March 17, 2017

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

March 17, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 11 | www.eastchesterreview.com

LUCK OF THE IRISH

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

The town of Eastchester held its annual St. Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday, March 12. Spectators lined the sidewalks of a green-striped White Plains Road from Immaculate Conception School to Lake Isle Country Club to watch the parade procession and performances.

For more, see page 11.

Photo/Corey Stockton

Harrison REVIEW THE

March 17, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 11 | www.harrisonreview.com

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

March 17, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 8 | www.cityreviewnr.com

2 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • March 17, 2017

March 17, 2017 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • 3

Tuckahoe, Bronxville village election 2017 tidbits The villages of Bronxville and Tuckahoe will be busy on their respective election nights giving registered voters the opportunity to partake in what are being viewed as historic elections.

In Bronxville, longtime Mayor Mary Marvin, a Republican, is running unopposed again, but her Republican running mates, Board of Trustees candidates Robert Underhill and Randy Mayer will face Democratic opposition, in the form of Elizabeth Calderon, for the first time in 11 years. A Democrat has not held elected office in the village since 1999.

Down the road in Tuckahoe, three Republican incumbents seeking re-election will be contested by six challengers.

Mayor Steve Ecklond, and trustees Tom Giordano and Greg Luisi, all Republicans, will each seek their fourth consecutive terms in their respective roles on the village board; Ecklond had previously served as a trustee from 2004 to 2011. But in order to do so, they will have to contend with an unusual challenge from a full slate of Democrats in mayoral candidate Anthony Fiore, and trustee candidates Kathryn Thompson and Nicholas Naber.

This is Fiore’s third try at village board, having unsuccessfully run for trustee in 2015 and 2016, losing in landslide fashion on both occasions. A wild card in this year’s election is the emergence of a new third party in Tuckahoe, known as the Tuckahoe Independents.

An all-female, bipartisan group, the Tuckahoe Independents formed this year after participating in the resident-led opposition to the controversial Brownfield Cleanup Program and proposed Marriott hotel slated for Marbledale Road. Melba

Caliano, a Republican, is running for mayor beside trustee candidates Sarah DeRise and Jessica Cioffoletti, both Democrats. Caliano, a member of the Planning Board—a board which ruled to approve the development without an environmental impact study— voted against the project. Her running mates are former members of the Marbledale Road Environmental Coalition, a far-reaching resident group which formed to fight off the development, and has since filed a lawsuit against the developer and Planning Board in hopes of halting the project.

Caliano has also run for village board before, in a losing bid as a Republican in 2014.

-Reporting by Corey Stockton

TUCKAHOE registered voters

Democrat: 1,649 Republican: 1,220 Unaffiliated: 1,062 Independence: 187 Conservative: 70 Working Families: 16 Green: 7 Other: 9 Total: 4,220

BRONXVILLE registered voters

Republican: 1,655 Democrat: 1,408 Unaffiliated: 1,166 Independence: 204 Conservative: 24 Working Families: 1 Green: 4 Other: 16 Total: 4,478

Party with the candidates Election night in the village of Tuckahoe will be a raucous environment unlike any other as the candidates will be stationed in several areas throughout the village awaiting the polling results of this memorable race to stream in. Join the party at the following election night headquarters: Tuckahoe GOP Join Mayor Steve Ecklond, Deputy Mayor Tom Giordano and Trustee Greg Luisi as they are accompanied by friends, family and supporters. The crowd is expected to grow as the numbers begin to stream in shortly after 9 p.m. The Republicans will be stationed in Roma’s, located at 29 Columbus Ave. Change for Tuckahoe The Democrats—also running on the Hold Hotel Accountable line—have made reservations at Tuck’d Away, located at 90 Yonkers Ave., where they will be joined by supporters and staff hoping for a victory.

Tuckahoe Independents Melba Caliano, Jessica Cioffoletti, Sarah DeRise, and their supporters will gather at the Tuckahoe Tap House, located at 16 Depot Square, on election night after the polls close at 9 p.m. The trio will be on hand enjoying the festivities as they await results of what could be a groundbreaking election for the independent group.

Polling locations

Polls will be open in Tuckahoe from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the village’s sole polling location, the Tuckahoe Community Center, located at 71 Columbus Ave. All polls in Bronxville are at Village Hall, located at 200 Pondfield Road. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m.

Town of Eastchester

Official Newspaper Eastchester Schools

4 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • March 17, 2017

What’s going on...

Beginner Chess

Bronxville Public Library

On Wednesday, March 22 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. For ages 5 and up. Join Miss Calderon for an introduction to chess. Players with prior experience may also attend. Online registration required.

Please put child’s name and age in the comment box provided.

Healthy Living for Your Brain and Body For more information on library hours and programs, visit bronxvillelibrary.org.

Musical Munchkins On Monday, March 20 from 10:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. for non-walkers up to age 1, and from 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. for walkers up to age 2. Introduce your baby to music through rhythmic and melodic sounds, joyful singing, and a variety of instruments. Online registration required for either session. Please put child’s name and age in the comment box provided.

On Friday, March 24 from 11 a.m. to noon. This workshop covers four areas of lifestyle habits that are associated with healthy aging: cognitive activity, exercise, diet and nutrition, and social engagement. A discussion will follow on what we can do to improve or maintain our overall health. Registration required. Please call 337-7680 ext. 24 or email bronxvillelibrary@gmail.com. Presented by the Alzheimer’s Association Hudson Valley Chapter.

Tuckahoe Public Library

Adult Coloring Group On Mondays from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Coloring has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety.

Come and be creative and meet new friends, all while listening to tranquil music. Coloring sheets and materials will be provided.

For more information on library hours and programs, visit tuckahoe.com/library.

Social Needlers

New electronic resources

On Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to noon. This is a weekly knitting and crochet hour. Socialize while making beautiful items which we donate to the Visiting Nurse Service of New York.

Hoopla, Mango Languages and Pressreader are available now from the library. Enjoy free movies, music, audiobooks, e-books, language-learning resources, and thousands of newspapers and magazines. Ask a librarian how to use them with your own devices.

Learn how to use the Hoopla database on Tuesday, March 21 from 11 a.m. to noon. Don’t forget to bring your device. Space is limited. To register, call the library at 961-2121.

Great Women in World History On Wednesday, March 22 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Discover the backgrounds and accomplishments of nine notable women who had a profound impact on world history. This event is free and open to the public, and made possible through the generous funding of the Friends of the Bronxville Public Library.

Healthy Living for Your Brain and Body On Tuesday, March 21 at 2 p.m. This program

She’s not crazy, her name just rhymes with it. Read Lenore Skenazy’s column every week in the Review.

A past contributor to the Daily News and the New York Sun, Skenazy has also appeared on “The Daily Show,” been profiled in the New Yorker and even had her own reality TV show, “World’s Worst Mom.”

by the Alzheimer’s Association will present tips from the latest research. Join the library to learn about research in the areas of diet and nutrition, exercise, cognitive activity and social engagement, and use hands-on tools to help you incorporate these recommendations into a plan for healthy aging. To register, call the library at 961-2121. If you have questions, call the Alzheimer’s Association at 800-272-3900.

Forms are available in the district office. For more details, please visit the district website, bronxvilleschool.org. You will find info under District – Other Information – Transportation Procedures.

Bronxville Adult School Spring semester registration

Every Friday through April 7 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Get your taxes done. No appointment necessary; first come, first served.

Registration for the Bronxville Adult School spring semester is now open. The BAS Spring Catalog includes dozens of new trips and classes, as well as the return of many popular favorites.

Visit bronxvilleadultschool.org to view the interactive catalog.

NewYork-Presbyterian/Lawrence Hospital

Westchester Italian Cultural Center

AARP Tax Aide Program

The NewYork-Presbyterian/Lawrence Hospital is located at 55 Palmer Road in Bronxville. For more information, visit nyp.org.

Weight Loss Seminar On Tuesday, March 21 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the NYP/Lawrence lobby Conference Room. Thinking about weight loss surgery? Join NYP/Lawrence at a free preoperative education seminar presented by its clinical team to provide information on weight loss surgical options, risks of surgery, expected weight loss, and lifestyle changes required after the operation. To register, call 787-4000.

Joint Replacement and Surgery Patient Education classes Every Wednesday from 9:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. in the NYP/Lawrence lobby Conference Room.

This free class will teach patients scheduled for joint replacement surgery what to expect before and after an operation. To register, call 787-2119.

Eastchester Recreation US Sports Institute programs The town of Eastchester and the US Sports Institute have many classes for ages 2 to 5 to learn soccer or a variety of sports, starting in April. Registration is now open. These morning programs are for all abilities, boys and girls, and provide fun games and activities. Visit eastchester.org/departments/recreation for more information and to register.

TYA Youth Baseball and Softball Open to all children living or attending schools in Eastchester, Bronxville and Tuckahoe. For boys ages 4 to 12 and girls in grades 2–8, as of May 1, 2017. Fee: $165. For more information and to register for the spring, visit tyabaseball.com. For questions, email rsyphertya@gmail.com.

Bronxville school news 2017-2018 transportation Residents of the Bronxville Union Free School District of the village of Bronxville who wish for transportation for school-age children to private or parochial schools for the 2017-18 school year must submit their request in writing by Monday, April 3, 2017 to: The Board of Education, Attention: Mr. L. Daniel Carlin, Assistant Superintendent for Business, 177 Pondfield Road, Bronxville, NY 10708.

2017 Italy trip This summer, Westchester Italian Cultural Center will be traveling to Sicily and Calabria in Italy from July 1 to July 11. Make memories that you’ll cherish forever. Now it is time to book your spot on this fabulous trip to Italy, and start dreaming of strolling in a piazza while eating the most delicious gelato. To register and learn more about the trip, visit wiccny.org/travel-program or call the center at 771-8700.

Spring language classes Children’s Italian language classes will begin on Saturday, March 18 through Saturday, June 10 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. There will be no classes on April 15 or May 27. The fee for the 10 sessions is $300 for members and $400 for non-members.

For adults, classes for first-time learners only will be held on Mondays, April 3 through June 12 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Other beginners will have classes on Mondays, April 3 through June 12 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Returning students will continue in their current time slot, and new students will be put in touch with the professor to determine speaking level and class placement.

The fee for the 10 sessions is $300 for members and $400 for non-members.

Also for adults, intermediate classes will be held on Tuesdays, April 4 through June 6 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Continuing students will continue in their current time slot, and new students will be put in touch with the professor to determine speaking level and class placement. The fee for the 10 sessions is $300 for members and $400 for non-members.

Trial classes are available for $40 upon request. Please call 771-8700 to register for any of the aforementioned classes. For more information, visit wiccny.org.

Deadline for our What’s Going On section is every Thursday at noon. Though space is not guaranteed, we will do our best to accommodate your listing. Please send all items to news@hometwn.com.

March 17, 2017 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • 5

Letters to the Editor

It’s time for the ‘good guys’

Change in Tuckahoe is needed

To the Editor, With the Tuckahoe village elections rapidly approaching on March 21, lawns are decorated with candidates’ signs and mailboxes are stuffed with their literature—it’s that time of year. Unlike many of our prior elections, however, there are a multitude of candidates to choose from. This augmentation of the ballot is refreshing for our local democracy, but so many choices can also feel confusing, as it did for me at first.

After careful consideration, I now stand firmly with the Democratic and Hold Hotel Accountable slate of candidates: Anthony Fiore for mayor, and Nicholas Naber and Kathryn Thompson for trustees. Please allow me to share my rationale with anyone else who is still deliberating at this late stage of the election cycle.

What I like best about Fiore, Naber and Thompson is their authenticity, humility and commitment to others. That becomes apparent when speaking with any one of them, or even in reading their biographies.

They are the kind of people who will introduce themselves as “Nick” or “Kat,” and ask you about yourself, how you like Tuckahoe, and what you would change about it, long before you realize that they are, in fact, the candidates that you have read about in the local newspaper. They are the “good guys” who we rarely see at any level of politics.

They are firefighters, teachers and environmentalists. Long before aspiring to hold public office, these candidates dedicated their time to caring for our community, coaching our children and advocating for a clean environment.

Over time, Fiore, Naber and Thompson perceived significant issues facing our community: environmental injustice at the Marbledale hotel site; an outstanding debt balance of nearly $6 million amid an already rising tax rate; and a local government with poor transparency and accountability that hardly represents the diversity of our town.

When they observed this, they did not resign themselves to disempowerment, as we all feel tempted to do at times. They did not wring their hands and say, “What kind of a difference can one person make?”

They chose to be brave and optimistic and see for themselves what kind of a difference one person can make—they decided to run for office.

Anthony Fiore, Nicholas Naber and Kathryn Thompson possess the skills, demeanor and integrity to better our village. I hope you will join me in electing them to the Tuckahoe village Board of Trustees on Tuesday, March 21.

To the Editor, I have never felt as compelled as I do now to have my voice heard. Village governance in Tuckahoe is in need of a significant change, and we cannot afford to be passive in making that change a reality.

There are several key issues that have moved me to action. First, as it relates to the Marbledale hotel project, I am not confident that the current leadership has made the appropriate decisions in the best interests of residents. From what I have seen, Mayor Steve Ecklond and the Board of Trustees did not hold the project developer to the highest possible environmental standards or seek community input throughout the process.

I also believe that leadership in our village should mirror the people it represents. That is currently not the case. Our entire board is comprised of like-minded Republicans who have held a rubber stamp majority in decision making for nearly a decade. There has been very little public discussion, and whatever limited debate that does occur, only happens in closed-door executive sessions.

In addition, there are currently no women on the board to represent the community. I strongly believe that having that gender perspective would be invaluable.

I support Anthony Fiore Jr. for mayor, and Kathryn Thompson and Nicholas Naber for trustees. I have gotten to know them personally, and see that they are not politicians with an agenda. They are real people with a platform they believe in.

On Tuesday March 21, I will vote for Anthony, Kathryn and Nicholas on the Hold Hotel Accountable line. Won’t you join me?

Katherine Nordgren, Tuckahoe

Omayra Andino, Tuckahoe

LETTERS continued on page 10

6 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • March 17, 2017

2017

Eastchester REVIEW THE

170 Hamilton Ave., Suite 203 White Plains, N.Y. 10601 Tel: (914) 653-1000 Fax: (914) 653-5000

Tuckahoe mayoral candidates

Publisher | Howard Sturman ext. 21, publisher@hometwn.com Christian Falcone Associate Publisher | Editor-in-Chief ext. 19, chris@hometwn.com Sports Editor | Mike Smith ext. 22, sports@hometwn.com Assistant Editor | Sibylla Chipaziwa ext. 25, sibylla@hometwn.com Reporter | Corey Stockton ext. 16, corey@hometwn.com General Assignment | Taylor Brown ext. 30, taylor@hometwn.com Graphic Designer | Arthur Gedin Graphic Designer | Jim Grasso Advertising | Lynne Starr ext. 29, lynne@hometwn.com Advertising Coordinator | Sibylla Chipaziwa ext. 27, ads@hometwn.com Staff Writers James Pero, Franco Fino Staff Photographers Andrew Dapolite, Aaron Kershaw, Charlie McLaughlin Columnists Mary Marvin, Richard Forliano, Lenore Skenazy

Photo/Corey Stockton

Melba Caliano STATUS: Challenger AGE: 63 POLITICAL AFFILIATION: Registered Republican POLITICAL ENDORSEMENT: Tuckahoe Independents Party OCCUPATION: Attorney YEARS IN VILLAGE: 13 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Twelve years on Planning Board; former member of Tuckahoe Business Advisory Council; village Easter Bunny for two years ONE THING THE AVERAGE VOTER DOESN’T KNOW ABOUT YOU: “I grew up in essentially a poor household. More times than not, we were living on unemployment insurance and sometimes welfare.”

Q. You were an avid supporter of the village’s ban on fast food restaurants. Why do you think it’s important for the village to regulate the types of businesses allowed in the community; and where should that authority be limited?

A. I think it’s important to the degree that we have seen numbers of certain types of businesses, and we don’t see a variety of businesses. To paraphrase some people, [Tuckahoe] is sort of becoming the nail salon capital of Westchester County. Frankly, I don’t know that that’s the way I want Tuckahoe to be known.

So my sense would be to do a survey of what’s there, perhaps even take polls of constituents, and ask them what do they most want to see. I happen to know from conversations with people over the years that they most want to see a pharmacy and a lot of people would like a grocery.

My other thought is I like the idea of variety. If you have a variety, you have different types of people coming into the village to spend money here and help stimulate our little economic engine.

As far as limitations, I researched this very closely. The authority comes as a health issue because the focus came as the quality of food that was being offered in the village and how much fast food were we willing to start to allow.

Q. You have the most experience of any member currently on the Board of Trustees. How have the needs of the village changed over the last 12 years; and how have you adapted to those changes?

A. I feel the needs of the village have changed over the last 12 years in that we are seeing a lot more people from New York City moving into our community and their needs are different than the needs of multi-generation families that have been here. They’re looking for more transit-oriented services up and down our Main Street corridor and in our Crestwood area.

That’s because they are commuters. Those are dramatic changes that we’ve seen over the past 12 years. And for us to keep pace with what the needs are of those new constituents, for making sure that our village code is applicable to new businesses that are going to open up in some of these stores, and new developments that are going to be breaking ground, that’s a big change over the past 12 years.

reserves, which was in the negative a few years ago, but now stands at nearly $1.5 million on the positive side. However, the board, over that time, has also increased its borrowing. To what degree should the village borrow to balance its municipal budget?

A. Our fund balance has grown to a very strong and safe level of $1.5 million. Our auditors have approved this level. [State] Comptroller [Tom] DiNapoli has elevated us to the best category level in the New York state fiscal stress score program; and this has not been easy [for us] at all. Strict accountability at all levels of spending [has] been implemented; and the influx of [Building Department] fees have helped maintain the budget. But without these fees ongoing, it’s critical that we continue to keep the budget in check.

We have bonded some money over the last six years; but I think it’s important to note that $1 million of that bonding was refinancing some old, very high interest debt; $2 million of that was for tax certiorari pay outs; $1 million was for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project and the Crestwood utility

Q. Your party is also calling for “sensible development.” What is your vision for development in the village, and would instituting that vision require amending or revisiting the master plan?

A. The vision for the village for me has always been to maintain, as people have said, the cuteness, charm and village identity.

They like the idea of small and independent. That would be my vision: to encourage other types of entities to come into the village. We’ve seen the Chocolate Box up at the Crestwood apartments. That’s a nice specialty shop. It’s an indulgent sort of item and I think that speaks to the willingness to spend dollars beyond basics. I like that we have basics also in the village.

I’d like to see something like a

card store or a small gift store.

I happen to think the Crestwood area has a nice mix of things.

I was the initiator of the old master plan project. And the village has come a long way since then.

I always thought back then that we needed another $40,000 or $50,000 to do a couple of subsets of the larger master plan. I would take the position now that if we could generate the money though public or private sponsorship, it would be a good time to start doing a more focused master plan for those areas of the village that still cry out for a little more direction in their development.

Q. Your party is calling for the increase of transparency through devices such as social media and informal meetings. Where do you see a lack of transparency from the current administration?

A. I can tell you that one or two administrations ago, the same [Board of Trustees] with one different trustee [Steven Quigley, a CALIANO continued on page 8

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Photo courtesy Steve Ecklond

Steve Ecklond STATUS: Incumbent AGE: 56 PARTY AFFILIATION: Registered Republican POLITICAL ENDORSEMENTS: Republican and Conservative parties YEARS IN THE VILLAGE: 56 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Former member of Tuckahoe zoning board; former chairman of Tuckahoe Business Advisory Council; treasurer of the Westchester Municipal Officials Association Board; member of the Westchester County Electrical Licensing Board, the ECAP Advisory Board, the Senior Citizens Council; chairman of the Westchester Putnam Boy Scouts Nominating Committee ONE THING THE AVERAGE VOTER DOESN’T KNOW ABOUT YOU: “I have ridden my Harley cross-country about a half-dozen times, but never did the trip in a car.”

Q. The current Board of Trustees has touted its efforts to rebuild the village’s

underground project; $2 million was for the purchase of snow plows, a garbage truck, roofs on Village Hall and the library, police department assets, parking lot improvements. And all these things are going to serve our community for the next 20 years.

I believe that if you’re going to purchase an asset that’s going to serve the constituents for 20 years, the people who are living here and getting the benefit should be the ones paying for it.

Q. Some of your Democratic challengers have brought light to the opioid epidemic in Westchester County. What is the village currently doing to combat this problem; and what else can be done?

A. The village board has taken a very strong position in making sure that our Police Department is adequately staffed and funded.

What’s also important is that we have allowed our municipality to participate in the BESTAID program, which is a drug task force program. That’s critical; I feel that’s vital to this municipality and those other municipalities.

ECKLOND continued on page 9

March 17, 2017 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • 7

2017

File photo

Anthony Fiore STATUS: Challenger AGE: 56 OCCUPATION: Senior custodian at Lakeland school district POLITICAL AFFILIATION: Registered Democrat POLITICAL ENDORSEMENTS: Democratic Party; also running on Hold Hotel Accountable line YEARS IN VILLAGE: 56 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Captain of Waverly Engine Company in the volunteer Eastchester Fire District; member of Westchester Volunteer Fireman’s Association; former member of Tuckahoe Auxiliary Police; member of the Keogh Council in the Knights of Columbus; usher at the Assumption of our Lady church ONE THING THE AVERAGE VOTER DOENST KNOW ABOUT YOU: “I’m a pizza man.”

Q. You’ve run for village board twice before, both times as a trustee candidate.

Why did you decide to run for mayor this year, and what has been different campaigning as a mayoral candidate?

A. At the [Democratic nominating] caucus, I made a decision to run for mayor instead of trustee to give back to Tuckahoe.

It’s better running with two trustee [candidates] this time because there’s a full slate. It’s a little different being a mayoral candidate. People expect more out of you. But with my volunteer involvement in the village and in the Eastchester Fire District, I go to Board of Fire Commissioner meetings and get the information that we need and then bring it back to the village.

Why did I run for mayor? I wanted to do it. I didn’t want to leave that line blank.

Q. You were asked to serve on the Tuckahoe Housing Authority but declined that invitation. Why? A. I didn’t want to do it. I wanted to do either the Planning Board or the zoning board; I didn’t

want to do the housing board.

I would have gotten more exposure at either one of the other two positions.

Q. Last year, at the behest of several residents following the controversy that erupted over a Subway sandwich shop opening up, the village board passed a law making it illegal for fast food-style restaurants to operate in the village. To what extent should a village board be able to limit an entire type of business from opening within its confines? And what role should community input play in that decision?

A. I like that law. It keeps away all the bigger [chain restaurants] like McDonald’s. Subway got in because there was no law in place at the time. People put a lot of input into this. They didn’t want the Subway at all; but there was no law for that [at the time].

Even food establishments that are here now, right down in [one] corner, there’s four pizzerias. I spoke out when the new pizzeria came in because we have four; we don’t need anymore. We want something new. Bring

in something that the village doesn’t have. You’ll get more people to come into the village and you’ll probably get more sales tax out of it.

Q. As a lifelong resident of Tuckahoe, you’ve watched the village operate without a day-to-day administrator until 2014, when David Burke was hired.

Do you think the creation of the village administrator-style of government has benefited Tuckahoe?

A. Yes. All the board positions are part time; and there are some who are retired who work as a board member full time. But others have a full-time job like me. I’ve got a job 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. So I’m not around all day.

[The administrator] does the day-to-day operations. All the department heads can go to him if they need anything. He can go to them. He can go to the board if anything needs to be signed or approved. Especially for me— I’ve never been in government before—he would be a big asset.

Q. This election has featured the use

of social media more than any other in Tuckahoe. State and national politicians and officials are also increasingly reliant on the use of social media to communicate with their constituents. Should the village be utilizing social media more than it currently is?

A. It should. When I ran the first two times, I didn’t have social media; I just ran [with a palm card] door to door with some phone calls. This time around with [Kathryn Thompson] and Nicholas [Naber], they know a lot about social media. They did most of it. I put my input in. I think it’s the best thing. Because days like when it snows, there’s more social media. The village has a Facebook. They should use it more. You get more people notified. Everybody looks at Facebook.

Q. Your ticket is also campaigning on keeping taxes low while maintaining essential services. Give an example of how Tuckahoe could reduce expenses or increase revenue in its municipal budget FIORE continued on page 10

8 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • March 17, 2017

The village budget process BRONXVILLE TODAY Mayor Mary Marvin

The village budget process is in full swing as we craft a 20172018 template for village operations. The process is quite regulated by New York state law, and local procedural variations are limited.

The process starts in earnest in January with the village board appointing the village administrator as the budget officer.

Through the official designation, the village administrator, James Palmer, and village treasurer, Lori Voss, have been tracking all departmental revenues and expenses to keep us on target on a month-to-month basis.

The next step was to send out year-to-date budget reports to all departments along with a detailed request for budget needs and capital projects going forward.

These reports were submitted in the first week of February and inputted by the treasurer.

Simultaneously, village officials reviewed all state and federal policies which could impact budget projections, including the adjusted tax cap number (This year, the 2 percent tax cap is actually 1.15 percent or the equivalent cost of five new light poles.

If we buy the sixth pole, we exceed the cap!); health insurance obligations; and other mandated employee benefits. At the local level, we factor in any collective bargaining agreement provisions such as salary changes for the upcoming fiscal year.

The remainder of February was occupied with departmentlevel meetings to review and refine traditional needs, new initiatives for the upcoming year, staffing changes and capital needs.

From March 1 to March 20, budget documents are prepared so the administrator/clerk can file a tentative budget on the 20th pursuant to law.

From March 21 until the end of April, the village board holds work sessions to review the proposed document literally line by line. Sessions are noticed and

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open to the public.

A public hearing is then conducted at the April Board of Trustees meeting with final adoption of a budget required by May 1.

Unlike a school district, a village budget is approved by a majority of the Board of Trustees and not subject to a public vote.

As we are uniquely coterminous with our school district, the village mails the tax bills for both entities, so we must wait for the late May public vote on the school budget before creating tax bills.

Approximately 18.6 percent of your local tax payment stays at the village level, while 81.4 percent of each dollar is then transferred to the school district.

Bills are mailed out by June 1 for payment of one-half of one’s tax bill with the other half due at year’s end. Most communities just mail one bill, but due to the amount of our local levy, we have chosen to divide it into two installments.

That being said, our local discretion stops here. By New York state statute, if taxes are not paid

by July 1, a 5 percent late fee is attached to any payment made during that month. Thereafter, an additional 1 percent late fee is added monthly to the base bill with interest not compounded.

No matter how dire or worthy the circumstance, we cannot change statutory requirements nor offer any kind of installment plans. Court cases on the subject have uniformly upheld the state’s legal authority citing fairness and equal treatment as the overriding factors, going even so far as to state that not getting or receiving a tax bill is no excuse for non-payment!

The chief negative driver in this year’s budget is the increase in health insurance premium costs, projected to be $65,000.

Our village’s taxable value increased by approximately $50 million last year, the major driver being the buildout of the Villa BXV project. Non-real property revenues are flat at best, due to a reduction in building permit fees as the NYP-Lawrence Hospital and Villa BXV projects reach completion. Parking revenues

will increase with the Kensington garage coming online, but the benefits will be offset by the rollback from 9 p.m. to 7 p.m. on meter operation.

Liability insurance and workers compensation premiums are down thanks to aggressive competitive shopping, but again offset by an increase in state-mandated police retirement rates.

Sales tax revenue, a significant driver in our budget, continues to decrease as Internet purchases have risen by double digits—a trend that truly has long-term negative consequences for the vitality of the village.

The budget also reflects negotiated contract settlements with the Police Benevolent Association and the Teamsters Union representing our public works employees with a salary increase in the neighborhood of 2 percent. However, within the above contract parameters are increased health care contributions that will reap significant benefits for the village long-term.

To lower the tax burden on taxable property owners, most communities are going the way of user fees and special improvement districts so as to have all entities in a municipality share in such services as road repavement, lighting upgrades and sewer and infrastructure repairs.

As example, if a neighborhood is slated for repavement, a district would be created and properties so benefitting, whether they be a church, a charity, school or hospital, would be assessed by the linear footage of their property, not whether they were tax-exempt or not.

Because we are only 18.6 percent of your local tax dollar, every increase in expenditure or loss of revenue of $82,000 translates into a full tax point differential. That is the reason why every service is scrutinized and revaluated on a yearly basis. As illustration, if we ceased to have curbside loose leaf collection, the savings would be $90,000, or a full tax point.

As we continue in the budget process, I welcome any thoughts/suggestions you may have as we move toward our May 1 adoption.

facebook.com/eastchesterreview

2017

CALIANO from page 6

Democrat], they had a monthly newsletter that somebody wrote up and they distributed around the village. It may seem archaic in the days of social media to have a paper newsletter delivered, but I still think that was a good idea. I know there are a lot of village residents that don’t have access to a computer, and they would be better informed just by having a monthly newsletter.

I think some of the answers we’ve gotten from the current board on the [Marbledale Road Brownfield Cleanup] project don’t answer the questions that have been asked. It would seem to me that there could have been a better effort to notify citizens that this was in the works. Saturate the village with news that this is happening. The minimal effort that was made was the legally required minimum effort.

And I think in a village that’s this small and intimate, you can make the effort a second and third time.

Q. What do you see as the biggest flaws in the village’s current budgeting practices, and how would you address them?

A. Other than putting the budget on the village website and announcing that the budget is there, they don’t explain the budget; they don’t break anything down. During the monthly meetings, we hear recitations of numbers and vouchers. People don’t know what that means.

As far as the larger budget, the budgetary meetings that I know they’ve had in the past have been on Saturday mornings at 8 a.m. I don’t know if that’s still the case this year; I believe it was. I tried to go to one last year and I can tell you that I know the physical layout of Village Hall pretty well, and I couldn’t find where they were having their meeting.

I think that kind of transparency needs to be reconsidered. There was no notice that the room that they were meeting in was other than the mayor’s office. My tax money is being used. I think I’m entitled to a more detailed explanation of how it’s being used.

Q. You’ve run for village board once before as a Republican trustee candidate alongside Trustee Steve Alfasi. How does running as an independent differ from your previous campaign running as a Republican? Do party politics matter at the local level?

A. I have a somewhat different party platform now. I was able to create a party platform with my running mates and several other people that are in our campaign organization. That allowed us the freedom to look at what the problems are in Tuckahoe and try to respond to them, rather than to take the party platforms and try to apply them to Tuckahoe. In that sense, I felt a greater sense of freedom to be responsive to the problems in Tuckahoe than I had when I was campaigning exclusively as a Republican and was trying to stay within the Republican Party platform at the time. I did not know what my running mates’ political affiliations were until after they accepted the opportunity to run as trustees. And I was less concerned with that than the fact that I saw them as smart, articulate people who were willing to do research in a particular area that mattered to them.

Q. The village board has limited authority over the Brownfield Cleanup Project on Marbledale Road, partially as a result of the Planning Board’s decision to issue a Negative Declaration in October. What authority does it have, and how should that authority be implemented over the remainder of the project?

A. What I feel I can say [as an attorney and a named party in a lawsuit regarding the Planning Board’s decision] is that it’s in the hands of the courts right now. I understand the court system very well. I would have to accept what the court says.

Whatever the court orders, if we’re elected, is something we would look at whether it’s appropriate to follow the decision or perhaps appeal the decision.

I would not speculate because I know from personal experience that what a court does is something you have no idea about until it happens. But I would also never foreclose the reality that one has the opportunity to ap-

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peal or to accept the decision if that’s in the best interest of the municipality.

Q. Other than the Brownfield Cleanup Project, what do you think is the biggest issue currently facing Tuckahoe?

A. We need turnover; we need some new ideas. We need some new people. Perhaps people who are recent transplants or residents of the village. We see a pattern of a lot of the same over the years and I think, moving into the 21st century, it’s OK to think about new ideas and to try new things. We’re not necessarily bound to the past political constraints that have been put on Tuckahoe, both Democratic and Republican. We should just look to expand Tuckahoe economically and socially in a way that suits all of its residents.

Q. Your party has suggested that imposing term limits on the village’s elected and appointed boards may influence the exchange of ideas in the government. Term limits are uncommon at the village level.

Why do you feel that’s a realistic goal?

A. I think you get the best government when you have opposition because you can pick and choose from other ideas.

We’ve had essentially uncontested elections, especially in mayoral elections, over the last three cycles. In that sense, that could literally keep happening every two years. The question becomes, do we have a mayoral position that lasts for [a set number of years]? I don’t think it should be a lifetime sinecure.

I think a vibrant community has dissent, discussion, back and forth. It tells me it’s a thinking community. I like to think I’m in a thinking community.

I would like to foster that kind of environment if people don’t think it’s here.

As far as appointed boards, when I was in Seattle and I was on the Landmarks Preservation Board, you could serve two terms and then you had to sit out.

I was prepared to end my time there because they needed different ideas. And we haven’t seen different ideas [on our appointed board here] for a long time.

-Reporting by Corey Stockton

@ eastchesterview

March 17, 2017 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • 9

Tuckahoe schools delay public referendum ECKLOND from page 6

No municipality can do this on its own. You have to share that combative service. We have been very successful working in that program.

In the future, it’s critical that we maintain that, as well as keeping an open dialogue with our schools. I communicate with Dr. [Walter] Moran from the Eastchester school district, as well as the Tuckahoe school district on a monthly basis. They have a very strong drug messaging program that they give to their student population. It’s very important that we also provide that message to our residents.

The Tuckahoe school district plans to purchase a private property, pictured, across the street from William E. Cottle Elementary School. But the referendum which was scheduled for March 14 has been delayed due to a snowstorm which hit the region. File photo

Following the snowstorm which swept over Westchester County on Tuesday, March 14, the Tuckahoe school district postponed a special vote it had scheduled for that day.

The school district has not yet released a rescheduled date for the vote.

The referendum would have asked voters to decide whether the school district could purchase 110 Ridge St., a private property adjacent to William E. Cottle Elementary School, on

which the district would likely build a new administration building. That would allow the district to move its offices out of the conjoined middle and high school building, freeing up space for as many as three new classrooms.

Purchasing the property would cost the district $660,000, all of which would come from its undesignated fund balance. It has already made a 10 percent deposit on the property, of which all but $15,000 is refundable.

This referendum is the first step in a multi-million dollar capital project to address overcrowding and infrastructural concerns in both of the school district’s buildings. That project, however, would require approval in a separate district referendum to approve an estimated $20 million to $34 million bond.

Carl Albano, the district superintendent, could not be reached for comment as of press time.

-Reporting by Corey Stockton

Q. Last year, at the behest of several residents following the controversy that erupted over a Subway sandwich shop opening up, the village board passed a law making it illegal for fast food restaurants to operate in the village. To what extent should a village board be able to limit an entire type of business from opening within its confines? What role should community input play in that decision?

A. In that particular instance, it was very important that we took the action that we took, especially because our neighboring communities also had taken the same action. I think if you’re the last municipality left standing, you might be subject to getting dumped on by, in that case, an awful lot of fast food establishments. There were some residents who were very vocal in opposition to this. But I felt it was important that we modeled the exact same ordinance as the town of Eastchester did.

Q. Tuckahoe is amid a redevelopment, including the Quarry Place Apartments on Midland Place and the Marriott Springhill Suites Hotel on Marbledale Road. If re-elected, what would you do to ensure that development continues to reflect the character of Tuckahoe, and what is your personal vision for the village?

A. Our community is changing.

We’re getting a much younger population that’s moving in here.

And I’ve said for years now that the village of Tuckahoe is one of the most desirable places to live in southern Westchester County.

Our schools are fantastic; we have great community spirit here. Because of that, we have a spotlight in the eye of potential developers. The development that has occurred up and down

2017

Main Street has been very well planned; it’s actually awardwinning development. I think [the Quarry Place] development fits very well in the Main Street corridor. I also believe that the development in Crestwood fits very well in that area.

The development of Marbledale Road, which has been an industrial manufacturing hub for centuries, was clearly going to be the next location. And I think it’s important, moving forward, that we take a good hard look at the master plan. We did it close to 10 years ago. We are due to revisit that. We have put money in this upcoming budget to go ahead and do that; and that’s important. There are some other code changes that really need to be looked at. It’s important that we analyze some of the parking requirements for a new business.

Q. When looking at the ongoing residential development of the village, to what extent does the village need to consider the concerns of the Tuckahoe school district, which is currently considering a multimillion dollar capital project to address overcrowding issues in the schools?

A. I think it’s very important. In the village of Tuckahoe, we’re seeing new, smaller apartment buildings being built. They’re mostly onebedroom apartments in the Quarry Place project. They’re all studio apartment units in the [development] in Crestwood. I think the developers who build those buildings were addressing the needs of the community to make sure that there wouldn’t be two- or threebedroom apartments that would clearly overburden the schools.

We have blue ribbon schools here. And if you build the housing stock, people are absolutely going to come here to capitalize on putting their kids in a non-private blue ribbon school. So I see that as a challenge for new developers.

Q. What should the role of the village be in relation to the Marbledale Road Brownfield Cleanup Project? If re-elected, how do you plan to ensure that the project is done in a safe way for the residents of Tuckahoe and neighboring communities?

A. The public has been overwhelmed with the many different opinions on the Brownfield project, as well as the hotel and restaurant construction. The village board really didn’t get possession of the project until after it left the Planning Board in Oc-

tober 2016. That’s not to say the village board wasn’t an active participant leading up to that; but we did not have any authority with respect to exercising any type of oversight.

I can say that within minutes after the Planning Board adopted that resolution for that project, the village board and village staff has spent countless hours making sure that that project is going to be remediated as swiftly, efficiently and effectively as possible. We have put in place all of the best environmental experts we can. The next phase of this project is hotel construction.

It’s very important that we make sure that our Building Department manages the project. I’ve instructed our village administrator to hire additional assistance for [that] department to make sure that inspections are done properly and to have an extra set of eyes on plan review. We want to make sure that before the contractor starts something it has been thoroughly vetted and approved.

The village board will not be distracted from our first priority of protecting the safety and welfare of our residents, even in spite of the litigation that has been brought against the village by members of the Marbledale Road Environmental Coalition, some of whom are now candidates running for office. The taxpayer defense cost is rapidly approaching $100,000.

Q. Other than the Marbledale Road Brownfield Cleanup Project, what do you see as the most prominent issue currently facing Tuckahoe?

A. I don’t know if this is the largest issue, but I think a large issue over the next two years is going to be the re-examination of the master plan, the village code and the zoning code. I think that we are all challenged with making sure that we turn over every stone in these documents and making sure that we make the changes that need to be changed for the future. I think that that’s going to dominate most of the time resources for the village.

In addition to that, it’s now time to take a very hard look at the Village Park renovation. I’ve been on the board for a little while and I was tasked with renovating that park about 10 years ago. There’s a lifespan to park renovations.

-Reporting by Corey Stockton

10 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • March 17, 2017

2017

Letters to the Editor

Achieving balance on the village board To the Editor, A trait sorely lacking in today’s political climate, and certainly on the Tuckahoe village board, is balance. This year, Democrats have put together an impressive slate of candidates that will bring much needed balance to a board currently comprised entirely of Republicans.

Kathryn Thompson, a conservationist who works for one of the largest conservation agencies in New York state and is accustomed to managing multi-million dollar budgets, has pledged to rebuild trust and respect between Tuckahoe residents and their elected officials.

Nicholas Naber, a 10-year veteran teacher and coach in the Yonkers public schools, is someone who has tremendous respect and understanding of public education and the needs of our kids. Nicholas made addressing our county’s escalating drug epidemic amongst our youth an essential part of his campaign platform.

And finally, Anthony Fiore, a lifelong resident of Tuckahoe, who has served as a community volunteer for years. Anthony has advocated for more common sense in our village governance. We do indeed need to encourage smarter development and smarter budgets. The current trajectory of our village finances is not sustainable.

I am confident that Anthony, Nicholas and Kathryn will ensure that our village remains a place where we can raise our children.

I plan to vote the Democratic ticket in this election, and I hope you will too.

Amy Lopez, Tuckahoe

From nine to three To the Editor, In the 30 years I have lived in Tuckahoe, there have been both contested and uncontested village elections. But this year, Tuckahoe has been given an opportunity to chose among nine candidates, three vying for each seat.

I fully support the candidates of the Democratic/Hold the Hotel Accountable lines. Anthony Fiore has been a lifelong Tuckahoe resident. He grew up in the village and attended its schools. He has seen the urban renewal of Columbus Avenue, the development of Main Street, and the use of the Marbledale hotel site as a landfill. Anthony has also been involved with village activities all of his life as an auxiliary police officer and also as a volunteer firefighter in the Waverly Engine Company. Now, he wants to give back to the village, serving as its mayor.

Additionally, there are two energetic candidates for trustee. Kathryn Thompson is the head of Corporate Partnership for the Wildlife Conservation Society. She is a specialist in marketing, fundraising, business development, and strategic planning. These are all skills that give her a different perspective that may be very valuable to our village governance.

Nicholas Naber has been a lifelong resident of Westchester and a resident of Tuckahoe for four years. As a teacher, he has given back to his students both in and out of the classroom. Giving back is a part of his nature. Giving back to Tuckahoe is the next step. He has a strong interest in the environment, and is concerned about the impact of the hotel site on the village.

The current village board is now all of one party. Having more than one perspective is good for dialoguing and further exploring the differing sides of issues that impact the community.

On Tuesday, March 21, remember to go out, with a friend and/or neighbor, and vote for Anthony Fiore, Kathryn Thompson and Nicolas Naber.

MaryAnn Jonaitis Quigley, Tuckahoe

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without impacting essential services to residents of the community.

A. Building permit and development fees, franchise fees for [businesses like] Con Ed and Verizon, we can increase parking revenue which would make a nice turnover downtown. Sales tax: the more businesses come in, the more sales tax the village gets.

You don’t want to increase taxes if you don’t have to, because that’s just going to drive people [away].

sion for the village?

A. If I get in, I’ll have to learn the ropes and look over the master plan. We want to redevelop the master plan to reflect today, where we are now. There’s really not much space left. You’ve got a little piece of Marbledale Road where the cars are parked. But that’s a [potential state cleanup] site. Try to develop more business sense out of that master plan. Bring more business in to reflect the future. There’s really not much place to build unless you tear something down or renovate it.

Q.Tuckahoe is amid a redevelopment, including the Quarry Place Apartments on Midland Place and the Marriott Springhill Suites Hotel on Marbledale Road. If elected, what would you do to ensure that development continues to reflect the character of Tuckahoe, and what is your personal vi-

Q. What should the role of the village be in relation to the Marbledale Road Brownfield Cleanup Project? If elected, how do you plan to ensure that the project is done in a safe way for the residents of Tuckahoe and neighboring communities?

Do you think the current village board is

FIORE from page 7

meeting that standard?

A. I would make sure all the monitoring is done, and try to consider the new technology that [the Marbledale Road Environmental Coalition] was talking about. And even when the project is done, make sure all the air filters are tracked. If there’s a log to it, make sure that the log is kept up by the building inspector. The surrounding areas, keep them informed.

The school districts, the town; keep Bronxville informed. Try to get everybody up to date with everything that’s going on during and after. The village says they are [meeting the standard]. I think more can be done. Keep communicating; go to the site. Tell [the developer] we’re keeping an eye on you.

-Reporting by Corey Stockton

Bill would strengthen DEC in wetlands protection

By FRANCO FINO Staff Writer In an attempt to combat proposed changes in federal law that will weaken protection of wetlands nationwide, New York state officials have introduced legislation that would expand their authority in identifying and protecting wetland areas.

State Sen. George Latimer, a Rye Democrat, has proposed legislation to provide the Department of Environmental Conservation, DEC, with more regulatory authority over freshwater wetlands statewide.

The act would amend the state’s current environmental conservation law, which established the DEC and authorizes its programs. The state agency is responsible for regulating the conservation, improvement and protection of New York’s natural resources and forest lands.

The proposal would give the DEC the power over wetlands of 1 acre or more in size and others significant to local municipalities. As of press time, the environmental conservation law only protects wetlands that are 12.4 acres or larger in size.

“This legislation will allow New York to play a greater role in identifying wetland areas, an

important part of watershed and habitats, and give state authorities the protection role that we anticipate the federal government is about to abdicate,” Latimer said.

On March 1, President Donald Trump, a Republican, issued an executive order directing the federal Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to review and rescind the 2015 Waters of the United States rule, a document that defines which rivers, streams, lakes and marshes fall under the jurisdiction of the two federal agencies.

The EPA is responsible for protecting human health and the environment by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by the federal government.

Following the executive order, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who was nominated by Trump as the head of the agency last December, said the new federal regulations would restore the states’ role in the regulation of water.

As a result, several New York-based advocates have led the charge in criticizing the Trump administration for the impending environmental changes.

“We’re less than two months into the Trump administration and it’s already clear that, to protect our waters, states have to lead,” said Liz Moran, the water and natural resources associate at Environmental Advocates of New York, an Albany-based organization that monitors state government and evaluates proposed environmental laws.

“Wetlands are a natural filter for pollutants, and for many communities, the only natural barrier in times of flood.”

Latimer’s bill, which is sponsored in the state Assembly by Steve Englebright, a Suffolk County Democrat and chairman of the Environmental Conservation Committee, would also update the state’s wetlands maps, most of which are more than 20 years old and do not reflect how development has affected wetlands statewide.

Additionally, the proposed changes would provide further language for the protection and preservation of plant and animal species that are rare, endangered or vulnerable.

As of press time, the bill is awaiting approval by the Environmental Conservation Committee.

CONTACT: franco@hometwn.com

March 17, 2017 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • 11

St. Patrick’s Day parade paints Eastchester green

More than 70 pipe bands, school groups and community organizations marched down Route 22 in Eastchester on Sunday, March 12, braving belowfreezing temperatures to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. For the 13th consecutive year, the parade—organized by the Eastchester Irish-American Social Club, EIASC—spanned 1.5 miles from the Immaculate Conception Church in Tuckahoe to Lake Isle Country Club in Eastchester.

Most of the crowd waited outside Mickey Spillane’s and Piper’s Kilt. Across the street was a mobile stage where officials from the town, Westchester County, the EIASC, and Sean Mackin—the parade’s grand marshal—watched and commentated on performances from the marchers.

Mackin, now a town resident and business owner, was once

The Eastchester Irish-American Social Club carries its banner from Tuckahoe into Eastchester. The club has organized this parade for 13 consecutive years.

From left, Eastchester Town Supervisor Anthony Colavita, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and Tuckahoe Mayor Steve Ecklond wear their official sashes, leading a group of elected officials down Route 22. Photos/Corey Stockton

an activist working to promote peace in Northern Ireland, for which he was imprisoned several times before immigrating to the United States.

Students from the Inishfree School of Irish Step Dancing pause their march to demonstrate a circle dance to the crowd on Sunday, March 12.

“It’s a great pride that I’m the grand marshal of the Eastchester parade,” he told the Review. “I’ve lived in the town for 18 years now.

Both of my kids have bought houses in the town; I have four grandkids in the town. It’s great to be able to express my Irish heritage in the town of Eastchester.”

The grand marshal was accompanied in the parade by at least 10 bagpipe bands, eight schools of Irish dancers, several high school bands and dozens of community groups. Meanwhile, hundreds of residents watched on from alongside the sidewalks, bundled up in hats and gloves to fight the frigid temperature.

“It means a lot to me that people took the time to brave the cold here today,” Mackin said. “It would have been easy to sit at home and not come out and show support.

But they did in true Irish spirit.”

Girls and boys from the McGough Academy of Irish Dance show their talents to the crowd of Eastchester residents in front of Mickey Spillane’s and Piper’s Kilt.

-Reporting by Corey Stockton

The New York Police Department Emerald Society bagpipe band marches in lockstep during the Eastchester St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

The Dawn Dohety School of Irish Music doesn’t have to march in the cold weather; they’re chauffeured by a horse drawn carriage.

12 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • March 17, 2017

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March 17, 2017 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • 13

Hard times for Playboy RHYMES WITH CRAZY Lenore Skenazy

Playboy magazine used to be the illicit thrill that men of all ages hid in their sock drawers.

Now it’s more like the socks.

Even though the magazine recently decided to add naked ladies back into the mix (no nudes was apparently bad nudes), it’s still hard to get excited by Playboy anymore. But to give props where props are due: It’s also hard to imagine we would ever be as blasé as we are today about sex, and even women’s lib, if it weren’t for Hugh Hefner and his crazy 1953 creation.

Hef was a frustrated cartoonist at the time, working in the Esquire subscription department.

When his request for a $5-aweek raise got turned down, he decided to strike out on his own.

Somehow he pulled together $10,000 and prepared to launch a racy new magazine: Stag.

Fortunately for him, the name “Stag” was already taken. So instead he called it Playboy. The first edition featured a centerfold (a word we wouldn’t even have without Hef!) dubbed, “Sweetheart of the Month.” By the very next issue, the centerfold was rechristened “Playmate.” And as author Julie Keller has mused, “There is a vast ideological gap between the words.”

There sure is. “Sweetheart” harkened back to courtship. But a playmate is someone you play with. It’s fun, but it’s not forever.

Thus began the smashing of taboos.

The genius of Playboy was not that it published naked young flesh. You could buy dirty pictures even then. As Time Magazine noted in a cover story on Hefner at the height of

his career—1972, when Playboy was selling 7 million copies a month—“He took the oldfashioned, shame-thumbed girlie magazine, stripped off the plain wrapper, added gloss, class and culture.”

And how! As its subscriber base grew, so did Playboy’s reputation as a purveyor of taste, showcasing some of the best writers around. So, yes, obligatory joke here: You really could read Playboy just for the articles.

Then again, you could read The New York Review of Books for the same thing. Did you?

Enough said.

The lofty writing not only provided gentlemen with an excuse for their subscriptions, it helped change the entire perception of non-marital sex, from dark, dirty doings with prostitutes to a sophisticated pastime men pursued with willing women of their own class. This, of course, required willing women. And that required a revolution.

Hefner himself has said he was a feminist before it was cool. Exactly how feminist remains one for the gender studies classes.

Sure he “objectified” women’s bodies. But he also supported birth control (he had to), pre-marital sex (ditto), and sexual pleasure for both partners (why not?).

Ironically, one thing he did not seem to believe in was actual, earthy sexiness. Peter Bloch, a former editor at Penthouse, recalls being disappointed by his Playboy subscription every month. “The girls were very cute, but they were Photoshopped and in weird poses. Any woman I saw walking down the street seemed more sexy.”

It’s possible that’s because Hefner wasn’t really selling sex.

He was selling a lifestyle. The women were simply part of a modern man’s lair, along with a wet bar and hi-fi. That’s why

Hef made sure all the advertising was aspirational. Howard Lederer, the magazine’s ad director, told Time in 1972: “We don’t want a reader to suddenly come on an ad that says he has bad breath.”

Martin Pazzani was brand manager at Smirnoff Vodka back in Playboy’s heyday. “We spent tens of millions” on Playboy ads, he recalls. Today, he is CEO of a premium tequila, Tears of Llorona, and he does not advertise in Playboy—or any magazine.

That’s part one of the one-two punch that knocked the wind out of Playboy. “The Internet was a problem for just about every existing media enterprise,” says Nat Ives, executive director of Advertising Age. But of course the Internet provided more than just a new ad medium. It provided more porn than all the Playmates of all time. “Playboy changed the landscape, and then vice versa,” pop culture historian Robert Thompson sums it up.

Today the bunny logo, once so titillating, looks like something from a ‘70s time capsule.

But because it is still one of the most recognizable brands on earth, publicist Richard Laermer came up with a great idea for it: Open a Playboy Museum.

Do it in Vegas. Showcase the man, the mansion, the magazine.

Trace their trajectory across the times they changed. Fill the gift shop with Playboy overstock— mugs, sunglasses, keychains. And in the cafe, serving Heffacino?

Bunnies! Male, female, and gender fluid, wiggling their tails.

Just like that, Playboy goes from creaky to cheeky again, and is celebrated for its amazing place in American history.

Not just its place in the sock drawer.

CONTACT: lskenazy@yahoo.com

March is Nutrition Month: Build healthy habits In honor of National Nutrition Month in March, the American Heart Association, AHA, wants to remind families of the many tools available to build healthy lifestyle habits. Through the AHA’s Healthy For Good initiative, individuals can use online tools to choose heart-healthy recipes, build grocery lists, and learn tips on choosing the foods that pack the most nutrition, and how to avoid those that don’t.

According to studies funded by the AHA, 37 percent of Americans think they are in optimal health, but less than 1 percent actually are. The AHA created Healthy For Good to educate and motivate Americans to eat healthier and get active.

A healthy diet and lifestyle are your most powerful weapons when fighting the risk factors of heart disease, according to the AHA. Eating smarter, adding more healthy foods like colorful vegetables and fruits, and moving more can mean you’re on the path to living well.

Here are some nutrition and healthy lifestyle tips from the AHA: 1. First, use up at least as many calories as you take in.

Start by knowing how many calories you should be eating and drinking to maintain your weight. Go to heart.org/myfatstranslator to calculate the number of calories you need to maintain your weight. Increase the amount and intensity of your physical activity to match the number of calories you take in.

Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week. Regular physical activity can help you maintain your weight, keep off weight that you lose, and help

you reach physical and cardiovascular fitness.

2. Next, eat a variety of nutritious foods from all the food groups. You may be eating plenty of food, but your body may not be getting the nutrients it needs to be healthy. Nutrient-rich foods have vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients, but are lower in calories. To get the nutrients you need, choose foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grain products and fat-free or low-fat dairy products most often. Unrefined whole grain foods contain fiber that can help lower your blood cholesterol and help you feel full, which may help you manage your weight. Eat fish at least twice a week. Recent research shows that eating oily fish containing omega-3 fatty acids (for example, salmon, trout, and herring) may help lower your risk of death from coronary artery disease.

Pack up your fruits and veggies on the weekend to make sure you have healthier snacks all week long. Cut up celery, peppers, broccoli and carrots to enjoy as a crunchy snack with fat-free ranch dressing. Round up your favorite fruits and leave them in a bowl on the refrigerator shelf so they’re ready to grab when you’re making your lunch.

Top sandwiches with lots of veggies like lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, sprouts, red peppers or avocado slices. Make veggies the star of the plate, and meat and whole grain carbs the supporting actors.

3. Eat less of the nutrientpoor foods. The right number of calories to eat each day is based on your age and physical activity level and whether you’re trying to gain, lose or maintain

your weight. You could use your daily allotment of calories on a few high-calorie foods and beverages, but you probably wouldn’t get the nutrients your body needs to be healthy. Limit foods and beverages high in calories but low in nutrients, and limit saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium. Read labels carefully—the “Nutrition Facts” panel will tell you how much of those nutrients each food or beverage contains.

Choose lean meats and poultry without skin and prepare them without added saturated and trans fat. Select fat-free, 1 percent fat and low-fat dairy products. Swapping out highfat sour cream for fat-free Greek yogurt is a great way to cut fat without cutting taste.

Cut back on foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans fat in your diet, including store-bought baked goods and crackers. Cut back on foods high in dietary cholesterol.

Aim to eat less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol each day. Cut back on beverages and foods with added sugars. Aim to eat less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day. Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt, and use lowsodium versions of canned goods, and choose the healthy versions of frozen prepared meals that say “low-sodium.” If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation. That means one drink per day if you’re a woman and two drinks per day if you’re a man.

Follow the American Heart Association recommendations when you eat out, and keep an eye on your portion sizes. For more information on healthy lifestyle habits, visit heart.org/ gettinghealthy. (Submitted)

LEGAL NOTICES N o t i c e o f F o r m a t i o n o f C A M P U S C U T S L LC , A r t s . o f O r g . f i l e d w i t h t h e S S N Y o n 1 2 / 9 / 2 0 1 6 . O f f i c e l o c a t i o n : We s t c h e s t e r C o u n t y. S S N Y d e s i g n a t e d a s a g e n t o f t h e L LC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: CAMPUS CUTS LLC, 16 Bronx Street, Tuckahoe, NY 10707. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

N o t i c e o f Fo r m a t i o n o f D e l l w o o d S t u d i o , L LC . A r t s o f O r g . f i l e d w i t h N Y S e c y o f S t a t e ( S S N Y ) o n 2 / 2 0 / 1 7. O f f i c e l o c a t i o n : We s t c h e s t e r C o u n t y. S S N Y i s d e s i g n a t e d a s a g e n t of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 41 Dellwood Road, Bronxville, NY 10708. Purpose: any lawful activity.

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the annual assessment Roll of the Village of Tuckahoe, New York for the fiscal year June 1, 2017 to May 31, 2018 has been completed and filed with the Clerk of said Village as of the 1st day of April 2017, and the roll will remain on file with the Clerk, subject to inspection for 15 days from date of this notice.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES TODD HUTTUNEN, ASSESSOR DATED: TUCKAHOE, NY APRIL 1, 2017

SPORTS

14 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • March 17, 2017

A different kind of bracket Round of 64

LIVE MIKE Mike Smith 1

Round of 32

Round of 16

Round of 8

Nat. Semis

Championship

Nat. Semis

Round of 8

Round of 16

Villanova

16 NCCENT/UCD

Kansas

Wisconsin Wisconsin

9

Virginia Tech

5

Virginia

Abed's Uncontrollable Bracket Florida

Iowa St. 4

13 Vermont

EAST

SMU

Duke

Oregon

MIDWEST

SMU Prov/USC

3

Baylor

Oregon

Duke

South Carolina

7

10 Oklahoma

Duke

2

Duke

15 Jacksonville

Duke

Gonzaga

1

Gonzaga

16 Texas

Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt

Notre Dame Notre Dame

4

West Virginia

3

Florida St.

13 Winthrop

WEST

N. Carolina

SOUTH

67

Gulf Coast Arizona

-

Kansas St.

3

UCLA

UCLA

64

14 Kent

St.

Cincinnati

Final Score

St. Mary's

7

St. Mary's

Dayton

Wichita St.

10 VCU

10 Wichita

Arizona

St.

Kentucky

Arizona

2

Arizona 15 North

Cincinnati

11

Cincinnati

Tie Breaker

Florida St.

2

6

Cincinnati Florida St.

7

Tenn. St.

Butler

Butler Arizona

Xavier

14 Fla

Minnesota

Butler

13 Bucknell

Xavier

Seton Hall

5

12 Middle

West Virginia

11

9

Minnesota

12 Princeton

Maryland

Arkansas

N. Carolina

Notre Dame

6

8

Seton Hall N. Carolina

Notre Dame

4

Southern

N. Carolina

Vanderbilt

5

St.

N. Carolina

N. Carolina

Champion

Dakota St.

9

Louisville

Louisville

15 Troy

Northwestern

St.

Louisville

Duke

8

Michigan

Michigan

10 Marquette

16 S.

Oregon

14 Iona

Duke

1

Rhode Island

3

Oregon

Mex. St.

Marquette

2

Creighton

11

Oregon

Baylor

7

6

Rhode Island SMU

14 N.

Purdue

Purdue

Tennessee St.

11

Iowa St.

12 Nevada

Florida

6

Michigan St.

5

Iowa St.

Wilmington

Florida

13 E.

Miami (FL)

9

Kansas

N.C. Wilmington

4

8

Miami (FL) Villanova

12 N.C.

Kansas

Kansas

St. Mary's Villanova

8

Round of 64

1

Villanova 16 Mount

Anyone who knows me can tell you that I love a good sports wager.

I mean, I don’t always pay up—I still haven’t performed stand-up at an open mic night after the Red Sox’s disastrous 2015 season—but simply having a little extra skin in the game makes watching sports more enjoyable for a lot of people, myself included.

Which is why the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, which kicked off on March 16, is appointment viewing for so many sports fans. With the number of office pools and online brackets available to fill out, even people with no interest in college basketball have some reason to pay attention; namely, money.

But recently, I became involved in a March Madness pool that is, well, a little bit different.

In addition to taking part in our annual inter-office competition, not to mention the Review Championship Bracket which will be gracing the pages of our Rye paper in the coming weeks, I have also been entered into an NCAA tourney challenge started by a friend of a friend known simply as The Mystery Prize Extravaganza.

The ultimate prize, as you may have guessed, isn’t cold, hard cash, but a mystery prize.

Here’s how it works: it costs $20 to enter, but instead of pooling the money and paying out to the top finishers, contestants are also asked to submit a potential gift in the amount of the final pot. The bracket winner

Round of 32

Kentucky

Kentucky

Dakota

15 North.

Kentucky

Sports Editor Mike Smith is looking forward to seeing how his brackets do during this year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament. But this year, his prize may be something of a surprise. Photo courtesy Yahoo

then gets a randomly selected prize from the list.

Past payouts have included a personalized goldplated razor, a vintage Street Fighter II arcade cabinet, an above-ground swimming pool and, my personal favorite, a “Point Break”-themed oil painting depicting the iconic

characters played by Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze in said film.

With roughly 40 brackets entered as of press time, the budget is at $800 and still rising, meaning that the sky is truly the limit when it comes to picking the most insane, imaginative prizes. People

have already thrown out ideas such as weekend getaways to Vermont, state-ofthe art karaoke machines, and monthly meat deliveries from Kansas City Steaks.

I’m not sure I could use everything that has been proposed, or if some of the prizes would even fit in my apartment,

but that’s just part of the allure of the whole competition.

So I, for one, am extremely pumped for this year’s tournament. Sure, I’m going to be rooting for my Villanova Wildcats to repeat as NCAA champs, but even if they get bounced in the Sweet 16, I know I’m going to have a reason to

keep tuning in.

But if I win, I just hope I don’t get the above-ground pool. Otherwise, I’d better hope there’s enough cash left over for some swimming lessons.

Follow Mike on Twitter @LiveMike_Sports

TO COVER LOCAL SPORTS, YOU NEED A

LIVE MIKE!

Follow Mike Smith @LiveMike_Sports stats • recaps • commentary Follow Mike Smith @ryecityreview for Mike’s live, in-game action updates

SPORTS

Pitch count rules in place

Rye’s George Kirby throws a pitch against Eastchester in 2016.

This year, the NYSPHSAA has instituted pitch counts and mandatory rest days for high school pitchers.

Photo/Mike Smith

By MIKE SMITH Sports Editor As local baseball teams officially kicked off their first day of spring practice on March 13, high school coaches around the section began the annual process of team building and player evaluation that has become synonymous with their job.

But this year, coaches will have an added responsibility as they look to run their squads in accordance with new pitch count rules handed down by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, NYSPHSAA. In January, the NYSPHSAA announced plans to institute pitch limits and mandated rest days for high school hurlers that will go into effect this spring. The rules set forth under the new guidelines are aimed at preventing arm injuries among the state’s developing ballplayers and are part of a nationwide effort to protect pitchers. Only two states—Connecticut and Massachusetts—do not currently have usage rules on the books.

Under the newly adopted rules, varsity hurlers can now throw a maximum of 105 pitches in a regular season contest, and those who throw between 96 and 105 must have four nights of rest before taking the mound again. Pitchers who throw between 66 and 95 are entitled to three days off; 31-65 entitles pitchers to two days off; and players who throw between one and 30 pitchers are eligible to pitch the following day.

Those pitch counts will increase for the playoffs, as pitchers will be allowed to throw up to 125 pitches in the postseason. Any team found to be in violation of the new rules will be handed a forfeit loss.

For some programs, the new rules are simply affirmations of previous coaching policies and shouldn’t affect much in the day-to-day running of the team.

Mamaroneck head coach Mike Chiapparelli, whose Class AA Tigers have become one of the flagship ballclubs of Section I, said that tracking pitch counts has been a part of his philosophy for years. Chiapparelli also points out that the wording of the rule—specifically its mention of “rest nights”—means that coaches will only have to keep pitchers out of action for three days if they reach the 105 pitch mark.

March 17, 2017 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • 15 “I don’t think it’s really going to change anything for us; we always tried to keep the kids under 100 anyway, and we generally have three or four pitchers,” he said. “We’ve kept pitch counts for the last 15 years, and unless it’s a special circumstance, we don’t bring pitchers back on three-day’s rest.”

Smaller schools, however, may be forced to work in the preseason to bolster the pitching staff by taking a look at position players on the mound.

Jerry DeFabbia, the thirdyear head coach of Class C contender Tuckahoe, said that he made it clear to his team on the first day of the preseason that even those players without a wealth of experience on the mound would be asked to pitch in this year.

“We made it a point of emphasis to let them know that we would have a lot of different guys throwing bullpens before the start of the season,” DeFabbia said.

“Even if it just means coming in for small bites, getting three outs, it is going to be all hands on deck for us.”

According to Chiapparelli, the new rule is most likely to affect teams that have historically relied on the performance of two pitchers and are used to setting their schedule up in such a way as to minimize the need for additional starters.

Because area teams are starting their season one week later than most of the other sections in the state, teams will be forced to play condensed schedules, which could necessitate the development of new pitchers.

“What’s going to happen this year is basically that Section I has 43 days to play 20 games,” he said. “So teams that have generally scheduled two games a week and relied on two pitchers, they’re going to be in trouble.”

2017 NYSPHSAA VARSITY PITCH COUNT RULES NUMBER OF PITCHES

NIGHTS OF REST REQUIRED

96-105 66-95 31-56 1-30

4 3 2 1

ADDITIONAL NOTES: • Pitchers can throw a maximum of 105 pitches in a regular season game • First night of rest begins the evening of a scheduled game • Pitch counts increase to a maximum of 125 during playoffs

Harrison coach Marco DiRuocco, whose Huskies will contend with a stretch that will see them play four games in five days from April 28 to May 2, agreed that pitching depth will be increasingly important this year, even if he doesn’t know how much of an effect that the new rule will have on his lineups.

“Anytime there’s a change like this, you have to adapt and adjust,” he said. “And we play a lot of games in a small amount of time, so you have to imagine that having capable relievers is going to be extremely important.”

With additional rules being placed on players on the modified and JV levels, DiRuocco said the result could be added pitching depth across the section in the coming years.

“If you look at it in a positive way, you’re going to need more pitchers down on the lower levels,” he said. “So you’re going to be having more guys who are throwing from the mound on modified, freshman and JV, and that means more pitchers are going to be developed.”

As far as the short-term effects go, he added, pitchers will be expected to work more economically and throw fewer pitches than in years past.

“Guys are going to need to be sharp, have clean innings, and practice good mechanics,” DiRuocco said. ”It’s all going to come down to having good fundamentals and being efficient on the mound.”

CONTACT: sports@hometwn.com

16 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • March 17, 2017

INSIDE

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Lifestyles of Westchester County/MARCH 2017 VOL.6 NO.2

INSIDE WESTCHESTER COUNTY

March 17, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 11 | www.eastchesterreview.com

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Harrison REVIEW THE

March 17, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 11 | www.harrisonreview.com

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

CAMPS

March 17, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 8 | www.cityreviewnr.com

SUMMER PROGRAMS

LMCTV offers teen filmmaking workshops

Summer activities at Beth El Day Camp

Future Stars and their specialty camps

College Racquet for all levels

18 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • March 17, 2017

Techniques to help a child learn to swim Teaching a child to swim can enable he or she to enjoy a life filled with fun in and around the water. It is also one of the ways to prevent water-related injuries or death.

Water safety is nothing to take lightly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that in 2007 there were 3,443 fatal unintentional drownings in the United States, averaging 10 deaths per day.

An additional 496 people died from drowning and other causes in boating-related incidents.

Also, more than one in five fatal drowning victims are children ages 14 and younger.

Although teaching a child to swim does not negate the necessity to carefully watch young children whenever they are around water, it does offer a measure of safety. A boy or girl who knows how to swim may be able to prevent an injury or get out of harm’s way better than one who is floundering in the water. In fact, the CDC

recommends it as one method of preventing water-related injuries.

Teaching kids to swim requires some patience and general knowledge of swimming techniques. Parents or caregivers unsure about their teaching abilities can enroll their children in swimming courses offered in their towns and cities.

Adults choosing to teach swimming on their own can try these techniques.

1. Start with teaching the child to blow bubbles out of his mouth and nose. This teaches the youngster how to prevent water from being inhaled. With only his or her mouth and nose under the water, the child can blow out and create bubbles.

Once this technique is mastered, he or she may be less frightened about water going up the nose.

2. Have the child hold onto the side of the pool or a floata-

tion device if out on a lake or in the ocean. The child should extend his or her legs outward and practice floating and kicking.

Begin by kicking any which way, eventually evolving to a control kick once he or she is more comfortable.

3. The next step is to practice a few strokes. A breast stroke may offer more propulsion and buoyancy than a simple doggy paddle. Have the child stand in the water and practice pushing water out of the way in the desired stroke. Then he or she can practice doing it while floating with an adult providing some added support under the belly.

With time he can learn to float and stroke at the same time.

4. Once the separate elements are mastered, it’s time to put them all together. He can choose to simply launch off of the pool bottom or kick off of the side. It’s important to stress that the kicking motion is like

the accelerator of the car; it will keep him moving and also keep him afloat. Swim strokes will simply steer him and provide propulsion assistance. Knowing that each motion has its own importance will help the child remember that all are needed to swim and stay afloat.

Once the child has become comfortable swimming above the water, he or she may eventually want to learn to swim below the water, which many people find to be less tiresome and allows one to cover more ground faster. Swimming underwater employs the same techniques as above, but the child will need to be comfortable holding his or her breath for a long period of time. This can be practiced standing in the water and dunking the face or body (with supervision nearby) underwater. Don’t encourage kids to hold their nose because both hands will be needed to swim underwater. After the child has grown accustomed to holding his her breath stationary, he or she can try doing it underwater and swimming.

Reprinted from ACAcamps. org by permission of the American Camp Association.

March 17, 2017 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • 19

Destination Science: The fun science day camp Destination Science is designed to excite kids ages 5 to 11 about science and to build great life skills in campers.

Weekly themes combine science and engineering with unique projects, outdoor games, problem solving and many great take-homes. The day camp’s top notch, enthusiastic educators and leaders make STEM learn-

ing an adventure!

2017 Themes Robotic Mystery Camp: Robots rule! Build your own Rescue Bot to save EG and the power crystal. Become a forensic science detective and solve the MicroBot mystery. Engineer with magnetic benders, a super sound amplifier, an electronic catapult game, and construct

your own working VR goggles.

Journey into Space & Movie Making Camp: Build your own motorized Mars Rover, use solar power to collect Martian samples, and join the Mars rover race. Explore the moon telescopically, golf to our inner and outer planets, dig into earth science, and prepare for the solar eclipse. Produce your own “Out of this World” stop motion movie.

Crazy Contraption & Demolition Camp: Enter the Contraption - Demolition Think Tank to create and build electronic contraptions that spin and race. Engineer space forts and pods to withstand meteorite impacts, high winds and to sustain life in space. Explore Newton’s Laws, forces of flight, game inventing and more.

Coaster Science & Mad Chemistry Camp: Create a wacky wall coaster and three mini electronic rides to take home. Burst into the world of chemistry with the Destination Science mad lab complete with

experiments that will blow your mind. Race your way into physics with the all new race car catapulting speedway.

Locations: Larchmont - Larchmont Temple, 75 Larchmont Ave. Mount Kisco - The Saw

Mill Club, 77 Kensico Drive New Rochelle - The College of New Rochelle, 29 Castle Place Scarsdale - Scarsdale Congregational Church, UCC, 1 Heathcote Road Tarrytown - Temple Beth

Abraham, 25 Leroy Ave. White Plains - The Presbyterian Church, 39 N. Broadway Early Bird Savings: Save $30 per week; ends March 31.

For more information, call 888909-2822 or visit destinationscience.org. (Submitted)

20 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • March 17, 2017

A summer camp challenge Nearly 25 years ago, an energetic little boy found the camp of his dreams—a camp where you could develop friendships, learn a sport, develop your mind through creative games and interactions, and see the world around you in a new light.

Twenty-five years ago, that little boy was I, Steven H. Schlitten, and that magical camp was the Summer Challenge Camp at Thornton-Donovan School in New Rochelle. While that boy might have changed into an adult, the camp has remained and still thrills each new camper as it has for the past 40 summers. Located on the 6-acre Thornton-Donovan campus, the Summer Challenge Camp offers two distinct camp programs along with an additional academic enrichment program.

Campers ages 3 to 7 are members of the Play School program, while ages 8 to 14 are athletes in the Sports Fitness program.

Campers ages 3 to 7 have the opportunity to participate in daily arts and crafts, athletics, dance, karate, music, free play, swim instruction, and free swim. Every week, special activities are provided to the campers including pirate treasure hunts, pajama days, crazy hat days, petting zoos, and themed science programs.

Groups are kept small, with roughly 12 to 14 campers per group with two supervising counselors. The staff is all welltrained and are either current elementary school teachers or college students majoring in education. All staff members undergo a through background check and training.

The Sports Fitness program focuses on developing sportsspecific skills while still allowing

campers time to participate in activities, such as arts and crafts, bowling, and treasure hunts. The sports covered by the Sports Fitness program include soccer, tennis, basketball, football, volleyball, golf, street hockey, and swimming. Counselors overseeing each athletic station and instructing skill development are all current or former athletes in that specific sport.

As a father of a little girl, I appreciate that the camp also offers door-to-door busing and daily lunches that are included in the enrollment price. Even more important than busing, food service, athletics, and fun is the fact that parents can have peace of mind while their children are at camp. Parents can rest assured knowing that their children are in a safe environment and being supervised by adult counselors, who have backgrounds in education. In fact, this is the opposite of the current trend in Westchester, where camps are populated predominantly with

counselors-in-training and other extremely young, inexperienced counselors.

The summer at ThorntonDonovan concludes with a beautiful award ceremony highlighting every camper’s achievements. Awards, certificates, and trophies are handed out with the grand finale centering around the Camper of the Year Award, which is earned through exhibiting excellent sportsmanship.

Unfortunately, I was beat out for the award by my older sister, but thankfully I won an even greater prize; that is, becoming the director of admissions for Thornton-Donovan School and also the aquatics director at the Summer Challenge Camp.

Any families looking to learn more about the school or camp are welcome to meet me at Thornton-Donovan’s upcoming open house on March 26 and April 23. If you would like to speak sooner, please feel free to contact the school at 632-8836.

(Submitted)

March 17, 2017 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • 21

College Racquet Club for all levels College Racquet Club, CRC, is located in Bronxville on the campus of Concordia College.

The facility includes three indoor hard courts, three outdoor hard courts, two clay courts and a squash court. The original mission of the CRC was to provide tennis and instruction to all levels of players, from the weekend warrior to the nationally ranked player. The CRC offers comprehensive junior programs from beginner, age 10 and under, to intermediate, advanced and elite high performance programs. CRC also offers adult instruction from beginner, intermediate, drill classes and USTA league competition for men and women. The goal is to help people have fun with tennis while they improve their skills and compete.

The staff is directed by Concordia men’s and women’s tennis coach Neil Tarangioli, who is nationally recognized and has won more than 20 Coach of the Year awards. The staff

includes head pro Brian Simunyola, a renowned pro in the area; Vito Galatioto, a former college player; Addie Brennan, a former college player; Penny Phiri, USPTA certified pro; and Andrey Boldarev, a former four-time NCAA All-American player. CRC refers to everything it does as a team and takes a holistic approach to coaching.

The staff integrates fitness, footwork, strokes, focus, and relaxation techniques, as well as strategy/tactics and fun.

The summer program starts on June 26, right after the CRC spring classes. Spots are still available for the spring classes.

CRC offers classes for beginners through advanced players.

There will be two-, four- or eight-week sessions. Some classes will require a tryout.

Registration begins Feb. 21 and closes April 15. Information and brochures can be obtained by calling the CRC at 961-3955 or visiting collegeracquet.com.

Typical classes consist of instruction, drilling, point play, games, and conditioning. Every Friday is “Fun Friday,” and CRC has special events such as soccer against the pros, tennis, baseball, relay races, and, on really hot days, water balloon fights. CRC uses the indoor courts for the programs, so there is class rain or shine. The staff is top quality, the kids are well-behaved, and the facility is great, so the CRC hopes to see you on the courts “summer and beyond!” (Submitted)

Live at Play Group Theatre At Play Group Theatre, PGT, Summer Theatre, you don’t just study theatre, you live it. Walk through the front door and you are immersed in a community of young artists eager to support each other and challenge each other to new heights.

Every inch of the colorful building is brimming with sparks of creativity. Make your way into the black box theatre and you’ll see middle school students determined to master three-part harmonies for a musical number around the piano.

Head upstairs on your tip-toes or you’ll distract the teens hard at work writing original material for their upcoming show. Sneak next door into PGT’s brand new dance studio where a group of kids are filming a music video. Get a good laugh in the lobby as you pass through an improv class. And don’t leave without peaking into The Play Group Theatre’s state-of-the-art MainStage theatre where students are bring-

ing a fully produced musical to life.

“My favorite part of camp is seeing how playfully the staff and students collaborate on such intensive and disciplined work,” says camp director Rachel Berger. “The joyful process feeds into a polished final product, and students transform over the course of a few short weeks.”

Whether rehearsing a show tailor-made to fit each student, taking a class in Shakespeare, or gallivanting through the building for a surprise scavenger hunt, PGT offers students a multifaceted means to explore the world of theatre.

At PGT, students not only learn about theatre, they are given an environment where experimentation is encouraged, every voice is heard, and students are rewarded for their individuality. Teen Co. student Elliot Huh recalls his favorite camp memory. “I loved seeing our script all put together for the first time and seeing

how all of our weird and funny ideas had made their way in.

Somehow, it all became one story,” he said.

Young Actor’s ensemble member Eesha’s favorite camp moment was singing songs from their show at a senior living home and using their skills as artists to brighten someone’s day. Jada’s favorite part of camp was getting an award for her work in dance class. PGT’s artistic director Jill Abusch said, “Students today spend hours staring at screens and preparing for standardized tests. At PGT, students learn with their full bodies. Staff members don’t teach to one type of student, but allow all students to take a step forward.”

From a trip to Broadway, to rigorous classes with New York professionals, to spontaneous dance parties, PGT Summer Theatre cultivates a wellrounded young artist. Don’t miss out... get in on the act!

For more information, visit playgroup.org. (Submitted)

22 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • March 17, 2017

Sign up today for LMCTV’s teen filmmaking workshops Make a movie at LMCTV this summer. Geared for young people age 13 and up, LMCTV’s summer filmmaking workshops are a tremendous opportunity to learn hands-on video and filmmaking skills.

In their first week, participants are trained in filmmaking skills including scriptwriting, cinematography, lighting, and audio. During the second week, these skills are put right to use in the filming of a short movie and behind-the-scenes documentary.

The final week is dedicated to using LMCTV’s state-of-the-art editing systems to put the finishing touches on the newest local masterpiece.

Last year, Workshop I’s film, “The Lord of the Bus Stop,” examined a societal breakdown in a modern telling of William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies.” Workshop II’s film, “The 7th Day,” focused on three kids that have to survive a devastating annual storm without the help of adults.

“The summer workshops are

a wonderful opportunity for teenagers to obtain their ‘filmmaking chops,” said Matt Sullivan, LMCTV’s chief operating officer. “It is amazing to see the thoughtful and skilled artistry of these young filmmakers and their ability to tell a complete story within the course of three weeks.”

Every fall, LMCTV holds a screening of the finished films from the workshops at the Mamaroneck High School Television Studio. “This is one of our favorite events during the year,” Sullivan said.

Each workshop is held Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for three weeks at LMCTV’s studio in Mamaroneck. Workshop I runs from July 3 to July 21 (no class on July 4), and Workshop II from July 24 to Aug. 11.

Led by independent filmmaker and LMCTV staff member Dena Schumacher, the workshop is in its 17th year. Open enrollment starts now. Space is limited, so please visit lmctv.org or call Sullivan at 381-2002 ext.

202 to sign up today.

(Submitted)

Future Stars offers specialty camps For more than 36 years, Future Stars has been providing families in Westchester, Manhattan and Long Island with the finest specialty camp programs.

The lineup of its specialized sports camps, STEAM education programs, and arts and entertainment opportunities, is unrivaled. Programs and curricula are individually designed to provide stimulating and challenging syllabi that is both ageand level-appropriate. Future Stars’ directors and coaches are mature, experienced educators who are passionate about their craft and highly motivated to share their enthusiasm with all of the eager campers.

Future Stars’ SUNY Purchase College location is a sprawling 500-acre campus located in the heart of beautiful Westchester County. It offers weekly day sessions for ages 4 to 16, from June 19 to Aug. 25. Endless acres of playing fields, training areas and two new lighted turf, football and baseball fields.

As many as six full soccer fields, 12 short-sided fields and NCAA regulation baseball and softball diamonds are expertly maintained for daily use. Facilities also include 14 newly surfaced deco tennis courts (six lighted), three full indoor and four outdoor basketball courts.

Campers will also utilize three indoor gymnasiums, racquetball and squash courts, training rooms, an Olympic-size indoor swimming pool, a videotape analysis room and cafeteria.

Campers can choose and combine weeks from 19 individualized specialty programs:

tennis, soccer, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, football, multisports, field hockey, cheerleading, volleyball, circus arts, magic, softball, diving, horseback riding, swim, academic, STEAM education, and Rising Stars (our youngest campers).

Supervised swimming is included, as is instructional swim for Rising Stars. Lunch options and door-to-door transportation from most of Westchester is also available.

Future Stars is a very special place for children to spend a fun filled, exciting summer. Thousands of campers over the years have enhanced their skills, tucked away lifelong memories, and made lasting friendships at Future Stars Camps. The camp philoso-

phy is to provide every camper a fun, safe and encouraging environment in which they feel comfortable and secure. Future Stars’ goal is to create the perfect atmosphere so that each camper may maximize his or her potential.

Through its limited enrollment policy, Future Stars gets to know each camper and recognize their individual needs.

Everyone is encouraged to play with confidence, enthusiasm, and a genuine love of the game.

Please visit fscamps.com for more information and a tour of the beautiful camp sites. Future Stars looks forward to working with you for many years to come and is certain you will “Hit a Winner This Summer with Future Stars.” (Submitted)

March 17, 2017 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • 23

Beth El Day Camp offers wide range of activities

Beth El Day Camp is not your ordinary run-of-the-mill summer camp. Its programs span a wide range of guided activities to help young chil-

dren develop new skills, make friends, build self-esteem, and develop a love for creativity and self-expression. Children participate in a multitude of

sports and games, including soccer, softball and basketball. Music, dancing, karate concepts, magic, cooking and crafts are also offered, in ad-

dition to the camp’s creative nature program. Children swim twice a day in the large solar-heated pool as part of the American Red Cross Swim program. And theme days like Truck Day, the Olympics and the famous Carnival Day are just some of the summer highlights at Camp Beth El. Camp is in session on July 3 and July 4.

The kids are sure to work up an appetite, and Camp Beth El does not fall short when it comes to food! Nutritious (kosher) lunches are served every day, including barbecues and snacks in the air-conditioned lunchroom. There is something for even the pickiest

palate, and the entire camp is nut-free. There is even a gluten-free (worry-free!) menu available. Every Friday, campers are treated to grape juice and freshly baked challah to celebrate Shabbat.

There are customized half-day, extended-day and full-day programs available by age groups. The 2-year-old program meets three mornings a week from 9 a.m. to noon.

The 3-year-old programs run Monday to Friday, from 8:40 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 8:40 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., and includes lunch.

The 4-year-old program runs Monday to Friday from 8:40 a.m. to either 2:15 p.m. or 4 p.m. And children ages 5 to 8

will enjoy a full day of fun!

Early drop-off and late pickup options are available.

For more information, please contact camp director Julie Rockowitz at 235-2700 ext. 256 or jrockowitz@ bethelnr.org.

Beth El Day Camp is located at 1324 North Ave. in New Rochelle. Visit bethelnr.org.

(Submitted)

24 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • March 17, 2017

ADVERTISE IN OUR SPECIAL SECTION! Don’t miss this opportunity to reach over 38,000 Westchester County residents in nine of our local communities!

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