Major projects were Millbrook’s focus in 2024

MILLBROOK — The village anticipates welcoming former Trustee Peter Doro to the position of Village Mayor in January following his election in November, along with two new Trustees. The exercise of reflecting on the past year shows accomplishments and progress on some major projects.

Millbrook’s youngsters did their part. The annual observance of Arbor Day in late April saw students enrolled in Grades K-2 at Elm Drive Elementary School helping with the planting of an elm tree in honor of their school.

In May, work began on the Stanford Road bridge over the east branch of Wappinger Creek, replacing the old structure with a new wider bridge. Stanford Road remained closed to traffic for the summer months.

On June 1, the village welcomed a new Chief of Police. Keith Dworkin.

For the first time since 2015, the Millbrook Library sought and received voter approval of a November ballot proposition to increase library funding within the town’s annual budget, only the third such funding request in the library’s history. Voters approved an increase of $165,000 to a new total of $349,000 for library support.

Following two public information sessions in October and November and mailings to each household, a mid-November special referendum on the school district’s capital plan saw defeat of all three proposed construction elements.

Three years in the planning, the project would remediate actively leaking roofs at two schools, the more severe problem found at the Middle School. The capital projects would install lifts for ADA-required access and allow for air quality monitoring and improvement within all schools in the district.

Because the plan includes critically needed maintenance work and repairs to areas with water damage, the district will continue the discussion into 2025 on a revised plan which voters can support.

Two major construction projects were a focus throughout the year. In late August, a contract was awarded by the Board of Trustees to replace storm drains on Washington Avenue. The work was completed before the end of the year.

A project to upgrade the village wastewater treatment plant received advice from the town’s bond counsel on how to amend the original 2022 resolution to reflect higher project costs of about $10 million.

A December report given at a Trustees meeting, presented by a representative of the engineering firm of Tighe and Bond, reviewed the status of required studies and early steps toward completing grant applications. The coming year will see continued progress.