Food program director Jordan Schmidt, left, and marketing and outreach coordinator Cheri Johnson, right, display just some of the items on offer at the NECC’s food pantry in Millerton.
MILLERTON — According to New York State health commissioner James McDonald, “No one should have to go hungry,” a statement supported by the staff at the North East Community Center, who do their part on a daily basis to ensure all members of the community have access to adequate and nutritious food resources.
On a recent Wednesday afternoon, the NECC doors opened and people filed in and out. Those who were exiting were carrying bags or pulling carts filled with food. Those who were entering clutched empty bags on their way in, and those with family or friends chatted among themselves as they selected items from the NECC’s food pantry shelves. Once they finished stocking up, they headed for home, their mission accomplished.
By design, there’s a pointed sense of normalcy attached to the NECC food pantry. Food insecurity, which is defined by limited or questionable food access due to curtailed financial means, has become more prevalent in recent years with the onset of inflation. For some, food insecurity is a new concern and a new normal which may be accompanied by a sense of shame or feelings of failure.
The NECC, established in 1988 and incorporated as a nonprofit in 1990, aids in lifting the emotional toll connected with food unease by providing fresh and nutritious food for community members.
With its founding, the NECC filled a much-needed gap in human and community services in Northeast Dutchess.
It serves children, adolescents and families through a range of programming that includes day care, after-school activities, resources for teenagers — including a teen club, internships and apprenticeships — and provides guidance for families with income-tax filing, summer camp scholarships, and obtaining school supplies and winter coats.
Additionally, the NECC offers classes in English as a second language and yoga. But its food programming is a cornerstone of its existence, and it’s a literal lifeline.
Nutritious food serves as a preventative against future health impacts. Without it, as health commissioner McDonald noted, “Hunger stresses the body and mind, and can result in malnutrition, inability to concentrate, anxiety, and depression. In addition, adults who experience food insecurity are more likely to report chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma and cancer.”
For the NECC, food is medicine, and they regularly administer farm-fresh produce and eggs to their clientele through their Fresh Food Pantry, a collaboration with local suppliers, made possible through donations. Distribution in Millerton runs from June through October, and through February for Pine Plains and Amenia.
There is also a holiday food distribution via the Millerton Food Pantry in the months of November and December.
At the food pantry, open year-round, a range of canned goods, shelf-stable products, cereal, dairy and eggs can be found on roll-away shelves in addition to some household items. Foods are wholesome and culturally sensitive.
A volunteer crew works in conjunction with NECC staff members at the pantry. The NECC is always looking for volunteers to aid in unloading and distributing food pantry items.
Its Millerton Farmers’ Market is held weekly at the Methodist Church from May through December, and the second and fourth Saturday from January through March.
It provides those in need with access to fresh and local produce, pasture-raised meat, baked goods and cheese. EBT, WIC checks, and Farmers Market Nutrition Program checks are accepted. Sustainable farming practices and ethical growth methods are utilized by their vendors to ensure optimal quality.
The Market is on the receiving end of support via Berkshire Agricultural Ventures’ market match fund, in which a $1-for-$1 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program match is made, up to $30 per transaction, enabling SNAP users to make the most of their funds at the Farmers’ Market.
Additional support comes from the Field & Fork Network’s Double-Up Food Bucks New York, in which a $2-for-$2 match up to $20 per day is extended.
This provides SNAP recipients additional tokens for produce purchases at any farmers market partnered with the NECC. Patrons concerned about high farmers’ market prices need not worry as many vendors offer comparable prices to supermarkets.
Through its partnerships with the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, The Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming, Tri Corner FEED, and Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley and local farms, the NECC has created the Community Access Food Hub. The hub is where food is distributed. It also supplies produce, eggs and milk to regional food pantry partners. As a result, approximately 159,891 lbs. of food was delivered to alleviate hunger throughout the region.
Last summer, the NECC offered a summer meals program to children under 18 enrolled in the Webutuck Central School District. The program provided lunch at Eddie Collins Memorial Park in Millerton and breakfast and lunch at the Maplebrook School.
The NECC food pantry is open on Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. and Thursdays from 10 a.m to 1 p.m., and is located at 51 S. Center St. in Millerton. Additionally, the NECC delivers groceries to those in need on Thursdays.
To learn more about the NECC and its offerings, visit: neccmillerton.org.
Nathan Miller
Joey Duncan decorates his bicycle at the Irondale Schoolhouse on Saturday, July 11, in anticipation of wowing visitors and spectators as part of the kickoff parade for Millerton’s nine-day 175th anniversary celebration.
MILLERTON — The village’s 175th anniversary celebration kicked off Saturday, July 11, with a full day of activities for children, families and attendees of all ages.
Millerton will spend the next week celebrating its anniversary, commemorating the village’s history since the arrival of the Harlem Valley Railroad in 1851, a moment that the village’s founding fathers and historians have long heralded as the birth of the community.
The Saturday’s main event was the parade, which rolled down Main Street around 4 p.m., marking the official start of the nine-day celebration. About 200 people gathered along Main Street’s sidewalks and beneath the shade trees in Veterans Park to watch.
More than two dozen craft vendors set up shop in Eddie Collins Memorial Park on Saturday, selling a myriad of handmade goods ranging from decorative to practical including pottery, jewelry and soaps.
Also taking up residence in the park was a community flea market. Millerton and North East community members peddled gently used items at the park, and two residents in the village signed up to have yard sales put on a map of the town for interested shoppers to go visit.
The day included a dedication ceremony at the Town of North East’s Highway Garage, where town officials dedicated the building to the late Bob Stevens. Stevens served as the town’s Highway Superintendent for more than 20 years at the time of his death in March.
Millerton resident Tim Watson was sitting in his wheelchair underneath the shade at Veterans Park around 2:45 p.m., waiting for the parade to start. He said the week-long celebration coming to fruition and the crowd downtown that came out to celebrate demonstrated a strong sense of community.
“This is a perfect example of community support,” Watson said.
Graham Corrigan
A Flock Safety-manufactured license plate-reading camera near Millerton.
License plate reading cameras have sprung up on private property across northeast Dutchess County, but property owners have said they don’t have formal agreements and often disagreed with the chosen install locations.
Julie Schroeder, the owner of Silamar Farm just outside Millerton, said she agreed to let the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Department install a Flock Safety camera on her property more than two years ago. “I wanted them to put it by the woods,” she said, “to the north of us.”
Instead, Schroeder woke up one morning to find the camera roadside, on the edge of her northern field. “They didn’t give me any heads up,” Schroeder said. “It kind of gets in the way of our farm machinery.”
This was a handshake agreement: Schroeder has no formal contract signed with the sheriff or Flock, the Austin, Texas, -based company behind the cameras. One sheriff left her a business card, but it’s since gone missing. “I get a lot of business cards,” she said.
Schroeder’s Flock camera is an Automatic License Plate Reader, sometimes called ALPRs, and it’s one of a growing number in Northern Dutchess County.
By reading the license plates of passing cars, the camera is able to inform law enforcement of a suspect’s retroactive whereabouts. Nationally, there are over 100,000 ALPR cameras — most of them operated by Flock.
In northeast Dutchess, there are at least four Flock cameras so far. One is on Route 343, east of Amenia at the former Willows Motel.
That property was purchased in 2025 by an affiliate of Discovery Land Company, the parent company of members-only community Silo Ridge Field Club. A Discovery Land Company spokesperson said in April the plan is to rehabilitate the Willows and use it for seasonal employee housing, but could not be reached for further comment on the camera’s installation.
Another ALPR is on Route 82 in Pine Plains, on a private property adjacent to Hammertown Kennels.
A camera in Milan is on land owned by Mirror Lake Retreat on Route 199. Like Julie Schroeder, camp director Ron Pankey agreed to host a Flock camera, but said he was not informed where the camera would be installed, according to news reports.
In Millbrook, Flock cameras were deployed “as covert resources in response to a judicial threat made against a sitting judge residing in Millbrook,” according to Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi.
Parisi said in February the devices were “temporary in nature,” and have since been removed.
Schroeder has had an experience similar to Ron Pankey’s in Milan. “In the event of an emergency, we’ll be happy we have it,” she said. “But I wanted it up in the woods, north of us…they just put it up so quickly.”
Still, Schroeder doesn’t regret the partnership. “Big Brother is watching you,” she said with a laugh. “I value my privacy, but with cell phones and credit cards, they know exactly where you are.”
Flock cameras can also be found on properties in Amenia, Pine Plains, and Milan. The owners have volunteered to host the cameras on their property, providing Flock a way into communities that bypasses the local town boards.
In February, the Pine Plains town board came under fire for an undisclosed contract with Flock. The town was forced to cancel the contract and pending camera installations. An oversight resolution was adopted to require board approval for any additional cameras operated on behalf of the town.
Nationally, there are over 100,000 ALPR cameras — most of them manufactured by Flock.
Law enforcement in Dutchess County has championed the technology. “It’s been a huge success,” said Deputy Chief Sheriff Steve Reverri. Recent operations aided by Flock include cases concerning illegal guns, school bus safety, and garbage dumping.
The arrests are catalogued on the county’s “Transparency Portal,” a Flock Safety website the sheriff’s office uses to disclose camera locations, share policies, and highlight Flock’s contributions to arrests.
All of the seventeen locations listed in Dutchess County fall within three towns: Poughkeepsie, Fishkill, and Wappinger. The Flock cameras in Milan, Pine Plains, Amenia and North East are not listed on the transparency portal. The county doesn’t disclose the location of cameras on private property.
Reverri is thankful for the residents volunteering to host Flock cameras. “It’s a community project,” he said, and pointed towards the county’s ARTCIC site for a list of camera locations employed directly by law enforcement.
There are 64 total license plate reader cameras in the county, but the locations of cameras hosted by private residents are not listed.
Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi, in a February 2026 response to questions regarding the Flock camera on Schroeder’s property , said “we must balance transparency with the legitimate privacy rights and safety concerns of those private individuals who elect to cooperate.”
Flock Safety has not been immune to controversy amidst its national rollout. Two detectives in Wisconsin were accused this month of using the cameras for personal tracking and stalking. Five officers in Georgia were arrested for similarly non-professional use of the technology. Los Angeles Police Department suspended their use of Flock cameras this week, citing privacy concerns.
Flock has also made backdoor data access available to U.S. Border Patrol agents for purposes of immigration enforcement. Their security features have come under scrutiny from national lawmakers, who accuse Flock of lax protocols that have led to stolen police logins and international cybersecurity threats.
Eloise Pickering
Children enjoy a spin in a carnival ride at the 2025 Fire Department Carnival in Millbrook.
MILLBROOK — This weekend, evenings in Millbrook will be filled with rides, games, live music, food, and a celebration put on by and for the local volunteer fire department.
Wednesday, July 15, Millbrook will be hosting their annual Millbrook Fire Department Carnival. Lasting four days, the event culminates on July 18, with a parade down Franklin Avenue starting off the evening.
The proceeds from the carnival go to the firehouse. The money helps fund the day-to-day operations, maintains equipment, and provides training.
“Every person who attends the carnival is helping to support our volunteers,” said Millbrook Fire Department Captain and President Kelly Tomasulo.
The event will be located at 3323 Franklin Avenue from 6:00 p.m. to midnight each day. There will also be new food, including gluten-free options, and wine added to the bar booth.
“The continued generosity of our community is what makes it possible for the Millbrook Fire Department to provide the high level of emergency service our residents and neighboring communities have come to rely on,” Tomasulo said.
Past Chief Chris Hawks is the parade marshall this year, joined by the fire station dog, Tyson. Millbrook Mayor Peter Doro will also be walking in the parade with his three children.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our community together as a family, and I’m looking forward to sharing that experience with them while honoring the dedicated volunteers who do so much for Millbrook,” Doro said.
The Millbrook Fire Department answers around 1,000 emergency calls each year.
“They serve our community every day with professionalism, courage, and dedication,” Doro said.
Chris Klingner, left, and Dawn Klingner of the Amenia Rescue Squad serve fried dough at the Fire Department Carnival.Photo by Leila Hawken
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
Nathan Miller
MILLERTON — North East Fire District commissioners have asked Town of North East officials to limit emergency medical service dispatches to Pine Plains and Milan.
A group of fire district commissioners including Millerton Fire Department Chief Keith Roger spoke at the North East Town Board meeting on Thursday, July 9, raising concerns over how often North East’s contracted ambulances are dispatched to Pine Plains and Milan for lower-priority calls.
The Town of North East has a contract with private ambulance provider Empress. Pine Plains and Milan do not currently have contracts with any private ambulance companies. Those communities rely primarily on volunteer emergency medical technicians for EMS calls.
Roger called attention to Pine Plains and Milan’s lack of a contract with Empress, contrasting those communities with the towns of Amenia and Dover. North East, Amenia and Dover each have private ambulance contracts.
“If Amenia is short on a call, Millerton will go down or Dover will go up,” Roger said. “I’m ok with that because these towns also have a contract and they’re paying dearly as well as we are.”
Roger framed the issue in terms of ambulance availability. Mutual aid calls in Pine Plains and Milan can take an ambulance out of service for between 45 minutes to 3 hours if the call requires transport to Vassar Hospital in Poughkeepsie, Roger said, creating the potential for shortages in North East despite the $750,000 annual cost to the town.
“There are times that our town is uncovered — without an ambulance,” Roger said. “The response time would be 45 minutes to an hour if we have an emergency.”
Roger and Fire District President Bill McGhee clarified that lower-priority calls are their primary concerns. EMS dispatches are sorted into one of four priority levels, ranging from heart attacks and other potentially fatal incidents at priority one to non-life-threatening issues like assistance being lifted back into bed at priority four.
Town Supervisor Chris Kennan supported the fire company officials. He said he would send a letter to county EMS commissioner Bill Beale and the 911 dispatch center to restrict North East ambulances from leaving town for lower-priority calls.
Allison Gollenberg
The Planning and Zoning Commission has tabled a proposal to expand and renovate Sharon’s Medical Arts Building pending an independent engineering review.
SHARON, Conn. — A proposed expansion and renovation of Sharon’s Medical Arts Building was tabled by the Planning and Zoning Commission on July 8 after commissioners requested an independent engineering review of the application. Stormwater runoff was their primary concern.
The project at 29 Hospital Hill Road, across from Sharon Hospital, calls for adding office space, improving accessibility and expanding parking to accommodate the hospital’s growing needs.
The building currently contains 14,740 square feet of interior space with a 7,370-square-foot footprint. The addition would increase the building’s footprint by 2,363 square feet and add 4,727 square feet of interior office space, according to the site plans.
Sharon Hospital Project Manager Raymond Bennett said the project is necessary.
“We need this renovation to occur in order to expand our primary care practice,” Bennett said.
Project architect Scott Yates of H&R Design Inc. said the current building is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Regrading the parking lot and installing ramps and an elevator would bring the building into compliance, he said.
Under the proposal, aesthetic changes would also be made to the façade and interior of the building, and concerns raised by the commission about the condition of the driveway would be addressed, Yates said.
Dainius Virbickas, an engineer from Artel Engineering Group LLC, a Connecticut-based civil engineering firm, said, “The intention is not to just patch it, but to make it all nice.”
The Medical Arts Building is home to several medical offices, including Northwest Hills Pediatrics and Northwell Health Primary Care. The proposed expansion would add offices and the parking spaces required to support the expansion.
The addition would be constructed in the existing parking lot, while the lot itself would expand into a forested area on the south side of the 3.8-acre property. The project would add 40 parking spaces, increasing the total from 58 to 98, along with six electric vehicle charging stations and improved accessible parking.
The plans also include the installation of a generator and stormwater and erosion management systems – which are at the heart of the commission’s hesitations.
Commission Secretary Stanley MacMillan Jr. said he was concerned about runoff patterns, especially with an increase in severe weather.
“We have a 7 or 8 house subdivision that sits below this. And we don’t need any additional water going there,” he said.
Commission member Larry Moskowitz agreed. “I think the 100-year storms are becoming 50-year storms,” he said.
Virbickas acknowledged that stormwater runoff currently flows over the property from its eastern edge to its western edge, and said the proposal includes systems to mitigate that concern.
The plans call for subsurface infiltration systems that would redirect runoff through grading, catch basins, pipes and pumps before allowing it to infiltrate the ground or flow downstream.
In the ground, runoff is filtered by the soil, removing pollutants like sediment, phosphorus, nitrogen, metals and bacteria, according to the engineering report. The systems are also designed to reduce erosion.
Tree removal, he said, would also increase the site’s impervious area by 6.51%, from a total of 29.03% to 35.54%. Impervious areas can’t reabsorb runoff into the ground and can lead to erosion without support from root systems. Virbickas said plantings will be added around the new lot once it’s complete.
MacMillan also raised questions about bear-proofing the new garbage cans.
“Several people have asked me about trash management. The resident bear also made an inquiry,” MacMillan quipped.
Bennett said they’re familiar with the problem.
“Yes, that bear takes the trash out every day,” he said.
Virbickas said the plans can be revised to address the commission’s concerns before discussion of the application resumes at its next meeting on July 22 at 4:30 p.m.
Lucia Iandolo
DOVER PLAINS — The Dover Union Free School District Board of Education has approved naming the Dover High School football stadium in honor of longtime Town Justice Redmond “Renny” Abrams, recognizing decades of service to the community and support for the school’s athletic programs.
The board passed a resolution last month naming the campus football stadium in honor of Abrams.
Redmond Wren “Renny” Abrams served as the Town Justice in Dover Plains for 36 years and operated Renny’s Store & Deli for over 54 years with his family. He was a graduate of Dover High School and a member of the school board. Abrams passed away April 8, 2026, and since then, members of the community have reached out to the DUFSD concerning the best ways to honor him.
The commemorative signage will be funded by the Dover community.
Christian Jones, head coach of the Dover High School football team, has worked with John Hammond, assistant coach, to organize funds and bring this project to fruition.
Jones and Hammond reached out to Abrams’ family and, once getting its approval, presented the resolution to the DUFSD superintendent, David Fine. After gaining support from Town Supervisor Richard Yeno and a two-month hearing process with the school board, the resolution was approved at the board’s June 9 meeting.
Yeno was asked to speak at the board meeting on Jones and Hammond’s behalf about how Abrams contributed to the Dover community. He spoke about Abrams’ dedication to Dover athletics, both for the town’s recreational department and the school programs.
“He’s been there since he was a student himself, and people see that. I’ve seen that. I grew up around Judge Abrams, I graduated with one of his sons, and he was just always there,” Yeno said. The Dover Athletics Department and Football program have long been supported by Abrams, who played football, basketball and baseball in his high school career.
Jones said they are hoping to unveil the dedication at Dover’s annual salute to service football game on Sept. 3 with the family in attendance, including Abrams’ grandson, who is a quarterback and linebacker on the team. He said this is not only for those involved in the football program, but it is for the community to remember Abrams’ influence.
“There is a huge, significant impact of what Judge Renny Abrams had on all of our lives growing up as kids in the Dover community and players,” Jones said. “The amount of support and funding that he’s given through his store, his life and his career is just a tremendous legacy.”
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
