RyeCity REVIEW THE
May 27, 2016 | Vol. 4, Number 22 | www.ryecityreview.com
City, court looks to drug education for minors By JAMES PERO Staff Writer
TIME TO ACT
A parent volunteer speaks to audience members in a breakout session following the formal portion of a May 24 town hall meeting on drugs in the community. For story, see page 10. Photo/Andrew Dapolite
Rye High School science wing facade sparks lawsuit By SARAH VARNEY Education Reporter When Rye High School’s $16 million science wing opened in June 2013, administrators and school board members were jubilant, but now, nearly three years later, a moisture resistance issue has arisen and the district
is embroiled in a lawsuit. Wernert Construction is currently suing the Rye City School District for an outstanding payment of more than $263,000, and although district officials declined to comment on the legal specifics of the matter, Sarah Derman, the district’s public information officer, stressed that
the district won’t pay for a job that wasn’t completed correctly. At issue specifically is a problem with moisture permeating at least one section of the stone facade at the high school. Wernert Construction is suing the Rye City School District via Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America, the city
of Rye’s repository for bond receipts, for breach of contract. At the same time, Key Construction Services LLC, based in Poughkeepsie, New York is suing Wernert for the same amount. Key Construction was the subcontractor on the project LAWSUIT continued on page 8
With the formation of a new educational program, Rye City Court, the Police Department and anti-drug coalitions will look to deescalate a growing drug problem through professional intervention. In tandem with Rye Action for Children and Teens, RyeACT, the police and court have already kick started a trial run of a rehabilitative program meant to curb teens’ usage of marijuana and alcohol, which started in mid-February. The program, according to Police Commissioner Michael Corcoran, who has helped spearhead the initiative, could provide a second chance to Rye teens who are convicted of a marijuana or alcohol-related offense. For teens taken into custody on a drug or alcohol-related charge, Corcoran said the course would offer them a conditional discharge, contingent upon its completion. Since 2011, at least five former Rye High School students have died of drug-related causes, causing the issue of drug intervention to rise to the surface. Aside from the educational benefits, he added, the program would be a way to keep juveniles in the city from incurring a criminal record. “You wouldn’t have a record
if you bring back satisfactory course completion,” Corcoran said. “There’s not an easy answer to the drug problem, and enforcement is just a small part of the equation.” Currently, according to Rye City Court Judge Joe Latwin, minors who are convicted of a marijuana or alcohol-related offense are able to leave court without any mandatory rehabilitation or having to alert their parents. Since it’s not a crime, many of Rye’s minors can afford to pay the fines on their own and their parents never know, according to Latwin. “It’s a problem of [Rye’s] affluence,” he said. According to Lilly Neuman, the community outreach and education coordinator for St. Vincent’s Hosptial in Harrison, who has been responsible for conducting and spearheading the counseling assigned by Rye City Court, the initiative could help galvanize the community against drugs. According to Neuman, the counseling process not only incorporates her and the teens involved, but their parents and the officers who handled their enforcement. “I want to connect police and treatment, the kids, the parents, the judge,” said Neuman, who has worked with chemical MINORS continued on page 9