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2021 School Budget Vote Postponed

Dear Members of the Pine Plains Central School District Community:

The very important school budget vote and election that was to take place tomorrow, Tuesday, June 9, 2020, will been postponed.  This postponement is by Executive Order of Governor Cuomo.  There are important aspects of this order that you should be aware of, especially if you have not yet sent in your ballot.

Ballots may be accepted in person or in our drop box at the Stissing Mountain Jr/Sr High School, but only until 5:00 pm tomorrow, June 9th.  After 5 pm tomorrow, the only ballots that may be accepted will be those received by mail.  Mailed ballots will be accepted until Tuesday, June 16thAll ballots will be counted on Tuesday, June 16th beginning at 5:00pm.

Once again, if you did not receive a ballot and feel that you are a qualified voter of the Pine Plains Central School District please contact the District Clerk, Julia W. Tomaine at (518) 398-7181 ext. 1408.

If you have any questions on the budget please contact me directly at (518) 398-7181 ext. 1401.

One final reminder, the completed ballot should be placed in the enclosed oath envelope. The affidavit on the back of the oath envelope needs to be signed, dated and sealed.  The completed oath envelope is returned in the postage paid envelope provided.

Stay safe and be well,

Dr. Martin D. Handler

Superintendent

PHASE II BEGINS TODAY !!! Tuesday June 9th

Phase II of the Re-Starting Dutchess begins today.  

[Photograph courtesy of Bowen Barn]

Here is a recap of what that entails:

  1. All instore retail activities can resume, operating within 50% capacity, and taking protective measures such as 6′ distancing between customers, the wearing of masks and the availability of hand sanitizer.  Our stores have suffered greatly, and if ever there was a time to SHOP LOCAL, it is now!  Bowen’s Barn, Bulls Head Treasures, Roosters 82, McCarthy’s, Big Rock Market, and all other retail shops will be open for business.
  2. Out-door dining is now allowed at our restaurants, and they are working to comply with the guidelines that State has set for table distancing and social distancing.  For example, there can be outdoor bars but customers cannot congregate at the bars.  You will need to take your drinks back to your tables. Uncle Sonny’s, Coyote Flaco and D’Sarno Pizza are all participating
  3. Offices are reopening, again with 50% capacity, 6′ distancing and masks if closer than 6′  Offices are encouraged to post social distancing markers
  4. Real Estate offices are open
  5. Vehicle sales are open
  6. Hair salons and barber shops are open which is a great thing since we all are looking like Woolly Mammoths
  7. Drive in movie theaters are still the only movie theaters that are open

Our Playground is Open !

Our Sparc Park playground is now open.  We ask that parents supervise their children.  Please utilize our picnic tables in the shade and walk you dogs and enjoy yourselves!

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Phase 2 OPEN AIR DINING TO BEGIN JUNE 9TH

Beginning this coming Tuesday, June 9th, open air dining will be available at Stanford restaurants.  The NY State protocols call for six feet between tables, and if an open-air bar is actually provided, people will not be permitted to congregate in the ‘”bar area” but can take drinks back to their seats.  Our Town Code Enforcer will meet with all restaurants to go over kitchen and other protocols, but as long as we maintain social distancing to keep down the potential for the virus to spread, this is another step in our entry process.

Military Heroes Banner Program

You may have noticed that before Memorial Day weekend, the first of Stanford’s Military Heroes Banner was displayed outside of Town Hall, where it will remain until Veteran’s Day.  The Military Heroes  Banner Program, sponsored by the Stanford Historical Society, has been created through the joint efforts of the Stanford American Legion, the Historical Society, The Stanford Business Association as well as several community members in order honor our fallen heroes.  The Society will be circulating a brochure which will also be posted on their FB page and the Town website, to explain the process of applying for a banner to honor your loved one.

The first of our Town Heroes to be honored is Peter Miller, a young man who was born on February 18, 1947 and grew up in Stanfordville.  His sister Sandy described him in this way: 

“Growing up here, Pete was always busy working on various farms doing chores ranging from pitching hay to shoveling manure. During the winter he loved a heavy snow. He would be out before dawn until after dark, plowing driveways with Dad’s John Deere.In High School, Pete played all of the sports: football, basketball, baseball, tennis, and track. In the summer he played in local softball leagues. He was also active in the Stanfordville United Church of Christ Youth groups. Pete was an Eagle Scout, He loved his dog, Laddie.

Pete graduated from Pine Plains Central School in 1965. He attended SUNY Cortland for 1 year and was drafted into the Army in 1966. He trained as a helicopter pilot graduating as a Warrant Officer from Fort Rucker Alabama Army Aviation School in 1967. He shipped out to Viet Nam in January, 1968, being stationed in Soc Trang.  He was killed by enemy ground fire on September 23rd, 1968. He was 21 years old.”

Restarting Dutchess Phase 1 beginning Tuesday, May 26th !

Poughkeepsie, NY … Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro announced today Dutchess County, as part of the Mid-Hudson Region, has been approved by New York State to begin Phase One reopening starting next week having successfully met all of the core health-related required metrics. The Governor is expected to announce the specific reopening date over the weekend. The following business industries will be able to reopen next week under the NY Forward phased reopening plan:

  • Construction
  • Manufacturing
  • Retail – Limited to curbside or in-store pick up or drop off)
  • Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting
  • Wholesale Trade

County Executive Molinaro said, “This is good news for Dutchess County, a cautious beginning to restarting our local economy. We have worked tirelessly in the battle against COVID-19 and all of the metrics prove we have moved in the right direction. Our local businesses have also been working hard to put plans in place to ensure the health and safety of their employees and their customers. It is critical we all continue to work together to protect our community’s health as we begin the process of ‘Restarting Dutchess’.”

Construction staging – including moving materials and equipment onto job sites and setting up safety precautions – may begin now to allow full construction activities to be able to begin next week once the Governor has determined the specific date.

All eligible businesses who plan to reopen during Phase One must have a COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan to protect employees and consumers, make the physical work space safer and implement processes that lower risk of infection in the business. Plans must be retained on the premises of the business and must be made available to the New York State Department of Health (DOH) or local health or safety authorities in the event of an inspection. Businesses must review and submit affirmation they will adhere to the guidelines outlined in the NY Forward plan. Summary guidelines, safety plan templates and affirmation statement and submission directions are available, by industry, on the NY Forward website.

Phase One businesses are considered essential to the economy and are the lowest risk businesses. Phase 2 includes professional services, retail, administrative support and real estate/rental leasing. Phase 3 covers restaurants and food services. Phase 4 is arts, entertainment, recreation and education. It is anticipated there will be approximately 2 weeks between each phase being approved.

The NY Forward website also has a Business Reopening Lookup Tool to see if a particular business is eligible to reopen.

County Executive Molinaro offered his gratitude to all the people who recently volunteered to serve as contact tracers to help Dutchess County meet its goal of 252 contact tracers. Dutchess County had already met the original state-mandated metric of 30 contact tracers per 100,000 population with more than 90 contact tracers. Earlier this week, the state increased the required number of contact tracers to 252, basing it on infection rate. The County pushed out a call for additional volunteers, and there are currently more than 360 people (including the original 90) who have signed up to serve as contact tracers.

“We are grateful to all who are working to protect our community health,” County Executive Molinaro. “We all have a responsibility to remain vigilant, it is vital each person continues to do their part to ensure the health & safety of themselves and our community – wear your face mask, maintain social distancing, wash your hands frequently and make smart choices. We want to continue moving forward, opening our economy piece by piece, as long as we continue to see improvements in our community’s health and well-being.”

# # #

Please note: New York State has NOT authorized the Department of Motor Vehicles to reopen to the public. DMV remains closed under Executive Order through June 6th. No reopening date has yet been established.

COVID-19 Updates – latest May 22nd, 2020

Click HERE  for the May 22nd Covid Update from the Town of Stanford

Click HERE for the May 13th Covid Update from the Town of Stanford

Click HERE for May 1st Covid Update from the Town of Stanford

Click HERE for the April 21st  Covid Update from the Town of Stanford

 

Update from County Executive Molinaro

April 16, 2020

 

As we face this pandemic together, communicating with you remains a priority. Below you will find the some of the latest information about the virus and our efforts to respond to it. Stay Safe. Be Well. We are all in this together. 

 

Situation Update

There are now 1,975 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Dutchess County, 19 fatalities, as well as 212 individuals who have recovered. There are over 213,000 cases statewide with over 18,000 hospitalizations and 11,586 fatalities. As always, we encourage you to visit our dashboard for the most up to date, verified, local data. 

  

Protecting Yourself & Others

As we are seeing the positive impact of our diligent efforts, it is now more important than ever to continue to:

  1. Wash your hands regularly!  Avoid touching your face, eyes, nose etc.
  2. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects.  Viruses can survive for days on surfaces.
  3. Practice Social Distancing. Keep at least 6-feet between you and others.
  4. Stay home when possible. Practice social distancing. Keep at least 6 feet between you and others.
  5. Wear a face covering when outside of your home. Face coverings help prevent people who may have the virus and do not know it. Per an Executive Order from Governor Cuomo, all people in New York must wear a face-covering in situations when not maintaining social distancing. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items can stop the spread of COVID-19 when traditional surgical masks and N-95s aren’t available and significant social distancing is not possible. Check out this flyer on how to make your own face covering. 

See our flyer which provides these tips and other helpful information. We encourage you to share this information with your constituencies. We have also created two posters that should be hung in public locations to help keep residents informed about how to stay safe and how to get help.

 

NY on Pause

Governor Cuomo announced today that the “New York State on PAUSE” executive order will be extended through May 15th.

 

Applications Now Open for ‘Dutchess Responds’ Fund

In partnership with the Community foundation, the Dutchess Responds Fund has initiated a rolling application process to support nonprofits that have been providing critical support to the community as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In collaboration with the Dyson Foundation, the first round of Dutchess Responds Fund donations, which exceeded $50,000, was recently distributed to numerous emergency food pantries and programs throughout the county, with a special emphasis on those that provide fresh produce and distribute or deliver food to those in need.

 

This revolving application process will allow current and future donations to the fund to support two priorities—Front Line and Service-Challenged needs. Grants will be available to non-profit agencies in increments up to $10,000 depending on funding availability. For more information, contact Community Foundations at (845) 452-3077 or email grants@communityfoundationshv.org. More information is also available in our press release.

 

Alternate Care Facility Update

Dutchess County’s Recovery Center stands ready as needed should local hospitals exceed their capacity to care for those impacted by COVID-19. Dutchess Community College’s Conklin Hall Dormitory serves as the location for the Recovery Center, with 176 rooms and 457 beds on 4 different floors. Total capacity will vary based on number of guests requiring single room and/or access to private bathroom per their care plan. Staff is trained and prepared and the facility is ready for patient admission, however, it is not expected it will be necessary to open the facility this week as local hospital bed capacity has remained stable. Hospital capacity is evaluated daily, looking out three days, to determine if it is necessary to open the recovery center. Learn more by checking out our press release

  

National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week

We are proud and grateful for the dedication and sacrifice of our Dutchess County Public Safety Dispatchers who continue to work tirelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and all year long, at the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response to ensure first responders reach Dutchess County residents in need as quickly as possible. This week is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week and we hope you’ll join us in recognizing their contributions in this critical and life-saving role, even if it has to be from a safe distance.

COVID-19 Time Capsule

These are unprecedented times for people of every age, and schools and other organizations have posted the following COVID-19 time capsule for kids, allowing boys and girls to creatively document their experiences living through this pandemic to look back on years from now. Check out our Facebook page for fun worksheets to print out and include in your time capsule!

Local residents are also invited to take part in the Dutchess County COVID-19 History Survey to document their experiences during the current pandemic and will better prepare leaders for the health crises of the future.

 

Business Community Update

Businesses are encouraged to visit DutchessBNN.com to sign up for daily emails and access important information and resources.

  • A Virtual Contact Breakfast was held with the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce. If you were unable to attend, or want to re-watch the webinar, you can watch the full recording HERE.
  • The New York Department of Health has issued the Interim Guidance for the requirement that businesses offer face masks to employees that must interact with the public. The guidance can be found HERE.
  • As we work together to combat the spread of COVID-19 in our community, we encourages businesses adopt best practices to protect their employees, as well as customers, when it is absolutely necessary for residents to go out. Check this flyer for more details. 

We’re All In This Together

The uncertainty and anxiety surrounding everything happening in our community with COVID-19 can easily become overwhelming, but we’re here to help. If you need someone to talk to, our HELPLINE is available 24/7 via call or text at 845-485-9700.  

New York State has also established a Coronavirus Emotional Support Helpline at 1-844-863-9314, which is available 8am-10pm 7 days per week.

 

Other Items:

 

As always, we encourage you to visit dutchessny.gov for the most up to date information. Our COVID-19 Information Hotline is available 7 days a week to help answer questions and provide assistance at 845-486-3555.

We have been putting out weekly newsletter emails on the COVID-19 pandemic and what we are doing right here in Stanfordville to help our Community as well as what resources are available on the County Level.  Please sign up for our email list so we can keep you informed. You can do so at the very top of our Home Page.

Please find the link to our April 11th emailers: https://mailchi.mp/59c48f156b0b/town-of-stanford-covid19update-041120

The latest emailer was sent out on April 4th and here is the link https://mailchi.mp/3ba44c3f4702/town-of-stanford-facemasks

Here is the link to our emailer from March 28th  https://mailchi.mp/868fc985d56a/town-of-stanford-covid19update-20200328

Here is the link to our emailer from March 23rd https://mailchi.mp/ef9d748e280a/town-of-stanford-covid19update-20200323?fbclid=IwAR2hDgmOxeipGErIgij30YkAvNS4TZjH36h-QUinsWlwiU3aSrlQcaCwDkA

And our first https://mailchi.mp/504544ddb4f7/update-on-coronavirus-covid-19-from-the-town-of-stanford?fbclid=IwAR0pS1URygejI_-FWKUvIHy5tc_d3wenzyy3QaZjhvpHUkqXp6M2T8GlAvM

2020 Grievance Day COVID Procedure for May 26th

The Board of Assessment Review has worked diligently in order to be able to hold Grievance Day remotely, via ZOOM.

To meet with the BAR during the 1-3 PM session, your documents must be submitted by 9 AM on the 26th.  And you must provide your email so Stacey Adams can send the Zoom meeting login details.  You can contact here at 

To meet with the BAR during the 7-9 PM session, your documents must be submitted by 3 PM on the 26th.  An email address must be provided so Stacey can send the Zoom meeting login details. 

Any documents received from 3-9 PM will be reviewed later.  To make an in person virtual presentation, you may do so on Thursday, May 28 at 10 AM.  Again, an email address must be provided so Zoom meeting login details can be sent.

Instructions will be placed on the Front Door of Town Hall 

Thank you!

PARKS UPDATE !

As the warm weather has arrived,  we are all so very tired of being housebound.  Our kids are even more stressed out than we are.  I would like to remind everyone that even within Stanford there are are open spaces we can take advantage of.  Within your family groups, masks are not necessary.  We just remind everyone to be mindful of social distancing when you approach others who may also be enjoying our beautiful outdoor spaces. We are so happy to be able to announce that Sparc Park has been opened in anticipation of Memorial Day Weekend. The playground is not open, but picnic tables are out, and social distancing measures are visible around the tables. We are asking residents not to move them.  The Tennis Courts are open.  The baseball field is not.  Roosters 82 has graciously donated two Dog waste stations to the park, so please make use of them and enjoy our beautiful park!   

Wilcox Memorial Park is open and will have picnic tables on the grass and near grill stands for families to enjoy. Social distancing measures will be visible around the tables and residents are asked to please not move the tables from the designated areas. Lawn chairs and picnic blankets are allowed.  Whitlock Preserve is open.  The Harlem Valley Rail Trail in Millerton is open as well as the Dutchess Rail Trail.  I am working with the Audubon Society in an effort to reopen Buttercup Sanctuary.  It was their decision to close it.  This is a difficult time for all of us, but nature is still out there and I believe there are safe ways we can all enjoy it.  

Wendy

Please fill out your 2020 Census ! You can even do it by phone!

Have you filled out your census yet? Stanford is counting on you!  The final numbers will determine how federal funding gets divided across the country.  Congressional and legislative districts will be redrawn based on the figures as well.  You can even fill out the Census by phone 844-330-2020 for English and 844-468-2020 for Spanish.  You can also go to click here to fill out your census form.  

Right now the national self-response rate is 59.7%; New York state is 54.5%; Dutchess is 58.2% but Stanford is at 49.5%.  Please take a moment to Stand up for Stanford by completing the 2020 Census form.