LED Streetlights, the Tax Cap and more from the Scarsdale Village Board
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Should the Village convert Scarsdale's 2,000 streetlights to LED (light emitting diode) lights? An ad hoc committee that was appointed to study the issue in April 2015 has released their findings and recommendations and reviewed them with the Municipal Services Committee of the Board of Trustees on January 26.
The committee ran a three-month pilot project in September and October 2015 when they installed 25 LED streetlight of varying colors and brightness on Heathcote, Fox Meadow and Madison Roads. The LED light posts had yellow signs asking residents to email LED@scarsdale.com to provide feedback on the lights.
The committee reports that they received only 11 emails from residents. One concerned the lack of light near a home, and the remaining 10 were split in their view of the lights. According to the report, "About half preferred the new LEDs and the other half found the sample lights too bright and/or harsh in color. Most of the responses, regardless of their view on the brightness and color, were in favor of the LED project as a direction for the Village."
The committee also reviewed their findings about the quality of the light, the color of the light, the distribution of light and glare, all of which have been issues in other communities that installed LED street lights.
They said that the color is typically white or bluish while the committee preferred softer color light. Softer or warmer light is also preferred because it doesn't disturb sleep cycles.
Light distribution also varies – and sometimes the LED's can light up resident's lawns, behind the pole. This can be controlled with shields. Bright spots or striping can also result.
Glare can also bother drivers and is exacerbated on hilly streets where the light is viewed from high or low angles. The committee believes that properly designed LED lights will be developed that produce uniformly bright and pleasing light.
A full conversion to LED streetlights is estimated to cost $550,000 to $650,000 with savings of about $105,000 in electricity cost, resulting in an investment payback in six to seven years.
The committee recommended that the Village move forward with a second pilot study of LED fixtures on high traffic streets. They propose to install 25 LED lights on Post Road, Mamaroneck Road, Heathcote Road and Weaver Street. The pilot would allow the committee to finalize specifications for the fixtures, confirm assumptions about installation time and get additional community feedback. After the pilot they recommend that LED lights be installed on the Village's highest traffic streets by the end of 2016. They propose that a full installation of LED lights be staged over five years.
The cost for the pilot and 2016 installations would be $100,000. The Mayor said this expenditure would be discussed in the upcoming budget deliberations.
Committee members are: Victor J. Goldberg (Chair), David Raizen, Benedict Salanitro Ronald Schulhof and Michelle Sterling.
In other news from the Scarsdale Village Board:
Scarsdale Library
On February 9 at 6 pm, the Board will hold a discussion about the proposals to renovate and expand the Scarsdale Library. The Mayor has asked Village staff to analyze the tax impact of borrowing $12 million to fund the Village portion and this will be reviewed. The Mayor said that, "No decision has been made to move forward. And we won't decide until there is broad based community support and willingness to fund it." Private contributions of $7.5 million would be needed to fund the $19 million project. The Mayor encouraged residents to attend the meeting or email their views to the Village board.
Acting Village Justice:
Since Joaquin Alemany was appointed Interim Village Justice, replacing John Galloway who retired, the position of Acting Village Justice was vacant. The Judicial Qualifications Advisory Committee recommended three candidates, and from that list, Mayor Mark selected Cynthia K. Dunne of 14 Edgewood Road. Dunne has 28 years of experience at the Office of the U.S. Attorney.
Tax Cap:
The board scheduled a public hearing to authorize the BOT to adopt a budget that exceeds the tax cap, which this year is only .45%. The hearing will be held at their meeting on February 9, 2016.
Cayuga Pond Stormwater, Sediment Reduction and Water Quality Improvement Project
The Village was awarded a $1.4 million grant for a storm water remediation project at Cayuga Pond. The grant requires that the Village supply matching funds of 25% or $350,000. The Board authorized this expense for the removal of silt, flood mitigation and the improvement of water quality.
Irrigation System at Chase Park
The Board passed a resolution to accept a gift of $3,500 from the Friends of the Scarsdale Parks to install an irrigation system at Chase Park. These funds, along with a balance of $2,788 from a gift for deLima park will be used to install the system. .
Road Race
The annual 15 K/4 mile road race through Greenacres and Fox Meadow will be held on April 3, 2016 from 9 am to 12:30 pm. The race will be co-sponsored by the Scarsdale Antiques Running Club.
Public Comments
Benefits of Trees
Dan Hochvert sited several studies that confirm the health benefits of living in or near green areas. He said, "Researchers in England's University of Exeter Medical School examined mental health data from 10,000 subjects and found that people living near more green space reported less mental distress. Furthermore, in 2009 a Dutch team found lower incidences of 15 diseases including heart disease, anxiety, asthma, depression, diabetes and migraines in people who live within a half mile of green space."
He continued, "In 2015, an international team, using data from Toronto found that those who live on blocks with more trees experience a boost in heart and metabolic health equivalent to a $20,0000 gain in income. Lower stress levels have also been associated with living near more green space.
He thanked the village for preserving and protecting our green spaces.
Food Scrap Recycling
Michelle Sterling of Brayton Road responded to trustee's comments at a prior meeting about a proposed food scrap recycling pilot program. She said, "What's the benefit to residents? It gives them the opportunity to participate in a valuable program to help the environment in a way they can't otherwise." Discussing recycling she said, "When people participate, they feel great about it." She added, "We have a 50% recycling rate here. I believe residents care. Sometimes we need to broaden our view."
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for new Metro North Staircase
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An official ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Wednesday morning January 20 at 7:45 am to celebrate the opening of the new stairway that extends from East Parkway to the Metro North northbound platform at Scarsdale Station. Mayor Mark addressed commuters on the southbound side, thanking the Village Staff, the staff of the Department of Public Works and Paul Zaicek who supervises the Village's Capital Projects for their work. He also thanked the crews who were out in 20 degree weather at night a week or so ago to put the staircase in place and the crew that work in similarly chilly weather Monday and 
Tuesday of this week to install the railing and finish the job. The staircase was then declared open for use and the red ribbon was cut!
Watch a video of the proceedings here:
Greenacres Mourns Two
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Residents are mourning the loss of two Greenacres residents this week. Alan S. Gordon, age 70, of Brewster Road passed away from a stroke on New Year's Day, and fifth grader Paul Jimenez of Fenimore Road died on January 5.
Gordon was a longtime resident of Greenacres where he and his wife Susan raised their two daughters. A labor attorney, he was the executive director of the American Guild of Musical Artists and represented opera singers, concert artists, ballet dancers and 
staging personnel across the country. He was instrumental in avoiding a strike at the Metropolitan Opera during the summer of 2014. A colorful figure, Gordon had a wonderful sense of humor and was well-known on the Metro North train where he commuted daily. A memorial service was held for him on Sunday January 3, 2016 at Riverside Memorial Chapel in Mount Vernon.
Paul Ulysses Jimenez, age 10, was a 5th grade student at Greenacres School. He was diagnosed with cancer in the Fall, and passed away during emergency surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital at 4:41 pm on January 5. He is survived by his parents Paul and Ioana Kreatsoulas Jimenez and his 8 year-old sister Edie and 5 year-old sister Juliette, both students at Greenacres. His father called him "my best friend" and said the family was "heartbroken and devastated" and would continue "his work to find a cure for pediatric cancer."
Greenacres Principal Sharon Hill told parents that additional psychologists, social workers, and administrators would be at the school on Wednesday "to help our students begin to cope with their grief and to process unfamiliar feelings this type of loss will raise."
Paul's funeral will be held on Saturday January 9 at 10 am a Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 10 Mill Road, New Rochelle, NY. The family will receive friends on Friday January 8 from 4-8 pm at the Coxe and Graziano Funeral Home, 767 East Boston Post Road, Mamaroneck, NY.
Donations in Paul's honor can be made to the Pediatric Oncology Team at Memorial Sloan Cancer Center for advanced research into Pediatric Sarcomas. Click here to donate.
Trustees Contemplate Compost
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A proposal to launch a pilot program to facilitate food composting dominated the discussion at the Village Board meeting on Tuesday night January 12. Members of the Scarsdale Forum Sustainability Committee lobbied Village Managers and Trustees in December in support of a pilot program to collect food scraps from a test group of residents and transport them to a commercial composting facility. The program would be the first of its kind in Westchester.
Participants would receive two food collection bins – one for the kitchen counter and another wheeled bin that would be placed at the curb for collection. The cost of the pilot program for 100 families would be $44,500.
Currently Scarsdale's waste is transported to Peekskill where it is burned to ash.
Commenting on the proposal Mayor Mark said, "While there appears to be environmental benefits of the program, none of them apply to Scarsdale.... Our waste is burned, not dumped and there would be virtually no savings to the village from the program." He continued, "Little would seem to flow back to the village economically." He explained that the food scraps would be picked up by a village truck and transported 48 miles to the food composting facility, as opposed to 27 miles to the resource recovery facility in Peekskill, "involving additional CO2 emissions and fuel." He argued, "If there is less ash in Peekskill, that would benefit them, not us."
Projecting forward he said that if the program were expanded ten-fold, the annual cost to the village would be $445,000, enough to pave a mile of village streets. He suggested that residents take up composting on their own, and said that the Board of Trustees would consider to weigh the expense versus other needs in the upcoming budget process.
Trustee Bill Stern spoke in favor of the pilot program telling the group that a similar program at Greenacres School has reduced the amount of garbage from 18 48-gallon bags a day to just one bag a day. He said that caterers use recyclable storage containers, children eat with wood utensils and bring their food to school in reusable containers. He said, "If the program is adopted, I am sure we would find a closer recycling facility." He said," What comes from the earth should go back to the earth."
Mayor Mark commented that two thirds of the program Stern was describing at the school had nothing to do with food scraps – but pertained to recycling of packaging and the use of reusable containers.
Carl Finger said, "No one is taking issue with recycling in the schools. My daughter was a recycling ranger." He argued, "just because Scarsdale does not receive an economic benefit, that does not mean we should not do it. It has to start somewhere.... There might not be a dollar of dollar payback, but I don't want to make that a litmus test. I want to keep hearing about this and discussing it."
Ron Schulhof of Springdale Road who is a member of the Scarsdale Forum Sustainability Committee pointed out that those who compost in their yards can only compost foods such as fruits vegetables and coffee grounds. They cannot compost meat or processed foods. He currently takes his compost to Whole Foods. He said, "Food is a resource. We should conserve it and use it to make compost."
He explained that the program was about education for residents and their children. He said it's "not just about dollars and sense. To not try is a travesty. ... We are blessed to live here – and sometimes we need to take the lead on something."
In other business:
State Grant for Cayuga Pond Project: The Mayor announced that the Village has received a $1,050,000 grant from the state for use on the Cayuga Pond Project. The project is designed to alleviate flooding -- and with these funds new work will be possible. It will require consent from private property owners whom the village will contact to get permission to access their properties. The grant represents 75% of the project cost and the village will be required to fund the other 25%.
Metro North Stairway: The Metro North replacement staircase on East Parkway is now in place, but not yet ready for use. The finishing work is in process. Once the stairway is complete, the bus stop will be moved back to the top of the stairs. A ribbon cutting ceremony for the new stairway is scheduled for Wednesday January 20 at 7:45 am.
Village Election: The Village election will be held on Tuesday March 15 from 6-9 am and 12- 9 pm at Scarsdale Village Hall.
Gift to the Library: The Board of Trustees accepted a gift of $79,600 from the Friends of the Scarsdale Library to be used for renovations and improvements to the library.
Letters: The Village received 66 letters and emails since the last Village Board meeting.
-33 concerned the library, with 25 in support and 8 opposed to plans to renovate and improve the Scarsdale Library.
-26 communications in support of the food waste compost pilot program were also received.
Zachys and the Scarsdale PBA Make Charitable Donations
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On Tuesday, December 22 at Zachys Wine and Liquor of Scarsdale and the Scarsdale Police Benevolent Association presented a total of $40,000 to two charities. Ronnie Arefieg, of the Scarsdale Police Benevolent Association, along with Don and Jeff Zacharia of Zachys Wine and Liquor, gave $20,000 to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, represented by David and Cheryl Bunzel, and $20,000 to Navigating the Spectrum (Autism Support), represented by Betty Crea-Davidson (not pictured).
Photo courtesy of Zachys. From left to right: Don Zacharia, Cheryl and David Bunzel, Jeff Zacharia, and Ronnie Arefieg.
