![Sharon forum discusses future of town Community Center](https://lakevillejournal.com/media-library/residents-gathered-for-a-community-forum-to-share-ideas-for-the-vacant-community-center-building.jpg?id=50680996&width=980&quality=90)
Residents gathered for a community forum to share ideas for the vacant Community Center building.
Photo by Leila Hawken
SHARON — Individuals or organizations interested in imagining future uses for the now vacant Community Center building were invited to attend a noonday special meeting of the Board of Selectmen on Saturday, Sept. 9.
About 25 residents attended the session, the beginning of a long process that will determine the future of the town-owned building at 99 North Main Street.
The sole presentation at the informational meeting was offered by the Housing Plan Steering Committee, with Bob Whelan of Habitat for Humanity speaking on behalf of the committee.
The work of the Housing Trust, Whelan said, began in 2005, dedicated to creating affordable housing and receiving what he termed “incredible support” from the community.
This past summer, Whelan said, the Housing Trust obtained the six apartments located in three buildings at 91, 93 and 95 North Main Street, adjacent to the Community Center. Those apartments represent a significant step toward achieving the goals within the town’s affordable housing plan that calls for 10% of the town’s housing opportunities to be affordable.
Whelan reported that the town’s affordable housing stock stands at 3.5%, or 36 units, so that adding the six units is a substantial improvement.
“It was clear that the community needed more rental options,” Whelan said, noting that Habitat for Humanity projects involve affordable home purchase options.
The plan offered by the Housing Steering Committee would convert the Community Center into four rental apartments, making a total of ten apartments within the four neighboring buildings, all with the convenience of being located steps from the Sharon Center School.
Describing it as an “incredible opportunity,” Whelan explained that the concept is that each of the four apartments of 750 square feet would contain two bedrooms, one bath and combination living-dining area. An enclosed staircase in the rear and rear patio would mean that the building would be unchanged from the present street view. The staircase would be the only change to the building’s footprint.
Because the building is 3,000 square feet in size, it would not need to be ADA-compliant, although the first-floor apartments could be designed to be comfortable for handicapped tenants.
Selectman Casey Flanagan asked about costs. Whelan replied that renovation costs have not yet been determined, nor has funding been identified.
Flanagan initiated a discussion about who might benefit from living in the Community Center apartments, feeling that the building had been given to the town and should house local workers and residents.
As for the six apartments in the other three buildings, Whelan said that the Housing Trust is developing relationships with state government agencies.
“We will never own 99,” Whelan said. “It would have to be a long-term lease with the town.”
Selectman Dale Jones raised the issue of parking limitations at 99 that would need to be resolved. The lot size is one-quarter of an acre.
“We need to work out the logistics and how we get there,” Jones said, noting that the building appearance would remain the same.
Whelan added that the Historic Commission has indicated their support for the idea.
One resident asked whether there were any alternative proposals from those attending the meeting, but no one responded.
The Board of Selectmen plan to continue discussion at their next meeting scheduled for Friday, Sept. 15, beginning at 3 p.m. If agreed, the proposal would be sent to the Planning and Zoning Commission to determine compliance with the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). Following that determination, a town meeting would be scheduled.
“We’re trying to create a gem right in the center of town,” said resident Tom Bartram.
Residents are encouraged to contact the Housing Trust at www.shtct.org to ask questions or express opinions, Whelan said.
MILLERTON — Linda Kaplan, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, sister-in-law, cousin and friend, passed away Sept. 3, 2024. Linda will be remembered as a deeply kind woman guided by faith, family and love.
Linda was born to Francis Crawford and Lydia Johnson (nee Snyder) in Sharon, on Sept. 14, 1942. She attended Webutuck High School in Millerton, and then started her career in banking, where she worked until her retirement as a Vice President. Linda was a loving mother who raised her two sons and instilled in them her love of faith and family.
Linda met her future husband, Sanford (Sam) Kaplan, at a dance in Millerton, and they were blessed with 30 years of marriage during which they enjoyed their time on Simmons Street. Here, Linda enjoyed tending to her garden where she could be found picking green beans and tomatoes. She also enjoyed solving the daily crossword puzzle, knitting, and listening to Sam play his guitar. Together, Linda and Sam enjoyed hosting their family for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Passover celebrations. They especially enjoyed annual summer visits by their granddaughters which always included visits to their farm where they rode ATVs. Linda and Sam’s interest in dairy farming led them to travel to Europe where they toured dairy farms; a trip they fondly recounted to their family for years.
Linda’s faith was evident, not only through her family, but also through her involvement with the Millerton Presbyterian Church. She enjoyed community outreach, singing in the choir, working with children, teaching ESL classes, and helping to develop and implement programs.
Linda is predeceased by her husband, Sam Kaplan, her mother, father, and brother Thomas Crawford. She is survived by her two sons; Lorin Stapleton and his wife Mary Stapleton of Brewster, New York, and Brian Stapleton of Sandisfield, Massachusettds; her two granddaughters, Bridget Stapleton of Jersey City, New Jersey and Colleen Stapleton of Boston, Massachusetts; her sister-in-law, Susan Crawford; nephew David Keys and his wife Barbara; niece Susan Jenkins and her husband Rick Herring.
Calling hours will be held on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546. A Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 10 a.m. at St. Martin of Tours Church of St. Mary in Lakeville, CT. Rev. Dennis Arambasick will officiate. Burial will follow at Irondale Cemetery in Millerton, NY. To send an online condolence to the family, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
David Colbert with one of his sculptures on the sculpture walk he has created over 35 years.
The Cornwall Open Studio took place on Saturday, Aug. 31. It is a Cornwall tradition and has been taking place for eighteen years.
It is a day when Cornwall artists invite the public into their studios to see what they are working on and how they do it. The artists work in various media, including painting, sculpture, photography and artistic shoes.
To participate, prospective tourists go to cornwallct.org/event/cornwall-open-studio-2024/ where a map and a list of the artists is available to download and print. The event is free, there is no registration, and so armed with the map, those taking the tour are set to explore not only artists’ studios, but the beautiful drive through Cornwall.
David Colbert, sculptor, is the initiator of the event. He said of his work, “I was smitten by the geometry and eventually the geometry led me to art.” Behind his studio in Cornwall Bridge he has a quarter mile sculpture path which he has been building for the past thirty-five years. Those on the tour could meander down the path and enjoy the beauty of the geometrically derived works.
Asked if there were any special artists and studios that should not be missed, he said, “I can’t help but mention Tim Prentice, whose shop, barn and whole place is pretty amazing.” At Prentice’s studio in West Cornwall, an old barn, mobiles, and other kinetic works of art hang from walls and ceilings and populate the surrounding fields. Across the road, another barn holds larger sculptures.
At 93, Prentice still works most days in the studio beside his house. He said he works on “small things.” He struggles with fading eyesight due to macular degeneration. He will be in a film by The Vision and Art Project, which seeks to bring awareness of macular degeneration by featuring artists like Tim Prentice. The film will be shown at the Cornwall Library sometime in the coming months.
In spite of his failing eye sight, he enjoys getting out to the studio and working and was welcoming visitors on the tour.
Another interesting studio is that of Lauren Brinkers Shoes in Cornwall Bridge. The shoes are hand painted and “one of a kind.” “I studied in London and went to shoe making school there,” Brinkers said. “I studied traditional men’s shoe making and transitioned into women’s.” She wanted to bring “more color and expression into shoes.” She learned how to work with leather dyes and paints the shoes to accomplish this goal.
A display of Lauren Brinkers handmade, one of a kind , hand paintied shoes on display at her Cornwall studio.Robin Roraback
Next to Lauren Brinkers’ studio is that of Stephan Sagmiller, who shows with his photographs that “The world is worth looking at closely. You’ve got to look at them up close. That’s my ethos as an artist.” His photos are large and colorful and invite you to do just that — look up close.
In West Cornwall, the abstract landscapes of Suzan Scott were on display at the Souterrain Gallery. Scott says of her work, “I’ve always had a strong connection with nature. I see everything, every blade of grass.” It was overwhelming for her. She began to paint still lives thinking they’d be easier, but in doing so she realized that still lives are similar to landscapes in that she could break down the parts as she did for still lives. “Why not go out and do landscapes and simplify them — abstract them?”
Her process is to layer tinted glazes, sometimes as many as thirty. She will work on a painting, let it rest, go back to it, work some more, and continue this until the painting is finished, which can take a week or months.
Scott paints scenes from the northwest corner and has “favorite spots” that she revisits. “The more I see it, the more I can interpret it, and it becomes mine.”
These are just a few of the artists on the tour. There were also Curt Hanson’s beautiful landscapes and the looser, colorful paintings of Magaly Ohika, Katherine Freygang and Sally Van Doren. Photographers Nick Jacobs and Bela Selendy also opened their studios. They use their cameras to explore life and nature.
If you missed the tour this year, be sure to keep an eye out for it next Labor Day Weekend. It is a wonderful way to spend a Saturday. To contact these artists or find out more about their work, go to: cornwallct.org/history-culture/arts-artists/ or go to the tour website to find links to their websites.
Fresh donuts by Hanna Rybolt at ILSE Coffee.
Something scrumptious is cooking beneath Colonial Theatre.
Pastries by Hanna was established in February of 2024 at 27 Railroad St. in North Canaan. The owner, Hanna Rybolt, is a resident of Canaan who studied in the pastry program at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Her interest in baking is rooted in fond memories with her family. The baked goods and pastry products are sold locally at ILSE Coffee just next door, as well as the Great Barrington farmer’s market. Her pastry kitchen is located below Colonial Theatre.
Rybolt aims to ensure the goods are produced with locally grown products and sold in community businesses. Pastries by Hanna’s best-selling product is brioche-style donuts.
The business is solely owned and operated by Rybolt, who stated she is looking forward to what the future will bring for the bakery and is hoping to collaborate with more companies in the area.
Customers can custom order goods online at pastriesbyhanna.com or check out her Instagram page @PastriesbyHanna.