Letters to the Editor - The Millerton News - 6-8-23

A vote for Jenn Nadjek

On June 20, 2023, I will vote to re-elect Village of Millerton Mayor Jenn Nadjek. I’ve known Jenn for decades and experienced the generosity and kindness she and her entire family have extended to many others in our community. I’ve also served with Jenn on the village board.

I admired her work ethic, availability, willingness to improve Millerton without breaking local taxpayers, and her network of connections inside and outside our community.

Within weeks of Jenn’s first term as a trustee, these connections allowed the village to repair a neglected, historic arch and find a qualified summer camp director for kids at the last moment. Since then, she’s continued to make contacts at the county, state, and federal levels of government. This list of references would undoubtedly be helpful as Millerton works through two significant projects — the construction of a wastewater system and a handicapped-accessible pool.

For decades, Millerton has long desired, researched, and discussed constructing a wastewater system and done nothing about it. Now, potentially with federal funds, the community is closer than ever to building a targeted wastewater system to help particular residents and businesses and to provide the infrastructure to attract a much-needed grocery store.

Like me, Jenn is a proponent of recreation. Now, more than ever, outdoor recreation is essential for individuals of all ages and abilities to promote healthy bodies and minds. In addition, swimming is a great exercise to reduce stress. So, not surprisingly, participants in a survey conducted by the Eddie Collins Memorial Park Revitalization Committee (ECMPRC) overwhelmingly supported the construction of a new swimming pool.

The ECMPRC has worked with three mayors and many village boards in seven years.

The Committee developed a master plan and presented it to the public, town, village, and planning boards. It has secured over $1 million in grant awards from New York State and Dutchess County, bringing back taxpayer dollars to benefit our community, and has raised hundreds of thousands more to complete the first phase of the park’s renovation. Yet, during that same seven year period, Village budget taxes have increased at a very modest clip.

As a concerned citizen, I welcome transformational projects that benefit residents without irresponsible tax increases. I know Jenn Najdek, a multi-generational resident of Millerton, believes the same.

Stephen Waite

Chairman,

Eddie Collins Memorial
Park Revitalization

Committee and Village resident

Millerton

 

We need to re-elect Dave Sherman as Village Trustee

The proposed wastewater system is the most important capital works project the Village has undertaken since the creation of its water system in the late 19 th century. In 1946, a forward- thinking Village government purchased land to enable it to install such a system. However, for seventy-seven years, our community has not done so.

We are the only village in Dutchess County without a wastewater system. That significantly restricts our ability to attract businesses, like a grocery store, and impedes our ability to provide for residential needs. That fact is particularly important for those who want to live, work and raise their families in our community. If we fail to seize this unique opportunity, it will detrimentally impact our community’s future.

Capital projects are complex undertakings. They require knowledge of municipal finance, law and contracts as well as engineering, planning, construction and most importantly an attention to detail.

As a long-serving Town Supervisor, Dave successfully managed two major capital projects — the Town Landfill closure and the creation and construction of the North East Water District.

At the time of the construction of the Water District, a Dutchess County Public Works liaison to our community knew I lived in Millerton and told me that we were very lucky to have Dave as Supervisor during that project because his attention to detail assured the contractors did their work properly, on time and in accordance with the plans.

Dave is a lifelong resident of the Village who understands our community. He is an independent thinker and seeks to represent all its residents. We need to keep him on the job for our Village.

I urge my fellow village residents to vote for Dave Sherman on Tuesday, June 20th.

Edward Downey

Millerton

The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Millerton News and The News does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

Latest News

In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible

In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible
In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible
In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible

There are artists who make objects, and then there are artists who alter the way we move through the world. Tim Prentice belonged to the latter. The kinetic sculptor, architect and longtime Cornwall resident died in November 2025 at age 95, leaving a legacy of what he called “toys for the wind,” work that did not simply occupy space but activated it, inviting viewers to slow down, look longer and feel more deeply the invisible forces that shape daily life.

Prentice received a master’s degree from the Yale School of Art and Architecture in 1960, where he studied with German-born American artist and educator Josef Albers, taking his course once as an undergraduate and again in graduate school.In “The Air Made Visible,” a 2024 short film by the Vision & Art Project produced by the American Macular Degeneration Fund, a nonprofit organization that documents artists working with vision loss, Prentice spoke of his admiration for Albers’ discipline and his ability to strip away everything but color. He recalled thinking, “If I could do that same thing with motion, I’d have a chance of finding a new form.”

Keep ReadingShow less
people

Strategic partnership unites design, architecture and construction

Strategic partnership unites design, architecture and construction

Hyalite Builders is leading the structural rehabilitation of The Stissing Center in Pine Plains.

Provided

For homeowners overwhelmed by juggling designers, architects and contractors, a new Salisbury-based collaboration is offering a one-team approach from concept to construction. Casa Marcelo Interior Design Studio, based in Salisbury, has joined forces with Charles Matz Architect, led by Charles Matz, AIA RIBA, and Hyalite Builders, led by Matt Soleau. The alliance introduces an integrated design-build model that aims to streamline the sometimes-fragmented process of home renovation and new construction.

“The whole thing is based on integrated services,” said Marcelo, founder of Casa Marcelo. “Normally when clients come to us, they are coming to us for design. But there’s also some architecture and construction that needs to happen eventually. So, I thought, why don’t we just partner with people that we know we can work well with together?”

Keep ReadingShow less
architecture
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

‘The Dark’ turns midwinter into a weeklong arts celebration

‘The Dark’ turns midwinter into a weeklong arts celebration

Autumn Knight will perform as part of PS21’s “The Dark.”

Provided

This February, PS21: Center for Contemporary Performance in Chatham, New York, will transform the depths of midwinter into a radiant week of cutting-edge art, music, dance, theater and performance with its inaugural winter festival, The Dark. Running Feb. 16–22, the ambitious festival features more than 60 international artists and over 80 performances, making it one of the most expansive cultural events in the region.

Curated to explore winter as a season of extremes — community and solitude, fire and ice, darkness and light — The Dark will take place not only at PS21’s sprawling campus in Chatham, but in theaters, restaurants, libraries, saunas and outdoor spaces across Columbia County. Attendees can warm up between performances with complimentary sauna sessions, glide across a seasonal ice-skating rink or gather around nightly bonfires, making the festival as much a social winter experience as an artistic one.

Keep ReadingShow less
performances

Tanglewood Learning Institute expands year-round programming

Tanglewood Learning Institute expands year-round programming

Exterior of the Linde Center for Music and Learning.

Mike Meija, courtesy of the BSO

The Tanglewood Learning Institute (TLI), based at Tanglewood, the legendary summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is celebrating an expanded season of adventurous music and arts education programming, featuring star performers across genres, BSO musicians, and local collaborators.

Launched in the summer of 2019 in conjunction with the opening of the Linde Center for Music and Learning on the Tanglewood campus, TLI now fulfills its founding mission to welcome audiences year-round. The season includes a new jazz series, solo and chamber recitals, a film series, family programs, open rehearsals and master classes led by world-renowned musicians.

Keep ReadingShow less
education

Designing for wellness

Designing for wellness

Natural light can be a powerful tool for wellness.

Natalia Zukerman

Wellness is often framed as something we do — a dog walk, a yoga class, a healthy resolution. But as we retreat indoors in winter, we are reminded that wellness is also something we live inside. Our homes quietly influence how we breathe, sleep, focus and feel — sometimes for better, sometimes not.

Interior design for wellness is less about color and style trends and more about intentional choices. Specialty designers create spaces aligned with the health-first framework of the World Health Organization’s guidelines. But with some basic knowledge, homeowners can borrow from that playbook and embrace wellness at home.

Keep ReadingShow less
writer's notebook
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.