Millerton Pedestrian Plan complete: North East board discusses process and implementation

NORTH EAST — After roughly a year of work, with  town of North East and the village of Millerton representatives meeting once or twice a month, the Millerton Pedestrian Plan is complete. 

The 92-page document  was a collaboration with the Dutchess County Transportation Council (DCTC), which worked with a volunteer Task Force that included representatives from the Village and Town Boards, the village Planning Board, the merchants’ association and the community betterment group, Townscape.

The plan includes three components: an inventory of existing walking conditions, recommendations for improvements and design concepts for Main Street/John Street, Main Street/Maple Avenue and Century Boulevard.”

According to the DCTC,  “Millerton’s compact size and vibrant local business district make it well-suited for walking. However, its Main Street is also a state highway, creating tension between providing a safe, walkable Main Street and providing access for trucks and commercial vehicles.

“In addition, some local streets, like Century Boulevard, were not designed with walkability in mind. Improving the village’s walkability will enable Millerton to take advantage of its desirability and support its local businesses, while improving safety for residents and visitors.”

The plan will be included as an addendum to the North East Comprehensive Plan, which is a vision for Millerton and North East’s growth for the next decade-plus.

John Midwood served as the town representative on the Pedestrian Plan Committee. He said that now that the plan is complete, both the town and village can use it to try to garner vital grant dollars.

The plan includes a two-page summary.

“The whole key with the pedestrian plan is that it’s very comprehensive,” said Councilman Ralph Fedele at the Jan. 8 Town Board meeting that included a discussion on the topic. “In order to affect it, it will take a lot of money. We should have a wish list of what should be if we had the money.”

“I recommend the town hire a grant writer,” said Midwood. “We have a great document to  get money. We should hire a full-time grant writer for the town and village. Why put together a great plan if we don’t have the money to implement it?”

Fedele asked if that responsibility should fall on village shoulders, but then added that “you can’t separate the town from the village.

“Everyone who lives in the town of North East goes into the village,” he added. “There are two governments, but you can’t separate the two. I recommend we hire a full-time grant writer to share the cost with the village.”

Councilman Chris Kennan said that a full-time grant writer probably isn’t necessary and that a part-time person should suffice.

“We did have grant writers in the past,” said town Supervisor George Kaye, “to be honest, we didn’t get a lot from them. But that was in the past. The situation will come up in the next budget.”

“OK,” said Midwood, “I just want to at least discuss it.”

Midwood added that he “literally got the report one hour before the board meeting” and was looking at it for the first time then and there.

“It was a lot of work, but I’m proud of it,” said Midwood. “It’s a very professional document. I encourage you to look at it and we can speak more about it at the next meeting.”

Resident and Planning Board member Bill Kish then asked a question from the audience.

“You mention it covers part of the boulevard. How far up the boulevard does it go?” he asked, referring to the business district that extends from the village  along Route 44, heading east toward Connecticut.

“I recommended it go all the way to the state border, because I didn’t want for the town to be excluded,” replied Midwood, adding the plan includes “many recommendations.”

An overview of the Millerton Pedestrian Plan is available at www.dutchessny.gov.