Help Wanted

             

You may already know this story… The elderly head of a large family gathers his children together. He asks his eldest daughter to bring him a bundle of sticks from the garden. He ties the sticks together and hands the bundle to each of his children in turn, asking him or her to break it. Each child tries, but no one is able to break the bundle.

The old man then unties the bundle and hands each child one stick to break. This they do easily.

The old man explains, “When you stay close together like the bundle, you will be unbreakable. When you act and work alone, you are no stronger than a single stick.” 

CUPON is like the bundle in this story. As neighbors working closely together, we’re unbreakable. In unity is strength.

Many neighbors have been asking, “What can I do to support CUPON?” Here are three ideas; choose what works for you:

1. Attend town and planning board meetings for your town/village and for neighboring towns/villages. A calendar of these events is shown here: https://cuponmahwah.org/events
   1. The number of neighbors who show up to these meetings matters—the greater our numbers, the more seriously we will be taken.
   2. Ensure your voice is heard: Add your name to the public comments sign-in sheet. Prepare a few clear, organized remarks. Share what you know and feel, so your voice is heard.

1. Offer your skills and time. CUPON is 100% volunteer-run. If you can take on any of these tasks, please email Cuponmahwah1@gmail.com

1. Report construction activity in your neighborhood that you suspect may be illegal. 

When you see any tree cutting, ground work or construction of any kind, look up the relevant building code for your town to see what’s allowable:

1. 1. Mahwah, NJ:  https://ecode360.com/MA0529/
   2. Upper Saddle River, NJ:  https://ecode360.com/UP0941
   3. Airmont, NY: https://ecode360.com/AI1857
   4. Chestnut Ridge, NY: https://chestnutridgevillage.org/zoning-laws/
   5. Spring Valley, NY:  https://ecode360.com/SP1480
   6. Ramapo, NY: https://www.ecode360.com/RA0101

Let CUPON know of anything that strikes you as being wrong. Email info@cuponmahwah.org. Include address of construction activity, date and as many details as you can. Include photos and a photo of a hand sketch of the area showing where your photos were taken.