Amenia a few steps closer to a new Town Hall

AMENIA — The Town Board took a big step toward a new Town Hall last week, completing work on the Environmental Assessment Form (EAF) and putting out a notice of the board’s intent to assume lead agency status in the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) process.

The town is looking to move into the Amenia Elementary School building on Route 22. Last year school district voters approved transferring the building to the town for $1. The building has been vacant for the 2009-10 school year.

Town Supervisor Wayne Euvrard thanked Planning Board member Nina Peek for all her hard work in compiling the lengthy document. Euvrard and clerk Dawn Marie Klingner also  assisted with its completion.

Webutuck will need to sign off on the Town Board’s intent to assume lead agency within 30 days. As lead agent, the board could then make a determination of significance. It is expected that a negative declaration (part of the SEQRA review) will be made in regards to any environmental impacts the project might have.

More good news on the prospects of a new Town Hall came from Mike Hagerty, the town’s grantwriter. He confirmed at the April 15 board meeting that NYSERDA (the state’s Energy Research and Development Authority) is interested in providing funds for $77,944 of energy efficiency improvements for the building.

The Town Board authorized an energy audit of the building last year. NYSERDA presented the board with a list of possible energy improvements. The board then partnered with the Webutuck Central School District (because the town doesn’t yet own the building) to apply for stimulus package funding.

The improvements to the building include installation of more efficient light bulbs, a new heating, ventilating and air conditioning system, programmable thermostat controls, new storm windows and the elimination of unnecessary windows, extensive attic and wall insulation, a seven-day timer on the water heater and new LED exit lighting.

Hagerty said the improvements would pay for themselves through energy cost savings in just two years’ time. The town is presently working with NYSERDA to enter into a contract for the funds, he added.

Latest News

Searching for Bigfoot

Mike Familant of Sussex, New Jersey, has collected casts of suspected Bigfoot prints from dozens of sights since he began researching the cryptid in 2011.

Nathan Miller

A group of nearly 30 squatchers and skeptics gathered at David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village Thursday evening, Nov. 7, for a presentation from Bigfoot researcher Mike Familant.

Familant is the Bigfoot fanatic behind “In the Shadow of Big Red Eye,” a weekly show he produces to document his hunt for Bigfoot in the Eastern U.S.

Keep ReadingShow less
Transforming collective healing

Rebecca Churt

Provided

Rebecca Churt, a grief and death doula based in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, got her MBA at The MIT Sloan School of Management during Covid and immediately joined a Buddhist monastery.

“I think getting my master’s degree was an exercise in highlighting just how much of the current way of doing things isn’t working, is not meant for what needs to be happening going forward,” Churt explained.

Keep ReadingShow less
Luminaries Series welcomes Dan Harris for conversation and meditation at Troutbeck

Dan Harris will join the Luminaries Series at Troutbeck in Amenia, New York, Sunday, Nov. 24, at 3 p.m. for an engaging discussion with Sascha Lewis on harnessing the mind's potential to improve overall well-being.

Provided

Troutbeck’s Luminaries Series continues this fall with a special appearance by acclaimed journalist and meditation advocate Dan Harris on Sunday, Nov. 24, at 3 p.m. in the Manor House Ballroom. Harris, a former news anchor who famously chronicled his journey to mental well-being in the No. 1 New York Times bestseller “10% Happier,” will explore the power of meditation, a practice he credits with fundamentally reshaping his life.

The event promises an engaging discussion between Harris and Sascha Lewis, Troutbeck’s director of culture and commerce. They will discuss harnessing the mind’s potential to improve overall well-being, blending the timeless principles of meditation with insights from modern neuroscience. Harris’s own journey to mindfulness began after a highly publicized on-air panic attack in 2004 as Former ABC news anchor, prompting him to confront his inner struggles and seek tools for mental clarity and resilience. His experiences ultimately led him to write “10% Happier,” which offers an accessible approach to meditation and self-awareness. Harris also developed the popular podcast and meditation app of the same name.

Keep ReadingShow less