Back-to-Back Sellouts in Scarsdale
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- Written by: Bill Doescher
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The New Choral Society performs two sold out concerts of Handel's Messiah at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church. (Photo credit: Steven Schnur)The New Choral Society (NCS) has done it again.
NCS, in its 58th and 59th consecutive performances of Georg Friedrich Handel’s Messiah, the always well-prepared musical organization once again registered back-to-back sellouts on Friday evening, Dec. 6, and Sunday afternoon on Sunday, Dec. 8, to the delight of its enthusiastic concert-goers of all ages at both events.
The sellouts took place in the Sanctuary at the Hitchcock Presbyterian Church on Greenacres Avenue in Scarsdale.
In his 31st consecutive year at the helm, Maestro Dr. John T. King, artistic director and conductor who founded NCS in 1994, was as usual his energetic self while directing the 48 choral singers and 14 orchestra members who kept their eyes continuously glued and clearly focused on their leader during the performances.
Many of the singers had continuous smiles on their faces for the entire 75-minute performances of the Messiah. They absolutely seemed to be enjoying themselves while performing as the two audiences did the viewing and listening.
One of those steady smiles came from Soprano Liv Redpath, who was the last soloist of four to stand-up and perform. It was Redpath’s debut with NCS, and it was most noticeable that she was thoroughly enjoying her own “very professional” performance as well as the singing of all the other performers and the other soloists.
Redpath, a graduate of Harvard University and The Juilliard School, according to the concert’s program, “has been hailed as possessing such a radiant voice, effortless even in the highest register with breathtaking coloratura, the likes of which have not been heard for a long time.”
The other three Messiah soloists also had their moments of greatness. They included Anne Marie Stanley, Mezzo-Soprano; David Portillo, Tenor, and Sean Michael Plumb, Baritone. Portillo and Plumb appeared by courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera.
Always willing to experiment for a better and clearer sound for his educated audiences, Dr. King for these 2024 Messiah concerts reconfigured the NCS singers in the line-up with the basses and sopranos closely melded together and the same for the tenors and altos. Members of the orchestra were entirely at their familiar posts.
It was indeed another success story for NCS.
Dr. John T. King backstage with soloists David Portillo, Sean Michael Plumb, Liv Redpath and Anne Marie Stanley
School Board Nominating Committee Election Results for Class of 2025
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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Ten candidates were elected on December 4, 2024 to join the roster of the Scarsdale School Board Nominating Committee.
The following candidates were elected:
Edgewood:
Jason Andrus
Boning Liu
Nicole Sternberg
Fox Meadow:
Elaine Wan
Wenchun Wu
Heathcote:
Cynthia Xiaoyue Li
Simon Liebel
Joel Steinhaus
Cindy True
Quaker Ridge:
Jaye Weisbrod
A total of 63 votes were cast in the election, 63 in person and 0 by mail-in ballot. Vote totals for committee members, by neighborhood, were as follows:
Edgewood – 13
Fox Meadow – 31
Heathcote – 8
Quaker Ridge – 11
This year’s new SBNC members will join the continuing members of the committee, each serving a three-year term on the SBNC followed by a 2-year term as part of the SBNC Administrative Committee.
The SBNC will have its first meeting on January 12, 2025, and by the beginning of April it will nominate three candidates for the Scarsdale Board of Education to fill the seats currently held by Colleen Brown, Suzie Hahn, and Ron Schulof, whose terms expire at the end of this school year.
All Scarsdale residents are welcome to propose Board of Education candidates to the SBNC chair at [email protected]. The SBNC Board of Education candidates, along with any other candidates who may choose to run, will stand for public election May 20, 2025 at the same time as the school budget vote.
Results of the votes for the resolution amendments will be announced once the outcome has been evaluated by the resolution committee (ensuring accurate reporting of amendments passing or not).
Contact: Christine Weston, 917-783-2199
CNC Invites Public to Organization Meeting Wednesday Night December 4
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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The Citizens Nominating Committee welcomes 12 newly elected members and invites the public to observe its first meeting Wednesday, December 4, 2024, at 8:00 PM. The meeting will be held in the Scott Room at the Scarsdale Public Library. Members of the public wishing to attend the public portion of the organization meeting are more than welcome to attend.
Come to the meeting to learn more about Scarsdale's non-partisan system for selecting candidates to run for Village office on the Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party slate.
The CNC consists of 30 elected Scarsdale residents who represent their neighborhood election units (Edgewood, Fox Meadow, Greenacres, Heathcote and Quaker Ridge). New members are elected to the CNC each November to serve staggered three-year terms. The volunteer group will meet over 5-6 meetings from November through January to seek, interview, and evaluate potential candidates to run for Village office. This year the CNC will nominate individuals to run for Mayor and three Trustee positions. The General Village Election will be held on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.
Scarsdale's non-partisan system has been operating successfully for over 100 years, following a contentious election in 1909. The goal of the non-partisan system is to attract qualified citizens who would otherwise avoid campaigning but would be willing to run for office. The CNC's deliberations and due diligence on all potential nominees is kept confidential to further encourage well-qualified volunteers to apply for a spot on the non-partisan slate. Potential candidates also have the option to run for office outside of the Non-Partisan System under provisions of New York State law.
Are you interested in running for the position of Trustee or Mayor? Do you know someone who would serve the Village of Scarsdale well? Contact any elected member of the CNC, or inform the CNC Chair, Raju Sitaula at 917-613-7058 or [email protected]; or CNC Vice Chair, Scott Harris at 914-419-2497 or [email protected].
The current elected members of the CNC are:
Alex Forschner
Alli Seiden
Allison Zolot
Amy Frank
Anne Gilhool
Aubrey Claude Phillibert II
Beth Altschuler
Brian Bandsma
Brian Culang
Caryn Margolis
Casey Lehman
Dan Kovel
Daniel Besikof
Daniela Retelny
Emily Finn
Emily Mervis
Jeannie Rosenthal
Jeff Weiland
Jessica Weintrob
Jill Spielberg
Joseph Zakierski
Laura Thierer
Lia Tchorni
Liang Leon Xin
Matt Easton
Ryad Vachha
Scott Group
Thippawan Jittiwasurat
Thomas Dundon
Zhendi Shi
Friends of Scarsdale Parks Urges the Village to Preserve Green Space
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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(This letter was written by the Friends of Scarsdale Parks)
Dear Mayor Arest, Village Board Members, Village Manager Marshall, Planning Board Chair, Parks & Recreation Superintendent Gray, Public Works Superintendent Coleman, Board of Education, and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Drew Patrick:
Friends of the Scarsdale Parks, Inc. (FOSP), a 501(c)3 New York State charitable organization founded in 1957, has long been and remains dedicated to the conservation, restoration, and protection of Scarsdale’s green spaces and ecosystems.
Village parks, recreation fields, and schoolyards are essential elements of what makes Scarsdale a vibrant community. These resources should provide healthy and safe public spaces for Scarsdale's families. But the serious health risks posed by artificial turf are well researched and documented. They include the exposure of children to artificial turf’s toxic substances that can be ingested and inhaled, more frequent and severe injuries from the compacted surface that artificial turf creates, and a markedly increased heat index given off by artificial turf.
Aside from the health, safety, and environmental hazards posed by artificial turf, FOSP is opposed to the proposed conversion of any of the grass recreational fields in Scarsdale Village to artificial turf because of the damage it causes to local ecosystems by reducing natural water-absorbing grass and soil, and the adverse impacts synthetic turf installations could have on the village’s management of stormwater. In addition, enormous costs are associated with the maintenance, disposal, and replacement of this harmful, short-lived synthetic material.
FOSP encourages the village and school district to plan instead for the conservation of existing green spaces, for planting additional canopy shade trees annually, and for better maintenance of the village’s and school district's natural ecosystems.
Sincerely,
Members of the Board, Friends of the Scarsdale Parks, Inc.:
Betsy H. Bush
Kay Eisenman, Scarsdale Village Trustee, emerita
Madelaine Eppenstein, FOSP President
Timothy B. King
Jeannie Mackler
Richard Reuter
Cynthia V. Roberts, FOSP Vice President
Letter to the Editor: Artifical Turf Poses Health, Flooding and Environmental Risks
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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(This letter was written by Michelle Sterling of Brayton Road)
Dear Board of Education, Superintendent Patrick, Mayor Arest, Village of Scarsdale Board of Trustees, and Village Manager Marshall,
Thank you for your joint field study and work to address the optimal use of fields for Scarsdale students and residents.
This letter is to express my strong opposition to the installation of artificial turf fields due to the serious health, flooding and environmental risks for our residents and town.
The benefits of artificial turf, as touted by their manufacturers, include 24/7 use, all-weather play, and a maintenance-free field. This pitch makes the allure understandable.
Science however presents a more sobering reality.
Health Risks – Toxins from rubber infill
A typical artificial turf field utilizes rubber infill made of toxic chemicals, including known carcinogens and neurotoxins. Crumb rubber dust and small pieces are inhaled and ingested during gameplay. As the fields heat up, the rubber off-gasses and the toxins are further inhaled.
Health Risks – Toxins from plastic
Artificial turf’s green plastic includes toxic chemicals in its makeup. Anti-static chemicals are used, as well as flame retardant chemicals, and perfluorinated chemicals (PFAs), which have already been banned in Europe and increasingly throughout the US due to their toxicity. Young and developing children are especially vulnerable to the toxic exposures from the chemicals in artificial turf.
Health Risks – Compacted surfaces
Statistics show that injuries are actually more common on artificial turf surfaces. The G-max rating - the ability to absorb impact – of artificial turf surfaces are high when they are first installed. The surface quickly changes however as the materials are compacted, leaving a rock-hard surface that makes injuries more likely and more severe.
Health Risks – Extreme heat
Studies from Brigham Young University show that artificial turf averages over 30 degrees hotter than asphalt and over 80 degrees hotter than natural grass. On a hot sunny day, artificial turf fields can reach 180-200 degrees.
With warmer weather now occurring for more months throughout the year, there will be an increasing number of days where artificial turf gets too hot, causing it to be unusable. This will reduce playing time in periods of high heat (which are becoming increasingly frequent).
Dehydration, heat stroke and other serious heat-related illnesses have spurred turf manufacturers to sell water cannons for field cooling, even though the water only reduces the temperature for about 20 minutes, at which time the process has to be repeated. Heat also increases the off-gassing of artificial turf’s toxic chemicals, which makes them more problematic due to inhalation exposure.
Health Risks – Cancer risks for athletes
There are a growing number of reports of higher than usual cases of lymphoma and leukemia among athletes playing on artificial turf, especially soccer goalies, who regularly dive onto the turf, releasing dust and infill particles, that they then inhale and absorb.
Environmental Issues – Plastic disposal
There is also the concern about the eventual disposal of artificial turf fields. Every 10 years when the plastic field has reached its useful life, it will need to be disposed of. What this means is that every ten years we are going to send to our County incinerator literally tons of plastic to be burned. It feels completely against everything we should be and are doing in Scarsdale environmentally to take out nature and install plastic in its place.
Environmental Issues – Green space elimination
Climate change is no longer a future event. We are living it. Just this week we are experiencing 80 degree days in November. In school and at home we teach our kids about climate change and stress the need to address it. It seems wholly antithetical to what we know to be reality, to lay down a sheet of plastic on top of nature. Green-tinted plastic is not green space.
Environmental Issues – Flooding exacerbation
Scarsdale is facing flooding issues, and the loss of environmentally beneficial natural grass, which will only create more flooding issues. Logically, given our flooding issues, it does not make sense to take a step that will decrease water absorbtion and exacerbate flooding.
Scarsdale Middle School – No safe option
For the middle school in particular, it is being proposed that the entire playing field is covered with artificial turf. What will happen to the student or family that does not want their children playing on artificial turf? What will be their option and is it fair to leave families without one? All children should have an option to play outside in a safe environment.
Natural Grass – Many benefits
Naturally maintained grass fields require no chemical use, as beneficial soil microbes deal effectively with body fluids. Natural grass does not need to get disposed of every 10 years. Natural grass does not need to be filled with toxic rubber pellets. Natural grass maintains a cool temperature and in fact absorbs and disperses heat and sequesters carbon.
Natural Grass – Please explore it further and provide more detail
In the next version of the field study proposal, please include more detail on the ways to retain and improve our natural grass fields. My suggestion would be to seek a proposal on this from an expert in this area. For example, Chip Osborne, President of Osborne Organics, 781-254-7862, has many years of experience in creating safe, sustainable and healthy athletic fields and landscapes through natural grass management. The Village used him successfully until 2016 under former Parks Dept Superintendent Jason Marra.
The October field study presentation came up with the easy answer and recommendation of using artificial turf to solve the question of extending field play. However, the easy answer is often not the best one, or the only one, and I implore you to please explore and consider natural grass field improvements.
I realize the desire of the community to have extended playing seasons and increased field use. I am a parent of a Scarsdale student athlete who is now a college athlete. My daughter played on Scarsdale’s fields for her entire time in Scarsdale and I have seen my share of rainouts and reschedulings. That being said, not having artificial turf fields in no way hindered her sports career, and I am forever thankful for her health as she didn’t have to play on artificial turf while at Scarsdale. Please consider the serious risks of covering our fields with a combination of plastic and rubber. Let’s instead create improvements to our natural grass fields that will increase their playing time.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Michelle Sterling
Brayton Road
Scarsdale, NY
Note: Comments on the Field Study can be submitted here through Monday, November 11, or can be emailed to the Village of Scarsdale Board of Trustees [email protected] and the Board of Education [email protected] next week.
