As another former Rocklander, I couldn't have put it better myself. If NYMA does close and is sold to Hasidim, we are in big trouble. The currently empty storefronts and the newly closed Key Food would be the next to be scooped up and the transformation of the town would begin.

It wasn't that long ago that SUNY expanded to include a campus in Newburgh. I don't know how far along that project is, but perhaps Sen. Larkin could lobby on our community's behalf to expand this new campus to include the NYMA campus. The infrastructure is in place, and the location is adjacent to the current Newburgh site. I don't think it's so far-fetched, and it would protect this property from the threat that has been stated here.

I believe they already own buildings in town

Well said Mr. Jackson!
A good example is the Carpet Mill on Mill Street. Owned and operated by a Hasidic group. The buildings are a disgrace and I think they are still fighting long standing violations with the town building inspector.
If anyone reading these comments feels that they are an exaggeration, please take a slow drive through Kiryas Joel (if you dare). You will see what Cornwall will look like in a few years if this issue is forgotten like the wells were.
We couldn't even save our own wells, how pathetic is that?!? Don't let this happen again. Contact your representatives, as I have, and let them know we care about this issue, and so should they.

The best thing that could happen to Cornwall is if NYMA turned into a college of some sort. It has all the dorms. Tons of fields. It would jumpstart Cornwall.

Stephen,

It's not just about what may or may not have happened to you during your time passing through Kiryas Joel, it's about how that town is run and what the attitude of the Hasidim there is towards their neighbors and, more importantly, the laws of our municipalities. Mr. Jackson perhaps paints a more alarmist and bleaker picture than is necessary, but much of what he says about laws ignored and skirted, taxes avoided, school boards being overtaken, and abuse of land use rules is true and well documented in other parts of New York and New Jersey.

Kiryas Joel has one of the highest poverty rates in the entire country (http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090130/NEWS/901300361)

From the article linked above: "More than two-thirds of Kiryas Joel residents live below the federal poverty line and more than 40 percent receive food stamps, according to the American Community Survey, a U.S. Census Bureau study of every place in the country with 20,000 residents or more."

The population of the town is very good at making babies, but not so hot at properly educating them and providing them with the skills necessary to support those large families.

Their focus is almost exclusively population growth, separation from the gentile population, and advancing the cause of their people/faith.

Yes, the seniors complex on Quaker is owned by the Hasidim, but that is an investment property that, to my knowledge, was intended to house seniors from all walks of life. It was not intended to exclusively house Hasidim residents.

Conversely, the NYMA property is a very large chunk of mostly undeveloped land. I agree that we should not engage in hysterics on this topic, but the Village needs to be very careful about how they intend to use or who they intend to sell this land to.

I am by no means an anti-Semite. Some of my closest friends are Jewish. If anything I'm simply anti-religious fanaticism. I feel the same way about ultra-orthodox Yeshivas as I do fundamentalist Madrassas.

I agree with others here that selling the NYMA land to the Hasidim would be a mistake. Maybe not in the short-term, but definitely in the long-term

Read Mr. Jackson's post. More importantly read the links that support every word that is said. It's a sad scary truth. Do NOT let this happen to Cornwall. Not convinced. Take a ride down RT 45 and RT 306 in Rockland. If you think that these are issues that can be addressed as they occur?.WRONG. Once they have decided where they would like to be and they are given permission to set up camp all bets are off. You relinquish any and all power you think you have as a community. You no longer will have any say. You will???but it won?t matter damage done. They are strong in numbers and want to live as they please. I have no problem with that?.just do it somewhere else. NOT IN CORNWALL. I have never posted in the past I read them. I can?t let this go. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER INFORM YOURSELVES.
Anne Gokey

If the NYMA property is privately owned by NYMA would they be permitted to sell it to whoever they desire? I keep reading how they should make it into a college, or park, or whatever. Who is they? NYMA can sell it to whoever they want.

NYMA has a charter and must abide by provisions governing any 501 C3 non profit.

That is, it must ONLY divest itself, or those who have a lien against it (such as the bank that holds the paper on the loan NYMA took several years ago) must satisfy the lien and sell the property to another lawful 501c3.

Having served as NYMA's Director of Communications and Development, I would like to make a few points here. NYMA traditionally was for decades a very poor school, though asset rich: it owns quite a bit of property on both sides of 9W.

The sad thing with regard to a very old institution with tremendous infrastructure needs that is strictly tuition based, as is NYMA, is that it's fortunes rise and fall on an endlessly tumultuous sea of uncertain economic fortunes. If the economy is good, things are fine, if not, such institutions hang by a thread. That is why successful non profit institutions MUST have adequate endowments.

Just as Suzie Orman might say that individual households must have at least six months cash on hand at, as a rule of thumb, of about 100% of month to month living costs to weather a financial storm, so, too, should non profits. Therefore, if a non profit has a budget of 5 million, probably roughly about NYMA's costs annual costs, then that non profit ought to have a restricted endowment which throws enough interest off the principal to provide income for economic hardships.(As a BOT may structure www.blackbaud.com/.../WhitePaper_FinancialManagementForNPO.pdf). In NYMA's case, the suggested restricted monies would have to have been quite significant in order to garner income. At healthy private schools, endowments of 10 to 20 to 30 million are not at all unusual, and actually modest for the very reason that they are necessary.

Unfortunately, though NYMA's graduates are a many, varied and talented and tremendously successful group, they were ignored for decades and not properly cultivated. A culture of philanthropy was never created. Thus, it was difficult for the current administration to weather several unfortunate factors, including the current economy.

It is wise for donors and also parents or patrons of a non profit to carefully check the actual financial health of the institution that they are supporting or sending their child to.

What does the Annual Report indicate? Is there substantial support by the Board, by the natural constituents, for instance Parents and Alumni?

On Guidestar.org, visitors may access all non profits' published IRS form 990's.
Form 990's disclose Annual Fund amounts, Endowments, and costs of doing business as well as revenue.

Guidestar conforms to Sarbannes Oxley which is seeking transparency in organizations by offering sound financial reporting in the wake of Enron and Global Crossing.

By accessing an entities 990, one can quickly glean the financial health of that institution. Some institutions publish highly detailed reports and extra pages of information about individual charity events and the results thereof. That kind of transparency reveals the belief of all the stakeholders in the institution and its mission.

Communities with anchor tenants and important stakeholders have every right to expect that the longterm health of the institutions are paramount, as these institutions receive considerable tax benefits.

It is dismaying, to say the least, to wake up one day to learn that a beloved and important institution like NYMA will shut its doors closing an important and influential chapter in the Hudson Valley's history. I hope they find a way to avoid this.

As to the Hasidim. They, like others, have the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. But so do all residents of Cornwall.

Therefore, thoughtful residents will want to act quickly to make certain that zoning laws are in place that protect the nature and quality of life in this charming little town.

Important history happened here. It should be respected and protected.

Nancy how about a warning to individuals then a ban from commenting just a suggestion

Well said Mikey! Alarmist and bleak picture? More like a dose of Truth as it is.
To comment on above yes of course they have the "right to pursue life, liberty and happiness" but no human has the right to do this at the expense of others well being.
Peace

Mikey Jackson,

I too have lived in Rockland County and you are totally correct with your post. There will be those who don't heed your words but I also lived through them. Remember why Airmont incorporated their own village. I know you do. Great Post, Mikey

As a Jew who grew up in, and has loved Cornwall to this day, I am offended by the comments here. I no longer live in town, but come by whenever I'm in the area. I was brought up as a reform Jew, attending Temple Beth Jacob in Newburgh. To this day, I am highly secular, and critical of hasidic and ultra-orthodox practices both here and in Israel. But, the comments here are both histerical, and anti-semitic, whether you believe it or not.

Posters say, "beware men with curls and loads of cash." That is as anti-semitic as it gets. Another poster uses the old anti-semitic comment, "...best friends are Jewish."

Look, I would be the first to oppose a takeover of Cornwall by any outside organized group, whether religious, or not. But, Cornwall is not at that point. NYMA is closing, and that is a major blow to the community. The first reaction is anti-semitic. No one knows what the final disposition of that property may be. Of course, it is a concern of everyone since a major institution in this community may well disappear. But, does anyone here really have the inside scoup on what may happen after that? I don't think so. From what I've read lately, the Village leadership is so wrapped up in local politics, they don't have the capacity to deal with a major loss, like that of NYMA.

I suggest that cooler heads are what is needed now. The town, Village, and County need to appoint a special Board to work with the County Industrial Development Agency to find an appropriate use for the NYMA property. At a time like this, the community needs to pull together and take a positive attitude toward the future of their community, not shrivel with fear and prejudice.

Be sure, no present resident of Cornwall, nor its "alumni" like myself, want to see the character of Cornwall changed. But, be careful of what you wish for. Its time for people with vision to take the leadership roles that will be so badly needed in a time like this.
Jay Abrams

Jay,

I think your comment "Its time for people with vision to take the leadership roles that will be so badly needed in a time like this." is excellent. Payots or Chadors, for that matter, are means of religious expression and ought not be invoked as a means of stirring the pot.

An organized group of people who act without regards for others in their own self interest is enough to act on. The invective is unnecessary and actually counterproductive.

It is important to show support and spread the word....Munger cottage Saturday 15th at 1:30 to hear NYMA status and the 3rd Monday of the month for village board meetings.

Mr. Abrams,

I don?t really understand how pointing out that one has close friends who are Jewish makes one an anti-Semite, but whatever. I guess I'll have to warn them all next time I'm invited over for Passover Seder.

I didn't get a chance to see some of the offending comments that apparently were taken down, so I can't claim to speak for anyone but myself, but I believe some people here were commenting about KJ because another article posted on the website specifically mentioned a group of Hasidim touring the NYMA grounds recently. (I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that they're not interested in enrolling.) In light of that, my own comments had nothing to do with the Jewish faith or Jewish people in general, and everything to do with the ultra-conservative sect of Hasidim in KJ that have little interest in civic engagement with their neighbors and do not share a community like Cornwall's vision of sustainable development and community planning, or, for that matter, an inclusive and moderate lifestyle.

The fact that people see this as potentially devastating for Cornwall and the existing community and schools here does not make them anti-Semitic. A number of commenters on this page have seen what the unchecked growth in KJ and other areas has resulted in and they are rightly alarmed that ANY group of Hasidic men may be looking at that land. That says more about how communities like KJ conduct themselves than it does about people's attitudes about religion in general or the Jewish faith in particular.

Keep in mind; in terms of KJ, we're talking about a community where the median income is $20,842 (as opposed to NY State's $56,033). According 2008 census figures, the village has the highest poverty rate in the nation, and the largest percentage of residents who receive food stamps. More than two-thirds of Kiryas Joel residents live below the federal poverty line and more than 40 percent receive food stamps, according to the American Community Survey. These welfare benefits are subsidized by taxes paid county-wide. Add to this the fact that many of their businesses operate tax free--ahem--sorry, are religious non-profits, and you basically have other people paying for a town like KJ to expand.

Why should anyone who is not interested in having 7 or 8 children be forced to subsidize an exclusive, separatist, group like that coming to Cornwall and steamrolling over the town like they're steamrolling over Woodbury? Just because they are a religious order? Poppy-cock. This has nothing to do with religion, and everything to do with gaming the system for one insular community?s benefit.

Yes, much remains to be seen as to what will happen to NYMA and all of their land, but people who know about the potential harm a group like the Satmars can do are entitled to their opinion without being called anti-Semites.

Respectfully,

TW

It may be too late for Cornwall. I also agree the Satmar group can have a very negative impact on our quaint town. Please be careful though in your words to be respectful of Jewish People, the wounds of our holocaust are still sore and we will never forget.

This issue is about PROPERTY VALUES and QUALITY OF LIFE and has nothing to do with religion.

Ira,

Please don't bring up the holocaust. Many Americans have fought and died and were wounded in WW2. This is NOT a religious issue. In fact as I stated in a previous post the Hasids do not even believe the State of Isael should exist. Let's leave religion out of this because it has NOTHING to do with the matter at hand.

There must be another way. The Hasids unfortunately are not the answer. Is there a way to make the NYMA property owned by the Town/Village and use it as a community center. There is plenty of land, pool, gym, tennis courts. There has to be a way where the community can take it over. I am a Williamsburg native, and I can attest to the fact that the Hasids will not mingle with anyone but there own, and they will ruin what Cornwall has. You speak of KJ and Monsey, have you gone to a Bethel Woods concert lately. As you approach the Bethel Woods area to hear a concert you can see the buildings falling apart and all the groups walking around. There was a story in the Record this past summer of how this group was occupying a building that was unsafe. The building inspector tried to force them out, but they just live by their own rules. I believe that they never did leave, and got away with it. If it were you and I in a situation like that you can be damn sure we would find our belongings out on the street.

there are several options. If NYMA is preparing to sell there are land trusts that may help. We as taxpayers can and I think maky will foot the bill and buy it. I mean look at our school budget 57million. and it will cost most people between $250 and $400 per year. lets just suck it up and buy the property I agree there are pools, tennis, barns for horses the dorms can be made into real senior housing for our aging family members. perhaps we can move DPW's there! some fo the land can be leased for farming. There are a lot of options. Perhaps there is a way the town can then re-lease it back to NYMA at a low rate?

Why would the town buy the property and release it back to NYMA at a low rate. Do you think the town would buy my house and then rent it back to me at a low rate?

I think Ira's idea is something to look at. It's a situation where we must explore all ideas even those out of the traditional box. The town could buy it and lease it to a corporation. Has anyone been to Wayne New Jersey? Ever see their Toys r Us Corporate headquarters. It's a lot like NYMA. One of my sisters lives in Armonk. Having IBM's headquarters there doesn't hurt. Buy the land and lease it to a corporation. Any and all ideas should be explored. Nothing should be taken off the table. If NYMA becomes another KJ say goodbye to Cornwall as you knew it. And just wait for your new tax bill. I'd forget about leasing it back to NYMA though as they are not a viable entity anymore. If the town does buy it we will have control over who to lease or sell to though.

Keep em out! And you left out one other thing that they do , DRIVE LIKE FREAKING MANIACS DOWN OUR STREETS OF CORNWALL! There is a group of them that either own a business or work at on Mill Street in cornwall. I have lived in Quaker Mill for 13 years and often come upon a van speeding like hell on Mill Street with Hasids in it! They have no respect for us and have no place in our community if they do not abide by rules and laws!

If the government can fund every damn give-away-program for illegals, why can't they help NYMA stay on its feet. I say give them stimulus money and bail em out!!! All the other dregs of the world are being bailed out! Lets write to our congressmen and senators and demand they help NYMA stay open! Isn't education an issue for the Obamas! Hmm only for certain people though! Cornwall won't get squat!!! It's pretty sad!!! Wake up America!!!

Call Randy Clark Monday morning. Ask for a special town meeting. We have very little time to organize and try to focus the community as a whole. Call...the more who do, the better the likelihood....

More hyperbole.

Annettw (?) what exactly are these "give-away programs" for illegals?

And, while the stimulus fund was mostly oriented towards creating jobs and improving infrastructure, if you want to get some for the purchasing of NYMA's land, the village and town need to come up with a plan, submit a request for the funds and work with Senators Schumer and Gillibrand and Representative Hall, not the president.

Mr. Jackson, a word of advice... Knowing you are a local business owner, I would recommend that you keep your incredibly controversial (and small minded, if I do say so myself) to yourself. While I believe it is everyone's right to express their opinions, you should be aware that you are potentially alienating a segment of your business. Next time, I'll get my coffee at Dunkin' Donuts-there coffee is cheaper and they don't bombard me with their uneducated and poorly writen diatribes.

The petition "Keep NYMA and a 120 Year Old Landmark Alive" is in circulation. Please visit 2Alices, Leo's or either Town Hall to sign. If you would like to help, take a piece of paper, add the title above and get the name, phone number and email and get some signatures! All sheets must be dropped off at 2 Alices or emailed to me at [email protected] NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY, 3:00 PM. Forward to your friends.

The closing of NYMA gives me concern for the future of Cornwall. I certainly worry about the ways the land will be used; I hope our community is able to influence how such a large parcel of land in the town is developed. The land should not be inappropriately developed, no matter who wants to develop it. Overly-dense housing would be inappropriate because of the impact on the roads, schools, and the environment. If a developer wanted to build a high-rise apartment building that housed hundreds of units, I think the town ought to be able to object on those grounds.
Industrial development would be also be worrisome. Essentially, any change in use of the land should be of concern to the community.

I believe we have a shared vocabulary of civic interest we can employ to have these conversations. This is the only vocabulary we need. How do we want the land to be developed? How can we have input on how the land is developed?

Other aspects of this conversation will not improve the community's prospects, and may harm our 'charming little town's future as a place of civility and community.

Before sending my letter to the editor a week ago, my wife and I talked about the consequences of opening our mouths about this subject. It is no secret that we do proudly own the local coffee shop and as business owners, where every friendly encounter matters, there shouldn't be any rocking the boat. We could of said nothing and let things continue to unfold and 10 years down the road, hope that our community and our business was still there and not overrun and changed into something that was completely different than the beautiful place we moved up to, OR we send the letter and hope for the best.

Judging by the responses that I?ve received on this thread and in person, we have a lot of good minds that have had similar experiences in Monsey and Monroe. Someone pointed out that cooler heads are what is needed and hopefully my letter was the worst case scenario. I realize that I caused a stir but do think we need to continue the dialogue and keep our eyes and ears open.

In the meantime, I hope that NYMA 2.0 works while our officials in the town and village work quickly to make sure our zoning laws are bulletproof.

I would like to thank the editor of the website for deleting some of the posts that contained unnecessary banter that had no place in a serious conversation. This banter usually kills the flow of the article threads turning a constructive conversation between multiple people in our community that want a voice into a high school playground argument.

And lastly, since my coffee shop was brought into this conversation by someone who thinks that this "diatribe" was "small minded" and "uneducated" and who vows to get his coffee from D&D from now on, "because it is cheaper". A 10oz Hot Coffee and D&D is $1.39 while a 14oz is $1.79. My shop offers a 12oz for $1.50 and a 16oz for $1.85. Averaging just the small drinks, at D&D, you're paying .139 per ounce of coffee and at 2A, you're paying .125 per ounce.

Go Dragons!

-Mikey Jackson

1850 signatures submitted to Mr.Trump! Fingers crossed for tomorrow's meeting. Thank you all for such great effort and support!!!

I love my 2Alices coffee! And more importantly my 2Alices coffee house - a place where the community gets together. The coffee is great, the conversations are great, the people are great.

Mikey, you are brave man for putting yourself out there on this. It was a good thing to bring this up for discussion. This situation is a concern for many of us who live in this area. We live in a community and we operate with the knowledge that our actions impact on the people around us. I don?t think it?s in our best interests to have people move here who not only want to live separately but who, if our experience informs us correctly, will take from our community with no desire to give anything back. I can only speak for myself (although it seems to be the case with many of the people who posted here) when I say that this is not a religious issue. It?s a community issue.
And I love 2 Alice's as well.

My support is for you Mikey Jackson! I have learned alot from my husband who is also from Rockland County. I have always feared that that a community like the one in Monsey or KJ would even have the potential of ever happening here in my little town of Cornwall, of 36 years, but it seems that a group of Hasidics can teach all of us non-Hasidics, that they are people who stick together, especially when voting, they stick together in everything they do. We need to put our own differences aside, wake up, support our local community, or else those of us who do enjoy what we have today, may not be as nice in years to come for ourselves and potentially for our own children.

Pledge NYMA only through Nymafoundation.org. Donations directly to NYMA will go toward paying of debt or current operations, but won't guarantee that NYMA will stay open. NYMA Foundation is asking for PLEDGES ONLY. $5 million dollars in pledges/donations can ensure NYMA opening. 6/15 deadline! $$ will be transferred only AFTER a controlling number of the trustees resign and Foundation board members are seated.

Those who contend the majority of writers above are anti-semitic are simply not in tune with the recent history of KJ flaunting local laws without regard to a local community. I live in a development with a wide array of ethnicities and religions. My neighbors may be of different color, religion ... speak different languages. Know what we have in common? Our development. Everyone works to make it a nice place - our children meet and play together. We talk in the streets or in our yards. We keep our landscaping and houses in good shape. It is a shared but not spoken vision. KJ has proven itself the exact opposite of this vision. It is a sort of "anti-community". Draining resources at will to the detriment of the community. No amount of whining from those that scream "anti-semetism" can change that fact. So let's band together to save ourselves from a group of people that will do all in their power to unsettle the long held visions of our community!