Village of Millbrook Sidewalk-Improvement Project
To ensure a safe and enjoyable walking experience for Village residents and visitors, the Board of Trustees has developed a 4-part plan to improve the sidewalks:
- Secure Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to upgrade and institute Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) conformance of the sidewalks in the Village business district along Franklin Avenue.
- Shave/grind the ends of concrete slabs which have moved above the adjacent slab.
- Replace individual slabs which have major cracks or dislocations.
- Add new sidewalks where justified & feasible.
Here follows the status of each of the planned activities:
- The business district sidewalk replacement project was broken into 4 phases:
- Phase 1 covered the South side of Franklin from Front Street to Church Street.
- Phase 2 covered the South side of Franklin from Church Street to the Stewarts store.
- Phases 1 & 2 were completed on 6/18/2024 at a cost of $240K, using a $200K CDBG to cover most of the cost.
- Phase 3 covered the North side of Franklin from Front Street to Church Street.
- Phase 4 covered the North side of Franklin from Church Street to the Millbrook Antique Mall.
- Phases 3 & 4 are in the planning stage and CDBG funding will be requested in 2024 so the program can start as soon as 2025.
- In the past (last time was 2022), the Village hired a contractor to do selective grinding of concrete walkway slabs that have risen (usually due to nearby tree roots), and this is again planned for the summer of 2024.
- Damaged/broken individual slabs along busy walkways are identified each year for replacement by a local contractor. Again, this is planned for 2024.
- Based on numerous requests from residents and with a generous donation from Tribute Garden, the Village contracted for the sidewalk on Franklin Avenue along the Thorne Building to be extended to the Maple Avenue turnaround in June of 2024.
Sidewalk Replacement Project 2023-2026
November 2022
To reduce the tripping risk to pedestrians, the Village paid $10K to have the uneven sidewalks ground smooth, primarily within the business district. This did not include the south side of Franklin between Front & Church streets which is where we intend to start removing & re-pouring new sidewalks during the summer of 2023.
Phase One — 2023
South-side of Franklin between Front & Church Street
Our plans to redo the sidewalks on the south side of Franklin Avenue from Front Street to Friendly Lane have been approved by the Dutchess County Department of Planning & Development. We now must get the approval of NYS DOT prior to going out to bid. Although we have received 2 Community Development Block Grants of $100K each for this project, that is not expected to cover the entire cost and so how much of the project we commit to this summer (assuming DOT support) will depend on how much additional money will be needed to be paid by the Village.
Of the 20 trees along this stretch of Franklin, 5 have been deemed as necessary to remove and replace. We will post signs on each of those 5 trees this month to give the public advanced notice of why we need to replace them.
Board Approved Trees
At Village of Millbrook’s meeting on August 9, 2023, the Board made new choices for five replacement trees as part of our sidewalk project.
Here are the changes; Instead of planting ginkgo tress, we are planting a variety of tall and medium size trees in specific locations.
2 Tall Trees
- 1st choice:: American elm hybrid cultivar "Princeton"
- 2nd choice: Japanese Zelkova
3 Medium Trees
- 1st choice: Red maple cultivar "Bowhall"
- 2nd choice: Chinkapin Oak
All trees should be a minimum of ten feet in height with a caliper of at least three inches. If these choices are not available at the ordering time for project, we will delay tree replacement planting until Spring of 2024 instead of using other species of trees for the project.
Also going by the names White Elm, Soft Elm, Water Elm, or Common Elm, this medium to large deciduous tree typically grows 60 to 80 feet tall with a vase-shaped, broad-rounded crown. This handsome tree serves as a larval host for a number of butterfly species, and both its seeds and leaf buds are eaten by birds. It thrives in full sun to partial shade, and in moist, fertile soils.
Japanese Zelkova is a tough urban tree for residential shade and street plantings. It has a spreading, generally upright branching, vase-shaped habit. The crown is shorter and more rounded than the American elm. The bark is a smooth, reddish brown when young with prominent cherry-like lenticels. Medium green leaves turn to shades of yellow, orange, brown, deep red to reddish-purple in fall.
Also called Scarlet or Soft Maple, this deciduous, perennial tree grows to a height of 40 to 60 feet and a spread of around 40 feet at maturity. It yields twin seeds that are up to one inch in length, and provides amazing yellow to bright red fall color. This tree grows best in full sun to partial shade and in moist, slightly acidic soils.
Chinkapin Oak, also called Chestnut, Yellow, and Rock Oak, is a medium-sized oak that typically grows 60 to 80 feet in height. It produces light gray, plated, or scaly bark, smooth, gray twigs, variable fall color, and small acorns that have a low toxicity if eaten raw. This relatively fast-growing tree does best in full sun and well-drained, rocky and sandy soils.
Phase Two — 2024
South side of Franklin between Church & Friendly Lane
Could consider replacing brick section with the rubberized pavement in the long term. The brick sections we observed had settled and become depressed compared to the adjacent cement slabs - hence the need for shaving.
Phase Three — 2025
North side of Franklin between Church & Friendly Lane
More info coming soon. Please check back or contact the Mayor at 845-677-3939 option 5 or villageofmillbrookmayor@gmail.com
Phase Four — 2026
North side of Franklin between Front & Church Street
More info coming soon. Please check back or contact the Mayor at 845-677-3939 option 5 or villageofmillbrookmayor@gmail.com
