An account of village business

MILLBROOK — Wearing their military hats and jackets, village residents John Kading and Alex Pandeleon gave the village meeting a patriotic boost on Tuesday evening after the department reports. They presented the Village Board with huge color photos of the front of Village Hall and followed up on their request to move the monument commemorating the heroism of Charlie Johnson from the back of Tribute Garden to a prominent spot on the lawn in front of the Village Hall.

The board approved a location between the lights and the Village Hall facing the street. Logistics will be discussed at the next meeting in time for a rededication on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

Kading reminded those in attendance of Johnson’s heroism during the war when he died, holding back an onslaught of Chinese troops on June 12, 1953, to save the lives of nine wounded soldiers. On Saturday, Sept. 25, the Arlington High School’s Wall of Remembrance will be dedicated to honor Johnson and those who died serving their country.

Oil spill contamination good news

Dan Michaud of the engineering firm, Chazen Companies, which started work on the oil spill project in April, said cleanup is on schedule and that “initial data shows wonderful signs.� This may mean that the village will be able to avoid constructing a costly on-site water treatment system. A closure report is expected by early October.

Chris Colomello and his wife, Sarah Bradshaw, the Village Hall’s next-door neighbors who have lived spring and summer with the cleanup in their backyard, asked about the grading of the soil. Mayor Laura Hurley said this last phase will involve a transition with a landscaper.

Bennett timeline

Village Attorney Rebecca Valk has given the village extra time to prepare the demolition timeline to be presented to the developers of Bennett College, by not filing Judge Golden’s Aug. 29 order upholding the village’s authority to demand demolition with Ken McLaughlin, zoning enforcement officer, until Sept. 15. The village now has until Oct. 15 to research and present a reasonable demolition plan to the developer. The Village Board agreed to acknowledge Golden’s demolition order as final.

Millbrook Golf and

Tennis boundary line

Dutchess County rejected the village’s approval to formalize an ambiguous boundary line between village property and the Millbrook Golf and Tennis Club, and has asked for review by the town Planning Board.

In order to avoid a waste of resources to solve a minor problem, the board agreed to circumvent the request by filing nine points of law exempting it from Planning Board approval. Village Trustee Stan Morse abstained from voting to avoid any appearance of conflict since he is a member of the club.

Former Mayor Andy Ciferri suggested from the audience that the village might be losing some valuable real estate; however, Hurley got the discussion back on track reminding everyone that the board had already approved the boundary lines.

Court consolidation plans

After discussing how to include public input in the decision to consolidate village and town justice courts, the board decided to put it to a board vote at the next meeting on Sept. 28 and invite the interested public to provide comments in order to avoid the expense of a special referendum vote.

Public comments

Village resident Scott Tumbelty sat through the entire lengthy meeting to advocate recycling in the village.

Ciferri asked for an update on the thorny Thorne Building issue to which Hurley replied, “We’re trying to enter into discussions and expect to meet sooner rather than later.�

Valk expected that Mike and Erica Downing, the lessees of the building who were granted permission to execute renovations in March, would attend Tuesday’s meeting but they didn’t show.

Ciferri also asked about the funds given to the village to renovate the building. Hurley said no money will be spent on Thorne improvements until the lease negotiation with the Downings is resolved. In the meantime, $65,000 in Tribute Garden funds have been used to install 50 new streetlights and 15 trees, leaving a balance of $233,000 in the account.