Millbrook Library asks local residents what it is they want

MILLBROOK — When Courtney Tshalis, director of the Millbrook Library, sent out invitations to local residents to come to the library for frank conversations about the community, to discuss what might strengthen it and improve connections among those who live there, people’s interests were piqued. Tshalis said the discussions would not focus on politics, town business or the library, so what did that leave?

The answer? Community. 

Hence the library’s Community Conversations series was born, with small groups of residents grouped together to have intimate discussions about the town and village; some were held in person and some on Zoom during the past several weeks. To draw a diverse group of participants, the library chose different locations for the in-person sessions at different times of the week and different times of day. At the talks, each group had a leader to get things going, and once they did, people began to easily connect.

The first talk took place on Tuesday morning, June 1, at the library and the last conversation was on Saturday afternoon, June 12, at The Fountains senior living facility. One of the sessions was held at Grace Church. While the groups were usually small, by the end of the project five conversations had been held with 35 to 40 people having given their thoughts and opinions on a variety of community matters. 

Tshalis said she was pleased with the results.

“I am very happy with how the conversations went,” she said. “Even though some of them were small, we heard a lot of great, passionate feedback from those who attended. The information we learned will be very helpful for us as we create our long-term plan, and I believe it will be helpful to other organizations in Millbrook as well. We really think it’s important to share what we heard with the community.” 

The library will do that after compiling all of what it learned from the series and then sharing the results with the community later this summer.

Several conversations centered on Millbrook’s high quality of life, and how much residents appreciate that it has remained quiet and quaint through the years, said Tshalis. However, nothing is perfect, and other conversations focused on some of the village’s disadvantages.

One topic that was raised in each session addressed village businesses; most people said they are happy with the businesses found in the village, but others said shopping is limited by the types of good and the cost of goods. Some of the participants said they would like to see a greater variety of items offered in the business district at lower prices.  At the same time, everyone said they want to support local businesses, especially after the past pandemic year-and-a-half when merchants struggled just to remain open.  

A number of residents said they would like to see some new types of shops and even different types of restaurants, open longer hours and more days a week.

Other thoughts that came to the fore were about how to attract and retain younger residents in the community, who are especially vital considering that volunteerism isn’t what it used to be. 

Although Millbrook and the town of Washington “took care of its own” while COVID-19 was raging, keeping up with food banks and other necessary donation centers as well as vaccination sites, volunteers are needed for the fire department and the rescue squad, among others. As existing volunteers age and retire, fewer young people are replacing them.

Nightlife in the village, or the lack thereof, was mentioned at the sessions. Residents noted that there is very little to do in Millbrook after dark, although the Millbrook Arts Group provides about a half dozen concert a year. There is no movie house or community theater. The big event of the summer, the Firemen’s Carnival, won’t even be held this year since the Thorne Building no longer belongs to the village -— felt more keenly this year, perhaps, after 15 months of virtual isolation. It is possible the Thorne Building Community Center will step up and offer some entertainment. 

The American Library Association provided tools and materials to libraries interested in engaging is these Community Conversations as a way to engage with local residents and other stakeholders in their towns and villages. The nearby NorthEast-Millerton Library just wrapped up a similar series hoping to achieve similar goals.

“We were so pleased to be able to meet with so many community members and hear from them about their hopes for and thoughts about living in Millbrook,” President of the Board of Trustees Jodi Fernandes said, who participated in the program as a group leader. “These conversations are an important part of the library’s next strategic plan and will help the library better address our community’s interests and needs.”

Tshalis still hopes to tackle other important issues in future discussions, such as health care access, transportation and the types of businesses that should be allowed into town, a hot issue in light of the momentarily-on-hold Second Mountain (Migdale) spa resort application in Mabbettsville. 

The library currently has a survey posted online for residents to answer questions that were raised in the Community Conversation series, at www.millbrooklibrary.org. 

Abigail Gallagher is new to the library’s youth services staff, and to the area; she praised the library for taking the initiative to learn more about the wants of its patrons and other locals. 

“As a newer member of the Millbrook community, it was both informative and a joy to witness the community conversations we held,” she said. “I particularly enjoyed the way longtime Millbrook residents and newer residents came together to speak about the things they love about our community, as well as thoughtful ideas. Community members will be key to shaping the way we move forward together.”