“State of the Town”

A look around New Castle

January 1, 2010
by Christine Yeres

Editor’s note: NewCastleNOW.org editors have prepared this “State of the Town” list to bring the community up-to-date on this first day of the new year on some of the more pressing issues of this past year either resolved by the town board or still outstanding.

Former Reader’s Digest property owner counts RD as a former tenant

The new development in the proposed development of the former Reader’s Digest property, now called “Chappaqua Crossing,” is that Reader’s Digest will now formally be formerly of New Castle.

Reader’s Digest will leave in spring for offices in White Plains and New York City.  The draft environmental impact statement for the project is still in the works, next to be returned—with all environmental questions answered – by owner Summit Greenfield. Attorneys for Summit Greenfield are in conversations with the town’s attorneys, reported New Castle Supervisor Barbara Gerrard, and the town board expects to see the environmental impact statement returned some time in the first quarter of 2010.

“Now that Reader’s Digest is decamping,” NCNOW asked Gerrard, “is there a way to separate the commercial or business-zoned portion of Summit Greenfield’s proposal, with its cap of three tenants (besides the Reader’s Digest space) from the residential portion of its proposal for 278 condominium units?”

“That’s not possible,” said Supervisor Gerrard.  “The application was submitted as one project. The SEQR review is for one large project with a combination of commercial and housing.  Things have changed on the commercial side because of the bankruptcy, but Summit Greenfield has not put any new proposal forward for the town to consider.” To access NCNOW’s archived material on Reader’s Digest, click HERE.

Garbage collection remains at two pickups, for now

According to a survey conducted by NCNOW, the 500 plus residents who responded were divided equally between eliminating the second garbage pickup and keeping it.  Many people seemed unimpressed with the $36 average savings per household that would have resulted by reduction to one pickup.  Town board members yielded to pressure from residents who value their second garbage pick up, saying that they would take up the issue again next year, but begin by educating the public more thoroughly, and rely on the student population to help. As board member Robin Stout put it in explaining his No vote on the budget, “The wave of the future will be to recycle and reuse more, and to consume and expend less. Perhaps the young people of New Castle should have a chat with their parents about this.”  To access NCNOW’s archived coverage of one-pick-up-or-two, click HERE. 

Town board referendum to deputize hearing officer for police disciplinary proceedings fails

One hundred “No” votes to 69 “Yes” votes means that the five town board members will continue to act as hearing officer in police disciplinary hearings.  The board’s explanation for this change in town law apparently was less compelling to voters than a letter from the Police Benevolent Association asking voters to act to keep it the board’s job.  To access NCNOW’s archived coverage of the referendum, click HERE.

Farmers’ Market to hatch in spring

For the last two years Supervisor Barbara Gerrard has incubated the idea that New Castle should have access to local produce and that it should find a nesting place in downtown Chappaqua.  Several residents as well as the Sustainability Advisory Board have been in on the plan to arrange with Rogowski Farm, “a second-generation family farm in the magnificent black dirt region of Pine Island in Warwick of Orange County, N.Y.,” according to the farm’s website, to run the market GIVE THEIR SITE LINK.  The concept is to set up on Saturdays at the Chappaqua train station, where weekend parking is plentiful and the town now has lampposts with fittings to bear flags, planter baskets and sound system speakers.

Route 120 Bridge update

Winter closed in before the concrete deck of the bridge could be poured and have the month it needs to “cure.”  Workers have been disbanded, although Conti Construction will continue to maintain the bridge and walkway surfaces, shoveling snow and, at the town board’s urging, keeping potholes filled this winter as they appear.  In March the site will come alive again.  The new tentative finish date, according to Supervisor Gerrard, is “the end of 2010, but if next October and November are as mild as this year’s,” it may not be the very end of 2010.

Town hall expansion

The planned near doubling of town hall’s square footage is not realistic, the town board announced during budget hearings this fall.  Although $10 million could not be found in the capital budget for this purpose, board members haven’t given up on finding more space for the police department.  Finding other digs for the Recreation Department or Building Department is a recurring suggestion, possibly by renting space at Reader’s Digest.

Millwood Task Force meets Thursday, January 7 at 8:00 p.m.

The main focus of the meeting will be a discussion on how to proceed with the new town planner, and what direction to take in improving downtown Millwood. MTF members meet at Millwood Firehouse #2 located on Route 134. To see the entire agenda, click HERE.

Gedney upper soccer field to open in spring 2010

Reconstruction of the soccer field at upper Gedney will be open for play this spring.  It will be a full-size field, 100 yards long, 180 yards wide, with underground sprinklers and drainage, a 20-foot buffer around the field and netting behind the goals to keep balls from the thick woods. Sod will be laid in spring.

Second Amsterdam field a go

Two years ago the town board decided to build only one field at the Amsterdam property rather than the two it is big enough to accommodate. 

Citing traffic unknowns on the rather narrow Hoags Cross Road at the time of their earlier decision, board members announced in a surprise decision in December that after a year of operation, they were now satisfied that the traffic was manageable.  Although they would have liked to wait and see what traffic flow a proposed mosque will add to the mix, the board noted that the property was purchased around ten years ago for the purpose of creating more field space. Supervisor Gerrard said that construction of the mosque may be three or four years off, and residents are desperate for field space now. Due to wetlands constraints, the field the town did build at Amsterdam is not quite regulation size, and so cannot be used by bigger soccer bodies.  The second half of the property will fit a regulation-size field, and in the spring the town will begin construction.

Zoning board provides Upper Westchester Muslim Society with road map for DEIS additions and alterations

In its December 21 meeting, the zoning board provided attorneys for the Upper Westchester Muslim Society with a definitive list of deficiencies in its draft environmental impact statement for the mosque proposed for an eight acre plot located just opposite the intersection of Hoags Cross and Pinesbridge Roads.  For background, see NCNOW’s article, “DEIS for proposed mosque on Pinesbridge Road judged incomplete at this time,” December 4, 2009.

Revaluation: Steps taken in that direction

The town hired a consultant, Tom Frey, to meet with the town assessor, John McGrory, who will give Frey data from which Frey will conduct some analyses and comparisons, run some models and report to the town board on the potential impacts of a revaluation.

According to Supervisor Gerrard, “a revaluation is not a revenue-generating program.  We’ll pick up the pool or finished basement that we don’t already know about, improving the integrity of the data.  The bottom line is that we’ll still need to raise the same amount of revenue, but it may fall differently on the population.” Frey’s information will help to predict the effects.  See NCNOW’s article of October 23, 2009, “Town board will hire consultant to assess town-wide real property revaluation.”

Town basketball court?

“ ’No’ for now,” said Supervisor Gerrard

New town planner?  Almost.

According to Supervisor Gerrard, by the end of January the town should have filled the town planner spot vacated by Lincoln Daley. The good side of a bad economy is that talent was plentiful. The town board had plenty of applicants from which to choose. 

Changes at the planning board

Two planning board members are cycling off that board.  In January, Laurie Droughton-Matthews and June Blanc will be replaced by Sheila Crespi, last year’s president of the League of Women Voters, and Jerry Curran, who recently stepped down from 12 years’ service as a commissioner on the Chappaqua Fire Department’s Board of Fire Commissioners. 

Westchester County affordable housing settlement

“We’re working on it with the Westchester Municipal Officials Association and the county to see how the new [Astorino] administration wants to do it,” explained Supervisor Gerrard.  By the end of January, the county must come up with a plan detailing how and where it will construct 750 units of affordable housing within the next 15 years.

The settlement agreed to by outgoing Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano and approved subsequently by the legislature is the result of a lawsuit brought originally by the Anti-Discrimination Center of Metro New York, a fair-housing advocacy group.  The county is required to spend around $50 million to build the housing; $30 million of the funds are to be raised through bond issues. To access NCNOW’s archived material on the settlement, click HERE.

President of Chappaqua teachers’ union to retire in February
http://www.newcastlenow.org/index.php/article/president_of_chappaqua_teachers_union_to_retire_in_february/
December 25, 2009