Suffern officials delivered nearly 300 letters, lovingly written to Santa Claus by local children, to the Macy's in West Nyack. In turn, the village wound up helping raise hundreds of dollars for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Macy's is donating $1 for each letter received at its red Santa Mail letterboxes, up to $1 million, to Make-A-Wish, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical illnesses. But the company kicked in an extra dollar for each letter that was dropped off Friday at its stores nationwide, up to $250,000.

"Nobody does a wish like Make-A-Wish," said Daniel Hyman, whose 5-year-old daughter, Sarah, was given a weeklong, all-expenses-paid trip to Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. Sarah is now in remission from cancer.

"She was treated like a princess," Hyman said. "And we were treated like a royal family."

The Suffern girl helped deliver 289 letters to the letterbox Friday with Suffern Mayor Dagan LaCorte. That added up to $578.

Gail Curtin, Suffern's recreation coordinator, said Village Justice Rich Ackerson brought the idea to her attention. Curtin informed the mayor. LaCorte then called Hyman, who lives on his street, and asked him to speak at the village's annual holiday lighting ceremony on Dec. 2.

"That night, we got 120 letters," Curtin said. "Typically, we would have picked up 50 or 55."

Any child, up to and including third-graders, can write a letter to Santa, via the Recreation Department. Each child receives a reply — a pre-formatted letter that the village got from the post office that lets the child know things are busy at the North Pole. No promises for gifts are made in the letter, which arrive in the mail in a red envelope, Curtin said.

Last year, the village received 75 letters. Since word spread that sending a letter would help raise money for charity, the numbers have taken off. People can submit letters — addressed to the Recreation Department, 61 Washington Ave., Suffern, NY 10901 — until Dec. 22.

Curtin and her two part-time staffers respond to each letter.

Hyman, who has become active with Make-A-Wish, said 135 children are in the Hudson Valley awaiting wishes. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Hudson Valley stands to collect about $24,000 from the Macy's initiative, said Tara Thorne, a development associate with the Tarrytown charity.

"Our fundraising is still doing well," Thorne said of donations during the stagnant economy. "But everybody wants to do that little bit extra for their community, so we benefit from that."

By Kevin T. Czerwinski

When Dagan LaCorte was working on getting elected as the mayor of Suffern he made many campaign promises about the improvements he planned on making in the Village. It's been a just over a year since LaCorte was voted in and it has become obvious that the promises he made were more than just promises.

If you look around the Village, the aesthetic and practical improvements that LaCorte's administration has implemented are noticeable, the latest of which are the nine new crosswalks that have been installed in town. The majority of the cost for the crosswalks, some of which are at the busiest intersections in the Village, was covered by a grant that comes from federal HUD money and is administered through Rockland County's Office of Community Development.

While the crosswalks look like they are brick pavers they are actually milled and heated blacktop that is stamped and then painted to look like stone.

"They look like pavers and they look great," LaCorte said. "We've only received positive feedback about them. The reaction has been overwhelming. In addition, we also completed a substantial project downtown replacing many of the deteriorating curb cuts and sidewalks that were in need of repair.

"Our focus in the first year was to work on the infrastructure downtown. In addition, we also focused on expanding shopper parking."

The administration signed an agreement with Capital One Bank to help provide that additional parking. The Capital One lot at the corner of Chestnut and Lafayette can now be used by shoppers and restaurant patrons after banking hours. The Village will insure the lot and pay to keep it clean in exchange for allowing shoppers to park there after banking hours.

"People were getting towed from that lot for years," LaCorte said. "We tore down the fence around the lot and constructed a walkway between the lot and Lafayette Avenue. It will be a great benefit to all the restaurants. We greatly appreciate Capital One's willingness to help improve out downtown business district. They are a good corporate neighbor"

The administration's other significant project will be a façade improvement program, under which many of the buildings and storefronts in the Village will be restored to their original look. The cost for this program will be covered by a $1.5 million grant from the same program that is covering the cost of the crosswalk installation.

"We're going to be doing sandblasting of the buildings down to the original brick," LaCorte said. "Ninety percent of that will come from the grant and the remaining 10 percent will be covered by the building owners should they choose to participate in the program. So there is no cost to the taxpayer and we are very excited about that.

"We've hired a planner, which was paid for by the grant money. Shortly, the building owners will receive a letter asking if they wish to participate. Hopefully we'll be able to do a handful of buildings each year over the next five years."

If the building owners enter the program, an architect will design the look and the Village will do the work, creating a consistent appearance throughout the downtown area.

In addition, the Village has also installed 20 new lights downtown to make lower Lafayette Avenue brighter and safer.

Finally, LaCorte is moving forward with the Orange Avenue Project, fulfilling the promise he made of redeveloping the blighted area across from the railroad station with 100 condominium units. Specifically, LaCorte will be asking the village board on November 29th to engage Harris Beach, the leading New York law firm in the area of economic development. Harris Beach has agreed to defer their fees until such time as a developer is engaged and agrees to pay the cost of the attorneys.

Dagan LaCorte began his first term as mayor by fulfilling a promise he made to downtown merchants at a Suffern Chamber of Commerce breakfast held just prior to his taking office.

The breakfast meeting took place at Suffern Chamber of Commerce President Aury Licata's office on Lafayette Avenue in late November.  During this meeting which was also attended by Suffern Police Chief Clarke Osborn and Gail Curtin of the Recreation Department, local merchants presented their concerns directly with the village.  Downtown revitalization was at the top of the agenda.

One of the main concerns of merchants on Lafayette Avenue was lighting or lack thereof.  Previously the village had applied for and received an Obama stimulous grant to help pay the cost for improved pedestrian lighting.  The project had to have been put out for bid by December 31 or the $50,000 grant would have been lost. 

The new mayor put together a committee consisting of village employees and merchants to get the job done.  Beginning in the spring, lights that match the existing decorative street poles will be installed along Lafayette Avenue starting at Orange Avenue.  The new lighting poles are approximately 4 feet high.  They're designed to provide better illumination for pedestrians.  “We decided to start on the lower end of Lafayette and work our way up toward Chestnut Avenue” said Mayor LaCorte, “because that's where most of the night life in the village is we felt that we could provide a positive impact immediately.  Our goal is to continue this project as more funds become available until the entire stretch of Lafayette Avenue between Orange Avenue and Washington Ave. has been outfitted with these new lights”.

“We've also applied for community redevelopment grants totaling $1.5 million over the next five years.  If we receive these funds portion will go toward completing pedestrian lighting project and we’re also looking at a program to enhance the façades and storefronts in our downtown business district.”

There are a number of other plans being worked on by the Mayor and residents of Suffern that will be outlined in great detail by Ramapo Times in the coming weeks.

Dagan LaCorte began his first term as mayor by fulfilling a promise he made to downtown merchants at a Suffern Chamber of Commerce breakfast held just prior to his taking office.

The breakfast meeting took place at Suffern Chamber of Commerce President Aury Licata's office on Lafayette Avenue in late November.  During this meeting which was also attended by Suffern Police Chief Clarke Osborn and Gail Curtin of the Recreation Department, local merchants presented their concerns directly with the village.  Downtown revitalization was at the top of the agenda

One of the main concerns of merchants on Lafayette Avenue was lighting or lack thereof.  Previously the village had applied for and received an Obama stimulous grant to help pay the cost for improved pedestrian lighting.  The project had to have been put out for bid by December 31 or the $50,000 grant would have been lost. 

The new mayor put together a committee consisting of village employees and merchants to get the job done.  Beginning in the spring, lights that match the existing decorative street poles will be installed along Lafayette Avenue starting at Orange Avenue.  The new lighting poles are approximately 4 feet high.  They're designed to provide better illumination for pedestrians.  “We decided to start on the lower end of Lafayette and work our way up toward Chestnut Avenue” said Mayor LaCorte, “because that's where most of the night life in the village is we felt that we could provide a positive impact immediately.  Our goal is to continue this project as more funds become available until the entire stretch of Lafayette Avenue between Orange Avenue and Washington Ave. has been outfitted with these new lights”.

“We've also applied for community redevelopment grants totaling $1.5 million over the next five years.  If we receive these funds portion will go toward completing pedestrian lighting project and we’re also looking at a program to enhance the façades and storefronts in our downtown business district.”

There are a number of other plans being worked on by the Mayor and residents of Suffern that will be outlined in great detail by Ramapo Times in the coming weeks.

• Canned food
• Can openers
• Bottled water
• Band aids
• Gauze
• Alcohol, Alcohol Preps
• Betadyne
• Tape (silk, paper, etc)
• Slings
• Pain relievers, such as Motrin, Aleve, and aspirin
• Bacitracin Ointment
• Syringes and needles
• Peroxide
• IV Fluids, Normal Saline
• Tetanus Vaccines
• Rubber Gloves
• Hand Sanitizer
• Soap
• Paper Towels
• Diapers
• Pedialite
• Imodium for diarrhea
• Baby Food
• Neosporin
• Aid Ointment
• Masks
• Crutches
• Iodine solutions, Hydrogen peroxide solutions
• Topical antibiotics, (Bactroban, Altabax etc.)
• Antibiotics (Penicillin, Keflex, Augmentin, Avelox, Cipro etc..)
• Analgesics (Dilaudid, Toradol etc.)

Suffern, NY –A major undercover drug investigation in Suffern has resulted in 20 arrests in the early morning hours.

UPDATE 1:45pm: Three vehicles and a handgun were seized and seven immigration detainers were placed as a result of the operation early this morning.  This operation is the result of a ten-month investigation conducted by the Suffern Police Department in cooperation with various law enforcement agencies.

More than 60 law enforcement personnel from the Suffern Police Department, Ramapo Police Department, Spring Valley Police Department, Clarkstown Police Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Marshall’s Fugitive Task Force, New York State Police, the F.B.I., Rockland Intel, and the Rockland County Sherriff’s Department started picking up suspects in the early morning hours.

“We have zero tolerance for this type of activity in Suffern” said Mayor Dagan LaCorte, “This is a great community in which to raise a family and thanks to the hard work of the men and women of the Suffern Police Department, Suffern is a safer place to live today.”

“This operation will put a major dent in the drug trade in the Village of Suffern and western Ramapo, said Suffern Police Chief Clarke Osborn, “I want to thank everyone who was involved in this investigation.”

“There are people in this village who think that members of the police department are overpaid and sit behind desks all day” said one Suffern resident who did not wish to be identified, “If only they could see this, they would be amazed at what really goes on around here.”

Ramapo Times will continue to update this story as more information is received.

The West Ward stinks.  No not the people who live in the west ward of Suffern—the area on the west side of the railroad tracks just south of the baseball complex, but the area itself has been known to become malodorous especially during the hot summer months.  Suffern’s aging wastewater treatment plant seems to be the cause of the rank odor.

West ward residents held a meeting a few weeks ago and made a big stink about the stink.  Mayor Dagan LaCorte resolved to get to the bottom of the stench. 

The Village hired a consulting firm to come up with solutions and to recommend and oversee long overdue repairs to the plant.  At last night’s Village workshop, a representative from Seimens Water Technologies division specializing in “Odor Control and Corrosion Protection” spoke to concerned village residents and the Village Board to discuss his recommended solution.

Apparently the rotten egg-like stench comes from hydrogen sulfide.  Hydrogen sulfide is the end result of the bacterial breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen, such as in swamps and sewers.

Seimens solution will add Bioxide to the wastewater.  The addition of BIOXIDE solution acts to introduce nitrate oxygen into a waste stream and creates an environment in which certain naturally occurring bacteria thrive. These bacteria utilize the dissolved hydrogen sulfide which is present as a part of their metabolism, thereby cost effectively removing any dissolved hydrogen sulfide from the wastewater. This process eliminates the odor, corrosion and safety problems associated with atmospheric hydrogen sulfide.

According to Seimens, Bioxide contains no hazardous substances and is the only leading method of treatment for dissolved hydrogen sulfide which is not on the EPA CERCLA list of hazardous substances and is completely safe to handle and treats other common sewage odors.

The cost to the village to ensure that Suffern’s crap don’t stink?  Just $6,000 for a test over the summer months and approximately $30,000 each year and Seimens guarantees the results. Sounds as if this crappy story may soon have a happy ending.

Visitors to downtown Suffern have had to navigate their way around DPW barriers, yellow caution tape and small piles of brick and concrete in recent weeks but people aren't complaining.  After years of discussion, debate and a number of different ideas tossed around, Suffern is finally moving forward on a number of projects to spruce up the downtown area.

New pedestrian lighting is currently being installed on Lafayette Avenue between Chestnut and Orange Avenues.  The lights which compliment the current decorative light poles are approximately three and a half feet high and are designed to provide additional lighting at pedestrian level.  The north side of Lafayette has been completed and the contractor is about half-way through the installations on the south side of the street.  More than half of the cost of the twenty new lights was paid for by stimulus money from the federal government.  Next year the village plans to continue the project from Chestnut Street to Washington Avenue.

The lighting is so bright that after they have all been installed, the village is considering a number of methods to soften or dim the light.  “Having too much light is a better problem to have than not having enough light,” said Suffern Police Chief Clarke Osborn at a recent Village Board meeting.

The village has also received a $100,000 Community Development Block Grant which is the largest amount that the Village has received in the past ten years.  The grant includes money to fund a façade improvement program where the village is looking to receive $1,000,000 over the next five years to continue with this program.

Capital One Bank at the corner of Lafayette and Chestnut Streets has agreed to allow the Village to use their parking lot after bank hours and on weekends which provides additional parking for residents and visitors right in the heart of the business district.

“The lot is for use by residents and visitors during the evening hours and on weekends” said Mayor Dagan LaCorte, “Valet parking will not be permitted in the Capital One lot so we have the use of more than 20 spaces for shoppers and diners coming into the village.”  The fence that separated the Capital One parking lot and the strip of businesses that includes Domino's Pizza and Priya has been removed making the area more inviting and accessible.

New Cameras are being installed at Virginia Menschner Gazebo in Avon park at no cost to village taxpayers.  The cameras will make the area safer and should prevent the vandalism that has occurred on a few occasions.

New crosswalks funded entirely with grant money are being installed next week. In anticipation of this project, curb cuts that have crumbled are being replaced and curbs have been repainted throughout the downtown area.

“When we invested more money in grant writing, we expected to see a greater return on our investment.  Fred Rella has done a tremendous job for the village and has exceeded expectations,” said Mayor LaCorte.

Village Trustee Bruce Simon put a tremendous amount of time and effort into planning a two day seminar on transit oriented development recently hosted by the village. The seminar included representatives from the DOT, Metro North and the new Tappan Zee Bridge project who discussed a number of ideas and listened to feedback from residents and business owners.

Plans are also moving forward to build condos in the downtown area.  These plans will be unveiled in coming months.

The Rockland County Chapter # 333 of the Vietnam Veterans of America presented the Suffern Chamber of Commerce with a lithograph of a painting painted by Bernard Duff, one of the VVA members.

Roy Tschudy, Vice President of the chapter presented a numbered lithograph to Suffern Chamber of Commerce President Aury Licata, Mayor LaCorte and members of the Chamber’s Board of Directors.

“The Suffern Chamber of Commerce has always supported us in everything we do and has come through each time we’ve asked them for support” said Roy Tschudy, “We appreciate all of their help and kindness.”

Bernie Duff’s original painting is now on display at the Veterans Clinic, N. Main Street, New City NY. Bernie is a life member of Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 333, Rockland County NY.

On January 12, 1969, Bernie Duff arrived in Vietnam as a Medic on his 19th Birthday and left exactly one year later on his 20th Birthday. As a Medic, he saved many men wounded in firefights and lost many others. Painting allows him to cope with the memories he long has kept buried. While Duff administered aid to wounded soldiers, others would gather around him, shielding him with their bodies. Some took bullets intended for him. “A little piece of me died each time they took a hit for me.” Bernie states, “It is my hope, that in viewing these images, they may provide some measure of closure. In painting them, I have been given some control of a situation that I have had no control over for better than thirty years”. Spec. 5th Bernard J. Duff, Medic, served with the 51st Medical Company, Phu Tai, and Qui Nhon, Vietnam.

The entire bottom of the original painting has a sand mixture in the paint. The sand was brought back from Vietnam’s China Beach.

Some members of Vietnam Veterans of America are heading back to Vietnam on October 16th for a three week visit.  The VVA has built a hospital and orphanages in Vietnam.  The Veterans will be bringing hundreds of tooth brushes and tooth paste courtesy of Dr. Ralph Berk, a local pediatric Dentist, donated wheelchairs, Frisbees courtesy of the Suffern Police Department’s D.A.R.E. program and 750 jump ropes that Phil Tisi procured courtesy of the Town of Ramapo.

“Some of these children are in rough shape.” continued Roy Tschudy, “They have been exposed to things like Agent Orange and kids suffer from water on the brain and other medical problems.”

Ramapo Times is committed to doing a follow up story when the VVA returns from Vietnam in Mid-November.

New York Yankee great Bernie Willams performed with his band at the historic Lafayette Theater in Suffern on October 23rd, 2010 to benefit the Vincent Crotty Memorial Foundation and the Christopher Konkowski Scholarship fund. Mayor Dagan LaCorte Presented Bernie Williams with a copy of the proclimation, a key to the village, a Mounties jacket & cap and a gift certificate to one of Suffern's fine restaurants courtesy of the Chamber of Commerce. Mayor LaCorte proclaimed October 23rd, 2010 as Bernie Williams Day in the Village of Suffern.

Suffern, NY…Mayor Dagan LaCorte is pleased to report that the Village of Suffern’s Santa Letter Writing Program has been expanded this year.  For several years, the Village recreation department has accepted children’s letters to Santa.  Every child received a personal Santa letter reply.  The average number of letters each year has been approximately seventy-five.

This year Judge Rich Ackerson brought a suggestion to the recreation department.  He and his family had visited Macy’s Department Store in New York City, and  shared with the Village information about the Macy’s and Make-A-Wish Foundation Believe event. 

Research was done by the recreation staff, and then shared with Mayor LaCorte.  Further to the facts that were brought to Mayor LaCorte, the Mayor called Village resident Daniel Hyman, knowing that he was a proponent of and that his daughter had been a recipient of a Wish from the Foundation.

Mr. Hyman joined with the Mayor in his desire to do whatever he could to help the work of Make-A-Wish.  At this year’s Holiday Lighting on December 2, Mr. Hyman spoke to the audience to encourage them to participate in the project.

The project consists of a child writing a letter to Santa, and mailing it to the attention of the Village of Suffern Recreation Department, at 61 Washington Avenue, Suffern, NY 10901.  Once the letter is received, the child will receive Santa’s reply, as done in the past.  The Mayor and Mr. Hyman, along with representatives of the recreation department, will then deliver all the letters to Macy’s in the Palisades Mall.  For every letter delivered, Macy’s will donate a dollar to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  The night of the Holiday Lighting alone, 120 letters were received.

An additional bonus to this opportunity is that the Village will deliver their letters to Macy’s on a specific day – Friday, December 10, Macy’s National Believe Day.  On this day only, every letter submitted will be provided with a two dollar donation from Macy’s to Make-A-Wish.