Snow Storm & Parking 12/16/20

ATTENTION VEHICLE OWNERS:
To help get vehicles off Village streets during snowstorms so our Department of Public Works (DPW) may safely clear roadways, free overnight parking is available before storms and for 24 hours after snow has stopped in the Huguenot Street municipal lot that leads to the Gardens for Nutrition and the Village sewer plant. The lot currently includes 29 spaces that are available on a first come, first serve basis.

Subsequently, the DPW will begin plowing the Huguenot Street lot 24 hours after the snow has stopped and any vehicles still in the lot at that time will risk being ticketed and towed.

Shoveling out one’s vehicle and making sure it is removed from the Huguenot Street lot before DPW plowing commences, regardless of a storm’s size, will be the sole responsibility of vehicle owners and not the Village DPW.

At any time, vehicles that block the thoroughfare on the left (west) side of the Huguenot Street lot heading towards the sewer plant risk being ticketed and towed immediately.

WATER USE ADVISORY!

For the next 9 days, residents and businesses using New Paltz’s municipal water should minimize use to support repairs inside the Catskill Aqueduct.
During parts of autumn and winter for the past three years, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP – NYC Water) has shut down the Catskill Aqueduct to clean the aqueduct, replace century-old valves, and repair minor leaks. New Paltz buys approximately 60% of its water from the Catskill Aqueduct.
During these annual shutdowns, DEP has used a pumping system to send water back to New Paltz, ensuring we have an adequate supply.
That pumping system will not be available during the next 9 days, which means New Paltz will be sustained by our reservoirs on Mountain Rest Road. To ensure that our local sources of water meet our needs, we are asking all our neighbors and customers to limit their use until Christmas Eve.
The pumping system is being shut off for a rather unique and tricky part of DEP’s repair. A specially trained team of divers will plunge more than 300 feet into part of the aqueduct to remove a valve, install a plug, and perform an inspection with a remote-controlled vehicle. For their safety, these divers must remain in a pressurized environment for the next couple weeks to acclimate their bodies to conditions that are more than 10 times the normal atmospheric pressure that our bodies feel on a typical day.
This is the most technically complex effort to rehabilitate the Catskill Aqueduct since it was first activated in 1915. Help from our community in New Paltz is key to making the work happen successfully.
Please do all that you can over the next several days to minimize your use of water. This work ensures that we will have a reliable supply of water for many more decades to come.

Bee City: Soil Building Session 12/19/20 at 12pm

The Village of New Paltz Environmental Policy Board and Future Fruits Kingston are hosting a soil building session for the New Paltz Village Hall on Saturday December 19th at 12:00pm. (The rain date will be Sunday the 20th, same time). We plan to place down compost and mulch in front of the building. The work will be relatively simple. We are doing this to prepare for the Bee City pollinator friendly landscaping project this spring, transforming the front of the hall into an inviting community space that is also environmentally friendly.
Bringing your own shovel is advised! Please wear a mask or face shield.
Anyone who would like to help out, please RSVP at npbeecity@villageofnewpaltz.org