Bulletin Board, March 2021

STUDENTS & MEMBERS EXHIBITION
ROCKLAND CENTER FOR THE ARTS
FEB. 15 TO MARCH 22, 2021

The Rockland Center for the Arts (RoCA) exhibition will be both onsite and virtual. Artwork will include pottery, glass beads, drawing, painting and sculpture. To visit Gallery One and Gallery Two, which will feature 50 works of art, visitors should call for an appointment.

Masks and social distancing are required. To view these works virtually, go to RoCA’s website, www.rockland-artcenter.org

HSNA UPDATE
Since August 2020, Supervisor Kenny and the Town Board have put into motion a plan to get ahead of the HNA sale. They hired outside counsel Michael Zarin of Zarin & Steinmetz and the planning firm AKRF to create a RFEI (Request for Express of Interest) and to assist in the outreach to potential prospects. On February 8, the Town hosted a site visit at the HNA property. It was attended by approximately thirty interested people comprised of developers, architects, real estate agents and investors. Interested parties have until February 28 to submit questions in writing (which will appear on the Town website) with the deadline to submit RFEI responses by March 15. Before the Town selects the preferred developer on April 26, the community will have the opportunity to review the finalist submissions.

On January 29, 2021 press reports announced that HNA International had petitioned for bankruptcy in China. It is not known at press time how the bankruptcy and restructuring of the company will affect the sale of HNA Palisades. The Palisades team of Carol Baxter, Brenda Josephs, Barbara Meyer, Susan Nemesdy and Vanessa Lapins has been working with the Supervisor, monitoring the status of this sale each step of the way and has been involved in outreach to hospitality, film, tech, and residential communities to bring national interest to the table.

The hope is that a buyer will use the building as it is zoned for: a hotel/conference center/wellness center. A second choice is that the property become a residential community of modern, mid-century homes on two acres. The goal is for the property to retain its status on the tax rolls.

If anyone has ANY suggestions of a buyer, please contact one of the Palisades team immediately. All leads will be pursued.

ROCKLAND COACHES INTRODUCES NEW APP
Rockland Coaches has recently deployed an app across the Coach USA spectrum. The new app brings the antiquated bus schedule and ticketing system used here in Rockland into the 21st century.

Now, passengers will no longer need to purchase tickets by waiting in line at the Port Authority. They can purchase tickets conveniently through their smart-phone. All drivers are equipped with a scanning device to scan tickets as passengers step onto the bus. During the pandemic, the ability to reduce hand-to-hand transmission and human contact is critical. In the next few months, riders can look forward to the addition of GPS capabilities, enabling passengers to monitor where their bus is in real time. To be able to see where the bus is while waiting at the bus stop, is easily the number one request of riders. To access the app, search Coach USA at the App Store or visit www.coachusa.com/travel-app.