Merchants’ group reviews ADA project, multiple grant awards

MILLERTON — From updates on the village’s long-awaited sidewalk replacement project to news from Eddie Collins Memorial Park and the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, the Millerton Business Alliance (MBA) kept itself up-to-date on what’s been happening with local projects and community resources at its meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 8.

MBA members gathered behind the Irondale Schoolhouse at the Main Street trail entrance for their meeting at 5:30 p.m.

Having met with the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) and engineers for the sidewalk project, Mayor Jenn Najdek explained that one of the reasons the project got “bogged down” is because Millerton combined two different grants for the project, one of which was an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance grant. 

Normally with sidewalks, she said, “You have to make certain parts ADA-compliant, but you’re not saying it’s an ADA-compliant project.”

Najdek said the village combined the ADA grant it received for ADA improvements at the Village Hall building and bundled the grant into the sidewalk project, resulting in “making the ADA compliant piece oversee the entire project.” 

She explained there are certain forms that have to be filed with the DOT to get exemptions for the ADA piece, and that there have been three different lawsuits over the past couple of years involving villages and towns that put in grants claiming to be “ADA-compliant but in the end they weren’t.” 

In the end, Najdek said those towns and villages were sued, and their sidewalks were all ripped out and redone at the municipalities’ expense.

Najdek said the DOT and village project engineer are trying to keep that from happening to Millerton. Seeing as the engineer filled out the necessary forms and submitted them to the DOT, she was told it could be between a week and 10 days before the village gets the green light for its sidewalk project. 

At this point, Najdek said she didn’t see the project happening before Oct. 1, and once the DOT gives the green light, she said there will be an on site meeting with the DOT and the individual who will oversee the ADA component of the project.

With the village’s grant for this project set to expire on Sunday, Oct. 31, Najdek said the village is planning to apply for an extension of the grant. Furthermore, she said Millerton is moving forward with a request for proposals (RFP) for engineering services for the other side of the sidewalk to make sure it can be ready once it is given permission to begin work. Once she gets a start date for the project, the mayor said she’ll let merchants know.

North East town Supervisor Chris Kennan announced the town received a $250,000 Municipal Investment Grant (MIG) from Dutchess County for the construction of the actual highway garage that is being shared between the town and village. Given the increase in material prices, he said the construction of the highway garage has been put out to bid again. (For more on the MIG award, go to www.tricornernews.com.)

Jeanne Vanecko said the village also received an MIG grant from the county to update Eddie Collins Memorial Park into the temporarily-renamed Millerton Community Park, worth $328,000. Along with putting the park over its funding goal for Phase One and into Phase Two, she said this means the items that were removed from the project can be added back in, such as installing electrical charging stations and bringing in workers to repair the playground equipment.

Going back to the sidewalk project, Vanecko said Townscape has raised money to replace all the trees on Main Street, but if the sidewalk project starts too late, they won’t be able to replace the trees until next spring. 

In terms of sequencing, she said the trees will remain in place while the sidewalk is being laid. While that work is done, though, Townscape could lay the conduit underneath the sidewalk for the village’s annual holiday lights. As it stands, Vanecko said Townscape will move forward with the same program it has provided for the community in years past for the holidays.

Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association (HVRTA) Chairman Dick Hermans then told the MBA his group received a $75,000 grant through the Park and Trails Partnership Grant program earlier this month for improvements 4 miles of trail running through Taconic State Park. 

Kennan added the town is working on a parking lot on Rudd Pond Road to help take pressure off of the village for people who want to access the Rail Trail further up from the village.

Latest News

Millerton Police Dept. rebuilds after fire; new cruisers on the way

Millerton Police Dept. rebuilds after fire; new cruisers on the way

The borrowed Pine Plains cruiser parked on Main Street in front of the Millerton Inn during the Millerton Street Fair on Saturday, June 28.

Photo by Aly Morrissy

MILLERTON — After receiving substantial state grant funding in July 2024 and beginning to roll out new equipment that fall, the Millerton Police Department suffered a setback when the February fire at the Village Water and Highway Department building destroyed much of its newly acquired gear — including patrol vehicles outfitted with cutting-edge technology.

Thanks to full-value insurance coverage and swift support from the Town of Pine Plains — which loaned the department a vehicle — Millerton officers were able to remain active in the community. Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik said two custom-built, four-wheel-drive Ford Interceptor cruisers are now in production and are expected to arrive by the end of the summer.

Keep ReadingShow less

Uncertainty looms over Millerton community pool timeline

Uncertainty looms over Millerton community pool timeline

Groundbreaking of the new pool planned for Eddie Collins Park has been delayed after the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation intervened to determine the status of wetlands in the proposed building site.

Archive photo

MILLERTON — The long-awaited groundbreaking for a new community pool at Eddie Collins Memorial Park — once expected this past April — now faces significant delays with no definitive timeline in sight, Mayor Jenn Najdek said.

The primary setback stems from a still-pending permitting process, as the village awaits final approvals from the Dutchess County Board of Health and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation regarding septic placement and wetland buffers. A patch of wetlands on the site — roughly five feet by five feet, Najdek said — requires a protective buffer, which could range anywhere from 5 to 100 feet. That determination will dictate whether the current pool design needs to be altered or moved altogether.

Keep ReadingShow less

North East town records brought into the digital age

North East town records brought into the digital age

Chris Virtuoso reorganized parcel records in the North East Town Hall basement by parcel number during the process of scanning and digitizing the documents.

Photo by Grace DeMarco

MILLERTON — Within the walls of the two-story Victorian housing the North East Town Hall lies a room-full of town records dating back to the late 19th century. Stored in labeled cardboard boxes and protected by dehumidifiers, the records are in the process of being dated, organized, and scanned into categorized online programs.

As the Town Hall works to relocate to 5603 Route 22 at the former Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness, the consolidation and digitalization of records, as well as the disposal of those unneeded, is a time-sensitive project. Marcy Wheatley, the Deputy Town Clerk, emphasized their current heavy focus on organizing and scanning. “Now, when we move, we can get rid of a lot,” Wheatley stated.

Keep ReadingShow less

Fun, food and facts bring crowds to downtown Millerton

Fun, food and facts bring crowds to downtown Millerton

Nora Garcia, 6, of Millerton, bottom right, gets a face painting treatment from Maddy Rowe, a Webutuck High School senior. Nora’s sister, Juliana, 8, top right, is decorated by Giana Kall, a Webutuck senior. The program was sponsored by the Webutuck PTA.

Photo by John Coston

Locals and visitors packed into downtown Millerton Saturday, June 28, for the first ever Millerton Street Fair hosted by the Millerton News, the Millerton Business Alliance and Townscape. Representatives from local nonprofits, businesses along Main Street, Bee Bee the Clown and face painters from Webutuck High School drew in crowds all afternoon.

Festivities officially opened at 10 a.m., and a steady stream of visitors soon followed. Volunteer firefighters hosted a bouncy castle, a duck pool, a “put out the fire” ring toss game, and the “touch a truck” event at the fire department’s garage.

Keep ReadingShow less