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
Orange safety cones mark off the incomplete sections of sidewalk along Route 44 in Amenia near the entrance of Beekman Park. Town officials say multiple mistakes and poor communication with contractor Southern Industries Corporation caused delays and a stop-work order from the state Department of Transportation.
AMENIA — Work on the new sidewalk along Route 44 near Beekman Park has stalled after the New York State Department of Transportation issued a stop-order in January over safety concerns.
Amenia Town Supervisor Rosanna Hamm first disclosed the stoppage at an April 1 Town Board meeting. She said the matter is being handled by the town’s attorney, and it’s still unclear what the next steps will be, but she holds out hope that the work will resume soon.
Hamm said construction company Southern Industries had already poured, removed and replaced sections of the sidewalk multiple times since construction began in August 2025. Inconsistent work schedules and construction continuing into the winter months further complicated the project before it came to a halt.
Hamm said that town officials, along with the engineers who designed the sidewalk and DOT representatives, have inspected the work and determined much will need to be redone, including catch basins along Route 44.
A Jan. 9 letter informing Amenia of the stop-work order cites safety concerns including improper traffic control and poor pedestrian safety.
Some portions of the concrete will need to be replaced, Hamm said, because construction crews attempted to install the sidewalk while temperatures were too cold. That caused the concrete to cure improperly, leading to flaking and weakness that significantly reduces its lifespan.
“This has been a slow process, which is frustrating,” Hamm said.
Southern Industries Corporation is a Westchester-based construction company. New York Department of State filings list Jonathan Delisa as CEO, although Delisa denied being the company’s CEO in a recent phone call.
It’s unclear who officially serves as the company’s CEO. Delisa said Southern Industries’ owner recently retired and sold the company to a private equity firm based out of Ohio, but did not provide any other specific details.
Hamm also drew attention to large piles of debris left behind by construction crews in the Beekman Park parking lot along Route 44. Crews from the Amenia Highway Department cleaned up the debris in April.
Hamm said that the cleanup cost the town money and will need to be reimbursed, potentially resulting in a fine for the contractor.
Town officials pointed to Southern Industries for the delays. Hamm said inconsistent communication and a failure to maintain agreed work schedules strained the relationship with the contractor.
Delisa pointed back at the town, saying officials were difficult to work with and project designs were insufficient. He said town officials were placing undue blame on Southern Industries, prompting the company to cut ties with the town.
“They still owe us money,” Delisa said. He added the piles of debris were left behind because the contract was terminated. “If both parties had to cancel a contract, and you’re still owed money, why would you go the extra mile and continue working there for free?”
Delisa and Southern Industries are currently facing multiple civil court battles regarding accusations of forgery, impersonation and wage theft.
Delisa would not comment on the lawsuits. All of the suits were filed in the months following Amenia officials’ decision to award the sidewalk contract to Southern Industries.
The construction work currently sits incomplete, with orange safety cones blocking access and causing pedestrians to walk on the shoulder along Route 44, posing a risk to themselves and drivers, Hamm said.
“There’s no place for anybody to walk,” Hamm said. “They’re walking alongside the road, and that’s just no good.”
Graham Corrigan
HYDE PARK, N.Y. — Dutchess County’s equestrian community is coming together next month to support an Ancram horse trainer’s family after a fire destroyed their home in late March.
After an April fire destroyed the Ancram home of Kristy and Ronan Moloney, the waves of shock and support came from friends, neighbors, and large circles of horse owners in Dutchess County. The fire triggered a mass response from community members across southern Columbia and Dutchess County. A GoFundMe for the family has raised over $120,000, but the support didn’t stop there. The equestrian community has announced a charity competition to raise more funds. It’s set for June 7 at Netherwood Acres in Hyde Park.
The Moloney’s own and operate Kinnitty Capall Stables, an equine boarding and training center operating in the area for nearly 20 years. They’ve always been quick to offer a helping hand, so when Kristen Smith — the owner of Netherwood Acres and a horse trainer — heard about the disaster, she started brainstorming.
“They’ve always been there to help me out,” Smith said, “and been very kind to everybody. So I started thinking about what we could do.”
Smith lost her own home to a fire in 2019. She said she’s acutely aware of the toll of such devastation. “Having to pick yourself up like that, pick up your kids … it’s certainly a strain,” she said. “So I just thought, let’s get together as a community and ride together.”
On June 7, Netherwood Acres will host a combined test event that spans dressage and show jumping. All donations will benefit the Moloney family. Any equestrian interested in participating can sign up on www.striderpro.com or by contacting Courtney Hart-Delgado at cor2cort@gmail.com.
Smith says the response has been unwaveringly supportive. “When you work with animals, there’s always ups and downs,” she said. “We’re good at problem solving and coming together to do that.”
Donations aren’t the only way others can lend a hand: the event will feature a tack sale of used horse equipment. Eventgoers can also sign up for the Millbrook Horse Trials raffle drawing, which will also support the Moloney family.
Graham Corrigan
John Merryman stands in front of a ground-mounted solar panel array that supplies electricity to his home in Millbrook.
MILLBROOK — Technology and tradition are often at odds. But on John Merryman’s Millbrook property, they have coalesced. Familiar sights remain: The knees of his jeans are spattered with mud after a morning planting grass seed. The tires of his solar-powered farm cart are similarly smudged. It’s just another day tending to the various needs of Merryfield Farm, Merryman’s Millbrook horse farm.
Merryman purchased the property in 2022, seeking to turn aging stables into a haven for his passions. Since then, he’s turned the property into a home for his tech business and his horses.
Many of Merryman’s chores are standard fare. His beets and potatoes are already in the ground, and the horses always need looking after. Others, however, hint at the bright-eyed farmer’s many interests. Maintaining the fiber optic cables that run all over Merryfield, for example, or trimming the shrubs growing around Merryman’s massive solar panel array to allow for maximum exposure. Some afternoons, he welds. Others, he uses his pilot’s license to take to the air.
Then there’s the inside work, those moments when Merryman steps inside to check the status of his AI team. There’s a bank of four monitors in his office. Some are filled with computer code, others showing new updates for Merryman’s latest tech venture, a Ticketmaster competitor called PlayHouse.
It’s a dichotomy echoed in the property itself. “The barn and house were rented out, and they weren’t taking care of it,” said Merryman, who grew up in nearby Irvington. “I love projects. I love working with my hands and building things. And it’s kind of what I do for work, but it’s also what I do for fun.”
Merryman’s career grew on a track parallel with that of the internet. He was fascinated by computers from a young age. His first consulting job came when he was still in high school — Merryman built an HR database for the French bank Credit Lyonnais.
Soon thereafter, he graduated from Johns Hopkins in the midst of the dot-com boom and quickly found work as a sales engineer in New York City.“Everyone knew the internet was going to be big,” Merryman said. “People’s behavior was fundamentally changing.”
But it wasn’t changing fast enough. “The companies building products for the Internet were so far out ahead of customers’ behavior change,” he said. “They were assuming that this huge amount of revenue would materialize. It took longer than anyone thought.”
By the end of 2002, the dot-com bubble had burst, wiping out about $5 trillion from the economy and causing a recession. The similarities to the current AI frenzy are not lost on Merryman. “I think it’s likely that there will be some high profile bankruptcies or contractions,” he said. “But I do fundamentally believe that AI is legitimately incredibly valuable. I just think it’s going to take people longer than they think to use it.”
Merryman landed on his feet after the crash. His first CTO job was at Yodle, an online advertising startup. Merryman was the eighth employee — when he left 10 years later, the company numbered over 1,500. “I was definitely on the front lines,” he said. “I was an active coder, did a lot of hiring, figured out how to get people across multiple functions to work well together.”
By the time Yodle was bought out in 2016, Merryman was seeing a shift in the industry: archaic systems were being replaced wholecloth by technologies that could perform their simple tasks without the clutter of spreadsheets and manual data entry.
The AI revolution was still in its infancy, but it wasn’t long before Merryman saw opportunities to test its mettle. He partnered with a former co-worker from Yodle, Brian Battjer, to create TowFlow.ai, a system that automates barge logistics for commodities traders. Merryman was encouraged by how quickly the program could catch an antiquated process up to speed. “You’re catching people up to speed who otherwise would be left in the dust,” he said. “It’s never scaled to the point where we’re going to take away all their jobs … we want to make them more efficient at busy work.”
The two linked again when Battjer was approached by an old friend, Tyson Ritter. Ritter is the lead singer of All-American Rejects, a rock band popular in the early 2000s. The band saw their popularity spike unexpectedly last year when, fed up with Ticketmaster prices and fees, they started performing at unconventional venues like backyards and roller rinks.
Ritter reached out to Battjer about turning the concept into something repeatable, that other bands could use to escape Ticketmaster’s predation. Battjer turned to Merryman, and the two started building the infrastructure for PlayHouse.
Merryman saw the AI potential immediately. Using a combination of Claude Code and Cursor, he built a platform where local fans can express interest in seeing a specific band. If enough people show an interest, the bands can start selling tickets and looking for a venue.
“As an artist, you can prove your demand before you lock in a venue,” Ritter told Forbes earlier this month. “you can throw your weight into a room and say, ‘Hey, I’ve got 150 tickets sold. I need a place to do it.’”
“I like having an impact,” Merryman said. “I like building something that people actually use. It felt like fundamentally, there is a real need for this…anybody who knows much about what Ticketmaster has done does not like them.”
That includes the federal government. Last month, a jury found Ticketmaster guilty of antitrust violations, including overcharging for tickets and a monopoly over concert venues.
The full ramifications of the ruling have yet to be felt, but the need for an alternative is clear. Merryman is building one from his farm, using little more than his four monitors and a server.
“Those tools have done everything from build the code to run operations,” Merryman said. “I troubleshoot when things go wrong, but you can get an enormous multiple on your productivity.”
PlayHouse is currently fielding applications from more than 60,000 bands. They’ll be rolling out new artists each week, and in the meantime, Merryman has plenty to keep him occupied. “I enjoy the act of figuring something out,” he said. “If something’s hard, I want to figure it out even more.”
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Leila Hawken
Local art lovers were attracted to the Millbrook Library for the opening of the gallery’s latest exhibit, “Un Real,” on Friday, May 8.The works of six area artists are being shown, including left to right, Laura Von Rosk, Betsy Brandt, Daniel Walworth, Sharon Bates, Monica Miller Link and Fern Apfel. Sponsored by the Millbrook Arts Group, the exhibit features the works of six area artists and will continue until June 28.
Leila Hawken
AMENIA — Town Board members began to discuss their duties in updating the town’s comprehensive plan in preparation for an update to the document that serves as a guide for officials.
The discussion began on Thursday, May 7, as volunteers work to complete the first update to the town’s comprehensive plan since 2007.
During public comment, Ken Topolsky, a member of the Comprehensive Plan Review Committee, said that zoning code regulations relate to the Comprehensive Plan.
“The Comprehensive Plan is aspirational,” Topolsky said.
He cautioned against any changes to zoning laws while the Comprehensive Plan is being updated, a process due to be completed within a few months.
“Wait for the Comprehensive Plan,” Topolsky advised. Later in the meeting, Bill Flood, CPRC chairman, spoke in support of Topolsky’s viewpoint.
Topolsky also noted apparent confusion about the meaning of “workforce housing” and “affordable housing,” saying that the two seem to be used interchangeably in discussion, but in fact, they are different.
“The distinction needs to be worked out,” Topolsky told the Town Board.
During wide-ranging discussion regarding code enforcement relating to fences and outdoor storage of junk, including cars, Town Board Attorney Ian Lindars recommended that the Town Prosecutor be consulted. He had undertaken an evaluation of existing imprecise town code sections that have been difficult to enforce.
“You can’t do things magically,” Town Supervisor Rosanna Hamm said, regarding residents who have complaints about such things as junk stored in yards. “The Code Enforcement Officer cannot force removal of junk without a process.
“There is a process that people need to go through,” she explained.
Councilwoman Vicki Doyle pushed back, saying enforcement has been lacking in the town. “But there have been decades of yard junk infractions,” Doyle said.
Hamm cautioned that enforcement can be difficult without proper legal support. “The first step is to invest the time to tighten the codes,” Hamm responded.
Discussion continued, turning to the responsibilities of the Housing Board.
“The ultimate question is whether or not the Housing Board is responsible for administering the workforce housing code,” Lindars said, having conferred with the Planning Board attorney.
Lindars advised that the Town Board has the authority to hire a professional to oversee the implementation of the Housing Codes that the volunteer Housing Board is responsible for, if necessary.
In other business, the board voted unanimously to appoint Ericka Howard to the position of Secretary to the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals. The appointment will be effective on June 1, upon the retirement of long-term Secretary Judy Westfall.
Joseph Brennan
AMENIA — Voters will have a chance to fill the vacant seat on the Town Council this year after the board has spent nearly two years with an incomplete roster of four voting members.
Two candidates — democrats Damian Gutierrez and Kimberley Travis — are eyeing the seat. Both are seeking the democratic party line on the ballot in November, and will face off in a primary election on June 23.
The local head of the Republican party, Jaime Vitiello, said they will not run a candidate for supervisor or councilperson as no one showed interest.
Travis, who’s best known around town for organizing the regular anti-Trump protests at Fountain Square in Amenia, said local Democratic Party leadership asked her to run because of her skills with organizing people and events. She said she wants to focus on listening to others and serving all townspeople if she is elected to the town council.
Travis emphasized a desire to push Amenia forward on issues, lamenting projects she said have stalled such as the Route 44 sidewalk.
“I want to see our local tax dollars go toward the betterment of our community,” Travis said. “Not get stuck in a quagmire.”
Damian Gutierrez has already served the town as a councilman and a member of various committees. He said he is looking forward to possibly rejoining the current board.“I’ve only ever worked with Vicki before and we accomplished a lot together, Gutierrez said. “To me it’s not about personalities or party.”
He believes his private sector experience could help. “I spent a lot oftime when I was in office working on legal matters,” Gutierrez said. “I helped migrate the town from a 1980’s email back office technology to a cloud solution intended for small governments.” One of the “big idea projects” he is interested in is the creation of a Facilities Director to look over town properties and lands and buildings as a paid position.
An unfilled board seat has become part of the local political scene over the past three election cycles, beginning with Leo Blackman being elected to the supervisor position the same year that two new board members, Paul Winters and Brad Rebillard, were elected. At the time, the council rejected the appointment of Vicki Doyle. Instead, the Board voted to interview other candidates in executive session and Nicole Ahearn was appointed when Rosanna Hamm, a Democrat, chose to support a Republican because she thought they could work well together, all political power aside.
Then Paul Winters’s sudden death created another open term that would require a second appointment.
This time, the board decided not to fill Winters’s position and chose to function as two Democrats and two Republicans. That vacancy continued after the November 2025 election, when Rosanna Hamm was elected supervisor and left an open year on her board seat. Once again, the board chose to function as four, and while it was technically three Democrats and one Republican, working together across party lines prevailed and the major issues facing the town — the new town garage, sidewalk, water projects, and pending lawsuits — were addressed with compromise, town officials said.
Current membership has focused on functioning smoothly and keeping tempers calm since the elections last November, working hard to avoid the acrimony of recent past boards. A new member, Walter Dietrich, and veteran Doyle — who was reelected to a seat on the board in 2025 — have voted almost unanimously with incumbents Hamm and Ahearn on the current issues facing the town.
“All four of us want the best for Amenia and that’s the point,” Dietrich said.
Doyle similarly emphasized a commitment to work fairly with anyone, regardless of party affiliation. “I will work with Republicans,” Doyle said. “We should fight for the town, not each other.”
Ahearn summarized the mood of the current board. “Not a lot of 2-2 votes,” Ahearn said. “We’re trying to come together for the town.”
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