Scarsdale Arts Council Appeals to NYS Attorney General to Save the Cudner-Hyatt House
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The fate of the Cudner-Hyatt House, built in 1734 hangs in the balance. The historic building, originally a home and later a museum, has been managed by the Scarsdale Historical Society since they were granted a variance to operate a museum there in 1974. Now the Board of the Historical Society has filed an application to the Scarsdale Zoning Board of Appeals to lift the variance and free the property, which includes the Quaker Meeting House for other uses. The Board claims that times have changed, interest in the activities of the museum have diminished and it has become onerous to pay for the upkeep of the property.
Having examined and exhausted many options to maintain the Cudner-Hyatt House, the Board is now asking the Zoning Board of Appeals to lift the variance so that they have flexibility in searching for a solution.
However, the Scarsdale Arts Council, lead by former Mayor Ed Morgan fears that lifting the variance will jeopardize the preservation of this ”endangered landmark.” He believes that once the variance is lifted and the house can again be used as a residence, modifications will need to be made to accommodate 21st century living and the integrity of the house could be compromised.
The matter was heard before the Scarsdale Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday night March 14 and held it over to the April 11, where it is now on the agenda.
However, in the interim, Morgan has written letters to the NYS Attorney General’s Office and the State Department of Education to
In the letter, Morgan makes clear that the Council is not filing a complaint against the Board of the Society. He says, (we) “are purposefully filing instead this request for your office's intervention and review, because some would see a complaint as something directed against the officers and board members of the Society. That is not our purpose, and we hope that it will not be yours either.”
In the letter to the Attorney General, the Council argues that:
--“This situation arose following the retirement of a prior management which until as recently as ten years ago had operated the museum very successfully from both a financial standpoint and as a vibrant part of the community in and around Scarsdale.”
--This action by the Society to abandon its long-standing principal museum mission is, … premature, given the major nature of the change in mission focus and the implications.
--“Dwindling attendance” does not prove that there no longer is any place for historically oriented museums such as the Cudner-Hyatt Museum.
--“Under the structure of both federal and state laws for regulation for publicly supported charities and private foundations, it is contemplated that there will be public involvement before major and detrimental changes are made in operations of publicly supported charities. The Society's recent actions are in this category and, despite protestations to the contrary, mark Cudner-Hyatt as an endangered landmark. There has been no visible sign of meaningful public involvement, much less the high profile attention which seems needed.”
--The Scarsdale Village Board commissioned preparation of a Historic Resources Survey … (that) lists 13 properties, including Cudner-Hyatt, previously evaluated and considered likely landmarks under any new historic preservation law which may emerge.
--“Because of those recent actions, now is the best time for your office and the community to review the entire situation, while reasonable time can be provided before any wrecking ball appears, to see what the best alternatives may be.”
--“Accordingly, no action should be taken at this time to make the Society's museum role illegal, as the Society's proposed variance termination would accomplish, until your office and the community at large have had a reasonable opportunity to explore all of the facts together with the alternatives emerging during the ensuing dialogue.”
Morgan will appeal to the Trustees to remove this item from the April 11 agenda of the Zoning Board of Appeals to give the Attorney General six to eight months to study it and to give himself time to set up a community-wide public forum. He believes that through discussion, the community will find solutions to save the house.
Adam Krajchir, President of the Scarsdale Historical Society contends that the issue is one of relevance. He was a volunteer at the Historical Society for ten years and is also a major contributor. He ran their fall foliage race and cleaned out the basement of the house when it flooded. According to Krajchir, the community no longer supports a museum or the kinds of program that were run in the 1980’s. As a management consultant, he lead the Board through a strategic planning process to help them embrace the realities of the present and the future. He says that the Board has already explored a multitude of options including leasing the building to someone else, giving it away and even moving it elsewhere. With the variance in place, it is difficult to have serious discussions with potential partners or white knights. He finds it offensive that Morgan is stepping in at this late date to replicate the fact-finding process that the Board has already completed.
According to Krajchir, changing the zoning status of the property does not mean that it will be demolished. He said, “We want to lift the variance, not let the house get hit by a wrecking ball.” And then, referring to his critics, he added, “No one has actually come forward and said, how can I help you? “
NextG Asks Scarsdale To Allow Antennas on Residential Streets
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Scarsdale could be the next community to have distributed antennas installed in residential neighborhoods if NextG Networks has their way. The network has filed a petition to amend Scarsdale Village Zoning Code to allow for the mounting of distributed antenna system (DAS) transmitters on utility poles in 15 locations in the village. (See locations below)
These transmitters are housed in large gray boxes that are mounted on Con Edison or Verizon utility poles to carry voice and data traffic for telecommunications. NextG contracts with multiple telecommunications providers for utilization of their service. In order to install the 15 nodes NextG has entered into pole attachment agreements with Con Ed and Verizon and is seeking approval to install the boxes in Village “right-of-ways.”
Since the Planning Board has the power to review and approve the installation of “wireless telecommunications facilities” anywhere in the Village, NextG’s attorneys have filed the petition but in it argue that they are not “wireless telecommunications” but a “utility.” Currently Village code requires that the “wireless communications facility” be at least 350 feet from the nearest home, school, daycare center or place of worship, but NextG proposes to install these at closer range and is therefore asking the Planning Board to amend the code to allow them to install the antennas on existing utility poles.
Their attorney’s DelBello, Donnellan, Weingarten, Wise and Wiederkehr of White Plains argue that changing the code would “eliminate an impediment that could potentially have the effect of prohibiting the ability of any entity to provide any interstate or intrastate telephone telecommunication service,” under Federal law. If the Planning Board decides not to amend the code, Next G could file individual variances to post their antennas in the 15 locations listed below.
The application was on the agenda of the March 21, 2012 Planning Board meeting and the Board discussed it and held over a decision to a subsequent meeting to allow time for a work session on the matter.
NextG claims that the installation of their antennas would improve the quality of wireless telephone and data service for Scarsdale residents, but at what price? According to a group called Grassroots Environmental Education , these antennas emit non-ionizing or low-frequency electromagnetic radiation know as RF radiation that could cause health problems.
In a letter to Scarsdale10583, Deborah Kopald, a public health advocate warned against the risks of DAS, saying:
"The cell transmitters-on-poles phenomenon, known as DAS, or Distributed Antennae Systems, are exposing more people to more radiation in their own neighborhoods than they were ever exposed to by most cell towers due to transmitter proximity. … The rollout of DAS is an unprecedented power grab by utilities; since the pulsed microwave radiation coming out of transmitters is odorless, colorless and tasteless, most people are not aware there is a serious issue afoot. Many of those that do realize the magnitude of the issue make a feeble protest effort when it is too late and the contracts are practically signed. Meanwhile, the EU and the Council of Europe have called effectively for transmitter-free zones in and around schools, hospitals and old-age homes."
The same law firm also filed an application to the Town of Greenburgh on behalf of NextG to install antennas on residential streets in Edgemont. The Greenburgh Town Board is in the process of hiring lawyers with expertise in federal telecommunications to advise them before they issue special use permits to install the equipment on utility poles there. Arguing against their installation, residents asked the Town to require Next G to show why they could not achieve adequate coverage by placing the antennas in “as of right locations” such as Central Avenue. Learn more about the issue in Edgemont here :
If you have concerns, email the Planning Department at [email protected].
Here is a list of the locations of the 15 proposed nodes in Scarsdale:
- 181 Fox Meadow Road
- 1 Ogden Road
- 21 Autenrieth Road
- 149 Lee Road
- 252 Grand Boulevard
- 28 Heathcote Road
- 17 Heathcote Road
- 12 Ross Road
- 54 Claremont Road
- 12 Ridgecrest East
- 7 Sycamore Road
- 11 Wynmor Road
- 109 Mamaroneck Road
- 4 Drake Road
- 81 Brookby Road
Scarsdale Elects Village Trustees
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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The results are in for the March 20th election for Scarsdale Village Trustees and Village Justice. Polls closed at the Scarsdale Library at 9 pm Tuesday and the numbers show that the three candidates who were nominated by the Scarsdale Citizen’s Party were the victors. According to Village Clerk Donna Conkling, Jon Mark had 390 votes, David Lee, 384 votes and Kay Eisenman received 351 votes. Mark and Eisenman were elected to serve second two-year terms while Lee is a new addition to the Scarsdale Board of Trustees. For Village Justice, John H. Galloway received 421 votes and ran unopposed.
Harry Reynolds, the independent candidate fro Village Trustee, received 140 votes. Reynolds objected to the secrecy of the Non-Partisan selection process and ran to protest the system. He favors traditional elections with open debate. Reynolds filed his petition to run before the deadline and therefore his name was on the official ballot. Those who voted for Reynolds may have been registering their discontent with the Non-Partisan system.
Commenting on his election as Village Trustee, David Lee said, "I'm truly looking forward to the work. I know from having observed board and committee meetings over these past two months that I'm joining a dedicated and bright group of trustees with a strong professional staff supporting them. It's also been evident that the issues can be challenging. But that will be part of what makes the work so interesting. I feel lucky to be given this opportunity."
Eisenman also conveyed her enthusiasm for another two years on the job, saying, "I am very pleased to have been re-elected to fulfill a second two year term on the Board of Trustees and thank the voters of Scarsdale who came out to reaffirm their faith in the non-partisan system. I know that the three of us will work hard to keep Scarsdale government open, fair and functioning smoothly and thank the voters for their trust in us."
Trustee Jon Mark added, ""I am pleased to have an opportunity to serve as a Village Trustee for a second term. These are challenging economic times for all of us. Making the expected levels of Village services available with less will continue to require making difficult choices and doing the best we can to balance competing interests. I look forward to working with the Mayor, my fellow Board members, Village staff and residents as we address these challenges."
This is the second year in a row that challengers have come forth in opposition to the Citizen’s Party Slate. In 2011, Sharon Lindsay and Robert
Selvaggio emerged as write-in candidates for the positions of Mayor and Village Trustee after questions arose about the Citizen’s Nominating Committee’s selection process. Since they had not filed petitions in time to appear on the official ballot, residents who wanted to vote for them had to write-in their names in the voting booth. In a very tense election, 1,028 voters participated, more than double the 2012 count. The contest galvanized the community as supporters of both the Citizen’s Party and the independent candidates urged their neighbors to vote.
This year, the situation was far more peaceful and the vote count returned to traditional norms. However, Reynold's relatively strong showing may indicate that doubts about the Non-Partisan system persist.
(Pictured at top, left to right: David Lee, John Galloway, Kay Eisenman, Jon Mark)
On the Other Hand
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This letter was submitted by Harry Reynolds who recently ran for Scarsdale Village Trustee as an independent candidate: To teh Editor: Now that we know by their vote that the Non-Partisan System is committed to secrecy in selecting our local government, what consequences should follow? Do we have an obligation to refrain from supporting that system, a secret system which, if it was applicable to our nation, would cause a revolution next Monday morning?
Put another way, what should the roughly 30% of the voters in last week’s election consider as an alternative to the Non-Partisan System? Is the current Board in some way representative of the Village residents, and so should be a model? Or has the nonpartisan concept failed in Scarsdale because its Nominating Committee is, inevitably, a place where its members act just as do the political hustlers in Yonkers and White Plains? And if it has failed in that way, then should we consider the return of the regular political organizations? We would have the comfort of getting rid of the pietistic notion that the name “Non-Partisan System” means “Good”, no matter who claims it.
Or in the end will we be involved in bitter academic exchanges over stakes that are so small that we should follow the wisdom of the thousands of Scarsdale residents who regularly do not vote and who indeed probably do not know what the hell the Non-Partisan System is other than something overseen by an ever-present, hard worker named Grodsky.
After all, when in a village of 17,000 residents, of whom 11,500 are registered to vote, and only 468 voted last week, there must be a subliminal message to us from those nonvoters that perhaps, one never knows with certainty, we the talkers and moaners are, in the words of St Francis, shnooks, schlemiels, and plain shlumps.
In short, why complain and wail and yell when Grodsky delivers what we want?
On the other hand, wouldn’t that be abandoning a moral cause in the absence of necessity? Would it be better to set up another entity which will choose its nominees according to its standards, standards leading to a diversity among candidates that voters might not find in present boards. It is this question that I put to your readers. Would they like to see boards more representative of the village than those they now see? For example, many voters may have views about taxation that are markedly different than those acceptable to the present board. There is no one to speak for that group. They feel helpless for lack of a voice.
Harry Reynolds
152 Bradley Road
Scarsdale, NY 10583
Vote Today in Scarsdale
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Today’s the day to vote for Scarsdale Village Trustees and Village Justice. The election is on at Scarsdale Library and polls will re-open at noon today. You can vote until 9 pm tonight.
On the ballot are two trustees who have been re-nominated by the Scarsdale Citizens' Party to serve second two-year terms, a new candidate nominated by the party and an independent.
Residents can vote for three of the four candidates for Village Trustee. The two incumbent candidates are Kay Eisenman and Jonathan Mark and David Lee is running for the first time. Independent candidate Harry Reynolds filed his own petition to appear on the ballot.
In addition, Justice John H. Galloway is running uncontested to serve another 4 -year term.
You can learn more about the candidates here or see the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale’s Voters Guide by clicking here.
