Among the most pressing economic issues discussed by attendees at a recent meeting of the Harlem Valley Chamber of Commerce was the future use of the Taconic Developmental Disabilities Services Office (DDSO) grounds. Community members felt that something business-oriented should be attracted and that government leaders should assist in the conversation, particularly because the property is state-owned. To that end, in recent times I have been carrying this topic forward in community conversations in asking local people what they would like to see. One idea that has surfaced is a Wassaic Slaughterhouse.The property that housed the Taconic DDSO is zoned for mixed use, meaning it can be used for commercial or residential use, or both. A transit-oriented development that takes good advantage of the location’s proximity to the train station has, in recent times, been the proposed next use of the site. It may still be the way to go, but a region still recovering from the 1994 closure of the jobs-rich Harlem Valley Psychiatric Hospital seems desperate for ideas that will stimulate economic development, and help to again place Wassaic on the map. Perhaps a business park with light manufacturing, or warehousing can be assembled? Certainly there are advantages to the site including recent upgrades to the water system, central heating, access to current sewer systems and the ability to hook up to the electrical grid with an entire power station on site.Perhaps one old idea is ripe for reconsideration, namely the development on site of a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-approved slaughterhouse. Such a concept was the topic of a 2000 feasibility study by the Hudson Valley Livestock Marketing Task Force (HVLMTF).Today, livestock producers face a shortage of slaughterhouses and must often travel great distances such that the current supply system does not meet present needs. The closest slaughterhouse is a small operation in Pine Plains, which serves a valuable part of the community but with a heavy demand. The greater meat market has to travel to Canaan, Schenectady and Cooperstown or as far as Scranton, Penn. Not only is this less humane to the livestock, but the impact of transport increases the stress levels of the animals which translates into poorer quality meat production. A closer facility would allow local farmers to better brand their product, creating a local niche with a higher demand that could mesh nicely with the region’s restaurant and grocery markets. Not to mention a nearby slaughterhouse can reduce transportation costs to farmers. This could very well lead to a dramatic expansion of farming in Dutchess County with likely new operations in the meat industry.A mobile slaughterhouse now operates in the Hudson Valley in an attempt to meet farmers’ needs, but reliance is arguably difficult due to the constant need for special use-permitting in each town that the mobile slaughterhouse services. The Taconic DDSO site could provide a central location for a permanent docking site for this mobile slaughterhouse, or perhaps a separate facility could be constructed to meet local need as was considered by the 2000 HVLMTF feasibility report. That report determined that it was financially feasible to justify a plant’s construction and that such a plant would return 100 percent of an estimated $100,000 in equity in its seventh year of operation. The same plan predicted in 2000 that as many as 1,937 beef animals could be available for a new facility to process, plus up to 2,198 hogs, 714 lambs and 100-200 other miscellaneous species animals. Regardless of whether revived discussions of a community slaughterhouse or its siting at the Taconic DDSO grounds shall come to pass, community consensus is needed for some future use for the property. Michael N. Kelsey represents Amenia, Washington, Stanford, Pleasant Valley and Millbrook in the Dutchess County Legislature. Write him at KelseyESQ@yahoo.com.
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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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