The Webutuck Wildcats battle through a cold drizzle at the Millbrook Blazers’ home field on Thursday, Sept. 17. The hard-fought game ended in a 6-0 win for the Blazers on their home turf. The Wildcats and the Blazers are set to match up again at Webutuck High School on Monday, Sept. 28.
The Webutuck Wildcats battle through a cold drizzle at the Millbrook Blazers’ home field on Thursday, Sept. 17. The hard-fought game ended in a 6-0 win for the Blazers on their home turf. The Wildcats and the Blazers are set to match up again at Webutuck High School on Monday, Sept. 28.
Nathan Miller
MILLERTON — North East’s Highway Superintendent position has been filled, ending a nearly six-month long vacancy, after Town Board members appointed Stanfordville resident Avery Heath.
North East Town Board members held a special meeting on Monday, Sept. 21, for the sole purpose of appointing Heath to the position. The group had previously discussed his appointment at a Thursday, Sept. 10, meeting, but could not formally vote on the appointment due to Town Clerk Tilly Strauss’s absence, Town Supervisor Chris Kennan said.
The appointment passed with a 4-0 vote. Councilwoman Lana Morrison abstained from the vote without explanation.
Heath has worked for the Ancram road crew since 2006, except for a brief stint in the private sector from 2021 to 2022. He served as the Deputy Highway Superintendent between 2014 and 2021. He is originally from Ancramdale, and graduated from Stissing Mountain High School.
Heath currently works as a machine equipment operator for the Town of Ancram in neighboring Columbia County. He said he is tentatively expected to start working for the Town of North East on Oct. 1.
North East’s appointed superintendent is unique among the county — Highway Superintendents in most Dutchess County towns are elected officials. Town Board members voted in July to remove a residency requirement from the position, opening up the job to applicants that reside outside the Town of North East.
That decision drew criticism from some residents, mostly in public comments on FaceBook, who said the town’s Highway Superintendent would be most responsive and available for emergencies if they lived in the town.
Heath said he doesn’t expect his living status in Stanfordville to negatively impact his job performance. He said he lives near the town line that separates Stanford and North East, and that his years of experience working for road crews make him a good choice for the position despite his residency.
“I believe that the person coming into the job should know what the job entails,” Heath said. “I feel that I have the time and experience that I will do a good job.”
The Town’s Highway Superintendent position was left vacant at the end of March when 40-year road crew veteran Bob Stevens died suddenly. Stevens was originally appointed to the position 28 years ago.
Heath, who was familiar with Stevens, acknowledged the legacy that Stevens left behind.
Heath said he’s looking forward to the opportunity to serve North East as Stevens had prior to his death.
“I’m hoping to come into this job and do what Bob did,” Heath said. “Take care of the Town of North East.”
Graham Corrigan
HILLSDALE — Family-owned building supply company Herrington’s will celebrate the opening of its new Kitchen, Bath and Tile Design Center at 312 White Hill Lane on Saturday, Sept. 26.
Customers can view displays of wall and floor tile, countertop surfaces and cabinetry at the new location. The company expanded into kitchen and bath design in the early 1980s, and added porcelain, ceramic, and marble tile to its offerings in 2016.
“We like to think of the new Design Center as a full-circle moment,” said Ed Herrington, the company’s president and CEO. “We’re proud of our business’ 120 year history and its connection to the New York and Harlem Valley Line.”
The Design Center was built on the former site of the Hillsdale Harlem Valley Railroad Station. The location has special significance to the Herrington family. When rail service to Hillsdale ended in 1976, Richard E. Herrington purchased the station and used it to store finished lumber until a fire destroyed the building in 1987.
The new building’s design takes inspiration from the original station, with a linear arrangement of connected showrooms. It was envisioned by Richard B. Herrington, the company’s general manager and vice president, and carried out by Zac Culbreth Architecture, Carrie Herrington of C. Herrington Home + Design, Scott Decker Construction, and a team of local subcontractors.
Carrie Herrington, who collaborated with the company’s design team on the showroom vignettes, said, “It was our intention to show a broad range of aesthetics in the displays, while nodding to the history of the original structure in the common areas.”
Today Herrington’s operates six locations across New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut, supplying contractors and homeowners throughout the tri-state region with lumber, millwork, hardware, paint, stone and tile. The company remains family-owned after several generations.
The public is invited to a Grand Opening on Saturday, September 26, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Design Center will be open Monday — Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Ruth Epstein
SHARON, Conn. — Sharon Hospital will receive $13.1 million in federal funding to expand care for older residents, improve access to specialists and establish an outpatient rehabilitation facility outside its campus.
Gov. Ned Lamont announced Sept. 16 that the award is part of $50 million in first-year agreements finalized by the Connecticut Department of Social Services under the Rural Health Transformation Program.
The statewide funding package includes $46 million for four rural hospital systems and nearly $4 million for technical assistance.
Sharon Hospital, part of Northwell Health, plans to combine its $13.1 million award with investments from the health system to support three initiatives: a healthy aging program, a staffed virtual health office and an off campus rehabilitation facility.
The healthy aging program will bring blood pressure checks, glucose monitoring and cholesterol screening to community settings where older residents already gather. Hospital officials said the gatherings will also provide opportunities for social interaction.
The virtual health office will provide a dedicated space at Sharon Hospital where patients can consult remotely with specialists, with clinical staff available to assist. The service is intended to help older residents, working families and patients whose medical conditions make travel difficult.
The planned rehabilitation facility will provide an additional location for physical therapy and rehabilitation, which hospital officials described as among the area’s most sought-after services. Existing rehabilitation services on the hospital campus will continue.
“These resources will help us strengthen access to care, invest in services that meet the unique needs of our rural community and continue building a healthier future for the patients and families we are privileged to serve,” Sharon Hospital President Christina McCulloch said in a statement.
Other first-year awards include $20.2 million for Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam and a combined $12.7 million for Hartford HealthCare’s Windham Hospital and Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington.
The grants are intended to help rural hospitals address challenges that include staffing shortages, aging facilities, low patient volumes and a heavy reliance on public insurance programs. Projects statewide will include equipment upgrades, building renovations, expanded telehealth capacity and efforts to stabilize the health care workforce.
“Connecticut’s rural hospitals are essential to their communities, and they have unique challenges in ensuring that people who live in these areas can access the healthcare they need,” Lamont said.
The announcement follows other investments since Sharon Hospital became part of Northwell Health in May 2025, when Northwell merged with Nuvance Health, the hospital’s former parent organization.
Earlier this year, McCulloch described upgrades to the hospital’s radiology department, including a replacement CT scanner, and an expanded training program that brings family medicine residents to Sharon for experience in rural health care.
Connecticut is expected to receive approximately $154.2 million during the first year of the five-year federal program. The $50 million announced Sept. 16 represents the first group of finalized agreements with hospitals and a technical-assistance provider.
Sharon Hospital has not specified when its three initiatives will begin, where the offsite rehabilitation facility will be located or how the $13.1 million will be divided among them.
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Leila Hawken
Samuel Johnson, 8, and his 10-year-old brother Emmett, right, of Amenia, build a car out of legos that they will then use a computer to program and drive at the Amenia Free Library on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
Samuel Johnson, 8, and his 10-year-old brother Emmett, right, of Amenia, build a car out of legos that they will then use a computer to program and drive at the Amenia Free Library on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
Nathan Miller
AMENIA — Smoking and vaping tobacco and cannabis is now banned on town-owned property in Amenia after Town Board members approved new regulations Thursday, Sept. 17.
Town Board members unanimously approved the new local law during their regular meeting following a public comment period that drew no response.
Town officials introduced the legislation in August, intending to bring the town’s local laws in line with updated guidelines from health authorities and anti-smoking advocates. Those guideline updates are driven by increased use of cannabis following legalization in New York and the prevalence of nicotine vapes, Town Supervisor Rosanna Hamm said.
Hamm said the updated guidance led her to realize the town did not have any smoking regulations. She said that realization spurred town officials to implement a formal ban on town property including Town Hall, the basketball courts and public space along Main Street, Beekman Park, Fountain Square, the town’s Highway Garage, town-owned cemeteries and at the playground behind Town Hall.
The town will now install “no smoking” signs at the impacted locations. Violations of the law carry fines — $50 for a first offense and between $200 and $500 for subsequent offenses.
Hamm said the town’s constables and Dutchess County Sheriff’s deputies will have the authority to issue tickets for violating the law. But she said she expects most people to respect the signs and refrain from smoking on town property.
“It’s going to take time to get it in full swing, but you have to start somewhere,” Hamm said in September before the law was approved.
Graham Corrigan
PINE PLAINS — A proposed wedding and event venue at the former site of Lia’s Mountain View restaurant may move forward after the Pine Plains Town Board approved a change to the zoning code.
Town Board members approved multiple changes to the town’s zoning code on Thursday, Sept. 17, including adjusting rules for properties that are divided over multiple zones and adjusting definitions for retail farm stands.
The first change amends a local law pertaining to properties that are split by multiple zones. Instead of applying for a variance, a property owner may now extend the less restrictive zone to the entire parcel — as long as the parcel is less than 5 acres.
Angela Somma, who runs The Tin Barn in Clermont, has planned to rehabilitate the property on Route 82 for the better part of a year. Somma wants to open a venue in the space, complete with food, drink, music, and dancing. Her application was delayed, however, when it was discovered that the Pine Plains parcel was split in two.
With the matter now resolved and codified into law, the rehabilitation may continue.
Farm Market or Farm Stand?
The Town Board approved another tweak to the local laws last week. The difference between farm markets and farm stands had been batted back and forth between the board and the county for months, but at September’s meeting, Town Attorney Warren Replansky filed a resolution addressing the distinction.
Under the new resolution, a farm market requires the available products to be grown in the larger Hudson Valley area. It’s not required to be seasonal and may sell goods produced at a different location.
The debate came about after a proposed storage property at 2316 Church Street wanted to include a farm stand at the front of their property. Under Pine Plains’s zoning regulations, a “farm stand” refers specifically to retail operations on the same farm property where the goods are produced.
Whether the application will now be amended remains to be seen.
Patchin’s Mill tour
After a summer of renovation and rejuvenation, the historic Patchin’s Mill — a lumber mill building that has seen significant renovations this year at the hands of Friends of Stissing Landmarks — is ready for its closeup. FOSL will host a Patchin’s Mill Day on Oct. 11, where they’ll walk through the restoration work that has brought the local landmark back from the brink. Both the mill and its adjoining house will be available for tours.
Flock public forum
Councilmember Jeanine Sisco reminded residents of a public forum on Sept. 23 concerning surveillance company Flock Safety. The forum will start at 5 p.m. and be held at the Pleasant Valley Town Hall. It’s being organized by County Legislator Eric Alexander, and will include Sheriff Kirk Imperati, District Attorney Anthony Parisi, and County Legislator Yvette Valdés Smith.
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