In a surprise to few, voters yesterday turned down a $187 million bond proposal for Clarkstown schools. The bond, for major infrastructure work at all buildings in the district, was defeated more than 2-1, and turnout was extremely heavy.

Is the work needed? Many of those who voted against the bond agree that much of the work does need to be done at some point — new roofs, serious fixes at North High School, new windows and doors, and the added costs of making buildings ADA compliant. (And yes, the Editorial Board did back the bond, (see edit here) acknowledging the current bad economy, and past mistakes by the district skimping on infrastructure repairs in good times.)

But it was the idea of bundling all the work, and the price-tag, especially as the economy is spiraling, that made most voters cry “uncle.”

There’s no reason to slam those who voted against it, or those who took the approach of putting all the fixes in one big bond and trying to get a big state aid match that may not be there next year or for years to come.

And, truthfully, though some of the lettersto the editor (and I got way more than we could ever publish) were a little nasty, the forum chats after the contentious vote are rather civil, and dare I say, even constructive.

So, what next? Well, here are a few comments that impressed me, found at the end of the LoHud article, “Clarkstown voters reject $187M bond”:

…Input is needed and I’m sure will be given by those who have spoken out loudly and clearly. Let’s not muddy the waters any longer and be honest in our dealings with one another. It is time to work together….

… the District must reach out to the ENTIRE community and understand precisely where it misread the wishes of the people.
It must then work with those that speak for the community and determine the DOLLAR AMOUNT that it believes will pass and figure out what can be accomplished WITHIN THIS FIGURE. To continue to focus on scope of work without regard for a final number will lead to the same outcome.

This bond was primarily defeated due to the economy. No matter how much “sense” it made on paper there is a overwhelming discomfort about what lies ahead. Lack of consumer confidence. There were other factors. It might have helped if the long standing board members came out said “we really screwed up” years ago. It might have given the community reason to have even a little confidence in the board.

Whew! We finished our interviews for village election endorsements. Quick recap: Montebello village trustees, 3 candidates for 2 seats (that’s been published, and you can find it here); Airmont trustees, 3 candidates for 2 seats; and Pomona, 3 for two seats.

Today, we interviewed the trustee candidates for Airmont and Pomona. These are two villages that have serious challenges, keyword here: development. If you want to see the interviews, go to Editorial Spotlight. The endorsements will finish Wednesday and Thursday, if all goes according to plan. (Being a longtime news editor in my previous incarnation, I never promise publication in case breaking news intervenes. You know, news happens.)

So, look for the endorsements, view the tape, and most important, if you live in a village that holds a spring election, vote, vote, vote! And, find out more about the all the elections, and candidates, here.

OK, so it’s another two weeks away, but omigosh, spring is really, actually coming!

Here’s the big hints:

It was over 50 degrees today and will top 60 tomorrow, according to weather reports (we will blithely ignore the forecast for rain Sunday and temperatures back into the 40s…)

Our favorite seasonal ice cream parlor opened today. Imagine a long winter without cotton candy ice cream. Well, yes, I can too (eww!) but kids love the stuff. Recession, reschmession! Let’s eat ice cream!

And the big hint that spring is on our heels: Daylight Saving Time is almost here. Yes, you must wake up at 2 a.m. Sunday and spring forward (or wait until Sunday morning and move your clocks ahead an hour.) 

The beginning of Daylight Saving Time also comes with a serious reminder: Change your smoke alarm batteries. Smoke alarms save lives. We’ve seen it again and again in Rockland. So go get a pack of 9V batteries, climb on a chair, and celebrate spring by taking an important safety step.

Today’s editorial on MTA finances talks about the misguided “mobility tax” on employers that would likely lead to job losses in the region.

This tax would be on all employers, including nonprofits and school districts. The damage to those entities, already pinched by the recession, would be great. According to the Rockland Board of Cooperative Educational Services, the tax impact for East Ramapo would be $357,641 because they have the biggest payroll. The smallest district, Pearl River, would still have to pay $91,955 for the mobility tax. The tax would be 33 cents per every $100 of payroll. The total tax impact for the county’s public schools is almost $1.8 million, according to Rockland BOCES’ calculations. Hmm, who is it that provides funding to schools. Oh yes, the property owner.

Want to see details of the mobility tax for all eight Rockland districts, plus Rockland BOCES? Well, I just happen to have that info. Click the link, courtesy of Rockland BOCES, for a PDF that shows the impact of the mobility tax on Rockland school districts: commuter-tax.

Politicians and construction-industry leaders last week made much hoopla when they announced that work on the James A. Farley Bridge is just around the corner; the Route 9W span will close this spring, be demolished and replaced, all in time to handle the bulk of eastern Rockland’s north-south truck traffic by November. (See news story here.) To construction industry leaders, the Farley Bridge is a symbol of New York’s aging infrastructure and the need to invest more money in repairs — and create more jobs. But it’s also an symbol of opportunities lost in the tortuous process in New York that spans the time between identifying a building need and actually starting work.
The state Department of Transportation will tear down the 86-year-old span traversing the Cedar Brook Pond and build anew, with cars, school buses and heavy trucks rerouted around local streets during the construction, causing traffic headaches for months on end.
That wasn’t the plan a couple years ago, when DOT met with Stony Pointers to come up with a well-thought-out replacement that minimized traffic headaches and landtaking around the downtown. After public hearings and other community outreach in 2007, DOT scaled back original plans for the bridge to keep with the “feel” of the town, and included improvements for the 9W-Main Street intersection. Staged construction would bring a new bridge span east of the original, and traffic could be diverted to it as the old bridge was torn down and rebuilt. That would keep traffic flowing along Route 9W.
But several yellow flags and one red flag later, signaling serious structural troubles on the deck-truss span, those plans went out the window. For good reason — the Minnesota bridge that collapsed in 2007 was of deck-truss construction, and spurred the heavier scrutiny of Farley and similarly constructed bridge in the state. After corrosion problems were found underneath the Farley Bridge, the major truck artery was made off-limits to heavy vehicles. The rerouting of trucks, school buses and other heavy vehicles over the summer caused headaches, and the super-heavy Tilcon trucks still have to use sidestreets to get to and from the company’s Tomkins Cove quarry.
So last week, politicians and construction industry folk pointed to the infrastructure boost and jobs gain this project will bring. They used it to call for more state infrastructure investment to supplement federal stimulus money — even though DOT skipped applying for such funding, concerned about any further delays if the stimulus bill got mired on Congress.
But, they should also pay attention to what’s been lost — a replacement plan that maximized community support and minimized downtown traffic disruption.

Well, none of us really needed the 5 a.m. recorded call from the school district to know it’s a snow day. That old-fashion weather predictor, looking out the window, would have worked just fine. Even the New York City schools are closed! Ask any former city kid how rare that is.

Everyone was prepared for this one, it seems (if you weren’t, I have extra milk in the basement fridge!) My own little weather report: I was out walking the dog (he likes the snow) at about 6:30, and I saw several snowplows—and not even the same one going round and round, because I crossed municipal lines. My sidestreet was even plowed early, which is rare (and, no, I am not complaining because I understand that snow emergency routes take priority). That doesn’t mean, though, the driving will be easy. Cold temperatures will surely lead to ice patches. So, as the police say, avoid driving if you don’t have to.