MILLBROOK — Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro announced on Tuesday, Jan. 11, that the much-loved Millbrook Library will be receiving an infrastructure grant to the tune of $200,000.
It was welcome news to Millbrook Library Director Courtney Tshalis and her library staff, as it will be used the make the library more comfortable for patrons as well as its workers.
“We are absolutely thrilled to receive this funding and want to thank Legislator Deirdre Houston (R-25) and all those in the Dutchess County Legislature who supported this grant, as well as Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro for recognizing the critical need for funding for infrastructure projects,” said Tshalis. “This funding will help make our building more sustainable and accessible.”
Houston, whose district covers parts of the Harlem Valley including the village of Millbrook, was recently re-elected to her third term.
“More than ever, many Dutchess County residents need the vital services these important organizations provide,” she said. “I’m proud of the County’s Agency Partner Grant [APG] Infrastructure Program, as well as my legislative colleagues’ support, which made it possible, enabling these nonprofits to deliver these critical programs.”
Tshalis said the money would be used to help the library replace its “aging heating and cooling system with an electrical system that is more energy-efficient.”
She added, “Our HVAC system does pretty well during the winter, but cannot handle summer heat and humidity — in some parts of the building it can reach 80 degrees during the summer. It’s uncomfortable for both patrons and staff.”
Molinaro announced last week’s award in this first round of grants; $904,500 will be divided among six different projects to be doled out by the county for important infrastructure projects.
The grant was supported by the 2022 Dutchess County APG infrastructure program. APGs are awarded to local nonprofit agencies to use for capital and operate infrastructure initiatives, which the county said are “vital to cover service gaps and other needs.”
In December 2021, the Dutchess County Legislature allocated $3 million in the county budget for the APG program. The county plans to announce additional grants in the near future.
The Millbrook Library also received funds from Dutchess Invests, the Learn, Play, Create grant program in June of 2021, also allocated by Molinaro.
In that instance, $50,000 was used to update the library's children’s space with new furniture, technology and books.
The Learn, Play, Create grant was part of a $3 million one-time grant for local nonprofit groups in Dutchess to help lessen the burden of organizations struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Molinaro’s office stressed that the importance of local libraries cannot be overstated. Along with books and other reading materials, the county executive reminded his constituents that libraries have much to offer their communities.
The Millbrook Library provides access to computers, CDs, DVDs and games, space for groups to meet such as the Historical Society and also offers The Gallery, where art exhibits are held. The Millbrook Arts Group (MAG) often presents concerts at the library, which is also home to the annual Millbrook Literary Festival, usually held in May during non-COVID times.
Tshalis and her staff have maintained numerous programs and offered many services during the past two years, despite hardships created by the pandemic and working with various restrictions placed on them by the state and health departments due to the health crisis.
Often times, the library has had to close to the public, but for the most part is has been able to function and remain open, at least virtually or with some restrictions in place.
Current programs are still being offered, though at the moment all programs are only available online; materials needed for specific programs may be picked up at the library.
To learn more about the Millbrook Library, located at 3 Friendly Lane, to see its current schedule of events or to register for an activity, go to www.millbrooklibrary.org or call 845-677-2099.
Patrick L. Sullivan
Luiza, 6; Cecilia, 4; Nathan, 4; and Aria, 6, show off their face paint and balloon animals during the fifth annual Lakeville Journal Street Fair on Aug. 8.
SALISBURY, Conn. — Live music, lobster rolls, face painting and a mix of local nonprofit organizations filled Academy Street in downtown Salisbury on Saturday, Aug. 8, for the fifth annual street fair hosted by The Lakeville Journal.
Audrey Cole of the Western Connecticut Area Agency on Aging (WCAAA) was on site with information on the often-bewildering subject of Medicare.
Cole, who lives in Sharon, said the WCAAA is a nonprofit serving 41 towns in Western Connecticut with Medicare counseling, Alzheimer’s care, caregiver support, meals, transportation, chore assistance and more.
Medicare is always a hot topic, she said, in part because figuring out which program to choose — and when to sign up — can be difficult.
“There are lots of deadlines, lots of programs,” she said.
The advantage in asking WCAAA for help, Cole said, is its independence.
“We work for the taxpayers. We don’t steer anyone in any direction.”
Cole said the two big questions someone new to Medicare needs to answer are “How is your overall health?” and “What is your financial situation?”
Nearby, Danny Tieger was tuning his guitar in anticipation of a crowd of youngsters eager to hear live music. When they appeared, he had them brainstorm about what kind of animal they’d like to hear a song about. As the children pitched ideas, Tieger drew rapidly on a sketchpad propped up on an easel for everyone to see.
The children came up with a combination of a lion, a bird and an alligator.
Some people might find that melange a little daunting, but Tieger immediately launched into a song, made up on the spot.
“What’s our alligator-bird-lion’s name?” he asked.
“Chomps,” said a little boy.
“Chomps it is,” Tieger replied.
In the parking lot of Johnnycake Books, Linda Ciano, director of community engagement for Project SAGE, greeted visitors beneath a large tent.
The Lakeville-based nonprofit domestic violence agency has two fundraisers currently underway.
“The Bling’s the Thing” offers jewelry donated by supporters at bargain prices, while a five-dollar bill gets shoppers an extra sturdy, large blue Project SAGE tote bag.
Project SAGE is also sponsoring a community art project and inviting anyone to participate — no artistic skills required. The results will be displayed at an event at the Scoville Memorial Library on Sunday, Sept. 13.
At the Salisbury Association, Lou Bucceri held forth on a range of local history, from Salisbury’s iron industry and the role of its cannons in the American Revolution to the Holley knife collection and Ethan Allen’s insistence on being inoculated against smallpox by his friend Dr. Thomas Young of Amenia Union.
The idea of deliberately injecting a healthy person with a small amount of a disease was very new and, to many, seemed unwise if not downright evil. So Allen got his smallpox inoculation on the steps on the Congregational Church on a Sunday, for maximum publicity.
“And he was hauled into court on a charge of blasphemy,” Bucceri said.
Allen subsequently beat the charge.
Around 1 p.m. John Keilty of Litchfield took over the live music duties. He set up a Bo Diddley beat on one note, turning it into a repeating motif recorded electronically. He then soloed over it, soaring off in unexpected directions before bringing it back to the riff.
Keilty said his primary job is running a guitar repair business. He plays in a couple of bands, including Shake the Dust out of Litchfield.
“We call ourselves the Farm Band, because we always seem to play events held at farms,” he said.
Lucia Iandolo
Members of the Dover Guitar Club prepare for a performance.
DOVER PLAINS — Members of Dover High School’s Guitar Club are tuning up for another community performance as they prepare to take the stage at Dover Community Day on Sept. 19.
Since 2019, the club has given students a place to learn guitar, perform live and build confidence while giving back to the community. Led by Dover High School social studies teacher Eric Anderson, students meet after school to learn new music, rehearse and perform at school and community events.
What began as a club where students played guitar and watched music documentaries quickly evolved into a regular rehearsal group focused on learning songs and performing for audiences. Their first concert, scheduled for March 13, 2020, was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the students eventually made a name for themselves by performing in the community when many live music events had been canceled.
The club’s mission is rooted in community service, and members have performed at multiple fundraising events for residents and members of the school district
“A lot of our biggest acts and the things that we spend a lot of the year preparing for are these bigger events that support the community,” Anderson said.
Some of the students in Guitar Club have even started their own band and written original music. The band, Due Date, consists of Guitar Club members who now write and produce their own music. Due Date has performed as a group through Guitar Club, but additionally put on performances in the community at quinceañeras and the Dover Legacy Racing Cars & Guitars show.
Aiden Austin is a rising senior at Dover High School and a member of Due Date. He said Guitar Club had an impact on the group’s overall confidence and aided in preparation efforts for shows.
“The ability for me to even play at a show when I was a freshman is insane,” Austin said, “That’s why I am super grateful for Guitar Club.”
Graham Corrigan
Developers plan to convert a 1920s farmhouse on the former Green Briar Nursing Home campus in Millbrook into apartment buildings.
MILLBROOK — A developer has submitted plans to renovate the old Green Briar Adult Home into residences.
Developers Kingston Investors tentatively plan to build 16 rental units, utilizing the existing farmhouse and rebuilding an addition for the apartments. Currently there are no plans for affordable housing units, but the new owners say they’re open to discussions. The existing building footprint is about 15,000 square feet, and the new developments will be about the same size.
Green Briar’s closure concluded a 40 year run as a nursing home and assisted living facility. Prior to closing, Green Briar had been marred by disputes between the home’s residents and their neighbors.
Accusations of lawbreaking, drunken behavior, and frequent police activity led to calls for a stricter vetting process. In 2018, a Green Briar resident was arrested for theft from a neighboring property. A member of the nursing home’s staff member was arrested that same year for sexually assaulting a Green Briar resident.
In 2019, police and rescue squads frequented the property to break up fights and conduct psychiatric evaluations.
The property was closed by the Department of Health in 2023.
After the closure, the property fell into disrepair. The 4-acre property, located at 26 Old Route 82, consists of two adjoining structures: a farmhouse dating back to the 1920s and a 1970s addition.
Kingston Investors acquired the former nursing home for $400,000 in January 2026. “We saw a neglected property in need of transformation that could provide much needed housing to the local community,” said the company’s vice president David Krulewitch. “We do not plan to run a healthcare facility at the site.”
Kingston Investors hired Millbrook’s Sloan Architects to reimagine the space for residential apartments. “Our current thinking is to rehabilitate the 1920s farmhouse into rental apartments, demolish the 1970s structure, and build additional rental apartments in its place,” Krulewitch said. “Our design intends to blend in with the country aesthetic of the surrounding community.” The two northern acres abutting neighboring properties will remain as open space.
In July, Kingston and Sloan Architects presented their proposal to the Town of Washington Planning Board in a pre-application meeting. The application emphasized that the plan “preserves open space, reduces the existing lot coverage by 3% compared to existing conditions, and enables a transformation of a blighted property.”
Having received positive feedback, the developers are now working with land use counsel to further refine the plans. Krulewitch said they hope to reappear before the Planning Board in the fall with revised designs.
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Leila Hawken
AMENIA — Construction plans for a new town garage complex, including a salt shed, moved ahead as the Town Board awarded construction contracts to a number of companies at their regular meeting on Thursday, August 6. The vote was unanimous.
Construction Manager for the project Palumbo Group recommended that contracts totaling $8 million be awarded to three companies. Mid-Hudson Construction Management is contracted for $6,353,470. Successful bidders for specialty contracts were S&O Construction Services for both HVAC installation and plumbing at a total of $1,077,207 and LBS 2020 for electrical work at a cost of $750,000.
The entire project for the 5-acre site involves construction of a 12,620 square foot building housing 6 double-bays and an office/breakroom, mechanical bay with lift and washing bay. Also to be constructed will be a 60 by 80-foot salt shed and attached storage building of four closed bays and two open bays, and a fueling station for diesel and gasoline.
Westerly Ridge property
Discussion continued about a proposed gift to the town of property at 108 Westerly Ridge. The question posed by Town Supervisor Rosanna Hamm was whether the Town Board was willing to entertain the idea of the gift and all councilmembers indicated that willingness.
Two questions that had been raised were whether the homeowners’ association at Westerly Ridge had approved the idea and whether the Dutchess County Land Conservancy had ruled on it.
Town Board attorney Ian Lindars said that he had recently received the conservation easement paperwork and planned to review it and report to the board at its next meeting.
During the Town Board meeting of July 23 Sharon resident Carol Flaton had introduced her planned donation of a 27-acre parcel that would be designated for conservation. Flaton has owned the parcel for more than a month and she seeks to complete the property transfer before the end of the year.
The property is the final piece of the ridgeline. Accepting the gift would ensure that the entire ridge would forever be protected from development.
“That piece of property is close to my heart,” Town Supervisor Rosanna Hamm had commented at the July 23 meeting, recalling that her grandfather had farmed it and her father had been raised on the farm.
The property faced controversy in recent years over proposed construction. In 2023, Amenia’s Planning Board approved plans for a home on the property that were then challenged in Dutchess County Supreme Court and embroiled in years of litigation.
Carol Flaton purchased the property in July from Cameron and Liza Smith, according to public deeds available on the Dutchess County Clerk’s website. The Smiths intended to build a house on the property but plans stalled after neighboring property owner Barbara Meili sued to halt construction in 2023.
The court rejected Meili’s complaint in 2025, triggering an appeal from Meili. That appeal was rescinded in April.
New billing system for Water District
In response to a need for an automated meter reading, billing and payment system for Water District customers, the Town Board voted unanimously to enter into a contract with Muni-Link for those services.
The new system will allow for on-line payment of water bills, a convenience that has frequently been requested.
To implement the new system, Muni-Link will charge a one-time fee of $12,000, including three years of historical customer usage data and all training. Going forward, the town water district will pay a $650 monthly fee for up to 300 customer accounts, although the number of users will be unlimited under the fee schedule.
Graham Corrigan
The Dutchess County Fair returns Aug. 25 to 30 at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds. It’s an event that has run for over 180 years, and has become the premiere celebration of agriculture in the region.
The fair was first held in Pleasant Valley before moving to its current site on Route 9 in Rhinebeck. The fair has become one of the county’s largest annual events, and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
The 2026 program includes the fair’s mix of agricultural competitions, livestock judging, and horticultural exhibits, along with a one-room schoolhouse and an Antique Village Museum. The schoolhouse, which dates back to 1881, was originally located in Pine Plains. It was abandoned in the 1940s before being purchased and transported to the fairgrounds in 2004.
Other attractions include Livestock Hill — 12 acres dedicated to showcasing the finest in local livestock. It includes barns housing dairy cows, cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, rabbits, and more, along with milking demonstrations, a wool workroom, and sheep shearing.
Family activities include petting zoos with domestic and exotic animals, racing pigs, and dock diving dogs. The AgriVenture activity area includes a mock farm where children ages 3-10 can see how food is grown and sold. The kids can dig up potatoes from a sandbox, shear a wooden sheep, pick apples from a plywood tree, and milk “Dutchess” the cow.
Over 50 carnival rides will run throughout the fair. More than 100 food vendors are expected, and vendor rows will include artisans selling goods such as leather items, soaps, jewelry, and meat raised on local farms.
There’s also an emphasis on historical agriculture. A working sugar house, cider mill, and blacksmith shop are available to tour. Other artifacts include a turn-of-the-century printing press, firefighter’s museum, and a historic train station transported from Pleasant Valley.
The Grandstand lineup has musical acts lined up for the fair’s first five nights. Country star Chase Matthews will kick things off at 7:30 on August 25. He’ll be followed on subsequent nights by southern rockers 38 Special, Nashville’s Journey From the Heart, cover band Almost Queen, and troubadour Tyler Braden.
The last day’s festivities will trade music for cowpokes: the Painted Pony Championship Rodeo will take place at 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The fair’s annual livestock auction is scheduled for Saturday, August 29. The auction is organized in part through 4-H and FFA programs and draws farm families from across the county.
Gates open at 10 a.m. daily, and close at 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Sunday ends slightly earlier at 8 p.m.
Advance tickets are $15 for adults, or $18 at the gate. Admission is free for children under 11. Ride-all-day wristbands are $33 in advance and $40 at the gate. Parking is free, and a shuttle offers service from the Poughkeepsie MTA station.
Millerton News
MILLERTON — Our precious Olly Josiah Rea, beloved son, cherished brother, treasured grandson, and dearly loved by so many, went home to be with his Savior, Jesus Christ, on July 25, 2026, at just two years old.
Though his time on earth was far too brief, Olly’s life overflowed with joy, laughter, and unconditional love. He filled every room with his contagious smile, infectious giggle, and endless curiosity. His joyful spirit had a way of drawing people to him, and it was impossible not to smile in his presence.
Born on July 17, 2024, to Johnathan and Darryl Sue (Lasko) Rea, Olly was happiest simply being with the people he loved. Whether enjoying family vacations, running through church hallways with an ear-to-ear grin, or making everyone around him laugh with his playful personality, he embraced childhood with a joy that was unmistakably his own.
Olly delighted in the simple things that make childhood so special. He loved Mickey Mouse, Lightning McQueen and his friends from Cars, dinosaurs, and every opportunity to be surrounded by family and friends. Whether excitedly saying, “Ready, go”, curiously asking, “Ooh, what’s that?”, pointing off into the middle distance, making “vroom-vroom” sounds as he raced his toy trucks across the floor, or doing his happy twist, Olly embraced each day with wonder and excitement. He loved watching airplanes soar overhead, eagerly searching the sky whenever he heard one. He found endless joy splashing in the water, pulling his favorite wagon, and never wanted his carousel rides to end.
He never shied away from a camera, saying, “Cheese!”, leaving behind countless photographs that beautifully tell the story of a little boy whose radiant smile could brighten anyone’s day. Olly was the epitome of a daddy’s boy, and loved to be in his father’s arms, always reaching for him with a beckoning wave to be picked up. He also had a particular talent for finding the frosting on a cupcake—often preferring generous handfuls of icing while leaving the cake behind—a memory that will forever bring both smiles and tears to those who loved him.
One of Olly’s favorite places was his church. From his earliest days, he was raised in a home where Christ was known, loved, and faithfully served. He grew up surrounded by parents who taught him about the love of Jesus and by a church family that treasured him as one of their own. He especially loved the attention of the older girls at church, who eagerly played with him, loved on him, and delighted in every hug, laugh, and mischievous smile. To them, he was much more than a little boy—he was their little buddy.
Although his time with us lasted only two short years, Olly’s life was rich in laughter, hugs, adventures, faith, and unconditional love. His joyful spirit, radiant smile, and precious life will forever remain woven into the hearts of all who knew and loved him.
He is survived by his beloved brothers, Cory and Levi; his loving parents, Johnathan and Darryl Sue (Lasko) Rea; maternal grandmother, Susan (Cahill) Lasko; paternal grandmother, Brenda (Senter) Stewart; paternal grandparents, Jimmy and Frances (Tapia) Rea; paternal great-grandparents, Stanley and Margaret (Brennan) Senter; along with many aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family members, and countless friends who loved him dearly.
Among those welcoming him into Heaven were his maternal grandfather, Darryl Lasko; maternal great-grandfather, William J. Lasko Sr; maternal great-grandmother, Doris (Hanaburgh) Lasko; maternal great-grandfather, Joseph T. Cahill Jr; maternal great-grandmother, Vivian (Deats) Cahill; paternal great-grandmother, Sally Garcia; maternal great-uncle, Daniel; paternal great-uncle, Robert, and great-aunt, Patsy.
Family and friends were warmly invited to celebrate Olly’s beautiful life on Monday, August 3, 2026, at Faith Bible Chapel, 222 Silver Mountain Road, Millerton, New York, for a celebration of his life party at 10:30 a.m. done by Pastor William Mayhew.
All were invited to fellowship with us as we continue celebrating Olly’s life with cake, balloons, and the joyful sharing of memories. Just as Olly delighted in life’s simple joys, we invite everyone to celebrate this beautiful little boy who brought so much happiness to all who knew him.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Peck & Peck Funeral Homes, Copake, New York.
Please visit https://gofund.me/587ac379d to help support the family during this difficult time. To leave a message of condolence for the family please visit www.PeckandPeck.net
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