Comprehensive Plan Review Committee resumes meetings

Comprehensive Plan Review Committee resumes meetings
Amenia Town Hall
Photo by John Coston

AMENIA — Having paused in 2024 its schedule of meetings and its work to update the town’s 2009 Comprehensive Plan, the committee charged with the task resumed with an organizational meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 21, making progress toward acquiring professional planning assistance.

Re-elected by the committee to serve as chairman was Bill Flood, and Nina Peek was re-elected to serve as vice-chairman. Vicky Doyle was re-elected to serve as secretary.

The importance of achieving community engagement with the process came under discussion as the committee considered support services offered by Pace University’s Land Use Law Center. That program was established in 1993 to assist communities with land use planning needs.

The committee consensus was to agree to contact Jessica Bacher, Executive Director of the Pace program and Tiffany Zezula, Deputy Director, inviting them to join the next meeting either in person or remotely, to explore how their law center might assist with the work of the committee.

One potential means of support discussed by the committee would be to assist with community conversations, gathering information on community vision, goals and objectives.

Committee member Ken Topolsky spoke of the need for a community-wide approach, so all town boards and committees could understand their roles as participants in the plan’s objectives.

“It doesn’t matter what we do if the town does not understand [the plan’s] use,” Topolsky said.

Topolsky reported on his attendance at a December land use planning event hosted by Dutchess County officials. Comprehensive plans should incorporate ideas for increased accessibility and inspire action and results, organizing around specific issues and a phased approach to progress.

A plan should be forward-looking, not dwelling on historical perspective, and written for a short attention span, presenting perhaps four large issue ideas.

Committee member Nina Peek noted that the committee has received grant funding to proceed with its work, gathering public comment, and arriving at an actionable plan, perhaps supported by the advice of Pace consultants.

Committee member Michael Peek agreed that community engagement is the right way to begin.

“We have a good starting point,” Michael Peek said.

“Our population is vastly different today,” Nina Peek observed, reflecting upon the town’s situation in 2009 when the last revisions were made.

Topolsky spoke of working toward his vision of there being “One Amenia,” uniting various geographic and demographic constituencies.

No date was set for the next meeting that will depend upon the availability of the Pace Law Center representatives to participate.

Latest News

Fallen trees injure man, destroy fences at dog shelter

Two uprooted locust trees still lie in the yard in front of Animal Farm Foundation’s original kennels where they fell on a fence during a storm on Thursday, June 19.

Nathan Miller

AMENIA — Fallen trees, uprooted and splintered during a thunderstorm, injured a man, destroyed fences and damaged a dog kennel at the Animal Farm Foundation facilities in Bangall.

Isaias Nunez was cleaning along a road on the property with Marco Ortiz, another employee of the dog shelter, when the storm rolled in on the afternoon of Thursday, June 19.

Keep ReadingShow less
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit millertonnews.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less