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Sharon approves yearly spending plan

SHARON — Residents of Sharon gathered at Town Hall on Friday, May 11, for the annual town meeting. Items concerning town budgets were presented and all moved after unanimous agreement and little discussion despite the sizable crowd.

Voters adopted the annual budget for the fiscal year 2024-25. The Board of Selectmen’s budget is up to $5,791,308, an increase of $461,580 (8.66%) over the current year.

The Town of Sharon, with approval from the Board of Finance, will use $42,000 of undesignated funds to replace a 24-year-old John Deere tractor which has been used to assist The Sharon Green Committee. The committee is responsible for supervising the maintenance tasks on the Green, including mowing, feeding, and pruning trees, as well as plowing sidewalks, conducting fall and spring clean-up, and ensuring equipment maintenance.

The town passed an authorization to expedite The Town Aid Road Fund for road and bridge maintenance; $9,600 from the Sharon Cemetery Fund, the acceptance of any state or federal educational grants as well as grants for municipal purposes; $1,000 in interest from the Virginia Brown Fund for Nature’s Classroom; $5,700 from the 67 Main Street Account for general maintenance for the office of the Sharon Land Trust; and up to $181,930 from the Equipment Replacement Account for a new F550 truck.

The Board of Finance approved the Five-Year Capital Improvement plan, which includes up to $1,500,000 for repair to River Road, $1,800,000 for repair to Rolling Hills Road and Dug Road, and well as the drainage, and $1,000,000 for repairs to West Cornwall Road Bridge.

The town approved the use of funds from the Local Capital Improvement Program in the amount of $71,914 to replace the tennis courts on Veterans’ Field, as well as the Board of Education’s Six-Year Capital Building Project plan.

Alexander Wilburn

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Lelah M. Somers

Lelah M. Somers

DOVER PLAINS — Lelah M. Somers, 97, a longtime Dover Plains, New York, resident, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, at Ferncliff Nursing Home in Rhinebeck, New York. Lelah was born on July 3, 1929, in Pawling, New York, to the late Byron and Lelah (Watts) Brill. Lelah grew up in Pawling and on Nov. 22, 1946, in Pleasant Valley, New York, she married James F. Somers, Sr. Mr. Somers passed away on Sept. 3, 1970. Lelah worked for New York State as a therapy aide for thirty-years and as a senior companion for New York State for thirty-two-years, with specific care provided to the mentally disabled.

She enjoyed taking care of the mentally disabled, was a wonderful mother to her four children, always putting her family first. She is survived by her son, James F. Somers, Jr. and his wife Donna of Dover Plains; two daughters, Doreen Monica of Wingdale, and Frances “Fran” Horton of Dover Plains, who was also her caregiver for many years; seven grandchildren, Debbie, Margie, Leah, Stephanie, Deirdra, Benji and Jimmy and several great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews, and her step-son, Kenny Elliott. In addition to her parents and husband, Lelah was predeceased by her daughter and son-in-law, Carol “DeeDee” Maile and Gil Maile, her son-in-law, Stephen Monica, and her son-in-law, Benny Horton as well as her companion of over forty-years, Andrew “Mac” McAlravey and her siblings, Ferris Brill, Eleanor Barryann, Richard Brill, William Brill and Barney Brill.

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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.

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I lost the ability to paint after the accident. I struggled to paint again.
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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.”

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Bleacher and Everard Photography

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Jane Herold’s beautifully simple dinnerware.

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