The Zebra is Back!
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A large zebra that was missing from a traffic triangle in Greenacres has reappeared – as mysteriously as it disappeared. Pearl Stark of 47 Greenacres Avenue donated the large ceramic sculpture of a black and white striped zebra to adorn a newly planted traffic island across the street from her home. Stark lived on Greenacres Avenue since 1965 and moved away in August. She gave the zebra as a parting gift to the community as she wished to thank the neighborhood gardeners for providing a lovely vista from her front porch.
The zebra was placed in a corner of the triangular island on Saturday July 23 and peered out at drivers coming up from Colvin Road. Sometime before Tuesday morning July 26th, the zebra was stolen. Heartbroken neighbors posted signs asking for the zebra to be returned and filed a police report.
Their prayers were answered when the zebra returned on Wednesday August 17th. There were no witnesses to its departure and no one seems to know how it reappeared. Lt. Altizio at the Scarsdale Police Department was pleased to hear the zebra was back but had no idea how it got there. If anyone has a guess about what happened, please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
FBI Imposters and Wandering Children from the Greenburgh Police
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Visit from the FBI: A Hartsdale woman reported that two men came to her door and repeatedly rang the bell and banged on her back door on the evening of August 7th. The two men claimed to be FBI agents and asked her questions about her husband, saying that they received a complaint that he was a martyr terrorist. When she asked to see their badges only one man showed her his ID card. The card said the man’s last name was Kao, so she called the Manhattan FBI office to inquire. There was no one by that name in their office and the FBI told her to call the police.
Wandering children: On the afternoon of 8/9, two young children wearing pajamas and no shoes were found walking along Sprain Road. A passing motorist picked them up and brought them to Ardsley Police. Greenburgh Police went to the children’s home and found it unlocked, with two large dogs inside. After the dogs were secured, a woman answered the door and said she had taken two Benadryls at 10 am and fallen asleep. The woman identified herself as Tatania Semo, age 26, of N.Y. who works as an adult entertainment dancer at a gentlemen’s club in Queens. She was supposed to be caring for the children. Police contacted the children’s mother as well as Children’s Protective Services.
Drive-in: On Wednesday morning 8/10, 70 year-old Barbara Finegold of Sundale Place, Scarsdale drove her 1989 Lincoln Town car into the Pet Goods store on Central Avenue in Scarsdale. The car hit the front railing and broke the store’s front glass store. An estimated $3,500 in damage was done to the store and the car had to be towed away.
Free wings? Three teens fled the Candlelight Inn without paying for their meal at 11 pm on Monday August 8th. The owner called the police who found two of the youths in the Candlelight parking lot hiding behind a shed and the third in the front parking lot. The owner agreed not to press charges if the teens would pay the $41.75 owed for the meal and they paid up.
Break-ins: A burglar alarm went off at Best Buy at 1:30 am on 8/9. Police found both of the front glass doors to the store broken, and the gate behind the doors open as well. Store personnel determined that several computers and iPads were missing and reported almost $5,000 in total merchandise gone.
A ground floor apartment on Pinewood Road, Hartsdale was broken into between 5 am and 8:30 am on August 13th while a mother and daughter slept inside. Vandals entered through a ground floor window, and stole two purses and car keys off the kitchen table. They used the keys to drive away in a Toyota Scion that belonged to the residents and was parked in front of the apartment.
Police responded to a burglar alarm on Tanglewood Road in Scarsdale at 9 pm on August 13th. They found an open screen door and an open bedroom window. When the homeowner returned she found that some jewelry was taken from the nightstand but nothing else was missing.
On 8/8 the caretaker of a home on Stone Oaks Drive in Hartsdale called police when she noticed that a back window of the home had been smashed. Nothing appeared to be missing and it did not look as if anyone had entered the house.
The window of a 1994 Nissan Altima, parked in the driveway of a Marion Avenue, Hartsdale home was smashed sometime on 8/8.
Retail details: Theresa Fields of Spring Valley was caught stealing an $82 pair of Coach sneakers from Loehmann’s on Tarrytown Road on August 12th. She was handcuffed, taken to Greenburgh Police Headquarters and booked.
Gregory Rogers, a 25 year-old employee of SJ Service Station on Central Avenue was charged with Petit Larceny and Falsifying Business Records. Rogers stole scratch off lottery tickets valued at $900 and altered the records. He was caught stealing the tickets on the surveillance videotape.
Phone rage: The manager of the AT&T store on South Central Avenue called police at 9 am on Saturday morning 8/13 when an angry customer tried to get into the store before it opened at 10 am. The customer banged on the window and screamed, “open the fucking door.” The man needed a new phone and despite the manager’s request to the man to return to the store at 10 am, the customer was irate and uncooperative.
Underage DWI: Police stopped a driver at 1:30 am on 8/12 on Central Avenue for speeding and found that the 17 year-old Yonkers boy was driving without a proper license and was drunk. He was arrested for speeding and DWI and released to his mother.
Pooligans
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Scarsdale swimmers did a double take on Friday morning July 29 when they found a lifeguard chair on top of the pool house. No one knows who got into the pool complex the previous night -- or how they managed to hoist the guard chair from the baby pool onto the roof. The Scarsdale Police were called to investigate.
Until pool personnel could figure out how to take the chair down later Friday morning, flying friends had a bird’s eye view of all four pools from atop the roof.
If anyone has a theory about who did it or how, please share in the comments section below.
An Arrest, a Hot-Headed Motorist and Pool Crashers from the Scarsdale Police
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Mia Faulkner, age 34, of Winthrop Avenue, New Rochelle, turned herself in on August 4th to the Scarsdale Police Department to answer an outstanding arrest warrant which was issued on 10/21/09. The warrant charged Ms. Faulkner with Aggravated Unlicensed Operation in the third degree and Uninspected Motor Vehicle. She was released on $50.00 cash bail and issued an appearance ticket to appear in the Scarsdale Village Court on August 10th.
Identity Theft: A Greenacres resident reported an incident of identity theft to the police on August 2nd. The incident came to her attention when her accountant filed a joint tax return for her and her husband who had passed away last year. The tax return was rejected with the reason being that her husband’s social security number had already been used on another return. The IRS was notified of the identity theft and the matter is under investigation.
Trespass: On August 4th at 10:37 PM the police responded to 30 Cambridge Road on a report that a youth party was taking place in the backyard. The incident was reported by a neighbor who advised that the homeowners were away on vacation. Police discovered the pool water filter working, wet footprints around the pool area and water bottles left on a backyard table. No youths were found on the property. Two unlocked doors were also discovered and were secured by the police officers at the scene. The surrounding area was checked with negative results.
Road Rage: Police responded to a Weaver Street residence on August 5th at 1:41 PM upon a report of threatening behavior that was the result of a traffic disagreement. The complainant reported that she was traveling on Weaver Street when a pickup truck entered the roadway from the Shell service station causing her to take evasive action. She said that the operator of the pickup truck then made an obscene gesture at her, followed her to her residence, yelled obscenities at her and made threatening statements before driving off. Police conducted a canvass of the area with negative results.
Prowler: On August 7th at 12:49 AM a Black Birch Lane resident reported seeing a male attempting to gain access to his vehicle which was parked in his driveway. The resident said that when he turned the outdoors lights on this unknown male fled the driveway. He was described as being approximately six feet tall and wearing dark colored clothing. Entry was not made into the vehicle nor was it damaged in any fashion. The area was canvassed by patrol units with negative results.
Assistance Rendered: Police and Fire personnel responded to the Harwood Building on August 2nd at 7:47 AM on a report of a woman stuck inside the building’s elevator. Fire personnel were able to force the doors open freeing the women who was trapped inside. The woman did not suffer any injuries.
Found Property: On August 2nd at 1:11 PM police received a call from an individual who reported finding personal property at the intersection of Weaver Street and Crossway. Investigation revealed that the property was stolen from a vehicle that was parked in the Colonial Village parking lot. The property was returned to the owner. New Rochelle police were advised and they took a larceny report from the vehicle’s owner.
Fire Call: The Fire Department responded to a Heathcote Road home on August 3rd at 9:08 AM on a report of a smell of smoke coming from the pool house. The Fire Department determined that the smell was coming from the air conditioning unit. The air conditioning unit was turned off and the homeowner’s representative was advised to contact a technician to repair the defective unit.
Village Code Complaints: The police department continues to vigorously enforce the gasoline powered leaf blower ban. Summonses were issued on Myrtledale Road, Nelson Road, South Woods Road, Cayuga Road and Heathcote Road for violation of section 205.2B of the Scarsdale Village Code.
Coyote Sightings: Police responded to several reported coyote sightings that were made by residents. Coyotes were reportedly seen on Hillview Drive, Rock Creek Lane and near the intersection of Weaver Street and Crossway. In each instance, the coyote was gone upon the arrival of the police.
Auto Accidents: Police and Fire Department personnel responded to a report of an automobile accident which occurred in front of 459 Mamaroneck Road on August 1st at 6:47 PM. The operator of a 2005 GMC reported that while she was traveling at the above location a tree fell and struck the vehicle causing front end damage. The vehicle’s operator was uninjured. Con Edison was notified about wires being knocked down by the falling tree. The Scarsdale Highway Department was also called to the scene to assist. Police responded to an automobile accident which occurred on East Parkway on August 3rd at 11:38 am. The operator of a 2005 Toyota was pulling into an East Parkway metered parking space when she mistakenly stepped on the accelerator rather than the brake. This caused the vehicle to crash into the building at 54 East Parkway. There no injuries reported.
Saxon Road Home of Runaway Slave to be Demolished
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Last week a majority of the members of the Scarsdale Committee on Historic Preservation (CHP) failed to find that a house at 140 Saxon Woods Road had historical significance. Neighbor Toril Hanna along with Scarsdale Middle School Librarian Elizabeth Waltzman and descendents of runaway slave Robert Purdy contended that the home should be spared as it was part of a community of ex-slaves in Scarsdale, dating back to the 1860’s. At a meeting on June 23, they presented CHP members with census documents, land deeds and maps to demonstrate the historic merit of the home that is among the last of the original structures on the 5-acre tract purchased by Purdy from George A. Willets.
Despite considerable evidence and testimony, and a vote of 3-2 vote in favor of deeming the home historically significant the house now stands to be demolished. Why? According to Village Attorney Wayne Esannason, the committee has seven members, five of whom attended the July 19th meeting. The meeting requires a quorum of four to vote. Since a quorum of five members attended and the applicant has a right to a decision within 30 days, the committee met, deliberated and voted. In order to deem the house historically significant, four favorable votes, or a majority of the seven possible votes were required, and since only three voted in favor of preservation, the home will go down. Esannason said that all committee members should do their best to attend all meetings so that each decision is given consideration by the complete seven member panel.
In this case, the applicant is the Parma Construction Company who bought the .19 acre lot for $320,000 and has applied to demolish the home to build a new house. Parma could have asked the Committee to hold over the decision until a later meeting when more members could be present. However, the representative from Parma wished to move forward so the committee voted.
Contacted in Norway, Toril Hanna expressed her disappointment and the following letter to Scarsdale10583.com. She had hoped that the committee would vote in favor of preservation, moving the fate of the house to the Board of Architectural Review. Now that it appears that the home will be torn down, Hanna will need to consider the impact that the new home will have on her property. The Board of Architectural Review is scheduled to meet in early August to review plans for the new house at 140 Saxon Woods Road.
Here are Hanna’s comments on the Committee’s voting procedure and decision:
It has been confirmed to me that "an affirmative vote of the majority of the constituted board is required for the property to be upheld as historic. The CHP consist of seven voting members. Therefore, at least four (4) votes are required for the property to be declared historic under chapter 182 of the Village Code." With all due respect I acknowledge the veracity of the laws that rule the Committee for Historic Preservation (CHP).
However I find it hard to believe and understand how a favorable majority vote of 3 to 2 which clearly acknowledged the 140 Saxon Woods Rd as having historic significance, did not constitute a majority due to a technicality. There are 7 CHP voting members, a quorum is a majority which is 4, and 5 were present. How does a 3 to 2 vote in favor to pass the motion put forward not constitute a democratic majority? If that is not the case it seems the by-laws should at least be reconsidered with a view towards representing a more democratic process, and in particular when considering the significant history which has been put into evidence.
It seems irresponsible to reject the historically significant findings without having fully considered any outstanding questions as well as how to deal with the facts and the possible preservation of the home. Once the home is torn down, it is gone forever. I think that in retrospect society will regret not having fully pursued options for the home's preservation.
I also wonder about the legal voting procedure of the CHP. What do the missing voting members have to say? I believe that the case should have had a hearing at the Board of Architectural Review, who, according to the Scarsdale Village Code, have far greater capacity and scope to deal with determining a viable decision regarding an historically significant structure.
Best regards,
Toril U. Hanna
