Left to right: Mark Harney, Moon in the Pond Farm owner Dominic Palumbo, Charlie Pratt and George Muller engage in conversation on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, at the last indoor Millerton Farmers Market of the season, held at the Millerton Methodist Church.
Graham Corrigan
Throngs of visitors crowd Amenia’s Main Street on Saturday, Oct. 17, for the town’s second annual Harvest Festival. The event filled downtown Amenia with vendors selling food, jewelry, trinkets, decor, books and art — and a stage on each end of the street filled the air with music.
Throngs of visitors crowd Amenia’s Main Street on Saturday, Oct. 17, for the town’s second annual Harvest Festival. The event filled downtown Amenia with vendors selling food, jewelry, trinkets, decor, books and art — and a stage on each end of the street filled the air with music.
Photo by Graham Corrigan
John Coston
The hamlet of Craryville in the Town of Copake, New York, will no longer be the home of a 42-megawatt solar farm following New York’s Office of Renewable Energy Siting denying a permit for the facility to Chicago-based Hecate Energy LLC.
COPAKE — New York State denied Hecate Energy LLC’s application for a more than 700-acre Shepherd’s Run solar project, pointing to two factors: floodplain and community protection issues and identification of and protection of wetland resources in this rural hamlet.
Jason Zehr, interim executive director of the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission,issued the decision on Wednesday, Oct. 14, five days before the clock was to run out for the state to approve or deny the Chicago-based company’s application.
“My analysis on each of these separate issues leads me to conclude that I am not able to affirmatively certify and determine that the project application satisfies the criteria for a permit,” Zehr wrote in his 31-page decision.
The denial caps years of protest from local residents and steadfast efforts on Hecate’s part to advance the 42-megawatt project, which initially was proposed as a 60-megawatt project before it had to be downscaled after the company lost control of some of the targeted project land.
Shepherd’s Run was slated to be built near the intersection of Routes 7 and 23 in Craryville. The company first envisioned Shepherd’s Run in 2017 and has faced opposition from residents, state legislators and local politicians. In February, 2024 the company’s first application for what has been dubbed “Shepherd’s Run I” was dismissed by the state. The company then followed up with the current application in late December, 2024.
“Hecate strongly disagrees with this disappointing decision and is evaluating all available legal avenues to challenge it,” said Matt Levine, a Hecate vice president who has worked on the Shepherd’s Run project for years.
“Hecate Energy followed ORES’ rules and regulations, and ORES staff twice recommended permit approval. Yet this decision appears to elevate political pressure and misinformation over a fair, established permitting process. It sends a troubling message to developers and raises serious questions about New York’s commitment to its clean energy goals,” Levine added.
The Town of Copake has been a consistent opponent from the beginning.
“We are gratified that the long saga of Shepherd’s Run has concluded with a formal decision denying a permit,” said Richard Wolf, Copake supervisor, who has chronicled the project’s progress in periodic ‘Solar Update’ reports to the town’s residents. He counted up 79 separate updates over the years, he said.
Sensible Solar for Rural New York, a citizens group that has fought the project, wrote in a press release: “This brings an end, at least for now, to a David and Goliath battle between the small town of Copake, N.Y., and Hecate Energy, a large Chicago-based corporation.
“This has been a decade-long struggle, one where we kept raising the numerous reasons why this project should not be built,” Sensible Solar added.
The state received 1,166 individual verbal and written comments from members of the public. Of those 751 were opposed to Shepherd’s Run, 409 were in favor and six were neutral. The issues raised by the public focused on several areas: compliance with local laws; whether the Municipal Home Rule Law was being violated; impacts on agriculture, community character and visual impacts; and public health and safety. Concern also was raised about Hecate’s financial viability, raising questions about what would happen if the company couldn’t meet project obligations. There also were concerns expressed about the impact to wildlife, including loss of habitat, and to wetlands and flood risk.
Those who supported the project noted its contribution to renewable energy goals, including combating climate change.Supporters also endorsed reducing dependence on fossil fuels and decreasing air pollution along with economic benefits to the community.
But as time passed, scrutiny of Shepherd’s Run intensified. Last month, two administrative law judges held an adjudicatory hearing in Copake’s town hall that was attended by more than 100 residents, with few expressing favor for Shepherd’s Run. The hearing ran from 10 a.m. to 8p.m. and was geared to obtaining testimony aimed at establishing a fact-based record. On Oct. 5, those judges, Maureen F. Leary and Dawn MacKillop-Soller, administrative law judges at the New York State Department of Public Service’s ORES office, recommended denying Hecate a permit “based upon Hecate’s failure to demonstrate compliance with applicable wetlands laws and regulations.”
That left the final say up to Zehr, who wrote: “In summary, the evidence required to demonstrate compliance is absent in the topic areas of identifying base flood elevations, establishing the reliability of inputs for [Hecate’s] hydrology modeling, the ability of facility components to avoid being inundated by flooding, the reliability of the design and operation of measures intended to control panel operation during a flood event, and the avoidance of siting of facility components near or within a floodway.”
Graham Corrigan
State Sen. Michelle Hinchey, left, Assemblymember Didi Barrett, center, and North East Town Supervisor Chris Kennan enjoy the scenes of fall south of Millerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the site of the new North East Town Hall.
MILLERTON — State Senator Michelle Hinchey and Assemblymember Didi Barrett have directed $400,000 in state funding to North East’s plan for a new Town Hall.
The money covers about 28% of the $1.44 million renovation estimate that will transform the former Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses on Route 22 into municipal offices.
The funding comes as construction is set to begin this winter. In September, the Town Board authorized the remodel of the building at 5603 Route 22. It also approved the $1.44 million cost estimate prepared by LAN, the engineering firm overseeing the project.
On Tuesday, Oct. 13, Hinchey and Barrett gathered with North East Supervisor Chris Kennan to tour the facilities.
The state moneyis split down the middle: $200,000 each is coming from Assemblymember Barrett and State Senator Hinchey’s offices.
The new town hallbuilding will consist of 4,513 square feet of floor space, nearly twice that of the current Town Hall at 19 N. Maple Ave. Plans call for separate offices for most employees and departments, extra room for town records and a meeting room, also used as the town court, for up to 40 people. The single-story building has no basement, so all town operations will be on one floor.
The mostly empty building is barely recognizable as a former house of worship. Two defining features remain: a stage at the front of the meeting room and a glass wall at the rear overlooking several small rooms.
Those rooms will become offices when the building is converted. Construction is expected to be completed next fall.
“Our small town infrastructure was built for a previous time,” Hinchey said. “And has not been upgraded with the needs that exist today.
“It’s really important that a town building is a welcoming space, that people know how to contact their local representatives and be involved in what makes the town run.”
Barrett added that town employees “are largely either volunteer or not very well paid community members, who are putting in their time to help our communities thrive…so we’re happy to be able to put state resources here.”
Both legislators credited Supervisor Kennan with helping move the project forward.
The new town hall will replace the Maple Avenue building, which Kennan has described as inadequate. “There are no elevators, and the stairs are steep,” he said in late 2024.
The building will be fully compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act. The former Jehovah’s Witness hall is a single-story structure.
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Graham Corrigan
From left, state legislators Didi Barrett and Michelle Hinchey visit the library with library board member Vicky Contino, library director Courtney Tsahalis, and board member Dann Kenefick. The library recently won $300,000 in state grants to help repair the building’s roof and update its HVAC system.
MILLBROOK — The Millbrook Library has been awarded$300,000 in state capital grants to help fund roof repairs and heating and cooling upgrades expected to cost at least $2 million.
The grants, announced last week, were the result of advocacy by the offices of state Sen. Michelle Hinchey and Assemblymember Didi Barrett.
The 15,000-square-foot library on Franklin Avenue has struggled in recent years with a leaking roof and an aging heating and cooling system. Buckets placed beneath leaks in the common area have become a familiar sight for patrons and staff.
The $300,000 came from two $150,000 grants: one through the Local Community Assistance Program (LoCAP), secured with Hinchey’s support, and another through the Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability, and Technology Program (CREST), secured with Barrett’s backing.
In addition to the $300,000, the library received $325,000 in separate grant funding toward the $2 million project. The balance will come from the library’s trust, with those funding requests approved in June. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2027.
Library Director Courtney Tsahalis was quick to point out that the repair funds are not part of the library’s request for increased operating funds, which is on the ballot this November.
The library is requesting a 2027 budget of $399,000, a $50,000 increase, to “close the persistent deficit that has been funded by savings and a generous but inconsistent flow of donations,” according to a library statement.
During their visit to the library, state legislators Hinchey and Barrett praised the library’s resilience and role as a centerpiece of the community. “Libraries are the most democratic of our institutions,” Barrett said. “Everybody is welcome, and it’s one of the most important things that our money goes to.”
Hinchey added that “as everything is getting more expensive, it’s wonderful to have a place like a community library.” She noted its importance as a heating and cooling center in months of extreme weather, and the library’s ability to draw residents of all ages in for quiet, education, and Wi-Fi. Millbrook’s library is one of the area’s biggest and oldest, having been established in 1901.
Millerton News
Legal Notice
NOTICE OF FORMATION OF DISCO PICNIC LLC Articles of Organization filed with the New York Secretary of State on 06/22/2026. Office located in Dutchess County. Principal business location: 59 Yellow City Road, Amenia, NY, 12501. The Secretary of State has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The Secretary of State shall mail a copy of process to: 59 Yellow City Road, Amenia, NY, 12501. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
09-24-26
10-01-26
10-08-26
10-15-26
10-22-26
10-29-26
Legal Notice
NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LAUREN WOLFENDEN LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/06/2026. Office location: Dutchess County. Principal business location: 331 Market Lane, Clinton Corners, NY 12514. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to Lauren Wolfenden at the principal business location. Purpose: any lawful purpose.
10-01-26
10-08-26
10-15-26
10-22-26
10-29-26
11-05-26
Legal Notice
The Board of Trustees of the Evergreen Cemetery Inc. have scheduled a lot owners and general business meeting on October 24, 2026 at 10:00am.The meeting will be held at the American Legion Post #426 located at 9 North Main Street, Pine Plains, NY 12567.
10-15-26
10-22-26
Legal Notice
Notice of Formation of Arc Brand Partners, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 06/29/2026. Office location: Dutchess County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to the LLC at 55 Townsend Farm Road, LaGrangeville, NY 12540. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.
10-22-26
10-29-26
11-05-26
11-12-26
11-19-26
11-26-26
LEGAL NOTICE
The South Amenia Cemetery Association Annual Meeting will be held Friday, October 30, 2026, at 7:00 PM at 266 Rudd Pond Road, Millerton, NY 12546, for the election of officers and trustees and the transaction of other such business as may legally come before it. Amiee C. Duncan, Secretary
10-22-26
10-29-26
LEGAL NOTICE
The bond resolution, a summary of which is published herewith, has been adopted on October 8, 2026, and the validity of the obligations authorized by such resolution may be hereafter contested only if such obligations were authorized for an object or purpose for which the Town of North East, Dutchess County, New York, is not authorized to expend money, or if the provisions of law which should have been complied with as of the date of publication of this notice were not substantially complied with, and an action, suit or proceeding contesting such validity is commenced within twenty days after the date of publication of this notice, or such obligations were authorized in violation of the provisions of the Constitution. A complete copy of the resolution summarized herewith is available for public inspection during regular business hours at the Office of the Town Clerk for a period of twenty days from the date of publication of this Notice. Dated: Millerton, New York, October 8, 2026 /s/Elizabeth Strauss Town Clerk BOND RESOLUTION DATED October 8, 2026. A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF $927,543.93 SERIAL BONDS OF THE TOWN OF NORTH EAST, DUTCHESS COUNTY, NEW YORK, TO PAY THE COST OF REMODELING PROPERTY LOCATED AT 5603 Route 22 IN THE TOWN OF NORTH EAST FOR USE AS A NEW TOWN HALL Specific object or purpose: Remodeling of the property located at 5603 Route 22, Town of North East, for use as a new Town Hall Period of probable usefulness: 40 years Maximum estimated cost: $1,535,813.93 Obligations to be issued: $927,543.93 SEQRA status: Unlisted Action. Negative Declaration. SEQRA compliance materials available in the office of the Town Clerk for inspection during regular office hours by appointment.
10-22-26
NOTICE OF ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Town Board of the Town of Amenia, Dutchess County, New York, at a meeting held on October 15, 2026, duly adopted the resolution published herewith subject to a permissive referendum. Dated: Amenia, New York, October 15, 2026 Dawn Marie Klingner Town Clerk BOND RESOLUTION DATED OCTOBER 15, 2026. A RESOLUTION SUPPLEMENTING THE BOND RESOLUTIONS DATED DECEMBER 5, 2024 AND JULY 17, 2025, TO AUTHORIZE, SUBJECT TO PERMISSIVE REFERENDUM, THE ISSUANCE OF AN ADDITIONAL $2,108,874 BONDS OF THE TOWN OF AMENIA, DUTCHESS COUNTY, NEW YORK, TO PAY A PORTION OF THE COST OF the CONSTRUCTION OF a NEW HIGHWAY GARAGE AND SALT STORAGE SHED, IN AND FOR SAID TOWN. WHEREAS, the capital project hereinafter described has been determined to be an Unlisted Action pursuant to the regulations of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation promulgated pursuant to the State Environmental Quality Review Act, the implementation of which as proposed, the Town Board has determined will not result in any significant adverse environmental impact; and WHEREAS, by a bond resolution dated December 5, 2024, the Town Board of the Town of Amenia, Dutchess County, New York, authorized the issuance of $6,333,449 serial bonds of said Town to pay the cost of the construction of a New Highway Garage and Salt Storage Shed on a Town-owned parcel of land on the east side of Route 22 between South Simpatch Road and Tower Hill Road, including original furnishings, machinery, equipment, apparatus, appurtenances, site improvements, site water supply, septic system and storm water drainage improvements, and other incidental improvements and expenses in connection therewith, in and for said Town; and
WHEREAS, the Town Board of the Town of Amenia, Dutchess County, New York, on July 17, 2025, duly adopted a bond resolution authorizing the issuance of an additional $3,936,116 bonds of said Town to pay the cost of the aforesaid project; and
WHEREAS, it has now been determined to authorize additional financing for said capital project;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the affirmative vote of not less than two-thirds of the total voting strength of the Town Board of the Town of Amenia, Dutchess County, New York, as follows:
Section 1. The construction of a New Highway Garage and Salt Storage Shed on a Town-owned parcel of land on the east side of Route 22 between South Simpatch Road and Tower Hill Road, including original furnishings, machinery, equipment, apparatus, appurtenances, site improvements, site water supply, septic system and storm water drainage improvements, and other incidental improvements and expenses in connection therewith, in and for said Town of Amenia, Dutchess County, New York, is hereby authorized at a revised maximum estimated cost of $13,443,851.
Section 2. It is hereby determined that the plan for the financing of said class of objects or purposes is as follows:
a) by the issuance of the $6,333,449 bonds of said Town authorized to be issued pursuant to the aforesaid bond resolution dated and duly adopted on December 5, 2024;
b) by the issuance of the $3,936,116 additional bonds of said Town authorized to be issued pursuant to the aforesaid bond resolution dated and duly adopted on July 17, 2025;
c) By the appropriation and expenditure of $1,065,412 other monies; and
d) by the issuance of an additional $2,108,874 bonds of said Town hereby authorized to be issued therefor, pursuant to the provisions of the Local Finance Law, SUBJECT TO PERMISSIVE REFERENDUM
Section 3. It is hereby determined that the period of probable usefulness of the aforesaid class of objects or purposes is thirty (30) years, pursuant to subdivision 11(a) of paragraph a of Section 11.00 of the Local Finance Law, calculated from the date of issuance of the first obligations therefor. It is hereby further determined that the maximum maturity of the bonds herein authorized will exceed five years.
Section 4. The faith and credit of said Town of Amenia, Dutchess County, New York, are hereby irrevocably pledged for the payment of the principal of and interest on such bonds as the same respectively become due and payable. An annual appropriation shall be made in each year sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on such bonds becoming due and payable in such year. There shall annually be levied on all the taxable real property in said Town, a tax sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on such bonds as the same become due and payable.
Section 5. Subject to the provisions of the Local Finance Law, the power to authorize the issuance of and to sell bond anticipation notes in anticipation of the issuance and sale of the serial bonds herein authorized, including renewals of such notes, is hereby delegated to the Supervisor, the chief fiscal officer. Such notes shall be of such terms, form and contents, and shall be sold in such manner, as may be prescribed by said Supervisor, consistent with the provisions of the Local Finance Law.
Section 6. All other matters, except as provided herein relating to such bonds, including determining whether to issue such bonds having substantially level or declining annual debt service and all matters related thereto, prescribing whether manual or facsimile signatures shall appear on said bonds, prescribing the method for the recording of ownership of said bonds, appointing the fiscal agent or agents for said bonds, providing for the printing and delivery of said bonds (and if said bonds are to be executed in the name of the Town by the facsimile signature of the Supervisor, providing for the manual countersignature of a fiscal agent or of a designated official of the Town), the date, denominations, maturities and interest payment dates, place or places of payment, and also including the consolidation with other issues, shall be determined by the Supervisor. Such bonds shall contain substantially the recital of validity clause provided for in section 52.00 of the Local Finance Law and shall otherwise be in such form and contain such recitals in addition to those required by section 52.00 of the Local Finance Law, as the Supervisor shall determine.
Section 7. This resolution shall constitute a statement of official intent for purposes of Treasury Regulations Section 1.150 - 2. Other than as specified in this resolution, no monies are, or are reasonably expected to be, reserved, allocated on a longterm basis, or otherwise set aside with respect to the permanent funding of the object or purpose described herein.
Section 8. The validity of such bonds and bond anticipation notes may be contested only if:
1) Such obligations are authorized for an object or purpose for which said Town is not authorized to expend money, or
2) The provisions of law which should be complied with at the date of publication of this resolution are not substantially complied with, and an action, suit or proceeding contesting such validity is commenced within twenty days after the date of such publication, or
3) Such obligations are authorized in violation of the provisions of the Constitution.
Section 9. Upon this resolution taking effect, the same shall be published in summary form in the official newspaper of said Town for such purpose, together with a notice of the Town Clerk in substantially the form provided in Section 81.00 of the Local Finance Law.
Section 10. THIS RESOLUTION IS ADOPTED SUBJECT TO PERMISSIVE REFERENDUM.
10-22-26
PINE PLAINS TOWN BOARD
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Pine Plains Town Board will hold a public hearing on the adoption of a for the Adoption a Local Law No. A of 2026 Entitled " A Local Law to override the Tax Levy Limit for Fiscal Year 2027" on November 19, at 7:00 p.m. at the Pine Plains Town Hall, located at 3284 Route 199, Pine Plains, New York. A copy of the proposed Local Law is available for inspection on the Town's official website and at the Town Clerk's office during normal business hours. Any person desiring to be heard on the adoption of said Resolution shall be given an opportunity to do so. Dated: October 15, 2026 BY ORDER OF THE PINE PLAINS THE TOWN BOARD. MADELIN DAFOE, Town Clerk
10-22-26
PUBLIC NOTICE
NOTICE OF SUBMISSION OF QUESTION TO VOTERS OF THE TOWN OF WASHINGTON AT NEXT GENERAL ELECTION
Notice is hereby given that pursuant to N.Y.S. Education Law #259 (1) (B) and in accordance with the provisions of the N.Y.S. Election Law, the following question will be submitted to the qualified voters of the Town of Washington at the General Election to be held on the 3rd day of November, 2026. SHALL THE ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION OF THE TOWN OF WASHINGTON FOR THE OPERATING BUDGET OF THE MILLBROOK LIBRARY BE INCREASED FROM THREE HUNDRED FORTY-NINE THOUSAND ($349,000) DOLLARS ANNUALLY TO THREE HUNDRED NINETY-NINE THOUSAND ($399,000) DOLLARS ANNUALLY? Further notice is hereby given that said Election shall be held at the Millbrook Fire House in the Village of Millbrook on the 3rd day of November 2026 and that the polls will be open on that day between the hours of 6:00AM and 9:00PM.
10-22-26
10-29-26
Leila Hawken
MILLBROOK — Millbrook Police Chief Keith Dworkin discussed license-plate readers and his department’s use of the technology at the Village Board of Trustees meeting on Oct. 14.
The chat was spurred on by recent action by Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi to dismantle the county’s network of stationary, pole-mounted license-plate reader cameras manufactured by Flock Safety.
Dworkin said the Millbrook Police Department uses vehicle-mounted license-plate readers, commonly known as LPRs, to check a vehicle’s registration status and other violations during traffic stops.
“This technology has been around for 20 years,”Dworkin said, explaining that the LPR captures an image of a vehicle’s license plate and the car, determining instantly whether the car has been stolen, is unregistered, uninsured, or suspended. With that information the officer can run that information through the state database.
Dworkin noted that the LPR is not able to detect information about the operator of the vehicle.
“The information gathered by the LPR is not shared,” Dworkin said. Rather it is stored locally for an indeterminate period, perhaps six months.
“Maybe drafting a local policy is the best way to go,” said Mayor Peter Doro, adding that “Flock” is merely a brand name, leading him to wonder about the difference between a Flock camera and an officer with a license plate reader in a vehicle.
Trustee Julia Bucklin suggested asking the local police officers about their LPR usage.
Recognizing the need for clarity about the technology and its use locally, Doro felt that residents would want to know the difference between Flock and LPR.
Dworkin agreed that a policy on the use of LPR technology would be useful and indicated that he would draft the policy for the Trustees to review.
Tax exemption for disabled veterans
The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to advance a proposed local law granting a property tax exemption to permanently and totally disabled veterans.
A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 18.
Doro noted that no one who presently resides in the Village of Millbrook would be eligible for the exemption, but there are two residents of Washington expected to qualify.
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