Preserve Ramapo

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Building code enforcement is the difference between life and death

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Editorial  Posted in The Sunday Journal News May 2, 2021
By Ken Zebrowski and James Skoufis

During every fire emergency across New York State, the difference between life and death for a resident or first responder is directly related to building code inspections and enforcement. These inspections — that may otherwise seem mundane or perfunctory — are a cloak of safety to firefighters during a chaotic and smoke-filled emergency. Volunteer and paid firefighters are trained to tackle the unpredictability of flames but, when they recently responded to a major fire that broke out at Motty’s Supermarket in Monsey, the unpredictability of the building itself became the biggest challenge. Firefighters were faced with a building that had been illegally altered causing confusion and exacerbating an already dangerous situation. Fortunately, firefighters made quick and tactful decisions and were able to evacuate everyone before the entire building collapsed. [Read more…]

‘How many more body bags do we need?’

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BLAZE AT MONSEY GROCERY STORE WITH A HISTORY OF CODE VIOLATIONS UNDERSCORED DANGERS OF LAX ENFORCEMENT IN RAMAPO

“When he arrived at the Motty’s Supermarket fire in Monsey shortly after noon on Feb. 18, the swirling snow was the least of Monsey Fire Chief Andrew Schlissel’s problems.

The fire had a head start and — as is too often the case in Ramapo, where code-enforcement lacks teeth — the building had secrets.

Over the years, owners had built out the structure without filing required permits or seeking certificates of occupancy. Decades of violations had been chronicled by inspectors, but little was done to remedy the issues. Fire crews couldn’t see the two shipping containers that had been added to the back of the original store. [Read more…]

East Ramapo names new superintendent; 0% tax hike in budget plan

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“East Ramapo’s school board on Tuesday night announced the appointment of Clarence Ellis as schools superintendent of the district starting in July.

Ellis is currently superintendent of New York City Department of Education Community School District 17 in Brooklyn, which serves more than 15,000 students in 32 schools.

“I’m looking board forward to meeting you again in person,” said board President Yehuda Weissmandl during a ZOOM meeting that was streamed live via the district’s Youtube channel. [Read more…]

Services for Spring Valley Firefighter Jared Lloyd Saturday

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Jared Lloyd Spring Valley Firefighter

The ceremony for Spring Valley Firefighter Lt. Jared Lloyd on Saturday, April 3, 2021, at the Rockland Boulders stadium in Pomona is closed to the public. But for those who wish to pay their respects along the route to be taken after the ceremony, the Journal News reports that the funeral will be followed by a procession that will go down Route 45 to Route 59, up West Street to Lloyd’s Columbian Firehouse for a ceremonial “last call,” west on Maple to Route 306, then north on Route 306 to Brick Church Cemetery. The following information is for those invited to attend the ceremony–family, officials and firefighters.

[Read more…]

State education chief Betty Rosa backs law to strengthen monitor’s power in East Ramapo

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“State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa is backing legislation that would give state monitors the power to veto decisions by East Ramapo’s school board.

The move offers critical support for a measure long sought by public school advocates.

The education department has been working behind the scenes with state lawmakers to craft a law “to ensure that all East Ramapo students have access to the high quality education that they deserve and that adult/governance problems of this district do not impact the students,” department officials say. [Read more…]

Bluefield Extension: Ramapo to appeal court decision blocking high-density housing plan

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“An acting New York State Supreme Court justice has again scrapped a Ramapo zoning board decision that would allow multiple-family housing on one acre along Union Road.

Ramapo has vowed to appeal Justice Sherri Eisenpress’ March 2 ruling blocking the hotly contested 15-unit Bluefield Extension project in a neighborhood predominantly composed of single-family housing.

Eisenpress rejected the Zoning Board of Appeals approved variances for the development. The judge also vacated the planning board’s New York State Environmental Quality Review Act determination that there will be no environmental impacts from the high-density project. [Read more…]

Airmont, Pomona Election Results

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The following results are unofficial. The Journal News reports the following results:

In Airmont

Shimon Moses 1,786  Isaac Weiss 1,788  Jennifer Groff 811  Andrew Dispensa 804.

In Pomona

Mendy Lasker 475  Mark Greenberg 476  Brett Yagel 259  Nicholas Wilson 273.

For the complete Journal News Coverage, click here.

New York state must act to combat systemic racism and save the Ramapo Schools

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This editorial appeared in the Journal News on Feb 26, 2021. The authors are Donna Lieberman (Executive Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union) and Willie Trotman (President of the Spring Valley NAACP).

“Last week, the East Ramapo Central School District announced draconian cuts to its public schools, citing a budget emergency. The district plans to wipe out dozens of staff positions and combine classrooms despite the pandemic, when distancing matters. Public school students — almost all Black and Brown — will suffer.

This is the latest outrage in a long, sordid saga of 21st-century Jim Crow education in a broken district, and it is past time for the state to truly intervene.

The school board has presided over widening systemic racism. Beginning more than a decade ago, the board began devastating cuts to the public schools, which the districts’ Black and Brown students overwhelmingly attend. It did so while siphoning funds to private schools, attended almost entirely by white students. [Read more…]

New push to give East Ramapo monitors veto power

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“In a move to strengthen state oversight of the troubled East Ramapo school district, Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski planned to introduce a bill Thursday that would give state-appointed monitors broad powers to reign in misguided school board decisions and ensure that the needs of children in the district’s public schools are represented.

Among those powers: the ability for monitors to override certain board decisions; scrap school board proposals and introduce their own resolutions for a board vote; and weigh in on decisions about hiring a new superintendent.

The monitor would also review the district’s budget and have the power to amend the spending plan to align with long-term academic and fiscal goals. [Read more…]