Greer Smith of Jazz in the Valley presented the festival’s 20th-anniversary programming and asked the Poughkeepsie Public Arts Commission for promotional support, logistical help and modest funding to cover musician meals for a free community day. Smith said the festival will include a free day at Warriors Park featuring a performance called “Breathe,” a set that organizers described as 50 musicians on the lawn and a program meant to be a “thank you” to the city. Smith asked the commission for help with promotion and with identifying the correct city contacts so the free day can be publicized accurately. Why it matters: Commissioners described Jazz in the Valley as a legacy event that brings national and regional audiences to Poughkeepsie and said municipal help could sustain and expand its economic and cultural impact. What Jazz in the Valley asked for: Smith requested help promoting the free day through municipal channels (the Buzz) and assistance to secure small operational supports such as funding for musicians’ meals and site coordination. Commission response: Commissioners thanked Smith, praised the festival’s history and said they would connect her with municipal contacts and consider support in an upcoming working session. Hudson Valley Symphony: During public participation, Rachel Crozier, who identified herself as executive director of the Hudson Valley Symphony Orchestra, asked the commission to help the orchestra find Poughkeepsie venues for its season and to strengthen school partnerships. Crozier said the orchestra is a professional ensemble with a long local history and that this season the group plans smaller chamber concerts in the city and seeks spaces large enough for full-orchestra performances (the group noted Poughkeepsie High School as one possible full-ensemble venue). Commissioners offered to follow up on venue options and municipal event partnerships. No formal funding was approved at the meeting; commissioners said they would discuss possible support at a working meeting and explore promotion through city channels.