RyeCity REVIEW THE
October 20, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 42 | www.ryecityreview.com
Committee seeks landmark status for cemetery, square By FRANCO FINO Staff Writer
SCORE! Three teams from Rye Raquet Club made up of women 40 years and over will be going to the United States Tennis Association’s national championship this month. For story, see page 6. Photo courtesy Corinna Ausfahl
Students take part in Westchester anti-opioid summit On Oct. 16, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino urged more than 400 students from across Westchester to become part of the solution in the lifeand-death fight against opioid addiction. Joined by BMX Olympic coach and recovering addict Tony Hoffman, Astorino led a Youth
Summit at the Westchester County Center aimed at fighting a drug epidemic that has caused a 200 percent increase in fatalities in the county from 2010 to 2015. Students from 37 schools took part in the day-long summit that was part of the county’s Project WORTHY—Westchester County Opioid Response Teams Helping
You—program launched earlier this year. The program mobilizes a full array of available resources and expertise to combat the growing opioid and heroin epidemic that affects all communities and people of all ages. “Young people are dying,” Astorino said at the summit. “This is not a show; this is not just a day-
long assembly. This is serious business, and we need your help. Young people are on the front lines of this epidemic. You are eyewitnesses to what’s happening in schools, at parties, at the mall and on the bus. You come from all walks of life, and all kinds of OPIOID continued on page 8
The City Landmarks Advisory Committee is proposing to preserve two historical locations, adding them to a list of places already protected under a local law. As part of a plan to protect Rye’s historical areas from overdevelopment, the landmarks committee has suggested designating Baird Square, the Milton Cemetery, and the Purdy Family Burial Ground as protected sites, which would prevent any advance to alter, reconstruct or demolish the locations. “Our city is going through a historic transformation,” said Maurio Sax, a member of the landmarks committee. “We see overdevelopment in our neighborhoods and environmental destruction of our monuments and cemeteries. It’s in our agenda to start a process of preserving them in history.” The area known as Baird Square, which is located at the intersection of Boston Post Road, Purchase Street and Milton Road, was named in memory of the Rev. Charles W. Baird, the beloved former minister of the Rye Presbyterian Church. The land, gifted to the city by Baird, is encircled by a low ledge and edged on one side with a sidewalk leading uphill towards Christ’s Church. Born in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1828, Baird was one of the longest serving ministers of the church, serving from 1861 until
his death in 1887. The Purdy Family Burial Ground, which is located on the same parcel of land as the Milton Cemetery, served as the private burial plot for one of Westchester’s first families. A plaque located on the land reports that the Purdy family purchased the property in 1685. After settling in Massachusetts in the 1600s, the French Huguenots drifted around several locations in the New England region. Eventually, a handful of Purdy family descendants populated Rye and Croton-On-Hudson. Historically, the American Revolution divided the Purdy family into two sides: those that were loyal to King George III, who all signed a declaration of support for the king at the time in White Plains, and those based in North Salem that were detractors of England’s rule. After the war, many of the loyalist are said to have sailed for Nova Scotia, in Canada. “We have an incredibly rich history in Rye, and these properties are illustrative of that history,” said Councilwoman Emily Hurd, a Democrat and liaison to the landmarks committee. “I think [the proposal] promotes the use of preservation districts and protected site, and that’s a great thing.” Some other well-known landmarks in Rye include the city’s former municipal hall and current LANDMARK continued on page 11