Hazards Mitigation Plan will aid town in FEMA funding

AMENIA — After several years of work, the Amenia Town Board finally adopted the Northern and Eastern Dutchess County Communities Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan at its Dec. 16 meeting.

The planning process, which was spearheaded by town of Dover Councilwoman Katie Palmer-House, is a joint plan shared by the towns of Amenia, Beekman, Dover, Milan, North East, Pawling and Pine Plains as well as the villages of Millerton and Pawling.

The plan outlines natural disaster procedures for the town and confirms the town’s “good standing� with Federal Emergency Management Agency, which town Supervisor Wayne Euvrard said would come in handy when applying for grant funding.

It might even come in handy retroactively, as Euvrard and Highway Superintendent Stan Whitehead pointed out that the town is still trying to get more funding for the Cascade Mountain Road Bridge work that has already been completed.

New projector for town use

Thanks to a $560 grant from the local group, Friends for a Better Amenia, Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) Chair Dave Reagon was able to purchase a digital projector. The projector, which can be utilized for any town meetings, will especially come in handy when the CAC is looking over maps.

“Before this everyone has been crowding around this little computer screen,� Councilwoman Vicki Doyle explained.

The board has previously discussed using a projector during budget workshops and hearings so that the audience can follow along with the board’s discussions.

Constable positions filled

With Town Constable George Wesley leaving his position, the board voted to hire a replacement. It hired Wassaic resident, Jason Dean, as well as a fill-in, Brett Johnson. Chris Klingner is the other existing constable.

The next Town Board meeting will be held Thursday, Jan. 13, at 7 p.m.

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Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
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Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

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A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

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Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

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For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

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