Greenburgh Police Report: Drunks, Thieves and Mischief
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Drunk and Confused: On the afternoon of 8/17 police got a phone call from a Hartsdale woman who said she had lost her bag in the parking lot at Best Buy on Central Avenue. They found Irma Douglas, age 69, with a cup of alcohol and an empty bottle of wine nearby. She claimed she had gotten into an argument with her husband about money and was waiting for him to pick her up – however the officer knew that her husband died three years ago. This was the third time she called police in the course of a week. Police transported Douglas to White Plains Emergency Room for an evaluation.
On August 15, Douglas filed a report about her missing purse, containing personal papers, her passport, cell phone and $60 in cash.
Warring Neighbors: Michael Marom of South Healy Place in Scarsdale reported that someone had thrown an unknown liquid on the Styrofoam siding he was using to build his new house sometime between August 11 and August 15. He claimed the siding was damaged.
Thefts: An employee of TJ Maxx called police on the evening of August 15 when he caught a young woman stealing 10 handbags valued at $903.00. The woman, who was identified as Shanasia Simpson, age 18 of the Bronx, placed the ten bags in an aluminum-lined bag and left the store without paying for the goods. She was detained at the store, transported to police headquarters and charged with petit larceny and possession of burglar tools.
The manager of Walgreens on Central Avenue called police on 8/16 when she found that a customer had returned used items for store credit. Cans had been opened and refilled with water and used items filled a box of swabs. The store credited the customer $138 before realizing that the merchandise was used.
On Friday morning 8/17 police got a call from the owner of the BP Gas Station on Central Avenue to say that a woman had pumped $20.05 of gasoline into her sedan and driven off without paying. Police tracked the woman’s license plate number to a Fieldstone Drive apartment and found the woman who agreed to return to the station and pay the owner for the gas.
Damage: On Tallwood Drive in Hartsdale, a resident reported that someone had smashed her ceramic flowerpots overnight from 8/18 to 8/19. Police spoke to the neighbors and one admitted that his son had returned home drunk the prior night and smashed the woman’s flowerpots for no reason. The culprit was still asleep so police said they would follow-up.
Is the Game On or Off?
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The Town of Greenburgh is embroiled in another legal battle, this one surrounding the leasing of property on Dobbs Ferry Road, formerly occupied by Frank’s Nursery, to Game On 365 to build and operate a $6.9 million, 94,000 square foot, indoor sports facility. After much discussion of the terms of the lease, on Monday night August 14, the Greenburgh Town Board approved the 15-year lease, subject to a town-wide referendum on November 6th. The terms of the lease require Game On to pay the Town of Greenburgh $260,000 to $325,000, including payment for property taxes for the first four years of the deal and after that the rent will rise 1 percent annually. The lease also calls for the company to pay $125,000 for an environmental clean-up. But some contend that the remediation will be far more costly and cause Greenburgh to incur additional expense.
And why is a referendum necessary to approve the lease of town-owned land? According to Town Supervisor Paul 
Feiner, a referendum would allow residents to “partner” on this important decision and, “provide Town Board members with the opportunity to explain why we think the proposed lease is a good deal for the town.” It would also offer residents “the chance to hear both sides of the issue: from Game On and from House of Sports (which according to Feiner is leading the fight against the Game On application) and provide the Planning Board with feedback from thousands of residents.
However some argue that the Town does not have the right to lease land as Westchester County Code stipulates that the Towns must sell land acquired via tax foreclosure. This point is in dispute with the Town’s Attorney arguing that the Westchester County law requiring the land sale has been superseded by a NYS law enacted in 1993 called the Uniform Delinquent Tax Enforcement Act that “authorizes” the county to sell such properties but does not “preclude” as lease. Lewis argues that the 1993 law “supersedes any inconsistent general, special, or local law,” unless such local municipality “opted out” by adopting a local law and filing it with the State Board of Real Property Services no later than August 1, 1994.” Since Westchester did not opt out, Lewis argues that the County code is no longer valid and that Article 11 of the New York State Real Property Tax Law (RPTL) does not preclude the Town’s short term lease of surplus property to Game On 365, LLC or another entity.”
Representatives from The House of Sports , who already have approval to build a similar facility less than 3 miles
away off Route 9A in Ardsley, have also raised objections to the Game On lease. In an August 15th email to Scarsdale10583 they contend that, “This development is riddled with so many issues due to the Town’s actions ranging from a tainted RFP process, entering into a financially irresponsible deal at the expense of residents, the drafting of a lease lacking standard commercial terms and protections for the Town and lastly not realizing after 1½ years of work that the Town doesn’t even have the authority to lease the land and any such lease is illegal.”
They argue that Greenburgh is favoring Game On over the House of Sports and fear that the Town will again be tied up in litigation and use their tax dollars to foot the bill.
“The House of Sports is a family owned business that is making a very large investment in Greenburgh. We will be paying hundreds of thousands in taxes, hiring over a hundred employees and providing a fantastic asset to the community. All we have asked for is that the Town not favor one business over another. We are more than happy to compete on a level playing field. But it is very reasonable for us to demand that our tax dollars not be used to subsidize a competitor. The Town’s recent actions of favoring one business and disregarding the law will deter other new businesses from coming to Greenburgh."
They also call for Feiner to seek out a lawful use for the property.
“We would have no grounds to object to the Town’s actions if they were doing everything properly and legally. It is shameful for Feiner to blame a local business for his own errors in judgment, incompetence in execution and illegal actions. The likely litigation on the legality of the lease will take many years during which Game On will be unable to raise money (since the lease will be found to be null and void) and the Town will not be able to monetize this property. It’s time for Supervisor Feiner to look for a lawful use for this valuable town asset.”
A public discussion on the referendum, and a vote by the Town Board to schedule the referendum for November 6, will take place on Wednesday, August 29th at 7:30 PM at Greenburgh Town Hall.
Asian Fusion on Garth Road
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The newest addition to the Tengda family is now open on Scarsdale’s Garth Road. It took nearly a year and a half for the Asian fusion restaurant to open, but now Tengda in Scarsdale has joined the chain of the seven popular restaurants located throughout Connecticut and New York.
Upon entering the dimly lit restaurant I received a warm welcome and was seated quickly in the middle of the restaurant. This was a Tuesday night in July, but the restaurant felt happening and many tables were filled. The first thing I noticed after being seated was the menu. Tengda offered a surprisingly extensive menu containing all types of Asian cuisine, which at first seemed long and intimidating. Although no one was watching their weight at my table, dieters should be happy to know that Tengda offers a separate diet menu. After several minutes of reading I finally decided on a meal. The waitress was at the table to take my order as soon as I closed the menu and was willing to answer all my questions.
While waiting for my food I took note of the restaurants décor, which was as eclectic as its menu items. The restaurant glowed from the blue lights by the sushi bar, which added nicely to the modern vibe. On one side of the restaurant, Xi’an Terra Cotta Warriors sat on shelves on the wall, while the other side featured several Buddha. The restaurant felt open yet private at the same time, due to the small wall in the middle of the room. The restaurant’s bar also added to the ambiance, as its white light backed the drinks and the bartender. I found the restaurants mix of cultures and time periods both refreshing and cool.
After a short wait, I not only received my party’s appetizers (Thai Chicken lettuce wrap, fried calamari salad, and fire cracker shrimp) but a complimentary whitefish tempura as well. The restaurants portions were large, and definitely meant for sharing. Everything tasted fresh and delicious. The Thai Chicken was shredded in a spicy hoisin sauce, along with long bean, bell pepper, and jicama and was served with crispy iceberg lettuce wraps – which were readily replenished when we asked for more. The fried calamari salad had a unique spicy sweet sauce and was different from other fried calamari I have ever had. The calamari was good, but was fried in a way that did not leave it very crispy. The Fire Cracker Shrimp, which I thought was the best of all the appetizers, was sweet and crunchy to perfection. The whitefish tempura was really enjoyable as well—the fish was fresh and the tempura was crispy.
After digging into the appetizers, we awaited our rolls and a fish entrée. Our sea bass, dynamite roll, eel avocado roll, rock shrimp roll, and spicy yellowtail roll arrived very quickly. Everything was nicely presented, and was as fresh and tasty as it looked. Each roll had a unique taste and everybody was happy with their choices.
Last and perhaps best was dessert. We ordered a chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream, a flaming fried ice cream and some ginger and green tea ice cream. The dessert portions were large and meant for sharing like the regular menu items, so my table spent some time trying each others dishes and comparing them. After finishing, we agreed they were all very, very good in their own way.
I found Tengda to be a pleasant surprise. They offer something for everyone and are a great addition to the Scarsdale restaurant scene. They are open for both lunch and dinner, and offer free delivery, so whenever you have the time, give Tengda a try.
Tengda
56 Garth Road,
Scarsdale NY
Phone Number: 1(914) 723-8868
Hours: Monday- Thursday 11:30 AM to 10 PM
Friday-Saturday 11:30 AM to 11 PMSunday 11:30 AM to 10:00 PM
http://asianbistrogroup.com/
Author Brian Shabto will be a senior at Scarsdale High School this September.
Savannah Muirhead Born on the Hutch in Scarsdale
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Simone Thomas Muirhead of Mt. Vernon wasn’t expecting her baby for three weeks, but as a trained nurse, she was already prepared. Thomas works in the ICU at Montefiore Hospital but planned to deliver the baby at White Plains Hospital. Early on the morning of August 4th, 4:45 am to be exact, she woke up feeling some “discomfort” and called in sick to work. By 5:30 am the pain got worse and it felt like she was having contractions every fifteen minutes.
At that point, she told her husband that they had better head to the hospital – and as they left home she had the presence of mind to ask him to grab the suction bulb that she had bought a few days before.
Once in the car, things moved quickly. She felt the baby coming and asked her husband to drive quickly. Not wanting to get a ticket, he ignored her pleas to “floor it,” and stayed within the speed limit. But the baby was eager to make her entrance into the world and didn’t wait to get to White Plains. At the Weaver Street exit on the Hutchinson River Parkway in Scarsdale, Thomas felt the baby emerging and told her husband to pull over and call 911, which he did at 5:55 am.
By the time the police, SCARVAC paramedics and the fire department arrived at 6:01 am, Savannah Muirhead was already born. She came out crying and the couple used the suction bulb to clear her passages. They wrapped her up in the new robe that Thomas had purchased for her hospital stay and waited for help to arrive.
First to reach the car was a police officer who instructed them to turn off the car engine. The paramedics arrived and suctioned the baby again, wrapped her in foil to retain body heat and handed Thomas’s husband a scalpel to cut the umbilical cord. Next, mom and baby were transferred to an ambulance and taken to White Plains hospital where Muirhead gave birth to the placenta. The baby cried the whole way and once at the hospital weighed in at 5 pounds 2 ounces.
Today, Savannah Muirhead is at home with her very capable parents -- and though her birth certificate says she was born in White Plains, the truth is that she came into the world in Scarsdale.
And what about the car? How did it fare? No problem! Muirhead also had pads in the car to protect the upholstery so the Toyota came through the procedure beautifully as well.
Muirhead is grateful to all the emergency workers for their help and wishes to thank Scarsdale, New Rochelle and Westchester County police and firefighters and Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps for their assistance.
Organic Local Produce Available For Pick-Up at Meritage in Scarsdale
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Good news for those who would like to enjoy produce from local farmers without making a weekly commitment to join a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture.) Meritage Restaurant in the Colonial Village Shopping Center on Weaver Street in Scarsdale will now offer freshly grown produce from several of their suppliers. Vegetables will come from Blooming Hill Farm who grows only organic food to protect consumers from exposure to toxins and diseases. They believe that organic foods not only taste better but are safer for both human health and for the environment. Meritage will offer boxes of fresh produce from the farm for just $30 per week and deliveries can be picked up at the restaurant or at Harper’s Restaurant in Dobbs Ferry.
Produce will vary each weekly depending on what is in season. Right now, Blooming Hill is offering a wide variety of greens including lettuce, mesclun, escarole and kale. There’s broccoli, cauliflower and fennel as well as radishes, leeks, sugar snap peas and garlic. They have a wide variety of fresh herbs and fruit including raspberries, plums and peaches. Check out the full listing here:
Meritage and Harper’s will also be selling milk from Battenkill Creamery and eggs from John Fazio Farms, two more special treats for Scarsdale residents.
If you are interested in purchasing a box of vegetables or have any other questions, contact jamie@meritagerestaurant.net. Or, if you would like to learn more about these farms go to: http://www.bloominghillfarm.com , http://www.battenkillcreamery.com/ and http://www.realtimefarms.com/farm/4982016/john-fazio-farm .
In addition, Meritage Restaurant and Colonial Village Flowers will be setting up a small farm stand on Thursdays from 10-2 in front of Colonial Village Flowers on Weaver Street. They will be selling produce, dairy and baked goods.
Enjoy!
