The council approved a measure 6-2 to borrow $1.2 million to begin removing the Pike Plan canopies in front of buildings on Wall and North Front Streets. Kingston Mayor Steve Noble says demolition could start in April. The city has debated for months whether to take down the canopies, which date back to the 1970s. Noble says the structure is an unwanted reminder of the Urban Renewal Era in Kingston.
Democratic 2nd Ward Alderman Michael Tierney voted against the removal Tuesday, saying he likes the canopies.
“It’s part of what makes uptown Kingston unique...I think that the Pike Plan, in some effort, is worth reconstructing," he says. "I think it's clear from the information that we have shown, that this iteration of the Pike Plan needs to come down. The issue that I have is that we really have no substantial plan for what comes next.”
The city is currently facing litigation over the plan from William Gottlieb Real Estate, which owns properties on Wall and North Front Streets. In a statement, Mayor Noble criticized the company for attempting to “drain the city funds and resources.”
Tuesday’s meeting also saw the council unanimously pass a resolution calling on New York Governor Kathy Hochul to support the Hudson Valley Power Authority Act, which would allow the state to take over Central Hudson Gas & Electric. The bill, sponsored by State Senator Michelle Hinchey and Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha, both Democrats, is still in committee, but several residents spoke in support of it Tuesday night.
Kingston resident Sarah Venditti says she was forced to pay an extremely high utility bill a few years ago, even though she was out of town at the time. She says Central Hudson estimated her bill based on a meter reading from the year before, when a previous resident was regularly running medical equipment.
“It put me in a really awful position and it was extremely traumatizing for me," says Venditti. "Every person that I know in Kingston has a similar story about some crazy situation with Central Hudson where they were paying a bill that didn’t make sense, or that they couldn’t afford it."
Central Hudson is seeking to regain trust after it incorrectly charged hundreds of customers in 2021. Despite outcry from lawmakers, the utility received a rate increase from the Public Service Commission last year, and it’s seeking another increase to start in July.
Joseph Jenkins, a spokesman for Central Hudson, says the utility has fixed the issues caused by its new billing system, and held multiple events to meet with customers one-on-one over their concerns.
“Central Hudson has proudly served this region for 125 years, providing safe, reliable, and affordable energy to our communities," he says. "And a government takeover would put all of that at risk. So we stand with those who oppose this legislation.”
Not everyone at Tuesday’s meeting spoke in favor of the bill. Micheal Hichack, with the Local 320 chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, worries a public takeover would cost taxpayers more than it would save them.
“Investor-owned utilities own the assets that transit and deliver the power," says Hichack. "These assets would have to be purchased by the Hudson Valley Power Authority, creating debt that your grandchildren — my grandchildren and great-grandchildren — will inherit. Not to mention the millions of taxpayer dollars in litigation.”
After roughly an hour of public comment, Democratic 7th Ward Alderman Bryant Andrews praised residents for coming out, and echoed his support for the measure.
“It's clear that Kingston leads in public engagement, and the people today and the last couple of months have spoken," says Andrews. "We need to literally give power to the people.”
