Cornwall students host Veterans Day
Army veteran Bill Dougherty at the Veterans Day breakfast with grandchildren and Cornwall Consolidated School students Braelyn (8), Brynn (8) and Pierce (4).
Photo by Riley Klein
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A vintage postcard depicts the Millerton train station when it was an active stop along the Harlem Railroad line.
Photo Courtesy North East Historical Society
The celebration is being built as a true community effort, with local organizations, businesses, historians and residents shaping the program. The goal, organizers say, is to create something that feels both nostalgic and exciting for people of all ages. Committee Chair Lisa Hermann said it will be a mix of retro fun, hometown pride and forward momentum.
Attendees can expect pop-up events across Main Street, historic exhibits and photo displays, local business collaborations, food and street celebrations, and more throughout the week.
The grand finale will be a multi-day fair in Eddie Collins Memorial Park with rides, games, live entertainment, an old-school carnival and a drone show that will light up the night sky with images of a train to wow spectators.
“We considered fireworks but opted for something more modern that would combine elements of the past and future,” Hermann said. “Plus, a lot of us on the committee have dogs,” she laughed, acknowledging that furry friends aren’t always fans of the popping sounds of fireworks.
Officials say the celebration is designed to feel like a living snapshot of Millerton with the past, present and future unfolding across the village throughout the week.
A full schedule of events can be found at villageofmillerton-ny.gov/175th.
Celebrating Millerton’s founding days
Sidney MillerPhoto Courtesy Village of Millerton
This year’s celebration marks 175 years since Millerton’s founding in 1851, when civil engineer Sidney Miller brought the New York and Harlem Railroad through what was then farmland in the Town of North East — itself established in 1788. Almost overnight, a village formed around the railroad tracks. In tribute to the engineer whose work sparked its creation, the new settlement was named Millerton.
The railroad transformed the area from a quiet, agricultural landscape into a bustling commercial hub. Soon after, additional rail lines connected Millerton to Boston, Poughkeepsie and the Hudson River, positioning the village as a key shipping point for milk, crops, goods and travelers moving between rural communities and major cities.
With the trains came hotels, stores and workers. Early visitors arrived seeking fresh country air, while farmers shipped milk and crops to growing urban centers. In a New York Times article published in 2011, longtime resident Phil Terni – whose grandparents founded Terni’s General Store in 1919 – described the early days as “an agricultural crossroads with three hotels served by three railroads.”
Industry also helped shape the young village. In nearby Irondale, established in 1854, the Millerton Iron Company produced cast iron railcar wheels and employed more than 100 workers at its peak, underscoring how rail and iron together fueled Millerton’s early growth.
Though Millerton traces its founding to 1851 with the arrival of the railroad, the village was formally incorporated in 1875 – securing its status as an independent municipality.
Behind the logo – inspired by the history of the railroad
The Millerton 175th Anniversary Committee’s logo.Illustration Courtesy Village of Millerton
When the Millerton 175th Anniversary Committee set out to design a logo for the milestone celebration, it wanted an image that reflected how the village began – not just a graphic, but a symbol of how Millerton came to be.
Committee member Eric Rewilak spearheaded the design process, grounding the logo in the village’s history as a railroad town.
“We wanted the logo to represent the foundation of the Village of Millerton,” Rewilak said.
In Millerton’s early years, three intersecting train lines transformed the rural hamlet into a regional commercial and agricultural hub, connecting local farms and businesses to the Northeast.
“Although the train is no longer in operation, we felt it was important to recognize what put Millerton on the map when the community formed in 1851,” Rewilak said.
Committee Chair Lisa Hermann said the train motif reflects both movement and connection – a nod to the village’s past and a symbol of how the community continues to come together 175 years later.
Follow along and get involved
The Millerton 175th Anniversary Committee is encouraging residents and visitors to follow along as plans continue to take shape and new events are added to the calendar. Social media and the village website will serve as the main hub for announcements, schedules, volunteer opportunities, contests and a behind-the-scenes look at what’s coming.
Follow the 175th Anniversary Committee:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=6157594923...
Instagram: @millertons175th
Community members who want to get involved are invited to reach out to the committee at 175th@villageofmillerton-ny.gov.
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Supervisor Walsh defends role in Flock surveillance contract
Nathan Miller
A standing-room-only crowd listens as Supervisor Brian Walsh reads a statement addressing controversy over an unauthorized contract with Atlanta-based Flock Safety at the Feb. 19 Pine Plains Town Board meeting. Walsh said he did not sign the contract and believed Flock was providing a demonstration of camera hardware at no cost to the town.
PINE PLAINS — More than 50 residents packed Town Hall on Thursday, Feb. 19, as Town Supervisor Brian Walsh sought to address continuing controversy over a proposed license plate reader surveillance system.
At issue is a February 2025 contract with Atlanta-based surveillance company Flock Safety. Residents questioned when the agreement was signed, who authorized it, and whether it was reviewed by the Town Board or Town Attorney Warren Replansky, as required under town procurement procedures.
Walsh addressed the matter about 15 minutes into the meeting, following a hearing on an unrelated local law. Before opening public comment, he read a prepared statement, asserting once again that he had no knowledge of a contract with Flock Safety and addressed specific comments from a phone call he held with company officials that were recently revealed in a report by The New Pine Plains Herald.
The contract in question came to light two weeks ago on Feb. 9 during an emergency meeting of the Pine Plains Town Board following the discovery of markers for surveillance cameras across town. The New Pine Plains Herald reported Sgt. Michael Belliveau, who resigned from the town's police force last year, signed the $80,000 contract with Flock on Feb. 25, 2025.
Under New York State Law, town funds can only be spent with Town Board approval. In Pine Plains, police department equipment is jointly owned with the town government.
"At no time was it ever stated to me that a contract had been executed," Walsh said. "I contacted Flock, instructed them to halt all activities, and stated I had no idea that mark-outs were being performed."
Walsh said Flock Safety representatives had approached him and the town's police department about a nine camera system in February 2025, but Walsh told the company at that time the town could not afford such a system and declined the cameras. Walsh said company officials then offered a limited trial including four cameras at no cost to the town, at which point Walsh agreed. He said he had no contact with the company between July 2025 and February 2026 when markings appeared across Pine Plains for what appeared to be permanent camera installations.
Reports in the New Pine Plains Herald revealed Walsh told Flock Safety officials during a phone call on Feb. 5 that camera installations were "going to get done." At Thursday’s meeting, he addressed the remark in his prepared statement, saying he was referring to the county.
"If the county wanted to place cameras in the Town of Pine Plains it would be done, but the town is not."
Walsh and Town Board members declined to answer questions regarding Flock Safety at the board meeting.
The statement did not immediately put residents' minds at ease. Matthew Lebaron, of Pine Plains, voiced concern over procedure, asking questions about town and police department officials' capacity to pursue demonstrations–or enter into contracts–without first consulting the town board.
"If equipment was installed, marked, tested or contracted without a formal public vote or proper procurement process, that raises serious questions about compliance with town law and fiduciary responsibilities," Lebaron said. "My request is simple — any agreements, any communications made to the public about these agreements, all be given to us with good warning over multiple communication streams."
Keary Hanan voiced further concerns about procedures, asking during public comment whether the town's counsel, Warren Replansky, had read or provided advice on the contract. Hanan expressed broken trust with the town's officials, asking "how does this town board plan on restoring the trust of this community after this egregious breach of honesty and trust with its constituents?"
Michael Cooper, who serves with the Pine Plains Volunteer Fire Department alongside Walsh, offered a defense of the town's supervisor, saying he believed Walsh's comments were being misunderstood.
"I have personally known Brian for 10 years since joining the fire company," Cooper said. "Knowing Brian and how he communicates, I believe his words are being misrepresented, and I would encourage anyone who has problems with what he has to say to examine what he has in fact done."
Cooper said he does not support surveillance systems in Pine Plains, citing abuses of surveillance technology by bad actors, but praised the Town Board and Supervisor Walsh for swift action regarding the controversy.
"I hope the Town Board and community can move past this and continue to maintain Pine Plains as a wonderful place to live," Cooper said.
Pine Plains resident Alice Nuccio objected to what she described as the politicization of the issue, referencing a comment Walsh made to Flock Safety officials in which he said, “I think we’re a decent blue area right now, unfortunately.”
"This is not a red or a blue issue," Nuccio said. "This is a humanitarian issue. We need to stop dividing everyone between this and that and really try to do the best for the town."