Jeanne Vanecko, project manager, and Stephen Waite, chairman of the Eddie Collins Memorial Park Revitalization Committee, guided a public meeting on Thursday, Aug. 17, about phase two of the park’s redesign, which includes a pool and pool house.
NORTH EAST — 2023 was a good year for advances in sustainability, improvements in the Village of Millerton and Town of North East.
Wastewater treatment
Work on the much-discussed, much-needed sewer system for Millerton and North East has finally begun; it is projected to be operational in about two years.
The village, following a feasibility study, opted to build a “hybrid” system, based on its success in Hillsdale and other municipalities. The design utilizes existing septic tanks and calls for constructing a network of “veins” that connect them to the new wastewater plant, to be located on village-owned property on South Center Street. Because the relatively small pipes can be drilled in horizontally, streets will not have to be dug up.
The village, along with engineers from of Tighe and Bond of Rhinebeck, then defined the district it will cover in its first two phases. Wastewater Committee Chairperson Jeanne Vanecko and the engineers then began their surveys of the 110 relevant properties to gather information needed to design the system.
The village will own and maintain the entire system including, as needed, replacement of septic tanks. Residents and businesses will pay a monthly fee based on use.
The new system will permit the opening of new businesses that had heretofore been unable to locate in Millerton.
The total cost is estimated at $13 million; a federal grant of $1 million is certain, and other grants are being sought.
Sustainability
The North East/Millerton Climate Smart Communities task force has been busy shepherding projects to save energy, money and to demonstrate our area’s green bona fides in pursuit of Climate Smart Bronze certification in 2024. Completion of work on the New York State Department of Conservation’s Office of Climate Change 2018 matching grant was carried out jointly by the town and the village; one keystone project was a Road-Stream Crossings Report, which inventoried and prioritized all 500 culverts and bridges, leading to upgrades in flood-prone areas.
Also significant was a Government Operations Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Climate Action Plan, intended to track all energy consumption, calculate emissions and prioritize mitigation options.
2023 Infrastructure and safety improvements on Main Street included signalized crosswalks with flashing lights; and the town’s long-closed, unusable landfill was evaluated for solar installation.
New Town Hall, garage
The Town of North East bought the former Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witnesses at 5603 Route 22 on July 18 for $430,000: The 4,512 square foot building will become the new Town Hall. (“The cost of less than $100 per square foot seems like a bargain compared to building new,” noted real-estate reporter Christine Bates in these pages.) Renovations are expected to begin this year, after which the current Town Hall will be sold and returned to the village tax roll.
The new town/village garage on Route 22, built on land purchased in 2020, will be fully operational once the driveway is completed — asphalt paving can only be done in warmer months.
Eddie Collins
Memorial Park
The first phase of the redevelopment of Eddie Collins Memorial Park — originally suggested years ago by village resident Stephen Waite — has finally opened to the public, thanks to a committee of dedicated trustees and volunteers. A pavilion, soccer field, playground, new parking lot and dozens of shade trees have welcomed visitors for several events since the park’s grand reopening this past summer.
Phase 2 will see the addition of a swimming pool and bathhouse.
Alec Linden
Lynn Kearcher and her husband, Carl Chaiet, pull brush from within the pound’s walls just off Sharon Mountain Road. Kearcher said the boulder embedded in the slope at the back of the pound is a unique architectural feature.
SHARON – While many think of the “pound” as a place for stray dogs, a century and a half ago town pounds were a fixture of life in rural Connecticut, used to temporarily contain wandering livestock. Today, a Sharon resident is working to restore one of those long-forgotten stone enclosures.
Lynn Kearcher, a town selectman pursuing the project independently, has spent months restoring an old-fashioned pound on Sharon Mountain Road in an effort to preserve a little-known piece of the town’s agrarian history.
“It’s a structure that links us to our past in what was a very important period,” she said June 4, while pulling brush from the pound’s low stone walls. The site, near the intersection of Sharon Mountain and Jackson Hill roads, is owned by three private landowners, all of whom have given permission for the effort.
The now-tidy plot looked very different just several months ago, Kearcher said. Since then, she, her husband, Carl Chaiet, and other volunteers have spent many hours clearing weeds and brush, while several community members donated money to hire Applewood Tree Care to remove several dead trees from the site.
Kearcher is continuing to raise money to restore the pound to an appearance she believes reflects the dignity such a vestige of town history deserves.
In pre-barbed wire days, when farms were more numerous and often smaller with limited means of monitoring livestock, New England towns built special corrals for animals on the loose. A resident known as the pound keeper rounded up rogue animals in a common pen. Farmers could either pay a fee to collect them or surrender them to the town, which could then auction the animals and keep the earnings.
Town pounds emerged in New England from the earliest days of livestock husbandry up until the late 19th century, and their importance in that era is hard to overstate, said history writer Matthew E. Thomas, author of a 2023 book on New England’s remaining animal pounds.
“You had to have a pound to be able to prevent all of these different livestock animals from escaping from their farms and wreaking havoc in neighbors’ property, which did not make for good neighborly dealing sometimes,” Thomas said.
“These are wonderful monuments to the past,” he added, noting that a runaway cow could wreck someone’s food stores for the hard winter ahead.
Thomas’s research identified approximately 170 known pounds intact today in New England, but he said he’s grateful to residents like Kearcher who show that there are likely many more lost to time in yards and woods across the region.
“It just makes it so much more meaningful to know that there are people out there that genuinely care about preserving our early American history,” he said.
Kearcher has identified two more suspected pounds nearby, with one hidden in the woods farther south on Sharon Road and the other sitting in a thicket next to Fairchild Road. Both are located on land owned by the Sharon Land Trust, which has given permission for future restoration.
The goal, Kearcher said, is to protect these sites with an ordinance that would herald them as artifacts of Sharon’s history, potentially dating back to the early 18th century. Kearcher has been communicating with the state archeologist to organize a visit that may shed some light on the specific stories of the structures.
For his part, Thomas said the pounds, while forgotten by many, are a strong reminder of a different way of living in the countryside: “A time,” he wrote, “when nearly all social, economic, religious and political issues were handled primarily at the local level.” In that bygone era, sometimes locking up a cow or pig for a few days was another means to keep the peace.
Alec Linden
In July, Nikki Blass, right, will take over as Sharon’s Land Use Administrator when Jamie Casey retires after more than three decades in Town Hall.
SHARON – Nichole “Nikki” Blass of Sharon will take over as Land Use Administrator on July 1, following the retirement of longtime town employee Jamie Casey. Blass is a seven-year veteran of the Land Use Office and also serves as the second lieutenant and secretary for Sharon Ambulance.
Casey said Blass’ experience working as the Office’s assistant has set her up well to succeed in the role.
The Land Use Administrator is the town’s zoning enforcement officer, responsible for handling all applications related to construction, development and landscape alterations and issuing citations when zoning code is broken. It is a paid role that is appointed by the First Selectman.
“To me, she was the only choice for the job,” Casey said. “She knows the town inside and out, and she grew up here. That’s important, too.”
Blass’s appointment was announced during the Board of Selectmen’s May 26 meeting. In previous weeks, selectmen interviewed Blass and another candidate for the position.
Blass said she was first introduced to Casey and the Land Use Office through her involvement with Sharon Ambulance. She was initially hired to handle filing duties but quickly took on additional responsibilities as the workload increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When Covid hit, we were so inundated with projects and work that I just jumped in,” Blass said, saying that she and Casey worked naturally together. “It was sink or swim.”
Blass said when she takes office in July, she plans to focus on organization to support several large-scale projects that are ongoing or pending review. Those include the development of an office facility for Jasper Johns-affiliated nonprofit Low Road Foundation and a controversial housing development on Hospital Hill Road which is currently facing litigation from neighbors.
She said replacing Casey will be a challenge. Still, she said her time working in the office with Casey has prepared her well for the flexibility and depth of knowledge the position requires.
“Every situation that comes through the door is not the same as the one that was before it,” Blass said. “Being able to handle that kind of thing is the most valuable lesson she could have taught me.”
Blass is stepping into a complex role, Casey said, “but I know she’s more than capable of doing it.”
Plus, “she’s a Sharon girl,” Casey said.
Meanwhile the Selectmen have been conducting interviews to replace Stanley MacMillan Jr., the town’s building inspector and fire marshal of three decades, who is also retiring at the end of the month.No hire had been announced as of June 4. Town Hall is also seeking to hire a replacement for Blass’ current position to assist both the Land Use Administrator and Building Inspector, and will be soliciting candidates this month.
Millerton News
AMENIA — The Amenia Free Library is gearing up for its Sips & Sweets fundraiser.
The fundraiser is set for Saturday, June 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the library on Route 343.
Tickets cost $30 per person and are available for sale at the library prior to the event or at the door the night of. The cover price includes drinks, food and two raffle tickets.
The fundraiser is limited to adults 21 and over.
The Amenia Free Library is located at 3309 Route 343 in Amenia.
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Alec Linden
LaBonne’s Market is considering an expansion that would reorganize the flow of traffic on Academy Street in Salisbury.
SALISBURY – Expansion may be on the horizon for LaBonne’s Market, Salisbury’s only grocery store, as preliminary plans call for a 4,700-square-foot addition that would create more retail space, add employee facilities and reconfigure parking around the downtown property to add more spots.
During a meeting with the Economic Development Committee on May 21, Robert LaBonne Jr., the current president and CEO of the four LaBonne’s Markets locations across the state, outlined conceptual plans for an addition on the east side of the building.
According to a blueprint he shared with the group, the registers would be relocated to the new addition, creating room for longer grocery aisles within the existing store. The plans also include an expanded produce section, a café space, a second-floor area for staff facilities and a loading and storage area on the north side of the expansion.
LaBonne Jr. said the store has simply outgrown its current footprint of just over 43,000-square-feet. “It’s the smallest sales space of the four,” he said, the others being located in Watertown, Woodbury and Prospect, “and in the summer it does the most business.”
In order for the expansion to move forward, the Academy Street corridor would be overhauled. Currently, Academy Street is a small street that provides access to the grocery store, the used bookstore Johnnycake Books, a guest house, and several private residences.
As presented in the expansion plans, the street would essentially be the center of a parking lot comprised of the current LaBonne’s parking on the west side of Academy Street, another plot on the east side and a third area to the north of the building, with auxiliary spaces on another parcel at the end of the street that are currently used as overflow for the store.
The conceptual plans, developed by SLR Consulting of Cheshire, Connecticut, would create a total of about 90 parking spaces across a series of plots owned by the Market Place of Salisbury, a decades-old private shareholder group that LaBonne’s leases the land from. While most of the land is already owned by the Market Place, some of the proposed parking area lies on land currently owned by the town. One parcel currently houses an occupied affordable home rental, which LaBonne noted would have to be replaced elsewhere if it is removed as the plan proposes.
LaBonne Jr. noted that the plans come after years of deliberation with the town on how to proceed, and remain highly preliminary, pending review from both the town and from the Market Place of Salisbury.
As of early June, LaBonne’s leadership did not comment directly on the project when asked, stating that the effort remains in early stages.
During the meeting, though, LaBonne Jr. spoke about the advantages of expanding parking options in town.
Referencing other municipalities with vibrant downtowns such as Litchfield and Middletown, he said that ample parking and thoughtful planning can play a big role in vitalizing Main Street activity.
“If you don’t provide parking for capacity, you will chase people out of town,” he said.
Millerton News
DENTAL ASSISTANT Part Time: Tuesday to Friday, for exclusive private practice in Sharon, CT. Flexible schedule and hours, competitive salary. 860-364-0200, office@drnweeia.org.
Isabella Freedman Jewish Re-treat Center is a year-round 120-person retreat facility that is located in Falls Village, CT. Want to work at a beautiful, peaceful location, with great people? This is the place to be! We are currently seeking positions for Seasonal Lifeguard(s), Cook, Retreat services associate (banquet server front of house) and Mashgichim (F/T or P/T) for our summer season. For more details please visit our website at Careers - Adamah or email a copy of your resume to rebecca.eisen@adamah.org
SEEKING LAND USE ADMINISTRATOR/ZONING ENFORCEMENT OFFICER (FULL TIME, SALARIED) The Town of Salisbury is seeking a qualified, motivated professional to serve as its full-time Land Use Administrator. Details are available at www.salisburyct.us/employment/
TOWN OF SHARON HELP WANTED. Building Department /Land Use Office Support, part-time, approximately 25 hours per week, $24.70 per hour. Position provides administrative support for the Building Official, Fire Marshal, and Land Use Administrator. Qualifications: High School Diploma or GED (Associates Degree Preferred) with 4 years increasingly responsible work experience, preferably in administrative work, public con-tact, and field of municipal government. For full job description, see the Town of Sharon Website (sharonct.gov) or con-tact the Selectmen’s Office at 860-364-5789. Applications and resumes are to be received in the Selectmen’s Office, P. O. Box 385, Sharon, CT 06069 by 4:00PM June 15, 2026. The Town of Sharon is an equal opportunity employer.
Come sailing with us on Twin Lakes. Our 21’ sailboat can host 4-5 crew in a private charter for 2 hours out of O’Hara’s Marina, Salisbury CT. We offer sailing lessons too! www.nashallasailing.com 413-229-9042.
Héctor Pacay Landscaping and Construction LLC: Fully insured. Renovation, decking, painting; interior exterior, mowing lawn, garden, stone wall, patio, tree work, clean gutters, mowing fields. 845-636-3212.
Old Houses and Barns my specialty: Renovations and Re-pairs. 25 years serving the tri-state area. Licensed and Insured. Based in Canaan, CT. David Valyou 917-538-1617. davidvalyou@yahoo.com
SHARON
TAG SALE! Sat, June 20 10-4 22 Dug Rd @Low Rd, Sharon. Housewares, books, clothes, toys/kids stuff, ski stuff, records & more! Free table & Lemonade with purchase! No early birds pls.
Looking for a small farm to board my 22 year old mare ideally located near trails. She gets along well with other horses. No drama. Available to help with feeding and or turnout if needed. 860-786-2546.
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE: Equal Housing Opportunity. All real estate advertised in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1966 revised March 12, 1989 which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color religion, sex, handicap or familial status or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All residential property advertised in the State of Connecticut General Statutes 46a-64c which prohibit the making, printing or publishing or causing to be made, printed or published any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or:rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, age, lawful source of income, familial status, physical or mental disability or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.
Millerton, rural, newly renovated house: 2 bedrooms, split air/a/c system, dishwasher, decks, views, pets considered. $2675. Call 518-567-8277.
Millerton News
Legal Notice
Notice of Formation of Kaits Kleaning LLC. Art. Of Org. filed with SSNY on 05-22-2026. Office Location: Dutchess county. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 24 Attlebury Hill Road, Standfordville NY 12581.
06-04-26
06-11-26
06-18-26
06-25-26
07-02-26
07-09-26
LEGAL NOTICE OF ESTOPPEL
A resolution, a summary of which is published herewith, has been adopted on May 21, 2026, and the validity of the obligations authorized by such resolution may be here-after contested only if such obligations were authorized for an object or purpose for which the Town of Pine Plains, in the County of Dutchess, New York, is not authorized to expend money or if the provisions of law which should have been complied with as of the date of publication of this Notice were not substantially complied with, and an action, suit or proceeding contesting such validity is commenced within twenty days after the publication of this Notice, or such obligations were authorized in violation of the provisions of the Constitution. MADELIN DAFOE, Town Clerk
Town of Pine Plains BOND RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN OF PINE PLAINS, NEW YORK, ADOPTED MAY 21, 2026, FOR THE PURCHASE OF A HIGHWAY MOWER AND ATTACHMENTS AND ISSUANCE OF A STATUTORY INSTALLMENT BOND TO FINANCE SAID PURCHASE IN THE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $159,953.14, AND THE TRANSFER OF$42,100 FROM THE GENERAL FUND AND$10,000 FROM THE MACHINERY CAPITAL LINE, STATING THE ESTIMATED MAXIMUM COST THEREOF IS$212,053.14, APPROPRIATING SAID AMOUNT THEREFOR, AND AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF $159,953.14 SERIAL BONDS OF SAID TOWN TO FINANCE SAID APPROPRIATION. Object or purpose: Purchase of a highway mower and issuance of a statutory installment bond to finance said purchase in the amount not to exceed$159,953.14
Period of probable usefulness: Eleven years Amount of obligations to be issued: $159,953.14 A complete copy of the bond resolution summarized above shall be available for public inspection during normal business hours at the office of the Town Clerk, 3284 Route 199, Pine Plains, New York. Dated: May 21, 2026 Town of Pine Plains, New York
06-11-26
PINE PLAINS TOWN BOARD
NOTICE OF
PUBLIC HEARING PLEASE TAKE NOTICE
that the Pine Plains Town Board will hold a public hearing on the adoption of a for the Adoption a Local Law No. A of 2026 Entitled “A Local Law Amending
Article XVIII, Section 275-116 of Chapter 275 of the Town Code” on June 18, at 7:05 p.m. at the Pine Plains Town Hall, located at 3284 Route 199, Pine Plains, New York. A copy of the proposed Local Law is available for inspection on the Town’s official website and at the Town Clerk’s office during normal business hours. Any person desiring to be heard on the adoption of said Resolution shall be given an opportunity to do so. Dated: May 22, 2026 BY ORDER OF THE PINE PLAINS THE TOWN BOARD.
MADELIN DAFOE,
Town Clerk
06-11-26
SECTION 001112 ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS
(N.Y. PUBLIC WORK) THE TOWN OF AMENIA
Invites bids for GENERAL CONSTRUCTION, PLUMBING, MECHANICAL, and ELECTRICAL Work for New Highway Garage & Salt Shed located at 3754-3756 NYS RTE 22, Wassaic, NewYork, 12569. Separate sealed bids will be received by Town of Amenia at 4988 NY-22, Amenia, NY 12501, until 1:00 p.m. local time on Thursday, July 9, 2026, at which time they will be publicly opened and read aloud. It is the sole responsibility of the bidder to ensure that the bid is received at the designated location prior to the designated time that bids are due.
Complete sets of the drawings, specifications, and bid forms, becoming available to the public on Thursday, June 11, 2026 and may be viewed and downloaded at www.cplteamplanroom.c om under the ‘New York’ section.
A Pre-Bid Meeting for the Project will be conducted by the Architect/Engineer and Construction Manager on Monday, June 22, 2026, at 9:00 am, local time, at 3754-3756 NYS RTE 22, Wassaic, NY 12592.
Bidders shall promptly notify the architect if any errors, omissions, conflicts, ambiguity, etc. within the contract documents. The above item and/or questions shall be submit-ted in writing via email to JDirocco@cplteam.com.
Interpretations or clarifications considered necessary will be issued via Addenda posted to the CPL planroom website at www.cplteamplanroom.com.
Questions must be re-ceived on or before 12:00 p.m., EST, Friday, June 26, 2026. Questions received after this date may not be answered. Only questions answered by formal written Addenda will be binding. Oral and other interpreta-tions or clarifications will be without legal effect. Where state and local requirements differ from federal, the federal requirements shall be fol-lowed. Final addenda will be issued by end of day on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. The Town of Amenia hereby reserves the right to waive any informalities and reject any or all Bids or to accept the one that in its judgment will be in the best interest of Town of Amenia.
A Bid Bond or Certified Check in the amount of five percent (5%) of Base Bid is required and must accompany proposal. Performance Bond and Labor Material Payment Bond equal to one hundred percent (100%) of Contract Sum are required to be delivered at time Contract is signed with Owner.
Attention of the Bidder is particularly called to the following:
1.The Owner’s sales tax exemption.
2. The minimum wage rates to be paid under the contract.
3. The requirements pertaining to certification of Non-Collusion in preparation of proposals submitted for this Project. No bidder may withdraw their bid within forty-five (45) days after date of bid opening.
In addition, the Bidding Documents for this project contain detailed requirements for the qualification of Bidders as follows:
1. Rigid bonding and insurance requirements.
4. Financial statements and bank references.
5. Lists of lawsuits, arbitrations or other proceedings in which the Bidder has been named as a party.
6. A statement of Surety’s intent to issue Performance and Payment Bonds.
7. A description of other projects of similar size and scope completed by the Bidder.
Bidders will comply with New York State prevailing wage and supplement requirements.
Town of Amenia
Dutchess County State of New York
Town Clerk
06-11-26
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