A woman tallies pedestrians and cyclists as part of the annual counts.

The Health and Wellness Department of the City of Kingston measures how many people are walking and bicycling in two ways. An annual, in-person, paper count and two permanently installed infrared counters. We collect this data to determine trends, understand the needs of pedestrians and cyclists, and for grant applications. 

The annual counts are usually conducted in the third week of September. Pre-selected locations are counted for two hours on Wednesday and Thursday from 4-6 pm, and on Saturday from 12-2 pm. A volunteer tallies every time a person crosses the street or rides through the intersection. The count is based on the methodology developed by the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project. 

The counts are conducted by volunteers from the Complete Streets Advisory Council (CSAC) and other groups, but additional volunteers are always needed! We provide training and count forms for volunteers. Email Emily to find out more or sign up to help! 

The infrared counters are located at locations on the Greenline network of trails. The counters use infrared light to detect movement past their sensors. These are recorded and downloaded regularly. No personal information or photos are taken. 

“Play is the brain’s favorite way of learning”
~ poet and naturalist Diane Ackerman

I am a member of the Play Well Focus Group. It is a group of volunteers and City of Kingston staff who think about play and access to public spaces. Imagine that! This message is to announce that the Play Well Focus Group is conducting a parks assessment survey.

In preparation for this project, I volunteered to gauge the City of Kingston’s Parks and Recreation Department’s likely reception to an assessment of the parks. I did it by watching three past meetings of Kingston’s Parks and Recreation Commission on YouTube and by reading sections of the 2013 City of Kingston Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

I already knew that Kingston has 14 parks, a pool, a nature center, basketball courts, walking and biking trails, a beach, and a stadium. But I learned, almost as importantly, that we have a Parks and Recreation Department and Recreation Commission. Thankfully, they were receptive when we presented our plan to the Commission, and then we started the assessment at Block Park, followed by Cornell and Hutton.

We’re conducting our survey on paper in groups of twos and threes. It has questions under eight categories: accessibility, amenities, habitat, water, plants, trails, nature play, and culture. There’s also a place on the survey for improvement suggestions. Our goal is to identify what can be improved and then decide on at least one project to advance. In addition, our assessment could be used for the Parks and Recreation Department to make improvements when they have the capacity and it may support a future update to the Parks Master Plan.

Our Parks Assessments has led to interesting conversations. They include lofty goals and wish lists, which are often correctly tempered by saner minds in our group who point to safety and budget considerations. For example, when we were assessing Hutton Park, we discussed its boulders and whether they are an opportunity for play. “Yes,” I said emphatically! “No,” said someone else concerned with liability. This shows how differently people can interpret how spaces can be used and how complicated it can be to create rules in public spaces.

We have conversations about trees, about the definition of “Natural Play,” about surfaces that would perhaps be better served by native plants and flowers rather than grass. We have conversations about playing with water and about play equipment made from natural resources as opposed to plastic.

We’d like you to join us. We’d like your thoughts on play. Imagine that!

If you are interested, visit our events page to find out when the next Play Well meeting will be or email our coordinator, Emily at eflynn@kingston-ny.gov.

Arlene Puentes, Kingston, NY

The Purpose of The Live Well Kingston Commission is to encourage, promote, and facilitate policy, environmental, and systems changes that result in a healthy and active community. We do this through partnerships and collaboration. More specifically, we:

• We work through focus teams in partnership with community members. There are currently five focus teams which are: Age Well, Eat Well, Grow Well, Play Well, and Travel Well. 
• Educate the people of the City of Kingston (and ourselves) on healthy lifestyle choices,
• Advocate for increased access to healthy, nourishing foods; community gardens; parks, public spaces and nature; and safe active transportation systems, 
• Advocate for improvements to the City’s physical environment and for the expansion of opportunities for residents to lead healthier lives,
• Advise the Mayor and the Common Council and serve as a collaborative partner to elected officials, staff, boards, committees and other commissions on issues and topics related to healthy living,
• Coordinate and facilitate the acquisition of grants and other resources by the Commission, the City, or any other partner(s) in order to support our purpose.

Commitment: As a Commissioner we hope you will do some (or all) of the following:

• Regularly attend the Commission meetings where topics include proposed tasks, progress (or setback) reports, presentations from collaborators, discussions of proposed letters of support, and presentations from Commissioners on their focus groups,
• Bring your curiosity and unique experiences and expertise to our discussions and tasks,
• Contribute to a focus group that aligns with your interests or area of expertise, 
• Occasionally, contribute your time to tasks outside of the monthly meetings and focus groups. These tasks may involve research, editing or writing, or representing Live Well Kingston at other meetings and events. 
• To be an official Commissioner, you’ll be asked to sign an official book in the Clerk’s Office. By signing the book, you will have formally sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of New York, and to faithfully discharge the duties of Live Well Kingston Commissioner. Commissioners are volunteers and will always be afforded the guidance and education necessary to continue serving in good faith.

Additional information and resources:

• Live Well Kingston’s Direction (2025 Blog post)
• Live Well Kingston is coordinated by the City of Kingston’s Health and Wellness Department.
  • Contact: Emily Flynn, Director, Health & Wellness
    City of Kingston, 420 Broadway, Kingston, NY 12401
    Email: eflynn@Kingston-ny.gov, Phone: 845-334-3909
• Sign up for the Live Well Kingston Newsletter [update coming soon]
• Live Well Kingston 2026 Action Plan 
• Live Well Kingston past meeting minutes
• Live Well Commission Meetings on YouTube
• Live Well Kingston Commission Rules of Procedure
• The City of Kingston’s Ethics Code and NYS Open Meetings Law

Message from the Director

Emily Flynn, the Director of Health and Wellness for the City of Kingston.

Live Well Kingston is in a dynamic place in its 13th year*. We just went through a strategic reflection exercise that has clarified our mission, vision, and goals and we are as motivated as ever to create a community where everyone has access to local and nourishing foods, safe active transportation systems, welcoming public spaces, and community connection.

We conduct this work through subcommittees known as focus teams. There are five active groups: Age Well, Eat Well, Grow Well, Play Well, and Travel Well. With clarified goals, each group will be working on strategies to increase access to healthy options.

We are gaining momentum with engaged and committed Commissioners. We will be testing out a new structure in 2026. Each Commissioner will lead a specific role. Five of the seats will be connected to the subcommittees, which we refer to as focus teams. Six of the seats will play specific board roles, including chair, vice-chair, secretary, assessment, engagement, and development. With this new structure, our hope is that members will provide leadership and guidance with a specific need in mind.

We have seen some staffing changes in the last few years and it’s with joy that we wish Marsha Sebro and Kristin Kessler success on their journeys with other organizations.

We have accomplished a variety of projects in the past few years and are laying the foundation for new projects. Continue reading to learn more about all that we have accomplished in 2025 and a bit of preview of our plans for 2026.

*The Live Well Kingston Coalition started in June 2013 and was led by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County. It became a City Commission in February of 2017.

Our Team

The Live Well Kingston Commission is an advisory board to the City of Kingston’s Mayor and Common Council. In addition, the Commission advances its goals with subcommittees called focus teams. Almost everyone that supports this work is volunteering their time or able to use their paid work to collaborate. The Department of Health and Wellness coordinates the program. We wouldn’t be able to do this work without you all and we are deeply thankful.

2025 Achievements

Live Well Kingston Commission

The Live Well Kingston Commission completed a strategic reflection that revised the mission, vision, and goals. We envision a city where everyone has access to local and nourishing foods, safe active transportation systems, welcoming public spaces, and community connection. We do this by bringing partners and residents together in focus teams to facilitate programming, communications, policy and systems changes that increase access to healthy opportunities.

In addition to these specialized conversations, the Commission reviewed health data and communications and signed 10 letters of support or advocacy in 2025.

In 2026 we hope to update the rules of procedure, improve our welcoming process, and increase our communications.

AGE WELL

Age Well focused on recruiting volunteers for the Office for Aging transportation programs Neighbor to Neighbor Program and Go Go Grandparent at 17 community events! Next year, we’re going to work on increasing communications about healthy opportunities.

Meeting Times

Every other month, Third Tuesdays, 2pm

EAT WELL

Eat Well had a fantastic year thanks to leadership from Ninette Warner and Kristin Kessler. The Kingston Eats and Kingston Cooks programs continued with the Harvest of the Month awareness campaign and six cooking workshops. Three presentations about school nutrition, Hudson Valley farming, and the Hudson Valley Social Care Network were hosted. Those recordings can be viewed here. Kristin authored two food policy newsletters and created a resource hub. In addition, the Food Systems Plan wrapped up. We’ll use this plan to inspire work for 2025.

GROW WELL

Grow Well supports community garden stewards with meetings and supportive projects. They met 19 times at nine different gardens and via Zoom in 2025. They hosted the third annual garden tour, delivered compost, fixed a garden fence, hosted a co-meeting and cooking workshop with Eat Well, tabled at the Earth Fair, and Cindy hosted a seedling workshop at the Library. See the Grow Well Garden map here!

Meeting Times

Met first Tuesdays and third Mondays during the 2025 growing season. This may change in 2026.

PLAY WELL

Play Well increased access to parks and nature by meeting 8 times, working with Trust Up to create a list of physical activity opportunities and reviewing their “The Alternatives” app, supported the Nature Everywhere project hosted by Wild Earth, and supported a tree tour with the Urban Forestry Department. The Health and Wellness Department finished managing the construction of the new Post Office Park and held a ribbon cutting on June 27th. In 2026, Play Well will be conducting a survey of nature access in Kingston parks and facilities.

Meeting Times

Fourth Fridays, 11am

TRAVEL WELL

A bicycle rack installed on Hurley Ave.

Although Travel Well only met once in 2025, lots of great work increased access to walking and bicycling. The Kingston Parks and Recreation Department led seven Thursday evening community bicycle rides and installed 15 bicycle racks in 2025 (38 total for the program started in 2023). The Complete Streets Advisory Council met 12 times. The Health and Wellness Department co-led, with the Ulster County Planning Department, the Greenline Leadership Team and is developing a trail stewardship program. Thanks to NYSERDA, a Clean Mobility Plan was created that envisioned how a rentable bicycle system could be implemented in Kingston and a demonstration grant was applied for. In addition, a request for proposals for a sidewalk funding plan was published. Much of this work will continue in 2026!

Meeting Times

No standing meeting at this time

The Live Well Kingston Commission, a program of the Health & Wellness Department at the City of Kingston, has completed a strategic reflection process. We are happy to share with you the updated mission, vision, goals, and new structure.

🌟Vision

Live Well Kingston envisions a city where everyone has access to local and nourishing foods, safe active transportation systems, welcoming public spaces, and community connection.

🎯Mission

Live Well Kingston brings partners and residents together in focus teams to facilitate programming, communications, policy, and systems changes that increase access to healthy opportunities.

📈Goals

Increase access to:

• Healthy, nourishing foods
• Community gardens
• Parks, public spaces, and nature
• Safe active transportation systems
• Information about healthy opportunities

New Structure

In addition, the Commission has decided to try a new structure. Each Commissioner will lead a specific role. Five of the seats will be connected to the subcommittees that we call “focus teams.” Six of the seats will play specific board roles including: chair, vice-chair, secretary, assessment, engagement, and development. With this new structure our hope is that members will provide leadership and guidance with a specific need in mind.

Focus Teams

Live Well Kingston has six subcommittees called focus teams:

• Age Well – improves access to healthy, nourishing foods; community gardens; safe active transportation systems; parks and nature; and community connection for older adults.
• Eat Well – improves physical, social, and economic access to healthy, nourishing foods.
• Grow Well – improves access to community gardens.
• Play Well – improves access to parks, public spaces, and nature.
• Travel Well – improves access to safe active transportation systems.
• Communications – increases access to information about healthy opportunities.

About The Live Well Kingston Commission

As an advisory board within the City of Kingston’s government structure, the Live Well Kingston Commission is a volunteer-based body that provides expertise and recommendations specifically on community health and wellness initiatives. It is coordinated by the Health and Wellness Department which reports to the Mayor’s office.

What makes this Commission particularly effective is its collaborative approach, bringing together healthcare professionals, business owners, community organizations, and residents to ensure diverse perspectives inform public health decisions. We work through focus groups that tackle specific aspects of community wellness, like healthy eating and active living, and partnering with city departments, local businesses, and community organizations.

Can you help?

• Join a focus team meeting!
• Research programming for seniors
• Recruit volunteers for the Neighbor to Neighbor program
• Assess a park for nature access
• Help with social media
• Tell a neighbor about Live Well Kingston

Have another idea?

Connect with Emily via email or phone at eflynn@kingston-ny.gov, 845-334-3909.

Meghan L. Weygant, MBA, Chief Operating Officer, Hudson Valley Care Coalition

In October, Eat Well Kingston welcomed Meghan L. Weygant, MBA, Chief Operating Officer, Hudson Valley Care Coalition to tell us about the Hudson Valley Social Care Network. The network can be a referral system for folks to access resources. Community-based organizations can be reimbursed for enrolling people who qualify for Medicaid.

About the Eat Well Focus Team

The purpose of the Eat Well Focus Team is to develop, implement and/or support policy, systems and environmental change by supporting and promoting local efforts to improve access to healthy foods throughout the community. We coordinate with gardening/urban agriculture efforts and organizations addressing food insecurity and healthy eating in Kingston.

Our partners include farmers, chefs, teachers, artists, nutrition educators, dietitians, parents, non-profit and for-profit organizations, communicators, systems changers, volunteer organizations, private businesses, health practitioners, nurses, doctors and most importantly: YOU.

Visit https://livewellkingston.org/focus-teams/eat-well/ for more information.

Breathing New Life into a Historic Corner

Post Office Park is taking shape on a site once home to the former Kingston Post Office, and while the building itself is gone, its legacy will live on. The park’s design incorporates concrete elements that reference the architecture and significance of the original post office. Future designs could include a welcoming arch and benches that take inspiration directly from the building’s facade, recreating the Post Office steps and arches. The community also asked for a fountain on the Millard Building side. Recognizing the many cultures and ancestries that have enriched Kingston’s history, the park design intends to honor those who came before us and their descendants.

Designed with Purpose and People in Mind

From the ground up, Post Office Park is being built to invite connection, relaxation, and exploration. The park featured new sidewalks and meandering paths that welcome pedestrians and cyclists alike, encouraging movement and accessibility for all.

The landscape brings nature into the urban setting with the planting of carefully selected native trees, shrubs, and perennials. A pine tree, circled by bluestone, represents the Tree of Peace, a high significance for the Native Americans. The Broadway corridor has been a path for traveling since before Europeans set foot on the soil.

An interpretive sign briefly tells the story of the former Kingston Post Office and its importance to the local community.

Game tables have been installed for chess, checkers, and other community favorites, promoting informal socializing and multigenerational engagement.

Benches throughout the park will offer comfortable spots to pause, meet friends, and enjoy a coffee or hot dog.

For those arriving on two wheels, bicycle racks will make the park a convenient and safe stop along the Greenline system of trails and complete streets.

A Park for Everyone

Post Office Park is more than a beautification project—it’s a community investment. By integrating elements that reflect the area’s history and meet the needs of today’s residents, Kingston is creating a welcoming space that fosters civic pride, encourages outdoor activity, and enhances the city’s walkability.

As construction continues, residents and visitors alike can look forward to enjoying this thoughtfully crafted green space. Whether you’re playing a game, learning a bit of local history, or simply soaking in the scenery, Post Office Park promises to be a new favorite destination in Kingston.

Investing in Health and Community Through Strategic Funding

The development of Post Office Park has been made possible through a combination of strategic planning and public investment. The initial vision and planning for the park were supported by funding from the New York State Department of Health’s Creating Healthy Schools and Communities (CHSC) program, which aims to foster healthier, more active communities through improved access to physical activity and nutritious food. The construction phase was funded through a blend of Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) resources, reflecting a strong commitment to community revitalization and equitable access to public spaces.

Stay tuned for updates and opening announcements as this exciting project nears completion!

The Kingston Greenline is more than just a rail trail. It’s a citywide network of multi-use paths, linear parks, and complete streets that connect our neighborhoods, schools, business districts, and historic sites. It’s where Kingston walks, bikes, runs, and commutes.

Now that the Greenline is almost a complete system, The City of Kingston and Ulster County have reactivated the committee that supports its vision, ensures its sustainability, and brings people together around a shared love of our urban trail system.

The Greenline has become a defining feature of Kingston – but trails don’t maintain themselves, and growth doesn’t happen by accident. The restarted Leadership Committee is focusing on:

• Monitoring trail maintenance and improvements
• Advocating for funding and infrastructure investments
• Supporting community events and volunteer days
• Promoting equity, safety, and accessibility
• Building partnerships with local organizations, businesses, and city departments

Email Emily to find out more about the Kingston Greenline, what is happening, and how to get involved.

An Eat Well Kingston Presentation

About the Presentation

In February 2024 Eat Well welcomed Erika Hanson, a Clinical Instructor in the Health Law and Policy Clinic at the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School, to present on the updates New York’s 1115 Medicaid Waiver Amendment, which had recently been approved.

The presentation slides are also available here: Eat Well Kingston February 2024 Presentation

About the Eat Well Focus Team

The purpose of the Eat Well Focus Team is to develop, implement and/or support policy, systems and environmental change by supporting and promoting local efforts to improve access to healthy foods throughout the community. We coordinate with gardening/urban agriculture efforts and organizations addressing food insecurity and healthy eating in Kingston.

Our partners include farmers, chefs, teachers, artists, nutrition educators, dietitians, parents, non-profit and for-profit organizations, communicators, systems changers, volunteer organizations, private businesses, health practitioners, nurses, doctors and most importantly: YOU.

Visit https://livewellkingston.org/focus-teams/eat-well/ for more information.

Or contact Kristin Kessler at kkessler@kingston-ny.gov.

In 1928, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed a National Child Health Day of observance on May 1. In 1960, it was changed to the first Monday in October. While it’s not an official holiday, many schools and hospitals take part in celebrating the day.

“The health of the child is the power of the nation”
Before the 20th century, children were often treated- medicinally, intellectually, and socially- as mini-adults, despite having vastly different needs. It wasn’t even until the mid-1800s that the first children’s hospital was founded. These early hospitals went as far as providing clothing and food to children in need, which significantly reduced the number of children suffering from chronic, preventable medical conditions. The official slogan for National Child Health Day is “the health of the child is the power of the nation,” reflecting that the investment into children’s wellbeing benefits the entire society.

Social Determinants of Health
Health is a complex issue, and being in a state of overall good health isn’t always up to an individual. Many things affect health that are beyond an individual’s control. The “social determinants of health” are the conditions in which we are born, live, work, learn, and play. There are obvious conditions that affect people’s health- like not being able to afford nutrient-dense foods, healthcare, and/or housing due to economic instability (living in poverty).

There are other, less obvious, conditions that affect one’s health and quality of life. Access to quality education and school environments play a huge role in the health of children, starting with early childhood education all the way to higher education. Those who do not finish high school are more likely to develop chronic health problems like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and depression.

Healthy People 2030
Supporting preschool-aged children to be developmentally ready for school and increasing the number of students who are proficient in math and reading are two of the goals of “Healthy People 2030,” a US Department of Health and Human Services framework aimed at improving the health and well-being of all people- read more about that here!

Simply educating and encouraging children to eat healthy and get enough physical activity won’t eliminate health disparities. Instead, it’s important to use strategies that reach entire communities and populations through long-term, sustainable, systems-wide changes. This means, instead of focusing on one-time events, like a health fair, it’s more effective for a school or organization to adopt a policy that changes behavior long term. This could look like a school adopting a policy that provides school breakfast after the bell in the classroom so that more children are able to fuel their bodies at the start of the day.

Other effective ways to encourage equitable health outcomes include changing the way a school system works or its physical environment. The farm-to-school movement connects school districts with locally grown produce and farmers by changing food purchasing practices and providing farming/gardening education in the classroom. This system change could lead to an environmental change of building school gardens. These changes have a lasting impact on the health and wellbeing of not only students, but also their families, teaching staff, and the broader community.

Ways to observe/celebrate

• There are SO many ways you can observe National Child Health Day! If you want to celebrate with big picture thinking, check and see if the important child in your life (child, grandchild, niece/nephew, etc.) has a school wellness committee or PTO that you can join. These committees can help spur systems-wide changes to benefit the health and wellbeing of all children.
• Of course, it isn’t up to you alone to change the system! If you want to celebrate by doing something with the children in your life, consider some of the following:
• Get outside! Go for a walk, play in the park, dig in the dirt, do some yard work (‘tis the season to be raking leaves- or shoveling mulch 😉).
• Cook together! Cooking with kids doesn’t have to be elaborate. Even having a child cut some green onions into a salad using safety scissors, or adding spices to a soup can be a great way to learn about food and cultural traditions.
• Turn off the TV! Have a screen-free evening and try a family board game night instead!
• Take this time to make healthcare appointments! Is your child up to date with their physical? Teeth cleaning? Vaccinations? Here’s your reminder to make sure!

Do you have other special things you like to do to honor your kid’s health? We’d love to hear more! And if a child you love goes to Kingston City School District, you can reach out to Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County’s school health coordinator to get more information about joining/starting a school health and wellness committee. Nw293@cornell.edu 845-340-3990 ext.347