Recent News & Events
Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the UlsterCorps Celebration of Service
On Martin Luther King Day, County Executive Metzger and Chief Diversity Officer Dina Suggs celebrated Dr. King's legacy with hundreds of community volunteers at UlsterCorps’s annual MLK Day Celebration of Service at the Rosendale Community Center. We are grateful to all of our County's volunteers — at food pantries and firehouses, on local boards and commissions, in schools and libraries, and through civic and community-based organizations like the Lion's and Rotary Clubs, the Red Cross, Family of Woodstock, and so many others. We thank you for giving your time, energy, and talents to a higher purpose.
There is no community without love, compassion, empathy, and a willingness to step outside of one's own daily life to help meet a larger need.
Children’s Way Counseling Center Officially Open!
 Last week we had a celebratory ribbon-cutting for the Children's Way Counseling Center at the County's Center for Well-Being in Kingston, which provides mental health services to children as young as five and their families. We couldn't be happier about this partnership with the Children's Home of Poughkeepsie to bring these vital services to Ulster County. The staff are amazing, and the Center provides a full range of services in a warm, welcoming, and supportive environment, including early assessment, crisis intervention, psychiatric care, and counseling services.
Children's Way had a soft opening in October, and is already serving 85 children and families. You can more about Children's Way here!
County Executive Metzger Attends Governor Hochul’s State of the State and Meets with Other NY Execs
 On Tuesday, Jan. 13, County Executive Metzger attended Governor Hochul’s State of the State Address, together with County Executives and Mayors from around the state, including New York City's Mayor Zohran Mamdani just a few weeks into his new position.
The Governor's address included a number of announcements welcomed by the County Executive, including:
- An additional $470 million for Universal Pre-K, which will help our County's school districts expand their reach to many more children.
- More resources for mental health in schools, which the County government also supports through its Mental Health in Schools Program.
- A commitment to reign in car insurance premiums in New York, which are straining household budgets. According to a report of the Virginia-based Chamber of Progress, insurance companies have increased New York’s auto insurance premiums by 24% from 2020 to 2024.
- New online protections and privacy standards for youth, including safeguards that would automatically bar strangers from viewing, tagging or messaging minors on gaming and social media platforms.
- A ban on 3D printing of guns and DIY weapons.
- New protections against aggressive federal immigration enforcement, including establishing a right to sue federal officers for constitutional violations and proposed legislation to protect sensitive locations from civil immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant, including schools, daycare facilities, medical facilities, and places of worship.
County and Town of Shandaken Awarded $4.4M in Climate Resiliency Grants
 Fantastic news for the Town of Shandaken! The County and the Town have been awarded four NYS Department of Conservation grants that improve climate resiliency, protecting stream quality, nearby properties, and infrastructure from the impacts of climate change. The projects include:
- $1 million to the County to stabilize the streambank along a portion of the Esopus Creek in Phoenicia, which has seen significant subsidence from flooding.
- $603,564 to the County to replace an undersized and failing culvert as part of the County's Shandaken rail trail project.
- $1,604,338 to the Town to replace an undersized culvert over Alton Creek with a new, 30-foot bridge; and
- $1,185,600 to the Town to create a floodplain, plant a riparian buffer, and widen the channel of the Alton Creek at the same site, reducing erosion that threatens homes and infrastructure in the area, and protecting an emergency evacuation route.
Congratulations to the Shandaken community! Thank you to Governor Hochul and the DEC for this funding, and to Heidi Emrich, Kristen Wilson, Fiona Bohan, Andrew Emrich, and the whole teams in Environment, Planning, Public Works, and Budget for their work to secure it. We’re building climate resilience in Ulster County!
Kingston Donor Center Refurbished and Ready for Your Donations!
 Last Thursday, County Executive Metzger, Public Health Director Eve Walter, and Assembly Member Sarahana Shrestha helped cut the ribbon on the refurbished Kingston Donor Center on Albany Ave. (One donor had just finished giving blood for the 275th time — that must be a record!)
We face a blood shortage, and we strongly encourage folks to donate — you will save lives. The staff at the center are wonderful, and provide great snacks! The Center is open three days a week and takes both walk-ins and appointments. For information, visit: https://www.nybc.org/kingston-donor-center/.
Health Dept. Awarded nearly $4M to Eliminate Lead Risks in Homes
 Kudos to Public Health Director Eve Walter and the County Department of Health on securing a grant award of nearly $4 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to address the dangers of lead paint in homes in the 12401-zip code, which has the largest concentration of affected homes in an economically distressed area. The funding will provide direct support to homeowners and building owners to pay for remediation, as well as temporary housing for residents, if necessary.
Most Ulster County homes and buildings were built before lead paint was federally prohibited, and lead paint can still be found in many homes on trim, floors, windows, walls and/or doors. Studies show that no amount of lead exposure is safe for children, and the health effects of exposure are most harmful to children under six years of age because their bodies are still developing and growing rapidly.
The Ulster County Department of Health plays an important role in reducing this public health risk through its Environmental Lead Program. The Department also provides medical surveillance through the Department’s Patient Services Public Health Nursing Division. This funding will become available in late spring or early summer.
VSA Holiday Party Keeps the Holiday Cheer Into January
 We love that our Veterans Services Agency team always has its holiday party after the holidays — everyone needs some good cheer in January! This is an incredible group of people devoted to supporting our veterans and active-duty service members, most of them veterans, themselves. Thank you to the whole team: Mark, Frank, Tim, Dave, AJ, Linda S., Kalea, Marie, Mike, Craig, Danny, Ray, Linda O., and Levi. We appreciate you!
And a big thanks to Frank Guido’s for hosting the holiday gathering and for your generosity year-round in supporting the veteran community.
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