Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.

A year for infrastructure in Washington and Millbrook

A year for infrastructure in Washington and Millbrook

Sheriff Kirk Imperati is beneath the umbrella, Rabbi Hanoch Hecht is standing next to him, and Rabbi Mendy Moschkia is on the ladder helping to add the lit candles to the menorah in Millbrook Dec. 10, 2023, the first Sunday after the start of Hanukkah.

Photo By Judith O’Hara Balfe

Water and wastewater

The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation awarded the Village of Millbrook a Water Infrastructure Improvement Act grant of $1,837,500 toward the upgrade of the wastewater treatment plant, or about a quarter of the expected $7.35 million cost. A 30-year, 0% interest loan will cover the rest.

The replacement of the South Millbrook sewer pump is estimated to cost $325,000-$350,000. The pump is already purchased; the village is now waiting for the generator. The installation is expected to be done in the first quarter of 2024.

Sidewalks and accessibility

The first phases of sidewalk replacement on Franklin Avenue are 90% completed, and are expected to be done this spring. In May, new trees will be planted. The sidewalk replacement on the north end of Franklin will follow the same process, starting with applications for grants and funding.

The Town of Washington received a grant for $100,000 for the Recreation Department building at the Town Park, for accessibility and HVAC updates for year-round senior activities, including two accessible parking spots, a new walkway/accessible ramp and a new accessible door.

Environment

The town and village worked together to install an electric charging station at Washington Town Hall. The station officially opened in August 2023.

The village and town joined with neighboring Clinton to create a Natural Resources Inventory of the area, with help from the Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County and the state Department of Environmental Conservation. It will provide useful information for planning and zoning decisions, said Washington Town Supervisor Gary Ciferri.

Bennett Park

The east section of Bennett Park, which boasts hiking, biking and walking trails, opened Sunday, Nov. 5. The eastern section comprises less than half of the completed 32-acre park planned for the site of the former Bennett College.

In January, the Millbrook Community Partnership will meet with the village Planning Board to determine next steps.

Work on the park and abutting Thorne Community Center will resume in the spring; the western portion of Bennett Park may even open within the year.

Judith O'Hara Balfe

Latest News

Tri-Corner Real Estate - November 2026

Tri-Corner Real Estate - November 2026

Download directly

The Millerton News - October 29, 2026

The Millerton News - October 29, 2026

Download directly

A life reshaped by clay in “Matin”

A life reshaped by clay in “Matin”

Left to right: Hannah Wheeler, Matin Malikzada and Yonah Sadeh.

D.H. Callahan

On Monday, Oct. 26, a group of students, teachers and local residents gathered at the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville for a screening of the new short documentary “Matin.” The film tells the story of Matin Malikzada, a seventh-generation Afghani potter making a new life in New Milford, Connecticut. The film was made by local filmmaker Yonah Sadeh, creator of the Video Wall at the David M. Hunt Library, and Berkshires-based potter Hannah Wheeler, who were both present for the screening, along with Malikzada himself.

As a member of the seventh generation of his family to master the art of pottery, Malikzada had done things the way his family had for over a century. Istalif, the village where his family has lived for generations, was known throughout Afghanistan for its pottery, with wares sent across the country for use as everyday cups, bowls, plates and other vessels. The pottery-making families of Istalif gathered clay from the same mountain, about 30 to 45 minutes away by donkey. Every July, they would head north toward the Uzbekistan border to gather ishkar, a plant they processed by hand to make their signature glazes.

Keep ReadingShow less
film
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

Meg Sher finds her calling among the stacks

Meg Sher finds her calling among the stacks

Meg Sher, executive director of the David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village.

L. Tomaino

When Meg Sher came to Falls Village in 2006 from Old Lyme, Connecticut, where she grew up, she never imagined she’d someday be the executive director of the David M. Hunt Library.

Although, in hindsight, perhaps it makes sense.

Keep ReadingShow less
our community

Crescendo’s 23rd season speaks to the heart and mind

Crescendo’s 23rd season speaks to the heart and mind

Christine Gevert, founding artistic director of Crescendo, conducts the audience at a performance.

Steve Potter

For Christine Gevert, founding artistic director of Crescendo, music from centuries past is anything but a relic. It is a living, breathing art form, full of drama, emotional complexity and, occasionally, surprises. As the regional choral and period-instrument ensemble launches its 23rd season, Gevert is once again bringing forgotten masterpieces into the present.

“Early Music has been my lifelong passion and the focus of my specialization in Europe and South America,” Gevert said. “Bringing this repertoire to our audiences in a nuanced way that does justice to its incredible depth, intensity, and beauty is deeply important to me.”

Keep ReadingShow less
concerts

Close Encounters with Music celebrates 35 years of musical discovery

Close Encounters with Music celebrates 35 years of musical discovery

Close Encounters with Music’s 35th season opens with “Saluting the Clarinet” featuring clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein.

Provided

For 35 years, cellist Yehuda Hanani has been inviting audiences to experience classical music in unexpected ways. As founder and artistic director of Close Encounters with Music, Hanani has built a concert series that goes beyond the music itself, exploring connections to literature, history, politics and the human experience.

This year, Close Encounters celebrates its 35th season with “Celebration & Discovery,” a seven-concert series that opens Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington.

Keep ReadingShow less
concerts
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.