Village of Kinderhook receives $2.25M grant

by EMILIA TEASDALE

Pictured (l-r) are Mayor Michael Abrams, Renee Shur, Governor Kathy Hochul, Quinn Murphy and and Trustee Dorene Weir. Photo contributed

KINDERHOOK—Governor Kathy Hochul announced on March 3 that the Village of Kinderhook has received $2.25 million in funding as one of the Capital Region winners of the first round of that state’s NY Forward program.

Also as part of the first round the Greene County Village of Coxsackie has received $4.5 million and the Village of Cambridge in Washington County has received $2.25 million.

A press release from the governor says this new program is building on the momentum of the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI). The $100 million NY Forward program adopts the same “Plan-then-Act” strategy as the DRI to support a more equitable downtown recovery for the state’s smaller and rural communities.

As part of NY Forward Round One, two to three awards will be made to smaller communities in each of the state’s ten economic development regions to support development and implementation of a revitalization plan for their downtowns. Read more…

Copake activates team to look at housing

by DIANE VALDEN

COPAKE—Copake has decided to give itself a little time to figure out what the town can do to address a big issue—housing.

Part of the strategy involves enacting a town law to establish a six-month moratorium on major subdivisions, which the Town Board did unanimously at a special meeting held February 28.

The other part of the strategy is to activate a “SWAT team.”

In her January 12 report, Supervisor Jeanne Mettler said that the Town Board’s “careful fiscal policies” over the years coupled with the significant economic growth (a nearly $19 million increase in the town’s assessed value in just the past year) have benefited the individual taxpayer.

“The flip side of the increased value of housing in Copake is the increased cost of housing and the resulting housing crisis. This is not just a local crisis; there is a housing crisis in Columbia County, and in her recent State of the State address, New York Governor Hochul recognized this as a statewide crisis,” Ms. Mettler said. Read more…

Villagers and visitors show support for Ukraine

by DAVID LEE

Friday, February 24 marked a year since the Russian army rolled into Ukraine, initiating an invasion that, rather than being concluded in a few days, has bogged down in a morass of attrition warfare. The anniversary was marked with a vigil on the village green in Chatham. Dozens of people, buttoned up against a frigid wind, gathered and held signs. The event was co-sponsored by Ukraine Solidarity-Albany and Rivers & Mountains GreenFaith. In attendance was Olena Lake. She held signs reading “Solidarity with Ukraine” and “Russia! Out of Ukraine!!! Now!!!” She is from Kyiv and lives in Albany. She has family and friends in Ukraine including friends fighting on the front lines. “It is very important that they know that they are not alone,” she told The Columbia Paper, “and that they know they are supported here.” Photo by David Lee

Director talks about county Youth Theater

by JEANETTE WOLFBERG

CCYT at the Chatham Fairgrounds during the summer workshop. Photo contributed

HUDSON – The Columbia County Youth Theater (CCYT) provides several opportunities for participation, and many participants have called it an enriching experience, founder and Executive Director Edgar Acevedo said in a conversation January 20.

The CCYT runs a summer musical theater workshop for ages 3 through 18, a touring performance company, pop-up classes and workshops, a summer internship program, and a school’s drama club. In addition, Mr. Acevedo said, it loans costumes and props to schools throughout Columbia County for performances.

Of the children who audition for its programs, “we don’t turn anyone down,” said Mr. Acevedo. In fact, he said, the CCYT puts its cast together before deciding what plays to put on.

The CCYT’s mission, according to a presentation given in Hudson in January, “is to empower the youth of Columbia” and neighboring counties “with the skills, training, and experience to engage in creative collaboration; thus nurturing their ability to succeed in their desired discipline…to further [their] career goals, and to engage and serve diverse communities….” Read more…

Repair Cafe rescheduled from March 4 to 5

by STAFF
SPENCERTOWN–Due to the storm, the Columbia NE Repair Cafe that was to be held at the Austerlitz Town Hall, March, 4, will be held instead Sunday, March 5. The hours are the same, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and the location is the same, Austerlitz Town Hall, 816 Route 203, Spencertown.
To let organizers know you’re coming, email ColumbiaNERepaircafe@gmail.com. And if you can’t come this time, come to the Lebanon Valley Protective Association firehouse, 520 Route 20 in New Lebanon, April 30, noon to 4 p.m.