Thank you for clicking on that link to find out more about a community group that is working in your area to mitigate the current subdivision and development plans for the Patrick Farm property. This website is a work in progress being developed and maintained by ROSA volunteers. If you have questions that we haven’t answered here please contact us. So where do you start?

• If you don’t even know where Patrick Farm is please look at this video we made to make this clear.
• If you know about Patrick Farm but don’t understand why this is a big deal, please check out the various links in the Issues section of our site navigation
• If you assumed that Patrick Farm is a done deal, well stop assuming that because we are actively fighting this and we are spending a tremendous amount of energy on this because we do believe that we can prevail – with your help.

You can help in several fronts.  Currently, we are on a major fundraising campaign to cover ROSA’s expenses which include legal fees and the fees for the necessary hired experts who will be conducting the environmental analysis of the site as we move forward in our lawsuits and reports to Federal and State agencies (EPA & DEC).  These are the steps the Town of Ramapo should have taken before giving the developer preliminary sub-division approval.  This process has so far cost ROSA about 50K.  We have raised a portion of the 50K but still need to close a budget gap this month in order to pay our current legal and engineering bills. We estimate that we will need about 250K in the coming year in order to put the brakes on this plan.  While individually this seems like a large amount of money it should be considered reasonable since we are asking a large community that stretches beyond Ramapo to contribute to this cause.   If every household affected by the project donate to our not-for profit grassroots organization we would easily make our goal.  So what can you do?

1. Donate to us either on our website through the donate button or by mail to ROSA – PO Box 712 Pomona, NY 10901
2. Tell all your friends and neighbors about what we ROSA has accomplished so far and what we will continue to do to fight this development using our legal team and experts.  Ask your friends and neighbors to donate.
3. Spread the word about what is proposed on the Patrick Farm and how it will impact the sole source aquifer that feeds both the private and municipal wells of Rockland, Orange, Bergen and Passiac counties. Let your neighbors know how this will impact their taxes and real estate values. We have added widgets that you can use to share this site with friend through facebook and other popular sites.
4. Host a party for 50 – 100 people from our town and surrounding communities so ROSA committee chairs can make a skillful presentation to those invited and explain what we are doing to mitigate this development.  (We have done several of these awareness / fundraising events at individual homes and it is working to inform, engage and attract the much needed funds.)

What follows is a letter to our member base that was sent out recently – this is a good summary to understand what we are doing and illustrates the kind of updates you will get if you share your contact information with us.

The last month has been a very busy period for both the volunteers and paid experts of ROSA.  Here is what we have been up to as of late:

Lawsuit Filed: Our attorney has filed an Article 78 proceeding against four (4) defendants, who include the Town of Ramapo, the Planning Board of the Town of Ramapo, the Town of Clarkstown, and Scenic Development, LLC (a Monsey-based developer).  Please read the attached press release regarding the lawsuit.

Fund Raising: Members of the community have been very helpful hosting a series of cocktail and dinner fund raising nights.  These events invite friends and neighbors to the host’s home where ROSA directors and committee chairs lead a discussion to broaden the awareness of what is proposed for the Patrick Farm, how it will impact our lives and what ROSA is doing to stop this proposal. These get-togethers are designed to not only educate groups of people, but to emphasize that without monetary support from our entire community ROSA will not have the necessary funds be affective.  Please donate now if you have not sent in a check or used the donate button on our webpage.

Direct Mail Campaign: Many homeowners throughout the Town of Ramapo and neighboring towns are receiving direct mail postcards in their mailboxes.  These postcards are intended to spark awareness and raise the much needed funds that ROSA requires to continue our efforts to mitigate the current development plans for the Patrick Farm.  Capturing the attention of our community at large is an   important initiative and ROSA needs everybody’s help spreading the word.

New Website: https://rosa4rockland.org/ ROSA has a new and much improved website.  This will help people who are new to our organization understand all the issues involved in this fight as well as introduce the public to our grassroots group.

New Experts: Consulting Hydrologist – Robert Miller Civil Engineer – ROSA is in discussion with a civil engineering firm to evaluate the complete application of Patrick Farm under SEQRA (State Environmental Quality Review Act) laws with special attention to water engineering issues.

In closing, it is important for the public to understand that ROSA is run by a group of dedicated volunteers who collectively spend hundreds of hours weekly on the many facets that are required to prevent this ill-conceived development project.

These enthusiastic volunteers are your neighbors and we need our entire community’s awareness, support and financial assistance … please spread the word.