Dear Supporters,

Happy holidays and please take a few minutes and get caught up on ROSA’s advocacy to stop the ill-conceived Partrick Farm Develoment.

1.    Lawsuits against the Town of Ramapo: There are many lawsuits and complicated procedural issues that ROSA is actively engaged in. As promised, ROSA is dedicated to continuing the legal battle both in the local and ultimately the appellate court outside of our county.  For details on the current status of ALL the lawsuits go to the website. https://rosa4rockland.org/2013-12-10_lawsuits-status/.  We were in local Rockland County Supreme Court in New City on Friday December 20th.  Terry Rice, attorney for the developer requested an extension for oral arguments.  So in addition to paying for the old oral argument we will be forced to pay again for our lawyers time. We replied and now will be made to reply again.  The good news is even if they filed the proper paperwork tomorrow nothing can be built in 2014. The next court date is scheduled for February 7, 2014.
3.    November Election: Many of you have expressed concern over the fact that there was not a change in town board this November and are wondering how it affects our fight with respect to the Patrick Farm development. The answer is we have a good case and now more than ever we need the community to support ROSA.

With respect to the county elections we were bound to win either way as both candidates stated opposition to the current plan. We have had problems with county agency responsiveness and we are hopeful that Mr. Day will be helpful in making sure that his agencies aren’t pressured into giving permits when the developer is still not doing what needs to be done.

4.    The lack of an ACOE Jurisdictional Determination: The lack of Federal review and confirmation of the federal wetlands on the property remains a key argument in our litigation. Back in 2008 the scoping document required the Army Corps of Engineers to confirm the federal wetlands on the property. It was a requirement clearly spelled out in the DEIS. It was never done and there have been numerous misrepresentations regarding this issue. After years of poor decisions by the Town of Ramapo Board and Planning Board essentially ignoring the ROSA arguments, ROSA’s intervention with the agencies paid off and the sewer district made a Jurisdictional Determination a requirement to get a permit. We know that wetland delineators were on the property this summer and that surveyors were brought in to update the maps. We have not yet seen the maps. We assume that the new applications will reflect some changes in this area.

5.    Website Renovation: We have been very lucky to have an intern now working with ROSA to help us update the website, adding improved introductory material and detailed documents which we will be making available to site members. We hope that all of you will sign up to be site members. If you have any recommendations for information to be made to the public at large or to ROSA supporters in a members only area, please send us your questions, comments and feedback now.

6.    End of 2013 Appeal: The year is coming to an end. Please take a look at your ROSA contributions for 2013 as well as your overall budget for tax deductible contributions. We continue to need your support and the best way that you can say thank you to ROSA for all the hard work and successes to date is to make a yearend contribution and  sign up for smaller regular monthly contributions for 2014.

Every minute we spend fundraising is a minute we don’t have to pursue the legal work and advocate work we have been doing (as well as having a personal life of course!). We started ROSA4Rockland because we know that this development is so large that – if poorly done – it will put our community at risk; as less people want to invest in our area and more want to leave due to this type of development we each stand lose tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars of value in our homes. If we can work with the town, the agencies and even the developer to down size this project and protect the view shed, our water supply, the Rt 202 and 306 traffic corridors and protect the public health and safety, our investments now will translate to higher home values in the years to come. Things can go either way; this is a mission that you all should support as much as you can.

7.    Volunteers Needed: We are always in need of volunteers whether it’s for accounting purposes, the website, organizing fundraisers or Meet ROSA events, we need help to continue our excellent work. We are looking for volunteers in general and someone willing to be a Volunteer Coordinator. We are also looking for someone to run various campaigns to get the word out. There are still an awful lot of people in our neighborhood who don’t know what is going on. We need your help to spread the word and to increase our community reach. If you have time to help please email us your name, contact information and let us know how much time a month you think you can offer.

8.    Facebook: We are nearing the 500 mark on our Facebook page. If you have a Facebook account please take a minute to “like” our page and to “get notifications”. We don’t post frequently on Facebook but it is a useful tool to get the word out quickly for last minute information on events, petitions or news. https://www.facebook.com/ROSA4Ramapo

9.         Things to expect in 2014: ROSA is revving up for another high activity year fighting the absurb development plans for the Patrick Farm. Please continue to support us and follow us in 2014 when we expect the following:

• January 2014: All pre-2013 decisions go to appellate court.
• Judge Walsh decision on 2013 decisions.
• Developer will apply for ACOE Jurisdictional Determination
• Early 2014: Another amended application = another public hearing.

Looking forward to continuing to make strides together in 2014.