PINE PLAINS — Touched by the full-hearted community effort organized by Willow Roots and its many volunteers, the faith of Pine Plains residents in their community was amplified as they watched countless local organizations, businesses and individuals join together to make spirits bright at the food pantry’s third annual Christmas party on Sunday, Dec. 19.
Organized by Willow Roots’ holiday events coordinator Dani Nicholson, the event ran from 1 to 3 p.m. in the parking lot behind The Stissing Center (TSC) on Church Street (Route 199). Willow Roots was blessed with an afternoon of sunshine and spirit in equal measures.
Whether those who came for the free meals drove through to pick up their food or ambled around the parking lot, visitors were instantly overtaken by the sense of community spirit.
Families had the option of staying to savor the holiday meals and festivities among friendly faces or taking them to go.
Their hands hovering over the warmth of a fire pit, a group of carolers supplied music as they sang seasonal favorites with gusto.
Willow Roots Vice President Brett McCormack and FORM + LIGHT Founder Sarah Rigano offered visitors on foot and in vehicles artful branches of natural greens as festive symbols of hope to add to their homes for the holidays.
As motorists advanced forward, they were greeted warmly by volunteers who offered them hot chocolate donated by Ronnybrook Farm; cookies donated by the “Cookie Fairies” from various churches in town; and presents in brightly colored bags arranged by Robert Burden.
“It’s a good little event and the cars keep on coming,” observed Jack Banning, an avid advocate of Willow Roots and one of the masterminds behind TSC.
Meals cooked with skill and crafted with a wide-ranging menu were provided by talented local chefs from Champetre, Cider Brothers Roadhouse, Farmer’s Wife, Lia’s Mountain View, Moose on the Loose and Tower Restaurant. Altogether, Willow Roots Co-Founder Lisa Zayas counted 181 dinners served at Sunday’s party.
Making an early appearance in town before Christmas Day, Santa Claus (thanks to his close friend, Rich Jewitt, manager at Stewart’s Shop) and Buddy the Elf (thanks to his close friend, David McGill, shift manager at Stewart’s) visited with local children to give away some gifts before the big day.
“It’s amazing: Every effort you see here, there’s a human behind it,” McCormack said, “and we believe that’s what it’s about — creating a community. There are so many helpers, it would be impossible to name them all.”
The list of volunteers and organizations that made this year’s holiday party possible was seemingly endless, as was the community’s appreciation for all that Willow Roots does to uplift and support them, with free food distribution at 7730 South Main St. in Pine Plains from 10 to 11 a.m. on the first, third and fourth Saturdays of each month.
“I think the most important thing is to care about each other and show up for your neighbors and your community from a place of hope,” Rigano said.
“It’s all about the community,” Jewitt said from behind his Santa beard. “For me, it’s about the kids and the community, especially with COVID-19 and everything that’s been happening the last couple of years.”
“Willow Roots does such a fantastic job in the community in all the things they do and the events they do in the community,” Jewitt said. “Everything the whole town does to come together is amazing, and that’s what small-town living is all about.”
To contact the food pantry, email willowrootsinc@gmail.com or call 518-751-0164.
AMENIA — The first day of school on Thursday, Sept. 4, at Webutuck Elementary School went smoothly, with teachers enthusiastically greeting the eager young students disembarking from buses. Excitement was measurable, with only a few tears from parents, but school began anyway.
Ready for her first day of school on Thursday, Sept. 4, at Webutuck Elementary School, Liliana Cawley, 7, would soon join her second grade class, but first she posed for a photo to mark the occasion.Photo by Leila Hawken
Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik shows off the new gear. Brand new police cruisers arrived last week.
MILLERTON — The Millerton Police Department has received two new patrol cars to replace vehicles destroyed in the February 2025 fire at the Village Water and Highway Department.
The new Ford Interceptors are custom-built for law enforcement. “They’re more rugged than a Ford Explorer,” said Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik, noting the all-wheel drive, heavy-duty suspension and larger tires and engine. “They call it the ‘Police Package.’”
Olenik worked with The Cruiser’s Division in Mamaroneck, New York, to design the vehicles.
“We really want to thank the Pine Plains Police Department for their tremendous support,” Olenik said. After the fire, “they were the first ones to come forward and offer help.”
The new police cruisers are outfitted with lights with automatically adjusting brightness to best perform in ambient conditions.Photo by Aly Morrissey
Since February, Millerton officers have been borrowing a patrol car from Pine Plains. With the new vehicles now in service, Olenik said he plans to thank Pine Plains officers by treating them to dinner at Four Brothers in Amenia and having their car detailed
The main entrance to Kent Hollow Mine at 341 South Amenia Road in Amenia.
AMENIA — Amenia residents and a Wassaic business have filed suit against the Town Board and Kent Hollow Inc., alleging a settlement between the town and the mine amounts to illegal contract zoning that allows the circumvention of environmental review.
Petitioners Laurence Levin, Theodore Schiffman and Clark Hill LLC filed the suit on Aug. 22. Town officials were served with documents for the case last week and took first steps in organizing a response to the suit at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, Sept. 4.
The lawsuit is the latest in a multi-year long legal battle surrounding the mine on South Amenia Road. After Kent Hollow Inc. — a subsidiary of Bethel, Connecticut, based homebuilder Steiner Inc. — applied for a state mining permit in 2017, the Amenia code enforcement officer issued the business a notice of violation.
At the time, Kent Hollow Inc. did not possess a special permit to conduct mining operations as required by Amenia zoning code, and the property did not reside in the Special Mining Overlay district established as part of rezoning efforts coinciding with the 2007 adoption of the town’s comprehensive plan.
Kent Hollow Inc. appealed the violation, claiming the use of the property as a mine predates amendments to town and state regulations. The Zoning Board of Appeals denied the appeal citing insufficient evidence in 2019. That spurred Kent Hollow to file two lawsuits — one in the New York State Supreme Court and a federal civil rights lawsuit — challenging the town’s order.
In July 2025, those lawsuits were brought to a close when the Town Board voted at a special meeting to accept a settlement agreement allowing Kent Hollow to continue mining operations under limited hours and quantities.
The most recent suit alleges the 2025 settlement amounts to contract zoning that allows Kent Hollow Inc. to skirt environmental review and the scrutiny of the permitting and rezoning process. Court documents allege Kent Hollow did not adequately prove a continuous, legal nonconforming use.
Supporting the argument, petitioners have submitted the court documents and decision from the 2019 New York Supreme Court case against the town Zoning Board of Appeals, and the documents from the preceding ZBA appeals process including receipts and tax returns from Kent Hollow Inc. purporting to establish the nonconforming use.
Kent Hollow Inc. formed as a subsidiary of housing developer Steiner Inc. and purchased the property in 1971, according to state and county real estate records.
Millerton News reporting from 1971 Amenia planning board meetings detail Kent Hollow’s pursuit of a four-section, 40-unit apartment complex on the property.
The News reported Kent Hollow was granted tentative approval on July 6, 1971, to build eight units on the site with the expectation that more would be built later.
The additional units never came to fruition and Kent Hollow apparently abandoned the housing project, opting to use the property as a gravel mine.
Attorneys for the Town of Amenia or Kent Hollow Inc. have not filed responses to the lawsuit as of press time.
AMENIA — While the courage and perseverance of Revolutionary era patriots is well understood and celebrated, the stories of the fate of British loyalists in New York are not as clear.
Seen as the initial event in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Amenia Historical Society will present a talk titled, “The Plight of a Loyalist in Revolutionary New York,” examining the journal of Cadwallader Colden, Jr., spanning the period of 1777-1779. The speaker will be noted author, genealogist and historian Jay Campbell.
The talk is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m. at the Smithfield Presbyterian Church in Amenia. The handicapped-accessible church is located at 656 Smithfield Valley Road. Refreshments will be served.
Colden was the son of a New York Lieutenant Governor. He was a surveyor, farmer and mercantilist, serving as a judge in Ulster County. His fortunes changed dramatically with the dawn of the Revolutionary War when he remained loyal to the British Crown. His arrest came in 1776, just before the start of his journal.
Campbell is a historian specializing in Hudson Valley history, and the regional stories of Revolutionary era families.
