Rails, traffic safety, NECC new director

The following excerpts from The Millerton News were compiled by Kathleen Spahn and Rhiannon Leo-Jameson of the North East-Millerton Library.

Feb. 21, 1935

Oliver W. Valentines Parents of 8 1/4-Pound Boy

Mr. and Mrs. Oliver W. Valentine are the parents of a son born Monday at Vassar Hospital, Poughkeepsie. The baby, weighing 8 1/4 pounds, has been named Richard. Both mother and son are getting along nicely, it was reported at the hospital. Mr. Valentine is chief of the Millerton Fire Department.

About Millerton

William Pulver, who has been a patient in the infirmary at Hotchkiss School, has recovered from his illness.

Bill Vogt, noted fly fisherman, is visiting Arthur Terni.

Kenneth Brusie has resumed his duties as gate tender at the New York Central Railroad crossing after a week lay off because of illness.

John Brusie is ill at his home.

Mr. and Mrs. Wesley MacMaster attended the funeral of Mrs. Elia Nodine MacMaster on Monday at Amenia Union.

February 19, 1976

Penn Central Delays Rail Abandonment

Penn Central has postponed abandoning freight service on the Harlem Division for at least a month, a member of the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) said Tuesday.

Robert Colucci, a DOT transportation regulatory analyst, said that the date of Harlem Line’s transfer of ownership from Penn Central to the Consolidated Rail Corporation (ConRail) has been changed from March 1 to April 1, but added that it may occur as late as May 1.

Colucci said that the delay is due to President Gerald Ford’s late approval of the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976. The bill was not signed until this month and Colucci said that ConRail needed more time to conduct the rail line transfers.
The State DOT excluded the section of the Harlem Division north of Millerton to Chatham in its State Rail Plan released last December. This means that the Harlem Line will become a stub line ending at Millerton once the Penn Central-ConRail transfer is complete. The line is presently a through line that connects with the Boston and Albany line at Chatham.

The State plans to maintain the Harlem’s right-of-way north of Millerton until a connection is built at Dykeman’s in Putnam County, Jim Cartin, DOT principal rail specialist, said this, week. Dykeman’s marks the Harlem’s connection with the Maybrook Line. Freight service, the DOT has said, could be rerouted to or from the Hudson Line via the Maybrook Line. This, the State contended, would eliminate the need for the upper section of the Harlem Division north of Millerton.

State Nixes Light at Checkerboard

Because most accidents there occur in the daytime and most victims are out-of-towners, the State Transportation Department has refused to install a flashing beacon at the infamous checkerboard curve south of the village.

In a Jan. 9 letter to the North East Town Clerk, R.M. Gardeski, regional traffic engineer for the State, said: “A review of the accidents supplied by you shows that (1) they are all out-of-town drivers, (2) the accidents occurred during daylight hours. Therefore, we feel that the installation of a flashing beacon is not appropriate.”

Gardeski did admit in his letter, “your point that cars do not observe this curve far enough in advance is well taken.”

North East Town Clerk Barbara Wickwire read Gardeski’s letter to the Town Board at its Thursday, Feb. 12 meeting.

Gardeski explained that the State has raised the warning arrow already at the curve, added another arrow to the sign, and proposed the addition of yet another set of warning arrows.

Gardeski told The News this week that flashing beacons are usually placed in school speed zones, and in areas to warn motorists of approaching signals. Gardeski said, “If you use the beacons too often, drivers become conditioned to them and they lose their effect.”

Gardeski then got into some bureaucratic lingo. He said the checkerboard is what traffic experts call a “geometric change.” Before we could ask him what, exactly, a geometric change was, he said flashing beacons aren’t usually placed there. Oh.
Next, we wondered why the beacon request was turned down just because most of the people who get creamed on the curve are passing through from out-of-state during the day (We hazard a guess that after getting racked [sick] up on the curve, people are not likely to be too anxious to make a return visit to our Village).

February 15, 2001

New Director Wants to Make NECC ‘A Place For Everybody’

MILLERTON — “What I’d like to do is just throw open the doors,” said Jenny Hansell, the new director of the North East Community Center (NECC), referring to her desire to “reach out to the community and make the NECC a place for everybody.” Ms. Hansell said her first priority is to support and enrich the programs alredy in place at the center, and then “start from scratch” on new projects. And she is not without experience in program development.

A graduate of Yale University, Ms. Hansell has a long history of work in volunteer and philanthropic organizations.

Her focus has always been to educate children and teens while encouraging social activism. Ms. Hansell described several of her past assignments for an organization called Heaven, at which Ms. Hansell attempted to “make volunteering and philanthropy hip for young adults;” while at another job she “developed curriculum for teens to learn technology while volunteering.”

However, Ms. Hansell welcomes the change from working on-line to hands-on.

“Working on-line for three years has caused me to become a couple of steps removed,” said the new director. “I could reach millions of faceless people before, but it’s worth it if I can reach 10, face-to-face, now.”

One of the first steps Ms. Hansell plans to take is to revive teen involvement at the center, including developing and/or reinstating programs geared towards youth enrichment and environmental awareness. Also, she hopes to help the center to further incorporate the growing Hispanic community.

Riley’s Opens Online Showroom

MILLERTON - Riley’s Furniture has opened its online showroom on FurnitureFan.com.

Furniture shoppers may browse Riley’s Internet showroom 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

FurnitureFan.com is the largest-of-its-kind furniture search engine in the country, according to its sponsors. Its concept allows consumers to narrow their search for furniture online and then “see, feel and buy” it at a local store such as Riley’s Furniture.
Riley’s Furniture is located at 135 Main St., Millerton.