$6.385 million granted for Millerton’s swimming pool project

$6.385 million granted for Millerton’s swimming pool project

An artist’s rendering of the what a swimming pool and poolhouse in Eddie Collins Park in Millerton could look like.

Photo provided

MILLERTON — The NY SWIMS capital grant program awarded $6.385 million to the village to build a community pool, a bathhouse, community room and septic system at Eddie Collins Memorial Park.

The announcement came from Gov. Kathy’s Hochul’s office on the eve of Labor Day, along with $38 million in grants to Dutchess County and towns and cities in the Mid-Hudson region.

“It’s incredible for us to receive this,” Mayor Jenn Najdek said. “To be in the right place at the right time, and to be in good standing with grants.”

The mayor said she hopes that there may be a groundbreaking in the fall of 2025.

“It wouldn’t be possible without the incredible group of volunteers,” Najdek said.

The Eddie Collins Memorial Park Revitalization Committee includes: Stephen Waite, chair, Jeanne Vanecko, vice chair, Edith Greenwood, treasurer, Jennifer Dowley and Greg Swinehart. Mayor Najdek is the village liaison to the committee.

Najdek also thanked Anna Clune, who wrote the grant for the village.

“The grant award is exciting news for Millerton and its residents. Anna did a fabulous job writing the application.

“I spent a lot of time at the old Denney Pool as a kid and made many friends there, some I still keep in contact with.

“The pool served the community well for 50 years until closing in 2016. It’s taken eight long years, but I’m pleased that people will once again be swimming in Millerton in the not-too-distant future.

“I’m grateful for the support from our leaders and donors and extremely proud of the work done by the Committee,” Waite said.

The NY SWIMS grant program was included in the 2025 New York state budget. In May, Village trustees voted to apply for a $6.385 million grant. The first round of applications for municipal swimming facilities were due in July.

The Village also has applied for a $675,000 grant through New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and has yet to hear news about that application.

The latest news follows a Millerton visit in late July by Carl Heastie, Speaker of the New York State Assembly, and State Rep. Didi Barrett (D-106) to announce that the Phase 2 renovation of the park will have its funding ensured.

The pool will be ADA-compliant like the rest of the park.

“This will make the entirety of park accessible,” said Mayor Najdek.

Under the NY SWIMS program, grants are offered to “to acquire, design, construct or reconstruct facilities, provide major renovations, improvements, and modernization or rehabilitation of swimming facilities.”

Municipalities are expected to cover 20% of the project cost.

The park’s first swimming pool was installed in 1966 in the rear southwestern corner of the park. Over time, the high water table lifted and cracked the pool. Groundwater infiltration prevented the pool’s water from heating up even on hot summer days. Repairs were attempted but fewer and fewer people came to swim, and Millerton’s summer camp was moved to Rudd Pond in 2015.

Last summer the park’s revitalization committee presented the Phase 2 plans. Construction on Phase 1 — regrading of the park, a new entrance and paved parking areas, a soccer field, accessible playground upgrades, new basketball courts and pavilion improvements—was completed in 2022.

Other big NY SWIMS grants among the 11 announced over Labor Day for the Mid-Huston region include:

Dutchess County — ($10 million) Youth Opportunity Union Aquatic Center: Dutchess County will construct the Youth Opportunity Union Aquatic Center, comprised of an eight-lane lap pool, a two-lane family and therapy pool, and locker rooms.

City of Kingston — ($3,343,345) Kingston Point Beach Swimming Facilities: The City of Kingston will implement a design of multi-tiered raised terraces to connect upland areas on either side of the existing beach to provide flood mitigation and protect the interior of Kingston Point against sea level rise.

City of Newburgh — ($8 million) Delano Hitch Aquatics Center: The City of Newburgh will construct a new aquatic center to replace the pool complex originally constructed in 1920, featuring a fully ADA accessible competition sized pool, new changing rooms and restrooms, new parking area, new concessions stand and a splash pad.

Latest News

Books and bites beckon at the upcoming Sharon Summer Book Signing

Author and cartoonist Peter Steiner signed books at Sharon Summer Book Signing last summer.

Photo by Stephanie Stanton

The 27th annual Sharon Summer Book Signing at the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon will be held Friday, Aug. 1, from 4:45 to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 2, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 3, at noon.

Friday’s festivities will honor libraries and the power of the written word. In attendance will be 29 locally and nationally recognized authors whose books will be for sale. With a wide array of genres including historical fiction, satire, thrillers, young adult and non-fiction, there will be something for every reader.

Keep ReadingShow less
Voices from Ukraine to America come to Stissing Center July 27

Ukraine Emergency Fundraiser at The Stissing Center in 2022 raised over $120,000 for Sunflower of Peace.

Photo by Michael Churton

The spirit of Ukraine will be on display at the Stissing Center in Pine Plains on Sunday, July 27. Beginning at 5 p.m., the “Words to America from Ukraine” fundraiser is set to showcase the simultaneous beauty of Ukrainian culture and the war-time turmoil it faces, all the while fundraising in support of Ukrainian freedom.

“Words to America from Ukraine” aims to remind and spread awareness for the suffering that often gets forgotten by those who live in comfortable worlds, explained Leevi Ernits, an organizer for the event. “We are trying to make an attempt to remind people that we are human, and we are connected with human values,” she said. “With very few words, poetry can express very deep values.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Grumbling Gryphons’ set to celebrate 45th anniversary with gala and summer theater camp

Celebrating its 45th year, the Grumbling Gryphons will perform at HVRHS Friday, Aug. 1, at 7 p.m.

Photo provided

The Grumbling Gryphons Traveling Children’s Theater is preparing to celebrate its 45th year — not with fanfare, but with feathers, fabric, myth, chant, and a gala finale bursting with young performers and seasoned artists alike.

The Gryphons’ 2025 Summer Theater Arts Camp begins July 28 and culminates in a one-night-only performance gala at Housatonic Valley Regional High School on Friday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. Founder, playwright, and artistic director, Leslie Elias has been weaving together the worlds of myth, movement and theater for decades.

Keep ReadingShow less
Learning calligraphy by hand

Attendees practive brushstrokes led by calligraphy teacher Debby Reelitz.

Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan

Calligrapher Debby Reelitz came to the David M. Hunt Library to give a group of adults and children an introduction to modern calligraphy Thursday, July 17.

Reelitz said she was introduced to calligraphy as a youngster and has been a professional calligrapher and teacher for more than 25 years.

Keep ReadingShow less