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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 23 January 2018

Created: 23 January 2018

Last Updated: 23 January 2018

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The vote on the largest bond referendum in Scarsdale's history is just weeks away. On February 8, 2018 residents will vote yea or nay on a controversial $64.9 million bond to underwrite the renovation and expansion of Greenacres Elementary School and infrastructure repairs and upgrades at other district schools. The proposal has been years in the making and has elicited strong views from many different factions of the community.

Here are a few of the comments we've heard over the past few months:

One observer said, "There was something wrong with the decision making process. After community dissent the superintendent declared a six-month moratorium. And when he brought the issue up again he had fired the district architect, sought new architects and wouldn't show the community the RFP for the work. Next thing we knew we were given one option for a renovation. We were not given a realistic analysis of the long-term costs of renovating the old school or the long-term savings of a sustainable new school. It seemed like Superintendent Hagerman made up his mind and then pressured the Board of Education and the community to go along with his plan. This is not the way we make decisions or build consensus in Scarsdale."

A young Greenacres parent said, "If this bond referendum is approved, my child will be in the school during the renovation. I have serious concerns about the construction timeline and the safety of the kids. First, it's taken the district 18 months to build one library onto Edgewood – how do they expect to build this massive addition at Greenacres in 15 months? There are lead pipes, there's asbestos and mold. What happens when they open up the walls? The gym has very poor ventilation and there's no plan to install air conditioning. The kids will have to walk by a noisy, dusty construction site to cross the street to get to the playground and the blacktop will be covered with construction equipment. It's already hard enough to drop off and pick up the kids. Consider the process when we have to drive around cranes and backhoes. We're looking into sending my daughter to private school, and it's a shame, because she loves Greenacres and is doing well there. And I'm not the only one who will pull their child from the district if this plan goes through."

A mother of high school students who is a proponent of the plan explained her view as follows. She said, "If we don't approve this, we'll get nothing. The funds will go away. I am tired of all of the arguing .... if the bond passes, at least something will happen at Greenacres. Also – if we build a new school at Greenacres, what will the district do when people at Edgewood and Fox Meadow starting asking for new buildings? We can't afford that! My taxes are high enough."

A lifelong resident of Greenacres who served on one of the Greenacres Building Committees and knows Greenacres well, said, "We are putting a band aid on serious problems at the Greenacres School... mold which will keep recurring because the water problems are still there, as well as lead pipes and the potential for asbestos in the walls. Many of the classrooms will still not be large enough for today's collaborative learning. They have not dealt with the huge parking problem and they are destroying the character of the building itself with the huge addition covering the front façade. I am concerned that we're spending good money for a bad result."

An empty nester said, "People think that if you're against this plan you're holding out for a new school. That's not why I am voting "no." In fact, I am perfectly happy to leave the school where it is. My objection is that they didn't provide a plan to clean up the existing school – to fix the dirt crawl spaces, get rid of the mold, replace all the lead pipes, install air conditioning and expand the existing classrooms to today's standards. Why wasn't this considered instead of the addition of a big cafeteria. Who asked for that?"

Longtime residents question if there is anything wrong with the current school. They say, "My kids went to Greenacres and they did fine! The building has been here for over a century. Why do we need to change it? My kids learned to ride their bikes on the blacktop and I like the field the way it is."

Some question the cost estimates. A neighbor said, "They say we will spend $35 million on Greenacres now, with another $5-$6 million in repairs down the road. That's $40 million of taxpayer money. I've seen new schools built all over the country for less than that amount. Have they given us a realistic estimate of what a new sustainable school would cost now – and in the future?"

Another long time resident who has been involved in village affairs said, "It seems to me this entire decision started with the premise of tax neutrality. Since when is that the primary driver? Most people who move here do so because of the excellence of our schools. Shouldn't we put excellence first?"

A mother of athletes said, "If they build the school on the field, we are going to lose another athletic field! We need that space."

Considering the years of decision-making, another woman said, "The district and the Board of Education have put years of work into this proposal. Maybe it's not perfect, but this is the best plan they could craft that is tax neutral and addresses issues like boilers and roofs. Trust that the Board has made the right decision for the community."

A friend who is trying to sell her 1940's house said, "I can't understand it. The Superintendent keeps saying that the Greenacres School is quaint and historic and the proposal maintains the building's character. But all the potential buyers who look at my house want new, new, new. They ask questions about the pipes and the basement and complain that we have too many small rooms. Why would these young parents want to move to a neighborhood with an antiquated school?

And another Scarsdale long timer said, "People shouldn't feel that we're putting the money into Greenacres only. We all live in Scarsdale. It's the Scarsdale School District not the Greenacres or the Fox Meadow district. People don't move here for a particular elementary school. Residents can't possibly think they will never have to build another school. Schools do not last forever. They will need to be rebuilt. If not now, when? All the schools are our schools. When we improve a school or build a new one, we improve the entire district."

What do you think? How will you vote?

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 18 January 2018

Created: 18 January 2018

Last Updated: 18 January 2018

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This is a Letter to the Editor from Mark Lewis.

My wife and I are senior citizens. I place my recyclables in a garbage can that I keep in my garage. On recycling day I put out my newspapers at the curb but put my garbage can of recyclables just outside of my garage where the garbage men drive to and pick it up. I am currently having problems walking and my wife is unable to take the recyclables can out to the curb. She also cannot take the newspapers out to the curb and would have to leave them in front of the garage to be picked up when I undergo an operation at the end of March and go into rehab in April. This new regulation discriminates against the handicapped and elderly of this community and is a further indication that you want to push elderly residents out of their homes in Scarsdale.

We pay a good bit in taxes and expect commensurate services. Additionally, it is unclear how much the village would save by requiring recyclables to be taken all the way to the curb. If you push this through I would have to go to the the County Office of People With Disabilities, Office of Advocacy and Community Services, and/or the Human Rights Commission and file a complaint against Scarsdale for discrimination against the elderly.

Mark Lewis

98 Brewster Road

Scarsdale, N.Y. 

914-400-6800 

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Written by: Jordy Love

Published: 04 January 2018

Created: 04 January 2018

Last Updated: 04 January 2018

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On Sunday night January 28, White Plains Hospital will sponsor their 3rd annual Bowling for Bears charity event at the Bowlmor Lanes in White Plains. Proceeds from this event will go towards providing teddy bears and comfort kits for the Emergency and Pediatric Departments at White Plains Hospital. Charlotte Meyers, junior board executive says, "It's a really fun night where families and kids can come together and bowl for a great cause." The teddy bears are given to the patients who are 4 years old or younger and the comfort kits which contain wiki sticks, a coloring book, crayons, a magnetic bear, and a deck of cards are given to patients between the ages of 5 and 12. The Bowling for Bears event is bound to be a lot of fun and White Plains Hospital is hoping for an even better turn out than in passed years.

Click here to sign up!

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 20 December 2017

Created: 20 December 2017

Last Updated: 20 December 2017

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(This is the opinion of site founder Joanne Wallenstein) When I think about what brought us all to Scarsdale, it was the chance to join a successful community... a place where things worked and people cared. It was evident in an outstanding school system that was the result of collaboration between educators, administrators and parents ... in our lovely village-run recreational facilities and quality programs enjoyed by residents young and old... at our first class library that not only offered the latest books and movies but innovative programming and educational opportunities for all.

That's why I moved to Scarsdale and why I am proud to live here today. To me, it's a place that is bigger than any one of us. It makes me feel good to know that most of my friends recognize that it's sometimes necessary to make individual sacrifices for the greater good of the village.

But these values have been severely tested this year. We began 2017 with a highly contentious election that threatened Scarsdale's system of governance and the non-partisan system which had previously shielded the community from bitter partisan politics. A fight about the first village-wide revaluation in 44 years dragged on for months, with accusations, FOIL requests and angry voices at Village Hall. Long after the aggrieved received tax adjustments, the dissent continued.

On the school front we had another divisive rift. Even before the school district could openly examine options for the future of Greenacres Elementary School another faction of indignant residents organized a powerful campaign to safeguard the views from their backyards. Though in a minority, they squashed an open discussion about the best course of action for the school, the children and the future, insisting that their own property interests trumped community values.

And sadly these same debates continue on issues such as safeguarding trees, preserving historic homes and recycling.

Community-minded residents are proposing changes to the village code to prevent the destruction of our tree canopy, with others claiming that any tree preservation is a "taking" of their property rights.

In November, the entire Committee for Historic Preservation stepped down, because the few times they ruled against the demolition of a historic home, their decisions were overturned by the Board of Trustees. Why? Because the Village Trustees feared lawsuits from residents and developers. So as it stands now, any home, no matter how lovely or vital to the fabric of the neighborhood, risks destruction by developers who reap handsome profits from tearing down the town.

Even something as positive as a proposal to start weekly curbside pickup of food scraps and recyclables has met opposition from a few residents who object to bringing their empty bottles and cans to the curb. They claim this is a cut in service, ignoring the societal benefit of increasing village-wide recycling and cutting down on waste.

What's the common theme here? It's a lack of compromise and consideration for the good of the community. It's putting "me" first and depriving your neighbors of the opportunity to live in a place that values the "we" before the "me."

Think about it – if we allow our tree canopy to be destroyed, if we permit Scarsdale's historic homes to be razed, if we put "tax neutrality" before educational excellence, what will be left for the Scarsdale of the future? If we build an elementary school with cramped classrooms, poor air quality, environmental hazards and limited access to playgrounds, who will choose to move here? If we allow our schools to deteriorate from first rate to adequate, if we permit the destruction of our trees and historic homes, who loses? You ... that's you and the value of your home too.

What's makes us great is our willingness to work together for the common good. Yes we are faced with a hostile environment in Washington, but let's use that negative example to fuel a resurgence of community in Scarsdale. We have a legacy to continue. It's our responsibility to leave this a better place than we found it -- or at least as good a place as we found it.