It's a Wrap: Crane Road Bridge Construction is Complete
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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On January 5 Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino announced that construction of the Crane Road Bridge in Scarsdale is complete, on time and on budget. The Crane Road Bridge is the largest bridge construction project that Westchester County has ever undertaken at a total cost of $53 million. Astorino said, "We now have a modern and safe bridge in place that will make it easier to get around Westchester and hopefully take some of the stress out of the busy lives of the people who use the Bronx River Parkway."
Astorino thanked the residents and merchants of Scarsdale as well as Bronx River Parkway motorists for their patience, saying E.E. Cruz, the construction company, and the county worked to keep disruptions at a minimum.
The project is currently $500,000 under budget, expected to be enough to cover a few outstanding invoices. All four lanes of the parkway opened to motorists on September 4, 2015, with all work completed on December 20. Astorino added, "In a perfect world, we would have finished a little sooner, but despite some tough weather we saw during three years of construction, this project was completed in the shortest possible amount of time."
Joseph Malandro, president and COO of E.E. Cruz and Co. Inc., said the uniqueness of the bridge's "mushroom caps" structure motivated the company to bid on the project because "it was an engineering challenge to build it."
The Crane Road Bridge project accomplished the following:
- Expanded the four lanes from 9.5 feet in width to 11 feet
- Added a 4 foot right shoulder and a 2.5 foot left shoulder
- Added a 260-foot long deceleration lane for exiting traffic at Exit 12 northbound;
- Improved the curves to increase stopping sight distance and allow the advisory speed to increase from 20 mph to 30 mph
- Added a sidewalk to the south side of the bridge
- Installed a pedestrian ramp to access the southbound Metro-North Station platform and the Bronx River Parkway Reservation pathway
The Bronx River Parkway's Crane Road Bridge is made up of two bridges, one over the Bronx River, commonly referred to as the "mushroom bridge," and the other over the MTA Metro-North Railroad track north of the Scarsdale Station, commonly referred to as the "railroad bridge." These bridges share a common middle abutment. The original Crane Road Bridge was a major contributing element to the designation of the Bronx River Parkway Reservation on the National Register of Historic Places. Construction of the new bridge follows policies of the U.S. Department of the Interior for historic bridges.
Commenting on the project, Scarsdale Village Manager Steve Pappalardo shared the following:
"The Village worked closely with the County on the initial planning, coordination and timing of the project relative to the Popham Road Bridge project which immediately preceded the Crane Road Bridge construction. We sold the County certain Village properties located on the BRP they needed to complete the project and granted them a temporary construction easement for the north end of the Merchant Lot for the contractor to stage materials and work. The Village was paid in excess of $900,000 for the properties and easement. Relative to the scope of the project, we asked the County to install a sidewalk alongside the Crane Road northbound Exit 12 ramp that would lead to a new pedestrian ramp to and from the inbound (NYC- southbound) platform and the Bronx River Parkway Reservation pathway. We also asked that they improve the safety of this Exit 12 ramp and they did so by adding a 260-foot long deceleration lane for exiting traffic. They completed both of these requests and installed an accompanying crosswalk on East Parkway from the Chateaux to the Merchants Lot to access the sidewalk to the platform. Scarsdale residents living north of Crane Road have found this new access very convenient while walking to the station in the morning and we hope it reduces the number of vehicles
accessing the train station for the morning commute. We also asked the County to construct a new stairway from the outbound (north) platform to the Merchants Lot, however the NYSDOT, who along with the Federal Highway Administration funded the preponderance of the project costs, would not approve as they considered it unrelated to the bridge construction project.
The County also modified their Maintenance and Protection of Traffic Plan at the Village's request by maintaining the southbound Exit 12 Crane Road ramp for most of the project duration. This ramp was initially to be closed for 3 of the 4 project stages, however the County revised their construction plan to accommodate its continued use as the Scarsdale Chamber of Commerce and other Village merchants expressed concern about the potential loss of business from removing this access point.
Other than some occasional issues with local traffic or the construction staging areas in the Merchant's Lot and off Depot Place which Village staff handled with the County DPW, the Crane Road Bridge project went well and the Village Center continued to function. As with the Popham Road Bridge Project, the cooperation and understanding of the merchants, business owners and Village residents in general, during what amounted to five years of bridge construction in and around the Village Center, is greatly appreciated. The resulting infrastructure improvements will benefit transportation, vehicular and pedestrian traffic safety and hopefully local commerce for many years to come."
Scarsdale Concours D'Elegance Present $24,000 to Local Charities
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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On December 21, the Scarsdale Concours D'Elegance presented donations totaling $24,000 to the three community charities: Warrior & Family Assistance Fund sponsored by the Scarsdale Police Department, Edgemont Family Counseling Service, and the Scarsdale Foundation. The check presentation was well attended by representatives from the Concours board, each of the charities, the mayor's office, and the daughter of a WWII vet who recently received assistance from the program.
During the presentation, Jill Miller expressed her gratitude to the Warrior & Family Assistance Fund for their generous contribution in assisting her father, Marvin Wunsch (Metal Smith 2nd Class) who served in the US Navy during WWII on the battleship USS Harry Lee. After unsuccessful attempts with the veteran administration, Mr. Wunsch, who is 91 years old and disabled, approached the charity requesting assistance. The Warrior & Family Assistance Fund aided Mr. Wunsch who expressed his gratitude to the program.
The Concours is a non-profit organization that celebrated its 
12th auto show in 2015. High school students participate in the organization of the event and proceeds go to community based charities. The show was originally started by two Scarsdale High School seniors, Evan Cygler and Dennis O'Leary in 2003 and continued this year with help from students, Ben Hasson, Sam Fried, Dan Patrizio, Jacob Goodman, Johan Schneider, and Sydney Lief.
These students with their parents and other members work diligently at the beginning of every year to create the show that the town enjoys with classic cars, music, food, and a formal award ceremony. Since its inception, the show raised $300,000 for charities through the generosity of the community, sponsors, and local businesses.
The Concours wishes to thank the following:
Board Members Absent: Gordan Rafajac, Alex Forschner, Richard Hubell, David Fried, and Leif Waller
Sponsors: Chubb Insurance, Pepe Auto Group, Miller Motors, BlackRock
Advertisers: Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP, BMW, Dominic European Car Repairs, Country Bank, Langs, Scarsdale Improvement, Christie-Spence Corp, J.B. Fee Sotherby's, Houlihan Lawrence, Rennewerk, JC Auto, Wilson's Jeweler, Platinum Drive Realtors, RW Pressprich, Alfredo Calvi & Son.
Things My Mother Taught Me On Stage at SHS this Weekend
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This weekend, the Scarsdale High School Drama Club will present Things My Mother Taught Me at 7:30 pm on January 29 and 30. Written by Katherine DiSavino, the romantic comedy focuses on love, family and life lessons. The show will be directed by senior Victoria DiSalvo, and assistant directed by senior Sydney Prince.
The play follows Olivia and Gabe's move into their first apartment together. They pack up all of their belongings and drive halfway across the country to start a new life in Chicago. Their moving day doesn't go exactly as planned, though, and things become slightly more complicated when all of their parents show up to help! Can a two bedroom apartment contain all of the love, laughs, worry and wisdom that's about to happen? The comedy takes a generational look at relationships, and how sometimes parents pass their best lessons on to their children without even meaning to. Funny and touching, this one will make you laugh out loud and fall in love all over again.
The show will be performed at the Scarsdale High School on January 29th and 30th at 7:30. Tickets for the show will be available at SHSDCTMMTM.eventbrite.com and at the door.
Cast List
Olivia— Genna Shuster
Gabe — Ellis Jones
Lydia — Megan Reynolds
Wyatt — Egzon Muja
Karen — Ava Bradlow
Carter — Harry Gale
Max — Jenna Orrico
Marie — Lara Neishtadt
Officer Riley — Michael Hoffman
Officer Mason — Kathleen Kantor
Sheldon — David D'Silva
League Invites Public to Focus on Money in Politics
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- Written by: Mary Beth Evans and Deb Morel
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In a rare show of unity, Americans, regardless of their political affiliation, agree that
money has too much influence on elections, the wealthy have more influence on elections, and candidates who win office promote policies that help their donors.
- New York Times, June 2, 2015
If you are among those concerned about money in politics, then plan to attend the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale (LWVS) event on Monday, January 11 at 7 pm in the Scott Room of the Scarsdale Public Library. Following an informational presentation that is free and open to the public, the LWVS will conduct a consensus meeting for members to contribute to a review and update of the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS) position on campaign finance.
Important U.S. Supreme Court decisions in recent years dealing with campaign finance and the First Amendment (e.g., Citizens United 2010, McCutcheon 2014) have dramatically changed the political landscape. According to the LWVUS, "The Court drastically extended its views on free speech to allow unlimited independent spending in candidate elections by corporations and unions and entirely discounted any danger from any undue influence other than quid pro quo ('something for something') corruption."
The result has been to undermine the integrity and effectiveness of the nation's anti-corruption campaign finance laws and open the door to an explosive growth of money in politics. This is why the LWVUS is pursuing "a strategic, multi-dimensional approach at the federal and state levels to overcome or limit" the Court's decision in Citizens United. "League delegates are deeply concerned about the big money that is polluting our elections," said LWVUS president Elisabeth MacNamara. "At the [2014] Convention, we came together and pledged to educate our communities and fight in our legislatures to protect our democracy."
For nearly a century since its founding in 1920, the nonpartisan League has worked to encourage informed and active participation in government. To that end, the LWVUS position has been to support methods of campaign finance that ensure the public's right to know, combat corruption and undue influence, enable candidates to compete more equitably for public office and allow maximum participation in the political process.
Since its position on campaign finance was last amended in 1982 and does not address the First Amendment issues raised by the majority opinions in recent related U.S. Supreme Court cases, the LWVUS is now asking members to consider whether the expression of views through the spending of money to finance election campaign activities should be protected under the First Amendment; and, if so, how should those rights be reconciled with those that the League currently believes should be protected.
We urge all members of the public and of the League to join the LWVS focus on an issue that is at the core of our democracy. For further information, including the list of Consensus Questions for League members to consider, please visit the LWVS website (www.lwvs.org) or contact [email protected].
Contributed by Mary Beth Evans, Money in Politics Committee Chair and Deb Morel, President, League of Women Voters of Scarsdale.
Letter to the Editor: Scarsdale Board of Education To Vote on Whether to Include Mandarin in the Middle School
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- Written by: Mayra Kirkendall-Rodríguez
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This article was submitted to Scarsdale10583 for publication by Claire He, Brice Kirkendall-Rodríguez, Mayra Kirkendall-Rodríguez, Joanne Teoh, Wanna Zhong, and Julie Zhu
Last week, Scarsdale Board of Education President Leila Maude exercised great leadership in requesting that board members vote on December 14th whether to include Mandarin in the Scarsdale Middle School starting in 2016. The Mandarin in the Middle School Initiative Team (MMSIT) would also like to thank her for the level of public accountability that she has exhibited in requesting that each board member explain her or his position at the time of the vote. Additionally, we are grateful that she acknowledged that our group submitted a memorandum with research and analysis to advocate for the importance of including Mandarin in the middle school. We encourage Scarsdale residents to attend the December 14th meeting and support us in increasing and improving foreign language choice and instruction in Scarsdale schools.
Scarsdale parents have been strongly advocating to include Mandarin in the Scarsdale school district for over a decade. It took our predecessors over five years to persuade the administration and the school board to start implementing Mandarin in the high school. In 2008, a World Language committee assembled by the Scarsdale school district recommended including Mandarin in the Middle School and offered suggestions as to how this could be done. A June 2008 New York Times article mentioned that Scarsdale would be including Mandarin in the middle school. Seven years have transpired and Mandarin is still not in the Middle School. In many cases, the children of those first Mandarin parent advocates have graduated without ever having been given a well-deserved chance to study Mandarin in Scarsdale.
Scarsdale is now significantly behind numerous school districts in the tri-state area which are already offering Mandarin at the middle school and sometimes even at the elementary level.
Nearby New Rochelle offers Mandarin starting in elementary school. Additionally, in several cities in New York state such as Jericho, Old Bethpage, Pasadena, Plainview, Syosset, and five elementary schools in New York City, students can begin studying Mandarin as early as kindergarten. In Linden, New Jersey Mandarin also instruction starts in the elementary schools. Back in 2010, Linden's superintendent stated in The Wall Street Journal that 'offering Chinese was a leap of faith, "in a working-class town that has no significant number of Chinese." Now, about 400 elementary school children in the Linden school district are studying Mandarin.
Most nearby middle schools offer three languages, and Mandarin is often one of them. In Croton-Harmon, students in the fifth grade can start studying Mandarin, French, or Spanish. In Brewster, middle school students have a choice of Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish. Mamaroneck requires all sixth graders to take Mandarin, Spanish and French. Then in the seventh grade, students can pick one language on which to focus.
Three nearby middle schools offer four foreign languages in the middle school. Rye Middle School and Pelham Middle School offer French, Mandarin, Latin, and Spanish starting in the sixth grade. In Rye, students are permitted to study two foreign languages and foreign language courses meet daily. White Plains middle schools offer students a choice of Mandarin, Italian, French and Spanish. Understanding the importance of leveling for different skill sets, White Plains offers different Spanish courses for native and non-native speakers.
In both middle schools in Westport, Connecticut, students can choose Mandarin, French or Spanish. Mandarin instruction there began in 2010 and is taught every day for 50 minutes each session.
Princeton John Witherspoon Middle School recently added Mandarin to its French and Spanish offerings; Mandarin begins in the seventh grade.
In Great Neck, New York, both middle schools offer Mandarin. Great Neck South offers four languages, French, Latin, Mandarin, and Spanish. Great Neck North offers five languages, the highest number of any public middle school in the tri-state area that we were able to find in our research. Middle school students at Great Neck North have the choice of French, Hebrew, Latin, Mandarin, and Spanish. ''Long Island is by far the most outstanding region, with more elementary school foreign language programs than any other area in the state,'' said Harriet Barnett, co-chairwoman of the Early Foreign Language Committee for the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers. ''Long Island is a leader in what's becoming a national trend.''
Some nearby middle schools do not offer Mandarin, but do offer three language choices to their students. Sleepy Hollow Middle School offers French, Italian, and Spanish, while both middle schools in Chappaqua offer French, Spanish, and Latin.
Moreover, top area private schools, whose students compete with ours for college admission, have been meeting the need for Mandarin instruction, in some cases for over a decade. The more Scarsdale waits to include Mandarin in the middle school, the more difficult and possibly more expensive will it become to lure the best and the brightest Mandarin instructor to this district.
