Residents Call for Sidewalks Around Seely Place School
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- Written by Stacie M. Waldman
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Although Edgemont has the dintinction of being one of the top school districts in the country, it also faces some trials and tribulations. Edgemont is small and homes are typically within a couple of miles of school, so most kids are not offered bus service. Therefore, parents either drive kids to and from school or they walk or bike. These modes of transportation all have their issues in Edgemont. Transportation at Seely Place is more problematic than at the Greenville School, so this pieces focuses on Seely Place.
Some parents who drive to school are unhappy because parking is extremely limited, circling around the school for pick up is nearly impossible, and the church behind Seely Place charges $200 per year per car to park in their lot for the ten minutes it takes pick up the kids. Parents have to get to school exceedingly early to avoid this. "Parking at Seely for pick up is stressful," said a Seely mom. "You have to get there at least 45 min early in order to even get a spot and for kindergarten parents this is necessary as we have to pick up the kids in the classrooms." Street parking is extremely limited and is enforced regularly by the police. "So any of the surrounding streets are off limits," she said. "Makes for a pretty annoying situation every single school day."
"This year there is much more congestion because of the charge at the church," said a Cotswold mom of two. "The church totally deserves the payment because the cost of snow removal and resurfacing is significant, plus they are dealing with the inconvenience of more cars in their parking lot that have NOTHING to do with their business. For me, the issue is that I would have to pay to register and get stickers for multiple cars. I have different people picking up the kids so I would have to shell out $400 to register all the cars that pick up my kids!" Another mom said, "Parking at the church was extremely convenient and free up until last year when they started charging $200 for the year which I think is way too high for a spot most of use for only about 15 minutes a day. They say the money is going to go towards road shoveling and repaving, but we will see. The pathway between the church and school is not maintained in the winter, so you just have to strap on your boots and hope for the best!"
Other parents are upset with the Seely Place situation 
because they recognize the difficulties with driving and wish to walk to school, but their ability to walk safely with their children is hampered by the lack of sidewalks in the area. One mom told me that she knows a lot of people who would walk to school if it was safer. "I know I would," she said. "Perhaps building adequate sidewalks would be enough of a fix for the lack of parking lots." She went on to describe the dangers of walking to Seely Place Elementary. "I cannot believe that it is not already a law that there be sidewalks to an elementary school," she exclaimed. "The road is VERY narrow and when it snows, the road gets progressively more narrow making it extremely dangerous for walkers."
The sidewalk battle has been going on for decades. In fact, it dates back to the 1970s. However, the community has recently come together again to demand sidewalks and the voices in favor of sidewalks seem stronger than ever. "The new Police Chief has been working through the proper channels to accomplish some change and we in Edgemont are very hopeful that the change will come soon and before any type of accident occurs," said the Cotswold mom. Seely Place residents have tended to be opposed to sidewalks because they will encroach on their space.
I asked Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner to weigh in on the issue. He is fervently in favor of building sidewalks around Seely Place and Greenville. "The town of Greenburgh is working hard to make our town more pedestrian friendly," he said. "This year 1.6 miles of new sidewalks have or will shortly be built around town. I have met with the leadership of the Cotswold and Edgemont civic associations and told them that I would recommend that funding for sidewalks be included in the 2016 capital budget. I believe that the sidewalk could be built in 2016 or in the spring of 2017, depending on when the capital budget is approved." Several community meetings are in the works. Feiner has been in touch with congressmen to secure additional funding through the Federal Department of Transportation's TIGER program. Just this week, he received notice that the funds will be made available to help local governments build sidewalks near schools. The town will apply for grants that will hopefully be awarded as a supplement to the capital budget. "As a next step," he added, "the town board will hopefully approve an engineering study to work out the details of the sidewalk plan."
I asked Feiner about the parking related issues at Seely and he said he hasn't received many complaints about parking. Most of the parents to whom I mentioned this seemed very surprised, although they had not contacted Mr. Feiner themselves. I asked Feiner if the town would ever consider paying the church so Seely Place parents could use its parking lot. "I don't think the town would pay the church for parking. All the complaints I have received from residents pertain to the safety of children walking to school. That's why I am supportive of the effort to construct sidewalks. The cost will be expensive: almost $300,000 but I think it's worth it."
This will cover the cost of a sidewalk from Ardsley Road to the entrance of the school. The cost including a sidewalk from Central Ave to Seely Place will add another $200,000.00 (See attached survey).
The Costwold and Edgemont Associations sent out the following message late last week about the next meeting. All are welcome to attend.
A community meeting will be held Monday, November 9 at 7:00 in the Seely Place School Library. The topic is the sidewalk the town is proposing on the west side of Seely Place from Ardsley Road to the entrance of the school. The sidewalk would be constructed on the town's right-of-way. Attending the meeting will be Supervisor Paul Feiner, Chief of Police Chris McNerney and Commissioner of Public Works Victor Carosi. Reflecting our long-standing support of sidewalks, the Edgemont and Cotswold Associations are sponsoring the meeting.
The Old Edgemont and Cotswold neighborhoods were developed without a comprehensive plan for sidewalks. As a result, there is great concern for the safety of children and their families as they walk to and from school without sidewalks.
Feiner, McNerney and Carosi, have pledged to add sidewalks to areas around schools throughout the town. Several possible areas for sidewalks in Edgemont were identified. The town asked for proposals from engineering firms and selected The RBA Group. RBA monitored pedestrian and vehicular traffic at the end of the last school year, conducted a survey among residents, and recommended several sidewalks be constructed. The town has chosen Seely Place as the first site for a new sidewalk.
See a sidewalk feasibility study here:
Please post your comments below.
Election Day Information for November 3rd
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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The General Election will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2015 from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Here are the locations of the polls in Scarsdale:
Election Districts Location
1, 2 & 19 Greenacres School
3 & 4 Fox Meadow School
5, 11 & 12 Scarsdale Library
6 & 7 Village Hall
8, 9 & 10 Edgewood School
13, 14 & 18 Heathcote School
15 & 16 Quaker Ridge School
17 Crossway Fire House
For registered voters who will be out of Westchester County on Election Day, an absentee ballot can still be obtained by applying for an absentee ballot in person at the Westchester County Board of Elections, 25 Quarropas Street, White Plains, N.Y. 10601.
The deadlines for absentee ballot applications and voting are as follows:
Monday, November 2, 2015 - last day to apply in person for a ballot
Monday, November 2, 2015 - last day to postmark a ballot if returning by mail. Must be received no later than November 10, 2015
Tuesday, November 3, 2013 - last day to deliver a ballot in person to the Westchester County Board of Elections.
The ballot will include a vote on a referendum to give the Board of Legislators (BOL) and the public more time to review the County budgets before they are voted on. The referendum would change the date that the County Executive is required to submit the Capital Budget to the BOL from November 15th to October 15th each year. The deadline to submit the annual Operating Budget would be moved up from November 15th to November 10th. County Legislator Ben Boykin supports the referendum.
To look up a polling location by residence, or to find additional information on the General Election and voting, residents may visit the Westchester County Board of Election website at www.westchestergov.com/citizenparticipation_boe.htm, or call (914) 995-5700. Residents may also call the Scarsdale Town Clerk's office at (914) 722-1175 for further details.
Community Invited to Exhibit Honoring Yitzhak Rabin
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- Written by Lori Gertzog
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An innovative multi-media exhibit about the life of Yitzhak Rabin will be on display at Congregation Kol Ami on Thursday October 29. The event is sponsored by Congregation Kol Ami, Westchester Reform Temple, Ameinu and the Westchester Jewish Council and they invite you to attend the program which honors Yitzhak Rabin, His Life and Legacy – 20 Years Later. The program will be held on Thursday, October 29 at 7:30pm at Congregation Kol Ami, 252 Soundview Ave, White Plains. It is a free program and all are invited. The program will include short films and will be guided by two Dror Israel educators who have brought the exhibit to dozens of American Jewish communities.
Public Safety Announcements: Drive for My Sister's Place, Fire Safety and Hydrant Markers
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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The Scarsdale Police Department and the Scarsdale Police Benevolent Association are sponsoring a drive for My Sister's Place, a non-profit agency in Westchester County that advocates and provides shelter for victims of domestic violence. They are asking residents to forgo the purchase of items that are used to cause mischief on Halloween, such as eggs, shaving cream, "silly string", books of matches, cigarette lighters, toothpaste, hair spray and toilet paper and put the money towards items needed by My Sister's Place, including:
1. Diapers - My Sister's Place is in constant, dire need and the supply has been impossibly low. All sizes will be accepted but the larger sizes (4,5,6) are most in demand.
2. Baby wipes
3. New twin size sheet sets
Donated goods can be dropped off in the lobby Scarsdale Police Headquarters at Tompkins and Fenimore Roads, at any time of day or night from October 20, 2015 through November 20, 2015. The PBA will assure that the items are delivered to the shelter and will also contribute to the cause. Clients of the shelter have been grateful for support from the Scarsdale Community in the past and look forward to another successful drive this year.
Fire Department Reminds You to Change Your Batter When you Reset Your Clock
As the time change approaches on Sunday, November 1, the Scarsdale Fire Department wants to remind you to make another change that could save your life: Changing the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.
Communities nationwide witness tragic home fire deaths each year. An average of 75 percent of child fire fatalities occur in homes without working smoke detectors. Non-working smoke detectors rob residents of the protective benefits home fire safety devices were designed to provide. The most commonly cited cause of non-working smoke detectors is worn or missing batteries.
Changing smoke detector batteries at least once a year is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce these tragic deaths and injuries. In fact, working smoke detectors nearly cut in half the risk of dying in a home fire. Additionally, the International Association of Fire Chiefs recommends replacing your smoke detectors every 10 years.
To save lives and prevent needless injuries in Scarsdale, the Scarsdale Fire Department has joined forces with Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs for the 27th year of the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® campaign. The program urges all Americans to adopt a simple, lifesaving habit: changing smoke detector and carbon monoxide batteries when changing clocks back to standard time each fall, this year on November 1.
"The peak time for home fire fatalities is between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most families are sleeping," says Fire Chief Thomas Cain. "Smoke detector maintenance is a simple, effective way to reduce home fire deaths. Children and senior citizens are most at risk, and a working smoke detector can give them the extra seconds they need to get out safely."
In addition, Chief Cain recommends residents use the "extra" hour they save from the time change to test smoke detectors by pushing the test button, planning two ways out of their home, and practicing escape routes with the entire family. Families should also prepare a fire safety kit that includes working flashlights and fresh batteries.
For more information about fire safety, contact Fire Inspector Albert Mignone with the Scarsdale Fire Department at 914-722-1215 x 3.
Fire Hydrant Markers
On November 7, 2015 the Scarsdale Fire Department will begin installing red markers on every fire hydrant in the Village, to assist the Department in locating the hydrants during heavy winter snow accumulations. Installation of these highly-visible three-foot tall metal rods will be performed by career and volunteer firefighters working together to ensure that each of the nearly one thousand fire hydrants in the Village is properly marked. The flag markers will be removed by the Water Department in the spring during their annual hydrant maintenance program, to be re-installed again prior to the next winter.
These markers are being installed to enhance public safety. Fire hydrants serve an extremely critical role in the rapid and successful extinguishment of fire, and accumulated, drifting or plowed snow often results in difficulty locating hydrants, especially at night and/or during inclement weather. Precious time can be lost searching for a hydrant buried by snow, and the intent of these tall flag markers is to assist firefighters in locating the hydrant quickly.
Residents with fire hydrants on or near their property can assist the Fire Department by shoveling snow away from the hydrant. Clearing the snow away from your fire hydrant is a quick and easy way to assist the Fire Department toward helping you and your neighbors. Your assistance is appreciated!
Questions: Please contact the Scarsdale Fire Department at 722-1215.
SBNC Candidates Sought for January 12, 2016 Election
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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The School Board Nominating Committee is an elected group of 30 members who identify, propose and nominate qualified candidates to run for the Scarsdale Board of Education. The 30 voting members represent each of the five elementary school neighborhoods. Each year, 10 new members are elected to serve a three-year term on the SBNC.
Please help to maintain our excellent Scarsdale schools and serve our community by volunteering to run for the SBNC. To become a candidate, please submit a candidate petition by Monday, November 23. Forms and other information can be found at www.scarsdalesbnc.com.
The election to vote for this year's SBNC members will be on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 in the Scarsdale Middle School auditorium lobby from 7:00 am to 10:00 am and from 2:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
Please feel free to contact the SBNC Administrative Committee Co-Chairs: Kate Conlan at kateconlan@yahoo.com or Dana Matsushita at dmatsushi@gmail.com.
