Consultants Provide Analysis of Village's 100 Year-Old Water Distribution System: Rob Cole to Serve as Interim Village Manager
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- Written by Sammy Silberberg
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How does Scarsdale address and manage its aging infrastructure? How does the town decide which improvements to make and how to keep up with the demands of residents?
These are among the questions the Board of Trustees sought to answer when it commissioned the firm Woodard & Curran to create a Water Demand Study and examine the needs of the village’s water infrastructure system.
After reviewing 12 applications and interviewing five firms, the Board decided in September 2020 that Woodard & Curran was the most suitable choice to conduct this analysis. During the Board’s Work Session on Tuesday, May 26, 2021, three representatives from Woodard & Curran presented their draft report to the community.
The Scarsdale water system consists of 98 miles of pipe, two pumping stations, and two water tanks. The focus of the report was the water distribution system. The firm compiled and digitized existing maps, created an updated system map, reviewed the system’s maintenance history, developed a new hydraulic model, and created a capital plan for the water distribution system.
To update the current mapping system, the firm reviewed over 500 paper maps, sketches, and notes and updated historic mapping information. They used this new mapping as the foundation for the hydraulic model. Using the model, they simulated and analyzed the flow of water through the system, evaluated fire flow availability, and gauged how the system responds to issues. The model accounts for friction from areas of older pipes and factors in where water is used most frequently.
The standard recommended system pressure is 35 pounds per square inch (PSI), and Scarsdale’s system achieves this figure except for a few spots in higher elevation areas. Pipe velocity was up to code throughout the system, and water pressure loss was worst in areas with unlined cast-iron pipes. In terms of fire protection, most of the system has greater than 1000 gallons per minute of protection, with a few higher elevation areas having less than 500.
When reviewing the system’s maintenance history, the firm found several issue areas that consisted of older and unlined pipes. There were around 200 water main breaks and pipe failures between 2008-2020, which the representatives identified as a high number of issues, but said the figure was not unexpected.
In developing an improvement plan, Woodard & Curran prioritized the areas of highest maintenance needs and ranked remaining pipe segments on the likelihood and consequences of failure. In total, 76 pipe rehabilitation projects were identified for an estimated total of $103 million. The firm identified the top three priority projects:
1. Crossway: A section of unlined universal joint segment that is corroded. The proposed solution is the replacement of three-quarters of a mile of pipe along Crossway.
2. Garden Road / Mamaroneck Road: This is one of the areas of lowest pressure and lower fire flow availability. The proposed solution is a combination of lining and replacement for two miles of piping.
3. Griffin Avenue: Another area of concern that the firm suggests focusing on.
Woodard & Curran and now in the phase of conducting a Rate Study to review the current rate structure and revenue. This study will include a cost-of-service assessment, a revenue and benchmarking assessment, and a rate model development and review. The firm’s presentation also included information and resources for various government grants and funding sources that could be potential sources of revenue for the project.
After the presentation, Board members and staff had a chance to ask the representatives questions about the report and make suggestions for future work. Trustee Crandall inquired about putting some of the electric and cable lines underground while this construction work is happening to make the village more storm resilient. In a similar vein, Deputy Village Manager Rob Cole asked if it would be possible to tie in a high-capacity data line into Post Road and bring it to the Village Center to support business development. The representatives noted that different types of projects can be joined together while the pipes are already being worked on, and these are all considerations the Board will want to consider while making project decisions.
Robert Cole will serve as Interim Village Manager
Ms. Crandall also asked about the issues the town of Greenburgh had when they replaced their pipes, and if the firm has done any studies on the toxicity of these pipes. The firm responded that Greenburgh’s issue was not related to toxicity but instead had to do with conventional cement lining, which will not be an issue for Scarsdale if they choose a more modern construction material.
Trustee Ahuja asked when the firm was choosing the projects for the water system, how much of the decision was based on subjective judgment versus scientific fact. The representative replied that there is a need for both when designing a plan. Engineers must evaluate where the areas of concern are based on their experience and look where the data on past pipe maintenance supports project work. He added that to develop a sensible project, subjective judgment must be applied to frame the construction in the most cost-efficient manner and to cluster groups of pipes together based on similarities and economic feasibility.
Mayor Veron, as well as other trustees, also spoke about the sustainability practices that could potentially be incorporated into the project. Village Manager Papalardo added that once funding is secured, it will be unlikely the village can accomplish more than one project every two years. He added that coordinating between the water department and the sewage department could make the whole project more effective. The Board eagerly awaits the results from Woodard & Curran’s Rate Study and looks forward to the next phase of this massive infrastructure project.
Village Manager
At the Village Board meeting following the work session, Mayor Jane Veron announced that Village Manager Steve Pappalardo will leave on July 9, 2021 and that 54 applications were received for the position. The Board plans to interview some of these candidates throughout the summer. In the interim, Deputy Village Manager Rob Cole will become Interim Village Manager of Scarsdale. He has served here for six year and worked in Oak Park, Illinois for 19 years.
Art Students Donate Colorful Planters to the Village of Scarsdale
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Seven talented high school artists unveiled their work in the outdoor dining tent in Scarsdale Village on Wednesday May 19. The student, are all enrolled in the advanced topics 2D studio art class at Scarsdale high school, taught by Janna Johnson.
The students painted colorful planters to beautify downtown Scarsdale and the dining tent. Amay Nadasdi explained, "This is Scarsdale’s second public art collaboration in Scarsdale Village between SHS, the Scarsdale Business Alliance, and the Scarsdale Village Arts Advisory Council. As you know, our first collaborative project, pre-Covid was the Wing the Dale mural on DeCicco’s wall, facing Starbucks."
"The idea of collaborating after a long year of isolating, sounds so nice, doesn’t it? To me, collaborative public art is the best kind of art in that it's not just the work product that brings people together to enjoy and appreciate, but the process brings us together as well. And this process could not have happened without the help of so many. I want thank the SBA for sponsoring this project. As part of the Dine the Dale initiative the SBA was seeking a way to beautify their tent, and this project was the perfect fit. Thanks SBA and all the merchants and donors for making this possible... Flowers for the planters are being donated by the Scarsdale Flower Boutique on Harwood Court."
Also on hand to introduce and thank the young artists and everyone involved was Mayor Jane Veron.
Take a look at the photos of the planters and artists and make a trip to the dining tent to see them in person.
The names of the student artists included:
Jimena Aguilar (Decades)
Mia de la Fuente-Akersveen (Pop)
Courtney Guastafeste
Haley Hockemeyer (Seasons)
Kristina Karabanova (Chess)
Emily Messerle (Birds)
Sarah Wong (Frogs Concert)
Letter to the Editor: Harrison Backs Singer for School Board
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To The Editor:
I strongly recommend a vote for Alison Singer for her second three-year term on the Scarsdale Board of Education. Alison has an impressive resume including her community service and volunteerism and leadership positions. She has founded the Autism Science Foundation in 2009 and has been President ever since and has been a spokesperson for autism research and a supporter of individuals with autism and their families. She has been interviewed many times on national television bringing national media attention for autism issues. Alison has a deep understanding of special education and needs for our children as she has a child with autism. .
Alison has served on the BOE for three years and was elected by her fellow Board members to serve as Vice President during this past difficult pandemic corvid year. Alison was a leader on the Board to pass the two-installment plan for our school taxes to help our residents better handle our high property taxes during the corvid recession. Almost every other town in Westchester had this two-payment option for years.
Alison was also a leader on the Board to keep any tax increase for the coming fiscal year on July 1 to a minimum with a 1.93 % school tax increase. Compare this with the excessive Village tax increase of 2.99%.
This past Covid year has been most difficult for all of our Scarsdale community. Alison Singer with her past experience on the School Board can provide steady leadership for our students and parents for the coming years.
Please cast your School Board vote for Alison Singer on May 18. Contact Bob Harrison with any questions or comments on Alison's campaign effort at
[email protected] or 914 725-0962.
Bob Harrison, Chairman
Scarsdale Taxpayer Alert
65 Fox Meadow Road
Maria Asnis and Barbara Carlton Support Israel for School Board
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Here are letters from Maria Asnis and Barbara Carlton in support of Irin Israel for Scarsdale Board of Education
To the Editor:
I am voting for Irin Israel for Board of Education on May 18.
I am a parent with my oldest daughter in Kindergarten. My husband I moved to Scarsdale when was 4 weeks old. We chose this community, in large part, for the stellar reputation of the schools. She is now in school for the full day with her truly amazing teacher and has made friends with children in her class. She is happy and flourishing.
But as many of you parents out there know and lest we all forget, the year didn’t start this way.
Like me, many of you, flocked to the Zoom Board of Education meetings, staying up late to speak and to try to get answers to our questions – Why weren’t the children in school for more hours? What objective measures were being used to get more of our children in school safely?
These questions and many more were not directly answered.
Like me, many of you, sent emails to the Board and the administration. As a physician, mine were focused on advocating an objective Medical Advisory Panel and questioning the validity of the particular COVID-19 testing the Administration and Board had chosen for the district. The advisory panel was rebuffed and the board, in response, chose to eliminate a clause in the bylaws calling for medical officer positions. I also had questions about COVID-19 testing and the consent forms proposed and I did not get response.
Like me, some of you spoke at the Board meetings. I was one of the lucky community members that spoke at the very meeting where the Board voted to limit public comment – leaving many to wait until late into the night to be heard.
The Board this year has consistently failed to provide me, as a parent, with transparency and accountability. It is clear to me that a different voice on the Board is needed. A voice I can trust.
Irin Israel, spoke up for parents and our children consistently and courageously throughout this year. He has committed to being transparent and accountable to the community if he is elected.
I am a parent with a child in our schools. I will vote for him and let him be our voice.
Maria Asnis
To the Editor:
I am voting for Irin Israel, and I don’t even know him! Why? Because as a parent following most of the Board of Education meetings, I started to hear his passion, time and time again, speaking up with prepared speeches about the reopening of our schools. Whether or not I agreed with everything he presented doesn’t matter. Why? Because I am looking for a candidate that I know is questioning and evaluating our options then taking those ideas and being actively engaged in our school administration and board meetings either from speaking up or sending e-mails.
Hearing Irin over the fall and winter months, that’s what I have gathered and learned about him. I feel he was bringing forth multiple options for our school administration and Board and it allowed me as a parent to make informed decisions on whether or not to send my child to school this year.
My impression of Irin, from those meetings, as well as his active involvement in our local Facebook town and school groups, is that he is someone who found the time to research, talk with architects, medical experts, ask questions, and send follow ups to our Board and administration on his findings. This shows a deep level of care for his children, our children, and our community and not to just allow the status quo to be. He shouldn’t have had to do this, but he felt it was necessary to show both the current Board and the administration other options that they potentially weren’t looking in to as well as be the voice to some of us parents.
We were (and still are) in unprecedented times, and to see someone step up and offer up the evaluation that he did, doesn’t need any other resume from me to evaluate on May 18th.
Over the course of the 3-year term as the focus switches significantly away from Covid, I feel confident that he will continue to ask questions and ask for alternatives on other subjects that come before the Board, whether or not he is an expert in the area, such as he has done during the pandemic.
Barbara Carlton
Nelson Road
Over 400 Residents Pick Up Free Compost Made from Scarsdale's Food Scraps
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Scarsdale’s food scrap recyclers reaped the rewards of their work at free compost give back day at the Scarsdale Recycling Center on Saturday April 24. In a testament to local enthusiasm for their gardens an estimated 400 people turned out to take home their share of two truckloads of compost that was produced from Scarsdale’s food waste. They know that the organic composition of this mix is a rich supplement to their soil. See photos below of everyone throwing in their shovel including State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin and Scarsdale Village Trustee Jonathan Lews.
CAC Chair Michelle Sterling said, “Scarsdale’s annual free compost give back day on April 24 was a fantastic day! There was a terrific turnout as residents came throughout the day to pick up compost for their gardens. It was a great opportunity for residents to see and use the finished product from our food scraps. In addition to the compost there were also volunteers there throughout the day with educational materials and starter kits available for residents to sign up. If you’d like to be a part of this terrific program that safeguards our environment please email [email protected] and a volunteer will sign you up and get you started!”
