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Thomas J. Fallon, of Palisades, NY, passed away at his home in the early morning of August 18, 2021, under the loving care of his family. Tom was born in County Leitrim, Ireland, in 1938, the eldest son of Thomas J. and Margaret Fallon of Rockwell House, Dromahair. Tom was always a lover of animals and a natural athlete. He was a jockey in his youth; he rode at the famed Ballsbridge, Dublin race-track; he made the Leitrim County Gaelic Football team, playing in the Croke Park Dublin All-Ireland Championship of 1956, to the great pride of his hometown. Tom continued to be an avid follower of sports, keeping tabs on the success of Irish athletes and cheering on the successes of his own children and grandchildren.

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Own a piece of a longstanding Palisades tradition and support our library by ordering a copy (or 2 or 3) of the fourth edition of Pots & Pans in Palisades!

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PALISADES FREE LIBRARY
Member of the Ramapo Catskill Library System
19 Closter Road, Palisades, NY 10964
845-359-0136
www.palisadeslibrary.org

LAMONT OPEN HOUSE
Whether you’re an aspiring young scientist or a long-time science enthusiast, you’ll find Lamont-Doherty’s “at Home” Open House on October 13 and 14 of interest. Participate in hands-on science activities, learn about the latest discoveries of world-renowned researchers, take virtual lab tours and more. For additional information go to openhouse.ldeo.columbia.edu.

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PALISADES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Reverend Leslie Mott
117 Washington Spring Road, PO Box 687 Palisades, NY 10964
Phone: 845-359-3147
Email: ppc10964@gmail.com
Website: www.palpresny.org

WHO

Rockland County Executive (Term - 4 years)
Ed Day-R (incumbent)
Tanya M. Watkins-D
www.watkinsforrockland.com

Orangetown Supervisor (Term - 2 years)
Teresa Kenny-R is running unopposed.

We are happy to report that the Union Arts Center in Sparkill is alive and well. Back in 2011, Piermont resident Simon Basner restored the historic brick structure, which was built in the late 1800s, and created the Union Arts Center as a home for a variety of creative endeavors. Chef Kevin Reilly along with partner Maria Santini, who own and operate Roost, an American-styled brasserie, leased the building just as the Covid virus was taking off. With renovations completed four months later including the installation of a live-fire charcoal grill, Roost moved around the block into the Center’s first floor. Throughout the pandemic, the restaurant stayed open offering a complete menu and signature drinks for takeout. Their new space with its high ceilings, large garage-style opening in front and outdoor dining just beyond is well suited now that it is considered safe for dining out.

Rockland County is looking for people who would like to work as election inspectors. It’s sort of like passing Go in Monopoly; as a paid volunteer, you get $200 for your service on election day, plus $25 for taking the training class. If you hurry, you can get trained in time to work on both 2021 elections; the primaries are in June and the general elections are in November. Classes are still being offered until May 24 at the county office buildings in New City, off of Route 45. I did the training in March, and I found it to be both fascinating and inspiring. We are lucky to have a great group of people to administer our elections.

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Palisades Community Center Celebrating 150 years! 1870-2020
We are still collecting memories of the “Old School.” Did you or a family member go to school there? Do you have photos? Memories or stories to tell? Please e-mail us at: PCC@palisadesny.com Help us document this period of our Palisades history!

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PALISADES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
117 Washington Spring Road, PO Box 687 Palisades, NY 10964
Phone: 845-359-3147
Email: ppc10964@gmail.com
Website: www.palpresny.org

SUMMER ARTS CAMP @ ROCA
Open House Saturday, May 15 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm (rain date May 22 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm)
Meet the Camp Director and Staff! Tour the facility.
Arts Camp @ RoCA is one of the area’s most sought after, unique and praised day camps. Dates for the 2021 season are: June 28 - August 20. Campers can attend a 2, 4, 6 or 8-week session (3 or 5 day-a-week options). The two-week sessions are June 28 - July 9, July 12 - July 23, July 26 - August 6, and August 9 - August 20. RoCA accepts campers entering Kindergarten through 9th grade in 2021. Measures have been put in place to assure that COVID-19 Prevention Guidelines are met.
For more information go to rocklandartcenter.org

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POTS AND PANS IN PALISADES 4TH EDITION COOKBOOK Thank you to everyone who contributed. We received over 100 submissions from 80 Palisades residents. Keep an eye out for the publication date.

Music is a family affair in this Heyhoe Woods house. Even before the Yamin family moved to Palisades in 1995, their house on Heyhoe Woods Road echoed with the sound of music. The original 1939 owners, Jean and Edith Cooley, were musicians. Leigh Gibbs Gore, a conductor, lived in the house prior to the Yamins.

It’s several months until indoor performances will be commonplace again, but as the weather warms, the Hudson Valley has some great options for live theater, dance and music. Here are a few:

On June 12, 2020 Governor Andrew Cuomo issued Executive Order No. 203 requiring each local government to “adopt a policing reform plan that will maintain public safety while building mutual trust and respect between police and the communities they serve.” Every locality was required to adopt a plan by April 1, 2021 to be eligible for future state funding. To comply, Orangetown formed the Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative.

In 2013, HRNERR – the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) agency that oversees four marshes on the Hudson River – came out with a plan to eradicate up to 200 acres of Phragmites in the Piermont Marsh, most likely by spraying a glyphosate herbicide. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Round-Up and the subject of multi-million dollar lawsuits. Local opposition quickly manifested itself and, organized by the Piermont Marsh Alliance, mounted an eight-year campaign to put a stop to this plan. While HRNERR has not officially committed to abandoning the plan, it first reduced the size of the proposed eradication, then pivoted to funding a study – the results of which confirmed that Phragmites serve an important function in absorbing the force of storm surges – and eventually settled on a small project using geotextile rather than herbicide. In a Zoom meeting last summer, the new head of HRNERR essentially admitted that the original plan was a bad idea. Also in 2020, New York passed a law forbidding the use of glyphosate on state land. Overall quite a vindication for the local community that opposed the plan from its inception.

Hi-Tor Animal Care Center in Pomona has been the primary shelter for Rockland County’s stray or abandoned animals since 1972, and a “low kill” shelter for the last decade. But a stalled new multi-million dollar facility, rapid board turnover, accusations of poor management and even a lawsuit have cast a pall over the shelter in recent years. Orangetown, citing poor management and ongoing disputes between the shelter’s board and shelter staff, is withdrawing its financial support, and for 2021 will contract with Hudson Valley Humane Society for animal control services (dogs only).

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Since 2018, the impending sale of the HNA Palisades Conference Center on Route 9W has been of great concern because of the potentially dramatic change it could have on the semi-rural feel of our hamlet. Built in 1989 by IBM as a secluded and luxurious state-of-the-art executive training center, this use proved harmonious to Palisades for three decades. The 106-acre property was sold in 2016 to the HNA Group, a Chinese airline and hospitality conglomerate known for acquiring $150 billion worth of property worldwide. But in 2018, the HNA Group, in a financial crisis, put the idyllic property on the market. In 2019, Vasco Ventures, a Brooklyn-based real estate investment business, was set to purchase the property for $40 million, but the deal fell through the day before closing.

Palisades Community Center
675 Oak Tree Road

Your friends at the Palisades Community Center wish you and your family continued health. Are you new to the area? Welcome! We invite those who do not receive our e-blasts to e-mail us at

Thank you to Larry Bucciarelli, Rich Rasmussen, Susan Nemesdy, Owen and Curt Epstein and Tommy Fowler for lending a hand this snowy winter!

The Palisades Swim Club is happy to report 2020 was a successful year. Amid financial uncertainty and a global pandemic the staff put together an amazing year that was certainly the highlight of the summer for many local families.