Orangetown Board to Hear From Auditors, Consider Highway Dept. Work in Rockleigh

The Orangetown Board will get an early start Monday, not only holding a regular meeting a day early, but beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The meeting was shifted to Monday to avoid holding it on the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 

The meeting will now begin with a presentation from the town's auditors, O'Connor, Davies, Munns & Dobbins, LLP, with the rest of the regular meeting to follow.

The full agenda for Monday's meeting is attached to this report. It includes the announcement of Mel Liebmann Day Sept. 15, 2012. Liebmann recently sold Mel's Army-Navy in Pearl River, the business he has run since he founded it 57 years ago. The store will continue under new owner Chris Frawley. There will be an open house 10 a.m. Sept. 15.

One item on the board meeting agenda that drew questions from the town council during last week's workshop was to allow the Orangetown Highway Department to chip seal three streets in Rockleigh, N.J. at cost. 

Councilman Tom Morr asked if the work would keep the highway department from any of its own tasks, but Highway Superintendent James Dean said it would not. 

Orangetown resident Eileen Larkin questioned doing any work for the Borough of Rockleigh, which she claimed has not been a good neighbor to Orangetown. She also said that the streets -- Haring Farm Lane, Rose Haven Lane and Gerson Lane, are private property. Dean said his department would not do the work if that were the case. 

"We charge the rate approved by the state," Dean said. "We charge for fuel and the hourly rate of the employees as well as depreciation of equipment. This is the first I'm hearing of those being private roads."

"I agree with Mrs. Larkin. I don't think Rockleigh could care less about any impact on us with the things they've done," Councilman Denis Troy said. "I live on the border with Montvale. It doesn't enter their mind what impact it has on us. If we're doing this for cost, I'm against it."

Other items on the agenda include:

• The installation of a fire hydrant on Railroad Ave. in Pearl River between East Washington Ave. and East Central Ave. at the recommendation of United Water and Orangetown Fire Inspector Michael B. Bettmann.
• Authorization of a grant application by the Orangetown Justice Court to the New York State Justice Court Assistance program for $8,625, which would be used for computers and scanning equipment.
• The latest in a series of 2013 Orangetown Budget meetings.