Some of the local volunteers who planted a native tree on Arbor Day, Friday, April 25, gathered around the tree for a photo to mark the occasion. Left to right are Ana Hajdak, Maryanne Pitts, Christy Gast, Leo Blackman, Ken Monteiro, and Vicky Doyle.
WASSAIC — Local tree enthusiasts assembled in Wassaic village center to plant a young tree at the entrance to the rail trail in observance of Arbor Day.
The event on Friday, April 25 was co-sponsored by the Amenia Conservation Advisory Council and the Amenia Town Enhancement Committee.
Volunteers were attracted to help with the project led by Maryanne Pitts, CAC member. Some set to work to accomplish the task, others advised, and still others photographed the progress.
Bringing a wheelbarrow to the session was Wassaic resident Edwin Erreyes who saw the group of volunteers and wanted to help.
The new tree, a bur oak donated by the Amenia Garden Club, replaced a non-native dogwood that had failed to thrive at the location.
Garden Club president Ken Monteiro noted that the bur oak, native to eastern North America, produces acorns, each sporting a tiny burr.
“Oaks are a key help to native species, including their tendency to host insect larvae that feed birds,” Pitts said before the work began. “Birds need to feed their young the caterpillars because very young birds do not eat seeds,” she added. “They need protein.”
Pitts said that the interval between the egg and the fledgling is only two weeks in duration.
“So, it is critical that they have native trees and shrubs available to them,” Pitts said, adding that she is a supporter of the Homegrown National Park program.
“The gardens of today are the natural world,” Pitts commented. “Everything else is choked with invasives.”
As Pitts is working toward earning a designation of being a “Tree City,” she said that 2025 is the first step in what will be an annual event.
“We’ll do it every year,” she said.
Fire hydrant replacements in the village disrupted water service for businesses on Main Street.
MILLERTON — Construction on Main Street last week disrupted traffic as crews worked to replace an outdated fire hydrant next to Oakhurst Diner.
The scheduled maintenance, which continued into this week, was part of a 2019 grant awarded by the New York State Department of Health under the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act. Since then, the village has been upgrading undersized, damaged and outdated hydrants. A total of 25 hydrants have been replaced.
A statement on the village website reads, “This initiative aims to align our water system with the 10 States Recommended Standard for Water Works, enhancing safety by reducing the risk of hydrant vehicular strikes.” Water service was temporarily shut off at times last week and Monday as part of the scheduled work.
An employee at Oakhurst Diner said the water disruption caused the restaurant to open late on Friday at noon but had otherwise not affected business as of Monday morning.
The Millerton Moviehouse was granted $150,000 for HVAC repairs. Moviehouse owner David Maltby said the repairs were needed as the HVAC system in the building is 40 years old.
MILLERTON — The Millerton Moviehouse announced last week that it received a $150,000 grant from State Senator Michelle Hinchey (D-41). Moviehouse owners David Maltby and Chelsea Altman accepted the check alongside town supervisor Chris Kennan and Senator Hinchey.
The funds will be allocated toward HVAC repairs that were completed in April, a crucial part of ongoing capital projects necessary for maintaining the historic 120-year-old building.
In an era when arts funding is increasingly unpredictable, the board and staff expressed “deep gratitude” for Senator Hinchey’s support. Maltby said securing the grant took more than a year and he credited the grant to the transformative work he, Altman and their team have done since purchasing the Moviehouse during the COVID pandemic and converting it into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
No longer a one-trick pony, the Moviehouse has grown into a community arts organization, offering more than just movies. “We have something for everyone, from first-run features and independent films to documentaries and special events like Q&As with filmmakers,” said Maltby, who grew up going to the Moviehouse as a child and had a vested interest in the preservation of the historic building.
The old way of operating a movie theater, Maltby said, relied on successful blockbusters and audience turnout. Additionally, theaters were impacted by COVID habits and streaming technology. The nonprofit model has brought opportunities to sustain The Moviehouse’s bottom line, but perhaps more importantly, has brought the community together.
Maltby said he is especially proud of their expanding education and community partnerships programs, which include after-school filmmaking workshops and free screenings, showcasing student-made films and partnering closely with local schools and organizations. “Becoming a nonprofit has allowed us to fully embrace and grow that mission,” he said.
Maltby believes their nonprofit status, which enables the organization to give back to the community through a variety of programs, played a key role in securing the grant.
About a year and a half ago, Senator Hinchey had an initial meeting with The Moviehouse to discuss a grant. “She’s known us for years and recognizes us as a key part of Millerton’s economy — arguably one of the most important contributors to the town’s daily life and its growth,” Maltby said.
During their meeting, Hinchey informed The Moviehouse about a state fund available to legislators for capital improvements to local businesses and nonprofits. Given the building’s age and maintenance needs, The Moviehouse saw this as an ideal opportunity to address critical renovation projects.
Their top priority was replacing the 40-year-old HVAC system that had been patched together over time and was expensive to maintain. The Moviehouse developed a $150,000 plan to replace the entire system, ductwork, and boiler and to insulate the attic and other areas.
“It’s the non-sexy, behind-the-scenes work people won’t see, but for keeping the movie theater running, it’s one of the most important things we can do,” Maltby said.
In a statement posted to Facebook, Senator Hinchey said, “I was happy to provide a $150,000 state grant to the Moviehouse in Millerton to support energy-efficient upgrades that will help lower operating costs and keep this treasured community institution accessible and enjoyable for years to come.”
Several years after his COVID purchase of the Moviehouse, Maltby said it is running like a well-oiled machine, and gives effusive thanks and credit to his team, which he describes as intentionally lean and hard-working.
General manager Jeremy Boviard, for example, has been with the Moviehouse since 2021 and Maltby said he “runs the team and day-to-day operations with such efficiency and ease and is a huge reason why this whole thing works.” As for Helen Seslowsky who handles marketing and public relations, Maltby said “If it happens, it’s because Helen makes it happen.” Working under the previous ownership since 2014, they joked that Seslowsky “came with the building.” She handles a wide range of responsibility behind–the-scenes to make things run smoothly.
“Everyone seems to enjoy working here, which is amazing — and I think that energy translates directly to our customers’ experience,” said Maltby, whose children also work at The Moviehouse in the summer. “It’s been incredibly rewarding overall, especially as we’ve been able to grow our mission and our partnerships with the community.”
Republican County Comptroller candidate Will Truitt currently serves as the chair of the Dutchess County Legislature.
Republican Will Truitt of Hyde Park is facing off against Democrat Dan Aymar-Blair for the county comptroller seat in the Nov. 4 election.
Truitt currently serves as the chair of the Dutchess County Legislature and has served as Hyde Park and Pleasant Valley’s representative in the legislating body for the past ten years.
Truitt, 29, made his first foray into politics as a student at Marist College at the age of 19.
After a stint interning in Marc Molinaro’s office, Truitt decided to run for office himself. At the age of 20 he unseated the incumbent representative of Hyde Park and he’s been reelected to the seat ever since.
“I was knocking on all my neighbors doors,” Truitt said. “A lot of them recognizedand kind of knew who I was. They knew that I really wanted to serve and they put their faith in me.”
Truitt said his experience as the chair of the county legislature’s Budget and Finance Committee, and his current full-time job at Metzger Construction Corp. in Hopewell Junction, have prepared him for the comptroller’s position.
“You have to understand dollars and cents, you have to understand finance,” Truitt said. “I went to Marist for business, finance and accounting and a minor in economics so none of the language felt foreign to me.”
The County Legislature chair cited the passage of term limit regulation as a major success of his 10 years in government. “I have always believed term limits should be in place for all levels of government,” Truitt said. “I brought forward term limits in my first term and it failed pretty miserably. I brought it back in my second year and it passed unanimously.” Now, all elected county officials are limited to no more than 12 years in a particular post.
Truitt reflected on a failed bid to unseat New York Assemblywoman Didi Barrett when he was just 22-years-old, saying he’s eager to return to Northeast Dutchess County and meet more people on the campaign trail.
“I got to really know so many people in that region,” Truitt said. “I ran for the state assembly when I was that young because I — just like I did when I ran for the Dutchess County Legislature — I thought I could provide a strong voice for the people.”
AMENIA — Three years in, the full-service health clinic at the Webutuck School District, known internally as the school-based health center, has been a resounding success.
The clinic is staffed by a full-time physician who acts as a participating student’s primary care physician at no extra cost to families. Looking to expand the scope of medical services Webtuck could offer to its students, school nurse Charlie Davis proposed the clinic three years ago.
Given that visits to the doctor can prevent students from attending school on a given day, they were something Webutuck was happy to bring in-house, said Deputy Superintendent Robert Farrier. “We schedule those visits during study halls. Students come down, they have the appointment, and half an hour later they are back to class,” he said.
Because many Webutuck students would not otherwise have access to proper medical care, an illness is something that could cause a prolonged absence and have a serious effect on students’ health. “Really one of the main reasons why we introduced this was to try and improve on our chronic absenteeism,” Farrier said.
“The school-based health center has been incredibly received by the student population and by the parents,” Farrier said. Currently, 77% of Webutuck students are enrolled in the free program.
The clinic is operated by Open Door Health, a healthcare provider which runs many similar clinics in Westchester County, Farrier said.
Even if a student does not have insurance, Open Door, which receives federal funding to run clinics such as the Webutuck Health Center, will provide care free of charge to the student. Having received more than $100,000 in grant funding toward the project, the only cost Webtucuk was required to incur was the construction of a suitable space to house the clinic. Beyond students and families in the district, the health program at Webtucuk has provided a model for other schools in the district, Farrier said. “Every school district in Dutchess County has come at least once to visit us and to learn about how we set the clinic up and how we run things at the school,” he said.
The clinic is part of a broader attempt by the Webutuck School District to improve student life through the allocation of school funds to projects beyond the basic responsibilities of the district, Farrier said.
“We offer free breakfast and lunch for all of our students. We’re trying to make sure that our students don’t go home hungry and that they’re getting proper meals during the school day,” he said.
The clinic has been such a success at Webutuck that other school districts in the county are attempting to replicate the program locally. “The Wappinger’s school district was really impressed with what they saw… this has really been a first for Dutchess County,” Farrier said.
