MILLERTON — Officials from multiple fire companies across the Tri-state region sprung into action to respond to a report of a structure fire on Boston Corners Road in Millerton on Sunday afternoon, July 12.
Millerton Fire Chief Jason Watson reported that the Millerton Fire Company received a call at 12:39 p.m. about a house fire at 1310 Boston Corners Road. Describing the scene as smoky and hot, he said Millerton firefighters arrived on site at 12:48 p.m., as did crews from the Copake, Ancram, Wassaic and Lakeville, Conn., fire companies.
Flames were said to be shooting out of the garage and out of the main body of the house belonging to Millerton resident and business owner Janice Hylton, of Hylton Hundt Salon, and her wife, Gail Smallridge. It took the attending fire personnel about 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze; the house was said to have suffered severe damage and be a total loss.
Thankfully, no injuries were reported, and both Hylton and Smallridge escaped the fire safely with their cat. Now the couple is reportedly seeking a long-term rental in either Connecticut or New York, which could be tough given the rental market is so saturated with city residents coming up north seeking shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ancram Town Councilwoman Bonnie Hundt, Hylton’s longtime business partner at Hylton Hundt Salon, said in an interview that Hylton and Smallridge were at home when they heard a sound in their garage. Looking into the garage, Hunt said that the couple spotted a solar power battery that was reportedly on fire.
According to Watson, the official cause of the fire is still being investigated at this time.
The Millerton Moviehouse was granted $150,000 for HVAC repairs. Moviehouse owner David Maltby said the repairs were needed as the HVAC system in the building is 40 years old.
MILLERTON — The Millerton Moviehouse announced last week that it received a $150,000 grant from State Senator Michelle Hinchey (D-41). Moviehouse owners David Maltby and Chelsea Altman accepted the check alongside town supervisor Chris Kennan and Senator Hinchey.
The funds will be allocated toward HVAC repairs that were completed in April, a crucial part of ongoing capital projects necessary for maintaining the historic 120-year-old building.
In an era when arts funding is increasingly unpredictable, the board and staff expressed “deep gratitude” for Senator Hinchey’s support. Maltby said securing the grant took more than a year and he credited the grant to the transformative work he, Altman and their team have done since purchasing the Moviehouse during the COVID pandemic and converting it into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
No longer a one-trick pony, the Moviehouse has grown into a community arts organization, offering more than just movies. “We have something for everyone, from first-run features and independent films to documentaries and special events like Q&As with filmmakers,” said Maltby, who grew up going to the Moviehouse as a child and had a vested interest in the preservation of the historic building.
The old way of operating a movie theater, Maltby said, relied on successful blockbusters and audience turnout. Additionally, theaters were impacted by COVID habits and streaming technology. The nonprofit model has brought opportunities to sustain The Moviehouse’s bottom line, but perhaps more importantly, has brought the community together.
Maltby said he is especially proud of their expanding education and community partnerships programs, which include after-school filmmaking workshops and free screenings, showcasing student-made films and partnering closely with local schools and organizations. “Becoming a nonprofit has allowed us to fully embrace and grow that mission,” he said.
Maltby believes their nonprofit status, which enables the organization to give back to the community through a variety of programs, played a key role in securing the grant.
About a year and a half ago, Senator Hinchey had an initial meeting with The Moviehouse to discuss a grant. “She’s known us for years and recognizes us as a key part of Millerton’s economy — arguably one of the most important contributors to the town’s daily life and its growth,” Maltby said.
During their meeting, Hinchey informed The Moviehouse about a state fund available to legislators for capital improvements to local businesses and nonprofits. Given the building’s age and maintenance needs, The Moviehouse saw this as an ideal opportunity to address critical renovation projects.
Their top priority was replacing the 40-year-old HVAC system that had been patched together over time and was expensive to maintain. The Moviehouse developed a $150,000 plan to replace the entire system, ductwork, and boiler and to insulate the attic and other areas.
“It’s the non-sexy, behind-the-scenes work people won’t see, but for keeping the movie theater running, it’s one of the most important things we can do,” Maltby said.
In a statement posted to Facebook, Senator Hinchey said, “I was happy to provide a $150,000 state grant to the Moviehouse in Millerton to support energy-efficient upgrades that will help lower operating costs and keep this treasured community institution accessible and enjoyable for years to come.”
Several years after his COVID purchase of the Moviehouse, Maltby said it is running like a well-oiled machine, and gives effusive thanks and credit to his team, which he describes as intentionally lean and hard-working.
General manager Jeremy Boviard, for example, has been with the Moviehouse since 2021 and Maltby said he “runs the team and day-to-day operations with such efficiency and ease and is a huge reason why this whole thing works.” As for Helen Seslowsky who handles marketing and public relations, Maltby said “If it happens, it’s because Helen makes it happen.” Working under the previous ownership since 2014, they joked that Seslowsky “came with the building.” She handles a wide range of responsibility behind–the-scenes to make things run smoothly.
“Everyone seems to enjoy working here, which is amazing — and I think that energy translates directly to our customers’ experience,” said Maltby, whose children also work at The Moviehouse in the summer. “It’s been incredibly rewarding overall, especially as we’ve been able to grow our mission and our partnerships with the community.”
AMENIA — Three years in, the full-service health clinic at the Webutuck School District, known internally as the school-based health center, has been a resounding success.
The clinic is staffed by a full-time physician who acts as a participating student’s primary care physician at no extra cost to families. Looking to expand the scope of medical services Webtuck could offer to its students, school nurse Charlie Davis proposed the clinic three years ago.
Given that visits to the doctor can prevent students from attending school on a given day, they were something Webutuck was happy to bring in-house, said Deputy Superintendent Robert Farrier. “We schedule those visits during study halls. Students come down, they have the appointment, and half an hour later they are back to class,” he said.
Because many Webutuck students would not otherwise have access to proper medical care, an illness is something that could cause a prolonged absence and have a serious effect on students’ health. “Really one of the main reasons why we introduced this was to try and improve on our chronic absenteeism,” Farrier said.
“The school-based health center has been incredibly received by the student population and by the parents,” Farrier said. Currently, 77% of Webutuck students are enrolled in the free program.
The clinic is operated by Open Door Health, a healthcare provider which runs many similar clinics in Westchester County, Farrier said.
Even if a student does not have insurance, Open Door, which receives federal funding to run clinics such as the Webutuck Health Center, will provide care free of charge to the student. Having received more than $100,000 in grant funding toward the project, the only cost Webtucuk was required to incur was the construction of a suitable space to house the clinic. Beyond students and families in the district, the health program at Webtucuk has provided a model for other schools in the district, Farrier said. “Every school district in Dutchess County has come at least once to visit us and to learn about how we set the clinic up and how we run things at the school,” he said.
The clinic is part of a broader attempt by the Webutuck School District to improve student life through the allocation of school funds to projects beyond the basic responsibilities of the district, Farrier said.
“We offer free breakfast and lunch for all of our students. We’re trying to make sure that our students don’t go home hungry and that they’re getting proper meals during the school day,” he said.
The clinic has been such a success at Webutuck that other school districts in the county are attempting to replicate the program locally. “The Wappinger’s school district was really impressed with what they saw… this has really been a first for Dutchess County,” Farrier said.
WASSAIC — Fans of good wine attractively presented in a welcoming village ambiance will want to stop at the newly opened historic candy store turned wine shop in Wassaic, next to The Lantern.
The little shop that sold candy in the 1890s has been restored, opening as Ten Mile Table on Saturday, July 26, adding yet another reason to visit the village of Wassaic and absorb the reality that it is an imaginatively special place.
Owner Erika DaSilva paused for an interview on Thursday, August 7, reflecting on her new shop’s place in the community after a year of work preparing to open at 14 Main St., just next door to The Lantern.
“We’re doing wonderfully. We’re proud and excited to share with the community,” DaSilva said.
“It’s my own business,” DaSilva said, “but we would not be here were it not for the support of the folks who support The Lantern and The Wassaic Project.”
Adjacent to Ten Mile Table, between it and The Lantern is found the Newsstand, also restored to become a space that DaSilva described as being for community members who might have food, beverages or events to share with passersby, perhaps something like a lemonade stand or some other endeavor.
DaSilva said that she first began learning about wine more than 20 years ago, even working in European vineyards where protecting the environment was essential.Selections for the wine store are environmentally conscious.
“Everything is delicious, of course, but I like to feature natural wines that are good for the environment,” DaSilva said of her choices from wineries that keep the protection of the environment at the fore throughout the growing and production process.
“We’re able to support smaller producers,” DaSilva said.
The conversation was interrupted by a trio of customers seeking just the right wine.
“What are you going to do with it,” was one of the questions DaSilva asked in considering her range of choices that span mostly from $25 to $45, with a few outliers.
The outcome of the exercise was a wine deemed to be “light, but not wimpy,” just what the customers were looking for.
Thursdays at The Ten Mile Table offer festive wine tastings from 5 to 7 p.m. for a fee of $5 that includes upscale nibbles. DaSilva intends to invite chefs from among her broad field of talented friends to provide signature delicacies to enhance the wine tasting experience.
“I don’t want not to be creatively busy,” DaSilva said. “I just like trying things out.”
Ten Mile Table is open on Thursdays and Fridays from 1 to 7 p.m. And on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 6 p.m.
“I would love to be open more,” DaSilva said.
DaSilva resides in Kent with her family. Her husband, Minh Le, is the General Manager of The Lantern. Their daughter, Bibi, is 8, and son, Senna, just turned 3.
For more information about Ten Mile Table, go to www.tenmiletable.com or phone 845-570-5228.
AMENIA — The Webutuck Elementary School will offer a preschool class for 3-year-old children, in addition to its existing program for 4-year-old children, during the upcoming school year.
The free program is intended to allow for children to become familiar with a classroom environment earlier in their development while providing daytime childcare to working parents.
For the past 15 years, Webutuck has offered two pre-kindergarten classes to parents wishing to enroll their 4-year-old children in school early. This year, the elementary school will offer a new program for 3-year-olds, said Webutuck Elementary School Principal Amanda Coppola.
The 3-year-old curriculum will largely parallel that of the 4-year-old class, while following state guidelines outlining the structure of programs for younger children. “The class is a play-based program where kids are learning to work with one another, be a part of a school community, be part of a team, that kind of thing,” Coppola said.
The class is projected to have between 14 and 16 students, though it can accommodate up to 18, Coppola said. Webutuck has hired an additional teacher, Elizabeth Fedele, to lead the class.
“We have a lot of families that struggle to pay for daycare in our district,” Coppola said.
There was a clear demand for the program from the school’s first proposal. “The response to this new class was overwhelmingly enthusiastic,” Coppola said.
To the extent that Webutuck’s new pre-k program is designed to accustom students to a school environment, it also allows parents to become at ease with entrusting their children’s care to someone else for the day. “The earlier parents are comfortable with their kids going to a kind of pre-k program, the easier it is for them when those kids start elementary school,” Coppola said.
In addition to its school-based health clinic and free breakfast and lunch options, the 3-year-old pre-kindergarten program at Webutuck is another in a series of efforts the school district has undertaken to find better ways to serve the community. “For a lot of working parents, this is really helpful,” Coppola said.
