Amenia weighs water district project

Amenia weighs water district project
Town Hall on Route 22 in Amenia.
Photo by Nathan Miller

AMENIA — Well along in the process of planning for upgrades and repairs to the town’s water district infrastructure, the Town Board heard a report from the project engineers at its regular meeting on Thursday, Feb. 20.

A public hearing will be held on Thursday, March 6, at 7 p.m. to hear comments on the Map, Plan and Report engineering phase. Following the public hearing, the Town Board will discuss the comments heard and could vote to approve the plan report that same night, clearing the way for grant funding applications to be submitted.

The engineering report is available for viewing on the Town of Amenia website.

Representing the project’s engineering firm, Delaware Engineering of Albany, were Tracey Ledder, Senior Environmental Scientist, and Kelsey Butera, Engineer.

Scope of the project was reviewed by Butera who described highlights of the work to be done, noting that the town’s water district has two water plants and 15 miles of water mains serving the district’s water customers. Daily water usage measures about 60,000 gallons.

The total projected cost for the upgrade is $3.9 million, to cover infrastructure upgrade and quality improvement, as outlined by Ledder.

Replacing the Lavelle Road pump house is estimated at $830,000. Storage tank rehabilitation will incur costs of $230,000 and $1.73 million, exterior and interior, respectively. Upgrading water mains and fire hydrants is estimated at $1.07 million.

Some funding sources have been identified as part of Delaware’s services, Ledder explained, and a new water usage rate structure would be devised for district customers, based on benefit, whether one-family residential or commercial usage.

Councilmember Rosanna Hamm asked about assistance with grant funding applications, learning that Delaware provides that help.

“This is a good time to seek funding for water projects, as opposed to wastewater projects,” Town Supervisor Leo Blackman said.
Hamm expressed her concern about the town’s aging infrastructure, including fire hydrants that suffer from low pressure.

Butera noted that most of the town’s fire hydrants are in good working order. Blackman added that valve replacement is included in the project scope, where necessary.

“I feel much better about the water system, now that it is being looked at in such detail,” Blackman said.

Latest News

Millerton Police Dept. rebuilds after fire; new cruisers on the way

The borrowed Pine Plains cruiser parked on Main Street in front of the Millerton Inn during the Millerton Street Fair on Saturday, June 28.

Photo by Aly Morrissy

MILLERTON — After receiving substantial state grant funding in July 2024 and beginning to roll out new equipment that fall, the Millerton Police Department suffered a setback when the February fire at the Village Water and Highway Department building destroyed much of its newly acquired gear — including patrol vehicles outfitted with cutting-edge technology.

Thanks to full-value insurance coverage and swift support from the Town of Pine Plains — which loaned the department a vehicle — Millerton officers were able to remain active in the community. Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik said two custom-built, four-wheel-drive Ford Interceptor cruisers are now in production and are expected to arrive by the end of the summer.

Keep ReadingShow less
Uncertainty looms over Millerton community pool timeline

Groundbreaking of the new pool planned for Eddie Collins Park has been delayed after the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation intervened to determine the status of wetlands in the proposed building site.

Archive photo

MILLERTON — The long-awaited groundbreaking for a new community pool at Eddie Collins Memorial Park — once expected this past April — now faces significant delays with no definitive timeline in sight, Mayor Jenn Najdek said.

The primary setback stems from a still-pending permitting process, as the village awaits final approvals from the Dutchess County Board of Health and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation regarding septic placement and wetland buffers. A patch of wetlands on the site — roughly five feet by five feet, Najdek said — requires a protective buffer, which could range anywhere from 5 to 100 feet. That determination will dictate whether the current pool design needs to be altered or moved altogether.

Keep ReadingShow less
North East town records brought into the digital age

Chris Virtuoso reorganized parcel records in the North East Town Hall basement by parcel number during the process of scanning and digitizing the documents.

Photo by Grace DeMarco

MILLERTON — Within the walls of the two-story Victorian housing the North East Town Hall lies a room-full of town records dating back to the late 19th century. Stored in labeled cardboard boxes and protected by dehumidifiers, the records are in the process of being dated, organized, and scanned into categorized online programs.

As the Town Hall works to relocate to 5603 Route 22 at the former Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness, the consolidation and digitalization of records, as well as the disposal of those unneeded, is a time-sensitive project. Marcy Wheatley, the Deputy Town Clerk, emphasized their current heavy focus on organizing and scanning. “Now, when we move, we can get rid of a lot,” Wheatley stated.

Keep ReadingShow less
Fun, food and facts bring crowds to downtown Millerton

Nora Garcia, 6, of Millerton, bottom right, gets a face painting treatment from Maddy Rowe, a Webutuck High School senior. Nora’s sister, Juliana, 8, top right, is decorated by Giana Kall, a Webutuck senior. The program was sponsored by the Webutuck PTA.

Photo by John Coston

Locals and visitors packed into downtown Millerton Saturday, June 28, for the first ever Millerton Street Fair hosted by the Millerton News, the Millerton Business Alliance and Townscape. Representatives from local nonprofits, businesses along Main Street, Bee Bee the Clown and face painters from Webutuck High School drew in crowds all afternoon.

Festivities officially opened at 10 a.m., and a steady stream of visitors soon followed. Volunteer firefighters hosted a bouncy castle, a duck pool, a “put out the fire” ring toss game, and the “touch a truck” event at the fire department’s garage.

Keep ReadingShow less