Welcome to the Government Section

Last year, six snow storms by now; this year three


January 27, 2012
by Christine Yeres

By this time last year, says Commissioner Anthony Vaccaro, New Castle had weathered six snowstorms totaling 40 inches of snow on 120 miles of road (= 240 lane miles).  So far this year the town has seen only three events requiring salting or plowing:  the out-of-season October 26 snowstorm that wreaked havoc on trees and powerlines, a freezing rain on January 16 and the one-day-winter-wonderland last Saturday.

Read More

Newly-elected representatives and judges take oath of office

waiting to begin
Waiting to begin; see more photos in “Read more…”
January 6, 2012
by Christine Yeres

A full crowd at town hall chatted and noshed as they waited for U.S. Congresswoman Nita Lowey to arrive from Albany to swear in new Town Supervisor Susan Carpenter, re-elected Deputy Supervisor Elise Mottel, town councilman Jason Chapin, re-elected town justices Douglas Kraus and David Zuckerman and County Legislator Mike Kaplowitz.  Lowey as emcee was worth the wait—still beaming after a day that had begun with her attendance at Governor Andrew Cuomo’s “State of the State” address at 1:30 that afternoon in Albany and eager to usher into office New Castle’s town board members and justices.

Read More

New Hours for the Recyling Department Begin

recycle
Monday, January 2, 2012
by Christine Yeres

The Recycling Center yard itself, for residential recycling, will remain open from 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., but starting this week, the Recycling Department office will be closed from 11:15 a.m. – 12:00 noon on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Leaf bag and recycling bin purchases, mulch delivery orders, and electronics disposal services will not be available during this 45-minute time period.  Saturdays the office will remain open continuously from 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. “Because Saturday is by far the biggest day for recycle visits,” explained Recycling Foreman Bart Carey.

Read More

“Yeah!” and “Whew!”—an official ribbon-cutting for the Route 120 Bridge

bridge
See photos of the ceremony, the old bridge, construction, and the new bridge in “Read more…”
December 23, 2011
by Christine Yeres

The last pieces to put into place were the railings on top of the walls on the section of the bridge over the railroad tracks.  A little more than three years after de-construction of the 1930’s Route 120 bridge began in September 2008, local, state and federal elected officials as well as Department of Transportation reps met yesterday morning at the base of north wall of the completed bridge, eager to take multiple scissors to a golden ribbon stretched across Allen Place and breath a collective sigh of relief.

Read More

Astorino to approve or veto sewer district creation today, but in phone message hints at glitch

December 23, 2011
by Christine Yeres

THIS JUST IN: Word came from a spokesperson for Co. Exec. Astorino at 9:20 A.M.  that he has signed the legislation to allow extension of the sewer district to Yeshiva, Random Farms, Riverwoods and Chappaqua Crossing.

Hershel Reich, administrator of Yeshiva, was uneasy when he heard an ambiguous message from County Executive Rob Astorino on his answering machine yesterday morning. Reich wonders now about the chances for admission of Yeshiva, Random Farms and Riverwoods into the Saw Mill sewer district, which the legislature voted on December 15 to approve. See Co. “Legislature approves admission of 293 New Castle parcels into sewer district,” NCNOW.org, 12/16/11.

Read More

Co. Legislature approves admission of 293 New Castle parcels into sewer district

December 16, 2011
by Christine Yeres

In her last meeting as Supervisor, Barbara Gerrard cheerily announced on Tuesday that, to her “great pleasure and disbelief,” Westchester County legislators had voted the night before to accept the town’s petition for Random Farms, Riverwoods, Yeshiva and a portion of Chappaqua Crossing to be admitted to the Saw Mill River sewer district.  Visiting at town hall, Mike Kaplowitz, New Castle’s representative on the board of legislators, characterized it as “an overnight success—after 14 years!”

Read More

UPDATE: With 100% of districts counted, County issues latest provisional election tallies

flag fan
Thursday, November 10, 2011

With all 16 districts’ votes now counted, the race for supervisor shows that the gap between Democratic candidate Susan Carpenter and Republican-Independence candidate Bob Kirkwood narrowed to 142 votes.  Since voting machines were impounded throughout Westchester by a state Supreme Court justice due to several close races in other jurisdictions,  the paper ballots —affidavits and absentee —remain uncounted.  According to the Westchester County Board of Elections, among the uncounted are 130 absentee ballots mailed out to New Castle voters, including six to residents in the military; so far, 90 of these have been returned. See the full results in “Read more…”

 

Read More

Tentative town budget: Tax levy increase is under 2% cap; translates to tax rate rise of 2.98%,


Monday, October 17, 2011

On Thursday, town Administrator Penelle Paderewski sent town board members a tentative budget for 2012 of $36.3 million. Of that, $14.7 is revenue the town brings in; residents supply $19,333,001 million in property taxes, a figure that comes in under the 2% tax cap by $145,010. The remaining $2 million is taken from the fund balance.

Read More

NEW: South sidewalk opens over bridge; pedestrial walkway comes down

bridge
Supervisor Barbara Gerrard visiting the completed south sidewalk
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
by Christine Yeres

The south sidewalk of the bridge is free and clear for passage; the north side not quite finished.  Last night metal workers continued the take-down of the pedestrian walkway, the last impediment to workers’ finishing up the north side of the bridge, most importantly, the staircase to the bridge.

Read More

Letter to the Editor: Town Plans for the Future

Monday, October 3, 2011
by Jason Chapin

We moved to New Castle because of the great schools, appealing neighborhoods and overall charm of the Town. But how did the Town get that way?

Read More

Letter to the Editor: A good step toward a closer working relationship

September 30, 2011
by Rob Greenstein

At the School board’s September 20 meeting, board members voted unanimously to change the night of their meeting from Tuesday to Wednesday, to begin in the next school year, 2012-2013.  Bravo!

Read More

Supervisor and Deputy Super invite merchants to tell their troubles

September 23, 2011
With 12 comments since publication
by Christine Yeres

At the invitation last week of Supervisor Barbara Gerrard and Deputy Supervisor Elise Mottel, about 30 downtown Chappaqua merchants came together in a conference room at town hall last Tuesday night to report on the vicissitudes of commercial life in the downtown hamlet and make contact with one another.

Read More

Republicans plan to pump life into commercial tax base to relieve taxpayers

September 23, 2011
With 53 comments since publication
by Christine Yeres

Republican candidates for town board held a press conference to lay out their plans to pump life into the commercial tax base of New Castle.  Both are owners of small businesses. Bob Kirkwood’s insurance agency is in Pleasantville; Rich Diefenbach runs his video production company from New Castle.

Read More

For merchants’ sake, sewer repair on South Greeley will be put off if at all possible

September 23, 2011
by Christine Yeres

In a work session last Tuesday following a meeting with Chappaqua merchants, Supervisor Barbara Gerrard urged town board members to look hard at the schedule for capital improvements and, if the condition of the sewer line on South Greeley is in good enough shape, to put off its repair for another year.

Read More

Save-the-Dates: League of Women Voters Ward System Referendum Forum & Candidates Night


Election Day is Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
from Sheila Bernson

Monday, October 17 at 7:30 p.m. at New Castle’s Town Hall: Community Forum on increasing town board by two members, and adopting a ward system of representation

Thursday, October 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Chappaqua Library: Candidates’ Night

Read More

Lower King St. re-do is put off until 2014; town will do South Greeley first, in 2013

lower king st merchant meeting
January 27, 2012
by Christine Yeres

Last night the majority of the merchants on Lower King Street—and several of their landlords—came to the Community Center to learn whether the town board intends to conduct a major overhaul of their street this summer.  Several merchants had asked in the weeks before that they be spared such disruption so soon after the inconvenience of bridge construction.

The project, Supervisor Susan Carpenter informed them, has been put off for two years and will most likely be undertaken in 2014.

Read More

Merchants fret that planned repairs to Lower King will hurt business

Lupica and Greenberg
Cindy Lupica of Marmalade, Dawn Greenberg of Aurora; see plan of park on Lower King in “Read more…”
January 20, 2012
by Christine Yeres

The town board has included in this year’s capital budget funds to repair 100-year-old sewer and water lines under South Greeley as well as those under Lower King Street.  Expert consultants have warned that both sets are badly in need of replacement within the next two years, but some merchants on Lower King are worried that their businesses will suffer.

Read More

Another tenant at Chappaqua Crossing—Access Nursing Services and WeeZee

January 20, 2012
by Christine Yeres

On Wednesday, Chappaqua crossing announced that it has signed a long-term lease for 24,000 square feet of space in Building 400 of its office campus with WeeZee World of Yes, I Can!, a challenging and appealing play space for children with conditions ranging from dyslexia to autism.

Read More

Reporting Pot Holes on State and County Roads—Keep these phone numbers

January 13, 2012
Press release from the Town of New Castle

If you want to report road damage (pot holes) on the following roads (County or State roads), please call the numbers that appear below. You may report them to the Town’s Department of Public Works as well but the State and County respond well to calls from residents and we encourage you to call them. (When we receive your calls for these roads, we report them too to the appropriate agency.)

Read More

Second half of school taxes due January 31; ten percent penalty starts Feb. 1

Town Hall will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; pay online till 11:59 p.m.
January 30, 2012
by Christine Yeres

Bright green postcards went out two weeks ago to the 2200 residents who had not yet paid the second half of their school taxes, which must be postmarked or received by the tax office by close-of-business on Tuesday, January 31.  A 10% penalty applies beginning February 1.

Read More

Supervisor Barbara Gerrard says good-bye and thank you

gerrard and kaplowitz
December 16, 2011
by Barbara Gerrard

Good evening. This evening my Report is a very large “Thank you” to so very many people who have made this administration successful despite the many challenges facing New Castle and beyond. Appropriately, my first and foremost “thank you’s” are to all the residents I served for these past 12 years.

Read More

At local level, Government works, says Michael Wolfensohn in goodbye speech

wolfensohn & kids
December 16, 2011
by Michael Wolfensohn

Four years ago I was elected to serve as Town Board Member a job I took very seriously.  I have learned a great deal about how government really works and as much as some say Government is broken, on a local level I would disagree.

Read More

What did your icicles reveal to you last year?  Move to recapture heat and dollars

“Energize Bedford” visited to enlighten New Castle
icicles
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
by Christine Yeres

At town hall last Tuesday, New Castle’s first “Sustainability Summit” filled the house.  Around 100 members of town boards, residents and students as well as emissaries from “Energize Bedford” met to discuss both how to reduce New Castle’s carbon emissions and how residents can save energy dollars while making their homes more comfortable (yes—last winter’s icicles are pointing the way).  In “Read more…” see what measures your neighbors suggested that will help reduce our town’s carbon footprint.

Read More

County Executive Astorino blasts HUD for its “Warped War on Westchester”

December 2, 2011

Editor’s Note: In a November 30, 2011 “Opinion” piece in the Daily News, County Executive Rob Astorino again blasted HUD for its handling of the August 2009 settlement that directed Westchester County to create 750 units of purchased or rented units “affirmatively furthering fair housing” in 31 of its municipalities (including New Castle) with the smallest African-American and Hispanic populations. The text of the article follows.

Read More

Final Statement of Jason Chapin, candidate for Town Board

Monday, November 7, 2011
by Jason Chapin

I am looking forward to returning to the Town Board. I come to this election as a candidate with passion, qualifications, and experience, and vision.

Read More

Final Statement of Richard Diefenbach, Republican & Independence Party candidate for Town Board

Monday, November 7, 2011
by Rich Diefenbach

Why I am running for New Castle town board

It’s been nearly five months since I decided to run for a seat on our town board. Since then Bob Kirkwood, Kevin Moore and I have been walking the neighborhoods meeting the many residents of our town, listening to their ideas and concerns. Our platform reflects what we’ve heard from hundreds of our neighbors.

Read More

Final Statement of Rob Greenstein, “Transparency in Government” candidate for town board

Monday, November 7, 2011
by Rob Greenstein

Last week, I was honored to receive an endorsement from The Examiner.  They wrote “Greenstein, who decided to run after being one of the more outspoken Chappaqua Crossings critics, is a proponent of full transparency……..He’s smart and sharp and won’t be afraid to say what’s on his mind, providing an independent voice that needs to be heard on the current all-Democratic board.”

Read More

Final Statement of Bob Kirkwood, Republican and Independence candidate for Supervisor

Monday, November 7, 2011
by Bob Kirkwood

Why I ask for your vote.

Win or lose on Tuesday, I’ll have no regrets about entering the race for town supervisor. I believe the only good election is a contested one, and I think many residents would agree it’s been far too long since New Castle has had one. Ours is a vibrant, engaged community filled with people who feel passionately about living here. Every four years or so, we should feel entitled to have a positive, constructive public discussion about the future of our town. I’m proud to have been a part of that discussion this year, and if elected, it will be a privilege to serve.

Read More

Final Statement of Elise Mottel, Deputy Supervisor, Democratic candidate for town board

Monday, November 7, 2011
by Elise Mottel

Dear New Castle Residents:

Tuesday, November 8 will mark the end of a vigorous and hard fought campaign.  A contested election is the sign of a healthy democracy, and my colleagues and I welcomed the debate.  The posting of letters and positions on the Internet and the debates have made it easier to have an informed electorate.  Thank you for expressing your opinions and giving me the opportunity to share my views.

Read More

Meet the three candidates for two town justice spots

Monday, November 7, 2011

If you haven’t had time to meet the three candidates for town justice, here are links to the candidates’ statements, plus the 15-minute video in which each of them—Kevin Moore, Doug Kraus and Dave Zuckerman—spoke about their experience and philosophy at the League of Women Voters Candidates’ Night ten days ago.

Read More