NECC considers its next move

NECC Teen Program staff Katie Cariello and Erin Chirevas volunteer at the Food Pantry.
NECC
NECC Teen Program staff Katie Cariello and Erin Chirevas volunteer at the Food Pantry.
MILLERTON — On the last day of business of the year 2023, the North East Community Center (NECC) officially accepted a gift: the old Millerton Elementary School.
“It’s a fabulous opportunity,” said Christine Sergent, director of the NECC. The Community Center has been looking for a new home for years now, said Sergent, but it’s proved a difficult undertaking:
“It had to tick certain boxes, had to be in the village, walking distance, all of those kinds of things. And that’s just very difficult to identify here in Millerton. It just really didn’t exist. And then, poof, all of a sudden, there it was.”
NECC has been looking seriously for new properties — that is, running due diligence on various options — only in the last year or so, said Sergent.
“We had to do a lot of infrastructure development in the organization to strengthen ourselves financially and programmatically and staffing-wise and so forth, to get us to the point where we felt stable enough to take on what is going to be a big lift for us.” A big project like this, she said, “can pull you off course if you’re not careful.”
The building in question has more or less been on NECC’s radar as a possibility for the last 10 years, said Sergent. Then last spring, the building went on the market for $995,000.
NECC strongly considered it. However, after months of due diligence, the organization decided that the added costs of bringing the building up to code made the sticker price untenable; at a meeting with the board last October, the group officially closed down the possibility of buying the school.
“And then all of the sudden we got a phone call,” said Sergent: Morgan Coy and Richard Lanka of Particles Elementary LLC wanted to donate the Millerton Elementary School property to the NECC.
Growth at NECC
NECC has tripled in size in just the last three years. In the years before that, it had doubled in size. Finding a way to get all of its programs in one place will be challenging, said Sergent, but it’s also key to NECC’s ability to serve the community.
“To get us all into one location is really beneficial to our community, because we have so many different resources,” she said. “It helps for people to come in and have access transportation, but also access food and our childcare and so forth.
“But that’s now over 40 staff to have to bring together and all the programs, and all the things that come with it — the supplies, materials, things that need to be stored, you know, the kitchen to go with the child care center, all of that stuff into one location is quite a lot more than what it may have been 10 years ago when we were a staff of seven or eight.”
Getting all of the programs in one building will also, long-term, improve the organization’s economic health. NECC is currently spread out over four locations — “five if you include the programming we do at the school,” said Sergent — three of which NECC is renting.
“We’re paying in excess of $150,000 to $180,000 for these different locations. And that’s a sizable cost to us every year,” said Sergent.
Another important intention in having a new home is the ability to welcome anyone on any day. Before COVID-19, NECC was open to the public; anyone could walk in off the street seeking services or support. But the pandemic put an end to that kind of accessibility when the office went remote, said Sergent.
The pandemic also demanded another major change: NECC opened a food pantry. This is the reason that the main offices never fully reopened after the pandemic: the space that was once a reception area is now food pantry storage.
Next Steps
Irene Banning, chair of the board of the NECC, said: “Now comes a whole process where we really have to look at: Do we fit? Does it work? What do we need to do in order to make it, workable? And, can we raise the money?
“So there is a step by step process going to happen over time, at after which point we will know whether this will be our new home or not.”
With regard to the building, Banning said that the next step will be talking to experts who can help determine what requirements they’ll have to meet. The building was last used in 2012 or 2013, said Sergent, so NECC expects that there will be work required to bring it up to code, especially with regard to energy consumption requirements.
The building was worked on recently by Particles Inc. — “They worked hard during COVID to turn it into a boutique hotel,” said Sergent — so NECC believes that the roof, and utilities like electric and plumbing, are in a fairly good state.
In the coming days, NECC will also be exploring what will be required of it for zoning reviews — whether or not the intended use of the property conforms to zoning regulations, etc — and planning reviews with regards to the physical structures and land use requirements.
“[We’ll be meeting with] professionals who can tell us, you’re going to have to meet those requirements, but not those,” said Banning, and “what level of intervention is necessary in building,” so that ultimately they can “make determinations about cost and time. And those are crucial inputs into a decision-making process.”
PINE PLAINS — The Pine Plains FFA Ag Fair brought a crowd to the high school on Church Street Saturday, Oct. 11.
Kicking off the day was the annual tractor pull, attracting a dedicated crowd that sat in bleachers and folding chairs for hours watching Allison-Chalmers, International Harvesters and John Deeres compete to pull the heaviest weights.
A large collection of food was on offer from the Pine Plains FFA and each one of the classes in the Pine Plains Central School District. The football team was selling pickles.
Stissing Mountain High School Principal Christopher Boyd enjoyed a dip in the dunk tank to raise money for the Pine Plains teachers’ union-sponsored scholarship.
Stissing Mountain High School Principal Christopher Boyd got dunked several times during his half-hour shift in the dunk tank. Proceeds from the throws benefitted the Photo by Nathan Miller
The Rev. AJ Stack, center right, blessing a chicken at the pet blessing event at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Amenia on Saturday, Oct. 4.
AMENIA — After serving more than five years as Priest-in-Charge of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Amenia, the Rev. AJ Stack announced Tuesday, Oct. 7, that he will resign from the church and Food of Life/Comida de Vida pantry. His last day at his current post will be Sunday, Nov. 2, the conclusion of the Feast of All Saints.
The news was shared in two emails from Stack — one to Food of Life pantry subscribers and volunteers, and another to parish members.
“I write tonight with difficult news, and I wanted you to hear it from me as soon as the Vestry and I had a chance to meet,” he wrote. “After much prayer and careful discernment, I have submitted my resignation to the Vestry as Priest-in-Charge of St. Thomas, and therefore as Executive Director of Food of Life/Comida de Vida.”
Stack provided few details about his departure. At time of publication, he had not announced his next steps but said the decision was “not sudden,” and followed careful consideration over a period of months. He will not be leaving the area or the diocese.
An announcement about his path forward and the transition process is expected soon. In the meantime, Stack said he remains “fully present” at the church, and the food pantry services will continue without interruption.
Stack expressed gratitude for the community and the growth of St. Thomas’ mission during his tenure. “Together we have welcomed new neighbors and strengthened our outreach in meaningful ways,” he said. “I trust that good work will continue.”
He joined St. Thomas in March 2020 and guided the church and community through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a recent interview with The News about the food pantry, Stack estimated that it serves 653 individuals from 156 households each week, highlighting a significant contribution to the community.
The announcement was met with messages of reassurance from pantry volunteers. Jolly Stewart, a Vestry member and volunteer, wrote to the community with words of reassurance following the announcement. “I have complete faith in the strength of the parish of St. Thomas,” she wrote. “Our history shows how we have done this time and again, each time becoming more than what we were before. We can, without a doubt, do this now.”
MILLERTON — Ten candidates for office in the Nov. 4 election will answer questions from Dutchess County voters at a candidate forum on Friday, Oct. 24, at the Annex at the NorthEast-Millerton Library located at 28 Century Blvd.
The forum, which is sponsored by the library, will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Candidates for local and county offices will answer questions from residents in attendance or from residents who have submitted questions in advance.
“We’re excited to keep the tradition of the candidate forum going,” said Rhiannon Leo-Jameson, director of the library. “Some years we can’t always get candidates together.”
This year’s forum will include:
Rachele Grieco Cole, a Democrat, and Chris Mayville, a Republican, who both are running uncontested for the North East Town Council;
Casey McCabe, a Democrat, also running uncontested for North East Justice.
Among Dutchess County races:
Tracy MacKenzie, who is endorsed by Republicans and Democrats, is running uncontested for Dutchess County Family Court Judge;
Kara Gerry, a Democrat, and Ned McLoughlin, a Republican, are in a contest for a Dutchess County Court judgeship currently held by McLoughlin.
Chris Drago, D-19, and Tonya Pulver, a Republican, are competing to represent Dutchess County’s19th District seat currently held by Drago.
Democratic incumbent Dan Aymar-Blair and Will Truitt, the Republican chair of the county legislature, are competing for the Dutchess County Comptroller position currently held by Aymar-Blair.
Leo-Jameson is encouraging questions for the candidates to be submitted in advance, which will not be revealed to candidates beforehand. Dutchess County residents may pose questions during the forum. To submit a question on the library’s website, go to the calendar at nemillertonlibrary.org and find the link in the Oct. 24calendar entries.
The format calls for opening statements from the candidates, followed by questions from residents, and candidates will be able to stay after the forum to answer questions personally.
The “Elusive Ki Shusui” koi were temporarily relocated into a tub before being returned to their home pond at Maxine Pietro’s annual koi harvest at Broccoli Hall Farm in Amenia on Friday, Oct. 10. Speaking of their yellowish beauty, Pietro is pictured pointing out that the fish are scaleless but for scales that grow along the “zipper” on each fish’s dorsal ridge. The koi in the photo are estimated to be 6 or 7 years old.