After 34 Years, Antique Shop and Gallery to Close
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Reader-Supported News for Philipstown and Beacon Backyard Birding Page 16 MAY 15, 2020 Support us at highlandscurrent.org/join Putnam Asked to Release Inmates County refuses, saying they are too dangerous By Leonard Sparks ublic defenders in Putnam County have asked a state judge to release P eight inmates they say face life- threatening consequences because of the threat of COVID-19. David Squirrell, the chief attorney for the Putnam County Legal Aid Society, on May 5 petitioned the court on behalf of seven inmates at the county jail who the group says have illnesses that include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and diabetes. Another inmate does not have an underlying condition but Legal Aid says he is at risk for infection. The jail, which has 128 beds, had 29 inmates as of Monday (May 11). It repre- sents a “close and confined environment” that prevents social distancing and requires inmates to interact with guards and new detainees who might have been infected outside the facility, the petition said. CLOSED FOR BUSINESS — Cold Spring blocked off its dock, waterfront area and Dockside Park for most of Sunday (May 10) to Legal Aid says it is “wishful thinking” discourage crowds and said it will do so again on Saturdays and Sundays at least through Memorial Day. See Page 9. Photo by Ross Corsair (Continued on Page 20) Beacon Farmers’ After 34 Years, Antique Shop Four Philipstown Market Set — and Gallery to Close Residents For One Year Downtown and “We had impulsively collected — I Donate $230K shopped at antiques shops as a teenager — Also: Planners begin review Ellen Hayden Gallery plus we had things our parents had passed Private gifts benefit those victims of crisis along,” Arceri recalled. “We realized we of four-story project had a knack for finding things, either on hurt by shutdown the side of the road or globally. In a way, By Jeff Simms By Alison Rooney By Liz Schevtchuk Armstrong we’ve been preservationists of things some he Beacon City Council on May 4 fter 34 years on Main Street in people see as junk but others recognize hile the Philipstown Town approved a contract to allow the Cold Spring, Gary Arceri and Ellen have intrinsic value. We see it as guarding Board’s discussion of the T Beacon Farmers’ Market to operate A Hayden plan to close their shops — the thread of history.” W COVID-19 crisis has frequently along Veterans Place, between Main and Downtown Antiques, Art & Antiques and the For the first few years of their marriage, been somber — infections and deaths, Henry streets, but, as in previous years, Ellen Hayden Gallery — at the end of May. the couple rented a building in Walden that canceled events, economic malaise — the agreement with the market is only Arceri and Hayden said their sprawling had a storefront and a second floor they when it convened on May 7 via Zoom, there good for a year. collectibles stores and art gallery on lower turned into a studio. Then they met Tommy was a brighter note. Phil Ciganer, the owner of the Towne Main Street were victims of the COVID-19 Valentine, who owned a building in Cold Supervisor Richard Shea reported that, Crier Cafe, which is adjacent to the market shutdown and an inopportune rent increase. Spring and convinced them to move. in addition to an initial gift from an anon- location, has repeatedly protested that its Downtown Antiques began its life In the 1980s, “there were probably three ymous resident of $100,000 to provide vendors block entrances that musicians across the street and up the hill, near times as many antique shops [on Main food and other necessities to Highlands need to bring equipment into the venue. where Joseph’s Fine Jewelry is located. Street] as there are now,” Arceri said. “It residents in need, three other donors have The Sunday market moved from the water- Arceri and Hayden, who are both paint- had been a depressed river town, but we since given $10,000, $50,000 and $70,000. front to Veterans Place in 2017. ers, met in art school at SUNY New Paltz. came in at the end of a boom. We made The town government has used the The council last month allowed the After getting married, and while Arceri a go of it in that space, but few people funds to purchase grocery store and phar- market to open for the spring; the May 4 was still in graduate school, they looked walked up the hill.” macy gift cards from local businesses, as (Continued on Page 20) for a way to supplement their incomes. (Continued on Page 21) (Continued on Page 8) 2 MAY 15, 2020 The Highlands Current highlandscurrent.org FIVE QUESTIONS: TOM VIRGADAMO By Jeff Simms ers, and well over $10,000 to small businesses. By Michael Turton om Virgadamo, who grew up in Cold How many people contributed? Spring and lives in Beacon, teaches At least 500. People I didn’t even know When’s the last T math at Haldane Middle School. were sending me money online. I chal- He and his family have raised more than lenged a friend in Connecticut, Tom time you were in a $24,000 for businesses in the Highlands in Molinaski, and he raised $16,000 for his response to the COVID-19 shutdown. local businesses, and my buddy Bill Lester treehouse? got $11,000 in Central Jersey. Together, How did the fundraiser get started? we pulled in more than $50,000. Another My wife and I are teachers, and since friend upstate is working on a fundraiser. we’ve been home with our kids, we realized The Virgadamos We need to keep spreading it around. I was 8. We lashed together that we’re not going out and supporting a three-tier treehouse near local businesses like we normally would. name, you could donate $500 to one business How did your kids respond? Fort Drum. The trees are all We thought it would be a good idea to do or $250 each to two. People were also donat- They really appreciated the intention of bulldozed now. some authentic work with the kids at home, ing live on Instagram, and I put that toward what we were doing, so it became a valuable which we don’t often get a chance to do. a golden egg, which went for $2,400. The lesson for them. We wanted to do a good Peparo family in Cold Spring won it and they deed and it turned into something special. How much did you raise? split the money between The Main Course For the first round I did something like and the Riverview Restaurant in Cold Spring. How has it gone teaching your an old-school Super Bowl betting box. You The third round was for Mother’s Day. We Haldane students online? paid $30 to get a box on the grid and if had people buy flowers and we put each name It’s been challenging. But I’m fortunate your name got pulled — my kids drew one in a vase, or you could also put in the name to work for a great school district with number horizontally and another vertically of a business. If we pulled a business, it won colleagues and administrators who are — you picked a business that got $500. We $500. If we pulled your name, you could split it passionate about what they do. We’re trying sold 100 boxes and then Mary Beth McDow- between two businesses. We also had a $1,500 every day to get 100 percent participation, ell of Beacon donated another $250 on top flower, which went to Mr. V’s in Beacon, and but we understand it’s tough. We’re working of that, so we gave away $3,250. we had another flower that a colleague won all day, every day. You’re checking emails ~ Chris Fisher, Beacon For the second round, if you bought an and split among three businesses. That went and giving feedback at night and again first Easter egg, your name went in that egg. We for over $2,000. The third time around we thing in the morning. It’s not an ideal situa- sold $7,050 of eggs and, if we pulled your gave away $13,993 — some to first respond- tion, but we’re trying to make the best of it. I was 10. My superhero uncle built a treehouse high in an enormous oak behind his Westchester home. I’d swing on the tire and rope for hours. ~ Dina Pace Shackleford, Cold Spring I was in a treehouse this What do you get when you combine Biology and Landscape Architecture? morning near Hopewell Junction! I use it for photographing raptors. BIO*LOGIC EARTHSCAPE Curbside Plant Material Supply and Landscape Design Natives – Orchards – Screening Meadows – Rain Gardens – Steep Slopes COLD SPRING, NY Registered Landscape Architect NY# 2241 - CT#1454 845-216-8587 | [email protected] *contact us today to set-up a FREE virtual site consulation ~ Chris Crocco, Beacon highlandscurrent.org The Highlands Current MAY 15, 2020 3 NEWS BRIEFS December and be completed by April 2024. Laura Mitchell Named “As this capital project is the largest ever Superintendent at Millbrook undertaken by the Dutchess County govern- ment, it is rightly a project of great concern Ex-Garrison leader had interim role to the taxpayers, particularly during these aura Mitchell, who left her position as uncertain times,” said Comptroller Robin L superintendent at the Garrison School Lois in a statement. “It is important to on Dec.