Happening This Weekend - 3/24/2017
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Beacon's Parade Of Green 2017 On A Chilly Main Street in March
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Madeleine Ouellette of King Family Chiropractic helps the Beacon Chamber of Commerce sell green headbands.
Photo Credit: Beacon Chamber of Commerce and Kate Rabe
It was a chilly day in Beacon last Saturday, March 22, 2017, for the 2nd Annual Parade of Green, but that did not stop the floats from promenading down Main Street. Over thirty organizations participated (several can be seen here). Although the turnout to cheer them on was a little lighter than last year, there were still many members of the community who did bundle up and come out to watch.
The marching was kicked off by the Parade of Green committee, who greeted all of us with a smile and a wave. Without the committee, none of this wonderful new tradition would be possible. They were followed by various groups from our community, including kids from the Boy Scouts of America, Beacon’s Pop Warner teams, Yanarella School of Dance, the Beacon Volunteer Ambulance Corps, various fire departments from the area and even an impressive float from the McElduff Family.
Stinson's Hub, a pub on Fishkill Avenue, was out with flying colors.
Photo Credit: Beacon Chamber of Commerce and Kate Rabe
Businesses along Main Street participated as well, coming out onto the sidewalks to hand out some St. Paddy’s Day goodies. Bank Square kicked off the day with a great Keg & Eggs event, making over five dozen eggs! Antalek & Moore had a popcorn machine running throughout the morning to hand out treats to spectators and the marchers.
The parade took a new route this year, ending at the East of Main near the dummy light. But the day's festivities did not stop there. Multiple bars and restaurants - from Joe’s Irish Pub to The Elks Club to Max’s - opened their doors to welcome everyone with a St. Patrick’s Day theme. Even The Vault was dressed up for the occasion, renamed “McVaulty’s Irish Pub." Stinson’s Hub also featured Irish step dancers and a pipe and drum band.
The Vault turned into McVaulty's Irish Pub for two weeks to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
Photo Credit: The Vault
Although we missed the warm sunshine that graced the parade last year, it was still a memorable event that brought Beacon together. We're all looking forward to celebrating the 3rd annual parade next year!
Photo Credit: Beacon Chamber of Commerce and Kate Rabe
About This Citizen Blogger: Kate Rabe was born and raised in Beacon, NY. Her mother works for Antalek & Moore, and Kate holds a newly elected position as a Director with the Beacon Chamber of Commerce. Kate is a certified business coach, helping corporations and small businesses navigate and implement their HR needs.
Beacon Lifts State of Emergency Order
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As emailed from the Mayor's Office moments ago, Mayor Randy Casale has lifted the State of Emergency Order for Beacon, NY.
From his desk:
WITHDRAWAL OF EMERGENCY ORDER
"A state of emergency was declared in the City of Beacon effective at 12:00 a.m., midnight on March 14, 2017. This state of emergency was declared due to the forecasted blizzard that occurred all day on March 14, 2017 and threatened public safety.
"I, Randy Casale, Mayor of the City of Beacon, hereby rescind the State of Emergency issued effective 12:00 a.m. on March 14, 2017 and all emergency orders issued thereunder effective immediately."
Dated: March 17, 2017
Click here to read the full order >
To see the state of Beacon in pictures, see A Little Beacon's article "National Guard and Bulldozers Are Booked For Beacon's #Digout 2017"
Happening This Weekend - 3/17/2017
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National Guard and Bulldozers Are Booked For Beacon's Big #Digout2017
/A true snowpocalypse, this blizzard of March 2017 will seal the deal that we can't expect winter's end in the Hudson Valley until April. Remember when we had those Summer Numbers during the nice Presidents Day long weekend? How the shops were wrapping it up with Winter Clearance sales? Reflecting on how they made it through the winter? Hopefully you heeded our advice and stocked up on winter clothes and boots then, because then this storm happened, leaving 2 to 3 feet of snow covering Beacon. With cold temperatures locked in, the barricades of snow corralling people trying to get somewhere via sidewalk might not melt away anytime soon, especially as a new snowfall is forecast for Saturday. This snow state has happened in the past, when barricades of snow lasted for what felt like weeks.
How is the snow affecting life in Beacon? Let's take a look in pictures...
The National Guard is called to Beacon to help remove snow.
The National Guard Removes Snow
The National Guard was called in to remove snow from designated areas. We emailed the Mayor's Office to get a definitive answer on what the National Guard's instructions were, as to what areas they were told to dig out first - which sidewalks, streets or parking lots - but have not received a response as of the publishing of this article. The Mayor's Office did, however, send us the alert about the State of Emergency, and the subsequent Modification. Troops could be seen up 9D on both sides of the street, and on side streets connected to 9D. If you saw them elsewhere in the City, please chime in below in the Comments.
Beacon runs out of places to put the snow after plowing city streets. Beacon City School buses are running as of Thursday.
The snow started falling early Monday morning, and continued all day Tuesday, letting up around 6 pm. Shoveling midway through the storm seemed pointless, as so much more was expected to fall. People began digging out their homes on Monday night, before it turned into an all-day affair on Tuesday. Many people took a snow day from work and school to just dig out of their houses - literally, needing to shovel off the porch to even get to the driveway. Snow responders, including people who drive contracted tow trucks and snow plows, or people with snow blowers, had to first get out of their homes in order to get to work - removing snow from elsewhere.
Commuters who normally travel to New York City had nowhere to go, as New York City was also buried and Metro-North and other commuter trains were shut down. Beacon's State of Emergency kept cars and people off the streets in Beacon. In the street was not somewhere you wanted to be, anyway, as snow plow trucks rumbled through trying to get to different neighborhoods. Trash was picked up as usual, but a lot of people couldn't get to their garbage cans (unless they were sharp thinkers like Beacon resident Arie Bram, who pulled his cans out before the storm hit).
Unless you pulled out your trash cans the night before, they weren't going anywhere. Trash pickup did commence the day after the storm.
Paths in the snow proved to be hard to come by, as some sidewalks - residential, business and public-owned - were not cleared completely. Some hadn't been touched at all by Thursday, since such a massive amount of snow needed immediate clearing, making it difficult for first responders to get into a building. Keep in mind, even though several sidewalks had been cleared by snowblower and shovel, one doesn't realize how dependent one is upon so many sidewalks on both sides of the streets - until one suddenly can't use them. Just a single property owner not clearing 100% of a sidewalk impacts basic accessibility on an entire route to the train station, for example.
The public parking lot on Henry Street needs several trucks to cart away snow.
Bulldozers Booked By City And Private Business To Remove Snow
When you run out of room to push snow into corners, you call in the bulldozers and dump trucks to cart it away. Plowing of municipal lots started on Wednesday, with heavy work continuing on Thursday. The lot pictured above on Henry Street is a double lot. One side of it is attached to local businesses like Towne Crier and LocoMotive Crossfit, and the other side primarily serves patients of the Beacon Health Center. According to employees who work in this area, the business parking lot was plowed on Wednesday, and the health facility plowed on Thursday, with work starting overnight. On Wednesday, the Health Center was open to patients, including seniors, children, pregnant women and disabled people.
The public parking lot next to Beacon Bread Company gets the bulldozer treatment.
Citizens who do not have driveways or a place to park their cars sought spots in the public parking lots, for which the 24-hour limit remained in effect. But with so much snow, there was nowhere to move the cars. Residents visited the lots at night to shovel their cars out and lot-hop to avoid the ticket for exceeding the 24-hour rule. Pictured above is the public parking lot next to Beacon Bread Company on Thursday, as a bulldozer lifted snow out.
Those who could not get to lots, or already had a car in a lot and needed placement for another car, borrowed friends' driveways, as Jesse Meyer of Pergamena, a tannery based in Montgomery, did. He had one car at the lot next to Beacon Bread Company, and another in a neighbor's driveway. He is pictured here digging out the first of two vehicles on Tuesday night.
A man with no driveway borrows a neighbor's before heading to a public lot to shovel out two cars.
Some private businesses, such as Halvey Funeral Home, plowed early Thursday morning, completely clearing their sidewalks and street parking, a benefit to their clients as well as residents. Other establishments, like St. Andrew's Episcopal Church on South Avenue, had completely cleared sidewalks, which was helpful for their congregation as well as kids walking to the elementary school just one block down the road. But plenty of homes, which might have elderly residents or even be abandoned, had not shoveled yet, making it difficult to walk to school, as kids and parents were forced to walk in the street.
HaLvey Funeral Home completely cleared its sidewalks and street parking with a bulldozer.
The orange No Parking signs moved throughout the City all week.
No Parking on City Streets
The orange signs started going up on Wednesday (according to eyewitnesses; we have not confirmed with the city), reinforcing the parking ban on city streets, but definitely acting to clear the way for any quickie parking jobs from people who were running into a store or apartment to get something. Wednesday was a fully open day, as the post office, all grocery stores, banks, etc. reopened, as people started emerging to run errands like getting food, signing corporate tax documents (a major corporate tax deadline was March 15, sending accountants into a panic when clients couldn't come in to sign paperwork) and conduct other business as usual.
Despite the five-day parking ban on city streets, people did park on Main Street and side streets. Because of that, plowed snow couldn't be removed completely from the street, and thereby spilled into and further narrowed the streets. With cars parallel-parked farther away from the sidewalk, driving down Main Street mainly consisted of driving in the middle of the road.
With Thursday being the new Monday as schools and more businesses reopened, many people were out and about, making driving a very slow and careful experience. However, toward the afternoon when the sky was blue and the sun was shining, some people began to drive a little faster, turning quickly out of side streets and almost ramming oncoming traffic, which was inching slowly among other cars. Driving in Beacon was not fun on Thursday.
A pathway was cleared for gymgoers to Hudson Valley Fitness and other neighboring shops.
Stores on Main Street and side streets did their best to clear the sidewalk, and make a path to the street itself so that potential customers could get from their cars through the thick wall of snow. Clearly, Hudson Valley Fitness (above) made sure their members had no excuse to miss getting to a fitness class. Parking on the East End of town is actually possible, what with the free parking lot located down the street from the "P for Parking" sign in this picture. Just head down Church Street to the large lot near Hudson Valley Brewing. See A Little Beacon Blog's Free Parking Guide for pictures and cross streets.
School's Out For Summer! Just Kidding - For Pre-Spring Break
Beacon City Schools shut down Tuesday during the storm, and Wednesday during the digout. Thursday was a 2-hour delay, which means families had to get their kids to school at 10:30am instead of 8:30am (earlier for the high school). Not all roads and sidewalks were 100% clear by the opening or the delayed opening, so the 2-hour delay did not make sense to some parents who have questioned other 2-hour delays (sometimes called when no weather is happening at all, except for a chilly temperature of 20 degrees or blowing wind).
The plowed parking lot of Beacon High School.
The plowed parking lot of Rombout Middle School.
While Beacon City Schools had plowed parking lots in time for school to start, that act alone didn't guarantee access to the schools. Several sidewalks from residential and private properties were not yet cleared, making parents take convoluted paths while walking kiddos to school. Some plowed snow remained in the street, making two-way traffic during kid drop-offs very congested.
A Proposed Alternative to the 2-Hour School Delay
Quite possibly the most controversial topic that parents discuss amongst themselves and with administrators is the justified or unjustified calling of a snow day or 2-hour delay. In Beacon, the formula for such calls has not been clearly stated by the current superintendent or Board of Education president; instead, the broad "child safety" is cited. Nothing specific has been made available to parents (including this one) who have emailed to ask why, or for more specific details so that we can know when to expect a 2-hour delay on clear, sunny days.
Two years ago during a normal snowfall, all districts around Beacon closed - except Beacon - really throwing a wrench into the logic. During a meeting with the superintendent, I was told that those schools were fulfilling a contractual day off for teachers that had been negotiated by the teachers' union and the schools were looking for a day in the schedule to grant it. Beacon, at that particular time, did not want to go that route. Despite the argument that school is not childcare, school in fact offers parents and kids a solid schedule, and when that schedule is disrupted, adjustments need to be made quickly and at times those changes may jeopardize jobs or important medical appointments.
The trouble with 2-hour delays in the morning is that at times, it is not safer. It did not feel safer during this week as the entire district poured out in the late morning to walk and drive children to school. If walking, pedestrians headed for the middle of the street when a clear sidewalk wasn't available. If driving, cars headed to the middle of the street to detour around walkers and parked cars. Where roads were closed by the National Guard to clear sidewalks or streets, it took much longer to get more than one child to more than one school. A drive that normally takes five minutes took over half an hour. (Beacon doesn't have busing for all kids, so some children walk to school in the morning, either with their friends, alone, or with a parent.)
A safer alternative may be to wave the late penalty, and open schools at the usual time, but allow kids and parents two hours to get there. This could stagger the time people leave (assuming everyone doesn't leave five minutes before the delayed-open time, as they do during 2-hour delays) in order to give everyone more time to dig out, slowly back down driveways, get unstuck from driveways, pick up unplanned carpool pals, and get through alternate routes to school.
That's not a sidewalk those boots are standing on, it's 2.5 feet of snow on top of the berm of the sidewalk. For some parents, drop-off is on the other side of the sidewalk, so getting the child over the mound was the challenge once getting through traffic to school. But at least there was a clear path in front of the school!
Mostly unintentional blockages of sidewalks happened throughout the city. If you are not a frequent walker, then you might not be used to using sidewalks. First and foremost on most people's minds is getting to their cars in order to get to work or to the store. Some people shoveled a path from their door to the driveway, without shoveling the other side of the door. Or if neighbors didn't want to step on each other's shoveling, they left an unshoveled no man's land of a barrier of snow, like when you're sharing dessert with someone and neither of you wants to take the last bite. Mini-barricades like this were all over the city, which pushed more people into the streets as they tried to take what is normally a straightforward walk.
Shoveling in front of fences was actually dangerous, as the removal of the snow unbalanced the gate, causing sounds of buckling. So be careful walking past those fences!
Watch for buckling fences pushed by unbalanced yards full of snow.
All in all, Beacon is getting cleared pretty systematically. Especially considering that we don't often receive this much snow at once, there aren't many protocols to follow. At least the weather didn't jump up to 40 degrees after a snowfall, as it has in the past, causing flooding. So we'll take the bright sun and colder temperatures to let the snow gradually melt into the ground and fill the reservoirs for a replenished water supply.
Be Ready for DOT
And listen - don't park your car out on the street at night if your road hasn't been snow-sucked! You never know when those heroes from the Department of Transportation are going to swing by. Signs for the snow removal pictured below went up at possibly 1 am, and the trucks came by at 6 am to clear the snow from this side of the street on this block. I was awake at 1 am (because that's my new pregnancy thing - waking in the middle of the night) so I saw the trucks getting ready.
Once the morning officially started for me at 6 am to make a dent in this article (I don't write at night because I fall asleep while typing), while I was making coffee and stirring cat food (they like it soupy), I heard the trucks again, this time in blower mode. Little did I know my husband had parked the car in front of the house, and it was face to face with a giant DOT truck. I put on my cap and boots and dashed outside to move it, only to not notice when the prized glasses the hubs got for Christmas (from Luxe Optique, such a treat!) fell out of the car and subsequently under my tires as I toggled between Drive and Reverse to get around the mounds of snow, and into our shared driveway, which already had five cars in it.
A casualty of the storm, this glasses case is pretty impressive, in that the glasses didn't completely flatten and the lenses shatter. A man in the DOT truck saw the whole thing happen, and got out of his truck to pick up the crushed glasses case and hand it to me in the wee, dark hours of the morning. Someone has hawk eyes and had his glasses on!
Photo Credit: All photos pictured here were taken by Katie Hellmuth Martin.
Modification of Emergency Order - You Can Drive But Not Park on City Streets in Beacon, NY
/From the City of Beacon Mayor's Office, sent at 8:55pm, Tuesday, March 14, as issued by Mayor Randy Casale:
MODIFICATION OF EMERGENCY ORDER
"A State of Emergency was declared in the City of Beacon effective at 12:00 a.m., midnight on March 14, 2017. This state of emergency was declared due to the forecasted blizzard that occurred all day on March 14, 2017 and threatened public safety.
"The State of Emergency remains in effect, but I am rescinding the Emergency Order which banned travel on City Streets effective at 4:00 am on Wednesday March 15, 2017. The Emergency Order banning parking on City streets remains in effect."
Dated March 14, 2017, sent by Anthony Ruggiero, City Administrator for the City of Beacon
More Public Updates
Additional public updates seem to be on this page of the City of Beacon website. Refresh your screen often to find the most recent important information related to Beacon city business, including meeting cancellation updates.
Guide To Where To Find Free Municipal Parking Lots In Beacon, NY
Find the free, municipal parking lots in Beacon, NY, here in our Guide. According to this State of Emergency, the 24-hour rule is still in place.
Made for TV Film, "Dancing on Broadway" By Katie Fforde Filmed In Beacon, Airs In Germany
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See that yarn bomb on the light pole behind the piano? Does it look familiar? It's an extra in "Dancing on Broadway," a movie from writer Katie Fforde that was filmed in Beacon, was made for German TV, and is airing now online for anyone to watch. See local favorites like Dream in Plastic, Notions-n-Potions, Classic Couture Boutique, Hudson Beach Glass, and others.
Set in Poughkeepsie, Beacon and other Hudson Valley locations, this story follows that of a dancer, Skye Rhodan, as she struggles to find her footing in her dancing career while she's torn between two men - her ex, Ryan, and her new dance partner and widower with two children, Michael.
"Homeland" Episode 8 Season 6 With Quinn Airs, Starring Key Food Beacon
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Photo Credit: Key Food Beacon
The much-buzzed about episode of "Homeland" filmed in Beacon, Season 6 Episode 8, titled "Alt.Truth" has finally hit TV and streaming computer screens on March 12, 2017. In this episode, Quinn fans get their fill of the actor as he meanders through the meat section of Key Food, past Beacon's own local celebrity and Key Food co-owner/manager, JB, and onto spotting a suspicious man at checkout.
[Updated] State of Emergency Declared in Beacon & Parking Restrictions
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UPDATE 3/14/17: The Mayor's Office has issued a modification to the Emergency Order, allowing cars to drive on city streets, but not park, effective 4am, Wednesday, March 15, 2017. View the update here.
From the office of Randy Casale, Mayor - City of Beacon, as written by the Mayor, dated March 13, 2017:
STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARATION & EMERGENCY ORDER
"A state of emergency is hereby declared in the City of Beacon effective at 12:00 am, midnight on March 14, 2017. The state of emergency has been declared due to the forecasted blizzard which is expected to occur all day on March 14, 2017, and bring heavy accumulation of snow and high winds during the storm. This situation threatens the public safety. This state of emergency will remain in effect for five (5) days or until rescinded by the subsequent order.
"As the Chief Executive of the City of Beacon, I Randy Casale, exercise the authority given to me under Section 24 of the New York State Executive Law, to preserve the public safety and hereby render all required and available assistance vital to the security, well-being and health of the citizens of this municipality. I hereby direct all departments and agencies of the City of Beacon to take whatever steps are necessary to protect life and property, public infrastructure and provide such emergency assistance deemed necessary.
"Pursuant to my authority and consistent with my Declaration of a State of Emergency, I am hereby ordering 1) that all vehicles are prohibited from traveling on City Streets and 2) no vehicles are permitted to be parked on City Streets and all City Code provisions inconsistent with this Emergency Order are hereby suspended. I will issue further Emergency Orders as are necessary and consistent with this State of Emergency Declaration. "
24-Hour Parking Limit
See all of the free municipal parking lots here in A Little Beacon Blog's Free Parking Lot Guide.
§211-19.5. Twenty-four-hour parking limit. [Added 4-2-2001 by L.L. No. 4-2001; amended 5-19-2014 by L.L. No. 5-2014]
"Unless otherwise restricted by an appropriate sign, all City-owned parking lots shall be limited to twenty-four-hour parking. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, the parking of commercial and recreational vehicles, as defined in §211-15.1 of this chapter, overnight in municipal parking lots is prohibited. Signs shall set forth the following language: "24-Hour Parking — Except for Commercial and Recreational Vehicles - All City-owned Parking Lots unless otherwise marked - Section 211-19.5."
Happening This Weekend - 3/10/2017
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Sponsored Event
Save The Date:
Dance Distilled Returns to Denning's Point Distillery
Day: Friday, March 17, 2017
Time: 8 pm
Location: 10 N. Chestnut St.
(on the side street across from Rite Aid, in the garage)
Music is by DJs Zesto Q and Freefall, with Guest DJ Mikey Alva. Groove to Rock & Soul, Funk, Latin, Disco, House, Hip Hop, Jazz & World.
RSVP Now >
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Sound Shack Beacon Pops Up For Vinyl Record Show at A Little Beacon Space
/Just when you were thinking of slipping into vinyl record withdrawal after the loss of Audioccult on Main Street, there's about to be a flurry of tunes and album covers for you to indulge in starting this weekend. The pop-up shop takeover by Sound Shack and their crew of collectors from all over the Hudson Valley will be closely followed by the highly anticipated opening of the permanent storefront replacing Audioccult, called Hudson Valley Vinyl. And then Record Store Day is April 22! This is like Christmas and Hanukkah combined for a month of even more reasons to go out record collecting.
Vinyl Record Show Pop-Up at A Little Beacon Space - March 10, 11, 12
For three days only, Sound Shack Beacon is hosting a Vinyl Record Show Pop-Up Shop during Second Saturday in March. Over the weekend of March 10 through 12, 2017, A Little Beacon Space will feature seven record collectors hailing from Beacon to Peekskill to Fishkill to Brooklyn. Thousands of records, 45s, CDs, and more will be for sale!
Details Please!
Ready to go crate diving? You will find records in Classic Rock, Psychedelic, Prog, Garage, British Invasion, Heavy Metal, Punk, and New Wave/'80s. And that's not all... There's also Electronic, Goth, Power Pop, Underground Garage, Jazz, Soul, Funk, R&B, and Hip Hop. But that's not all! Check out Reggae, Blues, Folk, Country, Southern Rock, Surf, Hot Rod, Lounge, Soundtracks, Sealed Records!!!! LPs priced from $1 to $300!!!! Turntables for sale, and we've heard a rumor that there may be posters. Sound Shack is also coming into some unusual CDs.
Photo Credit: Jim Annicchiarico
Photo Credit: Jim Annicchiarico
Photo Credit: Jim Annicchiarico
Photo Credit: Jim Annicchiarico
About These Record Vendors
Big Jim’s Records from Buchanan/Peekskill: Big Jim has been in the music biz for 30 years. He has one of the best selections of rare and collectible music memorabilia in New York.
Sound Shack Beacon Is located just across the river at the Newburgh Vintage Emporium, selling vintage vinyl and other music-related items such as books, pictures, and more. Pictured here are Sound Shack's boxes of records, getting ready for the big move-in to set up shop in A Little Beacon Space.
Vinyl Pit from Fishkill is set up every weekend at the Dutchess Marketplace in Fishkill with a wide selection of records including Rock, Blues, Jazz, Classical, Disco, R&B, and much more.
Vinyl Savage Co. from Fishkill is a private collector that has 2,000 to 3,000 LPs and 45s for sale! Contact them with your want list and they will be happy to help find what you are looking for.
Also included are Get Awesome Records coming up from Brooklyn, Rama Records from Beacon, and Record Hunter from Stormville.
Admission is FREE! You can start shopping as early as Friday, March 10 from 3-8pm, continuing Saturday, March 11 from 10am-8pm, and Sunday, March 12 from 11am-5pm.
To host your pop-up experience at A Little Beacon Space, see here for more details.
ZipCar Adds Two Car Rental Spots at Beacon Train Station, Bringing Total to Four
/Two more ZipCars have arrived in Beacon. Find them parked at the Metro-North Train Station.
illustration Credit: ZipCar, from their home page.
ZipCar, a car-sharing program that is available worldwide, has added two additional cars that are available in Beacon. The first two cars arrived here in May 2016, and live in permanent parking spots on Henry Street and near City Hall. The latest two spots are at the Metro-North Train Station, as announced by Governor Cuomo this month, through a separate partnership between Metro-North and ZipCar. The ZipCars taking up permanent residence at the train station, which are given personal names by ZipCar, is a Crosstrek is named Cala, and a Honda Civic named Amanecer.
ZipCar's partnership with the City of Beacon for the spots on Henry Street and at City Hall yields Beacon a monthly fee for use of the two street spots, with the money going into a dedicated fund for parking issues. Metro-North has its own arrangement with ZipCar for the spots at Beacon's and other train stations. "We have been very happy [with having ZipCar available], and believe it is another component of attracting business, tourism and people to the City," says Anthony J. Ruggiero, M.P.A., City Administrator for the City of Beacon.
During the city Workshop meeting on March 14, 2016, about ZipCar first launching in Beacon, Mayor Randy Casale suggested that developers on private property consider making spots in their parking lots available for ZipCar parking spots for additional cars. The access to a car-share could be pitched as a perk to prospective residents of those housing or apartment complexes. Such arrangements could be a third category of ZipCar locations in Beacon in the coming years.
As for the nitty-gritty details of dealing with snow or cases of theft: ZipCar makes arrangements for cars to be unlocked and moved by snow plow drivers. If a ZipCar is stolen, it can be immediately shut down remotely, stopping the vehicle in its tracks.
How ZipCar Works
A person joins ZipCar as a member for about $95. ZipCar pays for gas and insurance, and 180 miles are included with your rental for each day you've booked the car. From that point, an hourly rental or day rate of about $8 to $10 per hour applies.
Reserving in advance is important, as more people are becoming familiar with using ZipCar. Reserving is easy and done via app for iPhone or Android, so these cars can get going quickly.
Once booked, people can drive it anywhere during their rental period, and must return it to the same parking spot where they picked it up. ZipCar vehicles are locked via a scanning mechanism. ZipCar members use a special card or the app to unlock the car, rendering it drivable. Residents of Beacon who may find it useful are people who don't own a car, or share one car in a busy family, but need to drive to Target or Sunny Gardens for errands.
Outside of our little city, ZipCar might appeal to people traveling to other areas of the country - or world - who want to hop in a car to go somewhere for a few hours or a day. Maybe you're in Paris and want to head to Versailles for the day, but don't want to deal with a train, tour bus, or taxi. Road trip!
As for the future of ZipCar in Beacon as the program expands, perhaps self-driving ZipCars will play a role. It could be handy if a car could get itself from a parking spot at the train station to a member on the East End of town, who, say, has kids and can't hoof on foot everyone to the car for a necessary Target trip. Options could increase when and if self-driving cars become the norm... Stay tuned!
Happening This Weekend (3/3/2017)
/Sponsored Event
Save The Date:
Dance Distilled Returns to Denning's Point Distillery
Day: Friday, March 17, 2017
Time: 8 pm
Location: 10 N. Chestnut St.
(on the side street of Rite Aid in the garage)
Music is by DJs Zesto Q and Freefall, with Guest DJ Mikey Alva. Groove to Rock & Soul, Funk, Latin, Disco, House, Hip Hop, Jazz & World.
RSVP Now >
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