MILLERTON — These days, the gym is off limit, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic that’s sweeping the globe. But there is something local residents can do who are eager to get some exercise: head outdoors. With 140,000 visitors expected again during the coming year, seasoned athletes and weekend warriors can walk, run, bike or even spend a few quiet moments contemplating nature on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail. Lisa DeLeeuw, the Rail Trail’s executive director, will be beside them every inch of the way — at least in spirit.
Starting her work after her daughter, one of the first interns for the Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association (HVRTA) in the early 2000s, piqued her interest, the Colorado State/SUNY Delhi biology and microbiology major said, “the thing that keeps me going from day to day is seeing how much people love the trail. That’s why I do this.”
Also the town clerk and tax collector for Gallatin, DeLeeuw, who shuns the spotlight, is typically in the HVRTA office three days a week, though with the COVID-19 health crisis that’s changed a bit. However, she notes, technology keeps her connected to this “labor of love,” so she is constantly “doing whatever needs to be done when it needs to be done.”
Dick Hermans, Rail Trail Association chairman, says that she is central to the organization’s functioning, managing everything from maintenance to procuring grants.
DeLeeuw demurs that she is not a “grant writer” who could solicit for any cause, but that she has been successful in her requests for the Rail Trail because, “I live the project. And I think that comes out in my writing — the passion of the project.”
In addition to receiving support from the county for the Dutchess portion of the trail, she said, “We’ve been very, very fortunate to have gotten a tremendous amount of grant money. We live and die on grant money and the generosity of our membership. That’s where all our funds come from.”
Hermans added that DeLeeuw’s talent on paper and in management is bolstered by her “friendliness and her outgoingness with people who might contact the Association, which has resulted in benefits way beyond what you might expect.”
He cites a major contribution that came from a man who left his house to the HVRTA simply because she had made time to connect with him when he often called just to chat.
DeLeeuw was quick to note, however, that she took the time to speak to the elderly man simply because “I always make time, because sometimes there just needs to be a connection... a voice on the other side of the phone. I just didn’t know there would be something at the end,” in this case a house, which sold in a bidding war and which, in turn, financed a good piece of construction on the Copake section of the trail.
That urge to connect extends to all aspects of the Rail Trail, including the benches along the way. DeLeeuw emphasized that it can be emotional.
“Those benches are all very special… are all touching someone’s heart, and I deal with all of the people that have given them.” One honors a deceased fiancée and “looks to the view she saw from her window as she was passing. There are two which we call the lovers’ benches. The woman gave a bench for her husband — just when it was put up she passed away, so then he donated one for her across from his.”
DeLeeuw noted whether remembering someone’s mother or a dog at its favorite spot, “They all have a story and they all are very symbolic of people who feel they have a part and a small ownership of the trail, just as do we all who have any connection. It feels like we all own it.”
Emphasizing that sense among 700 Association members, she points to the late founder, Elinor Mettler, and a Lin-Manuel Miranda quote, which will be placed in a Copake garden in her honor: “A legacy is planting seeds in a garden you will never see.”
Dutchess County Communications Director Colleen Pillus advised trail users to observe social distancing of at least 6 feet while keeping active.
The trail can be used year-round. Check with www.hvrt.org for more information.
Nathan Miller
MILLERTON — North East Town Board members on Friday voted to reject a proposed expansion of permitted businesses in the Irondale section of town, a small commercial district comprising just seven parcels along Route 22 north of Millerton.
The board voted 3-2 at its March 20 meeting to abandon the proposal that would have allowed restaurants, liquor stores, microbreweries, banks and bakeries in the district, following sharp criticism from the town’s Zoning Review Committee, residents and the Village of Millerton’s Board of Trustees.
The Irondale District — currently known as Highway Business District III — is located along Route 22 near the intersection with Irondale Road. Each of the seven parcels has been developed, with two containing residential homes rather than commercial uses.
The Board of Trustees submitted a letter stating the village’s opposition to the proposed expansion of use. Deputy Mayor Matt Hartzog read the letter, which said the village was against commercial planning that would divert attention away from the Route 44 corridor, and that adoption of the changes would hurt the working relationship between the village and the Town of North East.
“Over many years, the Village of Millerton has devoted substantial time, taxpayer resources, and planning efforts to infrastructure improvements in the Village Center,” the letter said. “Diverting commercial activity away from the Village and Town center risks undermining the economic foundation for these shared infrastructure investments and could complicate further inter-municipal cooperation.”
North East and Millerton residents largely sided with the Village of Millerton during the meeting, with only one North East resident and Town Board members Meg Winkler and Rachele Grieco Cole advocating for retaining the expanded uses.
North East resident Rob Cooper said he thought the Irondale District is the only other suitable place for business development in the town.
“Every storefront in the village, as far as I know, is occupied,” Cooper said. “If you wanted more business to come in, where else would you put it besides in the Irondale District?”
Town Councilwoman Meg Winkler has been one of the strongest supporters of permitting bakeries and other food service businesses in the district since the Town Board began considering the revamped town zoning law earlier this year. She said that just five parcels in the Irondale District are suitable for businesses, saying a few small businesses shouldn’t hurt the village.
“I don’t find those five properties a threat to the village, I think it complements it,” Winkler said. “This is not my own personal point of view. I’ve really gotten so many calls to discuss it, so I’m just bringing that other side to the table. And the comprehensive plan also says to expand uses in HB-III.”
The Town Board also expanded permitted uses in the western Boulevard District — comprising parcels between the Village of Millerton’s eastern border and the western bank of the Webatuck Creek. That expansion came after Cooper asked for business types such as accessory shed sales be permitted to bring his property on Route 44 to end his property’s nonconforming status. Cooper said at a February meeting that he rents a portion of his historic Mobil gas station property on Route 44 to a shed sale business operated by Millerton resident Stone Scasso, one of the few businesses that could use the property due to deed restrictions on the property dating back to its past as a full service gas station.
Board members voted unanimously to allow automotive mechanics not including body shops, and sales of outdoor play equipment and pre-fabricated sheds.
Following those actions, the Town Board voted to approve a negative declaration under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, meaning the board found the changes to the zoning law will have limited immediate impact on the environment and will not draft an Environmental Impact Statement.
The public hearing on the proposed new zoning law will continue at the Thursday, April 20, regular meeting of the Town Board. Board members expect to wrap up deliberation and approve the law following the public hearing.
Nathan Miller
Webutuck freshman Nolan Howard displays the first-place certificate he won for his flight simulator presentation at the Webutuck STEAM Fair on Saturday, March 21.
AMENIA — Webutuck freshman Nolan Howard took first place at Webutuck’s 12th annual STEAM Fair on Saturday, March 21, with his presentation on the science of flight simulators.
Howard brought his flight simulation gear to Webutuck’s middle school gymnasium, complete with joysticks and a monitor to demonstrate how the technology can aid in training pilots for real-world situations.
The annual STEAM Fair is a showcase of Webutuck students’ scientific experiments, collections or discoveries. Organizers said this year brought more than 70 student participants ranging in age from kindergarten to high school for the annual event.
More than 30 faculty volunteers and seven students helped judge the presentations. First-place participants in middle and high school have a chance to take their presentations to the Dutchess County Science Fair. Webutuck fifth grader Lilliana Nelson took home first place in the middle school division with her presentation exploring the effects of different types of salt on making ice cream. Nelson and Howard will now have the opportunity to take their presentations to the Dutchess County Science Fair on April 11 at Dutchess Community College.
Presentations at this year’s STEAM Fair included demonstrations of hydraulics and pneumatics, such as sixth-grader June Duncan’s hydraulic soda can crusher that she constructed out of plastic tubing, syringes and an empty plastic food container; an exploration of plant hydration science with freshman Sabin Kane’s test of Gatorade as a substitute for water in germinating radish seeds — which proved once and for all that plants do not crave electrolytes.
“Turns out that Gatorade is not good for the plants,” Kane said. “I did not think that would be the case. It’s mostly made out of water.”
Duncan’s hydraulic can crusher used the incompressible power of water to crush soda cans into almost-flat disks. She said she ran into trouble when cans wouldn’t immediately give, causing an important valve in the system to burst and forcing her to find another solution.
“It takes 50 or 60 pounds to crush the can,” Duncan said. “With dense cans, we kept blowing our check valve so it kept popping and breaking.”
Other presentations included classic chemical reactions such as mixing Coke and Mentos and baking soda volcanoes, explorations of homemade slime and a substance called oobleck — a non-Newtonian fluid that refuses to flow under pressure — and dioramas of different parts of the animal kingdom.
Aly Morrissey
Amenia resident Kimberley Travis displays one of her handmade signs used in regular demonstrations at Fountain Square, at the intersection of Routes 22 and 44 in Amenia.
AMENIA — Kim Travis has been flipped off, honked at, and even received death threats during her weekly “No Kings” protests in Fountain Square since last summer — reactions Travis says she’s willing to endure in order to fight for her First Amendment rights.
“I wasn’t going to let them stop me,” Travis said of an incident she said got so escalated she had to call the police. “I was there the next day, and I’ve been there ever since.”
Travis, a 68-year-old Amenia resident, began protesting alone several days a week at the busy intersection and has since helped build a small but growing local movement. Fountain Square will be one of several area gathering points as part of this weekend’s nationwide day of protest.
“It’s just so nice to have company now, because I was alone for so long,” Travis said, noting that she has spent a lifetime protesting since the Vietnam War.
Local organizers are preparing to participate in a coordinated “No Kings” demonstration on Saturday, March 28 — part of a national effort that organizers say could become the largest single-day peaceful protest in U.S. history. A previous demonstration in October drew an estimated 7 million participants, and organizers say the March rally could bring that number up to 12 million people.
The movement, which began in June 2025, has drawn millions across multiple national days of action and continues to take shape at the local level. In Dutchess County and northwest Connecticut, small but steady groups have kept up weekly demonstrations, gathering in Amenia’s Fountain Square and at the White Hart lawn in Salisbury, Connecticut. Organizers say those efforts have helped build momentum for the March rally, where they expect larger than usual crowds.
Organizers with the national No Kings Coalition say the phrase “No Kings” is more than a slogan and that more than 3,000 events are planned nationwide for March 28.
“Born in the streets, shouted by millions, carried on posters and chants, it echoes from city blocks to rural town squares, uniting people across this country to fight dictatorship together,” the coalition states on its website.
Inside Travis’s garage, dozens of brightly colored protest signs — some carefully lettered, others layered with glue and found materials — line the walls and lean in stacks. She has been making them steadily since last June, refining her process over time.
“It’s truly an art form,” she said, “You learn as you go, making signs.” Travis described the process as both a creative outlet and a coping mechanism.
Gregory Swinehart, a Millerton resident, said he joined the “No Kings” movement after driving by the gatherings in Amenia and Salisbury, despite having no prior history of protesting.
“Everything changed when President Trump was elected for a second term, and I became very concerned,” Swinehart said. “I was always empathetic toward protesters, but I never felt a personal reason to join — until now.”
Swinehart said he made signs, attended his first protest and kept showing up. He has since taken on a more active role, working to recruit friends and family and helping to promote the March 28 rally.
At any given demonstration, a mix of colorful signs reflects a wide range of concerns among participants.
“It’s like a kaleidoscope,” Swinehart said. “Different people see different things going wrong, and they each bring their own reason to protest.”
While Swinehart has realistic expectations about the outcome, he hopes the demonstrations will resonate over time.
“If people see us out there week after week — in the cold, in the rain — it might make them stop and ask questions,” he said.
Travis echoed that sentiment, noting the shift she has seen over time.
“Now I’d say 90 to 95 percent of the reactions are positive,” she said. “People honk, give a thumbs up, yell encouragement,” she said. “People say thank you and tell us to keep going.”
With a data-driven mindset, Swinehart pointed to the “3.5 percent rule,” a theory developed by Harvard political scientist Erica Chenoweth, which suggests that sustained participation by 3.5 percent of a population can lead to meaningful societal change.
“I keep that as my North Star,” Swinehart said.
Based on RSVP data from the “No Kings” website, organizers estimate that up to 12 million people could participate in demonstrations nationwide — a figure that would approach 3.5% of the U.S. population.
Regardless of the turnout, Swinehart said the sense of community is palpable at the protests.
“People who are concerned come together,” he said, adding that many participants see the demonstrations as a way to exercise their First Amendment rights and stand up for others in their communities.
For Travis, that sense of connection is what keeps her coming back.
“We’re out there together, expressing our rights,” she said. “We’ve got music playing, we’re blowing whistles, we’re dancing, we’re holding our signs. And we’re not going anywhere.”
Local demonstrations will be held at the White Hart lawn in Salisbury, Connecticut from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; at Fountain Square in Amenia from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.; in Kent, Connecticut from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.; and at Lions Minipark in Rhinebeck from 10 a.m. to noon.
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Nathan Miller
MILLBROOK —The Village of Millbrook Planning Board on Monday conditionally approved plans for two new buildings at a nursery on Franklin Avenue at the intersection with Route 44, despite a resident’s concerns about limited public access to application materials ahead of the hearing.
The property operates as a preexisting, nonconforming use — meaning it does not meet current zoning but is allowed to continue.
The proposal calls for two new structures at the former Orangerie Garden and Home site, located at the intersection of Franklin Avenue and Route 44. According to the property owners, the buildings will be used for equipment storage and to display garden statuary. An existing greenhouse on the property will also be renovated, though its footprint will remain unchanged.
The approval is contingent on review by Dutchess County Planning & Development, as well as variances from the Village Zoning Board of Appeals. Applicants must also address comments from Planning Board consultant Pete Sander of Rennia Engineering, including providing additional site plan detail and clarifying parking requirement calculations.
Before the vote, Millbrook resident Elizabeth Logan-Baravalle raised concerns about the Planning Board’s procedures, saying the public notice for Monday night’s meeting did not clearly indicate that two public hearings would be held. She also said application materials were not publicly available in advance and that the Village Clerk had not received them when she visited Village Hall on Merritt Avenue earlier that afternoon.
“The only information I could find on the project before this afternoon was in the 12/8/25 board meeting minutes, which were difficult to decipher,” Logan-Baravalle said. “And there was no site plan attached that could be referenced.”
Logan-Baravalle also pointed to earlier discussions referenced in those minutes about a proposed food service component at the nursery — a use she said would not be permitted in the Residential Low-Density zoning district.
“If a willful disregard for Millbrook zoning occurs, then what meaning does our zoning have?” she said.
Nursery representatives said the food service proposal had been removed from the plans due to zoning restrictions. They added that the proposed structures would bring the site’s total building footprint to just under the allowable limit, meaning the expansion would likely mark the end of new construction on the property.
Logan-Baravalle asked the board to keep the public hearing open to allow residents more time to review the plans and provide comment. Planning Board Chair Frank Redl acknowledged the concern.
“You’re absolutely right,” Redl said. “And there’s something we have to look into. Your comment is well taken.”
However, the board declined to extend the hearing and proceeded with the conditional approval.
In other business, the Planning Board accepted an application to convert an existing home at 4 Merritt Ave. into a duplex-style multifamily residence. The application will now begin the formal Planning Board process, with site plan approval expected in the coming months.
The existing building — located behind and on the same parcel as Reardon-Briggs hardware store — would be demolished and replaced with a 39-by-36-foot two-story structure positioned closer to the street to create additional parking behind it.
The proposed duplex would sit approximately seven feet from a neighboring home to the east. Planning Board members cautioned the applicant to expect potential opposition from adjacent property owners.
Under Millbrook’s zoning code, properties in the high-density village business district are not subject to side yard setback requirements, allowing structures to be built up to the property line.
Bill Schmick
In keeping with the administration’s return to its own brand of 16th-century mercantilism, could the next colony they seek be Cuba? It appears to be a strong bet, but for what purpose?
Given the actions and words of our government officials, the next country, or in this case, island nation, it seeks to conquer lies 90 miles from Key West. Cuba sits at the intersection between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Historically, the U.S. considered it a natural barrier controlling vital sea lanes and a dominant landmass that protected or threatened the southern U.S. coast.
It may be that its long-term strategic military and economic value remains viable, but the country’s economy is in a mess. The Economist, in a recent article, indicated that the Cuban economy was on the verge of collapse. Aside from rum, cigars, and a little tourism, Cuba suffers from decades of economic mismanagement, a lack of structural reforms, and mass migration.
Inflation is at 15%, the peso is tumbling, tropical diseases are surging, and in cities like Havana, the municipal waste system has ground to a halt. Blackouts are increasingly common. Hospitals are canceling surgeries, and public transportation is scarce. It wasn’t always that way.
Originally a Spanish colony, Cuba in the 1800s fell under the Monroe Doctrine after Spain formally renounced its claim to Cuba in the Treaty of Paris in 1898, and was largely occupied by the U.S. By then, massive amounts of American capital had already been invested in the country. Beyond a thriving sugar trade, American interests controlled significant percentages of the island’s railroads, public utilities, mining, and tobacco. The country essentially became a U.S. protectorate in 1903.
The Communist takeover of Cuba and the nationalization of American property in 1959 soured U.S./Cuban relations to the present day. Although there have been several false starts and attempts at reconciliation through the decades, the U.S. doctrine of isolation and embargo has continued to the present day. That policy has brought the Cuban economy to its knees today.
Trump’s decision to choke off Venezuela’s oil to Cuba, which can only meet 40% of its own energy demands, was a body blow. The oil crisis hammered the regime’s already doomed economic model. In a rare admission of crisis, President Miguel Diaz-Canel scrambled to implement an urgent economic overhaul. The Castro brothers must have spun in their graves as Diaz-Canel called for loosening the state grip, courting foreign investors, and shrinking government control.
As the mood in this communist nation soured, the state’s iron grip on the economy had already begun to loosen. In 2021, the government allowed the creation of hundreds of small businesses in the private sector with fewer than 100 employees. As such, there are now 11,000 small and medium-sized independent businesses on the island. Just recently, another series of reforms allowed private ownership of a wide range of industries, from food production to construction and beyond.
In the case of Cuba, I believe Trump would rather have a deal that would make the island economically dependent on the U.S. Unlike the war in Iran or the late-night raid in Venezuela, I am not looking for an abrupt change nor the sudden overthrow of all state control. Times have changed. Most so-called capitalist economies have evolved into a new model of state capitalism, whether we are talking about China or the U.S. I believe the approach will be different. It would be more of a bailout or bankruptcy reorganization than a regime change.
President Trump has used the term “friendly takeover” more than once in talking about Cuba. His Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, a longtime Cuba hawk, along with a Florida-based Cuban business community, has been reaching out to the private sector. I have noticed that rather than threaten regime change in the name of democracy or an end to communism, the administration is focusing on commercial, economic, and financial engagement.
From the president’s point of view, the need for humanitarian assistance is high, and what better way to deliver it than through the private sector? Exactly how a friendly takeover would be accomplished is a question for the market. The island was certainly part of the discussions Trump had with Latin American leaders at a March 7 summit at the Doral Golf Club.
For a successful takeover, Cuba’s private sector will need the skills and capital of American business, particularly the banking sector. It appears the present government would be amenable to such an approach. It also helps that they know if a carrot doesn’t work, Donald Trump is more than ready to use a Big Stick.
Bill Schmick is a founding partner of Onota Partners, Inc., in the Berkshires.Bill’s forecasts and opinions are purely his own and do not necessarily represent the views of Onota Partners, Inc. (OPI).
Millerton News
SALISBURY — Beth Harlan, 75, of Sheffield, Massachusetts, and Salisbury, Connecticut, passed away on March 2, 2026, in New York City. Her son, Zachariah Harlan Warner, and daughter-in-law, Olivia Baribeau, were by her side.
Born on July 22, 1950, in Dayton, Ohio, Beth brought a wonderful combination of energy, intellect and humor to those around her. She earned her Associate’s Degree from Stephens College in Missouri in 1970, followed by a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Emerson College in Boston in 1972, and a Master in Social Work from the University of Connecticut in 1993.
After college, her travels and life experiences included time in Ohio, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York City before ultimately setting roots in the Salisbury area in 1980.
During these travels, Beth explored her creative side, dabbling as a television personality with on air appearances in Ohio & Atlanta and pursuing stand up comedy in Los Angeles where she took acting classes alongside Robin Williams. While at Emerson College, she was a member of a comedy group that included Jay Leno and her comedic nature stayed with her throughout her life.
Beth ultimately settled professionally as a social worker demonstrating her empathy for others and her ability to listen but her most treasured and defining role was that of a mother to her beloved son, Zach. Her love for him was constant and unwavering, and she took immense pride in her time as a mother to Zach and all that life brought to them along the way.
As Beth was fighting pancreatic cancer, the dedication and spirit that she demonstrated to ultimately be a part of Zach’s wedding this past September was remarkable and demonstrated her grit and spirit. Beth is also survived by Zachariah’s wife, Olivia Baribeau of NYC, as well as her brother, Dr. Stephen H. Harlan, DDS of Dayton, Ohio;her nephews, Chad Harlan of NYC and Paula and Seth Harlan of Cleveland, Ohio; her step-children, Silas Warner of West Hartford, Connecticut, Ian and Beth Warner of West Barnstable, Massachusetts, and Eugenie Warner of Lakeville;her ex-husband, Scott Warner of Southern Pines, North Carolina, and other extended family, all of whom she held close to her heart.
Beth will be remembered for her energy, intellect and her sense of humor. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution in Beth’s memory to the Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health Center who graciously assisted Beth with her cancer treatment this past year. A celebration of life will be held in Salisbury, CT at a later, yet to be determined, date.
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