To pave or not to pave, that was the question

AMENIA — At the Town Board meeting on Sept. 10, several members of the public expressed their disappointment that  approximately 1,750 feet of Deep Hollow Road, just a portion of the roadway (up to the first  bridge), was paved by the town’s highway crew three weeks ago.

Deep Hollow is a winding dirt road running for its first few thousand feet parallel (and close to 100 feet higher) to Wassaic Creek. Stanley Whitehead, the town’s highway superintendent, replied at the Sept. 10 board meeting that the road had been partially paved for safety reasons; rains come down the hill and erode away  the road, he said, making it difficult for vehicles to cross and forcing the highway crew to tend to it repeatedly.

But Michele Ferraro, while acknowledging that the highway crew did “unbelievable work on the culverts,� said that the decision to pave was rushed and unnecessary. And in her opinion, the few residents of Deep Hollow who were consulted prior to the paving were the residents that the paving affected least.

“I use the road every single day,� she said at the board meeting, “and by my count the majority of people do not want it paved. None of us complain about the condition of it.�

Because the road is paved, Ferraro said motorists are now going to drive even faster on it. She was also upset that Whitehead had told her months ago that he was never going to pave the road.

Tonia Shoumatoff, who does not live on Deep Hollow, said that paving the road questioned the area’s rural character and threatened the scenic road.

Scenic roads “bring tourism here as well,� she argued. “That needs to be considered.� Shoumatoff said she was shocked that the decision “went through so quickly,� and said there were other things that could have been done besides paving.

Both Shoumatoff and Ferraro also said that the paved road will mean more runoff salt into Wassaic Creek, which they said was an environmental hazard.

Whitehead recently invited The Millerton News out to Deep Hollow Road to clarify his position and explain why that section of the road needed to be paved.

First, he admitted that he had indeed told Ferraro that he was not going to pave Deep Hollow, and that up until recently he had no plans to. However, the road has been taking up too much of the highway department’s time and resources.

The road becomes dangerous after “any amount of measurable rain,� Whitehead said. Water comes down from the hill and collects far too quickly for the few culverts that were installed to handle it properly. The water floods and quickly erodes away the hillside. In severe cases, like in 2005 and 2007, the damage has led to the collapse of a major section of the road.

There was little the highway department could do besides dump dirt over the side of the road, and Whitehead said that most of it was wasted falling down the extremely steep slope into the creek below. And it would only hold as long as the next rain.

“The road has closed down plenty of times,� Whitehead said. “We have 67 roads [in Amenia to cover] and we can’t spend all our time on just one.�

Working since last September, a total of 27 culverts have been installed, which Whitehead said should help with drainage. But once Whitehead received the recommendation to pave from, among others, Ed Hoxsie, who is the executive director at the Dutchess County Soil and Water Conservation District, he took that information to the board, which approved paving at a meeting in August.

“I think Deep Hollow looks great,� town Supervisor Wayne Euvrard said when the issue was raised at the Sept. 10 meeting, reminding residents that “dirt roads cost us a lot of money to maintain.�

Whitehead installed a berm along the edge of Deep Hollow, and slightly slanted the road to send water back toward the culverts instead of over the edge.

“It will still wash,� he acknowledged, “but nothing like it did.�

As far as paving being a conduit for more pollution to the creek, Whitehead said Hoxsie and others dismissed the claim, saying dirt roads were more damaging. Hoxsie could not be reached for comment in time for this article’s publication.

The culverts were paid for by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the remainder of the project will be covered by the state’s Consolidated Highway Improvement Program System (CHIPS) funding, Whitehead said.

“It’s the smartest thing we’ve done since paving Separate Road,� Whitehead told residents at the Town Board meeting. “And we have no intentions of [paving] any further.�

But Ferraro isn’t so sure.

“My concern is that the rest of the road will be paved,� she said. “And once they put pavement down, how are they going to account for motorists’ increased speed?�

Latest News

Water main cleaning in North Canaan

NORTH CANAAN – Aquarion Water Company today announced a water main cleaning project in the company’s North Canaan system. The project is scheduled to take place from Monday, April 1 through Tuesday, April 16, and is being undertaken to ensure customers in North Canaan continue to receive the highest quality water.

The cleaning for April 1 and April 4 (subject to change) will take place on the following streets:

Keep ReadingShow less
Tuning up two passions under one roof

The Webb Family in the workshop. From left: Phyllis, Dale, Ben and Josh Webb, and project manager Hannah Schiffer.

Natalia Zukerman

Magic Fluke Ukulele Shop and True Wheels Bicycle Shop are not only under the same roof in a beautiful solar powered building on Route 7 in Sheffield, but they are also both run by the Webb family, telling a tale of familial passion, innovation and a steadfast commitment to sustainability.

In the late ‘90s, Dale Webb was working in engineering and product design at a corporate job. “I took up instrument manufacturing as a fun challenge,” said Dale. After an exhibit at The National Association of Music Merchants in Anaheim, California, in 1999, The Magic Fluke company was born. “We were casting finger boards and gluing these things together in our basement in New Hartford and it just took off,” Dale explained. “It was really a wild ride, it kind of had a life of its own.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert Cray’s soulful blues coming to Infinity Hall

Robert Cray

Photo provided

Blues legend Robert Cray will be bringing his stinging, funky guitar and soulful singing to Infinity Hall Norfolk on Friday, March 29.

A five-time Grammy winner, Cray has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and earned The Americana Music Awards Lifetime Achievement for Performance. He has played with blues and rock icons including Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton and many more.

Keep ReadingShow less