Honor an Extraordinary Volunteer: Come to the Scarsdale Bowl Dinner
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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This letter was sent to Scarsdale10583 by Scarsdale Bowl Chair Jon Mark: The Scarsdale Bowl Dinner is one of the most enjoyable and inspiring events in town because it honors both a deserving individual devoted to public service and the extraordinary volunteer culture that makes this community so special. This year's Bowl honoree, Peter Strauss, served six years on the Village Board as Trustee and as Mayor. He has also filled a multitude of other volunteer roles and has a long, distinguished record of service to Scarsdale and beyond. Peter is currently the Treasurer of Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps, serves on the Board of Scarsdale Edgemont Family counseling and volunteers at White Plains Hospital.
Another wonderful aspect of the Bowl Dinner is the opportunity to catch up with friends and acquaintances over cocktails and dinner. Whether you are a veteran volunteer or someone who has yet to explore the many public service opportunities the Village provides, all of us can celebrate the fruits of volunteerism symbolized by the Scarsdale Bowl. Resident volunteers head Village government and serve on Village Boards and councils, serve on the Board of Education, PTAs and neighborhood associations. In addition, many residents work with the Scarsdale Forum, League of Women Voters of Scarsdale, religious organizations, as volunteer firemen, coaches, scout leaders and other local service organizations. These efforts give residents a real voice in how Scarsdale functions and evolves.
The seventy-three year tradition of the Scarsdale Bowl is maintained by the Scarsdale Foundation. The focus of the Scarsdale Foundation is to fund need based scholarships to deserving SHS graduates and former Scarsdale residents in their sophomore through senior years of college. The Scarsdale Foundation funded $105,000 in scholarships in the 2014-2015 academic year. In addition, the Foundation funds specific grants for civic purposes to strengthen local non-profit organizations. The Bowl Dinner is not a fund raising event so when you RSVP to the Bowl, also making a donation to the Scarsdale Foundation is encouraged.
You can RSVP to the Scarsdale Bowl by clicking here for online RSVP and secure payment on the Scarsdale Foundation's website. If you did not yet receive a paper invitation, or want another copy of the invitation, please contact Robert Jeremiah, Secretary to the Scarsdale Bowl Committee, at [email protected]. It would be appreciated if reservations could be made by April 13, 2015.
The Bowl Committee and I look forward to seeing you on April 22nd.
Jon Mark,
Chair of the Scarsdale Bowl Committee
Scarsdale Welcomes New Mayor and Village Trustees
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Village and county leaders, past and present, gathered at the Scarsdale Woman's Club on Wednesday night to receive the official results of the village election, greet the newly-elected Mayor Jon Mark, and new and returning Village trustees, Matt Callaghan, Carl Finger and Bill Stern.
As the Citizen's Nominating Party slate of candidates ran in an uncontested election, the results were a forgone conclusion, but spirits were high as guests thanked the outgoing Mayor and trustees and greeted new leaders.
Howard Nadel arrived shortly after the polls closed to announce the vote count, which proved to be a paltry 210 votes plus nine absentee ballots. Mayor-elect Jon Mark received 193 votes, trustee Matt Callaghan, 190, Carl Finger, 183, Bill Stern, 192 with four write-in votes for Thomas Martin, one for Ron Serman and one for Bob Harrison.
County Executive Rob Astorino and County Legislator Ben Boykin were among the well-wishers, along with former Mayors Bob Steves, Miriam Flisser, Carolyn Stevens and Peter Strauss. On hand were trustees Deb Pekarek and David Lee as well as Stacey Brodsky who has just completed four years of service. Members of the nominating committee, led by Scarsdale Forum President Robert Berg also celebrated another successful year of Scarsdale's unique non-partisan system.
Following tradition, the newly elected team joined hands to cut the celebratory cake which was decorated with a large American flag.
Scarsdale Students go to School with Amigos in Madrid
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- Written by Megan Shelton
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I have wanted to visit Spain for as long as I can remember. I started learning Spanish when I was in sixth grade and I have been mesmerized by the country's history and culture ever since. That's why I was thrilled to be one of twenty students from Scarsdale High School accepted to participate in the Spanish Exchange Program to Madrid.
For two weeks this past October, twenty American families hosted students from Colegios Ramón y Cajal, a high school in Madrid, Spain in their homes in Scarsdale. In exchange, the Scarsdale students stayed with their exchange student's families in Spain for two weeks in February
Our plane landed in Spain on February eighth at 6:15 AM. We felt groggy and jetlagged after most of us had a sleepless flight, but our chaperones, school psychologist Ernie Collabolletta and Dean Mitchell Thompson, kept us incredibly excited. We all parted ways and started on our adventure, many of us sleeping through most of the first day. Recounting her first day, Danni Hyman, a Scarsdale High School Senior, told me, "I slept from 8 AM - 12 PM and then 6 PM - 8:30 PM and almost forgot to speak Spanish when I woke up!"
The next day (as well as four other days during the trip) was spent at the high school. A typical day there was quite different from a typical day at Scarsdale High School. At Colegios Ramón y Cajal, the older you are, the earlier your classes begin. The girl I lived with is fifteen years old, so her classes begin at nine o'clock. The American students began these school days in the library, a small, square room with five tables, shelves of books lining the perimeter, and a large desk in the back for the librarian to work. After first period, we went to class with our partners. We remained in one classroom for the duration of the day. The teachers change classes instead of the students. At around twelve o'clock, there is a thirty-minute break called "Patio". During this time, students can eat snacks, do homework, etc. Many of the Americans entertained themselves during the break by playing soccer or handball with the younger Spanish students. After Patio, we all went back to class until about two o'clock when it was time for lunch. Many of the students eat lunch at school. There are gates locking all the entrances to the school, so it is very hard for students to come and go as they please.
Lunch lasts for an hour or so, and then class starts up again. School ends every day at 5:15. After school, we would typically spend time with the other Americans and their exchange partners, or attend our partner's extracurricular activities. Dinner is usually eaten around 9:30 or 10 o'clock and ends quite late. It is customary to sit at the table and continue talking after all the food has been cleared.
The food in Spain is very different from food here. Walking up and down the city streets, it seems nearly impossible to find the wide variety of restaurants we are accustomed to in America. Most of the restaurants advertise tapas, chain food like Burger King or VIPS (a chain that sells American food and doubles as a gift shop), or Asian food. In each type of restaurant, there is a typical Spanish dish called a tortilla. These tortillas are not the traditional kind of tortilla we have in America. These tortillas are most similar to a quiche. They are made by whisking egg and potatoes together and frying the mixture. It surprised many of us how often the Spanish students eat at "American" chain restaurants for their full meals. The Spanish students told us they even love to go to these restaurants on nights out with their friends. Different families served a variety of dishes. My family served me a lot of salmon and soup. Steven Berke, a Scarsdale High School Junior, tasted paella for the first time, and says it is now probably his favorite Spanish dish. "I like it because it is very different from any other food I've ever had. The texture of it is so smooth, and everything in it comes together and creates a very exotic yet amazing taste."
What would a trip to Madrid be without some excursions? Our first excursion was to the 
Prado Museum and the Puerta del Sol. The next day, we visited the ancient city of Toledo, where we saw numerous churches. Many of the boys bought swords, and many of us tried Spanish marzipan for the first time. On Wednesday we visited El Palacio Royal (the Royal Palace), Calle Princesa (Princess Street), and wandered around Gran Vía (the "Times Square" of Madrid). The next day we visited La Valle de los Caidos (the Valley of the Fallen), Templo de Debod (Temple of Debod), El Escorial (The Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial), and the Reina Sofia Art Museum. It was great to finally see and set foot in all of the sites that I've learned about for so many years. Rick Goodman, a Scarsdale High School Junior claims that "the Valle de Los Caidos was one of the most magnificent places I have ever seen. The giant cross in the mountains is almost too big to be real. When a plane flew by the cross, the plane looked microscopic. I have never seen something so big in my life."
The one full weekend we spent in Spain turned out to be a three-day weekend. Each Spanish family did something different with their American exchange students. Some went to cheer on a Real Madrid soccer game, others stayed at a palace, and many spent a day shopping in one of the biggest shopping malls in Madrid, Plaza Norte Segundo, and along Gran Vía.
The experience we had in Spain is truly unlike any other. Samantha Seltzer, a Scarsdale High School Junior, sums it up saying, "We were really able to see how teenagers all around the world are so similar and different at the same time. It was an eye-opening experience that helped to immerse us in the Spanish language and culture and also helped us to see how, looking past a language barrier, these kids aren't so different."
This exchange gave us the opportunity to visit a country and live as if we were real Spanish students; and also allowed us to have an experience quite different than if we had just been visiting a country as tourists with our teachers or families. We were able to forge close bonds with each other, "Dean Mitch" and Ernie, and our Spanish counterparts. These bonds would never have formed without this trip. The compassion and camaraderie that bloomed is completely evident in the final post in our Spanish Exchange Facebook group from Scarsdale High School Senior Robert Lee: "Before I pass out on my bed, I want to say this trip was so much fun and I bonded with so many of you and met the funniest people on the planet. I love all of you and see you on Monday!"
Police Close Six Local Massage Parlors
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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The Greenburgh Police force conducted a raid on six local massage parlors on March 5th, arrested personnel at each and closed the facilities. At each location suspects were arrested for failing to have licenses to work as massage therapists. The raid was conducted by the Greenburgh Police Street Crime Unit and Drug and Alcohol Task Force who transported the suspects to headquarters, booked and processed them and then released them on bail.
Here are the locations of the six massage parlors and the names and birthdates of those who were arrested:
Aroma Spa 698 South Central Ave, Scarsdale NY; Arrested: Jin, Shun DOB 12/01/70
Closed by: Building Department
Charming Spa 390 South Central Ave, Scarsdale NY; Arrested: Kim, Young Hee DOB 11/24/74; Kim, Young Sook DOB 10/30/66 Closed by: Building Department
Dove Spa 114 South Central Ave, Hartsdale NY; Arrested: Meinke, Chom Sun DOB 03/23/61; Lian, Yin Zi DOB 10/23/67 Closed by: Building Department
Green Luck Spa 791 South Central Ave, Scarsdale NY; Arrested: Li, Jin Xian DOB 01/02/70; Li, Song Zhu DOB 06/29/71 Closed by: Building Department
Green Rose Body Work 455 South Central Ave, Scarsdale NY; Arrested: Shen, Yu Jin DOB 09/06/70; Jin, Xiaonu DOB 11/19/64 Closed by: Building Department
K's Angel Spa 298 Tarrytown Road, White Plains NY; Arrested: Wang, Yan DOB 04/09/96; Wang, Fengli DOB 01/28/72 Closed by: Building Department.
The Edgemont Community Council brought the massage parlors to the attention of Greenburgh officials after they found promotional material for events at two massage parlors in Edgemont. According to the ECC website, the ads featured "scantily clad Asian women."
The ECC drafted a proposed law to give local police the power to regulate massage parlors, monitor their licenses and fine those who fail to comply.
In August 2013, police arrested 19 Asian workers at local spas in Scarsdale, Hartsdale and White Plains for providing services without proper licenses. According to a press release from the Greenburgh Police Department dated August 15, the agencies undertook an 11-month investigation of the massage parlors before making the arrests for "unauthorized practice of a profession," which is a class E felony under the NYS Education Law. In April 2012 Greenburgh Police arrested three women for prostitution at Aroma Spa and Charming Spa, both on Central Park Avenue in Scarsdale. In October 2010 prostitutes were arrested at King Spa at 100 North Central Park Avenue.
Second Reval in the Works
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This letter was sent to Scarsdale10583 by Bob Harrison: Scarsdale Taxpayers: Alert and unite. On Tuesday March 3 the Scarsdale Village Board will hold a public Finance Committee meeting at 8 PM at Village Hall to discuss a NEW COMMUNITY WIDE REVALUATION for 2016 with John Ryan of J. F. Ryan Associates. Mr. Ryan was the monitor of Tyler Technologies work for the 2014 revaluation and was paid about $ 110,000 for his work and advice. Tyler was paid over $1,000,000 by a competitive bid contract to do the 2014 community wide revaluation.
The Village Board has now hired Mr. Ryan to do a DRIVE BY reval of Scarsdale's 5,700 residential properties based on July 1 2015 values at the cost of $ 245,000 of TAXPAYER MONEY in a NO BID CONTRACT. We urge Mayor Steves to allow public comment at this meeting and to tape the meeting for our community TV channel in effect OPEN government for Scarsdale.
We urge every Scarsdale taxpayer resident to attend this meeting and protest this WASTE of taxpayer money for a new reval when the 2014 reval still has about 750 outstanding small claims assessment review cases and Article 78 proceedings against the Village. The VILLAGE BOARD SHOULD RESCIND AND REPEAL THE AUTHORIZATION TO SPEND $ 245,000 WITH J.F. RYAN ASSOCIATES IN A NO BID
CONTRACT FOR A 2016 COMMUNITY WIDE REVALUATION.
The results of the 2014 revaluation were excellent with a coefficient of dispersion of 4.39, the best in Westchester County as stated by Village Manager Al Gatta. In my conversation with John Wolham, senior official with the NY State Office of Real Property Services there is NO state mandate to do future revals. On the ORPS website there is a suggested guideline to do a reval every four years. There are NO penalities by the state for not doing any reval. Scarsdale should do its next reval in four or five years.
A number of residents have sent emails to the Mayor and Village Board urging the repeal of this WASTE of Scarsdale taxpayer money.
We urge every taxpayer to send an email to [email protected]. This email address is the only way to make sure that every member of the Village Board will hear from our residents. We will also be circulating a petition opposing a 2016 reval. The residents must tell their Village Board that we have been through a stressful, painful and costly reval process and NOW is the time to let the dust settle from the 2014 reval.
Contact Bob Harrison for more information at [email protected] or call 725-0962 .
Bob Harrison, Chairman
Scarsdale Taxpayer Alert
