One of the 60 current LED streetlights in the Village of Millerton, at the corner of Dutchess Avenue and Simmons Street. Along with 78 new fixtures, they will be replaced with warmer, dimmable bulbs and comfort lenses, using existing poles.
MILLERTON — Millerton’s Village Board unanimously approved a plan to convert all 138 of its streetlights to warmer-light, dimmable, energy- and money-saving LED fixtures on Monday, Dec. 11.
Currently, streetlights in the Village are owned and maintained, for steep fees, by Central Hudson. Sixty are LEDs which have been installed piecemeal as needed, and the remaining 78 are the older sodium vapor lights, a peachy-toned light that tends to reduce color vision at night.
In the new plan, Central Hudson will continue to own, and to be responsible for the lamp posts, and the village will purchase the LED lights and the “arms” that connect the fixtures to the poles.
A contract with RealTerm Energy, of Quebec, Canada, will reduce maintenance fees from over $27.5k this year to just $4,000 per year.
Apart from their longevity — LED lights boast a 15-20 year life span compared to the six to eight years that sodium vapor lights last — LEDs offer superior color rendition for the human eye, meaning that they enable us to see better at night. They also reduce energy use, leading to significant savings for the village in both monies paid out and greenhouse gases emitted.
The project will cost roughly $175,000, according to the board’s estimates. The village plans to pay for it by taking out a 10-year bond for no more than $160,000 and to fund the rest out of its reserve.
Laurie Kerr, a local architect who, along with some others, has shepherded this project through its many stages, said, “it’s a case of needing to spend money to save money.”
Cash flow, including bond repayment, will be net positive starting year one, as compared to current payments. After the bond is paid off, the village will save over $34,000 a year, with an estimated savings of over $250,000 over 15 years, adjusting for inflation. This is a conservative estimate of savings, because the LEDs will likely last for more than 20 years.
“There aren’t that many ways to cut expenses from a small village’s budget,” Kerr said, “so this is a positive.”
“This change also earns the Village 8 of the 120 points needed for Climate Smart Bronze,” said Kathy Chow, the Climate Smart Communities Coordinator for North East and Millerton. This, among other actions, will bring the Village to a NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities threshold which will trigger a grant of at least $5,000, said Chow.
To those who may have reservations about LED lighting, it is worth noting that older LEDs typically had high Kelvin numbers — the harsh bluish light noticeable in the over-4,000 range — but the newer installs will be 3,000 Kelvin lamps. The new streetlights will also feature “comfort lenses” which will reduce glare.
Each fixture in the new generation of LEDs has “smart controls” that enable one or several of the fixtures to be dimmed as desired — for example, very late at night. Well-aimed downlights with partial cutoffs will also preserve more of the dark sky needed by birds and insects.
The vote concluded three years of discussion and debate among board members. Two more steps — approval by the Public Service Commission, and the securing of a bond — are needed before the project can move forward. A reasonably short installation period is anticipated.
Long-term town employees were recognized at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, June 12. Honorees pictured with Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, were Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the Town Garage, center, for her 35 years of service to the town and Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent, for 20 years.
AMENIA — Acknowledging the many years of service accumulated by town employees, the Town Board paused to honor that service at its meeting on Thursday, June 12.
“Thank you for making a difference,” said Town Supervisor Leo Blackman in recognizing Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the town garage, for her 35 years of service.
“Megan’s job is not an easy one,” Blackman said, honoring Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent who has served the town for 20 years.
Also among those honored was Town Clerk Dawn Marie Klingner for 20 years of service as Court Clerk.
Maureen Moore, Court Clerk, was also honored in absentia for her 20 years of town service.
In anticipation of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution in 2026, new historic markers are appearing at each of the local cemeteries where Revolutionary War veterans are buried. Unveiling the new marker at Amenia Union Cemetery on Saturday, June 21, were left to right, Town Historian Betsy Strauss, Jim Middlebrook representing the regional chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Gail Seymour, President of the Union Cemetery Association.
AMENIA — One by one, new historic markers are appearing at local cemeteries where Revolutionary War dead are buried. On Saturday, June 21, community members gathered to see a new marker unveiled at Amenia Union Cemetery on Leedsville Road.
A tent provided welcome shade for the attendees and refreshments as about 30 residents gathered for the unveiling and to share stories of local history with one another.
As with the first historic market installation at the Old Amenia Burying Ground, held in April, Amenia Union Cemetery graves of Revolutionary War veterans had been marked with American flags in advance.
Jim Middlebrook, representing the Columbia Mid-Hudson chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, attended along with other members of his chapter. Speaking before the unveiling, Middlebrook said that the historic marker project had begun in August 2024, and included a detailed process to certify the names on the graves.
Middlebrook described the work of the William C. Pomeroy Foundation of Syracuse whose mission is to promote “pride of place” by providing grants in support of installing historic markers and plaques nationwide to honor patriots for their service. Active now in seven or eight states, Middlebrook said, the foundation will soon add Connecticut and Massachusetts to the list.
The new Amenia Union marker honors “at least five veterans of the American Revolution interred between 1787 and 1810,” although Town Historian Betsy Strauss lists six veterans buried in the cemetery. The sixth, Gerhard Winegar, whose burial had been in 1781 could not fully satisfy the certification standards.
Strauss provided the following listing of six names:
Col. Colbe Chamberlain, 1739-1796
Capt. William Chamberlain, 1745-1810
Lieut. Samuel Snyder, 1712-1808
Gerhard Winegar, 1750-1781
Ensign Henry Winegar, 1723-1787
Capt. William Young, 1747-1806
Bee Bee the clown, face painters and a community wide scavenger hunt are among the activities planned for the Millerton Street Fair in Downtown Millerton on Saturday, June 28.
MILLERTON — The Millerton News, in partnership with the North East Community Center (NECC) and the Millerton Business Alliance, is hosting its first Street Fair on Saturday in a celebration of the town.
Rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, the fair will bring together local nonprofits and businesses, with live music, entertainment, kids’ activities, local eats, and family fun in Veterans Park, in front of the Millerton Inn, and beyond.
“The Millerton Street Fair will celebrate everything we love about this community — its spirit, its dedication to service and its creative energy,” said James Clark, publisher and CEO of The Millerton News.
Local nonprofits will showcase their work and impact, including Climate Smart Millerton, Eddie Collins Memorial Park, North East Historical Society, Townscape, Tri-Corner FEED, Village of Millerton, and the Webutuck Elementary School.Participating businesses include Bes, Little Red Bird Studio, NBT, The Elephant’s Tusk, and many more.Local retail and dining establishments will be open with special promotions. NECC’s Farmer’s Market will run during the event.
Among the planned festivities are live music from John Stey and the Resilience Brass Band, performances from Bee Bee the Clown, face painting by students from Webutuck High School, and a community-wide scavenger hunt for kids.Other kids’ activities include egg and spoon races, and a “touch-a-truck” open house at the firehouse.The Irondale Schoolhouse will be hosting a special exhibit, and the North East-Millerton Library will be offering signups for the Summer Reading Program, a science show from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., lawn games, and a cookie cook-off.
For more information, go to millertonnews.com/street-fair.
The Nine Partners Road Quaker Meetinghouse, built in 1780, will be the site of two summer lectures sponsored by the Millbrook Historical Society.
MILLBROOK — Long in the planning, the Millbrook Historical Society has announced that it is sponsoring two lectures in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Both lectures relating to Quaker history are to be held in the historic Quaker Meeting House on Nine Partners Road.
For the first talk, scheduled for Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m., the historical society has invited Sarah Gronningsater, Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, to talk on “Quakers, Anti-slavery, and the American Revolution.” The topic will explore the role that New York’s Quakers, especially in the Hudson Valley, played in the rise of the anti-slavery movement that followed the American Revolution.
The second talk, scheduled for Sunday, July 27, at 2 p.m., invites Carl Lounsbury of the College of William and Mary and Colonial Williamsburg to speak on the architecture of the Nine Partners Meetinghouse. His talk is titled, “Nine Partners Meetinghouse Plan: A New Form in the Hudson Valley.” Expert in early American architecture, Lounsbury’s talk will compare Nine Partners with other later houses of worship in New York and New England.
Both lecture events will be held at the 1780 brick Nine Partners Quaker Meetinghouse in Millbrook. An earlier meetinghouse on the site had burned. The building has remained largely unchanged since the 18th century.
Given the age of the structure, handicapped access is limited and there are no rest room facilities.
Visitors should enter through the cemetery gate entrance.
The lectures are free and open to all, supported by a grant from the county and offered as part of Dutchess County’s participation in the nation’s 250th anniversary commemoration.
