Gun Show Planned for County Center on February 2 is Cancelled
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This just in from the office of Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino: there will be no gun and knife show at the Westchester County Center as originally scheduled. According to an email from the County Executive's Office recevied on the afternoon of 12/17, "With respect to the Sportsmen Firearm and Knife Show at the County Center, there is no signed contract for this event in 2013. The shows in past years were popular and run in a thoroughly professional manner. But at this time as the country grieves the loss of life in Newtown, a contract renewal is not appropriate."
Cancellation of the show may have been in response to an email from Greenburgh Town Supervisor Pau Feiner who called for a ban on gun shows at the Westchester County Center. (Here is the text of an email we received from Feiner this weekend:) The Westchester County Center, a county taxpayer owned building, will be the location for the next gun show on February 2 and 3 2013 --according to northeastgunshows.com. Shortly after the Columbine High School shootings--which took the lives of 14 students and a teacher at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado former County Executive Andrew Spano banned gun shows from the County Center--calling gun shows at government buildings "inappropriate".
After County Executive Rob Astorino defeated Mr. Spano, Astorino revoked the ban and allowed the gun shows to resume at the county center. When the gun shows were reinstated admission was $11- with $1.50 going to the county. In light of the school shooting which killed 20 children and 7 adults in Sandy Hook, Connecticut on Friday - I am calling on the County Executive and Board of Legislators to ban gun and weapon shows from the County Center. Citizens have a right to bear arms and a right to purchase guns from reputable dealers. But, there is nothing in the constitution that requires governments to allow gun sales at government buildings. If northeastgunshows.com wants to have a gun show in Westchester they should contract with a private facility, not a government owned building.
Among the weapons being sold at the gun show: firearms, knives, and military style weapons. An article in the June 20, 2010 issue of the NY Daily News indicated that some vendors "sold books and magazines with Nazi names at these shows. At least two sold stickers bearing confederate flags and swastikas." Though 99% of the people who purchase guns at gun shows are honest, decent, law abiding citizens all we need is one crazy like the school gunman whose family obtains a gun legally and starts shooting innocent people."
Scarsdale Board of Trustees Demands Answers from Con Edison
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The Scarsdale Board of Trustees has sent a letter to Con Edison Chairman, President and CEO Kevin Burke outlining the abysmal response of the utility in Scarsdale during Hurricane Sandy. Dated December 12, the five-page letter gives a detailed account of what did and didn't happen, calling the restoration effort "fraught with frustration, confusion and anger on the part of both Village residents and Village staff." The letter charged Con Edison with lacking a plan, "critical deficiencies in staffing" and "poor communication."
For the first four days following the storm "not a single restoration crew was dispatched to Scarsdale," and when crews did arrive prioritizing work sites was a "major issue." Since there was only one Con Edison person who could deactivate lines in Scarsdale, there was a major bottleneck in clearing streets.
The letter goes on to suggest that Con Ed "train and authorize local licensed electricians to de-energize and cut lines," and "decentralize work assignments" so that there is a person with command authority at the municipal level.
The Con Ed representative assigned to Scarsdale "rarely had the facts available" needed by the Village staff, was unable to obtain crew, lacked authority and technical training.
Furthermore, the Trustees change Con Ed with poor communications with both the Village and residents. During the entire 12-day outage, the utility's only response to questions about when power would be restored was a blanket guarantee of November 9 and then November 11 – providing no sequenced work plan or timetable. Even the Con Edison online map was "rarely accurate."
The letter ends with a call for a meeting with senior Con Edison Officials and the Village Staff to address these concerns, to find out what improvements are planned and to formulate a long-range plan. Read the entire text of the letter here.
The letter is signed by the Mayor and Board of Trustees and copies are being sent to Governor Cuomo, Robert Abrams and Benjamin Lawsky of the Moreland Commission, Garry Brown, Chairman of the NY Public Service Commission, State Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins, County Executive Rob Astorino, Congresswoman Nita Lowey, Congressman Eliot Engel, Village Manager Al Gatta and Linda Leavitt of the Scarsdale Inquirer.
Scarsdale Bowl Committee Seeks Recommendations
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The 2013 Scarsdale Bowl Committee will begin its work in early December to select the 2013 recipient of the Scarsdale Bowl. The Scarsdale Bowl, under the sponsorship of the Scarsdale Foundation, has been awarded annually since 1943 to an individual, or in rare instances, to a husband and wife, who has given "unselfishly of his/her time, energy and effort to the civic welfare of the community." The founding donors of the Bowl believed that "many who serve generously and voluntarily, without office, honor or publicity, are those deserving of having their names permanently inscribed on the Scarsdale Bowl."
Jane Veron will serve as chair of this year's Scarsdale Bowl Committee. The members of the committee serve staggered two-year terms. The newly appointed Class of 2013 includes Scott Altabet, Bart Hamlin, Pam Rubin, Adie Shore, Carolyn Stevens, and Jeff Watiker. The continuing Class of 2012 includes Linda Chayes, Merrell Clark, Amy Cooper, Alice Herman, Howard Nadel, Jim O'Connor, and Sara Werder. Evelyn Stock, Scarsdale Foundation trustee, will serve on the committee as the liaison, and Deborah Pekarek will serve as secretary/treasurer. Richard Toder, president of the Scarsdale Foundation, is an ex-officio, non-voting member.
The Scarsdale Bowl will be awarded at a dinner on Wednesday, April 17, 2013, at Lake Isle Country Club. The ceremony will pay tribute to the 2013 honoree and to the spirit of volunteerism, central to the civic life of the Scarsdale community.
The Bowl Committee enthusiastically welcomes community input. It will hold its first meeting December 2, 2012, and requests that residents contact any member of the committee with suggestions of potential recipients or email Jane Veron at: jevatf@aol.com. If you have any questions, please contact Jane Veron at 472-2933.
Scarsdale Planning Board Recommends Easing Noise and Setback Requirements for Home Generators
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The Scarsdale Village Planning Board's examination of Scarsdale Village Zoning Code Chapter 310-7 – "Permanent Emergency Generators" drew a large crowd to its November 28th meeting. With many Scarsdale residents out of power for as many as 11 days in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, this issue has become one of central importance here.
This Board revisited several specific issues: noise, placement, fuel source, and certification. Proposed amendments to the law had raised the decibel amount to 65 and allowed for side yard in addition to rear yard installation, but kept the 20 feet setback. Planning Board Chair Jane Veron recognized that these changes were likely insufficient, stating that the "severity and frequency of these storms have changed our assumptions about what is necessary to protect ourselves."
The debate over the code focused on noise during "exercise time," a once weekly maintenance run-through that takes about fifteen to twenty minutes. Many residents voiced their opinions to the Board.
Larry Bell, representing the West Quaker Ridge Association Generator Committee which submitted an extensive twelve-page report to the Board, summarized the Committees' recommendations, which include a process for expedited approval for rear, side and front yard above-ground, outside installations without regard to setback of generators that meet the Village's noise requirements. For front yard installations, residents would need to demonstrate impracticality or hardship. The report also called for an elimination of the five-year recertification requirement. You can download a summary of their report by clicking here.
Residents implored the Board to remember the big picture and not get bogged down in details. Russ Kopp cautioned that the Board was "closing the barn door and leaving the window wide open." Board members must remember, he urged, that if the rules on generators remain too restrictive, residents will install temporary generators, which will be louder and more dangerous than permanent generators. George Sanderson pointed out that in the aftermath of Sandy, the newspaper contained two columns of calls to the fire department from people who had improperly hooked up temporary generators. The Board also questioned expert Lewis Baldessarre from Power Performance who distributes generators. He advocated for a focus on safety rather than noise. He reminded the Board that many individuals need generators for medical reasons and to prevent pipes freezing, and of the dangers of temporary generators.
In addition to safety concerns, Philip Sanchez noted that the lower the decibel requirement, and thus the more expensive the generator, the higher the likelihood of generators becoming cost prohibitive for some families.
Several owners of smaller plots of land reminded the Board that restrictive regulations particularly impact their ability to install emergency permanent generators legally. Ms. Veron stated that the Board held over this discussion primarily because it was concerned that the law did not help small lots and it wanted to ensure that all residents, no matter lot size, can apply for a generator permit.
In response to resident comments imploring the Board to act quickly on this matter, Ms. Veron iterated that "our goal is to move as rapidly as possible."
Ultimately, the Board elected to recommend a noise limit of 70 decibels along with an elimination of the recertification requirement, stating that residents have the option to file a noise grievance if generators become too loud over time. It will advocate for noise to be measured according to manufacturers' specifications, as several residents suggested. In that case, decibel amount is measured at 23 feet away from the generator. Additionally, the Board will recommend replacing the 20-foot setback scale with the accessory setback scale for buildings (a graduated scale that takes lot size into account --see chart below). Due to expense, odor, and logistical concerns, the Board did not recommend adding diesel to the list of acceptable fuel sources. Finally, though several residents recommended allowing for front-yard installation, the Board ultimately decided that the current law, which allows residents to apply for a variance if they will experience "undue hardship" without front-yard installation, is sufficient.
Scarsdale Mayor Miriam Levitt-Flisser announced the Village's plan to pass this law as quickly as possible. On December 12, the Village Board Law Committee will meet to review the Planning Board's recommendations. At a public hearing the first week in January, the Village's plan is to enact the law unless residents voice significant opposition. Accordingly, the Village may pass the law as early as the first week in January.
See below for instructions on determine the zone of your house.
1. Navigate your Internet browser to www.scarsdale.com, the Scarsdale Village website;
2. About half way down the home page is the section titled "Interactive";
3. In the Interactive box, click the link to "Online Property Inquiry";
4. The next screen contains a pull down box containing street names in
the Village database. Find the street name about being inquired
about and click on that street name;
5. The next screen contains a pull down box containing numbered street
addresses for that street and the user should click on the specific address being inquired about;
6. The next screen will contain the information contained in the
Village database about this property, including what zone it is
in, assessment information, tax information and permit information back to when the house was originally built.
(This chart and instructions were compiled and supplied to Scarsdale10583 by Bill Kay)
Contributor Lindsay Dembner lives in Scarsdale. She is an English major turned lawyer currently pursuing employment in higher education and education nonprofits.
Scarsdale BOT Considers Changes to Historic Preservation Law
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The Scarsdale Board of Trustees met on Monday night 11/19 to review proposed changes to the Village's historic preservation laws. In 2010 the Board recognized that the current code was not sufficient to safeguard some of Scarsdale's most historic homes and buildings and established an Advisory Committee to see what could be done to protect the homes that give the Village its unique character.
As a result, Li/Saltzman Architects and Professor Andrew M. Dolkart were retained to survey the Village. They reviewed almost every structure in Scarsdale and researched historic information. In their study, which is posted on the Village website, they listed 69 village structures that they believe warrant protection.
Since then, the Law and Land Use Committees of the Scarsdale Board of Trustees undertook a review of the code to adapt it to prevent the demolition of these 69 historic buildings.
The Committee had a choice of whether to predesignate the 69 buildings as historic and thus bar their demolition-- or to allow the current owners of these homes to consent to granting historic status. The current Scarsdale Board of Trustees appears to be leaning toward requiring owner consent.
Historic designation would not prevent renovations to the home – in fact homeowners would be given tax incentives to keep these homes up to date. However, proposed renovations would be reviewed by the BAR – as they are now – to assure that the alterations would not alter the exterior and windows and negatively impact the homes historic value.
In order to make historic designation more palatable to homeowners, the new code would grant limited tax 
exemptions for a period of ten years for any renovations or alternations of the house that increase it assessed value.
The revised code would change the role of the Committee for Historic Preservation that now considers whether or not it is appropriate to allow for the demolition of a home. Under the new code, their primary function would be education and outreach. However, for historic homes where the owners have not consented to historic designation, the CHP would continue to monitor proposed demolitions and function as they now do.
Dan Hochvert, President of the Scarsdale Forum, also discussed the Forum's recommendation for a moratorium on the demolition of these historic homes until the new law could be passed. However the Village Attorney informed the group that this would be illegal.
Also at the meeting, Jon Bensche read a letter that he wrote to the Trustees that urged them to predesignate the 69 buildings as historic, without owner consent. In the letter he questioned whether owners would "volunteer to put their homes under the control of a committee," and asked the Trustees not to "hamstring the committee by requiring consent." He also said, that "historic preservation can and will become a coveted attribute" and suggested that the Village "create the mindset that historic designation is a positive attribute."
After Monday night's meeting, the draft of the proposed new law was returned to Village staff to incorporate changes discussed at the meeting in the draft.
