Announcements

The Villages: Help Young Trees

Published

January 6, 2020

This week in the villages: The Village of Nyack has two openings on its Architectural Review Board. It’s also looking for volunteers to take care of its young trees. And Upper Nyack is looking for volunteers to help plan the future of River Hook Preserve.

Village of Nyack

Open Positions on Architectural Review Board

The Architectural Review Board (ARB) has an opening for one full-time member and one alternate member. The ARB assists applicants to focus on design principles which can result in creative solutions that will develop a satisfactory visual appearance, preserve property values, and encourage improvement in the overall quality of life.

The ARB meets on the third Wednesday of the month, 7p at Village Hall. An appointment is for a five year term. Interested candidates should be able to:

Read plans and elevations; think three-dimensionally; visualize scale, massing, and proportion relative to adjacent buildings.
Understand and interpret guidelines as it relates to the Building Code.
Follow guidelines regarding excessive similarity and dissimilarity.
Be able to present an opinion using language of the code in an objective manner.

If you would like to apply for a position on the ARB, please send a cover letter and resume to Mayor Hammond at dhammond@nyack-ny.gov.

Save the Date – Help Nyack’s Trees

The Village of Nyack is looking for volunteers to become Nyack Tree Stewards. A free two session class taught by a certified arborist on Thurs, Jan 16 from 6:30-9p and Sat, Jan 18 from 9:30a-12p will teach you to prune and maintain Nyack’s young public street trees. For more details and for registration, email NyackTreeProject@gmail.com.

And as a reminder to residents, tree work continues this month. Please follow any posted parking restrictions so crews may work safely.

Village of Upper Nyack

River Hook Planning Meetings

On Wed, Jan 8 from 7-8:30p and Tue, Jan 14 from 7-8:30p, the Village of Upper Nyack is holding two River Hook Planning Committee kick-off meetings for anyone interested in helping to plan the future of River Hook Preserve. The meeting on Jan 8 will be held at the Upper Nyack Village Hall, and the meeting on Jan 14 will be held at the Old Stone Meeting House. For more information, please email Mayor Karen Tarapata at mayor.tarapata@gmail.com or Laurie Dodge at laurie.dodge@icloud.com.

Town of Orangetown

Community Choice Aggregation Public Outreach Meeting

Orangetown is taking part in a New York State-supported partnership program to help its residents and small businesses save money on electricity bills while also supporting renewable power produced in New York. The program is enabled by a New York State regulation called Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), which allows cities, towns, and villages to source energy on behalf of their residents and small businesses. Orangetown has passed a local law and selected a state-approved administration team for this program. It hopes to bring this benefit to its residents early in 2020, also in partnership with Orange & Rockland Utilities, which will continue to deliver, repair, and provide billing for everyone’s electricity. There will be an Open House Q&A meeting on Sat, Jan 11 from 11a-12:30p in the Orangetown Town Hall Courtroom 1, 26 W Orangeburg Rd, Orangetown. More information about this program may be found on nyserda.ny.gov.

Rockland County

Free Radon Test Kits Available for Eligible Residents

January is National Radon Action Month, so it’s a good time to learn about radon and its risks, and how to get your home tested. Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas that you cannot see, smell, or taste, usually comes from the surrounding rocks and soil under your home’s foundation and can enter through cracks and openings on the lowest level of your home. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer deaths in the U.S. and the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is especially high. The New York State Department of Health, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Surgeon General recommend testing all homes for radon.

The Health Department’s Healthy Neighborhoods Program (HNP) provides free home radon testing for low to moderate-income families and seniors. A brief home-safety survey is required at the time of the visit. To schedule a free radon test, while supplies last, call (845) 364-3290 or (845) 364-3292. For more information on the HNP, visit rocklandgov.com.

Residents can also get radon test kits from the New York State Department of Health, for a fee of $11. To learn more about radon and radon testing, fixing your radon problem, radon-resistant new construction, and for a list of approved radon testing labs and certified radon mitigation professionals, call the New York State Department of Health at (800)458-1158, e-mail radon@health.state.ny.us or visit www.health.ny.gov. Information about radon is also available on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website at www.epa.gov/radon.

Warming Centers

As a reminder, Rockland County, in partnership with local towns and villages, offers services to help residents weather the cold winter months. Warming centers, heated facilities where residents can find safe refuge from extreme weather, are open around the county. A list of warming centers may be found on rocklandgov.com. Please call before going to confirm that the center is open.

Transportation to the Inn at Rockland County Warming Center at the Robert Yeager Health Center, 50 Sanatorium Rd, Building D in Pomona is operated by Catholic Charities Community Services of Rockland, Inc. There will be pick-ups at Broadway and Burd (in front of First Reformed Church of Nyack) at 5:45 and 8:15 p.