Greenacres Neighborhood Association Relays Concerns about Hurricane Sandy to the BOT
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Here is a letter from the Greenacres Neighborhood Association that was sent to the Village Board of Trustees and will be mailed to Greenacres residents. The letter was sent to Scarsdale10583 by Greenacres Neighborhood Association President Kathy Steves who invites you to email her with your concerns at steves10583@gmail.com.
On November 12, 2012, the Board met with Trustees Jon Mark and Bob Steves in order to better understand the current state of the Village and to express the concerns of residents over issues related to storm Sandy. One of the main issues raised was the status of the Village’s disaster preparedness plan, both prior to and after the storm. Mr. Mark indicated the Mayor and Trustees were just starting to review the details of actions by Village staff and vendors who supported backup systems, and nothing definitive could be reported at this time. In addition:
• Responsiveness from Con Ed and its deployment of crews to restore power was deemed extremely deficient.
• Communications between the Village and residents was also acknowledged by the Trustees to be below reasonable expectations.
• Robo calls from the Mayor were helpful, but a bit late in the process.
• Though not formally organized by the Village, Halloween is a major community event and the Village should have communicated some policy about trick or treating prior to and during the crisis since public safety was an issue.
Mr. Mark added some additional items that will now move off the back burner for more immediate consideration:
• Liberalizing and amending the Village code governing the installation of home generators.
• An assessment of town trees in the Village’s right of way that could once again cause damage to utility lines, and an examination of the code governing removal of trees on private property that could potentially harm neighbors as well as impact utility lines during another storm.
• Concern for the elderly or disabled during such a crisis was also expressed, and a plan to better identify those who may need extra assistance will be developed.
There will be additional public forums for residents to express their concerns, according to Trustees Mark and Steves. Our collective goal is to avoid, as much as possible, a repeat of the events that occurred before, during and after the storm. Based on the meeting we had with the Trustees, we feel that elected and appointed Village staff share our concerns and will develop and orchestrate an action plan designed to better anticipate and address the issues that occurred over the past several weeks. We will ask Village staff to share their action plan with the Association once it is formulated.
We encourage those who have not signed up for the Village’s Emergency Notification system to do so through the Village’s website, www.scarsdale.com . You can enter home phone numbers and additional numbers, such as your cell number, work number, or email address to ensure that there are multiple ways that you can be notified. During Sandy and her aftermath, many residents lacked home phone service from Verizon and Cablevision, but might have been reached with status updates via cell phone or email.
The Greenacres Association encourages residents to contact either Kathy Steves at 472-0611 (steves10583@gmail.com) or Barry Meiselman at 723-5807 (barwest2@aol.com) to express your thoughts and to contribute to this ongoing dialogue.
Rant and Rave
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We have received good news from some that your lights are back on – but for others, the expected restoration date from Con Edison has been delayed until Sunday. The situation has lead to a wealth of interesting comments from our readers and here are a just a few. Read these and then post your own. Feel free to rant and rave – maybe it will make you feel better:
From a Greenacres Resident: Has Con Edison run out of utility poles? Just driving around today and noticed progress on Brewster at Brewster and Kingston. Trees were removed yesterday and now poles have been delivered. They are waiting now to put the poles in (hopefully this afternoon, but not definite) and then get the transformers, wiring, etc. done hopefully by tomorrow. So there is progress but the job is far from complete. But it is a start.
In talking with the two fine gentlemen working down there I learned several things, some of which were a little disconcerting. The two gentlemen were from North Carolina and were excited about being able to help out - that was nice. However, the poles were Verizon poles as Con Edison seems to have run out of poles...I hope they have enough wiring and transformers to finish the job.
But the most disconcerting thing I heard (rumor obviously) is that a large number (in the hundreds) of electrical workers came up from Louisiana, Alabama, North Carolina, etc but were told they could not work up here because they were non-union??? If that is true, that is totally unacceptable and I can't wait to hear the Con Ed union answer to that.
From former Mayor Carolyn Stevens: (who also has no power!) First, I want folks to know how hard our staff is working. The guys from the Department of Public Works cleared the snow last night and then picked up trash this morning and were back removing tree limbs and such .... I hope everyone appreciates how hard they are working.
On the issue of Con Ed … the problem is money and their bottom line. What Con Ed failed to this time was properly stage equipment and out of state crews just outside of the storm path for a quick response. They can't claim surprise like they did in March of 2010.... This storm was known and the scope was known...Con Ed should have mutual aid crews rolling before the storm ever hit...Westchester should not have had to wait 4 days for out of state crews to show up. The only reason to not have done it would because they didn't want to spend the money staging the crews and putting them up while waiting for the storm to pass.
Frustrated: Scarsdale – Con Ed has kept us in the dark, both literally and figuratively for way too long. Con Ed doesn't allow the people with information to communicate to their customers. The Con Ed people who can talk to customers have NO information. How is that acceptable? We need to make sure they are held accountable and hold our local politicians accountable. If they cannot successfully advocate for us, what good are they?
Have something to say? Send it along in the comments section below:
Sandy Slams Scardsale
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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At last report 80 trees have fallen on power lines in Scarsdale Village in the fiercest storm to hit the east coast in a lifetime. No official update is available from the Village but from a quick tour around town it was evident that damage was extensive and many major roads are blocked. Stunned residents were gathered in the streets surveying toppled and uprooted trees, crushed cars and devastation. While some felt fortunate that the howling winds, flying branches and trees had not severely damaged their homes other were not so lucky. Trees hit roofs, garages, and cars and it will take months to tally up the damage.
Scarsdale Village’s new communication system, Lightpath went down during the storm and severely compromised the ability of the police and firefighters to respond to resident’s calls. To compensate, the Village hooked up some old equipment. They still can receive 911 calls.
We checked the Con Edison outage map and see that thousands are without power in Scarsdale. Con Edison has not given any
estimate when restoration work will begin here. Crews will need to come to the area to deactivate the wires before Scarsdale’s Highway Department can remove trees from the wires and allow Con Edison and Verizon to make repairs. Given the extent of the damage in Westchester and throughout the area it is doubtful that they will arrive anytime soon.
In the meantime, here’s some information that may be helpful:
- The Bagel Store in Hartsdale is open
- Members of the Scarsdale Golf Club can use the club to take showers and access the internet
- Peppy’s Pizza in Yonkers is open
- Yoga Station in Hartsdale is open for Hatha at 6:15 tonight and invites you to come to class and charge your phone
- Westchester Reform Temple is open and asked that we relay the following message to their membership: If you need help because of a power failure or any damage to your home, email Yoel at yoel.magid@wrtemple.org. If your house is okay and you can host someone without electricity or whose home has been damaged, please let Yoel know as well.
Scarsdale10583 readers continue to send us photos of the storm and here they are for you. Please continue to check the site for updates and email us at scarsdalecomments@gmail.com with news, photos and information to share.
Scarsdale's In Crisis: Who's in Charge?
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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It’s now been four days since Scarsdale was hit by Sandy – and the truth is many of us were walloped. First there was the anticipation and preparation for the storm that began before the weekend. Then the wind roared into town and scared many of us silly. I know I spent the night running to and from the window – trying to look outside to see the action and then skittering away from the glass for fear I’d be speared by a flying tree. Monday night thousands lost their heat and light and nothing has been normal since. We’re cold, we’re displaced and we’re discombobulated.
Our normal routines are gone and plans are out the window. Everywhere we turn there are obstacles – broken trees, downed wires, yellow tape, gas lines, traffic, closures and cancellations.
And since many in the New York area are in far more dire straits than we are, power crews have been deployed to help the worst off first. No one has even provided an estimate of when repairmen will come to town. I sent a note to our local Con Edison representative hoping to get a timetable and received nothing back. Perhaps their communications system is out as well?
The silence from our local government is also deafening. I asked the Mayor for a comment on the storm and what residents could expect and days
later I received a terse reply that reiterated a few sentences from an email from the Village Manager. There was no mention of support for those who are cold, blocked in by wires and trees or without transportation. Additional emails to the Village from the neighborhood association about rescheduling Halloween trick or treating were also left unanswered.
Fortunately the generosity of Scarsdale residents is evident everywhere. Some have welcomed chilly neighbors to stay at their homes. Others are hosting dinner parties for friends and offering use of their showers and washing machines. Synagogues and the JCC have sent invitations to the community to stop by to warm up and use power outlets.
However, with 4,200 people without heat and temperatures dropping into the 30’s this weekend, more needs to be done. The Village needs to be more transparent and demonstrate some concern for the welfare of the residents:
- If anyone from the Village is meeting with Con Edison to advocate for Scarsdale let us know. Only scant details have been forwarded about prioritization of resources. If we are not going to have the heat back on for another ten days, advise residents to make whatever arrangements they can to leave home before the temperature dips below freezing, as is forecasted for Sunday.
- When progress is made, share that as well. A Scarsdale10583 reader just posted a comment on the site saying he saw four trucks on Weaver Street last night and Weaver is now open. Can the Village let us know as streets are reopened?
- A presidential election is to be held this coming Tuesday and many are wondering how we will vote. I tried to reach Village Hall today to find out what plans were being made, but with no phones and no email I found out nothing.
- And last, where is the love? The Village should make some gesture to show compassion. Hand out hot chocolate in the Village, offer a free hot meal, send vans to transport the elderly to the market or utilize Village-owned property to shelter those in need. These are just a few ideas of what could be done to ease the pain.
We’re facing perhaps the biggest crisis in the history of Scarsdale and it’s not clear who, if anyone, is leading the way.
Photos by Sarah Schuman
We're Braced for the Storm ... Now Where Is It?
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So far there’s no sign of Sandy, at least in Scarsdale that is. It’s Monday morning and the refrigerator is stocked, the cars are gassed up and we’ve got extra water and extra cash. We’ve charged our phones, our laptops and bought batteries for flashlights. Candles and matches are handy and for those lucky enough to have a generator, it’s ready to go. Schools have been cancelled and the rumble of Metro North on the tracks has been silenced. Even the Bronx River Parkway has been closed in anticipation of rain. An evening visit from Yale’s tech innovation expert Tony Wagner to Scarsdale High School has been cancelled along with all classes at the Scarsdale Adult School. The Scarsdale Library, often a refuge for those without heat or power, is also closed today.
What’s open? We received a note from Char Daigle of the Yoga Station in Hartsdale to say that Vinyassa is on from 9:15-10:45am as well as the Donation-Based Hatha Yoga Class from 11:00 am-12:30 pm. Hungry? Gristedes at the Gold Horseshoe is open! If anything else is open around town, please let us know and we’ll post it. (email us at scarsdalecomments@gmail.com)
What to do today? Start cooking the food in your refrigerator or freezer that could go bad if we lose power. Eat the ice cream before it melts. Run your dishwasher and your washing machine while you can. Consider turning your heat up a few degrees to warm up the house in case your heat goes off later. Admire the beautiful fall leaves before they fall. Make some bets with your friends. Will Scarsdale’s new storm water retention basins at George Field and Cooper Green prevent flooding in the area? Will Sandy become a storm of the century or just the cause of another “slow” day in Scarsdale?
Most important, keep us posted on what’s happening. Send storm thoughts, photos and updates to scarsdalecomments@gmail.com throughout the days and nights and share them with the community.
