2 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Sept</strong>ember, <strong>2011</strong>
In this issue Departments 3 REPORTER AT LARGE • <strong>The</strong> floods of <strong>2011</strong> • Primary Elections <strong>Sept</strong>ember 13 • Harriet Cornell receives award • Candidate’s Statement by Richard Kavesh • New Funeral Privacy Law • <strong>Nyack</strong> Historical’s Autumn exhibits • Raising the roof at Hopper House • Banned Books Week <strong>Sept</strong> 24 to Oct 1 6 SEPTEMBER PLEASURES Art & entertainment this month 7 COMMUNITY NOTES Happenings in <strong>Sept</strong>ember 16 LETTERS to <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> 20 CALENDAR Highlights in <strong>Sept</strong>ember 21 OP-CALENDAR PAGE useful local phone numbers Columns 9 THE MISSING INGREDIENT by Cindy Coligan 10 REMEMBER THE DAYS? Jim Leiner on <strong>Nyack</strong>’s Track Coach 11 TO THE THEATRE Holly Caster’s opinions 12 PET CARE Dr. Peter Segall on his travels 15 THE LIFETIME GARDENER Jon Feldman on r-o-s-e-s 17 THEY GOT WHAT?! Donna Cox on current trends in real estate 22 MENTAL HEALTH NOTES by Dan Shaw, LCSW on Ups & Downs 23 AT THE MOVIES Ric Pantale on some notable film directors <strong>2011</strong> Armchair Walking Tour season begins see page 6 Dogs abroad see page 12 Jim Leiner on <strong>Nyack</strong>’s Track Coach see page 10 REPORTER at large <strong>The</strong> floods of <strong>2011</strong> On June 23 a torrent of rain lasting less than a half hour flooded the <strong>Nyack</strong>s and other parts of Rockland. <strong>The</strong> National Weather Service said nearly five inches of rain fell in just twenty-seven minutes. <strong>The</strong> downpour caused water to cascade down <strong>Nyack</strong>’s Main Street, driving debris ahead of it. At some storm drain grates in the village, rainwater geysers shot up four feet high. Basements along part of Main Street were inundated and costly inventory was lost. <strong>The</strong> farmers' market was flooded, making a mess of the tents and produce. In the theatre at Riverspace, every seat in the auditorium was submerged. <strong>The</strong>re were reports that the flood destroyed apartments in many residential buildings. Along 9W, there was also flooding. When the deluge poured down from the hill around Oak Hill Cemetery, <strong>Nyack</strong> Hospital’s kitchens and elevator shafts filled with water and temporarily shut down. <strong>Nyack</strong> High School postponed its graduation. This was far from the first time this kind of flooding has happened. In 1999, during Hurricane Floyd, flood water broke show windows on Main Street and sent antique furniture washing down Main Street to the Hudson. Features 13 NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK by Joyce Bressler 14 BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE by Mya Most 14 PETS FOR ADOPTION Your best friend may be waiting for you On our <strong>Sept</strong>ember cover <strong>Sept</strong>ember Moonrise An original graphic by Shel Haber, © <strong>2011</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong>, <strong>Nyack</strong>, NY Ric Pantale on some notable film directors see page 23 Cindy Coligan on swetening up Back-To-School-Day see page 9 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Sept</strong>ember, <strong>2011</strong> Vol. 18 No. 1 Mailed on or near the first of each month to every residential address in eight river villages—Upper <strong>Nyack</strong>, <strong>Nyack</strong>, Central <strong>Nyack</strong>, South <strong>Nyack</strong>, Grand View, Upper Grandview, Piermont and Palisades NY. On the Internet at www.nyackvillager.com E-mail news releases to us at info@nyackvillager.com Deadline for our October issue is <strong>Sept</strong>ember 15. Please include a contact name and telephone number. A report with video footage by the village engineer disclosed the culvert containing <strong>Nyack</strong>’s underground stream was jammed with debris. <strong>The</strong> culvert’s walls and ceiling, then in a state of collapse, remained unrepaired, adding to the severity of subsequent floods in 2004, 2007 and again this Spring. <strong>The</strong> catch basin across from the Palisades Mall overflows in every heavy rain, closing Route 59 to all traffic, sometimes for days. Speaking to the <strong>Nyack</strong> flood problem, Walter Sevastian, longtime <strong>Nyack</strong> Village attorney, said, “To prevent this from happening in the future, there would have to be a massive undertaking to install catch basins and culverts. We're talking hundreds of millions of dollars.” In an interview on News 12 TV, Rockland County Executive Scott Vanderhoef, speaking about the county-wide situation said, “<strong>The</strong> flooding was a result of hopscotch planning, development and, in some cases over-development—and parking lots everywhere.” Reporter at Large continues on page 4 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Sept</strong>ember, <strong>2011</strong> 3