Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the New Sidewalk
(Click to enlarge)

Joined by Orangetown Supervisor Andy Stewart, State Senator David Carlucci, and other dignitaries, Palisades resident Carol Baxter cuts the ribbon on the new Oak Tree Road sidewalk project at a ceremony held Sunday, October 26th at noon in front of the Palisades Community Center. The project, which began planning over six years ago, allows residents of Palisades to walk safely along busy Oak Tree Road and connects key community landmarks such as the post office, library, bus stop and community center. The approximately $235,000 project was funded in large part by $150,000 in state funds delivered by Senator Carlucci.

Walgreens built a $74 billion company by being in the right place at the right time, but a possible new location at the intersection of Oak Tree Road and NYS Route 303 might be a tough spot for “The Pharmacy America Trusts.”

(Click to enlarge)

The Palisades Community Center Presents

The Palisades Community Directory 2015

This is our LAST CALL!!!!

We are in the FINAL stages of updating the popular Palisades phone directory. The last directory was compiled in 2008. The Absolute FINAL Deadline for listings is OCTOBER 31.

(Click to enlarge)

Maki, my 13 and a half-year-old, wire-haired Dachshund died this August. He was born in January of 2001, the eight puppy of a litter from our dog Dandelion. After the dramatic birth of seven puppies over the course of 20 hours we thought Dandelion was finished and took her to the vet. On the way home my 10-year-old Noah, ex claimed from the back seat of the car, “Mommy, Mommy something strange is coming out of Dandelion! Itʼs another puppy!”

Palisades Presbyterian Church

117 Washington Spring Road
PO Box 687
Palisades, N.Y. 10964
Phone: 845-359-3147
Website: www.palpresny.org
e-mail: ppc10965@gmail.com
Please check out our new face- book page! www.facebook.com/ThePalisadesPresbyterianChurch

(Click to enlarge)

As newspapers close up shop across America, the local publication Our Town is going strong. One likely reason is the dedication of its founder, publisher and editor Arthur Aldrich, who started the weekly 41 years ago.

Art Shows

Until October 11 - Peter Baryshnikov has a show of photographs up at the National Arts Club, 15 Grammercy Park South. Admission is free.

Until October 13 - David Wolk has a show of photographs up at the Goldsmith Gallery in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

In 2008, at the annual Palisades Community Center (PCC) meeting, the community was very vocal, yet again, about their concerns of safety on Oak Tree Road, primarily speeding and the lack of a sidewalk between the PCC and RT 9W. So began the concerted effort to get a sidewalk installed. For six years the community attended countless town meetings to give impassioned speeches, and e-mailed letters to three successive town supervisors and the town board. Finally, after years of twists and turns, we were thrilled when, in early September, a construction crew appeared and in less than three weeks our sidewalk was in.

As of now, by 2017, a low slung, 143- foot tall rectangular office building will rise above the ribbon of trees north and west of the George Washington Bridge – a monument to the marriage of big money and small town politics. Perched on the cliffs opposite the Cloisters, the tower will be the first visible structure built since John D. Rockefeller, Jr. donated 2500 acres to the Palisades Interstate Park Commission in the 1930s. Rockefellerʼs gift was to prevent quarry companies from blasting parts of the magnificent geological formation into gravel. Now, in the digital age, the natural beauty of the cliffs is under siege again.

We thank Michael Tersigni as he steps off the PCC Board for his dedicated service. For our handicap ramp project, he donated his architectural skills and helped to oversee all aspects of the project. He and David Palachek gave freely their graphic design talents. We will miss him, but are delighted that he has offered to assist us with the handicap bathroom and kitchen project.

On March 29, Town Supervisor Andy Stewart and Superintendent of Highways Jim Dean came to a community meeting at the Palisades Community Center to discuss the status of the Oak Tree Road sidewalk. The meeting gave us the opportunity to discuss the sidewalk and other traffic safety concerns and to express our frustration at the delay in the sidewalk project that we have been advocating since 2008. Jim Dean and Andy Stewart assured us that it will be completed this year.

Last year, on an ordinary July afternoon, a Palisades family like many others was outside enjoying the warm summer air. Several members were sitting on the porch reading the paper, some were chatting, while others were working in the garden. Those in the garden inadvertently disturbed some yellow jackets that flew out of the flowerbed and buzzed angrily around them. Then, seemingly without warning, the wasps attacked and stung one of them.

(Click to enlarge)

Alice Haagensen’s Palisades and Snedens Landing Re-issued
At 3:30pm on Sunday, May 18, Alice Gerard will give a talk at the Palisades Free library about the republication of Palisades and Snedens Landing, first published by her mother Alice Haagensen in 1986 but long out of print. She will have copies of the book with her for purchase. This book covers the history of our community from the earliest times to the end of the nineteenth century and contains 122 pages of narrative history and photographs as well as another 97 pages of appendices. Alice Gerard’s book Palisades and Snedens Landing: the Twentieth Century is a continuation of the earlier book.

RABIES
This past March, an Orangeburg woman was bitten by a rabid coyote while defending her dog from its attack. The police shot the coyote dead and tests on its brain performed by the Rockland County Health Department were positive for rabies. In an unrelated incident, a woman was bitten by a raccoon found in her basement. This animal is still on the loose. Rabies is especially prevalent in raccoons, coyotes, bats, skunks, and foxes. If you see a wild animal acting strangely, do not try to engage it, but let it go away on its own. If you need assistance, you may call the Orangetown Police Department at 845-359-3700 and ask to speak to an Animal Control or Police Officer. If people or pets are in immediate danger, call 911. Free rabies vaccinations are available from the Rockland County Department of Health at the Rockland County Fire Training Center in Pomona.

Saturday, June 14, is the date for this year’s Old Fashioned Strawberry Festival at the Palisades Presbyterian Church. The Festival runs from 2:00pm to 6:00pm, rain or shine, on the Church grounds. Enjoy strawberry smoothies, lemonade, and of course the famous strawberry shortcake (with homemade whipped cream) while having fun with neighbors and friends. Face painting and other children’s activities make this a great family outing, too. For more information, contact the Palisades Presbyterian Church at 845-359-3147, or visit the Church website at: www.palpresny.org

(Click to enlarge)

For many in our area, the thwack of titanium against resin can inspire euphoria, but for Orangetown officials, it’s more likely to bring on headaches. Orangetown’s two public golf courses, the 27-hole Blue Hill Golf Course and the nine-hole Broadacres, operate at an annual deficit and cost taxpayers some serious money. As Rockland County struggles with huge fiscal challenges – largely by putting a heavier financial burden on towns – it’s questionable how long Orangetown can afford to foot the bill for these two golf courses.

We have 2 new websites!
Palisades Community Center: www.palisadescc.org
Palisades Farmers’ Market:
www.palisadesfm.org

For everything Palisades, visit the 10964 website: www.palisadesny.com

To sign up for Palisades E-mail Alerts and Palisades Community Center news: pcc@Palisadesny.com

My Blossom, a twelve-year-old wirehaired dachshund, died very suddenly on Monday, November 25, 2013. He died as he had lived, with fervor. He was born on January 15, 2001, the sixth puppy in a litter; his mother was our dog Dandelion. I’ve written about his mother’s delivery of eight puppies in the January 2001 issue of 10964. So I will not repeat. I will summarize.

Dr. Tro Kalayjian & wife Rosette welcomed the arrival of their daughter Aleen this past December. The couple, who also have a two-year-old son, recently moved to Palisades where Tro grew up. He has just completed his residency and is now affiliated with Pascack Valley/Hackensack Hospital.

SO MAYBE those deep sale Prada pumps never stretched the way you thought they would. Or maybe your t’ween daughter’s designer jeans won’t squeeze over her post-adolescent curves. Or maybe you just can’t justify paying four figures for a high-end bag…then Merry Go Round in Northvale is the place for you.