WASSAIC — Adapting its programming to suit the new normal during the coronavirus outbreak, The Wassaic Project has held fast to its commitment to nurturing the artistic community it’s created and securing the community’s access to the arts. In addition to moving its programs online, The Wassaic Project has shifted its 12th annual Summer Benefit to a virtual platform and invited the community to help celebrate the organization’s 12th year of operation this June over the world wide web.
Reflecting on the ways in which COVID-19 has affected The Wassaic Project’s ability to offer artistic programming, Wassaic Project Executive Co-Director Jeff Barnett-Winsby said the impact has been dramatic.
“While we still have a number of outdoor installations that are visible from a safe distance, not being able to open our exhibition this summer is really sad for us,” he said. “We’ve also had to cancel our camps for the summer and that’s been a source of local interaction for us.”
Because The Wassaic Project was unable to guarantee their safety, Barnett-Winsby said the organization shut down its residency program and no longer has any resident artists on site. Nevertheless, he said it is hopeful that life will return to normal by Halloween as the organization is planning to host its annual Haunted Mill event and Haunted Hayride in person in October.
In the meantime, Barnett-Winsby said The Wassaic Project is looking for opportunities to connect with the community. The artist studios have now moved online, a new Ask a Residency Director has been created and virtual studio visits have been organized — all of which are free to the public. In addition to the organization’s efforts to ensure access to its programming, The Wassaic Project has started working with The Lantern bar and restaurant in Wassaic and the St. Thomas Church Food Pantry in Amenia Union to make meals for locals in need and is now providing a fixed number of meals on a weekly basis.
In terms of the organization’s annual summertime events — such as the Summer Benefit — Barnett-Winsby said it decided a month ago to make this year’s celebration virtual, as hosting a traditional in-person art exhibition in Maxon Mills wasn’t likely to work out this year. Scheduled for Saturday, June 13, spectators tuning in to this year’s Summer Benefit will have the opportunity to take part in an “intimate, curator-led virtual tour” of the seven-floor former grain mill, which will house the exhibit.
On top of spotlighting the summer exhibition, Barnett-Winsby said The Wassaic Project will be producing a book that will be sold at the benefit. The book will feature the work of more than 50 artists in addition to essays and interviews.
“The book has all of the artists we would normally have,” Barnett-Winsby explained, “and we’ve attempted to build the book in a way that feels like an exhibition. There are, of course, limitations to the book form, but there’s an intimacy that people will respond to and I believe that this will be a book that celebrates essentially what we’ve done over the last 12 years. It’s also a bit of a love letter to the community at large and an expression of our gratitude for their hosting us.”
When asked how he anticipates the community will respond to the Summer Benefit’s shift to a virtual platform, he said, “I hope that it’s successful and I hope the community does support it — it will mean that we will be able to continue to operate and open up when it’s time to open up.”
For more on the Virtual Summer Benefit, go to www.wassaicproject.org, and be sure to read more in this week’s Compass arts and entertainment section.
Village of Millerton and Town of North East residents crowded into the NorthEast-Millerton Library annex to have their voices heard on police policies regarding immigration enforcement for the Tuesday, July 29, Village Trustees meeting.
MILLERTON — After a packed public meeting brought immigration enforcement to the forefront of village politics on Tuesday, July 29, trustees signaled they will not pursue a proposed local law aimed at limiting police cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Local police, for their part, said they would fully cooperate with federal agencies — including ICE — tempering hopes for the kind of change some residents had called for.
The push began this spring when six Millerton residents and 11 supporters sent a letter to village officials urging the board to “affirm its commitment to justice, constitutional rights and community trust.”
At a May 21 meeting, the request was added to the board agenda. Supporters urged trustees to draft a law that would safeguard due process and prevent local police from assisting ICE without a judicial warrant. No action was taken then, but public interest surged ahead of the July 29 follow-up meeting, which drew nearly triple the crowd and required a move to the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex.
Though the meeting was intended to assess the feasibility of a village-specific law — the village spans just over half a square mile — discussion often touched on broader national issues and personal stories. Of the 55 attendees, 30 addressed the board during the 77-minute session, with Mayor Jenn Najdek working to maintain order during what was, at times, an emotionally charged exchange.
Speakers represented a range of perspectives, from civil liberties advocates urging protective measures to residents concerned about impeding law enforcement. Among those who spoke was Bill Kish, a North East resident and Planning Board member who helped reintroduce the proposal.
He described the goal as a “call to adopt a local law limiting the police department’s involvement with ICE,” clarifying that the request was not to obstruct federal authorities. Rather, the hope was to create legislation that would prohibit local police from collecting immigration status information or supporting ICE in detaining individuals without the presence of a judicial warrant.
Such measures, he said, would uphold constitutional protections, enhance public safety, and build community trust. He pointed to a model law published by the New York State Attorney General’s Office that outlines similar measures — offering it as a ready-made framework to eliminate legal or logistical hurdles.
Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik was not present at the July meeting but had played a central role in the earlier discussion in May. In a conversation with The Millerton News late Monday evening, Olenik offered clarity on several points.
Regarding the first request from residents, Olenik confirmed that the Millerton Police Department does not, under any circumstance, collect immigration status information. He elaborated that during traffic violations or arrests, officers do collect names, addresses and dates of birth — but not immigration status.
When asked directly if he or his officers would request to see a judicial warrant before aiding in an arrest spearheaded by ICE, he responded unequivocally.
“No, I would not ask for a judicial warrant,” said Chief Olenik. He went on to say, “It’s their arrest, so to speak, and we would only be there as a supporting and assisting agency. We’re not there to second-guess their policies and procedures.”
He added that federal law supersedes state and local law, and “if ICE calls us for assistance and we are on duty — we are mandated to go.”
Though his comments echoed those from the May meeting, they marked a more definitive stance. However, they did not address the legal precedent for local governments that opt out of voluntary cooperation with ICE under sanctuary or non-cooperation policies.
Constitutional concerns raised
Bryan MacCormack, co-founder of the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, attended as both a supporter and subject-matter expert. Resident Brooke Lehman, co-founder of The Watershed Center in Millerton, ceded her speaking time so MacCormack could provide an educational perspective.
With years of experience helping municipalities implement sanctuary policies, MacCormack said policies like the one proposed have been shown to increase community safety. While he acknowledged the limits of local jurisdiction, he emphasized the village’s responsibility to uphold the U.S. Constitution — particularly the Fourth Amendment. He described warrantless searches and detentions by ICE as constitutional violations and cited them as justification for local protections.
MacCormack also highlighted his work training municipalities and businesses to develop policies that protect rights during interactions with federal agencies. This work resulted in clear policies, resolutions and executive orders within the Hudson Police Department and Columbia County Sheriff’s Department.
Some attendees expressed that even if trustees or police are unwilling to pass a law, adopting internal policies that reflect the spirit of the proposal would still be meaningful. Others expressed relief that village trustees chose not to move forward.
Next steps unclear
Although the meeting featured extensive public input — and legal counsel was present — no formal proposal was presented or made available for public review. In the end, trustees chose not to move forward with legislation.
While some trustees pointed to a “recently updated” police policy as reason to forgo a law, it’s unclear whether that policy addresses the concerns raised. A document posted on the village website appears to date back to 2021, stemming from Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order No. 203. That document does not explicitly mention immigration enforcement, ICE or warrant procedures.
Multiple requests to village officials for clarification went unanswered throughout the week. However, Chief Olenik said Monday night that the department’s policies are “currently being updated” in preparation for accreditation through the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services — and were not readily available to the public. Asked if those updates would include language related to immigration, he said “no.”
Gregory Bugbee, associate scientist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), where he heads the Office of Aquatic Invasive Species (OAIS), was a guest speaker at the Aug. 2 annual meeting of the Twin Lakes Association.
SALISBURY— A fierce and costly battle to halt the spread of hydrilla in East Twin Lake may have finally paid off.
All but three remaining small patches, one near the shoreline at O’Hara’s Landing Marina and two others in deeper water as boats exit the marina and head out, have been destroyed by this summer’s treatment with the aquatic herbicide fluridone, which began on May 20. None of the remaining plants are thriving.
“We hit 90 days in mid-August, and most of the hydrilla is dead,” reported Dominic Meringolo, an environmental engineer with SOLitude Lake Management, whose company was retained by the Twin Lakes Association (TLA) to apply the lake’s 2025 herbicide treatments.
The announcement was met with relief and applause from the approximately 100 members of the Twin Lakes Association who attended the group’s annual meeting Aug. 2 at Isola Bella.
“This is the first good news we’ve had in three years with hydrilla, but we’re far from being able to say that the coast is clear,” said TLA President Grant Bogle.
He stressed that vigilance is required and Northeast Aquatic Research (NEAR), the TLA’s limnologist, will continue to do detailed plant surveys throughout the lakes. “In East Twin, we supplement these with diver-assisted surveys in the deeper water, which are expected to take place in late August or September.”
Russ Conklin, vice president of lake management for the TLA concurred. “We are going to have to do this two, three more years, or maybe longer.”
According to TLA officials, experience from past eradication and control efforts is that this is a multi-year endeavor. Left untreated, hydrilla has returned in lakes like Coventry Lake, which took a year “off” from treatment.
“The fact is,” said Bogle, “We don’t know how long we will need to continue treating the East Bay, but by keeping it in control in this section of the lake, we are attempting to keep it from spreading further both within Twin Lakes and as boats exit Twin Lakes.”
Possibly spread by fishing boats
The battle to stop the spread of the robust Connecticut River variant of hydrilla in East Twin began in the fall of 2023, when it was discovered near the marina, and had since ventured further out into the lake.
At the time of its discovery, East Twin was the first lake in the state outside of the Connecticut River, where it had been wreaking havoc, to have identified the virulent strain in its waters.
Gregory Bugbee, associate scientist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), where he heads the Office of Aquatic Invasive Species (OAIS), was the first environmental expert to visit East Twin after the TLA’s limnologist, George Knocklein, found the stringy, dark green plant, which looks similar to the native waterweed, elodea.
“We got out there within a week, got our boat out on the lake and sent out DNA analysis confirming the Connecticut River strain,” recalled Bugbee who, along with Meringolo, were guest speakers at the TLA meeting.
“How did it get from the river into East Twin? Fishing tournaments were in the river and some people went to O’Hara’s for a tournament here,” the CAES scientist noted.
He said the Connecticut River strain had likely been around for “many, many years” before hydrilla was detected and was thought to have been contained to the river.
“But that all changed with East Twin Lake in 2023, when George Knocklein found it floating around O’Hara’s Landing Marina,” said Bugbee.
Since then, he noted, nine additional lakes have been invaded by the rapidly growing water weed. To date, they have been met with limited success in knocking back hydrilla.
Among a few of the lakes’ attempted remedies to rid hydrilla include the introduction of sterile grass carp, hand-pulling or raking them.
“Pulling it is not effective,” said Bugbee, a certified diver, who tried the method. “We went back a month or so later and the hydrilla had all regrown.”
Another lake group sponsored a “Take a Rake to the Lake Day,” where a $500 prize was offered to the person who raked the largest haul of hydrilla out of the water.
“I said, I’ve got to see this, so I went out in my boat,” said Bugbee, who recounted with humor the vision of a woman raking hydrilla into a wagon. The winner, he recalled, removed 750 pounds of plant and muck.
While the event was unsuccessful in eradicating the invasive weed, he said it did bring the problem to the forefront of people’s attention and eventually was tackled with herbicide treatments.
The immediate impact of the herbicide on native plants is being assessed by NEAR.
“We know that outside the treatment area, the plants are doing fine,” said Bogle. “We will have more definitive information on the native, rare and invasive plants at our scientific coalition meeting in the fall.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has been working for 7 years now doing trials with herbicides, said Bugbee.
“USACE does the research then turns it over to the states. We are doing boat launch surveys on all the boat launches in the state looking for hydrilla. If we can find it by the boat ramps, we can suggest management, potentially.”
The good news is, it works
Conklin noted that other than the few surviving hydrilla, “there are no other plants that George has found in that bay” where herbicide was applied. “We were able to get there, and it only took us three years.”
Fluridone treatments were calculated based on the entire volume of the east basin of East Twin and slow-release pellets were applied to the littoral zone. The pellets release over a period of six to eight weeks, with peak release at two to three weeks after application.
Liquid fluridone was used during the first three applications to boost initial concentration, followed by slow-release pellets, according to Meringolo. The goal, he explained, was to use the herbicide at between three and five parts per billion for approximately 120 days.
Because by the 90-day mark most of the hydrilla had died, Meringolo said there are no plans to continue the last two treatments, as the slow-release pellets will remain in the water close to the 120-day target.
Conklin agreed. “Why should we be killing dead plants? Let’s see what happens this year. The good news is, it works. The bad news is, we’ve got to do it again.”
The TLA official noted that a dose of good fortune was also on the TLA’s side.
“We were fortunate that George found it over here in the bay,” where the water is relatively stagnant. If we found it out in the middle lake or third lake, we would be hard-pressed to be able to do this treatment.
A large group of Millerton and North East residents turned out for the Tuesday, July 29, meeting, causing a last-minute venue change to the NorthEast-Millerton Library annex on Century Boulevard.
MILLERTON — At their regular meeting on Tuesday, July 29, the Village Board of Trustees addressed two key issues that could affect village governance and planning. The meeting drew a crowd of more than 50 people, prompting a last-minute venue change to the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex to accommodate the turnout.
While much of the evening focused on public feedback regarding a proposal from village and Town of North East residents concerning cooperation between the Millerton Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, trustees also discussed several additional items with long-term implications.
One of those was a public hearing on “Local Law X,” a proposal that would allow members of the village’s Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals to reside anywhere in Dutchess County rather than within the village limits. The goal, according to board members, is to widen the pool of qualified candidates at a time when interest in these volunteer roles has been low.
Both boards have had vacancies for over six months. Mayor Najdek noted that with the village’s small population, there’s a limited number of potential applicants. She also clarified that, per legal counsel, the board could not limit eligibility to just the Town of North East. “It is not legal to only open it up to the town,” Najdek said. “You have to open it up to the entire county.”
Newly appointed Zoning Board Chair Kelly Kilmer addressed public concerns during the hearing, citing confusion circulating on Facebook. “This does not apply to the village board,” she said, explaining that the change would affect only appointed members of the planning and zoning boards. “It is very crucial that we get people on these boards.”
Kilmer acknowledged concerns about non-residents having influence over village matters but emphasized that limited participation has forced the board’s hand. “Unless village residents step up to the plate and want to have a say in what’s happening, this law has to go into effect,” she said. “Currently we only have four members on our zoning board. So we could have a tie at any point in a vote, and that’s not good. When people are trying to plan things to upgrade the village — whether it be their home, their business, or whatever — we need people who are going to be here and engaged in the village.”
One resident was in favor, urging people to think of the town and village as one community working toward the same goals, rather than separate entities. “We have to think that even though we might live in the town, we might also have businesses in the village, and we have to work together.”
Not everyone was in favor of the change. Ray Nelson, a village resident and architect, expressed skepticism. “It’s a shame we can’t get someone in the village to step up,” he said, adding, “I’m not particularly excited about this idea. Someone from outside might not understand the issues in the village or the nuances of our community.”
As of now, the Zoning Board of Appeals has one open seat. The Planning Board has one vacancy and is expected to have a second seat open in September 2025. Those interested in learning more or applying should contact Village Clerk Lisa Cope at clerk@villageofmillerton-ny.gov
While Local Law X will open up the pool of applicants, the appointments are made by the mayor’s office and candidates would be fairly vetted prior to being invited to join a board.
A motion to adopt Local Law X passed unanimously by roll‑call vote.
In other business, the board unanimously voted to pursue a state designation as a Pro-Housing Community, following in the Town of North East’s footsteps. The certification, granted by New York State Homes and Community Renewal, recognizes municipalities that actively support housing growth and reduce development barriers. Trustees authorized Mayor Najdek to submit a letter of intent — the first formal step in the application process.
The board also voted unanimously in a roll-call vote to finalize two inter-municipal agreements with the Town of North East. The first was for a shared court officer, which the town approved with a 3% increase over last year. The second was for the joint parks and recreation program. While the village had requested a 3% increase for that contract as well, the town approved it with no increase, citing the cancellation of this year’s summer camp due to projected construction of the new community park. Both agreements will be revisited in September to allow more time for negotiation ahead of next year.
In other routine business, the board approved meeting minutes, voted on vouchers and village bills, and heard department and mayoral updates. During public comment, members of Townscape raised the issue of moving forward with tree replacements along South Center Street and Main Street.
Groundbreaking of the new pool planned for Eddie Collins Park is now scheduled to begin in 2026 after the Village of Millerton's 175th anniversary celebration next summer.
MILLERTON – During her mayor’s update at the Tuesday, July 29, trustees meeting, a visibly dejected Mayor Najdek shared a significant delay in the timeline for the community park project — specifically the long-awaited swimming pool.
“I’m sure you’ve all seen that construction has not started,” she began. After meeting recently with project engineers, Najdek said she was told that construction would not be feasible before April 2026.
“With that in mind, it was my recommendation that we wait until after the 175th celebration so that we actually have a physical place to host it,” she said. Najdek, who has championed the park project for years, acknowledged the frustration and added, “It will never be ready in time for our celebration regardless of how hard we push any permitting agencies, so we’ll be waiting on that.” The celebration of the Village’s anniversary is scheduled to take place from July 11-19, 2026.
Originally slated to begin this past spring, construction of the park has now been pushed back more than a year, largely due to a slow permitting process related to wetlands on the property, according to Najdek. Roughly a month ago, she warned of potential delays, though at the time, there was hope the setback would be measured in months — not a full year.
Najdek did not elaborate on the reason for the year-long delay during the meeting, but in July she noted that both the Dutchess County Board of Health and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation were still reviewing the project in connection to septic system placement and wetland buffer regulations.
