Assemblymember Amy Paulin Speaks Out For Women’s Rights At Women’s March on October 2
- Details
- Written by Michelle Sterling
- Hits: 1561
Below are remarks from State Assemblymember Amy Paulin about the recent challenge to abortion rights in Texas:
For years anti-abortion states and “pro-life” politicians have tried to chip away at Roe v Wade and abortion rights for women. For years they have sought to shut clinic doors and make it difficult, if not impossible, for women to access the reproductive health care they seek. Now in Texas we have seen what a pro-life governor, coupled with a pro-life majority on the Supreme Court, can do.
We all know that it is not pro-life to have sky-high maternal and infant mortality rates, to incite violence with lies about abortion, and to strip reproductive healthcare away from millions of women. Which is what is happening in Texas, Mississippi and other states that may soon follow. What is pro-life is supporting women in making decisions about their own bodies and helping them gain access to the health care they need.
The governors of Texas and Mississippi should be ashamed at how they have wasted money and resources on a fight whose only goal is to take away a woman’s personal right to make the best decision for herself and her family.
Of course, these new anti-abortion laws won’t curb the need for abortion care. They will, however, make it much more difficult, costly, and dangerous to obtain one. And the people who will bear the brunt of the horrific effects of these laws are communities of color, low-income communities, and youth.
This story has been around since I was a teenager in Brooklyn. There I had friends and classmates whose lives were changed forever due to lack of abortion access. And it is why I have spent a lifetime fighting to protect women and their rights to privacy and to control their bodies. Which is really what this is all about – curtailing abortion rights is a way of controlling women.
We must help women in the states where their right to abortion is under attack. This encompasses the courts, legislation, massive outreach, donations – everything we can do to help women in states with these draconian laws gain access to the services they need.
I am using the courts. Last month, I signed an Amicus Brief with legislators from 45 states which challenges the constitutionality of the new Mississippi abortion law, which bans abortion after 15 weeks.
I am also working on this in the NYS Legislature. I’ve just authored a bill which directly opposes and undercuts the Texas abortion bill. My bill makes it so that no claims can be made on NYS property which stem from an “aiding and abetting of abortion” verdict under the Texas abortion law. If it passes we will be the first state in the country to have directly attacked the Texas bill with our state law.
I will continue to use every method possible to fight for every woman’s right - regardless of their zip code - to a safe and legal abortion.
Concours d'Elegance Brings Vintage Cars to the 'Dale
- Details
- Hits: 2018
The Scarsdale Concours d’Elegance returned to the streets of Scarsdale on Sunday October 3, 2021 for their 18th annual car show, after a one year hiatus due to COVID.
A beautiful fall day drew a crowd to the Village and the streets were crowded with local residents and car aficionados from far and wide. The show hosts reported their biggest turn out in history, especially by people from outside Scarsdale! In addition to the colorful array of cars, visitors enjoyed live music and a tasty barbeque sponsored by the Scarsdale PBA.
The show had such a wide range of vehicles from vintage collectibles to two monster trucks, a great addition to the Concours this year.
Many of the registrants were regulars who look forward to attending the Concours every year.
Local resident Joe McGee displayed his bright green Porsche to the show. He has won awards in other shows, but he personally likes to come to the Scarsdale Village show to see the different cars and meet the owners, especially on such a nice day.
Corvette collector Larry Sachs has been coming to the Concours d’Elegance since the very first show that was started by SHS students Evan Cygler and Denis O’Leary back in 2003. He brought three to this year's show He has won awards at some of the past shows, including Best Race Car and Best Corvette. He got his first car, a Corvette, at 18 and believes that “Corvettes are superior to any other car. They’re faster, sleeker, and lower to the ground.”
One of the most talked about cars at the show was Lorenzo’s 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, that he purchased from David Lee Roth of Van Halen! The car has been featured in movies such as Smokey and the Bandit and Rocky II.
Many of the cars were older than the people that came to see them. The owner of a 1979 Cadillac with blue velvet seats posted this sign on his windshield to let viewers know what was going on in the seventies when Carter was President, gas was .86 cents a gallon, McDonalds introduced the Happy Meal, Sony came out with the Walkman and inflation was 13.3%.
The top was down on a 1976 blue Cadillac and inside the owner displayed his collection of 8 track music cartridges including Jethro Tull, Elvis and the Eagles.
This Year’s Best in Show award went to a light green 1949 Riley MC.
The show raised funds for local groups including the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Scarsdale Police Benevolent Association, and Scarsdale & Edgemont Family Counseling Service.
Trustees Explore Overhaul of the Scarsdale Pool Complex
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 3693
The pool complex opened in 1969 on 7.6 acres previously owned by the American Legion. Pictured above: Mayor Saul Horowitz Jr., Superintendent of Parks and Recreation, Robert Eldridge and Village Trustee, Hartselle Kinsey. When the Scarsdale Pool Complex opened in 1969 the four pools, volleyball court and locker rooms were state of the art facilities. Now 52 years later, it’s a struggle to keep the pools and equipment functioning as it has outlived its useful life and is in dire need of an overhaul.
But how much of an overhaul is in order? Do the pools need to be renovated or replaced? Should the complex include water features like sprinklers and slides? How much is the community willing to spend on the work?
According to Mayor Jane Veron, in order to find answers to these questions the Village developed an RFP “to identify outside experts who could lead the study and condition assessment.” They received proposals from nine firms, narrowed the field to two and conducted in person interviews and unanimously selected Lothrop Associates who will partner with Ballard & King for the Market Survey Report and The ETC Institute for a statistically valid survey.
The $114,000 bid includes an assessment of the existing pool conditions, a statistically valid survey of residents on their views on the pool and an in-depth analysis of demographics, expected usage and pricing. Once all this information is gathered and parsed, Lothrop will come up with three pool concepts and associated costs for consideration by the community. The consultants said, “The main point is to come to a conceptual design at a cost that everyone would like to build.”
Pool and Communnity Center in Mt. Pleasant
At this point, the Trustees are only deciding on whether or not to hire the firms for the feasibility study. They are not giving the go ahead to do any work at the pool complex.
At a work session at Village Hall on Tuesday night September 21, 2021 the three firms were invited to present to the Board and the public in Village Hall and via Zoom.
William Simmons explained that Lothrop Associates LLP is based in White Plains and has built many municipal and facilities in Westchester and beyond including the Mt. Pleasant Aquatic and Community Center, Kittrell Municipal Pool in White Plains, Leewood Golf Club in Eastchester and the Larchmont Yacht Club Pool Complex. Nine years ago they created a division called Aquatectonic dedicated to pools and are responsible for 80% of all commercial pools in the greater NYC region. They are currently replacing the pool at Playland Park and doing a scoping report for Twin Oaks Public Pool in Chappaqua along with work at many New York City school pools.
The Larchmont Yacht ClubTheir first step would be to do an existing conditions survey of the pool complex at the same time that Ballard*King Associates does a marketing survey report. Their survey would identify the demographics of potential users, expected participation rates, how much they would be willing to spend and include information about the presence of backyard pools and use of local country clubs. In order to cast the widest net they would use both mail and online outreach to get community input.
They will conduct focus groups and also host open houses with residents to get feedback on what residents want from the pool. The survey results will be analyzed by ECT Institute with the end goal of coming up with a program recommendation based on what the community said they are looking for.
Based on this information, Lothrop will present the Village with three pool concepts and estimated costs. The first might be the most minimal to repair the existing facility, the second might include some bells and whistles like water features and the third could include larger enhancements like water slides, a lazy river or sprinklers. All three schemes will include modern and efficient systems that will save energy.
Charles Cook Memorial Pool in Cortlandt Manor
Along with the schemes ,Lothrop will provide operational plans on what it will cost to maintain and run the pools, along with projections of associated revenues, membership rates, penetration rates, anticipated usage for special events and parties etc.
The entire project from approval to final presentation is expected to take 23 weeks or about six months.
The next move is for the Trustees to place a resolution to approve the $114,000 market study and existing conditions survey on the agenda for an upcoming Village Board meeting.
SBA Announces New Gift Card Program to Support Local Merchants
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 1619
The Scarsdale Business Alliance (SBA) has launched the ‘Dale Dollars eGift Card Program, a community-based digital gift card that makes it fun and easy to keep local spending local.
Purchase a ‘Dale Dollars eGift Card here to use at any of the participating shops in the neighborhood. With this card, you can write a personal message and send it to family, friends and colleagues via email, text, or physical copy. Recipients can choose to spend it at one of many participating merchants in Scarsdale —or mix it up and spend flexibly at multiple locations.
All-digital and always available on your phone, the ‘Dale Dollars eGift Card is great for birthdays, holidays, teacher appreciation, coach gifts, or just to show your appreciation to a friend. Now you can give back to the community while you celebrate the holidays and special occasions!
The ‘Dale Dollars eGift card is the perfect way to show love for your community and delight a friend!
Why supporting local businesses is so important
Participating in this program means supporting the heart of what makes our community unique. By supporting local businesses, more money continues circulating through the local community—this is achieved through a combination of profits paid to local business owners, wages paid to local workers, goods and services procured locally for internal use or resale, and charitable giving within the community.
If you’re looking for a way to do some good or want to know how you can help the community you love, while also delighting a friend or colleague, send a ‘Dale Dollars eGift Card today! For more information or to participate as a merchant in the program, please contact the Scarsdale Business Alliance here.
About the Scarsdale Business Alliance: The Scarsdale Business Alliance is a non-profit organization, dedicated to supporting the Village of Scarsdale and its local businesses. The SBA works with local merchants, government, property owners, real estate corporations, community members and other local groups to help make Scarsdale a thriving village.
Flooding Closes Popular Restaurants and Retailers on East Hartsdale Avenue
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 3136
Hurricane Ida did more than flood residents basements. Visitors to Hartsdale have noticed that a strip of stores on the south side of the street are closed, after the torrential downfall of rain flooded the retailers basements on East Hartsdale Avenue.
Affected by the deluge are Bagels and More, the Irish Bank, K Fung's and Rite Aid. With Yom Kippur this week, many called Bagels and More to place their break fast orders, only to learn that the popular bagel bakery was out of commission. Please note that Enrico's Bakery, Masala Kraft and Granita Cucina are open.
We spoke to the managing agent of the properties at Aires, Deitch and Edelson who explained that water flowing down from the golf course and inundating the parking lot flowed into the basement of the retail strip. He said there was simply “too much water coming down in a short period of time.” He pointed a finger at the Town of Greenburgh for failing to make the necessary infrastructure investment to protect the strip from these catastrophic storms.
He said that in addition to the damage to the shopping strip, some cars were lost at the Hartsdale train station and in the underground parking garages in the apartments that line East Hartsdale Avenue.
All of the stores are now being cleaned up and testing their power boxes to assess damage to the electrical systems.
When will they reopen? He said, “probably in a few weeks.”
