Town Board talks highway garage, budget, housing
The Town of North East’s new six-bay highway garage and offices with interior to be completed on Route 22. Behind is another four-bay building and salt shed. Photo by Christine Bates
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The following excerpts from The Millerton News were compiled by Kathleen Spahn and Rhiannon Leo-Jameson of the North East-Millerton Library.
September 20, 1934
‘$5,000 Loss In Midnight Fire At Shekomeko’; SHEKOMEKO—A midnight fire levelled the blacksmith shop owned by George Hunt, destroyed a fifty passenger school bus of the Pine Plains Central School and an automobile owned by James Decker last Wednesday night here with a loss of more than $5.000. The Pine Plains Fire Department answered the alarm, but was unable to reach the scene of the blaze, which was six miles from the station, in time to save the building. The firemen were credited with saving other nearby buildings which were threatened, including the Community Hall, the Dairymen’s League milk station and several residences.
‘About Millerton’; Miss Ethel S. Kimball has returned to her duties at the Millerton National Bank and reports a very pleasant vacation.
Miss Helen Gormley, of Amenia, is assisting at Shufelt’s Bargain Basement this week.
Miss Janet Jenks left Wednesday for Pawtucket, R. I., where she will be the guest of Miss Barbara Kyle.
William and Ernest Hilperts-Hauser are attending the Eastern States Exposition at Springfield, Mass., this week.
Willard S. Vail is enjoying a vacation this week from his duties at Shufelt’s store
Miss Louise Merwin, of New York City, spent the week-end with her mother at Irondale.
September 18, 1975
‘Rudd Pond Deal Profit Likely’; The Town of North East may make a profit of several thousand dollars from its unprecedented operation of Rudd Pond this summer, according to figures released this week.
The State had abruptly closed the Taconic State Park at Rudd Pond on May 22 without evaluating the impact on the surrounding community. After huge protest from residents the state agreed to allow the Town to operate the park for the summer season. It was the first time such an agreement had been made in New York State.
‘Village Chases Water Funds’; Millerton’s Village Board will actively begin seeking Federal funds to aid in the creation of a pollution-free water system as result of action taken at the Board’s Sept. 10 meeting.
Millerton Mayor John Hermans reported that he met with FHA representatives in early September. “It looks like we might get some money for our project if we ever do it,” said Hermans.
Meanwhile, of the Village’s 3 monthly water samples given to the County Health Department, 2 failed inspection tests.
‘A New Library’; Alice Robertson of Stanfordville, chairman of the Board of the First Church of Christ Scientist in Millerton, hands over the church building’s deed to Shirley Conklin, president of the Millerton Free Library Association. The library will move into the former church within the next few months.
‘Veterans Day Restored To Nov. 11 Of Each Year’; Representative Hamilton Fish Jr. (R-N.Y.) this week announced the Congress has passed legislation, which he has sponsored, restoring Nov. 11 of each year as Veterans Day.
September 21, 2000
‘Tower Back In The News’; NORTH EAST-At a public hearing before the North East Planning Board last Wednesday, Sept. 13, Silver Mountain residents again voiced forceful opposition to the replacement of a communications tower off Perotti Road in North East.
The free-wheeling hearing ended in a 4-1 decision by the board to side with the town’s attorney, Warren Replansky, in calling the proposed tower a “reconstruction” of an existing tower. As such, the project would face less scrutiny by the board before receiving a permit from the building inspector.
‘Cheerleaders Attend Camp In Penn., For Prowess Earn Awards’; GREELEY, PA — Ninth-graders Tracy Robertson. Danielle Harvey, Dana Murphy, Tabbatha Sugrue and Erika Carrubba enthusiastically attended cheerleading camp to represent Webutuck High School.
At the awards ceremony, the Webutuck cheerleaders took a Superior Trophy, 10 ribbons and a much-coveted Spirit Stick.
‘MFD Fights Oil Spill On Main Street’; MILLERTON — It wasn’t exactly the Exxon Valdez, but Main Street became a slippery slope last week as an unknown vehicle spilled gallons of motor oil onto the road.
Village Mayor Michael Cawley called the Millerton Fire Department around 4 p.m. Friday after he drove his van west on Route 44, tried to brake for the light at Route 22 and skidded all the way from the former Stitch-In-Time storefront into the intersection.
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Photo by Aly Morrissey
MILLERTON — The Town Board gathered on Sept. 11 for its monthly meeting, where Supervisor Chris Kennan opened with a reflection on the date and addressed recent news.
“Today marks the 24th anniversary of 9/11. I was in New York City on that day, and it comes alive very vividly for me,” said Kennan. He also expressed shock at the recent shooting of political activist Charlie Kirk, calling it “one of many acts of violence that have taken place against people in public life from both parties.” The flag in front of Town Hall was lowered to half-staff.
The meeting began an hour early to continue a zoning review of the commercial district with Town Attorney Warren Replansky. After running out of time at an Aug. 26 workshop, the board worked through the remaining sections, mainly clarifying definitions.
Discussion focused on signs and lighting, multi-family buildings, fences and walls and food trucks. Legal counsel and the review committee will make additional minor edits before presenting a final draft and resolution to amend the district’s commercial zoning at a public hearing. Kennan expressed gratitude toward the Zoning Review Committee, which has held a whopping 100 meetings since the process began.
Kennan then turned to EMS services, confirming that Empress EMS, which recently purchased Northern Dutchess Paramedics, has committed to honoring the town’s existing contract.
“They have committed to honoring the agreement we had with NDP, and I take them at their word,” said Kennan. While this is encouraging given that a clause in the current contract would allow Empress to terminate the partnership, the town’s broader EMS challenges remain. The cost of North East’s EMS contract in 2025 is $511,000 and is projected to rise by 36% next year, to $696,000.
“When people ask why we can’t come in under a 2% increase in the budget cap and you’re dealing with a 36% increase in something that large, it sort of answers its own question,” Kennan said.
In related news, a public hearing was held on Local Law #1, allowing the town to override New York State’s property tax cap. The board passed the measure. Additionally, the town has started the budget process, led by Kennan and Councilwoman Lana Morrison who say they will take a close look at the upcoming budget with taxpayers in mind.
The town may also pursue state funding through New York Forward, which offers two $4.5 million grants for small communities. Kennan has discussed applying jointly with Millerton Mayor Jenn Najdek, focusing on the wastewater project. Applications are due in October and November.
Other resolutions approved included budget adjustments, naming three new streets in the McGhee Hill Road subdivision (McGhee Meadows Lane, McGhee Vista Drive, and McGhee Hollow Drive), continuing the snow-removal contract with Dutchess County, and accepting the Water District Benefit Assessment Roll, with a public hearing set for Oct. 9.
The board delayed action on selecting a new IT provider. While Professional Computer Associates has been responsive throughout the proposal process, Northeast Computer Services — a smaller, local company that serves the village — submitted a late bid after not responding to initial outreach from the town clerk in March.
Councilwoman Winkler was hesitant to rubber stamp a company that wasn’t responsive in the initial stages of the months-long vetting process. “We never got a phone call, we never got an email. This is an IT company and I don’t find that responsive.”
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The Town of North East joined the Town of Amenia in being a certified Pro-Housing Community; a designation that recognizes the town's commitment to increasing its housing stock. Communities shaded in green have been granted certification and communities shaded in blue have begun the process with a letter of intent.
Map courtesy NYS Office of Information Technology Services GIS Program Office
MILLERTON — The town of North East announced last week that it has achieved certification as a New York State Pro-Housing Community, a designation that encourages and rewards municipalities taking steps to increase their housing supply.
North East is now one of 352 Pro-Housing Communities in the state — when the town began the process, there were just 75.
“This sends a signal to developers and others that we want more housing in our community,” said Councilwoman Meg Winkler, who heads the housing committee and has been spearheading this process. “It may also give us increased opportunities for grants moving forward.”
The Village of Millerton has also begun the certification process. During their Sept. 9 board meeting, village trustees passed a resolution adopting the state’s Pro-Housing Pledge, a first step toward showing commitment to addressing the housing shortage and qualifying for Pro-Housing Community status.
Winkler offered to collaborate with the village on the logistics and paperwork, which she noted can be daunting. Supervisor Chris Kennan thanked her for the considerable effort that helped North East achieve its certification.
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SHARON — The public hearing for the development of a commercial district office and event space for local arts nonprofit Low Road Sharon closed on Sept. 10 with a note of reconciliation between neighbors and the applicant.
The plans involve demolishing the two existing buildings at 1 Low Road and replacing them with two structures facing each other across a central green. A public footpath will connect Lovers Lane to Low Road.
Thomas Dore, who had been outspoken in his opposition to certain aspects of the plans in the two previous hearing sessions, took a propitiatory tone during his testimony on Wednesday evening. “I think we’d like to support it,” he said, though he reaffirmed his wish that the impact on Lovers Lane be mitigated and reiterated his disapproval of the footpath intended to run alongside Beardsley Pond Brook.
The footpath has been a sticking point throughout the hearing process. Several Low Road and Lovers Lane neighbors have expressed trepidation over how the path might be used, and how it may impact foot, vehicular and even off-road vehicle traffic on Lovers Lane.
Lovers Lane resident Robin Leech, who had spoken at previous hearing sessions, voiced his worries about the path, describing it as a potential “lure” for people to travel between Lovers Lane and Low Road. He also said the “community at large” is concerned about a “land bridge to the other holdings,” referring to Jasper Johns’ other properties in town that are planned to be used for an artist colony in the future.
Selectman Lynn Kearcher spoke up about the potential for increased traffic on the narrow and half-paved Lovers Lane. “As a native of Sharon, I’m very protective of our residents” on the street, some of whom have lived there for decades, she said.
Representing Low Road Sharon, Conley Rollins affirmed the project design is meant to have minimal impact on Lovers Lane, and that the downtown facility is planned to remain largely separate from the future artist retreat. He reiterated from previous meetings that the intended use of the development is staff offices and occasional public programming. “This is in the commercial district,” he said.
As for the footpath, Rollins said he was happy to ban ATV or Gator use on the path except for occasional maintenance conducted by staff. P&Z alternate Jill Drew questioned whether the path is necessary at all to the broader project. Rollins replied, “we have felt that it’s additive to the project” as a way to enjoy a scenic section of the property but is not strictly necessary.
After closing the hearing, the Commission briefly deliberated conditions to place on an approval. P&Z Secretary Stanley MacMillan Jr. suggested that the pathway be cut off about halfway across the property. Vice Chair Betsy Hall added that it should be incumbent upon Low Road Sharon to instruct attendees of any events to not travel through Lovers Lane.
The Commission ultimately decided to table any decision while the town attorney reviews the application. P&Z will resume the conversation at its next regular meeting on Oct. 8.
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