KINGSTON – The City of Kingston, like the rest of the nation, faced over two years of a pandemic that saw people die and the economy shut down. But, now it is a time to heal, Mayor Steven Noble said during his state of the city address to the common council Tuesday night.
In his 30-minute address, the mayor outlined the city’s resilience pointing to a new hospital, repaved streets and infrastructure beneath them, Kingston Point flood mitigation, divesting of fossil fuel power in city buildings and major renovation at Dietz Stadium in 2023.
“My hope for 2023 is that we will strive for unity, that we will come together and continue our healing, healing from the pandemic, from the political turmoil in our country, and healing from a period of isolation,” he said. “I believe it’s time for us to unify to improve, to move our city forward, to ensure that Kingston is growing in a way that is smarter, more sustainable, more equitable and with the entire community in mind. We are all, in the end, Kingstonians.”
The mayor pointed to $17 million in COVID-19 ARRA funds that will be used for among other things, grants for small businesses. He also said the city fire department will have the first mobile mental health crisis ambulance including a mental health counselor onboard.
