Amid declining volunteer firefighter enrollment, the Hillside Fire Department, serving the towns of Rhinebeck and Hyde Park since 1939, will fold within the next year or two, leaders said this week. But the Hillside fire chief said he hopes to keep the building open as part of a merger, likely with the Rhinebeck Volunteer Fire Department. The decision comes as younger volunteers move away for jobs, older volunteers age out, and others struggle to find time for training amid day jobs and family commitments. “We are not the first firehouse that has to do this, and we’re not going to...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/rhinebecks-hillside-fire-department-says-it-will-need-to-fold-as-volunteer-recruitment-falters/

Last Thursday afternoon’s fatal car wreck just north of Broadway on Route 9G catapulted the Tivoli Volunteer Fire Department into action. Within five minutes of the 911 dispatch call, a volunteer fire crew was on the scene, setting up the landing zone for a LifeNet helicopter in case one was needed and helping mobilize support for a second victim to be taken by ambulance to Northern Dutchess Hospital.  Also on hand was Northern Dutchess Paramedics (NDP), a private company that has been performing an outsized role in EMS calls in the region and that has become essential when advanced life...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/a-tissue-for-an-open-wound-ambulance-response-rates-by-volunteer-agencies-falter-in-northern-dutchess-as-county-attempts-to-triage/

Just how bad is the state of Tivoli’s sewer collection system? More than half of its pipe must be reinforced or replaced in the Village’s planned sewer overhaul. But of the pipes affected, just 26% are in a state of total failure, the Dutchess County Water and Wastewater Authority (DCWWA) has found. At a forum last week, DCWWA project facilitator Vanessa Kichline shared the authority’s findings after months testing for flaws in the nearly century-old collection system.  “In a perfect world, this is a watertight system,” Kichline told a group of roughly half a dozen residents. “But that is not...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/tivolis-wastewater-system-is-plagued-by-cracks-leaks-and-collapsed-lines-experts-say-as-fix-is-planned-for-2026/

A zipper needed a new pull. A necklace came for a fresh clasp. And a table of spare parts attracted curious children. And so it went at Red Hook’s first 2025 Repair Cafe on Saturday as owners of 107 items leaned on 14 coaches to fix everything from stuffed animals and digital watches to a lone bicycle and six small appliances – plus, of course, 17 pesky clocks. Some visitors arrived with more unique pieces, including a vintage Sears, Roebuck, and Co. Electric 12 typewriter and a KitchenAid stand mixer from the 1960s as the cafe, now in its sixth...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/dont-despair-repair-becomes-saturdays-watchword-as-dozens-of-local-objects-get-a-facelift/

Opting into a statewide program meant to give volunteer first responders a break on taxes, Red Hook Central Schools have announced a 10% property tax exemption to all volunteer firefighters and emergency responders in the district. The exemption will reduce a given home’s assessed value for tax purposes. For example, a home valued at 0,000 and owned by a volunteer firefighter would be taxed at a value of 0,000.  The exemption, Tivoli Assistant Fire Chief Marc Hildenbrand said, creates a tremendous incentive for volunteer recruitment and retention.  “[These] are 100% volunteer organizations,” Hildenbrand said, referencing the Tivoli and Red Hook...

https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/red-school-school-board-approves-10-school-tax-exemption-for-local-firefighters/