News

The Villages: A Primary Election, a Traffic Shift

Published

June 24, 2019

This week in the villages: Tuesday is primary election day in New York. In Nyack, three candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination for two seats on the Village Board. The Village of South Nyack is looking for volunteers to be on its new Climate Smart Task Force. And continued roadwork on the bridge this week means a traffic shift with overnight lane and ramp closures for commuters.

Village of Nyack

Village Board Elections

Tue, June 25 is primary election day. Polls are open from 6a to 9p. In the Village of Nyack, three candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination for two seats on the Village Board. These are the three candidates (in alphabetical order). Click on their names to read about why they think you should vote for them:

Joe Carlin

Marie Lorenzini

Elijah Reichlin-Melnick

Visit Rockland County Board of Elections to learn where your polling location is.

Message from Nyack Mayor Don Hammond

We all pass by Montefiore Hospital and know that it is there for us and our loved ones when we are sick, but maybe you don’t know of the other ways in which it gives back to our community. One of these ways is working to preserve and improve the environment. This past spring, Montefiore was a sponsor for the Keep Rockland Beautiful clean up. In the spirit of this project, which works to clean, preserve, and protect the environment in this community, Montefiore has decided to continue with two additional clean ups run entirely by its staff–one on Fri, August 9, 2019 from 11:30a-1:30p, and a second on Thurs, October 24, 2019 from 11:30a-1:30p. Lauren Malone, director of Public Relations at Montefiore, says this program is run “in the spirit of being good neighbors and helping to preserve the community.” This is just one of the many programs Montefiore runs throughout the year. In July, Montefiore will host its 32nd Annual Golf Classic and in October, the 5K Blow Away Breast Cancer run. Programs like these not only raise money for the hospital but also bring the community together to support and help make it a better place to work, play, and live. — Nyack Mayor Don Hammond

Village of South Nyack

Public Hearing on Village Code

There will be a public hearing on the updated Village Code on Tue, June 25 at 7:30p. A draft of the updated Village Code is available to view on southnyack.ny.gov.

Climate Smart Task Force Volunteers Needed

The Board of Trustees is looking for volunteers to serve on a new Climate Smart Task Force to help guide and implement a long-term sustainability vision for the village. The new task force will be chaired by Trustee Andrew Goodwillie. Anyone may volunteer to be on the task force.
The first goal of the task force will be to update the Village of South Nyack comprehensive plan. To achieve that, the village is in the process of applying for grant money to hire an external consultant who will perform much of the work. The task force will provide steering and oversight functions to the consultant. If the grant application is successful, the comprehensive plan update process is expected to take one or two years.
Closely related, the task force will help to guide and implement additional sustainability actions for the village to become certified as a Climate Smart Community. Current projects towards achieving certification status include the LED street light project and the Community Choice Aggregation electricity supply program. Once certified, the village would join more than twenty other municipalities across the state in being eligible for further grant funding opportunities.
If you are interested in volunteering for the task force or have questions, please email Mayor Bonnie Christian at bonnie.christian@southnyack.ny.gov or Andrew Goodwillie at andrew.goodwillie@southnyack.ny.gov. The village aims to set up the task force by the end of June with two short initial meetings in July. That timeline allows the village to claim points towards the grant application review process.

Town of Clarkstown

VIN Etching Program

On Sun, June 30, from 9a to 12p, the Clarkstown Police Crime Prevention Unit is sponsoring its VIN Etching Program to be held in the rear parking lot of the Clarkstown Police Department, 20 Maple Avenue, New City. This event is open to Clarkstown residents free of charge. No reservation is required, first come first serve.
These etched numbers are difficult to remove and create another barrier against potential auto theft. VIN etching complicates things for thieves and makes a vehicle less desirable to steal. The VIN etching process uses a chemical to permanently and professionally etch the exterior glass of a vehicle. It takes only about 10 minutes to complete and doesn’t affect the appearance of the vehicle. Talk to your car insurance agent to see if you are eligible for insurance discounts for this theft prevention.

Mario Cuomo Bridge News

Traffic Shift and Overnight Lane and Ramp Closures

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) is scheduled to realign the northbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) traffic lanes near the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge this week. The realigned traffic lanes will allow TZC to continue roadway improvements in the area. The traffic shift operation will require multiple overnight lane and ramp closures.
At least one lane will remain open in both directions except during the overnights of Mon, June 24 and Tue, June 25, when state police will temporarily hold northbound traffic near exit 9 (Tarrytown – Sleepy Hollow – US Route 9) in Tarrytown for approximately 15 minutes. The traffic stops will allow workers to shift barriers and equipment.
Work during the overnights of Mon, June 24 and Wed, June 26 will require temporary closures of the Thruway exit 9 northbound on-ramp. Northbound drivers will be detoured to the exit 8 on-ramp, shown below.

Work during the overnight of Tue, June 25, will require a temporary closure of the Thruway exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) northbound off-ramp. Northbound drivers will be detoured to the exit 11 off-ramp, shown below.

Continuing roadway and overhead gantry improvements will require daytime single-lane closures this week. Specific lane and ramp closure times are listed in the chart below.

Lane Closures Near the Bridge

DATE:	CLOSURES BEGIN:	CLOSURES END:	LOCATION:
Mon 6/24	9p – Two right lanes 11p – Three right lanes	7 a, Tue 6/25	Northbound from exit 9 to the bridge
Mon 6/24	9p – Ramp closure	7a, Tue 6/25	Northbound exit 9 on-ramp
Tue 6/25	9p – Two right lanes 11p – Three right lanes	7a, Wed 6/26	Northbound from the bridge to exit 11
Tue 6/25	9p – Ramp closure	7a, Wed 6/26	Northbound exit 10 off-ramp
Wed 6/26	9p – Two right lanes	7a, Thurs 6/27	Northbound from exit 9 to exit 11
Wed 6/26	9p – Ramp closure	7a, Thurs 6/27	Northbound exit 9 on-ramp
Thurs 6/27	10p – Two left lanes 11:59p – Three left lanes	6a, Fri 6/28	Northbound from exit 9 to exit 11
Fri 6/28	10p – Two left lanes 11:59p – Three left lanes	6a, Sat 6/29	Northbound from exit 9 to exit 11

River Road Work

TZC is scheduled to conduct milling and overlay operations on River Road in South Nyack near the bridge underpass this week, requiring single lane closures during the hours of operation–from approximately 7a to 4p. Flag persons will be on site to facilitate the lane closings and maintain traffic safety. School buses and emergency vehicles will be given priority throughout the closure period. Cyclists and pedestrians should follow flaggers’ instructions.