HaverstrawLife is Seeking Your Ideas!

HaverstrawLife is looking for your ideas on what can be done to make the Village of Haverstraw a better and more exciting place to live. What can be added into the Revitalization Effort? What do you expect of the local government? What stores would you like to see on Broadway or Main Street? Should Haverstraw have a Starbucks Coffee? What do you really think about the waterfront development? Please, make your ideas known and comment here. You cannot effect change if you are not vocal. There are few ideas and infinite questions. Do you have the answer?

Clearing a View: Condemnation Moves Ahead on Broadway

Through the controvercial eminant domain law, the Village of Haverstraw has acquired two parcels on either side of the Lady Warren Hose Co. No. 5 firehouse on Broadway. The two properties, 80 and 92 Broadway, were condemned and will be torn down to open up the view of the Hudson River from Broadway. The revitalization plan for the Village describes this area as a main gateway for the Greenway Trail. The Village will pay $125,000 for the 92 Broadway parcel and $230,000 for 80 Broadway. A cinderblock building and the automotive shop on the corner of Jefferson Street are slated to be demolished. In the future, the Village may act to move the existing firehouse elsewhere in order to move forward with its revitalization plans. Mayor “Bud” Wassmer hopes to add an outdoor cafe with river views on the site.

Question of the 21st Century. . .

Probably the most pressing question of the 21st Century is: What effects will Global Climate Change have on our local community? The recent and unprecedented release of a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) presents a bleak forecast for our future on the global scale and in our own backyards. The panel, which consists of hundreds of climate and meteorological scientists and experts from all over the world, says it is more than likely that by at least 2020 average temperatures in the northeastern United States will rise by at least 4 degrees Fahrenheit. A temperature rise of this magnitude means a climate that is more like Georgia or even Florida’s climate today. Florida will become uninhabitable by scorching temperatures and drought. The sea level of our oceans is expected to rise upwards of three feet because of melting glaciers and ice sheets at the north and south pole. If the oceans were to rise three feet in the next 20-40 years, much of the Village of Haverstraw and most of the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. will be inundated by seawater. What will our government do to protect citizens’ private properties? Will insurance companies continue to drop policy holders, and not offer relief when the inevitable floods come? These are all important questions to ask at this point. Now, what are the solutions? Read the report on Global Warming by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change here.

Revamping the Village’s Streets

The Village of Haverstraw recently applied for a Federal Community Block Grant that might supply the Village with $2 million needed to improve drainage and the quality of its streets. The money will be used for paving, work on crosswalks, and drainage systems for New Main Street, West, Lincoln, Broad, and Sharp Streets. The first phase of the project will continue through summer 2007 and end in the fall. The Village is hoping to receive $250,000 for its long-awaited streetscape enhancement work, which will supply Broadway, New Main, and Main Street with historical lighting, brick crosswalks, benches, and trash receptacles. Many local merchants are hoping that a plan to expand the width of sidewalks will allow them to offer outdoor dining. Read more about it here.