Gedney Farms Residents Object to French American School at Ridgeway
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When the French American School purchased 128 acres in White Plains to consolidate their campuses, some thought it was a win for the school and the community as it would allow the preservation of much of the open space that was once the golf course at Ridgeway Country Club. However, residents of neighboring Gedney Farms see it another way and are lobbying to prevent the school from making Ridgeway their new home.
Terrence Guerriere, a real estate attorney and President of the Gedney Farms Association spoke on WVOX on Monday September 19, to air his concerns. According to Guerriere, Gedney Farms currently houses 1,400 residents who have enjoyed living in relative quiet around the golf course. Residents feel that the influx of 1,200 students, teachers, and administrators would change the character of their peaceful neighborhood. Furthermore, the former country club paid about $300,000 in property taxes to White Plains, and a tax-exempt school would cause White Plains residents to bear an even larger tax burden. The school would require infrastructure changes to sewers and roads and could increase the risk of flooding as much of the property is located on wetlands. In addition, Guerriere contends the school would necessitate an increase in services for sanitation, police and firemen.
The French American School submitted plans for a $60 million four building complex to the city of White Plains in May. If approved, it would allow them to move students from nursery to 12th grade to one campus. Currently the school is housed at three separate locations in Larchmont, Mamaroneck and Scarsdale. A rendering of the proposed project is shown above.
According to the school, “plans for the property would preserve over 60 acres of the site as permanent and publicly accessible open space; restore and enhance the natural conditions of the site; and improve the existing stormwater and drainage conditions of the property. Less than five percent of the site will be covered by impervious surfaces.” However skeptical neighbors wonder who will bear the cost to maintain the 60 acres of open space and wetlands.
If not a school, what would Guerriere prefer to see on the site? “A golf course,” he replied. He claims that the White Plains Comprehensive Plan said that the best use of the property is a golf course, and if not, there should be singl- family homes. According to Guerriere, the area is zoned for ¾ acre lots and since much of the property is wetlands only 30 homes could be built on the 128 acres.
For now, the White Plains Common Council has imposed a moratorium on the development of open space and plans to extend it beyond the October 3rd expiration date. The extension would give the city more time to study land-use laws for four golf courses, the Hutchinson River Parkway Reservation and the Mamaroneck River East Branch.
The French American School is being represented by Attorney Michael Zarin, who represented Frederick Fish, the developer of the Tavern building at the Heathcote Five Corners in Scarsdale. Terrence Guerriere is currently running for a seat on the White Plains Community Council.
In the meantime, the Council did vote to move forward with an environmental review of the French American School’s proposed project.
Edgemont Homecoming Success
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After a great start of school for all of Edgemont, the EHS varsity teams proved their prowess on the athletic fields by winning all but one of their homecoming games last week. It was a great week for Edgemont athletics. Here are the results:
- Tuesday - Field Hockey vs. Ursuline: Score 3 to 1
- Wednesday - Volleyball vs. Tuckahoe: Score 3 to 0
- Thursday - Girls' Soccer vs. Mamaroneck: Score 2 to 1
- Friday- Football vs. Ardsley: Score 28 to 20
- Saturday- Boys' Soccer vs. New Rochelle: Score 0 to 1
The enthusiasm was high at Friday night's football game. Check out this cool video clip of Edgemont fans cheering a superb 50 yard defensive Edgemont touchdown!!! http://www.msgvarsity.com/westchester/edgemont-knocks-off-ardsley-1.658824
On Friday night October 14th the E Club will hold their second annual "Family Mini Golf Nite" at the Fairview Golf Center, Elmsford. The event will run from 5:50 to 9 pm and all proceeds benefit Edgemont Athletics. The cost is: $75 for family of 4, $10 for each additional person; $20 for singles. The fee covers unlimited golf and dinner. Contact Club President Mindy Brown at db20wood@gmail.com for more information.
Also on the calendar, parents at the elementary schools are invited to their children's grade coffee nights where they can meet their child's teacher and hear about the upcoming school year. Parent should check the Blue Book for the exact dates of their child's coffee night. On Thursday at the junior/senior high school, parents will attend "Back to School Night," when they actually follow an abbreviated version of their child's school schedule and get a true appreciation of what their child's day is like. Instead of switching periods every 44 minutes though, parents switch every 15 minutes. Student volunteers are always stationed around campus to help the inevitably lost parents find their classrooms. The evening commences at 7 pm in the school cafeteria with a reception hosted by the PTSA for all parents and staff members.
Teen Center Back to School Event at Chase Park
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Scarsdale Teen Center Back to School kick off event held Sept. 9th in Chase Park featuring a Mobile Video Game Trailer, Laser Tag, a Dunk Tank, and Music by Lee Kalt. Following the event, the kids went back to the Teen Center to continue the fun. Photo credit: Eugenia Valliades
Water Water Everywhere
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At least 100 people turned out on Wednesday night for a meeting that was supposed to be about the Fox Meadow Stormwater Improvement Project but drew angry Heathcote residents, frustrated with flooding at Cayuga, Canterbury, Catherine and Seneca Roads. Before they could speak, the audience heard a presentation from Dvirka and Bartilucci about the Fox Meadow Stormwater Detention Project which is already planned to alleviate flooding from George Field to the high school.
Half of the funding for this $3.1 million project will be funded with a grant from Westchester County. About 80% of the planning is complete and it is expected to go out for bid in December, 2011.
Rob Digiorgio of Dvirka and Bartilucci presented the elaborate plan which includes the use of large dry retention basins and rain gardens to control the water flow. Along the route from George Field to the high school, catch basins will be added, silt will be removed and the Village may even purchase a plot of land on Murray Hill Road to build an additional detention pond.
The area around George Field Park will become one of the largest wetlands areas in Westchester County. Wetlands will be
rehabilitated, invasive plants will be removed and replaced with native wetland plants. In total the area will include 40,000 square feet of wetlands featuring a dry pond that can hold seven acres of water at a depth of one to three feet. This dry pond or rain garden will retain water in storms and flash floods and drain within 48 – 72 hours after a rainfall by releasing water down stream in a controlled fashion. A walkway traversing the field will be built through the wetlands. A grassy swale will be constructed along Greendale Road to direct the flow into the pond.
As the watercourse continues it will flow down via backyards on Cambridge Road, an area that has been prone to chronic flooding. Here, with the cooperation of 8-10 residents who live along Cambridge, the pipe will be cleaned, and catch basins and positive drains will be installed.
From there the water flows to Cooper Green on the Post Road across the street from the Scarsdale Police Station. At Cooper Green, a 2,900 square foot detention pond and rain garden will be built, bordered by a pervious walking path.
The watercourse then proceeds into an open channel that travels along the Post Road from Fenimore Road to Murray Hill, where there is a confluence of water. Again with the cooperation of the homeowner, vegetation and silt will be cleared from that watercourse. The Village is considering purchasing land at the corner of Murray Hill and Post to retain water, but this is not part of this project.
Ultimately, the water flows from Murray Hill, to Harcourt Woods, emptying into the stream at Scarsdale High School, another trouble spot. In order to alleviate flooding of the gravel lot at the school, engineers plan to use the soil removed from George Field Park to raise the height of the high school parking lot by two inches. Moving this soil, rather than disposing of it will save the Village $300,000.
Engineers project that this work will reduce peak flows at George Field by 70% and peak flows at Cooper Green by 58%. Downstream, Murray Hill will benefit from delayed water flows. Plans call for the planting of 60-80 trees, 500 shrubs and 2,500 perennials.
The benefits of the project are as follows:
- Reduces flooding in sustained events and flash storms
- Eliminates invasive species and deteriorated trees and vegetation
- Introduces constructed wetlands to George Field Park and a rain garden to Cooper Green
- Improves water quality
Bidding is scheduled for December 2011, with contracts awarded in February, 2012. The Village expects work to begin in March or April 2012 and be completed by December, 2012.
Greenacres residents who live in the flood plane have been waiting years for this project to come to fruition. They were active in the Greenacres Association and brought their concerns directly to Village hall, when flooding of the watercourse spilled onto Windmill Circle, Greendale Road, George Field and then downstream to Cambridge Road where resident’s homes were deluged. Even though the project will not be completed for another year and a half, some expressed their gratitude while others still had questions.
Warren Breakstone of Cambridge Road joked, “I always wanted a house on the water!” He asked if the work on Cambridge Road could start earlier and cautioned that even with the new system regular maintenance will need to be done.
A Greendale Road resident told Trustees that during rainfalls raw sewage backs up onto her property, Greendale Road and George Field. She asked how this project could correct the sewage problem, saying it wasn’t safe for children or animals to walk through it. She said, “I feel like I live in a third world country.”
Steve Salzinger of Greendale Road told the trustees that he has a duck pond in front of his house when it rains and that his neighbor’s car was totaled when water climbed halfway up their garage. He wanted assurance that this project would not raise the water level on his lawn.
He also noted that a large detention basin that was built to accommodate water runoff from the new homes at Windmill Acres is always empty. In fact, he said, the water runs around it. Why was this basin dry when there was so much flooding below?
Completing the conversation Trustee Steves said, “though this will not solve everything,” he would meet with his colleagues and recommend they move forward.
After almost two hours, the conversation turned to flooding of the Sheldrake watershed and the consultant presented several slides showing a 2009 analysis of the area. The area was broken down into five basins including Garden, Cushman and Sheldrake Roads, Fenway Golf Course, Cayuga Pond and three ponds behind Murray Hill Road. The watershed ends by the Scarsdale Medical Group. Piping runs through residential areas and Seneca, Cayuga and Catherine Roads have been designated as FEMA flood zones.
The engineer suggested three projects to alleviate flooding including:
- Improve culverts on Sheldrake, Cushman and Garden Roads and increase pond capacity at Fenway
- At Murray Hill, de-silt three ponds at Fenway Golf Club, clean the watercourse to Cayuga Pond and add timed control release mechanisms
- In the Cayuga Pond area he recommended improvements to water flow, cleaning open channels, de-silting and the elimination of hairpin turns along the watercourse. Cayuga Pond should be de-silted and the outlet should be controlled.
The residents on hand were clearly frustrated with the Village’s failure to react to known flooding issues which peaked in 2007 and during Hurricane Irene. A Cayuga Road man became emotional and combative, describing how he called the Mayor and the Village during Hurricane Irene as Cayuga Pond turned into a lake, washing over his pool and into his house. He was up all night and found his swing set underwater and fish from Cayuga Pond swimming in his pool. He urged the Village to begin work now on Cayuga Pond. Steves said the Village understood residents’ distress, but said that engineering analysis was needed before the Village could undertake a project. The resident replied, “don’t minimize this! Come and sleep over.”
Bob Reiffel of 15 Cayuga Road said that the engineer’s scheme “neglected to include the culvert under Canterbury Road” and asked why Cayuga Pond had not been fixed as the work was supposed to be done ten years ago.
A man from 14 Cayuga Road offered a lengthy analysis of the situation and claimed that the consultant’s chart did not give a full picture of the problem. Saying, “we are absorbing everyone else’s water,” he called for engineers to analyze “where the water was coming from.” He told the Trustees that he has “lived here for over 25 years and did not have a drop of water until four years ago” and that “we now have a 100 year storm every four years.”
A Seneca Road warned the Trustees that during the 2007 storm Cayuga, Oneida and Seneca Roads were flooded, endangering the lives of those who live there. Saying, “our lives are important to us,” he said there is a “sense of urgency” about correcting the problems.” Doug Ulene said, “You have an obligation to protect us. You can choose between acting or failing to act and I urge you to take the course of action.”
County Legislator Bill Ryan spoke and provided a history of the County’s history of funding flood mitigation projects. He urged residents to write to County Executive Rob Astorino to continue to offer County funds for flood relief projects.
As the three and a half hour meeting drew to a close, conversation turned toward planning a project to relieve flooding at Cayuga Pond. Residents and Trustees debated the merits of short term versus long term planning but it appeared that Village Manager Al Gatta favored initiating a short-term project at Cayuga Pond. Saying, “Cayuga Pond seems to be the heart of everything,” Gatta estimated that “we can develop a plan around that. We could do a preliminary engineering plan in 10 to 12 weeks.”
Westchester Remembers September 11th
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Sunday September 11, 2011 marks the 10-year anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Westchester is commemorating the event in many ways this week, and here is what’s happening:
At Scarsdale High School, two assemblies will be held on Friday September 9th at 9:00 am and 10:30 am. According to Student Government Advisor Neil Ginsberg who organized the event, Tracy Garrison-Feinberg from Facing History and Ourselves will be at the school and will show some film clips, discuss what happened, how we responded and what we can do today. According to Garrison-Feinberg, “This event shaped the 21st century, and is to continuing to shape it. It’s is a crucial part of who we have become.” Since the youngest students at the school were only 4 years old at the time and may not even remember 9/11, the assembly should provide them with historic perspective.
Heathcote Music Teacher and recording artist Katherine Bescherer has written and performed a 9-11 memorial tribute song titled, "The World is Upside Down." Discussing the song, Bescherer said, "For me as a songwriter, it was so important to mark the events of 9/11 in a song. However, as one might imagine, it proved to be an especially difficult song to write. I remember 10 years ago being so overwhelmed by the loss and the "attack" that some time needed to pass before I could even begin to sort through it and then approach it musically and lyrically. How do you write about that level of loss? How do you speak literally or poetically about such horrors? How do you write about the images?
Ultimately the song did come, and I have shared it with people who were very close to the attacks and personally impacted by loss, and they have all been powerfully moved by the song. One friend who witnessed the attacks out his classroom window that morning even printed out the words and reflected on them almost daily. It was a way to help him grieve and to help him process. The song was that for me too. And, to record it 10 years later was very important to me. I wanted to give it to others a way to remember and reflect through song. See Bescherer perform "The World Is Upside Down": here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52PyipoH_Ds
Westchester County and the United Way are hosting a commemorative event on Friday September 9, 2011 from 2 pm to 7 pm at the Westchester County Center. People from all walks of life will gather to commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11 at Serve and Learn: Westchester Remembers 9/11.
In an action to rekindle the spirit of unity that followed the tragic events of September 11, The Volunteer Center of United Way is inviting area residents to honor local victims and heroes by engaging in service to help build a stronger community. With the support of Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, his administration and the Westchester County Board of Legislators, this community-wide call to action is designed to engage people of all ages in a wide-variety of one-time and ongoing volunteer opportunities. Serve and Learn: Westchester Remembers 9/11, will take place Friday, September 9, at the County Center in White Plains, NY, 2:00 to 7:00 p.m., and is open to the public for free. Learn more here:
Westchester Reform Temple at 255 Mamaroneck Road in Scarsdale will commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11 at their Friday night service on 9/9 at 7:45. The service will honor those who perished and pay tribute to the responders. The D’var Torah will be offered by Paul Kirwin, father of congregant Glenn Davis Kirwin of blessed memory. Glenn worked at Cantor Fitzgerald. His memory is cherished by family, friends and the WRT community, along with the mories of nearly 3,000 victims of the 9-11 attacks.
Hitchcock Church on Greenacres Avenue in Scarsdale will present a Service of Remembrance, Reflection and Resilience on Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 10:30 am. The regular morning worship service will include music, meditation, special prayers and liturgy appropriate for the day. Music has the power to provide solace, inspiration and hope. The Chancel Choir of the church and the New Choral Society orchestra will present movements from Faure’s Requiem, Brahms’ Requiem, Bach’s B Minor Mass and a piece by Glenn Rudolph, The Dream Isaiah Saw, which was written for and dedicated to all who perished on September 11, 2001. It is a powerful text, paraphrasing Isaiah’s vision of peace and harmony among God’s creation. This worship service, which will last about 1 hour, is free and open to the public and ALL are welcome. Childcare will be provided for those children in Kindergarten and younger.
Scarsdale Synagogue on Ogden Road will hold a special service called A Time to Remember on Sunday, September 11 at 9:45. As a congregational community, they will come together to share this time that will always be etched upon our national psyche. Through music and the spoken word the group will remember and commit themselves to a better and more hopeful future.
The JCC of Mid-Westchester at 999 Wilmot Road will hold a day of Chesed (kindness), Service and Remembrance, Good Deeds and Charitable Service on Sunday, September 11, 2011 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The day will include a Remembrance Program at 1:00 pm as well as a Bone Marrow Registry, Rosh Hashanah Package Delivery, Collection of NEW toys, Collection for Overseas Troops, Children’s clothing collection, Cereal collection, Hair Donations for Locks of Love, Pet Adoption, Blood Drive, honey collection, home care/medical supplies collection. Learn more at: http://www.jccmw.org/
Also at the JCC of Mid-Westchester on Sunday September 11 at 4 pm, see the film "Love Hate Love" (2011, USA), Directed by Dana Nachman and Don Hardy, with Executive Producer: Sean Penn
It's been nine years since Liz Alderman's son Peter was murdered on 9/11, and five since Esther Hyman's sister was killed by terrorists on 7/7 in London. Ben Tullipan lives now minus his two legs and most of his hearing because of the one-ton car bomb that went off just several meters from where he was standing outside Bali's Sari nightclub. Every day, they are faced with a choice; succumb to despair, or find a way to survive. “Love Hate Love” follows these families on their journey, which takes audiences to five continents as they strive to build world-changing legacies from wounds that can never fully heal. Screening followed by panel discussion moderated by Barbara Nachman.
Tickets $10. Click here for details
On September 13, Concordia College will present a special concert dedicated to the memory of those lost on September 11, 2001, titled Requiem for 9/11, by composer Hollis Thoms. The performance will be featured at the Sommer Center for Worship and the Performing Arts on the Bronxville campus of Concordia College. The concert features soprano Treva Foss, Instructor of Voice at Concordia College-New York. Dr. Jason Thoms will conduct the professional chamber orchestra in the Requiem for 9/11, along with Elgar’s Serenade for Strings and Barber’s Adagio for Strings.
Both the music and poetry of the commemorative piece are powerful and vivid. Hollis Thoms writes, “A year after 9/11, I came across ‘September 11, 2001: American Writers Respond’ edited by Willliam Heyen, and discovered five poems that seemed suddenly fresh and poignant, awakening me to return to that tragic day with new insights and I felt a creative urge to set five of these poems to music. I couldn’t get going with the work until I started to think about these five poems as a journey culminating in a setting of Rainer Maria Rilke’s famous poem, Herbst, which I had set to music almost thirty years before.”
Dr. Thoms and Ms. Foss will be presenting the Requiem for 9/11 three times this September, including a September 11 performance at Christ Lutheran Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD, and a September 12 performance at the Medicine Show Theater in Manhattan. This is a return performance of Requiem for 9/11 to Concordia College, where the New York premiere was presented in September 2008. Tickets for the 7:30pm concert are $5. For more information, contact the Music Department at 914-337-9300, x2292 or email jason.thoms@concordia-ny.edu.
(Pictured at top) The Rising is a memorial located in the Kensico Dam Plaza of Valhalla, Westchester County, New York, created by architect Frederic Schwartz. It stands against the backdrop of Kensico Dam, commemorating the September 11 attacks on America and remembering in a special way the men and women from Westchester County who were victims of those attacks.
