Trustees Contemplate Compost
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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A proposal to launch a pilot program to facilitate food composting dominated the discussion at the Village Board meeting on Tuesday night January 12. Members of the Scarsdale Forum Sustainability Committee lobbied Village Managers and Trustees in December in support of a pilot program to collect food scraps from a test group of residents and transport them to a commercial composting facility. The program would be the first of its kind in Westchester.
Participants would receive two food collection bins – one for the kitchen counter and another wheeled bin that would be placed at the curb for collection. The cost of the pilot program for 100 families would be $44,500.
Currently Scarsdale's waste is transported to Peekskill where it is burned to ash.
Commenting on the proposal Mayor Mark said, "While there appears to be environmental benefits of the program, none of them apply to Scarsdale.... Our waste is burned, not dumped and there would be virtually no savings to the village from the program." He continued, "Little would seem to flow back to the village economically." He explained that the food scraps would be picked up by a village truck and transported 48 miles to the food composting facility, as opposed to 27 miles to the resource recovery facility in Peekskill, "involving additional CO2 emissions and fuel." He argued, "If there is less ash in Peekskill, that would benefit them, not us."
Projecting forward he said that if the program were expanded ten-fold, the annual cost to the village would be $445,000, enough to pave a mile of village streets. He suggested that residents take up composting on their own, and said that the Board of Trustees would consider to weigh the expense versus other needs in the upcoming budget process.
Trustee Bill Stern spoke in favor of the pilot program telling the group that a similar program at Greenacres School has reduced the amount of garbage from 18 48-gallon bags a day to just one bag a day. He said that caterers use recyclable storage containers, children eat with wood utensils and bring their food to school in reusable containers. He said, "If the program is adopted, I am sure we would find a closer recycling facility." He said," What comes from the earth should go back to the earth."
Mayor Mark commented that two thirds of the program Stern was describing at the school had nothing to do with food scraps – but pertained to recycling of packaging and the use of reusable containers.
Carl Finger said, "No one is taking issue with recycling in the schools. My daughter was a recycling ranger." He argued, "just because Scarsdale does not receive an economic benefit, that does not mean we should not do it. It has to start somewhere.... There might not be a dollar of dollar payback, but I don't want to make that a litmus test. I want to keep hearing about this and discussing it."
Ron Schulhof of Springdale Road who is a member of the Scarsdale Forum Sustainability Committee pointed out that those who compost in their yards can only compost foods such as fruits vegetables and coffee grounds. They cannot compost meat or processed foods. He currently takes his compost to Whole Foods. He said, "Food is a resource. We should conserve it and use it to make compost."
He explained that the program was about education for residents and their children. He said it's "not just about dollars and sense. To not try is a travesty. ... We are blessed to live here – and sometimes we need to take the lead on something."
In other business:
State Grant for Cayuga Pond Project: The Mayor announced that the Village has received a $1,050,000 grant from the state for use on the Cayuga Pond Project. The project is designed to alleviate flooding -- and with these funds new work will be possible. It will require consent from private property owners whom the village will contact to get permission to access their properties. The grant represents 75% of the project cost and the village will be required to fund the other 25%.
Metro North Stairway: The Metro North replacement staircase on East Parkway is now in place, but not yet ready for use. The finishing work is in process. Once the stairway is complete, the bus stop will be moved back to the top of the stairs. A ribbon cutting ceremony for the new stairway is scheduled for Wednesday January 20 at 7:45 am.
Village Election: The Village election will be held on Tuesday March 15 from 6-9 am and 12- 9 pm at Scarsdale Village Hall.
Gift to the Library: The Board of Trustees accepted a gift of $79,600 from the Friends of the Scarsdale Library to be used for renovations and improvements to the library.
Letters: The Village received 66 letters and emails since the last Village Board meeting.
-33 concerned the library, with 25 in support and 8 opposed to plans to renovate and improve the Scarsdale Library.
-26 communications in support of the food waste compost pilot program were also received.
Greenacres Mourns Two
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Residents are mourning the loss of two Greenacres residents this week. Alan S. Gordon, age 70, of Brewster Road passed away from a stroke on New Year's Day, and fifth grader Paul Jimenez of Fenimore Road died on January 5.
Gordon was a longtime resident of Greenacres where he and his wife Susan raised their two daughters. A labor attorney, he was the executive director of the American Guild of Musical Artists and represented opera singers, concert artists, ballet dancers and 
staging personnel across the country. He was instrumental in avoiding a strike at the Metropolitan Opera during the summer of 2014. A colorful figure, Gordon had a wonderful sense of humor and was well-known on the Metro North train where he commuted daily. A memorial service was held for him on Sunday January 3, 2016 at Riverside Memorial Chapel in Mount Vernon.
Paul Ulysses Jimenez, age 10, was a 5th grade student at Greenacres School. He was diagnosed with cancer in the Fall, and passed away during emergency surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital at 4:41 pm on January 5. He is survived by his parents Paul and Ioana Kreatsoulas Jimenez and his 8 year-old sister Edie and 5 year-old sister Juliette, both students at Greenacres. His father called him "my best friend" and said the family was "heartbroken and devastated" and would continue "his work to find a cure for pediatric cancer."
Greenacres Principal Sharon Hill told parents that additional psychologists, social workers, and administrators would be at the school on Wednesday "to help our students begin to cope with their grief and to process unfamiliar feelings this type of loss will raise."
Paul's funeral will be held on Saturday January 9 at 10 am a Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 10 Mill Road, New Rochelle, NY. The family will receive friends on Friday January 8 from 4-8 pm at the Coxe and Graziano Funeral Home, 767 East Boston Post Road, Mamaroneck, NY.
Donations in Paul's honor can be made to the Pediatric Oncology Team at Memorial Sloan Cancer Center for advanced research into Pediatric Sarcomas. Click here to donate.
Trustees Acted Responsibly on Monte Nido
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The following is an opinion piece from Scarsdale10583: There's no easy answer to the dilemma posed by the application of Monte Nido to purchase a home in Scarsdale's most exclusive neighborhood to open a facility for teenagers with eating disorders. On the one hand, the company is proposing to operate a commercial enterprise in an area governed by strict zoning codes that bar businesses from residential areas. Yet on the other hand, Monte Nido is serving teens with a life threatening condition and they have NYS law on their side. New York State's Padavan Law dictates that group home operators can break local code to operate "family-style" treatment homes in areas zoned for single-family houses.
Parties from both sides are passionate about their convictions and have called on the Scarsdale Board of Trustees to endorse their respective sides. In recent weeks, residents have questioned the role of the Mayor and the Village Board in the decision making process. According to New York State law, the duties of Village trustees include, "the protection of its property, the safety, health, comfort, and general welfare of its inhabitants, the protection of their property, the preservation of peace and good order, the suppression of vice, the benefit of trade, and the preservation and protection of public works."
Given their responsibilities, should the Board act to safeguard residents' property rights and use their power to block the treatment home, or do they have an ethical responsibility to welcome the facility, which will treat adolescents who may be very similar to young girls in Scarsdale? In short, is it the Board's responsibility to defend the folks that have already made a significant investment in the Village or to open doors for a company to use the Scarsdale name to draw select clients to their facility? As with most controversies, the issue is not black and white. I would contend that it is the Board's job is to weigh the rights of residents vs. the needs of Monte Nido and their patients.
When the application was filed, the Trustees cast a wide net to be sure that everyone concerned could be heard. They provided residents with a forum to find out the facts and air their views at an information session with the leadership of Monte Nido at the Scarsdale Library on November 15. This session was followed by a meeting at Village Hall on November 24. When there was not enough time for everyone to speak at the forum, Mayor Mark made an unprecedented decision to delay the regular session of the Village Board to give everyone a chance to come to the microphone.
It should be noted that the issue drew one of the largest crowd I've ever seen at Village Hall as well as petitions, emails and letters. And though some advocated for Monte Nido, the overwhelming sentiment among those who spoke was against allowing the facility to operate in the Village. Neighbors of the home feared diminution of their property values, added traffic, a strain on village services and the presence of a commercial enterprise in a residential area with it's own historic covenant. Though it was acknowledged that the Padavan Law trumps local zoning code and has rarely if ever been successfully challenged, residents lobbied the Mayor and Trustees to object and make an attempt to discourage the facility in Murray Hill. To many, the use of the Padavan Law to open a for-profit treatment center owned by a private equity firm appeared to twist the intention of the law.
Following much deliberation the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to file an objection. In a statement explaining the decision, Mayor Mark noted that the facility would likely pose no risk to the neighborhood but said, "The Heathcote area through which Morris Lane runs has been an exclusively a residential area throughout its more than 100-year existence as a developed part of the Village. Neither Monte Nido, nor any other facility similar to the one proposed, could locate in that part of the Village absent the Padavan Law."
Though it's doubtful that the Commissioner of Health will sustain the Trustee's objection to the home, in their decision to oppose Monte Nido, it appears that the trustees listened to a large group of constituents and weighed their concerns versus the desires of an outside group to challenge Village code.
To me the issue is similar to the discussion about Fair and Affordable Housing. When the Anti-Discrimination Center won a lawsuit against Westchester County in 2009, the county was charged with building 750 units of affordable housing in areas that lacked diversity and where "restrictive zoning code" blocked affordable housing. The Federal Monitor called on the County Executive to " take communities to court to stop them from blocking integration through restrictive zoning." In Scarsdale, this could mean that a 3-acre plot on Heathcote Road might be the site of a 10 or 20 unit building of affordable units.
How did the Village react to this challenge? Rather than invite the construction of multi unit housing in areas zoned for single-family homes, the trustees formulated a new comprehensive village plan that allowed for multi-unit buildings in Scarsdale's commercial districts. In addition, they adopted model code that required the inclusion of affordable house into new developments in the Village. In this way, they complied with the HUD settlement while safeguarding property rights.
But Monte Nido is a tougher nut to crack. Two weeks after the Trustees sent their objection to the Commissioner of Health, four residents appeared at the December 9 meeting of the Board of Trustees and harshly criticized their decision. They questioned the Trustees values and called the decision "selfish" and "intolerant." Jeff Blatt said, "you are elected to use your judgment," and Josh Frankel called this "Scarsdale's sorriest moment." Dr. Andrea Grant said, "The only reason left for continued opposition is prejudice and Jonathan Bradlow said it was a "vote of support for the stigmatization of mental illness," and asked the trustees to withdraw their objection.
Though these residents have every right to disagree, their comments would have been more helpful before the die was cast. They had ample opportunity to make their views known when the Trustees were assessing the views of their constituents. Furthermore, the latecomers called on the trustees to exercise moral leadership. They believed that the trustees' ethical responsibility should supersede their charge to protect the property of their constituents, which is one of the mandates of serving as a trustee under NYS law. The law is silent on the moral or ethical responsibilities of Village trustees.
On balance, I believe that the Board did carefully weigh all the factors. They received a loud message from those who live nearby the proposed facility and balanced their objections against ethical concerns and the realities of the Padavan Law. By filing the objection to the facility they responded to homeowners who have made a significant investment in Scarsdale and bear a hefty tax burden. At the same time, the Trustees surely realize that their move was more form than substance as the odds are slim that Monte Nido will be turned away.
Critics might not agree with the Board's decision to object to Monte Nido, but they should acknowledge that the Board listened, deliberated and voted to do what they determined was best for Scarsdale. In other words, they did their job.
Scarsdale received this note from the Village Attorney on December 14: In response to the Village's Notice of Objection to Monte Nido's Padavan Notice, the Office of Mental Health informed the Village that the requested hearing will be scheduled sometime after the upcoming holidays.
Note from the Village: CONSERVATION ADVISORY COUNCIL VACANCIES ANNOUNCED:
The Personnel Committee of the Village Board of Trustees has announced two (2) vacancies on the Conservation Advisory Council (CAC).
The Conservation Advisory Council's (CAC) mission is to advise the Board of Trustees on issues affecting the Village's environment and the maintenance of its natural character. In recent years the CAC has undertaken a review of the Village's tree ordinance, explored leaf collection alternatives and it is now reviewing municipal storm water strategies and policies.
The CAC's approach is to carefully research and discuss policy alternatives and to craft recommendations that attempt to respect the legitimate concerns of all stakeholders. The CAC meets once monthly for lively and often creative discussion. To insure independence of thought, it relies on diversity and is an ideal entry into Village government. If you care about your local environment and beyond, joining the CAC is one of the best ways you can help.
The CAC meets once a month to research and formulate Village policy regarding the environment, trees, landscaping, leaves and other issues. Are you interested in preserving Scarsdale's natural character? Want to positively affect the future? Apply to join the CAC.
All interested residents may apply online at the Village website, www.scarsdale.com, under "Village News, Volunteers Needed for Boards and Councils" or submit their resume directly to the attention of the Personnel Committee Chair, Trustee Carl Finger, Scarsdale Village Hall, 1001 Post Road, Scarsdale, N.Y. 10583. For further information contact the Village Clerk's office at 914-722-1175.
Zachys and the Scarsdale PBA Make Charitable Donations
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On Tuesday, December 22 at Zachys Wine and Liquor of Scarsdale and the Scarsdale Police Benevolent Association presented a total of $40,000 to two charities. Ronnie Arefieg, of the Scarsdale Police Benevolent Association, along with Don and Jeff Zacharia of Zachys Wine and Liquor, gave $20,000 to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, represented by David and Cheryl Bunzel, and $20,000 to Navigating the Spectrum (Autism Support), represented by Betty Crea-Davidson (not pictured).
Photo courtesy of Zachys. From left to right: Don Zacharia, Cheryl and David Bunzel, Jeff Zacharia, and Ronnie Arefieg.
Are We Ready for the Library of the Future?
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Ambitious plans for a major renovation to the Scarsdale Library were unveiled at an elegant party called Books, Bits and Blueprints on Thursday night December 3rd. The library never looked better – furniture in the main reading room was cleared to allow for a bar, a band and a spread of hors d'oeuvres, and a waterfall of sparkling lights was hung from the mezzanine, making the space look more like a nightclub than a study space.
On hand were hundreds of supporters, young and old including library employees, Village Trustees, school board members, bibliophiles, parents and community members. Renderings for the proposed new space were displayed, giving everyone a chance to preview what the library board and architects have envisioned for the future.
According to Library Director Elizabeth Bermel, the 
current library is heavily used and inadequately configured to meet the demands of the community. Though Scarsdale ranks 16th in population in the county, our library ranks fourth in usage. There are 300,000 annual visits and the library is "hopping" at all hours of the day, seven days a week. In order to offer a space where residents can work, meet, engage and utilize emerging technology the building needs to be transformed.
The plans, which can be viewed here, involve renovations to all the existing interior spaces and expansions around the perimeter to allow the library to be integrated with its park-like setting. Wiring and equipment for state-of-the art technology will be installed to allow users to collaborate, do research and access new media.
The entry will become a glass lobby and café where users can chat, relax and enjoy a snack or light meal. The new configuration will include several flexible meeting rooms and small group study rooms. The children's wing and children's program room will be updated and there will be a separate teen room as well. The main reading rooms will be encased in glass and surrounded by a reading gallery and deck that looks out on library pond. The current reference room will be a quiet reading room with comfortable seating. Those who work from the library will have access to a technology suite with a printer, copier, laminator and other equipment to accommodate hands-on projects.
The basement will be renovated to serve as a staff work and lunch area and there will be a room with historical archives that can be accessed by the public. The administrative offices on the second floor will be also be redone.
In addition to making the library more user-friendly, the renovation will address some structural issues:
The roof will be replaced
An elevator will be added for multi-level access from the basement to the second floor.
New ADA compliant restrooms will be built that can accommodate wheelchairs and families
There will be an updated kitchen
New windows will be installed
A powerful generator will supply heat, electricity and internet access to the building if the area loses service.
The price tag for the project is estimated at approximately $18.5 million with an additional million needed to set up a temporary library at Supply Field for the 18 months it would take to build the new library. The Library Campaign Committee is seeking to raise $7.5 million in private monies to fund a portion of the project, with the balance coming from Scarsdale Village, who will post a bond to finance their share. There is a precedent for a public private partnership from the construction of the original library.
At a meeting at the library with leaders of Scarsdale's neighborhood associations, (SNAP) on Monday December 7, Library Board President Terri Simon and Mayor Jon Mark revealed more about how the project might be financed.
Simon said the Campaign Committee is now soliciting major gifts to kick off the campaign. They hope to soon raise enough to pay the architects to do complete design and construction drawings that can be sent out for bids.
Mayor Mark said he was enthusiastic about the plans and that the other Village Trustees have expressed varying degrees of support for the project. He called the public portion of the financing, $12 million, "a big nut" and offered some back-of-the-envelope estimates of what the financing would mean to taxpayers. He estimated that if the Village posted a bond for $12 million at an interest rate of 2.75%, annual payments on the debt would be $985,000 a year. If this amount were divided by approximately 5,900 households, on average each household would pay $167 per year for 15 years.
Mark said that this expense needs to be balanced 
against other demands on the Village budget including funding for major sewer line renovations and road repairs. He asked the community to let the trustees know their views by sending an email to clerk@scarsdale.com or attending a meeting of the Board of Trustees and speaking at the public comments session.
At the SNAP meeting, audience members posed questions, including:
What will happen if the Library Campaign Committee is not able to raise the full $7.5 million? Mark said that either the Village would fund the balance or ask the Library Board to scale back their plans.
Have the architects supplied an estimate on constructing a new library, rather than renovating the existing structure? Simon said that community sentiment supported saving the library and conserving the stone portions of the exterior so this option was not explored.
Is it necessary to open the temporary library during the construction? Could Scarsdalians simply use neighboring libraries? Bermel said that the state mandates that the Village maintain a library or pay neighboring libraries hefty fees to service Scarsdale residents. Simon added that the renovations to the Supply Field building would be permanent and would improve the facility for the future.
Have the architects provided an estimate for the structural improvements without the renovation – i.e. a bid to repair the roof, build ADA compliant restrooms, repair the windows? Simon said that since the existing structure can't accommodate some of these changes all the pieces fit together for a complete renovation.
What do you think? Express your views in the comments section below.
All photos by Paula Whittlin
