Dear Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson residents, et al,

This tough to share. Below the LTE I shared to The Cornwall Local re: Mr. Cashman’s passing:

The phone rang and I dreaded the forthcoming news. Mary Jane Pitt, editor of The Cornwall Local (now News of The Highlands), had promised me an update on the precarious medical condition of 83-year-old Kenneth W. Cashman. Word here had spread rather quickly early last Wednesday that he had fallen ill and with the help of his family was receiving critical care in Middletown. The dreaded news confirmed by MJP, whose voice cracked as she relayed it, that he had passed, shook me to my core. So many now impacted who had the honor and privilege of knowing Mr. Cashman. Conversations with local elected officials and fellow members of American Legion Post 353 ensued. Ken Cashman, a Vietnam-era U.S. Army veteran, was a longtime member of our Cornwall Post. The sober conversations and remembrances that followed centered around this description of the Monroe resident: He was humble and kind.

So just how, pray tell, does a resident of a neighboring community become so synonymous with Cornwall? In fact, if one had to characterize Mr. Cashman, it would be thusly – he was and remains quintessentially Cornwall. Across the years of covering our children at their athletic events, the sports journalist wrote poignant and compelling tales of their exploits and never pretended to be objective in his accounts. He was an unrepentant “homer.” Truth be told, Ken Cashman bled Dragon green and white. He never made himself the protagonist in any of his writings and while serving as longtime editor of The Cornwall Local. His self-effacing columns poking fun at himself were presented under the (wink, wink) self-deprecating nom de plume, “Mr. Know-it-all.” He sang beautiful renditions of “God Bless America” at Cornwall events. He shook hands and kissed more babies than any politician around these parts. Not because he sought patronage, but because he truly LOVED our community. And we LOVED him back.

In 2021, Mr. Cashman sheepishly climbed into the back of a convertible and as he whispered to me, “accepted his fate”; recipient of one of Cornwall’s highest honors -- grand marshal of the annual Fourth of July parade. In 2022, he was awarded “Citizen of the Month” by Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus. The distinction much more a “lifetime achievement” acknowledgement than casual monthly nod to his community commitment. Whether acting as Sunday School superintendent or chairman of Bicentennial committee, coaching Little League or Pop Warner, Kenneth W. Cashman lived a lifetime of service and he will be desperately missed.

After we rightly grieve his passing, we, celebrate his life and ensure that his principle of community involvement remain enduring. He certainly set an example for all of us to aspire to emulate. Personally, I will miss his visits to Village Hall to ensure that something he was going to publish was accurate. I’ll miss his wry smile and the twinkle in his eyes as we fiercely debated the appropriateness of the Oxford comma and whether a volleyball serve ace was a “true ace” or not -- if the opposing team touched the ball. Godspeed, Mr. Cashman. You left the world a better place than you found it. You will never be forgotten in your adopted hometown of Cornwall.

With somber remembrance and on behalf of your Village Board,

James A. “Jimmy” Gagliano

Mayor

August 6, 2024

IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Extreme Weather Notice from Cornwall-on-Hudson Mayor’s Office:

We share the following available cautionary weather updates provided by Cornwall’s Office of Emergency Management Director Kurt Hahn, as well as some helpful guidance related to the Town’s and Village’s cooperative efforts to make sand bag materials available to greater Cornwall area residents and businesses. This is “One Team, One Fight” against Mother Nature.

Significant rain is expected beginning tonight (Tuesday) into Wednesday morning. As a result, the Village Bandstand Concert Series event scheduled for tonight is postponed. Another round of wet weather is expected to arrive Friday night and roll into Saturday afternoon – all the result of Tropical Storm Debby, which is moving up the Eastern Seaboard from Florida. Flash flooding is possible in certain areas of our community, as we have experienced with recent weather events.

Both the Town’s Highway Department and the Village’s Department of Public Works have been proactively clearing storm drains, catch basins and open culverts of weather-related washout and debris in order to ensure hyper-localized storm water is able to drain free of obstructions. Please understand this is an ongoing operation and our crews will be attending to days/nights all week.

NOTE: Sand & Sandbags are available (free of charge) at the Donahue Farm Property, located at 42 Bayview Avenue in Cornwall-on-Hudson for residents of both the Town and the Village. Honor System in place -- please limit to ten sandbags per household.

Dial 9-1-1 for Emergencies

Document Storm Impacts:

https://ready.cornwallny.gov/disaster-reporter and tag @cornwalloem in your media posts.

Report Power Outages & Check Status at Central Hudson @stormcentral.cenhud.com.

Please stay safe and follow @cornwalloem for latest information as it becomes available.

Please stay safe and reach out to your respective local government officials with issues/concerns.

On behalf of your Village Board,

James A. “Jimmy” Gagliano

Mayor

EXTREME HEAT is leading weather-related cause of death. Keep Cool, Keep Hydrated and Stay Safe! Beat the heat by visiting our local businesses (Greater Cornwall Chamber of Commerce) or stay cool at the Cornwall Public Library.

Cornwall Public Library Hours:

January 23, 2024

Mayor’s Message [Postponement of Joint Special Meeting with Town Related to Water System]:

Dear Residents and Friends of the Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson,

I am making the difficult decision to cancel Thursday’s scheduled Joint Special Meeting that was to conjoin the Village Board and Town Council and was related to water system matters that impact both municipalities. We will reschedule the meeting for Thursday, February 29, 2024 at 7:00 p.m., again to be held at Village Hall, 325 Hudson Street, Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY 12520.

This office will ensure we post the notice across all platforms well in advance of new date.

After careful consideration and discussions with a number of residents who all get their news from different sources, I simply want to ensure we are making a solid effort to publicly notice this meeting on all the appropriate sites. I sincerely apologize for any confusion this may have caused. But far better to take a step back and ensure we have a well-informed community.

On behalf of your Village Board,

James A. “Jimmy” Gagliano

Mayor

January 9, 2023

Mayor’s Message [Impending Weather Warning Edition]:

Dear Residents and Friends of the Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson,

As the region braces for yet another significant weather event -- one which compounds melting snow, high winds, and yet another hyper-localized rainfall, here are some forecasting and precautionary information provided by the County Executive’s Office and the Orange County Deputy Commissioner for Emergency Management, Alan C. Mack:

“[T]he Orange County Emergency Management team is closely monitoring the forecast for upcoming Winter Storm Finn. Today’s storm, combined with recent Winter Storm Ember, may be problematic because of wind and potential flooding. The National Weather Service forecast shows temperatures leaving the low twenties up to a high of 52 degrees. At the same time, the wind will slowly ramp up to steady-state 22 MPH with gusts up to the mid-thirties. At 10:00 AM, we’ll have another small round of snow, with no appreciable accumulation. None of these (on their own) are a problem, but starting at 1:00 PM, rain begins to fall around the County until 1:00 PM Wednesday. 7:00 PM Tuesday night thru 7:00 AM Wednesday is the main problem. The rain is forecasted to fall hard and fast with excessive volume. We may receive over two inches of rain between 7:00 PM -7:00 AM. This is a lot of rain on its own, but the snow on the ground will melt with the higher temperatures and the large volume of rain. The snow that fell during Ember had a 7:1 liquid to snow ratio (seven inches of snow equals one inch of water). Based on past experiences, we believe we’re going to see some significant localized flooding.”

So, as our Village (and Town) crews continue to labor to mitigate flooding within the greater Cornwall area, and in coordination with Cornwall’s Office of Emergency Management Director Kurt Hahn, we are making available a supply of sand bags and sand within the Village at our Municipal Water Building located at 21 Maple Avenue. Any Village OR Town residents seeking to use sandbags to redirect water can stop by and are encouraged to take up to TEN sandbags. You will have to fill them yourself with material and shovels provided. Please take only up to ten bags. Honor System is in effect. You may use our municipal lot to fill bags while securing them and park without obstructing. Please respect the neighborhood while you are doing so. This was the best agreed-upon location that will be open 24/7 and available until material supply runs out.

For Village residents: To be kept informed, you  may register for the Village’s messaging system by either texting the keyword COH1250 to 99411 or by clicking on the below weblink:

https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/BF39E0553EE3

The guidance from the County is to be taken seriously. Within the Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson, our stalwart road crews continue to remove snow from the streets and are working to clear any and all obstructed storm drains, ensuring a path for melting snow and impending rainfall. The volume of rain we are expecting – much like the storms of 12/23/2022, 7/9/2023, and 12/17/2023 – will overwhelm our storm drain system. Some of our infrastructure simply cannot handle what the Governor of New York State has referred to as a “1,000-year storm” – the types of storms we are seeing all too frequently of late. We will continue to keep residents updated with any relevant storm-related news or precautions. Please reach out with any needs.

Mayor’s office number: (845) 534-4200 (x311).

On behalf of your Village Board,

James A. “Jimmy” Gagliano

Mayor

Season’s Greetings!

Great news, Winter is here and the days are getting longer! Its time to purchase your 2024 Donahue Park Vehicle and boat-trailer parking stickers. You can purchase during Village office hours at 325 Hudson Street, C-O-H 8:30-4 :30 Mon- Fri. Payments can be made with cash, check or credit/debit. After hours, please use drop box and include application, copy of valid vehicle registration and cash or check payment.

Applications are available at Village Hall or can be printed from our website: http://cornwall-on-hudson.org We will also accept mailed applications with copies of your
registration and cash or check payment. Further questions can be answered at :845-534-4200 x 315.

Happy New Year and Enjoy the Park!
Village Clerk’s Office

July 9, 2023 6 p.m.

DECLARATION OF A LOCAL STATE OF EMERGENCY

A State of Emergency is hereby declared in the
VILLAGE OF CORNWALL-ON-HUDSON, NY
effective at 18:00PM on July 9, 2023.

This State of Emergency has been declared due to SEVERE WEATHER EVENT: SEVERE FLOODING EVENT.

This situation threatens the public safety.

This State of Emergency will remain in effect until rescinded by a subsequent order.

As the MAYOR of the VILLAGE OF CORNWALL-ON-HUDSON, NY,

I, JAMES A. GAGLIANO exercise the authority given me under Section 24 of the New York State Executive Law, to preserve the public safety and render all required and available assistance vital to the security, well-being, and health of the citizens of the VILLAGE OF CORNWALL-ON-HUDSON, NY.

I hereby direct all departments and agencies of the VILLAGE OF CORNWALL-ON-HUDSON to take whatever steps necessary to protect life and property, public infrastructure, and provide such emergency assistance deemed necessary.

What is New York Forward?

The NY Forward (NYF) program, announced by Governor Hochul in 2022, is a program designed to invigorate and enliven downtowns in New York’s smaller and rural communities – the types of downtowns found in village, hamlets, and other small, neighborhood-scale municipal centers. The goal is to transform downtowns into vibrant, flourishing neighborhoods focused on sustainable economies and development to create areas where the next generations of New Yorkers will want to live, work, and raise a family.
Each New York State Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) nominates two or three communities for the NYF award. This award intends to fund projects for redevelopment, job creation, public improvements, and business and housing opportunities.
In February 2023, the Town of Cornwall and Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson were selected as one of the NYF awardees to receive $4.5 million.
A six-month planning process will link the community’s vision, goals, and revitalization strategies to specific projects that have the potential to revitalize downtown Cornwall. This process will be guided by a Local Planning Committee (LPC), which consists of local and regional leaders.

What kinds of projects are eligible for NYF funding?

Projects selected for NYF funding should advance the program’s goal of catalyzing the development of an active downtown, enhancing public spaces, and growing the local economy.
An open, community-based planning process has been created to promote innovation and creativity within the project application timeline.
A Call for Projects will be issued June 16 and explain the eligibility requirements for potential projects. The LPC will select a slate of projects for inclusion in the NYF Strategic Investment Plan, which will be submitted to the multi-agency State NYF program for final funding decisions. LPC meetings will be open to the public and will be livestreamed.
Virtual Office Hours will be held twice throughout the duration of the Call for Projects. Links to the Office Hours will be posted on the Cornwall NYF website (www.cornwallnyf.com).

Office Hours:  June 27: 4pm – 6pm & July 13: 11am – 1pm

To learn more, visit www.cornwallnyf.com