Haverstraw Village Board Pursues Insurance Claim on Hurricane Damages

BY MICHAEL RICONDA

The Haverstraw Village Board unanimously voted at their meeting on Monday, November 19 to retain Joe Armado of Nationwide Construction Inc. as a public adjustor to work with the village in obtaining insurance payouts for damage received as a result of Hurricane Sandy.

In this position, Armado will represent Haverstraw in dealings with the insurance company and advocate on the village’s behalf, working with both parties to reach the best possible level of compensation for the village.

Status updates were also given on the repairs and work with insurance, which have seen significant progress since the storm. An in-person review of the damaged sites was conducted by claims adjustors and the associated groups are now processing the information and determining the coverage level.

Village of Haverstraw Mayor Michael Kohut also stated that FEMA would be approached. “Hopefully between the two, we are gonna cover all of our losses and exigent expenses that occurred during that period of time,” Kohut said.

Damaged sites which were surveyed included the Public Works Department (DPW) Building, Civile’s HVAC, and the Greenway Trail. The DPW was hit particularly hard, with offices, shops and machinery sustaining water damage from flooding.

Additional repairs unrelated to the hurricane were also approved for damage to the heating system in a local gym. However, given that the heating system had continuously proven to be problematic over the years, it was decided that a $2000 replacement was a better long-term expense than a $600 repair which opened the possibility for further complications.

Regarding the fate of Civile’s restaurant, Mayor Kohut assured that its repair is on the agenda. Kohut told the Rockland County Times, “The damage to Civile’s was all non-structural. Water and mud entered the building. The HVAC was damaged and some exterior patio and decorative landscaping damage occurred. The restaurant will reopen, but I do not know his timetable.”

  Haverstraw, rockland county, village of haverstraw