On the Boulevard: clerk & Village Hall RFQ

MILLERTON —  Millerton has a familiar face in its village office. Lisa M. Cope was officially appointed as village clerk at the regular board of trustees meeting on Monday, May 22, replacing former clerk Nicole Richard. Cope, who lives just outside the village, worked for the Town of North East from 2005 to 2019 as secretary for the planning, zoning and building departments and for six years as town clerk.

Cope reported that she is happy to be closer to home and avoiding the commute to Catskill where she has been the town clerk since 2020 and “excited to be helping residents with any questions they may have.” She arrives at a critical time, with village elections approaching as well as tax season.

At the same meeting, the trustees approved the issuance of a request for qualifications (RFQ) to anyone interested in renovating and preserving the original appearance of the exterior of the old Village Hall on Dutchess Avenue. The singled structure was built in 1904 to house the E.H. Thompson Hose Company.

The mayor and trustees would also like “the Property to be used in a manner that is beneficial to the community and preference will be given to proposals that serve a community purpose, such as affordable rental housing, local history/information gallery, artist-in-residence spaces, and other similar uses.”

Located on a .14-acre corner lot on Dutchess Avenue, the 2,500 square-foot two-story structure with bell tower formerly served as the Village Hall, with the Millerton police occupying the second floor. Responses to the RFQ, which is available online on the village website, are due by Saturday, June 24.

Key factors for consideration will be purchase price, attractiveness of proposed plan, and development team qualifications. After sale, the building will be returned to the village tax role.

The Millerton Police Department is back in action. Over the past two weekends, there has been approximately 30 hours of coverage in the village and an additional eight hours of coverage during a water main repair on Route 22.

The police are investigating a domestic incident that occurred at the village park on Sunday, May 14, at approximately 6:30 p.m. On Memorial Day, the department was present for the parade and ceremonies with additional assistance from the New York State Police on Route 22 entering the village.

Starting on Thursday, June 1, with the non-renewal of the police contract with the Town of North East, patrols will be limited to the Village of Millerton; however, 911 calls will still be answered in the town.

With a contested village election on Tuesday, June 20, candidates are scrambling to add new party lines to the ballot.

Dave Sherman, an incumbent village trustee nominated by the Republican party, obtained signatures from registered voters in the village to add his name on the “Common Ground” line on the ballot. Kelly Kilmer, who is running against incumbent mayor Jenn Najdek, was also nominated by the Republicans and secured the required signatures to qualify under the Working Together line.

Village elections are conducted by the village clerk, not the Dutchess County Board of Elections, and will be held in the village hall on Route 22. It’s possible to register to vote in a village election up until Friday, June 9. Absentee ballots may be requested from the village clerk until Tuesday, June 16, and completed ballots must be submitted by Friday, June 19.

A candidate forum moderated by John Coston, editor-in-chief of The Millerton News, is scheduled for Wednesday, June 14, at 7 p.m. at the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex, 28 Century Blvd.