Planning Board discusses local projects

AMENIA — The Amenia Planning Board held a meeting on Thursday, Oct. 6, to discuss the Roxbury projects and the timber harvest projects occurring in the town.During the meeting, Planning Board Chair Bill Flood announced that Kippy Weigelt, the owner of the Roxbury Sand and Gravel, has withdrawn both applications put before the board.One of the applications was regarding the use of the Roxbury property as a storage location for wrapped pallets of bagged soil. The product would have been stockpiled on site during the fall and winter in preparation for the busy spring and summer seasons, which would have depleted the stockpile.The other application was regarding the use of the Roxbury property as a composting site for leaves, brush, grass clippings and manure. Composting on that property is banned by the town’s code because the property sits on top of the town’s aquifer. In order for that application to be approved, the town code would have needed to be changed.Flood said that the reason for withdrawing the applications was mostly due to the controversy surrounding the projects. Flood said that it was also difficult for the applicants to navigate the complicated application process without legal guidance and representation.The board also discussed a complaint submitted by the public regarding timber harvesting on Cascade Mountain.Prior to the meeting, the board fielded a complaint about excessive logging occurring on some forestry sites.The board members noted that they have not yet investigated the claim, but are looking into what the agreement with the forestry company allows.Flood noted that there is a limited amount of action that the board can take against timber harvesting because forestry is considered a form of agriculture.Amenia Planning Board meetings are held on the first and last Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. on the second floor of the Amenia Town Hall.The Planning Board will also hold a special joint meeting with the Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall. That meeting will discuss the renewal of the special use permit for the cell phone tower in Amenia.

Latest News

Classifieds - 3-7-24

Help Wanted

Carpenter’s, Carpenter’s Helpers and Laborers: positions available. Will train the ambitious. Must be reliable and have own transportation. All work is in the Sharon, Lakeville, Cornwall area. Call 860-309-5290.

Full-time Bookkeeping position available: Monday-Friday 9-5. Must be proficient in QuickBooks and Microsoft Office. Individual must be organized, work independently and reliable. Please call 860-824-9955 ext. 105 for more information or email resume to amy@lamricaccounting.com.

Keep ReadingShow less
Inez Godburn

NORTH CANAAN — Inez (Delaini) Godburn passed away peacefully on March 4, 2024, at Geer Nursing Home after a brief illness, with her children at her side. She was 101.

Inez was the widow of John E. (“Jack”) Godburn, Sr., who died in 2009.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nuvance hospital system to merge with Northwell Health

Sharon Hospital would become part of a larger regional health systems with 28 hospitals.

Yehyun Kim/CTMirror.org

Nuvance Health, which owns four hospitals in Connecticut and three in New York, will merge with Northwell Health to form a larger regional health system across two states.

Together, the companies will own 28 hospitals and more than 1,000 sites of care and employ 14,500 providers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Millerton director is an Oscar nominee

Arlo Washington in a film still from the Oscar-nominated short "The Barber of Little Rock."

Story Syndicate

John Hoffman, a Millerton resident, has been nominated for his film “The Barber of Little Rock,” which he co-directed with Christine Turner, in the Best Documentary Short Film category at the upcoming 96th Academy Awards.

Distributed by The New Yorker and produced by Story Syndicate Production in association with 59th & Prairie, Better World Projects, and Peralta Pictures, “The Barber of Little Rock” explores the efforts of Arkansas local hero Arlo Washington, who opened a barbershop at 19 years old and, with a mission to close the racial inequality gap in his community, went on to found the Washington Barber College as well as People Trust Community Federal Credit Union. Washington’s goal is aiding his primarily Black neighborhood, which has historically been underserved by more prominent banking institutions.

Keep ReadingShow less