one, to see what it was all about, and you can read about it here.

Drafts of the laws, emails from people, and other supporting documents that are to help educate everyone before a Public Hearing are linked with each agenda on the City of Beacon’s website. To help with the ease of use, we have republished those here in our format to help keep things easy to find. (We love our Search bar!)

Many other items are on the agenda for the City Council to discuss among themselves, but in public. A Little Beacon Blog has published the entire agenda for tonight here to help you keep up. We do this for all of the City Council Meetings (started doing it about a year ago). When a video of a City Council Meeting has been published, we re-publish it with its dedicated meeting web page as well.

Brewery, Arcade and Event Space Proposed for 511 Fishkill Avenue As Industrial Arts Brewing Co. Looks To Expand To Beacon

The large property at 511 Fishkill Avenue (aka Route 52), which is between AutoZone and the Healey car dealership, has been acquired by Diamond Properties, a commercial real estate and property management business located in Mount Kisco, New York. This is the old Mechtronics building on 9 acres of property; technically it’s in Beacon, but it’s outside of downtown Beacon. The property is a 147,500-square foot, two-story flex/industrial warehouse and office building and includes loading docks, warehouse, office, and on-site parking, according to the website of Diamond Properties.

The vision is to transform part of the space into a warehouse, brewery, accessory office, arcade and event space, to accommodate Industrial Arts Brewing Company, who would be a tenant in the building, according to the application submitted by the applicant, DP 108, LLC.

Industrial Arts Brewing Company, who is based in Garnerville, NY (over to the southwest of us, in Rockland County), is looking to expand in Beacon by way of this location. The plan would be a new brewery production space with warehouse capacity, and an event space on the second floor of the building, which could include arcade use. The architect for the project is Aryeh Siegel, who is the architect behind several projects under construction in Beacon, as well as completed projects.

While the intent of use for an arcade is there, Beacon has an older, or vintage if you will, zoning requirement on the books that does not allow for arcades in Beacon, unless they are offering vintage machines.

An excerpt from the arcade zoning law reads like this (which was posted with the 12/11/2018 Planning Board agenda): “Such amusement center shall contain only vintage amusement devices that were built prior to the year 1980 or noncomputerized devices with the exception of first generation computerized games such as those manufactured prior to 1990.”

The requirement also has provisions for noise levels, and that windows are to be kept closed, and doors “open only during ingress and egress,” as well as a calling for no vibrations to occur off the premises. Children under the age of 18 years old would also not be allowed to be in before 3 pm (school release time), and that age range cannot operate the machinery after 10 pm.

The Public Hearing was triggered after a representative from the project came before the Planning Board during a Planning Board meeting on 12/11/2018 to review the application to amend an existing Site Plan Approval and needed zoning law changed to allow amusement centers that include more current games, not just vintage.

During the 12/11/2018 Planning Board meeting, it was explained this way: “Right now, amusement centers are prohibited unless they are vintage amusement centers. In which case they are allowed by special permit. We are taking that distinction away and just saying ‘Indoor Commercial Recreation is a permissible use.’” The Planning Board discussed amending the old zoning requirement, and then sent their unanimous recommendation of “Yes, Amend” to the City Council for a vote.

In order to vote, the City Council must hold a Public Hearing to hear opinions from the public, which is scheduled for today, Monday December 17, 2018. An email from a Beacon business owner, Paulette Myers-Rich, who owns No. 3 Reading Room & Photo Book Works on Main Street in Beacon, is on file to be present during the Public Hearing, in which Paulette asks that the special permit remain in the legislation in order to give more selection to which business opens where.

According to the proposed draft change of the law, the only proposed change coming from the City Council’s attorney seems to be to the vintage aspect of the zoning requirement.

Screenshot of the proposed Draft Change of the arcade law, which is what is being discussed at a City Council Public Hearing Monday, December 17, 2018.

CORRECTION: Public Hearing for Beacon's 2019 Budget Was November 19th

In last week’s article on Beacon’s taxes, we mentioned that the Public Hearing for the 2019 Budget would be Monday, December 3, 2018. That information was based on the Mayor’s letter in the Budget Presentation, submitted in October.

However, the Public Hearing for the 2019 Budget was announced and scheduled for Monday, November 19, 2018. The vote is scheduled for Monday, December 3, 2018.

Beacon Remains Under 2% Tax Cap For 6th Year In A Row

If you got a refund from your property tax escrow account for being overestimated, this could be why (although we’re not property tax experts, but a refund did come our way this month). Mayor Randy Casale presented Beacon’s 2019 Budget in October, and stated: “In this year’s budget our homestead tax rate shows a decrease of 1.6518% and the non-homestead rate dropped 1.8073%.”

Before presenting the complex layers of a city’s budget, the Mayor also pointed out: “This is the fifth year in a row that we have received a ‘no designation’ classification from the NYS Comptroller’s Office with a score of 5. We have an Aa2 Moody’s bond rating. This shows our tax dollars are being managed thoughtfully and responsibly. This is the sixth straight year we were able to stay under the 2% tax cap while continuing to provide the services that keep our city safe, invest in our infrastructure and improve the quality of life for our citizens.”

Anthony Ruggiero, the City Administrator, reminded readers of the 2019 Budget Presentation of the history of the tax cap: “The tax cap law established a limit on growth of the annual property taxes levied to 2% or the rate of inflation, whichever is less. As you may recall, last year the tax cap was actually 1.84%, however this year it is 2%.”

Select Increases Projected For Certain Line-Items In The 2019 Budget

Water and sewer rates will show increases: 5% for water and 10% for sewer. Said the Mayor in the 2019 Budget Presentation: “These increases will allow us to continue to make upgrades to both facilities and our aging infrastructure.“

Infrastructure upgrades have been going on in Beacon on several neighborhood streets since the summer. There was a sewer collapse on Main Street at Tioronda, which closed the street to cars for several days, and negatively impacted neighboring businesses, like Raven Rose who experienced sewage backup into the shop.

Says Emily Burke, owner of the kitchen store Utensil, which until very recently was located on the eastern end of town (she has since moved to the west end of town, with an expanded shop): “The ongoing construction certainly had an impact on all the east end businesses.”

Also significant is the retiring of Beacon’s Building Inspector, Timothy Dexter. He served the city for 36 years in several roles, including Firefighter, Building Inspector, Fire Lieutenant, Acting City Administrator, “and mentor to many,” Anthony stated in the budget presentation letter.

The position of the Building Inspector will remain, but move to the Building Department’s budget, and away from the Fire Department’s budget, where it was previously. Building Department staff will remain the same, and the number of firefighters (13) and fire chief (1) will remain the same.

There are other highlights of what budget line-items are increasing or decreasing, which you can see here in the budget itself.

Recycling Market Crash Significantly Impacts Beacon’s Budget

The City Administrator stated that Beacon will keep weekly recycling, but at a loss to what was budgeted previously. “This is significantly impacted by the collapse of the recycling industry. The City went from receiving a revenue of $15 a ton to an expenditure of $61 a ton. This, combined with the increases in garbage contracts, amounted to $99,698 increase in the general fund expense budget.“

If you need to see things visually, as a line-item, this could look like +$15/ton as income to Beacon, and now looks like -$61 as an expense. The collapse of the recycling market was predicted for years by business leaders in the recycling industry, and was triggered by the Chinese decision in January 2018 to buy almost none of the recycled paper pulp coming from the United States. (A reminder: When putting goods out for city recycling, all recyclable paper and plastic must be dry and clean. Rinsed and not soggy. Otherwise, if the plastic is coated in food or dirty, or the paper soggy, it does not get recycled.) A Little Beacon Blog hasn’t gotten an official quote on where non-purchased recycling goes if it’s rejected and not purchased by China.

Beacon Homestead & Non-Homestead Assessed Value Increased

As explained by the City Administrator in the budget presentation: “This year the homestead assessed value increased by 3.47% or $30,859,063 million. The non-homestead assessed value has also increased over last year by 9.65%, or $23,815,921. This year represents the fifth year since 2009 that the overall assessed values increased, and did so by $54,674,984. Homestead values remain more than $102 million less than it was in 2009. The non-homestead assessed value has fluctuated through the years, and while it increased approximately $23,815,921 this year, it is only the second year in a row that it has been more than in 2009.”

Public Input Scheduled For November 19, 2018

CORRECTION: This section originally stated December 3, 2018 as the Public Hearing. According to the Mayor’s letter in the Budget Presentation, that was the date set. However, the Public Hearing for the 2019 Budget was announced and scheduled for Monday, November 19, 2018.

Department heads have been meeting in workshops throughout the fall. Workshops are open to the public to watch, but not participate in. A Little Beacon Blog republishes workshops here to help increase accessibility to these videos and agendas of the meetings. The opportunity for the public to come out and contribute their opinion on the 2019 Budget was Monday, November 19, 2018 at 7 pm at City Hall. This is the white building near the train station that also houses the police station and courthouse.

Keeping You In The Loop: Recap of City Council Meeting 8/20/2018

Every week or thereabouts, usually on Monday evenings, the Beacon City Council meets for one of two types of meetings:

• An official meeting, where City Council members can vote things into law that impacts Beacon residents - for better or worse.
• A Workshop, where they talk about recent issues typically raised by citizens at those meetings or by phone calls or emails, and hash out what might become a law.

The City Council meetings are where all of the things get decided. It's how rules end up in the code books that you wade through when trying to figure out if you need a permit to build a new porch, or if a large new building on Main Street needs to have a sign with its permit posted in public (just like houses do when under construction).

Meetings On TV

You can watch all of these meetings on TV on your Public Access Municipal Channel (if you still have cable). But if you miss a single meeting, you fall behind on a lot of meat. Fortunately, the Highlands Current sends a beat reporter, Jeff Simms, to regularly cover the meetings and report back on recent developments. He condenses an impressive amount of information into one short roundup article. Unfortunately, he is restricted by available print space. In the blogosphere,  however, we can go on... and on...

The Easy Access Government Meeting Section

Here at A Little Beacon Blog, we have our handy-dandy Easy Access Government Meeting section where you can do an easy search for anything, and find Agendas and Videos of the meetings all on the same page. For instance, if you saw that "Kearney Realty" was on the agenda for something, and you can't remember who they are or what property they own, you can do a Search on our website, and you'll get all the times they were mentioned in City Council, Planning or Zoning Board meetings. You can also run this search at the City of Beacon's website. We do get all of our info from the City of Beacon's website, so it's wonderful that they put it up there.

Recaps of City Council Meetings

We're going to start to produce very short recaps of the City Council Meetings to help you stay current. Sometimes, the issues in these meetings may bubble to a larger article here on A Little Beacon Blog. Like when we took a deep dive into the Airbnb legislation exploration.

Each of these meetings is linked to in full on their own pages. Just like on the City website, each line-item has been linked to any corresponding documents that have been attached to it (thanks Marilyn for all of this work you do each week on this!).

Here are the CliffsNotes for the most recent meeting, on 8/20/2018.

Click here for the full City Council Meeting 8/20/2018 agenda page.

Presentations

Junior Police Academy Graduation Presentation
This was a camp listed in our Summer Camp Guide that provided an opportunity for local kids to learn about law enforcement for one week during the summer. Local eateries donated lunch, and students did everything from obstacle courses to going on field-trips to different offices. Before the meeting got started, a different student spoke before the council to describe what they did each day.

Public Comment Heard That Night

This is when anyone from the public can speak for three minutes on anything they want. We do take notes about who spoke about what, but we'll leave it to you to listen to the video. Sometimes comments made here make it into articles on A Little Beacon Blog, or into law for the City of Beacon.

Public Hearings Heard That Night

Public Hearings are your chance to voice your concern right before the City Council is going to write something into law.

PUBLIC HEARING HEARD THAT NIGHT:
On a local law to create Chapter 97 and amend Chapters 192 and 223 of the Code of the City of Beacon concerning Driveways
Sounds boring, right? Driveways - just another thing to get permission to fix! Turns out, Beaconites did need to adhere to some code before creating their driveways, but they didn't need to get a permit aka official permission. Plus, the regulations that residents did need to adhere to were located in three different places. The Council wanted to change that and make it easier to find and read.

According to Mayor Casale, "The only thing that was ever on the books in the City Of Beacon was that if you wanted to put a driveway in, you had to be a certain amount of feet from the property line. Over the last year or so, [new] driveways were put in [by residents] and it became controversial. So we decided, like other communities, to have a permit to put a driveway in that would be addressed in our code, and reflect the zoning law."

The Council wanted to know when a driveway could cut into their own streets, and that it adhered to some rules. They hammered out what the condensed and simplified law would look like in a Workshop Meeting back on June 11, 2018, and this August meeting was the Public Hearing on it to hear from the public to see if the public brought any ideas to the table. No one came to this Public Hearing, so it's moving on into the next stage of getting voted on to be turned into law.

Reports

Next come the reports from each City Council member, including the Mayor and the City Administrator. This is where you learn things like what events they attended, what issues they were alerted about, or if we're in a drought. We'll let you listen to the video for these.

Future Public Hearings

Mark your calendar, because if you want to hop into the discussion about a major issue being made into law or amended, this is your big chance. If you want it or don't want it, come on down. Sometimes, only the side that doesn't want it comes down, or vice versa. So if you support an issue or don't, come down to the Municipal Building (near the train, overlooking the Hudson River) to say why.

PUBLIC HEARING September 4, 2018:
1.  A resolution to schedule a public hearing on September 4, 2018 to receive comment on proposed resolution to amend the language in Section 223-41.21 B(1)(b) of the Code of the City of Beacon concerning the Linkage District
This means that rules governing the area down near the train station - which is hot for development right now - have been worded in such a way that they are keeping a type of company that the City wants to be there, from being there. The example company that triggered this is Docuware, a document management company. Originally, Docuware wanted to relocate to the first building on Main Street that currently houses the Beacon Creamery.

As an aside, according to Ron at the Beacon Creamery, his landlord was going to move him up the street for a year during construction, and then move him back into a space that would have been made larger for his ice cream shop. Ron had been looking forward to the change.

Now Docuware is looking at property in the Linkage District near the train station, specifically where the auto shop is, and Spire Studios, the studio workspaces of several artists. You may have stepped inside this building during this year's and previous Beacon Open Studios.

The original language was written to keep out big box-type stores, but it has had the effect of keeping out other types of business that the City does want. According to Anthony Ruggiero, the City Administrator: "When we looked at the regulations, it was disjointed as to how it was adopted. Intent was to have mixed-use development. The way it was written, it was required to have two buildings. Total of buildings would be 25,000 square feet. When John [Clarke, the City's Planning Consultant] looked at it, the Comprehensive Plan was trying to prevent Big Box, but not mixed-use. The proposal coming to the Council would be two floors commercial, two floors residential."

PUBLIC HEARING September 4, 2018:
2.  A resolution to schedule a public hearing on September 4, 2018, to receive public comment on a proposed local law to amend Chapter 211 of the Code of the City of Beacon concerning Parking and Traffic Issues
This translates to proposed Stop Signs and No Parking Signs at the following places, as requested by citizens who wrote in:

• Stop Signs on Monell Place (near Tompkins Terrace)
• Adding No Parking to Dewindt and South Chestnut Street (near St. Rocco's)

PUBLIC HEARING September 4, 2018:
Last Minute Addition: A special Public Hearing to discuss proposed new apartments for 21 South Avenue.
This is the former Martin Luther King Center and is now owned by St. Andrew and St. Luke Episcopal Church. 

Local Laws and Resolutions

3.  A resolution to approve a memorandum of understanding for intermunicipal collaboration to promote sustainable water and wastewater systems

4.  A resolution authorizing the Mayor or City Administrator to sign an agreement authorizing and supporting the joint municipal land use review for the future redevelopment of the Beacon Correctional Facility.
This just means they can review proposals for this land. According to the City Administrator, eight ideas have come in, and one RFP that didn't work.

5.  A resolution awarding the contract for a Concentration Tanks Drive replacement to Rebuild-It Services Group, LLC.
Translates to: You're Hired!

6.  A resolution awarding the contract for the South Ave Sidewalks Project to Ben Ciccone, Inc.
Translates to: You're Hired!
The sidewalks along South Avenue by South Avenue Elementary are getting paved! Some funding came from Dutchess County. We reached out to City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero by email to hear more. He told us, "The intention is to go from Main Street to the School. It was viewed as safety for the kids. There is no cost to homeowners, however, they are responsible for maintenance and upkeep."
UPDATED: This has been updated since the original publishing of this article on this website and in our newsletter.

7.  A resolution awarding the contract for the Churchill Parking Lot and Pocket Park Project to Butler Construction Group
Translates to: You're Hired!

8.  A resolution awarding the contract for the Kristy Drive Storm Drainage Slip Lining to Skanex Pipe Services, Inc.
Translates to: You're Hired!

9.  A resolution amending Condition 6 of Schedule B on the deed for Lot 2 of the West End Lofts Project
This is a technicality of who is the payee. From the Coversheet:
"WHEREAS, the construction lender for the West End Lofts Project has requested that the borrower be a single payer entity and not the current owner, Kearney Realty Group, Inc; and
WHEREAS, Kearney Realty Group, Inc. proposes to form an affiliate of the Kearney Realty Group which will be a single payer entity; and
WHEREAS, the present members of the Kearney Realty Group are Ken and Jean Kearney; there have not been any changes to Kearney Realty Group since the closing and there will be no changes to the members until such time the closing of construction and a certificate of occupancy is issued for this building,"

Some Highlights From Previous Summer Meetings

Even though most of us were on vacation or doing summer things, the City Council marched on and hashed out topics. Some highlights of what happened:

• The metal trash cans on Main Street have been an issue with the public, in that they overflow. This was discussed months ago when Royal Carting, the city's trash collector, attended the meeting to present their estimate for trash and recycling pickup. New designs of trash cans were discussed. A most recent decision was that the tops of the trash cans would be replaced, so that there will be a larger hole for trash only, and not recycling.
• Recycling is becoming problematic and is now costing the city money. It used to be that the City of Beacon actually received money for their recycling. But now the city is paying money to have the recycling done. According to James Constantino, the attorney representing Royal Carting: "The cost of recycling materials primarily from China has dropped dramatically," he stated at a City Council meeting on May 29, 2018. Plus, "contaminated" recycling, which is when trash (like food or plastic bags) gets into recycling, costs more to get rid of because it needs to be sorted. According to Mayor Casale also at that meeting: "The whole recycling market right now is topsy-turvy... Most of the county is not considering doing recycling anymore." A Little Beacon Blog covered this in greater detail when Beacon went to weekly recycling pickup in 2016.
• Two new police officers were hired, including one woman. One new fireman was hired full-time after being a volunteer for several years.
• New apartment and office buildings at 248 Tioronda had representatives back at the podium presenting their vision. Details can be found in this article.
• New free bus service! The Dutchess County bus that goes west down Main Street, circles around the train station, then heads all the way to the mountain may be free starting Wednesday, August 22, 2018. It used to be called the G Line and now is called the Free Line. One of the buses is wrapped in a cheerful light blue decoration. This has BeaconArts' stamp on it, and we'll be producing an article to shed more light. Basically, this bus is free, and apparently you can hail it from any safe spot on the street.
• Council Person Amber Grant wanted the people in her Ward 4* to know that the polling location for them to vote in the Primaries has changed. The new polling location is 50 Liberty Street, which is the First Presbyterian Church near the Lofts at Beacon Falls. The new voting date for everyone is Thursday, September 13, 2018. Not sure what ward you are in (i.e. which district you live in and which city council member represents you)? Visit this link to see where you need to go to vote:
  https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/VoterSearch.aspx
  
  Dates for other election-related things are here:
  https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/law/2018PoliticalCalendar.pdf
  
  However, if you have questions for the Board of Elections, their phone number
  is this, but isn’t working today: (845) 486-2473.  Their main page that lists the polling locations by county is currently blank.
  *CORRECTION: We incorrectly typed the wrong ward number in the Newsletter sent out for this article. The correct ward is 4.

So there you have it. Until the next meeting!

If you want to browse, because there are still a lot of other things that are discussed, visit A Little Beacon Blog's Easy Access Government Meeting section.

If you want to be a sponsor of A Little Beacon Blog in any way, which helps us produce this content, you can learn about options here.