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Published: 16 December 2010

Created: 16 December 2010

Last Updated: 16 December 2010

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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

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Published: 21 December 2010

Created: 21 December 2010

Last Updated: 21 December 2010

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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.

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Published: 14 December 2010

Created: 14 December 2010

Last Updated: 14 December 2010

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Meter Robber Arrested: An observant Con Edison worker helped police nab a man who had broken into, or tampered with 24 parking meters in the area of Scarsdale Avenue around 4 am on December 9th. The Con Edison worker saw a suspicious person going into and out of a parked car in the early morning hours and called the police. They found Anthony Lucido of White Plains lying down in the back seat of a tan Suburban that was parked on Scarsdale Avenue. The officer recognized Lucido immediately, as the Bronxville Police had just sent out a flyer with his picture because he was a suspect in the larceny of over 30 parking meters in Bronxville.

When questioned by police, Lucido was nervous and evasive and claimed that he had pulled over because his car had overheated on the Bronx River Parkway. Lucido offered to let the officers check his car where they found a large open bag of loose change filled with quarters, gloves and two large screwdrivers. In the trunk they found more tools. When they checked the meters on Scarsdale Avenue they found that many had been emptied.

Lucido was taken to headquarters where a background check revealed that he had 39 prior arrests. In the meantime, Scarsdale police canvassed the area and found that 24 meters had been broken into or tampered with. Lucido’s car was impounded and he was arrested for petit larceny, criminal mischief, possession of burglar tools and criminal possession of stolen property. He was arraigned before Judge Galloway at 9:30 am where bail was set at $10,000. Since Lucido could not come up with the money he was taken to Westchester County Jail where he will be held until his court date on 12/15/10.

Burglaries: Two more Scarsdale homes were entered this past week – both during the day. On Potter Road the homeowner returned from work on Monday afternoon December 6th and found that her front door was unlocked. Though the house was not tossed, two white envelopes, each containing $5,000 were missing from a dresser in the master bedroom along with jewelry valued at $16,650. When police came to the home to investigate they found a broken basement window and a rock that had been thrown through it. They determined that the suspect had entered the home through that window.

On Thursday December 9th, intruders entered a Greenacres Avenue home via a rear window that may have been unlocked. They went through the bedrooms, tossed the master bedroom and left through the back door of the house. The owner will compile as list of missing items.

Missing: On Tuesday night 12/7 a Wayside Lane woman called police to report that her blue 2009 Acura, which was parked in the loading zone on Chase Road, had been stolen. While the woman was speaking to police, another officer found the car parked in the DeCicco’s parking lot. The owner had forgotten where she parked.

A Middle School boy reported that headphones were stolen from his locker on November 30th. The Monster-Beats by Dr. Dre headphones are valued at $350 and were taken from a bag in the boy’s unlocked school locker.

Menorah Check: Police checked Chase Park numerous times this week to see if a Menorah had been erected in the park. However, they were unable to locate one and it appears that the Village did not put one up this year.

Rental Car: Police were called to the Shell Station on Scarsdale Avenue on 12/9 where an Avis representative complained that a rental car had not been returned. The woman who rented the car called the station to report she was in the hospital, but later arranged for a friend to return the car to the station.

Where's Mom? An Edgewood elementary school student called police at 12:30 pm on 12/9 to report that she was locked out of her house. Her mother did not realize that school would let out early that day. Police took the girl to the school nurse who located the girl’s mom.

Found: Fish Tails: A Hazelton Drive man called police on the morning of 12/7 to say that he found five small dead fish on his front walkway.

At DeCicco’s on East Parkway the owner reported that someone had turned off two water valves that supply water to cool the stores freezers on 12/3. Though no damage occurred to the store’s freezers or merchandise, Mr. DeCicco wanted to file a report.

On 12/9 a Park Road woman reported that she was almost the victim of identity theft when someone tried to open up new accounts in her husband’s name at Citibank and Bank of America and transfer $80,000 from her existing accounts into the fraudulent accounts. Fortunately both banks contacted her before making the transfers and she was able to stop them.

Deer Here: At 11 pm on Friday night 12/10 a Brite Avenue man was driving on Heathcote Road near the Scarsdale Medical Center when he stepped on his brakes to avoid hitting a deer in the road. While he was braking to miss the first deer, another deer ran into the road and struck the man’s 2004 Acura. The second deer fled and the driver was not injured.

Fire: A utility truck struck a power line at 50 Tompkins Road at 1 pm on 12/9 and caused a fire that spread to the wires along Fenimore Road. Fenimore Road was closed between Post and Brewster Road while the Scarsdale Fire Department and Con Edison put out the flames.

The Fire Department and Con Edison entered four houses on Carthage and Fayette Roads on the afternoon of 12/10 to investigate for a potential gas leak. They entered through unlocked windows and a garage door and left notices for residents advising them that their homes had been entered.

Edgemont: On the morning of 12/7 the Principal of Seely Place School called police to report that she saw a suspicious car parked on Glendale Place. She had been alerted to look out for a car with the same license plate number in an email from a parent who had seen the occupant opening car doors in the area. The Principal and the School Custodian were about to approach the man in the car, when he made eye contact with them and drove away. The man was driving a 2009 gray Dodge Charger with license plate number FBG3471. Police identified the plate owner as Thomas Delano of White Plains and he is described as a white male in his 30’s with a stocky build, short-cropped hair, neatly dressed in a black leather jacket.

On Chedworth Road in Scarsdale on the night of 12/7 the resident returned from work at 10:50 pm and saw a man walk up his driveway and disappear into the backyard. A neighbor also saw a van pull up and a woman getting out with take out food.