AMENIA — On Monday, Oct. 1, the Amenia Town Board held a special meeting at Town Hall to address the ongoing Kent Hollow Mining permit request that is currently before the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).The owners of the mine, which is located on Dutchess County Route 2 in Amenia, have operated the mine in the past; however their original permit to do so lapsed in 1989 as stated by town Supervisor Bill Flood.Since that time the mine, the owners claimed, has continued to operate but only at the legal limit of 750,000 cubic yards or 1,000 tons of material a year. They are now requesting the new permit from the DEC in order to expand their mining operation.As a result of their permit request the DEC must grant a 30-day public comment period so that local residents can address their concerns before the permit is granted. The public comment period will end Oct. 19. The Town Board contends that since the mine’s original permit lapsed in 1989 the mine cannot have been grandfathered in as a result of the zoning changes that were adopted by the town in 2007, especially since the property in question now falls outside of the Soil-Mine District. The board also noted during the meeting that the application as filed by Kent Hollow states it is in compliance with local zoning ordinances and that no approval is required by the town of Amenia, which the town also contests.The Town Board requested Attorney to the Town Ian MacDonald draft a letter to the DEC in order to request an extension of the 30-day public comment period so it can thoroughly examine the request before the permit is issued. It also wants time to express its concerns to the DEC.The Town Board discussed possible legal action against both the DEC and Kent Hollow should the DEC grant the permit in spite of the town’s concerns. The board claimed that to date the DEC has been dismissive of its concerns. MacDonald noted that currently the town has no legal standing to do so, but would once the permit is granted and operations begin.WastewaterThe last item covered on the agenda was related to the proposed wastewater project, seeking a possible location for a sub-surface discharge station. The cost to the town for such a station is significantly cheaper, by $900 per household ($2,500 vs. $1,400), than for an above-surface station.One of the possible sites identified in the Clark Engineering study is lot number 132000-7167-00-186672, located on Route 22, which according to the Dutchess County Parcel Access website is an 8.47-acre vacant residential lot valued at $111,800. According to the town, it is currently under tax foreclosure and owned by the county. Time is of the essence as the lot is scheduled to be up for auction on Oct. 17, and in order to determine if the town should acquire the lot a site survey, including test holes, needs to be conducted.To that end the board passed Resolution 67, which authorized the town to enter into a contractual agreement with Clark Engineering and the Dutchess County Wastewater Agency in order to determine the site’s feasibility. The vote was four to one with Flood, Councilmen CJ Hoss, Darlene Riemer and Vicki Doyle voting in favor of the motion and Councilwoman Victoria Perotti voting against it. The individual who originally bought the property in 2004 has until Oct. 17 to pay the back taxes in order to redeem the property.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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