The discussion ended with a series of questions posed by Loeding that constituted a kind of visioning for Rondout — from defining its narrative to who is the target audience. Loeding said part of her own vision was to address the Native American presence in the area, which predated the European settlers by hundreds of years and was the reason why one of the state’s first trading posts was located here.
Miller mentioned the story of the immigrants, which is the focus of the Reher Bakery Center, while Andi Turco-Levin, a city alderwoman, said she particularly liked the idea of fostering education of youth by establishing a boat-building center on the waterfront.
Jennifer Schwartz Berky, deputy director of the Ulster County Planning board — she also teaches at Bard College and had several of her students in tow — added that the educational component was particularly needed, and valuable. “School groups want to learn about the waterfront” but need more opportunities for doing so.
Swanzey said one aspect of Rondout’s history that’s been forgotten is the community of artists who once painted in the area. They included Jervis McEntee, whose diary recounts the rail journeys he took to Mohonk and other picturesque spots from Rondout, and Joseph Tubby. Architect Calvert Vaux, who was a brother-in-law of McEntee, was also a frequent visitor and designed numerous fine houses in the area (Vaux designed most of the bridges and other fanciful structures in Central Park, which contribute so much to the park’s charm.)
Swanzey also made the point that redevelopment efforts should primarily be geared toward residents. “To have a really vital city, people need to connect to it,” he said. “When we work on improving the environment and connectivity of the city for the people who live here, it’ll be infectious.”
INDEED, BERKY noted that a Sea Grants survey that compared Cold Spring, Beacon and Kingston indicated that of the three places, Kingston was “far behind in place image, because of its poor self-image.” Morale is an important component in attracting visitors, given that “we’re all ambassadors for this place.” As Kingstonians learn more about the history of their city and are engaged in its culture, that knowledge and pride naturally would be conveyed to outsiders who might then want to visit, and ultimately live here.
Jack Weeks, another board member at the HRMM, noted that athletic events, such as sailing regattas, are very effective in bringing people to Rondout. A program in which kids build their own boats and then sail them would bring many more people to the waterfront — starting with their parents.
Doyle noted that he thought the main problem was that Kingston didn’t do a good enough job of marketing what it already has. “We can build the image of what we have here, because it’s great,” he said. “Kingston needs to tell its story better and market itself better to the region.”
Clay Wiles and Bob Elliott, representing an organization called OurHudson — they were responsible for bringing down the barge from the Mohawk River; it will continue its journey down the river — spoke briefly about the activities of their newly formed regional organization. Because of the lack of funds, Elliott said building partnerships with all the existing organizations focused on the river, from Scenic Hudson to Riverkeeper to the Hudson River Estuary Program to the Historic River Towns, located downriver (which Elliott helped found) was essential.
