MILLBROOK — Saturday, Jan. 28, was a festive occasion for the Millbrook Rotary Club, as it celebrated its 50th anniversary at the Links at Union Vale in LaGrangeville. The program started out with a cocktail hour followed by dinner, and a program directed by mistress of ceremonies Sarah O’Connell. David Brinkerhoff was called upon to reflect on the 50 years of service of the Millbrook Rotary Club, and he gave a short history of the club.
Originally the Dutchess Rotary Club, the Millbrook Rotary Club had to be started by another club and have well-attended meetings for one year before it could actually become a club. It was started by the Rotary Club of Hyde Park, and members met at the Cottonwood Inn. The bell, still rung at the meetings, is inscribed with “Central Dutchess Rotary Club.”
From that beginning, ideas flourished; there were Charter Night parties, summer night parties, a taco hut for selling sandwiches at Community Day, craft sales and yard sales. Eventually, the idea of creating a business directory was started, and today it is one of the major Rotary projects of the year. The club then helped three other clubs get started in Pleasant Valley, East Fishkill and LaGrange. Meetings are held on Wednesdays at the Millbrook Cafe.
Brian Bunch shared some reminiscences, and then Cindie Kish was called upon to announce the presentation of awards, one of which went to George Whalen III, president and CEO of the Bank of Millbrook; it was noted that the bank always buys the inside front cover of the Rotary Business Directory and that, since the early 1970s, there has always been a member of the bank in the Rotary membership.
Thanasi Theodoropoulos, owner of the Millbrook Diner, was the second award recipient. He and the diner helped facilitate the giving away of thousands of meals during the pandemic. The diner also participates in other works during the year, such as the Christmas meals given out at Lyall Memorial Church on Christmas Day.
The third award was given to Michael Flanagan, owner of Reardon Briggs, which helps with the school supply giveaways each year at the beginning of the school year, precipitated by the Rotary Club.
The keynote speaker was CaraMia Bacchiochi, founder and executive director of Hope on a Mission (HOAM), a street outreach ministry that strives “to restore hope and dignity, with love & grace, to homeless, addicted women (and men) in the streets of Poughkeepsie” and elsewhere. Bacchiochi was presented with a check for HOAM.
The finale was the gathering of all the past presidents around the anniversary cake, which was then cut and handed out to guests.
The 50th anniversary was said to be a great success, but the Rotary Club, as per its motto of “Service Above Self,” is already planning what it will do as it enters into its 51st year.
Built in 1820, 1168 Bangall Amenia Road sold for $875,000 on July 31 with the transfer recorded in August. It has a Millbrook post office and is located in the Webutuck school district.
STANFORD — The Town of Stanford with nine transfers in two months reached a median price in August of $573,000 for single family homes, still below Stanford’s all-time median high in August 2024 of $640,000.
At the beginning of October there is a large inventory of single-family homes listed for sale with only six of the 18 homes listed for below the median price of $573,000 and seven above $1 million.
July transfers
79 Ernest Road — 4 bedroom/2.5 bath home on 6.87 acres in 2 parcels sold to Matthew C. Marinetti for $1,225,000.
29 Drake Road — 3 bedroom/3.5 bath home on 2 acres sold to Harper Montgomery for $850,000.
6042 Route 82 — 4 bedroom/2 bath home on 1.09 acres sold to Spencer Thompson for $795,000.
125 Tick Tock Way — 3 bedroom/2.5 bath ranch on 1.9 acres sold to Fleur Touchard for $475,000.
August transfers
102 Prospect Hill Road — 3 bedroom/2 bath home on 6.35 acres sold to Karl Creighton Pfister for $565,000.
252 Ernest Road — 2 bedroom/1 bath cottage on .85 acres sold to Meg Bumie for $465,000.
1196 Bangall Amenia Road — 4 bedroom/2.5 bath home on 2.16 acres sold to Roderick Alleyne for $875,000.
Hunns Lake Road (#759929) — 59.1 acres of residential land sold to Argos Farm LLC for $3,325,000.
* Town of Stanford recorded real estate transfers from July 1 to August 31 provided by Dutchess County Real Property Office monthly transfer reports. Details on each property from Dutchess Parcel Access - properties with an # indicate location on Dutchess Parcel Access. Market data from One Key MLS and Infosparks .Compiled by Christine Bates, Real Estate Advisor with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, Licensed in Connecticut and New York.
Hunt club members and friends gathered near Pugsley Hill at the historic Wethersfield Estate and Gardens in Amenia for the opening meet of the 2025-2026 Millbrook Hunt Club season on Saturday, Oct. 4. Foxhunters took off from Wethersfield’s hilltop gardens just after 8 a.m. for a hunting jaunt around Amenia’s countryside.
Joining in the fun at the dedication of the new pollinator pathway garden at The Millbrook Library on Saturday, Oct. 4, local expert gardener Maryanne Snow Pitts provides information about a planting to Lorraine Mirabella of Poughkeepsie.
MILLBROOK — Participating in a patchwork of libraries that have planted pollinator pathway gardens to attract insects and birds to their native plantings was one of the accomplishments being celebrated at the dedication of a new pollinator garden at the Millbrook Library on Saturday, Oct. 4.
“A lot of work went into it,” said Emma Sweeney, past President of the Millbrook Garden Club, who started the local library’s initiative two years ago.
The Pollinator Pathway program is a national effort to plant native plants that native insects depend upon for sustenance and preferred plants for their own seasonal reproduction.
Jana Hogan of Ridgefield, Connecticut, Executive Director of the Pollinator Pathway program, was on hand to present a plaque to the library for its successful participation.
“A garden is not just a garden,” said garden designer Andy Durbridge of Wassaic, designer of the library’s garden. “It may serve as a model for other gardens along the line.”
Speaking to the 50 visitors at the dedication, Durbridge said that the library’s garden has a mission, that it is a working garden, planned to serve insects and birds over their seasons. The earliest plants support pollinators, while the full range of plants continues to serve the needs of those they attract, offering habitat, shelter and food.
A pollinator garden is akin to a prairie, rather than a formalized European garden, Durbridge noted.
The garden project was supported by the library’s Friends group using funds raised during the Holiday Silent Auction and ongoing book sale. A grant from the Millbrook Garden Club also provided support.
Amenia Town Hall on Route 22.
AMENIA — After gathering comments from the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals, as it considers adding alternate members to those boards, the Town Board discussed possible changes to local laws governing those boards at its meeting on Friday, Oct. 3. The meeting date, usually on a Thursday, had been changed to accommodate a holiday.
In recent weeks Town Board attorney Ian Lindars has been compiling comments from the affected boards along with comments from the Town Board. The new laws may bring the appointment of two alternate members to each board. Alternate members are likely to be required to attend all meetings and be prepared to be seated if needed and be familiar with the applications being discussed. They would also need to take training required of all board members.
Lindars will prepare a draft of the new local laws to be reviewed by the Town Board and the affected boards.
As the Town Board begins work on the town’s annual budget negotiation process and anticipating an increase in some budget lines to accommodate major projects, the board unanimously approved three resolutions. The first will override the tax levy limit imposed on municipalities by the state of New York, a limit generally tied to the rate of inflation.
A public hearing on the proposal to override the levy limit was set for Thursday, November 6, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall.
