MILLERTON — Paying tribute to a family that’s had a lasting impression on the village during the past century, the North East Historical Society partnered with several local entities to arrange an exhibition of the Terni family’s legacy at the NorthEast-Millerton Library.
“It’s an interesting story on many levels,” said North East Historical Society President Ed Downey in regard to the Terni history. “First of all, it’s unusual to have a family in the same business throughout three generations in the community. It’s a story of immigrants who came here — first lived in other parts of New York south of us — but came to this community in 1919 and created a business, and the business itself is unique and this has survived through three generations.”
Downey touched on how each member of the Terni clan, in their own way, made important contributions to the community.
Bringing this exhibition to life, Downey said, was a partnership among several different entities, including the NorthEast-Millerton Library whom Downey said was gracious enough to offer space for the exhibit.
“It couldn’t happen to a nicer family,” said Library Director Rhiannon Leo-Jameson. “I’ve known Ellen [Terni] fairly well over the last couple of years and they’re just lovely people and it’s so interesting.”
Though she didn’t grow up in the village, Leo-Jameson has heard stories of the Terni family and was touched when looking through photos of the three generations now on display.
“It’s also wonderful for the library to work with the Historical Society because it’s important to recognize our local families, especially one that has such an impact on the community,” she said.
Other partners for the exhibition include Main Street Magazine — which assisted the Historical Society with accessing information about the family — and Thorunn Kristjansdottir of Thorunn Designs and Main Street, whom the Historical Society retained to create poster boards for the exhibit. The Terni family was especially vital in the collaboration by providing an abundance of information and background for the exhibition.
As they make their way around the library, visitors will find the exhibition divided into three main sections. The first element entails a series of about a dozen poster boards featuring different components of the family’s legacy. Told as a “chronological, biographical narrative to give people a sense of each generation,” Downey explained the boards are based on research that was done in collaboration with the Terni family with members of the Historical Society, accompanied by images collected from the Historical Society’s own collection and the Terni family.
As a digital element to the display, the second part of the exhibition includes a video-recorded interview told in three parts featuring the recollections of Don Hastings, an actor, writer and close personal friend of the late Phil Terni. Recorded on Thursday, May 6, Downey said Hastings’ family was kind enough to let the Historical Society do the interview, adding that Hastings also delivered the eulogy at the memorial service for Phil, who passed away this March.
The last element features a collection of artifacts from the Terni family that shares their story through images, objects and elements of the family’s history, including (among other tokens) candies and photos taken inside the now closed Terni’s Store on 42 Main St. in Millerton; Phil Terni’s hats; a photograph taken in 1953 to commemorate Assunta Terni’s return visit to Italy with her granddaughter, Stephanie; and photographs of the family.
The Terni exhibit will be available for viewing until Saturday, June 29.
Chris Wilson speaks at the Millbrook Spirit Awards on Saturday, Jan. 31, at Millbrook High School.
MILLBROOK — The recently-formed Millbrook Listens Project recognized five community members for their contributions to the community’s social fabric at a first-ever awards ceremony at Millbrook High School's auditorium on Jan. 31.
Millbrook Listens is an effort led by Chris Wilson and a band of 20 volunteers with the goal of identifying projects that would enhance life in the village.
The inaugural Millbrook Spirit Awards is an effort to bring greater recognition and appreciation to the community’s greatest contributors, Wilson said in a speech before the awards ceremony.
“They have given their lives to something greater than their own,” Wilson said. “And shown us that we are more alike than different, and that we are here to serve and love each other.”
Wilson identified five virtues the award planning committee identified as centrally important — stewardship, charity, entrepreneurship, public service, and arts and culture.
One person was selected to win an award in each of those five categories. The award winners for the inaugural year were:
For stewardship, Matt Hurst;
For arts and culture, Stephen Kaye;
For business and entrepreneurship, Pam Smith;
For faith and charity, Pat Alexander;
And for public service, Kelly Tomasulo.
Project Idea submissions can be submitted through the Millbrook Library Website until Sunday, Feb. 15. All residents of the Town of Washington and Village of Millbrook will be receiving a mail-out ballot in March to vote on their top three priorities.
MILLERTON — Village officials said this week that Millerton has no plans to install surveillance cameras or enter into any agreement with Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based company that provides automated license-plate readers and video surveillance systems used by police departments.
Questions about the company surfaced at the Village Board of Trustees meeting Monday, Feb. 9, after reports from nearby Pine Plains described pink spray paint and wooden stakes appearing along roadways. Flock Safety representatives placed those markings after the Pine Plains Police Department entered into a preliminary contract with the company without first securing Town Board approval, officials said at an emergency meeting at Pine Plains Town Hall on Monday, Feb. 9.
Trustees said neither the village nor the Millerton Police Department has been contacted by Dutchess County or by Flock Safety, and that no discussions are underway regarding the installation of surveillance cameras, drones or license-plate reader systems sold by the company.
Mayor Jenn Najdek said that while some municipalities and school districts elsewhere in the county are exploring the technology, Millerton is not considering it at this time.
She also noted that the police department cannot independently enter into a contract for surveillance equipment. Any agreement involving the village, Najdek said, would require approval from the Board of Trustees.
As part of the board’s regular agenda, members voted to open bidding for renovations to Veterans Park, a project expected to include improvements to sidewalks, the stone wall, electrical outlets, landscaping and hardscaping. A nonmandatory pre-bid meeting will be held Feb. 20 for contractors seeking additional details on the scope of work. A public hearing is scheduled for Feb. 23, and bids will be due March 5, with trustees aiming to select a contractor at their March 26 meeting.
Officials also provided an update on the village’s water meter replacement project, reporting that the work is nearing completion, with installations remaining at roughly 20 properties. The project is funded through a New York Water Infrastructure Improvement Act grant.
Trustees also approved moving forward with a revised water rate study by engineering firm Tighe & Bond, at a cost of $10,750. Officials said earlier projections underestimated costs and relied on incomplete water-usage data. The updated study will be used to guide future water rates and is expected to be presented publicly this spring.
Trustees also addressed an issue some residents may have noticed in recent weeks: flickering pedestrian crosswalk lights near NBT Bank. Officials said repairs have been delayed because replacement parts needed to operate the system are no longer manufactured. The board voted to approve an estimate from Berlinghoff Electric to complete the necessary repairs.
The board also scheduled three public hearings for Feb. 23. In addition to a hearing on proposed improvements to Veterans Park, trustees set a hearing on a proposed local law that would establish a new Tree Commission, allowing residents to comment on the creation of the advisory body.
A third hearing scheduled for that date will address a local law authorizing a property tax levy in excess of the limit established under state law. Officials described the measure as a routine, annual step that preserves the village’s ability to exceed the tax cap if necessary. If the village ultimately does not go over the cap, the local law would be rescinded.
AMENIA — Habitat for Humanity is planning to build a workforce housing unit in Amenia after the Town Board approved the sale of a portion of a town-owned parcel of land.
The 0.71-acre parcel is currently vacant, except for a new electric vehicle charging station currently being installed along its northern edge, where the property abuts the Harlem Valley Rail Trail parking lot located where Mechanic Street becomes Depot Hill Road.
The Town Board approved a resolution at its Thursday, Feb. 5, meeting to sell the empty half-acre portion of the parcel to Habitat for Humanity of Dutchess County for $30,000.
Town Board attorney Ian Lindars noted that the sale is conditional and requires a subdivision to carve out the land occupied by the new EV charging station before the approval process can proceed.
The resolution approval is subject to a “permissive referendum,” meaning that if no citizen petitions are submitted, then the sale can proceed.
Councilmember Vicki Doyle said she was pleased that the EV charging station project is nearing completion.
“Once it’s up and running, we’ll need to have someone monitor it to be sure that no one is parking there beyond the time needed to accomplish the vehicle charging process,” Doyle said.
Doyle added that the EV charging station will be free to use for the first two years of operation.
The Town Board, joined by councilmember Walter Dietrich, also reminded residents of the annual winter street parking ban, which runs from Nov. 1 through April 1. Under town code, no parking is permitted on any roads, streets or highways between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. He also noted the one-hour parking limit for the parking spaces in front of the post office.
In other action the Town Board scheduled a public hearing for the Northern Red Oak Recreational Trail project on Old Route 22 in Wassaic. Plans for the 450-acre parcel will create 10 to 12 miles of recreational mountain biking and hiking trails. The hearing will be held on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m.
