MILLERTON — The Village of Millerton’s board members met on Monday, Jan. 13, to discuss the Eddie Collins Memorial Park’s pool project, which is moving full speed ahead.
Total grant funding for the project is now over $7.6 million after an additional $675,000 in grant money from the state. The aim is for the project to be completed in time to celebrate a Millerton milestone next year.
“They’re expecting to start construction as early as mid-July,” Mayor Jennifer Najdek said of the project which will hopefully coincide with the celebrations marking the founding of Millerton. “So we’re really tightening up as far as being ready for the 175th anniversary,” she added.
The Village is planning to contact multiple banks in the area, such as Bank of Millbrook and Bank of Greene County, which can handle large money needs and associated requests to fulfill this project. “We know that all of that seven million dollars will be reimbursed. My conversation is how I would like us to do a short-term BAN [bond anticipation note] for the park,” said Najdek. “That way, as soon as we get into construction, we have a cash flow there to keep everything moving.”
With the bond anticipation note, the Village must remain mindful of its constitutional debt limit since the reimbursement will come after paying for parts of the project. “It cannot be more than seven percent, a full valuation of taxable river property for the five most recent years, you can’t go over seven percent of that,” Najdek said, “So that puts us at $7,461,395. Now that includes other debt that we’ve taken out. So, actually, our debt limit now is $7,000,301. I don’t want to borrow seven million dollars.”
Members discussed the best way to borrow money to pay for the construction and keep the project on their desired timeline for next year. According to Najdek, with some of the programs and grants the Village has received, the payments can be matched, one being 50/50 and the other 25/75. “Say we submit $100,000, they give us $50,000 back … Up to $500,000 and they hold on to the last 20 maybe 10% … We need to spend the money first, before we can get any of that money back,” Najdek said. “If we did somewhere in the middle, we don’t know what the cost of this project is going to be. We don’t know if it’s going to stay right at the 7.56 or if it’s going to be 7.9.”
If the Village exceeded its debt limit, it would have to contact the state comptroller’s office to get permission to spend. “Here we are talking about borrowing money that is being backed by an actual grant that’s coming to us,” said Trustee David Sherman. “This is not something that is going to cost the taxpayer money. We know if we have to pay the interest on the short term ourselves, but nevertheless, it’s not going to be six or seven million dollars that is coming out of taxpayers’ pockets.”
The board is currently working on a budget which outlines the spending schedule needed to keep the pool maintained throughout the year.
“The next thing I am not entirely keen on is the proposed one year service agreement for the LED lights,” Najdek said, “If something goes wrong, it’s going to happen within the first year, but there are warranties on the equipment itself. There’s a one-year workmanship warranty for it. I am not inclined to move forward with this.”
This additional service would cost the Village $150 a month or $1,800 a year. However, the Village would be charged an extra 20% of the commission the contractor receives. “In RealTerm [Energy], if something goes wrong with one of our lights, RealTerm will engage a third-party electrical subcontractor,” Najdek said, “We have to pay commission on top of whatever that subcontractor cost is.”
The board members chose not to move forward with the proposal for the LED lights in the Village.
The Village Board will hold a public hearing on Monday, Jan. 27, at 6:05 p.m. on the 2025 Community Development Block Grant.
“This is for the upcoming year, new money available,” said Najdek, “Typically, we’ve done Community Development Block Grant for sidewalks in the past.”
A crowd of 55 people crowded into the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex for a marathon discussion regarding placing limits on police interaction with federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
MILLERTON — On Tuesday, July 29, the Village of Millerton Board of Trustees held a widely anticipated public meeting to discuss whether to limit cooperation between the Millerton Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The meeting followed a resident-led request to consider a local law aimed at protecting immigrants, including those without legal documentation.
Originally scheduled to be held at the village offices on North Elm Avenue, the meeting was moved last-minute to the NorthEast–Millerton Library Annex to accommodate a crowd of 55 — nearly triple the attendance at the initial discussion in May.
North East resident and Planning Board member Bill Kish, who helped introduce the proposal, described it as a call to “adopt a local law limiting the police department’s involvement with ICE.” He said the aim was not to obstruct federal authorities, but to clarify that local police would not collect immigration status information or detain individuals without a judicial warrant. He argued that such policies would support constitutional protections, public safety and community trust.
Kish also cited a model law published by the New York State Attorney General’s Office that outlines similar measures.
Although the meeting featured robust public input on both sides of the argument — and legal counsel was on-hand to advise — no formal action was taken. Moreover, no written proposal was presented or made available for public review. Even so, the trustees opted to close the matter without pursuing any legislation.
While the meeting was intended to assess the feasibility of a village-specific law — the village spans just over half a square mile — discussion frequently touched on broader national issues and personal narratives.
Of the 55 attendees, 30 addressed the board during the 77-minute session, speaking in turn through a roll-call process. Mayor Jenn Najdek worked to maintain order and civility during what was, at times, an emotionally charged discussion.
In closing remarks, Najdek addressed the room directly. “I’ve thought a tremendous amount about this — even before the very first meeting we had,” she said. “I agree with a lot of the things you all have said. I, for one, do not want to create a problem that doesn’t thoroughly exist here.” She said she did not support drafting or adopting a local law, citing potential unintended negative consequences.
Trustee Matthew Soleau echoed that position, expressing concern that such a law could draw unwanted attention to the village and potentially put vulnerable residents at greater risk. He added that current police policies already reflect the guidance being requested by some residents. “There is a written policy in place for how our officers uphold themselves, and that policy was rewritten a few years ago," Soleau said.
Deputy Mayor Matt Hartzog also cited the recently updated policy. “We made the policies and they’ve been vetted and approved by New York State, so I don’t see any need to change what we have,” Hartzog said. He also expressed his confidence in the Millerton Police Department, noting what he described as positive changes in recent years.
Newly appointed Trustee Katie Cariello offered a more open stance, saying she was “open to looking into our policies and potentially updating them.” While she did not endorse a new law, she suggested it could be useful to formalize current police procedures, which she said already align with legal standards.
Absent from the meeting was Police Chief Joseph Olenik, who had played a central role in the initial May 21 discussion. At that time, Olenik said village police do not initiate immigration enforcement but do cooperate with state and federal authorities when legally required. He did not elaborate on the existing policy or how cooperation would be executed, leaving some uncertainty.
The discussion on ICE cooperation concluded at 7:33 p.m., and the board moved on to other agenda items. While trustees have signaled that the issue is closed for now, the meeting reflected how immigration — often viewed as a national concern — remains a point of passionate debate in small communities like Millerton.
As of press time, requests for a copy of the Millerton Police Department policies referenced during the meeting had not been granted pending Chief Joseph Olenik's return from vacation.
Habitat for Humanity assisted in the construction and sale of this house at 14 Rudd Pond Road for $392,000.
MILLERTON — Official Dutchess County property transfers for the four months ending in May are fascinating from the sale of the former Presbyterian Church on Main Street for $420,000 to the $300,000 sale of 8.3 acres of the historic Perotti farm for $300,000 where major barn restoration is now underway.
Actively listed properties at the end of July include 14 parcels of land ranging in price from $60,000 for a five-acre lot to six parcels over a million dollars. 15 single family homes are on the market including an $11,750,000 estate on Moadock Road and four village homes for under $500,000.
Residential
14 Rudd Pond Road — 3 bedroom/2 bath home on .64 acres sale recorded in March for $392,000 to Anthony M. Macagnone.
81 Rudd Pond Road — 3 bedroom/2 bath home on .45 acres recorded in April for $360,300 to Sara Whitney Laser.
926 Smithfield Road — Historic house and barns on 8.31 acres sale recorded in May for $300,000 to Colonial House & Barn LLC.
5408 Route 22 — 3 bedroom/2 bath home on 5.38 acres sale recorded in May for $465,000 to Erich McEnroe.
The former Presbyterian Church on Main Street in the Village of Millerton was purchased in May for $420,000 and then pained grey.Christine Bates
Commercial
1 Smith Court, Village of Millerton — Office building sale recorded in March for $825,000 to OneJohnStreet LLC.
58 Main Street, Village of Millerton — Sale of former church recorded in May for $420,000 to 58 Main Street LLC.
5546 Route 22 — Sale of former restaurant on 2 acres recorded in May for $70,000 to Haithem Oueslati Trustee.
Land
State Line Road (#789358) — Sale recorded of 20.82 acres of vacant residential land in March for $150,000 to Elliott Squared LLC.
148 Morse Hill — Sale recorded of 30.03 acres of vacant productive farm land in 5 parcels in March for $800,000 to Thorne Water LLC.
*Town of North East and Village of Millerton property transfers from March through May not previously reported as sales in The Millerton News are sourced from Dutchess County Real Property Office monthly reports for March through May. Details on property from Dutchess Parcel Access. Compiled by Christine Bates, Real Estate Advisor with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, Licensed in Connecticut and New York.
MILLERTON — Heavy rain brought down trees on Park Avenue, South Center Street and Century Boulevard, causing blackouts across the village on Friday, July 25.
The Millerton Moviehouse cancelled film showings for the afternoon following the outages, as stated in a release sent out to Moviehouse supporters over email Friday afternoon.
Village Clerk Lisa Cope said the downed trees landed on power lines, causing localized blackouts for many village residents and businesses between 3 and 6 p.m. Friday evening.
Central Hudson crews cleared the trees and restored power to the village that evening.
