Halloween Storm Update
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It's two days since Hurricane Sandy hit Scarsdale and the big question is when; i.e. when will the 4,200 customers without power have it restored. We stopped by the Public Safety Building to speak to Lieutenant Thomas Altizio this Wednesday morning to try to get some answers and he shared the following with us:
The Village is at the mercy of Con Edison, who is unable to provide any projection on when power will be fully restored in our area. Con Edison has only one crew in Scarsdale, which is now assessing the damage and deactivating power lines so that the restoration work can begin. They have not committed to send additional crews nor have they provided a schedule for when the power will come back. The Scarsdale Department of Public Works is clearing major routes and removing trees that are resting on power lines.
Lieutenant Altizio warned that some who do have power now may have it cut off as Con Ed works to repair damaged utility poles and wires. In addition to power service, repairmen from Verizon and Cablevision will also need to come to Scarsdale to restore phone, television, cable and wireless service.
Scarsdale Public Schools are closed today October 31 and Altizio did not know when they will reopen. Power to Scarsdale Middle School is out
The Village’s infrastructure was also seriously impacted by the storm. There is currently no communications at Scarsdale Village Hall. Primary phone lines to the Public Safety Building are down, along with all email and digital communications. Police and firefighters are using a radio system and have just two working phone lines – so please only call 911 in an emergency. The outage of the state-of-the-art Lightpath system is due to the failure of a regional hub which is beyond the control of the Village. Police Chief Brogan and his command staff have been staying at the Public Safety Headquarters round the clock since the storm hit and manning the emergency operations center to respond to calls.
As for roadways, many are blocked with yellow tape, and police ask that if you drive to refrain from driving through taped off areas. Fenimore, Heathcote and the Post Roads are open.
Altizio said that Hurricane Sandy had caused the most damage to the Village of any storm to date and asked everyone to be patient with the recovery. He said that Scarsdale was fortunate in that there were no fatalities or major injuries. However, one firefighter was injured when he was returning home from his shift at 4 am on Tuesday morning. A branch pierced his windshield and struck him in the chest.
Continue to check Scarsdale10583 for daily updates.
Mayor Declares a State of Emergency in Scarsdale - All Driving is Prohibited
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Scarsdale’s Mayor Miriam Flisser has declared a state of emergency in Scarsdale beginning today, October 29 at noon. The declaration grants the Mayor the power to “preserve the public safety and render all required and available assistance vital to the security, well being and health of the residents of the village.
What does this mean for you? The declaration prohibits all vehicular traffic and parking on any street in the Village from now (October 29, 2012 at noon) until the state of emergency is declared over.
Therefore, you cannot drive in Scarsdale and must take your car off the street immediately if you live in the Village of Scarsdale.
According to John Goodwin of the Village Manager’s office, “The prohibition of vehicular travel and parking on any street within the Village is necessary to protect the health, safety and welfare of the residents as it keeps residents away of potentially hazardous situations during the storm and prevents any interference with emergency response vehicles and operations. “
Also – please note that Scarsdale Village Hall is open today and personnel are busy at work.
Here are a few more storm related instructions from the Village:
- If you experience a power outage, contact Con Ed directly at 1-800-75-CONED. Calling Con Ed directly will allow for your power loss to be registered into their computerized database. Do not approach downed wires.
- If you do lose power and are able to access a computer, check the Con Edison power outage map here : http://apps.coned.com/stormcenter_external/default.html
- Call 911 only to report true emergencies (including fire, down power wires and persons in distress). The Scarsdale Police Department can be reached at 722-1200 for non-emergencies.
- Non-emergency storm related issues (including flooded roadways and downed trees) can be reported to the Department of Public Works during business hours at 722-1150.
Here is the complete text of the State of Emergency Declaration:
A State of Emergency is hereby declared in the Village of Scarsdale for a period of time beginning at 12:00 pm on October 29, 2012 and continuing in effect until such time as rescinded.
The State of Emergency has been declared due to emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Sandy in order to protect the health, safety and welfare of the residents of the village of Scarsdale.
I, Miriam Levitt Flisser, as Mayor of the village of Scarsdale, herein exercise the authority given to me under New York State Executive Law, Artile 2-B, to preserve the public safety and hereby render all required and available assistance vital to the security, well-being and health of the residents of the Village.
I further declare that all vehicular travel and parking on any street within the village of Scarsdale is hereby prohibited until the State of Emergency has ended.
Send comments or questions to: scarsdalecomments@gmail.com.
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.
From the Police: A Burglary and a Bobcat?
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Burglary: Around 6:30 pm on October 19, police responded to a burglar alarm on Mohican Trail and found that a rear sliding door to the house was shattered. They searched the house and found no one at home. The master bedroom was tossed, several drawers were open and belongings were scattered on the floor. The homeowners returned from dinner later than evening and found that three valuable watches – including a Raymond Weil and a Skagen were missing as well as $10.
Car break-in: A Cornell Street resident told police that someone had entered her car overnight on 10/19-10/20 and stolen several items. When she got into the car the following morning she found the glove compartment and center console open. Missing were here iPod, quarters, and CD’s. The suspect also entered the car’s trunk and stole a pair of shoes. She believed that the car was not locked and there was no damage to the car.
Accident: An Eastwoods Lane woman called police on the morning of October 20, when her Infiniti, which was parked in front of her house, was hit by a white commercial truck when the driver was backing it up. Police did a search of the driver’s license and found that the man’s license was cancelled, the vehicle registration was suspended and he had no insurance. The driver, who was identified as Jose Navincolqui of White Plains was issued a summons and the owner of the van was called to tow the unlicensed truck away.
Public Urination: A Tompkins Road woman called police to report that a man was urinating at the dead end next to her house. Police spoke with the offender who said he had to go very badly and was not aware that he could use the facilities at the Police Station down the street. He was very apologetic and said he would not do it again.
Identity Theft: On October 16 a Rectory Lane man reported that his quarterly tax return had been sent back from the IRS as another return had been filed using the man’s social security number. The man did not know how his social security number had been compromised and only remembers using it to file his quarterly return.
Feud: Neighbors at Overhill and Lockwood Road continued to feud on the night of October 17. Police received a call form Ike Okoli who complained that William Marineberg was yelling at him. However when police spoke to Marienberg he denied yelling or having any communication whatsoever with Okoli. This is not the first time there has been a complaint and police have found that Okoli’s accusations are baseless. Police asked Marienberg to call them again if the need arises.
Flying Objects: A Scarsdale woman driving south on the Bronx River Parkway near Crane Road said she was struck in the head with an unknown object around 5 pm on 10/18. She did not know if the item was intentionally thrown or came up from the road. Police searched the area for loiterers but found no one.
Deer: A Post Road man reported that his car hit a deer when he was driving on Heathcote Road near Kelwynne Road on the afternoon of 10/19. Police were unable to find the injured deer.
Cougar? A Mamaroneck road woman called police on the morning of October 21 and said she had seen a mountain line or cougar
near Garden Road. Police searched the area but could not find the animal.
Dispute: Police received a call from a Bradford Road woman at 3:28 am on 10/21 about a physical altercation between two people in front of her house. When police arrived they spoke to the caller and the two party guests who said they were only having a verbal disagreement.
Missing Book Bag: The following day at 12:45 pm police got a call about five youths in the yard of a Bradford Road home. The homeowner was not sure why they were there. Police spoke to the young men who said that they were at a party on Bradford Road the previous night and lost a book bag containing a cell phone. And driver’s license. They had returned to search for it.
Help? On 10/12 a man from Old Lyme Road called police for assistance when two people came to his house to ask him for money and food for their children. The Scarsdale man no longer wished to help them out and asked them to leave his property. He gave the couple cab and train fare so that they could return to the Bronx.
PBA Asks for Donations to My Sister’s Place
For the sixth year in a row the Scarsdale Police Benevolent Association, in conjunction with the Scarsdale Police Department, is 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. Rather than purchasing shaving cream, toothpaste, hair spray and toilet paper to be used for Halloween mischief, please donate these items and others to My Sister’s Place. My Sister’s Place will gratefully accept: new or slightly used large and extra large duffel bags, all size towels, new twin sheet sets, blankets and comforters (in bright, cheerful colors) for the upcoming cold weather, new and unopened full size toiletries, packages of diapers in all sizes, baby wipes and new or gently used infant clothing.
Donated goods can be dropped off in the lobby of the Scarsdale Police Department at Post and Fenimore Roads any time of day or night from October 16, 2012 through November 4, 20120. The PBA will assure that the items are delivered to the shelter and will also make their own contribution to the cause. Clients of the shelter have been extremely grateful for support from the Scarsdale Community in the past and they are looking forward to another successful drive this year.
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/
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.”