Feeling autumnal today? Yup, it’s now officially fall (so will we get a little Indian summer and

finally have that warm weather we missed most of the summer?!?!)

According to the ILoveNY.com foliage report, there’s plenty of leaf peeping to be had in the Adirondacks and Catskills. According to their map, Rockland is still solidly in the green zone (no change) with the very western edge, just past the Thruway around Route 17 emerging into the yellow zone (just changing). I have seen a couple trees beginning to change already (one along Route 59 in the Central Nyack area, but just that one. Then again, I’m often driving, so it’s best that I’m not leaf-peeping through New City or along Route 306.) So, are you seeing some orange, yellow and red bursts in Pomona, or near Bear Mountain? Maybe regular commuters are enjoying a more colorful commute up the PIP? Our foliage forecast is for the very end of October.

In today’s editorial, Safe food 101, we looked at health code violations in school cafeterias.

John Stoughton, a senior public health sanitarian with the Rockland Health Department, has been in charge of regulating food safety compliance for 28 years. He says that for the most part, Rockland’s schools have a good track record.

Why? Stoughton believes there are several reasons Rockland’s schools are often in compliance, or have problems that are easily fixable:

• They often have a “static staff,” or little turnover among the lunch ladies and gentlemen. They all know their jobs and their
  duties because they have been there a long time.


• Cafeterias have limited hours, some serve breakfast, and then they all, of course, serve lunch. They are then closed, so there’s plently of uninterrupted to clean, and keep everything maintained.


• Rockland also has mandatory food safety training through the health department—and has since 1978, making it one of the first counties in New York state to mandate such training. (Westchester mandates the training, too.)  Stoughton noted that though only one worker has to come, many schools send a large number of their cafeteria staff, and some schools send all their cafeteria workers, a smart move. The 5-hour course is free, and covers the basics of safe food handling (keeping food at proper temperature, wearing gloves, etc.).

It’s primary day, and in certain communities in Rockland, that’s prime time. Places like Spring Valley (and pretty much Ramapo) and Nyack are likely to be decided today, with the Democratic primaries.

Here’s a take on some of the big races:

Nyack mayor: Three current village trustees — Denise Hogan, Richard Kavesh, Marie Lorenzini — and businesswoman Marianne Olive are seeking the Democratic line for mayor. (John Shields isn’t running again.) The big issues here are the Riverspace downtown redevelopment proposal, and the perpetual issues of riverfront use, the “gateway” (up by 9W) and parking, parking, parking.

Ramapo town supervisor: Christopher St. Lawrence is challenged on the Democratic line by former county Legislator Bruce Levine, and on the Republican line (yup, St. Lawrence got the Republica nod) by Robert Romanowski, a frequent speaker at town board and county Legislature meetings. Levine’s team also has a couple people running as challengers for the town board lines, backed by Preserve Ramapo. And, there’s even a challenge to Town Justice Rhoda Schoenberger, a real “ouch” to her spouse, county Legislator Ilan Schoenberger, who pretty accurately bills himself on his official Rockland County Legislature biography as the ”… most powerful county legislator.” He’s quoting TJN columnist Bob Baird, who actually called him arguably the most powerful county legislator in a 2003 column, but, who’s arguing here? Anyway, the big fish is St. Lawrence, and it’s worth noting that no matter what happens at the polls today, he’s still on the ballot in November — he’s also got the Independence, Conservative and Working Families lines.

Spring Valley: Oh, Spring Valley. Seeking the Democratic ticket for mayor are: Bernard Charles, Demeza Delhomme, Noramie Jasmin, M. Margareth Jourdan and Jacques Michel. Vilair Fonvil has dropped out. What will happen there? This is a village amid a major urban development plan that’s mired in its own and the economy’s troubles. We shall see.

There’s also a Democratic mayoral challenge in Suffern (and it’s been a snarky contest between Mayor John Keegan and Trustee Dagen LaCorte), plus contests in West Haverstraw and Clarkstown. Here’s a news roundup.

If you live in these places, and the party in which you are registered has a primary challenge, go vote.

The New York State Senate unanimously passed legislation to add Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to the list of diagnoses that would be covered under Timothy’s Law, which ensures insurance coverage parity for biologically based mental illnesses. State Sen. Thomas Morahan, R-New City, a longtime champion of Timothy’s Law, introduced the PTSD coverage.

The addition is timely, of course, but also a long time coming.

Here’s Morahan’s statement:

On this eighth anniversary of the September 11th attack on our nation, it is appropriate and timely that we include persons exposed to acts of terrorism, as well as veterans who have been in combat in this legislation. According to a study issued in 2007, twenty percent of troops, about 300,000, returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan report symptoms of PTSD, depression, or severe traumatic brain injury. This landmark legislation would also cover victims of violent crime, childhood abuse, and those exposed to catastrophic events under the umbrella of Timothy’s Law.

A recent news story and editorial on a $1.63 million “Restore New York grant  for a new, state-of-the-art kosher poultry slaughterhouse in New Square has grabbed plenty of attention. Many have focused on the list of state officials who contacted Empire State Development (which manages Restore NY grants) about the New Square grant application. A spokeswoman for Empire State Development, a state entity that disburses Restore New York grants, said U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, Rep. Eliot Engel, state Sen. Thomas Morahan and Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee sent letters of support for the New Square application.

I spoke last evening with Jaffee, who said she submitted many letters for projects in the communities she represents, as many localities lined up to make stimulus funding requests. The New Square project was among them. “I did that for everything,” she said of the various grant applications, “to support all this funding.”

Jaffee points out that the original plant had “very sever issues,” and under this proposal, it would be demolished and condemned. She said the new plant was to include technologies that would minimize smells and mess. She also said that the new plant would have two USDA inspectors present at all times (because of its size, that’s part of the regulations). Jaffee said the trucks would be cleaned carefully, minimizing smells, and would be routed through the Village of New Square, not busy Route 45. She also discussed how newer plants use water recycling systems (chicken processing is a heavy water user, and New Square has had problems with low water pressure.)

Rockland County Planning Department has issued a negative declaration about the plan, and New Hempstead neighbors (it’s right on the northern border of the village) are concerned and a public hearing on the project has been canceled by the village, and yet to be rescheduled. Aren’t the concerns of the Rockland Planning Department relevant to this grant?

“I do my homework,” Jaffee said. “My understanding is there is an attempt to respond to the planning department. … they are trying to do their due diligence,” she said of the village officials.

There are still issues between documentation supplied to Empire State Development and the county Planning Department. For example, the County Planning Department-submitted plans show a facility at 50,000 square feet on a .99-acre lot that has been subdivided. Empire State has the plant at around 26,000 feet on 7.8 acres, which is the size of the entire property. (The old plant was 5,000 square feet.) Jaffee said she did not have the information from the county planning department, but noted that the plant must be approved, and built, before the Restore NY grant can be paid out.

Jaffee also noted, as Empire State Development had, that the plant will supply 100 full-time equivalent jobs. But she did not know, nor did Empire State, how many jobs the old plant provided. My question is (and when I find it out I will post it here): What i the job growth, how many MORE jobs will there be?

Jaffee reiterated several times that the new proposed plant would be state-of-the-art and be much cleaner with high environmental standards.

She added: “I’m not here advocating for this … I want to support the plan for municipalities I represent.”

Last Friday, I spoke to Ron Levine in the office Sen. Thomas Morahan, D-New City. His statements, as reflected in Saturday’s news story, were that at first he checked and was told there wasn’t a letter, but he immediately checked further with more staff members and called back to say the senator’s office had sent a “generic” letter of support for a plan that would supply jobs in the community. Letters that seek consideration for projects in communities are commonly sent by the public officials who represent those communities, Levine has said. “We do this because we believe those who represent the localities know the needs of the area far better than we do,” Levine said. In other words, they rely on local officials to give them the whole picture on projects.

JOURNAL NEWS PHOTO: A worker hoses down empty chicken crates at a poultry processing plant in New Square Sept. 3,. New York state has provided New Square with $1.6 million toward the construction of a new that would replace the existing plant. ( Seth Harrison / The Journal News )

A couple years of bickering, and back-and-forth in court, and finally a settlement announced in August.

Now, we’ll see tomorrow, some action to fix the construction mess in front of the Tappan firehouse. It’s all over a disputed curb: The county put in a curb in front of the firehouse parking lot during a hamlet revitalization plan. The firefighters didn’t want it; they say it impedes their response time because volunteer firefighters can’t pull into the parking lot as quickly responding to a fire call.

Today, the County Executive sent this:

County of Rockland
Office of County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef
NEWS RELEASE

Date:  September 8, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:   CJ Miller
(845) 638-5645

MEDIA ADVISORY

Road work to begin Sept. 9th at Tappan Firehouse site

New City, NY – County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef and the Rockland County Highway Department announce today that road work in front of the Tappan Fire House will begin Wednesday, September 9, 2009, weather permitting.

The County Highway Department will be on-site at Washington and Main Streets tomorrow, removing existing curb and sidewalk in preparation for the contractor to resume work setting the new granite curb and brick sidewalk. Materials have been ordered by the contractor to finish the work, which should be completed by the end of this month.

One lane on Main Street will be closed for safety during construction, but will re-open at the end of the workday.

The New York State Supreme Court will lift an injunction originally set in March 2009, allowing the County’s contractor to begin road and sidewalk re-construction at the site.

Vanderhoef once again thanked the residents of Tappan for their patience and assured them that the situation will be remedied by the end of this month.

1. # #

It was a wild time at last night’s public hearing on a proposal to cull Rockland’s deer herd by allowing bow hunting in county parks. (See story here.) Voices were raised, snipes were met with sharp retorts, and that was just among speakers at the podium. There was plenty of cross-talk in the audience, which had Rockland County Legislature Chairwoman Harriet Cornell putting a halt to the talk and telling audience members to, basically, can it or leave.

There were some funny moments, too, like when State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Bureau of Wildlife biologist Kevin Clarke, there to monitor the hearing for DEC, decided to take to the microphone to, as he said, dispel some misconceptions. He pointed to the assertion by several speakers that removing deer won’t shrink the herd, but make it grow. He said, “If you have too many deer in an area and you remove deer, you will have fewer deer.” He added, seemingly for effect, “If you have 100 deer, if you remove 50 deer, you have 50 deer.” Even some anti-hunting types giggled at the lesson in simple math. Clarke made clear that the birth rate may oscillate if the herd is thinned, maybe having 15 fawn the next year instead of 10. He did stress that deer population maintenance isn’t a one-time deal. A herd needs its size maintained, or it will just grow to the size that earlier had been determined too big for the area.

YES, I am well aware DEC supports hunting. So here’s a good point or two from the other side. A speaker late in the evening said she lives near Kakiat Park and pointed out that Ramapo Central school district elementary schools use the park for science projects. That’s important to know. Several speakers also pointed out that Kakiat is surrounded by homes and criss-crossed with walking paths that flow into Harriman State Park (where all hunting is banned) so boundaries are confusing. Also important facts.

No vote was taken last night.

2006 FILE PHOTO: A young deer bypasses a pedestrian at Rockland Lake State Park. The proposed bow hunting legislation would only pertain to Rockland County parks.

Today’s editorial, explores Rockland legislators’ efforts to launch a Silver Alert program in the county that would help find people who have Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia if they go missing. (The Lower Hudson Valley, as Director of Putnam County’s Office for the Aging William Huestis describes it, a “gray belt,” with a significant and growing population over 65.)

Both Westchester and Rockland have invaluable programs that help protect seniors who suffer from cognitive impairments. Project Lifesaver in Westchester outfits Alzheimer’s patients to tend to wander with a tracking device that is strapped to their wrist. Last fall, an elderly Yonkers woman who had the bracelet for a week was reported missing. She was found, uninjured, within two hours, wandering a half-mile from her home. In Rockland, the county sheriff’s Computer Assisted Rescue Effort program, or CARE, archives school pictures and vital information for children between kindergarten and eighth grade, providing quick access to a recent picture of a child reported missing to be transmitted to all police agencies, as well local merchants, businesses, agencies and other outlets that have signed up for the alerts. CARE coordinator Deputy Sheriff Walt Famular has expanded the program to include vulnerable adults, including those with dementia, Alzheimer’s or  developmental disabilities. “The power of the program is proportionate to the amount of people we can reach,” Famular told the Editorial Board explaining the expansion of CARE in 2007.

The Rockland County Legislature will set a public hearing to discuss the Silver Alert proposed legislation at its meeting 7 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday, Sept. 1). The Silver Alert legislation is sponsored by Legislators Bob Jackson, D-Nanuet; Jay Hood Jr., D-Haverstraw; Gerold Bierker, C-Bardonia; William Darden, D-Hillcrest, Jacques Michel, D-Spring Valley and Alden Wolfe, D-Suffern.

Most people in Ramapo, and Rockland, have heard of Preserve Ramapo, an environmental activist group that has morphed into a ballot line, and has spoken out long and loud against the policies of Ramapo Town Supervisor Christopher P. St. Lawrence. Preserve Ramapo’s Web site defines the group as “The not so silent majority.” (Personally, I would have hyphenated not-so-silent, but, that’s the old copy editor in me.) Articles posted include “Upset Over School Taxes? Better Take a Closer Look,” that chronicles East Ramapo Schools Superintendent Ira Oustatcher’s salary, and “St. Lawrence’s Protege Files Complaint Against the Police Union, Department, Town, and Fellow Officers,” but an EEOC complaint filed by a Ramapo rookie officer who was raised in the Hasidic community.

Some have questioned what this type of coverage has to do with land use/smart growth/environmentalism—other stories on the Web site include current environmental and land use issues in Ramapo—but the leadership of Preserve Ramapo has been clear about who they are and what they want—mostly St. Lawrence out.

Now, there’s Reserve Ramapo, which defines itself on its Website as “The Majority that does not cry.” Its articles, often signed by “a Reserve Ramapo Staff Writer” though sometimes signed by Yitzchok Schreiber, chronicles the positive happenings in Ramapo (Maple Avenue Project Nears Completion Ahead of Schedule) or the problems with Preserve Ramapo-backed candidate Bruce Levine, who is mounting a Democratic primary challenge against St. Lawrence, (Bruce Levine’s Late Financial Filing Shows Litte Support for His Campaign.)

No big surprise that two groups with very different (diametrically opposed?) points of view would see things so differently. But here’s what’s interesting. Pretty much everyone who follows local politics knows who the chairman of Preserve Ramapo is: Robert Rhodes. He signs letters to the editor that way; he identifies himself when he speaks out at public meetings that way. And if you click the button on Preserve Ramapo that says “Contact Us,” you are referred to the Web site’s editor, Michael Castelluccio.

I couldn’t find and equivalent button on Reserve Ramapo, and a search for Contact Us found nothing. So, besides Yitzchok — and thanks for signing your name — who is Reserve Ramapo? Their graphics, by the way, are quite pretty. Don’t be shy, take credit for your hard work. Everyone deserves a POV.

Today, amid a busy, crazy, newsy kind of day, I joined many of my colleagues to celebrate the life and mourn the passing of our former colleague and my neighbor, Myra Dembrow. Myra was just 58, so young, with an attitude of a fighter, a challenger-of-all-things, an intellectual giant, a devoted and wonderful mother and a skilled journalist. She worked for The Journal News for some 33 years, as a sports reporter, news reporter, and layout/design editor and more. I worked with her when I was a copy editor some 20 years ago, and then about a decade ago when I was on the metro desk. She was a no-bull, quick-witted worker who meant business and did her job, extremely well, no matter what was thrown at her. She was also a caring friend and wonderful support for a new mom, offering toys, clothes, advice of her easygoing friendly parenting style (and her children Dan and Audrey, and their many friends are true testaments to her success. I know how proud she was..) At her funeral service this afternoon at Congregation Sons of Israel, many recalled her as “irreverent and reverent.” That was Myra. We were all so lucky to know her, her community was better for her presence and devotion, and she taught us all so much with her constant bravery, her insatiable intellect and her fierce love of friends and family—and her fabulously wicked sense of humor.