POUGHKEEPSIE – In the 2022 budget, each of the eight members of the Poughkeepsie Common Council received $4,500 to be used for supporting projects or initiatives they deem worthy. In addition to the annual “ward money,” $50,000 of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds were allocated to each of the eight lawmakers for spending on projects.
Unlike the annual ward money, the councilmembers must determine the spending projects that have ARP money by December 2024 and the funds have to be used by December 2026.
Council Majority Leader Evan Menist represents the Second Ward and wants to use his allocated ARP money to beautify the 300 block of Main Street to help draw people to the central business district. “I want to help improve the look of the area to draw more visitors and help the area businesses draw customers,” Menist said.
Referring to the book “Walkable Cities” by Jeff Speck, Menist said improvements need on Main Street to make it more pedestrian-friendly and more attractive. According to Speck’s book, “The very idea of a modern metropolis evokes visions of bustling sidewalks, vital mass transit, and a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly urban core. But in the typical American city, the car is still king, and downtown is a place that’s easy to drive to but often not worth arriving at,” noting, “Making walkability happen is relatively easy and cheap.”
Menist wants to use the money to repair sidewalks, place recycling bins, add hanging planters from the streetlights, and add borders and mulch around the existing trees. “Improvements like these are what has been done in successful ‘walkable’ cities throughout the Hudson Valley,” he said.
City Administrator Marc Nelson is trying to build a consensus among the board members to pool their money and work together on a citywide initiative; new garbage cans. “The administration, working with the finance department, has proposed using remaining ward-specific ARP funds to help pay for the purchase and deployment of city-owned trash and recycling receptacles, building off of the successful pilot program we launched two years ago along both arterials,” Nelson said.
The administration’s proposal for citywide garbage cans was presented to the council’s finance committee this past Thursday night.
