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Kingston advisory group reviews multiple grants; sidewalk improvements move ahead with city budget backup
Summary
Committee heard updates on a congressional directed spending request for Flatbush and Foxhall, the state planning grant rounds, and CDBG-backed sidewalk projects; the city allocated engineering funds as a backup for a sidewalk improvement district after a planning grant application failed.
Ruth Ann, a committee member who prepared the grant update materials, told the Complete Streets Advisory Committee there have been no new awards since February but that the city’s congressional-directed request for Flatbush and Foxhall remains on a federal list at $1,000,000 pending the FY2025/2026 budget process.
Why it matters: the grants discussed would fund planning and implementation work for sidewalks and safety projects in Kingston; the committee reviewed which requests to resubmit and how federal and state funding uncertainty affects competitiveness.
Ruth Ann said the city was advised to resubmit congressional requests after the current federal temporary spending bill removed a line item for Complete Streets (CES). “The city was advised to resubmit those requests for restoration in the ‘26 budget,” she said.
Committee members discussed a sidewalk improvement district that the city plans to advance regardless of outside awards. One staff member said funding for the sidewalk plan was allocated in the city engineering budget; the city applied for a state planning grant but did not receive it. The plan will proceed with the city-allocated funds and, if a grant materializes later, the city would release the local allocation for other uses.
The committee also reviewed the federal Safe Streets for All planning grant round, which opens June 26. Ruth Ann said Kingston’s average fatality rate is lower than the threshold that receives priority scoring, which may reduce the city’s competitiveness for planning funds. The county is preparing a regional resubmission to cover municipalities across Ulster County and is coordinating with city staff, a county representative said during the meeting.
The committee received an update on Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) entitlement funds: a submitted request to restore sidewalks around Academy Green was accepted by the local CDBG commission and will proceed to a public and HUD review, but members noted federal funding cuts could affect the outcome.
Ending: Committee members asked staff to continue tracking application windows and to report back on resubmittal strategies. Where grant funding is uncertain, the city will use allocated budget funds to maintain project schedules.
