COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

North East Community Center (NECC)

At the heart of North East and Millerton since 1988 is a wonderful nonprofit institution, the North East Community Center. This organization offers a wide range of social, educational, recreational, and cultural programs and services to the residents of Millerton, North East, and adjacent communities. It is a willing partner to the Town, the Village, other municipalities, and other nonprofits in order to expand its reach to possible participants and help enhance the well-being of the community in new ways.

The NECC has been environmentally conscious since its inception. Across its programs, it incorporates environmental, ecological, and climate issues in its education and experiences, empowering children, youth, adults, and seniors to be climate smart, energy smart, and active environmental stewards for the future.  

Early on, NECC helped establish a farmers market in the Village to give local farmers, bakers, and food vendors a regular venue, and not coincidentally provide locals and visitors a source of fresh vegetables and meats, prepared foods, and other comestibles. The Millerton Farmers’ Market now operates year round, in the Millerton United Methodist Church during the winter months and on church grounds from spring through fall on Saturdays 10 to 2.  The market is also a training program for students to learn about food produced by local farmers, and it connects our community to local farmers—enhancing the viability of our farms.

NECC also sponsors two community gardens in season: one grows produce for nearby families in the Village, the other is tended by students at Webutuck High School and is used for school-based education and to provide food for the NECC Summer Meals Program.

For more information, visit their website.

North East – Millerton Library

Books, Video, Computers, Programming, and More

The North East-Millerton Library can trace its history back to 1867 to the Millerton Reading Association. In its current incarnation (chartered in 1927), the Library was created by local community members who believed the town needed a center of books and learning. In 2009, the building now known as “the Annex” was purchased, doubling the space available for programming. This includes being the polling place for all three voting districts of the Town of North East. 

The Library has worked toward making environmentally minded improvements to its historic building, upgrading heating/cooling systems, windows, and doors, as well as installing energy-efficient lights. The Library takes pride helping the community gain awareness of the local natural environment through educational programs and learn what they can do to make sure it is healthy. 

NEMillertonLibrary.org

75 Main Street
PO Box 786
Millerton NY 12546

North East – Millerton Library as seen from Main Street

The Library Annex, facing Century Boulevard, is used for Library, Government and Community meetings and programs.

Townscape of Millerton and North East

Between Government, Businesses, and Residents Blooms Townscape

Townscape is a nonprofit organization founded in 2007 with a focus on community revitalization and beautification. A better description, however, might be to say that Townscape is a local group of people who work with Town and Village to improve the place we all share. 

Click here to visit their website.

OLIVIA VALENTINE

OLIVIA VALENTINE

Townscape manages the holidays lights for Millerton, brightening the scene from November straight through the drear months.  The lights are long-lasting, low-energy LED.

Friends of Coleman Station Historic District

Sustainable Agriculture for 250 Years and Counting

The neighborhood of Coleman Station, five miles south of Millerton, is a largely intact 250-year-old rural community of sufficient historical import that, when its members petitioned the federal government for status as a historic district, it was granted in 1993, becoming one of the nation’s few rural historic districts and New York State’s second. The designation recognizes a contiguous group of eight farmsteads, most of them purchased in the last quarter of the 18th century, which properties have remained largely entire and in some cases owned by descendants of the original families.  

A nonprofit support group, Friends of Coleman Station Historic District Inc., was immediately formed, with a membership of interested people from in and outside the district. Key to the mission of Friends was “to strengthen the values of historical preservation and sustainable agriculture” in the area. Toward this, Friends established and maintains a Heritage Garden of native flowers, bushes, and tress north of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail’s Coleman Station Parking lot; helped the Oblong Rural Cemetery’s board restore the district’s cemetery, where members of the hamlet’s founding families are interred; held a 20th anniversary celebration of the designation for history fans in the tri-state area; and in 2020 put together a small exhibition of the history of the Coleman Station area, from its indigenous inhabitants to the near present, for display at the Irondale School House in Millerton.

In support of sustainable agriculture, open space, and a farm life that’s rewarding, Friends and its members engage in a variety of community activities, interact with mutually supportive nonprofits, and represent the Historic District during key governmental initiatives such as the Town of North East’s 2019 revision of its comprehensive plan. As a result of the latter effort and other sources of input, the revised North East Comprehensive Plan plainly states an abiding commitment to open space, diverse agricultural businesses, and a healthy natural environment in which they can flourish. 

Friends of Coleman Station Historic District Inc. can reached by mail at P.O. Box 335, Millerton, NY 12546-0335. 

American Legion

Dedicated to Serving Country and Community

Members of our military have certain values instilled in them when they join up. They are bound tightly to the idea and fact of serving their country and their fellow citizens. So when things get tough, they mobilize to make things a little bit easier for others, a little bit more comfortable, and a lot safer. For most, nothing changes when they take off their uniform and they become veterans. The same call to duty remains.

We see it at our very own American Legion Post 178 right here in Millerton. Since 1927, without interruption, our Legion Post has been home to Millerton Veterans of every conflict and branch of service who are willing and able to lend a helping hand when needed. We’ve seen it when we’ve faced crises like power outages from flooding, ice storms, and extreme heat. The Legion stepped up to provide a safe place for residents to gather. They have been a steadfast source of important community information throughout the COVID pandemic, highlighting best practices on mask wearing and vaccine rollout. they’ve long served as a community gathering place to enjoy a delicious pancake breakfast to support our volunteer fire department. Every Memorial Day they act as educators to the community to honor those we’ve lost to war. The Post 178 Hall, being the only large, comfortable place for a public event in our area, has hosted countless political candidate visits, benefits, fundraisers, forums, and community gatherings. The call to serve never goes away for Veterans, and we are lucky to have such helpful and dedicated neighbors.

Veterans of any service, currently serving or honorably discharged, are eligible to join the American Legion as long as they are or were on active duty under federal order. For Details contact Legion Post 178 or the American Legion website. 

MORT TAPERT

MORT TAPERT

A new Route 44 sign owned and operated by North East/Millerton American Legion Post 178 provides emergency alerts and messages of civic importance on a short rotation every few seconds.