Running through the smoke at the 40th annual Horse Trials
Mariah Orms and her horse Shanaclough Quality Clover tore through the water jumps.
Nathan Miller
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A water main under Indian Lake Road in Amenia sprays water after construction workers with C. Gallagher Contracting, of Brewster, New York, attempted to cut the pipe to replace a damaged section on Tuesday, Jan. 27. Crew members said high pressure in a pipe encumbers cutting, fills the hole with too much water, and could cause workers to be too wet for the extremely low temperatures.
Photo by Nathan Miller
The pipe was fixed by 9:30 p.m. and water service was restored to affected customers, crew members said.
Flow from the pipe had not slowed at 8:30 p.m. even after shutting one of the valves, crew members on site said. Representatives of VRI Environmental Services — Amenia's contracted water system operator — located other valves and fire hydrants to further reduce pressure in the pipe shortly before 9 p.m.
Crew members with VRI Environmental Services and C. Gallagher Contracting assess the flow rate of the damaged pipe under Indian Lake Road in Amenia on Tuesday, Jan. 27, at 8 p.m.Photo by Nathan Miller
Pat Cusano, of North Salem, New York, assisted the Gallagher crew on Tuesday for two water main breaks in Amenia. The first sprung up on Depot Hill Road and was reported by resident David Intrieri at 8:45 a.m.
The Depot Hill Road leak was patched with a collar seal that wrapped around the leak. The crew put the collar in place around 2:30 p.m.
Cusano said the crew went immediately to the Indian Lake Road leak after that, but the first valve couldn't be located until roughly 7:30 p.m.
A white plastic pipe replaces the damaged section of water main beneath Indian Lake Road in Amenia on Tuesday, Jan. 27.Photo by Nathan Miller
Imprecisely marked valves on a map of the town's water system caused significant delays in repairing the Indian Lake Road leak, crew members said. Water Committee Chair Bill Flood said VRI only recently took over managing Amenia's water system, and company representatives were still becoming familiar with the district's layout.
Cusano said locating the valves was further complicated by large snowbanks hiding the infrastructure.
VRI representatives said there is a break in Millerton as well, but the leak did not require immediate attention. Crews are expected to patch that leak tomorrow.
A collar seal covers a crack in a water main pipe near 54 Depot Hill Road in Amenia.Photo by Nathan Miller
The breaks were caused by the extreme cold weather, crew members said. Cold temperatures can cause dirt to shift and contract, putting stress on pipes that are up to 30 years old in Amenia.
"There'll be more tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day," Cusano said. "It's just that time of year."
Protesters gather during a weekly anti-Trump demonstration in Fountain Square in Amenia on Saturday, Jan. 24, holding signs opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
By Aly Morrissey
Protest organizer Kimberley Travis, who began the regular demonstrations last June with signs bearing the anti-Trump slogan “No Kings,” has remained among the fluctuating number of protesters each week.
Travis said her garage is full of handmade signs – a reflection of the rapidly-changing news cycle and her need to keep up with current events. On Saturday, many of the signs focused on what protesters described as the increasingly extreme actions associated with ICE.
Large, simple signs planted in the snow read, “ICE Out for Good,” a phrase inspired, Travis said, by the recent killing of a Minneapolis mother by a federal agent.
Protesters hold a banner reading “ICE Out for Good” during a weekly demonstration in Fountain Square on Saturday, Jan. 24.By Aly Morrissey
“We're here today – and every Saturday – because we’re tired of what's happening to our democracy,” Travis said, who believes that the Constitution is being “demolished on a daily basis.”
Gesturing toward the other protesters, Travis said, “We, the people, must stand for our democracy, our constitutional freedoms, and we need to stop the murder in the streets and the kidnapping.”
Millerton resident Greg Swinehart said he has attended the Fountain Square protests between eight and 10 times, motivated by what he described as the growing militarization of the country and the violence committed by ICE.
“We need to resist that in a peaceful, nonviolent way,” Swinehart said. “We’re trying to raise awareness in our local community by helping people see messages they might encounter in the national media through the voices of their own friends and neighbors.”
While most passing drivers either honked and waved in support – or simply drove past – a few showed disapproval. One man slowed his vehicle to hurl a string of expletives at the protesters, telling the group to go home.
Still, neither the occasional hostility nor the bitterly cold weather deterred the group, which gathers each Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. “Every car honk feels like another drop of hope,” one demonstrator said.
A small group of demonstrators at Fountain Square on Saturday, Jan. 24.By Aly Morrissey
When asked if they were afraid to protest so publicly after reports of lethal shootings in Minnesota, the residents generally shared the same response.
“I probably should be,” Travis said. “But they will not intimidate me, and they will not stop me.”
Since beginning the protests last summer, Travis said she has experienced threats and intimidation and has, on one occasion, had to call the police. Even so, she said the encouragement she receives far outweighs the hostility.
A longtime activist, Travis said she has been protesting for causes she believes in since she was a young teenager during the Vietnam War and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
Swinehart said he has not felt threatened and hopes the gatherings will continue to grow.
“I hope that more citizens join us,” he said. “I hope more people will speak out for what they think is right, and to enjoy the camaraderie of standing alongside people who care deeply about America.”
Protesters gather in Fountain Square on Saturday, Jan. 24By Aly Morrissey
