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May 27, 2016 | Vol. 4, Number 22 | www.eastchesterreview.com
Westchester signs over Scout Field to town By COREY STOCKTON Staff Writer
The third annual Matsuri Japan Cultural Festival opens with the hosts leading the crowd in radio exercises, raijo taiso in Japanese. Meaning festival in Japanese, the matsuri drew hundreds of revelers from Harrison and neighboring communities on Sunday, May 22 at Ma Riis Park. For coverage, see page 6. Photo/Sibylla Chipaziwa
Former trustee, vet named Memorial Day grand marshal By COREY STOCKTON Staff Writer Bronxville resident Donald Gray, who served two nonconsecutive four-year terms as village trustee, has been named grand marshal for the village’s 96th Memorial Day parade. Gray said he is honored to be aligned with the former titlebearers. “Historically, [the title] has honored someone that has served the country but has also served the community,” he said. Gray has done both. He served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1968 as an artillery officer for the air defense artillery in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He was not required to serve abroad. Gray said his biggest accom-
plishment during his service was developing of a video training program, which he said was among the first of its kind. Gray’s service did not stop when he left the Army, nor has it stopped since he stepped down from the village Board of Trustees in December 2014. Gray, 72, was the head of the Bronxville Community Fund and continues to serve as the co-chair of the Historical Conservancy and sits on the board of directors of the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Foundation. His community service is motivated by his philosophy, “If you have a lot, you should give a lot.” Gray worked as an investment banker and was the man-
aging director at Morgan Stanley for 14 years, retiring in 1999. He has degrees from Georgia Tech, the Harvard Business School, and was the recipient of the President’s Award for Excellence at Concordia College in 2006. Gray is expected to give a speech when the parade stops at the Bronxville School. “It will be short,” he said. “Memorial Day is our big day in the village. As a community, we don’t really celebrate the Fourth of July or [Veterans Day].” Gray plans to speak about the meaning of Memorial Day. He said Memorial Day is the only holiday that is truly aimed at celebrating veterans. Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was originally
declared to celebrate the end of World War II and Independence Day was declared to celebrate the nation, but Memorial Day is especially for U.S. military veterans. Gray plans to be accompanied by his wife of almost 50 years, Kathy, as well as their three children and four grandchildren. The parade will begin at Leonard Morange Square, where Gray will lead a laying of wreaths for the veterans, and will continue to the Bronxville School, where Mayor Mary Marvin and Gray will address the crowd. A small group will continue from the school to the cemetery. CONTACT: corey@hometwn.com
Westchester County legislators unanimously voted to sign an inter-municipal agreement with the town of Eastchester, giving the town the responsibility of maintaining Scout field for at least five years. This decision comes after Eastchester’s unanimous vote of its Town Council in April to sign the same agreement. At the end of the first five-year term, the town has the option to extend the deal for an additional five years. However, the county retains the right to cancel the agreement at any time. Eastchester will pay the county $200 per year for field usage, and both parties, along with the village of Bronxville, will participate in the field’s renovation and upkeep. The county has appropriated $1.9 million for its share of the field renovations, which includes leveling the terrain and installing water and irrigation systems. The Eastchester Town Council has dedicated an unspecified amount of money for its share of the renovations, which includes paving the parking lot and driveway, installing fencing, and equipping the field with furnishings such as benches, bleachers, scoreboards and trash cans. Town Supervisor Anthony Colavita, a Republican, has previously said this project will cost millions in funding; a portion of which comes from donations. Modifications by the town and the county will require environmental impact assessments and building permits before work can begin. The village of Bronxville is expected to sign an auxiliary agreement with East-chester which will delegate lawn and trash maintenance to the village.
As part of the agreement, the county is responsible for creating a regulation-size soccer field in the park, which the village is considering for a relief field during Bronxville school district’s flood mitigation project, which will unearth their current playing surface, Hayes Field. The county will also maintain responsibility for the Boy Scouts cabin on the premise. Several legislators expressed relief that after nearly 10 years of discussion, the agreement has been approved. County Legislator Mary Jane Shimsky, a Hastings-on-Hudson Democrat, said, “It’s always a very happy day when many years of effort result in a milestone which ensures that our communities will be well taken care of.” The field lays on cross-jurisdictional property in Yonkers, Mount Vernon, Bronxville, Eastchester and Pelham, which has previously stifled Eastchester’s attempt to assume responsibility for the field. “If anybody’s going to say, ‘Why did this take so long,’ well, we had to deal with Yonkers with two different mayors, with Mount Vernon with two different mayors, we dealt with Eastchester and the trustees in the village of Bronxville,” said county Legislator Gordon Borrows, a Bronxville Republican. But the legislators stressed that this agreement does not restrict Scout Field to only Eastchester residents. The park will remain available to all county residents. County Legislator Sheila Marcotte, an Eastchester Republican, told the Review, “Eastchester, Bronxville, Tuckahoe, Mount Vernon, Yonkers; this is a win for everyone.” CONTACT: corey@hometwn.com