Bulletin Board - MARCH 2016
Update on Anellotech
Cost effectiveness has won the day regarding expansion of
Anellotech’s research and development facility in Pearl River.
After the project’s controversial approval by the town last
year, five construction companies were approached to bid on
the job. In a January statement, Anellotech’s CEO David Sudolsky
said “all the quotes were signifi cantly above our target.”
The company will build its new facility in Silsbee, Texas
citing lower operating costs, better infrastructure and easy access
to a highly skilled workforce.
Stop Anellotech, a grass roots opposition campaign, sees the decision as a victory for locals fearful of possible toxic emissions in a residential area. Business advocates see it as another example of missed economic opportunity for Rockland County. Anellotech’s existing offices and R&D facility will remain in Pearl River.
Local Historian Receives Award:
The Tappantown Historical Society has awarded the Tappantown
Historical Society’s Achievement Award to Alice Gerard
for the editing and publication of the Nicholas Gesner Diary.
She received the award at a dinner at the ‘76 House on February
28th.
Parkland Extended: A Win for Community:
For close to one hundred years, forty acres of prime real estate
in upper Nyack that borders Nyack Beach State Park and Hook
Mountain State Park has been the home of the Sisters of Our
Lady of Christian Doctrine. From 1925 to 1988, 72 nuns ran
an overnight summer camp for girls, many from low-income
neighborhoods but, as the number of nuns dwindled, the camp
was forced to close. In 1990 the property became known as
Marydell. It is occasionally leased out or used for retreats.
Not long ago, the religious community decided it was time to divest itself of much of its property. Desiring to see it conserved rather than developed, the Order offered thirty acres to the Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit organization, for $3.1million, a substantially discounted price. The transaction is now close to being completed. Once it is finalized, the property will be conveyed to New York State for use as parkland. This will allow the creation of a full-loop hiking trail integrating the state parks it abuts. The nuns will retain ten acres, which includes cabins, a chapel and a residence. The proceeds of the sale will go toward providing a secure financial future for the seventeen remaining nuns.
Zoning Board Decision Awaited:
The Orangetown zoning board met on February 3 regarding
the permitted use of the Yonderhill building on 9W by
Sotheby’s Prominent Properties. No decision was reached
and the issue will again be addressed at the next meeting on
March 2. The question is if the property can be rented to
two tenants at the same time. Sotheby’s position is that it’s a
permitted use since the building previously had two tenants
so it should still be allowable.
Art on Display:
Locals Robert Adzema, Julia Breer, Kathleen Sykes and
Erin White had artwork included in Hopper House’s Member
Show that ran from January 16 to February 14.
Palis-Agers Meeting:
The Palis-Agers will meet in the Community Room of the
Palisades Presbyterian Church at 1:45 pm on Wednesday,
March 18. As usual, we will share cookies, coffee and conversation.
If there is something you would like to discuss,
please tell Alice Gerard, 359-4338.
A Palisades Family Band
Following in Holly and David’s footsteps, the Seeger children
have been busily honing their creative show business skills
with their own independent projects. Ben and Sam Seeger’s
band Robots Without Orders’ latest music video, Freaks, presents
a humorous and critical look at teen angst in today’s
typical American suburb. So far, it has over 350,000 views
on Facebook. “I have a large fan base in Brazil and the European
views are steadily growing,” says Ben. “The response
has been phenomenal.” Currently, Ben is living and working
in Los Angles, CA as a TV Editor. To view Freaks, go to:
www.facebook.com/RobotsWithoutOrders
When not collaborating with Ben—or his other siblings, Max and Lily—Sam is busy writing and recording his own music, which he performs in venues in NYC. An accomplished guitar player, Sam’s music is catching the ear of everyone who hears him. In his newest video, Sam performs his song Empty Mind Man with his girlfriend, Rosie Slater, on drums. Rosie is a notable NYC musician with her own band, New Myths. Sam lives in Palisades and works along side his father as a cameraman, and editor for Today Video, Inc. as well as creates original scores and audio-to-picture in his sound studio. To view Empty Mind Man go to: www.samseeger.com
Palisades IBM Center Update IBM Conference Center Sold.
HNA Group based in Haikou,
Hainan Province and in Beijing, China, has acquired the International
Business Machines’ (IBM) 106-acre, 450,000-squarefoot
Palisades Conference Center as a resource and training
center for its global executive team. Located at 334 Route
9W, the conference center will be known as the HNA Palisades
Premier Conference Center. Crescent Hotels & Resorts
has been retained to manage the property on its behalf.
HNA Group, the parent company of Hainan Airlines, is a
global multinational with interests in airport services, transportation,
real estate, financial services, leasing, tourism, hotels
and logistics. IBM plans to maintain a presence at the property.