Arcadis began preparation for continuing environmental remediation work in Torne Valley at the site of a former sand quarry. Torne Mountain is seen in the distance. / Photo by Geoff Welch

Before Torne Valley was a Superfund site, parts of it were used as a sand quarry, with the sand deposits part of the valley’s natural aquifer — now classified by NY state as a principle aquifer and used as a major regional water supply. Back in the 1950s, pockets of the valley were dug through along Torne Brook for natural resources. Those sandy areas eventually became a graveyard for paint sludge brought in from the former Ford Motor Company plant in Mahwah, NJ.  Continue Reading

Just a few years ago, Sloatsburg Elementary School had several bustling after school programs, including Homework Club and the Family Resource Center. Both programs were geared toward providing homework assistance to elementary school students but were lost in the 2013/14 school district budget cuts. Continue Reading

The last few weeks of the 2014 school year saw Suffern High School students suffering through the flu. There was coughing, congestion and many other misery related signs and symptoms. Continue Reading

View of the Ramapo River as it washes over Sloats Dam in Sloatsburg, NY, with Mill Pond’s higher flat surface behind the roiled white water.

The Village of Sloatsburg has an industrial and commercial history going back to the mid-1700 Dutch settlers that included Stephen Sloat, who built Sloat’s Tavern. That original structure is still in existence at the rear section of the current Sloat House.

Mostly, the manufacturing history of the area centers on the power provided by the Ramapo River. Continue Reading

The day of the long shadow is here. Winter Solstice. The celebrated shortest day of the year, where sunlight skims low over the sky in the northern hemisphere, the earth’s axis teeters away from the sun and into the longest night and winter we go. Continue Reading

Tuxedo has many good things. The whole casino process revealed the many good people engaged with their community — those who are concerned and care about the future of Tuxedo. Following is a letter from Tuxedo Chamber of Commerce President Bill Sweet that briefly reviews the casino process and chamber position while also looking at the community engagement as opportunity to continue to build a better Tuxedo. Continue Reading

The outcry from local residents over placement of a recent parolee was apparently heard loud and clear. The Rockland County Times reported Tuesday morning, December 16, that a level 2 sex offender slated to start life after prison in a Sloatsburg neighborhood filled with children is “expected to be removed today and placed in a holding facility” while another location is found for him. Continue Reading

Local hiker and archaeologist Ed Lenik has spent many a day sifting through the layered evidence of human history in the Ramapo Mountains, a search that includes the general northern New Jersey, southeastern New York regions. His investigations have detected patterns that bear witness to Indians in the Ramapos. Continue Reading

Creamer construction vehicles along Rt. 17 in north Sloatsburg to the Tuxedo line, maneuvering big metals bodies in and around traffic lately. The subcontractor is busy installing an upgraded United Water New York water line along the corridor, from near Post Road in Sloatsburg to Tuxedo Manor Apartments. Continue Reading

This past year has seen a few big changes for the Tuxedo business community — the Genting casino proposal, the movement of Tuxedo Farms towards breaking ground and local elections, to name just a few. Continue Reading