A task force has come up with recommendations for the city of Kingston, New York on how to develop an action plan to make the city’s waterfront more resilient in the face of future storms.
Kingston Mayor Shayne Gallo appointed the Waterfront Flooding Task Force in December 2012 to study and recommend actions in response to severe flooding on the Rondout and Hudson River waterfront from Hurricanes Sandy and Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. He says the following has emerged.
Environmental group Scenic Hudson co-led the task force with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Steve Rosenberg is senior vice president at Poughkeepsie-based Scenic Hudson.
He adds:
He says revisiting the city’s building and zoning codes in light of post-flood information will enable property owners and developers to make better use of resources. Rosenberg and Gallo point out the city is now better positioned to apply for state and federal funding to help with some of the issues raised in the report. For example, notes Gallo:
He refers to the city’s sewage treatment plant, which was heavily damaged from Hurricane Sandy. Aging and vulnerable infrastructure is an issue that plagues several municipalities with sewage treatment plants near the Hudson River.
Rosenberg says the task force work for Kingston spawned two other task force efforts that are just getting off the ground – one in Greene County.
Again, Mayor Gallo.
The task force assessed flooding risks and vulnerabilities and prepared general and neighborhood-specific recommendations. Gallo says the public will have the chance to weigh in on the recommendations in January.
