Business & Tech
Nyack Chamber of Commerce Talks Safety
Mounted police that cover the village seek additional money
The Nyack Chamber of Commerce held its last "After Dark" meeting before taking two months off for the summer Tuesday night at Bourbon Street.
The meeting featured a few guest speakers, including Orangetown Town Supervisor Andy Stewart, and a wide range of discussion topics, such as working with local law enforcement agencies.
“We need the people of the community to be our eyes and ears,” said Orangetown Lt. Don Butterworth.
Butterworth spoke about keeping open communication between the public and the police department.
“Let us know what concerns you,” he said.
Butterworth also mentioned the possibility of setting up small meetings with the public to discuss areas of concern and possible methods to combat those issues. Butterworth said if there’s a recurring issue in town, the police department can keep arresting people each weekend, but if that’s not solving the issue—something else needs to be done.
Other law enforcement officials at Tuesday’s meeting were Lt. Andrew Esposito and Ted Brovarski, both of the Sheriff’s Department's mounted unit. The two discussed how the mounted unit helped thwart a flash mob in Nyack last year.
But Esposito also said that , there is less money in the budget for the the unit. Last year, one of the department’s horses needed surgery, and the process took longer than usual, he added.
Because of this, Esposito said the mounted unit is going to start working with Police Chiefs of Rockland County, a non-profit organization, to try and raise additional money. Esposito said if the unit could raise between $3,000 and $5,000 to put aside in case of an emergency, future surgeries could be covered..
Other highlights of the meeting included:
- Stewart spoke to the group about the town’s initiative to try and keep rain out of the sewer system, as it causes the already old sewer system to work more than normal and for no reason. He asked the group to make sure their storm runoff doesn’t lead into the sewer. He also added that a storm drain does not go to the sewer system.
- Jerry Donnellan, director of the Rockland County Veterans Service Agency, passed out flyers to the group with his organization’s address—RockVets.com—to hang in their stores. He said it’s important to let returning veterans know about his office so he can make sure they’re getting the benefits they’re entitles to. He also let the group know about the , which has veterans sign up with the county clerk’s office, with Donnellan getting their contact information. In return, they get a picture ID and a list of more than 500 businesses in Rockland that offer various discounts to veterans. He said if any of the merchants in the chamber want to join, they can give any size discount to the veterans, it’s up to them.
- Paulette Ross, owner of P. Ross, spoke about , the seventh annual event that turns local stores into art galleries. Local artists will display their work in 24 stores and actually be in those locations while people can walk around to view the pieces and ask questions. The artists will be in stores Friday from 7-9 p.m., Saturday from noon-5 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. and Sunday from noon-5 p.m. Also on Saturday, ArtWalk will hold a , where artists will meet at the Nyack Center at 10 a.m., then disperse to various parts of Nyack and sketch them from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. They will return with their work to the Nyack Center, where the sketches will be scanned to a computer and at 9 p.m. Saturday night, the map will be projected onto the side wall across from Runcible Spoon at Lydecker and N. Broadway.
