Latest News
Millerton trustees ease parking rules for business district, advance pool and park plans
Dec 17, 2025
An artist’s rendering shows what the pool and pool house at Eddie Collins Park could look like. During a meeting on Monday, Dec. 15, Village of Millerton Trustees decided against heating the pool to reduce costs.
Illustration provided
MILLERTON — The Village of Millerton Board of Trustees approved a local law on Monday, Dec. 15, that will ease parking restrictions in the village’s General Business District. The law was immediately passed following a public hearing.
The local law amends Chapter 170 of the Village Code, titled Zoning, by eliminating off-street parking requirements for changes of use within existing structures in the General Business District. Under the amendment, “no additional off-street parking spaces shall be required to convert space within an existing structure in the General Business District from one use or occupancy to another, even if such proposed new use would increase demand for parking.”
The change will only apply to existing buildings and will allow businesses and residents within the district to move forward with new uses without triggering additional parking requirements.
“This is intended to be a quick fix,” said village legal counsel Victoria Polidoro. She noted that while the board has discussed several approaches to addressing parking and zoning challenges, this change was viewed as relatively easy to implement with fast results. Village officials said the update would be communicated through their official communication channels.
Mayor Jenn Najdek and architects from engineering firm LaBella Associates provided a few key updates on village projects at the meeting, including a presentation on the planned pool at Eddie Collins Memorial Park on Route 22.
The meeting drew roughly a dozen residents, including members of the Park Committee who have contributed to and followed the pool project for years. Kevin Hasselwander, senior landscape architect with LaBella, joined the board meeting to walk trustees and members of the public through the proposed design.
“From an estimate to the village, to the Park Committee, to a napkin sketch and now a master plan — it’s hard to believe that this project has come to fruition,” Hasselwander said, thanking village officials and volunteers for their collaboration and refinement. Following the presentation, the board made final decisions to refine the scope and design of the project.
First, the board agreed unanimously not to move forward with heating the pool, citing both the significant upfront cost and ongoing maintenance expenses. Najdek expects the pool will operate primarily between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and the group agreed to instead use a solar pool cover, which will provide passive heating benefits and help with winterization.
The board also voted to fully equip the pool house kitchen to meet Department of Health standards, which would allow it to function as a commercial kitchen.
With LaBella on site at Village Hall, the board reviewed final design details for Veterans Park, including landscaping plans, paved pathway colors and a herringbone paving pattern. Trustees approved the revisions and directed that the updated plans be sent to the county for review. Village officials said the goal is to complete construction by Memorial Day.
Keep ReadingShow less
William J. Clark, Jim Milton, Joseph Olenik and Spencer Parks make up the village highway department and pose in front of new snow removal equipment.
Photo by Aly Morrissey
MILLERTON — Winter may not officially begin until Dec. 21, but snow has already arrived in Millerton. The early snowfall comes after nearly a year of rebuilding following a February fire that destroyed the village’s highway and water structure, along with all of its snow removal equipment. That long recovery makes this winter’s readiness especially significant for the village.
The Village Highway Department is the small but mighty crew that keeps the roads and sidewalks safe, and not only do crew members feel prepared for the colder months, they’ve already been tested by several early-season snowfalls.
“Now we finally have all the proper equipment that we need,” said Jim Milton, a longtime member of the village’s Highway and Fire Departments. “That’s all thanks to this man right here,” he added, gesturing toward Highway Superintendent Joe Olenik.
Olenik, who also serves as Millerton’s police chief, stepped into the role of highway superintendent at the end of September. While this will be his first winter leading the department, he brings extensive knowledge of the village and has a close working relationship with the crew.
“Joe has been a great help and has given us the opportunity to be more prepared,” said William J. Clark, who joined the department a year and a half ago. “Even after the fire and having to work out of a temporary space, we were able to get back up and running fairly quickly.”
Milton said every vehicle currently in use by the department is new, after the fire destroyed nearly everything housed in the building. In the months that followed, the village relied on borrowed equipment from the county and neighboring municipalities, including the towns of Ancram and Amenia.
During one of this season’s first storms, Clark said conditions became especially challenging due to slush and freezing. “Our first storm wasn’t too crazy, but because of the slush, it gets pretty dicey having to go back and scrape,” he said.
Navigating those conditions requires coordination and trust among the crew. Olenik praised the department’s teamwork, a sentiment echoed by crew members.
Clark and Milton agreed, saying the crew regularly puts their heads together to develop a plan and respond efficiently — often before the first flake hits the ground. That planning extends beyond equipment and manpower, and deciding which roads to plow first isn’t an exact science.
Olenik said the department remains flexible and works to clear all “village-dedicated roads.” He added, “All roads are important to clear to allow emergency vehicle response for fire and EMS vehicles and school buses.”
Olenik also noted the importance of intermunicipal cooperation, saying it is reassuring to have support from the Town Highway Department when needed. He said that Bob Stevens, the town’s highway superintendent, has been a valuable resource.
When storms hit, timing is often dictated by safety rather than the clock.
“It’s really dependent upon conditions and how safe the roads are,” Clark said, noting that crews are often out in the middle of the night or early pre-dawn hours if conditions warrant it. “It’s just part of the job — it’s what we do!”
While the crew is a positive group, fueled by jokes and wisecracks, the job carries very real risks. During winter storms, workers face limited visibility, hidden road hazards, fatigue and long shifts, slippery roads and challenges of operating large and heavy equipment.
One of the most preventable hazards is other drivers on the road. The department reminds drivers to slow down, give plows space and adhere to the seasonal overnight parking ban, which allows crews to clear the roads more efficiently.
There is no fixed snowfall amount that triggers a response from the department. Olenik said they are “flexible based on staffing, storm severity, and real-time conditions.”
The highway department is made up of Jim Milton, Spencer Parks, William J. Clark, and Joe Olenik.
Keep ReadingShow less
Millerton Village Hall, where the Zoning Board of Appeals has begun laying the groundwork for a zoning overhaul aimed at modernizing the village’s code.
Nathan Miller
MILLERTON – The village Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) met on Tuesday night to begin laying the groundwork for a long-anticipated update to its zoning code — a process officials say is necessary to replace regulations they repeatedly describe as “outdated.” The discussion comes as the Town of North East faces public scrutiny over its November release of a years-long zoning rewrite of its commercial district.
To better understand the rewrite process — and avoid replicating challenges the town has encountered — ZBA Chair Kelly Kilmer invited two members of the North East Zoning Review Committee (ZRC), Edie Greenwood and David Sherman, to share insight.
Kilmer emphasized that the village has no intention of embarking on a years-long rewrite like North East’s, noting that the town’s zoning update has already stretched over four years. “Some of our terms [in office] will be up by then,” she joked.
Instead, Kilmer said the village intends to begin by zeroing in on the parts of the code that most often appear before the ZBA and Planning Board.
“We need to look at the zoning laws that come up the most when people come to us for variances,” Kilmer said. “The ones that are really holding people up.” She added that she doesn’t want to over-complicate the process.
Parking is one issue that continually comes up at Village Hall. It is already under review and will be discussed at a Dec. 15 public hearing, where a proposed zoning change will be presented. The revision would ease off-street parking requirements in the business district and lower barriers to entry for new businesses.
Greenwood offered two key suggestions for the village’s early stages. First, she recommended becoming fluent in the 2019 Comprehensive Plan, which she said guided the town’s zoning process and served as a blueprint. Second, she urged the village to hire a consultant, pointing out that zoning code is generally “too technical” to interpret and rewrite without professional support.
Greenwood said she pursued a grant through Hudson River Valley Greenway to help the town pay for its consultant. However, the September deadline has already passed for the upcoming year, meaning the village would need to wait until next year to apply
She also advised beginning the process with a clear purpose. “Whether you call it ‘legislative intent’ or ‘purpose,’ that’s the brainstorming of what you want to happen in that district,” Greenwood said.
Village board member and ZRC volunteer David Sherman echoed the sentiment: “Begin with the vision you’d like to see in the district.”
With the help of Greenwood and Sherman, Kilmer outlined four immediate next steps for the village.
- Review the 2019 Comprehensive Plan, including the village zoning audit
- Revisit materials from a prior Pace Land Use Law Center training held for village boards
- Ask Dutchess County Planning and Development staff to provide additional training – a service already supported by county taxpayers
- Ensure ZBA members and those involved become fluent in the village zoning law and districts
Greenwood recommended additional in-person and online training, including programs through Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) and the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM). While ZBA members are only required to complete four hours of training annually, officials said they intend to do more.
Even as the zoning conversation moves ahead, board members stressed that the village’s long-running wastewater constraints will ultimately shape what any zoning changes can accomplish.
“We can dream all we want,” said ZBA member Delora Brooks, “but if the wastewater doesn’t get addressed, everything else we do will be shaped around that.”
Cathy Fenn, who has served in multiple village and town roles over the decades, questioned why the Planning Board was not at the table, noting that it led the last major zoning change in the village.
The meeting took place as the Village Board weighs whether to consolidate or potentially eliminate the Planning Board in favor of a different structure. Kilmer said there was value in keeping the initial zoning conversations small and focused while the village works through those broader governance questions.
Looking ahead, Kilmer said that transparency will be central to the process, noting that she intends to use the public as a sounding board and help demystify the steps ahead.
Keep ReadingShow less
Amenia Town Hall
By Nathan Miller
Correction: The Amenia Planning Board does not have another meeting scheduled prior to the end of the year. It is currently unclear if the board will schedule another meeting to make up for the cancelled meeting on Dec. 10.
A snowstorm that dropped about an inch across northeast Dutchess County forced the cancellation of municipal board meetings in the Village of Millerton, Amenia and Pine Plains on Wednesday, Dec. 10.
Planning Boards for all three municipalities were meant to meet on Wednesday night.
The Village of Millerton's Planning Board was meant to discuss a site plan for Caffeine Academy — a proposed education center for children and young adults with developmental disabilities.
Caffeine Academy founder Alex That purchased Millerton's former Presbyterian church at 58 Main St. in April, with plans to convert it into the second location of his West Babylon, New York-based music and video production learning center.
The site plan hearing has been rescheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 16, at village hall, 5933 N. Elm Ave., starting at 7 p.m.
The Town of Amenia's Planning Board postponed two public hearings due to the snow.
The first on the agenda is a small subdivision proposing to split a single lot with a farm into two parcels on Kent Road.
The second public hearing on the agenda concerned a modification to site plans for two condo buildings in the Silo Ridge luxury housing development.
The board also had several discussion items on the agenda, including a special use permit to convert the former bank in the Freshtown Plaza parking lot into a drive-thru coffee shop.
Board members were also expected to discuss improvements to the septic system at Cumberland Farms on Main Street, as well as continue discussions on the proposed Cascade Creek workforce housing development and the proposed Keane Stud luxury estate subdivision.
Pine Plains Planning Board members were expected to review and approve resolutions for three applications, including the proposed Upstate Pines retail cannabis dispensary that has been the subject of months of public hearings.
That meeting has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 7:30 p.m. The Planning Board is expected to approve a solar ground mount at a residential parcel, the proposed cannabis dispensary on Main Street and a six-month extension for site plan approval for hardwood manufacturer The Hudson Company's proposed mill and showroom.
Keep ReadingShow less
loading
