Monday's 6-17-24 City Council Workshop Meeting Agenda - What's On Deck
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Monday's 6-17-24 City Council Meeting - What's On Deck
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Things To Do In Beacon Guides 6/14/2024
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Family Pride Event and Queer Dance Party From BeaconLGBTQ At The Yard Saturday
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Beacon Family Pride
Day: Saturday, June 15, 2024
Time: 1pm-5pm FAMILY PRIDE
100% FREE and SOBER. Come celebrate and connect enjoy food and drink, rainbow SWAG, Queer Art. This Family friendly event is courtesy our chosen family BeansCatCafe, FloraGoodTimes, Beacon4BlackLives, Fareground, CompassArtsNY Newburgh LGBTQ Center, EveryOneNeedsSound, GeaconLibrary, Kitchen. Coffee Beacon and all the folks who bought t-shirts and donated $$!
Time: 6pm to 10pm QUEER DANCE PARTY
No cover
Food and alcohol will be available for purchase. FREE popcorn and whatever snacks are left over from the day.
Celebrate with us! Dance all night (until 10pm). Kids are welcome but they will need to be supervised.
Accessibility: the event is outdoors on level ground. There is a paved walkway to navigate through the space.
Food will be served by dedicated volunteers.
Bathrooms are indoors.
Masking is optional we will have masks available as will some other community partners.
Protest For Palestine in Middletown, NY (30 Minutes From Beacon) Sunday June 16th
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From the RallyMiddletown Instagram account, there is a rally for Palestine in Middletown, NY on Sunday, June 16th at 12noon. Middletown is 30 minutes away from Beacon, over the Newburgh/Beacon bridge. Details below from RallyMiddletown:
“Join us at the Orange Plaza in Middletown, NY as we stand at the corner of NY-211 and Dunning Rd. This is a fully outdoor event. Face masks not required but available for free on site (thanks to The People’s PPE) for safety, solidarity, and security.
“Sunscreen, bug spray, snacks, and water provided. There are also protest signs, flags, and tambourines that are available to borrow if you don’t have enough time to prepare ahead of time. You simply have to show up to participate!
We will gather on the grassy areas behind the guardrails at the intersection of Route 211 & Dunning Road, closest to Orange Plaza (for GPS, you can use Red Lobster, 450 NY-211, Middletown, NY 10940). The grassy area is slightly sloped along Route 211 and there is also some non-flat grass to cross over to get to the standing spots. There is flat sidewalk access and a place to occupy that is not in the grass available. Bring your own chairs/blankets.”
Parking
Free parking available in the Orange Plaza. The closest spots are near Red Lobster and Chase Bank. More available farther back from where we will all meet.
Rain or shine
There will be a pop-up tent on site for shade. No shade available, so consider bringing a sunbrella or wearing a hat, sleeves, and sunscreen.
Noise
There will be road noise, noise makers, a megaphone, chanting & honking.
City of Middletown buses do NOT run on Sundays unfortunately. If transportation is a barrier to you, please reach out or comment to coordinate community carpooling as a driver or someone in need of a ride.
Tuesday's 6-18-24 City Council Zoning Agenda - What's On Deck
/The Zoning Board of Appeals will meet on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at 7:00 PM, in the Municipal Center courtroom, located at One Municipal Plaza, Beacon, New York.
Tuesday's 6-11-24 Planning Board Agenda - What's On Deck
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The Planning Board will meet in the Municipal Center Courtroom at 7:00 p.m. A work session will take place at 7:00 p.m. for a training workshop, discussion of agenda items and/or topics of interest to the Planning Board. The regular meeting will begin immediately thereafter, but no later than 7:30 p.m.
Peek at the details below…
Approval of May 14, 2024, minutes
Continue public hearing and continue review of application for Site Plan Approval and Special Use Permit, car dealership, 410 Fishkill Avenue, submitted by Carvana, LLC c/o Jenn Roldan.
Public hearing and continue review of application for Subdivision Approval, residential, 39 Howland Avenue, submitted by John Vergara.
Continue review of application for Site Plan and Subdivision Approval, Mixed-Use Commercial and Residential, 45 Beekman Street, High Street, and High Street, submitted by Beekman Arts Center LLC and Bay Ridge Studios LLC.
Review of application for Site Plan Approval, roof top deck, 47 E Main Street, submitted by East Main Beacon LLC.
Miscellaneous Business
Consider request for one 90-day extension of Site Plan and Subdivision Approval, 37 units, “Beacon Views Townhouses†at Conklin Street, submitted by Beacon Views LLC.
Consider request for two (2) six-month extensions of Special Use Permit Approval, Hotel & Accessory Conference/Event Space and Cafe, submitted by Prophecy Theater, LLC.
Consider request for one (1) year extension of Site Plan Approval, three (3) story commercial project at 536 Main Street, submitted by HRSM, LLC.
Architectural Review
Certificate of Appropriateness – 146 Main Street; Sign
Certificate of Appropriateness – 2 E Main Street; Sign
New Single-Family House – 49 Townsend Street, Lot 10
Certificate of Appropriateness – 18 South Street; Façade
Certificate of Appropriateness – 36 Russell Avenue; Façade
Certificate of Appropriateness – 512 Main Street; Sign
Certificate of Appropriateness – 246 Main Street; Façade
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Strawberry Festival This Sunday - A Little Beacon Blog Will Be There Face Painting
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The annual Strawberry Festival from the Beacon Sloop Club is here! This is their opening festival for their series of harvest-inspired (Strawberry, Corn, Pumpkin) celebrations and fundraisers held down at Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park. Look forward to Hudson Valley locally grown fresh picked strawberries, homemade strawberry shortcake topped with the Beacon Sloop Club’s famous real whipped cream. You will also find strawberry smoothies and other strawberry delights.
Live music will be played and will be powered from two solar power stages. The event is dedicated to the environment, so look for environmental educational displays, activities for children, and a variety of food and artisan hand-made crafts.
Free sails on the sloop Woody Guthrie will be available. To sail, you’ll need to sign up at noon at the Beacon Sloop Club’s merchandise table. Bring a blanket, or a chair and enjoy the festivities of the day surrounded by the Hudson River. There is a kids park in the park, so little ones will have swings to swing on an slides to climb.
A Little Beacon Blog’s Face Painting Table
A Little Beacon Blog will be there with our face painting! Kids and adults are welcome. We take requests, and can even paint your spirit animal. The face painting chair is a relaxing experience.
About The Beacon Sloop Club
According to the Beacon Sloop Club, here’s what you can expect at the festival: “.
Founded by folk singer and activist, Pete Seeger, The Beacon Sloop Club is a 501-c3 volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation, protection and restoration of the Hudson River and surrounding waterways through advocacy, education and celebration.
As part of our mission, we provide free river access through free sails and sail training on the ferry sloop Woody Guthrie, a replica of the 18th and 19th century sloops that once plied the Hudson River.
The Beacon Sloop Club offers free seasonal music festivals to the people of the river, as well as other events, lectures and classes throughout the year.
Our monthly meetings are the first Friday of the month, starting with potlucks at 6:30 and ending with a Circle of Song. Everyone welcome!
City Wide Yard Sale - This Saturday! - Follow The Neon Signs
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Follow the signs!! Better than a spring candy hunt are the neon signs that have popped up all over Beacon for the highly anticipated City Wide Yard Sale and event from the Parks and Recreation Department, which is finally here!!
Follow the neon poster signs for where the next yard sale is. You may discover someone’s purged basement of tiny pools. You may discover an assortment of power tools. You may discover a collection of books! And don’t miss this church yard sale that includes a cookie sale! Saturday from 9am-3pm. Find a map of officially registered yard sales here as the PDF version, and here as the Google Maps version. There may be more yard sales not registered. Keep your eyes open! Enjoy.
LaVonne McNair One Of 3 Candidates Voted In As Board of Education Board Member - A Significant Win
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The four Board of Education Candidates. Top Left: Christopher Lewine, Top Right: LaVonne McNair, Bottom Left: Meg Phillips, Bottom Right: Flora Stadler.
Four candidates were running for three seats on the Beacon City School District Board of Education. Three positions were available. Two of the terms begin July 1, and end June 30, 2027. One term begins immediately, to fill the term of board member John Galloway Jr.
Voting results are in:
Flora Stadler 695 (Flora is currently a board member, and is returning)
Lavonne McNair - 657
Chris Lewine -596
Megan Phillips -514
Flora’s term will begin now, which completes the term of former board member John Galloway Jr.
LaVonne and Christopher’s terms will begin July 1 and end June 30, 2027.
To get to know the candidates better at any time, they participated in a Meet The Candidate Session with the Board of Education, that was open to the public, who submitted questions. View that here.
The candidates also interviewed with the Beacon Free Press, excerpts of which are below.
Christopher Lewine
BOE Candidate Christopher Lewine.
Christopher told the Beacon Free Press that he “believes deeply” in the public school system, and has been an educator for 15 years, first as a math teacher and later as a principal at a diverse high school “that ensured that over 95% of our graduates earned at least one four-year college acceptance.” He then worked for non-profits focusing on supporting public schools. His 3 priorities are: “Student well-being” with a focus on mental health; “Rich instruction” with a focus on curriculum and making sure teachers have resources they need; and “Effective Governance” with a focus on making strategic decisions about how to use resources from state and federal funding.
LaVonne McNair
BOE Candidate LaVonne McNair.
LaVonne told the Beacon Free Press: “I am running for the BCSD BOE to advocate for the needs of the students/parents that feel unseen and underrepresented, improve school policies and wanting to contribute positively to the educational landscape within our community.”
LaVonne is a a graduate of the Beacon City school system, and is a daughter of Yvonne NcNair, who was a deeply involved resident of Beacon after she moved her family up from Harlem into Wappingers Falls in 1977, and then to Beacon in 1985. As an homage to LaVonne’s late mother, Yvonne, who died of COVID in 2022, we will revisit mother Yvonne’s history with the Beacon Board of Education.
Yvonne was a vocal member of the Black community in Beacon, and ran for the school board unsuccessfully twice: once in the late 1980s, and again in 2014. Then in 2020, she showed up for two Black candidates running for two seats on the board, John Galloway Jr. and Jasmine Johnson, during a contentious election push that ended up being about “the process” and is still referred to this day when deciding when and how to fill unexpected vacant seats. Jasmine was voted in that night, and John was added one month later. Said John to the Highlands Current in a feature article about Yvonne when she passed away: “The whole neighborhood wishes that she had a chance to showcase her vision for change on the board.”
Daughter LaVonne’s vision for change include: “Enhancing communication and collaboration between parents/students, teachers and administrators; promoting equity and inclusivity in education; and effectively managing resources to maximize educational opportunities for all students.” LaVonne told the Beacon Free Press that her skills in legal work provide her with a “foundation in “research, organization and understanding of legal matters.”
Meg Phillips
BOE Candidate Meg Phillips.
Meg Phillips told the Beacon Free Press: “As a new Beaconite and single mom (recently widowed) of two boys just entering the public school system, I have already seen the impact of our incredible educators. I am excited for the opportunity to serve my community as a member of the School Board where my focus will be on ensuring students and educators have equal access to the resources they need to thrive. Decisions about our children’s education impact them for their entire lives. I am ready to partner with district and school leaders to tackle tough problems and shine a light on what makes Beacon students so great.”
Her top priorities are supporting students with disabilities, expanding and standardizing mental health resources, and creating more transparency for parent communication and engagement. She grew up in a public school system in the Greater Boston area, and studied Competency Based Education in Quebec. She also studied at J. Krishnamurti’s schools in England and Ojai.
Flora Stadler
BOE Candidate Flora Stadler.
Flora Stadler is returning to her position on the board for her 3rd term. She told the Beacon Free Press: “I first ran because I believed in public education and I wanted to support the district however I could. I still believe in public education (I have two children in the district) but now I’m also running because serving on the board has become an important part of my life. It feels like my second job at this point. As a board member, you spend a lot of your first term learning how things work and how to navigate different processes. I’m more informed and more focused now, and I want to put that experience to good use. There is so much work around advocacy and policy that I will want to contribute to - and of course - there’s always more to learn.”
Flora’s top three priorities are being a good steward of the budget, the academic and extracurricular programming, and increasing and standardizing mental health care for the students. Her focus is also to attract good teachers and staff. Flora cites her experience as a BOE member and board officer as her biggest asset. Her focus is on legislative advocacy. She told the newspaper: “I’ve worked with PRAL, DCSBA and NYSSBA to advocate for better supports for special education pre-K programs. Right now, Beacon is the only district in the county with a special education pre-K program.”
POEM: To Anyone Who Tells Me That I Support Terrorists; That I Don't Know What It's Like To Be Jewish
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Sometimes when someone says something to me about Palestine - either a stranger in Comments, or a regular Instagram person in Comments, or a regular Commenter here at the blog itself, or a person I know in real life - it can trigger a poem to process what they just said. In this case, someone who I know for years, and had just spent several hours with in one of the most pleasant and fun experiences, did an about face on a Monday evening. Unprovoked directly by me, resulted in them letting me know their thoughts in a random DM.
If it triggers a response in me that may help others, the response is put into words if possible, and then into a poem. Or word phrases. However you grammar dart enthusiasts want to target it to say what it isn’t. :) It’s words. And if they help someone, they are here.
To anyone who tells me that I support terrorists.
That I don’t know what it’s like to be Jewish.
You’re right.
I don’t know what it’s like to be Jewish.
Or to have your family be wherever they are from.
I also don’t know what it’s like to be Black.
Or to have my family stolen from me and my body sold.
I know what it’s like to study the Holocaust.
I know what it’s like to be challenged.
I know what it’s like to be asked:
“What would you do if this were happening again?”
I know what it’s like to be racist.
I know that telling me that I support terrorists and that I don’t know what it’s like to be Jewish is an extremely racist thing to say.
You are extremely racist.
Were before. And still are. Despite my hope.
You wish ill on me.
You wish I get what I deserve.
This is not what is breaking my soul today.
Something completely different and unrelated is breaking my soul today.
And making me stronger and more focused. Clarity.
Doing anti-Zionist, anti-occupation, liberation work is healing my soul today.
Free Palestine.
A Little Beacon Blog Featured In Upstate HOUSE Magazine For Our Things To Do In Beacon Guides
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A Little Beacon Blog’s Things To Do In Beacon Guides were featured in Upstate HOUSE magazine’s Summer 2024 issue! “We started these Guides over 10 years ago,” says publisher and blogger Katie Hellmuth. “They are the OG Things To Do In Beacon Guides. All others are imitators 😉.”
The article included quotes and thoughts about Beacon real estate and community from Emily Murnane of Beacon Bath and Bubble and Beacon Historical Society, as well as Marko Guzijan of Hudson Valley Food Hall and The Roosevelt Bar.
Said reporter Anne Pyburn Craig in the article: “The mile-long Main Street stretching from the riverfront parks to the foot of Mount Beacon is packed with treats of all sorts. A Little Beacon Blog, a frequently updated guide, lists over 30 clothing shops, 25 home goods and lifestyle stores, and good-size handfuls of other retail categories, from books and records to flowers, cigars, pet supplies, and beef jerky. Lists of coming events, classes and actives for all ages are equally long and various; from art to Zumba, you can find Beaconites enjoying all the things.
“Dining and drinking choices are so plentiful and diverse that A Little Beacon Blog lists these in three sections for West, Middle and East and has broken out a second list just for brunch spots. The restaurant guide, they explain, changes daily.”
Pick up your copy of Upstate HOUSE today at Homespun and other retailers. Indulge your eyes and dreams for renovated kitchens, bathrooms and siding in the magazine. And features of outdoor grill ovens.
SUNDAY: Large Demonstration for A Free Palestine to Take Place in Middletown, NY
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On Sunday, a large crowd of concerned citizens will gather alongside Route NY-211 to protest against the ongoing genocide that Palestinians are facing. The rally aims to bring attention to the urgent need for both local and international action to support the affected region. Demands will be made for the City of Middletown to pass a ceasefire resolution, according to a press release by the organizers.
WHEN: Sunday, June 2nd, 12pm-1:30pm.
WHERE: Orange Plaza, Middletown NY (Corner of Route 211 and Dunning Rd.)
WHAT: Participants will hold signs, chant slogans, and share personal stories, emphasizing the importance of standing together against injustice and colonization. The organizers of the event presented several demands for the City of Middletown, urging local leaders to take concrete steps towards preventing further violence.
WHO: Middletown community members, guest speakers, and well-known public figure to be announced.
Says local Instsagram account Celebrate_845:
“MIDDLETOWN, NY - LET’S MOBILIZE! THIS IS A CALL TO ACTION! We are meeting near a major intersection, so we need as many brave souls as possible!
“As Israel continues to bomb and starve 2 million people trapped in Gaza, we MUST increase our presence and bolster our message for a permanent ceasefire. It is through our collective action that we escalate pressure to divest from the Fascist Israeli military machine and dismantle the occupation in Palestine.
“Join us on June 2nd, from 12-1:30pm, at the Orange Plaza in Middletown, as we reject the genocidal status quo and stand in solidarity with Palestinians against a 57-year-illegal military occupation.”
Accessibility and safety info:
“We will gather at the corner of Dunning Road and Route NY-211 in Middletown, NY (the sidewalk behind Chase Bank leads directly to the designated area).
“There are plenty of parking spaces available in Orange Plaza. Do not congregate in the parking lot otherwise Town of Wallkill Police will attempt to shut us down. This event is fully outdoors & is mostly standing in place. Location has large grass area with a small stretch of paved sidewalk and a bench. BYO chair if needed. Water and masks will be provided.
“Do not block any sidewalks or obstruct the walkway/roadway, so that people can move freely. We do not want to be shut down by the police.
“We will gather on the corner sidewalk area and, depending on turn out, line up behind the guardrail along Route 211 (in front of Chase & Red Lobster). We keep each other safe. Please do not provoke agitators or counter protesters that seek to deter our movement. We are the sum of our parts, and so we must show up with safety in mind, both for ourselves and for each other.
“IF THE WORLD WON’T STOP FOR RAFAH, WE MUST STOP THE WORLD. SHOW UP AND MAKE SOME NOISE WITH US! #FREEPALESTINEFOREVER”
Monday's 6-3-24 City Council Meeting Agenda - What's On Deck
/Peek at the agenda below…
Resolution No. 49 - Appointing Michael Confield to the Position of Police Lieutenant
Resolution No. 50 - Appointing Affdecrin Vargas to the Position of Police Lieutenant
Resolution No. 51 - Appointing Alyssa Rudden to the Position of Police Sergeant
Resolution No. 52 - Appointing Carl Garofolo to the Position of Police Detective
Resolution No. 53 - Setting a Public Hearing for the Proposed 2025-2029 Capital Program
Resolution No. 56 - Adopting Local Law No. 2 of 2024 Concerning Fire Hydrants
Resolution No. 57 - Amending the Schedule of Fees Concerning Fire Hydrants
Resolution No. 59 - Amending the Schedule of Fees Concerning Illegal Sewer Connections
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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.