FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2020
2019 Department of Public Works Annual Report Released
KINGSTON, NY – Mayor Steve Noble and the City of Kingston’s Department of Public Works Superintendent Edward Norman have released the department’s 2019 Annual Report. Under Mayor Noble’s leadership, every year each of the City’s internal departments complete a comprehensive report, which details the achievements and developments of the previous year and set goals for the coming year. The City will be sharing several departments’ annual reports in the coming weeks.
As laid out in their 2019 Annual Report, among the Department of Public Works’ many accomplishments is the completion of the Jacob’s Valley Storm Sewer Improvement project, which reduces the flooding on the Broadway near the CSX overpass, YMCA, and Summer Street locations. The Department’s staff facilitated the transition to dual-stream recycling, distributing 6,500 paper recycling totes, changing existing black lids to blue, and successfully educating the City on the changeover. Public Works responded to 12 winter storms, seven of which had accumulations in excess of three inches. Together with contractors, DPW paved 27 streets with 12,238 tons of blacktop, installed 36 ADA corners, and replaced approximately 106 manholes.
In 2019, DPW leadership began working more closely with the City’s Engineering Department to move City projects forward by better utilizing shared resources. The result of this collaboration has been increased communication, better preparation for emergency repairs, and ultimately a savings to the taxpayers.
In early 2020, DPW and the Office of Sustainability have overseen the LED Streetlight conversion, which began in January and is more than 80% completed. Nearly all of the cobra-head streetlights across the City have already been retrofitted with LED. The next phase, retrofitting the remaining decorative lights, is scheduled to begin in late April.
Additional projects slated for 2020 include milling and paving 15 streets, utilizing 7,000 tons of blacktop, and implementing a pavement management system. Major infrastructure projects will include updates to Wilbur Avenue storm water system, Roosevelt Avenue storm water drainage system, and Greenkill Ave. sewer lines.
“The City could not run without the dedication and hard work of the women and men of DPW–from refuse and recycling collection, to clearing our streets of snow and ice, to making sure our sewers are operating and maintained, to paving and filling potholes, we rely on the smooth functioning of DPW each and every day,” said Mayor Noble. “I commend Ed Norman and Ryan Coon for effectively leading the department through a myriad of vital projects each week and all year long.”
“I am proud of what we accomplished in 2019 thanks to the hard work of the entire DPW staff,” said Superintendent Ed Norman. “We had a very busy year with progress and completion on many projects and initiatives, and 2020 will bring even more major improvements for the City.”
Read the 2019 DPW Annual Report.