Voices Emerge in Favor of a New School at Greenacres

After strong opposition from Greenacres residents who wanted to preserve Greenacres Field, the Scarsdale School Board appeared to have closed the door on option C, which was to build of build a new Greenacres Elementary school on the field. However, at a May 4 School Board meeting, a new group of people emerged supporting a plan to build the new school. Though they appeared late in the game, there was a vocal group who asked the Board to re-consider.

The first to speak was Jennifer Corriggio from Brite Avenue. Corriggio urged the board to make the children's education their first priority when deciding between Option B1 and Option C. She explained that Option B1 seemed like a "band aid" to the problem, and that Option C seemed like the better solution. Corriggio explained that the people most affected by this decision are the children, who are mostly voiceless throughout this process. Mitchell Kahn from Brewster Road also spoke out in favor of Option C. Kahn started his speech apologizing to the board on behalf of the community for the last public hearing, where, "people came up and screamed at [the board], I think that's completely unacceptable". Kahn urged the board to consider Option C as the best option. Kahn explained that the people who have, "banded around the field" must reevaluate the priority of the project. "We are talking about [losing] one baseball field versus [gaining] a school that is designed for the 21st century". In addition, Kahn argued that Option B1 could have serious risks for the children attending Greenacres School during the construction. "You're introducing a possibility of dangerous chemicals to small children and... you're asking five to twelve year old kids to live through a construction project for two to three years".

Rona Muntner from Fairview Road also came out to speak in support of Option C. She argued that gaining "beautiful new fields and a state of the art building" outweighs the detriments of losing the existing field. She explained that people who live in Scarsdale, "are here for the schools", and that we should prioritize the school over the field. Muntner reasoned that our New York climate and cold winters do not allow the children to be out in the field for most of the school year, so most of their time is spent inside the building. She believes the current building does not have enough open space for the children, and renovating the current building would mean even less space. "There will be dust and noise the children will be living through for half of their elementary school experience". Rona's husband Michael Muntner also spoke to support option C. He pleaded for the children's safety to become a priority in the process. "No one has any intentions of doing anything wrong... But there are chemicals that come out [during gut renovations] that you have no idea". Mr. Muntner explained that the construction in the same building as the children could mean serious risks. He also asked of the board that the community be given a comparison of the two projects side by side. "Let's make an informed decision understanding all of the risks and rewards and all of the facts."

Amy Hosseinbukus also supported the reconsidering and reopening of Option C. She explained, "The dropping of option C is lamentable". She explained her confusion over the support of the field, when the school needs so much work. She urged the community and the board to question "why we would pick renovating and retooling something" over building an entirely new school. Hosseinbukus stressed that she, "thanks god that [her] kids will be out of Greenacres" by the time the construction starts. She argued that "to study and learn under the conditions that you're asking [the children] do for years... is more than unfortunate".

Many people discussed the popular petition to save the Greenacres school that now has over 850 signatures. Madeline Hauptman from Brewster Road has been one of the most vocal advocates for preserving the existing Greenacres school. Hauptman created a sign when the issue was first presented to the community, which many Greenacres families have displayed in their yards. The sign urges the district to "Keep the green in Greenacres". During this public hearing she urged the board to consider that "the people who have no kids are not represented" in the decision whether to rebuild Greenacres. Hauptman reiterated that the petition has gained huge weight in the community, with "more than half the community" supporting it. Hauptman urged the board to consider the opinions of those who have no kids in the Greenacres school.

Michael Muntner, who spoke after Hauptman, respectfully disagreed with Hauptman's conclusion that those with no kids should be equally represented. He explained that, the "person with the loudest voice who created a sign has the least vested interest in the actual school itself". Muntner debated that the board should primarily consider the safety and education of the children. Mitchell Kahn also spoke about Hauptman's petition, claiming that those who signed did not have all of the information. "The petition that was signed was signed before there was any other option available... nobody knew that the other option was to renovate that building", explained Kahn. He reiterated that people signed the petition in order to work on an option that preserved as much field space as possible, and not in support of Option C. Kahn explained that many people who originally signed the petition have written to him regretting their decision to oppose Option C. Wendy Shi from Brewster Road expressed a similar sentiment as Mr. Kahn. Shi explained that she originally signed the petition to preserve the existing field, not understanding the alternative. "I realized I shouldn't have signed the petition. And I asked a lot of other moms who signed the petition, and they regret they did it also", explained Shi. "We will sign another petition to save our children, instead of saving the field".

Peter Gelfman from Brite Avenue spoke to oppose Option C. Gelfman recognized that many people had come to support Option C at this board meeting, however they had not been present at the other meetings. Gelfman explained that there were two prior "well publicized" hearings before the May 4th hearing, and that the board should be able to "draw their conclusions as to the sentiment of the community" from the prior hearings where many opposed Option C. Gelfman debated that Option B1 is cheaper and will overall allow the entire community to improve. "With B1 you are able to help Greenacres... and also help the other areas". "Option B1 makes the most sense for the children and for the community", said Gelfman. Barbara Wenglin from Brewster Road also spoke in support of Option B1. She explained that the proposed renovations can adequately update the school to fit the guidelines. "We can bring the model program that we all aspire to for the future of our kids by doing a thoughtful and thorough renovation and expansion". Gregory Loten from Montrose Road echoed this opinion, stating,"We can achieve a great education for our kids in a renovated building".

Gabriel Streche from Brewster Road was last to speak. He urged the board to hear more community feedback before making a final decision. Streche debated that out of the 921 households in Greenacres, the board has only heard from a relatively small percentage of those families. Streche claimed that even though at the last two hearings those against Option C were aggressively protesting, that does not necessarily reflect the views of the community. "What a group of the most vocal people want is not what the community wants". Streche urged the board to survey all of the households in Greenacres, and make a final decision based on these findings instead.