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Published: 21 December 2010

Created: 21 December 2010

Last Updated: 21 December 2010

Hits: 5937

Burglars entered a Carthage Road home on 12/16 in the daylight hours when the owners were out of the house. Intruders broke a lock on a rear window of the house, entered through the window and left through a back door. The master bedroom was ransacked and a pillowcase was taken, presumably to hold stolen goods. The thieves left with three computers, $1,000 in cash and at least $4,000 worth of jewelry.

Walworth Avenue residents reported that the lock and a porch door had been drilled out sometime between 12/9 and 12/16. As far as they knew, no one had entered the house.

A Beechwood Lane man spotted a man in his backyard, looking into the second floor windows on the morning of 12/18. When the man saw the resident, he walked to the front of the house and vanished.

Fraud: On December 16, a Stratton Road woman was contacted by the Westwood, N.J. Police Department when a suspect attempted to cash one of her checks in the amount of $3,500 at a Chase Bank in Westwood. A suspicious teller alerted the bank manager who called the Scarsdale resident. In fact, the check was missing from her checkbook, but she does not know who removed it. The man who attempted to cash the check, Brent C. Butler of Tarrytown, claimed to have received the check for house painting but was arrested.

A Spier Road man came to police on 12/16 to report that someone tried to change the address of one of his bank accounts at Chase. The Chase fraud unit is handling the incident.

Too Much to Drink: Two inebriated woman got into a shoving match at Chat shortly after midnight on 12/17. According to manager Mauro Musco, one woman was so drunk that she fell to the floor. The bartender approached the woman and suggested that they leave the premises. In response, one of the drunk customers pushed the bartender in the face. The bartender was not injured and the customers agreed to leave when the police arrived.

At 3:23 am on 12/20, a Stonehouse Road woman called to report a drunk man at her front door. Police went to investigate and found a very drunk Scarsdale man on the property. He claimed he was visiting a friend, but could not remember the friend’s name. The homeowner did not know the man either and wanted him to leave the premises. The man was unsteady on his feet, slurred his words and had peed in his pants. Since he could not provide his address or phone number, police called the ambulance corps who took him to White Plains Hospital where his girlfriend met him

Disputes: A woman who practices matrimonial law received a death threat from the husband of a client. The client in Mt. Kisco told the attorney that the client’s soon-to-be ex-husband had received a text message that said, “your lawyers life is in danger.” Police agreed to do extra ride-bys of the attorney’s home.

A Wayside Lane man called police on the night of 12/18 to report that his 21 year-old son was “out of control” and to ask for assistance in getting the boy to leave the house. By the time police arrived, the son was gone.

A Potter Road woman called police on 12/19 to complain that her boyfriend, Juan Mejia had borrowed $200 from her 14 year-old son and failed to pay him back. The woman was holding Mejia’s passport until the money was returned. Mejia agreed to return the money to the boy by Thursday and the woman returned Mejia’s passport.

Gone: A Tory Lane woman came to police headquarters on 12/14 to report that a pair of diamond stud earrings, valued at $40,000 were missing from her home. She had last seen them in June and has been unable to find them.

A 2007 Toyota Sienna was repossessed from a Greenacres Avenue resident at 2 am on December 14th.

A men’s yellow mountain bike was stolen from East Parkway on 11/24, where it was locked to a rack. When the owner returned, the bike and the lock were gone.

Accidents: A 17-year-old Scarsdale boy was walking home at 12:44 am on 12/18 when he was struck by a car at the intersection of Crane Road and Woodland Place. The car did not stop and the boy was able to continue to walk home. When he got home, he was taken to White Plains Hospital by SVAC and it was determined that he had an injured foot.

A Scarsdale school bus, was sideswiped by an oncoming gray minivan on Mamaroneck Road near Barker Lane at 3:00 pm on December 15th. The driver of the minivan failed to stop. There were no injuries reported among the passengers on the bus.

Complaint: Police received a report of a noisy party on Rectory Lane at 10:30 pm on 12/17. They went by and asked the host to keep the noise down and he apologized and agreed.

Locked In: A 6 year-old child got locked in a second floor bathroom of a Greenacres Home on the morning of 12/14. The Fire Department used a ladder to get access to the bathroom and was able to open the lock and let the child out.

Animals: A woman called police on the morning of 12/14 when she found a loose dog on Madison Road. Police picked up the dog and brought it back to headquarters. They were able to locate the dog’s owner by phone and returned the dog to it’s home.

A coyote was reported at 17 Valley Road near Red Maple Swamp at 7:40 am on 12/19.

Greenburgh Police Report:

A man who lives on Bryant Street in Hartsdale turned over a gun to the Greenburgh Police for safekeeping on 12/13.

A camera bag containing a $3,000 Nikon camera was stolen from a Chevy Suburban that was parked at Planet Fitness on Central Avenue on 12/13.

Police stopped a man who was taking pictures of homes along Ardsley Road on the afternoon of 12/14. Elhdji Diaw of the Bronx, who works as a dishwasher at Pizza Hut, told police he was taking pictures of the snow to send to his brother in Africa.

Details

Published: 22 December 2010

Created: 22 December 2010

Last Updated: 28 December 2010

Hits: 5683

It’s been another remarkable year in Scarsdale; and both the good and the bad have been chronicled on Scarsdale10583. With 2010 winding down, and 2011 in the offing, we thought it was a good time to look back on what happened here in the past year.

We started 2010 with news of a devastating earthquake in Haiti, and former Scarsdale resident Danielle Butin was quick to rally support from Scarsdale residents who contributed money, food, supplies and their time to AFYA, a relief organization she founded.

Our beautiful neighborhoods were not spared from the whims of Mother Nature. In February, a big snowstorm paralyzed the town and in March a powerful rain and windstorm swept through Scarsdale, knocking down hundreds of trees and power lines. A state of emergency was declared when the storm plunged thousands of residents into the dark leaving many without heat, electricity, or phone service for days. Crews from all over the country were brought in to restore power and in the end, Village Manager Al Gatta estimated that the storm cleanup had cost the village a bundle.

Scarsdale breeds good citizens, and this year, two extraordinary people were honored for their local achievements.

Bowl Winner Jackie Irwin

Also in May, the Scarsdale School system celebrated 225 years of excellence and both Scarsdale and Edgemont experienced heated School Board elections, which posed a challenge to the candidates and the non-partisan system.

Summer brought additional woes to our area when hundreds of gallons of heating oil was spilled into the Bronx River in June and Crane's Pond in Edgemont grew a fluorescent green slick that covered the pond for the entire summer. Inadequate

A Green Slick on Crane's Pond

In other education news, New York State won a Race to the Top grant which some thought was actually a loss for Scarsdale. The League of Women Voters held a panel discussion to explore the establishment of a Scarsdale Schools Foundation and issued a long awaited report on the subject, but failed to come to consensus on forming a foundation in Scarsdale.

The Scarsdale Village Trustees considered enacting an historic preservation law to safeguard our treasures and contemplated how to bring more retailers into downtown Scarsdale. Controversial sessions were held to weigh a proposal for a $24 million underground indoor pool and a potential Village-wide tax revaluation to update assessments that date back to 1969.

In Heathcote, a new retail building was approved at the Five Corners in place of the gas station and dismayed

Proposed Retail Building for Heathcote Corners

Residents were frightened as scores of coyotes moved into Village neighborhoods, haunting adults and children who had heard of coyote attacks in nearby Rye. By year end, the coyotes seemed to have vanished. Are they hibernating or have they been “relocated”?

Election season brought three Scarsdalians to the ballot, as Amy Paulin, Harry Wilson and Bob Cohen vied for public office and launched lively campaigns for our votes.

In a tragic turn of events, four members of the community committed suicide in the fall, leaving their perplexed friends and neighbors in mourning. Concerned residents gathered at a day of meetings to learn and share. In Edgemont, everyone was abuzz about the arrest of two 2010 grads for burglary and a drug bust in a home on a quiet, upscale street.

The Scarsdale Sidewalk Sale

But residents were able to locate two abusive nannies and a speeding menace, both due to letters to Scarsdale10583. As the year moved forward, the site received more and more community input and became a portal for discussion.

We look forward to continuing to serve as a nexus for the community and thank you, our readers, for your support. We are also grateful to everyone who advertised on the site this year, and have listed the businesses and organizations below. You can help to keep the site vital by advertising your own service or business on Scarsdale10583 and patronizing our advertisers. When you do, please let them know you saw their ads on Scarsdale 10583.

Happy holidays to all!

Thank you to our 2010 advertisers:

Christmas Tree at Boniface Circle

AAA Parent Coach

Backyard Sports

Caffe Azzurri of Hartsdale

The Camp Experts

Citibabes of Scarsdale

Crane Bridge Chinese Program

Collegistics, Personalized College Advising

Cross County Construction

The Crowne Plaza of White Plains

Curtis Electric

A Doctor in the House, Furniture Repair

Mayor Carolyn Stevens and Santa

Eclisse Mediterranean Cuisine

Elements Food & Spirits

Elise Flagg Realtor

Enco Construction

Engel and Voelkers Real Estate

Eye Q Optometrist

The Eye Gallery

Coyotes Preyed on the Dale

Green My Locker School Supplies

Gregory Gilin Jewelers

G-tec Kids Afterschool Enrichment

Harte’s Bridge C

Historic Hudson Valley

Hoff-Barthelson Music School

Houlihan Lawrence Brokerage

Hurricane Grill and Wings

Julianne Steiner Skincare

The Junior League of Central Westchester

Kiddie Kabaret Sing-Along for Young Children

La Detelliere, Fine Gifts and Home Accessories

Scarsdale Boys Varsity Soccer Team go to the States

Lange’s Deli

Life Fit Personal Training

Medical Conference Planner

Dr. Nadia Laniado, Orthodontist

Oasis Spa

Over the Moon Music and More

Pure Insurance

Ray Catena Lexus

Dr. Rhoda S. Narins, Dermatology, Surgery and Laser

The Scarsdale Adult School

The Scarsdale Chamber of Commerce

SBNC Candidate Seiden Was Challenged for her Seat on the Board

The Scarsdale Farmers Market

Scarsdale Veterans Car Service

Servpro of Scarsdale

Setsuko

Keith Schutzman Attorney

Sociable Kidz

Todd Herold, Chiropractor, Health and Wellness

107.1 the Peak

Westchester Math Lab

Westchester Reform Temple

We Do Re Do Decorators

Zen Blue Spa

Details

Published: 16 December 2010

Created: 16 December 2010

Last Updated: 16 December 2010

Hits: 4810

Opponents of the proposed indoor pool and community center (SCC) spoke up at the Board of Trustees Meeting on December 14, to voice their concern about the Village taking on $16 million in debt to back the project. An array of financial professionals and concerned citizens attended in an effort to discourage the Trustees from moving forward with the project. An enthusiastic group of SCC supporters had addressed the Trustees at a December 6th meeting and the opposition was slower to rally.

Michael Weinstein of Butler Road warned Trustees that “when things are priced for perfection the situation is ripe for financial catastrophe.” A Wall Street professional, Weinstein offered his own analysis of the SCC budget projections, casting doubt on resident’s willingness to pay higher fees each year to pay the operating costs for the facility and pay back the debt. According to Weinstein, 41% of the revenues are forecast for debt service, which he called “extreme financial leverage.”

He also discussed a similar project in Greenwich where plans had to be cut back when costs ballooned and the Greenwich Y fell short on funds. He asked the Trustees not to borrow funds for the projects and said that the SCC should be 100% self-financed.

Linda Killian of Forest Lane spoke as a resident and as a financial analyst. She stated that though Scarsdale is financially healthy, revenues are falling, taxes have gone up and we have been forced to focus on only critical services. We are already undertaking the renovation of the police headquarters and will need to borrow funds to alleviate flooding. In her analysis, taking on an additional $16 million in debt to fund the SCC, would bring the Scarsdale debt level to $44 million, which is the size of the entire town’s operating budget. She felt that this would be a misuse of municipal borrowing power, as 10%-15% of residents would benefit from the facility, while burdening the remaining 85% of the population with the debt.

Bill Ortner of Butler Road said that a $16 million bond would “put our credit rating at risk. “ He added that, “We should not be in the business of supporting a private enterprise.” In addition, he said, “Though the SCC plans assumes that there are 1,100 memberships, there are really only 770 families who signed up and paid $650. As far as I know no one has been asked whether they are still signed on.” He told the Trustees that a group called “Save Our Scarsdale” had posted an online petition against the pool project that day, and that there were already 86 signatures.

Katrina Vidal of 32 Crane Road told the group that her family was “among the founding families for the SCC many years ago. We subscribed at $625. We have been here 25 years. We are now opposed to taking out a bond to subsidize the pool. The economy has changed, our kids are gone and grown and we don’t expect fellow taxpayers to fund (the indoor pool) for our benefit. We urge you to think about those who are conscious of expenses.”

Robert November of 73 Walworth, a co-president of the SCC took the podium to correct a few of the statements, telling the group that the “SCC welcomes a financial review” and that “it is true that we had 1,200 families sign up, though not everyone is at the full membership number.” The “dues levels were set 10 years ago and we have not attempted to replace old members.”

Jimmy Fink said, “ I have lived here for 22 years. I echo everything that all those before me said in opposition to the project. I wrote a letter to Scarsdale10583, and received many comments. I know that those in favor are very well organized. I am surprised they did not comment. I will submit what I wrote and include people’s comments. Though I do not work on Wall Street … I am a rock and roll disc jockey, I agree with Mr. Weinstein.”

Paul Henderson of 55 Garden Road expressed his concerns, saying, “Doubling the town’s debt may be ill advised. Though it is a great project it only benefits a minority. He also questioned the process of moving forward on the project without a town referendum and asked the Board to think about the process.

Henderson said that he was concerned that half the members of the Board of Trustees are founding members of the SCC. He said, “One of the strengths of Scarsdale is the non-partisan system. It tends to work.” He warned “if the Board pushes this through without a referendum I will become very politically involved.”

Trustee Jonathan Mark addressed Henderson’s issue about a potential conflict of interest, saying, “the Mayor disclosed that a number of us were founding members of the SCC – but I can assure you that as Trustees we will act with all residents in mind.” Mayor Stevens also defended the Board, telling Henderson, “that those of us who signed up did so before we were on the Board. This has been a ten-year process. The project has reached a critical point. We have worked through the issues and this is the point that we are at. I am trying to assure you that we are extremely cognizant of the impact on the budget. The decision will be made very carefully with as much input from the community as possible. We all welcome public input. We want to hear all opinions and all sides.”

Michael Goldberg took the podium and said, “I am not for the project. It poses an asymmetrical risk for one group and if the plan does not work out, the town will bear the burden.” He added, “It is unfair to ask residents to take on the burden without a referendum. There was a vote on the Quaker Ridge school bond. This is greater amount of money.”

Furthermore, Goldberg said, I think the projections are very optimistic. They call for 1,600 founding members and there are now only 1,180. The projection also does not assume any fall off and assumes that new members will be added every year, even though there is a 30% churn in the industry. The plan also assumes a greater profitability margin than NY Sports Club.” Goldberg called for the SCC to review their projections at their own expense and for the founding members sign on to back the projections. He ended by saying, “Scarsdale can ask for a better proposal as it is our land that they will use.”

Carrie Moscowitz at 6 Highland Way told the group that she swims and works at Purchase College where the pool is never crowded. She said, “We are talking about $24 million to service 20% of Scarsdale. It seems to be an extraordinary expense in these times.”

Reminding the group of the history of the project, Bob Harrison of Fox Meadow Road said, “I have been interested in an indoor pool at the high school for students, adults and seniors for years. We could have had a $2 million pool at the high school ten years ago. He added, “I feel that the SCC has not met the criteria – they have turned an $8 million project into $24 million project. They already spent $35,000. Now we are thinking of putting out an RFP to study their numbers.” He asked, “Why will they raise $8 million and we bond $16 million – why not ask for a different ratio – or ask them to raise the entire $24 million.” Harrison also called for all residents to vote on the issuance of the bonds in a referendum.

Another meeting is planned at 6:55 pm on January 6 in the Trustees Room of Village Hall to review SCC financing. The Village was considering hiring an outside consultant to review the viability of the projections, and perhaps this will be discussed at the meeting.

In other business, representatives from the Scarsdale Women’s Exchange came to the meeting to voice their concerns about delivery trucks that are parked in front of their Harwood Court store for much of the day. The spot is used by UPS and Fedex trucks and blocks access to their shop and prevents their customers from parking. They asked the Village to find another spot for the delivery trucks.

Trustees also approved a resolution to retain consultants to explore the feasibility of a traffic roundabout at the Heathcote Five Corners. Nine proposals were received and Creighton Manning, LLP of Albany, N.Y. were selected and will be paid $35,600.

A hearing was set to review changes in parking requirements for January 11, 2011 at 8 pm. At that time, a proposal to ease parking requirement for downtown restaurants will be discussed, There is a resolution to change the law so that restaurants will require one parking space for each 150 square feet of space, rather than one space for 75 square feet, which is now the law. The change would provide restaurants with the same requirements as retail stores and Village managers are hopeful that this would make it more attractive for restaurants to operate in Scarsdale Village.

Pictured above: An underground indoor pool at the Wellness Center at the College of New Rochelle