Op-Ed: “We’re Not Moving” Party
by Mark S. Tulis
April 18, 2008
Recently we had a party at our home to celebrate the fact that, after living in New Castle for 30 years, my wife Elaine and I are not moving away even though our youngest child is about to graduate from Greeley. The reason we are not moving is because our love for the town has not changed in those 30 years and we believe our connection with the town does not end with our youngest going off to college.
How two Long Islanders found themselves in Chappaqua
In February of 1977 Elaine was notified that she would spend her clinical psychology internship at New York Hospital in White Plains. At the time I was working at a Wall Street law firm and we decided that it was time to buy a house.
We knew nothing about Chappaqua, nor Westchester County for that matter, having both been raised in Long Island. However, we just wandered around Westchester County exploring different towns. Chappaqua looked a lot like New England, where we had gone to college. It had parks, the Bell School and an extremely rickety diesel train service to the city. Holmes and Kennedy had a 212 telephone number , making it a local, not long distance, call, So we made an appointment with Lisa Holmes and before we knew it, we had moved into our house on Gray Rock Lane in August of 1977. Our parents were shocked that we had to pay $85,000 for a house!!! We did not have children, did not plan on having children for five years, and ended up being the youngest people on the “Lane.”
Becoming involved in local activities was the key to making New Castle our town
The town had an immediate attraction for us in its beauty and activities. Both Elaine and I became avid runners and later avid bicyclists. I became active in local town affairs, first as President of the Town Club, later as Chair of the Board of Assessment Review, then as a town board member rising to Town Supervisor, and ultimately as a county legislator representing New Castle. I have since been chair and a board member of the Westchester Medical Center.
Elaine started her clinical psychology practice in our house and has been active in the schools from filling kindergarten book packs to Roaring Brook treasurer, Horace Greeley High School Senior Musical producer and current chair of the Class of 2008 Parent Committee with me. Elaine also served as the President of the Board of Oak Lane Child Care Center. One of Elaine’s most enduring accomplishments was in helping to move Oak Lane to its present location in town when our 23 year old law student son was only two.
We have always used every activity available to us in the town whether it was Mommy and Me clay, dance programs for the children, or my coaching a total of 34 teams in baseball, basketball, football and girls softball. We love the Hudson and the Sound, where we boat and kayak. As town supervisor I am most proud of the bike path, the water treatment plant, and of course, the lights on the rec ball field. Even today, I play on a New Castle softball team with my two grown sons, the same team I have been on for two decades.
As we raised our children and participated in the town, we realized there is no better place to live than Chappaqua. We have the magnificent Hudson River, beautiful Long Island Sound and exciting New York City nearby. We don’t have earthquakes, floods, droughts or fires. We do have cold and wet winters and hot and humid summers But we love this town and we’re staying. And so are our friends. They may have places on the Cape or in the Hamptons or the City but there is so much about this town that keeps us and them here. At least until the taxes double again!!
Click here for a printable view of this article.
Click here to read more Op-Ed articles.Click here to read more People articles.
Click here to send a copy of this article via email.
We're interested in your opinion. Click here to submit a comment on this article, or any other.
