Village of Rhinebeck Mayor Gary Bassett told a community audience that the village has stepped up planning and secured multiple grants and loans to upgrade infrastructure and safety projects.

Bassett said the village is pursuing more than $9,600,000 in development funding and highlighted a recently approved comprehensive plan to guide land use for the next 10 to 20 years. “This 3 year effort completely overhauled the previous plan for 1993,” Bassett said, adding that the village board will work with Four Corner Planning on implementation.

The mayor said the village won a $1,600,000 Federal Transportation grant for a Safe Routes to School project to add about a mile of ADA‑compliant sidewalks, crosswalks and bike/ped connections between neighborhoods and the schools. Bassett credited Trustee Lewitt and engineering partner GPI with the application and said Trustee Lewitt will act as the project liaison during design and construction.

Bassett also described water and wastewater funding the village has received: he said the village is a recipient of a $3,200,000 grant for the water treatment plant and a multi‑million dollar loan for wastewater work; together he said those investments will form the start of programs he estimated at “over $6,000,000” for the water treatment plant and “over $3,000,000” for the wastewater plant. Bassett noted both plants are decades old and said upgrades are being planned so they can remain online during construction: “We’re gonna tear apart the water plant, rebuild it from the inside while still continuing to pump 500,000 gallons a day to feed the village,” he said.

The mayor described other initiatives: digitizing planning and zoning records, launching a village compost program funded by a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation grant (he cited $200,000), and an engineer‑led drainage study to inform street and stormwater repairs ahead of sidewalk construction.

Bassett also recognized the village’s volunteer fire department—he said the department has more than 90 members with about 50 active responders and handles about 1,200 calls per year—and he showed a short video compiled by a department member.

Officials said many projects are moving into design this year: the Safe Routes engineering design will begin with construction expected to start in 2026, and designs for the water and wastewater work will proceed with the goal of multi‑decade service life after upgrades. Bassett urged volunteers for the police department and thanked trustees and staff who helped pursue grant funding.

Looking ahead, Bassett said implementation will be phased and will require continued grant work and coordinated construction: “All of this involves long term planning, studying, financing, and a vision,” he said.

Ending: Bassett closed by thanking the community and the volunteer teams that support village services.