The intersection of Beilke/State Line Road and Rudd Pond Road in North East is the site of frequent car crashes. The North East Town Board considered measures to improve safety on these roads during their meeting Thursday, Aug. 8.
MILLERTON — The Town of North East’s board members discussed solutions to reduce speeding on Beilke and State Line Road at the town board meeting Thursday, Aug. 8.
“As you know, the county has already put up an additional stop sign at the intersection of Rudd Pond Road, Beilke, and State Line,” said Chris Kennan, the town’s Supervisor. “But having put up those additional stop signs, it has not reduced the number of accidents that we’ve had there.”
The board members discussed different proposals brought to their attention, aiming for what would best serve the residents living on these roads. State Line Road has previously earned a speed limit reduction from 55 miles per hour to 40 miles per hour, taking years to be awarded by the state.
“I think it is important that we find additional ways of calling people’s attention to that intersection,” Kennan said.
The first immediate action the town can take is stenciling the word “stop” onto the pavement, keeping the driver engaged with the road. Their second proposal was to explore the potential of striping the roads.
“It is proven where people have done it, and it has been incredibly successful,” Kennan said. “A road that has no lines on it, the temptation is just to go right down the middle of the road as fast as you can. Stripe it and make lanes on the road. People tend to drive on their side.”
Residents on State Line Road who brought the speed limit request at last month’s meeting expressed disappointment that the town isn’t considering a further reduction of the speed limit and concern that striping would be ineffective.
“I am open to doing it,” Kennan said. “It doesn’t cost us anything to ask for a reduction. I just want residents to know I have experience with the county and the state … It took four years. That’s four years where a lot of stuff can happen, and I would rather take proactive steps to feel that we are actually doing something now.”
Pulver Road is the only fully striped road in the Town of North East. If the town proceeds, it would be able to paint roads without the state’s permission, allowing an immediate resolution.
“I would like to reach out to more neighbors and get a sense of the neighborhood,” said Kennan.
Maureen Lashlee, CEO of Habitat for Humanity, attended the meeting, expressing her gratitude to the town and hoping to find volunteers for upcoming events.
Habitat for Humanity is hosting its Groundbreaking Ceremony on Sept. 4 at 4 p.m. This is where they will welcome the new family moving into the home and into the neighborhood, and they will have a few surprises “you won’t know about until you get there.”
The foundation for the new home near Rudd Pond will be installed on Sept. 12, and the sill plate will follow shortly after. During this process, Habitat for Humanity will need extra hands to volunteer.
“When we put that sill plate on, that’s when we really start to need volunteers,” Lashlee said. “October is when things really start to pick up. There is an opportunity to volunteer almost every day.”
To volunteer, go to https://habitatdutchess.org/volunteer/ and look under “construction volunteer opportunities.” You must be 16 years old to participate.
The governor signed an executive order last July to create a new Pro-Housing Communities Program. According to New York’s official website, more than half of New York renters pay more than 30 percent of their income on rent, the second-highest rate in the nation.
The website also says, “In order to achieve true equity of opportunity and to erase the gaps in access to health, education, and wealth-building, we must guarantee that people have a choice as to where they live and raise their families.”
This program addresses the housing shortage in New York State and encourages communities to find and address growing housing needs.
Councilwoman Meg Winkler said, “It doesn’t have any monetary gains. It’s like joining climate smart in that you are sending a signal you’re taking steps to try to create a better environment, in this case, create housing.”
According to Winkler, at the time of the meeting, New York had 326 letters of intent from communities, and 75 had submitted all requirements for the application.
The town board must complete various steps for the Town of North East to join the Pro-Housing Communities Program. First, the Supervisor must send an email expressing the town’s interest in joining the program. Next, a resolution for the community must be created. Then, the town has a year to complete the necessary paperwork, like building permits.
“It is supposed to be a pretty easy situation,” Winkler said. “We have seven surrounding towns submitting letters, and we talked about being positive for us as a community to hopefully join.”
A preliminary draft of an impact analysis study for a Keane Stud subdivision application drew residents to a Planning Board meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
AMENIA — Residents had the opportunity on Wednesday, Oct. 22, to weigh in on the proposed Keane Stud subdivision, a plan that would divide roughly 605 acres into 27 mostly residential lots, during a meeting of the Amenia Planning Board.
The session was part of the State Environmental Quality Review Act process, following the board’s decision that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement should be prepared to evaluate potential environmental and scenic impacts from the project.
The study will help inform the board’s review and approval process.
Wednesday’s meeting served as a public scoping session, allowing residents to suggest which environmental and community issues should be analyzed as part of the study.
Peter Feroe, an environmental planner with AKRF, Inc. of New York City representing the developer, presented an overview of the project and outlined the preliminary scope of analysis.
About 35 residents attended the meeting at Town Hall, where Feroe explained that the plan calls for 23 residential-agricultural lots and four lots to be set aside for conservation and equestrian use. Two of the preserved parcels would remain forested as conservation areas, while the other two would support equestrian activities.
The 23 lots would be sized at 10 acres each. Since the entire area is within a designated Scenic Protection Overlay District, the layout requires Planning Board approval.
The proposal calls for the 23 lots to be served by three roads that presently exist as farm roads on the acreage, Feroe said, although the three roads would need to be improved for use.
“This is not a public hearing on the subdivision application,” Planning Board attorney Paul Van Cott said, noting that the decision will be made after the completion of the impact studies.
“There will be full public hearings on the impact studies and on the full Keane Stud subdivision application, perhaps two months from now,” Van Cott said.
Feroe reviewed maps of the property located on Depot Hill Road, off Old Route 22. Nine of the ten acres on each lot would be conserved.
“A full 90% of the site would be reserved for agriculture,” Feroe said, noting that no buildings are envisioned as part of the subdivision application. Purchasers of the lots would need to come before the Planning Board for site plan approval.
The Planning Board had asked the applicants to consider the effects of future potential residential build-out on the acreage.
“The goal is to continue to promote agriculture to preserve the rural character,” Feroe said, noting that the town’s comprehensive plan favors balance in development.
Since planning for the subdivision began in 2021, Feroe said, multiple project modifications have been made, including reductions in size, removal of lots, and revisions to the layout. The maximum home footprint was scaled back, and the maximum home height reduced to 28 feet.
All development restrictions imposed by the Planning Board would be included in covenant deed restrictions to be adhered to by lot purchasers, Feroe noted.
Residents’ comments centered on the theme of a feared loss of agricultural heritage inherent to the community’s character, and the desecration of the view from the DeLaVergne Hill lookout to the west.
Resident George Bistransin spoke of diminished agriculture in the area and its impact on farming, noting that he now buys hay from a Salt Point supplier for his animals.
Mark Doyle, representing the Conservation Advisory Council, described potential impacts on water bodies and active farmland.
“There should be no division or construction on the viewshed area,” said resident Sharon Kroeger, secretary of the Committee to Save the View from DeLaVergne Hill, an organization dedicated to protecting the viewshed seen as key to the community’s identity.
Recalling his past experience serving on the Planning Board, Town Supervisor Leo Blackman spoke of the iconic view from DeLaVergne Hill, called by many the “Gateway to the Berkshires.”
Blackman said he was troubled by the idea that the unobstructed agricultural land would be broken up, suggesting the house lots should be separated from the agricultural expanse.
The next Planning Board meeting, on Wednesday, Nov. 12, is expected to include adoption of the final draft of the current scoping analysis. The study can be viewed in full on the town website.
Millerton and North East residents crowded into the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex on Friday, Oct. 24, to hear from 10 candidates seeking office.
MILLERTON — A crowd of about 60 people filled the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex for a political Q&A session with candidates for local and county offices on Friday, Oct. 24.
Panels of candidates rotated across the stage, answering questions submitted beforehand and impromptu questions from audience members in the room.
Each candidate was given four minutes to make an introductory statement and one minute each to respond.
Election Day is set for Tuesday, Nov. 4, with polls open countywide from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Early voting began Saturday, Oct. 25.
North East Town Board candidates Rachele Grieco-Cole and Chris Mayville, each running unopposed for a two-year term; North East Town Justice candidate Casey McCabe and Family Court Judge candidate Tracy MacKenzie took the stage first.
Grieco-Cole focused on her experience in grant-writing and fundraising during her opening remarks, promising to aid the town in securing funding for crucial projects.
Mayville, who has been on the board since 2023, highlighted concerns over the rising cost of emergency medical services — and ambulance service more specifically — and said he focuses on growth and development that works with the town’s values and needs.
Millerton resident Lenny Sutton asked the board candidates for a timeline on the wastewater treatment system.
“It’s still a recognized need in town,” Mayville said. “Unfortunately, the original grant that we anticipated getting was taken back.”
Mayville said town and village officials are still pursuing the wastewater treatment project and asked moderator John Coston, the former executive editor of the Lakeville Journal and Millerton News, if Village of Millerton Mayor Jenn Najdek could offer an update from the audience.
“No,” Coston said to laughter in the room. “The Mayor’s off the hook tonight.”
A submitted question from North East resident Bill Kish centered on transparency in the town government.
“I’ve been attending North East Town Board meetings for many years, and in all that time I don’t think I can remember a meeting where the board actively discussed or debated an action they were contemplating,” Coston read on behalf of Kish. “Do you think this is the right way for government to function? If yes, why? If not, how would you change things?”
Grieco-Cole said she values robust debate and conversation, and asserted an appreciation of differing opinions.
“I’m pretty forthright and I speak my mind,” Grieco-Cole said. “And I believe in debate. I think it’s the bedrock of our democracy.”
Mayville offered a defense of his record while acknowledging he agrees with the premise of Kish’s question.
“If there’s a resolution up on the agenda and it’s not something I feel I have enough information on, or there hasn’t been — in my mind — adequate discussion, I will and have asked that that be tabled so discussion can occur,” Mayville said. “Additionally, I’ve also asked for the Town Board to consider adding an additional meeting just for that purpose.”
North East Town Justice candidate Casey McCabe opened by explaining her role as the town’s sitting judge and how the local court system works.
“We are the court closest to the people,” McCabe said. The town court handles misdemeanor offenses, traffic tickets, landlord/tenant disputes and small claims suits.
“We work really hard to make sure the court is accessible, it’s user-friendly,” McCabe said.
Sitting Family Court Judge Tracy MacKenzie described her work on the county-wide bench of four judges handling custody and juvenile delinquency cases.
Both MacKenzie and McCabe are running unopposed for reelection.
Questions focused on bail.
“Bail is not something we see very often,” McCabe said, explaining that misdemeanors don’t qualify for bail under New York State law. But bail is a tool, she said, that just needs to ensure people return to court at a later date.
Dutchess County Court Judge candidates Ned McLoughlin, an incumbent, and his challenger Kara Gerry took the stage second.
Gerry opened by outlining her career, beginning as a prosecutor in the Orange County District Attorney’s Office before moving briefly into private practice. She has spent the past 13 years with the Dutchess County Public Defender’s Office.
“People aren’t born criminals,” Gerry said. “Circumstances such as childhood abuse, poverty, homelessness, domestic violence, addiction, mental illness are really the driving factors that seem to push people into being charged with crimes.”
McLoughlin highlighted his 23-year career as a prosecutor in Dutchess County, saying he never lost a trial. He said he has presided over murders, burglaries, domestic abuse and other serious cases, also serving as a Supreme Court judge.
“When it comes to violence against women and children and vulnerable people, I’m known as a very strong, law-and-order judge,” McLoughlin said.
McLoughlin also mentioned addiction, saying habitual drug abuse is a disease that drives people to hurt those they love the most.
“The cases I’m really most proud of are the ones where I bring somebody in and they’re addicted,” McLoughlin said. “And I use the levers that I have to motivate them and encourage them to use an entire diner menu of programs that we have to get them past it and be able to get back to their family.”
Questions for the candidates focused on the rule of law and how they would defend the U.S. Constitution.
“A judge needs to handle every case that comes before the court with an open mind,” Gerry said. “Consider the individual, consider the background — but apply the law fairly, evenly and consistently.”
“The Bill of Rights and the criminal procedure is here to protect every one of us,” McLoughlin said. “When I see someone come into my courtroom it’s a very stressful moment for them. They’re afraid, they’re not sure what the future looks like. It’s my role to make sure they understand that they’ll be treated fairly.”
County legislature candidates for District 19 Chris Drago, a Democrat, and Tonya Pulver, a Republican, took the stage next.
Drago, the incumbent representing Pine Plains, North East, Milan, Stanford and the Village of Millerton, highlighted his first-term record. He cited his work securing grant funding for low- and middle-income residents to build or upgrade accessory dwelling units through New York’s PlusOne ADU program and raising awareness about the rising cost of emergency medical services in rural areas.
Pulver, a school psychologist for the Millbrook Central School District, said she is running to expand mental health services and give voters a choice at the polls. Her husband, former Legislator A. Gregg Pulver, held the seat until Drago unseated him in 2023.
Both candidates asserted county government could be doing more for residents of northeast Dutchess County, saying mental health services and emergency medical services are major challenges for the region.
Drago noted his efforts to bring more accessible mental health care to the area, including arranging for the county’s Mobile Health Unit to visit Millerton monthly. Pulver said she would continue advocating for the Dutchess County Crisis Center and Mobile Crisis Center to strengthen mental health support.
Incumbent Democrat Dan Aymar-Blair, who was elected to serve the remainder of a term in a special election in November 2024, and his challenger Will Truitt, the current Chair of the County Legislature, took the stage last in the forum.
Aymar-Blair highlighted his career managing budgets and operations for New York City Public Schools and working in finance at Goldman Sachs. He said the comptroller must remain independent from policymakers, arguing that a long tenure in the legislature should disqualify a candidate.
“I need, as comptroller, to look at the work that passes through our office with clear eyes and an objective lens,” Aymar-Blair said. “If I had been involved in passing that policy — if I had been in the county legislature for the past ten years — I would tell you that I should not be your comptroller.”
Truitt cited his 10 years in the county legislature and his experience as CFO of Hopewell Junction-based Metzger Construction. He said his experience on the budget and finance committee and now as chair prepared him to oversee county finances.
He studied finance and accounting at Marist University. “Most people would think, ‘Will, you like politics. Wouldn’t you have majored in political science?’” Truitt said. “No, because I never wanted politics to be a career. I wanted to make sure I had a background that prepared me for the real world — for the business world.”
Audience questions about government waste prompted Aymar-Blair to list a series of expenses that he said could have been avoided with proper planning.
Truitt countered that his legislative experience was an asset.
“Ten years serving in the legislature — while my opponent may think it’s not good experience — I do believe it’s good experience,” Truitt said. “Building relationships with our county employees and the people who do business here in the county.”
The Sun River Health Center in Amenia welcomed visitors to its Rural Health Fall Fest on Wednesday, Oct. 22. Assembling for a photo at Sun River’s booth were, left to right, Cherise McDaniel, Director; Crystal Marr, Associate Vice-President of Substance Use Disorders; Yvette Ramirez, Outreach Coordinator; and Elizabeth Phillips, Vice-President of Community Engagement.
MILLERTON — The North East Fire District held a public hearing Tuesday, Oct. 21, to review its proposed 2026 budget. With no public comment, the Board of Fire Commissioners approved the $787,813 plan during its regular monthly business meeting, which followed.
Fire District Chair Dave McGhee read a resolution to override the tax levy limit established under New York’s General Municipal Law Section 3-c for the 2026 budget year. In a roll-call vote, the Board approved the resolution and adopted the budget.
The 2026 budget represents a 2% increase, consistent with the district’s typical year-over-year growth. The 2025 budget was $771,366 and the 2024 budget was $756,222.
Among the largest line items is the Capital Apparatus Reserve Fund, earmarked at $100,000. This includes funds for general equipment, which could go toward a new Quick Attack truck — a small, 4-wheel-drive vehicle designed to reach fires or emergencies quickly, even over rough terrain.
Property development also held a sizable line item of $130,000. Recent improvement projects have included maintenance at the Millerton Fire House, including new floors, gutter replacement to prevent water damage and flooding that had been a common occurrence, new siding and paint and a heated walkway to manage snow and ice in the winter months.
As required under New York Town Law 181, the North East Fire District conducts this budget process annually, including a public hearing, providing residents with the opportunity to give feedback. Copies of the adopted 2026 budget are available for review at the Town Clerk’s office, the fire district secretary’s office and the Millerton Fire House.
Kelly Roger, treasurer and fire police captain, is once again leading the spooky festivities at the Millerton Fire House this Halloween. Residents can walk through a haunted tunnel from 5–7 p.m., or until candy runs out.
At the end of the tunnel, Roger will be distributing blank “Santa Run” letters to local children whom reside in the Village of Millerton or Town of North East for the now-annual Santa Run so they can submit their holiday wish list. “Our taxpayers are such wonderful people, and they give a lot. We want to support them and their children,” Roger said.
The Santa Run — a tradition born during COVID that has continued — delivers small gifts to children on Dec. 13 in mid-December, with the Big Guy himself making the rounds.
