MILLERTON —Nearly four weeks after a furnace fire sent deadly levels of carbon monoxide inside 7-9 Main Street and forced as many as 18 residents to evacuate, a dispute between displaced tenants and the building’s owner has raised questions about safety, management and whether the property will reopen.
As of press time, the village had posted a notice on the building declaring it an “Unsafe Structure,” barring residents from returning until required repairs are completed. Village officials said required repairs include installing a new furnace, carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, and an ADA-compliant ramp. However, the owner said he is hesitant to undertake those upgrades after years of challenges with the village and some tenants.
Several tenants described their displacement as the latest failure of the owner, Kastriot “Chris” Rrapi, to properly maintain the 126-year-old building, an argument that Rrapi disputes.
“Our entire world got flipped upside down in a matter of hours,” said Brittney Watson, 22, who said she woke to the smell of smoke and felt dizzy as alarms sounded. Her family — including her father, Tim Watson, who uses a wheelchair after losing both legs — was among those forced to evacuate.
The property now appears unoccupied. Village officials said they shut off water to the building as an additional measure to prevent anyone from living there.
The Watson family is currently staying in temporary housing with assistance from the American Red Cross — an arrangement that is set to expire in early March, around 30 days after they first moved into the temporary home. The family said their future living situation is now uncertain.
Tim Watson's electric wheelchair sits in an alley space near a side entrance to the 7-9 Main Street apartment building. Watson said his brother helped him install a stairlift on the staircase leading to the door because the building lacked wheelchair-accessible entrances.Photo by Aly Morrissey
Tim Watson said he and his family moved into a first-floor apartment in the building about three years ago — though Rrapi describes it as less than two — and did not sign a written lease. Watson said his family was asked to pay rent in cash under a verbal agreement that would allow for weekly payments based on their fixed-income financial situation. Rent was $1,650 per month for a two-bedroom apartment.
“There was no lease,” Watson said. “It was always cash.”
The Watson family described long-standing problems, including pests, unreliable heat, and water leaks. The family said they repeatedly raised concerns about maintenance issues that went ignored. In the weeks leading up to the fire, Watson said the apartment went days without heat or hot water, forcing the family to rely on a space heater.
Jason Wendover, who is married to one of Watson’s daughters, described similar issues during his time in the building in 2025 in a second-floor apartment, including concerns about whether utilities were properly separated by unit and what he said was a severe cockroach infestation.
“They got into everything,” Wendover said of the cockroaches. “I’d wake up in the morning and, if I forgot to change the coffee, there would be roaches floating in the coffee pot.”
Rrapi disputes many of the Watsons’ claims and said they stopped paying rent months ago, leaving their unit in disarray after the evacuation.
“The building is old, I understand that,” Rrapi said. “It needs work. But the drama this family puts landlords through — it’s unacceptable.”
He said the family destroyed the apartment and caused tension for other tenants, noting complaints about loud arguments and smoking indoors.
Rrapi disputes allegations that he required cash-only payments, saying all of his tenants are welcome to pay by cash, check or Zelle — a cellphone banking app that allows for electronic payments. He also said a professional exterminator was sent to the building and that the Watson family refused to allow them into their apartment.
“I submitted the receipt to the Dutchess County Department of Health,” Rrapi said.
Rrapi said the Watsons owe him nearly $22,000 in back rent and damages, and eviction proceedings are underway. He said they were provided with notice in the months leading up to the fire. He described the apartment left behind by the family as severely damaged, saying they did not maintain the interior of the apartment.
“It’s a wreck to the point that it has to be gutted,” Rrapi said. “It’s my fault that I rented to them, but I felt sorry for them.”
Tim Watson denied ever receiving an eviction notice and rejected claims that his family caused damage to the apartment. He said he withheld as much as $15,000 in rent in the months leading up to the fire, describing the decision as a protest against what he called “slum-like” conditions in the building.
Just inside the building's side entrance is a hole in the wall caused by the doorknob.Photo by Aly Morrissey
Rrapi said the building’s future remains uncertain amid foreclosure proceedings that began in 2023 after a commercial loan went into default, which he attributed largely to a discrepancy he said he discovered after purchasing the property with his father, Zef Rapaj.
With 12 electrical meters on the building, the pair believed it was configured for 12 units, but they later learned it is legally zoned for six, which complicated the property’s finances and prompted him to pursue a variance through the village’s Zoning Board of Appeals.
He described the property as “the biggest headache I ever bought,” citing years of zoning roadblocks and financial strain that have left him uncertain how much more he is willing to invest in the property. Rrapi purchased the Millerton property along with two residential properties in Amenia and a vacant lot in Dover Plains from Christine Lilley of Brewster in 2021.
“I’m not going to put that kind of money into it if I’m not allowed to use the building the way it’s set up,” he said.
While he said he plans to replace the furnace, Rrapi said renovation plans have stalled amid what he described as shifting standards and mixed signals from the village.
With his legal team and architect Ray Nelson of Earthwise Architecture, Rrapi sought to scale back a proposal from 12 units to nine, which the ZBA rejected in June 2025.
The variance request was denied in part due to parking requirements, which mandate 1.5 spaces per unit — a standard that village officials have acknowledged has been difficult to meet in Millerton’s dense downtown.
Rrapi said he considered demolishing the building out of frustration, though he said he still has hope that there is a path forward to rehabilitate the building.
No timeline has been set for repairs or occupancy. Village officials said residents may not return until all safety requirements are met. Rrapi said he will complete the required work but remains undecided about whether he will continue renting the building long-term.
A protester holds a sign at Fountain Square in Amenia on March 28, where more than 200 people gathered as part of the nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations.
Kim Travis of Amenia — who organized the rally at Fountain Square — said the demonstration reflected a dramatic shift from her early days protesting alone, when she faced threats while standing by herself.
“This started with just me, alone in June — day after day, getting threats,” Travis said. “To see it grow into more than 200 people today for this ‘No Kings’ rally in our little-bitty town of Amenia is incredible.”
She said the turnout reflected broader support across rural communities. There were several rallies in towns across Dutchess County and in neighboring Connecticut.
Travis described the mood of the Amenia crowd as both emotional and energizing.
“Our hearts are filled with joy — it’s just incredible that so many people turned out today,” she said.
She added that the message of the protest was rooted in democratic values.
“We want our country back, and we want democracy,” Travis said. “We the people serve no kings. That’s what the Constitution is all about.”
Protesters display an upside down American flag in Amenia on March 28, where more than 200 people gathered as part of the nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations.Photo by Aly Morrissey
Ellie Myers, a senior boarding student at Millbrook School who lives in Brooklyn, attended the Fountain Square protests and said she has been protesting since Donald Trump was first elected in 2016.
“Showing up is really important to me, and I’m grateful to be in a community where I can support others,” Myers said. “Right now, ICE is the biggest issue. I have friends and family who have been affected — hardworking immigrants who came here for freedom and haven’t found it. That’s heartbreaking. It goes against what ‘we the people’ is supposed to mean, and it’s painful to see, both in the news and in real life.”
Myers added that she witnessed ICE in the airports during recent travel back to school and it was “heartbreaking.”
Dutchess County Legislator Eric Alexander, who represents Amenia and surrounding communities, also attended the rally, noting it followed a unanimous county resolution opposing a proposed ICE facility in the Hudson Valley.
“That wasn’t just Democrats,” Alexander said. “That was the entire legislature unanimously saying no to ICE, and a lot of that came from the voice of the people — the people we represent.”
Alexander said the size of the rally stood out, noting its growth from a single protester to a dozen regular participants and ultimately more than 200 attendees.
“I see a great sense of community, and I see a great sense of optimism,” he said. “But I also see high frustration. People are very concerned, and I think that concern is only growing as we see more and more of what’s going on in our country.”
He said the country is in a war that hasn’t sufficiently been explained to the American people, dysfunction is rampant at airports, and prices of everything from gas to groceries are soaring.
“And we don’t see an end in sight — we don’t see a plan,” he said. “These are people standing out here today saying we, as citizens, deserve to have our voices heard and to try to get some things to change.”
Protesters at Fountain Square in Amenia on March 28.Photo by Aly Morrissey
Several other local protests took place in Dutchess County, including in Rhinebeck, Poughkeepsie and Beacon.
Meanwhile, similar demonstrations took place across the border in Connecticut.
In Salisbury, several hundred people gathered along Route 44, where organizers set up signs and encouraged participants to share messages. In Cornwall, organizers estimated more than 300 attendees at the intersection of Route 7 and Route 4. Meanwhile, in Kent, both sides of Main Street were lined with protesters, with turnout estimated at more than 250.
As the rallies wound down, organizers such as Travis said the protests would not stop.
“A lot of the surrounding small towns showed up, too, because we want to show the rest of the country that small towns can be strong, loud and resist just as much as anyone,” she said. “And we intend to, and we’re not stopping.”
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Dan Baker, left, and Daniel Latzman at Barrington Hall in Great Barrington.
The partnership behind Barrington Hall began long before the building itself. Both Baker and Latzman grew up on Long Island, spent more than a decade in New York City, and eventually found their way to the Berkshires, drawn by the desire for something different. What they didn’t realize at first was just how closely their lives had already mirrored one another.
They were born in the same hospital, a year apart. Their families had distant connections. They even played on the same soccer team — never meeting, but moving through the same spaces. It wasn’t until they became neighbors in Egremont about five years ago that those parallels came into focus.
“In hindsight, it feels inevitable,” Latzman said. “But it was actually extremely random that we ended up here.”
From the beginning, Barrington Hall was meant to be a place people return to, not for any one event, but for the experience of being there. On any given week, the space might host a jazz performance, a dance party, a songwriter circle or a children’s event. Some nights bring in touring acts. Others highlight local creatives. The variety is intentional and so is the atmosphere.
“It’s about people,” Baker said. “It’s about being present.”
Inside Barrington Hall.Provided
Baker and Latzman are keenly aware of the world outside with its constant barrage of information, political conflicts, a culture that pulls people deeper into their screens. Barrington Hall offers a way out of that noise.
“A little bit of a bubble,” Latzman said. “A place to step away from everything else.”
During a recent event, they noticed something telling: a full room of people dancing, talking, engaged — and almost no one on their phone.
“That’s when you know something is working,” Baker said.
Taking over a beloved local space comes with responsibility, one Baker and Latzman have met by honoring the building’s traditions while also expanding them.
“We didn’t feel obligated,” Latzman said. “We felt honored.”
Part of what makes the space distinct is its versatility. Large enough to host more than 250 people, yet intimate enough to feel personal, it fills a gap in the local landscape, serving a wide range of people and bringing different groups together in the same space.
“We want people to feel like, if something’s happening here, it’s worth checking out,” Latzman said.
They are carefully balancing community access with the realities of running a business, with an eye toward the long term.
“We want this to be here in 20 years,” Latzman said.
Inside Barrington Hall.Provided
That vision extends beyond the building itself — future collaborations, expanded programming, a growing role in shaping the cultural life of the Berkshires. But at its core, the mission remains simple: to create a place where people can gather, a place that feels alive.
And perhaps most importantly, to create a place where, if only for a few hours, people can step away from the noise of the world and enjoy being together.
When asked who they’re most excited to host next, their answer was immediate: The Mammals on April 10 and Lee Ross, a one-man party band from Massachusetts, scheduled to perform on May 1.
For more information and tickets, visit
barringtonhallgb.com
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