| Two hundred and fifty people signed up for this year’s Santa Claus 5k. It was wonderful to see everyone out, enjoying the day. Thank you to Orangetown’s Parks and Recreation Department for putting on this race. |
Denis Troy Orangetown Councilman, 2000 – 2021
Supervisor Teresa M. Kenny and the Orangetown Town Board present this key to Denis Troy, in recognition of his tireless efforts in working for the betterment of Orangetown and its residents.
This key symbolizes that although no longer a Town Councilman, Denis is accorded the freedom to enter and leave Orangetown Town Hall at will, as a trusted friend of Orangetown residents.
Presented December 14, 2021
Statement from County Executive Ed Day
Rockland County is in the midst of an expected and seasonally predictable increase in active COIVD-19 cases. I say this not to alarm you but to inform you about the trajectory we are seeing locally and to remind you that this has been our experience whenever people gather regularly indoors. Though Rockland is currently faring better than anywhere else in New York with our 7-day average for percentage of positive tests standing at 2.9%.
While we are seeing an uptick is cases we are thankfully not seeing as much of an uptick in hospitalizations. Based on the current 7-day averages from Good Samaritan and Nyack Hospitals, 16.57% of hospital beds are available and 39.96% of ICU Beds are available. These numbers translate to plenty of availability to handle both emergencies and regularly scheduled procedures. We have also been notified by New York State that they have contacted hospitals around the state, including ours, to offer staffing support should it become necessary.
There are 35 people currently hospitalized who are positive for COVID-19: 22 are unvaccinated, 11 are vaccinated and 2 are of unknown status. These vaccines continue to prove helpful at preventing hospitalizations as nearly two-thirds of those hospitalized locally are unvaccinated.
I also want to remind you all that I recently chose to get a COVID-19 vaccine booster because I believe these vaccines, when partnered with commonsense hygiene precautions offer the best protection available from this disease. If you have questions or concerns about the COVID-19 vaccines, please talk to your doctor about their safety and effectiveness.
Those interested in receiving a vaccination or booster at one of our Department of Health’s upcoming clinics taking place at multiple locations around Rockland can visit our COVID-19 webpage to make an appointment: https://rocklandgov.com/departments/health/coronavirus-covid-19/
Rockland residents have done an incredible job getting vaccinated. According to the CDC, 73.5% of our 5+ population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine along with 85.6% of our 18+ population and even better, 95% of our 65+ population.
But vaccinations alone are not enough to protect us from COVID-19. Australian virologist Dr. Ian Mackay created the attached swiss cheese graphic to assist with explaining how this works. Each slice of cheese represents a layer of protection that helps prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases. And while every slice of cheese has holes, the more slices we use, the stronger our protection against disease.
The Rockland County Department of Health urges everyone to follow the CDC’s recommended public health prevention measures to help slow the spread of COVID-19:
According to New York State contact tracing efforts, nearly three-quarters of known COVID-19 transmission is occurring during gatherings at home with family and friends. Please keep the above recommendations in mind when you are spending time with your family and friends this winter.
We have also updated our own internal COVID policies, taking proactive steps to help keep our employees healthy and comfortable while working through this winter and holiday season. These policy updates affect all indoor areas of County properties except for those which under CDC guidance, or other Federal or State authority require different, more restrictive standards, related to the Department’s particular line of work.
The updated Executive Order is attached and has also been posted on RocklandGov.com. As a governmental agency we must follow the New York State Commissioner of Health’s Determination on Indoor Masking. Effective immediately the following standards will apply to all indoor areas of County properties:
While we do not have the capability of enforcing these NYS rules all across Rockland, we do have the responsibility of making this update within County properties. Additionally, the only alternative to these changes would be to require everyone to wear a mask at all times while inside County properties. We are attempting to find the least intrusive path forward while still protecting everyone’s health and safety.
We continue to recommend that individuals, businesses, and venues do their best to comply with the NYS mandate. I also want to encourage everyone in our community, residents, businesses, and visitors to show compassion and kindness while we are subject to this State mandate in public places. We have all been through so much these past 20 months and creating additional conflict with business owners, their employees, or other residents will not improve the situation.
Additionally, as many of us prepare to gather with family and friends to celebrate holidays and the start of the new year, we want to share these ideas for you to consider:
We are not looking to issue any mandates or orders because I believe that talking through these issues with all of you and gaining your trust and understanding is far more effective. Where Rockland goes from here depends entirely on the actions that Rocklanders take in the coming days and weeks.
The funding helps provide access to quality childcare for enrolled students with children.
ROCKLAND, NY. (December 16, 2021)–Rockland Community College (RCC) is proud to announce that it has received a four-year federal grant totaling roughly $300,000 to help provide students who are parents with access to quality childcare. The grant is part of the Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program (CCAMPIS) from the U.S. Department of Education, which aims to support the participation of low-income parents in post-secondary education through the provision of campus-based childcare services.
Thanks to this grant, RCC will receive $76,185.00 in support each year. In keeping with CCAMPIS guidelines, the grant funds will help subsidize childcare costs for low-income, Pell-eligible students enrolled at RCC. Under the program, students contribute a nominal portion of the cost of childcare, and CCAMPIS funds the rest. The number of hours of subsidized childcare that a student is eligible for depends on their class schedule—but is not limited to hours while the student is in class—and is designed to allow time for homework, studying, tutoring, attending office hours, etc. On-campus childcare is currently available to RCC students at RCC’s Campus Fun & Learn Child Development Center at the Theresa Morahan Simmons Center for Children and Families. The program will serve 5-10 students in the first year, increasing to the full capacity of approximately 15 students annually in 2022 and beyond.
RCC students are not alone in facing this challenge. A recent report revealed that in New York, nearly 200,000 undergraduates are parents, and almost half are single mothers. To help address this problem, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has been pushing for The Preparing and Resourcing Our Student Parents and Early Childhood Teachers Act (PROSPECT Act). Sponsored in the Senate by U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and introduced in the House of Representatives by Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (D-CT-5), the PROSPECT Act would help address this issue by funding $9 billion in new grant programs to provide high-quality infant and toddler care at no cost to low-income parents attending community colleges and minority-serving institutions.
“It means everything! I am able to attend school, if it wasn’t for the CCAMPIS I would not have that opportunity. I am extremely grateful for this grant. I am now a year away from providing another income for my family of 5,” said Nikki Poliey, current student receiving the CCAMPIS award.
“This focus on early childhood education by Gillibrand, Booker, and Hayes further underscores the importance of grants like CCAMPIS. Infant care is the most expensive form of childcare and is available at the lowest capacity due to state-mandated ratios, so it is often the most in-demand,” says Kathleen Naylor, Grants Specialist for Rockland Community College. “We are proud to be able to help our students remain enrolled at RCC while ensuring that their children get the care they need,” she added.
NANUET, NY – Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick announced that seven arts organizations from the 38th Senate District have been awarded over $280,000 in grant funding through the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) designed to help nonprofit arts and culture organizations and artists recover from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. These grants were approved as part of the 2021 New York State budget. The seven organizations span Rockland and Westchester counties, and include Bethany Arts Community, Children’s Shakespeare Theatre, Hudson Chorale, Inc., the Edward Hopper Landmark Preservation Foundation, Stage Left Children’s Theatre, Strawtown Art & Garden Studio, Inc., and Rivertown Film Society.
State Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick (D-Rockland/Westchester) said, “I proudly advocated on behalf of local arts organizations in this year’s state budget, and am delighted that hundreds of thousands of dollars in state funds are coming to Rockland and Westchester to support the robust arts and cultural programs in our communities. New York without our vibrant arts and cultural organizations wouldn’t be the state we know and love, which is why I’ll always fight for the arts.”
These grants were announced as part of the third round of NYSCA grants for 2021, which awarded a total of $45 million in grant awards to more than 1,000 organizations across New York. NYSCA’s fourth and final round of funding, a $20 million Capital Projects opportunity, is currently accepting applications. The application portal will close on January 14, 2022. More information is available at arts.ny.gov.
The Ossining-based Bethany Arts Community organization received three separate grants totaling $84,500 for rehearsal and studio space for performing arts, a NYSCA recovery funds grant, and a NYSCA support for organizations grant.
Abigail Lewis, Executive Director of Bethany Arts Community, said “We are deeply honored to receive these awards and to be among such a vibrant community of peers. Arts and the artistic process is more important than ever to bring us together and to feed our communities’ renewal. These funds ensure we can provide affordable access while providing artists with the support they need. Thank you Governor Hochul and the State Legislature for your commitment to the arts, especially during these challenging times.”
The Nyack-based Children’s Shakespeare Theatre received a NYSCA support for organizations grant for $25,000.
Brady Amoonclark, Artistic Director for Children’s Shakespeare Theatre, said “Children’s Shakespeare Theatre is thrilled to accept our first public grant in our twenty-two years of offering quality educational theatre, building a community that enriches the lives of our young actors and their families. We are so thankful to Governor Kathy Hochul and State Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick for their work in support of this grant.”
The Council on the Arts preserves and advances the arts and culture that make New York State an exceptional place to live, work and visit. The council upholds the right of all New Yorkers to experience the vital contributions the arts make to our communities, education, economic development, and quality of life. Through its core grantmaking activity, the Council on the Arts will have awarded more than $100 million in FY2022. NYSCA’s statewide grants and regrants program supports the visual, literary, media and performing arts and includes dedicated support for arts education and underserved communities.