community

Millerton joins Habitat for Humanity on community recycling

MILLERTON — Village of Millerton Mayor Jenn Najdek met with Habitat for Humanity to discuss plans for a community recycling area.

“Every year, Habitat for Humanity likes to come in and do a volunteer-based project in the municipality where they are building a habitat house,” Najdek said at a Village Trustee meeting held on Thursday, Aug. 8. “That can actually get done and will be funded by them.”

The idea is to start with three concrete retaining blocks to store recyclings of metal, wood chips, and compost, which are planned to be located by the highway department behind the bank.

“The other decision the board would have to make is laying out what it would look like,” Najdek said. “If somebody wants a bucket of wood chips versus somebody that wants to load the back of their truck with wood chips. Is there a cost associated with it? Is it village versus town versus non-residents?”

The only material people can drop off at the recycling location is metal after calling the highway department to confirm they are allowed to leave it. The wood chips would be collected through pickups to prevent people from dropping off more than can be handled.

“They do metal recycling — the Village of Red Hook — and when I looked into it, I think they get roughly about $7,500 a year,” Najdek said. “It goes back into the highway department, which helps for equipment or maintenance.”

Millerton’s six-week summer camp program ended on Aug. 9.

The camp saw an average of 30 campers daily, the highest being 40 and the lowest 19 when most families took their vacation.

The kids got pizza and ice cream to celebrate the final day of camp. Crystal McCarthy, parks and recreation director, said, “We were going to do some type of cookout, but because of the rain we are going to do pizza.”

McCarthy plans to contact the parents who participated in the program to receive feedback on what could be improved for future summer camps.

“I am going to send out an email to all the parents and see if we can get reviews back from them and move forward,” McCarthy said. “We have our own things we would like to improve. However, getting feedback is going to be very important for next year.”

community

Latest News

A scenic 32-mile loop through Litchfield County

A scenic 32-mile loop through Litchfield County

Whenever I need to get a quick but scenic bicycle ride but don’t have time to organize a group ride that involves driving to a meeting point, I just turn right out of my driveway. That begins a 32-mile loop through some of the prettiest scenery in northern Litchfield County.

I ride south on Undermountain Road (Route 41 South) into Salisbury and turn right on Main Street (Route 44 West). If I’m meeting friends, we gather at the parking area on the west side of Salisbury Town Hall where parking is never a problem.

Keep ReadingShow less
bike route

Biking Ancramdale to Copake

Biking Ancramdale to Copake

This is a lovely ride that loops from Ancramdale north to Copake and back. At just over 23 miles and about 1,300 feet of elevation gain, it’s a perfect route for intermediate recreational riders and takes about two hours to complete.It’s entirely on quiet roads with little traffic, winding through rolling hills, open countryside, picturesque farms and several lakes.

Along the way, you’ll pass a couple of farmstands that are worth a quick visit. There is only one hill that might be described as steep, but it is quite short — probably less than a quarter-mile.

Keep ReadingShow less
bike route

North East town records brought into the digital age

North East town records brought into the digital age

Chris Virtuoso reorganized parcel records in the North East Town Hall basement by parcel number during the process of scanning and digitizing the documents.

Photo by Grace DeMarco

MILLERTON — Within the walls of the two-story Victorian housing the North East Town Hall lies a room-full of town records dating back to the late 19th century. Stored in labeled cardboard boxes and protected by dehumidifiers, the records are in the process of being dated, organized, and scanned into categorized online programs.

As the Town Hall works to relocate to 5603 Route 22 at the former Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness, the consolidation and digitalization of records, as well as the disposal of those unneeded, is a time-sensitive project. Marcy Wheatley, the Deputy Town Clerk, emphasized their current heavy focus on organizing and scanning. “Now, when we move, we can get rid of a lot,” Wheatley stated.

Keep ReadingShow less

Fun, food and facts bring crowds to downtown Millerton

Fun, food and facts bring crowds to downtown Millerton

Nora Garcia, 6, of Millerton, bottom right, gets a face painting treatment from Maddy Rowe, a Webutuck High School senior. Nora’s sister, Juliana, 8, top right, is decorated by Giana Kall, a Webutuck senior. The program was sponsored by the Webutuck PTA.

Photo by John Coston

Correction: the Millerton News Street Fair was a collaborative effort between the Millerton News, the Millerton Business Alliance and the North East Community Center.

MILLERTON — Locals and visitors packed into downtown Millerton Saturday, June 28, for the first ever Millerton Street Fair hosted by the Millerton News, the Millerton Business Alliance and the North East Community Center. Representatives from local nonprofits, businesses along Main Street, Bee Bee the Clown and face painters from Webutuck High School drew in crowds all afternoon.

Keep ReadingShow less