Copake plans open meeting Sept. 14 to air ideas for NYS grant

COPAKE — As Copake citizens gather at an open meeting at the Town Hall at 230 Mountainview Road, on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., they will be doing so with hope to fine tune a proposal which could bring a $4.5 million grant to revitalize the community.

Town Supervisor Richard Wolf said the town is vying for one of two grants from the state’s NY Forward program which is designed to help small towns improve in a number of ways.

Copake was not successful when it applied for last year’s program, but Wolf feels that although it is a challenge, this year, “We are likely to have a good shot.”

With a due date of Oct. 18 for proposal submission to the state, he says “preparation time is very short, so we’re busy at work on getting this organized.”

As this is the second time around for Copake, Wolf says, “We have a good idea of some of the proposals that we want to do, assuming that the folks who were involved in them last time around are again preparing to participate, so we have a good base of things we intend to do. What we’re hoping that we’ll hear at the first meeting is support for those ideas as well as some new ones.”

The town has set a deadline of Sunday, Sept. 15, the day after the meeting as a deadline for new proposals so, “we can get those ideas in so we have some time to develop them.”

He explained, “What we are looking for are quality proposals that can have the most important impact on what they call ‘placemaking,’ which means sort of strengthening the ‘downtown’... to make it easier for pedestrians to transverse it and to make it more appealing for people to come town and to be pedestrians in it.”

With the ultimate aim of stimulating economic growth by creating jobs and affordable housing, Wolf made it very clear that this grant would have an impact on the entire area, and so he is hoping as many residents as possible become involved.

According to the state’s description of NY Forward, the program for which Copake is applying, was “not designed to fund one large, expensive project. Rather, NY Forward applicants should develop a full suite of synergistic projects…that may include one or two substantial anchor projects supplemented by a variety of smaller supportive projects.”

Wolf says the town is hoping to gain as much support as possible for the proposal by both this meeting and a second one which is as yet unscheduled.

Extensive information, as well as a link to submit proposals and to complete a survey is available at copakewaterfronts.com/nyforward.

Latest News

Amenia board honors employees for service

Long-term town employees were recognized at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, June 12. Honorees pictured with Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, were Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the Town Garage, center, for her 35 years of service to the town and Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent, for 20 years.

Leila Hawken

AMENIA — Acknowledging the many years of service accumulated by town employees, the Town Board paused to honor that service at its meeting on Thursday, June 12.

“Thank you for making a difference,” said Town Supervisor Leo Blackman in recognizing Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the town garage, for her 35 years of service.

Keep ReadingShow less
Historic marker dedicated at Amenia Union Cemetery

In anticipation of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution in 2026, new historic markers are appearing at each of the local cemeteries where Revolutionary War veterans are buried. Unveiling the new marker at Amenia Union Cemetery on Saturday, June 21, were left to right, Town Historian Betsy Strauss, Jim Middlebrook representing the regional chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Gail Seymour, President of the Union Cemetery Association.

Photo by Leila Hawken

AMENIA — One by one, new historic markers are appearing at local cemeteries where Revolutionary War dead are buried. On Saturday, June 21, community members gathered to see a new marker unveiled at Amenia Union Cemetery on Leedsville Road.

A tent provided welcome shade for the attendees and refreshments as about 30 residents gathered for the unveiling and to share stories of local history with one another.

Keep ReadingShow less
Millerton Street Fair celebration June 28

Bee Bee the clown, face painters and a community wide scavenger hunt are among the activities planned for the Millerton Street Fair in Downtown Millerton on Saturday, June 28.

Photo by Aly Morrissey

MILLERTON — The Millerton News, in partnership with the North East Community Center (NECC) and the Millerton Business Alliance, is hosting its first Street Fair on Saturday in a celebration of the town.

Rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, the fair will bring together local nonprofits and businesses, with live music, entertainment, kids’ activities, local eats, and family fun in Veterans Park, in front of the Millerton Inn, and beyond.

Keep ReadingShow less
Millbrook Historical Society announces summer Quaker lecture series

The Nine Partners Road Quaker Meetinghouse, built in 1780, will be the site of two summer lectures sponsored by the Millbrook Historical Society.

Photo by Leila Hawken

MILLBROOK — Long in the planning, the Millbrook Historical Society has announced that it is sponsoring two lectures in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Both lectures relating to Quaker history are to be held in the historic Quaker Meeting House on Nine Partners Road.

For the first talk, scheduled for Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m., the historical society has invited Sarah Gronningsater, Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, to talk on “Quakers, Anti-slavery, and the American Revolution.” The topic will explore the role that New York’s Quakers, especially in the Hudson Valley, played in the rise of the anti-slavery movement that followed the American Revolution.

Keep ReadingShow less