Last year’s summer reading program visit by the Two-by-Two Animal Haven shown here proved to be so popular it was repeated on Tuesday, July 2 at 10 a.m. at the Millbrook Library at 3 Friendy Lane in Millbrook.
As students through North East leave school behind for the summer, their teachers are hoping they will return in the fall with all their hard earned reading skills in tact.
But like most, NorthEast —Millerton Library Youth Services Director and retired Webutuck elementary school teacher Lynn Buckley knows that without some sort of intervention, the dreaded “Summer Slip” could take away some of that progress for too many students — particularly for those whose gains were hardest fought.
One solution? Enter the summer reading “Adventure Begins in Your Library,” a statewide effort, The Collaborative Summer Library Program, which provides suggestions and encouragement for local libraries. Although working around the central theme, local libraries put their own spins on the topic as they hope to lure both enthusiastic and reluctant readers into their stacks and through their pages.
Library events are free and open to all with no card required although one is needed in order to check out books, DVD’s and other material. Cards are free to residents of the areas served.
Details of all libraries including addresses, schedules and programs are available on their websites. Highlights of the summer are as follows.
Amenia
Amenia children will be keeping their reading accomplishments close to their hearts as they wear a lanyard with a punch card record of their summer reading attached. Saying they want the children to have flexibility in their choices of books, Library Director Victoria Herow says “ We’re not prioritizing numbers” but are suggesting various categories such as adventure, animals, and more with prizes given for books read. The high points of the summer will be several visits by “The Nutty Scientist” who will “teach science in a fun way.” In order to encourage more children to signup for the library, the staff will be visiting camps in the area. Go to amenialibrary.org or call 845-373-8273 for more information.
Millbrook
Summer reading at the Millbrook Library officially kicked off with a party on Friday, June 28 from 3 to 6 p.m. with an ice cream truck, live music, lawn games, face painting, and food. Patrons may register for the program and pick up season schedules at the library.
Children Literacy Coordinator Kate Anderson says that with special programs for every age group from babies on up, the library will keep its online calendar full as readers will win prizes their reading. For each book completed, they will also earn a token which will be added to a bucket at the main desk. At the end of the program, for each token counted, the library will donate a book to the United Way for distribution to families. Anderson says this is a way of “getting books into the hands of kids who don’t have books at home ... to encourage kids who normally do not read.” Go to Millbrooklibrary.org or call 845-677-3611 for more information.
Millerton
Buckley says shouts of BINGO will cap accomplishments of young readers at the NorthEast-Millerton Library as they complete their cards with boxes representing an accomplishment such as “reading a graphic novel or reading under your bed.” Bi-Lingual cards are available and readers may complete as many as they like, earning a prize for each one. As a bonus, Buckley has added a special “word games” section to the June children’s news letter which will keep participants of all ages occupied on even the rainiest day while building language skills. Throughout the six week session, there will be regular story times for a variety of ages mixed with music, backyard adventures, and outer space puppeteers. Kickoff for a pirate themed Adventures of the Sea will be on Saturday, July 6 from 11 a..m. to 12:30 p.m. with craft construction of a pirate hat or treasure map. Go to nemillertonlibrary.org or call 518-789-3340 for more information.
Pine Plains
With the goal of introducing more children to the Pine Plains Free Library, Assistant Director Amy Mallozzi said the library is partnering with the town summer camp, booking performers for the camp with the event open to the public. Campers will also visit the library on a weekly basis, both of which she says will “increase traffic.’” Mallozzi hopes those visits will show that the library is “more than just sitting quietly and looking at a book.” Prizes will be given for the number of minutes read not just the number of books because as children read at different rates, they want to give them credit for the time they put in. Program registration is either in person or by phone. Mallozzi says no cards are needed as the program is “open to all. We don’t check. We don’t ask, we just hope people will come and participate.” Go to pineplainslibrary.org or call 518-398-1927 for more information.
Stanford
Stanford Free Library Director Christa Cerul says they will “have something for everybody,” with reading logs as incentives leading to prizes including a raffle for four tickets to a Harlem Valley Renegades game with readers earning a ticket for each book read. Current focus is on story times for separate age groups: babies, toddlers, pre-school and kindergarten, and grades 1-3 with times posted online and a baby sitting class July 11 from 5 to 8 p.m. Thinking of new patrons, Cerul says, “We always hope the summer reading draws them in.” Go to stanfordlibrary.org or call 845-868-1341 for more information.
Planning Board members granted a waiver to the proposed cannabis dispensary located in the historic weigh station on Route 82 allowing the business to operate within 300 feet of the firehouse and the Post Office in contradiction with Pine Plains's local law. Town attorney Warren Replansky explained the town's codes would likely be unenforceable following legal decisions handed down by the Office of Cannabis Management on Monday, Oct. 6.
PINE PLAINS — Members of the Planning Board voted unanimously to grant a waiver to Upstate Pines allowing the cannabis dispensary to operate within 300 feet of the firehouse and the Post Office at their regular meeting Wednesday, Oct. 8.
That vote came after Planning Board attorney Warren Replansky explained recent state guidance superceded the town’s ability to restrict the business on the grounds of its proximity to the Post Office and the firehouse.
Approval of the dispensary itself was not yet granted, and the public hearing will be continued at the Wednesday, Nov. 12, meeting of the Planning Board.
Replansky explained an advisory opinion handed down on Monday, Oct. 6, from the state government and the Office of Cannabis Management clarified that municipalities may only legally restrict a nonmedical cannabis dispensary’s distance to a “public youth facility,” defined as a publicly accessible space with the primary purpose of providing services to children.
“So that might’ve saved you a bit of time,” Planning Board Chair Michael Stabile said to the applicants following Replansky’s remarks.
Next steps for the project now require the applicants to undergo State Environmental Quality Review, a standard process that most major development projects are required to follow.
Planning Board members, Replansky and the applicants also discussed parking and traffic control plans after receiving input from Dutchess County Planners that requested more specific information about the potential future uses on the site including a grocery store and an ice cream shop.
County planners wanted to see a detailed description of the scope of all future uses to limit the possibility of segmentation, which is when a project is proposed and completed in vague phases that inhibit the full environmental review process.
Also on the agenda was a resolution to allow construction of a small house at 441 Carpenter Hill Road and the approval of a site plan for ground-mounted solar panels in the backyard of a residence at 560 Carpenter Hill Road. Board members approved the resolution for the small house and accepted the site plan for the solar panels, setting a public hearing on the matter for Wednesday, Nov. 12.
Dozens of people crowded into the courthouse at the Washington Town Hall on Reservoir Drive in Millbrook on Tuesday, Oct. 7, to watch a pre-application meeting between Planning Board members and representatives of Centaur Properties LLC. David Blatt and Henry Hay of Centaur Properties LLC described their plan to build an 18-hole golf course with limited membership and residences on the historic 2,000-acre Hitchcock estate.
"This is nothing like Silo Ridge," said Centaur Properties co-founder Henry Hay. "This is Buckingham Palace to a craphouse. It's completely different. It's much higher quality."
MILLBROOK — Dozens of residents of the Town of Washington packed into the courtroom in Town Hall on Reservoir Drive for a standing-room-only regular meeting of the Planning Board on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
Well over three-quarters of the crowd were there to listen in to a pre-application meeting between Planning Board members and representatives of Centaur Properties LLC, a New York City-based development company that’s proposing an 18-hole golf course, equestrian facilities and luxury residential development on the 2,000-acre Hitchcock estate.
A pre-application meeting, Planning Board Chair Susan Meaney explained before beginning the discussion, allows developers or anyone with a potential project to meet with the Planning Board and ask questions about the planning and zoning process prior to submitting an application.
“This is not a public hearing,” Meaney said. “That doesn’t mean that you can’t let your voices be heard. If you have opinions about what gets said here tonight or what the potential proposal might be you can certainly write letters to the Planning Board.”
Henry Hay and David Blatt are the men behind Centaur Properties’ proposal for the Hitchcock estate. Blatt began the discussion by expressing his and Hay’s desire to have an open dialogue with the community.
“It goes without saying this is an incredible piece of property — an incredibly large piece of property,” Blatt said. “It deserves a responsible and thoughtful steward and our hope is that we can bring that level of stewardship that the property deserves and the level of attention to detail and care that this property needs.”
Following was a description of the project centered around an 18-hole golf course that Blatt and Hay said was essential to the development.
“Our ideas on our project are to create a world class golf course, clubhouse — limited membership,” Blatt said.
Additionally, the developers expressed a desire to construct a spa, equestrian facilities, trails, housing and to conserve a portion of the estate.
Planning Board members then began a back-and-forth with the developers, asking the two men for more specific details about their proposal. One of Meaney’s first questions centered around private membership.
“We’re going to have a very, very small membership,” Hay said. “Maybe 300 people.”
That response prompted board member Nicole Drury to clarify if the proposal is more akin to a private golf club or a gated luxury housing development of the likes of the Discovery Land Company’s Silo Ridge Field Club in Amenia — a gated luxury subdivision in Amenia with an 18-hole golf course and other amenities.
“This is nothing like Silo Ridge,” Hay said in response. “This is Buckingham Palace to a craphouse. It’s completely different. It’s much higher quality.”
Later on in the meeting, Planning Board member Eric Alexander again drew comparisons between Centaur’s proposal and the nearby Silo Ridge Field Club in Amenia, which he called a “bad situation for that community.” He cited a perception of exclusivity within the luxury housing development that has put off the surrounding Amenia community.
But Hay wouldn’t elaborate on the distinctions between the Hitchcock estate proposal and Silo Ridge Field Club. "This is nothing like Silo Ridge," Hay maintained. "We don't want that."
Environmental conservation was central to the board members’ concerns, prompting conflicting responses from Blatt and Hay about the amount of open space that will be left after development.
“At least 50%,” Hay said before Blatt cut him off.
“I think 25 to 50% is kind of a good estimate,” Blatt said, correcting his colleague. “We would love to put aside as much as possible.”
The pre-application meeting ended shortly after input from the Planning Board’s attorney, Hannah Atkinson of Van DeWater & Van DeWater out of Poughkeepsie, and Meaney that not much more could be said about the proposal until something concrete has been submitted to the board.
“There’s a code so you can be working within the framework of what’s expected in these different zones,” Atkinson said of the town’s zoning code, and urged the developers to read the code and use it and the town’s comprehensive plan to guide them in designing the project. “You’re not going to be 180 degrees off what the board is expecting if you follow the provisions of the code.”
As of press time, the sale of the Hitchcock estate has not been finalized. The property was listed for sale in Summer 2024 for $75 million.
Built in 1820, 1168 Bangall Amenia Road sold for $875,000 on July 31 with the transfer recorded in August. It has a Millbrook post office and is located in the Webutuck school district.
STANFORD — The Town of Stanford with nine transfers in two months reached a median price in August of $573,000 for single family homes, still below Stanford’s all-time median high in August 2024 of $640,000.
At the beginning of October there is a large inventory of single-family homes listed for sale with only six of the 18 homes listed for below the median price of $573,000 and seven above $1 million.
July transfers
79 Ernest Road — 4 bedroom/2.5 bath home on 6.87 acres in 2 parcels sold to Matthew C. Marinetti for $1,225,000.
29 Drake Road — 3 bedroom/3.5 bath home on 2 acres sold to Harper Montgomery for $850,000.
6042 Route 82 — 4 bedroom/2 bath home on 1.09 acres sold to Spencer Thompson for $795,000.
125 Tick Tock Way — 3 bedroom/2.5 bath ranch on 1.9 acres sold to Fleur Touchard for $475,000.
August transfers
102 Prospect Hill Road — 3 bedroom/2 bath home on 6.35 acres sold to Karl Creighton Pfister for $565,000.
252 Ernest Road — 2 bedroom/1 bath cottage on .85 acres sold to Meg Bumie for $465,000.
1196 Bangall Amenia Road — 4 bedroom/2.5 bath home on 2.16 acres sold to Roderick Alleyne for $875,000.
Hunns Lake Road (#759929) — 59.1 acres of residential land sold to Argos Farm LLC for $3,325,000.
* Town of Stanford recorded real estate transfers from July 1 to August 31 provided by Dutchess County Real Property Office monthly transfer reports. Details on each property from Dutchess Parcel Access - properties with an # indicate location on Dutchess Parcel Access. Market data from One Key MLS and Infosparks .Compiled by Christine Bates, Real Estate Advisor with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, Licensed in Connecticut and New York.
Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office Harlem Valley area activity reportSept. 18 to Sept. 30.
Sept. 23 — Deputies responded to 1542 State Route 292 in the Town of Pawling for the report of a suspicious vehicle at that location. Investigation resulted in the arrest of Sebastian Quiroga, age 26, for aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the third degree. Quiroga to appear in the Town of Pawling court at a later date.
Sept. 30 — Deputies responded to Woodside Street in the Town of Pine Plains for a past-occurred verbal domestic dispute between a stepfather and stepson.Matter resolved without further police intervention.
PLEASE NOTE:All subjects arrested and charged are alleged to have committed the crime and are presumed innocent until proven guilty and are to appear in local courts later.
If you have any information relative to the aforementioned criminal cases, or any other suspected criminal activity please contact the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 845-605-CLUE (2583) or Emaildcsotips@gmail.com.All information will be kept confidential.
