HAVERSTRAW SEEKS WEEKEND FERRY SERVICE

BY MICHAEL CAHILL

Lowdown on Monday’s Village of Haverstraw board meeting

The Village of Haverstraw Trustees submitted a formal request for weekend ferry service on the Haverstraw – Ossining line during their meeting on Monday evening at village hall.

The request, which will be delivered to the Metropolitan Transit Authority, Metro North Commuter Rail Road, New York Waterway, and Ginsburg Development companies, LLC, calls for an extension of the Haverstraw – Ossining Ferry Service to include a weekend schedule that coincides with the Metro North train schedule in Ossining.

The Haverstraw – Ossining Ferry Service has been in operation for the past 12 years, and currently serves approximately 500 riders daily with 14 ferry crossings a day. The trustees, save for Trustee Terence Watson who was absent, voted unanimously to pass the resolution. It will now be delivered to the appropriate stakeholders.

The trustees also voted to sign a contract with Penflex Inc. for a LOSAP Program. LOSAP stands for Length of Service Award Program, and it is designed to provide a pension like program to recruit and retain volunteer firefighters and ambulance members. The motion passed unanimously and is expected to cost the village $6,495 a year.

Also unanimously approved, was the use of $500 to hire Vickers Consulting for a grant-writing project. The grant would help subsidize the cost of a new generator for the village fire department. The board also approved two firefighters’ applications.

During the public participation portion of the meeting, residents informed the board of a traffic hazard on Short Clove Road near The Harbors housing complex. According to residents, cars coming off the overpass routinely exceed the speed limit creating a dangerous situation for those in the area.

Solutions suggested by the attendees included, traffic cameras to catch those speeding. However the suggestion was shot down the Village Attorney Jay Hood. Hood said that current state regulations do not allow for traffic cameras that issue tickets. Red light cameras, that snap a picture of the license plate and issue tickets to drivers ignoring red lights, are only permitted in areas with a population of 1 million or more.

The Haverstraw Village trustees will meet again on Monday November 5 at Village Hall at 8 p.m.

  ferry service, Haverstraw, MTA, ossining, village of haverstraw