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Mayor

A MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR

In recognition of this past weekend’s ribbon cutting and public opening of Village Hall, I’d like to pay tribute to those who toiled mightily on both the Road and Village Hall. Catherine Whitney, Trustee and Commissioner of Village Hall masterminded the Village Hall project for nearly a decade, through three design processes, three bid events, and endless renovation. She took on FEMA and NYS, and got us everything we wanted and more. The word “herculean” would understate all she has done. Jill Kaliff took on the role of project designer for both the interior and exterior of the Hall. The resulting beauty of the place is a tribute to her generous efforts. Her husband David kindly consulted with us on electronics and security issues.

Behind the scenes, our Village Clerk Treasurer Julie Pagliaroli, Building Inspector Joe Knizeski, and Village Attorney Doris Ulman went above and beyond their responsibilities managing different facets of the project, from its inception with an application to FEMA for Sandy Relief, through supervising contractors on the renovation.

Regarding the Road, the two volunteers who need to be singled out for praise are Lorena, our Queen of the Road, and Joe Abrams, Deputy Mayor, Trustee, and Roads Commissioner. You all know how tirelessly Lorena worked on the “Daily Pain,” patrolling the road every day, and soliciting information, advocating for homeowners, and much more. Then late in the evening she would write it all up, always with wit and wisdom. Lorena, your father would have been proud. For those of you who didn’t know Don Vernon, he was head of the Planning Board for many years. He served on one or another Village board for 65 years.

Joe Abrams took the lead in managing our relations with the County Highway Department including reaching out to unhappy residents and advocating on their behalf, and serving as the Village’s principal liaison on the project. He spent countless hours on the phone or email with Skip, Al, and Sikander.

Again, Julie deserves tons of credit for her efforts in dealing with County Highway and Northbrook. She also fielded endless questions from residents, passing on their complaints and assuaging their anxiety.

A special word of thanks to Charles “Skip” Vezzetti who came to Joe Abrams and me 17 years ago with a plan to rebuild River Road. He stuck with it through a Great Recession, Tropical Storm Sandy, and many tribulations.

And another shout out to whatever higher power gave us a drought so that work proceeded as quickly as it did and spared us any hurricanes.

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February 1, 2021 Rockland County Executive Ed Day Declares State of Emergency

Rockland County Executive Ed Day Declares State of Emergency New City, NY, – Rockland County Executive Ed Day tonight issued a State of Emergency ahead of the snow storm, banning travel on all county and local roads for all but essential business (as detailed below) beginning 6:00 AM, Monday, February 1, 2021.The U.S. National Weather Service has put in place a Winter Storm Warning from 12:00 AM, Monday, February 1st to 6:00 AM, Tuesday, February 2nd. Heavy snow is expected with total snow accumulations of 18 to 24 inches predicted and winds gusting as high as 35 mph.“Travel during the storm will be near impossible with blizzardlike conditions expected throughout Monday. We need residents to stay home, keep the roads clear for emergency responders and let our Highway crews do their job,” said County Executive Day.County government is open and vital services shall continue.The Rockland County Department of Public Transportation has suspended TOR (Transport of Rockland) service until further notice as of 4:00 a.m. on Monday, February 1st. TRIPS service is also cancelled on Monday, February 1st. Please visit our Transit Alerts page for additional information: http://rocklandgov.com/departments/public-transportation/transit-alertsCounty of Rockland, New York :: Transit AlertsAs per NYS Executive Order 202.18, individuals over age two (and able to medically tolerate it) shall wear a mask or face covering over the nose and mouth when riding. Passengers are asked to p lease have a face covering available before boarding the bus and wear it while onboard. Thank you for your continued cooperation. Españolrocklandgov.comThe Rockland County Department of Health has canceled all clinics scheduled for Monday, February 1st, no COVID-19 vaccinations were scheduled.“We need everyone to stay off the roads during this dangerous storm. Please don’t go out until we end this State of Emergency which will be lifted as soon as conditions warrant,” concluded County Executive Day.###The following vehicles may operate on county and local roads within Rockland County while the State of Emergency remains in effect:

  • Any vehicles used for purposes of any federal, state or local government agency, including vehicles operated by contractors hired by any government agency for the purpose of responding to this emergency.
  • Vehicles used for the purposes of any private agency, organization or group organized and functioning for the purpose of providing fire, medical, ambulance, rescue, housing, food or other services directed toward relieving human suffering, injury or loss of life or damage to property as a result of an emergency, including non-profit and governmentally-supported organizations.
  • Vehicles used to deliver food, medical supplies or fuel.
  • Vehicles used by utility companies to perform emergency repairs.
  • Vehicles used to transport persons employed in pharmacies, grocery stores (including all food and beverage stores), convenience stores, gas stations, laundromats, news media, restaurants/bars, hotels, and other places of accommodation, and hardware stores, to and from their places of employment.
  • Vehicles used to transport persons to hospitals or other medical facilities for medical care.
  • Any other vehicles used to transport persons employed to perform any of the services described in this section to and from their places of employment.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 2021
Contact: John Lyon, Director of Strategic Communications (845) 638-5645
Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, D.O., M.P.H., CPE, DABFM, FAAFP (845) 364-2512HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO VACCINATE ESSENTIAL WORKERS: CAN CONTINUE TO VACCINATE SENIORS THIS WEEKNEW CITY, NY, – The Rockland County Department of Health (RCDOH) announces the delivery of 1,300 doses of the Moderna vaccine for this week. Of these doses, 700 have been designated for eligible individuals in priority phase 1b that fall within the essential worker category. The state has mandated that local health departments vaccinate ONLY Phase 1b essential workers, including police, firefighters, teachers, college professors, and grocery store workers. The full list of essential workers in Phase 1b can be found here. Appointments are required. You must attest to being a Phase 1b essential worker in New York State (NYS) to register for an appointment. Phase 1b Essential Workers can make an appointment by visiting:http://rcklnd.us/covid19The additional 600 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were given to the RCDOH to help vaccinate New York State residents aged 65 and above. The state requires local pharmacies and physician networks or practice groups to vaccinate those 65+. Since our local pharmacy/provider network is still in the process of getting ready to vaccinate our seniors, the state sent the RCDOH additional doses of vaccine this week to vaccinate our senior residents. The Health Department allocation for those 65+ is not guaranteed going forward.To assist the 65+ population in navigating the appointment process, the Rockland County Office for the Aging is scheduling all the appointments for this most recent allocation from New York State. Any eligible senior can call the Office for the Aging at 845-364-2110 for assistance in making an appointment, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Spanish and Creole speakers are available. Please be patient if their phone bank is busy helping other residents.”Our Department of Health and Office for the Aging are doing their best to streamline what can generously be called the chaotic rollout of this State vaccination process. I am proud of our local efforts which, as those who have been vaccinated at our Department of Health can attest, have efficiently and effectively gotten shots into arms of residents. We will continue to improve our local response to this problematic NYS process as best we can and ask for residents to remain patient. We know you want to be vaccinated and will do everything in our power to help you get the shot to protect you from this deadly disease,” said County Executive Ed Day.The Office for the Aging can also help seniors with transportation to appointments as part of the Medical Transportation program. Whereas the Health Department can vaccinate all individuals, including age 65+, the New York State Department of Health has created rules limiting our ability to help seniors throughout the vaccination process. The Rockland County Health Department must follow the guidelines developed by the state on who we can vaccinate.”We are pleased to be able to provide this week’s vaccine distribution to both essential workers and those 65 years of age. We will continue to follow NYS’s rules on who vaccinates whom as they work towards a fair and equitable distribution of vaccine and continue to communicate those details to you as clearly and as often as possible,” said County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert.ONLY THOSE WITH APPOINTMENTS WILL BE VACCINATED. If you are a Phase 1b essential employee in New York State, you must bring an employee ID card, a letter from your employer or affiliated organization, a recent pay stub, etc. If you are 65+, bring a New York State driver’s license or non-driver ID card or proof of New York State residency.If you have Medicare, please bring your card with you. The vaccine is free. People with Medicare pay nothing for COVID-19 vaccinations. There is no copay or co-insurance required; however, the Health Department can collect an administrative fee from Medicare.If you are in COVID-19 quarantine or isolation on the date of your appointment, DO NOT COME FOR THE VACCINE. Please call the Rockland County COVID-19 Call Center at 845-238-1956 Monday-Friday (except holidays) from 8:00 am-5:00 pm or email COVIDCallCenter@co.rockland.ny.us. Your appointment will be canceled and your name placed on a list for future vaccine administration.Check the state’s Am I Eligible webpage to make sure you are eligible and for a list of state-run vaccination sites. If you do not have access to a computer, eligible New Yorkers can call to schedule a vaccination appointment at a state-run site by calling the New York State COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline 1-833-697-4829. Vaccinations performed by local pharmacies and physician networks or practice groups must be made through them.The Rockland County Department of Health cannot predict how many more doses will be received in the coming weeks and encourages eligible individuals to sign up for appointments wherever they are available.As a reminder, wherever you receive your first dose of vaccine, you must return to that location for your second dose. You will make your appointment to receive your second dose when you receive your first dose.

Welcome to the Mayor’s Blog

April 1, 2015

The Letter of Agreement with FEMA was executed by all parties yesterday. Congratulations to all of us. Also, the United Water issue has been resolved amicably, and they have begun work on Bight Lane. More good news– we have come to terms, again amicably, with our police union, agreeing to a contract that runs through May 2018.

Regarding the Bridge That Has No Name, you can always get the latest at the Bridge website. Just click this link:

http://www.newnybridge.com/

March 2015 Summary of Recent Activities

River Road Project

Construction of the new River Road is now scheduled to begin in early 2017. You will see activity before that time, but the real work will begin then. We are cautiously optimistic that the County will hold to this date. Something came up about endangered bats that allegedly live in our trees, but that seems to be resolved. This undertaking will not only replace the road, but will resolve many of the drainage issues that have plagued us.

Village Hall

It’s been two years and four months since Sandy severely damaged Village Hall. We are now nearing the turning point in working with FEMA. We received a draft of an award letter for $4.88 million to recreate Village Hall in its own image, but safer, more energy efficient, and better able to serve the needs of the community. We expect to have the final version of the letter in the next few weeks so that we can get started on bid documents which will lead to construction. Trustee Catherine Whitney has spearheaded this endeavor. To call her efforts ‘herculean’ would be understatement. She was expertly assisted by Village Clerk/Treasurer Julie Pagliaroli and Village Attorney Doris Ulman. Another piece of good news is that the Village will not have to put up any matching funds for the project. We owe a debt of thanks to Senator Gillibrand and Rep. Nita Lowey for weighing in on our side when we need them. They helped to move this along. As this project moves forward we will need more volunteers from the Village to support various phases and to insure that community concerns are addressed. Please let Julie know if you are willing to devote time to this.

Tappan Zee Bridge (aka the New New York Bridge)

Where do I begin? Early in the year the Village created a Sound Task Force to address several bridge issues, but with particular focus on the length of the southern sound barrier. Chuck Callen, Jim Foley and Mark Irgang led the offensive, and we were successful in getting the barrier extended. Other issues involving the road surface and the tympanic effect of the underside of the bridge were discussed at length. The technical prowess of our task force members was impressive to witness. Our Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffe backed us fully and insured that the State and TZC people involved heard us out. We are comfortable with their answers about noise from the underside of the bridge. The road surfacing is unresolved as of yet, but we understand that motorist safety and durability are their first and second priorities, and feel confident that will do all they can to mitigate noise. I work closely with the other river village mayors to see that the needs of the larger community are being addressed. As you’ve probably heard, South Nyack has a major issue with where the Shared Use Path, aka SUP, leaves the bridge. The SUP is for bicyclists, runners, and pedestrians. Right now it comes out at the corner of Broadway and Cornelison. We support South Nyack’s campaign to recover the interior of the Exit 10 cloverleaf and develop it with the SUP terminating there. Grand View’s position is that we want the SUP traffic diverted away from Hader Park. The Village of Nyack wants SUP users to head north to their downtown, which suits Grand View just fine.

United Water

We’ve had two issues with United Water. The first is that on several occasions the excessive use of water by Tappan Zee Constructors has left villagers at the northern end of town with brown particles in their water. United Water and TZC promise to stay on top of this, as will we. The second issue is the ownership of the water main under Bight Lane. We are right now exchanging letters and resolutions with United Water to correct this historical anomaly. It’s a long story that goes back to the construction of the original TZ Bridge, but seems to be resolving so that residents on that road will get full service during winter months. Thanks to our attorney Jan Ulman and United Water’s attorney Kelly Ruggerio for helping us work this out. Our County Legislator Nancy Low Hogan and United Water’s head of Government Relations, Bill Madden, also pitched in to make sure that we were listened to. Police The past two years were a time of transition. We have a new chief and sergeant due to retirements. We’ve also done very well in recruitments to fill vacancies and feel that the entire force is stronger. As I write this we are in the final stages of negotiating a long-term union contract that we expect to be amicably concluded. We’ve been able to keep budget increases to an absolute minimum. In the coming year we are working on something that may dramatically improve enforcement of bicycling laws. More to come on this one.

 August 2014

I want to to take this opportunity to congratulate the TZB Noise Task Force for a job well done. Chuck Callan, Jim Foley, and Mark Irgang have persuaded Tappan Zee Constructors and the the NYS Thruway Authority to reconsider the length of the southernmost sound barrier on the new bridge, and extend it well beyond what had been planned. In addition, they raised several questions that have long range implications for Grand View residents with respect to bridge noise, and received detailed, reasonable answers. Their most powerful weapon in this battle was information. They were incredibly well prepared for their meetings with the sound engineers from the bridge team who were impressed with the scope of knowledge these three brought to the table. They quoted Cal Tech studies on bridge surfacing options that the TZC people had to go and look up. The Task Force initially met with our NYS Assemblywoman, Ellen Jaffee, who made it clear to the representatives of the Governor’s office that this was important to the community. Thank you Ellen, and thanks to Brian Connybeare who represents Governor Cuomo, for arranging a series of meetings and seeing that the Task Force was heard by the right people at TZC and the Thruway Authority.