Bomb Threat Closes Solomon Schecter School
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At approximately 8:30 A.M. on Monday October 22, the Greenburgh Police Department received a report of a bomb threat at the Solomon Schechter School located at 555 West Hartsdale Avenue, Hartsdale, New York. The alleged threat was received through an email sent to an employee of the school. School Administrators requested a police response to the school in order to share the information received and determine the threat level. Based on the language and content of the email, and as a matter of precaution, school administrators cancelled classes for the day. The students were evacuated in an orderly fashion from the school and sent home.
Members of the Greenburgh Police Special Operations Unit and the Westchester County Police Department Hazardous Device Unit, (Bomb Squad) were deployed to the scene. A sweep of the school was conducted using bomb sniffing K9 dogs. No explosive devices or any other suspicious devices were located. In accordance with protocol, the F.B.I. was notified and responded to assist the Greenburgh Police Department. The Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, High Tech Crimes Unit was also notified and assisted in the investigation.
This incident is currently under investigation by the Greenburgh Police Detective Division.
Trustees Weigh Improvements to Scardale's Building Process
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On Monday October 15 Village Trustees held the last of a series of meetings to review the process the Village uses in the Planning and Building Departments. The meetings began last May in response to requests from angry residents who believed they had not been fairly treated by Scarsdale’s Building Department. In fact, Ruth Frankel of Richbell Road was so aggravated that she submitted a petition with 200 names on it to lodge a complaint against the Building and Planning Departments. Concerns were raised about stormwater management, zoning , and decisions made by the Planning Board, the Board of Architectural Review and the Zoning Board of Appeals. Residents aired a myriad of concerns about how new construction has impinged on their properties, caused flooding and changed the look of Scarsdale.
But on Monday night none of those residents attended the meeting. It was not clear whether their concerns had been addressed or they had simply lost interest in the process. Nevertheless, Trustee Kay Eisenman, Chair of the Municipal Services Committee of the Board of Trustees lead the latest meeting and opened by saying:
“I would like to point out that the building process, by its very nature, is a difficult one. It can be aggravating and slow and expensive, and building dept. staff, through no fault of their own, is sometimes blamed when people become frustrated by the system. We have listened to the public’s complaints and ideas for change and we will continue to do so as we are always open to good ideas which could improve the methodology currently in place. The Board is open to changes in the process if such changes seem warranted and will look at areas, such as the stormwater regulations, which may point the way to improving conditions on the ground. We would not be averse to tightening regulations should it make sense to do so, and by that what is meant is that if we find, for example, that it would actually improve flooding in certain sensitive areas where the current codes may be too permissive, we could seek to change the regulations. What works in one neighborhood might not work in another.”
At this final meeting, the Board discussed the possibility of establishing a formal process by which residents could challenge a decision by the Building Department. Currently, residents who seek to object to a project are required to hire an attorney or an engineer at their own expense. Trustee Brodsky raised the idea of using an independent consultant to mediate disputes, saying, “A system where there is no possibility of review is a thorn for people,” and Mayor Flisser agreed. However, Assistant Village Manager Steve Pappalardo and Village Engineer Nunzio Pietrosante countered that the Village already seeks to mediate disputes by bringing everyone involved together. The Village Attorney raised concerns about the legalities of such a system.
Other items on the agenda included the notification process whereby neighbors are advised of a building applications near their home. Trustees agreed that the building of a garage and rear additions should require neighbor notification. In addition, Village Planner Liz Marrinan said that the Village has a new process to track notifications that will help to guarantee that the concerned parties are notified. Should tenants in commercial properties be notified? The group decided that this was not necessary.
The group also explored staffing and discussed whether hiring more inspectors or engineers could improve service. The department is a busy one and currently has 10 in staff. In 2011, the department issued over 1,200 permits for building, stormwater and tree removal. Out of 3,700 inspections they issued 256 violations and 37 stop work orders. According to Pietrasante, they seek to get compliance not to write violations.
Currently Nunzio Pietrosante heads both the Village Engineering and Village Inspection departments. Trustees asked the Village staff to look into hiring more personnel in the next budget planning cycle.
The meeting drew to a close without the fireworks of prior encounters with angry residents. Eisenman left the door open for residents to continue to voice their concerns, saying, “There are many ways for residents to report to Trustees and staff, namely by e-mail, phone, mail or at our bi-monthly Board meetings, and residents are always encouraged to do so.”
Scarsdale Village Board Approves Storm Water Plan for Harcourt Woods
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The Scarsdale Village Board met on Tuesday October 9 and approved the expenditure of an additional $23,990 for Dvirka and Bartilucci Engineers to make revisions to the storm water management plan for changes at Harcourt Woods as outlined on Scarsdale10583 last week. The changes will include de-silting of the watercourse, construction of a sediment pond, installation of a drainage diversion on Brewster Road, stabilization of the stream banks, realignment of the stream, removal of obstructions, construction of a Gabion wall, installation of a maintenance path and landscaping.
Also at the meeting:
- Trustees also approved an extension of an agreement with NYS for ice and snow removal along 15.7 miles of state-owned roadways in Scarsdale for a fee of $23,659.90
- The Village accepted the gift of a 55” LED Smart TV for the lobby of police headquarters from Robert and Wendy Zohn of Value Electronics on Popham Road in Scarsdale. The gift is valued at $3,374.99.
- Trustee Bob Harrison who heads the Personnel Committee announced openings on the Planning Board and the Conservation Advisory Council. Emily Sherwood will step down from the Planning Board and Lynne Clark will vacate her seat on the Conservation Advisory Council. Harrison said that those interested in applying should visit the Village website to apply by October 31, 2012. The application can be found here :
- During the portion of the Town meeting Village Manager Al Gatta asked Treasurer Mary Lou McClure for an update on 19 properties that have fallen behind in their tax payments. She reported that there are 19 such properties in Scarsdale and that the Village is now working with many of the owners to bring payments up to date. However, for those who have not responded to the Village to schedule payment of back taxes by October 22, 2012, the Village will begin proceedings to foreclose. A list of the delinquent properties was not provided.
Mayor Flisser responded to questions that were posed to her at the meeting of the Scarsdale Forum on October 4th. Here are the questions and answers:
1) What is the total budget for The Crane Road Bridge project?
Budget is $53,460,000
Design/Engineering $5,300,000
ROW Incidental & Acquisition $1,100,000 of which Scarsdale received about $900,000
Construction $40,000,000
MTA Force Account $3,000,000
Construction Inspection $4,060,000
2) How does the Revaluation Project now being undertaken by the Village affect NY State Real Estate Taxes?
To bring the existing 1969 assessments up to current market value, conversion factors are required. These conversion factors are Equalization Rates (EQ) and Residential Assessment Ratios (RAR), which are established annually by the New York State Office of Real Property Services. The RAR is a weighted average-calculated ratio that is used in the setting and converting of assessments for residential properties only and is derived annually by ORPTS through an assessment-at-sale ratio study. Fall all other property types, an annual EQ rate is used for the same purposes. There is a small bonus of State Aid for each year that the roll is at 100% of market value.
3) What is the current position of the Historical Preservation initiative?
The VB's Advisory Committee made three recommendations:
1. Adoption of a new Historic Preservation Law;
2. Historic Resources Survey;
3. Training for CHP and BAR.
A draft of a new Historic Preservation Law was submitted by the Advisory Committee, and reviewed by the Village Board at two Law/Land Use Committee meetings. The Board decided to conduct the Historic Resources Survey before adopting a new law. The Historic Resources Survey Report was presented by Li/Saltzman, and as a result of the presentation, was later updated to include the Boulder Brook property. The Village Board's Land Use Committee will deliberate about how to deal with the recommendations made by the Advisory Committee and the Historic Resources Survey.
A Riderless Horse on the Loose and More from the Scarsdale Police
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Horse on the Loose: Police were advised that a horse without a rider was running on Mamaroneck Road at 3:30 pm on 10/10. By the time police arrived the horse had already returned to the stables at Boulder Brook.
Vandalism: At 12:45 am on 10/14, Woods Lane residents heard a loud bang, looked out the window and saw a young man walk out of their driveway and enter a parked car on Southwoods Lane. The next day, the residents noticed that a windowpane had been shattered by a rock. They were not able to identify the person they saw outside.
Raccoon: A raccoon was found stuck in a dumpster at the A School on the afternoon of October 14. Since
it was unable to climb out, police decided to give it a hand. They placed a two-sided ladder inside the dumpster – with one ladder inside and the other on the outside -- and the raccoon was able to climb out.
Dispute: On the afternoon of October 9 a tenant at a house at 24 Gatehouse Road called police when the landlord and owner of the house came by due to a CO2 leak. Police arrived and found Con Edison on the scene. They had been called about the leak and reported that they had turned off the heating system and it was now safe to return to the house provided the heat was off. A plumber was also at the home. However the tenant did not want the landlord in the house due to ongoing legal proceedings and “pending criminal charges against the homeowner.” They asked the police to tell the landlord not to come to the house unannounced and not to make any repairs without giving notice 24 hours before, per the lease agreement. As the furnace needed to be replaced, the landlord advised that work would begin the next day and the tenants agreed to vacate the property until the heat could be repaired.
Missing: A concerned Carstensan Road man called police on the afternoon of October 9 when he was not able to locate his wife. He had just returned from taking his sister-in-law to the hospital and found that his wife was not there. Since she usually does not leave the house without him he was worried. Police checked the house and searched the neighborhood. A cellphone ping lead them to Scarsdale Village where they inquired in the shops. A mailman said he had seen the woman walking home and when police checked back at the house they found that the woman had walked to the village to pick up medication and walk around town.
Whoops: A Yonkers woman dropped her keys down a storm drain on Boniface Circle on the morning of October 10th. The Sanitation Department arrived and used a magnet and a thin rope to retrieve the keys.
Pizza Prank: On 10/11 a Rodney Road woman reported that someone keep ordering pizzas from Amore Pizza for delivery to her home. Amore provided police with the cell phone number of the person who ordered the pizza and the Rodney Road woman recognized the number. She said she would resolve the issue herself.
Fires: A small gas tank caught fire at 2 am on 10/13 in the Christie Place Garage. The fire caused heavy smoke. The fire department put the fire out and no cars were damaged.
A grease fire broke out in the kitchen of a Woods Lane home at 5 pm on 10/14. The fire caused smoky conditions in the kitchen. The fire department extinguished the fire and took the homeowner to the hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation.
Identity Thefts: A Kent Road woman reported that someone had used her social security number to file a tax return with the IRS. She was not sure whether funds had been refunded to the fraudulent filer.
A School Lane man noticed an unauthorized charge of $2,450 from Western Union on his credit card account on 10/12. The charge had not cleared and he closed the account.
Damage: A Johnson Road man reported that the driver’s side mirror of his car was broken off when it was parked outside his house on the night 10/11 -10/12.
This police report is sponsored by Scarsdale Security who does more than just security. Contact them about remote video for your home or business. Call 914-722-2200 or visit their website , http://scarsdalesecurity.com/
Police Report: Golfer Stuck in the Mud, an Errant Tweet and a Burglary
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Burglary on Brambach Road: On the afternoon of September 26 someone entered a home on Brambach Road and took several items of jewelry valued at $5,100. Though the residents noticed that a screen had been removed from a kitchen window on 9-26, they did not realize that anything was amiss. Two days later, on 9-28 the homeowner looked for her jewelry and noticed that several pieces of gold jewelry were missing.
Who raided the toy chest? The Head of the French American School on Palmer Avenue got a disturbing surprise when she arrived at work on Monday morning October 1. She found that the plastic bins that hold the school’s scooters, tricycles and outdoor toys had been pried open and damaged. The two bins are valued at $300 each and this is the sixth time in the past few years that the containers have been vandalized. She also reported that occasionally she comes to school and finds scooters and tricycles on the field. Fortunately this time, the toys inside of the containers were intact.
Drunk driver: Police stopped the driver of a 2005 Honda Civic on Mamaroneck Road at 4:45 am on October 7th after he swerved off the roadway and moved between the lanes unsafely. The driver, who was identified as Nelson R. DeLeon-Lopez. age 39, failed sobriety tests and refused to complete the alco-sensor screening, though his breath smelled of booze. He was arrested for DWI and his wife admitted that they had been drinking at the Veracruz Restaurant in White Plains. At headquarters, Lopez was found to have a BAC of .24%. His car was locked at St. Pius Church and his mother picked him up at police headquarters.
Stolen lens: A football enthusiast reported that his camera lens was stolen during the Scarsdale High School football game on 9/22. The man left his bag of camera equipment under the seats of the bleachers around 3 pm and noticed that the $650 lens was missing about 4:30 pm.
Stuck in the mud: On Friday afternoon 10/6, police and firemen were called to the eighth hole of Saxon Woods Golf Course on a report that a golfer was stuck in the mud on the embankment of a brook on the course. According to the report the man had sunk to his knees. By the time the fire department arrived, the man had pulled himself out of the mud unharmed and left the course.
Identity theft: A Canterbury Road resident reported that someone opened a Barclay’s Bank credit card in her name on October 1 and made $4,500 in purchases at an Apple Store. The resident did not know how her personal data had been stolen.
Imposter: A Queens man, posing as a representative from Con Edison, called DeCiccos Market at 4:30 on October 3rd and said that unless a Con Edison bill of $399.00 was paid by 5 pm that day the power in the store would be shut off. The store checked and found that they were up to date with Con Edison and police called back the phone number from which DeCicco’s received the threatening call. The call was answered “RX Pharmacy” and police received no cooperating in locating the caller.
Busy bee: Police noticed a man taking photos of the bikes parked at the bike rack on East Parkway for over an hour around 5 pm on October 1. They asked the man what he was up to and he said he was photographing a bee. Police reviewed the photos in the man’s camera and indeed they were shots of a bee.
Whoops! A woman from Old Army Road was driving on Heathcote Road at 6:23 am on October 4 when she hit the curb and got two flat tires on the passenger side of her car. A tow company was called to tow the car away.
Rude: Police got a call from a woman who had been approached by a threatening man while she was waiting in her car on Secor Road on the afternoon of 10/5. The man got out of his car and “told her to get off her fuckin cell phone while driving.” The woman refused to identify herself but police spoke to the man and told him not to act like this again.
Missing: An Edgewood Road resident reported that her Garmin navigation device and two pair of glasses valued at $613 were taken from her Hyundai Sonata sometime around July 25, 2012.
Lost: A Colvin Road man who suffers from Alzheimers was spotted wandering the neighborhood by the postman on the morning of 10/6. Police picked up the confused man and returned him to his home.
Found: A Kindle was found on the sidewalk in front of Metro Diner on Scarsdale Avenue on the evening of October 4, and turned over to the Scarsdale police.
Party tweet: Things got out of control on Fayette Road on Sunday night 10/7 when a small party turned into a big party of unwanted guests. One of the youths sent out a twitter feed inviting all of his followers to this friend's house on Fayette Road and many came over. As they showed up, they were turned away and “commotion ensued.” Police advised the boy to call the police to help if this happens again.This police report is sponsored by Scarsdale Security who does more than just security. Contact them about remote video for your home or business. Call 914-722-2200 or visit their website , http://scarsdalesecurity.com/