Revving their engines, area motorcyclists could be seen riding around the town of Dover as part of VFW Post 5444’s Poker Run on Saturday, June 4. Photo submitted
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School-to-work apprenticing
Apr 10, 2024
In the children’s section at The Dover Plains Library, from left to right, Amy Smith (Director of Dover Plains Library), Meredith Hamilton (Teen Program Director), Katie Cariello (School to Work Coordinator), and Shannon (student intern).
Natalia Zuckerman
With funding from the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, North East Community Center’s (NECC) School-to-Work Apprenticeship Program supports young adults navigating the delicate transition from adolescence to adulthood.
Webutuck, Dover Plains, Pine Plains, and Millbrook Public School students (and recent graduates) are paired with local trades and businesses during their junior and senior years of high school, giving students an invaluable opportunity to explore a diversity of career fields while gaining transferable skills to shape not just careers, but lives.
The School to Work program began in 2022 under the Teen Programs umbrella, one of the longest running programs at the NECC, which serves students aged 14 through 17.
Also in partnership with local businesses, the Teen Program gives many of these teenagers their first work experience, paying each for up to 160 hours. It is a year-round program with additional funding for summer placements.
Teen Program Director Meredith Hamilton explained, “It’s the hope that our Teen Jobs youth will transition into School to Work as they gather more skills and are more aware of what they’re interested in.”
The School to Work Coordinator, Katie Cariello said, “School to Work is for folks who are mainly between 16 to 23 who are looking to enter the workforce after graduating high school. Or maybe they tried higher education and realized it wasn’t for them, or maybe they’re still in that middle area of trying to decide what they want to do next.” Cariello works closely with all these individuals, helping them to build their resumes and hone their interview skills while giving them space to focus on their interests.
Shannon, a student at Dover Plains High School, has been an intern at the Dover Library since mid-January. A self-proclaimed shy person, Shannon reflected, “It’s hard for me to get out there and this has been really helpful.” Amy Smith, the Director of the Dover Plains Library added supportively, “I was also very shy when I started, but one of the nice things about this work is you have kind of a scripted interaction, so it allows you practice speaking to strangers…which is weird,” she laughed.
Smith also underscored the program’s transformative potential saying, “One of the things I think that’s interesting about library work is that a lot of the skills are really customer service, and then a whole bunch are sort of office, clerical related. So, there’s a whole lot of transferable skills.”
Shannon drives her own car to her job at the library but the NECC’s Transportation program also helps individuals without access to transportation. Trying to find businesses to participate in the program that are on the school bus route, however, is also a priority as the new program continues to take shape.
Outreach for the program has taken the form of “a lot of cold calling,” said Cariello, as well as newsletters, word of mouth, and an online form for any business currently hiring.
The NECC also works closely with Dutchess BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) who do a lot of trade programming. Students can go during their school day to learn about plumbing, HVAC, culinary arts, nursing, security, cosmetology and more. “It’s a lot of hands-on learning,” said Cariello. Just a few of the businesses participating in the program so far are Amenia Parks and Recreation, AFI Glass & Architectural Metal, Inc, and Wethersfield Estate & Garden with more being added in the summer.
Meredith Hamilton shared, “We’re asking a lot of business, but we’re also showing them that we have youth that are ready and able to work, and we really want to support them.” She continued, “Our main goal is matching youth with a business and having it be the experience they’re looking for and a career that they want to pursue.” Cariello added, “We want to show the businesses that we are here to support them as well, that we are willing to do some of the financial backing if it means they can be a mentor and give this young person a real glimpse into what a particular field could look like for them.
“But,” she added, “sometimes students try working somewhere and realize it’s not an avenue they want to pursue. And so,” she continued, “they had a safe space in order to try it.”
Safety, access, and support are just a few of the gifts of this program. And, Smith adds, “No matter where Shannon goes next, she has a reference. As a young person, finding a reference that isn’t related to you or like a neighbor or whatever can be really hard. So that’s part of the beauty of this program. It sets people up.”
To find out more about the School to Work or Teen Jobs program, visit www.neccmillerton.org or email teamprograms@neccmillerton.org
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Conceptual rendering of the design for a new Amenia Town Garage calls for six bays for trucks and equipment.
LaBella Associates
AMENIA — The old Town Garage in Wassaic, built before 1955, is showing its age and inability to meet the town’s modern needs, according to a special report to the Town Board at its regular meeting on Thursday, April 4.
Flanked by images of the old garage and conceptual design plans for a new structure, Budget Officer Charlie Miller reported on the shortcomings of the old and the design features of a new expanded facility.
“The highway garage is falling apart,” Miller said of the old structure that was constructed on an old landfill near Wassaic Park. He described walls separated from the roof and inadequate room for indoor parking as vehicles have grown larger. The salt shed structure abuts Wassaic Creek. The total area of the site has only 2.5 acres of usable land.
The new site along Route 22, not far from the old location, measures 5 acres. The conceptual design plans show a 13,000 square foot garage with six bays for trucks and equipment. A covered salt shed stands nearby in the drawings.
The total projected cost for the new Town Garage is estimated at $6.3 million, Miller said.
“The more you put things off, the more costly they become,” Miller added, suggesting using undesignated ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds for initial phases.
Miller said that by early summer or perhaps the fall, the town should be prepared to send the engineering aspect out for bid, and ARPA funds could begin paying for that work.
“Several grant opportunities exist to help with costs,” Miller noted, expecting that bonding would be needed for the project at an estimated $5.1 million.
Three currently bonded projects are nearing the end of their bonding: the landfill, the rail trail and the heating system at the Town Hall, Miller noted, lessening the impact of bonding for a town garage.
“These projects will end before this project would begin,” Miller said.
To acquaint residents with the deteriorated conditions and cramped quarters within the old town garage property, an open house is planned for Saturday, May 4 giving visitors a chance to see for themselves.
For more information about plans for the new Town Garage, go to ameniany.gov/highway.
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The Bank of Millbrook may be opening a Town of North East branch on Route 44 at the location of Elizabeth’s Jewelry and Fine Gifts, according to bank president George Whalen III.
Christine Bates
MILLERTON — The Town of North East is abuzz with the probability that The Bank of Millbrook is in talks to open a branch locally.
George Whalen III, president of the Bank of Millbrook, was introduced around at the Millerton Fire Company pancake breakfast on Sunday morning, April 7, by Town of North East Supervisor Chris Kennan. Kennan commented he “wished more business people would reach out to residents of our community. I’m happy that they want to come to our town.” Asked for specifics about the purchase of property in town he replied, “It’s really premature. The bank hasn’t bought anything.”
Whalen himself was more forthcoming when questioned. “Yes, we have applied for approval to open a branch on Route 44 with the New York State Department of Financial Services which regulates state-chartered banks like ours.
We’re not sure how long it will take to secure permission. When we moved from the parking lot at Fresh Town in Amenia to our new branch at the light it took them about 30 days.”
Whalen confirmed that the bank is in the process of preparing a site plan to present to the Planning Board which will include a drive through window and will be meeting with architects to modify the interior.
“The bank has been looking at Millerton for some time but with the acquisition of Salisbury Bank by NBT it seemed like the right time to move forward. It’s a beautiful, light filled building.”
Regarding the possible sale of her building Elizabeth Trotta, said only, “There are two parties involved in negotiations with lots of boxes that need to be checked. I will not be closing my business, but I may relocate. I love Millerton.”
The 2,479 square foot store on one acre was built in 2007 and comes complete with a sprinkler system, village water, and even a safe. When the Bank of Millbrook opens in the Town of North East consumers will have two banks to choose from and the Bank of Millbrook will expand its branch network which now includes, in addition to their Village of Millbrook headquarters, locations in Pine Plains, Amenia and Stanford.
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Hecate talks solar at Hillsdale meetings
Apr 10, 2024
Hecate Energy’s Matt Levin, center, discusses detail of the Shepherd’s Run project with Copake residents who attended an open house on Wednesday, April 3 in Hillsdale.
John Coston
HILLSDALE — Hecate Energy LLC held two open houses at the Hillsdale Fire Company on Wednesday, April 3 to present details of its upcoming application for a 42 megawatt (MW) solar farm in Copake.
Hecate officials said they expect to submit a permit application to the New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) in early June. In February, Hecate’s application for a 60MW solar farm was denied by ORES after the company lost control of 60 acres initially slated as part of the project.
Close to 100 people came to the afternoon and evening sessions to talk to several Hecate project staff and view a roomful of large placard displays of the project.
Matt Levin, the project director, noted that the turnout was encouraging despite the windy and stormy weather that had started to cover roads with icy slush by evening.
Levin explained that the choice of location in Hillsdale was made partly because it is closer to the residents who live nearest to the proposed project at the intersection of Routes 7 and 23 in Copake.
“The 60-day statutory clock to submit the application suggests we’ll file in early June,” Levin said.
Residents looked over brochures that provided an overview of the project and asked the Hecate staff questions.
Some wanted to know “Why here?”
Diane Sullivan, a senior vice president for environment and permitting, explained that reasons behind the selection included landowners who were interested, along with the advantage of being close to a New York State Electric and Gas transmision line.
Others stared at the big poster maps on display and complained that the areas where solar panels will be installed should have been better highlighted.
The Shepherd’s Run solar farm was first proposed to the Town of Copake in 2017 and called for the project to sit on 500 acres. Over the life of the planning, the land area of the project has been reduced. The current plan calls for a footprint of 215 acres with seven fenced-in areas totaling 175 acres.
Hecate pointed out that the 175-acre fenced in area now represents 35% of the original plan. Fenced-in areas house solar panels, inverters, transformers and other facility equipment, according to Hecate.
The company, based in Chicago, has other projects in the works in New York State. In Genesee County in the towns of Elba and East Oakfield, the Cider Run project is expected to encompass at least 2,800 acres straddling a transmission line and will produce 500MW. The project has been permitted.
Another project, the Coeymans Solar Farm, is a 40MW array that will soon come online in Coeymans south of Albany. Sheep grazing, which is part of the plan for Shepherd’s Run, occurs at Coeymans.
A third project in Coxsackie, also south of Albany, called the Greene County Solar Facility has been granted state approval.
Under New York law, projects that aim to produce more than 25MW of alternative energy must obtain approval from the state and that approval is dependent upon opportunities for local input, including a provision for host community benefits.
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