www.preserve-ramapo.com
“Are private yeshivas run by Hasidic Jewish sects providing students with an education equal to that of public schools? New York filmmaker Menachem Daum reports on accusations that ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools are failing to teach secular subjects that would help prepare students for jobs. A lawsuit alleges that some of these religious schools are not complying with New York state law by not teaching English, math, and science.” To view the PBS news story click here.
They had all been there before, the planning board, the residents, the lawyers, and the Ramapo police at the back of the hall. It was the third time the developer Yechiel Lebovits was bringing the application to the Ramapo Planning Board. The meeting room was packed at 7:30 as Rice and Rocks, attorney and engineer for the developer, labored through their presentation asking for approval for the massive, high-density transplant of about 500 homes on the property once owned by John Patrick.
By the end of the evening, about 12:30 pm, 19 residents, lawyers, mayors, and a county legislator had presented their views on the project. 90% spoke against it, and 10% spoke for it. The two individuals who didn’t object, actually avoided the pertinent issues with one deploring the rhetoric and the other offering a character reference for the builder, Lebovits. [Read more…]
Google Street View of 9 Zeissner Lane, Spring Valley
Walter Booker was released without bail. The homeowner, Rabbi Jacob Goldman, is also facing charges.
“Spring Valley’s chief building inspector and a businessman were arrested Thursday in a corruption investigation that alleges the inspector gave the man false certificates of occupancy for the man’s Zeissner Lane home.That false certificate allowed the businessman to get sizeable tax exemptions and otherwise profit from day-care centers run from the property, prosecutors charge. [Read more…]
“Steven Jaffee, husband of Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee and a longtime Suffern resident, died Tuesday at age 73.The Jaffees moved in 1978 from Brooklyn to Suffern, where they raised their children, Marc and Allison. They were married for 51 years and have three grandchildren. Steven Jaffee was a longtime Democratic Committee member, former chair of the Suffern Democratic Committee and coached youth baseball.” (More)
Majority owner is an LLC that shares address with Monsey congregation
“A Monsey-based company is the new owner of the Minisceongo Golf Club, but what it plans to do with the property still isn’t clear. Earlier this month, Mount Ivy LLC bought a majority stake in the 60-acre course for $32 million from principal owner Eric Bergstol, a well-known Rockland County developer. The limited liability company owns a 78 percent stake while another company, Lindifrim Pomona Limited Partnership, owns a 21 percent stake, according to property records. [Read more…]
On January 14, parents of public school children in East Ramapo Central School District filed a petition in State Supreme Court in Albany, asking the court to direct the New York State Board of Regents and the State Education Department (SED) to take concrete remedial action to safeguard their children’s right to a sound basic education as guaranteed by the New York State Constitution. [Read more…]
“A well-know Rockland developer has sold the Minisceongo Golf Club, prompting questions about the property’s future. In a letter to members Wednesday, Eric Bergstol said the 18-hole, 60-acre course at 110 Pomona Road would no longer operate as a golf club. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, and the new owner has not been named. [Read more…]
“The East Ramapo school board voted late Tuesday to rehire a powerful Albany lobbying firm that helped defeat an initial plan for a state monitor to oversee the troubled district. The vote came after an hour-long executive session that didn’t end until most people in the audience had left. The vote was made with no discussion. All board members voted in favor except for Sabrina Charles-Pierre, who abstained. [Read more…]
“The East Ramapo school community is mourning the death of Patricia Simmons, the longtime principal of Fleetwood Elementary School in Chestnut Ridge. Simmons, 63, died Dec. 27 of cancer. She had been principal at Fleetwood Elementary since 2001, earning a reputation as a forceful advocate of students and teachers during a period of widespread cuts and turmoil in the troubled district.Speaking on Sunday, daughter Dara Simmons said her mother had a strong belief that the American public education system should be a “stepping stone.” At Fleetwood, that meant celebrating diversity and pushing academic achievement among its 500 or so students, many from immigrant families.” Complete Journal News story here.
“Mayor Jeffrey Oppenheim plans to resign in early January from the post he has held for nine years and move out of the village. Deputy Mayor Lance Millman will become acting mayor until the Board of Trustees holds its next meeting on Jan. 20. [Read more…]