Groundbreaking of the new pool planned for Eddie Collins Park has been delayed after the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation intervened to determine the status of wetlands in the proposed building site.
MILLERTON — The long-awaited groundbreaking for a new community pool at Eddie Collins Memorial Park — once expected this past April — now faces significant delays with no definitive timeline in sight, Mayor Jenn Najdek said.
The primary setback stems from a still-pending permitting process, as the village awaits final approvals from the Dutchess County Board of Health and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation regarding septic placement and wetland buffers. A patch of wetlands on the site — roughly five feet by five feet, Najdek said — requires a protective buffer, which could range anywhere from 5 to 100 feet. That determination will dictate whether the current pool design needs to be altered or moved altogether.
“We’re still working to understand what’s acceptable,” Najdek said, “but we have several backup plans ready.” She and members of the park’s revitalization committee have been working closely with lead engineer Kevin Hasselwander of LaBella Associates to explore those alternatives.
A meeting with regulators is expected in early July. Stephen Waite, chair of the Millerton Community Park Committee and a former village trustee, is hopeful that approvals will come soon to avoid further delay. “We’ve been advocating for this and planning for a long time,” said Waite. Nostalgic for his childhood summers at the park, he says he hopes to bring the same experience to a new generation soon.
Additional delays have stemmed from the February fire at the nearby Village Water and Highway building, as well as a prolonged contract process with NY SWIMS — a $150 million state initiative aimed at expanding public access to swimming statewide. Finalizing that contract triggered a new State Environmental Quality Review, requiring a public comment period that further pushed back the timeline.
Despite the hurdles, Najdek remains optimistic. The project is now “99% funded,” she said, with $7.56 million secured from three separate New York State grants.
An official Request for Proposals was originally scheduled for release in April but is now on hold until the wetlands and septic system designs are finalized. “We’re waiting for final approval from the county Board of Health and the DEC,” Najdek said. “Once we have that, we can finalize the design and put the project out to bid.”
Current plans and renderings call for a five-lane swimming pool and a 3,600-square-foot pool house featuring locker rooms, offices and a community room with a commercial kitchen. While the original goal was to align the opening with Millerton’s 175th anniversary, that timeline could now be out of reach.
Still, village leaders say they’re committed to seeing the project through — however long it takes.
Snow covered Route 44/22 near the Maplebrook School campus in Amenia at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 25.
Dutchess County officials issued a travel ban on all public roads from 5 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 25, to 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26.
The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning for much of upstate New York on Friday. Forecasts call for between 10 and 20 inches of snow across northeast Dutchess County.
Road crews across the region told The News that they are feeling prepared.
Visits to North East, Amenia, Washington, Stanford and Pine Plains revealed the salt is in good supply and the equipment is in good working order ahead of the storm.
Stanford Highway Superintendent Jim Myers and his crew were strapping plows to a truck in the town garage on Friday morning, Jan. 23. He said the Stanford road crew was as prepared as it can be, echoing a common sentiment among crews in the region.
"You just got to stay on top of it," Myers said. "Keep going."
County Executive Sue Serino said in a post on FaceBook that all non-emergency and non-essential travel is forbidden until 5 p.m. Monday. Only emergency personnel, road crew members, employees deemed essential for facility operation and news media covering the storm are permitted to travel during the ban.
All others are required to stay home. Pine Plains Highway Superintendent Carl Baden said that's the safest course of action during the storm.
"Just stay home," he said. "We can make it a lot safer for you if you wait."
Members of the North East Town Board discuss proposed zoning code revisions during a meeting at North East Town Hall in Millerton on Monday, Jan. 19.
MILLERTON — The North East Town Board on Monday, Jan. 19, adopted a series of detailed revisions to its proposed zoning code overhaul, incorporating feedback from county and local agencies as well as public comments.
Zoning Review Commission Chair Edie Greenwood and the town’s zoning consultant, Will Agresta, participated in the meeting as board members reviewed comments submitted by Dutchess County Planning, the North East Planning Board, the town’s Conservation Advisory Council, and residents who spoke or submitted written remarks during the initial public hearing on Jan. 8.
Board members addressed the comments line by line, approving changes that Greenwood described as largely technical in nature, including revisions to definitions that did not align with state regulations and clarifications intended to improve readability and consistency.
Greenwood said a red-line draft showing the approved changes alongside the original text will be prepared.
Among the more substantive revisions was the decision to impose an overall size cap on accessory dwelling units. The board voted to limit ADUs to a maximum of 1,200 square feet and specified that they must be accessed from an existing driveway on the property. Board members also discussed adding language to clarify how ownership through an LLC or trust would comply with the requirement that the property owner reside in the principal dwelling.
The board also approved allowing retail businesses and restaurants in the so-called Irondale District, a small commercial area encompassing seven parcels along Route 22 near Winchell Mountain Road and Irondale Road.
Other changes included:
– Replacing the term “farm” with “farm operation” for consistency with state law.
— Revising drive-through regulations to allow additional lanes for banks.
— Tying requirements for landscaped islands in parking lots to the size of the lot.
— Adding expiration dates for site plan approvals.
— Removing references to “cage-type poultry farms.”
— Requiring 10% of parking spaces in lots with 30 or more spaces to be “EV-ready,” meaning the necessary infrastructure must be installed, but not necessarily a charger itself.
— Standardizing safety and maintenance requirements across all parking regulations.
— Clarifying that parking structures may be built above or below grade.
— Allowing farm machinery sales and rentals.
Greenwood told The News she expects the red-line draft to be completed and submitted before the end of next week. The Town Board is set to continue the public hearing on the proposed zoning changes on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. at North East Town Hall.
The following excerpts from The Millerton News were compiled by Kathleen Spahn and Rhiannon Leo-Jameson of the North East-Millerton Library.
January 24, 1935
About Millerton
Mayor and Mrs. William J. Brewer and Mr. and Mrs. Miles Jenks left on Monday for a month’s vacation in Florida.
Mr. Roy Ganung and daughter, Jane, spent Tuesday afternoon In Poughkeepsie.
Jean Silvernale is confined to home by illness.
Miss Blanche Bates is spending several weeks at the home of her brother, Edward Bates, at Pittsfield, Mass.
George Wooding of Thornewood spent Sunday at the home of his sister, Mrs. Harry Card.
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Decker and family moved to Lakeville on Sunday.
January 22, 1976
Snowmobiles Tresspassing[sic], Officer Says
Trespassing and riding on public roads are the major offenses committed by area snowmobilers this winter, New York State Conservation Officer Harry Wheeler stated this week.
He asserted that a number of snowmobile riders have been sighted traveling on public roads and soaring across private property without permission, both illegal acts.
January 18, 2001
Local Homes Added to Historic Register
COLEMAN STATION — Three houses in the town of North East were recently added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Oliver Barrett House, the Dakin-Coleman Farm and the Thomas Wheeler Farm, all located in the Coleman Station area, were selected by the New York state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to be listed individually on the register, though the entire Coleman Station Valley was considered for the recognition in 1993.
Millerton Sees Some Business Changes; Shops Move, Expand
MILLERTON- Two stores on Main Street in Millerton have interior changes in the works.
Leslie Hoss Flood has recently relocated her Amenia-based store to the basement of the Millerton Antiques Center. Ms. Flood’s shop had been in Amenia for about 15 years, where, in addition to selling used and antique furniture, Ms. Flood also ran an upholstery shop.
After removing several partitions and installing new lights, the basement store looks entirely new. Ms. Flood is pleased with the space, which offers more room in which to showcase her wares. She is also taking advantage of the additional area by creating a separate reupholstery room and a section to display in-stock fabrics.
Pasta-At-Large Expands
After acquiring the empty space, owner Sofia Okołowicz has expanded her business to provide “a little more elbow room inside.”
The front portion has been open since late November and, in recent days, Ms. Okolowicz has removed a wall and had electricity installed in the new area.
