government

Amenia Planning Board votes unanimous approval for Silo Ridge and Troutbeck plans

AMENIA — Following months of discussion, the planning board voted unanimously at their meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 14, to approve resolutions granting permission for a merger of two lots at Silo Ridge Field Club to accommodate construction of a large residence and to approve the erection of seasonal athletic domes at the closed community.

Also approved by unanimous vote was revised planning for plantings at the Troutbeck Conference Center on Leedsville Road.
Planning board engineer John Andrews reported that he had reviewed the Silo Ridge site plan for the lot merger and that it met all town regulations. He indicated that the plan was also reviewed by an internal review committee at Silo Ridge.

Planning board member Nina Peek asked for clarification of the relationship between the Design Review Committee (DRC) at Silo Ridge and the Homeowners’ Association (HOA), noting that only principals at Stone Leaf Construction had approved the planning, according to their own meeting records. She observed that those principals were the only people in attendance at the Silo Ridge DRC meeting.

Also asking for indication that the Silo Ridge HOA had approved the lot merger, planning board member Kenneth Topolsky said that he was looking for an indication of that approval. He felt that it might be possible that the Silo Ridge community is not well involved in the process.

Plans to add seasonal athletic domes to house cold-weather sports at the Silo Ridge Field Club were approved following months of discussion that included concerns about visual impact, lighting, and rules of use.

The board was assured that the domes will not be visible from the scenic overlook on DeLaVergne Hill, although they will be seen from points along the rail trail.

According to the approval, landscaping must be completed before the domes can be erected.

Planning board member James Walsh recused himself from discussion.

Engineer Andrews noted that the plans were originally presented and reviewed in 2022. He said that most issues have been resolved surrounding the plans for the domes that will provide shelter for the winter sport of platform tennis. The domes will be deconstructed and stored between May and October annually.

Of interest to the board is that rules of operation for the domes be established, particularly any fee schedule that might be implemented as the facility could be used by outside groups.

Troutbeck

Following final review of revised drawings of the visual perspectives from Route 343 in connection with the 8-phase development plan for the Troutbeck Conference Center, the planning board unanimously approved those plans.

Project engineer Rich Rennia reviewed the planned plantings that will provide vegetative screening to mask construction work and the conference center, indicating that orchard trees of a mature size will be planted. Asked about traffic mitigation, Rennia responded that Leedsville Road will receive added construction traffic and that no traffic will exit Troutbeck onto Yellow City Road, the more dangerous intersection.

Following the unanimous vote to approve the planting plans, Planning Board member Topolsky praised Troutbeck’s approach to their application, indicating that all of the board’s concerns had been met throughout the process.

Following agreement to cancel the second meeting in August, the Planning Board scheduled its next meeting for Wednesday, Sept. 11.

government

Latest News

Speed cameras gain ground in Connecticut, stall in Dutchess County

Speed cameras gain ground in Connecticut, stall in Dutchess County

A speed enforcement camera in New York City.

Photo courtesy NYC DOT

Speed cameras remain a tough sell across northwest Connecticut — and are still absent from local roads in neighboring Dutchess County.

Town leaders across northwest Connecticut are moving cautiously on speed cameras, despite a state law passed in 2023 that allows municipalities to install them. In contrast, no towns or villages in Dutchess County currently operate local automated speed-camera programs, even as New York City has relied on the technology for years.

Keep ReadingShow less
law enforcement

In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible

In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible
In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible
In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible

There are artists who make objects, and then there are artists who alter the way we move through the world. Tim Prentice belonged to the latter. The kinetic sculptor, architect and longtime Cornwall resident died in November 2025 at age 95, leaving a legacy of what he called “toys for the wind,” work that did not simply occupy space but activated it, inviting viewers to slow down, look longer and feel more deeply the invisible forces that shape daily life.

Prentice received a master’s degree from the Yale School of Art and Architecture in 1960, where he studied with German-born American artist and educator Josef Albers, taking his course once as an undergraduate and again in graduate school.In “The Air Made Visible,” a 2024 short film by the Vision & Art Project produced by the American Macular Degeneration Fund, a nonprofit organization that documents artists working with vision loss, Prentice spoke of his admiration for Albers’ discipline and his ability to strip away everything but color. He recalled thinking, “If I could do that same thing with motion, I’d have a chance of finding a new form.”

Keep ReadingShow less
people
google preferred source

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

Strategic partnership unites design, architecture and construction

Strategic partnership unites design, architecture and construction

Hyalite Builders is leading the structural rehabilitation of The Stissing Center in Pine Plains.

Provided

For homeowners overwhelmed by juggling designers, architects and contractors, a new Salisbury-based collaboration is offering a one-team approach from concept to construction. Casa Marcelo Interior Design Studio, based in Salisbury, has joined forces with Charles Matz Architect, led by Charles Matz, AIA RIBA, and Hyalite Builders, led by Matt Soleau. The alliance introduces an integrated design-build model that aims to streamline the sometimes-fragmented process of home renovation and new construction.

“The whole thing is based on integrated services,” said Marcelo, founder of Casa Marcelo. “Normally when clients come to us, they are coming to us for design. But there’s also some architecture and construction that needs to happen eventually. So, I thought, why don’t we just partner with people that we know we can work well with together?”

Keep ReadingShow less
architecture

‘The Dark’ turns midwinter into a weeklong arts celebration

‘The Dark’ turns midwinter into a weeklong arts celebration

Autumn Knight will perform as part of PS21’s “The Dark.”

Provided

This February, PS21: Center for Contemporary Performance in Chatham, New York, will transform the depths of midwinter into a radiant week of cutting-edge art, music, dance, theater and performance with its inaugural winter festival, The Dark. Running Feb. 16–22, the ambitious festival features more than 60 international artists and over 80 performances, making it one of the most expansive cultural events in the region.

Curated to explore winter as a season of extremes — community and solitude, fire and ice, darkness and light — The Dark will take place not only at PS21’s sprawling campus in Chatham, but in theaters, restaurants, libraries, saunas and outdoor spaces across Columbia County. Attendees can warm up between performances with complimentary sauna sessions, glide across a seasonal ice-skating rink or gather around nightly bonfires, making the festival as much a social winter experience as an artistic one.

Keep ReadingShow less
performances

Tanglewood Learning Institute expands year-round programming

Tanglewood Learning Institute expands year-round programming

Exterior of the Linde Center for Music and Learning.

Mike Meija, courtesy of the BSO

The Tanglewood Learning Institute (TLI), based at Tanglewood, the legendary summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is celebrating an expanded season of adventurous music and arts education programming, featuring star performers across genres, BSO musicians, and local collaborators.

Launched in the summer of 2019 in conjunction with the opening of the Linde Center for Music and Learning on the Tanglewood campus, TLI now fulfills its founding mission to welcome audiences year-round. The season includes a new jazz series, solo and chamber recitals, a film series, family programs, open rehearsals and master classes led by world-renowned musicians.

Keep ReadingShow less
education
google preferred source

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