Millerton’s biggest news in 2024: infrastructure improvements, new food market on horizon

MILLERTON — The past year was one of progress for Millerton with major changes over 2024 and more to come in 2025 for both the Village and the Town of North East.

One of the year’s biggest announcements was the sale of the Millerton Square Plaza to Chris and Kim Choe, owners of the Sharon Farm Market, who are poised to bring a new and much-needed supermarket to the venue.

The Village saw visible improvements over the past year with the installation of new fire hydrants and new LED streetlights, an ongoing project which is expected to wrap up in the New Year. Additionally, a county grant, the 2024 Community Development Block Grant provided the Village of Millerton with $150,000 to improve the Veteran’s Park sidewalk.

Developments in wastewater activities are expected to be forthcoming with the awarding of the $5 million-plus Intermunicipal Water Infrastructure Grant (IMG) to fund various projects which continuously monitor and improve local water quality.

Some affordable housing strides were made with the assistance of Habitat for Humanity of Dutchess County. This past summer, the Macagnone family was approved by the organization’s board of directors for the purchase of a home on Rudd Pond Road. Construction of the house has been completed, and the family is in the process of settling into their new living space.

The year also saw developments for Millerton in other areas as well.

New EMS Contract

EMS needs were addressed over the past year with the Town of North East entering into a new three-year contract with EMS provider Northern Dutchess Paramedics. Prior to the new agreement, a five-year contract, which expires on Tuesday, Dec. 31, was in place.

This calendar year, North East spent $376,858 on EMS services, which is about 10.5% of the Town’s budget. The first negotiation with Northern Dutchess Paramedics resulted in a quote of $646,300 for its services next year, a proposed 71.5% increase.

The contract’s terms were eventually renegotiated, with the Town receiving ambulance services starting at $511,558 for 2025, $696,345 for 2026 and $746,345 for 2027.

Eddie Collins Memorial Park

The Eddie Collins Memorial Park saw many different upgrades and plans throughout the year.

The Village was granted nearly $6.4 million from the New York Statewide Investment in More Swimming initiative and $500,000 from New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to help with the costs of construction of the new pool.

Phase II for the new construction of the pool within the park has been one of the biggest projects the Village has been working on.

The Village selected LaBella as the contractor for the new design, which includes a 3,600 square foot pool house and community room and a five-lane Olympic short course swimming pool. The Village is hoping to begin construction by spring 2025 and complete the project within six to eight months.

The biggest challenge for the pool project will be the septic system on the premises. A small section at the corner of Eddie Collins Memorial Park has come to the attention of the contractor as LaBella works to complete this project.

Library Budget

The NorthEast-Millerton Library Board of Trustees aimed to secure a $50,000 tax revenue increase on Election Day during this year’s budget vote.

Currently, the library receives $125,000 annually in tax revenue, the result of its last budget vote in 2007. The Town of North East has been donating an additional $50,000 every year since 2019 in support of the library’s work. Whether this annual donation will continue has yet to be decided.

According to the library’s website, the additional funds may be withdrawn, contingent on fiscal needs. The budget vote this year was implemented to secure the $50,000 for the library on an annual basis.

The library funds its services through a combination of tax revenue, donations and grants, yet the disbursement of some of these funds can be complex. Many contributions are earmarked for specific projects, and grants cannot be used for operating expenses, leaving labor costs and materials up to their tax revenue.

Highway Garage

The new highway garage was completed at the beginning of 2024, with an open house viewing for the first time in September.

The process started in 2022 when the foundation was laid. The majority of the construction took place during 2023, and the final touches and details were wrapped up at the beginning of 2024. The new garage is more than double the size of the previous space.

Comparatively, the old structure was 5,700 square feet, upgrading the current square footage to 12,720. With the extra space, more equipment can be stored and the garage has enough room for equipment to be worked on, if needed, unlike the previous garage.

The Highway Department allowed the Fire Department to use the new garage while the floors were being resurfaced at the firehouse in October. In the past, requests from the Fire Department for use of the former garage were unable to be accommodated as their vehicles were too large to fit in the previous space.

Climate Smart

Climate Smart played a crucial role in the Village of Millerton and the Town of North East this past year.

This year, the Village of Millerton joined the Town of North East in their Bronze Certification in the Climate Smart Communities program, showing the importance of keeping the Earth clean.

The certification promotes sustainability, increasing zero-emission transportation, and reducing pollution. Millerton now joins 140 other municipalities in New York State which have achieved this status.

Receiving points for tracking the Village’s energy levels for vehicles and facilities with an annual analysis to control consumption, the new sidewalks and water meters have also earned the village points toward its bronze certification.

In July, Climate Smart Community launched a new campaign to promote the use of heat pumps within the Millerton area. Heat pumps have the lowest-known emission of any heating source. They are able to heat and cool buildings more efficiently than propane, oil or other traditional systems. These pumps also do not emit carbon monoxide, which is associated with fossil fuels, making the surrounding areas healthier to the public.