Red Hook approves three community air monitors to share live data on public dashboard

The Town Board voted to sponsor three local air monitoring stations and to provide public dashboard access to real-time data through the Hudson Valley Community Air Network.

The proposal, presented by the HVCAN team, requested the town's sponsorship of three PurpleAir sensors and accessories (one each at the Tivoli library, Rec Park/Red Hook Park and Town Hall) plus an annual subscription fee to host the data on the public dashboard. The board discussed a Bard lab partnership used to host and analyze the data and confirmed appropriate recusal protocols for members with Bard affiliations.

Board members approved the sponsorship and the dashboard access by voice vote. Supporters said hyper-local monitoring complements broader air-quality information and helps residents understand local impacts (for example, smoke from distant wildfires can appear differently on local monitors). The board asked staff to confirm contract routing and recusal steps where necessary.

The motion passed with recorded affirmative votes in the meeting transcript; the board asked for implementation details and confirmation of where the stations will be mounted and maintained.