Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.

Millbrook considers police computer upgrade

MILLBROOK — At Millbrook’s monthly Board of Trustees meeting on Aug. 14, Police Chief Keith Dworkin followed up on last month’s planned upgrades to the police department’s infrastructure, including computers and computer servers.

Chief Dworkin said the department’s platforms are out of compliance with the Division of Criminal Justice Services. Chief Dworkin plans on prioritizing these changes to the department’s infrastructure with help from the board.

Fire Department President Matt Rochfort reminded the board that the Frank Jenks Junior Golf Tournament will be held on Sept. 23. Similarly, bingo and other raffles and fundraisers will begin again in October at the firehouse.

Mayor Tim Callopy reminded village residents that brush pickup will happen on Sept. 9. One pile of 10 feet by 6 feet by 4 feet will be accepted. Mayor Callopy also announced to the board that the DOT rejected the request to lower the speed limit to 25 mph on Franklin Avenue. However, 25 mph will be the new speed limit on roads leading into the village and elsewhere in the village.

Later on in the meeting the public hearing for the proposed local law No. 7 of 2024 Imposing a Temporary Six-Month Moratorium on Certain Land Developments in the RLD Zoning District, was held and approved by Trustee Doro and other board members.

In new business, Trustee Contino proposed a resolution to update Village codes regarding litter. The proposed resolution would require landlords to provide and maintain a trash receptacle for tenants; The motion was approved. Deputy Mayor Murphy also proposed updates to village codes surrounding the use of skateboards, E-scooters, and E-bikes. Currently, the village abides by New York state regulations. The board elected to publicize a bulletin with the current guidelines to remind residents what these entail. Lastly, Deputy Mayor Murphy updated the board on the current activity to repaint the Village Hall exterior. The board is looking to secure funding, as well as put bids out for contractors. The next meeting will be held Sept. 11, at 6 p.m. at the firehouse.

Latest News

A life reshaped by clay in “Matin”

Left to right: Hannah Wheeler, Matin Malikzada and Yonah Sadeh.

D.H. Callahan

On Monday, Oct. 26, a group of students, teachers and local residents gathered at the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville for a screening of the new short documentary “Matin.” The film tells the story of Matin Malikzada, a seventh-generation Afghani potter making a new life in New Milford, Connecticut. The film was made by local filmmaker Yonah Sadeh, creator of the Video Wall at the David M. Hunt Library, and Berkshires-based potter Hannah Wheeler, who were both present for the screening, along with Malikzada himself.

As a member of the seventh generation of his family to master the art of pottery, Malikzada had done things the way his family had for over a century. Istalif, the village where his family has lived for generations, was known throughout Afghanistan for its pottery, with wares sent across the country for use as everyday cups, bowls, plates and other vessels. The pottery-making families of Istalif gathered clay from the same mountain, about 30 to 45 minutes away by donkey. Every July, they would head north toward the Uzbekistan border to gather ishkar, a plant they processed by hand to make their signature glazes.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

Meg Sher finds her calling among the stacks

Meg Sher, executive director of the David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village.

L. Tomaino

When Meg Sher came to Falls Village in 2006 from Old Lyme, Connecticut, where she grew up, she never imagined she’d someday be the executive director of the David M. Hunt Library.

Although, in hindsight, perhaps it makes sense.

Keep ReadingShow less
Crescendo’s 23rd season speaks to the heart and mind

Christine Gevert, founding artistic director of Crescendo, conducts the audience at a performance.

Steve Potter

For Christine Gevert, founding artistic director of Crescendo, music from centuries past is anything but a relic. It is a living, breathing art form, full of drama, emotional complexity and, occasionally, surprises. As the regional choral and period-instrument ensemble launches its 23rd season, Gevert is once again bringing forgotten masterpieces into the present.

“Early Music has been my lifelong passion and the focus of my specialization in Europe and South America,” Gevert said. “Bringing this repertoire to our audiences in a nuanced way that does justice to its incredible depth, intensity, and beauty is deeply important to me.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Close Encounters with Music celebrates 35 years of musical discovery

Close Encounters with Music’s 35th season opens with “Saluting the Clarinet” featuring clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein.

Provided

For 35 years, cellist Yehuda Hanani has been inviting audiences to experience classical music in unexpected ways. As founder and artistic director of Close Encounters with Music, Hanani has built a concert series that goes beyond the music itself, exploring connections to literature, history, politics and the human experience.

This year, Close Encounters celebrates its 35th season with “Celebration & Discovery,” a seven-concert series that opens Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.