Announcements

Reichlin-Melnick: June Village Trustee Update

Published

June 25, 2019

by Elijah Reichlin-Melnick

It’s officially summer, and time for this month’s update from Village Hall. I love this time of year, when the streets of Nyack come alive in the evening with people strolling through the downtown or just sitting outside on porches or benches enjoying the beautiful evenings. The downtown is looking great with hanging flower baskets and new flower plantings along the street. In Memorial Park, the splash pad is open for the season.

Today, Tuesday, June 25, is the Democratic primary election for Village Trustee. Polls are open from 6a to 9p, and all voters can choose two candidates. I would be honored to have your support for a second two-year term. You can read my “closing arguments” in the campaign here. I should also note that there is a primary for Rockland County District Attorney, and that all three candidates running for village trustee (me, Marie Lorenzini, and Joe Carlin) issued a joint statement today endorsing Ken Zebrowski for the position. If you’re not sure where to vote, or if you’re registered, you can contact the Rockland Board of Elections.

Last weekend was the 11^th annual African-American Day Parade, and with Superbowl-winning twins Devin and Jason McCourty, who grew up in Nyack, back to be celebrated and to receive the ceremonial keys to the village from Mayor Don Hammond, it was a spectacular event. It was a privilege to be able to march in the parade and see so many friends and neighbors out enjoying this outstanding community celebration. Congratulations to my Village Board colleague Louise Parker and the rest of the parade committee on your hard work to put the festivities together. It was the kind of day that makes me happy and proud to live in Nyack.

And speaking of pride, Nyack recently held its annual Rockland County Pride celebration. The event has gone on the road in recent years, and this year it was in downtown Haverstraw. I joined elected officials from around Rockland to raise my voice in support of inclusion and equality, and at a time when we see bigotry and discrimination coming out of the White House on a daily basis, I’m so grateful to live in a county where Democrats and Republicans can come together in proud support of the LGBT community. Hate has no home in Rockland!

Over the next few weeks there will be a number of exciting events happening in Nyack. Here’s what’s coming up:

Music on the Hudson, the free weekly live music series organized by the Nyack Parks Conservancy starts its summer season in Memorial Park at 7p on Tuesday, July 2. Concerts continue every Tuesday at 7p throughout July. Concert details are available on the Nyack Parks Conservancy Facebook page. And if you love live music, don’t forget that the Hopper House has live jazz in their garden most Thursday evenings in July and August. Check out the complete schedule here.

On Friday, July 5, the village will celebrate Independence Day with our annual fireworks show. Fireworks will be launched from the lower level of Memorial Park just after it gets dark.

On Thursday, July 11, from 5p till dusk, downtown Nyack will once again host the Classic Car Night organized by the Nyack Chamber of Commerce. More details here.

Finally, on Sunday, July 14 there will be a Nyack Street Fair from 10a to 5p.

Other News

On June 13, the Village Board honored Kevin Nulty, who recently retired as Orangetown Police Chief after 43 years of service to the OPD. Chief Nulty was the epitome of what a police chief should be—a thoughtful, kind, effective, and diligent leader who always made it a priority to listen to the community’s needs. He leaves big shoes behind but we wish him well in his retirement and congratulate Capt. Don Butterworth on his promotion to Police Chief.

In less happy news, the building that formerly housed the River Club at the Nyack Marina is being demolished, and the village will be soliciting bids for a new restaurant operator to construct and operate a restaurant on the site. As many of you are aware, BarTaco had signed a lease on the building a couple years ago, but after renovations revealed that the building had not been constructed with proper foundations when it was built 35-40 years ago, and the BarTaco chain was bought out by a new ownership group, they decided not to open a restaurant in Nyack. The existing structure is not in good shape, and we believe that allowing a new operator to construct a new building from the ground up will lead to a better outcome for everyone. This has been a very disappointing and frustrating series of events, but I am confident that we will soon be able to look forward to vibrant new business on our waterfront.

And in some very good news, the long awaited pedestrian bridge to connect the marina parking lot to Memorial Park is finally on its way! Construction should begin later this summer and be finished by early fall.

Thanks for reading, and as always please feel free to email me with any questions about this update or other Nyack issues. I’ll also be holding my monthly Meet Your Trustee event on Monday, July 8 from 7p to 8p at Didier Dumas. Stop by for a casual conversation about anything Nyack-related on your mind.

Elijah Reichlin-Melnick is a Trustee for the Village of Nyack.