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Village Board of Trustees discuss changes to pool project, request for new highway equipment
Nov 27, 2024
AMENIA — The Village of Millerton’s Board of Trustees met on Monday, Nov. 18 to discuss two items – changes to the pool project at Eddie Collins Memorial Park and requests for new equipment for the highway department.
According to Kevin Hasselwander, an architect at Labella Associates, an amendment was needed regarding the pool and pool house.
“All we’re doing is adding the DOH (Department of Health) and Army Corps to the list of involved agencies,” Hasselwander said. “And we are going to change the numbers, like the disturbed acreage, just a little bit.”
Hasselwander asserted the amendment will not cause significant delays to the project, saying, “We don’t have to go through the 30-day approval process. What we’ll do is we’ll set a date, and you and I can talk about it… as to when it’ll get the negative declaration. That way, if there are any comments from the agencies, they’ll know when to see it by.”
He went on to say the biggest challenge for the project will be the septic system in the park. A small section in the corner of Eddie Collins Memorial Park caught the contractors’ attention, prompting them to take action sooner rather than later.
“Right now, it [the wetlands] would be considered Army Corps regulated, but come January, all wetlands will be DC [Delineation Concurrence],” said Hasselwander. “It will no longer be Army Corps. We may not have to do anything with it, but in the case that we do because of the septic system, there needs to be separation. If we do need to permit and have it filled in, it’ll be much easier if we go through Army Corps.”
Despite the concern for wetlands within the park, the Village of Millerton and Labella are working with many different agencies to ensure the safety of the community. “The Dutchess County Department of Health will ensure that we have the proper separation of background water to the high groundwater market,” Hasselwander said. “We’ve done so much soil testing within the park from all different times of the year.”
The second item on the evening’s agenda centered on equipment needs for the highway department. According to Peter Dellaghelfa, the Superintendent of Public Works, new trucks to plow and clear snow for the upcoming winter season are very much a necessity.
“Right now one of the front pistons is leaking, so that is losing pressure,” Dellaghelfa said. “Now the other pistons, I’m just waiting for that to start leaking because I’m putting more strain on it. It’s going to keep getting worse and worse.”
The department is considering the option of trading in their old trucks or keeping them to use for less intensive purposes. “I think it would be worth it to keep it [old trucks],” said Dellaghelfa. “It’s good to put one of the guys in who has no experience. You don’t want to put them in the brand-new truck and have it break. I think it can be used as a training tool.” Dellaghelfa is in possession of price estimates from John Deere and Caterpillar, but would like to look into Batco or alternate options.
Getting new equipment could take weeks for a truck and up to six months for a Batco. According to Jenn Najdek, mayor of the village, she would need to put together a spreadsheet to figure out the rates and loan payments and have more information set out to have this plan working if they choose before winter comes.
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POUGHKEEPSIE — Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino announced the newest grants from the County’s 2024 Youth Wellness Supports Microgrants program, totaling over $45,000.
These grants support important programs that reinforce positive behaviors in children and keep them from harmful activities. The money will be going to four local organizations that already build up young members of the community will avert them from developing substance abuse or other destructive habits.
The four projects being funded through the 2024 Youth Wellness program include $5,000 for the Red Hook Public Library, $5,000 for the Millbrook Library, $19,000 for Mental Health America of Dutchess County, and $18,761 for James’s Warriors in East Fishkill.
Red Hook intends to use the funding to train local librarians in Youth Mental Health First aid and develop an action plan for youth mental health crisis intervention. Millbrook plans to create an additional children’s book section focusing on mental health and substance use prevention. In addition, they are implementing a six-month kids’ yoga course, consisting of 24 classes, to enhance mindfulness and help children develop healthy coping skills.
Mental Health America of Dutchess County is designing a custom landscape for the Ellen’s Place outdoor classroom, which will allow children to have a creative space for their imaginations. James’s Warriors will purchase items to create coping kits to give out to schools after the organization’s presentations on mental health awareness and suicide prevention.
The wellness program focuses on many factors, including prevention, public awareness, social media awareness and safe use. The proposals for the grants should include one or more of the focus areas.
County executive Sue Serino said, “Every child deserves a promising future. In Dutchess County, we’re lucky to have numerous community partners who help guide them toward success. These grants will support crucial programs that encourage positive behaviors in our kids, keeping them away from risky activities that might derail their success.”
Individual recipients can receive grants ranging from $5,000 to $19,000. The Youth Wellness Support Microgrant program has been funded with $200,000 in opioid settlement funds gained from litigation against the pharmaceutical industry. So far, $95,060 has been awarded.
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MILLBROOK — Millbrook student Lindsay McMorris is working alongside Lyall’s Community Church to serve free dinner and study sessions.
Beginning Thursday, Nov. 7, Lyall Church started hosting study sessions from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. each week. The program aims to help Millbrook students from Kindergarten through twelfth grade with homework or studying while providing dinner at the same time.
“I am working towards my Girl Scout Gold Award, which is a big project,” said McMorris, “The two women I am working with, Lynn Grange and Kristen Reed, ran a very similar program, and it kind of fizzled out after COVID. So while looking for ideas for my Gold Award, I was like, ‘Oh, I can bring this back.’”
According to McMorris, she is hoping to reach as many students as possible through the study dinners program to assist with schoolwork but also with food insecurities many face. The program’s first week only saw two students, yet it is progressively growing. Approximately ten students had registered for the session on Thursday, Nov. 21.
“I’m just really hoping to have a program out there for kids who need study help because grades are very important to me. I know they’re very important to a lot of people,” McMorris said, “So having something out there that they can use to help them improve grades or just understand topics better, as well as we also address local food insecurity because we do provide a free meal at every meeting.”
To RSVP or for questions, email: lyallchurchstudydinner@gmail.com.
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MILLBROOK — A brief public hearing on a request by the owners of a new restaurant under construction along Franklin Avenue was held at the regular meeting of the Planning Board on Monday, Nov. 18.
The House of Stefan is nearing completion of its construction phase and is due to open around January. Essential to the business is a small generator that has been added to the site plan drawings, owner John Stefanopoulos noted for the board.
The small Generac unit, measuring 3 by 5 feet, will provide emergency power in the event of a power outage, Stefanopoulos explained, any noise from the small unit to be mitigated by sound baffling materials. The small residential-sized unit will be installed behind the building, providing power mainly for refrigeration.
Neighboring business owner Jeffrey Zwirn of the Millbrook Antiques Center spoke in praise of the new restaurant being built next door, calling it “a heartbeat for the village.”
“You can’t run a business without a generator,” Zwirn said.
“Since they will be storing food, they returned for permission to install a generator,” explained planning board chairman Frank Redl.
Other aspects of the site plan were the subject of an earlier public hearing process that occurred before the project was approved, he explained. Residents asked questions about parking, hours of operation, and noise, questions that were not relevant to the generator.
Stefanopoulos indicated his intention that the restaurant will be a good neighbor, that any resident with a concern about the restaurant operation will be welcome to contact him.
Applications for accessory apartments are increasing in number, Redl observed. Two new applications and their site plans will be the subject of public hearings at the Monday, Dec. 16, planning board meeting. One is planned at 3308 Franklin Ave. and the other at 24 North Ave.
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