Early Morning Fire Guts Home on Madison Road in Scarsdale
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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A fire was reported at a house at 260 Madison Road at 5:40 am on Friday March 4, 2022. A neighbor called 911 to report the fire and said the house was currently being renovated and was unoccupied. When firemen arrived they found the front porch and first and second floors of the wood framed house engulfed in heavy fire. After searching the house, they found it was unoccupied as reported. With the help of fire departments from Hartsdale, Greenville and Fairview, they knocked down the fire. They opened up the interior walls and ceiling on the first and second floors to access the fire in the walls and also punched a hole in the roof to ventilate the structure.
Con Edison was called to de-energize the electric line that had failed and was lying on the front lawn and to also to shut down the gas. The house appears to be heavily damaged.
The homeowners were contacted and came to the scene. An investigation to determine the cause of the fire is under way.
Commenting on the fire, Scarsdale Chief Christopher Mytych said, "We initiated an aggressive fire attack using two hose lines and extinguished the bulk of the fire from the exterior before transitioning to the interior. Fortunately, reports from neighbors that the home was unoccupied were confirmed following our searches. We were supported by firefighters from Fairview, Greenville, and Hartsdale. Units from Eastchester and White Plains stood by in our quarters until the arrival of off-duty Scarsdale firefighters. There were no reports of firefighter injuries."
The fire report says the home was under renovation and the property records show that there was an active building permit dated February 24, 2022 to legalize the basement, bedroom and office. The house as built in 1923, has four bedrooms and is 2,588 square feet on a .14 acre lot. It had an assessed value of $750,000.
(Photo Credit: Jonathan Bradlow)
Letter From Your Ukrainian Neighbor Max Grudin
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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Dear Scarsdale Neighbors!
I am from Ukraine.
Over the last few days I have received a lot of calls about the situation in Ukraine. I am grateful for everyone’s concern. I would like to reach many of my friends and neighbors to describe my understanding of what is happening and also suggest ways to help.
When on February 24 2022 I saw a line of tanks crossing the border into Ukraine I frankly thought that within four hours they would be in Kiev. So did most ordinary people and international leaders. However, to everyone’s surprise Ukrainian citizens decided to fight back.
I spoke to many residents in Ukraine with very different political views and I must say that they are fully united in their opposition to this invasion. Many people have signed up to “territorial defense” units. Many people form crowds to block the advance of the Russian military, and even in conquered towns crowds of demonstrations express their protest to the invading force.
It is that fierce defense of their country that has spurred many countries to set up crippling economic sanctions. In the meantime one urgent problem is lack of food and medical supplies. If you wish to help, I suggest you donate funds to non-profit organizations who can deliver help to those in need. Here are a couple of organizations. I understand your donations can be deducted.
● Razom for Ukraine https://razomforukraine.org/donate/
● Global Giving (Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund): https://globalgiving.org
● International Rescue Committee: https://rescue.org
This morning major news outlets showed videos of Kharkov being carpet bombed and of a ballistic missile hitting a Kiev suburb. Do I have words to describe my anguish?
A few words about my friends in Russia. Many Russian people did not believe that a military incursion might happen. Right now they do not have access to correct information. I think it would be unfair to blame the Russian people for what is done in their name.
I think energy policy is a key issue in this crisis. The transition to clean energy may take decades, and in the meantime cutting our production gives leverage to countries like Russia and Venezuela who use energy for political means. Perhaps we should not only be talking about having an abundant supply of clean energy but also about controlling demand. Our daily habits impact the world.
Thanks again for your support.
Max Grudin
Scarsdale
Astorino Claims There Is "Lawlessness" In Westchester, Despite The Statistics
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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A video of a robbery at the Westchester Mall is being used by former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino in his campaign for Governor of New York State.
The video shows thieves mobbing the Louis Vuitton store on January 6, 2022 and making off with several handbags while the security guard looks on.
You can see it here:
Astorino posted the video on his Twitter page and said, ““The fact that it’s at The Westchester Mall as well just makes people open up their eyes that crime has to be stopped,” Astorino said. “We have to be tough on crime. What we are dealing with right now is the last two years coming home to roost where it’s basically been lawlessness.”
Despite Astorino’s charges, the fact is that crime has actually decreased in our area. According to White Plains Police Commissioner David Chong, “Crime is definitely not on the rise in White Plains,” Chong said. “Every crime statistic is actually down.”
About crime at The Westchester, the Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah said, “The Westchester District Attorney’s Office is aware of report of recent thefts in The Westchester mall. We understand how incidents like this create fear and anxiety in the community. As is the practice in White Plains, the WPPD is investigating these incidents at this stage and my Office will be involved when and if charges are brought to us by the police, unless our assistance is required prior to that. If and when we receive such charges, we will evaluate them and, if appropriate, prosecute them fully with the bound of the law taking all circumstances into account.”
Should the Village End Leaf Vacuuming? What Do You Think?
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In 2021 the Village adopted new laws that banned the use of leaf blowers from May 1 to September 30 and limited their use to weekdays during October, November and December. That was just one change recommended in an April 22, 2021 report from the Scarsdale Forum’s Sustainability, Municipal Services and Climate Resilience Committee on gas leaf blowers, leaf vacuuming and leaf mulching in the Village of Scarsdale.
At the time, the committee also recommended eliminating all fall leaf vacuuming conducted by the Village. Now that proposal, eliminating leaf vacuuming, is being considered as a part of the 2022-23 Village budget discussions. The matter will be reviewed at a February 16, 2022 work session of the Village Board.
Why does the Forum recommend the suspension of leaf vacuuming?
According to their report, the reasons are many.
In short:
-The Forum contends that leaf piles are hazardous for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians who have to navigate around them. Furthermore, “Wet leaves on road surfaces can make stopping difficult, and piles of leaves can obscure potholes, black ice, curbs and street markings. Leaves create slippery conditions after it rains or snows.”
-Leaf pile clog storm drains and block fire hydrants: “Storm water drains and street catch basins become blocked by leaves that impede the flow of water, causing back-ups and maintenance issues…. Leaves also block access to fire hydrants.
-Animal feces and litter are deposited in the leaf piles.
-Leaf vacuuming trucks are noisy and disperse polluting and unhealthy emissions of chemicals and particulate.
-Wet leaf piles grow mold.
How do they propose that leaves be treated? The Forum suggests that residents receive education about the benefits of mulch mowing, where leaves are shredded by lawn mowers and left on the lawn as fertilizer. If that is not feasible, they are asking the Village to require residents to bag their leaves and leave them at the curb for pick-up or transport them to the transfer station.
With planning for the 2022-23 Village budget in process, the Village asked the Department of Public Works to analyze the Forum’s recommendation and to come up with a point of view and cost analysis of replacing leaf vacuuming with pick-up of bagged leaves.
You can see the analysis below.
According to the slide below, the Department of Public Works recommends retaining the existing leaf vacuuming program rather than picking up bagged leaves weekly.
Essentially, they are saying that if the vacuuming program ends, the cost to dispose of the leaves will be transferred to private homeowners. Their analysis shows that if the Village ends the program they estimate that about 20% of homeowners will mulch mow, leaving another 4,800 to bag and transport their leaves. At a cost of $220 per year per property, the burden would shift $1,000,000 in expense to private homeowners who either cannot mulch mow or pay their landscapers to bag and transport the leaves.
According to their analysis, the Village would save $239,870 in labor costs, but the department would reassign those staffers to other tasks within the Department of Public Works, so there would be no actual dollar savings.
When the proposal was discussed in 2014-15, there were objections to the elimination of the program from people who rake their own leaves and felt they could not handle the additional burden and from others who live on smaller lots where there was not enough space to disperse mulched leaves. Others simply saw it as a cut in services.
On the issue of enforcement, it was not clear what would happen if landscapers or homeowners failed to comply and left leaf piles on the street. Would they be fined and who would dispose of the piles?
As an alternative, would it be possible to offer at incentive to those who bag or mulch their leaves rather than penalizing those who do not?
If you have views on leaf vacuuming please post comments below or email us at [email protected] and we will post them below.
Diana Thulin said, "The challenges raised in 2014-2015 have not changed. The DPW has it right. We have had many other cost increases.. As far as leaf piles in the road, owners should be fined for creating a hazard. We shouldn't need to use taxpayer funds to reward appropriate behavior.
Readers Reflect on Hagerman's Departure
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After Scarsdale Schools Superintendent Thomas Hagerman resigned abruptly at the January 24, 2022 meeting of the Board of Education, speculation was rife about his plans for the future. Had he accepted another position as a school superintendent or a job at a college or university or in the private sector? He offered no details.
The mystery was solved the next day with a press release from The Latin School in Chicago who announced that Dr. Hagerman had accepted the position of Head of School. The independent school includes a lower, middle and upper school and has 1,190 students enrolled this year.
The announcement from the Latin School says, “This decision is the result of a national search process initiated late last summer which included input from all of our community constituencies on both the position statement and feedback on candidates. Dr. Hagerman was unanimously recommended by the Head of School Search Committee to the Board of Trustees which unanimously approved his appointment.”
We have received many comments from readers in the past two days. Quite a few concerned the timing of his departure which may very well leave Scarsdale without adequate time to do a search and replace him by July. These searches often take many months and are often in sync with the academic year.
In fact, Dr. Hagerman’s contract required him to give the district 12 months notice. It said,
Article VIII - Termination
(A) This AGREEMENT may be terminated by written agreement between the BOARD
OF EDUCATION and the SUPERINTENDENT, or by the resignation of the SUPERINTENDENT submitted in writing to the BOARD OF EDUCATION. The SUPERINTENDENT shall give the BOARD OF EDUCATION notice of resignation twelve (12) months prior to the effective date of resignation. The resignation date shall not fall within the academic school year.
Furthermore, readers were puzzled why Dr. Hagerman pushed through a contract extension in June 2021 if he was contemplating a departure.
Others took issue with the letter he wrote announcing his departure. It says, “When I came to Scarsdale eight years ago, the District was yearning for academic improvement, curricular consistency, clear communication, operational transparency, facilities and grounds improvements, financial stewardship, strategic planning, policy revision, and so much more.” A reader said, “He didn’t inherit a mess of a district! He inherited a crown jewel of public education in the country. It is a swipe at all that came before him. “
Another reader pointed out a slight to parents and community leaders who took issue with him. The letter says, “Finally, I would like to thank both our parent leadership groups and the Board of Education—both those currently in place and those that I have had the good fortune of working with throughout my tenure here in Scarsdale. With few exceptions, these individuals have understood their roles as school community leaders; stewards of our resources; defenders of excellence in public education; and avid supporters of students, staff, and the broader school community.”
The consensus is that the way he chose to leave was consistent with the way he chose to lead. He was a stickler for rules but made exceptions for himself. He was an advocate of “communication,” but it was often one-sided and left no room for opposing views.
His legacy includes many decisions that were made from the top down, often polarizing stakeholders and silencing objectors. Scarsdale will live with the ramifications of some of these decisions for years to come including an extended school day, an expensive school lunch program, limitations on parent engagement and presence in the schools and an elementary school renovation that could have been so much more.
One aspect of his reign is sure to change with his departure. Undoubtedly the Board of Education will look to restore transparency and trust, and allow for free speech without fear. So many community members had things to say, but hesitated to identify themselves, including those quoted above. Hopefully we will no longer hear people say, “Can I comment off the record? I am too scared to use my name.”
