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Mid Hudson Times, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
City clamps down on illegal party spaces
I n B rief
Newburgh City Council meetings
rescheduled for Wed, Thurs.
The Newburgh City Council will hold its work
session and regular meeting early this week due to
the upcoming Passover holiday.
The council’s work session has been rescheduled
for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 5; the council’s
regular meeting will be held the next day at 7 p.m.
on Thursday, April 6. Both meetings will take place
at Newburgh City Hall, located on the third floor at
83 Broadway.
Passover takes place this year from April 10
through April 18.
To view Wednesday’s work session agenda, visit
the City of Newburgh website at Cityofnewburgh-ny.
gov – click on “City Council” on the “Government”
pulldown menu on the homepage.
-
Shantal Riley
NECSD announces Empty Bowls
A 24-year-old man was fatally shot at a party held in an illegal space on South William Street in February.
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teenagers. Two young women died from their injuries.
“There wasn’t adequate emergency exits or lighting,”
said Church. “People had a hard time getting out once the
violence occurred.”
The backdoor was “inoperable” at the party space
that night, said William Horton, city assistant fire chief
for fire prevention. “If someone had gone in there with
a Molotov cocktail instead of gun and threw it into the
front door, most people at the party would have died,”
Horton said. “That is how dangerous some of these
parties can be.”
NEWBURGH CAL RIPKEN
SPRING REGISTRATION
Saturday, April 8 • 9 am - Noon
The Activity Center
401 Washington St., Newburgh
T-Ball . . . . . . . . . $50
Rookies/Minors/
Majors . . . . . . . . $80
Junior/Seniors . . $90
845-562-4285
newburghcalripken.com
Another shooter at a Valentine party at 253 South
William Street in February injured four people. A 24-year-
old man was killed in the shooting incident. “Neither of
the spaces had proper exits,” said Church.
Both parties happened within weeks of a huge fire
that took place in Oakland, California, where 36 people
lost their lives at a warehouse dance party. The building
was later found to have multiple safety-code violations,
including no clear paths to exits. It was the deadliest fire
in the U.S. in the last decade.
Among other requirements, party and event spaces
in the City of Newburgh are required to have working
doors, emergency lighting in case of power outages and
more than one exit, said Horton.
“Property owners must ensure that their certificate of
occupancy includes an assembly use prior to any events
taking place…” the City of Newburgh Fire Department
states.
Horton noted the majority of buildings in the City
of Newburgh are not legal assembly spaces, he said.
“Sometimes the host or business owner does not realize
the building is not designed for it,” Horton said.
The city recognizes that art and cultural events are
critical to development, Horton added. “Some of these
parties are essential to the community,” he said. “We’re
not looking to shine a poor light or increase fines. Our
goal is safety. We want people to ask questions. Maybe we
can prevent another tragedy.”
For questions or to make an appointment for a free
inspection of a planned event space, contact the City of
Newburgh Department of Code Compliance at 845-569-
7400 – or call the City of Newburgh Fire Department at
562-1212.
On Thursday, April 6, Newburgh Free Academy
will host Empty Bowls 2017 from 5:30 p.m. until 7
p.m. in the North Cafeteria at the NFA Main Campus.
Empty Bowls is a national network of volunteer
efforts to provide hunger relief. All proceeds go to
the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, the main food
supplier to local food pantries and soup kitchens.
The donation is $15 and guests will receive a
custom ceramic bowl made by an NFA student, soup,
salad, bread, and fruit. A limited number of bowls
are available so tickets will be sold on a first come,
first serve basis. The event has sold out in previous
years therefore guests are encouraged to purchase
tickets in advance due to the limited number of
tickets sold at the door this year. Tickets will be
mailed only to those who are in district and order
tickets in advance. Please provide the name of the
school where you work. All others will be reserved
and held at the door.
To purchase tickets, please call Newburgh Free
Academy (563-5400) or order your tickets and/or
make a contribution in the form of a check made
payable to the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley.
Please send all requests to Newburgh Free Academy,
Attention: Becky O’Herron or Pilar Treus, 201
Fullerton Avenue, Newburgh, NY 12550
Historian’s Office to hold free
Social Media workshop
Orange County Historian Johanna Yaun
announced that her office will hold a free Social
Media workshop for staff of historical sites,
museums, and other not-for-profits from 10:30 a.m.
to noon on Saturday, May 6 in Room 201 at the Kaplan
Center on SUNY Orange’s Newburgh campus.
Seating is limited for the seminar and reservations
are suggested. For more information, contact MJ
Goff at 360-6978 or [email protected].