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| May 05, 2024 |
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General News: Residents Launch NYMA Petition Drive
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| Diane Higgins is helping the petition campaign to support NYMA because she likes having the school as a neighbor and would miss things like the sound of the cadets practicing music outdoors. |
May 18, 2010
A petition drive for signatures of Cornwall residents who want to see the New York Military Academy stay open hit the streets this morning and appears to be catching on like wildfire.
The idea of a petition drive to show that residents support the school was introduced at a meeting last Saturday when two NYMA graduates asked for local support for their plan, dubbed NYMA 2.0, to revamp the curriculum and facilities of the school on Academy Avenue in Cornwall. Last month the school’s board of trustees announced that operations would be suspended after this school year and a decision to close the school permanently was at hand.
Local Support Expected to Help Fundraising Effort
The two graduates, Lana Melendez and David Fields, said that potential donors, including NYMA alumnus Donald Trump, would likely respond well to the NYMA 2.0 plan and to widespread backing of the community.
On Monday, a handful of residents who attended that meeting drew up a petition and began circulating it via email to family and friends. Some asked businesses along Main Street and in the village to display the petition prominently and by Tuesday morning, more than dozen stores had the petition at their checkout counter.
“We Need to Embrace Them as a Community”
“I’ve never seen people so charged up about any issue and its not just about putting the fire out,” said Ellen Kelly, a business owner and village residents. “We need to make NYMA more of our community, we need to embrace them as a community and I think people are seeing that.”
Organizers are trying to collect as many signatures as possible before Wednesday afternoon so they can be included in a presentation to Donald Trump, who is meeting to discuss NYMA 2.0 on Thursday. The petition also asks individual local residents to make a financial commitment to the long-term success of the military academy. The alumni have set a deadline of June 15th to raise two million dollars.
Town Endorses NYMA 20
In a special meeting on Tuesday evening, the town council adopted a resolution saying it will work with any group engaged in preserving NYMA, moved in part by the "outpouring of support for NYMA from the members of the Cornwall community and an expression of support for the continued existence of NYMA." A copy of the resolution is to be sent to Captain Watts, superintendent of NYMA.
Comments:
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Thank you Nancy! The petition "Keep NYMA and a 120 Year Old Landmark Alive" is in circulation. Please visit 2Alices, Leo's or either Town Hall to sign. If you would like to help, take a piece of paper, add the title above and get the name, phone number and email and get some signatures! All sheets must be dropped off at 2 Alices or emailed to me at [email protected] NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY, 3:00 PM. Please forward to your friends.
posted by Rachael Skigen on 05/18/10 at 3:37 PM
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Thank you Nancy! And thanks to everyone who came out today to get signatures and sign petitions. The ladies across from the middle school this afternoon were relentless in their struggle between the rain drops! As Rachel said, if this is the first you are hearing about this, it is still not too late! Make up your own copy, sign & drop @ 2 Alice;s before 3 tomorrow. Let's keep it going!
Rose Tamberino COH
posted by Rose Tamberino on 05/18/10 at 10:03 PM
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1850 signatures submitted to Mr.Trump! Fingers crossed for tomorrow's meeting. Thank you all for such great effort and support!!!
posted by Rachael Skigen on 05/19/10 at 6:40 PM
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Please go to www.nymafoundation.org for information as to how we are going to work together to save NYMA. It is under construction, but is working.
posted by Lana Melendez on 05/19/10 at 9:58 PM
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