PINE PLAINS — During the Wednesday, Sept. 21, meeting, the Pine Plains Board of Education (BOE) discussed the price structure for the use of school facilities by outside groups.Since the school district is currently operating under a contingency budget, the district is legally prevented from allowing outside groups or organizations to use the school facilities free of charge if the use will cost the district money due to basic operating costs, such as electricity.The law mandates that school districts running on a contingency budget must recoup some of its operating costs from the use of school facilities and sports fields.The issue was brought up because the town of Pine Plains wants to use the school facilities for its recreation programs, which includes youth sports leagues.Since the programs would run over the course of several months, the cumulative cost of renting the school facilities is allegedly enough to stop the program in its tracks.In a letter sent by the town to the Board of Education, it was stated that the sports schedules had not yet been confirmed, so the board was unable to calculate the projected cost to the town under the current price structure.School Superintendent Linda Kaumeyer said in an interview that the request by the town for a lower price was a legitimate request, but that the information provided was too general for the board to make an informed decision during the Sept. 21 meeting.During the BOE meeting discussion, board member Heather Boucher said that she would be interested in amending the price structure to help lower the cost for groups that use the facilities on a long-term basis.The current price structure was adopted by the board during the reorganization meeting on Wednesday, July 6. It is the same price structure that was used during the 2008-09 school year, the last time the district was under a contingency budget.Michael Goldbeck, assistant superintendent for business and finance, drew up the price structure for the 2008-09 school year after studying the price structures in place at other school districts in the county.The cost of operation — which includes heating, electricity and pay for custodians — for each facility was also taken into consideration.Goldbeck said that he made an effort to price the use of the Pine Plains facilities lower than all of the other school districts.He said he has not checked to confirm whether Pine Plains still has the lowest fees for facility usage in the county.The price structure lists costs of renting each individual facility. There is a set price for the first two hours and an hourly rate for any additional time.The price structure has three different fee schedules that depend on the type of organization using the facilities.Since the programs run by the town will take place outside of “normal school hours,” the programs fall under the second schedule, which is a discounted rate.Under that schedule, renting the high school football field would cost $25 for the first two hours, then $10 for each additional hour. Renting the high school gym would cost $24 for the first two hours, then $12 for each additional hour.If the programs took place during normal school hours, they would fall under the first schedule, which does not have rental fees.At press time, a meeting between the town and the Pine Plains School District business office was scheduled, but it had not yet taken place. The purpose of the meeting was to gather further information about the recreation programs, particularly their scheduled length.Since the price structure is based on an hourly rental fee, the number of hours for each recreation program will be the main determining factor in the final cost to the town.The BOE is only allowed to take formal action during official meetings. The next BOE meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 12.The town has already begun using the school facilities under the agreement that the upcoming decision made by the BOE regarding the price structure will determine the amount the town will have to pay for the use of the facilities, said Goldbeck.
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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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