Greenacres Celebrates July 4th
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- Written by: Claudia Wang
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There’s nothing quite like a hometown 4th of July. On a sunny Friday morning, the Greenacres field filled with laughter, cheers, and red-white-and-blue as the Greenacres Neighborhood Association hosted its annual Independence Day celebration. From 9:00 to 11:15AM, families, friends, and neighbours gathered for a morning of community, tradition, and fun.
The festivities began with a welcoming breakfast, where fresh trays of watermelon, bagels, and juice cups were served to all. A dedicated volunteer Mary, stationed at the breakfast table, shared, “Every year I love being a part of this. It’s a great way to give back to the community.”
By 9:30AM, the field transformed into a lively playground of games for every age. Organized efficiently by time slots and age groups, events like the spoon race, three-legged race, sack race, dash, and beach ball bash kept everyone, from toddlers to teens to parents, on their feet and having fun. The friendly competition brought a sense of connection and joy to the neighborhood spirit.
GNA President Kristen Zakierski
At 10:45AM, the community gathered near the playground for a patriotic program. Hands on hearts, young and old recited the Pledge of Allegiance together, a shared moment that honored the deeper meaning of the holiday. Greenacres Neighborhood Association President Kristen Zakierski then addressed the crowd, thanking the many volunteers, the hardworking firefighters and the elected officials in attendance including Scarsdale Mayor Justin Arest, Deputy Mayor Dara Gruenberg, Assemblymember Amy Paulin and County Exectuive Ken Jenkins. Beloved Greenacres resident and bugle player Jack once again delivered a spectacular rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner.
The celebration ended with a quite literal splash. At 11:00AM, the Greenacres Gallop and Super-Soaking Fire Hose began. Kids in bathing suits dashed across the field, shrieking with laughter as the firefighters aimed the fire hose across the crowds in the fields. Parents, neighbors, and children all ran through the mist, caught in the spirit of fun and freedom.
Cynthia Crowe, Kristen Zakierski and Andrew Sereysky
This special morning was a reminder of the strong community, shared traditions, and the long history of Greenacres. Zakierski added, "Events like this remind us why Greenacres is such a special place to live. Seeing neighbors of all ages come together to celebrate is what community is all about. We’re so grateful to everyone who helped bring this tradition to life.”
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, Scarsdale Deputy Mayor Dara Gruenberg, Scarsdale Mayor Justin Arest and Assemblymember Amy Paulin
Your Letters: Appeals From Walter Wadwick and Susan Levine
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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See below for letters from Walter Wadwick, and Susan Levine:
Here is an appeal from Walter Wadwick, the former Manager of DeCicco’s in Scarsdale
Good Morning Joanne:
I was reaching out to you today to share with you and your readers that I suffered a stroke on May 15. After being in the hospital for one week I was released home to recover with lots of care and physical therapy each week. This has been a difficult situation for me both physically and mentally as my expenses are so much that I’m also struggling financially. I receive only a very little amount of disability payments. I was hoping you could share this with your readers in hopes they would understand and help with my go fund me page set up by a good friend on Facebook.
Thank you in advance for whatever you can do to help and support me.
Here is a link to my Go Fund Me page:
Walter Wadwick-DeCicco’s
Central Taxi Needs Your Support
To the Residents of Scarsdale and Edgemont:
Central Taxi is not out of business. They are very much alive and trying to survive.
They are operating from the Scarsdale Train Station area as usual seven days a week including nights. Well after midnight some nights.
They charge much less than Uber for the same ride and calling them at 914 723-0016 will bring a car to your door within a few minutes. Please do support this important local taxi service and spread the word that they are still serving our community as they have done for decades.
Susan Levine
It Will Always Be Greenacres
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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On June 20th, Greenacres Elementary proudly celebrated the graduation of its 48 fifth-grade students in a heartfelt moving-up ceremony. Principal intern Karon Eldon warmly welcomed parents, families, and friends, setting the tone for a memorable morning. A special guest in attendance was former principal Sharon Hill, who returned to join the festivities after retiring in December 2024. Fifth-grade teachers Jeremy Guski and Heather McCarren had the honor of reading each student's name as they came forward to receive their certificates, marking the end of their elementary school journey.
Assistant Principal Sharon DeLorenzo then addressed the graduates and their families, recognizing the students’ growth, resilience, and accomplishments over their six years at Greenacres. Emotions ran high during a touching video montage, which paired kindergarten photos with current ones—reminding everyone just how far the students have come. The video ended with the words, “It will always be Greenacres or nowhere,” a message that resonated with the entire community. The students then sang the Greenacres School Song, proudly adding two new verses written by their class. The ceremony concluded with the presentation of the Paulie Strong Award by Mr. Guski, honoring former student Paul Ulysses Jimenez, who lost his courages battle of cancer in 2016. This year’s recipients, Nicole Shum and Ken Narahashi, were recognized for embodying the same spirit, leaving a lasting impression as the class of 2025 takes their next big forward.
Trustees Review Proposal to Require Licensing for Tree Contractors
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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A few weekends ago I took a walk around the neighborhood and saw a mountain of shrubs, trees, leaves and roots piled along the street. The greenery had been chopped up, roots and all, and were amassed in a huge heap. Basically, all the greenery in the front yard had been removed to make way for new plantings.
In the pile I saw some large tree trunks but I had no idea if the work had been done legally and if the residents had a permit. Not wanting to police my neighbors I moved on.
Though current law allows the removal of two trees per year, a permit is needed. Often those without permission take trees down after hours or on weekends to avoid scrutiny. So the question is, how can the Village enforce these laws and bar the removal of trees without a permit?
One proposal was vetted at a work session of the Village Board on June 17, 2025.
Trustees discussed adding a licensing requirement for companies that perform tree cutting, pruning and removal in Scarsdale. The intent of the law is to be sure that licensed contractors familiarize themselves with Scarsdale’s tree laws and will make them accountable for violating the laws. Those who do will have their licenses suspended or revoked.
If police see work in progress they can stop any work being done if the contractor cannot display a decal to show that they are licensed.
The new ordinance could limit work hours to 8 am to 6 pm on weekdays and 10 am to 5 pm on weekends. After discussion, the Board proposed barring any tree work on weekends because it is difficult to enforce the law and it would prevent noise.
The proposed law suggests a fine of $750 -$2,000 for a first conviction and $1,000 - $5,000 for a subsequent conviction. The Attorney also suggested that the tree license of a violator could be suspended or revoked. See the proposed code here:
During the discussion Trustee Goldschmidt asked, “What are we trying to solve? I am all for making sure bad actors don’t take down trees. But I don’t want to make life difficult for someone who wants to prune a tree. Why should the resident have to go to a licensed tree vendor? I think we should narrow the proposed law.”
Deputy Mayor Gruenberg asked Superintendent Coleman, “Can your department give the police a list of people with open tree permits each Friday – so that the police know who has a permit to do work?”
Coleman said, “Even if they have a permit it’s hard to know how many trees they took down legally or illegally.”
Joan Weissman of 3 Kingston Road said, “This is a great step in the right direction however without enforcement it will not be effective. The licensing is good – but there should be enforcement.”
Michelle Sterling of 6 Brayton Road said, “I appreciate the proposal and I am in favor of it.
Keep the registration fee low so we can get people to register. It is duplicative of what they have to file with the county. I would like to keep the tree definition to what we have now. Stick with the definition of a tree that is widely used. I am in favor of stiff penalties. They should pay a fine. I like the idea to give the police a list of people who have tree permits, weekly.”
She suggested, “Why don’t we have no tree removals on the weekends? People don’t want to hear tree removals on the weekends.”
Madelaine Eppenstein of18 Autenreith said, “I think it is unreasonable to expect landscapers and arborists to understand the code. I don’t expect people with chain saws to have read the code. I don’t think the workers will understand the code. There is already a penalty for the homeowner for a permit violation.”
Marian Greene of 43 Butler Road said, “Do people need permits to prune trees?”
Susan Douglass said, “I think no weekend work is a great idea.”
Susan Levine of Ardmore Road agreed, saying “It’s a good idea because police don’t come out on the weekend. Give us peace on the weekends.”
At the conclusion of the discussion the Village Attorney said he would draft some clarifications regarding tree pruning and enforcement procedures. He said, “I think there is consensus to move forward.”
Comments: Village Board Violated the Spirit, if not the Letter of the Open Meetings Law
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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Here are comments from Josh Frankel from the June 10, 2025 meeting of the Scarsdale Village Board
Good evening. Josh Frankel, Black Birch Lane.
I’d like to begin by thanking the Village Manager for correcting my misunderstanding regarding obtaining unanimous consent for the Flock mass surveillance resolution at the April 8 meeting. I appreciate her clarification, and I believe it's important to acknowledge that publicly.
It’s fascinating that for all the purported transparency, the Board got overwhelmingly negative feedback only tonight, after Joanne Wallenstein made the community aware of what transpired on April 8. Tonight’s meeting should have taken place in March.
A few issues I have raised remain unaddressed and I can only make negative inferences from the Board’s unresponsiveness. So, in ascending order of importance:
First, on April 22 I raised the concern, via an article in The Guardian, of widespread abuses of a similar technology right here in Westchester County. On May 22, the Mayor wrote to me: “Regarding the Guardian article, I had said we would investigate, and we did. It appears the article was inaccurate, at least as it pertains to Westchester County.” I have repeatedly asked for specifics about the alleged “inaccuracies” and have heard nothing. I remain in touch with the Guardian reporter, who has assured me multiple times that there was no pushback on her piece. I’d note 404Media recently wrote about ICE using Flock’s data.
Second, a boilerplate document was circulated among community leaders in mid-March seeking their signatures in support of the Village’s acquisition of this technology. It remains unclear, at least for now, how much earlier this initiative was in the hopper. Why was no effort ever made to engage with the community?
Finally, the vague and opaque framing of the April 8 Work Session clearly violated the spirit, if not the letter, of the Open Meetings Law, which leads to the single most important issue: The rushed introduction of the Flock resolution and subsequent vote on April 8 remain extremely troubling. The Open Meetings Law requires that documents scheduled for discussion, very much including resolutions, be made available to the public at least 24 hours before the meeting “to the extent practicable.” So, again, what, specifically, made it impracticable to provide the requisite notice? Why was this matter not held over until the April 22nd meeting, when the public would have had time to review and respond? What could not have waited another two weeks? This matter is, or was, deserving of a full and thorough public airing and, instead, got none.
From this initiative’s unknown beginnings, to the failure to solicit any public input whatsoever, to the woefully inadequate framing of the April 8 Work Session, to the urgent need to vote on the resolution that same night, to the refusal to answer very straightforward questions, this process has been a shameful masterclass in opacity and poor governance and an indelible stain on this Board’s legacy.
This is not about being anti-technology. It's about respecting process, respecting the public, and remembering that a healthy democracy doesn’t run on shortcuts or, for that matter, ignoring constituents.
I continue to look forward to clear, concise, non-evasive answers to my questions.
Thank you.
