Dear Residents -
This week the Town Board paid tribute to Dr. Arlene Clinkscale as part of our Black History Month Celebration. I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Clinkscale two years ago when she was honored at Lincoln Avenue Elementary School in Pearl River, where she was hired as a teacher in 1960. She later went on to become Rockland’s first African American principal and New York’s first African American woman superintendent of schools. If you missed the meeting, I recommend taking a few minutes to listen to the remarks of this incredible woman (starts at 15:32 and runs approximately 5:40) who will be turning 93 on St. Patrick’s Day.
Tomorrow at Town Hall, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, Assemblyman Lawler and I will be co-hosting a drive-through coat drive. Please be mindful that we are only accepting new or gently used coats. If you have clothing or footwear that is in poor condition, please drop it into one of the many charity donation boxes you see around town. What many people do not know is that these organizations sell the unwearable items to re-manufacturing companies who shred the textiles to make new materials, like carpet padding, fill for coats and pillows, or car insulation. This not only helps support their charitable programs, but also avoids it going into the garbage and being trucked to a landfill over 300 miles away.
Orangetown held a drive-through COVID-19 test kit giveaway on Tuesday. While many kits were distributed, there are still some available for pick up at the Town Clerk’s Office during regular business hours. They are available to Orangetown residents on a first-come, first-served basis, and there is a limit of 2 kits per household.
Enjoy your weekend everyone!
Respectfully,