Girls’ school trip prompts Nyack mayor to clarify village park permit rules
Nyack’s mayor says a recent school outing to Memorial Park highlights the need for clearer communication about group permit requirements. Dozens of girls ended up exploring storm water tunnels under the village Wednesday.
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The mayor of Nyack is working to educate the public about a village law after dozens of girls from a private religious school visited Memorial Park on Wednesday without the required permit.
The students, about 70 teenage girls from Toras Emachu in Monsey, entered the Nyack Creek culvert during their trip to the park. A sign nearby reads that organized group activities require a permit. It also lists the appropriate contact information.
Mayor Joe Rand said the school did not obtain one.
“The park is open to everybody, but with big groups we have to be a little careful,” he said in an interview with News 12 on Thursday.
Rand explained that the village plans to reach out to the school and also make the Memorial Park permit requirement more widely known throughout Rockland County. While a violation can carry fines of up to $500, he said that is unlikely in this case.
“We have rarely issued fines. We're not about trying to get fines from people. We're about trying to get compliance. So that we know who will be using the park. How to reach somebody in case of an emergency. And to make sure they have insurance," says Rand.
Groups larger than 10 people are required to fill out a permit application, and gatherings of more than 40 must be approved by the village trustees according to the government's online application. News 12 reached out to the school for comment on why no permit was obtained and to find out how the girls ended up in the tunnels, but has not yet heard back.
Orangetown police said the girls involved were ninth, tenth and eleventh graders. According to police, school counselors served as chaperones. Investigators are still reviewing other aspects of the incident and any potential charges. Authorities believe the group was in the tunnels for about 45 minutes.
As News 12 previously reported, police were alerted when an Orangetown police officer noticed numerous young girls exiting a sewer grate in an alley off Main Street in the Village of Nyack.
Police noted that while there were issues years ago with people roaming the tunnels, there have been no recent incidents.
