Trustees Voice Support for Israel, Hear an Appeal on a Home Demolition and More at October 10 Meeting

247 Nelson RoadThe conflict in the Middle East was top of mind at the meeting of the Scarsdale Village Board on Tuesday night October 11. Mayor Justin Arest noted that many in the community have ties to Israel and condemned the violence there. Read his statement here:

Trustee Randall Whitestone, an expert on local history, read the following statement about the Village’s support for Israel, through the decades.

He said, “Scarsdale’s ties to Israel go back to that nation’s founding, and Scarsdale’ support has been consistent through times of war and tragedy.

In early 1948, during Israel’s movement toward independence and months before the first Arab-Israeli War, “Treasure Chests” of books painted and filled by Scarsdale youth groups, under the leadership of Mrs. Harold Bennett of Elmdorf Drive, arrived in what was then Palestine. The goal: to provide for young European orphans rescued from the Nazis by the group called Youth Aliyah, which was founded in Berlin on the same day that Hitler took power in 1933. An Aliyah official wrote her thanks to the children of Scarsdale for their kindness and talked about the hundreds of children rescued from hate who were being nurtured to health and well-being on working farms and in schools, becoming vigorous and capable citizens of Israel and the world.

In 1967, during the Six-Day War, the late philanthropist Robert Arnow of Butler Road wrote about his son David and six high school friends going door-to-door to raise $10,000 – that’s about $90,000 in today’s dollars – for medical supplies for Israel.

And in 1973, during the Yom Kippur War, a half-page ad in the Inquirer signed by 36 village residents urged support. “Israel is fighting for her life and she needs your help to survive!” read the ad. “If you believe in the preservation of democracy in the Middle East, please lend your financial support to Israel NOW….”

Now, 50 years later, our ties – spiritual, familial, and intellectual – remain strong and we are determined to be by Israel’s side. We utterly condemn these terrorist attacks and pray for peace.

To quote a 1949 Vassar College student newspaper editorial on the one-year anniversary of Israel’s founding, “In our world, today, peace and survival are synonymous. The only hope for mankind lies in the recognition by the world of the deadly peril of war with its destruction of both defeated and victorious, and with this realization the final uniting of all ideologies is the only possibility of world survival. In this way Israel offers hope to the world, not by her material power, but by her achievements of mind and spirit.”
I salute Israel’s mind and that spirit, and the abiding courage of that brave nation to get through yet another dark time.”

Departure of the Village Manager

Mayor Arest provided an update on the departure of Village Manager Rob Cole. He assured residents that “ The Village is operating seamlessly,” saying that Acting Village Manager Alex Marshall “is not new to this,” and that a major part of the deputy job is to be “ready to take on the job as Village Manager.” He said, “the community remains secure and well served.”

He said that Village Board has been interviewing search firms and plans to hire one within 60 days to conduct a search for a new Village Manager. About Cole he said, “On the advice of counsel we will not discuss village manager at this time.”

Manager’s Comments

Acting Village Manager Alex Marshall said that during the two recent rainstorms the Village used their new communications systems, Everbridge to send messages about road closures to residents. She encouraged people to sign up.

She recognized Village staff for their response to the storm. She said that a recent survey has shown that many areas previously identified are still flooding and that funds are in the budget to address this.

She noted that Sunday October 8 is fire prevention week. On Sunday October 14 there will be a fire prevention fair at Crossway.

Pickleball

The Parks and Recreation Department will hold three pickleball workshops at Crossway on October 19, 21 and 22. To sign up, call the Recreation Department at 914-722-1160.

Three pickle ball workshops at the Crossway court

Library Board

Laura Liu and Jordan Copeland provided an update from the Library Board. See their comments below:

New Liquor Store

The Board held a public hearing on a special use permit for the opening of a new liquor store, Amici Dei Vini at Christie Place. The store will sell domestic and international wines and spirits. The Planning Board approved it and referred the matter back to the Board of Trustees. The Board discussed altering hours for deliveries but ultimately approved the resolution.

Public Comments

Steve Marchiony and Donald Perlmutter voiced concerns about the new sewer compliance laws which they believe will impose a hardship for existing homeowners. Marchiony said, “There are going to be tremendous problems with this law.” Perlmutter said, “it will cost a homeowner $1,500-$2,000 for the tests and application fees…. The Scarsdale law is much more rigorous than the ones in Rye and Mamaroneck.”

The Mayor responded to the two, saying that this new law was partially a result of the Save the Sound lawsuit. He said that the new law will allow people to find out if they have tree limbs breaching their sewer lines or if there are illegal hookups to the sewer system which permit the flow of sewage into the stormwater system. He noted that these illegal hookups can result in sewage backing up into homes during storms.

About the cost, he said that the Department of Public Works is identifying contractors who can handle the application process and inspections.

Jack Miller of Fayette Road spoke about local flooding during the recent rainstorms. He said, “When I moved in someone said if you move a rock in Fox Meadow a house will flood in Quaker Ridge.” He said, “We have reached a watershed moment… 100 year storms are coming several times a year.”

Noting that development is causing changes to water flows, he called for a moratorium on subdivisions and bigger setbacks for new homes to decrease the impact of development on the environment. He said “I am happy to sit down with people in the building and planning departments. We should consider a moratorium on subdivisions until we can reconsider our laws. If you all won’t do it perhaps village management could consider putting this motion onto an upcoming ballot so you all could gauge the people’s needs and desires on this subject."

Diana Hurwitz said, “I grew up in Scarsdale. I am appalled by the subdivision on Church Lane. Developers are not community minded.”

Mayor Arest responded saying, “It’s a big issue. We plan to have a meeting next month. The Planner is looking at our FAR law to see if there was any impact due to the changes in the law. There will be a lot more conversations to be had.”

247 Nelson Road

The Board of Trustees then heard an appeal to a decision from the Committee for Historic Preservation which denied an application to tear down a home at 247 Nelson Road. The home was designed by Philip Resnyck and completed in 1925.

The committee was split by a vote of 3-3 on the application – and since it failed to get a majority vote it was denied.

CHP members voting against the application considered neighbors’ concerns about “the erasure of Edgewood,” and said the home was a “fine example of a revival house built during the most important issue in the history of Scarsdale, the suburbanization of the Village and designed by Philip Resnyk, an extremely prolific architect in Scarsdale, thus satisfying the Preamble, additionally the home at 247 being born from the suburbanization of the village is associated with events that made a significant contribution to board patterns of Village history.”

Read their memo here:

However at the October 10 meeting of the Board of Trustees, committee members were not present. Attorney Daniel Patrick, representing developer Matt Miller argued that was a “default vote” by the committee as all were not present, that the house was not historic and that it was the right of the owner to tear it down.”

Neighbor David Peck of 249 Nelson Road was the sole voice to save the house. He pleaded with the Board saying, “When a developer knocks down a house he puts a stake in the ground.” He said that the stake was there and Con Edison came to turn off the gas even before the Board of Trustees met.

He said, “In Scarsdale, to save a house it either has to be designed by Frank Lloyd Wright or George Washington needs to have slept there.” (Peck was a former member of the Committee for Historic Preservation when the entire committee resigned in 2018 due to frustration with the law.)

He bemoaned the change in neighborhood character saying that three houses on Nelson Road were currently being torn down, calling it the “erasure of Edgewood.” He said we are losing “modest homes on modest pieces of land,” that teachers, doctors and lawyers can afford. He said, “We pay lip service to affordable housing.” He continued, “these homes are replaced with giant shoeboxes with giant garages.” He called 249 Nelson a “special English cottage house.”

The Village Attorney interrupted Peck saying, “Do you have anything to say about the house?”

The Village Board will meet in executive session about the application and issue their decision at a later date.

Comments from Library Board leaders Laura Liu and Jordan Copeland

Good evening! Thank you Mayor Arest and all the Trustees, for this opportunity to give the Village Board and the public an update on the good work happening at the Library. The Village Board and the Library Board have a very collaborative working relationship and a shared vision for excellence in library services for all our residents. Our Village Trustee liaison attends monthly Library Board meetings and brings updates back to the Village Board. Mayor Arest and Trustee Brew had both served in that role in the past, and Trustee Ahuja is our liaison this year. We thank you all for your hard work, support and advocacy for the Library. Additional communications like this opportunity further strengthens our collaboration. We look forward to more open dialogue and suggestions from you and the entire community as the Library works toward continuous improvement of its services and programs.

The Library Board: Oversight of Library resources and policies

It’s my pleasure and privilege, together with our Vice President Jordan Copeland, to speak here on behalf of our full Board of nine trustees, who also include Robert Jeremiah, Diksha Mudbhury, Pedro Ladislau, Scott Gervin, Betty Pforzheimer, Stephanie Wechsler, and Jennifer Fischman. I will talk about the Library Board’s work and processes. And Jordan will talk about the Library’s services and programs.

Our library trustees are dedicated volunteers with deep roots and connections in our diverse community. We come from a wide range of backgrounds and are all passionate about the mission of the Public Library as the center of culture, information, ideas and community life. Our Library Trustees bring professional expertise in law, finance, education, communications and more to the Board’s work. We also receive ongoing training provided by the Westchester Library System on topics ranging from governance, policy, to budget, planning, communications and Library advocacy.

Library trustees each serve one five-year term. The longer term helps build knowledge and experience, and promotes peer mentoring and leadership development. The Library Board meets every month except for in August. Our meetings are conducted according to the State’s Open Meetings Laws. Public comments are always encouraged and valued. The Library Board works closely with our Library Director Beth Bermel and Assistant Director Catherine Callegari to review and approve budgets and major contracts, discuss and advise on major operational and personnel issues. Our structures and processes allow the Board to effectively conduct its fiduciary duty of overseeing the prudent use of library resources.

Just this past month, we completed our union contract negotiations and ratified the CSEA Library Unit Collective Bargaining Agreement for 2023-2027. We are also conducting a new round of policy reviews, especially in the areas of social media, programs, and content selection. Although most of our policies were updated only 3-4 years ago, the current cultural debates around the country and in our region make it necessary for us to have more up-to-date and robust policies that reflect our community’s values and ensure smooth library operations.

Library operations and programs: high demand & community responsiveness

Two years after we moved back into the renovated library, we’re realizing our role of what a preeminent modern library should be. Much more than just a place to check out books, it’s a central community hub that serves our diverse population and strengthens our values of excellence, inclusion, and life-long learning.

Every day over 600 people of all ages visit the library, for the books and digital collections, exhibits and programs, meeting rooms, cafe, tech room, and the new MakerSpace, where patrons can learn about 3D printing design, make buttons, learn stop-motion animation, and more.

For library programs, total attendance exceeds 3,000 each month, with book talks, exercise classes, arts and crafts, cooking demonstrations, college prep, personal finance seminars, writer’s workshops and lots more, in person and online. The Library staff are responsive to particular community needs, offering programs ranging from an introduction to ChatGPT, screenings of foreign language films, and LGBTQ+ support groups. In fact, many of our programs started based on members of the public requesting them.

Just in the past few months, we have installed local history exhibits, including on Black history, Pride, Korean American culture, and right now one on the Book Banning Debates which occurred in Scarsdale during the McCarthy era. And next week we’ll host our 7th Annual Vital Aging Fair for Scarsdale’s senior citizens.

Demand for children’s programs has been particularly strong, with many of them fully booked soon after registration opens. The Library also collaborates with the schools to enrich students’ learning experiences, including middle school Reading Retreats at the Library, and keeping the library open late during exam weeks for chaperoned study nights for high schoolers. We have a robust Teen Advisory Board which coordinates student art exhibits, music performances and book discussions.

Community organizations like the Scarsdale Forum, the League of Women Voters, Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Services, and the Scarsdale Historical Society often host their events in the Library’s meeting rooms and use the audio video setups.

We’ve been investing in professional development classes to upgrade library staff members’ skills and stay current of new trends and best practices. And the Library actively communicates with the community through its website, email newsletters and social media platforms, and solicits feedback to help the Library improve and keep meeting the needs of Scarsdale residents.

Looking ahead
In 2020 the Library worked out a set of Strategic Goals which included re-opening, serving as a central hub and essential resource for the community, and enhancing user experience and programing. We have largely achieved these goals with flying colors. Of course, excellence in library services is a continuous process. For the next phase, we are looking toward working on a new strategic plan in the next year or so. Our next set of strategic goals will again be informed by inputs from all stakeholders including residents, the Village Board, the schools, local organizations as well as library professionals and experts through a rigorous process. The new strategic plan will be forward-looking, articulate and actionable. It will guide us in meeting evolving community needs with best-in-class technology and services. This project is still just on the horizon but we are excited to share this plan with you.

In closing, we would like to thank the Village Board again for this opportunity to speak. We welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions. And we look forward to working together in the upcoming budget cycle and more.