Amenia seeks funding for community kitchen
AMENIA, NY – The Town of Amenia aims to develop a community kitchen this year at the Amenia Town Hall, the former Amenia Elementary School on Route 22, and town officials are seeking support for this worthwhile endeavor. The town has established a committee of dedicated citizens to oversee the project and to assist identifying funding sources and potential revenue. Former Town Supervisor Wayne Euvrard, who also serves as the town’s assessor, is the chairman of the kitchen committee. He said it is an idea whose time has come. “The kitchen would support the building as a regional emergency shelter,” he said. “It would serve the needs of the people of Amenia and the entire Harlem Valley region.”
The Town looks forward to partnering with several community stakeholders such as the American Red Cross, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Hudson River Housing, and others, to insure the kitchen will be operated and utilized in an effective manner.
Town government relocated to the present Town Hall in 2010 when the Webutuck School District donated the building to the town in a cooperative arrangement. Since then the building has become a popular community gathering place for town meetings, special events, educational opportunities, recreation, and other public services. Amenia resident and architect, Leo Blackman, Pawling resident John Kalin, P.E., along with the kitchen committee members, and many others have generously donated their time to develop detailed plans and policies as well as cost estimates to renovate and operate the proposed kitchen which would be located adjacent to the gymnasium in this historic building. The plan calls for converting the area, which was once used to serve hot meals to children at the elementary school, into a community kitchen. The idea was launched by local resident and farmer Rudy Eschbach who helped to form the Amenia Farmer’s Market, which is now operating at town hall on a year-round basis.
The proposed kitchen would enable the town to provide hot meals to families who may be displaced during times of natural disasters and other emergency events. The farmer’s market sells locally grown food. There are several vendors participating at the present time but if the kitchen becomes a reality even more vendors would likely utilize the market because they will have a place to prepare food. Kitchen advocates have also noted that the facility would allow the town to provide valuable opportunities to learn cooking skills, especially for families who may not have the knowledge necessary to prepare fresh vegetables and other items found at the farmer’s market.
In addition to the planned renovations the town is seeking to purchase kitchen equipment such as a freezer, refrigerator, stoves and ovens. The space has been prepared for renovations and the town has budgeted a total $30,000 so far including $15,000 from the Amenia Recreation Commission. However, the project is expected to cost up to $120,000 to complete. The Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation has awarded a grant and other grant requests are pending, but additional funds are needed to make sure this project can be completed in a timely manner.
The Dutchess County Board of Health has enthusiastically supported the proposed community kitchen since the beginning and is expected to grant a permit to allow the facility to operate. The town plans to pursue additional grants in the near future and would welcome private investments that would likely serve to stimulate the local economy. It is expected that the kitchen would greatly benefit the community at-large.
