Edgemont Residents Lobby for a Crosswalk to Cranes Pond
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Here is the latest news on the proposed sidewalk discussed at a Planning Board Board meeting held June 2nd
Update: The Greenburgh Planning Board met on June 2 and the crosswalk was the first item on the agenda. The Parks Department (Gerry Byrne) favors the raised crosswalk. The Police Chief spoke and favored a crosswalk but suggested that there needed to be a further study regarding the raised crosswalk which could only be done by an outside expert – but the issue is paying for it.
One resident spoke against the crosswalk – Abe Reckson, the gentleman who wrote several letters. About 10 residents spoke in favor, including one eighth grader.
Prior to the summer of 2006 there were two painted crosswalks that pedestrians could use to access the pond. But when the road was repaved, the Town did not repaint the crosswalks because the Police Chief felt the crosswalks were not safe due to limited sightlines. In response, in October, 2006, 115 residents signed a petition for the reinstallation of the crosswalk and the police studied the issue for the next 2 ½ years.
In October, 2009 the police concluded that a raised concrete walk, similar to the one on East Hartsdale Avenue in Hartsdale would provide the greatest degree of safety. A second alternative was to simply repaint the crosswalk near Barclay Road. In November, 2009 the Edgemont Association advised the Greenburgh Town Board that they supported the raised crosswalk, which would now need to be handicapped accessible to conform to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In mid-November, 2009 the Greenburgh Town Board met with members of the Edgemont Association, the Parks and Recreation Commissioner and the Department of Public Works. Everyone agreed that the raised concrete walkway was the best option and Supervisor Paul Feiner suggested that the Town use the Parks and Recreation Escrow Fund to finance the estimated $75,000 in expenses.
However, following the meeting, Feiner solicited community opinion and Abraham Reckson who lives on Round Hill Road opposed the crosswalk. Since that time, progress has slowed. The Edgemont Association requested that the town hire a safety expert to consider the location of the crosswalk and in response Feiner suggested that Edgemont hold a community meeting. However, Franklin Kaiman, who is currently the Director of the Edgemont Association's Traffic and Safety Committee has found that everyone, with the exception of Mr. Reckson, supports a crosswalk.
Therefore, in an April 14th letter, the Edgemont Association is asking the Planning Board to authorize the use of $75,000 from the Parks and Recreation Escrow Fund to pay for the crosswalk and street improvements recommended by the Police Department. Nearly four years have passed and residents want to see a new crosswalk before an accident occurs.
The Planning Board will meet on June 2nd at Greenburgh Town Hall at 8 PM and the funding is the first item on their agenda. All concerned Edgemont residents are encouraged to attend to voice their opinions.
Trashing Scarsdale Sanitation
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This story was picked up from Scarsdale10583 by CBS and aired in a segment by Tony Aiello on the 6 pm news on May 27th. Dear Scarsdale10583: As I looked out my kitchen window today, Fox Meadow Road resembled Manhattan in the early 80's. There was garbage strewn everywhere. Everything from dry cleaning wrapping, crumpled Red Bull cans and used Tupperware decorated the street. This is becoming a common occurrence on Fox Meadow Road. I have actually witnessed my garbage man …(sorry) "sanitation engineer", drop garbage from his collection route, step over what he's dropped and give me a big friendly, toothy morning smile. I called the Scarsdale Sanitation Department today to complain and they actually had the audacity to tell me that they don't collect litter!!
They lackadaisically said that they would send someone out in a week or two to do a general clean up, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I drove along Fox Meadow Road, getting in and out of my car in the pouring rain to collect all the trash with my bare hands. It is all still in the back of my Acura. My intention is to drive on over to the Scarsdale Sanitation Department tomorrow and sprinkle it all over their front lawn. Maybe just maybe then will the Sanitation Department see that picking up litter is part of a Garbage Man's..(sorry) "Sanitation Engineers" job.
Letter from Bob Harrison
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The following letter was submitted from the Campaign for Bob Harrison: On Wednesday May 12th, the Journal News Editorial Board endorsed Bob Harrison for the open Board of Education seat previously held by Jeff Blatt, based on his qualifications and experience and his extensive understanding of the details of the costs of education and willingness to discuss the details of issues facing the Scarsdale School District versus being influenced by the school PTA for his opponent.
Bob Harrison, following recommendations of the TVCC Budget Study Report dated 4/8/10, supports the return of a portion of the sizable undesignated reserves of $$5,389,757 held by the district and earning a meager 0.05 % return. The TVCC report states: "This is the rainy day (for our residents). We recommend at least $1 million be contributed to tax relief, which will still leave sufficient funds for future contingencies. "
The TVCC report states it has significant reservations about the budget based on several fundamental policies and proposals that also impact future budgets. These areas need to be addressed with the 43 years of Bob Harrison’s business and financial expertise and 30 years of community service.
Bob Harrison supports the return of $ 12,500 to the Teen Center Budget and $13,000 to the Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Service budget. Bob's opponent has been unwilling to discuss specific issues raised in the TVCC report and the Chairman of the SBNC says there are no issues.
With a $135,000,000 school budget including the highest paid teachers in New York State by far (at the median salary - Scarsdale salaries are $ 118,636 versus Edgemont salaries at $97,821) we must have open discussion of our school district issues. With over 450 teachers, the $ 20,815 difference equals over $9 million that could have been used to reduce the tax rate by 4.5 % and add 45 teachers for smaller class size and offering more courses like Mandarin if we had the same salary structure as Edgemont does which has an excellent school system.
A taped "Bob Harrison for School Board " program, with moderator, Nancy Berdon and candidate Bob Harrison will play on the Scarsdale Village channel 75 and Fios Channel 43 this weekend - Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7 PM each evening. The program is 33 minutes long and features Bob Harrison's qualifications with an MBA and his business and financial experience for the Board seat of outgoing Board member with an MBA, Jeff Blatt and focuses on the financial and educational issues facing the Scarsdale Board of Education.
Every Scarsdale resident should read the TVCC Budget report at www.scarsdaleforum.com or contact Bob Harrison for information about his candidacy or the report at 914 725-0962 or by e-mail at proscars@aol.com.
Vote on Tuesday, May 18th at the Middle School Gym.
Support for the SBNC from Friends of Slate 2010
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To the Editor: As past and present leaders of the Joint Committee of the School Board Nominating Committee (which includes this year’s and last year’s Administrative Committees of the SBNC), we are writing to support the School Board nomination and election process that has provided the Scarsdale schools with extraordinary leadership for over four decades. The members of the Joint Committee collectively have over 60 years of experience with this rigorous and effective process. The members of the School Board Nominating Committee know how the School Board operates and work together to evaluate the candidates’ skills in information-gathering, consensus-building, and the other things the candidates need in order to be effective and valuable members of the School Board.
In addition to their annual work on the school budget, each week the school board members must read and understand numerous reports on subjects as varied as lower, middle, and high school curricula, human resources issues (including vital hiring and tenure decisions), special needs programs, student stress, transportation, discipline, narcotics, operations, maintenance, and many other topics involved in the operation of our schools. Each year, the candidates our committee interviews – some self-proposed, some proposed by others – talk to the SBNC about how their skills and experience would enable them to absorb, discuss and form consensus on any of these subjects. The committee goes out into the community and verifies their claims with friends and neighbors and learns their potential strengths and weaknesses as potential school board members. Then the committee selects the most promising candidates it has interviewed for the slate of nominees. It is this process that has given our community a long succession of School Boards made up of dedicated and thoughtful members who in collaboration with one another have provided us with the school system that is one of our community’s greatest assets. We think it deserves the strong support of all of our citizens.
A committee has been formed by a group of people who firmly believe in the process and want to preserve our non-partisan system -- Friends of the Slate 2010. Since the candidates who were nominated this year by the SBNC did not anticipate they would need to campaign, the new committee has taken the lead to provide this effort this year. Look for their palm cards, answer their phone calls, and help them provide absentee ballots or rides to the polls for those in need of such assistance. They also need volunteers to support these activities. Please email susan.ross@verizon.net if you are able to help.
Sincerely
David M. Brodsky – Past Chair of the Joint Commitee
Susan Kessler Ross, Chair of the Joint Committee
Edgemont SBNC Endorses Candidates for School Board
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Here is a letter from members of the Edgemont School Board Nominating Committee: Dear Edgemont Resident: This year, there are four open seats on the Board of Education, for which five candidates were nominated by members of the community. The School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC) interviewed all five candidates. As members of the SBNC, we appreciate that all five candidates participated in this rigorous process, and we are pleased to have endorsed the following four candidates: incumbents Tom McCormack and Gerry Stoughton, and David Chao and David Stern. We are writing now to ask you to support the four SBNC Endorsed Candidates at the election on May 18.
All four endorsed candidates are active members of our community, and all care deeply about it. Many of you already know them from their involvement in our schools and school related organizations, including Edgemont Rec, the Edgemont School Foundation, PTA programs, and the School District’s Citizens Budget and Long Range Planning Committees. In addition, they have a history of civic involvement within our community as well as beyond it, and they all bring valuable experience gained from their participation on other boards.
Incumbent Tom McCormack is a litigator and managing partner at a major international law firm; he is a graduate of Stanford University and Cornell Law School. Incumbent Gerry Stoughton heads a Financial Analysis division at a major public authority; he is a graduate of Columbia University and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Both McCormack and Stoughton are in their third year on the Board of Education, and are seeking re-election for a second term. Both have amply demonstrated their capabilities during their time on the School Board, as has David Chao in his prior service on the School Board. David Chao works on special projects in the financial services industry; he is a graduate of Dartmouth College. David Stern runs a management consulting firm that provides strategic and financial direction to various non-profit and for-profit organizations; he is a graduate of Yale University and Yale’s School of Management. We are thrilled to have endorsed four candidates who bring such a wealth of talent and skills to the table. Their expertise will be instrumental in managing both the short-term and long-term needs of our School District.
The Board of Education is a crucial link in the chain of teachers, programs, administrators, staff and dedicated parents that support our School District, and the mission of the SBNC is to select from among qualified candidates those individuals who, in the Committee’s judgment, can best serve the School District’s needs. Edgemont’s SBNC is made up of volunteers nominated and elected by members from each of the civic associations as well as a high school representative. The SBNC is charged with interviewing and endorsing candidates for the School Board. As SBNC members we are required to attend School Board meetings and to be informed about school matters so that we can conduct a thorough interview and make an informed recommendation about a candidate. It is a time consuming process, but one that has served our community well by providing an intensive vetting process for selecting School Board candidates.
We believe the four SBNC endorsed candidates, incumbents Tom McCormack and Gerry Stoughton, and David Chao and David Stern, will best serve the needs of our School District as a whole and will maintain a diverse and balanced School Board which includes Michaeline Curtis, Wasim Salimi and Lisa Wexler. We hope you will support the endorsed candidates by voting for them on May 18.
Please feel free to contact us or SBNC Chair, Michelle McNally, if you have any questions, and please feel free to share this letter with other Edgemont residents.
Sincerely,
Edgemont School Board Nominating Committee Members
Kim Aslanian Adam Bench Marshall Donner Liz Kaufman Linda Lorch
Mark Romney Domingos Romualdo Robert Rosenberg Deborah Schenfeld
Nancy Shifren Gary Stern Catherine Woods
