Bring your opinion on May 22

WASHINGTON — You have seen the signs all over reminding town of Washington residents of the public workshop Saturday, May 22, at the Dutchess Farm & Home Center on Route 44 at 9 a.m. Pamphlets have been mailed and articles published in the newspapers.  This will be a public workshop to discuss five draft goals and possible action plans that will become the core of the town’s new comprehensive plan. The goals are simple: a healthy natural environment, a scenic rural landscape, a high quality of life, working farms, a vibrant Millbrook and Mabbetsville.

Planning for utopia is the difficult part. How is farmland regulation balanced with environmental concerns? Are rural roads safe roads? What role does the town play in village business development? How is economic vitality encouraged? The questions of affordable housing and taxes are not on the agenda. Local leaders are encouraging those who want to make sure their voices are heard to go to the Farm and Home Center on Saturday morning to share their opinions and ideas.

Learning the priorities of people 40 years of age and younger is especially important to the town, since 93 percent of the residents who filled out the survey on the comprehensive plan were older than 40. Those who can’t attend are encouraged to send their input directly to the Town Board by e-mail to supervisor@washingtonny.org.  

Latest News

Tuning up two passions under one roof

The Webb Family in the workshop. From left: Phyllis, Dale, Ben and Josh Webb, and project manager Hannah Schiffer.

Natalia Zukerman

Magic Fluke Ukulele Shop and True Wheels Bicycle Shop are not only under the same roof in a beautiful solar powered building on Route 7 in Sheffield, but they are also both run by the Webb family, telling a tale of familial passion, innovation and a steadfast commitment to sustainability.

In the late ‘90s, Dale Webb was working in engineering and product design at a corporate job. “I took up instrument manufacturing as a fun challenge,” said Dale. After an exhibit at The National Association of Music Merchants in Anaheim, California, in 1999, The Magic Fluke company was born. “We were casting finger boards and gluing these things together in our basement in New Hartford and it just took off,” Dale explained. “It was really a wild ride, it kind of had a life of its own.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert Cray’s soulful blues coming to Infinity Hall

Robert Cray

Photo provided

Blues legend Robert Cray will be bringing his stinging, funky guitar and soulful singing to Infinity Hall Norfolk on Friday, March 29.

A five-time Grammy winner, Cray has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and earned The Americana Music Awards Lifetime Achievement for Performance. He has played with blues and rock icons including Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton and many more.

Keep ReadingShow less