JANUARY
A group of Korean fourth through sixth-graders and their teachers arrived at NYMA at the end of the calendar year and were due to stay for two months.
Mayor Brendan Coyne observed that the crowd keeps getting younger. But they still come. There were 300 people in Village Square for the New Year’s Eve ball drop.
The DEC reported that, back in June. Kiryas Joel had suspended its request to draw water from its well in Mountainville. The suspension had not been publicized.
The Hudson Highland Nature Museum went from one extreme to the other, as it changed its exhibit at the Wildlife Education Center from mastodons to moths.
The Center for Disease Control said the flu season could be considered an epidemic. But attendance in Cornwall schools was the same as in previous years.
FEBRUARY
The president of the NYMA Trustees said the academy was still interested in an arrangement where the Town would buy the NYMA property and lease it back to the school.
At the Storm King Engine Company’s annual inspection dinner at Mountainville Manor, Nancy Bryan took office as the company’s first female president.
The Cornwall Public Library received almost 300 responses to a survey concerning the expansion plans that were defeated in a November referendum.
The Village introduced its Code Red Emergency Alert System, where residents could get information by text message, telephone calls or even email.
The Cornwall Office of Emergency Management held a round table discussion to improve highway safety on Route 9W in both Cornwall and the Town of Highlands
MARCH
NYMA parents, faculty and alumni received an email on March 3 informing them that the academy had filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code.
Jillian Decker, Beatrice Boylan, Ashley Wallace and Dara Cuffe set a school record while winning the state indoor championship in the 3200-meter relay.
The DOT installed a temporary traffic light on Route 32, and closed down one lane because of a depression in the pavement near Hemlock Hill Road.
Cornwall Improvement LLC, the academy’s largest creditor, loaned NYMA $1 million so it could remain open for the balance of the school year.
Mayor Brendan Coyne and trustees David Carnright and Mark Edsall were re-elected in the Village without opposition. Only 62 people showed up to vote.
APRIL
Joan Cusack-McGuirk became the interim CEO of St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital, as her predecessor (Robert Ross) announced that he was leaving to take another position.
The Town Board heard a proposal for the construction of 13 homes on the Maplehurst property. While this was a reduction from the original plan, the audience still objected.
Plans for Christian’s Adventure, a Willow Avenue playground named for the late Christian Martinisi, were unveiled at a Board of Education meeting.
Members of the Cornwall Yacht Club responded to a distress call from a kayaker in the river. They rescued Angelika Graswald, but her companion could not be found.
Michael Brooks, an assistant superintendent for instruction in Cornwall and a 1985 Cornwall graduate, accepted a job as superintendent of schools in Marlboro.
MAY
The Board of Education approved a budget that called for a 1.88 percent increase in the tax levy. The district was helped by additional money in state aid.
Although her fiance’s body had not been found, Angelika Graswald was arrested, charged with second-degree murder, and remanded to Orange County Jail.
Supervisor Randy Clark suggested the Town consider buying the Storm King Golf Course as a source of revenue. He would lease the course to a management company.
Voters approved the school budget by a large margin. Rafael Ortiz outpolled two of the three incumbents to gain a seat on the Board of Education.
On Saturday morning, May 23, the New York State Police recovered the body of missing kayaker Vincent Viafore. He was found in the river near West Point.
JUNE
When the Antique Road Show stopped at the Sands Ring Homestead, the appraiser valued a spoon at $18,000. The owner had used it to serve vegetables on holidays.
The Town Planning Board received a petition from residents who objected to the proposed construction of 13 homes on the Maplehurst property.
Richard Randazzo, who left office in 2007, announced that he would run for supervisor. “I believe my 20 years of experience can be put to good use,” he said.
Eileen Zwart, a teacher at the middle school was due to lead the July 4 parade. For the weeks leading up to Independence Day, the state lifted its ban on certain fireworks.
“I grew up in health care; it’s in my blood,” Joan Cusack-McGuirk said soon after she became the interim CEO of St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital.
JULY
Although James Skoufis brought the governor a petition signed by 9,000 people who favored the annexation oversight bill, the governor eventually vetoed the bill.
A ribbon cutting ceremony marked the reopening of the Forge Hill Road Bridge in New Windsor. It had been closed for almost four years after Hurricane Irene.
Cornwall resident Lynn Fern, who refurbishes furniture, appeared on television in the “Flea Market Flip.” She was surprised when the episode accidentally aired early.
Residents collected clothing, toiletries and gift cards for a family whose Willow Avenue home was destroyed by an electrical fire on a Thursday night.
The Town delivered a Letter of Intent to NYMA with an offer to purchase the academy for $9 million, as long as voters approved the transaction in a referendum.
AUGUST
Anthony Desa announced that he had agreed to sell NYMA to Global Preparation Academies for $13.125 million. The bankruptcy court would have to approve the transaction.
Father Rees Doughty, who was ordained in 1994, became the new priest at St. Thomas of Canterbury Church. He arrived with his dog Sophie.
Cornwall students appeared to have the highest grades in the county on the state assessments. The school tax rate for Cornwall residents went up by 1.12 percent.
Volunteers worked on weekends to complete the playground behind Willow Avenue School. It was called “Christian’s Adventure” in memory of Christian Martinisi.
“To be born American is to win the Lotto,” Congressman Chris Gibson said. He was the keynote speaker at the reopening of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor.
SEPTEMBER
NYMA didn’t open for the new semester. After a downpayment did not arrive on time from Global, the mortgage holder scheduled a foreclosure sale for Oct. 2.
Although it had been nominated in the winter, Willow wasn’t recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School, because not enough of its students took the state assessments.
Police captured a masked man with a stun gun, who was seen near the Cornwall Post Office. After a car chase, the suspect crashed into a fence in New Windsor.
The family of the late Ken Kumpel, and hundreds of residents, gathered at Chadeayne Circle on Sept. 11 for the dedication of a new 9-11 memorial.
The Fall Festival attracted more vendors than ever, and business was good. The Pickle Guy sold out by 2 p.m. And Paisan Wheels sold 800 slices of pizza in four hours.
OCTOBER
The Research Center for National Conservation, a branch of SouFun Industries, purchased NYMA for $15.825 million at an auction held at the bankruptcy court.
An Australian couple hoped to make the golf course a resort. The DEC issued a permit for KJ’s Mountainville, well and the hospital became a part of Montefiore.
At the Oct. 13 Town Board meeting, Bill Diamond reported that he had a signed contract for the purchase of 2 Mill Street, which would become a film studio.
On Oct. 17, the Village hosted a community yard sale and the Apple Time Fair. Zombies walked on Main Street. And people paid money to be frightened at the Corn Estate.
“We’re here to protect resources not to vilify our neighbors,” Jackie Hernandez said, as she led a community meeting on the plans for the KJ well on Route 32.
NOVEMBER
In the Town’s three contested races, Richard Randazzo was elected supervisor while Kerry McGuinness and Michael Summerfield won seats on the Town Council.
After reviewing a consultant’s report, the Town Board agreed to file an Article 78 challenging Kiryas Joel’s permit to draw water from its well on Route 32.
Referring to several outspoken parents on social media, two women asked the Board of Education to take a stronger stand against bullying in schools.
More than 2,000 Cornwall residents lost power on Nov. 18 as a result of a brush fire near the Willow Avenue Bridge. It took three hours for people to get their electricty.
The weather was cold for Girls on the Run and warm for the Shop Hop. The number of people completing the Shop Hop doubled from the previous year.
DECEMBER
A northbound train started a fire as it barreled into a car that was stuck on the tracks. The driver of the car survived the crash, and was charged with DWI.
The skies smiled on Main Street’s effort to Celebrate the Season. More than 1,000 people took the horse and carriage ride. Most of them stayed around for the tree lighting.
By a 5-to-4 vote, the school board approved a partial tax exemption for veterans who were on activite duty during wartime. The vote will affect the 2016-17 tax bills.
The Town received a $1.1 million grant for the mandated upgrading of the sewer plant. The Black Rock Forest Consortium received a grant to build a new road.
Based on the Town’s loss experience over the last three years, the Town’s premium for Workers Compensation went up by $105,000 from the previous year.
Items appear in the month they were reported rather than the month in which they occurred.