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!):
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.
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:
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.
Donna Schmidt’s first job in High School was writing for the Enterprise Newspaper in Westchester County, New York. She has always been fascinated by the written word and the smell of newsprint. Both her father and grandfather were printers. Schmidt grew up in an Italian-American family in Westchester where sauce was always called gravy.
Schmidt is currently the President/Owner of a small publishing company, Donnin Publishing; a freelance writer specializing in feature and human interest stories; a writer for AOL’s New City, Nyack-Piermont, Pearl River and Nanuet Patch.com, Rivertown Magazine, and The Valley Table. (more…)
The Rockland Street Kids’ Fair, hosted by the Bricktown Gospel Fellowship, drew large crowds of Village families to Downtown Haverstraw to take part in a day of fun and games. Rockland Street was shut down to vehicles to accommodate the festival. The fair included fun activities for the kids, including crafts and a small petting zoo.
Fellow blogger and Village resident (and cameraman and a pretty cool guy) Frank LoBuono recently captured a bustling summer evening in Downtown Haverstraw. Check out Frank’s blog, Talk Frank.
Farm Fresh from our Table to Yours!
Fresh is Best, and it doesn’t get fresher than locally grown, hand-picked, and brought to the market. . . (more…)
I’ve been studying urban revitalization for some time now. The myths and secrets about economic growth, revitalization, real estate and change in urban areas are plentiful. To understand how your community might develop into one of those places you’ve dreamed of living in and why certain places ascend, and other places decline, it helps to read works by the top experts in the field. I have found that I’ve learned so much reading the likes of Jane Jacobs, Robert Caro or Richard Florida. New ideas have arisen over urban growth and revitalization just in the last ten years. It really helps to keep up on these issues. If our politicians really understood the fundamentals of diverse and vibrant downtowns, then the future of our communities could be very different. Here are my suggested readings:
THE BIBLES OF URBAN PLANNING & SHAPING OUR CITIES:
ALL OTHERS INFLUENCED BY THE ABOVE:
There are more to read, but these are the essentials. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!
Mardorf Bakery Building
Antoine McGuire’s, one of the most unique restaurants west of the Tappan Zee, has made its debut on Main Street. It’s been nearly three months since the pub/salon café/brasserie (whatever you can call it) opened its doors to curious diners, and has become a new hot spot in Haverstraw, a welcome addition to Restaurant Row.
I should say that when I first visited Antoine McGuire’s, I was sitting in the rear of the dining room (when looking at the building’s facade, it’s the left side) peering out onto Main Street through the bright café windows, I felt a sense of disconnection from the Village: Where was I sitting, waiting for my food? I could have been on a posh corner in Soho or on a trendy side street in Greenpoint. No, I was definitely in Haverstraw! The experience was exhilarating, impressive, and had completely altered my concept of what the Village is. Haverstraw really is “turning around.”
Haverstraw, N.Y. Built on Brick. It’s time to show your pride for the Village with an authentic, Printed in Rockland T-shirt. I also have canvas tote bags with the same logo printed on them available. T-shirts are $15 and tote bags are $5. Please, feel free to comment below or email me with your name, address, phone, and size request. I will email you back with payment information. Spread the word too! This is a great way to represent and market Haverstraw to those who are currently unaware of how amazing the Village is and how great it will be in the future. Contact me at jared.t.rodriguez@gmail.com or on my cell at (845) 548-5524.
