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Your community is our community! If you have stories or events of interest to Rocklanders, we’d love to hear about them. Write, fax or e-mail us. |
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July 4, 2008 Feature
Stories
Legislature upholds Vanderhoef veto of green building procedure law By Matthew Emma The
Rockland County Legislature has voted to uphold a veto handed down by County
Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef of a proposed local law aimed at establishing a
Rockland County Governmental Green Building Procedure. The lawmaking body,
at Tuesday’s meeting, reached this conclusion after a brief discussion on the
matter. This proposed local law, co-sponsored by
legislators Alden Wolfe and Connie Coker would have mandated that all major
building projects in Rockland County be designed, constructed and certified
to at least the Silver standard as set forth by the Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) ratings system created by the United States Green
Building Council leadership. Wolfe believes the legislation is
necessary to ensure that County buildings environmentally-friendly, energy
conserving and as clean and healthy as possible for the many people who visit
and work in them on a daily basis. Wolfe said he is confident that, by going
forward with this law, the County government would be setting an example for
others to follow. While understanding the intent of the law,
as well as the need for clean and environmentally-respectful construction
projects within the County, Vanderhoef found the legislation flawed. In a June 20 memo to Legislative Clerk
Laurence Toole, Vanderhoef said the proposal sets conditions outside the
County’s ability to control them, which has the potential to lead to
non-compliance with the law and all the potential problems such a situation
could bring about. In responding to Vanderhoef’s veto, Wolfe
said he was more disappointed than angry and questioned the process by which
information is exchanged between the Legislature and the County Executive’s
office. Wolfe said that, when he first introduced
the law, he brought it to Vanderhoef’s attention and welcomed his input, but
didn’t receive any feedback about the County Executive’s reservations until
very recently. Wolfe inquired to members of Vanderhoef’s
staff, some of whom were present at the meeting, why there was such a lack of
communication and, if the goal is to serve the people of Rockland County,
information has to be shared from the beginning of the process. “We need to put people over politics,”
Wolfe said. “Although the vote was 11-6 in favor of
the overriding the veto, the motion failed because a two-thirds vote, or 12
Legislators voting in favor would have been necessary to complete the
override. The vote ran completely along party lines with Democratic
Legislators voting in favor of the override, while the Republicans voted
against it. Clarkstown preserves historical landmark By Matthew Emma Standing
at the entrance to the “Storms Tavern” Dutch Colonial style home dating
to 1805 are (l-r): Alex Gromack, Town of Clarkstown Supervisor; Eric Singer,
Principal, Eric N. Singer Architects P.C. of Pomona and John Cooney, Jr.,
President of Tilcon New York which owns the property. Tilcon invested
$300,000 in a year-long restoration of “Storms Tavern” when it learned of its
historic significance. The
Town of Clarkstown, a local company and a group of historical enthusiasts
recently teamed up to preserve one of the oldest and most historically
significant sites within the municipality’s borders. Supervisor Alex
Gromack joined members of the Town’s Historical Review Board and
representatives of the Tilcon corporation to celebrate the restoration of the
Storms Tavern on June 26 at the property’s 407 Storms Road location in the
hamlet of Valley Cottage. The Tavern, a Dutch Colonial built in
1805, has a very long and storied history. Town historians say the structure
served as a rest stop for travelers in the 19th century who traversed the old
Kings Highway, connecting New York City to Albany. The Tavern may also have been one of the
Underground Railroad stops for slaves seeking freedom to Canada during the
Civil War and, in addition, provided a haven for a number of notable American
writers and artists, including William Styron. In 2005, Tilcon, a Rockland-based company
that produces crushed stone used for construction purposes, acquired the
Tavern property, unsure of its future. However, in light of the Tavern’s
historical importance, instead of demolishing the structure, the company came
to the decision to preserve it in the interest of the community. “When we were informed of Storms Tavern’s
historical significance, we decided that a renovation would be the right
course of action,” said Tilcon president John Cooney, Jr. “This is a significant
investment for our company. Given the history of the house and our commitment
to the community, we moved forward with the project.” What followed was a $300,000 undertaking
that included the removal of modifications made to the Tavern by previous owners,
as well as repair to areas of the structure impacted by time. All of the work that was done was
conducted with careful attention, so as not to alter the original historical
character of the property. “The quality of the workmanship in
repairing and sanding of the stairs and floors demonstrates a respect and
love of the past,” said Clarkstown Historical Review Board Chairman Robert
Knight. ”I can’t think of anything in Clarkstown
which is of more historical significance,” said Councilman Ralph Mandia.
“Thanks to Tilcon and the Town’s Historical Review Board for their work on
this property, which is a storied inn along the old King’s Highway.” “I was so pleased with the extensive
restoration Tilcon has done on Storms Tavern,” Gromack said. “I appreciate
the efforts of Tilcon to bring back the original historical charm of this
special piece of history. In their efforts to restore this historical
landmark, Tilcon has demonstrated their commitment to being a good neighbor
to the residents of Clarkstown.” Rockland County Department of Health sees results with new programs By Philip Umbrino Steps
to a HealthierNY is part of a national health promotion and disease
prevention initiative entitled Steps to a Healthier US, launched by the
Department of Health and Human Services. This five year
cooperative agreement program aims to help Americans live healthier, longer,
and better lives by reducing the burden of diabetes, overweight, obesity and
asthma and addressing three related risk factors: physical inactivity, poor
nutrition and tobacco use. Rockland County is part of a four county
project led by the New York State Department of Health through funding from
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As a result of this
initiative, it was hopeful that Rockland County residents would take personal
responsibility for their health as well as take social responsibility to
adopt healthy lifestyles and reduce the burden of chronic diseases throughout
the entire community. When the Steps program began four years
ago, sixty percent of adults and twenty five percent of children were
overweight in Rockland County. Over seven percent of the population was
diagnosed with diabetes, and twenty two percent of adolescents said they had
been diagnosed with asthma at some point in their life. Because each county
was charged with determining how to best achieve better health outcomes in
their neighborhoods, Rockland created nine programs focusing on the following
areas: Asthma, Corner Stores, Diabetes, Schools, Tobacco, Weight Loss,
Worksite Wellness, Restaurants, and Walking. Those working for the programs and the
community members who were both approached and volunteered to participate
have already made significant gains in helping Rockland County become
healthier. Since their implementation, nearly 10,000 Rockland residents have
participated in an ongoing countywide walking challenge. Eighty restaurants
are promoting nearly 950 healthier menu options, including shops like Mia
Cucina in Blauvelt. “This is a fantastic program,” said Mia
Cucina’s owner. “Requests for whole-wheat pasta have increased so that now I
order one case of whole-wheat pasta once a week. Prior to this program, I
only ordered it once a month.” Fifty seven businesses and organizations
have committed to providing healthier food and exercise breaks at their
meetings and activities, and over fifty schools have introduced and
implemented nearly 200 changes in school policies that support healthier
eating, exercise and health education for students. Anyone hoping to learn more about health
and exercise, diabetes registry and information, or steps to take to have
their own businesses part of the Healthier Steps program should visit their
website at www.rocklandsteps.org, where plenty of information is available. Rockland organizations given Commuter Choice Awards By Matthew Emma Four
Rockland County-based organizations were recently recognized for offering
their employees commuting options which help to lessen traffic congestion and
air pollution. Last week, the
Regional Commuter Choice Awards were handed out to employers from across the
New York metropolitan region for encouraging members of their workforces to
move away from traveling to work in single occupancy vehicles and into
transportation methods like carpooling and public transport. Nominees for the Commuter Choice Awards
are judged by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC), which
sponsors the honors, along with other local and state transportation and
environmental agencies. Recipients are recognized in three categories:
Outstanding Achievement, which is given to companies/organizations that have
implemented a comprehensive commuter benefits program with a high rate of
employee participation; Leadership, which is presented to companies/organizations
whose commuter benefits programs has made a significant contribution to the
environmental and economic health of the region they operate in; and
Innovator Award, which is given to a company/organization that has
implemented a new or unique commuter benefits program within the last 12
months. County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef
joined NYMTC Executive Director Joel Ettinger and representatives of the New
York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) June 25 at the Pearl River
Train Station to pay tribute to Rockland County’s winners for 2008. The Outstanding
Achievement Award was presented to the County of Rockland, Dress Barn and the
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University; the Leadership Award
was given to the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University; and
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals was recognized with the Innovator Award. “We applaud the winners and their efforts
to provide their employees with options to help them ‘green’ their commute,”
Ettinger said. “The more we can get people out of single occupancy vehicles
and reduce congestion, the better it will be for our environment.” The employers honored are part of a
public-private partnership whose efforts will help us meet the challenges
ahead and ensure the future growth and prosperity of Rockland County,”
Vanderhoef said. |
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