environment

Elm tree planted at Elm Drive School on Arbor Day

Elm tree planted at Elm Drive School on Arbor Day

Elm Drive Elementary School pupils enrolled in grades K-2, assembled on the school playground to help plant a tree in observance of Arbor Day on Friday, April 26. Town crew members did the heavy work of planting the Valley Forge Elm tree that will provide shade for generations while doing its part to nurture the environment. The tree was donated by Twin Brooks Farm.

Provided

MILLBROOK — Students enrolled in Grades K-2 at Elm Drive Elementary School filed out to the playground on Friday, April 26, to help with the planting of an elm tree in honor of their school and the annual observance of Arbor Day.

Although the town had done the bulk of the planting work, there was still work to be done by the children.

Town Trustee Mike Herzog and tree grower Dennis Gendron, who had donated the straight and sturdy tree, encouraged each student to shovel a bit of soil around the base of the tree. Gendron of Twin Brooks Farm has been donating trees to the town for 20 years.

“Arbor Day is the most awesome day of the year,” Herzog told the children. “It’s about trees,” he explained.

The tree selected for the school playground perimeter is a Valley Forge Elm, a descendent of an elm tree that had stood at Valley Forge in the 18th century. Gendron noted that the tree is resistant to Dutch Elm Disease.

“This is a strong dependable tree being planted by the Village of Millbrook, but it’s going to need your care,” Herzog told the children who were attentive and willing to take on the responsibility.

After the ceremony Herzog commented on the recent tree removal work along Franklin Avenue, indicating that replacement trees will be planted. He said that there will be two elms and two red maples, both native varieties, and one Japanese Velcova that can withstand stresses represented by an urban setting.

environment

Latest News

Millerton Police Dept. rebuilds after fire; new cruisers on the way

Millerton Police Dept. rebuilds after fire; new cruisers on the way

The borrowed Pine Plains cruiser parked on Main Street in front of the Millerton Inn during the Millerton Street Fair on Saturday, June 28.

Photo by Aly Morrissy

MILLERTON — After receiving substantial state grant funding in July 2024 and beginning to roll out new equipment that fall, the Millerton Police Department suffered a setback when the February fire at the Village Water and Highway Department building destroyed much of its newly acquired gear — including patrol vehicles outfitted with cutting-edge technology.

Thanks to full-value insurance coverage and swift support from the Town of Pine Plains — which loaned the department a vehicle — Millerton officers were able to remain active in the community. Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik said two custom-built, four-wheel-drive Ford Interceptor cruisers are now in production and are expected to arrive by the end of the summer.

Keep ReadingShow less

Uncertainty looms over Millerton community pool timeline

Uncertainty looms over Millerton community pool timeline

Groundbreaking of the new pool planned for Eddie Collins Park has been delayed after the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation intervened to determine the status of wetlands in the proposed building site.

Archive photo

MILLERTON — The long-awaited groundbreaking for a new community pool at Eddie Collins Memorial Park — once expected this past April — now faces significant delays with no definitive timeline in sight, Mayor Jenn Najdek said.

The primary setback stems from a still-pending permitting process, as the village awaits final approvals from the Dutchess County Board of Health and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation regarding septic placement and wetland buffers. A patch of wetlands on the site — roughly five feet by five feet, Najdek said — requires a protective buffer, which could range anywhere from 5 to 100 feet. That determination will dictate whether the current pool design needs to be altered or moved altogether.

Keep ReadingShow less

North East town records brought into the digital age

North East town records brought into the digital age

Chris Virtuoso reorganized parcel records in the North East Town Hall basement by parcel number during the process of scanning and digitizing the documents.

Photo by Grace DeMarco

MILLERTON — Within the walls of the two-story Victorian housing the North East Town Hall lies a room-full of town records dating back to the late 19th century. Stored in labeled cardboard boxes and protected by dehumidifiers, the records are in the process of being dated, organized, and scanned into categorized online programs.

As the Town Hall works to relocate to 5603 Route 22 at the former Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness, the consolidation and digitalization of records, as well as the disposal of those unneeded, is a time-sensitive project. Marcy Wheatley, the Deputy Town Clerk, emphasized their current heavy focus on organizing and scanning. “Now, when we move, we can get rid of a lot,” Wheatley stated.

Keep ReadingShow less

Fun, food and facts bring crowds to downtown Millerton

Fun, food and facts bring crowds to downtown Millerton

Nora Garcia, 6, of Millerton, bottom right, gets a face painting treatment from Maddy Rowe, a Webutuck High School senior. Nora’s sister, Juliana, 8, top right, is decorated by Giana Kall, a Webutuck senior. The program was sponsored by the Webutuck PTA.

Photo by John Coston

Locals and visitors packed into downtown Millerton Saturday, June 28, for the first ever Millerton Street Fair hosted by the Millerton News, the Millerton Business Alliance and Townscape. Representatives from local nonprofits, businesses along Main Street, Bee Bee the Clown and face painters from Webutuck High School drew in crowds all afternoon.

Festivities officially opened at 10 a.m., and a steady stream of visitors soon followed. Volunteer firefighters hosted a bouncy castle, a duck pool, a “put out the fire” ring toss game, and the “touch a truck” event at the fire department’s garage.

Keep ReadingShow less