Homeowner's Delight
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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We have lived in our 1914 Arts and Crafts style home in Greenacres for over 20 years. And though the house is almost 100 years old, for the most part it has held up very well. Yes, when we moved in we quickly realized that our ancient furnace could only put out enough hot water for one shower. So when we recovered from the shock of the closing costs we put in a separate hot water heater. There have been other bumps along the way – a White Pine tree fell on the house, a leaky kitchen ceiling – but these were things that could be cleared up with a little angst and a few phone calls.
That was then, and now is now – and it appears that our luck has finally run out. The sad story began in October when temperatures dipped and my husband decided to turn on the oil burner. Little did he know that there was sludge in the line, the safety switch was broken and voila, … our oil burner was saturated with oil. First it smoked and then it really burned. Not realizing the seriousness of the situation, we tried to turn it off and headed out to dinner. By the time we got home, we had to call the fire department. Smoke billowed out of the burner and rose from the basement to the third floor. Five trucks arrived, we grabbed our valuables and stood shivering outside, wondering why we had never bothered to change the batteries in our smoke alarms.
Now what? After the smoke cleared we learned that the burner was kaput. The trusty steel box had to go. We thought it might be good to convert to gas, but with a full tank of oil underground, worth $2,400, we were reluctant to waste the oil. After much deliberation and conferring with the insurance company and several contractors, we decided to eat the cost of the oil and move forward with the conversion to gas.
However we didn’t realize that Con Edison could take months to approve the new service. While we huddled next to our electric heaters, days turned into weeks and we waited and waited. And who knew that a freak October snowstorm would intervene and knock out the power. Now we were without heat, without power and without a solution to our problem.
We moved in with gracious friends awaiting the return of the power as the temperature in the house fell to 46 degrees. Strangely, throughout the entire crisis, there was still hot water in our trusty hot water heater – so chilly days of despair could be cured with a warm bath.
Finally, after emails and phone calls, Con Ed gave us the go ahead and a new heating system was installed that warmed a good part of the house. Cleaning crews swarmed the house to scrub away the soot left by the smoky burner, scouring every item we owned, including the walls and the ceilings. The upholstery was steamed and all the rugs in the house was taken out for cleaning. But that wasn’t the end. It turned out that we needed a new hot water system as well – as we had been using the same water that heated the house for cooking and bathing for years without knowing it!
So now, though we do have heat in most of the house, we are still waiting for hot water. The 1,000-gallon oil tank needs to be dug out of the front lawn and we pray the excavators won’t find an oil leak.
Though I liken the situation to the plagues …. Oil, Fire, Cold Showers, Darkness, etc. my aunt would call these “uptown” problems. And she is right. We still do own a beautiful house – and maybe one day all systems will be go. This humbling experience has made me realize how lucky we are to have a home, especially one in Scarsdale. … plus the resources to correct our myriad problems.
LWVS News: CNC Election Review, Roundabout Study and Strauss is Honored:
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Procedure Committee Chair Michelle Lichtenberg and Vice Chair David Brodsky will discuss the recent Scarsdale Citizens Nominating Committee and the amendments to the Non-Partisan Resolution at a meeting to be held by the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale on Monday, December 5th at 10:15am at Village Hall. The nonpartisan Citizens Nominating Committee (CNC) selects candidates for the Scarsdale Board of Trustees and Mayor. Members of the community are welcome to attend the presentation Following the presentation, League members will seek consensus on recommendations to the Procedure Committee. Members of the community are welcome to attend the presentation. For more information, contact Sara Werder at (914) 472-6264.
LWV Honors Barbara Strauss: Scarsdale's Barbara Strauss was recently honored for her 50 years of membership in the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale. Ms. Strauss has greatly enjoyed her participation in the League and finds its mission of educating residents and studying issues to be very valuable. Scarsdale League President Marylou Green remarked, “For Barbara to remain involved in the League for 50 years is extraordinary. The League owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to our long-time members.” Ms. Strauss served as the President of the League of Women Voters of Westchester from 1981 to 1983. Her sister Eileen Innes originally recruited her to join the Scarsdale League. For many years, Ms. Strauss’ main focus was the League’s annual review of the budget of the Village of Scarsdale. She is currently a member of the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee, which reviews the Westchester County budget.
Roundabout Statement: In other League news, the Scarsdale League recently issued their consensus statement regarding the construction of a 5-legged roundabout at the Heathcote Five Corners.
In their statement they find that the benefits of a new roundabout outweigh the challenges of the construction, finding that a roundabout would have the following potential benefits:
- Shorter queuing, leading to a reduction of gas emissions
- Improved intersection capacity during all times of the day
- Reduced traffic speed in intersection and approaches
- Improved NYSDOT LOS grade
- Reduction in number and severity of accidents
- Provision for emergency vehicle access
- Improved pedestrian safety by incorporating safer crossings
- Potential increased business for local merchants as a result of increased pedestrian traffic
- Aesthetic improvements
However, they also noted the following concerns:
The proposed 105-foot diameter of the roundabout is 10% smaller than the smallest roundabout studied by Creighton Manning in Phase 1.
- The location of entrance and exit points are challenging due to the proximity of some of the legs. The roundabout must be designed with great care in order to attain the desired safety and traffic improvement benefits.
- The Village must dedicate appropriate resources to provide significant and plentiful public education regarding the traffic rules applicable to driving on the roundabout prior to, during and after its construction.
- Residents and businesses located in this area will be disrupted during construction. The League urges that they be inconvenienced as little as possible during the construction phase.
To read the entire statement, go to: http://www.lwvs.org/consensusstatements.htm
Pictured at top: Scarsdale League of Women Voters President Marylou Green with honoree Barbara Strauss
SBNC Joint Committee Proposes Changes to the Non-Partisan Resolution
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The Joint Committee of the Scarsdale School Board Nominating Committee is proposing amendments to its non-partisan resolution to improve the election process. Each year, the Joint Committee convenes to consider whether to make changes to its Resolution after the SBNC election. This year’s amendments are substantial.
All Scarsdale residents are invited to a public meeting to discuss these changes on Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at 8:00 pm in the Boynton Room of The Scarsdale Congregational Church (1 Heathcote Rd). SBNC candidates are also encouraged to attend this meeting to learn more about how the SBNC works.
After receiving public comment on the changes to the Resolution, the Joint Committee will finalize the language for its proposed amendments by December 15, 2011. The election to vote on the amendments, and to vote in this year’s SBNC members, will be on Tuesday, January 17, 2012 in the Scarsdale Middle School auditorium lobby from 7:00am-10:00am and from 2:00pm to 9:00pm.
Copies of the proposed amendments are available on the SBNC website at: http://scarsdalesbnc.com/press/ . Hard copies are also available at the Reference Desk of the Scarsdale Library and in the brochure racks in the lobby of Village Hall. Here is a summary:
- Candidate petitions shall now contain a statement certified by the prospective candidate that neither they nor anyone working on behalf of their campaign will assist in the completion or handle a mail-in ballot other than their own.
- Morning voting hours shall be extended for an additional 30 minutes, concluding at 10:00 AM rather than 9:30 AM.
- Procedures for utilizing mail-in ballots are being clarified to prevent potential confusion in tabulating election results and abuse of the mail-in ballot process, as follows:
- A voter using a mail-in ballot will be required to sign their name on the seal of the envelope and print their name and address on the outside of envelope.
- The mail-in ballot will contain a statement saying that by signing the seal of the mail-in ballot envelope (see above), the voter is certifying that they are eligible to vote and have not and will not vote in the election except by this mail-in ballot.
- Mail-in ballots submitted other than in accordance with the new procedures will be invalid and shall not be counted.
- No person other than a member of a voter’s own household may be permitted to have contact with a voter’s mail-in ballot prior to mailing.
- The Administrative Committee shall compare the names of voters submitting mail-in ballots to those voting in person to ensure that such persons do not vote more than once.
- Envelopes containing properly completed mail-in ballots shall be discarded prior to tabulation of election results to improve voter privacy.
- Procedures for filling vacancies occurring on the SBNC before the petition deadline for the next SNBC election are being clarified. Vacancies shall be filled for the balance of any unexpired term by the person(s) who receives the next highest number of votes in an SBNC election after those who were elected to fill the first two positions. If there is no such person(s), the position(s) shall remain vacant until the next election.
- The Chair of the Administrative Committee shall be elected by a majority of the then-serving members of the Joint Committee if neither the Chair of the Administrative Committee or the outgoing Vice Chair of the Administrative Committee are available.
- One of the criteria for a qualified voter is being clarified to insert the words “United States” in front of the word “citizen”.
Pictured Above: Jyoti Ruta -Chair of the SBNC, Michael Pollack and Nan Berke, Co-chairs of the Administrative Committee of the SBNC.
Guess How Much You Pay in Westchester County Taxes?
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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Though Scarsdale residents usually focus on their school and village tax bills, it’s a little known fact that 17.9% of your property tax bill goes to Westchester County, just a little bit more than the 17.6% you pay to the Village of Scarsdale. To get an idea of the numbers, consider this: a Scarsdale homeowner with a local tax bill of $25,000 is currently paying Westchester County about $4,475 per year.
From your payment to Scarsdale Village Hall you receive essential services such as police, fire and sanitation services as well as the use of the library and recreational facilities like the pool and tennis courts.
But what do you get from the county? At a meeting of the Westchester County League of Women Voters at the Scarsdale Library on Monday, November 28, County Budget Director Larry Soule presented an analysis of the staggering $1.8 billion Westchester County budget and there was precious little in store for Scarsdale.
Strapped with mandated pension costs and rising expenses, the county has been forced to eliminate many of
Though County Executive Rob Astorino made a valiant effort to get concessions from the CSEA (Civil Service Employees Association) who represent many county workers, the union leadership refused to negotiate. Currently the average county worker earns $71,324 in salary and makes no contribution to their healthcare costs. Astorino reports that the generous packages for county workers include health, dental and vision care with no employee co-pay, bringing the average cost for a county employee to $110,000 (including pension contributions). Astorino says that on average, these workers are better paid than other public or private workers in Westchester. Unable to negotiate with the union, Astorino was forced to cut 7.5% of the county workforce in the 2012-13 budget, reducing their number to 4,500.
For those not familiar with the work of the county here is where your dollars go. The county manages public assistance programs including Medicaid, provides healthcare, daycare, and special needs programs and employs safety and emergency workers, police and firefighters. It runs a large prison, the court and maintain parks and roads. The county also runs Westchester Community College and subsidize the Bee-Line bus system which is essential transportation for those who do not own cars.
Due to the budget shortfalls, the county was forced to cut funding for virtually all of the programs that benefit Scarsdale residents.
Several years ago Scarsdale received a grant from the county to assist with the flood mitigation project currently planned for George Field Park and Fox Meadow. However, there are no new funds for flooding in the 2012-2013 county budget –and therefore there is no county funding available to help solve the flooding of the Sheldrake River Basin in Heathcote.
Village Manager Al Gatta was hopeful that the county would allocate funds to assist municipalities with conducting a tax revaluation which is planned for Scarsdale. Yet in the proposed budget, the county has allocated nothing for revaluation, leaving Scarsdale on its own to foot the $1.75 million bill to conduct the reval.
Bicycle Sundays on the Bronx River Parkway had to be chopped from the budget as well, which will surely disappoint many riders. However, the county is looking for a corporate sponsor to fund Bicycle Sundays and hopefully someone will step up by the spring.
The County is charged with maintaining the Bronx River Parkway and the Bronx River Reservation that surrounds it. In better days they constructed a beautiful path and bridges bordering the river. But now that funds are short they have fired hundreds of employees and the area has been neglected. The storm sewers along the Bronx River are in need of maintenance and repair and the river and parkway often flood with raw sewage backing up onto the paths.
Westchester County formerly funded the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Valhalla that provides educational programs on horticulture, gardening and nutrition to name a few. For the coming year, the County’s $990,000 funding for the Cornell Cooperative has been slashed from the budget.
As the more fortunate residents of Westchester, some would argue that it is Scarsdale’s duty to pay more than our fair share to defray the costs for those in need -- and to provide funding to support Westchester’s infrastructure. But at a time when our own village is considering limiting garbage pick-up to once per week and letting leaves mulch to save money, it’s frustrating to pay the tab from the county and get so little in return.
Hopefully next year the county can lobby Albany to reduce pension and Medicaid costs. In addition, they should look for ways to consolidate departments and work with local municipalities to alleviate duplication of services. But in the short term, there’s not a whole lot to be done but write your check.
Pictured at top: Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino
Partisan Politics and U.S. Foreign Policy at the Scarsdale Forum
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The Scarsdale Forum cordially invites the public to its second Sunday Speaker Series program of the 2011-12 season on December 11th at the Scarsdale Woman’s Club, 37 Drake Road at 3 P.M. Kenneth I. Juster will discuss “The Impact of Partisan Politics on U.S. Foreign Policy: What has changed and Why.” Juster has over 30 years of experience in law, business, finance, and government. Currently a partner and managing director at the global private equity firm Warburg Pincus, Juster spent many years in public service. As the United States Under Secretary of Commerce from 2001-2005, he was in charge of the Bureau of Industry and Security which oversaw issues at the intersection of business and national security. From 1992-1993, Juster was Acting Counselor of the United States Department of State. He served as Deputy and Senior Adviser to Deputy Secretary of State Lawrence S. Eagleburger from 1989-1992. Juster was one of the key American government officials involved in establishing and managing U.S. assistance programs to Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. He was also involved in policy matters relating to China, Japan, Latin America, Israel, and the Persian Gulf. A graduate of Scarsdale High School, Juster was a recipient of its Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007.
Refreshments will be served where the audience will have an opportunity to meet Juster following his talk. All are welcome.
The Sunday Speaker Series programs are open to the public, free of charge and are underwritten in part by a generous grant from the Irving J. Sloan Education Fund, made possible by the Liz Claiborne-Arthur Ortenberg Foundation.
For more information, visit (www.ScarsdaleForum.com), call (914-723-2829) or e-mail (office@scarsdaleforum.com).
