Irene and Jack Banning on Saturday, April 15, at an event at the Stissing Center to name its main performance space Banning Hall in their honor.
Photo by Emily Edelman
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MILLERTON — Democratic incumbents State Senator Michelle Hinchey and Assemblymember Didi Barrett won reelection on Tuesday, Nov. 5., according to unofficial results of the Dutchess County Board of Elections.
State Sen. Hinchey, D-41, outpaced Republican challenger Patrick Sheehan with 55% of the vote compared to Sheehan’s 44%. Assemblymember Barrett, D-106, defeated Republican challenger Stephan Krakower by 54% to 45%.
Dutchess County Comptroller A. Gregg Pulver, a Republican, edged out Democrat Dan Aymar-Blair in the race for County Comptroller with 50.03% of the vote, compared to Aymar-Blair’s 49.89%, or a difference of 190 votes.
Municipal elections were held in North East, Amenia, Millbrook and Stanford.
In North East, Republican Christopher L. Mayville, a current Town Board member, defeated Democrat Rachele Grieco Cole by a margin of 53% to 47%. The election was for an unexpired term on the Board.
In Amenia, Charlie Miller, a Democrat, defeated Nicole M. Ahearn, a Republican who holds a seat on the Town Board. Miller had 56% of the vote, compared to Ahearn’s 44%.
In Millbrook, Peter Doro was elected Mayor with 95% of the vote in an uncontested race. In a race for two seats as Millbrook Village Trustees, Democrat Julia Bucklin received 27% of the vote and Republican Elizabeth Molella Socci won 24.95%. Democrat Shannon Mawson trailed with 24.75%. Republican Kay Vanderlyn Ulrich won 23% of the vote.
In Stanford, Adrienne Zetterberg, a Republican, won election for an unexpired term on the Town Board by 50% to 49%, defeating Democrat Theodore Eagleson Secor.
Amenia voters also approved a proposal on the ballot to increase the town’s contribution to the operating budget of the Amenia Free Library by a 67% to 33% margin.
Similarly, voters in North East voted 72% to 28% to increase the level of support for the NorthEast-Millerton Libary in Millerton.
A third proposition, which was before voters in the Town of Washington to increase the contribution of the town to the Millbrook Library, also passed by a 56% to 44% vote.
A New York State proposal, called Prop One, also passed by a 57% to 43% margin in Dutchess County. The proposal protects against unequal treatment based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability and sex.
All results are unofficial.
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The foundation for the single-family home being built by Habitat for Humanity of Dutchess County on Rudd Pond Road is ready to receive the modular home.
Photo By Krista A. Briggs
MILLERTON — The Macagnone family of four that was chosen for the Habitat of Humanity house in North East has a completed foundation, with plans to bring the home to the site Wednesday, Nov. 6.
The family was welcomed to the community with a Habitat for Humanity groundbreaking ceremony at the beginning of September.
“In the middle of October we also installed the sill plates to the foundation which was done by 8 volunteers,” said Todd Bowen, Senior Project Director at Habitat for Humanity. “That day was just amazing especially because the homebuyer was with them volunteering as well.”
The Millerton project is currently preparing for their modular delivery, expected by Tuesday, Nov. 5, and will be setting the home on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Habitat for Humanity of Dutchess is anticipating completing the home by the middle of December.
“We have adjusted our schedule a few times because of some construction delays but every time we post a new schedule on our volunteer hub we have no problems with getting volunteers to sign up,” Bowen said. “Specifically volunteers located in Millerton.”
The house lies on a half-acre plot of land and will be an approximately 1,400 square foot ranch style home with three bedrooms.
“As I mentioned we will be setting the home on Nov. 6,” said Bowen. “And then it’s go time for all of our volunteers and subcontractors to make this modular a place for a family to call home.”
Habitat for Humanity is still looking for volunteers throughout the process of building the home for the Macagone family. To volunteer, go to www.habitatdutchess.org/volunteer/ and look under “construction volunteer opportunities.” You must be 16 years old to participate.
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Cory Moore of Bellamy Construction reflects on the work installing new fire hydrants in Millerton on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
Photo by Krista A. Briggs
MILLERTON – Ten new fire hydrants have now been installed in the Village thanks to the Water Infrastructure Improvement Award (WIIA), a $1 million-plus grant which provided the funding for this project as well as two additional projects with a focus on water meters and painting the local water tower.
Mayor Jenn Najdek explained it was necessary to replace the Village hydrants, which had been deteriorating, and were less efficient than the newly installed ones. “It was a problem,” Najdek said, citing public safety concerns as the motivating factor for prioritizing this particular project. The decaying hydrants, Najdek said, were considerably older than their counterparts outside the Village, which were replaced back in the 1980s.
The reliability of the aging Village hydrants was becoming a source of unease to Village officials as their dependability could not be guaranteed in an emergency. The new models promise to be reliable and more efficient as they are equipped with a shut-off mechanism to prevent unnecessary water overflow, which, as a bonus, also makes them environmentally friendly. Additionally, the upgrade will enhance the character of the Village with the more visually appealing new models.
Najdek was quick to credit Bellamy Construction, who began work on the hydrants at the beginning of October, for a rapid turnaround within a matter of weeks. “They’re a fast-moving company,” she said, explaining that while certain sections presented their own challenges, Bellamy remained focused on the task at hand, and is now wrapping up the final stages of construction by replacing blacktop where needed and restoring impacted lawns and topsoil.
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Library on the ballot
Oct 30, 2024
Libraries have become the heart of many communities, serve to promote the health of the community through a growing number of varied programs and by offering communal space where people come together to work and play. On Nov. 5, three libraries in our region are asking for an increase in funding from voters to enable them to continue with a reliable source of funding — and remain cornerstones of social and intellectual life.
In Millbrook, it has been nine years since the Millbrook Library, which serves the Village of Millbrook and the Town of Washington, sought an increase. The Amenia Free Library is seeking an annual increase from the town to meet a continued demand for more services from those who use the library, not to mention pressure from operating expenses common to all institutions — utilities, salaries and supplies — to name a few. The NorthEast-Millerton Library is seeking a budget increase from taxpayers to secure additional funding that the Town of North East has been providing since 2007.
Chapter 414 refers to a chapter of the laws of 1995 in New York State that was amended to enable citizens of a municipality to decide how much to tax themselves for library services.
In November 2023, voters in Pine Plains approved a funding increase for the Pine Plains Free Library, which at the time was only one of two libraries out of 26 in Dutchess County that didn’t receive voter-directed funding. The ballot measure was approved.
In Millbrook, in what is only the third time in the library’s history that it has sought an increase, voters will be asked to increase funding by $165,000 to $349,000. In Amenia, voters are asked to increase funding by $20,000 to $245,000 annually. The NorthEast-Millerton Library’s request will not cost taxpayers any more money, but will ensure a consistent source of revenue of $175,000 annually.
Libraries perform a critical role in our communities, and they have evolved along with our needs far beyond the role they played in the past century. Often they are the new town meeting place where important issues are discussed in a forum venue. They support digital literacy, civic health, the education of young and old and much, much more.
They are not just places to read books. Every town should have a library. Just as municipal services are funded, libraries deserve community support for what they give to us in return. In Amenia, the average increase on a property assessed at $300,000 would amount to about 40 cents per month. A bargain.
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