A long-awaited state report on the lack of water pressure when a fire raged through an adult home in Spring Valley nearly two years ago has determined that the water company isn’t to blame. Patch.com says the Public Service Commission report concludes that “multiple simultaneous withdrawals from the same main was a contributing factor” for the low water pressure. The March 2021 fire at the Evergreen Home for Adults killed a resident and Spring Valley volunteer firefighter Jared Lloyd. The report says the fire started thanks to the “reckless use of a blow torch” and hot, burning coals during a Passover ritual cleansing. Rabbis Nathaniel and Aaron Sommer face manslaughter, negligent homicide, and other charges. The report also noted decades of unresolved violations at the facility. Wayne Ballard and Raymond Canario of the Spring Valley Building Department have been charged with filing false reports about inspections at Evergreen. Their cases are still pending. In a statement, Rockland Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski said there is still much to be learned from this fire, but he is encouraged by the findings of the report.
Meanwhile, another Spring Valley facility owned by the same family that owns Evergreen is going to be shut down. The New Golden Acres Adult Home will close before the end of next month, and at the same time Evergreen will be rebuilt. The agreement comes as the state and the homes’ owners agreed not to take legal actions against each other. Justin Schwartz is the head of the Rockland Illegal Housing Task Force, and that agreement doesn’t sit well with him…
And that was the former head of Fire and Emergency Services, Gordon Wren. According to The Journal News, the closure of New Golden Acres comes after Health Department inspectors uncovered 79 violations in 21 inspections over a four-year period starting in July 2018. Residents there will reportedly be transferred to other facilities and then get the chance to come to the new facility once it’s approve by the state.