Water Alert: Lawn Watering Limited to Two Days Per Week in Scarsdale
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Parched lawns and wilted foliage may be in our future due to limitations on watering that have been imposed by Scarsdale Village. The Village is restricting water usage for the remainder of the season – not because of a water shortage but due to the fragility of the Village's pumping station. This past weekend two pumps failed at the Reeves Newsome Pumping Station, Scarsdale's primary station, and caused a severe drop in water pressure. Now 61 years-old, the pump station is due for an overhaul. The Village upgraded the Ardsley Road Pump Station and reopened it in late 2011. They plan to rely on this facility when Reeves Newsome receives a planned $4 million upgrade.
On Tuesday July 23, the Village issued the following Water Alert that limits lawn watering to two days per week. Below find a schedule of days you are permitted to water your lawn, depending on the location of your home:
Properties located between the Bronx River Parkway and the Post Road are permitted to water their lawn on Mondays and Thursdays.
Properties located between the Post Road and Palmer Avenue/Wilmot Rd/Secor Rd/Old Mamaroneck Road are permitted to water their lawns on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Properties located between Palmer Avenue/Wilmot Rd/Secor Road/Old Mamaroneck Road and the Town of Mamaroneck Boundary are permitted to water their lawns on Wednesdays and Saturdays or Sundays.
See the map at right to find out when you can water: 
Some automatic sprinklers cannot be set at uneven intervals, so residents may need to control them manually.
The lawn watering restrictions will remain in effect for the balance of the summer and fall, unless otherwise determined by the Superintendent of Water. All residents are encouraged to utilize water conservation techniques and/or equipment to increase their water efficiency and reduce water demand. For more information visit the Village website or call the Water Department at 722-1138.
Attention Greenacres Residents: Data Mailers for Reval Include Error
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We received this notice from Nanette Albanese, Scarsdale Village Assessor about the data mailers that were mailed to Greenacres residents: The data mailers for Greenacres that were mailed on Saturday July 13 contained an error. Apparently the letter is dated July 11, 2013, and indicates that any corrections to the form need to be returned by July 15, 2013, which allows insufficient time for corrections.
On the data mailer itself, page two indicates that the corrections need to be returned by July 26, 2013, which is a lot more reasonable. This was an oversight by Tyler Technologies, the company that is conducting the reval. Please note that any corrections to the data about your home are due by July 26, 2013, not July 15, 2013.
22 Murray Hill Road to be Razed: BAR Overrules CHP
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After considerable discussion, the Board of Architectural Review voted to override a decision by the Committee for Historic Preservation (CHP) to deny permission to demolish a 1920's Colonial at 22 Murray Hill Road at a July 8 meeting. The CHP decision centered on the home's owner, Warren Sinsheimer a prominent attorney who founded the Partnership for Children's Rights, a nonprofit organization that advocates for children with special needs by helping them obtain appropriate educational services. Since one of the criteria to save a home is the consideration of whether a person of historic importance lived there, the CHP had denied the applicant, David Fenton, permission to tear down the house. However, Fenton appealed the decision to the Board of Architectural Review, who overturned the CHP decision by a vote of 4-2, clearing the way for the house to be razed.
It is interesting to note that the Committee for Historic Preservation bases their decisions on whether or not a house is historic using different criteria than the Board of Architectural Review, who issues "certificates of appropriateness" for demolitions and has the power to overrule the CHP.
Here are the two sets of criteria:
Committee for Historic Preservation:
§ 182-5 Criteria for historical importance.
In considering whether the building in question appears to be of substantial historic importance, the Committee shall consider whether the building:
A. Is a building that is at least 100 years of age;
B. Is a building of historic significance;
C. Is a building which was the location of an event of historic significance;
D. Is a building related to an historically important individual;
E. Is the work of an architect or engineer of significance;
F. Is a work of architectural or engineering significance;
G. Is a significant example of an important building style or period; or
H. Has been listed on the National or State Register of Historic Places.
Board of Architectural Review
§ 182-6 Criteria for issuance of certificate of appropriateness.
The BAR, in making its determination whether or not to issue a certificate of appropriateness, shall consider the following:
A. Whether the building is of such architectural or historic interest that its removal would be detrimental to the public interest;
B. Whether the building is of such interest that it could be made into an historic shrine;
C. Whether the building is of such old and unusually uncommon design, texture or materials that it could not be reproduced or could be reproduced only with great difficulty; and
D. Whether the building's retention would promote the general welfare by encouraging interest in American history and architecture.
Commenting on the decision on 22 Murray Hill Road, William Silverman said, "I do think this decision highlights the unfortunate fact that the two committees, in deciding whether a house should be preserved, apply two different sets of criteria. I believe the public would be better served by a single set of criteria applied by the Committee on Historic Preservation with a direct appeal to the Trustees. I have expressed this position to the Trustees and the Mayor at public meetings and am encouraged that they are now considering amendments to the Village Code on point.
Lika Levi, founder of Save-Scarsdale.org spoke in defense of the house and said, "We should preserve what history we have in this young country. 200 years form now, there would be one less 300-year-old home to show, if we took this one down as well."
On Tuesday July 16, the CHP will consider applications to demolish three more homes. On the list are:
239 Fox Meadow Road, a six-bedroom fieldstone Colonial built in 1937 on a quarter of an acre in Fox Meadow. The house is listed for $1,299,000. Pictured here, the listing describes it as "a perfect home to raise a family."
The other two homes on the agenda are 11 Springdale Road, built in 1958 and 1159 Post Road built in 1957.
Volunteers Needed to Serve on the Board of Architectural Review and the Conservation Advisory Council
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The Personnel Committee of the Scarsdale Village Board of Trustees has announced a vacancy on the Board of Architectural Review (BAR) and Conservation Advisory Council (CAC).
The BAR meets twice a month and strives to fulfill their mandate "to preserve and promote the character and appearance, while at the same time, conserving the property values of the Village". The BAR reviews plans for new structures and alterations to the exteriors of existing structures affecting the exterior appearance. They also conduct similar reviews for the installation of fences and signs. Prior to meeting to consider the applications, Board Members conduct on-site inspections of the subject locations. The Village Board prefers to fill the vacancy on the Board of Architectural Review with a licensed architect.
The Conservation Advisory Council advises the Village Board on the development, management and protection of its natural resources as well as other matters such as programs, areas, facilities, public relations and other matters pertaining to conservation of the environment.
All interested residents may apply online at the Village website, www.scarsdale.com, under "Village News, Volunteers Needed for Boards and Councils" or submit their resume directly to the attention of the Personnel Committee Chair, Trustee Thomas Martin, Scarsdale Village Hall, 1001 Post Road, Scarsdale, N.Y. 10583. For further information contact the Village Clerk's office at 914-722-1175.
Scarsdale Teachers Rally Against Mandates in Albany
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- Written by: Alec Lichtenberg
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Thousands of people, including 15 Scarsdale teachers, gathered at the Empire State Plaza in Albany on June 8th to make their voices heard on the course of educational policy in New York State and nationally. The rally was coined "One Voice United" and featured over twenty speakers including students, parents, social and religious leaders, principals and union presidents.
Scarsdale Teacher Association President, Trudy Moses, who organized a group of teachers to attend the rally said one of their main concerns was New York State's rapid rollout of the national Common Core curriculum. "New York State districts are in the process of aligning their curriculums to the Common Core, along with the set of expectations that come with it", Moses said. "Not all districts are aligned yet and there are concerns that a quick rollout of tests will result in low test scores which will be blamed on teachers."
Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers has praised the standards themselves but said "The Common Core is being implemented in New York in" the worst possible way" and repeated her call for "a moratorium" on tying scores associated with the new system to high-stakes decisions. Dick Ianuzzi, the president of the New York State United Teachers echoed that call telling policy makers to "get it right".
Other attendees were more critical of the standards and see it as a growing trend of decision making power being shifted away from communities and towards federal initiatives. Teachers waved banners decrying cuts in arts programming and denouncing Pearson, a private educational publisher that took part in developing the Common Core and is producing much of the testing materials.
According to the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, the new national standards in mathematics and English language arts have been adopted in 45 states. They were released in June of 2010 and the federal Race to the Top initiative gave states incentives to adopt the standards. The new standards apply from kindergarten through high school and are designed to emphasize student skills such as critical thinking, and problem solving rather than specific content knowledge. Their stated purpose is to "provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them."
There was some sign that policy makers heard at least part of what was said at the rally. On June 11th, three days later, Chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents offered some concession on a separate possibility of further increasing the weight of the test scores in teacher evaluations, saying "I think we've heard very carefully from teachers [and] principals about the need to go about this cautiously,"
"In Scarsdale it's business as usual" says, Ms. Moses. "We(teachers) are fortunate that they have not been pressured to teach to the test. Anyone can do test drill, and raise scores. That is not the same as good education. We'll look at our results and see what we need to move around. We believe that in continuing a rich curriculum, tests will take care of themselves."
Scarsdale's Melanie Spivak, who was featured in the NY Times when she with other PTA leaders championed a campaign against state testing over ten years ago, offered her perspective on the protest. "As one of the original leaders of STOP (State Testing Opposed by Parents), I applaud the Scarsdale teachers for their efforts in Albany. It is so important that we continue to work together as a community to regain local control of our schools. Scarsdale is a district that is lucky enough to have the resources along with the support from parents and teachers, to provide our children with a quality education, preparing them to be productive citizens. The corporations that make the standardized tests, like Pearson, are not educators and do not recognize the individuality of each of our districts or our students. It is imperative that we don't give up."
This article was written by Alec Lichtenberg
