Airport, Fotomat, cell towers, water meters

The following excerpts from The Millerton News were compiled by Kathleen Spahn and Rhiannon Leo-Jameson of the North East-Millerton Library.

October 3, 1935

Millerton Airport On War Department List

The Mountain View airport at Millerton, situated on Winchell Mountain, has been included by the War Department on a list of landing fields from which it will choose sites to be made into air defense bases for the eastern part of the country. Army fliers will visit the airport and make a report to the department.

About Millerton

The Misses Helen Canevari, Claire Diegnan, Cecelia and June Barth, Mildred Dean and Catherine O’Hara enjoyed a picnic at Bash Bish Falls last Sunday.

Miss Ethel Kimball, who will soon become the bride of Scott Land of Millerton, was honored with a miscellaneous shower given at her home Saturday evening by Mrs. M. V. D. Alden of Albany. Twenty guests, friends and relatives of the prospective bride. were present. The color scheme was pink and white. Miss Kimball was the recipient of many gifts. Cards were played.

Mr. and Mrs. Worthey J. Pulver visited their son, William Pulver, a student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, on Monday.

October 7, 1976

Fotomat Store Okayed

A building permit for the Millerton Fotomat store has been issued, but the store will probably not open for at least a month.

North East Building Inspector Harold Sabo said the permit was issued last week. However, the building will not be put up for 3 to 4 weeks, according to Miss Dinelli of the Fotomat Corporation in East Hartford.

“As soon as we receive the permit,” she said, “we put the building on the schedule for our crew.” The crews are presently busy in several locations in Connecticut.

Once the crew arrives, though, the building can be put together in 3 days, because it is pre-built. Miss Dinelli said the Millerton store will be modified with “bandsiding” so that it will better blend in with the surrounding area.

After the store is built, it must be stocked and inventoried before it is opened. This usually requires 2 weeks, Miss Dinelli said.

Helck Auto Book Given To Library

Artist-author Peter Helck of Boston Corners has presented an autographed copy of his new book, “Great Auto Races,” to the Millerton Free Library.

Five years were devoted to completing the book, which was recently published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc. The text details thrills of races from 1900 to 1972, including the Vanderbilt Cup, AAA and Savannah Grand Prix, Targa Florio, New York to Paris 1908, the Indianapolis 500, and Italian and French classics. The illustrations were taken from paintings and drawings commissioned by collectors, publishers, and automotive museums, as well as a new collection Mr. Helck created specifically for this book.

October 4, 2001

Cell Towers Remain A Hot Topic

MILLERTON — The growing demand for cell phone service is putting pressure on area municipalities to consider various proposals by companies trying to increase their service area.

Proposals have been or are currently before officials in nearly every municipality in the area. And most are encountering substantial debate.

The lone exception is apparently the village of Millerton, where trustees approved a contract from Nextel with little discord.

Different Story in Amenia

In Amenia, Nextel proposes to erect a 120-foot tower on DeLavergne Hill along Route 44. After a month-long public hearing, the joint Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals requested Nextel consider two alternate sites before they make a final determination.

Appeals Chairman Harry Clark asked the attorney who represents Nextel, Seth Mandelbaum, to prepare a report on “how Nextel would make the alternate sites work.” He said the alternate sites “have benefits to the neighbors impacted by your proposed tower.”

Setting a Precedent?

In March, board member Jim Walsh asked Planning Board attorney Lisa Rubenstein whether granting Nextel a height variance would set a precedent, especially considering the board expects more tower applications soon from other companies.

Ms. Rubenstein said in accordance with federal law the town can require companies to pursue “co-location” — or the sharing and placement of facilities on existing structures — wherever possible. At 120 feet, it appears the proposed Nextel tower would be able to accommodate more equipment from other companies, she said.

Village: Install Meters Properly

MILLERTON — Village of Millerton officials have a warning for the public: “Don’t tamper with the water meters or else.” They indicated that the “or else” means property owners may be liable for any lost water or water that may not have been metered.

The village could charge any amount that it feels is lost. “This could amount to staggering losses, thousands of dollars, “said village highway and water foreman Larry Merwin.

Mr. Merwin wants the public to be aware of the dangers. Early last month, he informed the Village Board of a case in which a resident attempted to install his own meter, but did it backwards. Mr. Merwin said when the meter was checked, the reading had decreased from 5,300 to 4,700. He added, “The village does not pay the money back. Instead, the installer is liable for any water that the village can prove was lost during the time of the improper installation. The public has no idea of how much money they could lose.”

In the self-installed meter case, he noted, “The installer thought he was doing the right thing because the meter was leaking. But, instead of checking with the water department, he may have cost himself thousands of dollars.”