State of the Town Message 2005

STATE OF THE TOWN MESSAGE 2006

Good evening ladies and gentlemen…

Tonight I have the honor of delivering my sixth State of the Town Message. This is a particularly gratifying opportunity to share with you some of the accomplishments of the past years and our vision for the future…

Time Magazine recently named Theodore Roosevelt one of the most influential leaders of the 20^th Century - noting that with limitless energy and a passionate sense of the nation his progressive agenda set the stage for the American Century.

One of the most famous quotations of all time comes from a memorable speech entitled “Citizenship in a Republic”, which Teddy Roosevelt delivered at the Sorbonne in Paris on April 23, 1910,

“The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena, who know the the triumph of achievement and who DARE GREATLY”

The underlying sentiments expressed in Teddy Roosevelt's words have been the cornerstone of the Ramapo Town Board's, Fran Hunter, Ed Friedman, Harry Reiss & David Stein. Our endeavors over the past several years - namely to be progressive in our thoughts, pro-active in our deeds, and above all address the tough issues facing our diverse Community.

WE DARED AND SUCCEEDED

We dared and succeeded in stopping two multi-national Corporations, American National Power and Sithe Energy from building the largest power plants in the country in the Torne Valley. American National Power in their attempt to build an 1,100 megawatt plant offered the Town $200 million dollars to stop the fight… This Town is not for sale. We have protected our beautiful Torne Valley from hundreds of tons of particulate matter containing sulfur dioxide and arsenic and we are working today in the Torne Valley for future generations.

But we didn't stop at just turning back the power plants, our goal is to turn back the past decades of degradation in the Valley. We have a beautiful County from the valley of the Hudson to the Highlands of the Ramapo's and this Town Board is dedicated to the goal of saving 1,900 acres in the Torne Valley for future generations. Chief Silent Wolf of the Ramapough Indian Nation clearly states that they always treat the land with respect today and for seven generations into the future. Standing on the Torne looking out seven generations into the future, I hope our efforts today will be pleasing to the eyes and hearts of those standing at the top of the Torne seven generations into the future. I know standing on the Torne looking back seven generations, it would be General George Washington on your side surveying a sparsely populated landscape with cozy smoke billowing from the homes of the Wanamakers, Conklins, Van Dusers and Piersons, and a new nation being born and since the 225 years from that day of Washington, Lafayette and Rochambeau, the Metropolitan area in a megalopolis fervor rushed directly against the Highlands - the time to save the Highlands is now!

So - we purchased 50 acres of the wellfields protecting the County's precious water resources; we set up a new dedicated parkland zone to protect an additional 700 acres; we eliminated all industrial zoning in the valley; we eliminated any zone for quarrying and establishing a critical environmental area.

We dared to fight everyone who polluted the Ramapo landfill and in a partnership with Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, we were successful collecting $4.7 million dollars last month.

We didn't stop there - we pressed Ford Motor Company to remove all paint sludge deposited throughout the Torne Valley along the Ramapo, Torne Brook, Candlewood, Nakoma, Hillburn Creek and the Hillburn Meadows.

We dared and successfully updated the Comprehensive Plan for the first time in four decades. In a Town where the Villages have exploded with development, we needed to protect our existing neighborhoods, preserve open space throughout the Town and Villages and revitalize our downtown centers of Suffern, Monsey and Spring Valley.

We established new procedures to recharge the acquifer and protect wetlands, steep slopes, scenic roads and adopted new architectural standards to enhance the beauty of our Town.

We dared and succeeded in removing 340 thousand lbs. of hazardous, liquid propane from the center of Suffern. A greater direct threat to the Village than our greatest threat of Indian Point. We can't minimize the threat where a fireball would vaporize Suffern extending as far to the east as Good Samaritan Hospital.

We dared and succeeded in preventing a major international corporation from leaving Ramapo reversing a statewide trend of corporations leaving New York. Working with Senator Clinton, Governor Pataki, Charles Gargano of the Empire State Development Corporation and especially our great Senator Thomas Morahan, we were able to persevere over New Jersey, Tennessee and California, keeping AVON at home at the same site where it began in 1886, saving 350 jobs and bolstering our local economy. This would not have happened without the $700,000 dollars in financial help and the firm support of Senator Morahan. As a result, our Unions built the beautiful 225,000 sq. ft. AVON Global Research & Development Headquarters - Senator you have always been there for Ramapo, you have always supported Ramapo and I want you to know that Ramapo will always be there for you and thank you in advance for the millions of dollars of State aid you will bring to Ramapo in 2006.

We dared and succeeded in turning a $900,000 deficit into a $5 million dollar surplus. We settled all tax certiorari cases with the utilities including Mirant. Mirant is paying their taxes in Ramapo! Upon taking office five years ago, we had 151 Con Edison properties, a value of $350 million dollars, which were being challenged. Each and every case has been settled saving tens of millions of dollars for our school districts - East Ramapo and Ramapo Central. We didn't stop there. We put into place a new formula for utility properties, establishing a depreciation floor of 20%. Presently, utilities would depreciate their property from 100% to 0.05% while at the same time petitioning the Public Service Commission for rate increases because their value was dropping and, therefore, they demanded higher rates. The taxpayer loses as taxes are shifted to the homeowner and that very same homeowner picks up the tab again as his utility rate increases. No longer in Ramapo. There are 932 Towns in the State of New York and Ramapo is the only Town that has established a 20% floor. No utility property will ever be valued less than 20% and new procedures are in place to assure accurate inventories.

We have refinanced all of our debts saving millions of dollars and lowered our interest payments forever. In our Town 70% of our debt is retired in 10 years, our high bond rating means that we borrow at low interest rates saving millions of dollars for our taxpayers and our outstanding services to our seniors and youth are all accomplished with the lowest tax increase in the County of 4%.

We dared and succeeded to create programs that make the diversity of our residents an asset. As Teddy Roosevelt believed, “The welfare of each of us is dependent fundamentally, upon the welfare of all of us”. We reflect this throughout our workforce, we celebrate our diversity through our Heritage Nights, the Ramapo Council of United Americans and our Twinning Programs - Doneraile, Ireland - Beit Shemesh, Israel - Andretta, Italy - Mikati, Philippines - Thiruvalla, India - Ashale-Botwe, Ghana and now Shanghai, China. I commend our Town residents for their Haitian Relief Effort for Gonives, Haiti and our Katrina Telethon with the Rockland County Volunteer Firemen's Association to aid Fire Companies in the Gulf to the tune of $26,044. I commend our residents for their continued support of our Troops and the outpouring of 14,000 toys for kids this holiday season, and we all look forward to our Fourth of July Celebration and Fireworks.

We dared and succeeded to Bond $15,555,346 and adopt the most aggressive open space acquisition program in the Metropolitan area. We can't wait for the Highlands Bill Money - $10 million dollars spread over four states from Allentown, PA. to Newington, CT. - we must protect the land today for there is no tomorrow for preservation. Our open space program has protected old houses as well as land. The Mowbray-Clarke property is the seventh oldest house in Rockland - the 16 acres surrounding the house is adjacent to the Orchards of Conklin so now the lands from Route 45 east to the Clarkstown border is protected as open space. Smith Family Farm House at Camp Scuffy is the oldest pre-revolutionary fieldstone house in Ramapo and now in 2006 we will purchase the Historic Sloat House in Sloatsburg. (Henry R. Sloat was Supervisor in 1860). We all will be pleased to bring this beautiful house back to the Community in its full grandeur. We dare to purchase properties throughout the Villages and we succeeded, Camp Scuffy and Rustic Brook in Airmont, 30 acres on Pomona Road in New Hempstead, Stonegate in Suffern, Sixth Street in Hillburn, Pinebrook in Chestnut Ridge, Spook Rock and Grandview in Montebello and dedicated 155 acres in Wesley Hills as parkland forever, along with the 60 acre Ramapo Equestrian Center on Route 202. (Home of the Ramapo Beavers).

Now in 2006, our Quality of Life Agenda will once again be progressive, pro-active and visionary. We will continue to be an administration delivering on promises and refusing to evade difficult issues.

We will provide housing opportunities for our dedicated volunteer emergency services corps, our fire departments and ambulance corps are at a crossroads. We must act now! Unfortunately, the price of homes in the County puts our young volunteers on the road out of Town - we cannot lose their energy, their volunteerism, their commitment, their expertise. We raise them, we train them and now we must house them. At this time I would like to introduce Frank Hutton, who has led the fight to educate all of us on this tremendous need for housing our volunteers. I have had on-going meetings with Frank and the Ramapo Volunteer Emergency Services Coalition (Michael Kramer and Shlomo Pomeranz). We will, in partnership with the Coalition, County Executive Vanderhoef, Community Development Director Joe Abate, Ramapo Housing Authority, the Rockland Action Coalition create housing for our volunteers. We must and we will succeed for our volunteers in 2006. Each and every development will have to provide a percentage of their new construction for affordable housing. We will also provide housing for municipal workers, nurses and senior citizens. The new Lorterdan Active Senior Housing will provide housing for seniors and set aside 202 acres for open space while generating $2,910,125 in taxes annually for the Ramapo Central School District and $1.8 million dollars yearly to the other tax jurisdictions. Again to Frank Hutton, thank you for your great efforts and Ramapo will lead the way in 2006.

In 2006 we will establish the “Stay Healthy Programs for Ramapo” - Our motto will be “Community success comes from Community support”. In our new Community Center we will encourage families to exercise together in open times on their own or through structured programs - jogging, walking, basketball, tennis, racketball, stair master, universal weights, skate park, spray park and our new turf field. We all can get healthy together. We will have Wellness Seminars, picnics, health screenings and nutritional programs. We already provide programs to thousands of kids and our 24 senior clubs and the Supervisor's Over 90 Club… and now in 2006 we are all going to exercise and GET HEALTHY RAMAPO!

We will increase our Open Space Acquisitions and Preservation in 2006. Tonight, I would like to announce three new priority properties for open space. The 38.17 acres along both sides of the Ramapo River between the NYS Thruway and Rt. 17 from our Community Center to Sloatsburg will be purchased. The 280 acres of High Mountain on the west side of Route 17 to the N.J. Border will be a top priority along with a large portion of St. Mary's Villa. Tonight at our first meeting, I will request that our Ramapo Town Board will authorize an additional $10 million dollars for Open Space Acquisition. In 2006 we will make great strides into alternative, renewable energy - we will increase our wind power from 5% to 10% of our total energy use. We will build a sustainable Geo-thermal DPW Building utilizing the earth's temperature for heating and cooling. We will apply to the Federal Government under the new Energy Bill for Federal Funds to capture the methane gas from the Ramapo landfill to be used for our energy needs. We will initiate a new program to use bio-diesel for our Highway Fleet. We will utilize photo-voltaic cells and solar panels and geo-thermal alternative energy sources at our new Highway Seasonal Storage Facility on Torne Valley Road (the old HTI Building, 22,500 sq. ft. purchased for $900,000 and presently rented to HTI for $15,000/month). We will lead the way along with 30 municipalities to protect the Ramapo River through the Ramapo River Intermunicipal Watershed Council and the greatest protection to our County water supply by building the new advanced Waste Water Treatment Facility in Hillburn, to collect all the effluent that is now pouring into the Ramapo River. Our new Western Ramapo Sewer Expansion Project collects and will deliver the effluent safely to our new state-of-the-art facility. The sequential batch reactor will have the additional protection of micro-filtration to filter out crypto and giardia - this plant will return 1.5 million gallons of clean water into the Ramapo River daily.

In 2006, we will open our new Torne Valley Sports Complex/Community Center/Fitness Facility. We will open our Ramapo Cultural Arts Center in Spring Valley (March 25^th - Richie Havens Concert). This Spring, we will build our new multi-generational P.A.L. Building and gymnasium in eastern Ramapo at the Herb Reisman Sports Complex. We will establish new programs at the Equestrian Center and we will share this facility with the Rockland County Sheriff's Department and provide a new program for children with disabilities.

We will open our new Challenger Little League Complex at Orchard Hills Park. We will enhance all of our recreation programs for Camp Scuffy and Rustic Brook. We will upgrade the irrigation system at the Spook Rock Golf Course; and this year we will be hosting the NYS Amateur Golf Tournament on June 22^nd, the prestigious MGA Pub Links Championship Tournament on July 6^th and the Rockland County Amateur Golf Tournament on July 10^th and 11^th. We will polish the gem of each and every park new and old from Bon Aire, Stonegate to Children's Park to Rella Ball Fields and Weldler Park to Capital Park. All this will be accomplished with a new open line of communication with each Mayor of Ramapo. We will all work together starting with a Mayor's Summit in February and with a new Intergovernmental Coordinator for all levels of Government. We have succeeded in securing millions of dollars from the Federal Government and we now have an agreement in principle with Rockland County for $3 ½ million dollars to address drainage needs throughout Ramapo.

We will continue our aggressive pace of technology improvements for a “Government Without Walls” and for data collection systems including our systematic analysis of all tax parcels. Our GIS Program instituted last year will now have the capability and support of our new utility audit and telecommunications overlay district. Each and every fire hydrant will be plotted by the GPS and tested for pressure. Every utility pole will be plotted and used to assure proper and complete tax assessment to the utility companies. Every American Chestnut Tree will be plotted. Every coyote home will be plotted and we will plant 2006 new trees this year.

Our Police Department technology and communication will continue to be enhanced. Two years ago every Police car received a computer and a defibrillator. Last year every Police car received cameras and now every car will have the new Wi Fy Communication System. We are the only Town to have a license and access to the 4.9 mhz frequency. We will continue to use our 2.4 mhz frequency while our new wireless data stations in all of our parks will allow our Police Departments to never lose communication in a natural or terrorist disaster. We will plot through the GIS, the frequency levels of all cell towers in the Town. Our new telecommunication law will have post construction frequency limits and we will monitor each and every tower with our new gausch meter during our utility audit.

We will plant trees, we will pave roads, we will build sidewalks and we will address pedestrian safety. We should all be proud of our caring Town. I have witnessed that caring this year in the outpouring of support for Aiden Berges and in the efforts of the kids from the Spring Valley Key Club coming to the aid of Michael Roberts in his time of need. I have witnessed our Veterans from Montrose shed tears at our Memorial Day Big Band Concerts and in 2006 we will have Freedom Weekend at our special Dedication of the 9/11 Memorial at Town Hall. And we will end 2006 with an alcohol free New Year's Eve Party in the Torne Valley.

Our revitalization in Monsey will make everyone in this Town proud. Our revitalization will eliminate the old Faber Cement Site to be replaced with new housing. The old American Tack Factory has now become the new Shopper's Haven Mall with a new pedestrian walkway traversing these properties. Amazing Savings will be transformed into an architecturally pleasing neo-traditional style downtown and the old drive-in theater which for decades has been zoned commercial will become the home of a new shopping area not a regional bus terminal; but a shopping area that we will all be proud of. I want to be clear to everyone in this Town that all environmental, traffic, drainage and architectural designs must be met - if not, then it won't be built and my friends that is true for every project in Unincorporated Ramapo. You know RAMAPO IS PERFECT FOR YOU - rising home values recognized by Money Magazine and CNN as the second best Town in the East, we will continue to promote Our Town - Supervisor Tours, Realtor Open Houses, New Empire Zones with newsprint, electronic media, e-mail, newsletters and LIVE From Ramapo Town Hall and new employment opportunities. RAMAPO IS PERFECT FOR YOU!

Tonight I didn't single out anyone individual working for the Town because we are a team and this team belongs to each and everyone in this Town and that team is out there every minute of every day whether it's the Police Officer, the ambulance worker, the Highway worker, and all volunteers - they are all part of the team and so are you - God Bless all of you and God Bless America.

_______________________

Christopher P. St. Lawrence

Supervisor

Town of Ramapo

DATED: January 11, 2006

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Created by reeckt. Last modified 2006-01-12 16:32:25.