As part of the Keep Rockland Beautiful-sponsored Great American Cleanup 2013, we will meet for a few hours in the Village (Downtown and the Greenway) to do some spring cleaning. Bring plants to plant, gloves, and a trash picking attitude.
When? April 14, 2013 at 10:00AM | Where? The Four-faced Clock @ New Main Street & Maple Avenue
Check out the pics from 2012 and 2013 below (thanks to Alex Guarino and Tom McGuire for taking them – that’s why they’re not in the pictures!):
NRRC – Join Now! Spring 2013
Hudson Valley Brickyard 5000 – October 14, 2012
Jakriborg, Sweden, a medieval village of 500 families and a major tourism destination can fit within a relatively small area in the Village of Haverstraw. Such an exercise in scale really shows how zoning can have such a major impact on the built environment and the economy. How many Jakriborgs can your town fit? Better yet, how many Jakriborgs can a nearby Walmart parking lot fit? Now, think about the economic consequences of this. . . My inspiration for this graphic came from an article posted here at the Small Streets Blog. http://blog.smallstreets.org/post/18496915718/turn-this-parking-lot-into-a-village
Dancing Under the Stars on Maple Avenue, Village of Haverstraw, New York. June 15, 2012.
‘Transformed Dog’ painted by artist Andy Golub is now at auction on ebay. To place a bid, go to the ebay listing.
As part of a public art project, The Great Painted Paw Brigade, Andy Golub of New York fame painted this fiberglass Boxer in his signature style. Mr. Golub typically paints on live female nudes in public spaces (ie. Times Square). The piece was created in winter 2012. This sculpture is one of 17 dog and cat sculptures auctioned to benefit the North Rockland Rowing Club (NRRC) and the Hi-Tor Animal Care Center, both non-profits located in the Hudson Valley of New York.
NRRC is a federally recognized not-for-profit. Final auction price is 100% tax deductible. EIN: 20-3205905
Sculpture is also available for pick-up, which will waive the shipping fee.
In Cleveland, local residents installed bike lanes and street furniture along a particularly desolate street in order to enliven their city with a more pedestrian friendly atmosphere. In the past I’ve written about pop-up urbanism as a way to create sense of place in a downtown area and spark a new interest among residents in using the street as a place to meet, exercise, relax, and be human. Tactical urbanism is a new phase of downtown citizen activism, where residents take matters into their own hands and reclaim the streets for people. Would something similar work along Main, New Main, or Broadway in downtown Haverstraw? See the short film below to catch my drift:
On May 20, 2012, over 5,000 cyclists will descend upon the Village of Haverstraw (right through Downtown) as they make their way from New York City to the top of Perkins Memorial Drive on Bear Mountain. The Gran Fondo is a 110-mile (177 km) endurance race fashioned after similar cycling events in Italy. Cyclists will climb over 8,500 vertical feet over the George Washington Bridge, the Palisades Escarpment, along the Hudson River, and finally to the top of Bear Mountain in the Highlands. A ‘Medio Fondo’ is offered to cyclists that choose to be non-competitive. See the Gran Fondo cycling route here: http://www.granfondony.com/course.php Riders/cyclists will be moving through the area between 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM on Sunday, May 20, 2012. The best place to view the Gran Fondo is from New Main Street and Broadway.
Below, practicing cyclists choose the Bella Rose Cafe on New Main Street to refuel and relax. Image courtesy of Haverstraw resident Andrea Caccuro.
Friday, April 20, 2012. “Haverstraw: Bricktown & Its People” Documentary
8:00 PM @ the Central Presbyterian Church, Haverstraw Youth Theatre. $20 suggested donation. Wine & Cheese reception.
Saturday, April 21, 2012. Groundbreaking: Concession Stand Build-Out @ Cpl. Manny Lopez Field, Village of Haverstraw. 9:30AM. Come and help “Community Build” the concession stand. Call Village Hall 845.429.0300 for more information.
Saturday, April 21, 2012. NORTH ROCKLAND CASH MOB – Local Economy Support March & Gathering. 12:00 PM Noon @ the Four-faced Clock, New Main/Maple Avenue – marching to a local business pre-selected by NR residents to receive support. Business TBD – vote now! $20 suggested spend at the local business.
Sunday, April 22, 2012. “Haverstraw Brickyard Sprints” BIG Rowing Regatta.
8:00 AM to 1:00 PM @ the Haverstraw Ferry Landing, Dr. Girling Drive, Haverstraw. Free. Concession/breakfast/lunch available for purchase. Support local activity on the Hudson River! 5 teams from across the region (scholastic and adult).
Sunday, April 22, 2012. Keep Rockland Beautiful Cleanup, 10am -12pm. Help us keep the Village garbage free. Meeting across Village Hall in the square and then pick up garbage along the water and on the Greenway and behind Lady Warren Fire Department. Please bring gloves and water. If you would like to join us please email Steve at: sm8961@att.com and write ROCKLAND CLEANUP in the subject.
The North Rockland Cash Mob started with a flash. Local resident Ellen Donovan contacted me via Facebook to get a local cash mob initiative launched and generating buzz. Well, the mob is buzzing. Now over 700 members in size, and growing by the hundreds each day, the North Rockland Cash Mob is becoming, well, unruly. The mob will descend upon the Village of Haverstraw on Saturday, April 21, 2012. The mob will convene beneath the four-faced clock at the corner of Maple Avenue, New Main Street, and Main Street at 12:00 PM (high noon!) prompt! From there, the mobsters will strut their stuff to the business that was selected via crowd-sourcing. That business, which has yet to be finalized (vote now!), will get a needed boost in business from the flush-with-cash unruly mob. We’re excited! Join us on April 21st; we’re rowdy and ready to support the local economy!
Here are more reasons how cash mobbing helps the community and brings us together.
The waterfront promenade, currently stretching from Warren Avenue to the old chair factory peninsula and from the edge of the Tilcon rock quarry to the ferry landing, is about to grow. The Village will connect the two sections of the promenade and effectively double the walkway in length. By receiving a grant from the State of New York in 2008, the Village will spend roughly $1 Million on improvements to the existing sections and filling in the gap. When complete, the promenade will extend from the Harbors at Haverstraw, along the ferry landing, through Emeline Park, around the old chair factory, and through to Warren Avenue where it will eventually connect to the Bowline Point recreation area. Local news article here.
Come to the gallery opening of the Great Painted Paw Brigade, a public art project that is to begin on Friday March 2, 2012. The project is hosted by the North Rockland Rowing Club. The Great Painted Paw Brigade begins with the March 2 Gallery Opening when cat and dog sculptures are previewed by area residents and visitors. The sculptures then go out to be displayed at host businesses and restaurants for a two-month period. The artists will join their sponsors at the gallery to discuss the meaning behind their works of art. A map will be available to show you where each sculpture is on display. The project culminates in early June with a gala and public auction to deliver each sculpture to the highest bidder. A portion of the proceeds from the Great Painted Paw Brigade are shared with the Hi-Tor Animal Care Center. RSVP to the gallery opening via facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/252098644866516/ Or, visit www.paintedpawbrigade.com for more information.
On Monday, a packed room of Village residents received news and viewed renderings for the long-awaited downtown streetscape project. Landscape architecture firm Munz Associates delivered the presentation. The Village is aiming to begin the project in spring 2013 with an 18-month construction period when crews will replace sidewalks and road surfaces. The project focuses on Broadway to Broad Street, New Main Street to Clove Avenue, and Main Street to 2nd Street. Heritage streetlamps made of dark green concrete were chosen. The street tree of choice is the Honey Locust. Individual parking meters will be removed and replaced with a digital muni-meter system. Sidewalks will include a band of brick along the curb and feature “bulb-outs” at Broadway and New Main Street in order to shorten crosswalks for pedestrian safety and convenience. Benches and decorative planters will grace the sidewalks and serve as gathering places for shoppers, diners, and residents. Oversized and decorative cast iron tree grates will surround street trees. Utility poles, a source of controversy over past years, will stay in place but crews will replace them with taller fiberglass poles in order to raise electric and phone lines above building facades. Residents raised concerns that the streetscape plan did not fully address the growing bicycling movement in the region. Some called for bike parking provisions – utilizing old parking meter poles as bike racks. Overall, the project is a step in the right direction and a welcome improvement to the Village’s downtown. It sets a clear foundation for further improvement and increased pedestrianization in the future. Some images/renderings from the meeting:
