From left to right: Melvin Mathers, Maya and Emi Wakamatsu and Athena Burke, learning to use the Glowforge laser cutter which the NorthEast-Millerton Library was able to purchase with funds from The Webutuck QUEST for Excellence Fund.
As The Webutuck QUEST for Excellence celebrates its tenth anniversary by distributing funds totaling over $21,000 while fulfilling a record 20 grant requests to teachers and community programs, Webutuck school Superintendent Ray Castellanni lauds the group’s contributions.
He says, “I’d like to thank, for every student and staff member in the district, the foundation for their continued support of our academic programs, our teachers and most importantly our students. The opportunity they have provided for both our staff and students is immeasurable. Things that we would not be able to fund within our budget they have actually helped us fund, and that has made a tremendous impact on chlldren’s lives across our community, and we look forward to their partnership for many years to come.”
He adds the effect on teachers is “tremendous because there are certain times where they may have something that is specific to their classroom or their program for their students and the district is not able to fund it. So this allows them to take chances on innovative ideas and projects or some possible trips for our students that would not be funded otherwise. So it always has ... a positive impact.”
Castellani provides approval of grant applications for funds that are administered through the Berkshire Tacconic Community Foundation with the ultimate decision on the awards made by the QUEST board.
According to chairman Lynn Buckley, QUEST “Started around June, 2013 with current committee members Tim Bontecou, Murray Zimiles, Vicki Doyle, Elizabeth Murphy, and Buckley, as well as Jennifer Dowley, Chris Kennan, M.C. O’Connor, Lisa Straus, Janet Reagon and Rhoda Lubalin, who were “interested in cultivating an atmosphere of high expectations and achievement, as well as a love of learning.”
She notes that recognizing “the positive impact educators can have on student learning... we hoped by offering monetary resources; Webutuck educators and other community organizations could be energized to create innovative programs and projects to enrich the learning of students in the Webutuck School District.”
Buckley explained that as the initial donor of $25,000, the late art teacher Rhoda Lubalin of Amenia, was given the honor of giving the group its inspirational name.
While Lubalin’s original plan was to support the arts, Buckley said, “After more thorough discussions” which highlighted deficits in reading and writing at the third-grade level, the group decided to focus on those areas in grades K-3.
Buckley explained that as the years passed and the fund grew from it’s initial total of $95,000 supplied by committee members to its current $500,000 provided mainly by “friends of friends,” QUEST’S range of what could be supported also grew as it continued with it’s mission to “support projects and efforts that create a culture where academics are respected, that cultivate an atmosphere of high expectations of achievement, encourage student initiative, creative thinking and innovation.”
This year’s recipients and projects are: Taylor Chadwell, grade 1, Pete the Cat Literacy Project; Karen Thompson and Jordan Stroly, speech therapists in WES for the Kindness Kart; Tammy Nethercott and Alyssa Plastini, kindergarten, Creating a Serenity Space; Elizabeth Murphy, Elementary Librarian, Makerspace Supplies; Anastasia Demetros, grades 4-6, Establishing a School Store; Dan Hart, Grade 4, the Wild Robot Cross Curricular Study; Audrey Toonkel, grade 4, Creating a Safe Haven for Social-Emotional well being; April Whalen, grade 4, Colonial Times, Crafts and Trades; Colin Brannen & Tom Monteverde, HS, Using Physics and Calculus in an Amusement Park Outing; Danielle Fridstrom, HS, STEAM fair t-shirts; Christine Gillette & Kathleen Howard, middle school, Fun with Collision and Energy; Leah Sprague, HS, VR Technology in Makerspace; Leah Sprague, HS, Senior class trip to VT; Jonathan Scarinzi, 8th grade, Trip to Boston; Craig Wickwire, HS, Afterschool Art Club materials; Eric Wiener, HS, Play it Forward (purchase of musical instruments and help monetarily with the rental fees of instruments); NECC, creating a Book of Poems; Cary Institute of Ecosystems, Ashley Alred, Multi year educational partnership for middle schoolers; Wassaic Project, creating a student mural; and NE Millerton Library, Sustaining 3D Printing.
The current committee, which also includes Sam Busselle, is interested in adding additional members, particularly parents of Webutuck students. For information, call Buckley at 518-789-3082.
Celebrating the completion of his Eagle Scout leadership project to benefit Angels of Light on Friday, March 21, Jayden Loibl, 17, was joined by Angels of Light co-Executive Directors, Lori Cassia-Decker, left, and Danielle Mollica.
MILLBROOK — Capping a lifetime of scouting achievement, Jayden Loibl, 17, has earned the rank of Eagle Scout, completing a community project to handcraft outdoor benches and tables for the local nonprofit Angels of Light building at 28 Front St.
In addition to overseeing the construction of sturdy benches and tables that invite passersby to try them out, Loibl’s major project also created a Love Lock Pillar, and finished off the project by making stencil templates of the nonprofit’s logo to be used to identify the space and invite visitors.
“It makes the space more inviting,” said Danielle Mollica, co-Executive Director of Angels of Light.
To become an Eagle Scout, Loibl explained that he had progressed through six ranks, the final being Eagle. Community service hours are required along the way, with the final leadership project being the Eagle Scout project. As he progressed through the scouting ranks, Loibl said that he had earned 34 merit badges.
“I started Cub Scouts in first grade,” Loibl said, “and I have been in scouting every year since.” He moved up to Boy Scouts in the fifth grade.
For his Eagle Scout project, he chose Angels of Light because he and his family have been volunteering within their programs for several years.
The new Love Lock Pillar wrapped in chain link fencing invites the community to add padlocks, dedicating the lock to a child or family facing hospitalization or illness.
The chain link fencing was donated by Superior Fence and Rail in Pleasant Valley.
A lifelong Millbrook resident, Loibl attended Millbrook schools through the early grades before enrolling at Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie to take advantage of their academics and to participate in Varsity Hockey, Soccer and Tennis.
Having received letters of acceptance from four colleges and universities, he is awaiting decision letters from two more. Planning for undergraduate studies in Industrial Engineering, Loibl’s interest in mathematics will guide his choice of graduate work leading toward math modeling of data or risk analytics.
Continuing the scouting tradition, Loibl’s younger brother, Justin, 15, has earned the rank of Life Scout and currently serves as a Senior Patrol Leader.
“I am very proud of him,” Loibl said.
For more information about Angels of Light, go to www.angelsoflighthv.org.
AMENIA — Pedestrians will soon be able to walk safely between Broadway and Beekman Park, now that a construction contract has been awarded.
The planning process continued for many months, culminating in an invitation to bid. The Town Board voted unanimously at its regular meeting on Thursday, March 20, to select the lowest bidder, clearing the way for work to begin.
The contact was awarded to Southern Industries Corporation of Tarrytown, New York, the lowest of three bids received and reviewed by Engineers LaBella Associates of Poughkeepsie.
The project that will extend the sidewalk along Route 44 to provide pedestrians with access between the hamlet center and Beekman Park will cost $234,326.50, according to the bid documents. The amount will be paid from the town’s Capital Project Fund.
With several local committees working on town planning activities, the Town Board discussed ways to find commonality and cooperation among those various deliberations.
Town Supervisor Leo Blackman reported that he had attended the recent Century Boulevard planning meeting in Millerton and had found it instructive. He recalled that in 2004 Amenia had worked with landscape architect Mark Morrison who created a design proposal that upon Blackman’s review, seems relevant to the community today. Researching further, Blackman reported that he had found that there have been 13 reports done over the years by architects and landscape designers, each with ideas that could be useful in local planning.
In an effort to find commonality among the many reports, Finance Director Charlie Miller prepared and presented a summary of plans and visual depictions of overlap.
Miller said that he focused on the Morrison plan from 2004, the Recreation Department’s plan from 2006, Leo Blackman’s plan from 2016, and the Fountain Square plan and the Amenia Green plan from 2024.
Grants are available for communities seeking to improve walking convenience, connectivity, access, parking and passive recreation, Miller reported. He saw value in bringing residents together to hold planning discussions.
Blackman saw the importance of coordinating such planning with the current work of updating the Comprehensive Plan that is now underway and sharing ideas with the community planners about to begin work with the comprehensive plan committee.
A goal, Blackman said, could be to work toward qualifying for a state New York Forward Grant program.
“The initial part would not cost money,” said councilmember Rosanna Hamm.
Councilmember Nicole Ahearn observed that the timeline between community input and grant application seemed “ambitious.”
“It’s a matter of pulling all of this together,” Miller responded. The slide presentation will be posted on the town’s website.
General discussion continued, touching on the town’s ongoing needs for downtown pedestrian safety, ease of access, community enhancement and revitalization.
Blackman reported that he has spoken with the Department of Transportation about imposing a parking time limit in front of the post office and accommodating parking for handicapped drivers.
Crosswalks are a concern also. Blackman felt that where there are presently two along the stretch of Route 343 between the traffic light and Mechanic Street, there should be four.
“Our expectation is that we will have a more vibrant downtown and the way to do that is for people to not be afraid for their lives when they cross the street,” Blackman said.
Hamm suggested flashing lights at crosswalks and Ahearn saw the need for reflective paint marking the crosswalks, noting that the existing lines are faded.
Spring has officially arrived with freezing night time temperatures forecast through the first week of April.
Victoria Kelly, Cary Institute Environmental Monitoring Program Manager and Senior Ecologist, prepared this report.
MILLBROOK — Since 1988 the weather station at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in the Town of Washington has been keeping track of our local weather — precipitation, temperature, wind, air quality, etc.
The News asked Cary’s Victoria Kelly what records showed about this winter. Were these months colder and snowier than last year? How do they compare to historic winters? Is this a normal winter?
December’s average temperature was 30.3 degrees Fahreneit, 1.3 degrees below the 1991-2020 average, which is what weather people refer to as “normal.” The January average temperature was 25.2 degrees, 1.1 degrees below normal, and the February average temperature was 28.4 degrees, 0.3 degrees below normal. So, it’s not your imagination, this has been a cold winter. Note that the 30-year average used to determine “normal” changes every 10 years and doesn’t include the warm winters of the last few years in the comparison.
The record high winter temperature was a balmy 78 degrees Fahrenheit on February 21, 2018, and the record low was a very chilly minus 27 degrees Fahrenheit on January 27, 1994.
Overall, the winter of 2024-2025 has been colder with less snowfall than normal. It’s not over yet though. Remember the blizzard on March 14, 2017? Or the April Fool’s Day blizzard March 31-April 1, 1997? March has been known to go out like a lion before, it could very well do it again. Total snowfall this winter so far is 22 inches. Our last accumulating snow was February 15-16. As with many of our events this winter, it began as snow and changed to ice and then rain. We call that mixed precipitation. If we get no more accumulating snow this winter, it will be the fourth winter in a row with less than average snowfall. Our record low snowfall was 13 inches in the winter of 2015-2016. Our record high snowfall was 92 inches in the winter of 1994-1995.
Reports from the suppliers or heating oil and propane estimate that demand increased 15% to 30% so far this winter confirming the findings of the Cary Institute.
The North East Fire house on the south side of Century Boulevard.
MILLERTON — The commissioners of the North East Fire District recently held their monthly meeting at the firehouse to discuss their current needs and general business.
Discussion centered around the current work on the 2025 budget and proposed expenditures, which ranged from upgrading their heating/cooling system to the possibility of replacing car no. 3.
The possibility of obtaining a new vehicle, such as a pickup truck, was also considered. In the end, the discussion was put on hold with chair Dave McGhee saying, “We have time.”
Updates on planning and training were discussed. Fire chief Keith Roger reported that 15 calls for medical assistance came in for the previous month, two calls came in for motor vehicle accidents, one call for a fire and one call came in for a propane issue which was quickly resolved. There were 35 calls for downed wires.
Physicals were also a topic of conversation. The fire district currently has 47 members, some of whom still need physicals. The district’s plan is that all members will be caught up on physicals by autumn.
The Easter egg hunt to be held on April 19 was discussed in addition to the need to look into hay wagons for the event.
As part of the chief’s report, Roger discussed equipment. Hose-testing is scheduled to be conducted on April 9. He also stressed the need to order brush equipment and side mirrors. Roger stated he needs to figure out exactly what is needed to fill department needs, but “bib overalls, radios and wands,” are on his wish list as well as new labels for equipment.
The discussion then turned to two events. On March 27, assistant county executive Gregg Pulver will be holding a closed meeting to discuss EMS issues. On April 18, Kelly Roger will be utilizing the firehouse for an event. Building use was approved for both events.
The subject of air packs then came up as one had sustained damage. Chief Roger also reported he is looking into which responders are in need of new equipment. Additionally, he has been trying to meet with new vendors. He has also started a log book for recordkeeping purposes around equipment to enable the department to track its movement and usage throughout the department.
Responder Chris Reyes discussed his work on the annual dinner and requested that $15,000 be made available for associated expenses. A motion was made to allow, which was officially passed.
No new members have recently joined the fire department, but recruitment efforts remain ongoing with interested parties being encouraged to come to the fire district on Monday evenings at 6 p.m. to learn more.
The next meeting at the firehouse will be a workshop on April 1. A regular meeting will be held on April 15.
