MILLBROOK — Drawing an audience of more than 100 in person, and even more via Zoom, the Millbrook Community Partnership, Inc. (MCP) held its first public meeting at the Millbrook firehouse on Thursday, July 29. Chairman Oakleigh Thorne explained the group is capitalizing on a once-in-a-century opportunity to re-imagine two iconic but deteriorating village structures: the Thorne Memorial Building and the Bennett College property.
The Thorne Building Community Center (TBCC) and the Thorne family representing the Bennett Park group originally merged on July 1, promising great things for two of the largest projects in the village.
July 29 public meeting
The presentation certainly drew out the public, which has long awaited a solution for what many have called “problems” rather than “projects.” Residents have often asked village leaders what they planned to do with, on one end of Franklin Avenue, the old, vacant Thorne Building, at the other end of the village, where routes 82 and 343 meet, the mass of ghostly, rotting and most likely dangerous buildings where Bennett College once operated.
Work to start ASAP
Now MCP, a nonprofit, is offering solutions. It made its plans known at the July 29 public meeting. Thorne said he’s hopeful some work can begin as early as Monday, Aug. 2.
That’s when he said demolition at the aging Bennett College is scheduled to begin. MCP said that will pave the way to creating a 32-acre park on the Bennett property.
Meanwhile, renovations on the Thorne Building are also scheduled to begin shortly. The Thorne Building is set to become a multi-purpose community center. It is located just minutes away from the Bennett properties at the other end of the village on Franklin Avenue.
Funding
In his opening remarks Thursday evening, Thorne said that the Tribute Garden and the Thorne family have offered to raise the $20 million needed to complete both projects. They will also oversee the development and the operations of the two facilities.
The complete renovation of the theater at the Thorne Building Community Center is expected to cost another $1 million to bring it up to professional standards; $8 million has already been raised, $3 million has been donated by private families and $5 million has been donated by the Tribute Garden.
As of now, said Thorne, the fundraising campaign has not gone public. That phase will come in time, he noted, and may be done with possible raffles, fundraisers and other creative means.
Health and safety auditing
Thorne introduced Kevin Seise, the project manager of Vertex, a New Jersey company that deals with environmental health and safety auditing, industrial hygiene, site remediation and training services. Seise explained in detail how the demolition of the decaying Bennett buildings will take place and what safety measures will be employed.
This was especially pertinent information to those who live closest to the area, namely those who live at the Bennett Commons condominiums.
Residents weigh in
Mary and Stan Morse, who have resided at Bennett Commons for the past 36 years, are glad that the demolition and subsequent development is getting underway.
“We feel very good about the process,” Morse stated. “We have been a part of the process for more than five years.”
Like many other residents, they are pleased they have been kept informed about what’s taking place, and feel that Thorne and others involved in the planning have listened to their ideas, fears and needs.
A little history
One hold-up over the years was a land swap that had to take place, allowing the Bennett Commons pool and tennis courts to go to the condo owners, while a different plot went to the college properties.
Thorne purchased the property in 2014, when it was about to be foreclosed on by the parties who owned it at that time. When he did so the community was largely pleased, as his doing so kept its ownership in local hands and away from outside developers, and locals were fearful it would be exploited.
The architect & his plans
Michael Sloan, of Sloan Architects P.C., has been hired to do the architectural work for the project. He has a personal interest in the assignment as his great-great-grandfather, William Sloan, was from the family that originally made the Thorne Building possible. The building was donated — to be used for educational purposes only — to the newly incorporated Village of Millbrook in 1895.
After ensuring the audience the removal of asbestos and some lead paint would be done according to rigorous state standards, Sloan gave a detailed description of the plans for the Thorne Building
Community Center. Those include a central elevator that will go to all floors; a kitchen in the basement that can be used for catering, teaching and other uses; and the renovation of the auditorium stage to professional standards. It could also be used for private parties, as could a large area on the second floor.
Plans for the second floor include a film projection room. Throughout the center there will be studios, offices, classrooms and bathrooms. It will be high tech, with a focus on providing space for computers and media, with plenty of access for public use.
The main entrance will be refurbished; the back entrance near the theater will also be completely revamped. The chimneys have to be replaced, but the roof is in good shape. The dormer windows need to be replaced, but the lower windows can stay.
The playground that is currently on site at the Thorne Building will be moved closer to the church. A bike path and a walkway that is safe for children may be constructed connecting Bennett Park to the Thorne Building, for easier access.
The Band Shell adjacent to the Thorne Building will be moved and turned around for better acoustics and viewing. There may be a second Band Shell constructed at a later time for Bennett Park.
All of this is hoped to add to the quality of life in Millbrook, and to possibly attract new families to move into the area. It is expected to also provide local restaurants and businesses with more customers and to draw more visitors to the business district.
Questions & concerns
Sloan and Seise both took questions; most were about the safety of the demolitions and asbestos abatement, one was about the water table, which Sloan said would not be affected.
Much of the heating and other electric elements will be underground, old boilers and heating elements will be removed. A question about the current state of poor broadband service came up when Sloan talked about the capabilities of so many hi-tech features; he noted that there are currently cable and other providers who may be updating services.
The only discordant moment came at the very end of the meeting, when Millbrook Historical Society President Robert McHugh asked Thorne if any thought had been put into allotting a space for the Historical Society at the community center; it is currently housed in the basement of Village Hall.
The space is small, it’s not climate controlled and it’s difficult to reach. The society has an important collection of artifacts, and McHugh said the Thorne Building is an integral part of Millbrook’s history. Thorne said his group is always willing to work with other nonprofits, but didn’t make a commitment to the society at the meeting.
NORTH EAST — Habitat for Humanity of Dutchess County will conduct a presentation on Thursday, May 9 on buying a three-bedroom affordable home to be built in the Town of North East.
The presentation will be held at the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex at 5:30 p.m.
Any first-time home buyer interested should attend the information session.
The application for this pilot program home-buying opportunity must be made between May 1 and June 10.Minimum household income for the pilot program is $55,000 while maximum income is determined by family size.
Applications are available at the North East Town Hall.Habitat for Humanity describes itself as a nonprofit with global reach, working across the United States and in approximately 70 countries.
‘Migration Collage' by ransome
If you claim a single sobriquet as your artistic moniker, you’re already in a club with some big names, from Zendaya to Beyoncé to the mysterious Banksy. At Geary, the contemporary art gallery in Millerton founded by New Yorkers Jack Geary and Dolly Bross Geary, a new installation and painting exhibition titled “The Bitter and the Sweet” showcases the work of the artist known only as ransome — all lowercase, like the nom de plume of the late Black American social critic bell hooks.
Currently based in Rhinebeck, N.Y., ransome’s work looks farther South and farther back — to The Great Migration, when Jim Crow laws, racial segregation, and the public violence of lynching paved the way for over six million Black Americans to seek haven in northern cities, particularly New York urban areas, like Brooklyn and Baltimore. The Great Migration took place from the turn of the 20th century up through the 1970s, and ransome’s own life is a reflection of the final wave — born in North Carolina, he found a new home in his youth in New Jersey.
‘Square Quilting painting' by ransomeAlexander Wilburn
Map fragments of North Carolina feature heavily in a large collection of eight-by-eight collage and acrylic paintings, sold individually but together mounted on Geary’s wall resembling the stitched patterns on quilts, like the quilts by the late Black American artist Arlonzia Pettway. Along with artists like Annie Mae Young and Mary Lee Bendolph, Pettway was a renowned artist associated with the quilts of Gee’s Bend, generations of women in the town of Gee’s Bend, Alabama who preserved African American culture in beautiful and vibrant textile art with bold combinations of stripes, textures and colors. The influence is also wonderfully clear in ransome large-scale collages and acrylic paintings like “Square Quilt painting” on display at Geary. It’s a powerful symbol of Gee’s Bend’s legacy continuing on, even under a new artistic medium.
In the smaller works, called “Migration Collages,” painted portraits are combined with pieces of floral and pastel paper, evocative of the tradition of “Sunday Best” splendor worn in Black churches in the South. “The women elders at my Baptist church often greeted each other that way on Sunday mornings when one hat was more elaborate, colorful, or wider brimmed than another,” New York Times veteran Lena Williams wrote in her 1996 essay, “In Defense of the Church Hat.” “It was traditional to put on one’s newest finery for church, and in many historically black churches, the wearing of fancy hats by women carried both spiritual and cultural significance.”
“The Bitter and the Sweet” is on view at Geary through Sunday, June 2.
Hospitality, ease of living and just plain fun are rolled into one for those who are intrigued by the leisure-time Caravana experience at the family-owned Four Brothers Drive-in in Amenia. Tom Stefanopoulos, pictured above, highlights fun possibilities offered by Hotel Caravana.
The month-long process of unwrapping and preparing the various features at the Four Brothers Drive-In is nearing completion, and the imaginative recreational destination will be ready to open for the season on Friday, May 10.
The drive-in theater is already open, as is the Snack Shack, and the rest of the recreational features are activating one by one, soon to be offering maximum fun for the whole family.
Tom Stefanopoulos, the second generation helping to guide the Stefanopoulos family’s recreational complex, brings a deep understanding of hospitality and business sense in support of the multi-faceted enterprise, begun in the 1970s, that is now a mainstay of the town of Amenia, located on a corner in the heart of the commercial district. He paused for an interview on Friday, April 26.
Two luxury camping trailers, each with an attached wooden deck and fire pit, make up Hotel Caravana, and each offers a different fun vibe, Stefanopoulos explained. The larger of the two, offers a California lifestyle, retro to 1967, although its modern where it should be. It can sleep four.
The smaller Caravana sleeps two and offers a lifestyle of the future dating to about 2041. It’s a brand-new Airstream, Stefanopoulos noted. It also has an attached deck with firepit.
“We get a lot of New York City people,” Stefanopoulos said when asked what sorts of people are apt to be attracted to Hotel Caravana. “They want to experience the upstate life,” he added. The idea of sitting out on the deck while watching an actual drive-in movie appeals to them, as does room service offered by the restaurant.
The lobster rolls prepared by the Snack Shack, are served on brioche hot dog rolls, either Maine-style or Connecticut-style, and the lobster can be topped with caviar. Four Brothers version is praised by customers for the generous portion of lobster in each, and the price is competitive.
Caravana guests may book for a single night, or maybe two, or even longer, taking advantage of the bicycles to pedal along the nearby rail trail, a local amenity, Stefanopoulos noted.
“We make our guests feel like movie stars,” Stefanopoulos said of the hospitality. And, if they like miniature golf, it is just a few steps away from their Caravana deck.
Asked how and why the Caravana idea began, Stefanopoulos recalled that as the drive-in theater grew in popularity, people were traveling from greater distances away. The last film of the night might start at midnight, he said, so the idea grew that Four Brothers might be able to offer an accommodation to stay the night.
In addition to Caravana, Four Brothers offers an alternative of two or three tent camping sites.
Future plans may include a third Caravana, Stefanopoulos said. Also, there is a giant mastodon skeleton, presently in storage, that should be on display, he said.
“It’s pretty big,” Stefanopoulos added.
The playground might be enlarged in the coming seasons, and perhaps an old-fashioned arcade added for retro amusement.
The community that surrounds Four Brothers remains important to the Stefanopoulos family as they offer substantial summer employment opportunity. Stefanopoulos said that a goal is to contract locally for business needs, such as musical entertainment and advertising. The drive-in also schedules occasion fundraisers to benefit local organizations, including the Amenia Fire Company and area schools.
