Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.

Board of Finance is managing state grants

FALLS VILLAGE — The Board of Finance quickly went through a light agenda during its regular monthly meeting Monday, Aug. 10.

The main portion of the meeting was given over to First Selectman Pat Mechare, who reported that the account for renovating 107 Main St. (the old Town Hall, now home to the senior center and a rental space) is now closed and the unused money returned to the state. Board of Finance member Louis Timolat asked, “Did you get an ‘atta girl’ for bringing it in under budget?�

“No,� said Mechare with a grin.

Mechare reported that attorneys for the town and the Falls Village Children’s Theater are still going back and forth with the contract for their use of the building at 103 Main St.

The paperwork for the next round of state funding, for the new firehouse, is almost ready to be submitted.

Mechare added it would be nice to get the legalities squared away with the children’s theater building at 103 Main St., so that work on the septic system could get underway before winter. The building’s septic will be located under the town Green, and there is not much enthusiasm for being mid-project next spring, when the Green is required, among other things, for the traditional Memorial Day events.

Mechare said that discussions are ongoing about creating a ball field, walking trail or other recreational use  near the town pool site, but it is unlikely any plans will get much traction before the end of the summer.

Mechare reported that state authorities will do a site visit to the town’s water tanks on Beebe Hill the third week of August, and that a subcommittee of the Water Commission is studying a new rate structure. Timolat said that any fee structure should factor in capital costs, something that has not been the case in the past.

Board of Finance member Kent Allyn asked when the clock would start to tick on the children’s theater (the state grant comes with a timetable attached). Mechare assured him that the countdown begins when the contract is signed and not before.

Lakeville Journal

Latest News

The art of getting into art school

The art of getting into art school

Hudson Valley Regional Portfolio Day returns to Poughkeepsie.

Provided

For a young artist considering college, the question isn’t simply whether the work is good enough. It’s which work to show, which school might be the right fit and even whether a creative life can lead to a sustainable career.

On Friday, Oct. 16, hundreds of aspiring artists will have the opportunity to explore those questions at Hudson Valley Regional Portfolio Day, presented by The Art Effect at the MJN Convention Center in Poughkeepsie.

Keep ReadingShow less
education

A colorful life together at Atelier Valla

A colorful life together at Atelier Valla

Textile designer Justine Valla sits in her father’s chair, which she painted, alongside her husband, illustrator and muralist Victor Valla, in their Atelier Valla studio.

L. Tomaino
I lost the ability to paint after the accident. I struggled to paint again.
— Justine Valla

Husband and wife Victor and Justine Valla share a lavender and pink studio, Atelier Valla, across the driveway from their pink house, nestled into a hillside in Salisbury. The colors, said Justine, “were inspired by Monet’s house at Giverny.”

Creating art has been a lifelong pursuit for both.

Keep ReadingShow less
our community

David Ruchman’s “Acquired Taste”

David Ruchman’s “Acquired Taste”

Filmmaker David Ruchman

Bleacher and Everard Photography

In a region known for its vibrant but geographically scattered arts community, discovering something new can require a little effort. The same might be said for finding a new place for an extraordinary meal. While the Northwest Corner, Berkshires and Hudson Valley have no shortage of creative talent, opportunities to experience it — whether on a stage, in a gallery or on a plate — aren’t always just around the corner.

In David Ruchman’s short film “Acquired Taste,” that challenge becomes the premise for an unlikely friendship between Nick, an aspiring young food critic living in an area with limited dining options, and a gruff New York City master chef.

Keep ReadingShow less
film
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

Follow the Clay Way for ceramic delights

Follow the Clay Way for ceramic delights

Jane Herold’s beautifully simple dinnerware.

Provided

As the leaves across Litchfield and Dutchess counties rush to make it to the ground, your last chance to peep autumn is fast approaching. On Oct.17 and 18, the 10th annual Clay Way offers peepers a route to follow lined with unique art that rivals the area’s natural beauty.

The two-day event is a ceramics-focused open studio tour through northwestern Connecticut, with a few studios peppered in just over the border in Dutchess County. Featuring nine open studios and 25 participating artists, the tour promises a wide variety of work, from decorative objects to grand vessels and a whole world in between.

Keep ReadingShow less
open-studio

A new home for the unexpected at Kent Fine Art

A new home for the unexpected at Kent Fine Art

CAMERON (1922-1995) is on view at Kent Fine Art in Pine Plains through Nov. 14.

Provided

Where can one find the work of an artist associated with occult rituals, surrealist visions and the underground California art scene? In a beautifully renovated former carriage house in Pine Plains, of course.

Unexpected discoveries are, after all, part of what Doug Walla has spent his career making possible. The longtime New York City art dealer and founder of Kent Fine Art, has brought the work of Marjorie Cameron Parsons Kimmel, known simply as Cameron, to his new gallery space. The exhibition, on view through Nov. 14, introduces visitors to an artist whose life and work moved between mysticism, poetry, film and the avant-garde.

Keep ReadingShow less
exhibit

A new home for Stateline Auctions

A new home for Stateline Auctions
D.H. Callahan

If you’ve driven through North Canaan in the last month, you may have noticed that the big storefront windows at the intersection of Main and Railroad Streets, usually packed with antiques and art, are empty. Stateline Auctions has moved.

Stateline was started by Tommy Matteo and Bruce Kolbacher in 2011. Matteo had already been in the auction world for 15 years and had worked with Kalbacher, an antiques store owner, before they set up shop in North Canaan.

Keep ReadingShow less
business
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.