Work relief ends; theater reopens; CBS, New York Times drop in

The following excerpts from The Millerton News were compiled by Kathleen Spahn and Rhiannon Leo-Jameson of the North East-Millerton Library.

May 30, 1934

‘Work Relief Is Suspended In Dutchess’; Five-hundred men on work relief projects in the twenty towns of Dutchess County, outside the cities of Poughkeepsie and Beacon were laid off last Thursday night when the work-week ended and will not return to work until next week when the June TERA allotment becomes effective. All projects were suspended because the funds allotted to the county for this month had become exhausted, according to Harold R. Dean, executive director of the TERA, who said that the men would not go back to work until the week of June 3.

Sufficient funds were held out from the $50,000 May allotment to continue home relief during the interim for the 600 or 700 families on the county’s home relief lists, Mr. Dean disclosed. It is mandatory under TERA regulations that home relief be continued.

Home relief as estimated for the month is deducted from the monthly allotment Mr. Dean explained, of which the county is to be reimbursed to the extent of seventy-five per cent by the state. The balance is used for work relief.

The administrative force, comprising about fifty, was not suspended as there is enough clerical work to keep the entire force busy during the enforced lay-off of the work relief men. Need is not aqualification for employment in the administrative department.

No disturbances were anticipated by Mr. Dean because of the suspension of work relief. The work relief lists produced “a decent bunch of workers,” he said, and that field workers had reported that the men had accepted the lay-off without comment or disturbance.

May 29, 1975

‘Millerton Theatre Reopens’; The Millerton Movie Theatre will be open for business beginning June 18.

The theatre, vacant since the Fall of 1974, has been leased for the summer by the Ferguson family of New York City, who know the Tri-State area quite well having spent the past 13 summers in their Lakeville home.

The Millerton Theatre will be operated by Laura Ferguson, 19, a student at Berkeley, her sister Sharon, 18, who attends Duke University and a friend, Tom Babbitt, 20, also a Berkeley student. They hope to operate the theatre until Labor Day.

When asked why her family was going into the movie business, Sharon Ferguson said, “We saw in the paper that the theatre was closing up and we thought it was a grand shame.”

Sharon said they intend to offer present-day feature movies and some revivals. They are looking through catalogues now and setting the schedule.

“It’s definitely not going to be X-rated stuff. That’s a bad idea,” said Sharon.

An admission price has also not yet been decided on.

Sharon admitted that she, Laura and Tom were going into the venture “totally as amateurs” but contended, “It can’t be that much of a deficit just for the summer.”

Suggestion boxes have been placed in local stores including Terni’s, Millerton Super and the Lakeville Food Center so that area residents can offer ideas on what films they would like presented on the Millerton screen.

‘CBS News, N.Y. Times Hit Millerton’; The abrupt closing of Rudd Pond got attention beyond the confines of the Tri-State area this past weekend. A television film crew from CBS News appeared in Millerton Saturday. After a detour for lunch at the Interlaken Inn, the crew proceeded to Rudd Pond for filming.

The story was shown Sunday night on the CBS Evening News, replete with brief interviews with Millerton Mayor John Hermans and Village Trustee Richard Weinstein.

‘Town May Sue State Over Rudd Pond Closing’; The Village of Millerton and the Town of North East may serve the State of New York with a show cause order for abruptly closing the Taconic State Park at Rudd Pond last week.

The Village and Town Boards were to meet Wednesday night, May 28, to determine what action to take against the state.

North East Town Attorney Robert Trotta said that “any state agency cannot act in an arbitrary and capricious way” and that if a show cause order is served it will be up to the courts to decide if the state acted within its jurisdiction.

Trotta reported that the state turned down the Town’s request last year to lease or deed the land at the southern end of the Rudd Pond park by Belgo Road. The Town had sought to obtain the area with its orebed pool for a town park. Trotta said that the State informed the Town that the Rudd Pond swimming facility was adequate for the area

Town Supervisor Frank Perotti said that the Town and village may seek to rent the park from the State, but he said he has been informed that there is “only a very slim chance that this can be done.”

New York State Assemblyman Benjamin P. Roosa Jr., who represents this area of Dutchess County, called the Rudd Pond shut-down “purely political.” He said that there is an “impasse relating to the state budget. Assemblyman Roosa asserted that if the Town and Village sought to lease the park, he would “encourage the State to let it be used.”