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Millbrook Board of Trustees seeks clarity on local cop’s license plate readers
Leila Hawken
Oct 20, 2026
MILLBROOK — Millbrook Police Chief Keith Dworkin discussed license-plate readers and his department’s use of the technology at the Village Board of Trustees meeting on Oct. 14.
The chat was spurred on by recent action by Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi to dismantle the county’s network of stationary, pole-mounted license-plate reader cameras manufactured by Flock Safety.
Dworkin said the Millbrook Police Department uses vehicle-mounted license-plate readers, commonly known as LPRs, to check a vehicle’s registration status and other violations during traffic stops.
“This technology has been around for 20 years,”Dworkin said, explaining that the LPR captures an image of a vehicle’s license plate and the car, determining instantly whether the car has been stolen, is unregistered, uninsured, or suspended. With that information the officer can run that information through the state database.
Dworkin noted that the LPR is not able to detect information about the operator of the vehicle.
“The information gathered by the LPR is not shared,” Dworkin said. Rather it is stored locally for an indeterminate period, perhaps six months.
“Maybe drafting a local policy is the best way to go,” said Mayor Peter Doro, adding that “Flock” is merely a brand name, leading him to wonder about the difference between a Flock camera and an officer with a license plate reader in a vehicle.
Trustee Julia Bucklin suggested asking the local police officers about their LPR usage.
Recognizing the need for clarity about the technology and its use locally, Doro felt that residents would want to know the difference between Flock and LPR.
Dworkin agreed that a policy on the use of LPR technology would be useful and indicated that he would draft the policy for the Trustees to review.
Tax exemption for disabled veterans
The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to advance a proposed local law granting a property tax exemption to permanently and totally disabled veterans.
A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 18.
Doro noted that no one who presently resides in the Village of Millbrook would be eligible for the exemption, but there are two residents of Washington expected to qualify.
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Moving along
Nathan Miller
Oct 20, 2026
Construction equipment sits idle on Thursday evening, Oct. 15, at the site of a new pool and poolhouse in Eddie Collins Memorial Park in Millerton. Construction on the pool began in September and is in its early stages.
Photo by Nathan Miller
Construction equipment sits idle on Thursday evening, Oct. 15, at the site of a new pool and poolhouse in Eddie Collins Memorial Park in Millerton. Construction on the pool began in September and is in its early stages.
Affordable housing subdivision set for public hearing on Oct. 28
Leila Hawken
Oct 20, 2026
AMENIA — A public hearing on the Cascade Creek subdivision application will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at Amenia Town Hall on Route 22, beginning at 6 p.m. The hearing is convened by the Planning Board.
Hudson River Housing is proposing the project as a conservation subdivision, defining 26 residential lots to be used for workforce housing and two conservation parcels on a 24-acre site located on Cascade Road, across Route 22 from the Freshtown Shopping Plaza.
Zoning for the site is designated as Suburban Residential and the parcel lies within an Aquifer Overlay District. A portion of the site is located within a stream corridor.
Preliminary site plans detail 26 homes, modular in design, on quarter-acre lots.
The long environmental impact analysis phase of the project, underway since 2024, was completed in July this year, indicating no significant effects posed by the subdivision plans.
Concerns voiced by members of the Planning Board during the review process have included the effect of the subdivision on the town’s character. Other concerns about water capacity and drainage plans have continued. The subdivision would be served by a common water supply.
During discussions prior to determination that the subdivision would not significantly impact the environment, Attorney Alec Gladd of Fishkill, New York, based Cuddy Feder LLP, representing the developer, indicated that the fire department is asking for water storage capacity data that could only be answered within the site plan phase.
During the environmental review, Planning Board attorney Cassandra Britton had indicated that the issue of firefighting capacity can be raised again later in the process once the site can be tested for water availability.
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Amenia Town Board authorizes more borrowing for new garage
Leila Hawken
Oct 20, 2026
AMENIA — The Town Board unanimously authorized an additional $2.1 million in borrowing for the new town garage and salt storage shed Thursday, Oct. 15, as construction nears.
The town authorized $6.3 million in bonds in 2024 and another $3.9 million in July 2025, bringing total borrowing authorized for the project to $12.3 million.
The latest authorization is subject to a “permissive referendum,” meaning it will take effect unless residents submit a valid petition requiring a townwide vote.
The new town garage complex is being built on five acres of town-owned land located on the east side of Route 22 south of Sinpatch Road. Some clearing and grading work has already been done at the site.
Plans call for six double bays in the main building that will include an office and breakroom. The salt shed will include attached storage space with four enclosed bays and two open bays.
In other business, the Town Board voted unanimously to amend the town’s 2026 budget to provide $149,733 in interest for a bond anticipation note.
EMS proposal
County Legislator Chris Drago, D-19, presented a report on the work of the county Public Safety Committee where he serves as vice-chairman with County Legislator Eric Alexander, D-25.
In an effort to reduce EMS response times and lower annual costs for participating towns, Drago said that Town Supervisors of four area towns are meeting regularly to devise a new system of coverage. Area towns participating are Amenia, North East, Washington and Stanford.
“How can we provide better ambulance service at lower cost,” was the question being addressed by the Public Safety Committee, Drago said.
“If we have lower volume of calls, we must pay them more,” Drago said of the existing ambulance service.
The potential solution is a collaborative system called a “redirect model,” Drago said. Under that plan, the four towns would comprise a single service area with a shared pool of ambulances.
When one ambulance is called into service, the others in the pool would reposition themselves so that an ambulance is always available within a reasonable distance, Drago explained.
Seen as a short-term solution that could involve county-sponsored supplemental ambulances, Drago said that a longer-term solution could be devised by creating a plan model for the state Governor to consider.
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Gershwin tunes to fill Smithfield Church on Oct. 24
Leila Hawken
Oct 20, 2026
AMENIA — The Pete Anderson Trio will perform a concert featuring the music of George Gershwin at The Smithfield Church on Saturday, Oct. 24, beginning at 3 p.m. The concert is presented as part of the Bang Family Concert Series.
Saxophonist Pete Anderson will provide a narrative on the life and music of George Gershwin along with live performance of a varied program ofGershwin classics.Joining him will be Matt Munisteri on guitar and Joe Boga on trumpet.Anderson’s credits include headlining at the Blue Note, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and more.
The public is invited to this free concert, although a $20 donation is suggested at the door to support future concerts in the Bang Family Series. Children are free. Located at 656 Smithfield Valley Road (Route 83), the church is fully accessible.
A meet-the-artists reception will follow the concert. For more information, go to www.thesmithfieldchurch.org.
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Lelah M. Somers
Millerton News
Oct 20, 2026
DOVER PLAINS — Lelah M. Somers, 97, a longtime Dover Plains, New York, resident, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, at Ferncliff Nursing Home in Rhinebeck, New York. Lelah was born on July 3, 1929, in Pawling, New York, to the late Byron and Lelah (Watts) Brill. Lelah grew up in Pawling and on Nov. 22, 1946, in Pleasant Valley, New York, she married James F. Somers, Sr. Mr. Somers passed away on Sept. 3, 1970. Lelah worked for New York State as a therapy aide for thirty-years and as a senior companion for New York State for thirty-two-years, with specific care provided to the mentally disabled.
She enjoyed taking care of the mentally disabled, was a wonderful mother to her four children, always putting her family first. She is survived by her son, James F. Somers, Jr. and his wife Donna of Dover Plains; two daughters, Doreen Monica of Wingdale, and Frances “Fran” Horton of Dover Plains, who was also her caregiver for many years; seven grandchildren, Debbie, Margie, Leah, Stephanie, Deirdra, Benji and Jimmy and several great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews, and her step-son, Kenny Elliott. In addition to her parents and husband, Lelah was predeceased by her daughter and son-in-law, Carol “DeeDee” Maile and Gil Maile, her son-in-law, Stephen Monica, and her son-in-law, Benny Horton as well as her companion of over forty-years, Andrew “Mac” McAlravey and her siblings, Ferris Brill, Eleanor Barryann, Richard Brill, William Brill and Barney Brill.
Lelah was a loving mother and a strong willed and hard-working woman. She was an avid NASCAR fan for many years and traveled with her companion “Mac” up and down the east coast following the sport. Her favorite track was the Daytona International Speedway in Florida that they went to every February to attend the Daytona 500 race. She loved her family so much and she will be dearly missed; she lived a long life and for that her family is deeply grateful.
Graveside services and burial will take place on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. at Valley View Cemetery in Dover Plains, NY. Pastor Rick Totten will officiate. A reception in Lelah’s honor will follow at the VFW Post # 5444, 3422 Route 22, Dover Plains, NY. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society or the Alzheimer’s Association Hudson Valley Chapter. To send an online condolence to the family, flowers to the service or to plant a tree in Lelah’s honor, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com Arrangements have been entrusted to Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546.
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