News & Events

Dutchess County Parks Update

Quiet Cove Riverfront Park opens May 23rd, outdoor dining and picnics
allowed at County Parks, new Parks Director starts May 29th

Poughkeepsie… County Executive Marc Molinaro announced a number of updates recently for Dutchess County Parks:

• Quiet Cove Riverfront Park will officially open Saturday, May 23rd from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. When visiting the park, residents are asked to please practice appropriate social distancing, including wearing masks and staying 6 feet apart. Additional capacity restrictions will also be in place and Department of Public Works-Parks Division staff will be on hand to monitor the number of guests in the park and ensure adherence to social distancing protocols.
  To promote proper social distancing, the following capacity restrictions and cleaning protocols will be in place at Quiet Cove:
  • Up to 50 individuals will be allowed on the west side of the tunnel at a time. During peak times or when the capacity is reached, a Parks staff member will monitor access at the tunnel.
  • A limited number of individuals will be allowed on the observation decks, Navy Boat House porch, and kayak launch at a time. Social distancing markers will be placed, as well.
  • Public restrooms will be available, monitored and cleaned throughout the day.
    
• While the State does not yet permit restaurants to host outdoor dining, starting Saturday, May 23rd, Bowdoin Park, Quiet Cove Riverfront Park, and Wilcox Park will have picnic tables on the grass and near grill stands for families to enjoy. Social distancing measures will be visible around the tables and residents are asked to please not move the tables from the designated areas. Lawn chairs and picnic blankets are allowed.
  
• Sandy Washburn joins the Dutchess County Parks Division as the new Parks Director on Friday, May 29th. Sandy has more than 12 years’ experience in the parks and recreation field, most recently serving as the Director of Parks & Recreation at the Town of Lagrange. She also volunteered for the County’s Parks Master Plan Core Team and served one two-year term as Dutchess County Legislator for District 25 in 2016.

County Executive Molinaro said, “During these challenging times, it’s nice to have so much good news to share about our great Dutchess County Parks. I invite you to join us in welcoming Sandy Washburn to our Parks team–her experience and knowledge will be a wonderful addition as we move forward. Additionally, especially as the weather warms up, Dutchess County Parks, now including Quiet Cove, are a great places to enjoy outdoor dining in a safe way. However, we remind everyone to please be safe and abide by the restrictions our Parks staff has put in place to keep everyone safe and healthy.”

Dutchess County Parks, including the Dutchess Rail Trail and Harlem Valley Rail Trail, are open. Residents are reminded to follow social distancing guidance, wear masks or face coverings, and wash their hands or use hand sanitizer to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19. If you are not feeling well, please stay home. Help keep our Parks open and safe for all – view a Social Distancing at Dutchess County Parks flyer.

Dutchess Responds Food Connection Delivers 10,000+
Meals to Families During COVID-19 Pandemic

Poughkeepsie, NY… Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro has announced the Dutchess Responds Food Connection, established in March as a one-stop connection between food resources in our community and those with a critical need for food and other necessities during the COVID-19 pandemic, has delivered more than 10,000 meals to local families in less than two months.

To date, the Dutchess Responds Food Connection has received 506 requests for food and made 707 deliveries, averaging 18 deliveries per day; each delivery consists of three meals per day for three days. Residents in need of food resources can request free deliveries of meals by filling out an online form or by calling the Dutchess County Coronavirus Hotline at (845) 486-3555 and selecting Option 5.

County Executive Molinaro said, “While the COVID-19 pandemic has tested our County like never before, it has also shone a light on residents’ generosity and selflessness as #DutchessResponds to these unprecedented times. Just as the need for food resources has increased as the pandemic has touched every corner of our nation, and indeed our County, so too has Dutchess County’s response, delivering more than 10,000 meals to residents in need. We thank those who have supported our Dutchess Responds Food Connection, as well as the magnanimous staff and volunteers who travel throughout the County to deliver these critical meals every weekday.”

The Dutchess Responds Food Connection is a collaboration between Dutchess Outreach, Community Action Partnership for Dutchess County, and the Dutchess County Department of Planning and Development; staff from the pantries prepare and package the meals while staff from the Planning Department answer calls to the Coronavirus Hotline requesting food and record the requests and coordinate distribution and delivery.

In addition to the Dutchess Responds Food Connection, the County has continued to meet residents’ critical food needs in several other ways. Dutchess County’s Office for the Aging, for example, has delivered a record number of home-delivered meals to seniors, now totaling more than 34,000 meals since March 16.

County Executive Molinaro said, “We in Dutchess County are blessed with a coordinated system of organizations that offer vital food resources to residents who need them, year-round – from our own Office for the Aging to countless food pantries throughout the county. We’re proud to have our Dutchess Responds Food Connection supplement these established outlets during these trying times, and we’ll continue to answer our residents’ needs, during this pandemic and beyond.”

More information about the County’s “Dutchess Responds” relief effort, including the Dutchess Responds Food Connection and opportunities for residents to donate their time or resources, is available on the Dutchess Responds website.

#RestartingDutchess

Highlights from County Executive Molinaro’s
COVID -19 Online Town Hall Today

Thousands take part in discussions about pandemic and County’s response each week

Poughkeepsie, NY… Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro hosted his latest online COVID-19 Town Hall this afternoon, providing residents with latest news about the local impact of the pandemic and answering their questions.

Today’s online event, the first of two County Executive Molinaro will host this week, drew more than 500 viewers who watched live and asked questions. The full town hall update can be viewed on Dutchess County Government’s YouTube page.

Highlights from today’s Town Hall discussion included:

• County Executive Molinaro noted Dutchess County meets all metrics required to re-open as per the criteria reviewed by the Mid-Hudson Regional Control Room, led by representatives from the Governor’s office. However, the Mid-Hudson region overall has not yet been approved to begin Phase 1 reopening. Reopening can only begin with approval for the region – counties may not begin reopening independently.
• One of the current impediments to the Mid-Hudson region’s approval to begin Phase 1 reopening is a change made yesterday to the requirement for contact tracers. While Dutchess County meets the state-mandated metric of 30 contact tracers per 100,000 population, with more than 90 contact tracers; the Mid-Hudson Regional Control Room announced yesterday the number of contract tracers for the region would now be based on infection rate, rather than population – and more than 1,800 contact tracers are needed regionwide. Dutchess County’s required number of contact tracers is now 250. New York State is currently hiring contact tracers, but as it will take the State some time to get all of the needed contact tracers up and running, Dutchess County is recruiting individuals who are willing to immediately volunteer to take the 4-hour training to assist the local community. These volunteers work remotely to contact COVID-positive individuals and re-trace their steps to identify others with whom they may have come in contact and possibly exposed to COVID-19, to contain the spread throughout the community. Individuals interested in volunteering to help Dutchess County meet the immediate need for contact tracers are encouraged to send their name, email address and cell phone number to dcpersonnel@dutchessny.gov. Signing up to be an available volunteer to help Dutchess County meet its contract tracing needs does not prevent individuals from applying for a paid contact tracing position with the State; individuals can apply for a paid contact tracing position with the state online.
• To date, more than 23,000 Dutchess County residents have been tested for COVID-19. As activities continue to be allowed to resume statewide and as the region becomes approved for Phase 1 opening, County Executive Molinaro stressed the importance of residents continuing to get tested as they re-engage in activities and work outside of their home. Testing collection site information is available on the County’s website.
• The County Executive also noted that on Tuesday the State provided Dutchess County with hundreds of results from tests conducted in April, skewing the County’s cumulative number of confirmed cases, as seen on the Dutchess County COVID-19 Community Impact Dashboard. Many of the individuals whose test results were received late Tuesday have since been categorized as “recovered,” as they have completed their 14-day quarantine.
• The County’s Recovery Center, located at Dutchess Community College’s Conklin Hall Dormitory, has been stood down without a single COVID-19 patient utilizing the facility as local hospital capacity has remained stable. Established in partnership with Nuvance Health in April, the County set up the center in case it was needed for COVID patients who were recovering and didn’t need to stay in the hospital but couldn’t return home immediately after being discharged. Local hospital capacity continues to be stable, an important metric toward Phase 1 re-opening.
• Following the latest guidance from Empire State Development (ESD), County Executive Molinaro shared many of the businesses and low-risk activities now permitted to resume, including:
  • Socially distant religious services – 10 or fewer worshippers OR in-vehicle services held at drive-in theaters or parking lots;
    Municipal libraries;
  • Retail businesses (delivery and curbside pickup only);
  • Single student horseback riding;
  • Hunting and fishing clubs;
  • Acupuncture, when prescribed by a medical professional;
  • Pet grooming to ensure the health and well-being of the animal;
  • Auto maintenance;
  • Landscaping;
  • Gardening;
  • Horticulture;
  • Low-risk, outdoor activities including, tennis, non-motorized boat use and rentals, and golf and driving ranges, except miniature golf; and
  • Drive-in movie theaters.
• County Executive Molinaro also announced Quiet Cove Riverfront Park will officially open to residents on Saturday, May 23rd; the park will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Department of Public Works-Parks staff will monitor the number of patrons and their social distancing.

Additionally, while the state does not yet permit restaurants to host outdoor dining, County parks have picnic tables available for families to enjoy this weekend; residents will find social distancing measures in place around these tables.

• County Executive Molinaro welcomed Dr. William Begg, Vice President of Medical Affairs at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, to discuss the importance of residents continuing to seek non-COVID medical attention. As an unintended consequence of the current pandemic, healthcare professionals have experienced an increase of residents putting off non-COVID medical appointments and procedures. Dr. Begg explained the importance of residents remaining vigilant and proactive about their health, as many appointments can be conducted online via telemedicine apps or websites, among other options.
• While traditional Memorial Day celebrations have been postponed this year, due to the pandemic, Dutchess County’s Division of Veterans’ Services has organized a Memorial Day Convoy of county, police, fire and local municipality vehicles, which will travel through Dutchess County to mark the national holiday on Monday, May 25th. The convoy, which will depart from Poughkeepsie at approximately 11 a.m. Monday, will make a loop around Dutchess County, passing through a dozen municipalities. Residents are reminded that, due to social-distancing guidelines, they are not permitted to congregate in large groups; they are, however, urged to hang American flags along the convoy’s route, and children are encouraged to paint and draw flags to be displayed in their windows or on driveways.

County Executive Molinaro will host another COVID-19 Town Hall on Friday, May 22nd at 2 p.m. As with all previous town hall forums, the May 22nd event will be broadcast live on the Dutchess County Government Facebook page, and American Sign Language interpreters will translate the conversation. Past online COVID-19 community conversations are archived on the County’s Coronavirus webpage.

Dutchess County Government continues to provide residents the most current information on its COVID-19 Community Impact Dashboard, as well as guidance on its website, dutchessny.gov/coronavirus, its Coronavirus hotline, (845) 486-3555, and its Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Update for Wednesday, May 20, 2020

• All essential businesses with employees working and interacting with the public qualify to have their staff tested for COVID-19. Businesses reopening in Phase 1 also qualify to have employees tested. To find a testing site, you can use the test site finder HERE.
• The NY Department of Labor has released a FAQ page for employers in regards to COVID-19, including questions on Unemployment Insurance, Shared Work and Job Refusal. The page can be found HERE.
• The US Department of Labor has adopted revised policies for enforcing OSHA’s requirements with respect to coronavirus as economies reopen in states throughout the country. The revised policies cover increased in-person inspections at all types of workplaces, and the enforcement policy for recording cases of coronavirus. Both policies can be found HERE.
• The US Chamber of Commerce recently released a useful and easy to follow guide on what businesses need to do to apply for forgiveness of their PPP loans. Access the guide HERE.
• That State has updated the guidance on what types of organizations are considered essential. The updated guidance can be found HERE.
• While the Mid-Hudson region has NOT yet met the criteria to begin phase 1 of reopening, all businesses, including essential businesses, must develop a COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan. A template for a plan may be found HERE. Please note: This plan does not need to be submitted to a state agency for approval, but must be retained on the premises of the business and must be made available to the New York State Department of Health (DOH) or local health or safety authorities in the event of an inspection.
• In today’s (Wednesday) press conference Governor Andrew Cuomo said beginning Thursday, religious ceremonies can take place as long as there are less than 10 individuals gathered and social distancing efforts are in place. The Interfaith Advisory Committee will be convening to determine how religious institutions can reopen fully going forward.
• Governor Cuomo said there has not been a date set to reopen casinos because they are considered large gathering venues. Casinos run by Native American tribes have announced reopening dates because technically they are sovereign and cannot be closed by the state.
• Governor Cuomo reiterated if any region has their various indicators rise after they begin the reopening phases, the state will shut that region back down.

If you have any questions regarding the information in this notification or any other business related concerns and suggestions, please email Contact@DutchessBNN.com. Please do NOT contact elected officials regarding information in this email as they are currently inundated with handling the government response to this crisis. This network was created to help coordinate responses and share the burden, and we ask that you please contact us with any questions or concerns so our elected officials can focus on their task at hand. Thank you for your continued support through this time.

If you were forwarded this email, but would like to be added to the email list, please let us know by emailing contact@DutchessBNN.comPOWERED BY

Update for Tuesday, May 19, 2020

• Horse and car racing tracks will be allowed to reopen without fans beginning June 1. The state will give additional guidance in the coming week.
• Additionally, Governor Cuomo supports reopening major league sports, but without fans. He has not yet commented on the status of minor league sports, including the Hudson Valley Renegades.
• The New York State Senate will reconvene for session starting next Tuesday. They will be focusing on COVID-19 related issues, including housing regulations, but have not released an agenda yet. Any legislation impacting the business community will be shared as it is made available.
• An updated FAQ document concerning the reopening of industries through NY FORWARD has been released by the state. It can be found HERE.
• In today’s (Tuesday) press conference Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state would begin a pilot program to allow visitations to hospitals. No hospital in Dutchess County is included in this pilot but if it is successful, the pilot program will be expanded throughout the state.
• The governor said once the downstate regions begin to reopen, the MTA will have policies in place to have the capacity to provide safe commuting services.
• Sector specific reopening requirements have been posted by the state, including:
  • Be in a designated industry and approved region.
  • Adopt a written reopening plan consistent with state guidance and standards – including applicable Executive Orders. Written plans must be maintained and posted on site, but do not need to be submitted to the state.
  • Fully implement its reopening plan, including required employee outreach and training.
  • Affirm to the state that the employer has read and understands its obligation to operate in accordance with state guidance.
  • Stay current. Consult the NY Forward website on a periodic basis or whenever notified of the availability of new guidance.

If you have any questions regarding the information in this notification or any other business related concerns and suggestions, please email Contact@DutchessBNN.com. Please do NOT contact elected officials regarding information in this email as they are currently inundated with handling the government response to this crisis. This network was created to help coordinate responses and share the burden, and we ask that you please contact us with any questions or concerns so our elected officials can focus on their task at hand. Thank you for your continued support through this time.

Masks for You = Masks for Frontline Workers!

When you purchase our masks for yourself, your family, or your organization you are also helping provide masks to essential workers on the frontlines!

Our masks are homemade by Hudson Valley workers though a partnership between Mutual Aid Beacon and Hudson Valley immigrant leaders Ignacio Acevedo and Alfredo Pacheco Cruz. These sales support unemployed immigrant workers who may not be able to access unemployment funds. 

ABOUT OUR MASKS

Our cotton masks are washable and durable for re-use. Both child-sized and adult masks use the design shown in the photo.  Fabrics are chosen with love and care by local artists. 

THE DETAILS

Masks are $10 each. $7 per masks goes to pay workers making the masks and $3 per mask is used for supplies and coordination. For every mask purchased, two masks are made and distributed to frontline workers, including farm workers, domestic workers and others.

For large orders of 50 or more, we offer a $350-$500 sliding scale based on the size of your organization and a flat $25 shipping fee. Please email mutualaidbeacon@gmail.com to arrange a bulk order.

Front porch pickup in Beacon, NY or delivered to you with USPS shipping

QUESTIONS?

Email us at mutualaidbeacon@gmail.com (and include “MASKS” in the subject line) or text us at 845-288-2559.

For updates, check out our Facebook page.

Update for Monday, May 18, 2020

• Empire State Development (ESD) has just published an online tool to help businesses determine whether or not they are eligible to reopen, and the public health and safety standards with which they must comply. The tool can be found HERE.
• ESD has also updated the guidance for essential businesses that are allowed to be open before Phase 1. Included in that list is golf courses and driving ranges, but food and retail services at the courses must remain closed. This does allow carts to be used on the courses. That guidance can be found HERE.
• The SBA has released the instructions and application for Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness. They can be found HERE.
• The U.S. Department of Labor has issued a final rule to provide greater simplicity and flexibility to retail industry employers when it comes to which employees are exempt from overtime. If an employee is primarily paid by commission, they now may be exempt from qualifying for overtime. The press release and rule can be found HERE.
• Reminder: In order to reopen when it is authorized, a business must fill out, and have on premises, a copy of the company’s reopening safety plan. A template of the plan can be found HERE.
• In today’s (Monday) press conference Governor Andrew Cuomo said houses of worship, and other areas where a lot of individuals gather to participate, would be allowed to reopen in Phase 4. The state is looking at ways to allow these organizations to reopen with limited capacity and social distancing measures in place.
• The governor said testing kits and capacity were being set aside for nursing home staff because of his new Executive Order requiring all staff members be tested twice a week. This follows concerns brought by nursing home and long-term care facilities regarding the availability of testing for employees.
• Governor Cuomo said the 14 day minimum between phases is due to the incubation period of the virus.

If you have any questions regarding the information in this notification or any other business related concerns and suggestions, please email Contact@DutchessBNN.com. Please do NOT contact elected officials regarding information in this email as they are currently inundated with handling the government response to this crisis. This network was created to help coordinate responses and share the burden, and we ask that you please contact us with any questions or concerns so our elected officials can focus on their task at hand. Thank you for your continued support through this time.