Board updates: building permits, ambulance response times, train-station reopening and Junction property status

During the Jan. 14 meeting, Councilmember Chris Kasker provided a year-end summary for the Building Department and emergency medical services. Department figures for 2025 showed 149 general building permits and 116 single-family home permits (the single-family permits were all in Tuxedo Reserve), along with 102 Certificates of Occupancy or Compliance. Kasker also reported ambulance-service statistics: Rockland Paramedics responded to 446 calls in 2025, transporting 304 patients (163 advanced life support, 141 basic life support), with an average response time of 7 minutes and 53 seconds—beating the 8-minute target—and a total cost of approximately $600,000 for the year through strategic use of ARPA funds and competitive bidding.

Updates included the MTA traffic-light project at East Village Road pending final approval with construction expected in Q1 2026, and the train-station renovation nearing completion with a soft opening planned for early February and a grand opening on Feb. 15 (subject to DOH approval for any food-service areas). The Junction property purchase was financed with a short-term bond anticipation note incurring roughly $28,000 in annual interest at 4%, with intent to repay within three years; discussions with potential investors were ongoing. The board also noted Red Apple Rest structural engineering results indicating the building is safe and that the owners plan code-compliance repairs prior to sale. Optimum has begun fiber work near the gas-station site.

The updates combined operational statistics with near-term infrastructure and economic-development items; no formal vote was required for these updates beyond the previously noted project and contract approvals.