The North East Community Center Makes Plans for the Future

MILLERTON — An informal brainstorming session took place at the North East Community Center (NECC) Tuesday morning. Center staff, as well as residents, discussed what programs are working, what programs could be improved and how the community center can plan for the future.

The forum was moderated by Gayle Gifford, advanced certified fundraising executive president of Rhode Island-based Cause & Effect, Inc.

"We’re thinking about the future," she said.

Millerton’s Nan McClune, the first resident to take the floor, had some alarming news.

"There’s a gang going around the village. They pound on my door at 10 p.m.," she said.

"You get to be afraid of being alone. I have kids," Millerton’s Jeanette Malarchuk added.

"But they’re not right next door to you," Millerton’s Alice Muzynski interjected.

Jenny Hansell, the community center’s executive director, said there has been a rash of drug use and vandalism in the community center’s backyard, which abuts the Harlem Valley Rail Trail.

Recently, one of the memorial benches that line the Rail Trail property was covered in spray paint and the plaque was significantly scratched up.

Hansell told of one group of youngsters who were smoking cigarettes and vandalizing one of the benches. She asked the teenagers to clean the mess up and they offered to repaint the picnic table.

"That group is different from the one you’re talking about," she guessed.

South Center Street’s Kathleen Penny said foul play takes place "because kids around here don’t have anything to do."

Penny, as well as the others in the room, guessed that if the community center provided teens with wholesome activities, less crime would take place.

She also suggested organizing a neighborhood watch group.

"Basically, all they want to do is hang out at the mall. What’s your thoughts on making places for them to go to?" Gifford asked.

The center currently offers a program that sets up teens with jobs at local shops.

"The job program is great," said Ann Marie Williams, the business manager at Wassaic’s World Peace Sanctuary.

"Any other thoughts on engaging teenagers?" Gifford asked.

Jim Dugan, a steward at the World Peace Sanctuary, suggested that troubled teens establish a relationship with Dutchess County deputy sheriffs who act as resource officers at Webutuck High School.

"If they did a one-on-one, the officer may form a direct link with kids that need guidance," he guessed.

Gifford said it might be a good idea to set up a teen drop-in center, where young adults could shoot pool or play table tennis.

"I think that was tried," Malarchuk said.

"They need something more than just hanging out," Penny said.

The community center may set up a page on social networking site MySpace in order to connect to young people.

"The best way to connect with high school students is probably online," Gifford said.

Every July, the Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association, in conjunction with Bike New York, puts on the Harlem Valley Rail Ride for biking enthusiasts and novices alike.

"It might be good to get student involvement in that," Gifford said, adding that a mentoring program also might be of some help.

"Yes, something like Big Brothers and Big Sisters," Williams said, referring to Big Brothers of America’s mentoring program.

"Do you think older people in the community would be willing to do that?" Gifford asked.

"It would be hard to get it started," Malarchuk said. "The younger people may not want to be with the older ones."

"A lot of people are looking to mentor, but they don’t know where to go," Penny added.

Gifford asked the attendees what they like about the village they live in.

"It’s absolutely beautiful," said Penny.

"The biking and the Rail Trail," added McClune.

"It has a small town feel. You can get a cup of coffee or a loaf of bread. There’s a sense of community. I wish we had that in Amenia," Williams said. "And an important component to me is the center. Jenny, I love it."

"You know your neighbors, for one thing. You call them and they’re there," Muzynski said.

While the community center offers a wide variety of programs, Hansell acknowledged that more could be done in a bigger space.

"In a perfect world, we’d add on another room," she said. "There’s things we’d like to do in the building that we can’t do because of lack of space."

"There’s great programs, but nobody comes," Malarchuk said. "Sometimes we have 10 or 11 people for some programs, sometimes we have three or four."

In Hansell’s opinion, either the center, the village of Millerton or the town of North East (in which the village sits) should set up a community calender like the town of Amenia’s to keep residents abreast of upcoming events in the two municipalities.

As the forum came to an end, Hansell said she was very pleased with the outpouring of public input she received.

"This was great," she said, adding that the center will definitely take all suggestions into consideration.

To reach the community center online, go to www.neccmillerton.org.