Poughkeepsie, NY … Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro hosted his latest in a series of virtual Town Hall Forums to inform residents about the latest local developments regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and answer their questions.

Since mid-March, County Executive Molinaro has hosted more than 30 such online discussions with the community, and an archive of those events is available on the Dutchess County Government YouTube page.

Among the highlight of today’s conversation:

• County Executive Molinaro updated residents on the most current data posted on the Dutchess County COVID-19 Community Impact Dashboard:

o 4,704 total confirmed cases
o 113,360 tests completed
o 269 active cases
o 6 hospitalizations
o 153 deaths
o 4,282 recoveries
o 1% infection rate

• As local school districts make final determinations on whether students will return to school or not, Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH) is working diligently with districts to provide guidance and information regarding testing access, reporting protocols, contact tracing and more. Multiple conference calls with district superintendents, principals and other officials have been occurring and DBCH most recently hosted an overview today with school nurses from throughout the county. Additionally, DBCH’s Rapid Response team is ready to assist districts in the event of positive reports.

• Six weeks after the Mid-Hudson region, including Dutchess County, entered Phase 4 of the NY Forward re-opening process, Gov. Andrew Cuomo provided guidance under which bowling alleys, as well as gyms and fitness studios are allowed to open; the former are currently allowed to open, the latter will be able to open, beginning Monday, Aug. 24th.

Bowling alleys must limit capacity to no more than 50 percent, and all patrons must wear a mask or face covering at all times. Among the other guidance, bowling alley staff must rigorously clean and disinfect any rented or shared equipment, such as balls and shoes, between use; parties of players must remain socially distant, at least 6 feet apart from each other; and patrons may only interact with their own playing party at their assigned lane.

In order to open, beginning Monday, Aug. 24th, gyms and fitness studios must maintain no more than 33 percent capacity; all employees and patrons must wear masks or face coverings at all times, complete and pass a health screening and sign in upon entering the facility; patrons and employees must remain socially distant, at least 6 feet apart; and facilities must ensure individuals do not share equipment without cleaning and disinfection between uses.

Earlier this week, the governor updated the list of states from which travelers must quarantine for 14 days, adding Alaska and Delaware to the travel quarantine list. There are now 33 states, in addition to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, on New York’s travel quarantine list.

• In response to the pandemic, and the associated prohibition on large gatherings and need for social distancing, Dutchess County will host a ThinkDIFFERENTLY Drive-Thru Picnic – in lieu of its successful, in-person, annual picnics for residents with disabilities – on Tuesday, September 1st at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Akin to the Office for the Aging’s (OFA) successful drive-through picnics, the mobile ThinkDIFFERENTLY event will offer residents with special needs brief, socially distant interaction with County staff and volunteers while providing them a nutritious bag lunch prepared by a local deli; the ThinkDIFFERENTLY event will take place alongside the OFA’s drive-through picnic at the fairgrounds on September 1st. Space is limited for this rain-or-shine event, and online registration is required by August 26th at dutchessny.gov/picnicrsvp.

• The Office for the Aging (OFA) “Drive-Thru Picnic Series,” held in response to the pandemic and the need for social distancing, remains a rousing success, with more seniors registering for this summer’s 12 drive-through events than last year’s dozen traditional, in-person picnics. Halfway through this year’s schedule, more than 4,000 seniors have registered for the drive-through picnics, compared to the 3,807 seniors who attended OFA picnics in 2019. At its first six drive-through picnics, OFA distributed some 600 pounds of local fresh fruit from Hudson Valley Harvest and more than 130 gallons of local milk from Hudson Valley Fresh.

County Executive Molinaro’s next virtual discussion will take place on Wednesday, August 26th, when he hosts a countywide Tele-Town Hall, which allows residents to call (845) 765-7121 to listen to the dialogue and ask their questions. This event will also be broadcast live on the County’s Facebook page. As with the County Executive’s previous 30 plus virtual forums, American Sign Language interpreters will translate the conversation on Facebook.

With the summer coming to an end, Beacon City School District announced the end of the Summer Meals Program effective 8/19/2020. The School District will be moving forward with a new “Meals Program” which is designed to provide meals to remote learners throughout the school year. Please review the information below for the specifics of this new program:

CONTINUED ACCESS TO FREE GROCERIES

Distribution for free Groceries through Mutual Aid Beacon Will continue based on a schedule available on their website http://www.beaconmutualaid.com/

Distribution from Fairground Foundation will also continue in our local region and more information can be found on their website   Fairground.org.

Greens for Greens SNAP and EBT support programs will continue at the Beacon Farmers market
with information on https://www.beaconfarmersmarket.org/

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Molinaro Announces #ThinkDIFFERENTLY Drive-Through
Picnic for Residents with Special Needs

Free event to be held Sept. 1st at Dutchess County Fairgrounds

Poughkeepsie, NY … Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro announced the County will host a free #ThinkDIFFERENTLY drive-through picnic for residents with special needs on Tuesday, September 1st, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds, 6636 Route 9 in Rhinebeck.

Akin to the County’s successful 2020 Office for the Aging (OFA) Drive-Through Senior Picnic Series, the #ThinkDIFFERENTLY drive-through event is a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for social-distancing; the #ThinkDIFFERENTLY drive-through picnic will be held alongside the OFA’s drive-through event at the fairgrounds on Sept. 1st. Residents with special needs and their families and/or providers will drive to the fairgrounds’ entrance, where they’ll be greeted by #ThinkDIFFERENTLY staff for brief and safely distant socialization, including a guest appearance by Bee Bee the Clown, and receive a bag lunch, including a vegetarian option, prepared by a local deli to take with them. Space is limited for this rain-or-shine event, and online registration is required at dutchessny.gov/picnicrsvp; residents are urged to register promptly before this event reaches capacity.

County Executive Molinaro said, “While the pandemic has impacted us all, perhaps no group has felt more isolated than our friends and neighbors with disabilities. Despite the current challenges, we continue ThinkDIFFERENTLY about how to enhance the lives of residents of every ability. We look forward to welcoming our friends and neighbors of all abilities on September 1st, providing them some much-needed interaction, as well as a free, nutritious lunch, and seeing the many smiling faces we’ve missed for so long.”

The #ThinkDIFFERENTLY Drive-Through Picnic is made possible through the generous sponsorship from Greystone Programs Inc., Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health, Blue Path Service Dogs and MidHudson Regional Hospital for their sponsorship, as well as the community our agency partners who will greet attendees at the event.

The drive-through event is the latest embodiment of the County’s “ThinkDIFFERENTLY” initiative, established by County Executive Molinaro in 2015 to foster a welcoming and supportive environment to residents and visitors of all abilities. Since then, more than 100 communities throughout New York State and beyond have adopted “ThinkDIFFERENTLY” resolutions, pledging to accommodate individuals with special needs.

Dutchess County has hosted a free, in-person picnic for residents with special needs in each of the past seven years, attracting hundreds of attendees to each event, in addition to bi-annual, sensory-friendly movie days around the county; a sensory-friendly presentation of the holiday classic ballet, “The Nutcracker” at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House in 2019; the Disability, Dream & Do adaptive baseball camp at Dutchess Stadium in 2017-19; ThinkDIFFERENTLY Thursday at the Dutchess County Fair, a sensory-sensitive morning, in 2016-19; and the ThinkDIFFERENTLY Dash throughout the City of Poughkeepsie for participants of every ability in 2016-19, among other events.

Toni-Marie Ciarfella, Dutchess County’s Deputy Commissioner for Special Needs, said, “Having had to cancel outreach events due to the pandemic, we feel so fortunate and grateful to the Office for the Aging for welcoming us to hold our summer picnic alongside its event. This is a new way to reach out and offer support to the many friends we haven’t seen in so long. Safety is our top priority, and we’ve worked to ensure our drive-through picnic provides enjoyment and a healthy meal to attendees while adhering to pertinent health protocols.”

More information about the County’s efforts to ThinkDIFFERENTLY is available on the initiative’s award-winning website, http://www.ThinkDIFFERENTLY.net.

www.dutchessNY.gov

Molinaro’s Extensive COVID-19 Outreach Continues with Latest Online Town Hall

Dutchess County, NY sent this bulletin at 08/12/2020 04:45 PM EDT

Molinaro’s Extensive COVID-19 Outreach
Continues with Latest Online Town Hall

Poughkeepsie, NY… Five months to the day since the first positive case of Coronavirus/COVID-19 in Dutchess County was reported, County Executive Molinaro today hosted his latest online Town Hall Forum about the pandemic, providing residents with the latest updates and answering their questions.

County Executive Molinaro has hosted more than 30 such virtual discussions, and an archive of the online conversations, including today’s, can be viewed on Dutchess County Government’s YouTube page.

Among the highlights of today’s discussion:

• County Executive Molinaro reviewed Dutchess County’s most recent COVID-19 data posted on the County’s COVID-19 data dashboard:

o 4,619 total confirmed cases
o 103,993 tests completed
o 235 current active cases
o 2 hospitalizations
o 153 deaths
o 4,231 recoveries
o 1% infection rate

• Andrew Evans, Coordinator of Communicable Disease for the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health’s (DBCH) Communicable Disease Control and Preparedness Division, joined County Executive Molinaro to provide additional information about the pandemic and answer residents’ questions. Mr. Evans has been an integral part of the County’s COVID-19 Rapid Response Team and has been involved with providing guidance to schools about contact tracing as part of their re-opening plans.

• County Executive Molinaro provided residents an update on a decline in the County’s sales tax revenue during the pandemic. New York State provided Dutchess County its latest sales tax payment last week, which was a 4.6 percent decrease, compared to the same time in 2019; sales tax supports 40 percent of Dutchess County Government programs and services. The County’s sales tax revenue, year-to-date, is down 10.7 percent over 2019. On Tuesday, County Executive Molinaro joined his counterparts from Suffolk and Broome counties for a virtual press conference, calling on the federal government to deliver disaster assistance for counties dealing with unprecedented budgetary shortfalls and increased costs caused by the pandemic.

• Five weeks since the Mid-Hudson region, including Dutchess County, entered Phase 4 of the state’s “NY Forward” re-opening process, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has not provided guidance about permitting establishments such as gyms, movie theaters, bowling alleys, and indoor wedding venues. Earlier this week, the governor updated the list of states from which travelers must quarantine for 14 days, adding Hawaii, South Dakota and the Virgin Islands to the travel quarantine list, while taking Alaska, New Mexico, Ohio and Rhode Island off the list. There are now 33 states and two territories on New York’s travel quarantine list.

Gov. Cuomo last week announced school districts throughout the state will be allowed to open for in-class instruction in September, provided their individual re-opening plans receive approval from the state health and education departments. Districts have until this Friday to submit their plans, outlining how they can educate students safely to the state, and are awaiting final endorsement.

• Dutchess County will continue its longstanding partnership with the Dutchess County SPCA to holds its next free rabies vaccination clinic on Saturday, August 29th, from 8 a.m. to noon at the DCSPCA, located at 636 Violet Avenue in Hyde Park. Vaccinations for dogs, cats and domesticated ferrets are free for Dutchess County residents, and non-residents will be charged $10 for each pet vaccinated; proof of residency is required. Pre-registration is required by visiting the Dutchess County SPCA website at DCSPCA.org.

• County Clerk Brad Kendall will host a small, socially distant naturalization ceremony this Friday, August 14th, in the County Office Building’s Legislative Chambers to welcome 17 new American citizens. The event will be live streamed on the County’s website.

• U.S. Census counters began collecting information door-to-door earlier this week, visiting only homes whose residents have not already filled out their 2020 census form. County Executive Molinaro stressed the importance of every County resident to fill out their census form, as census counts play an important role in how much federal funding the County and local communities receive; how legislative district lines are drawn; and how many congressional seats each state receives. The County’s current census response rate is 62 percent. Census counters in the field will carry proper identification and have been extensively trained in social-distancing protocol. The deadline for residents to submit census information is September 30th.

• County Executive Molinaro announced Dutchess County will host a free, socially distant, drive-in movie event at Wilcox Memorial Park, located on Route 199 in the Town of Milan, on Friday, August 28th. The movie, “The Secret Life of Pets 2,” will be screened in the park’s main parking area, which will open to cars at 6:30 p.m. Attendees must pre-register at dutchessny.gov/parksevents. This drive-in movie night is a carry-in, carry-out event. Picnics and coolers are allowed, but glass containers, smoking, and alcohol are prohibited on park property. Restrooms will be available.

• A week after Tropical Storm Isaias impacted Dutchess County, County Executive Molinaro provided another, brief recap of the storm’s effect on local communities. The storm resulted in 72,238 power outages throughout the County: 58,653 reported by Central Hudson, 13,585 reported by New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG). Both utility companies reported earlier this week that power had been restored to all storm-related outage areas. County Executive Molinaro has scheduled two virtual meetings with mayors and supervisors of the County’s 30 municipalities to recap the storm and its local impact, as well as how to plan for future significant weather events.

County Executive Molinaro will continue his outreach about the pandemic on Wednesday, August 19th, when he hosts his next virtual Town Hall Forum, which will be broadcast live on the County’s Facebook page. As with each of the County Executive’s 30-plus online forums since March, American Sign Language interpreters will translate the August 19th discussion, as residents ask their questions virtually.

FAREGOUND INC. WILL PROVIDE DINNERS TO GO ON SATURDAY AUGUST 22, 2020. PLEASE SEE INFORMATION BELOW AND SHARE WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS

Fareground, Inc., a charitable 501(c)(3) is a women-run food justice, anti-hunger organization, dedicated to nourishing the community by increasing access to healthy and affordable food by supporting and creating opportunities for delicious meals, education, and volunteer opportunities. Fareground aims to collaborate to serve the community in a variety of ways to create fair ground. With a focus on healthy food and accessibility for all, Fareground will support the necessary changes to build local food security.

Fareground strives to:

• Provide local, organic food whenever possible. We work with local farms and organizations to secure donations or affordable food.
• Honor our community and all of its members, regardless of sexual orientation, gender, religious beliefs, political beliefs, education levels, or socioeconomic class. We value inclusivity and equity.
• Reach out and help to meet the needs of our community. We connect with the community in a variety of ways (I.e. coat drives, food drives, first responders to crises, social services, etc.).
• Eliminate hunger by creating a bridge between communities by addressing poverty and sustainability. We are continuously examining privilege and disparities and disrupt this whenever possible.
• Be as ecologically sound as possible and maintain the utmost respect for our environment. We recycle and compost and use actual dishes, cups, and cutlery to prevent waste at any time.