Town makes appointments

 AMENIA — The Town Board held its annual reorganization meeting on Friday, Jan. 2.

There were no oaths of office as no new board members were elected last year. Town Supervisor Victoria Perotti said that elected Assessor Wayne Euvrard would be sworn in the week of Jan. 5.

Councilpersons Stephen Perotti, Vicki Doyle, Gretchen Hitselberger and Mike DeLango and Supervisor Victoria Perotti were all in attendance. The members voted unanimously on all motions.

 Paid appointments

Denise Fitzpatrick was appointed attorney to the town.

Karen McLaughlin was appointed bookkeeper. Lorna Sherman was appointed alternate per diem bookkeeper.

Jennifer Jaynes was appointed bank reconciliation clerk.

Tara Morey was appointed clerk to the water district. Katrina Gore-Alexander was appointed treasurer to the water district as well as building administrator assistant.

Hilarie Thomas was appointed town court special prosecutor.

Kimberlea Rea was appointed attorney for the Old Amenia Landfill.

Supervisor Perotti was appointed budget director.

Annette Culligan was appointed secretary to the supervisor.

Monique Montaigne was appointed typist.

John Fenton was appointed code enforcement officer.

Mike Segelken was appointed building and fire inspector.

Clerk Klingner was appointed registrar of vital statistics as well as tax collector.

Larissa DeLango was appointed Planning Board secretary.

Susan Metcalfe was appointed Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) secretary.

Joseph Fontaine was appointed Planning Board chairman.

Dave Everett was appointed Planning Board and ZBA attorney.

Cathy Whalen was appointed first deputy town clerk. Nancy Luther was appointed second deputy town clerk.

Donna Morrison was appointed assessor’s clerk.

John Lloyd was appointed data collector.

Christopher Klingner was appointed chief police constable. Jason Dean, Brett Johnson and Duewayne Jackson were appointed police constables.

Andy Wheeler was appointed highway foreman. Allan Wilbur, Darren Peterson, Megan Chamberlin and Arthur Parrotte were appointed highway laborers. Judith Carlson was appointed highway office manager.

John Culligan was appointed groundskeeper and cleaner. Charles Mayville was appointed assistant recreation groundskeeper.

Mike Flint was appointed videographer.

Lesley Toth was appointed animal control officer.

Michael Hagerty was appointed grant writer.

Kathleen Howard was appointed summer recreation director.

 Unpaid appointments

Councilperson Doyle was appointed deputy supervisor.

Arlene Iuliano was appointed town historian.

Andy Wheeler was appointed deputy highway superintendent. 

Leo Blackman was appointed ZBA chairman.

Supervisor Perotti was appointed for all hazards mitigation.

Clerk Klingner was appointed records management office.

Cathy Whalen was appointed deputy tax collector.

 Board appointments

Councilpersons Doyle and DeLango were accepted as Town Board auditors for the general fund. The two were also appointed to the Enhancement Committee.

Councilpersons Hitselberger and Perotti were accepted as Town Board auditors for the highway fund. The two were also appointed to the Amenia Housing Commission and the Emergency Response Committee.

Councilpersons Perotti and DeLango were accepted as Town Board auditors for the water district. The two were also appointed to the Ethics and Water District committees.

Councilpersons Perotti and Doyle were appointed to the Recreation Committee.

Councilpersons DeLango and Hitselberger were appointed to the Wastewater Committee.

Councilpersons Doyle and Hitselberger were appointed to the Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) and Trail to Train Committee.

Councilpersons DeLango, Perotti and Doyle were designated emergency interim successors for Dutchess County Emergency Response.

Deputy Supervisor Doyle was appointed to represent Amenia at the 2015 Association of Towns Meeting.

 Committee appointments

Chair Dave Reagon, Arlene Iuliano, Mark Doyle, Michael Peek and Anna Hadjuk were appointed to the CAC.

Chair Dawn Marie Klingner, Stanley Whitehead, John Kelleher, Christopher Howard, Virgil Shook Jr., Marco D’Antonio and John Fenton were appointed to the Emergency Response Committee.

Kevin Cassone and Toni Castro were appointed to the Enhancement Committee.

Dave Reagon and Martin Grossman were appointed to the Trail to Train Committee. 

Chair Janet Reagon, Tony Robustelli, Allison Hale, Brad Rebillard, Martin Grossman, Marco D’Antonio, Darlene Riemer and Victoria Alexander were appointed to the Wastewater Committee.

Chair May Jones, Bill Carroll, Martin Grossman and Norm Cayea were appointed to the Water District Committee.

 Designations

M&T Bank Corp., the Bank of Millbrook and Salisbury Bank & Trust Co., were named official depositories of town funds.

The Millerton News was designated official town newspaper.

 Other business

The board accepted the Town of Amenia Rules of Procedure, Committee Guidelines and Procurement Policy and established the date, time and place for scheduled meetings: every first and third Thursday at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.

The board executed an agreement to spend highway funds in 2015. The agreement states that “the sum of $245,762 shall be set aside to be expended primary work and general repairs upon 31.69 miles of town highways.”

The board approved $1 million bonding for the following town officials: supervisor, deputy supervisor, secretary to the supervisor, bookkeeper, alternate bookkeeper, town clerk, deputy town clerk, tax collector, deputy tax collector, code enforcement officer, building administrative assistant, justices, court clerks, constables, highway superintendent and deputy highway superintendent.

The board established mileage reimbursement at the federal rate of .575 cents per mile.

The board continued a $30,000 contract with SEBI for water treatment to the water district.

The board authorized all boards to use tape recorders for aid with minutes with the understanding that tapes do not replace typed and accepted minutes.

The board resolved to pay utility, postage, meter, copy machine maintenance, rents, debt service and employee benefits bills by resolution.

The board authorized the supervisor’s bookkeeper to do pre-audit functions of vouchers including math accuracy, checking for sales slips, delivery slips and paid bills by a municipal employee receiving goods, as well as make certificates of deposit and money market investments of available funds. 

The board authorized a charge of $20 on each check tendered as payment and returned for insufficient funds, including lost payroll checks. 

The board resolved for Sedore & Company to perform annual cash audit procedures required by town and state law. In addition, Sedore & Company’s Linda Hannigan was appointed CPA support. 

The board resolved that monthly bank reconciliations of the town clerk and town bookkeeper be made by an outside party, that monthly budget reports be distributed to all department heads and Town Board members and that the complete monthly budget report be distributed by the town clerk for public viewing by the town bookkeeper.

The board resolved that it has responsibility to authorize attendance of all officers and employees at conferences and training sessions.

The board accepted 2015 schedules for the Planning Board and ZBA. The Planning Board will meet the second and fourth Wednesday and the ZBA will meet the third Monday. Both boards meet at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.

The board resolved that the town clerk maintain custody of all original records, minutes, contracts, grants and documents from committees, boards and vendors.

Latest News

A scenic 32-mile loop through Litchfield County

Whenever I need to get a quick but scenic bicycle ride but don’t have time to organize a group ride that involves driving to a meeting point, I just turn right out of my driveway. That begins a 32-mile loop through some of the prettiest scenery in northern Litchfield County.

I ride south on Undermountain Road (Route 41 South) into Salisbury and turn right on Main Street (Route 44 West). If I’m meeting friends, we gather at the parking area on the west side of Salisbury Town Hall where parking is never a problem.

Keep ReadingShow less
Biking Ancramdale to Copake

This is a lovely ride that loops from Ancramdale north to Copake and back. At just over 23 miles and about 1,300 feet of elevation gain, it’s a perfect route for intermediate recreational riders and takes about two hours to complete. It’s entirely on quiet roads with little traffic, winding through rolling hills, open countryside, picturesque farms and several lakes.

Along the way, you’ll pass a couple of farmstands that are worth a quick visit. There is only one hill that might be described as steep, but it is quite short — probably less than a quarter-mile.

Keep ReadingShow less
Taking on Tanglewood

Aerial view of The Shed at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass.

Provided

Now is the perfect time to plan ahead for symphonic music this summer at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. Here are a few highlights from the classical programming.

Saturday, July 5: Shed Opening Night at 8 p.m. Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Daniil Trifonov plays piano in an All-Rachmaninoff program. The Piano Concerto No. 3 was completed in 1909 and was written specifically to be debuted in the composer’s American tour, at another time of unrest and upheaval in Russia. Trifonev is well-equipped to take on what is considered among the most technically difficult piano pieces. This program also includes Symphonic Dances, a work encapsulating many ideas and much nostalgia.

Keep ReadingShow less
James H. Fox

SHARON — James H. Fox, resident of Sharon, passed away on May 30, 2025, at Vassar Brothers Hospital.

Born in New York, New York, to Herbert Fox and Margaret Moser, James grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. He spent his summers in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, where he developed a deep connection to the community.

Keep ReadingShow less