Timelines — 4/26

Village of Nyack Adopts New Budget

The Village of Nyack adopted a new $5.3 million budget for the 2012 – 2013 fiscal year on Thursday.

Homeowners in different parts of the village can expect to see slight property tax increases when the new budget takes effect depending on where they live. For example a house assessed at $200,000 would see a 7 percent tax increase if it were located in the part of Nyack that falls in Clarkstown. Whereas another home, assessed at the same value, but located in Orangetown would see a significantly smaller increase.

This 2012 – 2013 budget is about 2 percent higher than this year’s budget.

Nyack’s new budget will have a $3.2 million tax levy, but falls within New York State’s new 2 percent tax cap law.

With the new budget there will be no cuts to municipal services or any layoffs.

Rockland County Firehouses to Open Their Doors to Prospective Volunteers

Firehouses in Rockland opened their doors last weekend to prospective volunteer firefighters as part of the Recruit New York Campaign.

The goal of the Recruit campaign is support local fire departments in attracting and retaining those who might be interested in volunteering. Rockland County has an exceptionally high volunteer rate.

In other parts of New York volunteers are retiring, moving away, or losing interest. However volunteers in Rockland are treated to a variety of incentives to get them volunteering and keeping them volunteering. A federal grant for fire department recruitment has allowed local departments to offer tuition reimbursement for volunteers attending Rockland Community College.

Those volunteers who are eligible can receive up to 100 percent of their RCC tuition reimbursed by the fire department depending on the grade they received. However students must promise a year of service for each semester reimbursed.

Volunteers also have access to various housing programs across the county that offer rent subsidized housing in exchange for service. Due to these efforts Rockland has seen an average 2 percent to 5 percent volunteer increase in recent years.

Those interested in volunteering should contact their local fire department or call the Office of Fire and Emergency Services at 845-364-8800.

Clarkstown Board of Education Cleared of Wrongdoing

Clarkstown Board of Education members Phil DeGaetano and Donna Ehrenberg have been cleared of allegations of wrongdoing.

The two allegedly contacted a principal in the district pressuring the principal to fire a particular teacher. The report also looked into how a memo containing those allegations found its way to the public.

The investigation concluded that the trustees did not break the law because the exchanges with principal had no ill intent and were informal staff communication.

This week the board voted unanimously to the post the report on its website and email it to residents.

Friends Remember Crash Victim

Friends this week remembered Edward Vogt, 23, of New City who was killed when his car collided with the median on the Palisades Parkway near Exit 8 in Nanuet, on late Sunday night.

Vogt graduated from Clarkstown South in 2007 and was an avid sportsman. During High School he play soccer and ran track. Vogt had also been involved with the Challenger Little League, a baseball league for young people with physical and intellectual disabilities.

After graduation Vogt attended St. Thomas Aquinas College in Orangeburg. He also worked at the Blu Fig restaurant in New City.

The Michael J. Higgins Funeral Home in New City is handling arrangements.

Putnam Resident Charged With Running Illegal Dumps

Authorities indicted Anthony Adinolfi for running two illegal dumps in the town of Carmel, and poisoning a nearby reservoir, according to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Adinolfi faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

Adinolfi owner of Dirtman Enterprises Inc., allegedly charged truck drivers $75 for each load of debris, such as tile, plastic, coal, and coal ash, which he deposited at 737 Croton Fall Road and 618 Barrett Hill Road in Carmel.

Some of the debris has been washed into the Croton Falls Reservoir, which is part of New York City’s reservoir system. That debris could contain hazardous and cancer causing materials.

On November 29 Adinolfi was arrested, and was arraigned early this week. He was released without bail and is due in Putnam County Court on June 5.

In 2007 Adinolfi pleaded guilty to illegally dumping construction debris at Eastchester High School and Anne Hutchinson School. In a civil suit related to the incident, the school district received $600,000.

The property owners at 737 Croton Fall Road are so far not facing charges.

Summer Camp Comes to the Nyack Center

The Nyack Center will play host this year to the Village of Nyack’s summer camp for disadvantaged children.

Village trustees selected the Nyack Center from among three organizations bidding for the $125,000 contact for the summer camp. This is the first time the village has gone out to bid for running its six seek summer camp.

This summer the camp will only serve Nyack residents after an audit by the New York State Comptroller found that village money had been used in the past to pay for non-village residents to attend the camp.

Officials cited logistical and bureaucratic difficulties for the other two bidders former Camp Nyack director Deidre O’Hagen, and Keith Phillips general manager of The Sports Place in Blauvelt.

The Village of Nyack will continue each year to go out to bid for camp operation following a recommendation by the state comptroller.

Walking Into Town Hall Saves Man’s Life

James Kiley, 67, of Nanuet was not feeling well on Tuesday Morning. He walked into Clarkstown Town Hall seeking help for chest pains.

Within minutes an ambulance had been called and Kiley was on his way to Good Samaritan Hospital. While on the way to hospital Kiley suffered cardiac arrest.

Using the latest technology, the ambulance crew was able to communicate precise data about Kiley condition directly to the hospital where doctors were waiting when they arrived.

Doctor’s cleared a blockage in one of Kiley’s arteries and installed a cardiac stent to keep it clear.

A Long Election Season With Cost Voters

This year in New York four major elections will be taking place. This week’s presidential primary, primaries for U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives on June 26, primaries for state and local offices on September 11, and finally the general election on November 6.

While the bounty of elections will keep voters engaged, each election costs the taxpayers something. The New York State Board of Elections estimated that it costs about $50 million to conduct a general election statewide.

County election commissioners in the lower Hudson Valley are feeling the pinch to find money for these elections. Some districts will be consolidated to reduce the number of poll workers for the elections.

Some politicians in New York would prefer to have been able to consolidate the four elections into three. But political grid lock and party politics in Albany prevented that from happening.

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