Mother Nature Damages Area Clubs
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An excessively hot summer and flooding from Hurricane Irene has taken a toll on two area clubs. In July, the heat wave that brought 100-degree temperatures to the Northeast damaged the greens at Scarsdale Golf Club (SGC) on Clubway in Hartsdale. In July the Golf Course Superintendent noted that several of the greens were straw colored, thinning and showed signs of blight. He sent samples of the greens to laboratories and found that the grass suffered from summer stress as a result of drought, high temperatures and nutrient deficiency. What was the recommended treatment? The club was advised to reduce stress on the grass and improve air circulation to allow the greens to recover. Greens keepers removed trees and bushes that limited sunlight and air movement around the greens, placed temporary fans near the afflicted areas and mowed less frequently; however they were not able to halt the damage. As a result, in order to keep the course open for play, temporary greens had to be installed at many of the holes.
The SGC greens are planted predominantly with annual bluegrass (Poa) which germinates in the fall, spreads in the winter, produces seed in the spring and dies in the summer. The weak shallow roots could not survive in the extreme heat and humidity. While the temporary greens were in place, the club seeded with new Bentgrass varieties and aerified the greens. As of September 2nd, 12 regular and 6 temporary greens were open however, the entire course will be closed from September 6- 10. On September 10, the club hopes to reopen the course including all of the regular greens.
Next year, the Club reports that they may have to close a select number of greens for a period of up to four weeks in August. They plan to groom trees to improve airflow and will continue to use temporary fans. These measures should give the greens the chance to recover.
At County Tennis on the Bronx River Parkway, which will celebrate its centennial next year, Mother Nature caused a 
different problem. Heavy rain from Hurricane Irene on Sunday August 28th flooded the Bronx River. As it overflowed, it washed away seven tennis courts at County, which is located directly on the river. In the interim, the club made arrangements with other tennis clubs to accommodate their members.
The courts at County need to be repaired immediately. Wood retaining walls, curbs and fences all have to be put back in place and the club does not have the funds to do the work. As a consequence they have assessed their members to fund the work and also applied to FEMA, the USTA and Westchester County for relief.
How Scarsdale's Emergency Operations Team Battled Irene
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Most residents awoke on Sunday morning and were surprised and relieved to find that their homes were relatively intact. Though there had been driving rain during the night, initially it did not appear that many trees and wires were down and the majority of homes in Scarsdale had power. However after the storm seemed to have passed late Sunday afternoon, Scarsdale was hit by 35-45 mph winds that brought down more trees and power lines. As of Monday night 8/29, 750 homes in Scarsdale are without power. According to the Mayor, Con Edison repair crews are expected in Scarsdale anytime between now and Wednesday morning. Once they arrive, nearly all power will be restored within 24 hours, except for individual house service lines which are a reduced priority
A look at this week’s police blotter shows that beginning at 2 am on Sunday morning 8/28, police and firemen were answering calls every ten to fifteen minutes. Trees and branches were falling in quick succession, knocking out power lines all over the Village. Furthermore, flooding on Cayuga Road, Greendale and Oxford Road, and Fountain Terrace to name a few, made roads impassable and Village personnel had to block these roads off to prevent accidents. While residents slept, the Highway Department, Scarsdale Police and Firemen were busy all night clearing roads, moving wires and securing Scarsdale.
In total, Village crews responded to 90 locations for tree or debris removal; the Fire Department responded to 98 calls: 41 for flooding, 16 for suspicious gas odor, 32 for carbon and fire alarms and 9 for power problems, and the Police Department responded to approximately 120 calls that were storm related, assisting residents with their cars and homes and dealing with broken traffic lights.
At 6:00 pm on Saturday, the Village established an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and maintained constant operations there until 6:00pm on Sunday evening. The EOC was manned by Police, Fire, Public Works and Village management employees, with Public Works Director Benedict Salanitro functioning as the Incident Commander. The staff at the EOC coordinated the Villages’ response to all aspects of the emergency, while Police personnel at dispatch dealt with the high volume of emergency calls for service. During the peak hours of the storm, some police personnel worked over time to assist with the increased call volume. The Police Chief, Fire Chief, Public Works Director, Village Manager and Mayor were all in regular communication with EOC staff, and took part in county-wide telephone conferences through the Westchester County Office of Emergency Management. A great deal of planning, preparation and coordination went into minimizing storm damage and disruptions and to bringing the Village back to normal.
Take a look at the following police log – it was a very busy 24 hours for Scarsdale Village Personnel and we owe them our gratitude:
Fallen trees, wires and branches were reported at:
- 2:00 am on 8/28 on Bouldevard
- 2:12 am on 8/28 at Mamaroneck Road and Leatherstocking
- 2:30 am on 8/28 at 1120 Post Road
- 3:23 am on 8/28 on Nelson Road
- 3:41 am on 8/28 on Jefferson Road
- 9:17 am on 8/28 where a tree fell on a 2005 Toyota Prius parked on Bradford Road
- 9:57 am on 8/28 on Heathcote Road
- 10:07 am on 8/28 on Ridgecrest East
- 10:10 am on 8/28 on Saxon Woods Road
- 10:27 am on 8/28 on Dell Road
- 10:47 am on 8/28 when a tree fell onto the roof of 1207 Post Road and caused damage and leaking
- 11:02 am on 8/28 n Cohawney Road
- 11:26 am at 297 Boulevard
- 12:17 pm on 8/28 on Fountain Terrace
- 12:39 pm on 8/28 at Secor Road and the Heathcote Bypass
- 12:43 pm on 8/28 on Penn Boulevard
- 12:57 pm on 8/28 on Park Road where a tree had fallen and wire were on fire
- 13:14 pm on 8/28 on Carthage Road
- 3:36 pm on 8/28 on Mamaroneck Road where a transformer had blown
- 4:15 pm on 8/28 on Clarence Road for another transformer fire
- 4:23 pm on 8/28 on Clarence Road where electric wires were on top of a parked car
- 4:38 pm on 8/28 on Barry Road
- 4:49 pm on 8/28 at 1245 Post Road
- 5:05 pm on 8/28 on Palmer Avenue
- 5:07 pm on 8/28 on Continental Road
- 5:13 pm on 8/28 at 1025 Post Road
- 5:19 pm on 8/28 on Potter Road
- 5:20 pm on 8/28 on Stonehouse Road
- 5:22 pm on 8/28 on Fox Meadow Road
- 5:22 pm on 8/28 on Rock Creek Lane
- 5:36 pm on 8/28 on Walworth Avenue
- 5:57 pm on 8/28 at 1023 Post Road
- 6:03 pm on 8/28 on Lee Road
- 6:36 pm on 8/28 on Dobbs Terrace
- 7:29 pm on 8/28 on Mamaroneck Road at Cooper Road
- 8:06 pm on 8/28 on Wildwood Road
- 9:18 pm on 8/28 on Sherbrooke Road
Greenburgh Police Arrest Troublemakers in Edgemont
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Police were called about a suspicious car on Delhi Road on the afternoon of 8/18. One of the occupants of the car had been on the property of some people who were away on vacation and a neighbor noticed and called police. Police searched the area and a man who lives on Scarsdale Farms Road reported that he just saw someone get out of a car and try to open the car door of a car parked at 1 Scarsdale Farms Road. Police found the car that was described and interviewed the occupants who seemed nervous and could not say what they were doing in the area. At that point, police found an open Fedex box at 22 Penny Lane. While police were talking to the suspects, they noticed three polo shirts in the car and found that the merchandise had been taken from the Fedex package which was addressed to a Penny Lane resident. All three of the suspects in the car were taken into custody and the car was impounded. Police also discovered a GPS in the car and determined that it was stolen from a Nissan parked at 38 Penny Lane. The suspects were identified as Delmar J. Briggs, Maurice Pickett, Theodore J. Treasure and Andre P. Stewart, all from the Bronx.
Also on the night of 8/18 a Fort Hill Lane woman called to say that someone had entered her car and taken $20 in quarters. Theodore J. Treasure, discussed above, was found to have 94 quarters in his pocket.
Shoplifters: On Tuesday afternoon, 8/16, police saw a man running out of Best Buy, pursued by several of the store employees. The man jumped into his car and drove recklessly, speeding out of the Best Buy parking lot on Central Avenue. He drove over a concrete divider and the sidewalk and through a red light into oncoming traffic. Other cars had to swerve and brake in order to prevent a collision. Police were able to stop him and found that the man, who identified himself as Christian R. Dunca, age 35 of Georgia, had attempted to steal about $1,500 worth of merchandise from the store. After the store employees confronted him, he tried to get away. He was charged with reckless endangerment and petit larceny and sent to the County jail.
Big plans: 12 boxes of condoms, valued at $341 were stolen from the CVS Pharmacy on Central Avenue on the night of 8/16. The store employee who reported the incident recognized the suspect and described him to police. However the man got away with the goods.
Darlene E. Moore-Beecher, age 54 of Yonkers was caught stealing $69.50 in groceries from Shop Rite on Central Avenue at 11:30 pm on 8/19. Police charged her with petit larceny, provided her with a court appearance date and released her. On 8/20 Battisto Tomasette of Ardsley was charged with stealing $103 of Enfamil from Shoprite. He was booked, processed and sent to jail, with bail set at $10,000!
Two diners left the Candlelight Inn on the afternoon of 8/16 without paying their bill for $22.82. They did however leave a $3.00 tip. The restaurant manager marked down the absconders’ license plate number but police were not able to find them.
Car thefts: $2,800 in photographic equipment was stolen from a Toyota Camry parked in the Shoprite parking lot on August 4th. The equipment belonged to a Hartsdale man.
A car parked in the Best Buy lot was vandalized on the night of 8/18. $321 in equipment was stolen and the car window was broken.
The side mirrors of a Chevrolet Sebring parked on Colony Drive in Hartsdale were stolen during the night of 8/20-8/21.
While shopping at Buy Buy Baby on Central Avenue on the night of 8/15, a Plano Texas woman had her wallet stolen from her handbag.
Picketers: Police were called to the Verizon store on Central Avenue on the afternoon of 8/17 to mediate a complaint that picketers were blocking the entrance to the store. Striking workers denied blocking the door.
Graffiti: A black swastika was found spray painted on the sidewalk outside the Edgemont High School gym on Saturday night 8/20.
Email: On 8/15 a 72 year-old Hartsdale woman reported that she received a threatening email that said, "Someone you call your friend wants you dead.” She said she had no known enemies and could not list any suspects.
Storm Update
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Sunday Evening Update: Windy conditions have caused more power outages. Con Edison has ceased operations for the night and will not resume removal of electrical hazards until crews arrive on Monday morning. Residents are asked to call 722-1200 (our Police Department's business number) to report downed trees or other conditions. Please use 911 for emergency response calls only.
Afternoon Update: The Mayor has sent the following update about road conditions and power outages in Scarsdale as of 4 pm on Sunday August 28th. She reports that Con Edison is needed at 25 locations around town. Here is the list of streets where residents are awaiting repairs: Heathcote, Jefferson, Hamilton, Lebanon, Brambach, Tunstall, Circle at Overhill Road, Bradford, two locations on Broadmoor, Dell, Drake, two locations on Brite Avenue, Cohawney, Gilmore at Walworth Avenue, Fountain Terrace, the intersection of Rodney and Hamilton Continental, Bell, Hamilton, Richelieu at Rodney Road and Mamaroneck Avenue at Leatherstocking.
Fifteen Village roads remain flooded this afternoon: Paddington, Wheelock, Hickory, Richbell, Leatherstocking at Canterbury, Ross, Sherbrooke, Weaver at the Quaker Ridge School, Oxford, the intersection of Church, Brite and Ogden Roads; Varian Lane, Sprague Road to the New Rochelle border, Greendale, and Windmill to Eton Road.
Downed trees and debris have been reported at Post Road, Nelson, Drake, Crane/Church, WildwoodRoad, Norma at Corlayn Roads, Saxon Woods Road, 
Sheldrake Road, Colby, Sage Terrace, Tunstall, Cooper, the Heathcote bypass, Ridgecrest East, Black Birch,, Duck Pond Road, Boulevard, Wayside, Rectory at Carstensen, Fenimore, Oxford, Sheldrake, Mamaroneck, Brookfield at Leatherstocking, Taunton, Brewster, Olmstead, Carmen at Webster Road, Murray Hill at Cooper Road, Nelson Road and Cushman Road.
There’s quite a bit of water at Scarsdale High School. Take a look at these photos courtesy of Joe and Peter Simon.
Let's Get Ready Prepares New Rochelle Students for College
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The college admissions process is difficult under the best of circumstances, and especially so if you don’t have an experienced network of family and school guidance. On August 11th, 63 New Rochelle High School seniors successfully completed seven weeks of SAT prep and college application assistance provided free of charge by the locally founded non-profit organization Let’s Get Ready (LGR). LGR was founded thirteen years ago by a Scarsdale High School alumnus, and strives to help students from all socioeconomic backgrounds gain equal access to the support they need to reach higher education.
In addition to twice a week prep sessions in Verbal and Math, students visited local colleges, attended a college fair at NYU, and worked with coaches to create lists of potential colleges and universities. Their hard work paid off with significant increases in practice exam scores (and lower stress levels!)
This progress was the direct result of both the hard work of the students in the program as well as the dedication of thirteen volunteer coaches. This summer, four Scarsdale High School alumni - Jacklyn Quartner (Vanderbilt University, 2013), Katie Mayer (Cornell University, 2014), Philip Gallagher (Brandeis University, 2014), and Annie Goldman (Bucknell University, 2014) - served as math and/or verbal coaches. These Scarsdale coaches, along with other local college students, worked in classrooms of 6-9 students where they taught the material and strategies of the SATs and elucidated (good SAT word!) the daunting college application process.
At the final ceremony students were joined by their parents to commemorate the students’ accomplishments as
well as learn about financial aid and scholarships. The program and final ceremony would not have been possible without the generous support of several local businesses.
A huge thanks goes out to Sammy’s Bagels on Weaver St., who kept our students fed and alert each and every LGR session (http://www.sammysbagels.net/). Villa Roma, new to Scarsdale Village, provided a delicious Italian closing dinner at reduced cost (http://villaromapizzeria.com/). For dessert Flourish Baking Company, located on Summerfield St., donated tasty chocolate chip cookies (http://flourishbakingcompany.blogspot.com/).
To praise our most outstanding students, local businesses in New Rochelle and White Plains provided generous gift certificates. Thank you to Chicken Joes (http://www.originalchickenjoes.com/), Tasti D-Lite (http://www.tastidlite.com/), Starbucks (http://www.starbucks.com/), Melting Pot (http://www.meltingpot.com/) and Haagen- Daz (http://www.haagen-dazs.com/).
To learn more about Let’s Get Ready please visit www.letsgetready.org.
Rachel Kroll (SHS ’10, Tufts University ’14), Let’s Get Ready New Rochelle Co-Site Director
