Parade to Honor Poughkeepsie Pioneers

April 26, 2019 - 4:00pm

On Friday, April 26 at 4:00pm, the City of Poughkeepsie will host a parade in honor of the Poughkeepsie High School Basketball Team – our State Class A Champions!!!

All participants and floats will gather at the Crannell Street parking lot at 4:00pm.  Step off will be at 4:15 pm from the Crannell Street lot.  The parade route will be from the Crannell lot to Catharine Street, down Main Street to City Hall at 62 Civic Center Plaza.   Mayor Rob Rolison will officiate a ceremony on the steps of City Hall in honor of the team. 

Rain date is confirmed for Friday, May 3, 2019.

Boys & Girls Club of Poughkeepsie Celebrates
National Boys & Girls Club Week 

For more than 75 years, Boys & Girls Clubs across the nation have celebrated National Boys & Girls Club Week by recognizing the invaluable service Clubs bring to communities.
 
National Boys & Girls Club Week shines a spotlight on more than 4,000 Clubs throughout the United States and on military installations worldwide, showing the public how Clubs unlock the door to Great Futures for our nation’s youth. This is accomplished by providing a fun, safe and caring environment where kids and teens participate in programs that promote learning, inspire leadership and motivate them to live a healthy lifestyle.
 
The Boys & Girls Club of Poughkeepsie is celebrating the National Boys & Girls Club week.  Mayor Rob Rolison is declaring National Boys & Girls Club Week, April 8-12, 2019 in the City of Poughkeepsie.  He is encouraging all citizens to recognize and commend Boys & Girls Clubs in Poughkeepsie for providing the young people of our community with comprehensive and effective youth development services

City Swears-In Seven Police Officers

The City of Poughkeepsie Police Department has bolstered its ranks, with seven recruits being sworn-in as officers during a ceremony Wednesday.

The new officers are: Justin P. Consalvo, Danielle M. Costa, Paul Henne, Kyriacos Kyriacou, Gregory Schweizer, Kevin Smith and Robert Prince.

Mayor Rob Rolison officiated, saying “This is a great day for the City of Poughkeepsie. Public safety is the utmost concern, and we have been able to replenish the ranks steadily in the effort to get us back to full force.”

City of Poughkeepsie Mayor Rob Rolison with new officers Robert Prince,
Kyriacos Kyriacou, Paul Henne, Danielle M. Costa, Kevin Smith,
Justin P. Consalvo, and Gregory Schweizer.

City Police Chief Thomas Pape said, “These officers will greatly help our department curb crime and keep people safe. With the community’s help, we are making excellent strides, as demonstrated by the most recent statistics on violent crimes in the city.”

Last week, the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services released trends tracked over a10-year period that show many categories of violent crimes have decreased in the City of Poughkeepsie.

Specifically, violent crimes have dropped from 417 in 2009 to 216 in 2018, a 48.2 percent decrease. And robberies, burglaries, and property crimes also have fallen by 50 percent or more during that same timeframe.

Last year, the City of Poughkeepsie also passed measures intended to retain officers and attract them from other departments. The city has subsequently increased its ranks from 79 to 92 officers, including the officers added Wednesday.

The swearing-in ceremony took place in the Poughkeepsie Common Council Chambers at City Hall.

City Releases Request for Interest in
Former YMCA Property

After recently taking ownership of the property, the City of Poughkeepsie is seeking development proposals for the former Dutchess YMCA building. The more than 3-acre site — located at 35 Montgomery Street — is situated just south of Downtown Poughkeepsie and near Routes 44/55 and 9.

The city has released a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for the property.  The building has been vacant since the YMCA closed its doors in 2009. The city took possession of the property at the beginning of this year. “For years, the city waited to see if private interests alone could resurrect this building, turning it into something positive for the community,” said City of Poughkeepsie Mayor Rob Rolison. “We can no longer afford to wait. The site is too important to sit idle for this long. We must be pro-active, if the progress we have made on so many other fronts is to continue.”

For more than 40 years, the site was a hub of community activity, with community rooms, a fitness center, gymnasium, indoor track and a large swimming pool. Since the YMCA closed, the building’s condition has deteriorated. City officials are evaluating the property to better ascertain the extent of environmental remediation necessary — and to establish whether the building is salvageable or must be torn down.

The RFEI is intended to solicit ideas that will yield significant community benefit, such as economic development, social and neighborhood cohesion and/or the creation of facilities serving youth and young adults.  “This is the start of a visioning process for the city and the community to determine what the best and most realistic future use of the site might be,” the Mayor said. The RFEI may lead to a Request for Proposals (RFP) process that may result in an award of a preferred developer to move the project forward and to fruition. Public-private partnerships, including with the City of Poughkeepsie, are possible.

The city will set at least two public outreach meetings in order to gather ideas about the property, and the public may submit written comments as well.

Questions from potential developers must be submitted in writing via mail, e-mail or fax by 4 p.m. Monday May 20. Proposals are due in to the City of Poughkeepsie Planning and Development Department by 3 p.m. on Monday June 3.

Details about the project can be found at:
http://cityofpoughkeepsie.com/35montgomerystreet

DCSPCA Dog of the Week: Waffles

Meet Waffles!!!! This adorable little lovebug from Dutchess County SPCA came to visit the City of Poughkeepsie Court on Thursday morning because he got ticketed for too much "cuteness" !

Waffles is a 12 week old mixed breed puppy from a rescue shelter in Georgia. Shortly after posting to our Facebook page, Waffles was adopted! Waffles has two sisters waiting at Dutchess County SPCA for "furever" homes as well. If you are interested in adopting, please call the Dutchess County SPCA at 845-452-7722 or stop by to fill out an application.

Violent Crime Stats:

Decrease in Poughkeepsie Over a 10-Year Period

The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services has released trends tracked over a 10-year period that show many categories of violent crimes have decreased in the City of Poughkeepsie.

Through its Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative, the Division of Criminal Justice Services targets 20 jurisdictions within 17 counties upstate, including the City of Poughkeepsie, and on Long Island.

Referring to trends in Poughkeepsie, Mayor Rob Rolison said, “There are highly encouraging signs here. While there always will be more work to do, the city police department and public should be proud of this headway.”

Specifically,

• Violent crimes have dropped from 417 in 2009 to 216 in 2018, a 48.2 percent decrease.
• Robberies are down from 206 in 2009 to 59 in 2018, a 71.4 percent decrease.
• Burglaries have declined from 274 in 2009 to 85 in 2018, a 69 percent decrease.
• Property crimes also have been reduced – from 1,030 in 2009 to 494 in 2018, a 52 percent decrease.
• Larcenies have dipped from 691 in 2009 to 374 in 2018, a 45.9 percent decrease.
• And firearm-related violent crimes have dropped from 90 in 2009 to 43 in 2018.

Last year, the City of Poughkeepsie also passed measures intended to retain officers and attract them from other departments. The city has subsequently increased its ranks from 79 to 86 officers. The city also will be swearing in six more officers on April 10.

“We’re grateful to be making progress on curbing crime in Poughkeepsie, and for the help we get from our state partners,” said City Police Chief Thomas Pape.

Though the Division of Criminal Justice Services, GIVE provides state funding to law enforcement to support operations, training and technical assistance. In 2018, GIVE jurisdictions reported the lowest ever index crime total in the 10-year period.  You can read the entire report here.

Upcoming Meetings

Week of April 15, 2019

• Monday, April 15th
  6:00pm - Common Council Special Information Meeting
  6:30pm - Common Council
• Tuesday, April 16th
  7:00pm - Planning Board
• Thursday, April 11th
  6:00pm - Public Arts Commission

Hydrant Testing Notice

Week of April 15, 2019

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the City of Poughkeepsie Fire Department will be servicing and testing the City fire hydrant system.  This system is directly linked to the drinking water supply.

Be further advised that during the testing period, the water is safe, but should be run until it is clear; use caution when doing white laundry-it is recommended that you should wait a twenty-four (24) to forty-eight (48)  hour period after the testing has been completed in the vicinity of your neighborhood.

Within the next five (5) weeks, hydrants in the Northeast section of the City will be tested:

• Main Street – North to the City Limits
• North Hamilton Street – East to the Town of Poughkeepsie

Street-specific list will be posted weekly to the City of Poughkeepsie website prior to testing (see below).

HYDRANT TESTING STREET LIST – WEEK OF APRIL 15TH

Monday, April  15, 2019

• Parker Avenue from North Hamilton Street to the Town Line
• Reservoir Street
• Foster Street
• Sunnyside Avenue
• North Clinton Street from Parker Avenue to Mansion Square Park
• College Hill Golf Course
• Cottage Street at North Hamilton Street
• Mansion Street around Mansion Square Park

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

• Arnold Road between Innis Avenue and Corlies Avenue
• Corlies Avenue between Mansion Street and Emmott Place
• Innis Avenue from Main Street to the City Line
• Radcliff Road
• Boulevard Knolls by City Line
• Roosevelt Avenue

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

• Corlies Avenue from Main Street to Flannery Avenue
• Flannery Avenue
• Muldowney Circle
• Maple Street from Corlies Avenue to Pershing Avenue including Maplewood Apartments
• Pershing Avenue

 Thursday, April 18, 2019

• Hudson Avenue including Poughkeepsie Commons
• Howard Street including Department of Public Works
• Fallkill Avenue
• Weed Street
• Smith Street between Weed Street and Little George Street
• Morgan Avenue
• Winnikee Avenue between Cottage Street and Mansion Street
• Dead-end of Cottage Street

Anna Deavere Smith to perform as centerpiece of Vassar College’s Semester of “Storytelling”

8th Annual Riverkeeper Sweep

Waryas Park Shoreline