Village Manager Assures Residents that Scarsdale Water Passes the Test
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Is Scarsdale's drinking water supply safe? Residents may be alarmed by a notice that was sent with their most recent water bills advising them that Westchester County District #1 has failed to comply with an EPA mandate to treat the water with ultra-violet light to control the presence of cryptosporidium. The Safe Water Drinking Act required the water district to have the new disinfection measures in place by September 30, 2015 and the district failed to meet the requirements. Therefore the EPA required the Village to include notification with resident's water bills.
Currently surface water taken from the Kensico Reservoir is disinfected with chlorine which inactivates viruses but is not sufficient to treat cryptosporidium. The EPA warns that water that is inadequately treated may contain "disease-causing organisms including bacteria, viruses and parasites which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches.
The EPA warns those who have "severely compromised immune systems," and infants, pregnant women and the elderly to see advice from their health care providers about drinking this water.
In the interim the water district tests the water weekly for the presence of cryptosporidium and giardia and to date they have found that the water is safe to drink.
A copy of the USEPA Tier 2 Violation Notice is available on the Scarsdale website here.
In his state of the Village message to the Scarsdale Forum in November, Mayor Jon Mark discussed the issue and the construction of two ultra violet treatment plans in White Plains which is expected to be completed by 2018.
Here are the Mayor's remarks:
"Separate from the Village water department operations, Water District #1, of which Scarsdale is a part, is required, pursuant to Federal and State regulations, to provide ultra violet treatment of the water to kill certain pathogens. To this end, Water District #1 is currently building two ultra violet treatment plants in White Plains on the 48 inch pipe from the Kensico Reservoir serving the Village. The estimated cost of the two plants is $10 million and the anticipated service operation date sometime in 2018. In the future, if full filtration of the water supply system is required, a treatment plant on New York City Water Board property in Valhalla would be built replacing the aforementioned ultra violet plants. If this project, currently estimated at $100 million, moves forward, it would be funded by the County Water District Tax which is allocated among Scarsdale, White Plains, Mount Vernon and Yonkers residents and will not be part of the Scarsdale water or tax bills."
Seniors Celebrate Halloween at SHS
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Kids wait thirteen years to dress up for the Senior Halloween Breakfast at Scarsdale High School – and you can't beat the costumes at the annual event. This year the breakfast was held on Friday October 30th, and the get-ups were as good as any year in recent memory. Though the morning begins at 7:30 am, on this one day it looked like everyone arrived on time.
What did we see? There were two mobs of kangaroos, a band of polar bears, a troupe of ballerinas, an Olympic soccer team, a pack of daffy ducks and a ward of prisoners sporting orange jumpsuits that said "SHS Correctional Facility, Released June 2016." We spotted super heroes and heroines, surfers, cops and robbers, ghost busters and aliens.
The teachers got into it too. Three language teachers were dressed as Coco Chanel, Napoleon Bonaparte and Michael Jackson. The Deans came as a baseball team, sporting "Field of Deans" t-shirts and one faculty member had her head poked through a picture frame and was posing as the Mona Lisa.
Creepiest of all were a group of girls sporting white contact lenses and splattered sheets who perfected the vacant look of zombies – scary stuff!
Forum Hosts Panel on Development and Overdevelopment in Scarsdale
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Do the laws that regulate the size of homes in Scarsdale need to be changed? Are oversized new homes affecting the character of the Village? That's what Mayor Jon Mark hoped to learn more about when he asked the Scarsdale Forum to host a panel on development on Thursday October 15th. Seth Ross, a former chair of the Planning Board was the moderator and panelists included Lewis Arlt of Houlihan Lawrence, developer and realtor Steve Rakoff, Village Planner Elizabeth Marrinan, Ron Schulhof from the Conservation Advisory Council and me, Joanne Wallenstein.
Each panelist brought their own perspective to how the building of new homes is affecting the neighborhoods and the real estate market.
Lewis Arlt contributed sales statistics that showed a 9% decrease in homes sold this year to date compared to the same period in 2014. The median sale price, $1,450,000 is down 3% from last year. He noted that homes priced at under $2 million are selling quickly while those priced above $3 million are sitting on the market. While in 2014, 14% of the homes that sold at prices above $2.9mm were new, this year 8 out of the 17 properties that sold for more than $2.9 mm were new, reflecting growth in the market for new construction.
Steve Rakoff discussed the builder's role in "replenishing the housing stock," and keeping Scarsdale's housing stock competitive with areas like Rye and Greenwich. He believes that some of the Village's older homes, such as ranches and splits, are beyond their useful life and need to be replaced. Buyers are looking for amenities such as large kitchens, family rooms and luxury bathrooms that are not found in older homes. As for the appearance of bulk of these homes, he called for landscaping to shield it. He was concerned with the fall off in sales for high-end homes and said that everyone should be concerned about why this is occurring and how Scarsdale can attract more buyers for homes priced above $3 million.
Village Planner Elizabeth Marrinan explained the role of the Planning Department and the enforcement of Village Code to regulate development in the Village. She pointed out that though the development of new homes is very visible, it represents a small percentage of homes in Scarsdale. The total number of existing single-family homes in the Village is 5,400 and the construction of new homes each year is less than 1% of the housing stock.
Here are the number of demolitions and new homes approved by year:
Demolitions New Houses
2011 26 26
2012 34 24
2013 31 26
2014 39 39
2015 (ytd) 31 31
Ron Schulhof examined the effects of development on the tree canopy. While the tree canopy is currently at 50%, Schulhof discussed the risks to large trees posed by the building of new homes. Often trees are clear-cut, and those that remain are not adequately protected from root damage, when large vehicles are parked on their roots while work is done. He explained that some of the trees that are lost or damaged are 50 -100 years old and simply cannot be replaced. Though the village does require permits for tree removal violation of these ordinances can result in significant losses and the diminishing of the canopy. The CAC recommends that the Village implement a Canopy Replacement Assessment that requires the landowner to either replace what's on their property now or pay a hefty fee that would be used to plant trees in other locations. The CAC also recommends that the Village should require owners of newly developed property to plant or protect existing street trees.
I spoke as well and recommended that the Trustees re-examine the floor-area-ratio code and study the effect of eliminating the exceptions to the code that allow builders to build homes that exceed the size stipulated in the FAR. See more here. I also commented that I was not concerned with masking the appearance of bulk with landscaping. Instead I am concerned with the bulk of new houses where sometimes a 6,000 square foot home replaces a 2,500 square foot home on 1/3 of an acre.
A lively discussion followed the panelist's comments.
Several interesting comments were made by members of the audience:
Linda Blair said, "I am not sure why we want to compete with Greenwich or Rye. We have something very special here and we should attract buyers who appreciate it."
Carol Silverman said, "I purchased a ranch many years ago and have been very happy in it. I never regret my decision to buy it and will stay there for as long as I am able."
Michelle Sterling said, "Let's face it – builders will build homes to the maximum size they can. We can't depend on them to address this issue." She then asked, "Who is going to turn this ship around?"
Another observer said, "Perhaps this problem will solve itself. If interest rates are going up, and there isn't a market for homes that cost more than $2.5 million, maybe development of expensive new homes will not be economical."
Seth Ross concluded the discussion by asking people to continue to address this issue by emailing the trustees, writing letters to the newspaper or commenting on Scarsdale10583. What do you think? Do the laws need to be re-examined or are you happy with the level of development in Scarsdale? Input your comments below or send letters for publication to scarsdalecomments@gmail.com.
Library Board Unveils Plans for a Major Overhaul
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There are ambitious plans afoot to renovate and expand the Scarsdale Library to meet the needs of the community now and in the future. Library Director Elizabeth Bermel reports that the library is heavily used by all segments of the community. The library's vibrant children's program is well-attended by toddlers and caregivers; teens come to do homework, study and work on group projects; it's a frequent workplace for those who don't have offices, community groups use it as a meeting place and everyone enjoys speakers, movies and even concerts. However, the outdated facility can barely accommodate all who wish to meet there.
After years of research, focus groups, visits to neighboring libraries, surveys and studies, the Board of the Library has now solidified their recommendations to update the library to incorporate new technologies, provide flexible multi-function work and meeting spaces and bring the current building up to code. According to Bermel, the goal is to "transform the outdated building to meet future needs."
At a meeting with the Scarsdale Board of Trustees on Monday night October 26, representatives from the Library Board and their architects and advisors updated the trustees on the steps they have taken to define their needs, and formulate plans for the library of the future.
Library Board President Terri Simon said that the library is "tired and inadequate," and falls short of "what our community has come to expect." She explained that in 2012 the board adopted a five-year plan to strengthen the role of the library in the community with expanded programming for children, teens and adults. They sought to "improve the experience with a comforting, welcoming space." Representatives from the library board toured other libraries to see how the building could be renovated and retained Lathrop Associates to do a conceptual master plan.
Preliminary estimates show that it will take $18.5 million to realize their plans. This funding will be secured through a public-private partnership in which the Village funds a portion and the rest is underwritten by private donations. The Board retained Plan A advisors to provide them with a fundraising feasibility study and then appointed a campaign committee which is headed by former Scarsdale Mayor Robert Steves, Betty Pforzheimer and Dara Gruenberg. They are currently working to secure donations from local residents.
In 2015, the Library Board hired Dattner Architects to develop schematic plans for the new library, which according to Simon, "Strike a balance between what we love about the existing library and transforming it into a building we can use in the years to come."
Daniel Heuberger of Dattner Architects explained that the new library would be forward-thinking, meet programmatic goals, be flexible and accessible, integrate technology and the environment and fit into the historical context of Scarsdale.
Plans for the new library include a glass entry with a café and public assembly space that can be used during the day and at night, even when the library is closed. In order to open up the library, the mezzanine level of the main reading room will be removed transforming it into a "lofty and light-filled" space. A windowed wraparound gallery will be added to bring in light, provide more seating and integrate the library with the grounds outside. The gallery will also have sliding doors to enable visitors to access outdoor tables when the weather allows.
Staff offices will be consolidated into one location on the lower level, which should improve effectiveness and efficiency. An outdoor amphitheater, also accessible from the lower level, will provide space for performances and presentations.
The Scott Room will be reconfigured so that the space is flexible and can be broken up into smaller spaces, depending on programming needs. Two smaller conference rooms will also be added for community use as well as smaller meeting spaces throughout the library. Meeting spaces will include networked flat screens to allow participants to collaborate and communicate.
What else? The library will feature a "green roof" t
hat is planted and will cool the building, retain water and slowly release it.
Summing up, Heuberger said, "The new library will be cutting edge and extend the range of people who will be interested in coming. It will be a better place to be."
Due to the extent of the project, it is expected that the library would need to be closed during the renovations for 12-18 months. It has been suggested that a temporary library would be set up at the Village-owned facility at Supply Field.
Realizing these plans will require significant contributions from residents. The Scarsdale Village Board initially indicated that they would kick in $4.5 million, but that number is still to be determined. At the suggestion of Bob Steves, a working group with representatives from the Library Board and the Village Board will be convened to examine the plans and the options for financing the work.
A reception to unveil the plans and launch the campaign to the community will be held at the library on December 3rd. Details to follow.
Pickpockets Arrested and a Possible Abduction in Greenburgh
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Greenburgh Police arrested three pickpockets who stole purses from shoppers at Target in White Plains, Mt. Vernon and New Rochelle and other retail stores in Greenburgh. The suspects distracted senior shoppers then stole their purses and used the stolen credit cards to purchase merchandise on their accounts. The arrests were the result of a four-month investigation by the Greenburgh Street Crime unit. These same suspects may have been responsible for incidents in Mamaroneck and Port Chester.
Arrested were Dawn Boykin of 2010 Bruckner Blvd Bronx, NY who is charged with 6 counts of Grand larceny 4th degree and CPCS 5th degree; Toni Green of 2010 Bruckner Blvd Bronx who is charged with Grand Larceny 4th degree and Bonita Brown of 931 Prospect Ave. Westbury, NY who is charged with Grand Larceny 4th degree.
Possible Abduction
Greenburgh Police are investigating a possible abduction that took place at a bus stop on Tarrytown Road at around 8:30 am on Wednesday October 14, 2015. Police received a call reporting that a Hispanic male in his twenties (20's) operating a red car wearing a white hoodie, stopped at the bus stop west bound on Tarrytown Road by Manhattan Avenue. The Hispanic male got into a physical altercation with a Hispanic female in her twenties (20's) who was at the bus stop and physically forced her into the red car and fled northbound on Manhattan Avenue. The female was wearing dark clothing. This department is currently investigating the incident and asking anyone with information to contact the Greenburgh Police at (914) 989-1710.
