Friday The 13th...What It Really Means...& The Retail Therapy Guide 8/13/2021
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HUDSON VALLEY FOOD HALL
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Beacon School District Releases Reopening Details; Presented By Superintendent Landahl
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On August 12, 2021, Beacon City School District released reopening guidelines for the 2021/2022 school year, presented delivered by Superintendent Landahl. Overall, the district is following the New York Department of Health and the New York State Education Department’s guidance, who advised districts to follow the CDC school opening guidelines for the upcoming school year. Dr. Landahl opened his presentation with this observation: "New York has been an interesting state to do my profession in, as no one wants to seem to give any guidance."
“I’m a big believer in vaccines, and a huge believer in this one.”
The overall goals for the 2021/2022 school year is for a full 5 days of in-person learning with safety measures put into place to keep schools open and students healthy during the ongoing pandemic. The number one item that Dr. Landahl asked of parents was for patience, as guidelines shift and realities of implementing guidelines with young people can be challenging.
District Practices For Reopening
The biggest change from last year is that the hybrid model will be discontinued. Dr. Landahl reiterated that every level of government that is issuing guidance has prioritized in-person learning, but to be prepared to shift into Remote if a school has an exposure, or if Contact Tracing will take too long to identify individual students or staff as an alternative to closing. For students with serious health compromises, Dutchess BOCES may be offering a program, Dr. Landahl said.
Kickoff Guidelines:
5 Days In-Person Instruction/Experience. The hybrid schedule will be discontinued. No cohort groups will be made (this was when students in a class were divided into 2 groups: blue and gold).
Remote Learning will be available to all students, a school, or a classroom if there is a closure due to COVID-19.
Masks indoors will be required for all individuals, students and staff, regardless of vaccination status. The policy will be reviewed throughout the school year. All of the governing bodies recommenced wearing a mask indoors, including Beacon’s District Physician.
Masks are not required outdoors. When kids are outside for recess, lunch, etc. This guidance was released at the end of the 2020/2021 school year in the spring.
Masks are required on buses and for indoor sports, but not for outdoor sports per the outdoor mask guideline.
“Rugs are coming back!” to the elementary schools, Dr. Landahl confirmed.
Distancing will be the CDC distancing requirement of 3 feet. When distancing is not feasible, layered prevention strategies will be implemented.
Ventilation will be in all classrooms, which are outfitted with a portable HEPA filter and MERV-13 filter.
Daily health screener (the online health form to fill out) will be continued.
Cleaning protocols will be continued. Classrooms will be sanitized every night.
Vaccination opportunities will be promoted. Most drug stores are now offering free vaccines.
Positive Test Result of Child: If a whold class is out due to a positive test result with large exposure, then the whole class switches to Remote. If it is a single child pulled out resulting from Contact Tracing indicating a small or no exposure, the district is currently brainstorming this with the county. “We don’t have a Remote apparatus that a child can just slide into,” Dr. Landahl stated. He may have been referring to the Blue and Gold hybrid days, where Remote instruction was always in motion on any day for a different group.
BCSD Is Getting Guidance From New York State Governing Bodies
On advisement from the New York Department of Health and the New York State Education Department the BCSD will be following the CDC school opening guidelines for the upcoming school year. Dr. Landahl reiterated that the CDC “highly recommends a mask mandate in Dutchess County” based on community transmission, which currently is “High” and is climbing. To illustrate the spike, the number of active COVID-19 cases in June 2021 was 56 people. The number of people on August 12th, 2021 was near 700 (as of August 28, it was 878).
Masking is so important to be mandated, Dr. Landahl explained, because: “Proper masking allows us to reduce the number of staff and students who have to quarantine through contact tracing. If you are wearing a mask, you are mostly exempt from quarantining per CDC.”
Remote Learning
The current intent is full time 5 days, with preparations in place for if a school needs to be shut down for COVID-19 exposure. Last year, Contact Tracing was rigorously conducted within the district by district staff to advise affected persons to stay home, while the school could remain open.
“We are evaluating a program for remote learning at BOCES for students with a serious medical condition that prevents them from attending in-person education and creating a process that will identify those students,” Dr. Landahl said.
Vaccines In Beacon City School District
Vaccines are not mandatory for students or staff in the Beacon City School District. When asked why by a parent on the webinar Town Hall call, Dr. Landahl answered he was not aware that any district is able to require vaccinations, unless that directive comes from New York State. “All of our employees work under contracts, which have different bargaining units. If we were to go in that direction, directive would be coming from the state level.”
At this time, the percentage of teachers, staff, and students over the age of 11 who are vaccinated is unknown. BCSD was not in the habit of collecting it, as collecting it was not required by any governing body. However, Dr. Landahl is looking into ways to collect that data to make available to the public.
In terms of Dr. Landahl’s personal opinion on vaccinations, he was not shy to state it: "I'm a big believer in vaccines, and a huge believer in this one. Vaccines are working, please consider getting vaccinated!"
The district will work on holding vaccination clinics to increase the rate with students and will work with the local health department on education efforts for people who have questions. Dr. Landahl stated that he is interested in finding funding to assist with testing.
Ventilation In The Schools
The currently known transmission method of COVID-19 is primarily airborn, with less focus on surface transmission. Each classroom uses a MERV-13 filter in its air handler unit and has a portable HEPA filter. Nightly sanitation will continue.
Editor’s Note: not every classroom has an air conditioning unit, such as in South Avenue. Perhaps the pandemic or climate crisis can allocate funding for standing air conditioning units or mini-splits to help the children and teachers stay cool. Concentrating and staying hydrated is quite difficult in high temperatures.
Outdoor learning opportunities are at the schools, such as a math class on a sidewalk at South Avenue Elementary, and band class held outside at Rombout Middle School may continue. Lunches at schools were taken outside at times, weather permitted.
Health Screening In The District
While no longer recommended by New York State, Dr. Landahl said, the district will continue with using the daily health screener, which is an online form parents need to fill in an hour before school. It can make a parent extra mindfull that they are sending in a sick child when they click the box that says “sore throat” or “sneezing.” It is unclear at this time if submitting a sick screener triggers the need to get a COVID-19 test, which is burdensome on the parent for time and health insurance reasons, as tests are not free (unless you find a New York State facility), and can trigger an additional doctor appointment for a cold that would otherwise have been mild enough to forgo a doctor appointment.
The district is discontinuing the use of temperature screening before the school year. “Very few districts used it last year and there is a growing consensus that it is not an effective way to screen COVID-19,” Dr. Landahl stated. “It is not the best allocation of resources to identify [active cases of COVID-19]."
Distancing and Breakfast/Lunch
"Last year, distancing recommendations were a lot different,” Dr. Landahl said during the presentation. “That was our biggest reason for being in the hybrid model for as long as we were." Following these recommendations, he said, there was little transmission. “If [a situation] needs to be below 3 feet [of distancing], we will use other layered methods. Like filtration and staying home if you are sick.”
The CDC recommends 3 feet distancing in schools with mask wearing. This is an example of a layered approach to achieve more desirable circumstances.
As for eating breakfast and lunch, each school is preparing different lunch plans to make sure students can eat lunch and stay as distanced as possible, Dr. Landahl said. Plans include some outside eating, split lunch shifts, etc. Exact plans for this are still in development and will be developed in a school-by-school plan.
COVID-19 Testing In The District
COVID-19 testing is voluntary, and testing is recommended for staff and students as a further mitigation effort. “We are exploring different ways to accomplish this hopefully in partnership with Dutchess County,” Dr. Landahl stated, reiterating that he hoped for funding from Dutchess County.
Editor’s Note: As of August 24, 2021, Funding has since been introduced by the new Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul. COVID-19 testing is very burdensome for those with different health insurance requirements. Some health insurance companies require doctor's note (which requires an additional appointment). If COVID-19 testing is required for school, like to return to school from a sick health screen form, some health insurance companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield won't cover the test at all (which can range between $150 - $300), and defers coverage to the school district's health insurance.
Since Governor Hochul took office, new guidelines have been released, like a universal mask requirement being instituted at all schools by the Department of Health, as well as options to mandate vaccinations for school employees. Dr. Landahl will deliver an updated to this initial presentation on August 31st or September 1st.
Click here to access the slides to his August 12th presentation.
Click here to watch his August 12th presentation on YouTube.
Beacon City School District Begins Updating Parents On Thursday About Tentative Reopening Plans
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It’s coming…the first day of school. With COVID-19 and the Delta variant, New York’s Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker issued short guidance on August 5, 2021 that the districts in New York State can make their own decisions. “With the end of the state disaster emergency on June 25, 2021, school districts are reestablished as the controlling entity for schools. Schools and school districts should develop plans to open in-person in the fall as safely as possible, and I recommend following guidance from the CDC and local health departments."
According to WKBW Buffalo, an ABC affiliate, the New York State Education Department will issue COVID-19 Guidance to schools and districts. “This is necessary in light of the continued absence of health-related school opening direction and assistance from the Governor’s Office and the State Department of Health.” The Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, has since resigned after a state investigation investigated him for allegations of sexual harassment. New York’s Lieutenant Governor, Kathy Hochul, will be stepping in.
Over the summer, prior to the Delta variant surge, New York State felt push-back over a mask debate, and rescinded its mandate on young children wearing a mask at daycares. At the time, Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro issued a letter to the media on 6/4/2021 when the state rescinded their mask mandate stating: “I’m happy New York State has seen what counties have known for months: The science has repeatedly shown there is little to no transmission of the virus in school settings. Today’s announcement, though long overdue, is further evidence the COVID-19 emergency has receded, and Dutchess County continues to encourage residents to choose to get vaccinated and we take steps to get back to living our lives fully!”
It is not clear if Dr. A. K. Vaidian, MD, MPH, the Commissioner of the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health agrees that there is little to no transmission of the virus in school settings. The Beacon City School District had isolation and contact tracing procedures in place for when students, staff or administartors tested positive for the coronavirus, as a way to minimize school closures when someone did test positive.
Last August in 2020 before the vaccination was being given, Dr. Vaidain was quoted in the Poughkeepsie Journal as being appreciative of testing, isolating and contact tracing efforts. Last August, Dr. Vaidain stated: “Looking into the fall, from a public health standpoint, the schools and colleges have always been the biggest unknown," the health commissioner said, "and probably the biggest driver of community transmission if we don't have a handle on it."
Since then, many teachers and administration staff in Beacon’s district, as well as parents and some siblings of children under 12 years, have gotten vaccinated.
This year, In early July 2021, the CDC issued school guidance for the 2021/2022 school year, encouraging children to wear masks in schools, especially for those under 12 who cannot be vaccinated yet.
What Will Beacon City School District Decide To Do?
On Thursday (8/12/2021), at 7pm the Beacon City School District Superintendent, Dr. Matt Landahl, will host a Zoom Town Hall to discuss Beacon's status with school opening plans.
Dr. Landahl stated: "While we are still awaiting some guidance from the state, I think it is important to start reaching out with what we have planned already and what we are planning and to also do my best to answer questions."
The link to the meeting will be Thursday afternoon, and will be recorded and published on the District's website. Dr. Landahl is known for his clear slide presentations of the points he covers during these Town Hall meetings, and has indicated in an email to district parents that he is going to make those available again, to help everyone follow along with the District’s thinking in their guidance. "If watching one of these presentations is not your thing,” he stated, “I will include the slides and key talking points in the email I send tomorrow."
And to think, the most stressful part of this time of year used to be when the school supply list was coming out.
Friday Afternoon Car Accident On Main Street (August 6th) Near Mr. V's, Cafe Amarcord and Ama Enoteca
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On Friday, August 6, 2021, at approximately 2:45pm according to a witness, there was a car accident on Main Street at South Brett Street, in between the restaurants Enoteca Ama and Café Amacord, where at least one person was placed onto a stretcher.
Of the two cars involved pictured here, the front left side of the BMW small SUV was collided into. The front of the GMC small SUV was collided into, and its trunk is bent.
Two cars from a car accident on August 6, 2021. The front left side of the BMW pictured has been collided into.
Photo Credit: Jean Noack
Two cars from a car accident on August 6, 2021. The front of the GMC pictured has been collided into, and the hood is bent.
Photo Credit: Jean Noack
Neither restaurant has parklets (outdoor dining areas barricaded by water-filled orange barricades which are very heavy), though there is one up the street at the Royal Crepes. There are no new sidewalk “bump-outs,” which are wheelchair accessible ramps designed to go into the street to help pedestrians be seen safely while trying to cross the street. The City of Beacon has been experiencing the installation of the bump-outs at various intersections on Main Street all summer, funded by Dutchess County.
This intersection is known to be a difficult one for pedestrians and vehicles turning in either direction from South Brett Street onto Main Street.
This is not the first accident on Main Street this year, but is the second one A Little Beacon Blog has written about. An earlier accident happened on Mother’s Day Sunday afternoon 2021, where two vehicles collided into each other, and spun around to hit parked cars, land on a 6 year old child, and knock down his grandmother, who were walking on the sidewalk in front of Subway.
Beacon Police vehicles have been seen parked at various spots on Main Street including in the driveway of the apartment complex behind Mountain Tops, as well as in the Mobile gas station across Eliza Street at the 344 Main Street building. A pair of Beacon Police Officers have also been seen regularly walking Main Street.
ALBB has emailed and phoned the Beacon Police Department regarding this accident and is awaiting details. This article will be updated should those details arrive.
Beacon Police, Fire Department and EMT responders working at the scene of the car accident on Main Street at South Brett, near Mr. V’s Deli.
Photo Credit: Jean Noack
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Summer Onstage Program With Beacon Players
HUDSON VALLEY FOOD HALL
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Days Of Things To Do At Butterfly Festival at Stony Kill Farm - Schedule of August 14-21
/One of the biggest fundraisers for Stony Kill Farm is happening in person this year: The Butterfly Festival. This year will have days of events, so you can mark your calendar for which you want to participate in. Events include opportunities for adults and kids.
STONY KILL FOUNDATION PRESENTS: BUTTERFLIES AND BLOOMS
August 14 – 21, 2021 at Stony Kill Farm (79 Farmstead Lane, Wappingers Falls
Butterflies & Blooms is a week-long festival of art, music, workshops, & family activities celebrating the beauty and ecology of local pollinators.
Activity highlights include Yoga with beBhakti Yoga, a Pollinator Plant Sale with the Verplanck Garden Club, butterfly, bird, and garden walks, and art and nature workshops for all ages. The festival culminates in an afternoon of hayrides and an outdoor concert featuring a local jazz orchestra, Big Band Sound.
For full descriptions of scheduled programs and to register for ticketed workshops visit Butterfly.Stonykill.org
FESTIVAL PROGRAM
Advance registration is requested for all ticketed events. All activities will be held at locations at Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center (79 Farmstead Lane, Wappingers Falls). Locations are subject to change based on weather.
Saturday, August 14th - 10 am - 12 pm
Butterfly Discovery Walk with Barry Haydasz from the Cary Institute
All ages | $5 | Meets at the Verplanck Garden by the Manor House
Saturday, August 14th - 3 - 5 pm
Centerpiece Flower Arrangement for Beginners Workshop with Rebecca Cossa, NYS Certified Agriculture Teacher and NYBG certified floral designer
Ages 12+ | $25 | Meets at the picnic tables by the Manor House
Saturday, August 14th - 6 - 7 pm
Yoga by the Garden with Lauren Magarelli from beBhakti Yoga Center
Ages 16+ | $10 | Meets by the Verplanck Garden by the Manor House | Bring a mat and water bottle
Sunday, August 15th - 9 am
Wings on the Farm Bird Walk with Olivia Castenada and Conor Quinn
All ages | $5 | Meets at Stony Kill's big red livestock barn
Sunday, August 15th - 10 am - 1 pm
Pollinator Plant Sale & Farm Shop with the Verplanck Garden Club
All ages | Located at Stony Kill's big red livestock barn
Sunday, August 15th - 11 am
Pollinator Garden Walk with Adrienne Papazian
Ages 16+ | $5 | Meets at the Verplanck Garden by the Manor House
Tuesday, August 17th - 10 - 11 am
The Art of Papermaking Youth Workshop with Stacey Lynch Adnams
Ages 5+ (under 7 accompanied by adult) | $5 | Meets at the Verplanck Garden by the Manor House
Wednesday, August 18th - 10 - 11 am
Paper Quilling Workshop with Naflah Mohammed
Ages 10+ | $5 | Meets at the picnic tables by the Manor House
Thursday, August 19th - 6 - 7:30 pm
Introduction to Beekeeping with Andrew Buckland, Beekeeper, and Educator
Ages 8+ | $5 | Meets at the Learning Center by the Manor House
Friday, August 20th - 8:30 pm
After-Dark Moth Walk with Margaret Maruschak
All ages | $5 | Meets at the Verplanck Garden by the Manor House
Saturday, August 21st - 10 am
How Butterflies Get Their Names Family Workshop with Tara O'Grady, Butterfly Coach, Author, and Educator
Ages K-12 (children accompanied by an adult) | $5 | Meets at the picnic tables by the Manor House
Saturday, August 21st - 2 - 4 pm
Butterfly Wagon Decorating
All ages | Free | Meets at the picnic tables by the Manor House
Saturday, August 21st - 4 - 6 pm
Hay Rides in the Butterfly Wagon
All ages | Free | Rides leave from in front of the Manor House
Saturday, August 21st - 6 pm
Concert on the Lawn featuring The Big Band Sound
All ages | Free | On the Lawn in front of the Manor House | Rain date Aug 22
Stony Kill Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate the public and cultivate environmental stewardship through the interpretation of the rich historical, environmental, and agricultural heritage of Stony Kill Farm.
For more information about the festival and workshops and events, contact Stacey Lynch Adnams at 845-831-3800 or stacey@stonykill.org.
On-The-Water Protest With Boats Against Danskammer Fracked Gas Plant Expansion Scheduled August 4, 2021
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UPDATE 8/12/2021: Photos from the day of the protest.
Photo Credit: Hudson River Sloop Clearwater.
Hudson River Sloop Clearwater Inc. issued a press release, advising the region of an on-the-water protest from the Stop Danskammer Coalition scheduled for August 4, 2021.
Activists to Hold Hudson River Flotilla Protest Against the Danskammer Fracked Gas Plant Expansion
”The proposed Danskammer expansion threatens public health, water, and air quality, plus locks New York into a fossil fuel future,” reads the press release.
On Wednesday, August 4th, 2021, activists representing Food & Water Watch, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, and other members of the Stop Danskammer Coalition will take to the water to protest the proposed Danskammer fracked gas plant expansion currently under review by the New York State Siting Board.
Activists will hold an on-the-water protest consisting of the sloops Clearwater and Woody Guthrie, kayaks, and canoes, accompanied by an on-land press conference and rally to be held at the Town of Wappinger public dock in Chelsea, across the river from the Danskammer site. Speakers will voice concerns over the proposal’s threats to public health, water, and air quality, as well as prolonging fossil fuel use in New York. Contrary to New York’s much needed and widely supported Climate Act, the Danskammer expansion would exacerbate the global climate crisis.
According to The Highlands Current, “Elected officials in Beacon, Newburgh, Cold Spring, and Philipstown (as well as a proposed resolution from Ulster County legislature) have also opposed a full-time plant, saying it doesn’t fit with the state’s goal over the next 30 years to replace technologies that burn fossil fuels, which contributes to global warming. Nevertheless, the Siting Board on Feb. 26 declared Danskammer’s application to be complete.”
“We are confident that our efforts to incorporate and eventually convert to a hydrogen power generation facility are well within the state’s mandates,” Michelle Hook, a spokesperson for Danskammer, said on Thursday (March 18, 2020). “We are committed to immediately lower emissions by upgrading existing equipment and then phase in hydrogen so that we can help the state meets its climate goals.”
On-The-Water Protest And Press Conference, Wednesday, August 4th, 2021
A press conference against the backdrop of a Hudson River flotilla, protesting the proposal to expand the Danskammer fracked gas plant. Interviews with speakers and activists will be available after the press conference. Photo opportunities will include imagery of the Danskammer plant with press conference speakers, the iconic sloops Clearwater and Woody Guthrie, kayakers, and paddlers on the river with banners and signs in front of the Danskammer site.
Speakers Planned To Attend
Press conference speakers to include Hudson Valley elected officials, a representative of the Ramapough Lenape Nation, and activists representing the following organizations: Food & Water Watch, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Newburgh Clean Water Project, Orange Residents Against Pilgrim Pipelines, Ulster Activists and other members of the Stop Danskammer Coalition.
Press Conference Time and Location
The press conference will start at 1 PM ET on Wednesday, August 4th. The press conference will take place at the Town of Wappinger Public Dock, located at 3 Front Street in Chelsea (adjacent to the Chelsea Yacht Club). Free parking is available at Hidden Rose Catering, located at 33 Chelsea Rd in Wappingers Falls.
About Hudson River Sloop Clearwater
Launched in 1969 by legendary folk singer and activist Pete Seeger, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater has been at the forefront of the environmental movement as champions of the Hudson River. To date, more than half a million people have experienced their first real look at an estuary’s ecosystem aboard the sloop Clearwater. Clearwater has become the grassroots model for producing positive changes to protect our planet. For more information, visit www.clearwater.org.
About Food & Water Watch
Food & Water Watch mobilizes people to build political power to move bold and uncompromised solutions to the most pressing food, water, and climate problems of our time. We work to protect people’s health, communities, and democracy from the growing destructive power of the most powerful economic interests. For more information, visit www.foodandwaterwatch.org/.
Beacon's City Council To Meet In Double Meeting To Vote On 344 Main St. Parking Lease; Override On Historic Building Opposers; Smoking; More
/During a shortened summer schedule of City Council Meetings with various council members and the City Administrator being out on vacations, the City Council will meet tonight (8/2/2021) for a combo-meeting. First will be a Workshop meeting to discuss the possibility of adopting laws or making decisions followed by a regular City Council Meeting, where that which was discussed can be voted upon.
Directions for how to attend via Zoom are here.
Highlights For Tonight’s Meeting Include:
Seeking Public Comment On Proposed Beacon Law To Make It Illegal To Smoke Cannabis, Tobacco or Vape In Beacon’s Public Parks.
Proposed by the City Administrator Chris White, this law would make it illegal to smoke tobacco, cannabis or vapor anywhere in Beacon’s City Parks. During his first proposal of the law, Administrator Chris pointed out that smoking tobacco is illegal on Beacon’s trails, but not in the parks, and is not strongly enforced on the trails. He told Council that he wants to give the public more “teeth” when asking people to stop smoking.
This, after the State of New York made smoking cannabis legal in order to remove room for racial discrimination to happen when law enforcement is out enforcing laws. New York State has written the law in a cannabis-friendly way, so as not to make it easy to be discriminated against when using cannabis.
The anti-smoking law could distinguish between smoking tobacco and cannabis, where smoking tobacco is illegal, but smoking cannabis is legal. But neither the Administrator or the City’s Attorney Drew spoke about that aspect in their presentation of the law. Attorney Drew did include it in her Power Point presentation of the proposed law. Read past coverage of this topic on A Little Beacon Blog here.
In order to pass the law, the City of Beacon needs to hear from the public first. Call in with your opinion, write in to your council representative, or go down to City Hall at 7pm to deliver your opinion in person. Calling and speaking in person is the best way to make sure your voice is heard. Not every email is read allowed, and not every email is published to the public record, as humans make errors.
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the City of Beacon City Council will be holding the City Council Workshop and Meeting of August 2, 2021 in the Courtroom at 1 Municipal Plaza, Beacon, NY 12508. The meeting will simultaneously be streamed via Zoom. The public can attend in the Courtroom, or access the meeting via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88375353313?pwd=ZUNRTkkzdXJpbU5uQWlXeTlvSytKQT09
Webinar ID: 883 7535 3313 Passcode: 544508. 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: 883 7535 3313 Passcode: 544508.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE, that the City Council Meeting of August 2, 2021 at 7:00 pm can be accessed live at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvPpigGwZDeR7WYmw-SuDxg
Beacon To Sign Parking Lease For 24 Spots In Free Municipal Parking Lot With 344 Main Street
The City of Beacon aims to sign a lease tonight that puts it into contract with 344 Main Street to lease 24 spaces in the free municipal parking lot next to 344 Main Street - which is the free public parking lot behind Rite Aid. The building, 344 Main Street (new Citizens Bank location), is a 4 story building in Beacon that has been tracked as the example of how not to build in Beacon. After its parking agreement with adversary developer and owner of 364 Main Street (old Citizens Bank location) fell apart.
The spaces are proposed by be leased for $50/month, and require tenants to move their cars every 24 hours in accordance with the public parking rules. Without this lease, 344 Main Street would be in violation of its parking requirement by the City of Beacon, and could loose its Certificate of Occupancy, which is required to lease to tenants. Get caught up with this issue via the Highlands Current.
City Council Poised To Override Local Building Owners’ Objections To Properties Being Designated Historic
For the past few years, Beacon has been reshaping its zoning laws in order to better control how development was designed in Beacon. The 4 story buildings such as 344 Main Street were a driver in this effort. Designating a building as historic not only protects the building itself from being demolished and replaced with a new design, but acts as pawn in development decisions. A building with historic designation has some rights over its neighboring properties, where if a building next door wants to build up or out, the property owner of the historic building can object. Read more about this at A Little Beacon Blog here.
A New Food Truck Servicing Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park
The City of Beacon aims to sign into a license agreement with a new food truck in town to service park-goers down at Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park. They City says they put out an RFP and that only 1 business answered: Mecca on Hudson.
Several other items on the Workshop Agenda and City Council Meeting agenda which you can find at those links.
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HUDSON VALLEY FOOD HALL
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Quinn's Returns To Live Music - Schedule Set For Saturdays and Monday Jazz Sessions (with a sprinkling of "Joe" Sessions)
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Quinn’s opened under new ownership 8 years ago, keeping the decor and much-loved vibe of the diner-like eatery, but changed the focus to be a destination for jazz music and live performances. The menu also changed to offer renowned Japanese homestyle cuisine, a case of craft beers, sakes, whiskies and much more. When the pandemic shut them down, the music scene stopped as well, starving musicians from the live audience they crave.
Until now….Starting on Saturday, September 11th, Quinn’s is turning on the lights and setting up the stage for an fully stocked musical lineup on Saturdays and Mondays Jazz Sessions, with a sprinkling of performances on those days by people named Joe. Quinn’s is dubbing that “Joevember”
Kicking it off on Saturday, September 11th at 9am will be Beacon punk band Ate Bit, featuring the long-running Hudson Valley band Social Standards opening. The following Monday, September 13th at 8:30pm, the first Monday Jazz Session will be alto saxophonist Mike Dopazo, leading a trio featuring Adam Coté on bass, and Dave Berger on drums.
Quinn’s Is A Destination In The Jazz World & Other Genres
Quinn’s is one of the premier live music venues in the Hudson Valley. Beaconites may not realize what jazz gem is located behind that iconic brown brick wall decorated with pictures of Ramen dishes. To help you realize, we went to one of the - if not the - top jazz critic in the country - Nate Chinen. Nate is a former Beaconite who left this place for Philadelphia in order to have better commute to his radio job as Director of Editorial Content for WBGO 88.3FM, as well as a bigger yard for his family and pandemic dog.
To give you a background on Nate, so that his quote has context: Nate was a music critic for The New York Times for 12 years, and helmed a long-running column for JazzTimes. In addition to his editorial work for WBGO, Nate works with the multiplatform program Jazz Night in America and contributes a range of coverage to NPR Music. He is author of Playing Changes: Jazz For the New Century (buy it at Binnacle Books in Beacon! they can order any book for you), published in hardcover by Pantheon in 2018, and in paperback by Vintage in 2019. Hailed as one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, GQ, Billboard, and JazzTimes, it's a chronicle of jazz in our time, and an argument for the music's continuing relevance. It has also been published internationally, in Italian and Spanish editions.
Nate is coauthor of Myself Among Others: A Life in Music, the 2003 autobiography of festival impresario and producer George Wein, which earned the JJA’s award for Best Book About Jazz.
And while we're gushing, Nate is a 13-time winner of the Helen Dance–Robert Palmer Award for Excellence in Writing, presented by the Jazz Journalists Association, as well as a co-host for the podcast Jazz United for WBGO. Here’s what he had to say to ALBB about Quinn’s reopening for live music:
“I moved to Beacon from the West Village in 2009, and assumed that my days of walking down the street to a world-class jazz gig were over. I got here just in time to catch the tail end of Quinn’s as a diner (great blueberry pancakes!) — and then, after a dormant period, it reopened as a music venue. To my great and pleasant surprise, it became a go-to stop for improvised music, often featuring the very same artists I would see in the city, like Mary Halvorson, Matt Wilson and Joe McPhee.
“Beyond the extraordinary quality of the booking, Quinn’s is remarkable for its atmosphere — what’s probably best described as a “vibe.” The no-cover policy means that anyone can enjoy the music, and it creates a festive feeling in the room. If every American city the size of Beacon had a room like this, you wouldn’t hear so much about the plight of jazz in our culture. I wish the best to the club as it reopens, and look forward to my next hang there.”
Other artists who have performed at Quinn’s include: “Wilco guitarist Nels Cline to Japanese pop-punk icons Shonen Knife; from the Malian Tuareg rockers Mdou Moctar to Czech avant-garde violinist/vocalist Iva Bittová; from psychedelic free guitar freak Eugene Chadbourne to MacArthur ‘genius’ grantee Mary Halvorson; from Captain Beefheart/Jeff Buckley guitarist Gary Lucas to Downtown jazz legend William Parker; from otherworldly power trio Sun of Goldfinger (Tim Berne/David Torn/Ches Smith) to the Colossus of Poughkeepsie himself, multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee, among many other outstanding artists. Mike Faloon's celebrated book The Other Night at Quinn's details many of these unforgettable performances.”
COVID-19 Cautions: Quinn’s Is Monitoring
While we are in Year 2 of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and some people vaccinated, restaurants are trying to avoid shutdowns, and their customers are just as eager to have the option to continue to dine and dance inside. They state in their press release: “Please note: we are closely monitoring the ongoing COVID Pandemic and, based on guidance from the CDC and state health authorities, may be forced to revise our schedule without notice.”
Keep up with their changes and announcements, as well as food features at Instagram and Facebook.
The Musical Lineup
Quinn's is located at 330 Main St. in Beacon, NY and its phone number is (845) 202-7447. All listed concerts are no cover, but donations for the artists are requested and greatly appreciated. Bring cash, as the artists walk around to collect from everyone in attendance.
As of today, Quinn’s schedule is as follows:
SATURDAY CONCERTS:
9/11: Ate Bit/Social Standards
9/25: Knock Yourself Out — final KYO performance (!!!)
10/2: 100 and Zero/Wall of Ego
11/13: KYO Surfers — Butthole Surfers tribute w/ former Knock Yourself Out members + special guests
MONDAY JAZZ SESSIONS:
9/13: Mike Dopazo Trio — w/ Adam Coté and Dave Berger
9/20: Eric Person's Music of Ronald Shannon Jackson Project — w/ Neil Alexander, Robert Kopec + Dean Sharp
10/4: Two Sisters, Inc. — w/ Claire Daly, Dave Sewelson, Dave Hofstra + Michael Sarin
10/18: Pete Levin Trio — w/ Mike DiMicco + Jeff "Siege" Siegel (the last musicians to play Quinn's in March 2020!)
10/25: Adam Lane Trio — w/ Nick Lyons and Vijay Anderson
12/6: Matt Pavolka Band w/ Ben Monder, Santiago Leibson + Allan Mednard
12/13: Ted Daniel's International Brass + Membrane Corps — w/ Charles Burnham, Joe Daley and Newman Taylor Baker
12/20: Karl Berger Group
JOEVEMBER!!!
All Mondays in November to be led by musicians named Joe, including:
11/1: Joe McPhee 82nd Birthday Celebration
11/8: Joe Giardullo
11/15: Joe Daley Exploratory Project
11/22: Joe Fiedler's Open Sesame — w/ Jeff Lederer, Sean Conly + Michael Sarin
11/29: Joe Hertenstein
Other Live Music Venues In Beacon
Other established eateries have turned on the microphones as well. Towne Crier Cafe has reopened their famous stage for live music, and on the other side of town, the stage is also lit at Dogwood. Open Mic Nights are abound, including on the back patio of Beacon Bread Company.
Wednesdays Are A Big Day For Free Food Pickup For People In Need
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In Beacon, Wednesdays have become a big day for Free Food Pickup. Depending on if you have kids, if you want fresh produce in your life (yes, say yes!) and pre-bagged groceries, Beacon has your back. And Wednesdays aren’t all for people in need. Learn about more opportunities in A Little Beacon Blog’s Food Pantry and Soup Kitchen Guide.
A reader asked a question about how to donate produce from their garden. You might consider the Community ‘Fridge located behind Binnacle Books. You might also consider volunteering to clean it every now and then. It is not advisable to put fresh produce in the Tiny Food Pantries, as bears and raccoons will come, as will flies and ants. Non-perishable packages are best for those drop-off donation locations. You can also double up on your discount days at Key Food, and donate to their food bin in the front of the store. That food gets distributed to food pantries as well.
Here are the Wednesday Food Opportunities:
Free Pre-Bagged Groceries Distributed At Memorial Park and Beacon Recreation On Wednesdays
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The Beacon Recreation Department in conjunction with Mutual Aid Beacon who organizes volunteers, have been distributing pre-bagged groceries from Memorial Park on Wednesdays from 9am-10am and from the Beacon Recreation building at 23 West Center Street from 9:30am-10:30am.
The Memorial Street location welcomes cars to line up and grocery bags are placed in the trunk. The Beacon Recreation location asks that people walk up, and do not drive. In theory, you could drive in and park on a nearby side street to carry those groceries home.
This free food distribution was funded in large part the Hudson Valley Food Bank distribution, and individual donations via Mutual Aid Beacon. The City of Beacon was awarded $25,000 in grocery money from CDBG funding managed through Dutchess County. According to Beacon Recreation Director Mark Price back in April 2021, the groceries were approved to be purchased through a “local food distributor.” It is unknown at this time if the entire $25,000 has been spent, or is lasting over time.
Free Farm Stand Wednesdays At Beacon Recreation From Green Teens and Common Ground Farm
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The Green Teens are back to offer people in need access to a Free Farm Stand on Wednesdays from 5-6pm at the Beacon Recreation Center at 23 West Center Street. This program will run from July through September, and is made possible by Common Ground Farm.
Also at the Beacon Recreation on Wednesdays from 9:30am-10:30am is a Free Groceries distribution. Groceries come pre-bagged, and volunteers ask that people come on foot as pedestrians. They ask for no cars.
Cars, however, can pull up to Memorial Park on Wednesdays from 9am-10am for the same pre-bagged grocery program.
Free Summer Meals For Beacon City School District Students: Pickup On Wednesdays 10AM
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Free Summer Meal Program from the Beacon City School District.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
What got canceled a year before the pandemic thanks to changing percentages in Beacon that measure what districts qualify for free summer meals, got restarted during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020: The Free Summer Meals program through the Beacon City School District.
The program is back for the Summer of 2021 and includes 5 days of breakfast and lunch meals. The program runs from July 14th through August 11th, and parents can pick up for all children in their household. Signup is not required.
Pickups are on Wednesdays at 10am-10:45am at the Beacon High School Athletic Entrance (this is after the 9am Free Grocery Pickup at Memorial Park, and before the 5pm Free Farm Stand at the Beacon Recreation Center).
First come first serve. Food is ready to heat or eat packaged meals, which include 5 breakfast and 5 lunch meals. Packaged with fruits and vegetables with a focus on fresh local produce and milk. Hot meals can include pizza, chicken nuggets, and chips and cheese sauce.
For children 18 and under.
Explaining That Confusing Central Hudson Letter About Changing Energy Supplier - Deep Dive Into Community Choice Aggregation (CCA)
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Energy in our lives is simple - you flip on a light switch and the lights turn on.
Managing that energy and where it comes from is not as simple, especially as residents get marketed to on their front porches, and get letters in the mail from sources like:
Central Hudson, the company who makes sure our energy gets to our homes.
City of Beacon to tell residents about any changes.
Third-party energy agents who want customers to leave an energy supply arrangement with Central Hudson and hook up with their company, which could be a renewable energy company, or just an energy company promising discounts - in exchange for a contract with a length of time coupled with a fine if the customer decides to leave the billing arrangement early. Sometimes these companies come door to door, promising cash sign-on bonuses if you give them your bill right there on the spot.
Peddler’s Permit: Remember, when these people do come to your door, ask to see their Peddler’s Permit, as explained by Beacon’s former City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero to ALBB years ago.
Cautionary Note: Be very, very careful about showing your utility bills to anyone. You should protect your Central Hudson account number like you (should) protect you Social Security Number.
The Confusing Central Hudson Letter Of June 2021
In May 2021, residents of Beacon received a package from the City of Beacon explaining that the energy supplier of renewable energy (in this case, 100% hydropower) from the group purchasing partnership the city belongs to, Hudson Valley Community Power, was changing from Direct Energy to Columbia Utilities Power, LLC. No change would be needed by the resident customer, but as required by the program, a rectangular opt-out card with self-addressed envelope was included with the package for people who wanted to opt-out of the program they had been in for 2 years or for people who were newly offered participation in the program, for those who newly moved into a CCA community. Same program, new contract with different renewable energy supplier, which triggered the package to be sent.
Following that letter, in June 2021, Central Hudson sent out a similar letter, but one that led to much confusion, causing some residents to think that they had been duped by a peddler or scam, that their energy switched to a different company without them realizing it. Part of the letter from Central Hudson read: “If this change is unauthorized by you, you must contract Central Hudson within 1 business day prior to the effective date; otherwise your account will be transferred as stated above.”
During the spring of 2021, marketing peddlers of other energy companies had recently swept Beacon in a door-to-door energy switch marketing campaign, iPads in hand ready to switch people in minutes, which may have been a coincidence contributing to the confusion of when the letters arrived. A person could have thought: “Wait, did I authorize something with that young person promising me a rebate, hitting up all the houses with their iPad? Did they get into my account? Did my partner authorize something? Did my elderly parent sign something?”
Basically, nothing changed, everything is fine (unless you signed with the iPad peddlers). But let’s back up to remember what the City of Beacon agreed to on the behalf of residents - along with 9 other municipalities - 2 years ago in order to get 90% of Beaconites on renewable energy at the same or lower rate than what is currently traditional fossil fuel energy direct from Central Hudson, which is what this letter was all about.
It All Comes Down To Community Choice Aggregation (CAA) - What The Heck Is That?
After energy de-regulated in the 1990’s, companies could solicit energy supply relationships with consumers (though nothing would interfere with their delivery arrangement with Central Hudson - Central Hudson would always deliver the chosen supply). You may have seen these energy companies at farmers markets, where they try to entice you to sign up for solar power (not solar panels on your roof, but through your regular energy bill). Sometimes it was more expensive to sign up with these companies at farmers markets or on your front porch.
Then in 2016, New York State created legislation to allow for buying renewable energy in bulk, thereby discounting it, called Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), a policy which basically allows for cities, towns, villages and other local governments to buy renewable energy in a discounted rate in a buying club structure. According to Jeff Domanski, founder of the Beacon-based non-profit Hudson Valley Energy, there are so far 8 states who offer this, including California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, and Rhode Island. He says the law “is like a Swiss Army knife for getting renewable energy into homes.”
“The CCA Order came about for a number of reasons, but in simple terms, the win-win-win opportunity to:
promote renewable energy in New York,
in a cost-effective, and possibly cost-saving way for utility customers (counter to what everyone has expected prior to CCA, and
consumer empowerment/protection.
“Because of the numerous consumer protection/empowerment aspects inspiring and baked-into the CCA Order and programs,” Jeffrey continued to ALBB, “including empowering folks who never thought of supporting renewable energy to address the Climate Crisis because it was a more expensive prospect and because navigating the opportunities can be overwhelming for most folks – made worse by the many bad actors out there - the CCA program in communities is an easy way to contribute to the environment and save money on the electric bill.”
City of Beacon Agrees To Move Beaconites Into 100% Renewable Energy On Their Central Hudson Bills
A series of steps needed to be taken In order for this to be available in Beacon:
1. Beacon Law: A law needed to be passed in Beacon to pursue this. New York State required that each municipality needs to set a law to pursue it. Beacon passed a law in 2017.
2. An Administering Body: Beacon needed to choose how the program would be administered in line with New York’s order. New York’s order includes consumer protections, including sourcing renewable energy from New York suppliers, not locking customers into timed contracts, and not charging customers hidden fees. The municipality needed to pick an approved administrator. The administrator who emerged was (and is) called Joule Community Power. According to Joule, their mission is to empower municipalities (like a city or village) in the energy market: “We are shifting NY State’s energy dependency from a utility-controlled, fossil fuel model to a municipally-controlled clean, renewable energy model for thousands of households at a time. By designing and implementing community choice aggregation programs, we empower municipalities to make energy decisions for their own communities thereby enabling local decision-making and transferring control away from the State.”
3. Who Administers? The administrator, (Joule) needed to supply an implementation plan of hundreds of pages describing how this would work. Part of this implementation plan was educating and outreaching to the residents in the municipalities who signed into this. Joule would outsource this education and outreach via a non-profit. The non-profit selected to do this outreach is Hudson Valley Energy, a non-profit started by local Beaconite Jeffrey Domanski.
In 2019, after hearing presentations from Joule and Hudson Valley Energy, the City of Beacon agreed to be one of 10 municipalities to source this energy. The other municipalities included Fishkill, Philipstown, Cold Spring, City of Poughkeepsie, Town of Red Hook, Town of Clinton, Marveltown in Ulster, and the Town and Village of New Paltz. In the 2 years since this started, Fishkill has since exited the arrangement when the new Town Supervisor, Ozzy Albra, was elected and replaced Robert LaColla. According to Jeffrey of Hudson Valley Energy, Fishkill did not like the idea of the opt-out nature of the program, where the default was to be in the program, and one needed to take action to opt-out if they so desired. Replacing Fishkill to keep the group number at 10 is Saugerties. More municipalities can always join in.
4. The Bulk-Buy Program: With the municipalities signed on, this created a new group partnership program name called Hudson Valley Community Power. The Program administered by Joule, and locally managed by Hudson Valley Energy for customer service inquiries and education (not for power outages…Central Hudson remains the delivery/repair/billing company and go-to source for all of those calls). The power source for the Program is currently 100% hydropower. But things will change over time to include more New York-based solar and wind power sources, Jeffrey said.
Neither Joule nor Hudson Valley Energy go door to door with education materials or billing changes. “We very, very, very much do not go door to door,” Jeffrey told ALBB. “Community Solar companies in particular are going out.”
5. Lights…Camera…Action! Now that the players and names have been settled, the supplier of energy must be selected. From 2019 - 2021, that supplier was Direct Energy for a 2 year contract at a fixed rate. In this buying club, if people do not opt-out, the rate does not change thanks to negotiations locking it in. The opt-out rate has been about 10%, said Jeffrey, which was expected. After the energy supply contract expired, Joule sent out a RFP (Request For Proposal) for a new supplier. Six companies bid, including Direct Energy, but a different company won for the lowest bid: Columbia Utilities Power. They will be the supplier for 3 years, from 2021 - 2024.
Hence The Letter From Central Hudson…
When the new contract was signed with Columbia Utilities Power, the letters to Beaconties went out, introducing customers to Columbia Utilities Power. But the letter from Central Hudson was very confusing, scaring some customers into calling customer service numbers immediately, and was signed with an acronym matching none of the above: “Very truly yours, Customer Choice Program”
The nation-wide program is called “Community Choice Aggregation,” which sounds similar to “Customer Choice Program,” the name signed at the bottom of the Central Hudson Letter. Nowhere in the letter was mentioned the national program “Community Choice Aggregation” and the letter instructed people to call Columbia Utilities Power LLC with pricing questions, which is not in line with how the regional program is or has been run.
The company to call with pricing information is Hudson Valley Energy, who works with Joule, to service the New York State initiative complying with Community Choice Aggregation.
The company to call with billing questions, smelling a gas leak, reporting a power outage, and safety concerns remains Central Hudson, whether you are in the Community Choice Aggregation program or not.
Whew! So Now What? Are We Saving Money And Saving The Planet?
Educator Jeffrey from Hudson Valley Energy says that we are. There are a lot of useful charts, rates and data at the Hudson Valley Energy website FAQ page (which is also available in Spanish). Now that two years of data has been collected, one can compare the rates in detail.
Rates from 2019-2021 in the Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program.
Photo Credit: Hudson Valley Energy
To further understand the numbers, ALBB asked Jeffrey some clarifying questions:
ALBB: Regarding the chart above: if I opt out of Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), and I get my energy from Central Hudson’s sources, am I in the Central Hudson Standard Mix? And of that energy, is it fossil fuel?
JEFFREY: “If you opt-out of the Program, Central Hudson will make your supply decision each month. The rate will vary and the sourcing will be predominately fossil-based. The sourcing mix of the Hudson Valley Community Power Program’s ‘Standard’ rate is similar, but is fixed (i.e., folks in the communities can choose to stay in the Program and choose one of the two rates).”"
ALBB: If I did nothing 2 years ago, and nothing this year, which color label am I in from the chart? Hudson Valley Community Power 100% Renewable (Fixed Rate)?
JEFFREY: “Yes – the 100% Renewable Rate option is the default (no-action required) choice in all of our partner-communities.”
Ok…So What Is Community Solar?
Add to the mix are the solar farms being developed and coming online for energy production referred to as “Community Solar.” Many of them are out marketing door-to-door to get consumers to switch. Jeffrey says that they aren’t necessarily a bad thing, and that consumers can actually have both. “It's not a bad service necessarily that Community Solar is offering,” stated Jeffrey. “It is the 2nd tool in the Swiss Army knife of tools that is Community Choice Aggregation. People who opt-in on their billing can be a virtual owner of a solar field. Thereby letting the owner meet their requirements to let them drive a discount on energy. People should look into Community Solar to save 10% on their electric. It's a parallel thing. You can do neither, either or, or both.”
In fact, Joule is involved with its own Community Solar.
ALBB: When my neighbor says he is opting into to Community Solar, is he leaving the Hudson Valley Community Power partnership?
JEFFREY: “In brief, no. Community Solar is a parallel opportunity to the fixed rate ‘electricity supply’ aspect of CCA we’ve been mostly talking about.”
“To further the distinction, the fixed electricity supply rate ($/kWh) is multiplied by the amount of electricity a customer uses each month (kWh). Nearly all Community Solar programs I know are a symbiotic relationship between the customer and the owner of the solar field, whereby the customer’s subscribing to be a virtual owner of a portion of the solar field allows the project to proceed as a ‘community project.’ In return, the customer receives a monetary discount off their entire electricity charges, which is targeted to result in a 10% savings for each year of the agreement. Note: the credit received each month is not based on the customer’s usage that month.”
However, Jeffrey wanted to stress: “Community Solar is NOT a customer’s supply source.”
ALBB: If I opt-into a Community Solar company, am I leaving the Hudson Valley Community Power Program - our region’s CCA?
JEFFREY: “Subscribing to a Community Solar project does not conflict with the Electricity Supply component of a CCA Program. The Electricity Supply component of CCA provides a fixed rate which is directly tied to a customer’s monthly electricity usage. Nearly all Community Solar subscription programs assign a portion of a solar field to a customer to generate (in the Community Solar developer/owner’s business model) a monetary credit which targets 10% off a customer’s total electric charges (averaged over a year).
ALBB: Regarding the rate: Is it cheaper than being in regular Central Hudson?
JEFFREY: “Yes – it currently is, and we believe will be cheaper over the life of the Program, though there will be months when Central Hudson’s supply rate is lower than the Program’s fixed rate. The Program rate for 100% renewable-sourced electricity (from New York producers) is $0.06573/kWh. Central Hudson’s comparable rate is $0.0697/kWh.”
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That concludes today’s lesson in a few data points in the energy supply market for communities. In another article, Jeffrey can explain how CCA’s have been enabled to support Community Solar “and talk about the evolving ways that’s happened and will be happening,” Jeffrey told ALBB. “Suffice to say, CCA is a dynamic, powerful tool which enables cities, towns, and villages to help the customers through localizing energy decision-making.”
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The City of Beacon entered into a contract with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley to provide increased access to Beacon tenants facing eviction. They may also be able to help with sources of rent arrears assistance. Call the paralegal, Steven Mihalik at 845-253-6953 to inquire.
Dutchess County Helpline. Open 24/7 to take your calls, listen, and give you resources.