Farm bounty comes to Chappaqua

September 3, 2010
by Stephen Yates

Get ready for a flavor burst! The new Chappaqua TABLE Farm Market is about to come into season. On Saturday, September 11, Cynthia Brennan, owner of TABLE Local Market in Bedford Hills, in conjunction with a group of local resident volunteers will open the Chappaqua TABLE Farm Market at the Chappaqua Train Station. The market will feature mouth-watering fresh produce and products from local farms as well as gourmet food prepared by local merchants.

The excitement and anticipation were palpable at the Chappaqua Town Hall this past Wednesday evening, as a group of about 20 volunteers assembled with Brennan and her market manager, Lucia Maestro, to hammer out assignments and learn more about the market’s mission.

Unlike other farm markets in the area, the Chappaqua market will be assisted by resident volunteers, immediately creating a tighter, sustainable bond with the community. Initially, the market will feature around fifteen boutique local farms that haven’t before participated in farm markets because of logistics of transportation and personnel.
So plan a party and share the bounty, or better yet, bring the party with you to Chappaqua’s very own TABLE Farm Market at the train station on Saturday, September 11.
The market will run Saturday mornings from 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. during the month of September beginning September 11, and from 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. from October through November 2010.

Stephen Yates is a marketing professional and ardent food fan. He lives in Chappaqua with his wife and two children.

From NCNOW.org’s archives, see “Setting the sustainable table: Local sources provide tasty alternative to the industrial food system,” July 16, 2010, by Laura Rossi-Ortiz

Cynthia Brennan of TABLE Local Market

Football

Hotline?

9/4 Pleasantville HS 9:00
9/11 @ Brewster HS 1:30
9/16 John Jay CR HS 3:00
9/24 @ Walter Panas HS 7:00
10/2 homecoming (Lakeland HS) 2:00
10/9 Poughkeepsie HS 4:30
10/15 @ Hendrick Hudson HS 7:00
10/22 @ TBA TBA
10/23 @ TBA TBA
10/29 @ TBA TBA

http://greeleyfootball.vnsports.com/

Millwood Matters

MINUTES OF THE JULY, 2010
MEETING OF THE MILLWOOD TASK FORCE

The monthly meeting of the Millwood Task Force took place on Thursday, July 8, 2010 at Millwood Firehouse #2, Route 134, Millwood. Present were the following MTF Members: Dianne Kleinmann, Chairperson, Lou Russo, Phil Rice, Connie Knapp, June Farnham, Jordan Schiffman, Don Weisstuch and Michael Hafitz. Members of the community attending the meeting included Sara Brewster, Bill McGovern, Tom Auchterlone, Michael Dorio, Michael Stern, Town Administrator Gerry Fiaella and others. The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Dianne Kleinmann.

NEW TOWN PLANNER APPOINTED

David Brito has been appointed Town Planner by the Town of New Castle.

BRANN PROPERTY

Scheduled for Planning Board September 7th.

WETLANDS PERMIT APPLICATION FOR AMSTERDAM BALL FIELD #2

Sara Brewster submitted written comments to the Town Planning Board. Dianne stated that it is important for the MTF members to appear at the next Planning Board meeting to present the MTF position on the proposed second field. Sara stated that in the full environmental impact statement from 2004, references to the fields were only to two “multi-purpose” fields, not two regulation fields. She believes that any applicant wishing to expand on the size of the second field must amend the Environmental Assessment Form and look into traffic and wetland impact issues. Any applicant must amend this form since the form is not accurate in connection with the present proposed use. Sara stated that Town Board Member Wolfensohn was extremely disrespectful to her and to the MTF when he stated that neither she nor the MTF were interested in environmental concerns and “like it or not” you will get the regulation-sized field. He was asked questions concerning the environmental impact regarding trees and cost and could not answer the questions.
Town Administrator Jerry Fiaella stated that he was going through all of the comments previously made to the Town Planning Board. He stated that the Town residents currently have access to 10 fields with some in double use, 1000 residents are enrolled in baseball, 1500 in soccer, and 275 in lacrosse. He said that he would put together a list of the comments and reflected that activity and participation are very high in the community. MTF Member Connie Knapp inquired as to who proposed the regulation field. Jerry responded, stating that he initially raised the issue at the February, 2010 Town Board meeting.

Sara asked who authorized the work for the Town engineer to design plan for the larger field and wondered why the Planning Board seemed so surprised that a wider field was being proposed.

MTF Member Phil Rice questioned why the water line is being used as a reason for a larger field. MTF Member Jordan Schiffman stated that the Town already has a plan for two fields that has been approved. Since certain groups want a regulation field, why isn’t the Town asking these groups to raise funds privately to cover the extra cost? Sara declared that this matter has been nothing other than a cesspool of misunderstandings with the Town moving forward without sensitivity.

MTF Member Don Weisstuch summarized the position of the MTF: When the Town Board initially takes up a matter that has some bearing on Millwood, the MTF must be notified. Jerry agreed and stated that this is something the Town Board should be doing.

With respect to the building on the property, Jerry reported that the Habitat for Humanity has been in contact with the Town and may partner with the Town to rehabilitate the structure. The Town has hired Clarke Associates to get lead and asbestos removed. The Town is also dealing with the Westchester County Board of Health on septic issues.

MILLWOOD FIRE DISTRICT ISSUES

Alan Schapiro notified the MTF that on July 13th and again on July 20th the BOFC will present schematic drawings of the proposed firehouse. He also mentioned receipt of $20,000 in FEMA monies out of approximately $160,000 promised the district. He believed that construction will begin in June 2011 assuming referendum passes in November/December.

A&P WALL RECONSTRUCTION

Project is completed.
COUNTY TRAILWAYS PARKING LOT

Worst of holes have been repaired.

PINESBRIDGE ROAD RESURFACING

Progressing.

MILLWOOD COMMONS GAS STATION:

Station closed and work to start next week.

CAMPFIRE GUN CLUB

Jerry contacted gun club and spoke with Tom Fisher. Fisher explained how they used sound baffling and the hours of operation. Certain limited hours are available for shooting. As Jerry stated, if the noise is affecting quality of life for certain residents, the next step will be to see if noise is heard outside of the prescribed times.

MISCELLANEOUS

The June Minutes of the MTF were approved.

Next MTF Meeting is September 2, 2010.

Respectfully submitted,

Michael Hafitz

Input from the community requested at Tuesday, Sept. 7, school board meeting

September 3, 2010
by Susie Pender

Tomorrow evening, September 7, starting at 7:00 p.m. in the high school academic commons, the Chappaqua Central School District Board of Education will interview two superintendent search firms under consideration for engagement by the district. The community is invited to attend and participate in these interviews.

According to the email sent from the school board earlier this summer to community members, “We anticipate each interview to last one hour, with time provided for questions from the audience. After the interviews, the Board will take time to hear community members’ thoughts and comments regarding the search process and the firms interviewed.”

Community prep for the interviews

In anticipation of these interviews, the school board has mounted on the district website the report prepared last spring by School Leadership LLC, entitled “Specification Development Report, May 25, 2010.”

That report is a compilation of the findings gleaned from focus groups and a survey conduct last spring to determine leadership characteristics certain members of the community suggested would be desirable in the next superintendent. Since the release of that report, the school board has not officially taken a position on whether those characteristics identified in the report are those they will seek in a new superintendent.

More recently, the school board added to the district website the “New York State Council of School Superintendents Study of the Superintendency - 2009,” prepared by the Council of School Superintendents. It offers the survey responses of 698 school superintendents in New York State, a 66% response rate. Where possible, the survey responses are separated into geographical categories, so it is possible to see statistics specific to the Lower Hudson, Metro and Long Island areas.

To view either of these reports, and all correspondence from the school board relating to the superintendent search begun last spring, click here: http://www.ccsd.ws/board_education.cfm?subpage=1049271,

Schedule of interviews

The schedule for the September 7 meeting is as follows:
7:00 - 8:00 p.m.: Interview with Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates
8:15 - 9:15 p.m.: Interview with J.A. Roy Associates
9:15 - 10:00 p.m.: Questions & Comments

The district used Jacqueline Roy of J.A. Roy Associates, an educational-search consulting firm based in Massachusetts, when they conducted the search five years ago that resulting in the hiring of former Superintendent David Fleishman. Prior to that, when the district conducted a search that concluded with the hiring of James Donovan, they used a search firm that is no longer in business.

Charles Fowler of School Leadership LLC, who did preliminary research work for the district this past spring, which included collecting data from focus groups and through surveys on desired characteristics of a superintendent, has withdrawn from consideration. According to School Board President Janet Benton, “he is too busy at this time with other searches to take this on.”

John Chambers, the district’s current interim superintendent, is on a one-year leave of absence from Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, based in Illinois, for whom he conducts superintendent searches. When he was hired to become the superintendent of The Bronxville Schools in 1991, J.A. Roy Associates was the search consultant for Bronxville.

NEW: Open letter to the community: Hello Chappaqua, . . . from one of your loyal merchants

September 3, 2010
by Cindy Lupica
This past weekend an interesting thing happened that I would like to share with all of you. I own the gift store in town called Marmalade Gift + Home. We have a sidewalk sign that simply states “Gift Store Open” with an arrow that points in one direction.

It had gone missing for a few days and somehow, last Sunday unbeknownst to us, it got placed on the corner in front of Sotheby’s. It could be seen if you were sitting at Susan Lawrence enjoying your Sunday coffee and Danish as well as if you were going to or coming from Starbucks.

Well, let me tell you, that day proved to be the most interesting of days. Not only did we end up having a phenomenal day, sales-wise, but also there were at least four or five customers who thanked us profusely for being open. One man even gave us credit for “saving my life;” apparently he had not realized that his anniversary was that Sunday until that morning . . . oops! The other customers were just so happy to be able to stay close to home as opposed to having to drive all the way to White Plains to The Westchester. It was that little sign that alerted people to the fact that here at Marmalade we are open on Sunday, as we always have been.

Food for thought

It got me to thinking though: We have advertised that we are open on Sundays on our web site, through our email list and even handed out flyers, but nothing did the job like that little sign. Then on Monday I got an email from the town saying that someone had complained about our sign and we needed to move it. So I did. But, like I said, it has now got me thinking about two things.

First, if everyone was so happy to stay local and not have to drive a half hour south to shop, then shouldn’t more merchants here be open on Sunday? And second, it’s amazing what the right signage can do. I really wish that we could all put our heads together to stay within code restrictions, and yet have better exposure for our stores. If cute little towns like Nantucket can achieve that, I don’t see why all of us in Chappaqua can’t figure out how to do that successfully as well.

If you would, please take a second to post a comment at the end of this letter identifying which of our businesses you’d like to see open on Sundays.

Cindy Lupica is one of Chappaqua’s downtown merchants who is ever interested in making downtown Chappaqua “the” place to be. Not only does she run the successful gift store, Marmalade, across from Starbuck’s, but she has launched a new venture here in Chappaqua, Studio Marmalade, which is the town’s newest ballet studio for kids ages 3-6. You can get more info about the new ballet studio at www.mystudiomarmalade.com, and about Marmalade generally at www.mymarmalade.com or her blog www.marmalade-marmalade.blogspot.com.

Bridge Construction Update: All night work now, while over MetroNorth tracks

September 3, 2010
by Christine Yeres

Notice that nothing seems to be happening on the bridge? That’s because nothing is happening during the day. MetroNorth insists that work over the railroad tracks take place at night. Workers begin around 7:00 p.m. and finish at 5:00 a.m.

On Wednesday night, workers removed some of the top asphalt of the bridge and some railings. Last night, they concentrated on the underside of the bridge, cleaning up the area and building a pad—between the old north lane of the bridge and the pedestrian bridge—for a very large crane to sit on. From there, the crane will lift off the pieces of the old bridge.

First, workers will saw cut the concrete slabs of the bridge, making holes in the corners of each square piece. Special hooks will grab the slabs by the holes and lift them up and away, like puzzle pieces. Once the concrete is removed, the steel girders will be taken apart.

The temporary pedestrian bridge will remain throughout the demolition period.

County offers free home energy assessments to first 2,000 callers to United Way’s “2-1-1”

September 3, 2010

Westchester County is launching a new program this week that will offer free home energy assessments to the first 2,000 homeowners to call the United Way’s “2-1-1” Call Center. By signing up for an assessment, you can learn how to make your home more energy efficient, and, of course, save money. As of yesterday afternoon, 300 callers had scheduled appointments.

The Home Energy Assessment Program, sponsored by Westchester County, the Workforce Investment Board and the Business Council of Westchester have partnered to offer the assessments through professional contractors. The homeowner can then decide whether or not to go forward with more comprehensive testing and repairs if needed.

“These assessments are free, come with no obligations and may help homeowners save money in the long run,” said County Executive Robert P. Astorino. “Wasted energy costs money and hurts the environment, and this program can help on both fronts.”

Homeowners can call the United Way’s special call 2-1-1 number to set up an appointment with an authorized contractor. A representative will screen the caller to determine whether they qualify for a free assessment and answer any questions. To be eligible for the program, the homeowner’s property must be located in Westchester County; the person contacting the Call Center must be the owner of the property; and the prospective client’s dwelling must by 4,000 square feet or less. An authorized contractor will then call the homeowner directly within 24 hours to schedule an appointment.

The following contractors have been hired by the county with the help of a $200,000 federal grant: Bright Homes Energy Ideas, Comfort Solutions, Green Star Energy Solutions, All HVAC Service, Bright Home Energy Solutions and Franszoso Contracting. The participating contractors (who responded to a bid request by the county) are being reimbursed $100 for each audit they complete.

The program will run through May 31, 2011 (or until 2,000 audits are conducted – whichever comes first).

Homeowners will get the results of the complimentary assessment immediately after the contractor’s visit. At that point, homeowners can decide whether they should follow up—at their own expense—by hiring that contractor, or another, for a more comprehensive assessment, which usually involves several diagnostic tools and specialized computer software. At that point, if additional repairs are needed, the homeowner would need to arrange for those independently.

Call takers at the United Way’s 2-1-1 Call Center can also help homeowners learn about federal grants or state incentive programs that could help with any needed repair costs.

New Castle Police, Ambulance and Fire Blotters Fri. Aug. 27 to Thu. Sept. 2

08/26/2010

14:10 Seven Bridges Road Dispatched & canceled en route
20:04 Washington Ave Detector activation, no fire - unintentional

08/27/2010

08:06 Seven Bridges Rd Carbon monoxide detector activation, no CO
11:45 Turtleback Way Unintentional transmission of alarm, other
18:00 Apple Hill Lane Smoke or odor removal

08/30/2010

09:14 King st Good intent call, other
09:49 Rambling Brook Rd Alarm system sounded due to malfunction
09:52 Tanglewild Place CO detector activation due to malfunction
09:56 N. Bedford Rd Arcing, shorted electrical equipment
12:34 Tanglewid Place Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other
21:23 Washington Ave. Smoke detector activation, no fire - unintentional

09/01/2010

13:02 Roaring Brook Road Smoke detector activation, no fire - unintentional

“Everybody Is Doing It”

On September 19 2010 the Chappaqua Drama Group, in conjunction with the New Castle and Ossining Historical Societies, will present the new play titled “In Defense of the Turkey Trot”. This play recreates a momentous trial of 1912 that took place in Millwood New York where Stuart Baker defended a young eighteen year old woman named Grace Williams, who had been arrested for dancing the Turkey Trot and singing “Everybody Is Doing It.”

The trial attracted nationwide attention and the courtroom was packed with local folks and reporters from the major newspapers of the time. The reporters and spectators were not disappointed when attorney Baker requested as his defense that he sing the song “Everybody Is Doing It,” and Grace dance the Turkey Trot. Though the Judge initially denied the motion he was persuaded to change his ruling when the jury of six farmers vigorously demanded to see the show. Once completed the courtroom and the Jury loudly proclaimed Grace Williams not guilty.

The play written by Michael A. Baker, the grandson of Stuart Baker, vividly portrays the legal system and the moral divide that existed at that time. The play also is a remembrance of his family that has had a presence in the American legal system for over one hundred and fifty years. His great grandfather, Nelson Baker, was a renowned Westchester County attorney and District Attorney of Westchester County in the 1880’s, Stuart Baker was an outstanding Ossining attorney and Justice of the Peace and Michael’s Brother Stuart David Baker is a prominent New York attorney and Senior Partner at Chadbourne and Parke in New York City.

The Play will be performed at 2:00 PM on Sunday, September 19 at the Chappaqua Library Theatre with a reception following the performance catered by Susan Lawrence of Chappaqua. For information contact Michael Baker at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 914 242 2142.

Children’s Fall Discovery Programs at Teatown Lake Reservation

September 3, 2010
by Fred Koontz, Ph.D.

Hike. Discover. Explore. Teatown Lake Reservation announces the fall schedule for its popular Children’s Discovery Programs, which include programs for young children ages 2 to 4 and holiday mini-camps for children ages 4 to 12 years old.

The Children’s Discovery Series is a 10-week program that encourages children to discover and explore the world around them. Young explorers benefit from all that the fall season brings to Teatown in two separate programs beginning the week of September 20, 2010.

Little Treehuggers is geared to 2- and 3-year-olds accompanied by a parent or caregiver. The program is intended to introduce young children to the natural world and encourages both children and their parents to use all of their senses to explore autumn. Sessions are on Tuesdays from 10:00 am – 11:15 am, beginning on Tuesday, September 21 or on Wednesdays from 1:00 pm – 2:15 pm, beginning on Wednesday, September 22, running for 10 weeks. The fee is $175 for Teatown members or $190 for non-members.

Knee Hi Nature gets 4-year-olds outside in the natural world to find bugs, climb rocks, and discover different habitats. Each session features a short hike, story or craft and visits with Teatown’s collection of live animals. Sessions are on Tuesdays from 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm, beginning on Tuesday, September 21 or on Wednesdays from 10:00 am – 11:30 am, beginning on Wednesday, September 22, running for 10 weeks. The fee is $175 for Teatown members or $190 for non-members.

Teatown’s Annual Holiday Minicamps keep children busy and actively enjoying the gift of nature during school vacation. Sessions are filled with games, animals, hikes and seasonal activities Holi-daze Minicamp runs December 27 – 31, 2010 from 9:00 am – 12 noon for 4- and 5-year-olds, and from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm for 6 – 12 year olds. The fee is $160 for Teatown members or $185 for non-members (half-day program for 4- and 5-year-olds); the fee is $300 for Teatown members or $335 for nonmembers (full-day program for 6 – 12-year-olds).

An important part of Teatown’s mission is to teach ecology and encourage responsible interaction with nature in our own neighborhoods. The goal of Teatown’s education programs is to instill a love of the environment, positive attitudes toward conservation and protection, and a sense of personal and civic environmental responsibility. By stimulating interest in the sciences and environment, we hope to cultivate future generations of environmentally caring and responsible citizens. At Teatown, we believe that at the foundation of environmental protection is ecological literacy, an understanding of the local flora and fauna and the essential necessity of protecting nature, and how we as individuals can participate in creating a healthy, sustainable community.

Teatown offers a variety of environmental education programs for children and adults year-round. To learn more about our educational programs or to become a member, visit www.teatown.org.

About Teatown Lake Reservation

Teatown Lake Reservation is a nonprofit, environmental organization with an 834-acre nature preserve and education center located in the Lower Hudson Valley in the Towns of Yorktown, Cortlandt, and New Castle , New York . Teatown Lake Reservation’s mission is to conserve open space and to educate and involve the regional community in order to sustain the diversity of wildlife, plants and habitats for future generations. We are devoted to conserving biodiversity, teaching ecology and promoting nature-friendly living.

Real Estate Transactions

Ten transactions this week

September 3, 2010

Editor’s Note: Since October, 2007, NewCastleNOW.org has published every week in its real estate section information about houses sold in New Castle as that information has been released by Westchester County. All info for the last two years remains inside, in “Read More.” The records of sales released by the county are time-delayed, sometimes reflecting sales made several months prior.

New from the county clerk’s office, for the week ending September 3, 2010:

57 Old Town Crossing 7/20/10 $725,000
86 Sheather Rd 8/9/10 $2,350,000
9 Barron Circle 7/1/10 $860,000
16 West Way 8/3/10 $1,520,000
152 Birchwood Cl 12/15/09 $310,000
38 Kathleen Ln 7/12/10 $779,000
69 Byram Lake Rd 8/16/10 $450,000
20 North Pl 8/5/10 $750,000
6 Whitlaw Cl 8/4/10 $999,000
8 Cerf Ln 8/6/10 $1,774,000

New from the county clerk’s office, for the week ending August 27, 2010:

20 Hitching Post Ln 7/30/10 $1,300,000
614 Millwood Rd 6/29/10 $662,000
14 Valley Dr 7/28/10 $912,000
48 Oak Hill Rd 4/1/10 $918,000
55 Florence Dr 7/12/10 $1,075,000
10 Tanglewild Pl 7/29/10 $1,159,000
28 Ledgewood Commons 7/8/10 $452,000

New from the county clerk’s office, for the week ending August 20, 2010:

22 Petersville Rd 7/20/10 $2,250,000
32 Overlook Rd 8/2/10 $492,500

New from the county clerk’s office, for the week ending August 13, 2010:
12 Transactions:

32 Hunting Ridge Rd 7/6/10 1,036,000
24 Fox Den Rd 7/28/10 $1,160,000
White Oak Ln (vacant lot) 7/22/10 $474,390
9 Ivy Hill Rd 7/22/10 $1,501,490
8 Ledgewood Commons 6/13/10 $525,000
25 Spruce Lane N 6/25/10 $751,000
2 Chestnut Ln 5/27/10 $294,117
27 Crow Hill Rd 5/27/10 $580,588
31 Haights Cross Rd 6/8/10 $1,348,900
65 King St 6/21/10 $1,175,000
59 Kisco Park Dr 5/27/10 $935,294
75 Tripp St 7/8/10 $1,020,000

New from the county clerk’s office, for the week ending August 6, 2010:

8 Hammond Ridge Rd 7/19/2010 $1,475,000
118 Stone Bridge Sq 6/1/2810 $560,000
19 Random Farms Dr 7/7/2010 $1,305,000
23 Little Pine Rd 7/15/2010 $965,000
3 Sand St 7/16/2010 $610,000

New from the county clerk’s office, for the week ending July 30, 2010:

65 Westorchard Rd 6/29/10 $1,065,000
2 Timberline 6/28/10 $680,000
84 Campfire Rd 7/15/10 $680,000
3 Trail End 7/15/10 $2,290,000
195 Millwood Rd 5/17/10 $625,000

New from the county clerk’s office, for the week ending July 23, 2010:

8 Main St 7/1/10 $775,000
63 Kerry Ln 6/28/10 $1,150,000
3 Ledgewood Commons 6/29/10 $485,000
241 S Bedford Rd 6/23/10 $1,050,000
492 Saw Mill River Rd 6/21/10 $42,500

For the week ending July 16, 2010:

36 Neustadt Ln 6/29/10 $1,247,500
19 Aldridge Rd 6/28/10 $670,000
35 Barnes Rd 6/29/10 $575,000
8 James St 6/28/10 $1,350,000
47 Hidden Hollow Ln 6/15/10 $895,000
23 Woodmill Rd 6/25/10 $1,550,000
2 Turner Dr. S 6/28/10 $705,000
12 Cerf Ln 6/1/10 $3,200,000

None for the week ending July 9, 2010

Five transactions from the county clerk’s office for the week ending July 2, 2010:

12 Hitching Post Ln 5/21/10 $1,130,000
174 Croton Lake Rd 6/15/10 $535,000
36 Longview Ln 4/28/10 $1,250,000
182 Mill River Rd 6/16/10 $585,000
167 S Bedford Rd 6/17/10 $550,000

Transactions from the county clerk’s office for the two weeks ending June 25, 2010:

34 Old Mill Rd 6/2/10 $615,000
70 Valley Ln 6/1/10 $1,450,000
30 Deerfield Rd 5/7/10 $999,000
258 Saw Mill River Rd 7/28/44 $345,000
35 Ledgewood Commons 6/10/10 $464,000
128 Bayverry Cl 6/2/10 $505,500
28 Birch Dr 6/3/10 $527,500
27 Ledgewood Commons 4/1/10 $410,000
22 Neustadt Ln 6/14/10 $1,632,500

No transactions to report for the week ending June 18, 2010

Reported by the county for the week ending June 11, 2010:

Hardscrabble Rd 5/19/10 600,000
97 Cross River Rd 5/20/10 990,000
15 Lori Ln 5/19/10 773,000
2 Southview Rd 5/13/10 695,000
Hardscrabble Rd 5/19/10 500,000
6 Melanie Dr. 5/3/10 1,200,000
9 Barnes Rd 5/17/10 955,000

Eight housing transactions to report in the week ending May 28, 2010:

108 Millwood Rd 5/3/10 $575,000
297 King St 5/5/01 $600,000
149 King St 4/28/10 $649,000
116 Orchard Ridge Rd 4/23/10 $605,000
146 Deer Run 4/29/10 $300,000
70 Mt. Peak Rd 4/2/10 $500,000
10 Sabina 5/5/10 $635,000
167 Birchwood Cl 5/3/10 $372,888

No transactions to report for the week ending May 21, 2010.

From the County Clerk’s office, for the week ending Friday, May 14, 2010:

22 Kipp St 4/27/10 $740,000
14 Devoe Pl 4/20/10 $690,000

From the County Clerk’s office, for the week ending Friday, May 7, 2010

9 Deer Run 7/1/09 $625,000
9 Grace Ln 3/16/10 $410,111
38 Kitchel Rd 4/5/10 $950,000
78 Edgewood Rd 2/17/10 $470,000
6 Garden Ridge 4/13/10 $794,000
18 Deer Ridge Rd 4/12/10 $870,000
148 Fieldstone Dr 4/6/10 $750,000
4 Winthrop Rd 4/16/10 $1,820,000

From the County Clerk’s office, four more houses sold for the weekend ending April 16, 2010:

45 Hammond Ridge 3/31/20 $1,750,000
72 Tripp St 2/22/10 $376,870
578 Millwood Rd 2/12/10 $290,000
59 Spring Valley Rd 2/12/10 $290,000

No new house sales to report today, April 2, 2010, but see our article of March 25, 2010, “Good grief: Revisiting your assessment,” to learn about hours John McGrory is available to speak with you about your property and what you should do to prepare.

One Home Sold in New Castle from March 25, 2010 to April 7, 2010.

Sold ....Address .............Selling Price / Original Price / Days-on-Market

4/1/10 48 Oak Hill $918,000 $899,000 66

Twenty Homes Sold in New Castle from January 1, 2010 to March 23, 2010.

Sold ....Address .............Selling Price / Original Price / Days-on-Market

1/27 81 Pheasant Run $410,000 $465,000 92
1/26 3 Hillside Place $479,000 $539,000 266
2/24 182 S. Bedford Rd. $545,000 $599,000 222
3/19 3 Appletree Hill, Mt.K $685,000 $785,000 179
2/16 4 Laurel Ln, Pvlle $710,000 $674,000 78
1/4 34 Meadow Lane $727,000 $749,000 73
3/24 7 Old RBR, Mt.K $737,000 $778,000 145
2/18 88 Greenwood La $834,000 $899,000 163
1/19 774 King St $764,000 $1,095,000 372
2/3 67 Ludlow Dr $850,000 $879,000 114
1/14 54 McKesson Hill $885,100 $878,000 103
2/15 59 Valley View Dr $900,000 $1,050,000 224
2/22 121 Commodore Rd $925,000 $949,000 49
1/28 21 Tanglewild Rd $935,000 $1,195,000 332
1/22 9 Killington $1,048,000 $1,099,000 200
2/5 15 Upland Dr $1,050,000 $1,195,000 214
2/18 32 Random Fms Dr $1,165,000 $1,475,000 346
2/16 27 Round Hill Pl $1,591,750 $$1,700,000 137
2/2 1 Brittany Ct $1,620,000 $1,650,000 216
2/9 35 Taylor Rd, Mt.K $3,175,000 $3,250,000 277

In the week ending March 19, 2010, the County Clerk’s office releases three more housing transactions:

88 Greenwood Ln 2/18/10 $834,000
121 Commodore Rd 2/19/10 $925,000
182 S Bedford Rd 2/24/10 $545,000

In the week ending March 12, 2010, the County Clerk’s office releases six more housing transactions:

32 Random Farms Dr 2/18/10 $1,156,265
250 Pines Bridge Rd 12/29/09 $1,080,000
67 Ludlow Dr 2/2/10 $850,000
59 Valley View Rd 2/12/10 $900,000
15 Upland Dr 2/5/10 $1,050,000
182 S Bedford Rd 2/24/10 $545,000

After a bit of a dry spell for the last several weeks, by the week ending March 5, 2010, ten houses sold:

Location Sale Date Price

54 McKesson Hill Rd 1/14/10 $885,100

110 Mil River Rd 6/11/09 $425,000

18 Lakeview Rd 8/11/09 $720,000

38 Birch Dr 2/1/10 $520,000

9 Killington St 1/21/10 $1,048,000

68 Overlook Dr 12/8/09 $1,360,000

38 Pines Bridge Rd 2/2/10 $595,000

21 Tanglewild Rd 1/28/10 $935,000

35 Taylor Rd 2/9/10 $3,125,000

81 Pheasant Run 1/27/10 $410,000

A computer glitch at town hall for the week ending Friday, February 26, has delayed receipt of the list of transactions from the county clerk’s office. We’ll add them as soon as we receive them.

No new housing transactions to report for the week ending February 19, 2010

No new housing transactions to report for the week ending February 12, 2010

Latest Transactions from County Clerk’s Office for the week ending February 5, 2010:

2 Stony Hollow Rd 12/10/09 1,370,000

177 Birchwood Cl 12/9/09 395,000

42 Touchstone Way 9/18/20 241,314

7 Fernbrook Dr 4/30/09 1,225,000

8 Deer Run 1/4/01 500,000

No transactions to report for the week ending January 29, 2010

See “2009 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Residential Real Estate Sales Report.”

Transactions for the week ending January 22, 2010:

18 Stornowaye 12/16/09 $850,000

66 King St 12/10/09 $1,180,000

36 Meadow Ln 1/4/10 $727,000

52 Old Town Crsg. 12/14/09 $700,000

205 Millwood Rd 11/12/09 $942,500

26 Mt. Peak Rd 12/11/09 $900,000

84 Campfire Rd 12/23/09 $680,000

16 Adams Rd 11/13/09 $828,000

365 Whippoorwill Rd 12/22/09 $2,625,000

In the week ending January 15, 2010, eight houses were reported by the county clerk’s office as sold:

3 Garey Dr 11/23/09 $808,000

20 Laurelton Rd 12/1/09 $454,000

43 Crossways 12/3/09 $646,000

10 Valley Ln 12/9/09 $723,975

1 Cedar Ln 12/1/09 $785,000

53 Touchstone Way 12/2/09 $538,000

67 Pheasant Run 12/10/09 $392,000

257 Millwood Rd 11/23/09 $1,100,000

No transactions to report for the week ending January 8, 2010.

In the week ending January 1, 2010, nine houses were reported by the county clerk’s office as sold:

5 Pondfield Dr N 12/10/09 $940,000

7 Bretton Ridge Rd 11/12/09 $1,162,500

25 Oak Hill Rd 11/30/09 $570,000

147 S Bedford Rd 11/25/09 $670,000

8 Twin Ridges Rd 11/25/09 $617,000

54 Taylor Rd 12/3/09 $850,000

1300 Hardscrabble Rd 11/20/09 $234,954

640 King St 11/24/09 $855,000

10 Deepwood Dr 11/16/09 $765,000

In the week ending December 18, 2009, houses reported by the county clerk’s office as sold:

51 Ludlow Dr 11/12/09 1,072,500

31 Old Lyme Rd 10/13/09 1,180,000

32 Valley View Rd 10/10/09 1,155,000

18 Hollow Ridge Rd 11/4/09 2,150,000

21 Avenue A 10/16/09 565,000

55 Wildwood Rd 11/10/09 660,000

23 Aspen Rd 11/6/09 855,000

No transactions to report for the week ending December 11, 2009

11 transactions reported for the week ending December 4, 2009:

Address Date of Sale Price

46 Overlook Rd 10/19/09 $526,000

12 Marshall Ln 9/23/09 $850,000

25 West Orchard Rd 9/16/09 $780,000

55 Pine Cliff Rd 9/15/09 $545,000

55 Kisco Park Dr 9/25/09 $750,000

4 Kathleen Ln 9/17/09 $555,000

70 Old Roaring Brook 9/4/09 $3,175,000

22 High Meadows 9/16/09 $2,700,000

1039 Hardscrabble Rd 10/26/09 $677,000

26 Granite Rd 10/22/09 $774,500

2 Bradley Farms 10/29/09 $1,430,000

No transactions to report for the week ending November 27

12 house sales from Sept-Oct for the week ending November 20, 2009:

Address Date of Sale Price

303 N Greeley Ave 9/2/09 347,000

19 Maria Ln 9/4/09 643,500

130 Harriman Rd 9/9/09 350,000

171 Birchwood Cl 9/23/09 320,000

8 Berrybrook Cl 9/25/09 1,260,000

337 N Greeley Ave 10/5/09 393,975

45 Crow Hill Rd 10/6/09 565,000

419 Whippoorwill Rd 10/6/09 1,200,000

57 Whippoorwill Crsg. 10/14/09 2,000,000

46 Valley View Rd 10/15/09 862,500

145 Ridgewood Terr 10/19/09 674,000

41 Whippoorwill Lake Rd 10/22/09 1,200,000

November 13, 2009

No transactions from the county clerk’s office to report the week ending Friday, November 13.

No transactions from the county clerk’s office to report the week ending Friday, November 6.

October 30, 2009

Address Date of Sale Price Paid

5 James Rd 9/10/09 $982,500

5 Mayberry Cl 9/10/09 $700,000

636 Quaker St 9/4/09 $850,000

34 Westochard Rd 9/10/09 $773,000

35 Birch Dr 8/5/09 $800,000
_______________

MLS third quarter statistics for Westchester and Putnam counties
Excerpt reprinted with permission from the Westchester-Putnam Multiple Listing Service, Inc.

October 19, 2009

While the area’s residential real estate market has struggled in recessionary mode all year long, there has nevertheless been a steady improvement in the sales rate over the past nine months. Realtor participants of the Westchester-Putnam Multiple Listing Service, Inc. reported a total of 1,898 closings of Westchester residential real estate transactions in July through September, a level that was 9.7% less than last year’s third quarter closings, but that was considerably improved over the second and first quarter sales volumes which were off by 30.7% and 36.6%, respectively, from the prior year.

On a seasonally adjusted basis (see chart below), the third quarter Westchester closings were equivalent to an annual sales rate of 6,170 units, an increase of 30.7% over the prior quarter, constituting a very large bounce-back from the barely 4,000-unit level posted in the first three months of the year.

Putnam County’s performance, though not as vigorous as Westchester’s, also showed improvement in the third quarter. The 186 posted closings were 18.1% fewer than last year’s, whereas the first quarter closings were down by 30.5%.

________________

October 23, 2009 Real Estate Transactions: One additional house reported by the County Clerk’s office: 66 Crest Road, sold 9/2/09, for $600,000

Editor’s Note: Since October, 2007, NewCastleNOW.org has published every week in its real estate section information about houses sold in New Castle as that information has been released by Westchester County. The records of sales released by the county are time-delayed, sometimes reflecting sales made several months prior.

For the week ending October 16, 2009: No transactions from to report from County Clerk’s office.

For the week ending October 9, 2009:

Address Date Sold Price

2 Spring Ln 9/9/09 $720,000

111 Orchard Rd 9/4/09 $825,000

115 Woods End 8/17/09 $610,000

16 Rambling Brook Rd 8/28/09 $500,000

40 North Way 8/31/09 $1,300,000

87 Sheather Rd 8/7/09 $830,000

19 Spring Glen Dr 7/31/09 $1,100,000

8 Main St 7/23/09 $345,000

55 Rambling Brook Rd 8/24/09 $502,500

34 Sand St 8/10/09 $561,700

No transactions to report from the county clerk’s office for the week ending October 2, 2009.

An additional 24 real estate transactions for 2009, as of the week ending 9/11/09:

Address .....................Asking Price….............Selling Price

1015 Hardscrabble Rd ....... $399,000 ... $380,000

366 Saw Mill Rd ...... $411,357 .....$398,475

16 Castle Rd ..... $635,000 ..... $590,000

127 Old Roaring Brook Rd ..... $599,000 ..... $602,100

9 Horseshoe Rd ..... $719,000 ..... $677,900

287 Quaker Rd .....$749,000….. $723,000

30 Algonquin Dr .....$795,000 .....$725,000

12 Whitlaw Ln .....$739,000 .....$728,250

48 Valley View .....$799,000 .....$735,800

188 N Bedford Rd .....$799,500 .....$820,000

15 Pin Oak Ln .....$999,999 .....$952,500

24 Commodore Rd .....$1,050,000…. $962,000

23 Whitlaw Ln .....$1,050,000 .....$992,500

10 Barron Cir .....$1,195,000….. $1,060,000

12 Suzanne La .....$1,120,000 .....$1,162,000

6 Random Farms Dr .....$1,374,900…. $1,237,500

40 North Way .....$1,370,000 .....$1,300,000

47 James Rd .....$1,395,000 .....$1,335,000

97 Haights Cross Rd .....$1,578,000…..$1,450,000

Condos:

30 Ledgewood Commons…..$429,000 .....$405,000

10 Ledgewood Commons .....$499,000 .....$467,000

54 Touchstone Way .....$579,000 .....$530,000

121 Stone Bridge Sq .....$549,000 .....$545,000

9 Deer Run .....$659,000 .....$625,000

Previous transactions from the County Clerk’s office:

July 9, 2009

366 Saw Mill River Road $395,000

July 13, 2009

3 Taylor Rd $1,275,000

July 17, 2009

28 Fox Den Road $947,500

July 22, 2009

24 Garey Drive $645,000

July 23, 2009

26 Hollow Ridge Road $2,100,000

July 24, 2009

7 Glenn Terrace $870,000
15 Grace Lane $497,222

July 27, 2009

44 Begg Drive $665,500

July 28, 2009

95 Valley View $1,160,000

July 31, 2009

66 Lawrence Farms Drive $3,000,000

August 4, 2009

49 Hilltop Drive $1,080,000

Four real estate transactions from the County Clerk’s office for the week ending August 28, 2009:

.Address…...............................Date sold…...........Price
41 Jeffrey Lane…..........................7/10/2009 ...............$765,000
55 Castle Road….........................7/20/2009…..............$545,000
52 Taylor Road…..........................7/1/2009 ..................$1,100,000
1120 Hardscrabble Road…...........7/24/2009…...............$775,000

No transactions from the County Clerk’s office to report for the week ending August 21, 2009.

Four real estate transactions from the County Clerk’s office for the week ending August 14, 2009:

.Address…...............................Date sold…...........Price

1 Spring Lane…............................7/15/2009…............$855,000

85 Hidden Hollow Lane…...............6/25/2009…............$650,000

8 North Way…..............................5/28/2009…............$1,350,000

53 Touchstone Way…...................5/30/2009…............$527,000

Real estate transactions for the week ending August 7, 2009:

.Address…...............................Date sold…...........Price

20 Hollow Ridge Road ............. 3/31/2009….........$2,231,298

9 Bradley Farms…................... 6/25/2009….........$1,275,000

11 Mohegan Drive….................. 7/1/2009…...........$1,575,000

132 Bayberry Close…................ 6/25/2009….........$490,000

122 Orchard Ridge Road…........... 6/29/2009….........$524,000

20 Main Street…........................7/7/2009…...........$710,000

23 Rose Lane…........................ 6/30/2009….........$895,000

1 Laurel Lane…......................... 7/1/2009…...........$1,221,875

31 Taylor Road…......................6/25/2009…...........$2,775,000

______________________

Westchester and Putnam County Second Quarter Report for 2009

“Although recent Westchester and Putnam County sales volumes remained well below the levels achieved in 2008 and prior years, the trend to ever-weaker sales rates since 2007 was noticeably arrested during the second quarter of 2009.” Click to see the entire report.

______________________

For the week ending July 17, 2009: One sale to report from county records:

4 Deer Run sold 6/17/2009 $400,000

July 10, 2009: 23 real estate sales in New Castle in first six months of 2009

Single Family

Address Selling price
417 Saw Mill River Rd. $389,000

110 Mill River Rd. $425,000

376 Quaker Road $500,000

137 Seven Bridges Rd. $645,000

283 Millwood Road $648,500

85 Hidden Hollow Ln. $650,000

21 Dogwood Road $659,500

7 Mayberry Road $745,000

15 Skywood Road $750,000

165 Douglas Road $767,000

124 Devoe Rd. $880,000

72 Oak Hill Road $908,000

6 Tall Timber $925,000

31 Heritage Drive $1,040,000

10 Deerfield Rd. $1,200,000

7 Fernbrook Drive $1,225,000

34 Hilltop Drive $1,250,000

426 Hardscrabble Road $1,286,000

15 Colony Row $1,350,000

8 North Way $1,350,000

34 Aldridge Road $1,400,000

Lots

“Lot 2 Briarcliff Road” $2,525,000

Condos

82 Pheasant Run . . . . . . . . . $474,000 . . . . $440,000

______________________________________
June 26, 2009 edition of NewCastleNOW.org

Six houses sold between May 28 and June 25 in New Castle:

417 Saw Mill River Rd, Millwood, sold 5/28 $389,000

110 Mill River Rd, Chappaqua, sold 6/11 $425,000

85 Hidden Hollow Ln, Millwood, sold 6/25 $650,000

124 Devoe Rd, Chappaqua, sold 6/04 $880,000

10 Deerfield Rd, Chappaqua, sold 6/02 $1,200,000

8 North Way, Chappaqua, sold 5/29 $1,350,000
_______________

June 19, 2009:

In 2007, 91 residents contested their assessments; in 2008 the number rose to 144. Of those 144 cases, 55 property owners were granted reductions in their assessed values totaling $3.7 million. This year, 643 residents filed grievances to reduce their assessments, 52 of whom came to town hall to appear before the board of assessment review to make their cases.
Click here to read “Good grief: getting your property assessment reduced,” in our June 5, 2009 edition.

No real estate transactions from the County Clerk’s office to report for the week finishing June 19, 2009.

No real estate transactions from the County Clerk’s office to report for the week finishing June 12, 2009.

Previous Weeks

May 29, 2009

Fifteen houses sold in first five months of 2009 in CCSD

Editor’s Note: Since our inception in October, 2007, NewCastleNOW.org has published every week in its real estate section information about houses sold in New Castle as that information has been released by Westchester County. The records of sales released by the county are time-delayed, sometimes reflecting sales made several months prior.

The following list of properties was compiled for NewCastleNOW.org that reflects real estate sales within the Chappaqua Central School District from January 1 through May 27, 2009. Properties in contract, waiting to close, are not listed.

Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Listing Price . . Selling Price

Single Family

376 Quaker Road . . . . . . . $525,000 . . . . $500,000

137 Seven Bridges Rd . . . . $699,000 . . . . $645,000

283 Millwood Road . . . . . . $693,500 . . . . $648,500

21 Dogwood Road . . . . . . . $715,000 . . . . $659,500

7 Mayberry Road . . . . . . . . $799,000 . . . . $745,000

15 Skywood Road . . . . . . . .$699,000 . . . . $750,000

165 Douglas Road . . . . . . . . $799,000 . . . . $767,000

72 Oak Hill Road . . . . . . . . . $949,000 . . . . $908,000

6 Tall Timber . . . . . . . . . . . . .$949,000 . . . . $925,000

31 Heritage Drive . . . . . . . $1,189,000 . . . $1,040,000

7 Fernbrook Drive . . . . . . $1,299,000 . . . $1,225,000

34 Hilltop Drive . . . . . . . . . $1,398,500 . . . $1,250,000

426 Hardscrabble Road . . $1,350,000 . . . $1,286,000

15 Colony Row . . . . . . . . . $1,495,000 . . . $1,350,000

34 Aldridge Road . . . . . . . $1,475,000 . . . $1,400,000

Lots

“Lot 2 Briarcliff Road” . . . $2,400,000 . . . $2,525,000

Condos

82 Pheasant Run . . . . . . . . . $474,000 . . . . $440,000

Previous Transactions Reported in NewCastleNOW.org

No sales listed for the week ending May 22, 2009

No sales listed for the week ending May 15, 2009

No sales listed for the week ending May 8, 2009

No sales listed for the week ending May 1, 2009

See stats and charts from “Multiple Listing Service reports 41% drop in first quarter residential sales in Westchester” printed in last week’s edition.

No sales listed for the week ending April 24, 2009

No sales listed for the week ending April 17, 2009

No sales listed for the week ending April 10, 2009

No sales listed for the week ending April 3, 2009.

No sales listed for the week ending March 26, 2009.

No sales listed for the week ending March 20, 2009.

See our article on tax grievance in today’s edition, with links to more info on the reassessment process.

No sales listed for the week ending March 13, 2009.

Published week ending March 6, 2009

Address…......................Price ................Date of Transaction

401 Quaker Road ......... $490,000 ........ 11/7/08
353 Sarles Street ......... $940,000 .......12/30/08

No sales listed for the week ending February 27

No sales listed for the week ending February 20.

Published week of February 13, 2009

Address…............ .....sale date…................Price

21 Dogwood Road…...1/20/2009;................$659,500
82 Pheasant Run…......1/23/2009…..............$440,000
6 Tall Timber Road…...1/15/2009 ................$925,000
7 Mayberry Road…......1/16/2009….............$745,000

Published week of February 6, 2009

Address….............................. Price

2 Seth Canyon Road;...............$ 847,500
281A Croton Dam Road….........$175,000
28 James Road….....................$1,350,000
21 Pond Hill Road…..................$805,000

Published week of January 30, 2009

Address….............................. Price

48 Quaker Bridge Road…..........$1,550,000
150 N Bedford Road.,Unit 5B…...$327,000
20 Taconic Road…....................$840,000
9 Peck Road…..........................$1,720,000

Published week of January 23, 2009

Address….............................. Price

306 Millwood Road….............$ 835,000
139 Devoe Road….................$ 1,200,000
14 Pineview Road…...............$ 680,000
24 Algonquin Drive…..............$ 1,800,000

Published week of January 16, 2009

Address….............................. Price

372 Saw Mill River Road…........$410,000
78 Edgewood Road….................$450,000

Published week of January 9, 2009

Address….............................. Price

2 Briarcliff Road…....................$ 717,500
11 Breckenridge Road…...........$ 942,500
151 Pinesbridge Road ...............$592,000

Published week of January 2, 2009

Address….............................. Price

No houses were reported this week as sold. This doesn’t mean that no houses were sold; there is a lag between the time a house sells and the time it appears in the County Clerk’s records.

Published week of December 26, 2008

Address….............................. Price

175 Harriman Road…...............$ 602,500
18 Adams Road…....................$537,000

Published week of December 19, 2008

Address….............................. Price

29 Kisco Park Drive…...................$898,000
127 Somerstown Road…...............$540,000
38 Langeland Drive…....................$550,000
190 Bedford Road….....................$1,420,000

Published week of December 12, 2008

Address….............................. Price

163 Birchwood Close…............$ 325,000
7 Fawn Ridge….......................$ 400,000
11 Frog Rock Road…...............$ 925,000

Published week of December 5, 2008

Address….............................. Price
39 Kathleen Lane…...................$735,000
152 Douglas Road…..................$510,000
8 Ludlow Drive….......................$1,400,000
24 Upland Drive…......................$2,975,000
4 Bittersweet Lane….................$1,220,000

Published week of November 28, 2008

Address….............................. Price

643 King Street (5 Lots).............$4,000,000
75 Hidden Hollow Lane…...........$650,000
643 King Street…......................$2,400,000
75 N Greeley Avenue…..............$835,000
362 King Street….....................$375,000

Published week of November 21, 2008

Address….............................. Price

920 Hardscrabble Road….........$ 920,000
10 Fox Den Road….................$ 1,485,000
29 Garey Drive….....................$ 825,000
126 Cross River Road…...........$ 850,000

Published week of November 14, 2008

Address….............................. Price

50 Spring Lane…......................$888,000
27 Hidden Hollow Ln\ane…........$666,000
24 S Greeley Avenue….............$525,000
373 N Greeley Avenue…...........$375,000
10 Shady Lane….....................$1,655,000
134 Bayberry Close…..............$ 625,000
43 Hammond Ridge…..............$ 2,033,100
619 Quaker Street…................$ 855,000

Published week of November 7, 2008

Address….............................. Price
3 Club Way…..........................$ 1,330,000
31 Hammond Ridge…...............$1,650,000
61 Indian Hill Road….................$974,000
9 Hitching Post Lane…..............$1,200,000
28 Bretton Ridge Road…............$1,450,000
89 Pines Bridge Road….............$772,000

Published week of October 31, 2008

Address….............................. Price
7 Vetere Place…......................$1,050,000
2 Kerry Lane…..........................$1,850,000
7 Deepwood Drive…..................$865,000
150 N Bedord Rd, Unit 7E….......$545,000
23 Waters Edge….....................$575,250
7 Frog Rock Road…..................$995,000
26 Ledgewood Commons…........$500,000

Published week of October 24, 2008

Address….............................. Price
1 Alpine Lane….......................$ 1,425,000
34 Morton Place…...................$ 990,000
378 Quaker Road….................$ 545,000
732 Quaker Street…................$ 755,000
11 Colony Row….....................$ 1,170,000
2 Kisco Park Drive…................$ 735,000
138 Deer Run….......................$ 321,000
25 Winthrop Road….................$ 937,500
144 Orchard Ridge Road…........$640,150

Published week of October 17, 2008

Address….............................. Price
23 Deepwood Hill…...................$800,000
50 Inningwood Road…................$520,000
1 Sunset Dr North…...................$1,803,084
334 N Greeley Avenue….............$410,000
40 Fox Den Road…....................$802,370
5 Hammond Ridge…...................$1,774,691
737 Washington Avenue…...........$610,000
19 Turner Dr South…...................$950,000

Published week of October 10, 2008

Address….............................. Price
20 McKesson Hill Road…..........$1,239,000
11 Round Hill Road…................$1,757,000
114 Byram Lake Road…...........$1,695,000
40 Old Lyme Road….................$950,000
49 Brook Farm Close….............$690,000
5 Sunset Drive….......................$1,189,000
46 Westorchard Road….............$1,140,000
4 Ivy Ridge Court…....................$766,500

Published week of October 3, 2008

Address….............................. Price

45 Touchstone Way .................$ 455,100
5 Sutton Farm Dr ive…..............$ 3,664,059
160 Old Roaring Brook Road…...$ 360,000
8 Fawn Ridge…..........................$ 380,000

Published week of September 26, 2008

6 Pin Oak Lane…..................$ 1,100,000
15 Devoe Place…..................$ 994,000
2 Wildcat Road…..................$ 1,590,500
44 Barnes Road….................$ 499,000
15 Turner Drive South…..........$ 1,150,000
42 Prospect Drive…...............$ 615,000
42 Prospect Drive…................$ 637,000
15 Taylor Road…...................$ 4,500,000

Published week of September 19, 2008

Address….............................. Price

615 North State Road…............$550,000
33 Ludlow Drive .......................$1,526,000
180 Millwood Road…................$702,500
2 Gedney Way…......................$2,425,000
107 Rambling Brook Road…......$530,000
40 Carolyn Place…...................$3,725,000
18 North Bridge Place…............$999,999

Published week of September 12, 2008

Address….............................. Price
185 Orchard Ridge Road…..........$760,000
78 Old Chimmey Road….............$1,400,000
50 Smith Street…......................$1,225,000
12 Woodmill Road…..................$2,190,000
84 Random Farms Drive….........$1,772,500
187 Croton Avenue…................$880,000
160 Hunts Lane….....................$6,600,000 (World Cup Gym)

Published week of September 5, 2008

Address….............................. Price

88 Random Farms Cir cle…........$1,217,000
49 Kitchel Road….....................$2,050,000
2 Whippoorwill Close…..............$1,150,000
113 Random Farms Drive…........$1,550,000
765 King Street…......................$2,050,000
6 Crow Hill Road….....................$899,000
41 North Way….........................$1,452,500
52 Old Lyme Road…..................$1,315,000

Published week of August 29, 2008

Address….............................. Price

417 Saw Mill River Road….........$572,186
41 Indian Hill Road….................$1,040,000
150 N Bedford Rd., Unit 5B….....$646,500
131 Ruxton Road…...................$990,000
63 Tripp St reet…......................$1,500,000
5 Marian Place…......................$735,000
34 Bischoff Avenue….................$379,500
120 Marcourt Drive….................$3,000,000
24 Kathleen Lane…...................$625,000

Published week of August 22, 2008

Address….............................. Price

50 Seven Bridges Road…..........$685,000
341 Whippoorwill Road…...........$8,372,500
23 Derby Lane….......................$529,200
19 Gregory Lane…....................$1,270,500
24 Valley View….......................$1,275,000
78 Edgewood Road….................$588,510

Published week of August 15, 2008

Address….............................. Price

2 Circle Dr ive…..................$600,000
43 Shingle House Road…....$930,000
10 Chappaqua Mtn. Road….$815,000
396 Saw Mill River Road…...$370,000
309 N Greeley Avenue…......$360,000
20 Overbrook Drive…............$790,000
9 Derby Lnane….................$730,000
6 Ludlow Drive….................$1,185,000
36 Edgewood Road…..........$587,000

Published week of August 8, 2008
Address….............................. Price

24 Ludlow Drive…......................$1,999,000
25 Pheasant Run…....................$554,900
19 Lawrence Farms Crossway….$1,250,000
83 Indian Hilll Road….................$1,020,000

Published week of August 1, 2008
Address….............................. Price

19 Williams Lane…................. $ 1,110,000
37 Marcourt Drive…..................$1,085,000
81 Tripp St reet…......................$1,875,000
3 Highpoint Circle…..................$1,170,000
31 Derby Lane….......................$ 550,000
65 Seven Bridges Road…..........$ 769,000
16 Club Way….........................$1,540,000
12 Glendale Road…..................$ 555,000

Published week of July 25, 2008
Address….............................. Price

39 Rambling Brook Road….........$625,000
101 Marcourt Drive…..................$765,500
133 Seven Bridges Road…..........$650,000
95 Marcourt Drive…....................$939,250
19 Williams Lane…....................$1,110,000
37 Marcourt Drive…....................$1,085,000

Published week of July 18, 2008
Address….............................. Price

343 N Greeley Avenue…............$435,000
12 Hemlock Hollow Road…........$1,157,000
22 Cross Ridge Road….............$805,000
717 Washington Avenue….........$560,000
7 Conte Lane…........................$909,729

Published week of July 11, 2008

Address….............................. Price
778 Armonk Road…..................$905,000
29 Hilltop Drive…......................$903,350

Photo by Blumenfeld

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UPDATE: Late-breaking Info

Tuesday, August 31

• Electronic version of the Chappaqua Crossing FEIS appears on town website

The final environmental impact statement for Chappaqua Crossing appeared on the town’s website yesterday. To reach the multiple documents click HERE. The third pdf down, numbered (out of order)“1. CHAPPAQUA CROSSING - Modified Project Petition dated July 22, 2010,” contains details of the most recent proposal, for 199 condominium units (60 townhouses, 139 apartments). See *** below, in bold font.

This statement from the town introduces the document list:

“This document is under consideration by the New Castle Town Board and has not been accepted by it. The Town Board is posting this draft FEIS on the New Castle Town web site to facilitate public review of it prior to the open discussion scheduled for the Town Board meeting on Tuesday, September 28, 2010. A hard copy of the entire draft FEIS continues to be available to the public for review in the Town Clerk’s office during regular business hours.”

The documents on the town’s website are listed in the following order:

4. CHAPPAQUA CROSSING - Draft FEIS dated July 2010 - Volume 3

This is a comment log of around 60 pages listing thousands of comments, the person who made the comment and the location of the answer to the comment, but not the comments themselves. Also included are a few pages of transcript of comments.

5. CHAPPAQUA CROSSING - Draft FEIS Supplement - Section III.L

This 58-page section contains a nine-page reprinted section of the Modified Plan that discusses the donation of 6.5 acres to the town for recreational purposes. The remaining 49 pages contain the developer’s traffic consultants’ traffic report.

*** 1. CHAPPAQUA CROSSING - Modified Project Petition dated July 22, 2010

The most useful for an overall view of the latest proposal by the developer, this section has a very useful first few pages of index, then 70-some pages of narrative and description of the project by the developer.

2. CHAPPAQUA CROSSING - Draft FEIS dated July 2010 - Volume 1
THIS TAKES A LONG TIME TO LOAD

A big volume, 1235 pages in total, with 16 pages of index up front, then a five-page Executive Summary (very comprehensible, not highly technical), many maps and a fiscal analysis by the developer’s consultants at around p. 506 of the 1235 pages; traffic analysis at around p. 548 of the pdf.

3. CHAPPAQUA CROSSING - Draft FEIS dated July 2010 - Volume 2
THIS TAKES A LONG TIME TO LOAD

At 3241 pages, the biggest volume mounted, this one contains around 300 pages of residents’ comments during hearing sessions followed at around p. 326 with a report on “Alternative Reuse” of the site.
_____________________________________________

Football

Editorial note: Which kind of last-week-of-summer person are you?

August 27, 2010

Are you the kind who spends the last week of summer running around squeezing in all the activities that never made it off the to-do list, like that trip to Six Flags or Playland (“But, you promised!”), or that exhibit at the museum in the City that only runs until August 31? Yikes! Or perhaps you can’t bear to miss the play that completes its run on Sunday, September 5? So you continue full speed ahead right up until the Labor Day weekend (during which you probably have tickets to the U.S. Open!)

Or are you the kind who managed to fit it all in, have all the memories neatly sorted in digital format and have already edited the vacation video of the kids to send to grandma? So you are out the door on Monday armed with school supply lists and headed to Staples.
(Or you might be the grandma, back from a trip to the see the grandkids, with the pics downloaded and looking forward to some peace and quiet.)

Or have you already loaded up the SUV with all those things your college-bound student cannot live without, made the long journey to your child’s new home and are back, flipping through photo albums wondering how the years flew by so fast?

Or perhaps, just perhaps, you are one of those people who manage to save that final week of summer to, well, just savor the end of summer, and allow those first hints of autumn to tickle your nose. Sitting on the deck enjoying the cooler evenings, watching the first yellow leaves appear and the squirrels collect nuts with increasing intensity.

Christine and I fall into the last category. So we are on vacation, sort of. (But we will still keep our ears to the ground and publish on our regular schedule.)

Getting our readers set for September

We are taking this opportunity during the slow news, dog days of summer, to give you some food for thought for September. We have compiled a list of the “Top 30 Stories of the summer,” all hyperlinked, so if you just click on the title, you will go to the whole story and the commentary from readers at the end of each story. That should help those of you who have been away from your laptops, notebooks and Blackberry’s (lucky you!) to catch up on what’s been happening in New Castle this summer.

Two important meetings are coming up in September that need community participation. On Tuesday, September 7 at 7:00 p.m. the Chappaqua Central School District Board of Education will hold an open interview session in the Academic Commons at the high school with the two firms that are being considered to lead the district in its superintendent search this year. The meeting is open to the public, and after the board members question representatives from the two firms about how they will conduct the search, New Castle residents are invited to pose questions to the firm representatives as well. After the completion of the interviews, the board is interested in hearing commentary from those who attend the meeting about the two firms under consideration.

On Tuesday, September 28, the New Castle Town Board will conduct an information session at town hall during their regularly scheduled meeting on the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Chappaqua Crossing submitted by developer Summit Greenfield. (Time and format still “to be announced.”) Since we started our comment section this spring, we have received over 350 comments on the articles we have written and the reports and letters to the editor that we have published about Chappaqua Crossing. We have put those all together for your convenience of review on this significant topic. Click HERE to review them and offer your comments.

We hope everyone has enjoyed a wonderful summer, and no matter what kind of end-of- summer person you are, that you have the best last-week-of-summer ever!

Susie Pender, Editor

NEW: Volunteer meeting for farmers’ market @ Chappaqua train station, set to open in September

Meeting Wed., Sept. 1 at town hall
Monday, August 30, 2010
by Nancy Oren Lyman and Priscilla Sorensen

We’ve been working this summer to put together a Farmers’ Market at the Chappaqua train station, which is set to open Saturday, September 11 and run every Saturday through November. We’ll have fruits and vegetables, cheeses, milk, eggs, baked goods, jellies and wine. It will be slightly different kind of farmers’ market because its success will dependent on the direct involvement of local residents and businesses in running the market.

Community and school groups, New Castle merchants and even local musicians will be invited to be a part of the Chappaqua farmers’ market. Volunteers will help out on market Saturdays with set-up, sales and cleanup. The market will be managed by Cynthia Brennan of TABLE Local Market in Bedford Hills.

We still need volunteers for market days, beginning Saturday, September 11. We’re holding an orientation meeting for anyone interested in helping out on market days this
Wednesday, September 1 at 7:00 p.m. at the New Castle Town Hall, conference room A. The market hours will be Saturdays during September from10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., then 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. during October and November. Cynthia Brennan and Market Manager Lucia Maestro will be on hand to explain the mission behind the market and the role of our volunteers.

Please join us. If you can’t make the meeting, but are interested in hearing more about volunteer opportunities, email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Nancy Oren Lyman and Priscilla Sorensen are long-time residents of New Castle.

From NCNOW.org’s archives, see “Setting the sustainable table: Local sources provide tasty alternative to the industrial food system,” July 16, 2010, by Laura Rossi-Ortiz

Cynthia Brennan of TABLE Local Market

NEW: “Photology” at the Chappaqua Library gallery, Thursday wine and cheese reception

Monday, August 30, 2010
by Dan Baitch

Over the past months, during an unscheduled career break, I’ve spent a lot of time with a close friend, a Nikon D-90.

He has (I think he’s a he) taken me to places people normally don’t go – abandoned buildings and farms, salvage yards, deserted factories, bogs and marshlands – to capture images of things people don’t often see. He’s also developed an obsession with photographing local faces as well as people who are struggling, doing difficult and unappreciated work.

The Chappaqua Library Gallery is featuring some of the images in an exhibit called “Photology” now through September 25th. If you’re in the neighborhood this Thursday, September 2, please swing by between 5:30 and 7:30 for a wine and cheese reception.

Also, if you’re interested in joining a photography circle, drop me an email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Very informal—we’ll meet several times a year, share images and ideas, and explore ways to notch up each other’s creativity.

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Collected articles and letters-to-the-editor on Reader’s Digest development

Archived material last updated on August 27, 2010

Articles and letters-to-the-editor on Chappaqua Crossing are listed in chronological order, newest to oldest; those relating to school board issues are italicized and in bold font.

Since articles and letters-to-the-editor beginning with Gregg Bresner’s Op-Ed of June 28, 2010, “Baffled by parents’ lack of awareness and concern over rezoning of Chappaqua Crossing,” have accumulated long trails of comments from readers, we also show the number of comments each piece has generated—in total, 324 comments as of August 20, 2010.

Below, browse through our archived articles from newest to oldest:
________________________

2010

The Case of the Missing Chappaqua Crossing Discs
August 23, 2010

After town-school boards’ joint meeting, school board members continue talk on Chappaqua Crossing
August 20, 2010

Open letter to the community: Petition opposing residential zoning at Chappaqua Crossing
August 20, 2010
by Rob Greenstein

Town board member Robin Stout makes public disclosure statement
Monday, August 16, 2010

Residents remain after town and school boards’ work session to comment on Chappaqua Crossing
Monday, August 16, 2010

As town and school boards meet, annoyed residents shout out for bigger meeting space
PLUS 34 COMMENTS
August 13, 2010

Town board’s counsel explains town’s obligations and developer’s rights to board of ed members
PLUS 23 COMMENTS
August 13, 2010

Important joint meeting of school & town boards to discuss Chappaqua Crossing, TUESDAY, Aug 10
PLUS 16 COMMENTS
August 9, 2010

Op-Ed: Take residential out of the picture; allow more than four tenants at Chappaqua Crossing
PLUS 13 COMMENTS
August 6, 2010
by Lee Bowen

Musical Op-Ed: “Chappaqua Double-Crossing”
PLUS 11 COMMENTS
August 6, 2010
by Lee Seham

UPDATE: School board members sound note of alarm over latest proposal for Chappaqua Crossing
PLUS 47 COMMENTS
Monday, August 2, 2010

A brief description of Summit Greenfield’s Modified Plan for Chappaqua Crossing
PLUS 8 COMMENTS
July 30, 2010

Summit Greenfield presents new alternative for Chappaqua Crossing—199 residential units
PLUS 23 COMMENTS
July 24, 2010

Letter to the Editor: Let’s make Chappaqua Crossing a win-win for both town and developer
PLUS 11 COMMENTS
by Dan Papes
July 26, 2010

Supervisor Gerrard on issues raised about Chappaqua Crossing in NCNOW letters and commentary
PLUS 62 COMMENTS
Friday, July 16, 2010

Open Letter: Gregg Bresner responds to Geoff Thompson’s statement from Chappaqua Crossing
PLUS 22 COMMENTS
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
by Gregg Bresner

Letter to the Editor: Statement from Chappaqua Crossing in response to NCNOW Op-Ed by Gregg Bresner
PLUS 22 COMMENTS
July 2, 2010
by Geoff Thompson

Op-Ed: Baffled by parents’ lack of awareness and concern over rezoning of Chappaqua Crossing
PLUS 32 COMMENTS
June 28, 2010
by Gregg Bressner

Town board’s consultant on Chappaqua Crossing document points out some lapses
April 9, 2010

Kessler-Mottel’s letter of recusal from review of Chappaqua Crossing
UPDATE: Monday, March 29, 2010

Developer proposes no age-restriction, 10% fewer units, 27% more office space, 6.5 acres for town
March 26, 2010

Supervisor Gerrard comments on Chappaqua Crossing developer’s final submission
March 26, 2010

Reader’s Digest Pegasus quartet to continue to support cupola in Chappaqua
March 26, 2010

See What happens now that DEIS comment time has ended?

The developer’s DEIS and related documents—most recently, comments by the school board, planning board and the town’s financial consultants— remain available on the town’s website: chappaquacrossingreview.mynewcastle.org

Developer’s Chappaqua Crossing team speaks about future of Reader’s Digest
January 29, 2010

2009

Reader’s Digest to leave Chappaqua campus for White Plains and NYC
November 20, 2009

Letter to the Editor: Look very carefully at expenses to school district of Chappaqua Crossing
October 16, 2009
by Richard Laster

Town board and planning board discuss effect of Chappaqua Crossing on schools
October 9, 2009

School Board President Jeffrey Mester responds to questions about the district’s comments on the Chappaqua Crossing DEIS
October 9, 2009
by Jeffrey Mester

Op-Ed: The community bears 100% of the risk in school enrollment calculation
October 9, 2009
by Gregg Bresner

Town board and planning board discuss comments submitted on Chappaqua Crossing DEIS
October 9, 2009

Town Administrator Faiella submits comments on Chappaqua Crossing DEIS
October 2, 2009

Environmental review process for Chappaqua Crossing
October 2, 2009

Will Reader’s Digest remain in its home base in Chappaqua?
October 2, 2009

Zoning Board of Appeals weighs in with DEIS comments
October 2, 2009

UPDATE: Board of Education submits its comments on DEIS
September 29, 2009

New Castle Planning Board comments on Chappaqua Crossing DEIS
September 29, 2009

League of Women Voters of New Castle September 24, 2009 Comments on Chappaqua Crossing DEIS
September 25, 2009

What happens now that DEIS comment time has ended?
September 25, 2009

Chappaqua Crossing net gain to town only $124,000, consultant concludes
September 18, 2009

Town board extends comment period on Chappaqua Crossing DEIS for one more week
September 18, 2009

Town board hopes to wind up DEIS written comment period next Friday, Sept. 18
September 11, 2009

League of Women Voters of New Castle Comments on Chappaqua Crossing DEIS
August 14, 2009

Chappaqua Crossing developer reps brief ZBA on request for unlimited tenants
August 7, 2009

Letter to the Editor: Density of Chappaqua Crossing is excessive
August 7, 2009
by Robert Lewis

DEIS hearing closed; written comment period continues until at least Sept. 18
July 31, 2009
by Susie Pender

Letter to town board: Chappaqua Crossing: Risks too great, benefits too small
July 31, 2009
by Jules Buxbaum

Letter to the town board: Focus of DEIS review should be impact on town, not schools
July 31, 2009
by Robert Herbin

Letter to Town Administrator: Landmark status for some of Reader’s Digest old campus
July 31, 2009
by Gray Williams

Tuesday, July 28: Town board hearings on Chappaqua Crossing DEIS continue
July 24, 2009

Letter to the Editor: Summit Greenfield should answer concerns rather than continue sales pitch
July 24, 2009
by Steven Mullaney

Open letter to the town board: It’s time to say “no” to Summit Greenfield
July 24, 2009
by Jean and Bruce Gavril

Letter to the town board: NewCastleRD.org offers analysis of developer’s tax revenue projections
July 17, 2009
by Steven Mullaney

Letter to the Editor: Summit Greenfield tax revenue projections misleading; age restriction dubious
July 10, 2009
by Mark S. Tulis

Letter to the Editor: Chappaqua Crossing: Simple thoughts & observations in looking for a solution
July 10, 2009
by Scott and Christie Krase

What people think about Summit Greenfield’s proposal for the former Reader’s Digest property
July 10, 2009

Consultants will evaluate DEIS for Reader’s Digest property; hearing on July 28
July 3, 2009

Public hearing on Reader’s Digest development draws over 100 to town hall
June 26, 2009

League of Women Voters: Comments delivered at June 23 public hearing on Chappaqua Crossing DEIS
June 26, 2009

Letter to the Editor:News12 got it wrong; no majority in favor of Reader’s Digest development
June 26, 2009

Letter to the Editor: Late to the hearing, but prime seating
June 26, 2009

Town and school boards put their heads together to prepare for June 23 Chappaqua Crossing hearings
June 19, 2009

Town board’s consultants suggest public use benefits of some of Reader’s Digest property
June 12, 2009

Last permitted tenant in place at Reader’s Digest property
May 29, 2009

Hearings on Reader’s Digest development proposal begin June 23, 2009
May 22, 2009

Town Board busy digesting both DEIS and its own consultants’ studies
May 15, 2009

Town board decides Reader’s Digest developer’s DEIS is deficient
May 1, 2009

Letter to the Editor: Reader’s Digest developer blind to today’s economic realities
April 17, 2009
by Steven Swirsky

UPDATE: Full text of revised DEIS for Digest development proposal—DEIS under review by town board; public hearings possible in late May or early June
April 10, 2009

Letter to the Editor: Digest Developer does not have best interests of the town at heart
April 3, 2009

Reader’s Digest developer submits revised DEIS to New Castle
April 3, 2009

“State of the Town” Roundtable with Supervisor Barbara Gerrard
April 3, 2009

Topics of discussion at joint town board and planning board meeting
March 6, 2009

Why spend money on alternative uses study now?
February 13, 2009

Summit Greenfield misses school tax deadline
February 13, 2009

Town board interviews three consultants eager to help envision public uses for Digest property
February 13, 2009

Town board schedules public interviews with consultants under consideration
February 6, 2009

Town board gives developer Summit Greenfield an “Incomplete”January 30, 2009

Next week town board will decide whether Reader’s Digest DEIS is complete
January 23, 2009

2008

Town-Gown talk on topics of mutual interest and impact
December 19, 2008

Letter to the Editor: An open letter to the members of the Town and School Boards
December 19, 2008
by Barbara and Jim Runde

Tuesday’s town board work session: Reader’s Digest DEIS, budget revisited
December 5, 2008

NW Hospital employee parking at Reader’s Digest begins Monday, December 1
December 1, 2008

Public Hearing on town’s 2009 budget Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 7:45; proposed increase of 4.8%
November 21, 2008

Letter To the Editor: Summit Greenfield responds to Nov. 14 letter by Lee Bowen
November 21, 2008

Letter to the Editor: What is going on at the Reader’s Digest property?
November 14, 2008

DEIS hearings for the holidays?
November 14, 2008

Summit Greenfield pays up, mostly
November 7, 2008

Letter to the Editor: Summit Greenfield should provide DEIS in electronic form
November 7, 2008

Town board’s review of Reader’s Digest property DEIS held up until bill is paid
October 31, 2008

Letter to the Editor: Police expansion—Relocate the town administration to the Reader’s Digest property
October 10, 2008

Joint Planning Board and Town Board work session
October 10, 2008

Letter to the Editor: Reaction to the HR&A report on Chappaqua Crossing
October 3, 2008

Town advisors on Reader’s Digest development finish study
September 26, 2008

Town approves hospital employee parking at Reader’s Digest
August 15, 2009

Increase in tax delinquencies in New Castle
July 25, 2008

Town Board approves 140 parking spaces for hospital
July 11, 2008

July 8, town board to hold public hearings on dogs, RD parking, real estate in first floor space
July 4, 2008

Letter to the Editor: Town use of Reader’s Digest property
June 27, 2008

Summit Greenfield seeks 56.53% reduction in assessment; local taxes in arrears
June 20, 2008

Town board work session and regular meeting
June 13, 2008

Update from joint town board and planning board meeting
June 6, 2008

If The Donald can’t sell it, how can Summit Greenfield?
May 16, 2008

Eye on Reader’s Digest: Summit Greenfield asks for variance to lease parking spaces to NW hospital
May 16, 2008

UPDATE: Q & A with school board candidates from LWV Forum on May 15
Monday, May 19, 2008

A look around the town: update on everything
May 2, 2008

Letter to the Editor: Save the town’s money, just deny zoning change to Summit Greenfield now
April 4, 2008

Town Board and Recreation and Parks Commission talk in joint work session
March 28, 2008

Planning Board meets to think outside the developer’s box
March 28, 2008

Letter to the Editor: Give real notice of planning board brainstorming sessions
March 28, 2008

New Castle solicits input on municipal, recreational uses of Reader’s Digest property
March 21, 2008

Town Board and School Board Consult
March 21, 2008

Town board adopts scoping document for Reader’s Digest property, 4-1
February 29, 2008

Town’s consultant questions economics of Reader’s Digest development proposal
February 8, 2008

Reader’s Digest Scoping Ended
February 1, 2008

Last scoping session over, deadline for written comment noon today, Jan. 25, 2008.
January 25, 2008

Letter to the Editor: Reader’s Digest Proposed Development; Don’t let Summit Greenfield treat our town as merely an investment opportunity
January 25, 2008

Letter to the Editor: Reader’s Digest proposed development—Lobbyists should be required to identify themselves as such
January 18, 2008

Scoping sessions are underway
January 11, 2008

Letters to the Editor: Reader’s Digest Property
January 11, 2008
Where is the benefit to New Castle?
Town board, just say no!

Letters to the Editor on Reader’s Digest property: Hoping to stay in New Castle in Chappaqua Crossing condos
January 4, 2008

2007

Dates set for Chappaqua Crossing scoping sessions
December 21, 2007

Reader’s Digest Update
December 14, 2007

The Beauty and Zen of SEQRA: Town Board Proposes Scoping Dates of January 9 and 22
December 7, 2007

Letters to the Editor
Open Letter to the Planning Board, and
Chappaqua Crossing/Reader’s Digest property development
December 7, 2007

Chappaqua Crossing: validity of over 55 age restriction
November 30, 2007

Keeping an eye on developments at Reader’s Digest
November 30, 2007

Op-Ed: New Castle’s Manhood
November 30, 2007
by Lee Seham

Planning Board hosts Q & A regarding Reader’s Digest property development
November 23, 2007

Letter to the Editor
Suggestion to Planning Board regarding Readers Digest: Remove residential application from consideration now
November 16, 2007

Keeping an Eye on Developments at Reader’s Digest
November 16, 2007

Local Election Results
November 9, 2007
http://www.newcastlenow.org/index.php/article/index/local_election_results/

Keeping an Eye on Developments at the Reader’s Digest Property
October 12, 2007

Why You Can’t Build a Zoo in Your Backyard
An interview with David Levine, chair of New Castle’s
Zoning Board of Appeals
October 12, 2007

NEW: New bridge lane opens today, demoltion of old bridge begins tonight

Click for a live view of the bridge from our webcam in Erik Nicolaysen’s 2nd floor window.
Monday, August 30, 2010
by Christine Yeres

Today the new bridge deck opens to traffic, demolition begins tonight on the north side of the bridge. See it happen on our live webcam.

The entire expanse of King Street between Route 117 and Greeley Avenue was paved this past weekend between 8:00 p.m. Friday and 8:00 a.m. Saturday. The new blacktop bears spray painted markings for crosswalks, and although the State requires by law that a double yellow line appear on the roadway immediately, the lines are merely painted on, to be replaced with more permanent yellow epoxy this week.

NEW: Bridge construction and King Street resurfacing update

August 27, 2010
by Christine Yeres

In order to avoid any negative impact on downtown Chappaqua businesses, Conti Construction crews have been working nights to prepare King Street for resurfacing. However, starting at 8:00 p.m. tonight, no cars may park on the King Street hill. So be forewarned if you have plans for dinner in town tonight, and plan accordingly (like wear comfortable shoes to walk to your destination restaurant from the parking lot across from Susan Lawrence or a park space on Greeley Avenue.)

Just last night, crews finished their week’s work of scraping the old asphalt surface of King Street from Route 117 down to Greeley Avenue. Tonight, the crew will repave that entire length, beginning at the top of the hill, right lane first. Then they will start back up at the top to pave the left lane, working back down again to Greeley Avenue. Cars parked along this segment of King Street will be towed at the owners’ expense.

As part of the repaving of King Street, the construction crew is flattening the pavement closest to the curb from Jardin du Roi to George’s Men’s Shop to eliminate the rise there that creates a ditch close to the curb. So your car will no longer list to the right when you park on that stretch of King Street.

Almost time to change lanes

The south lane of the bridge is nearly ready to take car traffic. On Monday, workers anticipate that the demolition of the north lane of the bridge will begin and traffic will be switched over to the new south lane. So pay close attention as you head over the bridge Monday morning.

Millwood Matters

August 27, 2010

Millwood Task Force Meeting: Thursday, September 2 at 8:00 PM
See Agenda in “Read more…”

Location: Millwood Firehouse #2 located on Route 134

· Residents’ Comments - Residents are invited to voice their concerns on any Millwood or West End issue

· New Task Force members welcomed

· Publication date of long-anticipated New Castle Impact Study of Full Value Assessment of Real Property

· Need for West End or Millwood resident on Planning Board

· Task Force members sign-up for September Town meetings

· Wetlands permit approval for proposed Amsterdam ball field –upcoming Planning Board

· Brann Property– Planning Board Sept. 7

· Millwood Lumber and train station

· Task Force members’ concerns/ideas on other Millwood and West End issues

· Updates on:

o New Town Planner

o Millwood Fire District issues

o Proposed Tree Preservation Ordinance revisions

o Public notice sign on corner of A & P property

o Pinesbridge Road resurfacing

o Routes 120 and 133 intersection

o Millwood Commons gas station

o Proposed Upper Westchester Muslim Society Mosque

o Town Board

o Community Day – September 25

· Approval of July minutes

School board invites community to help interview superintendent search firms

August 27, 2010
by Susie Pender

Yesterday afternoon around 3:30 p.m., the Board of Education of the Chappaqua Central School District announced through its “emalert” system “[a]s a first step in the [search] process [for a new superintendent], the Board plans to interview two search firms on Tuesday, September 7 at 7:00 p.m. in the Horace Greeley Academic Commons. We invite interested community members to attend. We anticipate each interview to last one hour, with time provided for questions from the audience. After the interviews, the Board will take time to hear community members’ thoughts and comments regarding the search process and the firms interviewed.”

The “emalert” advised community members to check the Superintendent Search item on the district website, http://www.ccsd.ws/board_education.cfm?subpage=1049271, for additional information. The message noted as well that “the report prepared last spring by School Leadership LLC, which captures the findings of focus groups discussing the leadership characteristics desired in Chappaqua’s next Superintendent,” is posted there.

Candidates for search firm

New Castle youth football registration begins for boys and girls in grades 4, 5 and 6

Alex Chin visits Pete Zimmerman for a fitting; more photos inside and in Photo Gallery
August 20, 2010
by Pete Zimmerman

The New Castle Youth Football Association announces the start of registration for our first season as a parent-run organization. All boys and girls in grades 4, 5 and 6 are eligible to play. I want to start by thanking the community for their enormous support in helping us get started.

Registration and medical forms can be downloaded from our website, www.newcastlefootball.org, or picked up at EZ Sports at 79 South Greeley Avenue in downtown Chappaqua. The completed form along with a check for the $125 registration fee made out to “New Castle Youth Football” must be submitted by Monday, September 13.

The program will run from Monday, September 13, until Friday, November 5, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday when school is in session from 6:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Games are played Wednesdays and Fridays.

We have two leagues, one for fourth and fifth graders, and one for the bigger fifth graders and all sixth graders. All players must provide their own equipment approved by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE).

Thanks to Jim Nottingham for taking the reins and making our parent-run football league a reality. From rec football to Varsity, it’s going to be a great season for the New Castle football community! Thanks, too, to our board of directors and “at large” board members:

James Nottingham, President
Karen Berkey, Treasurer
Claudio Phillips, Secretary
Betsy Phillips, Registrar
Dan Papes, VP Communications
Peter Zimmerman, VP Coaching/Equipment
William Hriskonich, VP Fields & Referees
Rob Bowen, At-Large
Rich Glotzer, At-Large
Phil Green, At-Large
Richard Petrosa, At-Large
Billy Schur, At-Large
Burke St. John, At-Large

Pete Zimmerman is the vice president of coaching and equipment for the New Castle Youth Football Association and the owner of EZ Sports in downtown Chappaqua.

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Varsity football kick-off dinner

Monday, August 30, 2010
by Christine Yeres

The morning after Greeley’s varsity football team kick-off dinner, the team left for camp and will return Wednesday.

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The Case of the Missing Chappaqua Crossing Discs

One hard copy for the public, at town hall
Monday, August 23, 2010
by Christine Yeres

The final environmental impact statement, or FEIS, for Chappaqua Crossing is still a draft. Town board members and their consultants are working, presumably in hard copy, toward making the multi-volume document a final one. When the unwieldy document was delivered in boxes to town hall on July 23, 2010, says Town Clerk Jill Simon Shapiro, a disc version was promised, but never materialized.

Since July 23, only one hard copy has been available for the public to inspect, the copy that sits in the clerk’s office at town hall. You may sit and peruse the document, or employees in the clerk’s office will copy pages of it for you, for $.25 per page.

NewCastleNOW.org has continued to ask both the town and the developer for a disc copy of the FEIS, in order to prepare for the public discussion of Chappaqua Crossing that Supervisor Barbara Gerrard has set for Tuesday, September 27, 2010. Or, in the alternative, for the town to mount the disc FEIS onto its website, for the public to access.

Last week, the developer’s spokesperson, Geoff Thompson of Thompson & Bender, told NewCastleNOW.org that the developer’s engineering firm, Divney Tung Schwalbe, had indeed sent multiple copies of the FEIS in disc form to town hall shortly after July 23.

Thompson conveyed the message also that the developer had no objection to the town’s release of the disc to NewCastleNOW.org or any member of the public, that it was “the town’s call.” As of last Friday, the search continues at town hall to learn who received the disc copies.
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For NCNOW‘s complete coverage of Chappaqua Crossing, dating from 2007, click HERE.

Hudson Chorale

Contacts regarding Press Release contents:
Martha Kenerson, President, Board of Directors
Tel. 914-244-3610
Cell 914-262-3024
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Michael Conley, Music Director
Cell 917-609-2966
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Hudson Chorale to Bring Powerful New Sound to Westchester
Briarcliff Manor, NY. August 19, 2010 Hudson Chorale, a dynamic new 85-member chorus, will make its long-awaited debut this concert season under the artistic direction of Michael Conley. Blending two of the County’s oldest choruses, the Choral Arts Society and Westchester Concert Singers, the newly formed ensemble goes into rehearsal on Monday, September 13, in preparation for its first concert. The merger of the two choruses, finalized July 1, 2010, marks a major step in the evolution of two groups which have enjoyed well-established reputations as notable choral ensembles in Westchester over the past several decades.
The Hudson Chorale’s first concert of the 2010-2011 season, “Heaven’s Harmony,” will take place on Sunday, January 23, 2011 and feature the Brahms Requiem for two pianos plus other works inspired by the poetry of Walt Whitman and Dante. Beginning Monday, September 13, and continuing to a second concert program in May 2011, rehearsals will be held weekly on Monday evenings from 7:45 p.m.– 10:00 p.m. at the Scarborough Presbyterian Church, 655 Scarborough Road (Route 9 and Scarborough Road), Briarcliff Manor. Singers wishing to become members are invited to “singer-friendly” auditions from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. before the start of the first two rehearsals of the season: Monday, September 13 and Monday, September 20. To receive additional information and/or to schedule an audition, singers should contact Jeanne Wygant: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 914-478-0074.
Merging the two groups has created a new chorus which is capable of undertaking a broader range of works within the wide sacred-secular music spectrum, including new compositions commissioned expressly for the new ensemble. “Both of these choral groups have been known over the years for their beautiful interpretations of choral works of all periods and for their high standards of professionalism,” says Board of Directors President, Martha Kenerson. “The sound of all these combined voices from two well-trained, highly disciplined choruses is going to be fabulous. Some of these singers have had extensive musical training, others less, but all the members of these two groups have one thing in common: their passion for singing outstanding choral music and offering their audiences an enriching musical experience. They range in age from college students to retirees, come from varied backgrounds, work in many different fields, and come together from all over Westchester and surrounding areas. “
The Westchester Concert Singers (founded in 1955 as the Pleasantville Cantata Singers) performed their final concert in May under the baton of composer and conductor Mark Bailey, their Music Director since 2005. Mr. Bailey, Artistic Director of the renowned Yale Russian Chorus and the New Haven Oratorio Choir, is returning this fall with increased responsibilities to Yale where he is a Research Associate at the Yale Music Library and a Fellow at Yale’s Davenport College.
The Choral Arts Society (founded in 1937 as the Ossining Music Guild) has enjoyed a long history of choral singing in the Hudson Valley, bringing to their audiences “music you won’t hear everywhere else.” Their final performance was also in May, under the direction of Michael Conley, their Music Director since 2006.
Conley is a conductor, celebrated composer, pianist, organist, singer and, for the past ten seasons, Music Director of the well-known West Village Chorale, conducting its annual series of concerts at the historic Church of St. Luke-in-the-Fields in Greenwich Village. Music Director since 2006 of Judson Memorial Church in Manhattan, he conducts The Judson Choir and has founded Judson Arts, a concert series celebrating an eclectic mix of musical styles and ensembles. Since 2004 he has been Director of the High School Chorus at the prestigious Dalton School, NYC, conducting performances not only in Manhattan, but also in venues throughout Europe. Winner of Westminster College’s Mueller Prize in choral composition, Conley recently premiered his Appalachian Requiem with the West Village Chorale and Immortal Beloved with the Choral Arts Society.
Tim Heavner, pianist and Assistant Director of the Choral Arts Society, will remain in this position with the Hudson Chorale. Active as a performer and educator throughout the New York City Metropolitan and Tri-State areas, Heavner is Chair of the Performing Arts Department at Friends Seminary, a private K-12 school in the East Village of Manhattan. Known to the New York community as a pianist, organist, percussionist, actor, singer, composer, arranger and conductor, he holds a degree in Piano Performance from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and has done graduate work in Vocal Accompanying at Manhattan School of Music.
“We have a wonderful concert season ahead of us,” says Mirijana Kocho, former board president of the Westchester Concert Singers, now serving on the Hudson Chorale board, “and an exciting future with so many new resources and so much talent focused on bringing exceptional choral performances to all our friends in Westchester.”

Open letter to the community: Petition opposing residential zoning at Chappaqua Crossing

August 20, 2010
by Rob Greenstein

I was taken aback by town attorney Clinton Smith’s remarks in the Town Board meeting of August 10, 2010, regarding the town board’s authority in enforcing its existing zoning code.

Mr. Smith said, “You have to realize that the town is not a party to the transaction. The town is the approving agency. And one of those prisms [through which the board is obliged to look at the developers application] is the Fifth Amendment, which says that a person has the right to do what he will with his property, subject to reasonable regulation. That means that when you want to put a deck on your house you have to get planning board approval, but nonetheless that [approval] can’t be arbitrarily withheld. If the town is to say ‘No, go away,’ there must be a rational, legally supportable basis in fact—and in law—for doing that.”

Mr. Smith seems to be suggesting that the town board does not have the authority to enforce the town’s zoning, or that the town board must agree to a proposal even if it is shown by experts to be deleterious to the community. I can’t help but wonder if the Town Board is ignoring some very rational and compelling data, and that its is fear of litigation is causing members to turn in the direction of approving a zoning change.

The Town Board seems to ignore the fact that the property was purchased as a commercial property, and it’s still zoned as commercial property, with some few one-acre residential lots.

The Town Board seems to ignore the submission by the Chappaqua School Board to the Town Board on September 25, 2009. “With this submission [members of the Board of Education]…seek to emphasize the potential financial burden associated with student enrollment resulting from the development of Chappaqua Crossing. . . We are concerned that, to the extent that Chappaqua Crossing units do not pay their ‘fair share,’ this financial burden will be borne by all other CCSD taxpayers.”

The Town Board also ignores Gregg Bresner’s Op-Ed in NewCastleNOW.org dated 6/28/10, in which Mr. Bresner writes, “The case here is very simple. If the development goes forward as planned (the developer has already suggested that the 55-and-over age restriction on Chappaqua Crossing be removed), the education costs of the new children enrolled in the District will likely be borne in large measure through either drastic and deleterious cuts to our current programs, increased class sizes and/or hefty increases in the property taxes of residents outside of Chappaqua Crossing – you and me.”

Let’s show the Town Board that our community doesn’t fear litigation. To that end, I’ve set up an on-line petition where members of our community can join in the fight to stop the current proposal for residential rezoning at Chappaqua Crossing. Those signing this petition are willing to do anything in their power—including litigation – and to contribute time and/or money to fight the developer or to stop the the Town Board from approving the current proposal for residential rezoning at Chappaqua Crossing.

Take a look at our petition and, by signing, send a message to the developer and to our representatives on the Town Board that our community does not want them to approve the current proposal for residential rezoning at Chappaqua Crossing, and that we’re ready to fight to stop it. Please pass the petition along to your friends in the community.

To view our petition, click Fight to Stop.

Rob Greenstein

Town board member Robin Stout makes public disclosure statement

Monday, August 16, 2010
by Christine Yeres

At last Tuesday’s town board meeting Councilman Robin Stout announced that one of the responsibilities of his “day job”—for the Empire State Development Corporation—is to supervise Columbia University’s planned expansion into West Harlem. Empire State Development Corporation’s real estate and condemnation counsel, Stout stated, is the law firm of Carter, Ledyard & Milburn LLP, which also represents Summit Greenfield in the Chappaqua Crossing project.

Stout explained that although none of the Carter Ledyard & Milburn attorneys working on the Columbia expansion project was working on the Summit Greenfield project, he wished to make full public disclosure of the connection. Stephen Kass of Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLC is Summit Greenfield’s legal counsel on Chappaqua Crossing. John Marwell of Mt. Kisco’s Shamberg Marwell Davis & Hollis, P.C. is also legal counsel to Summit Greenfield.
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From NCNOW’s archives: For coverage of Chappaqua Crossing from June 2010 to present, with commentary from readers, click HERE.

For NCNOW’s complete coverage of Chappaqua Crossing, dating from 2007, click HERE.

Residents remain after town and school boards’ work session to comment on Chappaqua Crossing

Monday, August 16, 2010
by Christine Yeres

The town board’s regular, televised, meeting followed the joint town board and school board work session discussion of Chappaqua Crossing. After announcements by the supervisor came a public comment period during which several residents who had witnessed the work session addressed the board on the subject of Chappaqua Crossing. Their comments follow.

Revenue from commercial versus residential

David Yeres came to the microphone. He noted that according to the developer’s projections of revenue to the town [in the executive summary of the final environmental impact statement, or FEIS], “the net incremental revenue that will come from commercial development represents 90% of all net incremental revenue. Put another way, less than 10% of the revenue from Chappaqua Crossing would come from the residential [component of the project] if [the developer] gets what he’s asking for.”

The town board, Yeres continued, “should make it a very high priority to be sure the residential component will not act as a disincentive to the developer to promote the commercial component of the project. Several years of construction [of a residential component] will make the commercial property more difficult to lease up. Finally, consider whether, if the developer has to go to the market for credit lines for the residential, it will be at the expense of the commercial, and therefore detrimental to the town. Money to the town comes from the commercial property. Consider the proposal from the point of view of whether any residential will detract from that.”

Question of recusal

Next, Michael Mullarkey came to the microphone. He asked town board member John Buckley, a real estate agent, “whether you’re considering recusing yourself from consideration of this issue [of Chappaqua Crossing].”

“That issue has been raised,” Buckley responded. “I’ve taken it to counsel [to the town board, Clinton Smith], he evaluated it and said ‘You do not need to recuse yourself from this issue.’ ” Supervisor Barbara Gerrard interjected, “There is no conflict.”

“There still may be a moral conflict,” countered Mullarkey. “It would seem to me that if a family walks into any real estate broker [and that broker says] “I can put you in a condo for $7,000 in taxes rather than $30,000 [for a single family home], the family will do a quick calculation that they’ll end up saving $200,000 in 12 years. There certainly is a moral issue here. You may choose to ignore it, but I will not.”

“I manage assets for a pension fund,” Mullarkey continued. “If I buy a security based on projected changes that are going to occur and I pay extra money because of the optionality involved in the probability that the changes occur and the changes don’t occur, then my clients and I lose money. And for the life of me, given the analysis that was given publicly by [school board member] Gregg Bresner [in the preceding work session], given the fact that the residential development of Reader’s Digest can actually wreck the school system, I don’t understand this drift toward changing the zoning on the Reader’s Digest property.”

“It seems to me,” Mullarkey concluded, “that Summit Greenfield bought an asset; there were rules on the asset they speculated they could get the town board to change; changing the rules is detrimental to the town at large—certainly to the 43% that have children, but particularly detrimental to the 57% that do not have children.”

“This is not a Q and A,” responded Gerrard. Town board member Michael Wolfensohn interjected, “Mr. Bresner has just given us this information tonight; we will take it all in and we will not ignore him or what the school board has said.” To this Mullarkey responded, “Bresner published his letter in NewCastleNOW weeks ago. Read the comments of parents of children who are in the schools. If you folks were on top of this you would have known the numbers before this meeting.”

Town-wide revaluation, condo and single-family

Betty Weitz came to the microphone and asked the board, “If one of the alternatives proposed is a revaluation of the entire town, would that mean that condominiums would be taxed as single family houses?”

“Let me clarify,” responded Barbara Gerrard. “This has nothing to do with Reader’s Digest. The board has been looking at this issue [of a town-wide revaluation] especially because of the significant imbalance in taxation on the West End of town, but it’s an issue for the entire town as well as for the county. On September 7 [the next town board meeting] we will discuss whether, under the Homestead Option, to tax all dwellings at full rate, rather than on hypothetical rental value [as condos are now taxed]. I asked the school board for a recommendation on whether they would like that to happen.”

“This puzzles me,” responded Weitz. “People who bought condos, it seems to me, had a contract with the town; they bought on the basis of condo taxes and the town [would consider] breaching its contract with them. But you are willing to change the contract with Summit Greenfield by allowing them to change the zoning for their financial benefit to residential zoning. You would be breaching a contract with one group of people to satisfy another group of people who wish to breach theirs. Is that fair?”

“We’re not going to do that, but are considering that,” responded Gerrard.

Financial stability of the developer

Ray Potter came forward to address the board. “You’re looking at a lot of items,” he said. “Here’s one more to take a look at. I’m in commercial real estate. Look at the financial stability of Summit Greenfield. Like a lot of [other entities] in 2009 and 2010, Summit Greenfield may have loan modification issues with their current lenders. I would hate, after all this angst in the community, to see you get something approved, have it get half way done, and then [see the developer] run out of money and have an eyesore. Whether you believe [the property should be] commercial, residential, or have a component of both, a look at this may shed some light on which path to take.”
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From NCNOW’s archives: For coverage of Chappaqua Crossing from June 2010 to present, with commentary from readers, click HERE.

For NCNOW’s complete coverage of Chappaqua Crossing, dating from 2007, click HERE.

What the school fields did for their summer vacation

Well, families? Which field will it be?

In “Read more” see Joe Gramando’s short- and long-term field plans and slide show of field work
August 13, 2010
by Christine Yeres

Joe Gramando, Director of Facilities for the Chappaqua Central School District, is working to make his dream come true: to give fields time-off to rest and recuperate. Fields B and C, the soccer-lacrosse game fields alongside the senior parking lot have been off-limits this summer and they look good and grassy. They reopen August 23, but, says Gramando, in the district’s long-range plan, “The only way to really grow grass that will be strong enough to withstand our current usage is to have one field per year closed and rested for a full year. If this doesn’t happen, the goal creases and centers for these fields will never have grass,” explained Gramando. “We’ll need everybody’s cooperation to do that.”

Gramando and the board of ed’s “facilities committee,” Jeffrey Mester and newly-elected board member Randy Katchis, recently toured the grassy assets at Horace Greeley High School and Seven Bridges Middle School, and, says Gramando, they look forward to meeting with what the Recreation Department calls “The Five Families”—AYSO, CYSC, Lacrosse, Softball and Baseball, and Basketball —“get on the same page” and agree on one field per year to put out of play.

“We’ve put together a multi-year plan to work on all the fields—and I’ll do all of it within the operating budget. Depending on how the budget goes from year to year, the plan may take a little longer or a little shorter, or we might look to some of the clubs to help raise some money to get more done.”

Bell is a hard case, but Westorchard has possibilities

One of the toughest cases is Bell. “Fields A and B have such bad soil that we will not be doing any work on them,” explained Gramando. “They would need approximately $500,000 worth of work to make them viable fields.” But Recreation Department Supervisor Robert Snyder and Gramando have discussed the possibility of collaborating on getting the Westorchard field into playable shape. (The three elementary fields are not used for school athletics and are therefore considered to be in good enough shape for the use they are put to for the elementary populations.)

The New Castle town board members, under steady pressure from town sports groups to provide ever more fields, have shown interest, but are doubtful that town workers’ time spent on school fields can be justified in the town’s own budget. For his part, Gramando says that if the town would help with labor or supplies to restore the Westorchard field, he would consider asking the board of education to allow him to treat the field subsequently under his preventive maintenance program, which might cost as much as $5,000 yearly for Westorchard, he estimated.

The town pays the school district around $80,000 per year for field rental, and although the use of the money is not easy to attribute to one particular field or another, Gramando says that if he were to cost out all the school district does to make possible the use of school fields, the tab would be much more than the $80,000.

Below are Gramando’s short- and long-range plans for the district’s fields.

Field restorations

JV Softball field DONE

Cut out 4 feet of the infield grass.
Add new SOD to removed grass area.
Drag field and add 6 inches of new clay.
Estimated cost was $16,000; staff did it, in-house, for $7,000.

Varsity baseball field IN PROGRESS

Cut out 4 feet of infield grass and grass on baselines and install new SOD in its place. In large first and third base clay area. Add in new clay to the entire infield. Repair pitchers mound and batters box (add in clay bricks) Estimated cost $25,000. Install new backstop (right now the old one is gone, the new one arrives in two weeks) and right and left fences in front of dugout area. Estimate $23,200. Dugouts and storage $50,000.00. Install outfield right field fence, $8,000.

Competition field IN PROGRESS

Fill in holes over seed and water water all summer (within maintenance contract).
Cut out center of field, bring in new top soil and grade the field.

Field B and C
Fill holes and over seed. Cost will be in our regular yearly maintenance work.
Continue early fall, late fall, winter and spring maintenance.
Rest fields to grow healthy grass.

Varsity Softball Field NEXT SUMMER

Cut out 4 feet of the infield grass.
Add new SOD to removed grass area.
Drag field and add 6 inches of new clay.
Estimated cost is $16,000.

JV baseball field NEXT SUMMER

Cut out 4 feet of infield grass and grass on baselines;
Install new SOD in its place.
In large first and third base add clay.
Add in new clay to the entire infield.
Repair pitchers mound and batters box (add in clay bricks).
Estimated cost $10,000.
Build storage building. $15,000.

The Future

Multi-Year Plan for Field Restoration and Maintenance

Fields Used for School District Teams and Maintained by the Facilities Department

High School Fields:

Competition, Field B, Field C, Girls varsity softball, Girls J V softball, Boys varsity baseball, Boys J V baseball, field hockey and Girls soccer.

Seven Bridges Fields, Total of Two Fields:

Upper field and lower field

Preventive Maintenance:

Each year the fields listed above will receive five preventive maintenance visits by an outside contractor. This plan includes aeration, split seeding, over seeding, fertilization, organic weed-killing herbicides and winterization.

In between the five visits from the contractor, our staff will seed bare spots on the fields, fill in holes, add clay, drag the infields and line each field for school teams.

This plan over time will build strong root growth and better drainage. Each year we will see improvements.

The cost for preventive maintenance is $80,000 per year.

Field Restoration Needed
Competition field:

Drainage issues on home team side of field.
Hardy grass is needed to be grown in the middle of the field or add new SOD.
Create storage under bleachers by fencing in under the bleachers 200 linear feet.
Resurface the track.
Purchase mat for players to walk on while crossing track with cleats.

Field B and C:

Install drainage in the corner of field C.
Grow better hardier grass in goal creases and center of the field.
Install better netting behind goal areas.
Add more bleachers.

Barn fields:

In great shape. Continue to maintain the fields through our Preventive Maintenance program.

Softball Fields:

Repair infields by cutting the infield grass back, install new SOD in that section and add new clay.
Install cement pad for bench area.
Install covered dugouts on varsity field.

Varsity baseball field:

Repair infield by adding clay, cutting the lip of the grass infield and install new SOD.
Rebuild the pitchers mound.
Replace backstop and fences on both sides.
The backstop will be moved back 18 feet (it’s too close now to attract sectional play).
Install a right field fence.
Install better bleachers.

J.V. baseball field:

Repair infield by adding clay, cutting the lip of the grass infield and install new SOD.
Rebuild pitchers mound.
Replace backstop and fences on both sides.
Install better bleachers.
Build storage shed.

Seven Bridges upper and lower fields:

Continue preventive maintenance program.
Install bleachers.

Fields that the district does not use but are used by the town recreation programs:
Bell fields: A, B, and C

Field C:

Repair drainage, cut in base lines and add clay.
Build a pitchers mound and install new backstop.
Fields A and B have such bad soil that we will not be doing any work on them.
These fields would need approximately $500,000 worth of work to make them viable fields.

Westorchard Field:

Fill in all holes, rototill center of the field and seed.
Close the field for one year.
Install new chain link fence at the playground side of the field.

Five year plan to maintain and repair fields

Continue Preventive Maintenance at $80,000 per year.
Purchase additional turf blankets each year cost.
Budget additional funds each year for field renovations.

Year One:

Focus on renovations of the two baseball fields and both softball fields.
Cutting lips of the infield, installing SOD in those areas and rebuild pitchers mound.
Install new backstop on Varsity field.

Year Two:

Install dugouts on varsity baseball fields.
Close Field C for restoration and rest.
Replace JV baseball field backstop.

Year Three:

Install bathrooms at Barn fields.
Close Field B for restorations and rest.
Install dugouts at varsity softball field.
Restore running track surface.

Year Four:

Close lower fields at Seven Bridges for restoration and rest.
Build storage area for JV baseball field at high school.
Replace backstop at Bell Field C.

Year Five:

Close upper field at Seven Bridges for restoration and rest.
Replace clay on baseball and softball fields.
Install SOD on center for competition field.
Resurface tennis courts.

Gramando in his office at the pole barn.

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After town-school boards’ joint meeting, school board members continue talk on Chappaqua Crossing

August 20, 2010
by Christine Yeres

At the conclusion of the August 10 joint town board-school board meeting dedicated to a discussion of Chappaqua Crossing, board of education members returned to their own meeting in Greeley’s academic commons. There, for the benefit of the handful of audience members and the potential video watchers later, they reported on their meeting with town board members and spoke further about the development proposal for the property across Roaring Brook Road from the high school, now nearing the final stages of environmental review.

Board president Janet Benton gave a brief summary of the details of the newest proposal, Alternative I [the letter ‘I’], for 199 condominium units, 60 of them town houses, 139 apartments, no age restrictions, 20 of the units to be workforce, all but two of the units to be two-bedroom and two three-bedroom. The developer projects 58 school children and 425 people in total from the development.

Although the developer states in the final environmental impact statement that he intends to make them all condominiums, the town supervisor, Barbara Gerrard, emphasized in the session with school board members that the town will insist that the 60 townhouses, at least, should be taxed “fee simple,” as single family houses.

Board further considers hiring another demographic expert

Benton noted that one of details that most interests the board—“the assessed values of these units and the taxes generated by them”—is not yet available. Her first question was whether board members wished to take a position on Alternative I. “I’ve heard concern about the enrollment projections [by BOCES], so do we want to do our own projections, hire an outside firm to do a projection analysis? We still don’t have information from the town on the financials.”

“And remember,” Benton continued, “we have no board position other than our comments of last September on the draft environmental impact statement on the last application [by the developer].” See NCNOW’s article on the board’s September statement, “Board of Education submits its comments on DEIS,” dated September 29, 2009. Then she invited comment from board members.

Jeffrey Mester asked that copies of the fiscal analysis Gregg Bresner presented to the town board that evening be distributed to board of education members for study and discussion. More important to Mester than enrollment projections, he said, is how residential units at Chappaqua Crossing would be taxed—whether as fee simple dwellings or as condos—and then to figure “who has the risk of the expenses exceeding the revenues—the taxpayer or the developer?”

Alyson Kiesel told fellow board members that she would like to revisit enrollment projections with an expert consultant, “to have some enrollment number to point to that we feel confident is relevant, and then look at tax revenues.”

“I concur,” said Bresner. “Once we have a base-case enrollment projection, we can put together a pretty robust analysis, because our costs are very well determined. I recommend we engage an expert who has experience in the for-profit marketing of these types of units, who can give us not only demographic information, but who also understands the nuances of marketing, for-proft. And another thing: This is an iterative process. Even if [the developer] has a marketing plan, that marketing plan will change; it will not be controlled by the town. One major issue is that once you get residential zoning, from a legal standpoint, I’ve been told, it may be easier for the developer to get more condos once he has the zoning. We need to see that modeled by a professional as well as the modeling of town-wide revaluation.”

“We need a broad-based risk assessment that would include all that,” said Randy Katchis. “I spoke with the attorney, who assured me there would be a subdivision between the commercial and residential, not allowing them to hop across for a quick zoning if the commercial fails.”

Board members discussed what sort of expert to engage, and what it might cost. They asked Interim Superintendent John Chambers for advice. Chambers cautioned the board that demographic experts would only be able to offer a range of possibilities, not an exact number. “Experts will tell you,” said Chambers, “that they can’t guarantee projections.”

“That’s why I think that enrollment projections aren’t as important as financials,” interjected Mester.

Board president skeptical about hiring another demographics consultant

“The town board also said they are considering a revaluation of all New Castle properties,” said Benton, “and would consider moving to tax all condos as ‘fee simple.’ They asked us for our thoughts on that. We might need a consultant for that as well. Second, I’m willing to look into it, but I’m skeptical about finding a professional demographic consulting firm that will have better data than BOCES [who furnished the board of ed with its original demographic report in 2009].”

“I feel we have the data we need,” continued Benton. “We have so many condominium units, six developments in town, we have enrollment data of students, by bedroom, in those units. We can use the high number from those units, we can use the average number. We can come up with a range and use those numbers rather than hiring another demographer.”
“I disagree,” Mester responded, “because those condo units were built some number of years ago, and you have to ask who’s going to move into them now? If you look at the former Reader’s Digest property, in this economy, I think we’re going to attract a much higher number of families with young kids than when those others were built.”

“The BOCES report is very confusing,” said Bresner. “Most of its scenarios include age restriction, which is now gone [from the developer’s new Alternative I]. We need an analysis now of Alternative I, and I don’t think BOCES has the experience in the nuances of a development and what can happen. I’ve got a couple of names of experts. I’ll get more information on them.”

“Pelham’s done a reassessment recently,” noted Katchis. “We can also double-check the BOCES data that already exists. That will tell us about enrollment data. The other side of this is just pure risk: to what degree do we have risk, and how quickly will that risk come to us?”

“And back to what Janet said,” responded Kiesel, “there could be one or 1,000 kids. If there’s an inflection point at which we put the burden on the taxpayer, we need some fulcrum to mitigate that risk. Even if we say there are going to be 100 students, still the question is How are we going to pay for that? How can we protect district taxpayers from that number being wrong?”

“This is very complicated,” said Benton. “But there’s tremendous risk already. I feel I have to point out that if nothing happens [at the Reader’s Digest property] and tax revenues decline continually, we’re all bearing that burden, too.” The same point had been made by town board member Robin Stout, in the earlier joint meeting.

Bresner and Mester answered at the same time, “But that’s a finite number. It’s .6% and we know we can deal with that.”

“I have to see your numbers,” said Benton. “I can’t see that from 199 units five kids per unit would be generated.”

“I don’t, etiher,” responded Bresner. “But we don’t need five. If it’s just the census average in town is .7 students per household.”

“But you can’t use that number,” countered Benton.

“And you have to consider a second dynamic,” continued Bresner. “Empty nesters selling their homes to move into a new development.”

“But I feel that’s double-counting. That was when it was age-restricted, and it’s not any longer,” said Benton, “but these are things that need to be hammered out in an analysis. So next steps: some of you will explore what experts we might engage and how to use their services.”

Board members agreed to seek out an expert consultant, to procure financial data from the town board and to produce a new statement for the final environmental impact statement by late September, before the town board’s September 28 public information session on Chappaqua Crossing. Board members asked Chambers whether they should be expected to present a unified opinion to the town board. Chambers suggested that if they fail to agree on a new statement, they might return to their original statement to the town board on the draft environmental impact statement. “The points made in that document are still very valid,” said Chambers.
_____________

NCCTV now has a direct link in “video on demand” to the joint work session of the town and school boards on Chappaqua Crossing. Click HERE to see the 55-minute session.

From NCNOW’s archives: For coverage of Chappaqua Crossing from June 2010 to present, with commentary from readers, click HERE.

For NCNOW’s complete coverage of Chappaqua Crossing, dating from 2007, click HERE.

Board of Ed members appoint Greeley coaches

August 20, 2010

At their August 10 work session, the board of ed approved the high school coaching appointments for the 2020-2011 school year.

From the board’s agenda:

Appointment: Part Time

Mr. Charles Sehulster, Athletic Coordinator, District wide, effective August 20, 2010 through November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Appointment: Coaching

Mr. Bennett Romney, Varsity Girls’ Tennis, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 through November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Mr. William Woolard, Junior Varsity Football Assistant, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 through November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Mr. Sukhwinder Singh, Varsity Field Hockey, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Mr. David Boniello, Varsity Football Assistant, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 20, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Mr. William Tribou, Varsity Football, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 20, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Mr. Stan Sotherden, Varsity Football Assistant, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 20, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Ms. Elizabeth Lops, 9th Grade Girls’ Volleyball, Horace Greeley High School, effective September 7, 2010 through November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Ms. Brittany Paulus, Junior Varsity Field Hockey, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Mr. Mike Darland, Junior Varsity Girls’ Swimming, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Mr. Robert Herodes, Junior Varsity Girls’ Tennis, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Ms. Jennifer Chemerov, Junior Varsity Girls’ Soccer, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Mr. Alfredo Possante, Junior Varsity Boys’ Soccer, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Ms. Carolyn Elwood, Junior Varsity Girls’ Volleyball, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Ms. Rosemary Sotherden, Varsity Girls’ Field Hockey Assistant, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Ms. Gina Gomes, Varsity Girls’ Volleyball, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Mr. Steve Houser, Varsity Boys’ Cross Country, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Mr. Joe Kearns, Junior Varsity Football, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Mr. Robert Clark, Junior Varsity Girls’ Tennis, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Ms. Angela Russo, Varsity Girls’ Soccer Assistant, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Ms. Suzanne Guziec, Varsity Girls’ Swimming, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Mr. Steve McKenney, Varsity Girls’ Cross Country, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Ms. Erin Tracy, Varsity Girls’ Soccer, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Mr. Robert Oddo, Varsity Boys’ Soccer, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Mr. Seth Upson, Junior Varsity Boys’ Soccer, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Ms. Ellen Moskowitz, Varsity Girls’ Swimming Assistant, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 23, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Appointment: Volunteer Coaching

Mr. Richard Volpe, Varsity Football Assistant, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 20, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Mr. Tim Sullivan, Varsity Football Assistant, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 20, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Mr. James Oliveto, Varsity Football Assistant, Horace Greeley High School, effective August 20, 2010 November 10, 2010 (or earlier at the discretion of the Board of Education).

Westorchard PTA chair argues for fifth section of second grade

August 20, 2010
by Christine Yeres

“I can tell you tonight,” said Interim Superintendent John Chambers in his August 10 supervisor’s report to the board of education, “that all sections at all the elementary schools are indeed within our class guidelines, so I’m making no recommendation for further action. But at some places,” Chambers continued, “we’re pushing the top of the guidelines.”

He named Westorchard Elementary as a case in point, with four classes of 23 students each entering second grade in September. Chambers characterized the principal of Westorchard, Jim Skoog, as an ardent advocate, communicating “almost daily” with the superintendent on the issue. But at this point, said Chambers, “we are within guidelines at all schools.”

During the board’s public comment period, Haley Ferraro, Westorchard Elementary PTA chair and parent of a second grader, informed the board that second grade class size was of great concern to Westorchard parents. Each of the four classes of second grade are now at their limit of 23 students each, and, more significant than these numbers, she told board members, is the composition of the class. “If you’ve talked to the first grade teachers,” she told the board, this fall’s second graders “are quite the handful.” Consequently, Ferraro said, she worried that “middle of the road” students who are less “rambunctious” would receive less attention in classrooms filled to the limit.

“An equity issue,” says PTA chair

Ferraro pointed out that, as a matter of equity, the other two elementary schools, Grafflin and Roaring Brook, each had five classes of second graders, and smaller class sizes—20 students per class at Grafflin, 19.4 at Roaring Brook. “That’s an issue with our [Westorchard] parents,” said Ferraro.

“What is the tipping point?” Ferraro asked board members. “Is it a twenty-fourth kid in one class? If so, there are four or five houses for sale in my neighborhood. I will put signs up that say, ‘Please, Second Graders Only’! Or, because these are not flush times, is it the teachers’ contract number of 25—are we going to go that far? Every parent wants to know the answer to that question.”

“We certainly don’t want sections taken from the other two elementary schools, but there is no equity in this situation,” Ferraro continued. “Our [Westorchard] teachers can teach to 23 kids in a class —our teachers are exceptional—we’re just saying they shouldn’t have to. There is money in the budget. We just put away $1.5 million [in reserve funds], didn’t we? I don’t know where it came from. Why is it this year the money can’t be found for another section of second graders at Westorchard? It’s what parents want.”

Benton responded, “The equity is in the board’s policy guidelines. No section is larger than 23, no matter where you are, and we can’t control how many students are at each school. Every year we go through this spreadsheet analysis, taking the number of students at the grade level and dividing by the class size number. As far as the tipping point, it is one student.”

Chambers added, however, that if the numbers change once school begins, he would not recommend adding another section of second graders. Reached this week, Chambers agreed that, in effect, since letters had gone out announcing teacher and class assignments, that point had been reached and passed.

“I don’t see us going to the teacher contract maximum, though,” said Chambers. “Maybe a student will move [out of the elementary school district]. There’s a little flexibility. But Jim Skoog [the Westorchard principal] has helped us to understand the issue not only in terms of numbers, but also the boy-girl mix, and whether there are learners who would benefit from smaller class size.” And Benton added, “I would see us adding resources to that classroom rather than creating another section. We’re trying to be budget conscious; we’re not in a position to add another teacher where the numbers don’t warrant it.”

One more plea

Ferraro gave it one last try. “How much is a new teacher salary, and how much is the engineer you’re going to hire to assess the [Zauderer] property behind my house?” [See NCNOW.org‘s article in today’s edition, “Board of Ed considers sale of one of its properties”.] Board member Jeffrey Mester responded, “Since there’s no request for proposals, or RFP, required [for an engineer to simply assess the property], it would cost less than $40,000; a teacher salary is more than double that.” Benton guessed “$150,000 with benefits?” Chow corrected that figure downward, to “$110, with benefits.”

Board member Alyson Kiesel asked board members and administrators, “Do we have aides or other resources in the building that can be in those classroom on a regular basis that can be of help in such a situation?”

“I’m sure we do,” Benton responded.
________________________

Chappaqua Central School District Elementary Class Size Guidelines

Kindergarten: not more than 20
Grades 1 and 2: not more than 23
Grades 3 and 4: not more than 25

The above guidelines are also contractual limits on class size. CCSD guidelines make an the exception of second grade by specifying “not more than 23.” The contractual limit for second grade is, as for grades 3 and 4, “not more than 25.”
________________________

The Fall Recreation Program Brochure 2010 is Here!

August 20, 2010
by Wayne Bass

Registration for the Recreation Department’s Fall programs begins Monday, August 23rd, although start dates for various programs vary. Check out our Fall online catalog for exciting offerings in art, drama, sports, dog obedience, fitness, dance. Art lottery registrations will be accepted from Monday, August 23 - Friday, September 10. Dance registrations will be processed first come, first served.

The New Castle Recreation and Parks Fall Program Brochure 2010 is available online by clicking HERE. Exciting programs coming this fall include:

• Art Together Now and Art Adventure at the New Castle Art Center

• Sports Games for Threes – Fives

• Nature’s Wonders Craft Class

• Drama –Acting Through Exercises

• After School Chess

• Ballet, Tap and Hip-Hop Dance Classes

• Flag Football

• NFL Punt, Pass & Kick Competition

• Tennis Instruction

• Red Cross Babysitting Course

• Dog Obedience Class

• Adult Fitness classes in Aerobics, Pilates, Cardio/Strength, Yoga and Zumba

• Adult Evening classes in Belly Dancing, Ballet, Fitness and Nutrition

• Senior Programs – Fitness, Trips and Special Events

Wayne Bass is ...

Board of Ed considers sale of one of its properties

See larger map in “Read more.”
August 20, 2010
by Christine Yeres

During the first meeting of the newly constituted board of education on July 7, 2010, members discussed whether to sell 20 wooded acres the school district purchased in 1973, the Zauderer property, located in the area of Route 133, Button Hook Road and Gedney Way. Board members took up the subject again in their August 10 meeting.

Ten years ago, when the community was deciding whether and where to build a new middle school, the Zauderer property, which had been purchased in 1973, was considered and rejected as too small a site for a middle school.
______________________

Zauderer is one of seven properties* owned by the Chappaqua Central School District:

Horace Greeley High School 58.62 acres
Robert E. Bell School 11.5 acres
Roaring Brook School 27 acres
Grafflin School 12.34
Westorchard School 53.33
Seven Bridges 43.11 acres
Zauderer Property 20.36 acres
Total Acreage: 226.26

Figures provided byAssistant Superintendent for Business John Chow,
______________________

In its meeting last week, the board of education’s Facilities Committee—board members Jeffrey Mester and Randy Katchis—reported back to the entire board that, if the school district seems to have no need for the property, they would recommend that the board engage an engineer to assess the property for possible sale.

“We need to understand what we have,” explained Katchis, “and if we’re going to monetize the asset for the district, what’s the best way to sell it?” Although this may not be the best time to sell land, Katchis admitted, to learn whether it can be subdivided, or would need variances, and to understand issues of septic, water and roads, would take at least a year, he emphasized. In the town’s current assessment records, the 20.36-acre property’s full market value is listed as $703,844.

Mester advised board members to proceed on a step-by-step basis, beginning with an engineer. No request for professional services, or RFP, is necessary for services costing $40,000 or less. He noted that since the property is being discussed publicly, the board should inform neighbors that the board is thinking of selling Zauderer. Board of education president Janet Benton agreed, saying “We do want to notify the neighbors that we’re looking at the property. They deserve to know.”

Assistant Superintendent for Business John Chow laid out the next few steps: After choosing an engineering firm, the board must approve the hire, “then we’ll talk about how we’ll inform the bordering neighbors.”

Board member Alyson Kiesel asked, “What if a neighboring property wants to buy the property before we go through the engineering process? Whom should they call?” Chow and Mester both answered, “They should contact the board.” The board’s email is .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Getting ready for school: Start date Tuesday, September 7, the day after Labor Day

August 20, 2010

Lots of projects are finishing up, some indoors, some outdoors and some a little of each—like the newly painted underside of Greeley’s outdoor walkways, the inside of an outside. See Photo Gallery for slides of this summer’s work at the high school.

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NewCastleTHEN: 1904 Tornado

Great Moments in Chappaqua History

Front page and inside photos provided courtesy of the New Castle Historical Society
August 20, 2010
by N. O’Neil

1904 A tornado rips through Chappaqua, touching ground near the Dodge farm. Destruction included many trees, livestock and farm buildings, but fortunately, there were no fatalities. Survivors describe looking out their windows and seeing chickens flying through the air. Since then the town has been spared cyclonic turbulence, except for joint town and school board meetings.

Nancy O’Neil, her husband and six children moved to Chappaqua in 1965. All of her children went through the Chappaqua schools, graduating from Horace Greeley and have been respectable citizens ever since.

Backyard Wonders: Sunset among wildflowers in Whippoorwill

Wednesday, August 25: Glazier Arboretum

Last week’s walk at Whippoorwill Park
August 20, 2010
by Stetson Hundgen

Memory and perception are peculiar things. Using our five senses, we absorb the world around us and unconsciously reformat and record everything in the blink of an eye. And while everyone has the same five senses, we all remember and perceive things a little differently.

Two weeks ago, Martin Stankiewicz and I began to conduct nature and photography walks around local parks, revealing the “backyard wonders” of New Castle. This past Wednesday we took a group through Whippoorwill Park, a place Martin and I have frequently visited over the past few years. On this particular Wednesday however, it seemed as if we had begun the tour in a new and strangely different place.

What I came to realize was that these woods were no different then they had ever been. It was only the way I perceived them that had changed. The very reason we do these walks is to give local citizens a different perspective on the natural world around them. Well, on this Wednesday it was I who had gained a new outlook!

Fallen trees and gnarly vines, thickets of yellow and green thorny bushes stood out in a way they had never had before. Providing a new light and new photo opportunities, these woods captivated us. The thick forest gave way to the park’s pond. Surrounded by tall grass and purple wildflowers, Martin and I climbed out, balancing along a fallen dead tree trunk to capture the image.

It was then that my father joined us along the trail. While he has worked for over 30 years as an ornithologist, I’m not sure he has ever seen things from a photographic point of view. At first, he didn’t move to take the camera out of his pocket. As I began showing him the images we captured along the way, he started to catch on to our purpose. By the end of the tour I practically had to pry the camera away from him.

We all see things a little differently and we all remember them a little differently. I had a great time this week, and I can’t wait until next week!

Sunset Walk at Glazier Arboretum—Wednesday, August 25, 2010 starting at 5:00 p.m. till around 7:00 p.m.

$20 per person

The Glazier Arboretum is perhaps the most overlooked natural preserve in New Castle. Exploring its natural wonders in depth, we have found it to be a superb place for photographers and nature enthusiasts alike. Unlike many of the parks in our area, Glazier Arboretum is home to a large wildflower meadow, providing the perfect opportunity for a wide open, brightly colored landscape photograph. Through the swampy marsh the tour will stay on a well-kept wooden boardwalk; however we will venture off-trail in the moss-covered forest and get a glimpse of the park’s unseen natural treasures.

Along the way, nature photographers Martin Stankiewicz and Stetson Hundgen will instruct you on proper use of your camera as well as on techniques that will help you get your best nature shots. Even if photography is not a hobby of yours, let them show you the hidden gems right here in our own backyard.

Please call (917) 817-5337 if you have any questions.

At 22, Stetson Hundgen’s main focus is his education and continuing his world travels. After recently returning from a cross country bicycle trip he was unclear about his next quest. When he had the opportunity to team up with Martin Stankiewicz and help get Nature Trail Images off the ground, he saw it as a perfect chance to learn and grow. Stetson looks forward to leading local photo walks as well as expanding to eventually lead larger tours around the U.S. and the world. For more information, visit www.naturetrailimages.com and http://www.stankiewiczgallery.com.

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Tennis, everyone? All five days!

Girls varsity tennis only, mornings, Wed, Aug. 25 to Tues, Aug. 31
August 20, 2010
by Christine Yeres

Pam Mitchell, secretary of the athletic department, says there’s been some confusion about the girls’ varsity tennis schedule. Pre-season try-outs begin Wednesday, August 25 and continue for five days—Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday—ending on August 31, from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. each day. The courts are off-limits to all others during those times.

New Castle Boys U-11 winners in WPBA Gold Division

August 20, 2010

The 2010 New Castle U11 Team won the summer playoffs in the Westchester-Putnam Baseball Association Gold Division. The boys made it into the championship game for the second straight summer having to knock off the Number One seed each year to get there.

Pictured are Front row: Justin Keller, Jack Dollinger, Dylan Witt, Bobby Garbuio, Satchel Schultz, Liam Walker, Coach Marc Reisch

Back Row: Coach Jeff Dollinger, Ben Wolfensohn, Gillon Gross, Matt Reisch, Dan Hamerschlag, Coach Mike Wolfensohn

Bridge Construction Update: New bridge lane ready for traffic by end of this week

Looking into town from the deck of the bridge
Click for a live view of the bridge from our webcam in Erik Nicolaysen’s 2nd floor window.
UPDATED Monday, August 23, 2010
by Christine Yeres

August 20, 2010
by Christine Yeres

Quaker Road is paved. Last week workers joined the new roadway with driveways and side streets and created swales alongside the road to conduct water to drains. This week, working nights, Conti Construction crews will pave King Street from Starbuck’s up the hill to D’Agostino’s.

By Friday, August 27 or the following Monday, August 30, the new south bridge lane will be opened to traffic, and demolition of the remaining north lane will begin. Hard to estimate how long demolition will take until it’s underway, but there is still hope that that the new lane will be completed before winter.

Stone masons continue work on the new south wall of the bridge.

UPDATED Calendar for New Castle Mon. Aug. 30 and beyond

School starts Tuesday, September 7, 2010

• Visit NCNOW’s Calendar page for events.

Looking ahead:

• 5:30 pm Thursday, Sept. 2, reception for Dan Baitch’s Photology exhibit @ Chap Library gallery
• School begins Tuesday, September 7, the day after Labor Day
• Mark your calendar for New Castle’s Community Day Saturday, Sept. 25, rain or shine, 11 am to 4 pm.
• The town board holds an info session on Chappaqua Crossing Tues. Sept. 28

Mandarin Chinese . . . Zumba . . . Home-Staging? CCE, Anyone?

CCE’s catalog came in the mail this week. Find it—or register online.
August 20, 2010
by Tara Rutman

Learn to speak Mandarin Chinese, prepare an Indian feast, create a shiitake mushroom log or to actually use that iPhone or iPad. Chappaqua Continuing Education offers Fall classes in the arts, computers, college prep, cooking and wine, dance and exercise, finance, garden and home, foreign languages, hobbies, self-improvement and driver ed. Nothing that speaks to you yet? See our full list below . . .

You should have received our golden-colored brochure in your mailbox this week, but you can also download it on-line at www.ccsd.ws/continuinged. The majority of our classes are held at Horace Greeley High School, and most are night courses.

To learn more about our courses, contact the Chappaqua Continuing Education office at 914-861-9421 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Arts & Handicrafts

Beading for Beginners
Beading-Intermediate
Chelsea Art Tour
Color and Design
Crochet for Beginners
Drawing From Nature
Knitting Circle
Printmaking and Collage
Stained Glass Beginner

College Bound

ACT Review
PSAT Review Course
SAT
The College Process

Computer Classes

All the Basics.
Digital Camera Picture Management
Digital Photography: An Introduction
Intermediate WORD
Introduction to EXCEL
Introduction to Illustrator
Overview of Web Design with Dreamweaver
Photoshop
Understanding & Using a Digital Camera
iPad Overview: Read It, Play It, Love It
iPhone Overview

Culinary Classes

Easy Dishes for a Healthy Thanksgiving
Everyday Chinese Cooking
Indian Cooking
Mt. Kisco Seafood Demonstration
Secrets of Great Soups & Stews from Cafe of Love & Ladle of Love
Susan Lawrence: Mastering the Dining Room: An Autumn Dinner Party for Eight
Wine Appreciation

Dance, Sports & Exercise

Body Sculpting
Latin Dance: Salsa & Mambo
Pilates Mat
Social Dance
Yoga- Section A- Wednesday Afternoon
Yoga- Section B- Thursday Evening
ZUMBA

Driver Education

Driver Improvement Programs - A
Driver Improvement Programs - B
Driver Improvement Programs - C

Finance

Preserving Family Assets by Avoiding Estate Taxes and Nursing Home Costs
Retirement
Roth IRA? To Convert or Not?

Garden & Home

Do It Yourself! Home Maintenance
Home Staging: Preparing Your Home for Sale
Interior Decorating

Hobbies/Leisure

Acoustic/Folk Guitar
Bridge for Beginners
Bridge: Supervised Play
Growing Herbs Inside
How to Make A Shiitake Mushroom Log
Mah Jongg
Meditation: Beyond Relaxation to Inner Peace
Meditation: How to Relax Profoundly, Not Temporarily
You’re on the Air (HOW TO REALLY MAKE IT IN VOICE-OVERS!)

Languages

French Continuation
French Level 1
Introduction to Mandarin Chinese
Italian for Beginners
Italian- Intermediate
Spanish Continuation
Spanish for True Beginners

Behind the Blotter: Four larcenies, one identity theft

August 20, 2010

• GPS and $2.00 in quarters stolen • Bike, lock and chain disappear • ATM card identity theft • Cafe La Track’s missing muffins

On Friday, August 6, a GPS and two dollars in quarters were stolen from an unlocked vehicle in the driveway of 31 Pineview Road.

The resident of a house on North Greeley Avenue reported on Sunday, August 8, that sometime between Thursday, August 5, and Sunday August 8, someone had removed the red Huffy mountain bike locked by chain to a tree outside his house. Bike, lock and chain were all taken.

Saturday, August 7, a resident of Pines Lane was notified by his bank that unusual charges had appeared on his credit card, a Bank of America ATM debit card. Four items totaling around $200 in value had been charged. The case is being investigated by New Castle police as an identity theft.

On Wednesday, August 11, when the owner of Cafe La Track arrived at the Chappaqua train station at 4:30 a.m. to open up, he found that his usual delivery of produce had been tampered with. A box of muffins valued at $20 had been opened, the muffins partially eaten, and then left at the bottom of the stairs to the train platform.

Behind the Blotter

August 27, 2010
by Christine Yeres

• Disoriented deer at Station Place
• Burglary on Inningwood
• GPS pinched overnight
• Wrongful charges result in deliveries to card owner

• On Friday, August 20, a New Castle resident called the New Castle police department to request that an officer come to Station Place in Millwood. A young, disoriented male deer, foaming at the mouth, was meandering back and forth across the street disrupting car traffic. The police officers dispatched the animal using four shots. The New Castle Department of Public Works collected the carcass afterward.

• On Tuesday, August 24, a homeowner on Inningwood Place returned home after 5:00 p.m. and found the front door wide open. The rear door of the house had been kicked in. The resident phoned the New Castle police, who searched the house and determined that the intruder was no longer in the house. The resident reported that some jewelry and electronic equipment were missing. Police are investigating.

• On Wednesday, August 25, a resident of Crow Hill Road reported that a GPS had been stolen from the unlocked car he had parked in the driveway the night before.

• Earlier this month, a local bank phoned a resident of Old House Lane to report unusual purchases made on the resident’s credit card on August 9 and 10. The resident promptly canceled the card, then reported to police on Wednesday, August 25, that “numerous products” had come through the mail to the resident’s home address. Police are investigating.

New Castle Police, Ambulance and Fire Blotters Fri. Aug. 13 - Aug. 19

Yesterday, a vehicle traveling north on the Saw Mill Parkway about 1.25 miles north of the 120 exit left the road and came to rest in a drainage culvert. Both female passengers were transported to the Medical Center with minor injuries. —Russell Maitland, CFD
August 20, 2010

Editor’s Note: Each week NCNOW.org provides highlights from the New Castle police blotter as well as a list of emergency calls to the Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps and to the Chappaqua Fire Department and the Millwood Fire Department for the prior week.

New Castle Police Department

Editor’s Note: Since New Castle police officers respond as well to all “911” fire and ambulance calls, we omit these from our police blotter incidents.

Friday, August 13

08:14 Ludlow Dr, Burglar alarm
09:22 Hayrake La, Mailbox incident
11:25 Pinesbridge Rd, Panic alarm
15:19 Roaring Brook Rd, Accident, property damage

Saturday, August 14

01:57 Red Oak Ln, Drug offense
10:20 Old Town Crossing, Burglar alarm
18:41 King St, Mailbox incident
21:30 Ludlow Dr, Burglar alarm
Sunday, August 15

12:12 Millwood Rd, Animal complaint
12:24 Kerry La, Larceny, stolen property
16:10 Lake Rd, Public safety/health
23:57 Crow Hill Rd, Larceny, stolen property

Monday, August 16

11:12 Byram Lake Rd, Animal complaint
13:51 Allen Pl, Disturbance, dispute
14:04 Old Albany Post Rd, Suspicious vehicle
18:50 Bedford Rd, Vehicle breakdown

Tuesday, August 17

13:34 Westorchard Rd, Burglar alarm
14:04 Pamela Pl, Burglar alarm
18:29 Harriman Rd, Suspicious phone call
18:52 Roaring Brook Rd, Panic alarm

Wednesday, August 18

06:47 Quaker Rd, Suspicious person
12:45 Allen Pl, Suspicious person
17:20 Gray Rock Park Rd, Domestic incident
22:21 S. Bedford Rd, Burglar alarm

Thursday, August 19

09:13 Douglas Rd, Burglar alarm
12:18 S. Greeley Ave, Panic alarm
16:03 Vetere Pl, Burglar alarm
18:14 PD Headquarters, Prisoner detail

Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps—Calls from the Week of Monday, August 9 through Sunday, August 15, 2010

1 Chest Pain

1 Allergic Reaction

4 Weakness and Possible Dehydration

1 Fainting

1 Laceration

Patients:

4 Female 4 Male

0 Under 18

8 Adult

0 Seniors

Chappaqua Fire Department

08/11/2010

18:18 Killington St Carbon monoxide detector activation, no CO

08/12/2010

16:29 King St Unintentional transmission of alarm, other
22:34 Mill River Road Smoke or odor removal

08/13/2010

10:51 Quaker St Alarm system sounded due to malfunction
19:34 Whippoorwill Close Smoke detector activation, no fire - unintentional

08/15/2010 60008

15:53 Hamilton Rd Carbon monoxide incident
18:42 Pinecliff Rd Alarm system sounded due to malfunction

08/16/2010 60008

08:59 Old Lyme Rd Alarm system activation, no fire - unintentional
18:52 Bedford Rd Passenger vehicle fire

Millwood Fire Department

Mon 8/9/2010

08:54 HOURS, VALLEY LN, ODOR OF SMOKE INVESTIGATION

Tue 8/10/2010

13:15 HOURS, LUDLOW DR, RESIDENTAL ALARM

Wed 8/11/2010

17:16 HOURS, SPRING VALLEY RD COMMERCIAL ALARM

Thu 8/12/2010

09:27 HOURS, TACONIC STATE PARKWAY, MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT

Fri 8/13/2010

10:51 HOURS, QUAKER ST, COMMERCIAL ALARM—PULL STATION ACTIVATION
18:54 HOURS, RYDER RD, COMMERCIAL ALARM

Sat 8/14/2010

22:32 HOURS, CABIN RIDGE RD, RESIDENTIAL ALARM

New Castle Police, Ambulance and Fire Blotters Fri. Aug. 20 - Thu. Aug. 26

Monday, August 30, 2010

New Castle Police Department

Editor’s Note: Since New Castle police officers respond as well to all “911” fire and ambulance calls, we omit these from our police blotter incidents.

Friday, August 20

8:13 Sarles, Animal complaint
9:49 Station Pl, Animal complaint
10:06 Deercreek La, Burglar alarm
11:52 Random Farms Dr, Burglar alarm

Saturday, August 21

8:29 Valley Ln, Burglar alarm
13:22 Whitlaw Cl, Burglar alarm
14:25 Whippoorwill Rd, Suspicious person
14:49 Whitlaw Cl, Burglar alarm
Sunday, August 22

11:30 Random Farms Dr, Burglar alarm
12:24 Brandon Dr, Burglar alarm
13:18 Random Farms Dr, Burglar alarm
13:48 Barnes Rd, Burglar alarm

Monday, August 23

2:38 Haights Cross Rd, Burglar alarm
8:12 Gedney Way, Burglar alarm
22:46 Hoag Cross Rd, Suspicious vehicle
23:12 King St, Noise complaint

Tuesday, August 24

9:35 Bradley Farms, Burglar alarm
17:42 Inningwood Pl, Burglary
21:57 Hoag Cross Rd, Suspicious vehicle
3:22 Millwood Rd, Traffic stop

Wednesday, August 25

17:12 Crow Hill Rd, Larceny, stolen property
17:59 Old House Ln, Forgery, fraud
19:52 Autumn Way, Burglar alarm
23:22 Millwood Rd, Traffic stop

Thursday, August 26

1:10 Smith St, Noise complaints
8:28 Quaker St, Traffic detail
9:59 Pinesbridge Rd, Traffic stop
11:45 King St, Traffic stop

Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Calls from the Week of Monday, August 16 through Sunday, August 22, 2010

1 Chest Pain

3 Psychiatric Emergencies

1 Fall

2 Motor Vehicle Accidents with 3 patients

1 Pedestrian hit by Automobile

Patients:

5 Female 4 Male

0 Under 18

5 Adult

4 Seniors

Chappaqua Fire Department

08/19/2010

00:40 150 Bedford 5F Carbon monoxide detector activation, no CO
09:01 22.1 Saw Mill Parkway North Vehicle accident, general cleanup
10:22 39 Ridge Drive Smoke detector activation, no fire - unintentional

Millwood Fire Department

Mon 8/16/2010

12:33 HOURS, SAW MILL RIVER RD , COMMERCIAL ALARM
13:32 HOURS, SAW MILL RIVER RD , COMMERCIAL ALARM

Tue 8/17/2010

05:48 HOURS, SAW MILL RIVER RD , COMMERCIAL ALARM

Sun 8/22/2010

11:12 HOURS, SAW MILL RIVER RD, MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT

Wed 8/25/2010

22:22 HOURS, GRANITE CT, RESIDENTIAL ALARM

Sat 8/28/2010

09:16 HOURS, WEST ORCHARD RD, RESIDENTIAL ALARM

Town board’s counsel explains town’s obligations and developer’s rights to board of ed members

Inside, see 23 readers’ comments since April 13
Click “Read more” for YouTube of discussion.
August 13, 2010
by Christine Yeres

Toward the end of Tuesday’s joint town and school board work session, Clinton Smith of Wormser Kiley, counsel to the New Castle town board, explained to members of both boards and an audience of 100 residents the ways in which the town board is constrained in deciding what to grant the developer of Chappaqua Crossing. Following is the conversation among Smith and members of both boards.

Clinton Smith: The town board has to view this application through several legal prisms, some having to do with land use. The town is not necessarily free to make any decision it may choose. The town might face restrictions [in what it can choose] if growth can be accommodated. The town board has to meet certain requirements in evaluating the application for growth.

Without getting into the details of all of that, because a lot still remains to be seen through that prism. I want to emphasize that although I understand the school board’s position—the economics of it—the town has the same economic issue. The [decision on whether to tax condos as fee simple] applies to taxes for both town and school boards. But the town board has to make certain of its decisions based on a number of legal factors and analyses, and it’s not all a blank slate.

Board of Ed member Jeffrey Mester: I have not followed this as closely as I possibly could, but I’m trying to find out: What does the town get [from this project] besides the 6.5 acres?

Town Supervisor Barbara Gerrard: Given the fact that the developer is already in a second certiorari to reduce their taxes, it’s a matter of stabilizing our assessables. We’re responsible for the fiscal security of the entire town and to see the commercial base eroding the way it has…. One of the things the town board is insisting on is that we got the developer to increase the amount of commercial square footage, we got them to go up over 135,000 square feet [from 520,000 s.f. to 642,000 s.f.], because we think that’s a very good thing for the town.

But remember the traffic issues: You’re all concerned about traffic. All the traffic experts will tell you that commercial square footage is about 1.5 to 2 times the number of trips that are that generated by residential property. So if we say “all commercial” and make the whole property commercial with no children on the property, that creates huge issues of transportation and traffic. We wish we did have more options. We do know informally that the developer continues to say he is still interested in marketing it to empty nesters. The way they have the square footage—master bedroom on the main floor, two bedrooms—means they’re looking for that demographic.

It was the town board that insisted that the project be evaluated non-age-restricted, because during those public hearings residents brought up the possibility of non-enforcement [of age-restriction]. We thought those were very good suggestions. We thought that was the better way to evaluate the project. And if we’re fortunate enough that the developer markets it [to an empty-nester demographic] – other than the affordable units – that would have a much lower impact [on the schools]. And remember: we got it down from 348 units. We threw that out. And now the sizes of the apartments are smaller as well.

Board of Ed member Gregg Bresner: The town’s budget is $36 million. The entire taxes from Reader’s Digest to the town is $190,000 – about .6 percent of the town’s budget. And that applies to the school district as well. Isn’t it a more reasonable solution to cut expenses and make this problem go away once and for all?

Clinton Smith: That goes back to Jeff’s question, “What does the town get from it?” And you have to realize that the town is not a party to the transaction. The town is the approving agency. And one of those prisms [through which the board is obliged to look at the developer’s application] is the Fifth Amendment, which says that a person has the right to do what he will with his property, subject to reasonable regulation. That means that when you want to put a deck on your house you have to get planning board approval, but nonetheless that [approval] can’t be arbitrarily withheld. If the town is to say “No, go away,” there must be a rational, legally supportable basis in fact—and in law—for doing that.

Town board member Robin Stout: That’s the lawyer answer, and that’s fine. But my point is that once upon a time not very long ago, Reader’s Digest produced a lot more money and therefore we, the taxpayers, and the school district, had less of a burden because there was more paid by Reader’s Digest. One of our problems today is – you’re right—the commercial tax base has whittled to almost nothing. So at this point it’s not much good for anybody. One of the things the community has to decide is if we’re willing to afford a black hole up there, which means that the town expenses and school district expenses will be taken care of mostly by the residents.

Or will we be able to put that property to some productive use up there so that we can all get revenue? And yes, Jeff, as you said, we need to look at it and know whether it will be net revenue. But my concern is that change is coming and Reader’s Digest is leaving and we have to figure out whether we can get net revenue—and good net revenue—so that the tax burden on the average household is reduced.

Board of Ed member Jeffrey Mester: Speaking for myself, not the school board, if our revenues are a million dollars from this, it’s cheaper to lose that million dollars than to lose the three or four million dollars in [educating additional] students. It may be the lesser of two evils.

Town board member Robin Stout: Well, we have to do the projections and figure out whether there are net revenues; if there aren’t net revenues, then it’s not worth doing.

Clinton Smith: I would say, though, that from the town board’s point of view [and in view of its obligations as the approving agency], “worth doing” is not necessarily the be-all and end-all of the equation for the town’s approval action.

From Tuesday’s Joint Work Session, a general discussion of the developer’s rights and the town board’s obligations as lead agency:

_________________
For NCNOW’s complete coverage of Chappaqua Crossing, dating from 2007, click HERE.

As town and school boards meet, annoyed residents shout out for bigger meeting space

Inside, see 34 readers’ comments since April 13
Click “Read more” to see YouTube clips of Tuesday’s meeting
August 13, 2010
by Christine Yeres

About 25 spectators squeezed into conference room A-B for Tuesday night’s joint Town Board-School Board work session to discuss Chappaqua Crossing. At 7:00 p.m., with ten board members and their consultants in chairs around one large table and residents taking up every available space around them, Jules Buxbaum, a resident, burst into the room to complain hotly that there were people outside the doors who couldn’t fit into the room and wouldn’t be able to hear the public meeting. He asked that the meeting be moved to the larger hearing room across the hall. Other audience members in the conference room joined in, asking too that the meeting be moved to the larger assembly room.

At first, Supervisor Barbara Gerrard told Buxbaum that the meeting would take place “here or not at all.” Soon afterwards, perhaps realizing that by then 40 or more people were crowded at both doorways to the conference room, Gerrard asked Town Clerk Jill Shapiro to check to see whether the larger room could be made ready quickly enough for the boards to keep to their 8:00 p.m. stop time, since each board was scheduled to conduct its own, regular meeting after the joint session. The move was made, the assembly room filled up, and still residents spilled over into the outer hall. By then about 100 people were present.

Since the latest proposal from the developer of the Reader’s Digest site to construct fewer condominium units (199 rather than 278) and maintain more of the existing 700,000 square feet of office space (642,000 rather than 520,000) board of education members have worried publicly that the developer has interpreted the school district’s projected future decline in student enrollment as proof that the proposed condo development will have no adverse impact on the school district’s finances. The joint meeting was devoted to a tutorial by the town board on the status of the proposal for redevelopment of the site and to understand the differences in their views of the risks the proposed development poses to the school district.
________________________________________
NewCastleNOW.org filmed the 55-minute meeting, and has set up seven short consecutive YouTube links, between five and ten minutes in length, below.

Part 1 begins in the conference room and follows the meeting into the assembly room.

In Parts 2 and 3, the town board’s F.P. Clark planning consultant, Joanne Meder, gives a succinct summary of the five-year history of the application by developer Summit Greenfield to redevelop the Reader’s Digest property.

In Part 4 Janet Benton and Jeffrey Mester speak.

In Part 5 Gregg Bresner and Alyson Gardner Kiesel speak.

In Part 6 Randy Katchis speaks, then Clinton Smith in a discussion of tax revenues of the development

Part 7: A general discussion of the developer’s rights and the town board’s obligations as lead agency
________________________________________

Once settled, the discussion begins

Supervisor Barbara Gerrard reiterates the board’s intent to reject the proposal unless the developer makes the town houses, at least, (60 of them in the latest Modified Project, Alternative I) “fee simple,” that is, assessed at the same rate as single family houses. For the board, she said, “this is carved in stone, since town houses [by fitting more people and, presumably, children] would have more impact on the schools.”

Clinton Smith informed school board members that although town board members have seen the projected number of school children in the developer’s FEIS, the town board had by no means yet accepted those numbers. If board of education members had different numbers and calculations, Smith told them, “that’s the type of information the town board needs in order to evaluate the impacts of the project. Don’t keep your opinions secret.”

Board of Ed members weigh in

Although the meeting was designed so that the town board could inform the school board of their thinking on the project overall and, specifically, on the newest Modified Project revealed only three weeks ago today, board of ed members took the occasion to reveal some information of their own. Some had done mathematical analyses, others described a Big Picture in which more students issuing from low-taxed condominium dwellings could cost the district more to educate than it will ever see in revenue.

President Janet Benton

Board of education President Janet Benton spoke for first for her board. She listed two concerns: First, to understand how, by using the board of education’s BOCES report, the developer arrived at 58 as the projected number of children from the project; second, to learn more about how tax revenue from the project might help defray the cost of educating students, as well as how the units might be assessed and priced.

“That’s important to us, too,” responded Gerrard.

Jeffrey Mester

“I don’t really care how many students this project brings,” said Mester. “What matters is that the risk is being shifted from the developer to district taxpayers. I have a lot of concerns about the BOCES projections. My concern is that the revenue [from the project] does not exceed the cost of education, around $25,000 per student.”

Mester’s second point – one that he has made before as board president during the DEIS comment period last September LINK?—was that the district’s excess capacity, or predicted decrease in student population, “is an asset of the district that should not be given away. Assuming our expenses are variable, we can reduce our expenses as population goes down.” Another concern, stated Mester, “is traffic outside the high school.”

Mester was prepared, he said, to offer solutions to the risks he had described:

1. tax all units “fee simple;”

2. perform a town-wide revaluation and tax all dwellings at the same rate;

3. approve the commercial variance the developer is seeking and leave the residential as it is [26 single-family lots, zoned one-acre].

Mester later added a fourth solution: “Let the developer guarantee the risk to the school district by setting some amount of money in escrow for ten to 20 years.”

Gerrard picked up the subject of revaluation, telling members of both boards that on September 7 the town board was due to hear from its consultant on revaluation, Thomas Frey, on the cost-benefits and logistics of a town-wise revaluation. She admitted that the town board found it a difficult decision, since if the board were to decide to invoke a “Homestead Exemption” in the course of a revaluation, all dwellings within the town’s borders would be taxed at 100% of value. She was concerned that condominiums within New Castle would suffer by comparison with lower-taxed condos of neighboring towns that would, presumably, still be taxed as condos.

Gerrard remained firm in her demand to the developer that the 60 townhouses of the new Modified Project be taxed “fee simple.”

Gregg Bresner

Next, board of education member Gregg Bresner offered his analysis of enrollment projections and tax projections. “I come up with a shortfall initially of $6.4 million, and the present value of that in perpetuity, because these things grow, is between $320 million and $640 million. That’s what we’re talking about. This could be the most important issue this town has ever faced. I think it’s imperative, to help you [town board members], that the school board retain its own consultant, an expert.”

“No disrespect to BOCES [which did the enrollment projections for the board of education],” continued Bresner, “but BOCES is a non-profit organization that figures out how to share services among school districts. Three-quarters of their analysis is null, because they assumed age restriction [which the newest proposal, Modified Project does not]. But when you look at their numbers, between the number of people moving into Chappaqua Crossing and the number of people moving out of houses to move into Chappaqua Crossing, my analysis of BOCES report shows 261 school children, a $5.5 million shortfall, with a $500 million present value.” Bresner concluded, “As a school board, we need to give you a better analysis [than the BOCES report].”

Clinton Smith interjected, “The consultant the town board acquired [for the DEIS] was the school board’s consultant [BOCES] hired by the school board to do its enrollment projections, was it not? But the more information, the better.”

Bresner responded that BOCES simply measures the districts’ enrollment capacity for the purpose of advising school districts on whether they need to construct additional school buildings. But even that information, Bresner explained, had a 4% standard of error and was valid over only five years.

Alyson Gardner Kiesel

Describing herself as a 40-year resident of the town, Alyson Gardner Kiesel read a prepared statement. She noted that while the district spends $26,000 per student, the anticipated tax revenue from each unit is around $4,600, “and current taxpayers will be asked to make up the difference.” The board’s options, she continued, will be to raise taxes or alter programs and cut services, “and sacrifice the quality of education we currently provide.”

“Over the past few years,” Gardner Kiesel said, “American taxpayers have been asked to fund the bailout of unprofitable automakers, reckless insurance companies, and banks that took excessive risks. Are you now going to tell the New Castle taxpayer that they need to bail out a developer whose property investment has not achieved the profitability they desired?”
“I’m sure every member of this community has something that they bought or invested in five years ago that is worth less than they expected it to be,” said Gardner-Kiesel. “The economic reality is that no matter how much research you do or projections you analyze, not all investments work out. It is not the responsibility of this community to take on unknowable risk to accommodate the profit-and-loss of a real estate developer.”

“Hiding behind ‘available physical capacity’ is an obfuscation of the real issue,” said Gardner Kiesel. The developer might have chosen to approach the school district to work with the board, she commented, but instead had “shown little or no concern for this school system that has been the hallmark of this community for decades.”

“We teach our students,” concluded Gardner Kiesel, “that bullying is not tolerated in our schools; if we do not protect our taxpayers and students, then we are allowing ourselves to be bullied. As it stands, this project is completely one-sided: they get what they want, and we bear an unquantifiable risk. I believe there is a way for this project to meet both the goals of the developer while insulating our taxpayers from undue risk. This proposal does not accomplish this.”

Randy Katchis

“Having been in the business for some time,” said Katchis, “I can see with present financial conditions there’s clearly a flight to value, and we’re blessed in that this town has tremendous value, that our school system and community have tremendous value. But with things like affordable housing that are dictated by federal government and the state, that will need to be put in typically in the form of apartments or condominiums, with the existing condominiums that Barbara [Gerrard] mentioned—and there are quite a few of them—and that the density of children there is fairly low, it could be that a revaluation drives 50 or 60 percent of our empty nesters out of those and brings in potential new students, ‘helping’ with our capacity issue.”

“I think there’s just tremendous risk out there,” continued Katchis, “in terms of exposure on non-fee-simple-taxed units. I understand the developer wants to make money, I understand he’s in business to be profitable. But to put additional risk on the present system we have is just not responsible. We’re smarter than that; we’re a better community than that. We need to buckle down, get the work done and find a solution.”
_________________
From NCNOW’s archives: For coverage of Chappaqua Crossing from June 2010 to present, with commentary from readers, click HERE.

For NCNOW’s complete coverage of Chappaqua Crossing, dating from 2007, click HERE.

Part 1 begins in the conference room and follows the meeting into the assembly room:

Part 2: The town board’s F.P. Clark planning consultant, Joanne Meder, gives a succinct summary of the five-year history of the application by developer Summit Greenfield to redevelop the Reader’s Digest property (first half):

Part 3: The town board’s F.P. Clark planning consultant, Joanne Meder, gives a succinct summary of the five-year history of the application by developer Summit Greenfield to redevelop the Reader’s Digest property (second half):

Part 4: Janet Benton and Jeffrey Mester speak:

Part 5: Gregg Bresner and Alyson Gardner Kiesel speak:

Part 6: Randy Katchis speaks, then Clinton Smith in a discussion of projected tax revenues from the development:

Part 7: A general discussion of the developer’s rights and the town board’s obligations as lead agency:

NCNOW coverage of Chappaqua Crossing draws 324 comments

August 16, 2010

Editor’s Note: NCNOW’s coverage of developer Summit Greenfield’s proposal to develop the former Reader’s Digest property as “Chappaqua Crossing,” a mix of commercial office space and multifamily condominium townhouses and apartments, has drawn more than 300 comments since the end of June, when Gregg Bresner wrote an Op-Ed questioning residents’ level of awareness of the proposal. Click “Read more,” below, to find that Op-Ed plus 14 pieces that followed it, along with the comments each drew.

THIS WEEK IN NCNOW.org:

From our archives, newest to oldest:

Town board member Robin Stout makes public disclosure statement
Monday, August 16, 2010

Residents remain after town and school boards’ work session to comment on Chappaqua Crossing
Monday, August 16, 2010

As town and school boards meet, annoyed residents shout out for bigger meeting space
PLUS 34 COMMENTS
August 13, 2010

Town board’s counsel explains town’s obligations and developer’s rights to board of ed members
PLUS 23 COMMENTS
August 13, 2010

Important joint meeting of school & town boards to discuss Chappaqua Crossing, TUESDAY, Aug 10
PLUS 16 COMMENTS
August 9, 2010

Op-Ed: Take residential out of the picture; allow more than four tenants at Chappaqua Crossing
PLUS 13 COMMENTS
August 6, 2010
by Lee Bowen

Musical Op-Ed: “Chappaqua Double-Crossing”
PLUS 11 COMMENTS
August 6, 2010
by Lee Seham

UPDATE: School board members sound note of alarm over latest proposal for Chappaqua Crossing
PLUS 47 COMMENTS
Monday, August 2, 2010

A brief description of Summit Greenfield’s Modified Plan for Chappaqua Crossing
PLUS 8 COMMENTS
July 30, 2010

Summit Greenfield presents new alternative for Chappaqua Crossing—199 residential units
PLUS 23 COMMENTS
July 24, 2010

Letter to the Editor: Let’s make Chappaqua Crossing a win-win for both town and developer
PLUS 11 COMMENTS
by Dan Papes
July 26, 2010

Supervisor Gerrard on issues raised about Chappaqua Crossing in NCNOW letters and commentary
PLUS 62 COMMENTS
Friday, July 16, 2010

Open Letter: Gregg Bresner responds to Geoff Thompson’s statement from Chappaqua Crossing
PLUS 22 COMMENTS
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
by Gregg Bresner

Letter to the Editor: Statement from Chappaqua Crossing in response to NCNOW Op-Ed by Gregg Bresner
PLUS 22 COMMENTS
July 2, 2010
by Geoff Thompson

Op-Ed: Baffled by parents’ lack of awareness and concern over rezoning of Chappaqua Crossing
PLUS 32 COMMENTS
June 28, 2010
by Gregg Bressner

Experiencing music at the Towne Crier, from the musician’s point of view

Bachmann appears tomorrow night, Sat., Aug. 14 at the Towne Crier, in Pawling, N.Y.
August 13, 2010
by Bill Bachmann

I first played at the Towne Crier back in the late Seventies. I was, of course, only two at the time! The location then was in Beekman, New York in an old general store. After all these years, it is still owned by Phil Ciganer, but is now located in Pawling, New York. The cafe is extremely charming and cozy, the food is always amazing . . . and the desserts are unparalleled.

For many years, Open Mic Night at the club has been a haven for singer-songwriter-musicians who are starting out, as well as for those who are established, but want to try out new material. There is a community of musicians in the area, and we regularly go in on a Wednesday night to sing, to laugh, to commiserate, to philosophize, to keep it all real.
When I lived in the Village, all in the same week I’d be playing in a rock band at Kenny’s Castaways, singing with The Song Project at Folk City, and playing jazz or bluegrass in Washington Square. Then I’d travel out to Queens to take bouzouki lessons or take the train to New Jersey to learn how to play the oud.

Playing a variety of genres is what has defined my music. Singing and songwriting has offered me the opportunity to combine my influences, which stem from every conceivable type of music around, old and new, as my body of work reflects the diversity of my musical interests. You might catch a klezmer riff on the heels of a bluegrass lick, or a jazz phrase in the middle of a blues song. I’ve never been married to one genre.
I love playing at the Towne Crier. The sound system is terrific; for the performer it is so important to hear what you’re doing on stage, and to have the confidence that the audience is catching your every nuance. A musical experience at the Towne Crier is a treat for all involved, because the musicians who come to play, come to play, and the people who come to listen, come to listen. So come listen on billbachmannmusic.com.

NEW: Backyard Wonders—A sunset walk into The Great Right-Here

Five tulip trees rising from one base meet again in one canopy
This Wednesday’s Excursion (Aug. 18): A Sunset Walk at Whippoorwill Park
Monday, August 16, 2010
by Martin Stankiewicz

I think exploring new places brings out the Lewis and Clark in all of us. It excites our senses and stirs a wide range of emotion, from fatigue and uncertainty, to triumph and tranquility. Many of us long to travel to faraway, exotic places to experience and see new things, but it can be just as refreshing to explore our own New Castle backyard.

As an avid nature photographer and outdoor enthusiast, I thought it would be a great idea to share some of the natural wonders I’ve found right here in our neck of the woods. So last Wednesday I decided, along with my friend and colleague Stetson Hundgen, to lead a nature walk in one of our most visited recreational areas, Gedney Park. It was a spur-of-the-moment idea. A post on my website and a quick email blast to friends yielded in an enthusiastic group of five.

We began hiking the trail by circling the perimeter of the park, stopping to identify various trees and flowers, or to taste the berries of a spice bush and smell the fragrant leaves of a sassafras. We went off-trail to inspect the variegated strata of “folded rock” formations. Then came the towering cluster of five tulip trees rising from one base, fusing into one massive canopy of green. We passed from one trail to another crossing and recrossing a meandering brook along our way. Not a frog or feather lodged among the leaves escaped our notice and our lenses. Two hours later we emerged at the pond, exhausted but satisfied with the experience and with our photo catch.

So when was the last time you explored New Castle’s wildflower bloom in Whippoorwill Park or the meadow in Glazier Arboretum? What about our town’s butterfly and hummingbird gardens; the mudflats at Crystal Springs at Pruyn Sanctuary; or the folded rock formations at Gedney? Do you know what’s in New Castle’s backyard?

Martin Stankiewicz is a nature photographer residing in Chappaqua, NY. In 2008 he left his legal practice to open a gallery in downtown Chappaqua in the Village Yard on King Street, just 20 yards north of the Horace Greeley House displaying his own work as well as that of visiting artists whose passion is nature. He also shares his experiences through workshops and tours here in the northeast and around the world. For more information visit his website www.naturetrailimages.com and http://www.stankiewiczgallery.com.

Whippoorwill Park Photo Walk

Sunset Walk - Wednesday, August 18, 2010 starting at 5:00 p.m. till around 7:00 p.m.

$20 per person

When comparing parks in New Castle, the beauty of Whipporwill Park tops the list. This Wednesday’s photo walk will take you through a vast array of natural habitats, through a gnarly vine-ridden forest, lush green fern pastures and the beautiful wildflowers surrounding the park’s pond.

Next Wednesday, August 25: Glazier Arboretum

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The Quake win U12+ Boys WPBA Summer Championship

Monday, August 16, 2010
by David Factor

On Saturday evening August 14th, the New Castle Quake captured the Westchester-Putnam Baseball Association U12+ division championship with a thrilling come-from-behind 10-6 victory over Armonk.

Trailing 5-0 in the third inning, the Quake showed their grit and resiliency with an eight-run, two out eruption to take a lead they would not surrender. Strong pitching and defense shut down the potent Armonk offense, while a majestic Quake two-run HR capped the scoring.

The championship concluded an enormously successful regular season where the Quake posted a 16-2 first-place record.

In addition, the Quake competed in a national five-day tournament in Cooperstown, N.Y., playing against teams from California, Texas and Michigan. Beginning with indoor training in February, the team was piloted by head-coach Peter Cohen and assistants Jeff Neeck, Peter Gadaleta and David Factor. The championship roster included Luke Cohen, Chris Evanko, Daniel Factor, Paul Gadaleta, Nate Goodman, Griffith Hanlon, Greg Krisberg, Daniel Lazarus, Asher McCabe, Aaron Neeck, Nick Perretti and Joe Raguso.

AYSO takes “Everyone Plays” to new heights

August 13, 2010
by Josh Lurie

I’m extremely excited to announce the start of an AYSO Very Important Players (VIP) soccer program in New Castle this fall! The VIP program provides a quality soccer experience for children whose physical or mental disabilities make it difficult to successfully participate on mainstream teams. My first experience of AYSO’s VIP opportunity was the fantastic program in Tarrytown. I wanted to re-create that here in our town.

VIP Program Goals

We recognize that all people need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance. The VIP Program offers that acceptance and carries our philosophy of Everyone Plays® to new heights, giving everyone a chance to play.

Children with special needs are estimated to comprise approximately 10% of the school-aged population, and approximately 20% of the United States population is identified as having some type of disability. The VIP Program has been structured to integrate VIP players into the rest of AYSO by providing a soccer season, and using “buddies”—able-bodied helpers—to give assistance to players who need it, both on and off the field. Our goals for every participating player are:

* Have fun playing soccer
* Increase positive self-esteem
* Become more physically fit
* Meet and be comfortable with new people
* Understand the fundamentals of the game
* Learn teamwork and fair play

Everyone Plays®

VIP helps more than just the players. Buddies and other volunteers increase their appreciation and understanding of individuals with special needs. They find their lives greatly enriched by
their involvement with their new VIP friends. For parents thinking they would never see their children playing a sport or making new friends, VIP gives them joy and hope. They are able to relax and enjoy watching their children having fun like other children, perhaps for the first time.

Teams can have as few as three players and may be co-ed. VIP teams can be put together with players who register based on mobility or ability. Older and younger players can also be separated onto different teams when numbers allow. Please visit the Chappaqua AYSO website to enroll via the standard registration process. Select the “VIP Division” during registration.

Volunteers

If you know of any children who are 14 years old or older who would like to earn community service credits for participating in the buddy system please contact our VIP Coordinator. Please also contact our VIP Coordinator if you know any adults that would like to volunteer their time assisting with on-the-field coaching. So far, we’ve gotten a wonderful response from the community. Please email me with any questions or ideas at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Josh Lurie is Chappaqua AYSO VIP Coordinator parent of three girls. He’s lived in New Castle for four years and has coached soccer for two of his daughters for three of those years. With the start-up of this VIP program, now all three of his daughters will play soccer.

“Organ Donors” win B-League Championship

Monday, August 9, 2010
by Dan Kadlec

The Organ Donors claimed their third consecutive championship in the New Castle men’s softball B league on Tuesday night, August 3. Emerging from the loser’s bracket, the Donors swept past the Water Buffaloes by scores of 2-1 and 3-2.

Both games were well-played defensive battles. Donors’ shortstop Andrew Mirable and Buffaloes’ shortstop Ron Rubin gloved everything near them while both outfields played shallow, challenging hitters to go deep. The strategy worked as both teams snagged line drives at critical moments.

The championship was decided in extra innings in the second game, when Kyle Kadlec of the Donors laced a walk-off RBI single in the hole between second base and first base in the bottom of the eighth inning. Donor pitcher Eric Fromm scored the winning run from third base.

Both games of the B-League championship were close

In the first game, the Donors jumped to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. The Buffaloes tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth. The Donors scored one run in the seventh for the win.

In the second game, it was the Buffaloes who took an early lead, going up 1-0 in the top of the first inning. The Donors scored twice in the fifth inning, but the Buffaloes tied it at 2-2 in the seventh. The Donors earned the game-winning run an inning later.

“These were two of the best softball games I can recall,” said Donor manager Dan Kadlec. “Our hat is off to the Buffaloes, who played like champions. Every run felt like a marathon.”

This is a double-elimination tournament, meaning each team must lose twice before being pushed out. The Donors finished the tournament at 6-1, while the Buffaloes finished 3-2. Interestingly, the Buffaloes defeated the Donors early in the tournament to send the Donors into the loser’s bracket, where in order to win a team must play more games than the team that gets to the championship game without a loss.

The Donors finished the season with an overall record of 15-6, the best in the B league, and a few percentage points ahead of the regular season winners, The Wings, who were 12-5 after going 1-2 in the playoffs. The Buffaloes ended the season at 13-6.

Dan Kadlec lives in Chappaqua and co-founded the Organ Donors softball team 11 years ago.

“Without a Prayer” defeats “Eight Men Out” to win championship

Monday, August 9, 2010
by Jeremy Weinstein

Going into the C-League finals Monday evening August 2, Without A Prayer had to defeat Eight Men Out in order to force a winner-take-all championship game under the lights at the New Castle Recreation Field. If Eight Men Out were to win the first of the possible two games, they would be crowned champions.

Without A Prayer jumped out to a an early lead in Game 1, eventually winning the game 8-0, led by dominant pitching from Martin Hewitt and superb defense all around.

In the second and final game, both teams struggled to score early, leading to a 1-1 tie, which was eventually extended to a 6-3 lead in favor of Without A Prayer.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, a late rally by Eight Men Out tied the score at 6-6 going into the final inning. Without A Prayer opened the top of the seventh with a blooper single to right, and a line drive single up the middle, putting runners on first and second with no one out, and the heart of their order coming to bat.

David Walker then legged out a three-run homerun to put Without a Prayer up 9-6. Without a Prayer proceeded to scratch out two insurance runs on key hits with two outs later in the inning, bringing the score to 11-6.
In the final inning, Eight Men Out mounted a comeback, scoring three quick runs, eventually bringing the tying run to the plate, but was unable to tie the score before the game ended on a fly ball to left field.

The final score was Without A Prayer 11, Eight Men Out 9. The game MVP was Fred Maxfield, who hit four two-out singles to preserve a number of Without A Prayer rallies.

Jeremy Weinstein has lived in New Castle for 18 years. He just completed his second season playing the outfield for Without A Prayer.

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Quaker Hill defends Softball Championship

Monday, August 9, 2010
by Susan Zangler

The Quaker Hill Softball Team defended its Division A Softball Championship by defeating the Chappaqua Dawgs 6-2 on Thursday night August 5 at the New Castle Recreation Field.

The score was tied 2-2 when Quaker Hill broke it wide open in the third inning with a 4-run rally. The rest of the game saw batters go down one after the other in an amazing display of defense by both teams.

Congratulations to Tim Sullivan, the founder of Quaker Hill and owner of Quaker Hill Tavern.

Collected NCNOW.org articles on Westchester County’s affordable housing settlement

Last updated: August 13, 2010

According to the terms of the fair and affordable housing settlement, the county must submit an implementation plan for the construction of 750 fair and affordable housing units across 31 municipalities of Westchester County, including New Castle, by the year 2015. Our coverage of the affordable housing settlement follows. Articles are listed in chronological order, from newest to oldest.

For clear and concise background, see “Fair and Affordable housing settlement: Justice Department Summary” of August 10, 2009.

County submits its third “fair and affordable” housing implementation plan
August 13, 2010

Public Hearing on amendment to town code to permit affordable housing in downtown adjourned
June 11, 2010

Public Hearing: Town board eases the way for affordable housing in downtown Chappaqua
June 7, 2010

HUD seeks routine input, sparking discussion of fair and affordable housing settlement
April 30, 2010

Anti-Discrimination Center highly critical of county’s plan for fair and affordable housing
February 19, 2010

Monitor sends county back to drawing board for specifics on affordable housing implementation plan County must resubmit its plan by March 12, 2010
February 19, 2010

First steps in planning fair and affordable housing for New Castle
January 8, 2010

UPDATE: In their own words: Kane and Kaplowitz debate
November 2, 2009

County Legislator Kaplowitz elaborates on affordable housing settlement
October 30, 2009

Town board and planning board discuss comments submitted on Chappaqua Crossing DEIS
October 9, 2009

Supervisor Gerrard’s update on Westchester County affordable housing settlement
October 9, 2009

County provides fact sheet on Affordable Housing Settlement
October 9, 2009

County legislator Kaplowitz to visit New Castle town board next Tuesday [Includes Department of Justice Summary of the settlement]
September 18, 2009

From HUD’s website:

HUD AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCE LANDMARK CIVIL RIGHTS AGREEMENT IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY
Agreement seen as a national model for inclusive, diverse and sustainable communities
August 10, 2009

Fair and affordable housing settlement
August 10, 2009

County submits its third “fair and affordable” housing implementation plan

August 13, 2010
by Christine Yeres

On August 10 the County issued its third attempt at an implementation plan to get moving on the creation of 750 units of fair and affordable housing in the 31 least racially diverse municipalities across Westchester. James E. Johnson, the federal monitor appointed to oversee compliance with the consent decree approved by county legislators one year ago, has sent the county back to the drawing board twice, asking for more specifics on how and when they plan to identify land on which to build housing, to finance and market the housing, and to educate not only eligible buyers and renters of the housing but also residents of the communities where the housing will be located.

Westchester County Press Release
August 10, 2010

LATEST IMPLEMENTATION PLAN REFLECTS STRONG COLLABORATION WITH MONITOR

Timely submission of housing document meets deadline

Working closely with the federal housing monitor and his team, Westchester County has submitted the latest update of its implementation plan for building the fair and affordable housing and complying with other obligations required by last year’s settlement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The 46-page implementation plan provides further detail around the county’s plans and processes for building 750 units of fair and affordable housing in 31 communities. The new plan is the product of numerous conference calls and extensive pre-submission discussions between Westchester officials and the federal monitor’s team, all of which were designed to address previous questions and issues raised by the monitor in July.

The revised implementation plan has been posted on the county’s Web site at: www.westchestergov.com/housingsettlement. The many appendices will be posted by Wednesday.

Specific areas of concentration include:

• The county’s expertise and capabilities with respect to underwriting and financing fair and affordable housing
• The rationale behind why 10 percent should be established as the standard for how many units in residential developments should be set aside for fair and affordable housing
• The obligations municipalities have to promote fair and affordable housing as recipients of federal Community Development Block Grants and participants in Urban County Consortium Cooperation Agreement and the penalties they can face for failing to meet those obligations
• The sizes, settings, and configurations of the types of developments the county plans to build or rehabilitate
• The strengths and weaknesses of various financing arrangements, such as revolving loans
• Timetables for reaching milestones
• Targets for meetings with developers and municipal officials
• The marketing and outreach efforts that will be undertaken by the county.

“This revised implementation plan demonstrates the county’s ongoing commitment to work with the monitor and his team to bring more fair and affordable housing to Westchester,” said County Executive Robert P. Astorino. “The county is working hard and progress is being made.”

By design, it does not include properties under consideration for development. Instead, its purpose is to provide a blueprint for how properties can be developed to comply with the settlement.

Copies of the plan along with supporting documents in multiple appendices were sent to James E. Johnson, the federal monitor overseeing the settlement, and representatives of HUD on Monday, meeting the deadline for their submission set by the monitor in July.

The monitor can now accept the implementation plan, reject it or ask for further modifications. No date has been set for when he will complete his review.

The settlement was entered into by former County Executive Andrew Spano and approved by the Board of Legislators.

From our archives:

NEW Bridge Construction Update: Asphalt paving of King Street POSTPONED

Looking into town from the deck of the bridge
Click for a live view of the bridge from our webcam in Erik Nicolaysen’s 2nd floor window.
Monday, August 16, 2010
by Christine Yeres

The scraping (called “milling”) and resurfacing of King Street from Starbuck’s intersection up to Bedford Road that was scheduled to begin tonight has been postponed. The milling company canceled. The job might be rescheduled for the week beginning August 23.

As it has done on the Quaker Road side of the bridge, the milling company will scrape up the top 1.5 inches of asphalt and fill in any cracks in the concrete base below before laying new asphalt, since old, deep cracks in the concrete cause new surface cracks as the concrete expands and contracts due to changes in temperature.

The day time work on Quaker Road last week caused some traffic delays, but work on King Street will take place at night to spare businesses the disruption. The segment of South Greeley between the triangle and Starbucks will not be done, since there’s more tearing up to do there first.

Once asphalt paving is done on the King Street side, traffic will be changed over to the new south lane of the bridge and demolition will begin on the north side. Crews will double for demolition, during which time the temporary pedestrian walkway will remain in place. Once the old lane is removed, workers will pour concrete footings. There is a chance the surface of the north lane could be poured before winter. All depends on the weather.

This week, stone masons continue on the south wall of the bridge, on both the in-side and the out-side of the wall.

Behind the Blotter: Tenant takes $6K in jewelry; nanny goes on a $16K shopping spree

August 13, 2010
by Christine Yeres

Two Arrests:
• Tenant makes off with $6,000 in jewelry
• Shopping spree for nanny with stolen credit cards

Tenant makes off with $6,000 in jewelry

On July 27, 2010, a resident of Chappaqua reported to New Castle Police that she had discovered that $6,000 worth of her jewelry had been stolen, she suspected, by Patrick Mazzullo of Sanibel, Florida, who rented a room in her house. After investigating, police arrested Mazzullo on August 9, 2010, at his place of employment and charged him with 3rd Degree Grand Larceny, a class D felony.

Mazzullo was arraigned in New Castle then was sent to Westchester County Jail on $10,000 bail. He faces charges of possession of stolen property in New Rochelle as well, where he attempted to pawn some of the jewelry. In New Castle town court last night, Mazzullo whispered to his lawyer that he was in need of four mental health-related medications while in jail, as well as Lisinopril for high blood pressure. The lawyer passed on the request to Judge David Zuckerman, who noted Mazzullo’s need for the prescription medications in his written record. Mazzullo will return to New Castle town court on September 2, 2010.

Some of the jewelry was recovered.

Shopping spree for nanny with stolen credit cards

Thursday at 10:00 a.m. New Castle Police traveled to Bedford, N.Y., to arrest Brazilian national Prisila Pereira, a 20 year old nanny to a Chappaqua family. Pereira took one credit card from her employer around July 1 and a second on July 12. Between July 2 and 13, she went on a shopping spree with the stolen credit cards, assuming her employer’s identity in using them. Pereira charged $16,000 worth of merchandise in towns across Westchester and in Danbury, Connecticut.

When police arrested her at her home in Bedford, the prosecutor told Judge David Zuckerman, Pereira made statements fully confessing her stolen credit card activity. At the time of Pereira’s arrest, she was no longer employed by the family.

Pereira was charged with identity theft in the first degree, a class D felony and 4th Degree Grand Larceny, a class E felony. She was arraigned in New Castle town court and sent to Westchester County Jail on $20,000 bail.

Pereira appeared before Justice Zuckerman last night in New Castle town court. The prosecutor asked the judge for a temporary order of protection for the family for whom Pereira had worked. Judge Zuckerman emphasized with Pereira that the temporary restraining order was “a full stay-away,” from mother, father and children of the family. She will appear in court again on August 19.

Click HERE to find this week’s blotter.

New Castle Police, Ambulance and Fire Blotters Fri. Aug. 6 to Thu. Aug 12

August 13, 2010

New Castle Police Department

Editor’s Note: Since New Castle police officers respond as well to all “911” fire and ambulance calls, we omit these from our police blotter incidents.

Friday, August 6

7:26 Carolyn Pl, Burglar alarm
9:58 Maple Av, Traffic, parking
11:16 Pineview Rd, Larceny, stolen property
16:39 Kerry La, Burglar alarm

Saturday, August 7

1:17 By Way, Burglar alarm
10:21 South Pl, Mailbox incident
12:08 Hayrake La, Burglar alarm
16:11 Pines Ln, Forgery, fraud
Sunday, August 8

11:14 N. Greeley Av, Larceny, stolen property
11:40 Ledgewood Commons, Property lost/found
21:35 White Oak Ln, Larceny, stolen property
23:36 Pinecliff Rd, Burglar alarm

Monday, August 9

5:01 Mountain Peak Rd, Suspicious vehicle
12:35 Hollow Ridge Rd, Burglar alarm
12:39 Aspen, Burglar alarm
12:41 Valley View, Burglar alarm

Tuesday, August 10

10:26 Armonk Rd, Vehicle breakdown
12:12 Bedford Rd, Animal complaint
18:01 Campfire Rd, Vehicle breakdown
23:33 Hardscrabble Rd, Suspicious vehicle

Wednesday, August 11

10:14 Depot Plaza, Larceny, stolen property
10:42 N. Greeley Ave, Animal complaint
13:00 Further Ln, Mailbox incident
23:44 Birchwood Cl, Noise complaint

Thursday, August 12

8:01 Glendale Rd, Traffic stop
12:00 North Way, Burglar alarm
12:28 Stone Creek Ln, Suspicious vehicle
15:45 PD Headquarters, Prisoner Detail

Ambulance Calls from the Week of Monday, July 26 through Sunday, August 1, 2010

4 Difficulty Breathing

1 Abdominal Pain

1 Ankle Fracture

1 Head Injury

Patients:

5 Female 2 Male

3 Under 18

1 Adult

3 Seniors

Chappaqua Fire Department

08/04/2010

08:13 Hunts la Detector activation, no fire - unintentional

08/05/2010

16:16 Aspen Rd Smoke detector activation, no fire - unintentional

08/07/2010

16:19 South Greeley Ave Smoke or odor removal

08/08/2010

04:40 Spring Valley Rd Building fire
12:32 Roaring Brook Road Medical assist, assist EMS crew

Millwood Fire Department

Mon 8/2/2010

10:56 HOURS, CAMPFIRE RD, COMMERCIAL ALARM

Tue 8/3/2010

06:46 HOURS, IN THE AREA OF GEDNEY PARK, HAZARDOUS CONDITION FROM FLUID SPILL
15:38 HOURS, SPRING VALLEY RD, COMMERCIAL ALARM

Wed 8/4/2010

12:52 HOURS, SPRING VALLEY RD, COMMERCIAL ALARM

Sat 8/7/2010

13:13 HOURS, ROUTE 100, MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT WITH INJURIES
16:19 HOURS, S GREELEY AVE, OIL BURNER MALFUNCTION

Sun 8/8/2010

03:59 HOURS, SPRING VALLEY RD, STRUCTURE FIRE

Musical Op-Ed: “Chappaqua Double-Crossing”

August 6, 2010
by Lee Seham

In “Read more…” find lyrics and chords to Seham’s composition. To hear the tune, see the YouTube of Seham performing it, also in “Read more…”

Chappaqua Double-Crossing

I’m cross at the developer, but now am cross at you. G
Our fine schools are at risk and there’s no question what to do. CG
You know how strong we feel, and yet you’ll try to ram it through. G
How many times do we have to say No? GDG

I told you in your survey and then on the telephone: G
My home is in New Castle and New Castle is my home. CG
They knew what they were buying now they want to re-rezone. G
How many times do we have to say No? GDG

And you can ask a million times, the answer’s still the same. DCG
‘Cause it’s about our families, it isn’t just a game. DCG
So listen closely one more time— CG
We’ll try to say it slow: CG
NO NO NO NO NO CD

I have seen the future madam and what do you think I see? G
My life in idle as I sit at Exit 33. CG
Please have some respect for Chappaqua democracy. G
How many times do we have to say No? GDG

____________

From NCNOW’s archives: Op-Ed: New Castle’s Manhood, November 30, 2007, by Lee Seham.

Lee Seham is a labor, employment and immigration attorney who has lived in Chappaqua for over 13 years.

Camp Adventure wraps up summer with a carnival

Organ Donors Win B-League Championship

August 6, 2010
by Dan Kadlec

The Organ Donors claimed their third consecutive championship in the New Castle men’s softball B league on Tuesday night. Emerging from the loser’s bracket, the Donors swept past the Water Buffaloes by scores of 2-1 and 3-2.

Both were well-played defensive battles. Donors’ shortstop Andrew Mirabile and Buffaloes’ shortstop Ron Rubin gloved everything near them while both outfields played shallow, challenging hitters to go deep. The strategy worked as both teams snagged line drives at critical moments.

The championship was decided in extra innings in the second game, when Kyle Kadlec of the Donors laced a walk-off RBI single in the hole between second base and first base in the bottom of the 8th inning. Donor pitcher Eric Fromm scored the winning run from third base.

In the first game, the Donors jumped to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. The Buffaloes tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the 6th. The Donors scored one run in the 7th for the win.

In the second game, it was the Buffaloes who took an early lead, going up 1-0 in the top of the 1st. The Donors scored twice in the 5th inning. The Buffaloes tied it at 2-2 in the 7th, setting the stage for the game-winner an inning later.

These were two of the best softball games I can recall. Our hats are off to the Buffaloes, who played like champions. Every run felt like a marathon.

This is a double-elimination tournament, meaning each team must lose twice before being pushed out. The Donors finished the tournament at 6-1 while the Buffaloes finished 3-2. It was the Buffaloes who had defeated the Donors early in the tournament to send the Donors into the loser’s bracket, where in order to win a team must play more games than the team that gets to the championship game without a loss.

The Donors finished the season with an overall record of 15-6, best in the B league—just a few percentage points ahead of the regular season winners, The Wings, who were 12-5 after going 1-2 in the playoffs. The Buffaloes ended the season at 13-6.

Dan Kadlec lives in Chappaqua and co-founded the Organ Donors softball team 11 years ago.

Chappaqua Swimmers, Team Karen and David, “Swim Across America”

More photos in Photo Gallery and in “Read more…”
August 6, 2010
by Carrie Dillon

On Saturday, July 17, 20 members of Chappaqua Swim team participated in a “Swim Across America” event at the Orienta Beach Club in Mamaroneck. Members of the team elected to swim either a one-mile or half-mile, to raise money and awareness for cancer research, prevention and treatment.

Swim Across America, Inc. sponsors events across the country. With the help of hundreds of volunteers as well as past and current Olympians, this organization is helping to find a cure for cancer through athleticism, community outreach, and direct service.

“We formed Team Karen and David in memory of my sister, Karen, and Molly and Henry Simon’s father, David,” said Dan Levy, coach of the Chappaqua Swim and Dive team. “It was amazing to see 20 team members from ages seven to 16 come out to swim in the very first year. It gives them the opportunity to show that their love for swimming goes beyond competing and that they can also use their abilities to raise money in the fight against cancer.”

Together, the 20-person team named “Team Karen and David” raised over $9,249 for the charity. The team included: Lindsey Brosnan, William Crainer, Katie Duncalf, Marina Kern, Dan Levy, Michael Lyons, Kasia Malendowicz, Bobbie Pearce, Stephen Pearce, Walter Pearce, Kevin Posner, Katie Posner, Susannah Rudel, Henry Simon, Tommy St. Vincent, Isabella Weiner, Joe Weiner, Margaux Weiner, Madison Yates, and Wyatt Yates.

“The pool was really nice and it felt really good to get money to help fight against cancer, said Wyatt Yates, a 7-year old participant. “I want to do it again next year, but will definitely swim a whole mile!”

Donations can still be made by clicking SwimAcrossAmerica.

Carrie Dillon is a 11-year resident of Chappaqua and parent of two Chappaqua Swim Team members.

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Important joint meeting of school & town boards to discuss Chappaqua Crossing, TUESDAY, Aug 10

Monday, August 9, 2010
by Susie Pender

This Tuesday, August 10, the Board of Education for the Chappaqua Central School District and the New Castle Town Board will meet in a joint session at town hall at 7:00 p.m. to discuss Chappaqua Crossing. According to their public announcements, each board will reconvene for their respective regularly scheduled separate meetings at 8:15 p.m; the school board will reconvene at Horace Greeley High School in the Academic Commons. At this time, the joint meeting is not scheduled to be televised live or taped for later viewing. The meeting is open to the public.

As of this morning, August 9, 2010, neither board has published an agenda of their respective meetings that occur following their joint meeting.

NewCastleNOW.org has complied an archive of articles, letters to the editor, op-ed pieces and announcements and statements by the respective boards published in NewCastleNOW.org on the subject of Chappaqua Crossing.

For background on this Tuesday’s meeting between the town board and board of education on the subject of Chappaqua Crossing as well as our readers’ comments, click HERE to access our archives. For our complete archives on Chappaqua Crossing, click HERE.

Op-Ed: Take residential out of the picture; allow more than four tenants at Chappaqua Crossing

August 6, 2010
by Lee Bowen

After reading Summit Greenfield’s latest submission to develop the former Digest property, the Town Board’s response and more than 200 comments from residents, I’d like to add the following thoughts before the town and school board work session, next Tuesday, August 10, at 7:00 p.m. at town hall.

The former Digest property is zoned for commercial use, and 20-some one-acre zoned houses, period. That is how the developer bought it and it is my understanding that they have profited every year since they bought the property. The wisest step now would be to increase the number of tenants allowed—not to the unlimited tenancy the developer is asking for, but to more than four.

In the new “Modified Project” Summit Greenfield is proposing, construction of a condominium development “phases in” over 4.5 years. It will take far less time to renovate the existing office space. The developers would collect more rental income and continue to make a nice return on their investment while the town would collect more taxes from the lone remaining commercial space in town.

Tax-wise, the residential portion of the developer’s proposal will likely be a wash, costing as much to educate new students and service new residents as it brings the town and school district in revenues. Remember: these are not fee simple dwellings, but are all taxed as condominiums, at a lower rate. And for what? More traffic, students and residents? I do not believe the town should allow the developer to build condominiums. Families with children sharing a corporate campus in a sea of parking lots is far from my ideal of strategic town planning.

And don’t be certain that the developer will carry out the threat to “build out” even more commercial if we don’t grant him residential zoning, as they have claimed is their right to do, increasing the 700,000 square feet of commercial space by 300,000 square feet to make 1 million square feet. There isn’t enough parking to allow it.

The commercial space will generate taxes long before—and greater than—any housing development could. Take the residential part of the developer’s plan out of the picture. The town board has been most generous already by changing the zoning from one to four tenants—and asked for nothing in return. The commercial revenues are what we need, not the burden of more condominiums on our infrastructure.

Lee Bowen has a unique vantage point on the former Reader’s Digest property. She lives at the corner of Roaring Brook Road and the entrance to the high school.
________________
From NCNOW’s archives: For coverage of Chappaqua Crossing from end of June to present, with commentary from readers, click HERE.

For NCNOW’s complete coverage of Chappaqua Crossing, dating from 2007, click HERE.

Town board members balk at cost of proposed gazebo, look to lay more sidewalk

August 6, 2010
by Christine Yeres

“Unless we knock down the cost by $175,000, it isn’t going to happen,” said Supervisor Barbara Gerrard of the plan for a new 36-foot diameter gazebo presented to board members two weeks before. In last Tuesday’s work session, Deputy Town Administrator Penny Paderewski told board members she had already spoken to Supervisor of Parks and Rec Bob Snyder about possible ways to cut the cost of the site work which, alone, accounts for around $200,000 of the estimated $425,000 the project, as presented, would require.

Paderewski passed out to board members copies of several styles of prefabricated gazebos she had found online. While Snyder’s staff could do some of the grading and footings for a new gazebo, he suggested, Paderewski reported, that the gazebo manufacturer be entrusted with installation of its company’s own gazebo.

Although Michael Shapiro of the Chappaqua Orchestra made a pitch for a band shell, for maximum acoustic quality, Gerrard informed the board that the new gazebo project couldn’t hope to be the performance center the orchestra might like to see. She described the project instead as “taking a lovely piece over 20 years old that hasn’t been maintained as it should have been, and building a bigger, nicer one with better lighting” in a better position on the rec field—brought level with the street and placed at the sidewalk edge of the field. She hoped to have Shapiro’s help in choosing an acceptable sound system.

See NCNOW‘s article, “Town board views conceptual rendering of new gazebo for downtown recreation field,” July 23, 2010.

Creating more sidewalk

Sidewalks along King Street would require New York State’s permission to repair or change; the sidewalks along South Greeley may still be in for some upheaval as that roadway is connected to the new bridge and depending on the state of the infrastructure underlying it, so “by a process of elimination,” Gerrard told board members, there was one segment of sidewalk that is ripe for redo: the west side of North Greeley Avenue, from Susan Lawrence to Rite Aid, perhaps beyond Rite Aid to the defunct former Maxim’s.

Board member Robin Stout worried that merchants would be inconvenienced by sidewalk construction, but Gerrard explained that according to the town’s landscape design consultant, Nick Pouder, it should take just one week to lay cement. The plan might include installation of some lights, elimination of some extra Verizon poles, and clean-out of a box culvert in front of Susan Lawrence. Already new lights have been installed in the parking lot across the street from Susan Lawrence.

No cost is attached yet to the project, but, noted Gerrard, “it’s part of the capital budget we put away for 2010” for such hamlet projects. She told board members that she hoped to see bids out early in September. Once more, Stout advised, “Please, let’s take extra care not to interrupt the businesses.”

The Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow—325th Anniversary

A great staycation destination

August 6, 2010
by Christine Yeres

Get ready for high tech at the Old Dutch! To celebrate its 325th anniversary, the Old Dutch is using the Apple’s iPad for an engaging walking tour of the historic church and burying ground. The tours start on Saturday, August 7. The actual iPad app was created by Lyle Anderson, an Apple developer and for years head of information technology at Aetna, Bankers Trust and News Corporation. Anderson, a longtime resident of New Castle, is also the creator of the town’s and library’s websites, and for many years a volunteer resident-expert for NCCTV.

Elinor Griffith and Janie Couch Allen, both former Reader’s Digest editors and partners with Anderson in AAG Associates, a Westchester-based media team, used their story-telling expertise to script memorable vignettes from early church history. Their partnership started while curating “Reader’s Digest: The Local Magazine That Conquered the World,” an exhibit currently on display at the New Castle Historical Society.

“The iPad is perfect to convey our story, and it is Apple’s first tour ‘app,’” says Jeffrey Gargano, pastor of the Reformed Church of the Tarrytowns, which holds Sunday services at the Old Dutch throughout the summer and early fall. “This is the oldest church in New York State, and the first house of worship in this area. By using Apple’s newest technology we can showcase our important role in colonial Dutch religious life, as well as our place in American history, literature and art.”

Elinor Griffith, Lyle Anderson and Janie Couch Allen

iPads are available for rental. The application guides visitors on a half-hour tour of the historic church and graves, chosen for their inhabitants’ unique contributions to village life in early days. “The new iPad tour is fast-paced and fun,” says Aubrey Hawes, head of the Friends of the Old Dutch Church and Burying Ground. “We’re ready to welcome lots of visitors.”

Indeed, the multi-touch, multi-media tour is the newest way to bring the Old Dutch’s storied history to life: the church’s creation in 1685, the same year Bach was born; the lively characters from Washington Irving’s 1819 ghost story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” including the Headless Horseman whose hoof beats echo nearby; the Revolutionary years when General George Washington stopped by the churchyard and some of the more colorful church members took up their goose guns to fight. There’s more, of course: stories about the richest man in New York and a patriotic “witch”….

325th Anniversary Events at the Old Dutch Church Weekend Tours

Weekend Tours: Saturdays and Sundays, now through October, from noon - 4 pm. Admission: $10 for iPad rental. (Tour app is downloadable this fall.)

Old Dutch Gala: Sunday, October 3 at 5:00 p.m. Organist Kent Tritle and Philipsburg Manor reception; call 914 497-2159 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Legend Readings:

October 15-16, 29-30. Master storyteller Jonathan Kruk recounts the “Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” along with live organ music. Four performances nightly on the hour, beginning at 6. Visit www.hudsonvalley.org for advance tickets.

Classifieds: In-Town Cottage for Sale by Owner

Click “Read more…” for slide show with more photos.
August 6, 2010

Look no further for a fantastic price and move-in ready property. This in-town cottage allows you to walk to shops, restaurants and Metro North. Walk to the train and be in Midtown in 60 minutes.

362 King Street, Chappaqua

Pouillon side of 362 King Street

This charming, cozy cottage has two bedrooms and two baths. Open floor plan is bright and warm.

• Renovated kitchen and bath, hardwood floors throughout, plenty of parking and a one-car detached garage.

• Brand new stone patio; two separate organic gardens, vegetable and herb.

• Low cost of living and maintenance, a great alternative to condo/townhouse living.

• Schools: Grafflin, Bell, Horace Greeley
• Estimated taxes: $9366 w/o STAR reduction
• Fuel: Gas
• Town sewer, water & garbage pick up
• Square Footage: 1,313

$424,000, negotiable.

Call: 914.238.0815
Cell: 917.751.7523.

For more details, click HERE.

The slideshow requires javascript and Flash

UPDATE: Calendar for New Castle Mon. Aug. 9 to Thu. Aug. 12

Monday, August 9, 2010

• 8/10: Town & School Boards meet to discuss Chappaqua Xing @ town hall, 7pm

• See Calendar for more events.

Just how lazy do you feel? Lazy Cook’s Gazpacho

August 6, 2010
by Christine Yeres

Do you like to keep a fridge full of fresh elements and compose fast, fresh, fun meals from it? Here are tricks in three degrees of laziness. Feast on fresh food fast (make fast, eat slow) with these variations, all gazpacho-related—one involving a Turkish eggplant spread.

First lazy trick

Store-bought gazpacho not chunky or crunchy enough for you? Take your pre-made Village Market (some chunk), Susan Lawrence (some chunk) or Mrs. Green’s (complete puree) gazpacho— and cross it with a fresh salsa, or with Millwood A&S Fine Foods’ bruschetta topping (all chunk). But even to these you can add more.

Second lazy trick

Still not chunky enough? Dice a cucumber; green, red or yellow pepper; more onion; or raw zucchini and add to the gazpacho. Or even a good summer tomato. And a handful of fresh peas from their pods.

After some up-front work, a third lazy trick

This trick has you whipping up an American adaptation of a Turkish eggplant-walnut spread. Fire up the grill—or, better, after your next barbecue, as you move on to consume the product of your efforts, make use of the still-living coals by tossing two or three medium-size whole eggplants (firm ones) onto the grill and clapping on the lid. Check them every 15 minutes (flip once or twice), to see just how roasty they are. Don’t let them completely carbonize. (If you want to use your oven instead, cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and put them cut-side-down on an olive-oiled cookie sheet. Let them roast in a 450 degree oven until they are collapsed and golden on their cut sides—maybe 45 minutes.)

When the eggplants are fairly collapsed and their skins are crispy, grab them from the grill and set them aside for a next meal—a slightly-more-ambitious lazy gazpacho.

The eggplant spread

Once cool, scrape the the inner pulp of the eggplant from the skins (be sure to include golden brown parts) and add to a bowl with one large minced garlic clove, a fistful of parsley, a half-cup of that genuine Greek or Turkish thick yogurt (pre-drained of its liquid—or drain your own, regular yogurt in advance), a trickle of olive oil, ground pepper and salt, and the juice of one whole lemon. Set aside.

Walnuts (done in advance, we hope)

Now take one cup of walnuts that you have roasted in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes—or until they’re slightly golden and fragrant. Cool them.

Now into the processor

Toss the walnuts into the food processor first and chop them roughly (don’t let them get all the way to paste-stage). Now add the eggplant-garlic-parsley-yogurt-lemon mixture to the walnuts and give them a whirl in the processor until smooth. You can use this eggplant spread on bread, toast or crackers as its delicious self, but save a portion of it to boost your gazpacho, dropping a dollop of it onto the gazpacho or incorporating it into the gazpacho.

The starter-gazpacho and salsa, the cukes, zucchini, peppers, peas, and the eggplant spread can all live in the fridge in separate containers from which you can experiment and compose them in various ways.

. . . And lazy croutons

Make your own croutons by cutting a big loaf of whole grain Italian into one- or two-inch cubes, or just fat slices (lazier). Toss the cubes (or dip the slices) in not-too-much olive oil and arrange them on a cookie sheet, then slide them into a 350 degree oven until golden.

In The Garden With Shobha Vanchiswar

Enjoy the bounty in the vegetable garden.
August 6, 2010

Our August To-Do List

1. Carry on weeding! Do it in the cool hours of the morning. Then you can feel virtuous the rest of the day.
2. Stake, support and secure. Plants can be rather big by now and need some help.
3. Be on the lookout for pests. If action is needed, use only organic controls.
4. Mow only as needed and keep mower blade at a height of four inches. Leave clippings alone to mulch and feed the earth. Contrary to popular belief, the clippings do not build up thatch. That problem is due to decaying grass roots and such. Grass clippings actually break down quickly.
5. Enjoy the bounty in the vegetable garden. Harvest regularly. If there is a surplus, share with others but don’t let anything go to waste. Freeze, can or dry for later use. Think pesto, sauce, jam, bread and pickle.
6. Sow cool weather vegetables.
7. Order bulbs for fall planting.
8. Water wisely.
9. Deadhead spent flowers. Collect ripe seeds.
10. Trim hedges, vines and anything in need of clipping.
11. Enjoy these summer days. Linger outdoors as long as you like. Take your pleasure of the garden.

Behind the Blotter: Underage drinking party bust; speeder ends in head-on crash

August 6, 2010
by Christine Yeres

• 11:30 p.m. Thurday, July 29: Injury to teen guest brings police to party with underage drinking
• 06:15 a.m. Tuesday, August 3: Speeder stopped by head-on crash with another vehicle on Route 133

Injury to teen guest brings police to party with underage drinking

At 11:30 p.m. last Thursday, July 29, New Castle police officers and Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps crew members answered a 9-1-1 call to a house on Pinecliff Road, where a teenage guest had fallen, struck his head, and lost consciousness. Another of the teenage guests made the call to police. The injured teen was transported to a hospital.

When police arrived they found evidence of both beer and alcohol consumption. While his parents were away, the 17-year-old resident of the house had invited 25 guests to the house, but approximately 40 more guests had appeared, said Detective Sergeant James Wilson of the New Castle Police Department.

The host teen, who was sober himself, according to the arresting officer, Patrol Officer Kevin Martyn, was charged with unlawfully dealing with a minor by facilitating alcohol consumption by persons under 21, was taken to headquarters, booked, and released later that evening. He will appear in New Castle town court later this month.

“It’s a pretty common occurrence,” said Martyn, “for a young person to invite a few people over, then have the word get out and have it become an open invitation for everybody to show up. Call us, and we’ll work with you to control it.”

“It’s less likely,” explained Youth Officer Dan Corrado, “that an underage host will face criminal consequences if he or she is the one to call for help at the point when an influx of unwanted guests appears— or even if the host directs a friend to call us to assist in clearing out the house. That will work in the host’s favor.”

Speeder stopped by head-on crash with another vehicle

On the morning of Tuesday, August 3, an officer with the New Castle Police Department was positioned about 200 feet north of Route 120 on Route 133, conducting a radar check on passing cars.

At 6:15 a.m., coming south on Route 133, a 30-mile-an-hour zone, a 2005 Acura driven by David Reit, 24, of Lounsbery Road in Bedford Corners passed by Bradley Farms at 60 miles per hour, according to police radar records. The officer flashed his car’s emergency lights at Reit’s oncoming car in warning, but Reit continued at high speed. The officer pulled out in pursuit, but Reit was already out of sight.

On Millwood Road at Granite Road, the turn off to Westorchard Elementary School, the officer came upon Reit’s car, which had crossed over the double yellow line and collided head-on with a 2002 Honda traveling in the opposite direction. The driver of the second vehicle was transported by ambulance to Northern Westchester Hospital. Reit was not injured in the accident.

Reit was charged with Vehicle and Traffic Law violations of speeding, unreasonable speed (too fast for road conditions), passing in a no-passing zone; and was also arrested for fleeing a police officer, a Penal Law crime and Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail. Reit was issued an appearance ticket to return Town of New Castle Justice Court on September 3, 2010, at 7:30 p.m.

New Castle Police, Ambulance and Fire Blotters Fri. July 30 to Thu. Aug. 5

August 6, 2010

New Castle Police Department
Editor’s Note: Since New Castle police officers respond as well to all “911” fire and ambulance calls, we omit these from our police blotter incidents.

Friday, July 30

7:50 Brandon Dr, Burglar alarm
11:10 Bessel Ln, Burglar alarm
15:32 Neustadt Ln, Larceny, Stolen property
16:06 White Oak Ln, Suspicious person

Saturday, July 31

2:32 White Oak Ln, Noise complaint
8:01 King St, Burglar alarm
11:51 Saw Mill River Rd, Animal complaint
15:14 Hidden Hollow Ln, Domestic incident
Sunday, August 1

3:09 Apple Hill Ln, Burglar alarm
10:31 Glendale Rd, Disturbance, dispute
15:40 Millwood Rd, Animal complaint
18:03 Bedford Rd, Vehicle breakdown

Monday, August 2

11:27 Highland Ave, Criminal mischief
12:33 Ridgewood Terr, Public safety, health
15:46 Roaring Brook Rd, Traffic detail
16:49 Overlook Rd, Domestic incident

Tuesday, August 3

5:53 Millwood Rd, Accident, personal injury
9:07 Old Roaring Brook Rd, Burglar alarm
11:38 Highland Ave, Burglary
17:53 Hardscrabble Rd, Suspicious person

Wednesday, August 4

00:37 Spring Valley Rd, Public safety, health
00:50 Stanwood Rd, Suspicious vehicle
6:48 King St, Criminal mischief
7:15 Fieldstone Dr, Criminal mischief

Thursday, August 5

9:28 Smith St, Burglar alarm
9:58 Tripp St, Criminal Mischief
13:06 Roaring Brook Rd, Burglar alarm
13:20 Fox Den Rd, Animal complaint

Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Calls from the Week of Monday, July 26 through Sunday, August 1, 2010

4 Difficulty Breathing

1 Abdominal Pain

1 Ankle Fracture

1 Head Injury

Patients:

5 Female 2 Male

3 Under 18

1 Adult

3 Seniors

Chappaqua Fire Department

07/29/2010

04:50 Pond Hill CO detector activation due to malfunction
07:13 Gray Rock Lane Alarm system sounded due to malfunction

07/31/2010

22:05 Old Roaring Brook Rd Alarm system sounded due to malfunction

08/02/2010

08:27 Chappaqua Rd Good intent call, other
17:22 Whippoorwill rd No incident found on arrival at dispatch address
20:13 Whipporrwill Rd Hazardous condition, other

08/03/2010

19:20 Hunting Ridge Carbon monoxide incident
20:51 N. Saw Mill River Parkway No incident found on arrival at dispatch address

08/04/2010

08:13 Hunts La Detector activation, no fire - unintentional

iPAd Tour: Newest Thing in the Oldest Place!

The Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow—325th Anniversary

Get ready for high tech at the Old Dutch! To celebrate its 325th anniversary, the Old Dutch is using the Apple’s iPad, for an engaging walking tour of the historic church and burying ground. The tours start on Saturday, August 7. The actual iPad app was created by Lyle Anderson, an Apple developer and for years head of information technology at Aetna, Bankers Trust and News Corporation. Elinor Griffith and Janie Couch Allen, both former Reader’s Digest editors and partners with Anderson in AAG Associates, a Westchester-based media team, used their story-telling expertise to script memorable vignettes from early church history.

325th Anniversary Events at the Old Dutch Church Weekend Tours

Saturdays and Sundays, now through October, from noon - 4 pm. Admission: $10 for iPad rental. (Tour app is downloadable this fall.)

Old Dutch Gala: Sunday, October 3 at 5:00 p.m. Organist Kent Tritle and Philipsburg Manor reception; call 914 497-2159 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Legend Readings:

On Oct. 22 - 23, 8 pm, storyteller Ward Riley performs the “Legend.” For tickets, call 914-631-4497. Old Dutch Church (odcfriends.org), 430 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591 (914) 631-4497

Classifieds

Classifieds: In-Town Cottage for Sale by Owner

See below for slide show with more photos.
August 6, 2010

Look no further for a fantastic price and move-in ready property. This in-town cottage allows you to walk to shops, restaurants and Metro North. Walk to the train and be in Midtown in 60 minutes.

362 King Street, Chappaqua

Pouillon side of 362 King Street

This charming, cozy cottage has two bedrooms and two baths. Open floor plan is bright and warm.

• Renovated kitchen and bath, hardwood floors throughout, plenty of parking and a one-car detached garage.

• Brand new stone patio; two separate organic gardens, vegetable and herb.

• Low cost of living and maintenance, a great alternative to condo/townhouse living.

• Schools: Grafflin, Bell, Horace Greeley
• Estimated taxes: $9366 w/o STAR reduction
• Fuel: Gas
• Town sewer, water & garbage pick up
• Square Footage: 1,313

$424,000, negotiable.

Call: 914.238.0815
Cell: 917.751.7523.

For more details, click HERE.

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A brief description of Summit Greenfield’s Modified Plan for Chappaqua Crossing

In “Read more,” see aerial view of the RD property and front elevation of North Village apartment buildings.
July 30, 2010
by Christine Yeres

In a press release dated July 23, developer Summit Greenfield returned its final environmental impact statement (FEIS) to the New Castle town board with a new alternative. The “Modified Project” includes construction of 199 non-age-restricted units, 20 of them units that would satisfy the county settlement’s requirements as “fair and affordable housing.” The developer also would retain 662,000 square feet of the existing office space, and donate 6.5 acres of land to the town for municipal uses.

The main difference between the new Modified Plan and the last new alternative presented in March (Alternative G) is the decrease in number of residential units, down from 250 to 199.

The three-volume FEIS was delivered to the New Castle town hall on Friday, July 23. “Town board members can’t comment,” said Supervisor Barbara Gerrard, “since we understand that the document contains some major changes that will take a while to absorb.”

According to the press release, “If the Town Board approves the Modified Project, Summit Development will withdraw its pending [petition for 278 units of housing],” in the interest of pursuing the Modified Plan. Although called a “final environmental impact statement,” the FEIS is a work in progress until the town board is satisfied that its content reflects town board members’ beliefs about the impacts of any proposed project. To read the release in its entirety, click Chappaqua Crossing Press Release: New “Modified Plan”.

The FEIS will be on the agenda for discussion in a joint work session of the town and school boards on August 10 at 7:00 p.m. at town hall.

A quick review of the various versions proposed by the developer over the last five years

Original Plan, April 2005:

Housing units: 348 units total, 292 market-rate, 56 affordable, a combination of senior and workforce, all age-restricted for 55+
Office space: 520,000 square feet
Land donated to town: 2 acres

Second Plan—“Proposed Action” in the current application for rezoning—July 2007:

Housing units: 278 units total; 222 units market-rate, age-restricted for 55+;

44 townhouses (“fee simple”), 234 apartments (condo)

246 two-bedroom, 32 three-bedroom

24 affordable senior units,
32 workforce units for families
Total Bedrooms: 588
Land donated to town: 2 acres

Alternative G, March 2010 “Developer proposes no age-restriction, 10% fewer units, 27% more office space, 6.5 acres for town,” NCNOW.org, March 26, 2010:

Housing units: 250 non-age-restricted, 38 (or 15%) affordable

Land donated to town: 6.5 acres

New Modified Plan released July 23, 2010:

Housing units: 199 units total; of those, 20 units of affordable (10%); all non-age-restricted

60 townhouses (condo), 139 apartments (condo)

177 two-bedroom, 22 three-bedroom

Land donated to town: 6.5 acres

Editor’s Note: Since this much of the above text was first published on Saturday, July 24, twenty-three readers have posted comments. To read those comments, click HERE. For new details of the FEIS, read on, below.

Geographic changes to plan

The Modified Project released last Friday includes the topographically challenging North Village of 88 housing units (down from 170 there in the Proposed Action), increases the number of townhouses in the East Village (center of property) from 44 to 60, and includes 51 apartment units there as well. “All units are proposed to be held in condominium ownership,” the developer stated in his document.

The Modified Plan splits the property into a 52.1 acre business district and a 49.4 acre multifamily planned development district, or MFPD.

Changes in plans for commercial property

The FEIS Executive Summary describes the Reader’s Digest buildings as “a partially vacant, outdated and inefficient office facility undergoing difficult marketing, and with little market acceptance.” With the complete departure of Reader’s Digest by the end of 2010, according to the Summary, the office space the Digest now occupies “will be required to be renovated for new commercial tenants.”

In the Modified Project, 520,000 square feet (as in the Proposed Action) would be for multi-tenant office use. While in the Proposed Action two northernmost buildings (identified as Nos. 600 and 700) would be demolished, the Modified Project would retain the 600 building’s 142,000 square feet for “low-intensity data center of disaster recovery facility use.” The FEIS Executive Summary does not identify a renter. The 700 (northernmost) building would still be demolished, as well as the auditorium, the Bedford Valley House and the campus maintenance garage.

The current Bedford Road gate would be moved deeper inside the property, about 550 feet west, down the entry road, to serve as an “office gatehouse” for the Modified Project. There would be “no gated access to the Modified Project’s residential villages.”

The office and residential traffic into the campus would share the entry road, then split off into separate routes to their own areas. These inner roadways would remain privately owned (not the responsibility of the town).

The Proposed Action had planned for a sidewalk along the north side of Roaring Brook Road between Bedford Road and the high school entrance. The Modified Project substitutes a pedestrian walkway for school children and others connecting the East Village walkway system to Roaring Brook Road opposite the high school entrance.

Changes in plans for residential properties

Plans for the new Modified Project show 179 market rate units and 20 affordable units, 10% of the project. The Executive Summary of the FEIS states that the affordable units of the Modified Project “would meet the requirements of the County Stipulation settling its recent federal housing litigation.” However, the text continues, “Because the County has not yet adopted an implementation plan satisfactory to the federal monitor under that Stipulation, it is not yet clear what, if any, provisions of that Plan would be applicable to affordable units in the Modified Project.”

Under the Modified Plan, the North Village would consist of 88 two-bedroom market-rate units in two four-story U-shaped buildings of 44 units each. Units would range in size between 1,300 and 2,200 square feet. A fourth story on each of these U-shaped buildings would require a zoning amendment for the additional height. Parking for the units would be underground with outside spaces for visitors.

The East Village would consists of 49 two-bedroom and two three-bedroom units in three two-story I-shaped buildings. The I-shaped building nearest the high school would contain 18 two-bedroom affordable units (from 875 to 975 square feet) and two three-bedroom affordable units of approximately 1,175 square feet. The two other I-shaped buildings would contain a total of 31 two-bedroom market-rate units (from 1,300 to 2,200 square feet). Parking would be underground with outside spaces for visitors, 610 parking spaces in total for the two villages, about three spaces for each condominium.

A total of 60 two-story townhouses with internal garages would be located in clusters along the east side of the East Village.

Resident clubhouse and outdoor swimming pool will be fashioned by renovation and expansion of the existing Guest House.

Rather than the two separate one-acre lots along Roaring Brook Road, the developer would donate 6.5 acres to the town for municipal uses, approximately two acres along Roaring Brook Road, by three acres into the site.

Site access and circulation
As part of the Modified Project, the developer would donate to the NYS Department of Transportation the land necessary to create a right-turn lane from Bedford Road southbound onto Roaring Brook Road.

Parking

In the Modified Project, the developer still intends to provide 1,350 parking spaces (or 2.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet) for the 520,000 square feet of office space. But for the additional 140,000 in building 600, the developer has applied for a zoning variance to provide only 60 parking spaces (or 1 space per 2,500 square feet), since the developer intends the space to be occupied by a “low-intensity data center of disaster recovery facility use.” The zoning board of appeals and the developer have an ongoing difference of opinion on whether these parking ratios are permissible under the town’s current zoning regulations.

The Modified Project also includes “the creation and implementation of a transportation demand management plan, or commuter mobility plan, to encourage the reduction of single-occupancy vehicle trips and parking demand through such measures as discounted transit passes, shuttle service to nearby transit stations, provision of on-site food service, car sharing strategies/programs, ride-matching services, preferred parking for van and car pools, and shower and storage facilities for bikers and walkers,” according to the Executive Summary.

Sewers

In the East Village, 79 of 111 units are located within the existing sewer district. For the 32 that are not, as well as the 88 units of the North Village, the developer has asked the town board to request a sewer district extension from Westchester County. Town board members intend to add Summit Greenfield’s request to the Town of New Castle’s longstanding request for sewer extension for Random Farms, Yeshiva and Riverwoods.

Construction

The renovations to the interiors of the commercial space would occur as new tenants signed on and requested specific build-outs. The schedule for the construction of the residential portion of the Modified Project would be phased in over four and a half years rather than the five and a half years suggested for the Proposed Action.

Zoning variance for business zone

The New Castle Zoning Board of Appeals has declined to rule on the developer’s requests for commercial zoning variances until the town board has completed the SEQR review for the entire Chappaqua Crossing project, a mix of commercial and residential. As part of the Proposed Action, the developer has asked the zoning board of appeals for relief from:

(a) all restrictions on the number of commercial users on the Property;
(b) the minimum square footage requirement of at least 200,000 square feet for one such user; and
(c) the maximum square footage limitation of 171,000 square feet for the three additional users.

For the new Modified Project, the developer says he is not seeking any variance. Instead, the developer has submitted a petition that would delete from the business zoning provisions “all restrictions on the number of users and all minimum and maximum square footage requirements for commercial tenants.”

Requesting MFPD, or multifamily planned development, zoning

The developer states that the Modified Project “would advance the goals and principles set forth in the Town’s Zoning Code for multifamily housing as follows:

• Provide suitable opportunities within the Town for development of housing designed to satisfy the needs of smaller households, particularly the young and elderly, and of families of low/moderate income.
• Encourage a broad array of housing types, dwelling unit sizes and forms of ownership/occupancy.
• Encourage the construction of multifamily housing on sites determined to be appropriate, based on criteria established in the TDP [Town Development Plan, or master plan] and in conformance with standards recommended therein responsive to various needs of present and future residents of the Town and the region.
• Like the Proposed Action, the Modified Project would require the expansion of the County’s Saw Mill River Valley Sewer District to incorporate the balance of the site in order to serve all of the proposed affordable and multifamily residential units.

The purpose of the MFPD District is to “provide the opportunity within the Town of New Castle for the development on a planned basis of medium-density multifamily housing on sites located in existing single-family residential neighborhoods but in reasonable proximity to shopping services and other community facilities and with access to major roads.” Town Development Plan, p. 60-417.4.

According to the developer’s FEIS, the project he proposes satisfies all these conditions and requires only one zoning exception: to permit a maximum building height in the North Village of four rather than three stories—in all, 50 feet in height rather than 35.

Measuring density

The Proposed Action calls for building 278 housing units on 64.3 acres, or 4.3 units per acre. The Modified Project would place 199 housing units on 61.6 acres, which results in a density of 3.2 units per acre.

The developer cites densities of other condos in New Castle:

Pheasant Run: 4.8 units/acre
Old Farm Lake: 3.7 units/acre
Stone Creek: 4.3 units/acre
Ledgewood Commons: 2.3 units/acre
Riverwoods 1.2 units/acre

The developer emphasizes that those features that the town has determined “legislatively” to be desirable – such as affordable housing, underground parking, open space preservation – would ordinarily earn the developer the ability to increase the density further, and adds that even so, the developer would not seek any density bonuses.

In assessing the impact on the Chappaqua hamlet business area of the multifamily housing, the FEIS states only that the Modified Project “would have essentially the same impacts as the Proposed Action,” but does not specify in the Executive Summary what those impacts would be.

Modified Plan is consistent with Town Development Plan, developer contends

On page III-13 of the Executive Summary, the developer points out the consistency of the Modified Project with the Town Development Plan, which cites open space as desirable, but notes also that the TDP acknowledges that there is no guarantee that these lands [such as the RD campus] would remain so. The TDP does recommend that such properties “not be developed for higher intensity uses that would impair the open space character of the Town.”

On p. III-14 of the Executive Summary the developer reminds readers that Reader’s Digest’s departure was unexpected and that the real estate market has dramatically changed over the last several decades, leading the developer “to pursue approvals for a multi-tenant office project (to retain the commercial tax base for the Town while providing smaller tenant space that responds to the existing marketplace), as well as a multifamily residential project on an underutilized portion of the property.”

The town’s TDP’s Residential Land Use Policy, notes the developer, encourages “development of both single-family and multifamily dwellings, and in particular townhouses, accessory apartments in single-family residences, small low-rise garden apartment developments and apartments in mixed use business district buildings.” The TDP, continues the developer, “recommends that multifamily housing not be concentrated in one area of the Town, but be dispersed in various locations,” guided by the following site selection criteria:

Accessibility

The site should have “[c]onvenient access to shopping, jobs, community facilities (schools, parks, libraries, community centers, fire and police stations, places of worship, etc.) and mass transportation services.”

The developer notes in the Executive Summary, “The Modified Project would be located approximately two miles from the local center and would have enhanced transit opportunities via County BeeLine bus route and a private jitney (both for commercial employees and residents) to the MetroNorth railroad and hamlet.”

Utility Services

“Multifamily sites should be served by the major existing public water supply and sewer service district.”

The developer has asked the town board to request the county to extend the sewer district so that all residential units will be sewered.

Adjoining Land Uses

The TDP states,“[m]ultifamily sites should be appropriately and harmoniously related to the adjoining land use pattern, e.g., where they can serve as transitional uses between more and less intensive development and where there is adequate separation form single-family residences.”

The proposed setbacks from Cowdin Lane of between 350 and 400 feet, the FEIS states, as well as the 40 acres of mature woodland perimeter should serve to “minimize visibility of the proposed buildings.” In addition, in the Modified Project, the developer notes, between the North Village and the east property line with Cowdin Lane he will augment the existing woodland buffer with additional “berming and evergreen and native deciduous trees.”

Traffic Access

The TDP states, “Multifamily sites should have safe and adequate traffic access.”

To this the developer’s document states that the Modified Project would provide traffic improvements around the site, including the dedicated right-turn lane southbound on Route 117 at Roaring Brook Road.

Topography

The TDP states that the development of multifamily housing should not require “extensive earth-moving, landfilling or other similar incursions that would create excessive disturbance of the natural environment, particularly affecting sensitive areas such as wetlands and steep slopes.”

For the Modified Project, notes the developer, 35% of the residential buildings would be positioned on previously developed building pads, parking lots and roadways, and “72% of the vegetated areas of the Site would be undisturbed.”

Site Size

The TDP states, “[m]ultifamily sites should have enough space to allow for required setbacks.”

The developer intends to leave 40 acres of existing perimeter landscape buffer in place.

Demographics

The overall population in the Modified Project would decrease from 565 in the Proposed Action of 278 housing units to 425 in the Modified Project of 199 housing units. Since the Modified Project has no age restriction, it will result, says the developer, in a decrease in the over-55 population (from 492 to 140), an increase in the 18-to-54 age group from 44 to 261, and an increase in school age children to 58 students, up from 11 students in the Proposed Action.

Proposed 278 Modified 199

Overall 565 425
Over 55 492 140
18-to-54 44 261
School Age 11 58

Fiscal Conditions

Total tax revenue from the Modified Project is greater, according to the developer, than for the Proposed Action. The developer argues that the Modified Project’s additional 142,000 square feet of office space, the increased number of townhouses in the Modified Project (60 rather than 44 in the Proposed Action) and the drop in the number of affordable units (from 56 to 20) would all work to increase residential tax revenues.

Modified Plan map; the two U-shaped buildings in the upper right corner are the “North Village;” “East Village is located in the center of the property and contains both apartment buildings and townhouse clusters.

Map of the property with proposed plantings

Front view of one of two U-shaped four-story apartment buildings in the “North Village,” 44 condominium units in each.
___________
To view all of NCNOW’s coverage of Chappaqua Crossing, click HERE.

School board members sound note of alarm over latest proposal for Chappaqua Crossing

Monday, August 2, 2010 
by Christine Yeres

Editor’s Note: The school board’s letter of last Thursday drew 35 comments over the weekend, continuing the discussion of Chappaqua Crossing. Comments follow the text of the board’s letter.

Noting that Summit Greenfield “has cited available physical capacity as justification for their assumptions that the District will not be impacted by this project,” the Chappaqua Central School District’s board of education members issued an explanation yesterday of their misgivings over the latest proposal by the owner and would-be developer of the former Reader’s Digest property. Board members encouraged residents to attend a joint meeting of the town and school boards at town hall at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 10, 2010.

In addition, any hopes town and school board members might have had that Summit Greenfield would propose that some or all of the residential units of its newly-unveiled “Modified Project” would be assessed in the manner of single family houses, or fee simple, rather than as condominium units, have been disappointed. In Summit Greenfield’s recently filed final environmental impact statement describing the Modified Project, the developer asserted, “All units are proposed to be held in condominium ownership.” Condominium units are assessed on a different basis than single-family houses, and owners of condominiums typically pay less in taxes than an owner of a comparably priced house.

School board issues July 29 e-alert to parents of district students

At 4:32 p.m. Thursday, July 29, school board members issued the following email through the district’s K12alerts system:

July 29, 2010

School District Concerns Heightened Over Latest Chappaqua Crossing Proposal

On August 10, the New Castle Town Board (“the Town”) and the Chappaqua Central School District (“CCSD”) Board of Education will be meeting in joint session prior to our regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting that evening. On the agenda will be a discussion of the proposed development of the former Reader’s Digest property by Summit Greenfield (“SG”).

Prior to our meeting with the Town on August 10, we would wish to make two points clear to the community:

One, the CCSD Board of Education speaks for the District. While we recognize and appreciate that the Town Board is the lead agency on this application for zoning change, the CCSD taxpayers will be bearing potentially significant financial risk if this application is approved as submitted. The CCSD Board of Education appreciates the community’s concerns with any increase in our budget during these difficult economic times. We believe we have an obligation to make known the financial risks of this project and the possible effects on the District’s taxpayer as school taxes account for 65-70% of their property taxes.

Two, the CCSD, as a fiscally responsible organization, continually monitors both present and future enrollment and its effect on both capacity and cost. SG has cited available physical capacity as justification for their assumptions that the District will not be impacted by this project. Physical capacity cannot be considered without also considering the cost of changes in student enrollment. Our primary concern with the proposed development is not where to put additional students. Rather, it is how to equitably fund their education.

To the extent that the proposed rezoning creates units that are not taxed at a fee simple rate*, the additional expense for educating those children will become the responsibility of current District taxpayers in the form of an increase in taxes or a decrease in services. Simply put, without the new units being taxed at a fee simple rate, the risk that the tax base does not cover the cost per additional student is borne by the District taxpayer, not the developer and not the Town. A fee simple tax rate would make those units on par with the other District taxpayers. As is our obligation, we will educate any and every child who lives in our district. What we seek for our District’s taxpayers is an equitable way to account for the additional cost.

We encourage all residents who have questions, concerns, or simply wish to comment on the effects of the proposed development on the CCSD to attend the joint work session on August 10, 7:00 p.m. at Town Hall.

* Fee simple is outright ownership, taxed as single-family house, not subject to condominium tax.

Janet Benton, President
Gregg Bresner, Vice President
 Randall Katchis, Alyson Kiesel, Jeffrey Mester
___________________
From NCNOW’s archives:

Town and school boards put their heads together to prepare for June 23 Chappaqua Crossing hearings
June 19, 2010

Board of Education submits its comments on DEIS
September 29, 2009

To view all of NCNOW’s coverage of Chappaqua Crossing, click HERE.

Town Supervisor Barbara Gerrard’s July 27 Supervisor’s Report: Chappaqua Crossing review

July 30, 2010

Editor’s note: At the New Castle Town Board meeting on Tuesday, July 27, Town Supervisor Barbara Gerrard read her Supervisor’s report into the record. We offer here a verbatim copy of her report.

SUPERVISOR’S REPORT
July 27, 2010

By now many are aware that Summit Greenfield has submitted its second proposed FEIS - it was received in town hall late Friday, and our town planner, David Brito, has distributed copies to the various staff members who reviewed and reported on the DEIS and the previous FEIS for their analysis of this proposal. Mr. Brito will also be reviewing the document as he has been reviewing all the previous submissions for the Reader’s Digest property.

In addition, as with previous submissions, our consultants, the Town’s law firm, Wormser Kiley, our special counsel for this proposal, Robert Davis of Bryan Cave, and planning consultants Frederick P. Clarke, will be examining the impacts of this newest iteration.

This submission continues to contain the original Proposed Action, which envisioned 278 housing units, calling for 222 market rate units, 24 affordable senior units and 32 workforce units for families. However, this submission also contains a new Alternative I, called the Modified Project, which differs in several significant ways from the Proposed Action. The Modified Project reduces the number of housing units from 278 to 199, consisting of 179 market rate non-age restricted units and 20 affordable units meeting the County’s recent housing settlement requirement.

The Modified Project also retains 662,000 square feet of the existing office facility ( as opposed to 520,000 retained in the Proposed Action. The Town Board has repeatedly indicated that maintaining as much of our commercial base as possible is extremely important to the Town for sound fiscal reasons. The Modified Project also would provide the Town with 6½ acres of land that could be landbanked for future Town recreation purposes.

We will be examining this proposal in detail over the next several weeks. Our review will begin next Tuesday at our work session at which this will be the primary topic.

In addition, as previously mentioned, we will have a joint work session with the Chappaqua Central School Board on Tuesday, August 10, at 7:00 pm in this building. That joint meeting was scheduled before release of this proposal, but obviously it will be the focus of the discussion.

In addition, on September 28, 2010, we will have an information session for the public. As information is available, we will do our best to have it on our web site.

Our review will be ongoing and as we continue this process we welcome your input.

Yours truly,

Barbara S. Gerrard

NEW: Calendar for New Castle Mon. Aug 2 to Fri. Aug. 6

Monday, August 2, 2010

• Big week of activities at the library including Art All Day, Short Films for kids, Jonathan Kruk storytelling, Anime+Manga.
• Tue. 8/3 New Castle town board work session to discuss Chap Xing FEIS, 7pm @ town hall.
• Fri. 8/6 Menus in the Movies: Farm-to-Table Issues, “Our Daily Bread,” 7pm

• See NCNOW’s Calendar page for more events.

Millwood Matters

Looking east along Rte. 133 at Rte. 120, a big new shoulder lane in the making
July 30, 2010

Construction Updates for 133 and 120 intersection, Shell Station

The Shell station buildings have been razed.

Park space named “Marion Place,” in honor of Marion Sinek

July 30, 2010
by Christine Yeres

In its meeting last Tuesday evening, the town board voted to name the park space “Marion Place,” in honor of former Supervisor for New Castle, Marion Sinek.

Bridge Construction Update: In August, asphalt paving of both Quaker Road and King Street sections

Looking east, from bridge toward South Greeley Avenue
Click for a live view of the bridge from our webcam in Erik Nicolaysen’s 2nd floor window.
July 30, 2010
by Christine Yeres

On either side of the bridge deck itself are 50-foot segments of concrete, called “approach slabs.” Workers are forming the west side approach slabs, getting ready to pave on the east side from the end of the east approach slab to Marion Place, grading the area to receive blacktop next week.

Beginning Monday, August 9, Conti crews will begin lay asphalt from the bridge northwards, past Hunts Lane, up Quaker to around Commodore. Work will take place during the day.

The following week, beginning August 16, crews will lay asphalt from the bridge up King Street to the top of the hill at D’Agostinos. This work will take place at night, to spare businesses and associated customer parking any inconvenience.

Summit Greenfield presents new alternative for Chappaqua Crossing—199 residential units

Monday, July 26, 2010
by Christine Yeres

The main difference between the new Modified Plan and the last new alternative presented in March (Alternative G) is the decrease in number of residential units, down from 250 to 199.

A quick review of the various iterations

Original Plan, April 2005:

Housing units: 348 units total, 292 market-rate, 56 affordable, a combination of senior and workforce, all age-restricted for 55+
Office space: 520,000 square feet
Land to town: 2 acres

Second Plan—“Proposed Action” in the current application for rezoning—July 2007:

Housing units: 278 units total; 222 units market-rate, age-restricted for 55+; 24 affordable senior units, 32 workforce units for families
Land to town: 2 acres

Alternative G, March 2010 “Developer proposes no age-restriction, 10% fewer units, 27% more office space, 6.5 acres for town,” NCNOW.org, March 26, 2010:

Housing units: 250 non-age-restricted, 38 (or 15%) affordable
Land to town: 6.5 acres

New Modified Plan released July 23, 2010:

Housing units: 199 units total; of those, 20 units of affordable (10%); all non-age-restricted
Land to town: 6.5 acres

Editor’s Note: Since this piece was published on Saturday, July 24, readers have posted comments, below.

To read background on this subject from our archives, click: Collected articles and letters to the editor on Reader’s Digest development.

Letter to the Editor: Let’s make Chappaqua Crossing a win-win for both town and developer

Monday, July 26, 2010
by Dan Papes

Town Supervisor Barbara Gerrard’s letter in regards to Chappaqua Crossing from last week, “Supervisor Gerrard on issues raised about Chappaqua Crossing in NCNOW letters and commentary,” NCNOW.org, July 16, 2010, was a straightforward and thoughtful communication to all of us.

It is time to end what has been several years of conflict over this project and to roll up our sleeves and start working cooperatively with the developer to ensure Chappaqua Crossing moves forward in a fashion that is a win-win for both the town and the developer.

It has been adversarial for so long, and what good has come out of it? I’m sure some will find an answer or two to that question, but the fact is had we sat down and worked together two years ago we would have saved both parties—the town and the developer, enormous consternation and expense. Instead of collaborating, we fought. And where are we now? The property is in limbo, tax revenues from it are disappearing, and we have fought not just with the developer, but also among ourselves, in unhealthy ways.

We should urge the Supervisor (as she seems open to doing) and the town board to work closely with the developer to match up our concerns and desires and establish a plan that protects and enhances the interests of the town and its citizens, and that allows the developer to succeed with their project.

Sincerely,

Dan Papes

Sundial Farms, at its vegetable and perennial peak, all from seed

An eight-year-old customer pats a four-pound Mrs. Houseworth heirloom tomato.
Tour Sundial Farms by slide-show, in Photo Gallery
June 30, 2010
by Christine Yeres

Just west of the Taconic Parkway, along Route 134 (called Croton Dam Road by then) from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day except Monday, you’ll find propped Sundial Farm Perennials’ brightly painted shout-out that CORN, TOMATOES and CUKES are in plentiful supply right now.

You’ll find heaps also of peppers, eggplant, kale, chard, shallots—and “mountains of basil.” Browse shelves of honey, biscotti and jams; perennials in one-, two- and three-gallon buckets; an art gallery and a barn sale of “barn chic” antique and eclectic collectibles.

Farmers Bill and Penny Hawkey work the 18 acres themselves, with only one helper. The couple start both their vegetables and perennials from seed in February, right on the dining room table of the old Colonial farmhouse in which they raised their seven children. In March, seedlings graduate to a small greenhouse nearby—and spring takes them from there.

Bill’s simple formula

Bill uses a 20-10-20 fertilizer on the perennials and nothing for the vegetables but “dirt and water.” In winter, Penny explained, “we’ll plant some winter wheat in the vegetable gardens as a cover crop and add a little fish emulsion.” That’s it. Well, not quite. This time of year, Bill hand waters everything four times a day, from Sundial’s supply of well water. “I try to get the water under the foliage,” he said, “rather than on top of it.”

Bill and Penny Hawkey

A fine time to plant perennials

“People often ask, ‘is it OK to plant perennials now?’ said Bill. “Our answer is Yes, and here’s why: As we approach August most perennials have completed their first flush of bloom. They are now producing vegetative growth and a thick, succulent root system, preparing themselves for a growth spurt of flowers and foliage next spring. Since we grow our plants in containers, and continually repot them to larger size pots as their roots and tops develop, right now is a perfect time to put them into your garden. Look for these plants to double or triple in size and flowering next spring. Just keep your new plants well watered and they’ll do the rest.”

Some of Sundial’s offerings on the perennial side of the operation

Ornamental Grasses from 24” to 5’ tall, 2-gallon containers
Buddleia (butterfly bush), 3-gallon
Hibiscus 3-gallon
Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susan) 4 feet tall, 2 gallon
Ferns 2-gallon
Foxglove 2-Gallon (Blooms next year)

You can go one of two ways: up to Millwood, north on Route 100 and left onto Route 134; follow Route 134 for 2.7 miles (which at first is Pinesbridge Road, then becomes Kitchawan, then Croton Dam Road), till just past the Taconic Parkway. Sundial is on your left.

Another way: Get on the Taconic in Millwood and head north. Pass the first exit for Pinesbridge and get off at the second exit (for Hudson Hills Golf Course). At the end of ramp turn left onto Route 134. Sundial is up ahead, just after you pass under the Taconic, on your left.

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Officers host PBA bike safety lunch and raffle for Camp Adventure kids

Officer Shelby Pileggi, Sgt. Heather Rudisill, Officer Eduardo Pazmino; see slide show of the day in Photo Gallery
July 30, 2010
by Christine Yeres

Yesterday, in full noonday sun in front of the Bell school, the New Castle Police Officers’ Police Benevolent Association hosted a Bike Safety presentation, hot dog lunch and bike raffle for the town’s Camp Adventure kids. “The PBA has been doing this for the past 15 years, at least,” said PBA President Estuardo Pazmino. “In our 15 minute bike safety talk we emphasize how important it is to make sure the bike is safe to ride, to wear proper close-toed shoes and bright clothing, and to wear their helmets properly. We touch also on rules of the road.”

With the exception of Lt. Marc Simmons, who took his lunch hour to allow campers to marvel at a police department motorcycle and also test its siren, officers were off duty. Some had stayed in town for the event after finishing their tours of duty at 7:00 a.m., said Pazmino. Officers provided hot dogs, chips, drinks, ketchup and mustard. They used the Bell school kitchen to heat the hots.

Children were given raffle tickets at the beginning of presentation and, miraculously, they kept possession of them through lunch, until the big closing raffle. Camp Director Tony Letizia called out numbers from tickets pulled from a bike helmet, raffling off five bike helmets and a gray-and-green Raleigh mountain bike the PBA had purchased from Julio’s bike shop. Sergeant Heather Rudisill quickly assured the young girl who won the bike that she could exchange it at Julio’s for one her size. At pick up time, Letizia later told NewCastleNOW.org, he informed the girl’s mother of the standing exchange offer. Mother and daughter told him that they would likely switch the bike for one more, well, purple.

From left to right: Sgt. Heather Rudisill, Officer Richard Tolliver, Lt. Mark Simmons, Officer Estuardo Pazmino, Officer Kelly Close, Riley Close (Kelly’s son), Officer Matt Wall, two friends of Riley Close and Officer Shelby Pileggi

Center: Winner of the bike; far right, Camp Director Tony Letizia

Sgt. Rudisill informs winner that she can exchange her prize at Julio’s

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Restaurant Review: The Moderne Barn in Armonk is casual, comfortable, elegant and affordable

July 30, 2010
by Maryellen Phelan

I spent a delightful Tuesday evening dining with friends at the Moderne Barn restaurant, the latest creation of renowned restaurateur, John Livano and his family, Nick, Bill and Corina.

It was a total dining experience. We were titillated from the moment we entered the space. The room, designed by Kim Nathanson, is stunning. Floor to ceiling windows sparkle the length of the front and rear wall areas. Thirty-foot walnut, barrel, vaulted ceilings serve as a backdrop for the elaborate, modern crystal and steel chandeliers.

There are two levels of dining areas with varied seating configurations including tables, round booths, bar tables and seats at a very long seductive bar. Dining outside is available also. We were seated on the balcony level overlooking the expansive main area and directly across from the catwalk over the bar that houses the “wine cellar.”

Our party of four included two of Jewish heritage and two of Irish heritage, middle-aged, with different food requirements and appetites. (The dining crowd, for the most part, was young, stylish and lively.)

The menu: Varied, yet not overwhelming

The menu is varied and interesting, but not overwhelming. For those looking for a simple dinner, Wagyu Beef hot dogs and a Barn Burger as well as dinner salads are offered. Executive Chef, Ethan Kostbar, formerly of Gramercy Tavern, delivers some special, yet light offerings. We enjoyed six appetizers, four main courses, four desserts and coffee and tea. We had two different wines by the glass, a nice California Chardonnay and an Italian Ramitello, both very good selections by the wine staff. (The wine list and beer offerings are extensive. The lists and prices can be found online.)

Our appetizers included a black mission fig flat bread with prosciutto and goat cheese, which was very tasty; heirloom tomatoes with house-made mozzarella and white balsamic dressing, which was delicious, especially the perfect heirloom tomatoes. We also enjoyed watermelon tomato gazpacho soup, which was very refreshing and balanced; and the veal shank marrow, pureed and baked with breadcrumbs and served with red cabbage compote was outstanding. The grilled calamari steak with tomatoes and lemon basil was excellent; and matzo ball soup, with celery, carrots and parsley, was fresh and flavorful; dare I say, better than Mom’s!

The appetizers whetted our desire for more novel flavor combinations. Our main courses included Day Boat Scallops in a mushroom cream sauce with peas and dill dumplings; the sauce was thicker than anticipated, but overall a tasty choice. The Free Bird Chicken with carrots, peas, corn, artichokes and mushrooms was good, but the vegetables were delicious. The Wild Striped Bass with zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant tomatoes and spinach was light and very savory. And the ricotta gnocchi in a tomato sauce was very satisfying and delectable. We enjoyed our ample glasses of wine throughout the meal.

Satiated, yet tempted by the desserts, we forged ahead, and consumed every bite. We had a lemon torte with honey yogurt cream, a vanilla bean cheesecake, a valhrona chocolate torte and the best ever, three ways crème brulee.

Our waitress, Charlotte, was very solicitous and friendly.

We all agreed that the Moderne’s strong suits are the appetizers, the scrumptious, plentiful vegetables, which are an integral part of each dish, and the desserts. Our bill with tax was $111 per couple exclusive of two of the appetizers, which were gratis and exclusive of tip. I definitely recommend The Moderne Barn for a fun, exciting and tasty night out!

Of note: The Moderne Barn is open seven days a week for dinner. Lunch will be served starting the third week of September. There is an inside elevator to the balcony level, a large parking area in the back and attractive restrooms. Charlotte advised us that although reservations are recommended, walk-ins do get seated Sunday through Thursday. The website is modernebarn.com.

Maryellen Phelan is a 50-year resident of Westchester County, a homebuilder and city planner, who is married with grown children. She is a voracious reader who likes to travel, cook and eat out.

Sign up quick—for Bball, Lax and Wrestling Camps

July 30, 2010

One-week “Five Star” Basketball begins today at 9:00 a.m. at Seven Bridges Middle School, Wrestling Camp with HGHS Varsity Coach Mike DeBellis begins Monday, August 2 at Seven Bridges, and “True Play Lacrosse Camp” starts Monday, August 2 at HGHS. Sign up at the Rec Department.

“Five Star” Basketball - Friday, July 30th, 2010 9:00 am
For youth ages: 7 - 15 years old (Boys & Girls). “Teaches” has teamed up with “Five-Star” Basketball Camp for a competitive week of hoops. The Five-Star staff, in conjunction with Teaches, will bring their nationally prominent program to our town. Fee: $290 * Make checks payable to “Teaches.”
Seven Bridges Middle School

Wrestling Camp - Monday, August 2nd, 2010 9:00 am
For youth entering grades: 2 - 8. Participants will learn wrestling moves and techniques in fun and exciting ways. Camp taught by HGHS Varsity Coach, Mike DeBellis. No experience necessary. If you have any questions or concerns, contact Mike DeBellis at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Register at Town Hall. Checks made payable to “Hudson Valley Recreation”. Fee: $165 ($200 without USAW card)

Seven Bridges Middle School Gym

True Player Lacrosse Camp - Monday, August 2nd, 2010 9:00 am
Entering Grades: 2 - 10 (Boys). Vin DeGregorio, Horace Greeley Varsity Lacrosse Coach will provide all players with the latest instruction, training and practice techniques. Campers must bring a helmet, gloves, arm pads, shoulder pads, stick and mouth piece. For payment information and application, please visit http://www.trueplayerlacrosse.com. Fee: $275
Horace Greeley High School
http://www.trueplayerlacrosse.com

Last Call: Sports physical form for student athletes due August 1

July 30, 2010
by Steve Young

The clock’s running out! Yearly sports physical forms—due in the Athletic Office by August 1 for fall sports— are now available on-line. The form, along with the “Mandatory Guidelines” letter, can be downloaded from the respective school’s nurse’s websites or from the Greeley Athletic Department’s website.

Click HERE for the Physicians Health Appraisal form, HERE for the “Mandatory Guidelines” (information about filling out the form). Or, to retrieve them from the Athletic Department website please do the following:

1. Click on ‘Athletics’ (from the quick links on the left of the page)

2. On the left side of the Athletics page there is a link for ‘Athletic Forms’

3. On the ‘Athletics Forms’ page click on “Physicians Health Appraisal Form”

4. For information about the procedure you can click on the “Mandatory Guidelines”

Please remember that whether your child is playing a fall sport at one of the middle schools or the high school the form is due to the Athletic Office by August 1.

If you have any questions you can contact the Nurse’s Office at your child’s school or the Athletic Department (861-9412).

Steve Young is the Director of Physical Education and Athletics for the Chappaqua Central School District.

Classifieds: Upper East Side “Junior Four” Furnished Sublet

July 30, 2010
See slide show in “Read more”

For rent: Furnished Junior 4 in Luxury Co-op building on 80th between 3rd and Lexington.

• New Kitchen and bath

• Large living/dining area

• 24 hour doorman

• Full service building with marble lobby and beautiful roof deck

• $2600/mo + fee to co-op board.

• Owned by longtime Chappaqua resident, please call: 914-238-8259.

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New Castle Police, Ambulance and Fire Blotters Fri. July 23 - Thu. July 29

July 30, 2010

Editor’s Note: Since New Castle police officers respond as well to all “911” fire and ambulance calls, we omit these from our police blotter incidents.

Friday, July 23

1:32 Old Roaring Brook Rd, Burglar alarm
6:35 Pinesbridge Rd, Animal complaint
13:35 Crest Dr, Harassment/menacing
19:50 Random Farms Dr, Panic alarm

Saturday, July 24

12:45 Millwood Rd, Animal complaint
12:29 Whitlaw Close, Burglar alarm
13:01 Red Oak Ln, Burglar alarm
18:28 Main-Kisco Pk, Suspicious vehicle

Sunday, July 25

00:25 King St, Noise complaint
16:00 Saw Mill River Rd, Vehicle breakdown
20:31 Croton Lake Rd, Public safety, health
23:22 Ruxton Rd, Burglar alarm

Monday, July 26

7:24 Derby La, Abandoned vehicle
8:28 Hidden Hollow Ln, Burglar alarm
9:04 Brevoort Pl, Mailbox incident
9:13 Devoe Rd, Burglar alarm

Tuesday, July 27

7:22 Highview Rd, Noise complaint
8:01 Meadow Ln, Vehicle & Traffic Law offense
11:57 Random Farms Cir, Burglar alarm
15:32 Algonquin Dr, Suspicious person

Wednesday, July 28

1:11 Washington Ave, Suspicious vehicle
8:34 Fox Den La, Burglar alarm
15:44 Millwood Rd, Vehicle breakdown
17:37 Highpoint Cir, Suspicious person

Thursday, July 29

7:52 North Way, Burglar alarm
9:39 Cowdin Cir, Animal complaint
9:42 Millwood Rd, Larceny, stolen property
14:14 Smith St, Animal complaint

Chappaqua Fire Department

07/21/2010

19:11 Woodland Place System malfunction, other
20:00 Hardscrable Rd Smoke scare, odor of smoke
22:59 Broookside Circle Carbon monoxide incident

07/24/2010

08:34 Kittle Road Alarm system activation, no fire - unintentional
15:42 Haights Cross Road Alarm system sounded due to malfunction

07/25/2010

19:29 Kipp St Smoke detector activation due to malfunction

07/26/2010

12:32 Hunts Place Smoke detector activation due to malfunction

Milwood Fire Department

Sat 7/17/2010

14:16 HOURS, MILLWOOD RD/QUAKER LN, MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT WITH EXTRICATION
21:40 HOURS, TACONIC STATE PARKWAY, MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT

Tue 7/20/2010

12:45 HOURS, MILLWOOD RD, INSIDE ODOR OF GAS & SMOKE—- INVESTIGATION
15:21 HOURS, LUDLOW DR, CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM ACTIVATION

Sat 7/24/2010

15:52 HOURS, BEECHWOOD WAY BRIARCLIFF, STRUCTURE FIRE

Chappaqua Crossing “Alternative G,” proposed in March 2010

Map of Alternative G:

Top of map are existing RD buildings on left, “North Village” apartment buildings on right.
Middle of map contains “East Village,” townhouses and apartment buildings.

Contruction of new “T” intersection underway at 133 and 120

New “T” intersection with traffic signal

Letter to the Editor: Little Red Stationhouse

Letter to the Editor re: Millwood Train Station

“You can ask for anything in New York” stated the New Castle Planning Board member before terminating discussion on Millwood Task Force’s request for minimal site improvements and building repairs to the Millwood train station at the July 20th Planning Board meeting. The statement, “You can ask for anything in New York”, as it relates to the train station spurs a familiar memory and raises an issue of importance regarding cooperation between the community and a landowner. In 2004, the Rotta family, asked the community to intercede on their behalf to prevent the local fire commissioners from taking their lumberyard and train station properties through eminent domain. They expressed at the time the likelihood that severe financial hardship would ensue with such a “public taking.” All Rotta family members were regulars at the Millwood Fire District and Millwood Task Force meetings for years lobbying for the disallowance of eminent domain. In response, residents took the family’s concern to heart and with extraordinary time, effort and cost were able to defeat the “taking.” The proposed new firehouse site is a difficult and expensive one compared to the opportunities to reduce costs that the flat lumber yard and train station sites would have provided.
Here lies the essential friction for the residents willing to disabuse authorities pursuing public policy regarding eminent domain. The community desires the landlord to respect Millwood’s efforts to save the family’s livelihood by showing sensitivity to the upkeep and beautification of our small village. As steward and leaseholder, Millwood Lumber avoided much inconvenience and the cost of relocation. They in turn also have some responsibility for improving one of the central locations within the community. There are few signs the Rotta family and Millwood Lumber take pride in their properties, particularly the train station, and are willing to maintain them to a high standard. This friction continues to generate a slow-burning resentment within Millwood.
“You can ask for anything in New York,” but left unsaid is the ease in which this issue is passed from Planning Board to County to owner without any positive change. Perhaps Millwood should consider asking the Rottas to donate the train station site to the Town as a park and allow the community to create one along with a rejuvenated train station.

By June Farnham

Fair and affordable housing settlement

To view the Stiplation and Order of Settlement and Dismissal dated 8/10/09, click HERE

Anti-Discrimination Center’s critique of Westchester County’s July 2010 Implementation Plan

July 16, 2010

Editor’s Note: On July 8, 2010, the Anti-Discrimination Center that filed suit against Westchester County alleging that the county had made false claims in its dealings with HUD between 2000 and 2006 by failing to provide proper “analysis of impediments” to fair and affordable housing in Westchester County during that interval. The county agreed in August 2009 to settle the case and produce an implementation plan, or IP, that would “affirmatively further fair housing” in the county. The federal monitor appointed to oversee the settlement, James E. Johnson, found the county’s first IP deficient and asked the county to produce a second. The following critique of the County’s IP was published by the ADC.

ADC Statement on Monitor’s July 2010 Rejection of County Submission

The Monitor, as was his obligation, has now rejected Westchester’s second attempt at an implementation plan. As we had said in respect to Westchester’s first try, the second March submission constituted neither planning nor implementation.

ADC believes that the Monitor’s report to the Court contains many productive ingredients. We are particularly pleased that the Monitor saw fit to highlight a fundamental aspect of the consent decree that Westchester has continually tried to ignore: the fact that the consent decree is designed to begin the process of desegregating a County that continues to be characterized by residential racial segregation. The Monitor made clear that not all affordable housing affirmatively furthers fair housing: location matters, and, contrary to the requirements of the consent decree, the County has failed to establish a strategy for locating housing on the Census Blocks with the lowest percentages of African-Americans and Latinos.

We are disappointed, however, that the Monitor did not with this Court submission develop additional benchmarks for County performance, and that some of the obligations that were set forth were not put forward with sufficient specificity. After all, the consent decree set up a “two-strike” rule: that is, after two failures on the part of the County, the Monitor had (and has) full authority to set forth any and all revisions and additions that he believes are necessary. While he has provided substantially more direction to Westchester than he did after Westchester’s first failed submission, we regret to say that the Monitor will find that leaving it to the County to try again (with a deadline of August 9th) will not yield a satisfactory implementation plan.

In short, the County has made it abundantly clear that it has no intention of complying with this binding federal court order.

For example, the consent decree specifically recognized that Westchester – contrary to widespread myth – does have authority to overcome municipal resistance to the development of affordable housing that affirmatively furthers fair housing. The consent decree went on to require that Westchester use that authority to litigate wherever necessary. Everyone knows that the only chance for meaningful and widespread municipal cooperation is if municipalities come to understand that the housing is going to be developed with or without municipal cooperation. As such, it is essential that Westchester acquire interests in land for the development of Affordable AFFH Units so that it is in a position to facilitate development with desegregation potential, making clear that its interests will be vindicated – through cooperation if possible, through litigation if necessary.

While the Monitor commendably found that Westchester’s submission was deficient in its failure to engage in “any meaningful exploration of what shape such legal action might take,” and the report of the Monitor’s Housing Advisor properly noted that the County “should be far more aggressive and imaginative in how to compel municipal cooperation,” the failure on both the Monitor’s part and on the part of the Housing Advisor to be more specific and explicit about the critical role to be played by the County acquiring interests in land (and subsequently forcing zoning changes through litigation in resistant municipalities) gives comfort to a rejectionist County Executive who has said flat out that he will not litigate against municipalities.

Similarly, there are over 130,000 acres of land in Westchester comprised of Census Blocks with African-American populations of less than three percent and Latino populations of less than seven percent. Failing to specify demographic requirements at the Census Block level now means that the Monitor will be obliged to do so after Westchester inevitably fails to do so on its own (for a third time).

Finally, the Monitor is entirely correct to say that full compliance with the consent decree not only requires the development of 750 Affordable AFFH Units, but also requires attention to all of other aspects of the consent decree. Perhaps the most overarching of those other aspects is the County’s obligation to have as a goal of all of its housing policies the end of de facto residential segregation in Westchester County. Neither of the County’s Quarterly Reports even mention this obligation, and the Monitor’s submission to the Court does not mention the County’s glaring failure in this respect (although the Monitor does promise that, in view of how essential the “tone at the top” is to compliance, future reports to the Court will examine what steps County leaders have and have not taken in support of the consent decree).

In the end, the likelihood is extremely high that judicial intervention will be necessary to get this process back on track.

On the same web page ADC published this “CASE OVERVIEW”:

Early in 2009, the Honorable Denise Cote, a highly-respected federal judge, found as a matter of law that Westchester County had “utterly failed” to meet its affirmatively furthering fair housing (“AFFH”) obligations during the false claims period (2000-06), and that each and all of Westchester’s certifications that it had or would AFFH were “false or fraudulent.”

Faced with certain defeat on the remaining question of whether its false representations were made in reckless disregard or deliberate ignorance of their truth or falsity, Westchester decided to settle the case.

The overall financial scope of the settlement—$62.5 million – represents a sum greater than all of the community development and related funding that Westchester received from federal government during the false claims period.

Most importantly, Westchester was prohibited from ignoring either the residential racial segregation that continues to plague it, nor the municipal resistance to affordable housing development that stymies the possibility of changing those patterns.

Redevelopment of Millwood Shell station

Although snow-covered lawns and icy roads make it hard to imagine, Millwood residents can look forward to a future “horticultural showplace” in the hamlet if all goes as planned.

On Tuesday evening the New Castle Planning Board granted conditional approval (following a public hearing) of proposed improvements to be made on the Exxon service station on Route 100. Station owner John DeMeo, proud of his past beautification successes with previously owned properties, hopes to make the station a handsome landmark welcoming travelers (and customers) at the western entry to New Castle.

The overall project involved expansion of the number of fuel pumps, their replacement with state-of-the-art equipment, construction of a new “country market” and elimination of the present unsightly buildings on either side of the property. The applicant and his representative have had numerous discussions with Planning Board and other town officials who made constructive suggestions with respect to layout, lighting, signage and a variety of other issues in order to comply with town regulatory requirements. We hope that this will prove successful and serve as a model for well-considered development within the area.

Comments:

We encourage civil, civic discourse. All comments are reviewed before publication to assure that this standard is met.

Farm bounty comes to Chappaqua

Football

Millwood Matters

Input from the community requested at Tuesday, Sept. 7, school board meeting

NEW: Open letter to the community: Hello Chappaqua, . . . from one of your loyal merchants

Bridge Construction Update: All night work now, while over MetroNorth tracks

County offers free home energy assessments to first 2,000 callers to United Way’s “2-1-1”

New Castle Police, Ambulance and Fire Blotters Fri. Aug. 27 to Thu. Sept. 2

“Everybody Is Doing It”

Children’s Fall Discovery Programs at Teatown Lake Reservation

Real Estate Transactions

UPDATE: Late-breaking Info

Football

Editorial note: Which kind of last-week-of-summer person are you?

NEW: Volunteer meeting for farmers’ market @ Chappaqua train station, set to open in September

NEW: “Photology” at the Chappaqua Library gallery, Thursday wine and cheese reception

Collected articles and letters-to-the-editor on Reader’s Digest development

Top 30 stories of the summer

NEW: New bridge lane opens today, demoltion of old bridge begins tonight

NEW: Bridge construction and King Street resurfacing update

Millwood Matters

School board invites community to help interview superintendent search firms

New Castle youth football registration begins for boys and girls in grades 4, 5 and 6

Varsity football kick-off dinner

The Case of the Missing Chappaqua Crossing Discs

Hudson Chorale

Open letter to the community: Petition opposing residential zoning at Chappaqua Crossing

Town board member Robin Stout makes public disclosure statement

Residents remain after town and school boards’ work session to comment on Chappaqua Crossing

What the school fields did for their summer vacation

After town-school boards’ joint meeting, school board members continue talk on Chappaqua Crossing

Board of Ed members appoint Greeley coaches

Westorchard PTA chair argues for fifth section of second grade

The Fall Recreation Program Brochure 2010 is Here!

Board of Ed considers sale of one of its properties

Getting ready for school: Start date Tuesday, September 7, the day after Labor Day

NewCastleTHEN: 1904 Tornado

Backyard Wonders: Sunset among wildflowers in Whippoorwill

Tennis, everyone? All five days!

New Castle Boys U-11 winners in WPBA Gold Division

Bridge Construction Update: New bridge lane ready for traffic by end of this week

UPDATED Calendar for New Castle Mon. Aug. 30 and beyond

Mandarin Chinese . . . Zumba . . . Home-Staging? CCE, Anyone?

Behind the Blotter: Four larcenies, one identity theft

Behind the Blotter

New Castle Police, Ambulance and Fire Blotters Fri. Aug. 13 - Aug. 19

New Castle Police, Ambulance and Fire Blotters Fri. Aug. 20 - Thu. Aug. 26

Town board’s counsel explains town’s obligations and developer’s rights to board of ed members

As town and school boards meet, annoyed residents shout out for bigger meeting space

NCNOW coverage of Chappaqua Crossing draws 324 comments

Experiencing music at the Towne Crier, from the musician’s point of view

NEW: Backyard Wonders—A sunset walk into The Great Right-Here

The Quake win U12+ Boys WPBA Summer Championship

AYSO takes “Everyone Plays” to new heights

“Organ Donors” win B-League Championship

“Without a Prayer” defeats “Eight Men Out” to win championship

Quaker Hill defends Softball Championship

Collected NCNOW.org articles on Westchester County’s affordable housing settlement

County submits its third “fair and affordable” housing implementation plan

NEW Bridge Construction Update: Asphalt paving of King Street POSTPONED

Behind the Blotter: Tenant takes $6K in jewelry; nanny goes on a $16K shopping spree

New Castle Police, Ambulance and Fire Blotters Fri. Aug. 6 to Thu. Aug 12

Musical Op-Ed: “Chappaqua Double-Crossing”

Camp Adventure wraps up summer with a carnival

Organ Donors Win B-League Championship

Chappaqua Swimmers, Team Karen and David, “Swim Across America”

Important joint meeting of school & town boards to discuss Chappaqua Crossing, TUESDAY, Aug 10

Op-Ed: Take residential out of the picture; allow more than four tenants at Chappaqua Crossing

Town board members balk at cost of proposed gazebo, look to lay more sidewalk

The Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow—325th Anniversary

Classifieds: In-Town Cottage for Sale by Owner

UPDATE: Calendar for New Castle Mon. Aug. 9 to Thu. Aug. 12

Just how lazy do you feel? Lazy Cook’s Gazpacho

In The Garden With Shobha Vanchiswar

Behind the Blotter: Underage drinking party bust; speeder ends in head-on crash

New Castle Police, Ambulance and Fire Blotters Fri. July 30 to Thu. Aug. 5

iPAd Tour: Newest Thing in the Oldest Place!

Classifieds

A brief description of Summit Greenfield’s Modified Plan for Chappaqua Crossing

School board members sound note of alarm over latest proposal for Chappaqua Crossing