Concours d'Elegance Celebrates 20 Years in Scarsdale
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- Written by: Kate Hubell
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John Vasta and his red CorvetteOn Sunday, October first, approximately 125 cars filled the streets of Scarsdale Village for the 20th annual Scarsdale Concours d’Elegance. Cars, both old and new, came from all over. It was an unusually warm autumn day, with temperatures rising to a balmy 75 degrees. The sun was a welcome change from the deluge of rain in the days leading up to the Scarsdale Concours and people were happy to be outside and enjoy the last few days of summer weather.
Twenty years ago, two Scarsdale High School sophomores, Evan M. Cygler and Dennis O’Leary III, launched the Scarsdale Concours with the support of the Scarsdale Police Department, and the enthusiastic endorsement of village officials. All proceeds from the car show support three local charities: Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Service, the Scarsdale Police Benevolent Association and Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Inc.
As attendees meandered through the show, many participants shared interesting stories about the sentimental significance of their cars. Nick Pagani displayed a white and gold Buick Invicta Custom that had been in his family for 60 years. Pagani explained that it his father was very proud of the car and it was his first air conditioned car. When Mr. Pagani was a young boy, his mother would take him out to drive this car, and she would press the pedals, while he sat on the center console and steered. As he grew older, he enthusiastically lobbied his father to keep the car. As he didn’t yet have his license, his father was reluctant to give it to him but eventually agreed. In 1971, he became the owner of the car. The car has never been restored and still has the original paint, interior, and engines. There is a badge on the grille from the Buick Club of America, marking it as an archival car, and a benchmark for car restoration. The car holds a very special meaning for Mr. Pagani, and it was clear that he was proud of the car and its history.
We also met John Vasta who showed us his red Corvette Fuel-Injected Split Window Coupe. This amazing car has 26,000 miles on the 
A Buick Invictaodometer, and a paint job that’s 50 years old. Vasta has owned this car for 25 years.
Jim Babchak told us that he has been coming to the Scarsdale Concours for years. This year he brought an Auburn Boattail Speedster, which true to its name, was made in 
Jim Babchak and his Auburn Boattail SpeedsterAuburn, Indiana. This car was originally designed in 1935, but Mr. Babchak explained that it is what is referred to as a “generation two” car. Glenn Pray bought the rights to the design and reissued the car in the 1960s and 70s. Until two years ago, the car had been in a garage for 40 years. Mr. Babchak was able to fix the gas tank, gas lines, and brake lines so the car was drivable, all the while keeping the original paint and interior.
The show includes vintage cars including a Citroen, a VW camper, an historic Good Humor truck alongside the latest models of BMW's, Porsches, Mercedes and even a baby blue Moke.
After 20 years, the event is still going strong. In the words of founder Evan M. Cygler, who attended the show on Sunday, “[It is] all about the people”.
Kate Hubell is a sophomore at Scarsdale High School.
Thieves Make Off With $13,000 in Lottery Tickets
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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Another store in Heathcote was hit by thieves this week -- around 5:30 am on Thursday September 21, 2023.
Varsha Stationary, that sells lottery tickets, cigarettes, candy and more was broken into by quickly moving burglars who entered by breaking the glass front door. Once inside they used a prybar to remove the scratch off lottery ticket display from the wall and took off with the display along with $13,000 in scratch off cards. Since they did not have the code to the machine that issues Powerball, Megamillions and NYS Lottery tickets, they were not able to procure any of those.
But they didn’t stop there. They took the entire cash register and all the cigarettes too.
We spoke to the owner Andy who says his video camera caught a black car driving up. He says in his ten years in business in Scarsdale this was his first burglary.
Of course we had to ask if the thieves would be able to keep the proceeds from the winning scratch off cards.
Detective Brendan Kellaher from the Scarsdale Police said, “Unfortunately yes, unless the tickets are reported stolen before being presented, the thieves can acquire winnings.”
Mayor Updates the League of Women Voters on Village Happenings
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League Co-Presidents Heedan Chung and Jessica ZellnerThe soon to be moved dining tent in Scarsdale Village served as shelter from the rain for the membership breakfast for the Scarsdale League of Women Voters on Monday September 18, 2021.
Co-Presidents Heedan Chung and Jessica Zellner explained the mission of the league and welcomed members old and new along with Scarsdale’s Mayor Justin Arest to provide an update on Village affairs.
He reviewed some items of interest:
Repaving of village roads is underway, with the lowest rated roads getting work first. He said there’s lots going on in Quaker Ridge and the long awaited work on the Heathcote Bridge is in progress.
The dining tent will be moved further down Spencer Place across next to the restaurant AKAI. This will mean a new traffic pattern in the Village which you can see here. The dining tent will remain up until December.
What about dropped cell phone calls? Arest was happy to report that Verizon is now installing new telecommunications equipment on the tower above Village Hall to improve service along Post Road. If this does not fix the problem, further work will be done.
About Freightway Garage, Arest said it would be necessary to make essential repairs to keep it safe and open. $700,000 is allocated in this year’s Village budget and another $600,000 in next year’s budget. However, the Village is still considering a longer term approach for the site and “will start conversations about traffic, the school population, stormwater impacts to see what can be done there.”
Addressing flooding and water woes, Arest said, “What can we do locally? We can make sure things are in good shape. We can repair and clean culverts and we can tweak our code. Is the county willing to take it on collectively?”
Turning to recreation, Arest told the group that a Pickleball Pilot Program is now underway on the tennis courts at Crossway. He advised those who are interested to sign up for a permit on the Village website.
Plans for the renovation of the Scarsdale Pool are now under consideration by an ad hoc committee of residents who will evaluate proposals and make a recommendation to the trustees.
Mayor addresses the League in the dining tent in Scarsdale Village.
A study of needs for the Village and school athletic fields is also planned for this year. In the interim repairs and improvements are being made on two softball fields.
He also reported that the Village has updated it’s noise ordinance so “that it makes more sense.” He acknowledged that it might not go far enough for some in that it does not specify allowable decibel levels. Ultimately he said, the Village might revisit this. However, this new code should help with enforcement.
He fielded questions about lights on the baseball field at Crossway, the new sewer lateral compliance program, parking enforcement, traffic safety, tree laws and more.
It was an informative meeting about what items are -- and are not -- priorities of the Village Board and managers.
Trustees Consider Repairs to Freightway Garage While They Search for a Better Plan
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It’s the eyesore that won’t go away. And in addition to looking unsightly the Freightway Parking Garage is badly in need of costly repairs. There are cracks on the structural slab and membrane, moisture is seeping through to the concrete slab and there are signs of corrosion. The top two floors are no longer in use and there are temporary supports in place to shore up the structure.
In 2019-20 the Village engaged proposals Village engaged proposals for Transit Oriented Development to transform the Freightway site and adjacent lots to a mixed use complex of residential and retail units and parking. The idea was to replace the garage, provide additional housing, add new vitality to the retail environment and even include community assets such as a dog park or a skating rink.
However, after vocal opposition from those who feared an increase in the school population, negotiations were shelved and the garage was left to rot in place.
Since 2020 no preventative maintenance has been done on the structure. At a work session of the Village Board on September 12, Superintendent Jeff Coleman warned the trustees that repairs would need to be made in order for the structure to pass inspections and remain safe for the parking permit holders who use it.
How much will it cost? He explained that $770,000 is already in this year’s budget for steel work and deck repairs and that another $3 million will be needed over the next five years to keep the garage operational. He called it “a combination of repairs and preventative maintenance.”
Trustees voiced concerns about spending considerable funds on a garage that will ultimately come down. They wondered what the minimum spend could be to keep the garage open while the Board seeks out information, data and proposals for a better use for the site.
They wondered how many of the parking spots are filled, what the future portends for commuting to the city and what other Villages have learned about Transit Oriented Development. Will there continue to be demand for station parking? How many children would a new development bring to the school district and would that increase be manageable? Can stormwater and traffic concerns be mitigated?
Trustee Ken Mazer said, “It looks like $10,000,000 in repairs are needed. How does this compare to the cost of a new garage?” Coleman said it would cost $20-$30 million to build a new garage in addition to the cost of demolishing the old one. He added, “It is better to spend the $10 mm over time than to spend $20-$30 million on a new one.”
Trustee Jeremy Gans was concerned about the long term. He said, “I can’t engage in this without thinking about the grand plan. 40 years ago it was called an eyesore. The figures we have before us are to restore this to the condition people didn’t like 40 years ago. It may be that this is best suited to be a parking structure. But we should think about how many spaces we need at the Metro North site.”
Trustee Randy Whitestone concurred. “This opened fifty years ago. How much do we have to put into this to keep it going? What are the best uses of the site without the structure?”
Trustee Dara Gruenberg asked, “How long do we have to consider this before the garage is dangerous?” Coleman responded, “There is a narrow window – we know we have to do something today. Even if you made a decision today it won’t be implemented for years – we need to design it, get approvals and build it. We have a responsibility to do this $3 million investment. Today some parking spaces are closed. We need to make repairs now so that it’s not dangerous.”
Referring to the survey report done in 2020, Coleman said, “I would propose staying on track with Desmond’s proposal until we have a grand plan or else we will start losing parking spaces in that garage.”
Mayor Justin Arest agreed, saying, “I think we have to do what is needed to keep it open. “
The question turned to timing. Whitestone said, “We need to buy time until we have a bigger plan. Gans added, “If it takes five years we’re spending $5 million to keep this operational. The sooner we can make the decision the more efficiently we are able to spend our money. How do we start to get to a plan?”
Raising the possibility of reopening the discussion of a Transit Oriented Development Project Mayor Arest asked, “What were the impediments to development? School population, stormwater? I think we have an obligation to start the conversation again. We have a good relationship with the schools now. Let’s look at the school impacts in neighboring towns.
Referring to Governor Hochul’s proposal to build additional housing along the Metro North corridor, Gruenberg added, “We also don’t know what is going to come down from Albany.
And Gans said, “We have the opportunity to do it our way. It is something we discussed and it happens to coincide with certain people in Albany.”
Concluding the discussion, Arest said, “We have a meeting with the schools soon. This could be part of the conversation. We need to work with our Village Planner and our Superintendent of Public Works to get information about parking, stormwater and traffic. Everything can be fixed. It is just a question of money. We deserve to have those answers before we take a next step.”
Commenting on the discussion, Susan Douglass from the Scarsdale Forum said, “It doesn’t seem wise to spend $7 to $10 million when we should be moving forward on a plan. Nothing has been done since the last plan was turned down. The Forum is meeting to come up with some ideas on what could be done.”
Former Village Trustee Lena Crandall said, “I was a Village Trustee when Freightway was being considered. Is there a way to find out what incentives Albany might offer? It would also be good to know what other requirements they may make for affordable housing.”
Thanks to the Sponsors of the Community Calendar
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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September 4, 2023
To the Editor:
The Scarsdale Parent-Teacher Council (PTC) Community Calendar has arrived in the mailboxes of Scarsdale School District residences. Many members of our community depend on the PTC Community Calendar for their academic year planning as it is filled with important community and school-related events. The Scarsdale Parent-Teacher Council is happy to provide this valuable resource and offer it in both print and electronic forms.
PT Council would like to extend a huge thank you to our incredible community sponsors: Scarsdale Security Systems, Houlihan Lawrence Real Estate, Compass Realty/The Zach and Heather Harrison Team, Eye Gallery of Scarsdale and Julia B. Fee/Sotheby’s. The production and distribution of the printed calendar is possible because of their support and generosity. Additional printed copies of the calendar are available for pick-up at the offices of our sponsors as well as the main offices of the seven Scarsdale Schools.
The online version of the calendar may be found here (https://www.scarsdaleschools.k12.ny.us/Page/12996). As a general reminder, all dates/times and locations of calendar events are subject to change throughout the year and the online calendar will reflect these changes as they are made and submitted to the PTC Calendar Chairs. The cover of the printed calendar also has a QR Code that will take you directly to the electronic version.
A huge thank you to the dedicated and meticulous work of the PT Council Community Calendar Co-Chairs, Dana Wiczyk and Rohini Sahni. This large-scale project would not be possible without their volunteer commitment as well as the detailed calendar-planning of the seven school PTAs and their PTA Presidents.
On behalf of PT Council, I extend our best wishes to the entire community, especially to all of the students as they move into the 2023-24 school year!
Leah Dembitzer
PT Council President, 2023-24
