Ramapo, Clarkstown declare truce in border war over backstreet barricade

In more than two centuries of coexistence, the towns of Ramapo and Clarkstown surely have had some moments of discord.

Now they have one less barrier to fight over.

A long-festering dispute over that barrier, on a quiet half-mile-long street that runs between Nanuet and Chestnut Ridge, was put to rest Friday following an agreement between the two neighboring municipalities.

CHESTNUT RIDGE: Rockland drives forward with $31M highway department facility

RAMAPO TO CLARKSTOWN: Lift Samuel Road barrier

CLARKSTOWN: Town historian, former Journal News reporter Bob Knight dies at 78

The dust-up dates back to 2012, when Clarkstown decided to barricade Samuel Road at the town line because of complaints about drivers speeding through the popular neighborhood shortcut.

While Nanuet residents celebrated, their neighbors on the Chestnut Ridge side reacted with anger at the barricade's impact on their daily lives as well as the indignity of having the unsightly blockade unilaterally plopped down in their midst.

Emergency responders chimed in as well, alarmed about having to take detours in and out of the neighborhood, which is bordered by South Pascack Road to the west and Newport Drive to the east.

Ramapo officials expressed their displeasure by filing a federal lawsuit against Clarkstown in 2016.

"We've been neighbors with Clarkstown for 224 years," Ramapo's then-Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence told The Journal News in 2015. "We need mutual aid, not blockades. We need to build bridges, not blockades."

It took a changing of the guard in both Town Halls to reach an accord that restores peace.

On Thursday, Ramapo's current supervisor and the Town Board voted to drop the lawsuit. In exchange, Clarkstown will replace the ugly Jersey barriers with a cul-de-sac and add a pedestrian walkway with trees and shrubbery.

Ramapo Supervisor Michael Specht expressed support for the settlement in a joint press release with George Hoehmann, his Clarkstown counterpart.

"A part of the dispute was the sense that barriers were being built to keep people apart," Specht stated. "Today’s result is one that connects people to each other and maintains the pluralistic spirit that this country represents.”

Hoehmann said he was pleased the agreement preserved the character of the neighborhood.

“Today’s settlement benefits both of our communities by creating a walkable space that links neighbors to each other without the danger of speeding vehicular traffic that endangered the quality of life for all residents," Hoehmann said.

Hoehmann said there were no issues with response times for emergency services since the closure of the road.

The two-lane street was quiet Wednesday morning, with few cars or pedestrians to be found on Samuel or the other roads surrounding the neighborhood of single-family homes with neatly trimmed lawns.

The Jersey barrier facing the Ramapo side had branches and debris piled up against it, seemingly in protest; the Clarkstown side was covered with orange striping and a crumbling "road closed" sign.

There are indications that reaction to the agreement is positive on both sides of the great divide.

Ellen Stack, who lives on the Chestnut Ridge side of Samuel Road, was one of the plaintiffs in Ramapo's lawsuit. Back in 2015, she told The Journal News/lohud the barrier gave her neighborhood the depressing feel of a third-world country.

But Specht said Stack was reportedly satisfied with Thursday's settlement.

Barbara Wallenstein, who lives on Newport Drive in Nanuet, was happy to hear Samuel Road would be permanently closed to through traffic.

"I've lived here for over 30 years and there had been many accidents," Wallenstein said Thursday. "It was really a big safety issue. Ever since the cars stopped cutting through, we haven't had one accident."

Robert Brum is a columnist and editor of The Rockland Angle, a nightly email newsletter exclusively for Rockland County news, features and other essential information. To sign up for The Angle, visit http://lohud.com/newsletters, check the "Rockland Angle" box and submit your email address.

Twitter: @Bee_Bob