Shout it Out

Details: Published: 24 March 2010; Created: 24 March 2010; Last Updated: 24 March 2010; Hits: 5497

Now that the trees have been cleared, wires put back into place and we’re all taking our electricity for granted, make a guess… how much do you think Scarsdale Village spent to clean up the storm? $50,000? $500,000? In fact, according to Village Manager Al Gatta, the answer lies somewhere in between. And in a year when village finances are severely strained and there is already an estimated shortfall in revenues of $90,000, where will this money come from?

At the March 23rd meeting of the Scarsdale Board of Trustees, Mayor Carolyn Stevens asked Gatta to give an accounting of the cost for the extra work done by fire, police, public works and parks personnel. The Village incurred costs for overtime, vehicles, supplies, and equipment for emergency services, property damage repairs, and tree and debris removal. In total, the Village answered 7,200 calls from Village residents in need of assistance. Gatta estimates that the total cost of the storm to Scarsdale was $358,000. If a state of emergency is declared for the area, Scarsdale will apply for federal aid to close the gap.

In other news from the Village Board of Trustees, Board members and the community said their goodbyes to Trustees Sharon Lindsay and Dan Hochvert, both who have completed four years as Village Trustee. Kind words were exchanged by all about the enormous contributions both have made to the Board and to the Village. They will clearly be missed. Speaking for the Scarsdale Forum, V.P. Bruce Wells expressed his thanks for their dedication to Scarsdale and Jane Veron thanked both on behalf of the League of Women Voters. Kay Eisenman and Jonathan Mark have been elected to serve in their place and will begin at the first scheduled meeting in April.

Details: Published: 23 March 2010; Created: 23 March 2010; Last Updated: 23 March 2010; Hits: 12006

New Courses Offered at the Adult School

Dealing with clutter gets easier with Home Organization for Your Busy Life, taught by certified professional organizer Bonnie Joy Dewkett. In this course there will be discussions on ways to deal with life's clutter. Students will be introduced to low-effort high-impact ways to make their daily life more organized and less stressful. Whether your home is well organized or a disaster, the tips in this course will prove to be useful. This interactive class will outline efficient ways to organize living spaces, including kids' rooms, closets, basements and garages. This series of workshops will be held at Scarsdale High School for three Mondays, starting April 19 from 7 - 8:30 pm.

To learn how to get off the lose-and-gain weight seesaw with a unified plan for lifelong weight-management, the Scarsdale Adult School is offering Winning the Weight Loss Game, a four session workshop meeting on Tuesdays, starting April 6th from 7 - 8:30 pm at Scarsdale High School. Based on the latest research, the strategy presented by Karen Reznik Dolins EdD, RD, CSSD, CD-N, and a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics specializing in health promotion, sports nutrition and clinical dietetics will teach you how to balance diet and exercise. Discussion will focus on the effect of exercise on metabolic rate, how much exercise is needed to promote healthy weight loss, exercise intensity and fat loss, the role of strength vs. aerobic training, the number of calories to eat in a day and where to get those calories. In addition you will create individualized practical exercise and menu plans.

Over the Rainbeau: Living the Dreams of Sustainable Farming will be presented by the Scarsdale Adult School Tuesday, April 6th from7 - 9 pm at Scarsdale High School.Over The Rainbeau: Living The Dream Of Sustainable Farming is a book which conveys the romance and challenges of one woman's journey from tending a pair of goats to building Rainbeau Ridge, a multifaceted, sustainable farm in nearby Bedford Hills, NY, to then becoming an award-winning cheese maker. This inspirational memoir comes to life with tantalizing original and chef-created recipes, inspirational how-to's and captivating photographs. Authors Lisa Schwartz, a farmer and cheese maker, Karen Sabath, a farmer and photographer, and food writer Judith Hausman will share stories and photographs from their book. Students will also enjoy a sampling of cheese from the Rainbeau Ridge farm.

The first 10 registrants will receive a free copy of Over The Rainbeau: Living The Dream Of Sustainable Farming

Why Does That Building Look Like That? A Contemporary Architecture Class at SAS -Diverse and dynamic architecture erected in the last fifteen years is the focus of a new Scarsdale Adult School offering. Why Does That Building Look Like That? Contemporary Architecture in New York City, will be presented by Brent Stringfellow, an architect with Polshek Partnership Architects, NYC. In addition to lectures that will help students reach a better understanding of the forms, origins and attitudes of contemporary architecture, walking tours are planned of recent developments. Possible tours include the Columbus Circle area including Alice Tully Hall, the Museum of Arts and Design, the Hearst Building, MOMA and the American Folk Art Museum and the West Village / Chelsea area, with highlights including the High Line, the Gehry Headquarters, the Standard Hotel, and some residential developments in the area.Lectures will be held at Scarsdale High School two consecutive Thursdays, starting April 8th form 7:30 - 9 pm. Two walking tours will be scheduled in NYC on Friday April 16th and Tuesday April 27th from 1 - 2 pm.

To register, or for information on all course offerings, visit www.ScarsdaleAdultSchool.org. Questions? Call 723-2325. Catalogs are available at the Scarsdale Public Library and Village Hall.

Details: Published: 16 March 2010; Created: 16 March 2010; Last Updated: 16 March 2010; Hits: 3901

Can the National Guard Help?

Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner is calling on the National Guard to assist Greenburgh during future crises. The recent storm and resulting power outages have caused thousands of Greenburgh and Westchester residents to lose power for days. In response, Feiner has written to Brigadier General Patrick Murphy of the New York National Guard. Feiner is urging the New York National Guard to take steps so that the next time there is a serious storm that leaves homeowners without power the National Guard could be activated to help.

According to Feiner, the New York National Guard could be used to direct traffic at intersections where lights are out, to help cut down trees or stand guard near downed wires.

In a letter to Scarsdale10583.com, Feiner says, “Con Ed and local governments are trying hard to restore power but the amount of damage has made it impossible to get to everyone immediately. Some people will be out of power for six or seven days—which is unacceptable. Even after a power outage, there is significant work to do. It will take the town weeks to clean up the mess. We could use the help of the Guard. If the Guard becomes part of power outage emergency planning , Guard members will get terrific practical training and can help localities restore power quickly.”

Here is the current status of the restoration in Greenburgh from Con Edison: Of the more than 11,000 Greenburgh customers affected by the storm 5,400 remain without service as of 6:50 AM Tuesday morning. Today, Con Edison is cutting trees off wires, and removing fallen wires and broken poles so that state crews can restore the power.

Details: Published: 16 March 2010; Created: 16 March 2010; Last Updated: 16 March 2010; Hits: 3632

Congresswoman Nita Lowey

Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey will join with Jewish communities nationwide to observe a Global Hunger Shabbat at Westchester Refrom Temple on Friday March 19. The service, beginning at 7:45 p.m., is open to the community and will be a source of solidarity, education, reflection and advocacy to raise awareness about global hunger.

Global Hunger Shabbat is part of the American Jewish World Service’s (AJWS) campaign Fighting Hunger from the Ground Up created to build awareness about the political roots of hunger. Scheduled to coincide with the Shabbat just prior to Passover, Global Hunger Shabbat will evoke the Passover message of all who are hungry, let them come and eat, on behalf of the more than a billion people suffering from hunger worldwide.

The speaker for the evening, Congresswoman Lowey, represents New York’s 18th District, including parts of Westchester and Rockland Counties. As a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, where she chairs the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee and is a senior member of the Homeland Security and Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Subcommittees, Lowey is an extremely effective, committed legislator with a substantial record of accomplishment.

This event is free and open to the public at Westchester Reform Temple, located at 255 Mamaroneck Road in Scarsdale, NY. For directions or information, call the Temple at 914-723-7727, email to office@wrtemple.org, or visit the web at www.wrtemple.org.

Details: Published: 15 March 2010; Created: 15 March 2010; Last Updated: 15 March 2010; Hits: 3472

Vote for Village Trustees Tuesday March 16

Bruce Wells of the Scarsdale Forum reports that the village election will still be held despite the loss of power at Village Hall. Village Hall is operating on emergency generators and since the voting machines are mechanical, the voting can go on without power. The Village Election is scheduled for Tuesday March 16th from 6am to 9am, and then from noon to 9pm.

The Scarsdale Woman's Club has no power at this point, so the planned reception to be held there Tuesday night is temporarily on hold. If the power is restored to the Woman's Club there will be a reception there to welcome the new Trustees from 8:30pm to 10pm. All are welcome.