Carmel Cinema has announced its closing date after 15 years of business Movie theaters as we know have been struggling for years since the COVID 19 Pandemic hit us 5 years ago which has become the dominant form of movie watching these days although global cinema attendance has been rebounding the numbers are certainly not what they once were pre pandemic Carmel Cinema 8 is a community-focused movie theater located at 156 Route 52 in Carmel Hamlet it offers a more intimate and affordable alternative to larger multiplexes featuring eight screens with stadium seating and a total capacity of 1,116 seats It sits in the ShopRite Plaza in the spot that was once occupied by a Jamesway department store back in the 80s and 90's.  Carmel Cinema provides a selection of standard concessions While some visitors have noted that the seating is more compact compared to larger theaters many appreciate the cozy atmosphere and the fact that there isn't a bad seat in the house Carmel Cinema took to social media on Wednesday to thank their loyal customers for the past 15 years of business and to announce that the theater will be closing at the end of May They went on to say that gift cards can be used or redeemed for cash up until the closing date and that they can also be used or redeemed for cash at any time at their other theater The posting was met with a lot of reaction from many who loved going to the theater over the past 15 years Several other comments put blame on the landlord claiming that the landlord won't renew the lease Although Carmel Cinema didn't state a reason the the closing and didn't make mention of anything to do with the landlord a change.org petition to Save Carmel Cinema has been set up by a Kathy Reilly. Please help and sign this petition to save Carmel Cinema as their new landlord as chosen to not renew their lease The Carmel Cinema has been a staple in this community for 15 years.#saveccarmelcinema You check out the petition and sign it here Carmel Cinema has announced its closing date after 15 years of business.\nRead More You check out the petition and sign it here An energy company controlled by the country of Norway has withdrawn its proposal to build the state’s largest battery storage facility in Carmel on the Putnam-Westchester line handing a victory to the grassroots campaign that sought to stop it The town of Carmel received the news on March 11 in a terse email from Will Frost senior project developer for East Point Energy a corporation that's 67% owned by the Norwegian government “It is with regret that I formally request the removal of the Union Energy Center from consideration within any town approval process,” the email stated “We appreciate the diligent review your board conducted of our project and wish the town of Carmel all the best in its future endeavors.” More: Mahopac, Somers residents fear battery energy farm proposed by Norwegian company comes as New York strives to meet its goal of having 6,000 megawatts of battery storage on line by 2030 — four times what’s in use or in the pipeline The 116-megawatt facility in Carmel would have been the state’s biggest energy storage site though others of that magnitude are seeking approvals around the state The next biggest system in New York stores just 20 megawatts of power East Point Energy's decision to leave the Carmel hamlet of Mahopac came as New York state announced ambitious plans to quadruple the state's battery capacity in five years Battery storage can make the energy grid more resilient by storing energy produced during low-cost hours and releasing it during peak hours or during electric outages caused by storms which will hold a clean energy conference in Ossining on March 24 But municipalities such as Yorktown are debating whether to ban battery storage facilities entirely from their borders Opponents from Mahopac and Somers praised East Point Energy's pull out They had raised safety concerns related to fires at lithium-ion storage facilities around the country which typically are allowed to burn for several days once they ignite because dousing them with water can exacerbate the chemical fires a retired electrician whose home on Lounsbury Drive in Somers backed up on the proposed battery site "Aside from everything that could go wrong if there was fire it would have killed the value of our houses Who would want to buy a house next to a lithium-ion battery facility?" who is seeking the Republican nomination for Carmel town supervisor did not alert residents of the proposal as it wended its way through the town’s land use boards It wasn’t until residents raised the alarm a year ago that Carmel officials enacted a six-month moratorium on battery storage facilities Then the Republican-controlled town board banned battery storage facilities from the zoning district in Baldwin Place where the energy company wanted to build its 116-megawatt facility “This is why I’m running for town supervisor,” said Ciano The departure of East Point Energy represents a setback for Carmel landowners Larry Dwyer and real estate professional Nicole Barile Stern whose company was prepared to lease their 93-acre wooded site off Route 118 in Baldwin Place Battery storage facilities are crucial to the development of solar power with energy created during sunny days stored in the batteries and later available for use during evenings when the sun goes down A solar array at the Croton-Harmon train station stores its energy in a 3.5-megawatt facility at the train station New York state still wants more energy storage systems the state Public Service Commission approved the state’s retail and residential energy storage plan which wants to quadruple New York’s battery storage capacity to 6 gigawatts by 2030 New York has 1.3 gigawatts of storage either in operation or under contract and hopes to accelerate storage capacity by offering incentives Westchester County is one of the state’s targets, with incentives totaling $15 million allocated to storage projects in Westchester County according the state Energy Research and Development Authority NYSERDA has awarded $3.3 million to projects that are now completed with $11.4 million earmarked for projects in development  NYSERDA this plans to announce a new round of incentive grants for battery storage All the incentives come from New York's Clean Energy Fund which is funded by ratepayers in their monthly bills. executive vice president at the Business Council of Westchester said the development battery storage is a crucial part of the transition increased dependence on renewable energy which opposed the closure of the Indian Point nuclear complex backs the growing industry sector in the suburbs that helps make that transition happen "The Indian Point ship has sailed," said Ravitz several municipalities have enacted moratorium on battery facilities while they decide what to do next The city of Yonkers in January extended its moratorium through June to give consultants more time to devise regulations for the city the town of Yorktown is considering banning almost all battery energy storage systems in the northern Westchester town It would lower the threshold for Tier 2 battery plants from 600 kilowatt hours to 80 kilowatt hours which currently has four storage systems in excess of 600 kilowatt hours is expected to vote on the issue this spring The Westchester County Planning Board opposes banning energy storage systems citing the benefits of the storage facilities in the state’s transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources Planning Board Chair Bernard Thombs recommended that the town extend its moratorium until the state issues new guidelines for fire safety saying such a ban would hinder the development of renewable energy in Westchester “The more that power generation from renewable sources is hindered the longer it will take to transition away from fossil fuels environmental degradation and climate change will be extended," wrote Thombs Sign up for Wilson's weekly newsletter for insights into his Tax Watch columns David McKay Wilson writes about tax issues and government accountability. Follow him on Twitter @davidmckay415 or email him at dwilson3@lohud.com If you are the site owner (or you manage this site), please whitelist your IP or if you think this block is an error please open a support ticket and make sure to include the block details (displayed in the box below) so we can assist you in troubleshooting the issue Carmel, NY Jonke, who represents District 6, the Town of Southeast, just completed his fifth year on the Putnam County Legislature. He has chaired the Protective Services Committee for three years and the Personnel Committee for one year. Jonke has been involved in government since 1988 when he was appointed Real Property Appraiser by the Town of Carmel. He has been an assessor since 1993 and currently serves as an assessor in Dutchess County. HamletHub invites you to contribute stories, events, and more to keep your neighbors informed and connected. 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Copyright ©2025 HamletHub™ The Somers Lions Club Annual Fair returns to Fireman's Field on Rt 202 this Wednesday, May 18 through Sunday, May 22, 2022. right in front of the Putnam County Courthouse stands a run down office building owned by Putnam County the building went on the market in 2019 after the County Legislature determined it was surplus seven years after the county clerk moved out of the former Chevrolet dealership The legislators wanted it back on the tax rolls a New York City reservoir along whose banks fly scores of flags to honor Putnam County veterans who considers the building a “blight” on the hamlet of Carmel tapped a local real estate broker to market it in 2019 for $600,000 a deal to sell it at the listing price fell through in the final days of Odell’s tenure That’s when the prospective purchaser ‒ the son-in-law of County Legislator Toni Addonizio R-Kent  ‒ opted not to move forward with his mixed-use plan for street-level commercial space Putnam Executive Kevin Byrne pledged to put the building back on the market one of Putnam’s leading advocates for veterans has revived a 2023 proposal to demolish the building to create a green sward from Gleneida Avenue to the courthouse It would honor our region's veterans with an outdoor public gathering space and walkway while opening up the entrance to the Putnam County government's finest public building What's proposed for the building's demolition?Taking down the dilapidated building would open the courthouse to Gleneida Avenue providing a new welcoming entrance for the busy justice center It would also provide a gathering spot next door for the Veterans Memorial Hall which is home to Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1374 and American Legion Post 270 “They need to rip it down and create a green space,” said Richard Othmer and vice commander of the American Legion post “They built our new courthouse and stuck it behind an old car dealership It would open up the site to Lake Gleneida and dress up the county seat It would be a classy thing for the county.” No parking dooms dealThe deal with Addonizio’s son-in-law fell apart over the lack of parking on the cramped parcel which backs up nearly to the courthouse entrance steps  A last-minute offer of 24 county parking spaces so the purchase was not approved by the County Legislature Byrne said he was bound by the legislature’s policy enacted in 2019 to sell it He said he planned to relaunch the marketing campaign but he warned that it would be a tough sell without any off-street parking “My opinion is that we move forward with trying to list it and get a buyer,” Byrne said If the legislature wants to have a discussion about it I’m more than open to have that conversation The failed deal at 34 Gleneida sparked a scrum among Putnam County’s ruling clique with Republicans holding the county executive’s seat and an 8-1 majority on the County Legislature County Attorney Compton Spain alleged that Addonizio had an undisclosed conflict of interest during the 2022 discussion on the sale had an opinion from the Legislature's counsel saying she had acted with the highest ethics by disclosing her relationship with the potential buyer and did nothing to further her son-in-law's possible purchase Legislative Counsel Robert Firriolo maintained that Spain sued Voutsinas in 2023 without permission of the Legislature and kept the proceedings secret for five months during routine update meetings The legislators learned of the case when it was decided in the county’s favor in May based on a resolution instructing him to engage in any legal action needed to make the sale occur Spain acted to extinguish a claim filed by Voutsinas against Putnam County in 2023 saying that the county breached his contract for sale and should repay him for costs he incurred in the potential sale State Supreme Court Justice Gina Capone in May ruled that Voutsinas’ contract for sale was invalid because the county Legislature never ratified the agreement Othmer’s proposal to demolish the building has won support from town boards in Patterson But it has failed to gain any traction at the Legislature or with Byrne   We've heard nothing yet from the Putnam County open space advocacy community But forward-looking supervisors in half of Putnam's towns see the positive influence of creating a welcoming public gathering place that features Putnam's patriotic lakefront park and the statue of Revolutionary War heroine Sybil Ludington and provide an alternative gathering place to the barroom "Any time you recognize the veterans is a positive thing for the community," said Patterson Supervisor Richard Williams would enhance the streetscape along Gleneida Avenue." said he hadn’t heard a peep about the building since taking office in 2023 and chairing the Legislature's Physical Services Committee which oversees issues involving county buildings and property He’d like a new landlord to create offices for medical professionals or attorneys but recognizes that the parking issue is not going away Ellner suggests the new owner seek approvals from the town of Carmel to waive the same on-site parking requirements that stymied Voutsinas He noted that many patrons of George’s Place a treasured breakfast-and-lunch haunt next door to 34 Gleneida Ave. “Maybe that’s something that can be worked out.” said he has no interest in tearing down the old car dealership Jonke argued that no one was hanging out at the county-owned Spain Cornerstone Park located at the site of a former gas station at Gleneida Avenue and Fair Street Jonke wants no more green space on the Carmel county campus “I don’t think we need to create more and more parks,” said Jonke You can go for a nice walk on the shores of Lake Gleneida.” Tara Micale, a 2016 CHS grad, took the stage at the Hudson Valley preliminary round of New York's Got Talent at Southeast Comedy & Cabaret on March 22. Her performance of her original song, After the Tone, won her a spot in the New York's Got Talent finale on April 24th in NYC. Tara is a junior music education vocal major at The Hartt School of Music in CT.  Helping those who don’t have winter coats will be the goal of the Carmel Rotary Club throughout the month of October during its coat drive agreed to organize this event knowing that she had a houseful of winter coats not getting any use I have jackets and coats in various different sizes all in great condition so I was happy to hear my Rotary Club would be collecting gently used or new coats,” Hubert said “I will be organizing the coats by size and gender for local human service agencies like Catholic Charities with three different locations equipped with a drop box Those locations are Putnam National Bank located at 42 Gleneida Avenue Lake Carmel Branch located at 497 Route 52 and Cornell Cooperative Extension Putnam County at 1 Geneva Road For more information call Stefanie Hubert, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Putnam Executive Director at 845-278-6738 ext. 223, or email sh379@cornell.edu. NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham secured $300,000 in Senate grant funding for Putnam County’s new Fire Training Center an important infrastructure project now underway here on Gipsy Trail Road in Carmel Hamlet which will be utilized by fire departments from all municipalities with the county Along with Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne Harckham toured the site of the training center project yesterday and received a progress report The demolition of the old training center’s burn building and fire training tower took place recently and the entire project is expected to be completed this fall “Providing our first responders with the tools and resources they need is a top priority of mine,” said Harckham “Knowing exactly what to do in a fire emergency saves lives and property and that’s why holding real-life training opportunities at this center makes a difference for hundreds of first responders and I’m pleased I could provide needed support to Putnam County while also easing the burden on local taxpayers.”  “This facility will be crucial in providing our firefighters and first responders with the necessary resources to effectively train and protect our communities It’s a prime example of County government leading the way in shared services strengthening our agencies and local volunteer efforts without adding to their budgets This investment underscores Putnam County’s commitment to the safety and preparedness of those who protect us every day We thank Senator Harckham for his support of the project and acquiring part of funding for this project.” Putnam County’s new Fire Training Center will cost over $1 million The State Senate funding Harckham was able to provide consisting of separate grants of $200,000 and $100,000 Putnam County was set to renovate the old Fire Training Center its buildings unusable or offering only restricted use for over 10 years because of safety conditions which caused county firefighting trainees and firefighters to travel to other departments for essential training But the old center’s buildings and structures water and extreme temperatures over its course of service leaving them so deteriorated that new constructions were necessary The new Fire Training Center will be constructed with modular units that will comprise a new burn simulator building and fire tower after a concrete foundation is poured The mask confidence building and classroom / administration building onsite may receive additions as well in the future The awarded State Senate’s CREST grants are administered by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) to support community and economic development. Harckham has delivered more than $30 million of State Senate grant funding to municipalities first responders and nonprofits in the 40th Senate District since taking office in 2019 Brewster, NY herbs and flowers just in time for Mother's Day Taking orders now through Tuesday April 8th Delivery Wednesday May 7th at Tonetta Lake Park 140 Pumphouse Rd Click on the link to see what we have available.   https://forms.gle/kVUFv2VkEEC363TH9 One of the less-known figures of the American Revolution, Sybil Ludington was all of 16 years old in April of 1777 Ludington’s heroic efforts have earned her comparisons to Paul Revere—though she rode 40 miles was sculpted by Anna Hyatt Huntington and dedicated in 1961 It depicts Ludington holding a stick and shouting a warning while sitting astride on her horse A monument honoring 81 residents of this Scottish town who were executed for witchcraft in the 16th century An art installation commemorates journalist Nellie Bly's undercover reporting inside a New York asylum This sculpture may be the only known depiction of a man who helped finance the American Revolution and inadvertently created the dollar sign The site of a fallen tree that protected Americans from British forces during the American Revolution This outdoor sculpture gallery is a modern-day homage to Andean culture and history This free sculpture garden is home to over 90 artworks and installations from artists around the world This modern sculpture looks out over the sea and amplifies sound from the inside The last remaining vestige of a popular 1999 public art display