www.preserve-ramapo.com
“Even as local officials consider a hotly contested zoning law that would permit houses of worship in houses in residential neighborhoods, a coalition of ultra-Orthodox Jews filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Ramapo village.
The legal action – filed hours before Tuesday’s fourth public hearing on the proposed law – states the village’s five-acre minimum for a house of worship was “onerous” for religious freedom. [Read more…]
Special Village Board Meeting, Tuesday January 15 at 7:30 PM at the Chestnut Ridge Middle School, 892 Chestnut Ridge Rd., Spring Valley. This meeting is another continuation of the special hearing on proposed large scale zoning changes.
We want to thank everyone who attended the previous meetings, we had 1000 people at the first and over 600 at the second meeting
We need to attend this meeting because the board is getting close to making a final decision! [Read more…]
The Suffern Quarry Image courtesy Rosspilot
“Town officials continue to wrestle with the future of properties once bought for profit and for green and historic preservation as part of an ambitious plan to prevent development.
With the town facing an estimated $8.5 million deficit, officials are contending with new financial realities as demands for more housing clash with demands for open space.
On Monday night, five of those dozens of properties were discussed during a public hearing that lasted several hours and was attended by dozens of residents who packed Ramapo Town Hall. [Read more…]
Tonight at 7pm, the Town of Ramapo Asset Review Commitee (TARC) will hold a meeting to gather public input on its intention to sell the following properties:
Tilcon Quarry, 15 Tilton Road, Suffern;
40 Pinebrook Road, Chestnut Ridge;
Hamlets of Ramapo, Lake Street, Hillburn;
Ramapo Cultural Arts Center, 66 Main St. Spring Valley; and
96 Camp Hill Road, Pomona.
No doubt, these properties are likely to end up in the hands of developers. If you would like to be heard, or further informed on what the Supervisor and Board have in mind, be there at 7 tonight.
Robert Rhodes Chairman Preserve Ramapo
Our housing market is broken. Improving economic conditions have not led to the construction of affordable housing. The cost of two-bedroom apartments in Manhattan went up by 30 percent in 2016 and the outer boroughs were not far behind.
As rents have increased the marginal middle class is moving down into less desirable housing and paying more and more money for housing while competing with poorer families. This is what happens when more money chases the fixed supply of an essential product. [Read more…]
Rockland County Executive Ed Day and Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski announce plans to immediately inspect private schools for building code and fire safety on May 26, 2016. (Photo: Ricky Flores/The Journal News)
“A state monitor assigned nearly two years ago to oversee the town fire and safety inspections and building department administration has been pulled from Town Hall.
After assigning the oversight in response to years of complaints about Ramapo’s deficient enforcement of fire safety and building codes, the state has determined the Ramapo Building Department has shown improvement and now meets the minimum standards.
FINAL REPORT: State removes building department monitor
LETTER: State releases Ramapo monitor
LETTER: Zebrowski, Jaffee and Carlucci write the state concerned about safety of residents
“It was clear that state Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia was going to have a hard time producing private-school curriculum guidelines that would meet state law and satisfy the Orthodox community, especially those protective of Hasidic yeshivas.
But who could anticipate the wrath directed at Elia and her updated guidelines for enforcing that academic instruction at private schools is “substantially equivalent” to public schools? The timing of the release, just before Hanukkah, fed numerous comparisons of Elia and the state Education Department to the Syrian-Greeks, who tried (and failed) to Hellenize the Jews in the Hanukkah story. [Read more…]
“Nine Ramapo yeshivas were fined a combined $70,200 for failing to provide student measles vaccination records, during an emotionally charged Board of Health meeting Wednesday.
All of the yeshivas are now in compliance with health officials regulations, under which they had to submit a weekly list of students who were not vaccinated against measles and a complete list of students with vaccination dates. [Read more…]
Yes, you read right. You have heard of The War on Poverty, The War on Terror, The War on Drugs, but … The War on Education???
Former East Ramapo school board president Wieder was once accused (by Asst. Supt. Joe Farmer) of starting a war on public education
Now he has formally declared war on the NY State Education Department. This is in response to the updated guidelines on equivalency of education in non-public schools. [Read more…]
At the last Town Board meeting, a possible schedule for finally getting the Ramapo annual audits for the last four years was divulged. Yes, the town does not have audited annual financial reports for the last four years. You have to go back to 2014 to peruse a certified accounting of the Town’s financial numbers. Why has this happened? Well, you have to start with the number 77363-054. That’s the audited prison ID for our past Supervisor, and master chef of Ramapo’s cooked books–currently serving 2 ½ years at US Federal Prison in Waymart, PA. [Read more…]