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County halts Spring Valley plan to build day laborer shelter
By SULAIMAN BEG
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original Publication: June 7, 2006)

SPRING VALLEY — The county has stopped the village from building a sheltered waiting station for day laborers on Pascack Road because the state owns the land, which is within a flood plain.

A Rockland County Drainage Agency official spotted village Department of Public Works workers dropping dirt May 30 on a small piece of land that abuts the Pascack Brook, a county-owned stream.

The land, near the intersection of Pascack and Pipetown Hill roads, is maintained by the state Department of Transportation.

The village was given a cease-and-desist order June 1 and since then has been removing the fill that had been placed to level the site.

At 1 p.m. yesterday, a DPW worker was seen placing dirt into a dump truck.

"The RCDA has not issued a permit or approval for the activity to the village of Spring Valley," the county letter stated.

"The New York State Department of Transportation has not informed or advised the RCDA that any such activity is planned or has been authorized to take place at the site."

The county is asking the village to remove the dirt and restore the site to its original grade.

Mayor George Darden said yesterday that the village had been preparing the site to put up a shelter for day laborers that would "get people off of Route 59 and keep them safe."

He said work began after officials reviewed maps, which they said made it appear the village owned the land.

"What we're trying to be is a good Samaritan," Darden said.

He said the village planned to construct a small structure on the gravel surface that would allow contractors to pull off Pascack Road and pick up day laborers.

A village business owner doing construction work gave the dirt to the village, Darden said. He said about 20 truckloads of dirt had been dropped at the site.