MILLERTON — Prepared to forge ahead in 2021 with the first phase of the Millerton Community Park’s (aka Eddie Collins Memorial Park) long-awaited revitalization, the Eddie Collins Memorial Park Revitalization Committee (ECMPRC) updated the community on the project’s status and Phase One of the revitalization plans during the Village Board meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 19.
In addition to the entire Village Board, the meeting was attended by Jeanne Vanecko, vice chair of the ECMPRC and project coordinator, and Kevin Hasselwander, a landscape architect from The Chazen Companies, in attendance to talk about the plans for Phase One.
Projecting an aerial sketch of Phase One improvements, Hasselwander highlighted recent developments made to the plans, such the parking lot that was narrowed from a full two-way circulation loop to a one-way loop to help reduce the overall footprint of the site. With accessibility identified as a key feature in the design, Hasselwander said they’ve incorporated two drop-off spaces, and the entry road has been adjusted to make it feel “more pedestrian” in nature.
Hasselwander called attention to the new soccer field as one of the big features for Phase One as well as the playground improvement area. In addition to incorporating more Poured-in-Place rubber than they originally anticipated, he said little rain gardens have been added to the play area to help with the challenges of stormwater management and add more shade. On a later date, Vanecko pointed out that while the rain gardens will cut down on the infrastructure, they’ll help establish bioremediation.
Projecting an aerial sketch of the project’s conceptual master plan, Hasselwander underlined the new swimming pool and the reoriented Little League field. Two new features included pickleball courts and tennis courts, which he said would help frame the soccer field and create a central activity zone.
Additionally, he mentioned there have been conversations about potentially reincorporating a skate park or potentially doing a pump track, which refers to “a looped sequence of rollers and berms [swoop, banked turns] for bike riders,” according to www.bicycling.com.
Looking at the new pickleball and tennis courts, Vanecko said the committee has had a number of people approach it to do “some very serious underwriting of those elements,” adding that potential donors would like to see the courts constructed so they can have a winter cover put on them so they could be used through the winter season. She said they’ve also talked to a couple of private schools that are interested in renting court time on a regular basis.
In addition to giving a whole new functionality to the park, she said the village would gain a stream of revenue through the wintertime by adding the new courts. That being said, Vanecko explained that it was important for Hasselwander to do a feasibility analysis of whether there is room for the courts.
“We have a lot of exploration to do financially,” Vanecko said. “At lease we know we can accommodate it physically in the park if we want to do that.”
Above all, Vanecko emphasized the fact that everything in the park is going to be handicapped accessible.
In moving forward, Hasselwander said they’re looking to get everybody on board with the Phase One vision, seeing as “that’s the one that’s going to be hitting the books this year,” and that they’re looking to seek bids for Phase One by the end of February or the beginning of March.
Major money raised, more to go
Another major update reported by the committee was its success in raising more than $1 million. With Phase One calculated at $1,250,000 based on a preliminary study, Vanecko said it had raised $1,115,000 and has $85,000 left to raise.
Praising the public’s response to the project, she attributed the fundraising feat to a combination of public agencies (both state and county) and private individuals who have made substantial grants to launch the project.
For more information on the Millerton Community Park project, go to www.millertonpark.org.
Erin Rollins of Millbrook in the Fashion Feed booth, open year round, at the Millbrook Antiques Mall. All proceeds from Fashion Feeds go to the Food of Life Pantry. As an interior designer by trade, Rollins designed this booth to evoke a high-end department store to align with the designer brands she carries.
MILLERTON — The Townscape 50/50 raffle drawing has collected a pot of more than $7,000.
That raffle drawing will take place this Saturday at 2 p.m. in Veteran’s Park. The moment is not just about picking a winner, but also about reflecting on how far Townscape has come since its humble beginnings in 1998, when founder Catherine Fenn — alongside Renee Vollen and Jan Gilmor — first set out to beautify her beloved village.
Fenn’s connection to Millerton runs deep. “I moved here from the Bronx when I was eight years old and fell in love with the place, even as a child,” she recalled, remembering camping trips at Rudd Pond and enjoying the quiet pace of life.
At 15, her family relocated to southern Connecticut. “My dad didn’t think there was much here for us, so we moved. I left kicking and screaming, literally, and I said, ‘Someday I’m coming back.’”
Years later, after marrying, divorcing, and raising children, Fenn kept that promise. She returned to Millerton and married a childhood friend who was very involved in the fire department. After his passing, Fenn threw herself into her own way of giving back.
“I care about this village deeply. Townscape is my way of helping Millerton be the best it can be,” she said.
What began as an informal effort to gather volunteers and plant flowers eventually blossomed into something larger. “We started with flowers up and down Main Street — barrels of them everywhere. Then it grew into benches, tables, trees and even events. It was such a fun world, a really wonderful organization with so many people involved.”
Fenn’s service to the community extends beyond beautification. She spent roughly two decades on the Planning Board, served as Town Supervisor and worked with the county housing authority. Still, her passion for flowers, trees and landscapes has left the most visible mark on Millerton — shaping not only how the village looks, but how it feels.
In 2006, Townscape became a nonprofit organization. But beautification, Fenn admits, isn’t always the easiest cause to fund. “We’re just putting flowers out — and I shouldn’t say ‘just,’ because to me it’s really important. The trees, the benches, all of it matters. But it’s not high on most people’s list when they think about charitable donations. Still, people have been wonderfully generous over the years.”
This Saturday’s raffle drawing is one way neighbors can show their support. The winner does not have to be present to claim the prize, but those who stop by can enjoy cookies, lemonade and artwork by local creators on display in the park.
MILLBROOK — Local crows should prepare to become highly spooked as planners of Millbrook Community Day, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 20, have announced that a Scarecrow Contest will be part of the festivities.
Residents are invited to get creative and devise their own renditions of a scarecrow from traditional to whatever imagination might come up with.
Judging criteria will include creativity, including originality, new ideas, or perhaps whether the scarecrow tells a story. Design criteria include the creator’s technique, materials — recycled materials are emphatically a plus — and durability.
Rules include that scarecrows be free-standing, able to stand on their own or with minimal support. No scarecrow can be store-bought. Entries must be able to fit within a 6 x 6 foot space once assembled. A stand is available upon request. Scarecrows must be non-political, family friendly, and in a good-natured spirit.
Entrants are responsible for set-up, scheduled from 9 to 10 a.m. on Sept. 20, location to be assigned the week before. Judging will begin at 1 p.m. Winners will be announced at 2 p.m.
For more information and to register to participate, email mba@millbrooknewyork.com or go to www.millbrooknewyork.com/community-day-2025
COPAKE — Judith Marie “Judy” Drury, 76, a four-year resident of Copake, New York, formerly of Millerton, New York, died peacefully on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, at Vassar Bros. Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, New York, surrounded by her loving family and her Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Judy worked as a therapy aide for Taconic DDSO in Wassaic, New York, prior to her retirement on Feb. 1, 2004. She then went on to work in the Housekeeping Department at Vassar Bros. Medical Center for several years.
Born Jan. 2, 1949, in Richford, Vermont, she was the daughter of the late Leo J. and Marie A. (Bean) Martel. She attended Roeliff Jansen Central School in Columbia County, New York, in her early years. Judy was an avid sports fan and she was particularly fond of the New England Patriots football team and the New York Rangers hockey team. She enjoyed spending time with her family and traveling to Florida, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania for many years. She was a longtime parishioner of Faith Bible Chapel of Shekomeko on Silver Mountain in Millerton as well.
Judy is survived by two brothers; John Martel and his wife, Jane of Falls Village, Connecticut, and Frank Martel of Ancram, New York; her sister, Susanna “Sue” Martel of Copake, New York; and three generation of nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews and great-great nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, Judy was predeceased by her brother, Leo W. Martel, Sr. of Poughkeepsie, New York, and her sister, Helen J. Slater of Hillsdale, New York; her sister-in-law, Karen Martel of Ancram and a special nephew, Jacob Stickle of Copake.
A visiting hour will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Faith Bible Chapel, 222 Silver Mountain Road, Millerton, New York 12546. A funeral service will be held at 3 p.m. Pastor William Mayhew will officiate. Burial will follow at Irondale Cemetery in Millerton, New York. A celebration of Judy’s life will be announced at a later date. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, New York 12546.
Memorial contributions may be made to Faith Bible Chapel, 222 Silver Mountain Road, Millerton, New York 12546 or American Cancer Society, 45 Reade Place, Poughkeepsie, New York 12601. To send an online condolence to the family, flowers to the service or to plant a tree in Judy’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
AMESVILLE — Jeremy Dakin, 78, passed away Aug. 31, 2025, at Vassar Brothers Medical Center after a long battle with COPD and other ailments.
Jeremy was a dear friend to many, and a fixture of the Amesville community. There will be a service in his memory at Trinity Lime Rock Episcopal Church on Sept. 27 at 11 a.m.
Below is the obituary Jeremy himself wrote:
Born July 20, 1947, Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
A resident of Salisbury, Connecticut for over 75 years, he graduated from UVM in 1970, at which time he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a German translator (“It just seemed like a better idea than learning Vietnamese”), and served two years in West Berlin.
Returning to Vermont in 1973 he began a 16-year gig as a ski shop manager and a professional ski patroller, which led to a 30-year stint as an EMT.
A direct descendant of Rebecca Nurse (who was hanged as a witch in Salem in 1692), he is survived by a nephew, Robin Dakin, of Englewood, Ohio, his wife Amy, and a flock of grandnieces, all of whom seem to have inherited the family love of camping and canoeing.
The love of his life, Wren Smith, passed away in 2007 after a 10-year battle with breast cancer. By the time he was seventy, Jeremy’s physical activities were curtailed by COPD, due to a lifetime of smoking.
Rather than spend money on flowers, please consider a donation to the American Cancer Society and/or the American Lung Association. But, for Pete’s sake, don’t smoke.
