Orangetown Requests Feasibility Study

After a brief power outage on the evening of March 10th, the Town Board of Orangetown met for their regularly scheduled meeting. Before the beginning of the meeting Commander Larry Kelly and past commander Dave Mart of the American Legion Post 1044 in Sparkill presented the town for a cheque for $5,000 to be used toward the annual Pearl River St. Patrick’s Day Parade. On the agenda for the night were a few business-as-usual items including applications for funding from the state and federal government to refurbish and restore the Orangeburg Library and the West Shore Rail Service Feasibility Study.

In the spirit of Irish Cultural Heritage month and National Catholic sisters week, several distinguished members of the Orangetown community were present and received honors from the town for their years of service and accomplishments. Mary O’Mahony Mulcahy was honored as 2026’s Hibernian of the year and Pat Withers was honored as the grand Marshall of the Pearl River St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Also honored tonight were Chris Vergine as Businessperson of the year, Daniel Mulligan as Aide to the Grand Marshall, and Sgt. Colleen Fitzpatrick as Parade Commander. Sister Irene Ellis of the Sparkill Dominican Convent and Sister Mary Flood of the Blauvelt Dominican Convent were also honored tonight by the town of Orangetown. 

The Town Board of Orangetown passed a motion to request a feasibility study be done of the old West Shore Rail Service in keeping with several other communities across the west side of the Hudson River including the Rockland County Legislature. This initiative was spearheaded by All Aboard Hudson Valley, a local Hudson Valley activist most active on Instagram. The goal of this request is to generate attention at a state level about the transit inequity plaguing Rockland and Orange County. 

As mentioned in previous articles, the west side of the Hudson river region is severely lacking in reliable and fast passenger rail options, or any kind of passenger rail whatsoever. Rockland County specifically has been in a public rail drought since the 60s, with only 5 of its original 41 train stations still operating passenger service. Compare this to the over 70 active public rail stations across the river in Westchester, and this gap in transit access begins to look like a chasm. This proposal is simply the first step in the plan to bring adequate public transit options back to Rockland County. 

The funding required to execute the feasibility study has been included in the New York Senate Budget Proposal according to State Senator James Skoufis (D-42) who represents New York’s 42nd district covering most of Orange County. With the assembly still debating the budget proposal, Hudson Valley transit fans will have to watch with bated breath to see if the West Shore Rail Service Feasibility Study itself will prove feasible.