Community and Trustees Consider Stormwater Retention Project at Harcourt Woods
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Changes to the Scarsdale landscape at George Field and Cooper Green are just two phases of the comprehensive stormwater management plan in store for the village. The original $3,150,000 plan called for large detention basins at George Field and Cooper Green as well as cleaning and lining the watercourse along Cambridge and the Post Roads, another detention pond at 2 Murray Hill Road, work on the high school parking lot and the rechannelization of Harcourt Woods.
However, the engineer's original vision had to be revised when the property at 2 Murray Hill could not be purchased for a pond and Westchester County regulations prevented the Village from moving fill from the excavations at George Field and Cooper Green to raise the elevation of the high school parking lot. Furthermore, though they considered using a portion of Harcourt Woods for water retention, they found that the area had unfavorable hydraulics and would not be an efficient place to store water.
Therefore, with funds already approved for the project, the engineers have revised their plans and now propose to focus on
DeGiorgio explained that Fox Meadow Brook now meanders through Harcourt woods in a hooked path that may have been diverted at an earlier time. The current stream bank encroaches on Scout Field and borders the high school tennis courts. The stream bank is eroding and there are many dead and dying trees in Harcourt Woods, which at some points obstruct the watercourse.
The plan is to restore the stream bank with a Gabion wall, which is a stone wall enclosed in mesh – that includes live plant stakes that will grow to form a vegetative front on the stream wall. The steep vertical walls of the stream would be softened and turns in the watercourse will be erased. This would facilitate the flow through the woods, prevent further erosion of the stream bank and protect tree roots along the watercourse. The stream will be bordered by “apron landscaping," a sediment trap will be installed and the bridge over the culvert in Harcourt Woods will be widened to five feet and improved.
The budget for the project is $950,000 and will be partially funded by Westchester County. If approved, the work will begin next summer.
Both the trustees and the residents had many questions about the project and it was clear that after witnessing the work at George Field and Cooper Green, there were concerns about the elimination of trees. Trustee Brodsky asked DeGiorgio to differentiate this project from George Field and Cooper Green and he explained that this was not another detention pond and that the landscape along Harcourt Road would not change.
Lena Crandall asked the trustees to bring in independent arborists to assess the health of the trees before removing them and said that she had walked the woods with three tree experts who had not seen hazardous trees on site. She also inquired about the size of the equipment that would be needed to do the work and urged the Village to use small equipment that would not destroy the existing landscape.
Dan Hochvert asked the village to use this opportunity to remove invasive Japanese knotwood that grows rapidly, falls into
Deb Pekarek questioned the project from a cost/benefit perspective and asked why they project will cost $950,000, which is as much as the detention pond on George Field. She asked if this would provide sufficient benefit to warrant the price tab.
We asked Eisenman why this is now far more than originally planned and what’s included in the bill and here is what she shared:
“The original scope of work for Harcourt involved de-silting the watercourse. The revised scope of work is much more detailed, including the Gabion wall to stabilize the banks, re-contouring the banks to obtain a gentler slope, softening the 90 degree bend to the watercourse, installing a maintenance access trail, tree removal and associated landscaping, new headwalls, constructing a sediment pond and all the associated work and infrastructure with the diversion of stormwater from the west side of Brewster Road to the sediment pond. Also we will be adding a new extended walkway in front of the high school on Brewster. The space in Harcourt Woods is tight and the work is very labor intensive which also increases the cost.”
Residents also asked for trees to be planted to replace those that will be removed and Village managers said that landscape professionals, the Village arborist, and landscapers from Westchester County would be consulted.
At the close of the meeting, the committee passed a resolution to accept the modified proposal from Dvirka and Bartilucci and to put the design before the full Board of Trustees. They also asked the engineers for a more detailed plan and invited public comment.
(Pictured at top: Map of Harcourt Woods watercourse)
Ladies with Knives Pose as Ladies of the Night
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Craig’s List was again at the center of a crime this week in Hartsdale – when a 49 year-old Beachwood Road man ran an ad seeking a female companion and got far more than he desired. In response to his ad, 21 year-old Arielle Pierre of Yonkers came to the man’s home at around 10 pm on Wednesday night 9-19 and received $120 in exchange for a sexual act. She took the money, said she was not feeling well and tried to leave the house before fulfilling her part of the bargain. The two then had a fight and the man demanded the money back -- but Pierre refused to return it and pulled out a knife. They continued to argue outside the house when another woman arrived, displayed a knife and threatened the man. The accomplice was later identified as Amber Favareau, age 20 of Valhalla.
A neighbor called the Greenburgh Police to say there was an argument going on in front of his house and one of the women had a knife. When police arrived, they found the man who claimed he had been robbed at knifepoint. They also located the two women nearby and they were identified by the victim.
The women were charged with one count each of Robbery 1st degree, a class B felony, and Criminal Possession of a
(Pictured at top: Arielle Pierre, age 21 of Yonkers)
Help Govern Your Village by Running for the CNC
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Update 9-13-12: The Procedure Committee continues to look for candidates to the CNC. The deadline for submission of petitions and bios is September 30 and they should be mailed or dropped off to David M. Brodsky at 4 Burgess Road, Scarsdale 10583.
This letter was submitted to Scarsdale10583 by David Brodsky, Chair of the Scarsdale Procedure Committee: It's September. It's not only back to school and the end of summer. September is also the time that the Scarsdale Procedure Committee recruits candidates to run for election by Scarsdale voters to the Citizen's Nominating Committee (CNC).
What’s the CNC, you ask? It is the Committee that you, residents of Scarsdale, elect to help select candidates to run for Mayor and Trustee. As you have all heard, Scarsdale's political system is unique. We are not controlled by the standard political parties that have a stranglehold on local governments in our surrounding towns. Quite frankly, the traditional labels of Democrat or Republican or others don't really mean much in Scarsdale politics. Our village is responsible for our roads, fire, police, building codes, zoning, trash removal and the nuts and bolts that keep our village looking good and working well.
But, even more importantly, our political system removes the corrupting influence of money in our election process. This is a universally accepted goal of all election reform, and we have carried it out to the highest degree possible. While our elections are not free, and we require money to run them, the candidates themselves are not required to raise large sums of money to mount a campaign to get elected. We get the best people to run for office without the fund raising and popularity contests that are typical of partisan elections.
So just how does our system work? Glad you asked. It is the job of the Scarsdale Procedure Committee to run an election for Scarsdale voters to fill 10 open slots every year in the Citizen's Nominating Committee. The CNC is composed of 6 representatives from each elementary school district, for a total of 30 members. A CNC term is 3 years, so we need 10 new candidates a year (unless there is a vacancy for various reasons).
The Procedure Committee runs a contested election every November after the national or state elections. There are always at least 2 candidates for every open position. This ensures democratically elected candidates that are the choice of their neighborhoods.
Once the CNC’s new members are elected, the CNC meets and solicits candidates for Trustee and Mayor. Anyone interested 
in being a candidate for Mayor or the Village Board of Trustees can present in front of the CNC by filling out some simple paper work. The CNC considers anyone who presents. The CNC then vets all the candidates, does extensive and confidential due diligence, so honest and attributed views are obtained, and then votes for which persons will be nominated to run for election as a Trustee and Mayor. It then assists the candidates to obtain the necessary petition signatures to be on the ballot. In essence, the CNC is an executive search committee that finds the Scarsdale residents who will continue our high standards for governance. But even if a person is not selected by the CNC, that person can still get on the ballot to run, by procuring signatures on a nominating petition.
I have observed the process, and I can say that the system has consistently produced terrific candidates for the jobs being filled. No system is 100%, but the CNC is about as close as one can get. Scarsdale has been well served by the choices the CNC has made.
So how can you support the Scarsdale political process and insure the continued good governance that has made Scarsdale a high-end brand name nationwide?
First, you can run for the CNC. This is a no cost option (although feel free to donate in addition). You simply get the forms from our web site at http:// www.scarsdaleprocedurecommittee.org and fill them out with your local civic resume. Don't worry if it looks a bit thin, the important thing is you are doing your part to help the future of Scarsdale. You will also need to collect 10 signatures of your neighbors to vouch for you, but I am sure you have at least 10 friends in your school district. Your paper work should be in by September 30th to guarantee you a spot in the election. Elections for CNC will be held November 14th at Village Hall.
The next thing you can do is donate to the Scarsdale Procedure Committee. While we have removed the money from the election process, we will need a little money to run the actual election and do a village wide mailing. If every household gave just one dollar, we would be set. But we all know that will never happen. So instead, we are asking all Scarsdale patriots to donate what ever they can, with a suggested donation of $30 to $35. More or less if you feel like it. We now accept Paypal on our web site http:// www.scarsdaleprocedurecommittee.org , so you can use any major credit card. Paypal is quick, easy, and secure. Or send us a check made payable to "The Procedure Committee” and mail it to PO Box 86 Scarsdale, NY 10583.
So there you have our local political system in a nutshell. Please support great government by donating to the The Procedure Committee and by running for the CNC. The future of Scarsdale depends on your support.
David M. Brodsky
Chair, Scarsdale Procedure Committee
Eli Mattioli
Vice Chair, Scarsdale Procedure Committee
Edgewood Walking School Bus Makes It Fun to Walk to School
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The Walking School Bus is on -- each Friday from now until the end of November in Edgewood. Rather than take the bus to school, parents and students walk the route to school – and spend time with neighbors and classmates while helping the environment.
The tradition began in 2008 when a PTA committee made a large map of the Edgewood neighborhood, plotted each students' home location and chose routes that they thought would accommodate the greatest majority of students. No one walks more than eight tenths of a mile on one of the three available routes. Though attendance varies depending on the weather and families’ availability and routine, last Friday there were about 100 walkers on three routes to school.
Traffic Snarled Due to Road Project
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Getting around Heathcote has been challenging for the past two weeks as Route 125, or Palmer Avenue is being repaved. Lanes have been closed, and access to Palmer Avenue from many of the side streets in Heathcote has been blocked off.
Traffic coming down Route 125 has been diverted to the Heathcote Bypass, sending drivers in big circles. Even worse, the state is using Ramsey Road as a staging area for large trucks and equipment. Since it’s the height of the vegetable season it has been particularly frustrating for residents who want to make purchases from Ramsey’s Farm. Trucks are parked on both sides of Ramsey Road and the intersection of Ramsey Road and Route 125 is closed. What to do? Some have decided it’s easier to walk!
According to Assistant Village Manager Justin Datino, the project, which extends from the White Plains border to Stratton Road in New Rochelle will be completed by Tuesday September 4. In response to complaints from residents about the poor condition of the road, the Village contacted the NYSDOT to request long term repair.
The NYSDOT Region 8 is coordinating the project, using a combination of contractors to operate the specialized 
road paving equipment and State DOT workers for trucking and labor. Engineer Shahid Quadri is managing the project for the state and has been working with the Village to coordinate traffic detours, equipment staging and other issues that arisen. The Village has been providing police support for traffic control.
After the paving is complete, line striping will follow and then the state will return to clean up the shoulder and drainage swales. The Village expects the job to “vastly improve the quality of life for residents along the road and the traveling public.”
So be patient – the end is near!
