A Mother’s Day Gift
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Sunday morning, a feeling of joy overcomes me; an emotion reserved for special occasions. The one where you begin to feel the excitement the week before. You know the one….the children are coming. They are coming as they have done since they left for college.
Around the table they will share with my husband and me their growing up: looking for jobs; searching for an apartment in the city, making friends, dating, being sad and frustrated at times, content and fulfilled at others, getting married, having children. I loved watching my children becoming adults. Sometimes without them looking, I would steal a glimpse thinking to myself: “Is my older one really as happy as she sounds since she met her boyfriend; is my younger daughter really enjoying law school; was it the right decision for her?” So much stress: I almost feel like I was sitting with her in her classroom suffering. “And what’s up with my son. Has he made good friends in college who appreciate his kindness?” And then the years passed. Sundays are going by and the children are coming. They are coming with precious bundles in their hands: strollers with the little people resembling the babies I used to hold.
Wait just a second. No, I’ve got no time. The children are coming. The grandchildren are here: Chicken soup on the stove, the swing-set is clean and ready to go… Is there anything more important than this in life?
Submitted by Ruth Frankel
Ruth Motola Frankel was born in Petach Tikvah, the oldest city in Israel. She is a fifth generation sabra who lived on a simple farm in what was 
then a small agricultural town. She is a combination of the old and the new in Israel: raised on her parents’ farm, she became a fashion model and clothing designer in Israel. Ultimately, she emigrated to the United States to pursue these professions, settling in Scarsdale with her husband and three children.
Frankel’s early paintings evoke remembrances of growing up in Israel. One review of her work described her paintings as “true originals...her artistic bent has been transformed into striking canvasses that are extraordinarily unique and exciting.” Her art has been exhibited both in the United States and in Israel, including the Cork Gallery in Lincoln Center.
Edgemont Seniors Look Forward to Prom Night
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For most Edgemont High School seniors, the anxious wait for college acceptance letters is over. Now they are looking forward to end of year activities, graduation and summer, which is right around the corner. Another upcoming highlight will be the Prom which will be held at the Surf Club in New Rochelle on June 10th. This is the first time Edgemont has selected this venue for the Prom; however it is a popular spot for many area schools. The Surf Club is a seaside mansion with a spacious layout including a grand ballroom. Seniors will arrive at the location at seven in the evening and the party will last until midnight. Some groups of seniors will take party buses to the Surf Club and others plan to travel by limousine.
Another annual tradition for the graduating students is the pre-prom event at Edgemont Jr./Senior High School on the afternoon before the big night. This is held in the school’s center campus and parents, faculty and prom dates gather for photos and a final goodbye before the evening celebration. The girls usually wear a separate dress for pre-prom but the outfits are still magnificent. “The dresses are quite varied this year. But they’re going to be gorgeous,” said Edgemont senior Lexi Glade. “Also, I’m really excited to finally have a school dance and to hang out with my friends. I think Prom is a fun tradition and a chance for everyone to see each other before graduation. To me, it means I get to spend a lot of time with my closest friends. It’s one of those basic high school memories. It’s going to be all about taking pictures that night … and for the girls, wearing all the pretty dresses.”
And the boys won’t be left out of the experience of selecting outfits for the big night either. Boys often match their 
dates’ attire by choosing a suit or a tie in a shade to complement their partner’s dress. “Nobody knows what this year’s trends or popular colors are just yet. This will definitely be a surprise,” the class officer of this year’s seniors commented. “I guess I’m looking forward to the experience itself the most. It’s just a big part of high school to look back on.”
While the styles of this year’s Prom dresses and suits may still be undecided, it is clear that the seniors are truly looking forward to Prom. “I think of Prom as a celebration or farewell as we reach the end of our high school careers. This is what makes it so special. It’s the last chance to have a great time with all of the people we’ve been around for the past four years,” said senior Maneo Choudhury. To the seniors, this Prom will be more than an unforgettable experience. It will mark the end of their high school careers and the beginning of the college journey that lies ahead.
Village Board Hears Feedback on Proposed Budget
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Driving rain didn’t deter residents from attending the first meeting of the newly elected Scarsdale Village Board of Trustees on Tuesday April 12th. The session included public comment on the Village budget, the announcement of appointments to Boards and Councils and liaison assignments, an update on the Popham Road bridge and approval of a downtown art fair in May.
Mayor Fliisser commented on the process of Village government, noting that she has heard from residents that televised Village Board meetings seem formal and dry, She explained that Board meetings are a result of work done at committee meetings and by Village staff. She encouraged those who want to get involved to attend these committee meetings -- that are open to all. At these meetings residents can speak and let the Board know what they think.
Public comment to the Board on the proposed 2011-12 Village Budget was given by Sara Werder, President of the Board of Trustees of the Scarsdale Library, Bill Kaye from the Scarsdale Forum Fiscal Affairs Committee, Pam Rubin of the Scarsdale League of Women Voters and Dan Hochvert for the Scarsdale Forum Sustainability Committee.
Werder warned that by complying with the Village request to cut the library budget by $93,000, the Board was forced to cut back on service to Scarsdale residents. Both staff hours and the book-buying budget has been reduced and the Board elected to take $60,000 out of reserves to fund their annual budget.
Speaking for the Scarsdale Forum Fiscal Affairs Committee, Bill Kaye provided recommendations on reducing the Village Budget but did endorse passage of the budget as proposed.
Among their suggestions for cost reductions were:
- Require non-tax paying entities such as religious institutions to pay for refuse collection and requiring commercial facilities such as country clubs to pay more than residential properties for collection.
- To seek methods to deliver services more cost effectively for the long term.
- To reduce the Village staff headcount through attrition -- as 70% of the Village budget is comprised of salaries in benefits
- To renegotiate contracts with Village employees to reduce salaries and benefits and to require employee contribution to healthcare.
- To lobby N.Y.S. to reduce unfunded mandates and continue to work with municipal workers and NYCOM to reduce pension contributions.
The Scarsdale Forum also called for the Village wide tax revaluation to be done this year. Kaye noted that this report was submitted in memory of friend and colleague Boine Johnson who passed away earlier this year.
Pam Rubin spoke on behalf of the Scarsdale League of Women Voters and commended the Village staff, Trustees and former Mayor Carolyn Stevens for maintaining “quality of life” while containing the tax rate.
The League offered the following recommendations:
- Consider the reallocation of resources – such as crossing guards who are no longer needed for midday dismissal, as Kindergarten is now a full-day program
- Move forward with the Village–wide tax revaluation
- Explore outside revenue sources and cooperative agreements with neighboring municipalities to fund capital improvement projects on the storm water drainage system and sanitary sewer lines.
- Continue to fund road repair, as 25% of Scarsdale roads are now classified as “poor.”
- Replace Village trees lost to storms and disease
- Work with community groups to determine which services can be reduced, eliminated or paid for by alternative means.
Dan Hochvert the spoke as a co-chair of Scarsdale Forum’s Sustainability Committee. He commended the Village for reducing costs for recycling and noted that the County will now recycle plastics in categories #3-7. He urged the Village to publicize this change in policy.
He also spoke about the benefits of composting to further reduce waste disposal fees and suggested that a composter be set up at the Famer’s market and that residents compost their leaves rather than have them collected. The Village currently spends $705,414 on leaf collection – and this cost could be reduced if residents composted leaves.
Popham Road Bridge Project: Deputy Village Manager Steve Pappalardo announced that Phase II of the renovation of the Popham Road Bridge was scheduled to begin. This will involve work on the south side of the bridge. During this phase, one lane of traffic will be closed and the south lane of the bridge will become a sidewalk. Drivers will not be able to make a left turn off the bridge onto East Parkway and will now have to go to Chase Road to turn left. The bridge is tentatively scheduled to be completed at the end of May 2012.
Art Festival: Lewis Arlt spoke on behalf of Chamber of Commerce to encourage the Board to approve an application for the Westchester Festival of the Arts by Paragon for May 14-15, 2011.He explained that this would be the sophomore year of the event and the miscalculations made last year would be corrected. Last year the fair was held on Father’s Day and all Village streets were closed to vehicular traffic. In addition, artist’s booths blocked storefronts and prevented shoppers from entering.
This year these problems have been addressed. The fair will be held on May 14-15, a non-holiday weekend, it will be moved to the Merchant’s Lot and no booths will be placed in front of store windows. The Scarsdale Art Association will also hold their show in Chase Park that same weekend.
The Board subsequently voted to approve both Art Fairs for the weekend of May 14-15.
Mayor Flisser and the Board then announced Board and Committee appointments and assignments for the coming year. This lengthy roster can be viewed on the Village website here
Flisser also noted some upcoming meetings … among them a Land Use committee Meeting on Thursday night April 14 to discuss a proposed land sale at 2-4 Weaver Street. However, this meeting is expected to go into Executive Session, and in that case, it will be closed to the public.
Sustainability Committee Offers Ideas to Improve Recycling
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Dear Honorable Mayor Flisser and Board of Trustees: The Scarsdale Forum's Sustainability Committee has been exploring many avenues. One of them ties in with the Village's recycling work.
The tentative Village budget for 2011-2012 includes $242,500 for waste disposal fees which are paid to the County based on tonnage collected. The budgeted 2010-2011 amount was $282,500 and the projected spending for 2010-2011 is now estimated to be $250,000. It is presumed that the anticipated $7500 lower cost for 2011-2012 is based partly on the County's upcoming acceptance of plastics 3-7, as recyclable material.
The Committee urges the Village Board to increase the public awareness of the change in County policy and the correlation between Village disposal fees, taxes and recycling, perhaps using the mayoral letters as a vehicle. If residents understand that the more they recycle, the less Scarsdale will pay in "tipping" fees, potentially lowering this line item in the Village budget, there may be greater compliance. The public should be advised that caps may remain on containers as they are also recycled. Thomas Lauro, the County Commissioner of Environmental Facilities, informed the audience of this additional change at a recent sustainability event in Bedford.
The tentative budget shows $105,000 for recycling, which our DPW head Salanitro explained includes paper, commingled recyclables and yard waste. This amount is also lower than the $112,500 expected to be spent in 2010-2011. The Committee applauds the effort to contain cost in light of the expected increase of plastics recycled.
At a Committee meeting ideas to further reduce the waste disposal fees were considered. One way could be to encourage composting. Two Committee members already use a rotating composter. Committee members asked whether it might be possible to invite vendors who make composters available to set up a table the Farmers' Market. Another idea discussed was a volume discount coordinated by Village Staff. If waste disposal fees could be reduced 10% ($24,000) the effort would seem worthwhile.
Another significant cost is leaf collection and disposal fees tentatively budgeted at $705,414. Encouraging residents to compost even some of their leaves might make a noticeable reduction in that line item. Composting is an excellent alternative to fertilizer and is environmentally friendly.
These suggestions are thought to be win-win-win. Less work for DPW crews, lower costs for residents and better for the environment.
Bruce Wells,
President Scarsdale Forum
Contacts for the Forum Sustainability Committee are co-chairs Steve Frantz and Dan Hochvert
Do It Yourself Mailing in Scarsdale Village
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No more waiting online at the post office at 29 Chase Road in Scarsdale Village. A new automated postal center has now been installed in the post office allowing customers to send packages and letters and purchase stamps without waiting online for customer service.
These new, user-friendly machines do almost everything. You can pay for a box, weigh it, calculate and purchase postage for parcels up to 70 pounds and even buy insurance for your shipment.
In Scarsdale, since the post office is often open even when the customer service window is closed, you can now take care of all of your postal needs in the off-hours. Valerie Jackson, the supervisor of the Scarsdale branch pointed out that the building is open on weekends for those who have mail to pick up from post office boxes on the site.
The next time you’re in the Village, stop buy and put the new machine to the test.
