DOVER PLAINS — Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of Post 5444 located on Route 22, smack on the border between Amenia and Dover, received a sweet reminder that they have not been forgotten this Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, as 100 Valentine’s Day cards were delivered to VFW Post 5444 Sr. Vice Commander Madison Fletcher on Thursday, Feb. 11, by Khristian Silvis, director of military and veteran affairs for U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY-18).
The two met up in Pawling at Pizza 22 last week, where Silvis handed over the Valentine’s, which Fletcher later drove to the Post home to share and hang on the walls for the VFW members to read. Although Post 5444 has not been holding regular meetings during the past year due to the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing safety protocols, Fletcher said members still stop by the Route 22 Post home, and that they will be heartened to see that more than 130 Hudson Valley schools, libraries, Girl Scout troops, businesses and individuals wrote Valentines for Maloney’s annual program.
“It’s heartwarming that these kids do it in their school, and that their teachers actually make a point of doing it, just like Veterans Day, to teach their students about people who have served, and how important they are to our country,” said Fletcher, adding that the veterans who read the Valentine’s Day cards at the VFW usually feel “humbled and honored that young children even think about writing them to us.”
This is the second year that Fletcher has dealt with Mahoney’s office including Post 5444 among the Hudson Valley veteran organizations in its Valentine’s for Veterans program, which he started seven years ago.
“My dad was a disabled Navy veteran, so making sure we honor our veterans with appreciation and action is personal to me,” said the congressman in a prepared statement after distributing thousands of Valentine’s to Hudson Valley veterans at the Castle Point VA Medical Center in Wappingers Falls and the VFW Hall in Beacon on Feb. 12. “After nearly a year of social distancing and physical isolation, it’s more important than ever that we reach out to Hudson Valley’s veteran community to give them the recognition and love they deserve.”
Fletcher said the pandemic has been especially difficult on the veterans community, which already battles serious issues of isolation, depression and suicide after returning home from combat.
“We can’t get together, we haven’t had meetings and we can’t talk to each other,” she said, “so for these kids and their teachers to go out of their way, for the congressman to go out of his way, to make sure veterans get them — it’s really nice.”
Fletcher, who said she “wasn’t doing anything” special for the holiday known best for romance, said “it’s always fun to read” the Valentine’s Day cards from the students and others who pen them to the veterans. Some of the messages that have been written in years past have said things like, “Thanks for serving,” and “Will you be my Valentine?” according to the sr. vice commander.
Mahoney said the gesture is important, as much to him and those who write the cards as to the veterans.
“This is just one small way to remind our vets that we’re behind them,” he stated. “Thank you to everyone across our region who helped bring a smile to a veteran’s face this year.”
Meanwhile, Fletcher said while the social restrictions imposed because of the pandemic have been difficult for her and others in the VFW to live with, Post 5444 has been extremely fortunate in that none of its members, as far as she knows, has succumbed to the virus itself.
“Luckily, cross our fingers, we have not that I know of in our Post, even though it’s a small Post, I don’t know of anyone who has COVID,” she said with a sigh of relief.
Graham Corrigan
The Washington town pool in the hamlet of Mabbetsville along Route 44 sits ready for the start of the 2026 season.
MILLBROOK — Members of the Washington Town Board are calling for upgrades to the town’s recreation area in Mabbetsville along Route 44, saying the park’s roughly 80-year-old pool is outdated and increasingly difficult to maintain.
Former Washington Councilmember Mike Murphy presented a new report to the Town Board during its regular meeting on Wednesday, May 13, detailing the needed updates to the park.
His report is part of a larger Washington project called the Recreation Area Strategic Planning Committee. Starting in 2024, Murphy and a committee of 11 community members undertook a comprehensive evaluation of the property, focusing on the town pool and its facilities. “It’s nobody’s fault,” Murphy said. “But over the years, it’s just aged out.”
The committee was made up of various community experts including contractors and environmentalists. The group used last year’s Community Day to field suggestions from local residents, asking what changes they’d like to see at the park.
An online survey followed, and the committee compiled those suggestions for the town board. Suggestions included indoor facilities, a children’s playground, a dog park and pool improvements.
The Town Park consists of the pool and several athletic fields. The town bought the lower part of the property in 1946 for $16,000, and it became a municipal pool soon after. The athletic fields were added in 2006.
The 29 acres “are a jewel within the town,” Murphy said. “We need to figure out how to get people to use it.” But the pool’s aging infrastructure has made maintenance and upkeep unwieldy. It also lacks modern amenities popular in other municipal pools, like splash pads or fountains. Millerton and Newburgh, Murphy noted, both included those elements in their new pool plans.
Washington has more serious fixes to make, like updating the pool’s filtration system. One estimate Murphy received approximated that cost at six figures. “The tax structure of this community will never be able to handle the major costs that are coming down the road,” Murphy said.
Instead, the Committee to Re-Imagine the Town Park proposed several non-structural ways to stimulate the park’s activity, and resulting revenue: extended hours, a third pavilion, more athletic facilities, and an easier way to access the park.
Currently, there’s only one way in or out of the park. It makes for a crowded drop-off — especially when summer camp is in session. Murphy said connecting the park’s entrance to Little Rest Road to the west is one feasible solution.
Leila Hawken
Enhancing educational opportunities for students in the Millbrook Central School District since 2001, the Millbrook Educational Foundation took part in the Millbrook Volunteer Fair on Saturday, May 16. Residents were invited to learn about volunteer opportunities with the foundation and a variety of other local and regional organizations. The event, now in its fifth year, was held at the Millbrook Library.
Christine Bates
Known as the “Ice House,” 12 State Line Road on 3.81 acres was sold by the mortgage holder after standing vacant for years. The property was later renovated and resold for $400,000 on April 15.
MILLERTON — North East’s housing market continued to cool this spring, with home prices holding relatively steady and sales activity slowing compared with the post-pandemic surge that drove prices sharply higher across the region.
The 12-month trailing median sale price for residential properties in the Town of North East, including the Village of Millerton, was $420,000 for the period from May 1, 2025, through April 30, 2026. That figure remained essentially unchanged month-to-month, but marked the second consecutive year of declining annual median prices.
The residential median includes all types of housing sales — from modest village homes to large estates with significant acreage — but excludes commercial properties and vacant land sales. Among the higher-end transactions during the period was the sale of 5-15 Homestead Lane for $3.1 million.
Outside the village, where homes are generally situated on larger parcels, the median sale price reached $575,000. Within the Village of Millerton, where lots are typically smaller, the median price for the 10 homes sold during the period was $410,000.
The townwide median price of $420,000 was down 2% from the $430,000 median recorded during the 12-month period ending April 30, 2025. It was also 4% below the median recorded the year before that, continuing a gradual market slowdown following the price increases seen during and immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sales activity has also slowed considerably. North East recorded 24 residential transactions on a trailing 12-month basis at the end of April, down from 37 sales during the previous year.
Housing inventory showed modest improvement entering the spring market. In early May, 14 homes were listed for sale in North East, including four properties with asking prices above $1 million. Among them was the Hudson Valley Magazine “design home,” listed for $3.99 million.
Only two residential properties were listed for sale within the Village of Millerton in early May. Meanwhile, four commercial properties remained on the market in the village, along with eight parcels of vacant land throughout the town.
Town of North East March and April property sales
710 Smithfield Road — 23.89 acres were sold on April 20 for $190,000.
26 South Center St. —An investment property in the Village of Millerton was sold on April 15 for $700,000.
12 State Line Road — 3 bedroom/2 bath renovated home on 3.8 acres sold on April 15 for $400,000.
5-15 Homestead Lane — 3 bedroom/2 bath home built in 1950 on 258 acres sold on March 27 for $3.1 million.
Town of North East and Village of Millerton closed sales for March and April from realtor.com with property details from Dutchess Parcel Access. Median price and activity calculations for all residential properties from NY State Sales Web transfers through February 2026 with updated residential sales for March and April. Current market data from One Key MLS. Compiled by Christine Bates, Real Estate Advisor with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, Licensed in Connecticut and New York.
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Graham Corrigan
MILLBROOK — Innisfree Garden is set to welcome northeast Dutchess residents for its annual Spring Community Day.
The beloved community event returns Saturday, May 23 — with free admission for residents of Millerton, North East, Amenia, Wassaic, Pine Plains, Clinton Corners, Dover Plains, Pleasant Valley, Stanford, Wingdale, Washington, and of course, Millbrook. Visitors seeking free admission must present identification showing residency in one of the listed towns or hamlets.
There’s a day of programming in store, too. The garden opens at 10 a.m., then Qigong exercise lessons with Cris Caivano kick off at 10:30 a.m. Discounted tickets for the day’s events are available to Dutchess County residents, who are invited to “stretch like a tiger, twist like a dragon,” through guided stretching and acupressure exercises.
Then at 2:30 p.m., visitors are invited along on The Great Pollinator Ramble. Part scavenger hunt, part live theater, the Ramble features larger-than-life pollinator puppets spread across Innisfree’s 185 acres. Nature lovers can use the provided habitat map to find and identify 10 key pollinators that frequent the garden.
“We’re always looking for ways we can introduce the arts into Innisfree,” said Innisfree Executive Director Laura Palmer. “It’s a celebration of the natural environment and all the richness of the natural world.”
Birds, butterflies, beetles and other pollinators will be represented through the oversized puppets, which were designed by Processional Arts Workshop, a Red Hook-based collective led by co-directors Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles.
The concept dates back five years, when the COVID pandemic challenged Processional Arts to develop outdoor programming that could activate public spaces.
“The idea was, if you set loose pollinator puppets in a natural environment, you can encourage people to look deeper at their surroundings,” Kahn said. “It becomes a kind of hide and seek with these species.”
After successful rambles at Catskill’s Thomas Cole House, Hudson’s Olana State Historic Site, and Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Kahn and Michahelles are bringing their pollinators to Innisfree.
The puppeteers are instructed to be elusive and shy, hiding in the garden’s remote corners — as their real-life counterparts might. In that way, visitors are encouraged to investigate parts of the grounds they might bypass.
Spring Community Day is in its sixth year at Innisfree. It serves as the kickoff to the garden’s warm-weather programming season, which includes guided nature walks, wellness workshops, calligraphy classes and live music. A full calendar is available at innisfreegarden.org/events
Leila Hawken
AMENIA — Housing Board members agreed on three potential uses for remaining grant funds, moving a step toward utilizing the money that was leftover from a Foundation for Community Health grant.
Board members voted on Monday, May 11, to draft a report for FCH detailing three initiatives for the leftover $13,000 aimed at clarifying local housing regulations, defining the board’s responsibilities related to the Housing Trust Fund, and expanding resources for residents seeking to create accessory dwelling units.
The funding will support efforts to simplify land use regulations for homeowners, develop guidance for Housing Board members regarding their oversight responsibilities, and create a step-by-step guide for residents interested in building an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU.
Grant consultant Christina Gast attended the meeting to help guide the discussion and ensure the proposals met both funding requirements and project deadlines. The agreed-upon initiatives closely mirrored ideas discussed at the previous Housing Board meeting on Monday, April 13.
Board members agreed that local housing and zoning regulations can be confusing to residents. They also pointed to a need to draft local legislation to provide a tax exemption for property owners who create an accessory dwelling unit, also known as an accessory apartment unit.
The board estimated that about $3,000 of the grant funding could be used to clarify the Housing Board’s role and responsibilities, particularly regarding oversight of the Housing Trust Fund.
In the coming weeks, the Housing Board will determine passages where the codes are unclear and ask the Planning Board attorney to clarify. The effort would also include preparation of an onboarding handbook for future Housing Board members, outlining the board’s duties and responsibilities.
“A handbook is a good use of a relatively small amount of funds,” Housing Board member Josh Frankel said.
The third initiative, with an estimated cost of $7,000, would see the development of step-by-step instructions about the process that residents need to follow in order to create an approved ADU. The instructions would be a clear guide toward creating a unit, along with a list of available resources.
Since her professional qualifications align with what is needed for the project, Gast offered to take on the work of drafting the materials. However, board members agreed with a suggestion from member Juan Torres that they should seek an additional outside quote for the work. Concerns about the appearance of a potential conflict of interest were first raised by member Shannon Roback.
Nathan Miller
Jacqueline Wikane, right, executive director of Hope Rising Farm and equine therapist, leads Atticus the appaloosa pony out of the barn on Saturday, May 16.
AMENIA — Local equine therapy facility Hope Rising Farm celebrated a special birthday on Saturday, May 16.
People from across Dutchess County and neighboring Connecticut celebrated Atticus the appaloosa pony’s 35th birthday with a party featuring a bouncy castle, a mechanical bull, a petting zoo and live music in the evening.
Jacqueline Wikane, owner and executive director of Hope Rising Farm, said she adopted Atticus about 20 years ago from a former rider. Under her care, he works as a therapy horse in Wikane’s therapeutic riding program at the farm.
The program serves adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “We teach them all about horses,” Wikane said, adding that interacting with and riding horses has a calming effect on the nervous system.
“It relaxes your blood pressure,” Wikane said. “It makes you calm.”
Although the horse has reached an advanced age, Atticus participates in the therapy program and even takes people for rides. Wikane said the activity is good for therapy clients and the horse. The aging horse needs regular exercise, and slow trail rides are stimulating without being too taxing, she said.
Atticus’s old age requires special care, too. The horse has lost most of his teeth, so Wikane and her volunteers have to feed him a soft mash and fine hay for his meals so he doesn’t have to chew as much. A steamer softens and moistens the hay in the winter, Wikane said, to ensure Atticus gets enough water.
“We do a lot for him,” Wikane said, adding that horses often live into their 40s naturally.
For his birthday, Atticus got a soft cake made of oats, carrots and other treats — all mashed to his liking.
Hope Rising Farm provides semi-private lessons starting at $65 for one hour and private lessons for $85 per hour. More information is available online at www.hoperisingfarm.org
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