Rockland Works presents Employer Meet and Greets at Finkelstein Memorial Library
Spring Valley
Spring Valley is a suburb of New York City, a village in the towns of Ramapo and Clarkstown in Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located north of Chestnut Ridge, east of Airmont and Monsey, south of Hillcrest, and west of Nanuet. The population was 31,347 at the 2010 census,[4] making it the 2nd most populous community in Rockland County, after New City.
Spring Valley spans the border of two towns, occupying an eastern portion of the town of Ramapo and a small western portion of the town of Clarkstown. The village is next to the New York State Thruway (Interstate 87) and is served by a New Jersey Transit train station at the terminus of the Pascack Valley Line.
Spring Valley is 22 miles (35 km) north of Manhattan and 5 miles (8 km) north of the New Jersey border.
Rockland County OBC Fighting Lawsuit Filed By Irresponsible Landlord
Landlord Files Lawsuit Following 100+ violations Issued Against Property
New City, NY – The Rockland County Office of Buildings and Codes (OBC) is fighting a lawsuit filed by NBM Management, Weinreb Management, Country Village Towers Corp., and Jacob Weinreb, the owners and operators of Country Village Towers in Spring Valley which had 100+ of the most egregious violations discovered at a single property since the effort launched in mid-February.
On March 9, 2022, a fire broke out inside a 7th floor apartment in Country Village Towers at 101 Kennedy Drive resulting in multiple people trapped and multiple families displaced. This fire sparked an inspection that resulted in the following violations being discovered inside Country Village Towers:
- No fire extinguishers in hallways (one is required every 75 feet)
- Combustible materials in hallways
- Flammable caulking
- Corroded fire pump
- Exposed wires throughout the building
- Faulty smoke alarms & CO detectors
- Systematic failure of the fire alarm system
- Fire doors not closing properly
- No elevator certificate of inspection
- Black mold in several apartments
- Deteriorating stairways and balconies
- Numerous illegally converted apartments
The lawsuit filed, is challenging the administrative court Rockland County uses to prosecute code enforcement violations and determine the fines issued against property owners. Administrative tribunals are utilized statewide including in the Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Environmental Conservation, and many other state agencies.
This type of court proceeding is employed because it expedites the legal process compared to the traditional court system, placing more urgency on the landlord to remedy dangerous violations putting lives at risk.
“This is a prime example of an irresponsible landlord trying to scapegoat the law,” said County Executive Ed Day. “Our administrative court is a legal, well-established process and I pledge to fight this ridiculous lawsuit.”
Some of the violations at Country Village Towers were first discovered by the Village of Spring Valley in 2019 but never followed up on. OBC reports that since the fire in March, the violations discovered still have not been remedied by the property owner, continuing to put lives of those living there at risk.
“It is my duty to protect the health and safety of residents, visitors, and first responders and it’s clear that this is lawsuit is an attempt to circumvent the legal process at the expense of lives,” said County Executive Day. “This fire at this apartment complex could have easily taken a turn for the worst, resulting in casualties, and I will hold the landlords responsible for these egregious violations.”
Jacob Weinreb and Weinreb Management is at the center of another major lawsuit filed by New York City for 200+ building and fire code violations at 11 properties that include failing to maintain fire escapes, sprinklers, and alarm systems.
State Lawmakers Announce $500,000 State Investment to Support Rockland County’s Code Enforcement Efforts in Spring Valley
NEW CITY, NY – Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick (D-Rockland/Westchester), Senator James Skoufis (D-Hudson Valley), Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski (D-Rockland), and Assemblyman Mike Lawler (R-Rockland) joined Rockland County Executive Ed Day in announcing a major investment to support the County’s takeover of code enforcement responsibilities for the Village of Spring Valley.
The New York 2022-2023 Budget passed earlier this month includes $500,000 that will go directly to Rockland County to help offset the expense of the newly established code enforcement team. The work in Spring Valley is beyond the County’s normal operations, and is not intended to be permanent. The decision by the Secretary of State to transfer control of the code enforcement responsibilities to the County came just months after the tragic fire at the Evergreen Court Nursing Home which resulted in the deaths of a resident and Firefighter Jared Lloyd. The subsequent investigation led to indictments of Village of Spring Valley building department officials.
This winter County Executive Ed Day approached the state legislators who represent Rockland County, asking them to include a half million dollars in the state budget to help cover the expense. After pressure from Rockland’s state legislative delegation, the allocation was included in both the Senate and Assembly budget resolutions and was ultimately included in the final budget signed by Governor Hochul earlier this month.
County Executive Ed Day said: “Our lawmakers worked together in Albany to secure $500,000 in New York State funding for this effort, which will undoubtedly help alleviate some of the burden of this cost from taxpayers. I want to thank them for their efforts to protect county tax dollars and support the work being done by our Office of Buildings and Codes.”
Senator Reichlin-Melnick said: “Taking away control from a local government should always be a last resort, but when it became clear Spring Valley could not reliably perform basic code enforcement functions, New York State had to step in and assign code enforcement responsibility to Rockland County. I am proud to have helped secure $500,000 from the state to cover the costs of the county’s life-saving code enforcement work so that local taxpayers aren’t left to foot the bill for these efforts.”
Senator James Skoufis said: “Rockland County has done exemplary work to correct many of the egregious deficiencies in Spring Valley’s code enforcement and hold bad actors accountable. Working with my colleagues, I’m glad we were able to secure this important funding and ensure Rockland County taxpayers are protected and made whole while this essential but expensive work continues.”
Assemblyman Zebrowski said: “The county’s takeover of the Spring Valley code enforcement was an important step forward to clear the backlog of inspections and ensure future compliance with the law. This funding, included in the state budget, will ensure that they are able to continue the necessary work to keep residents and first responders safe. I’m thankful for the collaboration with my colleagues at the state and local levels to secure this investment in our community.”
Assemblyman Lawler said: “I was proud to work in a bipartisan manner with Senator Reichlin-Melnick, Assemblyman Zebrowski, Senator Skoufis and our local elected officials to secure $500,000 in the state budget for Rockland County’s code enforcement measures in the village of Spring Valley. It’s been clear since the county took over that there is a lot of work to do to enforce the village code and hold violators accountable. I trust that County Executive Ed Day and Director Ed Markunas will not rest until the job is complete.”
Office of Buildings and Codes Fines Over 30 Properties for Trash
60+ Violation Notices Issued for Litter
New City, NY, – The Rockland County Office of Buildings and Codes (OBC) is investigating over 60 code violations across the Village of Spring Valley, for rubbish and garbage accumulation.
After a recent media report about accumulating trash in the village, OBC Director Ed Markunas immediately sent out inspectors to investigate further and hold property owners responsible.
OBC discovered over 30 properties with more than 60 violations of the New York State Property Maintenance Code that included the accumulation of old tires, construction debris, furniture, and propane tanks.
“My office has been tasked with protecting the health and safety of the Village of Spring Valley and we all know accumulating trash is more than an eyesore, it becomes a breeding ground for pests and rodents. We hope our swift action leads to cleaner neighborhoods throughout the village,” said Director Ed Markunas.
As the issue poses a health safety risk, the Rockland Codes Investigations Unit (RCI), part of the Rockland County Department of Health is also responding to the issue and has at least five active cases with trash violations in the Village of Spring Valley.
“This is not an easy job, but it is an important one,” said Deputy Health Commissioner Catherine Johnson Southren. “We face many obstacles from uncooperative building managers and landlords but are working on behalf of the best interests of the people of Rockland.”
The Rockland County Department of Health RCI program is responsible for the enforcement of housing hygiene and occupancy regulations pursuant to the Rockland County Sanitary Code. RCI investigates all residential housing complaints, including allegations regarding single family dwellings, multiple dwellings, rental properties, and owner-occupied premises. Since its launch in 2015, RCI has assessed over $2 million in fines against property owners across Rockland and, unlike the Office of Buildings and Codes, has jurisdiction to respond and investigate complaints county-wide.
“The property owners enabling these egregious conditions should be ashamed of themselves. I’m proud to see Director Markunas and RCI taking swift action on behalf of the families in the Village of Spring Valley,” said County Executive Ed Day.
The Office of Buildings and Codes requests that the public submit complaints regarding Building and Code violations within the Village of Spring Valley to 845-364-3700 or by email to BuildingsAndCodes@co.rockland.ny.us.
The Rockland Codes Investigations Unit requests the public submit complaints to 845-364-2585 or online:
http://rocklandgov.com/departments/health/center-for-rockland-codes-investigations1/
Office of Buildings & Codes Inspectors Undergo Extensive Training
Inspectors Complete 50+ Hours Of Training
New City, NY, – The Rockland County inspectors working within the new Office of Buildings and Codes have completed more than 50 hours of extensive training since the effort launched February 14, 2022.
While New York State made the prior issues of the Village of Spring Valley Building Department abundantly clear when they directed the County of Rockland to take over its functions, the order also underlined that control will eventually be restored to the Village.
To prepare for that eventuality, in addition to catching up on overdue inspections and handling new complaints and permits, the Office of Buildings and Codes is working to ensure that Spring Valley has fully trained inspectors and the proper procedures in place to enforce Building and Fire Codes.
“Let me be clear, the true bad apples of the Village Building Department which are under indictment, have not and will not be part of this process. Yes, we want to fix the issues of the past and will do so, but we must prepare for the future as well,” said County Executive Ed Day. “We need to have properly trained inspectors to eventually return the department back to Spring Valley.”
To prepare for that eventuality, Office of Buildings and Codes Director Ed Markunas continues to put all inspectors through extensive training including weekly legal coaching by Principal Assistant County Attorney Kimberly Von Ronn on writing violation notices and orders to remedy, case management and record keeping, investigation tools, compiling discovery, and writing up notices of hearing to enforce unremedied violations.
Multiple classes on the Village’s record-keeping software Municity are also being conducted to ensure inspectors maximize the capabilities of the program, which was not done under former management of the Spring Valley Building Department. In the courses, expert staff of Municity led those trainings with inspectors.
“These trainings are crucial to us building a solid foundation of quality control and operational oversight which will ensure inspections are done right and by the book,” said Director Ed Markunas.
The Office requests that the public submit complaints regarding Building and Code violations within the Village of Spring Valley to 845-364-3700 or by email to BuildingsAndCodes@co.rockland.ny.us.