Manhattan’s Hudson Square district is rich in history. It borders Soho to the east and the Hudson River to the west. To the north is Chelsea, Canal Street to the south. In the first quarter of the nineteenth century, it was one of the most fashionable parts of town with the largest concentration of Federal and Greek Revival townhouses in the city. One hundred years later, the neighborhood had become industrial with warehouses and the establishment of a printing center. Change was afoot again when in 2013 the area was rezoned for taller buildings, attracting ongoing construction such as ABC Disney headquarters at 4 Hudson Street and Google’s new campus at St. John’s Terminal situated along the river.

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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

We have been hearing a great deal about climate change lately, especially after the damage sustained from Hurricane Ida. While flooding from large rain events has become an all-too-common scenario, it was Superstorm Sandy, in 2012, that exposed our vulnerability to sea level rise and storm surge. It isn’t difficult to follow the still-warm trail back to humanity’s altering of Earth’s atmosphere, to assign at least some of the blame. Sandy was a Category 3 storm at its strongest, but upon landfall in our area, she was categorized as a post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds. Even at that reduced ranking, the damage inflicted on our region was profound. The storm-surge impact in Piermont, coupled with downed trees and power outages, affected our area for weeks. All told, Sandy was estimated to have cost a whopping $70 billion and killed 233 people from the Caribbean to Canada. In the years since Sandy, we have witnessed an increase in droughts and fires in our western states, and extreme rainfall and flooding in the east. Large storms are increasingly common in all seasons. These types of events come with real costs, not only in monetary terms, but in our decreasing sense of security and safety in the places we choose to live.

We thought we were safe here. Until now, Palisades hasn’t suffered much from the damaging effects of climate change: mudslides; tornadoes; forest fires; droughts; severe heat waves and floods. Sea-level rise and warm- ing temperatures have affected us, but gradually. We felt lucky to live here. But that changed on September 2, when Ida visited our area.

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Palisades Community Center News
675 Oak Tree Road

Palisades Schoolhouse Celebrating 150 years! 1870-2020
Palisades Community Center Celebrating 50 years! 1970-2020

Board members:
Carol Baxter, President Michele Balm, VP Sunny Park, Secretary Carol Knudson, Treasurer Sabelle Frasca, Karen Godgart, Leo Keegan, Jeff Levine, Lynne Sandhaus, Honorary Board member: Virginia McCauley Rental Coordinator: Eileen Larkin Ileenog@aol.com 845.359.6589 Website: www.palisadescc.org

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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.