The Lamont Hall Project

Lamont Hall
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Lamont Hall, the majestic 1929 vintage mansion, has been the intellectual, cultural, and emotional center of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory campus for nearly 70 years. Its corridors hold the echoes of Observatory founder Maurice Ewing and a legion of groundbreaking Earth scientists. It was originally built as country home for financier Thomas Lamont. The building is richly appointed with brownstone, clapboard, and slate roof on the exterior, lath and plaster interior with intricate crown molding, millwork finishes and hardwood floors.

This November, New Yorkers voted on whether to convene a state constitutional convention, which we are obliged to do every twenty years by state law, and once again, we rejected the referendum, which we have done every opportunity since 1938.

Palisadian Bryan Shih, photographer and journalist, formerly of The Financial Times and NPR, photographed surviving Black Panthers, all rank-and-file members of the party, over four years, and interviewed them about their work and its impact on their lives. The resulting book, The Black Panthers: Portraits From an Unfinished Revolution, was published last year on the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party of Self-Defense in Oakland, California.

With the Iran nuclear agreement now in question and North Korea testing its rapidly developing nuclear arsenal, the terrifying possibility of a nuclear war should be of major concern to all of us. Silencing the Bomb: One Scientist's Quest to Halt Nuclear Testing, just released by Columbia University Press and written by Dr. Lynn R. Sykes for a general audience, is particularly relevant with all that is going on today.

Palisades Presbyterian Church
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PO Box 687
117 Washington
Spring Rd.
Palisades, New York 10964

Office Hours: 9:30 am - 2:30 pm, Tuesday and Thursday

MANHATTAN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS!

Our Fourth Year!
You are a judge!
Saturday, October 7 7:00 pm
Doors open at 6:30 pm
Advance Sale $20
PCC members $17
At the Door $25 (Includes wine and snacks)

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Palisades Free Library • 19 Closter Road • Palisades, NY 10964
Phone: 845-359-0136 • Fax: 845-359-6124 • E-mail: pal@rcls.org
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 11:00am-9:00pm, Friday and Saturday 11:00am-5:00pm, Sunday, 1:00-5:00pm
Holidays: Closed Mothers’ Day, May 10, and Memorial Day, May 25
Member of the Ramapo Catskill Library System and ANSER Network
www.palisadeslibrary.org

Cristina Biaggi Installation at The Saunders Farm Project 2017

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Collaborative Concepts held a mid-run reception on September 23 for its outdoor sculpture exhibit at the Saunders Farm Project 2017 in Garrison. Featured among 60 other works is Cristina Biaggi’s hilltop installation “Triptych Portal” overlooking 140 acres of rolling farmland. The exhibit is open daily to the public from 10:00 am until dusk. Season ends Saturday, October 28 and admission is free.

Change is inevitable, but we value our historic past in Palisades. Many people see the increasing size of homes here and the possible destruction of our historic houses as threats to the nature of the community. Last spring three local historians, Mary Cardenas, Orangetown Historian; Carol LaValle of the Tappantown Historic Society; and Alice Gerard of the Palisades Historic Committee suggested reviewing the present Orangetown Historic Law to determine if it could be strengthened against these threats.

The Rockland Psychiatric Hospital property has been in local news for years: What to do with this semiabandoned 600-acre property in the middle of the Town of Orangetown? Constructed in 1927 and originally called Rockland State Hospital, at its peak in 1959 with 9,000 residents and a staff of 2,000 it was considered “among the best planned psychiatric hospitals in the world.” Today, driving through it, it feels like a ghost town, but on the property is a very active and renowned research facility: The Nathan Kline Institute.

In January, after years of near misses and accidents ranging from fender benders to fatalities on Route 9W, Avi Barak, Carol Baxter, and Susan Nemesdy, along with dozens of concerned residents, engaged in a reinvigorated redress of grievances to the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT).

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Pastor: Reverend Angela Maddalone
Sunday Worship: 10:00 am
Sunday School: 10:00 am
Choir Practice: Sundays 11:00 am
Bible Study: Every Wednesday 12:15 pm -1:30 pm
Parent Support Group: First Wednesday of the Month 7:30 pm
Office Hours: 9:30 am - 2:30 pm Tuesday and Thursday

High taxation near one of the country’s largest metropolitan areas shouldn’t be surprising, but according to the real estate research firm Zillow, Rockland residents shoulder one of the heaviest tax burdens in the entire nation. On average, only Westchester residents pay more “all-in” annual tax; “all-in” meaning a taxpayer’s total tab for school, town and county, and, if applicable, village and city taxes.

Never prepared for a birthday or Christmas, my husband is, and always has been, a last minute impulse shopper. While always appreciated, his gifts are for the most part extravagant, but unfortunately useless. So this past Christmas the family watched intently for my reaction as I unwrapped my mystery gift. I was speechless, but my sons could hardly contain their excitement as there on my lap, sat the DJI Phantom 4 Drone. The boys' imaginations instantly ran rampant, but all I could say is "Where's the receipt?" After some intense convincing by way of Youtube, we charged the battery, and went out into the yard. With a glass of wine in my hand, I watched my new "toy" hover over the Hudson as it filmed our Christmas Day salute from several hundred feet over our heads. For once, Dad's impulse was spot on!

TRAFFIC SAFETY at the TOWN WORKSHOP
Mark your calendar: Tuesday, May 9 at 8:00 pm at the Town Hall located at 26 Orangeburg Road in Orangeburg. This is your opportunity to make your voice heard at the Town Board Workshop on Palisades traffic safety issues, particularly those affecting the Route 9W corridor between the New York State line and Tallman Mountain State Park. A marked increase in pedestrian, bicycle and commercial traffic in this area means the time is right for the Town to revisit traffic safety issues with the Department of Transportation. Your attendance is important in our efforts to help prevent the next accident. For more information e-mail: protectpalisades@gmail.com

Member of the Ramapo Catskill Library System and ANSER Network
19 Closter Road, Palisades, NY 10964
Phone: 845-359-0136 Fax: 845-359-6124
www.palisadeslibrary.org

Hours: Monday - Thursday 11-9, Friday - Saturday 11-5, Sunday 1-5 (closed summer Sundays starting June 18)

Next Meeting of the Board of Trustees: Wednesday, June 14 at 7:30 pm at the library. Open to the public.

Closed: Mother’s Day, May 14; Memorial Day, May 29; Independence Day, July 4; Labor Day, September 4

Director: Maria Gagliardi; Board of Trustees: Marjorie Galen, President; Beverly Warwick, Vice-President; Christopher Keywork; Treasurer; Jen Citrolo, Secretary; Natalie Barak; Margaret Cook; Suzanna Frosch; John Guzewich; Matthew Miller

Here we go again… Since the inception of 10964 in 1977, there have been countless articles about traffic safety concerns, specifically on Route 9W, Route 340 and Oak Tree Road. Over the years, the community has rallied to convince the Town of Orangetown and the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) to correct what many feel are dangerous situations.

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“It all started with an idea, a bunch of passionate broads and a little wine,” says Donna Schmidt, a member of the Planning Committee for Women Dine for a Cause (WDFC). Liz Kallen and Paula Davis were the first to come up with the idea to support local Rockland County non-profits with an event every other month at someone’s home or a community gathering place. The non-profits selected would be those that support women, children and families. They quickly roped in Rochelle Spooner, Donna Schmidt, Emily Dominguez, Kathy Jaffe and Sandy Weiner, all of whom now work tirelessly for the organization. “This is the most dedicated group of people with whom I have ever worked,” comments Liz Kallen. “Each of them works on the events as if it was their own private event. It is extraordinary!”

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William Anthony Gerard, called Tony by friends and family, was born on January 4, 1954 in New York City. He lived in Palisades, New York his entire life. Tony never married, but is survived by his mother Alice Gerard and sister Annie Gerard.

PROFESSOR MARK A. CANE, a climate scientist at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and S. George Philander, an oceanographer at Princeton University, have been awarded the prestigious 2017 Vetlesen Prize for Achievement in Earth Sciences.