Car Flips in Hartsdale
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 4213
A black sedan flipped on Hartsdale Avenue in Hartsdale around 2:30 pm on Friday afternoon March 7. Witnesses were not sure why the car flipped onto its side – as the weather was clear and there was no ice on the road. A Scarsdale resident said she was exiting the nail salon when she saw an older woman being taken out of the car and placed on a stretcher. The driver waved to the crowd that had assembled around the scene as she was driven off in an ambulance. Several fire trucks came to Hartsdale where they loaded the car onto blocks before righting it onto all four wheels.
As we receive additional information about the incident, we will update you. If anyone has further information, please email it to scarsdalecomments@gmail.com or enter it in the comments section below.
Tickets Now On Sale for the Jewish Film Festival
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 4318
Tickets are now on sale for the Westchester Jewish Film Festival at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville. The festival runs from March 19 through April 10 and features a diverse array of 39 programs celebrating the grand sweep of the Jewish experience. This year's expanded lineup of dramas and documentaries includes magic, Israeli history, family secrets, and the most joyous person you'll ever meet (who happens to be the oldest living Holocaust survivor). This promises to be an extraordinary three weeks.
Among the special events this year are a day-long Celebration of Pioneering Women on Sunday, March 30, with the centerpiece program The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life (which just won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short) followed by a live piano concert of Chopin's études. This day also features three films from Israel and ends with the Emmy-winning comedian Judy Gold leading a Q&A with the audience following a screening of When Jews Were Funny. Other festival highlights include Quality Balls:The David Steinberg Story with David Steinberg, A Tribute to Arik Einstein, an evening of music, film clips and conversation, and a screening of Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Dori Berinstein, Hamlisch's widow Terre Blair Hamlisch, actor/musician Brian d'Arcy James, and Broadway composer Matthew Sklar. .
Tickets sell out quickly, so click here to review the schedule and order your tickets in advance. Tickets are also available at the box office which opens at noon on weekdays and 11:00 a.m. on weekends.
Here are just a few of the films that will be shown during the exciting month:
The Zigzag Kid: Based on the novel by David Grossman, this is a funny, action-packed film about the fantastical adventures of a spirited 13-year-old boy who longs to be a detective like his father, but can't stay out of trouble. Two days before his bar mitzvah, he wanders into a mysterious world of disguises and fantasies—and with the help of a notorious thief and a famous singer (the incomparable Isabella Rossellini) uncovers a secret that will forever change his life.
The Wonders: A smash hit from celebrated Israeli director Avi Nesher (The Matchmaker). An art-school dropout is embroiled in a criminal-religious conspiracy when he discovers a kidnapped mys- tery man and modern-day prophet imprisoned in his apartment building. And it gets weirder—and funnier—from there. Some critics have likened The Wonders to a Coen Brothers film. Nesher himself says it's Lewis Carroll meets Carol Reed (The Third Man).
50 Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr. & Mrs. Kraus: In 1939, while the American government blocked Jewish immigration and the Nazi hold on Eastern Europe tightened, Jewish lawyer Gilbert Kraus and his wife, Eleanor, traveled to Nazi Germany from Philadelphia and singlehandedly brought 50 children to safety in the United States. This "heart-wrenching, thrilling, and above all relevant" (New York Times) story, narrated by Alan Alda, is brought to life by private journals and a trove of previously unseen home movies.
The Strange Case of Wilhelm Reich: Controversial Austrian Jewish psychoanalyst and scientist Wilhelm Reich, the inventor of the infamous Orgone Box, fled to the United States in 1939, where he devoted himself to research while raising suspicions during the paranoid 1950s. This stunning biopic stars the incomparable Klaus Maria Brandauer (Mephisto, Out of Africa) as Reich, who ultimately faced criminal charges and a prison sentence.
See the entire schedule here.
Scarsdale Board Approves New Code Regulating Disitributed Antenna Systems
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 5313
The Scarsdale Board of Trustees covered lots of ground at their 2-11 meeting, passing a much-discussed change to village code regulating the installation of distributed antenna systems in the village right of way and hearing public comments on the Homestead Tax Option which threatens to triple taxes for owners of 42 Christie Place Condominiums.
At the opening of the meeting Mayor Bob Steves called for a moment of silence for Eda Newhouse who passed away on Monday February 10 at the age of 88. He noted her "high energy and commitment to the Scarsdale community" and said her legacy would live on and on.
The Board held a public hearing on the Wireless Facilities Communications code. Provisions in the new code regulate the size, height, placement, distance between nodes and appearance of the antennas to minimize their visual impact on the environment. They also specify that landscaping with trees, shrubs be used to shield the site lines.
Among the new provisions for DAS are:
- The proposed facility must be the least intrusive means of closing a significant gap in wireless service.
- The structure and antenna shall not exceed 120 feet in height
- New support structures shall be monopoles
- DAS will be sited to have minimum adverse visual impact
- The appearance of antennas shall be harmonious with its surroundings in terms of color, texture and architectural style.
The new code also outlines a rigorous application and renewal processes.
Though this new code was debated for years, during the hearing there were no public comments and the resolution passed. You can view the new code here:
Tax Cap: The Board passed a resolution to authorize a tax levy in excess of the New York State Tax Cap.
Homestead Act: Debate continued on the adoption of the Homestead Tax Option, following discussions at meetings of the Scarsdale Forum on Thursday February 6 and a meeting of the Scarsdale Trustees on Monday February 10.
In the public comments portion of the meeting, William Sulzer, an attorney from Bronxville who has been retained by the Christie Place homeowners to represent them, posed several questions and was asked to contact Village Manager Al Gatta to review them.
Robert Berg, Chair of the Scarsdale Forum's Assessment Revaluation Committee spoke at length about the Forum's recommendation to adopt Homestead which was approved by the Forum on February 6 by a vote of 11 for to 8 against. He said, "In order to be fair to all, the act must be adopted even though a small number will see their taxes soar.... The decision to adopt the Homestead Tax Act is binary; you either adopt it or your don't... There is no practical way to phase it in over time or mitigate the impact on Christie Place owners who may see their taxes rise by 200 – 300%."
Berg continued, "The average condo owner, with a market value of $1.3 mm, paid about $10,000 in property taxes in 2013. A house valued at $1.3 mm paid about $32,000 in 2013. The condo is taxed as if it were valued at $413,000. The total value of the condominiums is $55 million and they were taxed as if they were valued at $17.5 million and enjoyed a $928,000 property tax break in 2013. The nearly $1 million break is borne by every other homeowner in Scarsdale. How can that possibly be fair?"
He concluded by saying, "You have the ability to cure that inequity now or let it persist indefinitely. If you fail to do so, you will deprive the school board of making that decision as to the school taxes."
Stuart Royal, a homeowner and member of the Board of Directors of Christie Place spoke against Homestead. He pointed out that only 19 members voted at the Forum. He also questioned the valuation of the units used by the Village Assessor's office saying that these values were highly inflated and did not reflect the purchase prices of the units. He said, "We seem to be the scapegoats. We are 42 people stacked on top of each other."
Condo owner Daniel Girardi said "Homestead is about inequities between commercial and residential properties adopted by communities with an industrial base to prevent residential property owners from bearing an unreasonable tax burden. Bronxville and Mamaroneck both rejected it because of its adverse affect on condo owners. Scarsdale is unique because it has one condo property. This would triple our taxes and save $150 for everyone else. It does not seem to be a fair and equitable distribution."
Bob Harrison urged the Board to pass Homestead for "fairness in the community." He told that condo owners that if they have a tax grievance they could file it with the town assessment review board and have their taxes adjusted.
He also discussed a new application pertaining to 8 Heathcote Road that has been filed with the Board of Architectural Review. After the BAR denied the homeowners the right to totally demolish the home, they filed a new application to retain some elements of the façade. He questioned why the Village permitted to do so rather than appeal to the Village Board of Trustees. Village Attorney Wayne Essanason explained that the Building Inspector deemed this to be a new application that was not for a total demolition and allowed it to go before the BAR for a certificate of appropriateness.
Scarsdale Library: Trustee Brodsky read a resolution to use $280,000 from the library's fund balance to re-pave the library parking lot and to retain a professional development firm to lead a fund raising campaign for the library.
Village Asks for Sealed Bids for Foreclosed Home in Scarsdale
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 6820
For the first time in 13 years, the Village of Scarsdale has foreclosed on a home and is soliciting sealed bids for the property. The house is a Tudor style home, built in 1926, with four bedrooms and three full and two half baths. Located on .16 acre at 3 Edgewood Road in Scarsdale it is reported to be in fair condition and the annual real estate tax on the property is $17,461.
Interested parties can attend a pre-bid conference on Tuesday, February 25, 2014 at 3:00 PM at Scarsdale Village Hall, in the 3rd Floor Meeting Room. Following the meeting, there will be a walkthrough of the property.
The Village invites sealed bids for the purchase of the home. Copies of the Bid Solicitation, which include the bid submission form, requirements and relevant information are available at Scarsdale Village Hall, 1001 Post Road, Scarsdale, N.Y. at the Village Clerk's Office and also available on the Village's website.
Final bids must be submitted by Tuesday, March 18, 2014 by 2:00 PM at the Village Treasurer's Office, 1st Floor, Village Hall, 1001 Post Road, Scarsdale, N.Y. in a sealed envelope addressed to Mary Louise McClure, Village Treasurer and clearly marked Bid Submission, Village Owned Property, 3 Edgewood Road.
Bids will be publicly opened and read at 2:00 PM in the Trustees' Room, 2nd Floor, Village Hall on March 18, 2014. For additional information call Rita Azrelyant, Assistant to the Village Manager, at (914) 722-1109.
Greenacres Rings in the Year of the Horse
- Details
- Written by Karen Lee
- Hits: 4418
The first day of the Lunar New Year was Friday, 1/31/14. Celebrated for 15 days, New Year is the most important holiday for many people in Asia. According to the Chinese zodiac, this is the Year of the Horse . In Chinese culture, the Horse is a symbol of nobility, energy, speed and intelligence. There is an old Chinese phrase used to describe someone who is dynamic: he or she has the spirit of a horse.
At Greenacres School, the lion parade is the highlight of its Lunar New Year Celebration, which includes Korea and other Asian countries that follow the lunar calendar. On Friday, 1/31, Ms. Leitner's third grade class led the lion parade throughout the school—armed with Chinese drums, gongs and cymbals. The school's new lion made its debut. It is a Southern Chinese lion, 
resembling the lions in the New York Chinatown lion parades, with white fur, a single horn on top of its head, and bold, vibrant colors. The Southern Chinese lion is from Guangdong, China, where early immigrants to Chinatown originated. In addition to the lion, the Greenacres Multicultural Committee also purchased two double-sided Chinese drums, a bulls eye gong and a wind gong for the annual lion parade.
Each year, many Greenacres parents collaborate to purchase New Year decorations; decorate the lunchroom, entrances and bulletin boards; make cultural presentations in their children's classrooms; organize a Chinese New Year lion parade as well as give out red envelopes, clementines and other goodies that symbolize prosperity for the coming year. This fun, festive holiday falls on a different day in January or February of each year. And it is always something that the students look forward to celebrating during the cold, bleak winter!
