Carissa Unite, manager at Oblong Books in Millerton, with one of the store’s electric ductless mini-split units for dispersing warm or cool air, depending on the season, using air-source heat pump technology.
DUTCHESS COUNTY, N.Y., and LITCHFIELD COUNTY, Conn. — “Installations are increasing every day,” said Charlie Lillis, who co-owns L&L Mechanical in Goshen, Connecticut, with his wife, Lisa. Two years ago, the Lillises added heat pumps to the propane- and heating oil-based systems they install and service. Today, heat pumps comprise about 80% of the installations they do.
Many homeowners and businesses in the region are switching their heating and cooling systems to electric air-source heat pump technology.
They are distinct from ground-source heat pumps, which are more expensive, and from the more historically common HVAC systems used in the region like boilers, furnaces and air conditioners.
Local contractor Jason Lemon is having a similar experience: “I use them all the time. I just put two in the newly renovated Terni’s building in Millerton, and used them in what used to be the Falls Village Gift Shop.”
Heat pumps are single electric appliances that can heat, cool and dehumidify. They absorb heat energy from the air and transfer it from one place to another, pulling heat out of a building in summer and into it in the winter, even when outdoor temperatures are at their coldest.
Heat pumps can rely on ducts to disperse heated and cooled air, or wall-mounted units called mini-splits. They are more efficient than boilers and furnaces, and they do not require propane or heating oil. Some property owners use them as supplemental HVAC units while others replace their fossil fuel-based systems with heat pumps entirely.
“We have an older forced air system in the building,” said Meg Sher, director of the David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village, Connecticut, “but mini-splits do the main job of heating the library’s big main room.”
Carissa Unite, store manager at Oblong Books in Millerton, said that eight wall-hanging mini-splits were installed there last year, some on each of the store’s three floors. The new system is very popular among the booksellers who spend their days in the historic building.
“The middle-grade section used to be an oven in the summer,” said Oblong Junior’s children’s bookseller Therese Stanford. “Now that we have the mini-split down here, the store stays evenly cool throughout the summer, and warm in winter. Customers stay longer.”
Rebates and federal tax incentives make the cost of installing heat pumps competitive with boiler, furnace and air conditioner installations. Lillis found that with last year’s rebates, it was cheaper to install a heat pump system than a traditional air conditioner. This year’s rates are a little lower and Lillis is finding the cost to be about even for both.
“Customers in many cases can be eligible for rebates of up to $4,000. It depends on the size and type of system that is installed,” said Ricardo Jordan, energy efficiency manager for Eversource, the electricity delivery company operating in northwest Connecticut.
Jordan recommends that customers interested in exploring heat pumps go to the EnergizeCT website, a collaboration between the state and utility companies to increase electrification statewide:
“Residents can schedule a no-cost consultation with a heat pump specialist through EnergizeCT to learn about rebates and incentives, to ask technical questions and to find qualified contractors. Our Home Energy Solutions Program can provide homeowners with an in-home assessment of energy savings options for their space and can bring in a certified heat pump installer to conduct an assessment. There is additional support for those who are income-eligible.”
As for his sense of whether customers are seeing savings on their energy bills, Lillis said: “They’re definitely saving money. People call saying, ‘I’m not paying for oil anymore and my electric bill didn’t go up too much.’”
When asked about the cons of a heat pump system, Lillis had trouble thinking of any. “With a heat pump, the temperatures coming out of the vent are a lot lower than oil or gas systems, so it will take longer to heat up an already cold house,” Lillis said. “It’s best to leave the system set at a consistent temperature.”
While heat pump systems are known for being quiet, the compressor outside needs to be thoughtfully placed, as it can make noise like a traditional air conditioning compressor.
“Tens of thousands of heat pumps have been installed in Connecticut,” said Jordan. “Customers are telling us that they want this in their homes, they want to go off fossil fuels. Because of that demand, we have developed programs to help people navigate the process. There is a network of trained, qualified contractors listed on our website who know how to work with our programs.”
Our summer interns crowd around Anne Day for an iPhone photo tutorial at The Lakeville Journal office.
Here in the Northeast midsummer is a season worth celebrating. We drive through the countryside that seems to become more lush everyday. For us at The Millerton News and The Lakeville Journal summer also is the journalism intern season when we observe a different kind of growth. This year we are hosting eight paid interns who learn from us just as we learn from them. Four are high school students (including one who was part of a student-launched newspaper at Housatonic Valley Regional High School this spring). That effort was supported by The Journal, and it will continue this fall.The four others are college students. Some came to us having experience in some form of journalism pursuit, or were simply curious about what it’s all about.
The schools represented are: Housatonic Valley Regional High School, The Hotchkiss School, Riverdale Country School, Marist University, Kenyon College, Middlebury College and the University of Virginia. All the student interns have life connections to the Northwest Corner and Dutchess County.
Over the past six weeks they have fanned out into our communities to cover events, writing feature stories and shadowing our own staff to learn the ropes. Managing Editors Nathan Miller and Riley Klein have taken the lead in guiding these potential future journalists week in and week out. Besides field work, we offer a series of workshops to deepen understanding of important topics. For that, we have turned to experts in the community who have freely given their time for weekly presentations.
Devereaux Chatillon, a Sharon resident and member of the LJMN Media Inc. board is an experienced media and intellectual property attorney, who shared her wisdom with our interns. Anne Day, a Lakeville denizen with a distinguished career as a photographer (and who used to edit Compass), gave her annual lesson on how to make better photographs, even with an iPhone. Natalia Zukerman, our Compass editor, shared her expertise on the ins and outs of the interview process. Laura Van Straaten of Lakeville, a multi-talented culture writer, multimedia consultant and volunteer at The OpEd Project, helped empower our interns to become thought leaders through their own voices.
Soon you will hear from our interns themselves as they write about what they learned from their summer experiences.
We can’t discuss our intern program without thanking our major sponsor, the William and Mary Greve Foundation of New York. One of our interns came to us through a new partnership with Marist University.
These interns are at the beginning of a possible career in local reporting. Today there is a big need for coverage of local government, school board meetings, healthcare in our threatened healthcare desert — not to mention a vexing housing shortage and the need to know what’s happening to our environment. More than one intern was especially interested in covering sports, which we consider vital to bolster awareness of what our young athletes accomplish.
A recent study by Axios found that there were fewer than four ‘full-time equivalent’ journalists for every 100,000 people in either Litchfield County or Dutchess County. That’s a lot of meetings, cultural events, sports activities for small newsrooms to cover.
Thanks to our readers, advertisers and donors, we are making good progress with a nonprofit model. And that is affording our summer interns a genuine experience. We will miss them when school resumes in August.
Thanks from the North East Community Center
On behalf of the whole North East Community Center, its staff, volunteers, and board of directors, I would like to personally thank our local community for the incredible support we have received over this past weekend. Our 2025 Chef and Farmer Brunch in Millerton was a huge success thanks to those who gathered to celebrate our work and the vital programming we provide.
NECC would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to those who attended this year’s event as well as those who chose to support us in other ways. We are humbled by our community’s generosity and by the difference this community’s sustaining support makes in the lives of our friends and neighbors. Though donations are still being counted, we are beyond gratified to report that thus far, our community has helped us raise much more than we had hoped - all to support our essential programs and services! These contributions are a testament to the area’s resolve for community betterment and the trust our supporters have in NECC’s work.
We would especially like to thank the volunteers and local businesses who participated in this critical fundraiser. Without the support of individuals, vendors, sponsors, chefs, farmers, and artisans we would not have been able to celebrate in such style! We
encourage our neighbors to remember the businesses that reinvest in their community whenever shopping locally. Visit our website to see a list of sponsors and photos of this incredible event: neccmillerton.org/chef-farmer-brunch.
Thank you all for helping us celebrate the work of our vital programs! As always, we are
moved by your generosity and dedication to making our community a better place for all to live.
Christine Sergent
Executive Director of North East Community Center
Millerton
Realizations from Galway Bay
I sit, eyes closed,
Your presence wraps me like a warm wool blanket.
The wind kisses the right side of my face,
As it gently carries my hair along with it.
I am not alone.
The gentle waves sigh in rhythm,
Their conversations are ever flowing.
They shh and whisper as they crisscross amongst themselves,
As they soak into the sand and crash against and within the faded, jagged rocks.
I am not alone
The blue hills across the bay, covered and protected by layers of soft grey clouds call to me
across the salty water.
They have always been there and will forever be.
I am surrounded by kisses, by whispers, by invitations.
Life is everywhere.
Everything is alive.
And I am not alone.
Grace DeMarco
Marist University
The following excerpts from The Millerton News were compiled by Kathleen Spahn andRhiannon Leo-Jameson of theNorth East-Millerton Library.
July 31, 1975
‘Wheels Closed At Carnival’; Like a scene from the days of prohibition, when the police would break up gambling games, the Millerton Centennial Carnival had its gambling wheels closed down early Sunday evening by N.Y. State Police.
According to Millerton Mayor John Hermans, at approximately 6:30 p.m. the State Police moved in and shut down the 5 gambling wheels. The carnival rides and ball-pitching booths remained open.
‘Pet Parade To Be Held’; On Saturday, Aug. 31,Millerton will feature its Pet Parade. The parade starts at 12:30 p.m. on Park Street. At 1 p.m. ribbons will be awarded on the green at North East Town Hall at the corner of Maple Avenue Parking Street.
The categories for children of all ages will be: famous people and story book characters (individual or group costumes), dogs and other pets (with or without costumes), bicycles or tricycles (decorated), and horses, ponies and other animals.
Anyone who wishes to join the parade may sign up at Terni Store or the Millerton Beauty Salon on Main Street.
First, second and third prizes will be awarded and a grand prize will be presented for best all-around exhibit.
The rain date will be Sunday, Aug. 17, at the same hours.
‘Four Companies Interested in A&P’; Four companies, including 2 in the food business, are interested in leasing Millerton’s A&P building, according to the building’s co-owner, Arthur Fried of Staatsburg.
The A&P company, based in Montvale, N.J., shut down the Millerton store last Saturday after a week of close-out sales.
Fried said, “We’re dealing with 4 different people” but refrained from offering any more information as he said negotiations are continuing.
“We don’t want the site vacant. It’s a good spot,” said Fried, who added he hoped something definite could be decided soon.
Meanwhile, A&P last week offered transfers to the 10 full-time employees who worked at Millerton. The News talked to three, one of whom is retiring, another of whom has taken a job with another company and a third who is just waiting.
Scott Lind, 62, of Millerton, worked 49 years for A&P. He turned down his transfer offer to the Red Hook A&P because it would have involved too much traveling. He plans to enjoy retirement in Millerton.
Joseph Deferari of Canaan was produce manager in Millerton. He turned down the Red Hook offer because of the 70-mile round-trip drive between his home and Red Hook and instead secured a job at the Shagroy Market in Salisbury.
Betty Dunn of Amenia does not drive and therefore could not accept the Red Hook offer. When asked what her plans are, she said, “I have to sit tight until I get something.”
