The Lourdes Kids of Rockland Youth Group is hosting a fish fry on Friday, March 19, 2021 from 4:30 to 9pm at AOH Division 3 in Pearl River.
Lourdes Kids of Rockland Youth Group presents Fish Fry Friday, March 19th
Towns of Rockland County, NY
County’s Perseverance & Partnership with Sloatsburg Pays Off
New City, NY, – Rockland County Executive Ed Day and Economic Development Director Jeremy L. Schulman today announced groundbreaking for the Sloatsburg Gateway Park project, which received a $249,000 grant under the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Business Development Grant Program. The federal funding will be used to rehabilitate a vacant parking lot into a beautified modern-rustic plaza at the doorstep of the Sloatsburg Train Station and will provide direct connections to businesses along the Main Street/Route 17 corridor and help to propel the village’s ongoing revitalization efforts.
“Today is a great day for Rockland County as we celebrate the highly anticipated groundbreaking for the Sloatsburg Gateway Park,” said County Executive Day. “This project, initiated by my Economic Development Director Jeremy L. Schulman when he served as the President and CEO of the Rockland Economic Development Corporation (REDC), was a true collaboration between the County, former Mayor Carl Wright, the Sloatsburg Board of Trustees, the Sloatsburg Chamber of Commerce, and the Sloatsburg Downtown Revitalization Committee.”
“Working together and finding innovative ways to move forward on projects like Gateway Park and our concurrent NYS DOT Complete Streets Program, which is progressing, will benefit small businesses, increase local investment and create jobs in the county,” said Sloatsburg Mayor Peter Akey. “It is a credit to everyone’s hard work that we have reached this juncture on an initiative valued at almost $400,000. We are looking forward to working with Precise Enterprises II of Wallkill, NY which was awarded the contract bid, and Related Companies which provided a financial match, to help us reach the finish line on an impactful project for the village, county and region.”
“The idea that this area would be eligible with a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is truly exceptional. We are thrilled and excited that this project has commenced and most appreciative of all the assistance we received from other agencies of government,” stated former Mayor Sloatsburg Village Mayor Carl Wright.
“The most fulfilling part of this project was the way everyone came together so quickly to respond to this initiative,” said Economic Development Director Jeremy L. Schulman. “I wish to congratulate former Mayor Wright on a storied career and credit him and his team including current Mayor Akey and Clerk Bollatto, for inviting me to present to the Village Board of Trustees, recognizing this opportunity and the urgency to see it through. I hope it serves as a model that can be replicated in other municipalities.”
When the REDC first identified the grant, Rockland County was ineligible for funding, despite having similar census and geographical characteristics as adjacent qualified areas. After a successful lobbying effort by the REDC along with county and elected officials, the USDA deemed Rockland eligible. The western portion of Rockland was inserted into the grant program which included Sloatsburg because of its position as a premier gateway to and from the county and its potential to augment the momentum generated by the recent development of the Valley Rock Inn project. This milestone was further validated by the village being a recipient of the REDC’s Gateway Award in 2018.
The USDA Rural Business Development Grant is designed to fund projects that benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas. The Sloatsburg Gateway Park project will be an integral component of the village’s transit-oriented development (TOD) redevelopment plans and will complement the Valley Rock Inn project in fashioning a one-of-a-kind tourist and corporate destination. The plan calls for the development of a vacant parking lot adjacent to the Village’s Metro North/NJ Transit Train Station and will turn it into a passive park, increasing public parking significantly, and creating pathways and interpretive signage that will direct visitors to Sloatsburg’s businesses.
The park will include decorative lighting, landscaping and amenities for residents, visitors, and tourists. The Sloatsburg Train Station is located on Mill Street immediately opposite of the property and readies availability of commuter parking which will encourage the use of public transportation and invite visitors to the village’s downtown business district. A ribbon cutting is planned for early summer.
Rockland Remembers
New City, NY, – Rockland County Executive Ed Day was joined at the Allison-Parris County Office Building by local faith-based leaders to commemorate those we have lost to the COVID-19 pandemic through moments of prayer and reflection during a candlelight memorial.
County Executive Ed Day declared a local State of Emergency for Rockland County due to COVID-19 on March 16, 2020. There have been 907 COVID-19 related deaths within Rockland since the start of the pandemic.
“This is a staggering number by any measure and yet each of these deaths is so much more than just a number. These folks were our friends, our family, our neighbors, and each of us carries these members of our Rockland family with us every day,” said County Executive Day. “We honor them with our strength, our resilience, our compassion. While the names of those who have passed due to COVID are not carved into a granite memorial and are not yet recited on an annual basis. They have been carved into the hearts of friends and family; they have been recited daily by those who knew them best. They were loved, and they will always be remembered.”
The following faith-based leaders recited a prayer and lit a candle in memory of the lives lost:
Pastor Brandon McLauchlin, St. Charles AME Zion Church
Rabbi Craig Scheff, Orangetown Jewish Center
Reverend Kathryn Rivera Torea, Central Presbyterian
Imam Syed Ali, Iqra Darul Ehsan Mosque
Father William Cosgrove, St Augustine Roman Catholic Church
Rabbi Yisroel Kahan, Oizrim Jewish Council and Rockland County Human Rights Commission
“Though we have struggled, we have also overcome. We have shed tears, but we have also shared laughter. We have lost, but we have also found so much. Let us always remember how we came together in the face of a common enemy and found ourselves drawing strength from the common dreams and desires we always shared but sometimes forget. As diverse as we may be, we are truly one people. Sometimes it takes crisis and challenge to remind us of that. May we all continue to love and grow with each other as Rockland remembers,” said County Executive Day.
County Executive Day concluded the event by inviting those in attendance to attendance to participate in the memorial by lighting their own candle in remembrance.
Video of the event is available here: https://fb.watch/4gXN2GZCju/
Nyack celebrates Women’s History Month
This month, Nyack is honoring the contributions of women throughout history, and especially those dear to Nyack.
March is Women’s History Month, a time for us to reflect on our progress towards gender equality and women’s rights.
We also extend this recognition of to the women in our community; many of whom are essential workers, business owners, and family members who have faced adversity in the past year due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
In 2021, women deserve recognition now more than ever, as they push the boundary of social progress and gender empowerment.
Take a stroll through Nyack and learn more about “Local Women of Leadership Past & Present”.
Village of Nyack and Refuah to bring vaccine to Nyack March 18th
The Village of Nyack has partnered with Refuah Health to bring the Covid – 19 vaccine to Nyack with a pop-up clinic for those 60 or older, essential workers and those with qualifying comorbidities on March 18, 2021 at the Nyack Senior Center, 90 Depew Ave, Nyack, NY. Learn more here.