The Business Journals - Week of February 1

TR US TE D J O U R NALI S M AT YO U R FI N G E RTI P S

FEBRUARY 1, 2021 VOL. 57, No. 5

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Judith M. Watson is the CEO of Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center Inc.

NYC exodus

COPING WITH COVID

CBRE exec says Fairfield County has two years to exploit moves

HOW MOUNT VERNON NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH CENTER IS SURVIVING AND THRIVING

BY PETER KATZ pkatz@westfairinc.com

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he Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center Inc., a provider of healthLoan care services in key TWB Decision Westchester Banner Ad communities haswendured 6” x 1.5” hthe impact of Covid-19 that infected its 3-24-20 leadership and led to the loss of three staff members, making it stronger to fulfill an even more central role in the lives of its estimated 20,000 patients.

“It hit us hard. It came out of nowhere,” Judith M. Watson, CEO of the nonprofit, told the Business Journal about the coronavirus. “Employees were infected. We lost three long-time employees to this pandemic, three longtime employees who our patients adored.”

Watson and other members of the senior leadership team for the organization contracted the virus and had to be furloughed

and quarantined. She said it was a challenge adjusting to running operations remotely and compensating for a drop in the number of existing patients seeking routine health care services because of Covid’s impact.

“At the same time, we had new patients coming because Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center remained open and accessible,” Watson said, noting » COPING WITH COVID

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BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

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airfield County has a roughly two-year window to capitalize on the potential of companies relocating to the county from New York City, in the estimation of an executive with the world’s largest commercial real estate services firms.

“We need to take advantage now,” Tom Pajolek, executive vice president at CBRE’s Stamford office,

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said at BOMA Southern Connecticut’s annual State of the Market presentation, held virtually on Jan. 19.

By 2023, he predicted, Manhattan office workers will have returned to their places of business.

Not surprisingly, Pajolek characterized 2020 as “a slowdown year … the market pretty much hit pause” in March, when the pandemic arrived in full force. There was roughly 1.3 million square feet of leasing activity for the year in Fairfield County, a market that totals about 41 million square feet — “The least amount we’ve done” on a 10-year annualized basis.

The county’s availability rate stands at about 26%, Pajolek said — a figure he anticipates will remain in effect “for several years” and which favors neither land-

lords nor tenants.

Furthermore, there now is about 1.2 million square feet available that wasn’t at the beginning of 2020, he said.

There are bright spots, however: Pajolek cited Greenwich, where rents near the train station are in the $90 per square foot range. Greenwich thus has “a big advantage over the rest of Fairfield County,” he said, comparing it to Stamford ($40-$60 for Class A buildings near its train station), Norwalk (mid-$20s) and Danbury (low $20s).

Nuvance’s leasing 200,000 square feet at The Summit at Danbury in December was by far the county’s largest office deal, but Pajolek noted that the next four were relatively paltry: Berkley Insurance » NYC EXODUS

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HGAR: Suburbs staggeringly good; NYC real estate far from dead

BY PETER KATZ pkatz@westfairinc.com

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I’ve been in this business now for 35 years and what we saw this year, to me, was staggering,” Richard Haggerty, CEO of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors and president of OneKey MLS told a webinar on the condition of local real estate markets.

Haggerty summarized HGAR’s latest report on Lower Hudson Valley real estate during 2020 with emphasis on the fourth quarter of 2020, noting substantial increases in the number of single—family homes sold.

“We had a very strong first quarter. Even though we pretty much shut down real estate and only operated on a virtual basis in the middle of March, the first quarter was still pretty strong,” Haggerty said. “Obviously because of the shutdown the second quarter was pretty much nonexistent.”

Haggerty reported that for the year, Westchester ended up 14% higher in the number of single— family homes sold, Putnam was up 20%, Rockland up 14.7%, Orange County was up 8.5%, Sullivan County was up 25.8% and the Bronx was down 10%.

“So given the fact that we really didn’t do any significant transactions in one whole quarter those numbers to me are just staggering and it was all fueled by the fourth quarter,” Haggerty said. “I do think the recovery we saw is just staggering and it really did, I think, help the New York state economy when all is said and done close out a strong 2020. In terms of price increases, there were price increases all across the board but the largest by far was a 37% price increase in Sullivan County, which

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just shows you that people were heading out to the suburbs including the more rural suburbs.”

HGAR’s fourth quarter report shows that Westchester saw 6,657 single—family homes sold during 2020 compared with 5,839 in 2019. There were 2,232 single-family sales in the fourth quarter compared with 1,415 sales in the same period during 2019. The median price of a single-family home in Westchester increased to $735,000, compared with $655,000 for 2019.

In Putnam, 1,261 homes sold in 2020 compared with 1,050 in 2019. The median price was $380,000 compared with $358,000 in 2019. Single-family sales in Rockland totaled 2,327, as compared with 2,028 in 2019. The median sales price of $500,000 was up over the 2019 median of $455,000. Single—family sales in Orange County totaled 3,984, up from 3,673 in 2019, the highest number of single-family sales ever recorded for one year in Orange. The median sales price in Orange was $330,000, the highest since 2007 and up from 2019’s $277,250. Sullivan County had 1,232 single-family sales compared with 979 in 2019, with a median price increase to $195,000 from $142,500 in 2019.

Condominium unit sales were mixed, but prices increased in all markets both for the fourth quarter and year over year. Condo sales were down by 6.8% for the year in Westchester, but up 37.3% in Putnam, up 7% in Rockland and down 11% in Orange.

Jonathan Miller, president and CEO of Miller Samuel Inc., described the rental market in New York City as still being crushed.

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“Look for a ‘V—shaped’ recovery and V stands for vaccine. True stability doesn’t really happen until people feel safe,” Miller said.

He said the Manhattan residential rental market has been down about 22% in terms of net rental rates recently and he’s seen some segments down as much as 40%.

Softness in pricing, Miller said, has now stimulated an increase in people moving into the city because apartments that were priced out of reach have become more affordable.

“We’re not seeing the same intensity of price decline in the sales market. Prices are clearly softer and tending probably toward more softness this year but it all is going to be predicated on when people feel comfortable being in the city,” Miller said. “When we think about the suburban market and the rocketship of demand that counties like Westchester and Fairfield and then Nassau and Suffolk, the counties around New York, have seen obviously, as Richard was pointing out, basically a rocketship of activity skewed to the end of the year. You can’t forget that part of the pent-up demand was because mortgage rates fell to the floor. I tend not to overemphasize rates but ... the condition you’re seeing in these counties is the same you’re seeing in suburbs across the nation; it’s sort of correlated very closely with rates themselves.”

Bess Freedman, CEO of Brown Harris Stevens, said that they have noticed increased contract-signing giving real estate agents a collective rush of excitement.

“It was quiet, it was a little spooky in the beginning. We didn’t know what to expect. It was an unprecedented event for all of us,”

Participants in the webinar were from top left; Bess Freedman, Jonathan Miller, moderator Brian Tormey, Joe Rand and Richard Haggerty.

Freedman said. “I live on Second Avenue. The restaurants; people are sitting outside even though it’s very cold out and I think that’s wonderful that they do that. I’m seeing a tremendous difference in what the neighborhood looks like versus March and April. We still have tremendous headwinds but I feel it’s like we’re at the beginning of the end.”

Joe Rand, chief creative officer at Howard Hanna—Rand Realty noted that there has been a trend toward people not leaving the city but rather buying second homes in the suburbs. He referenced Sullivan, Columbia and Ulster counties.

“Those aren’t people moving to the suburbs. Those are people getting second homes that they can drive to,” Rand said.

Miller pointed out that previously when people were looking for second properties about an hour or more from the city they were looking for a weekend getaway. Now, he said, people have experienced changes in their lives that demonstrate they don’t have to commute to the office every day.

“During 2020, many started to look at these markets as a place that they could live at any period of the year for any length of time ... because of Zoom,” Miller said.

“Markets in the Hudson Valley, much like Florida and other markets that were seen as seasonal or not year around, that’s all being rethought now.”

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NEWS Senior Enterprise Editor • Phil Hall Copy and Video Editor • Peter Katz Bureau Chief • Kevin Zimmerman Senior Reporter • Bill Heltzel, Reporters Georgette Gouveia, Peter Katz Research Coordinator • Luis Flores ART & PRODUCTION Creative Director Dan Viteri Graphic Designer Sarafina Pavlak ADVERTISING SALES Manager • Anne Jordan Metro Sales & Custom Publishing Director Barbara Hanlon Account Managers Marcia Pflug, Heather Monachelli, Frank Rose Events Sales & Development • Marcia Pflug Marketing & Events Director • Fatime Muriqi AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT & CIRCULATION Circulation Manager • Sylvia Sikoutris Telemarketing • Brianne Smith ADMINISTRATION Contracted CFO Services Adornetto & Company L.L.C. Human Resources & Payroll Services APS PAYROLL Westchester County Business Journal (USPS# 7100) Fairfield County Business Journal (USPS# 5830) is published Weekly, 52 times a year by Westfair Communications, Inc., 701 Westchester Ave., White Plains, NY 10604. Periodicals Postage rates paid at White Plains, NY, USA 10610.

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Mamaroneck shipyard owes $1.6M for defective work on Ducky-Momo yacht

BY BILL HELTZEL bheltzel@westfairinc.com

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federal judge has ruled that a Mamaroneck shipyard owes $1.6 million to the owner of a yacht it was supposed to refurbish.

U.S. District Judge Vincent Briccetti upheld an arbitration finding that Robert E. Derecktor Inc.’s work on the M/Y Independence was unfinished and defective.

The Independence is owned by Ducky— Momo LLC, a Delaware company managed

by Matthew J. Bruderman, chairman of a merchant banking and private equity investment firm.

The 96—foot Independence was built by the Burger Boat Co. in 1984 and bought by Ducky—Momo for $662,500 in 2013.

Derecktor was founded in 1947 with the goal of building the finest yachts in the world, according to a 2012 affidavit by the founder’s son, E. Paul Derecktor.

Bruderman asked Derecktor in 2013 for an estimate to refit and repaint the yacht.

Derecktor personnel inspected the vessel at the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club in Oyster Bay, Nassau County, and again at the Mamaroneck shipyard.

Derecktor estimated $343,835 for the job, according to court records, and Ducky— Momo deposited $100,000 to start work in 2014.

But the relationship quickly became cantankerous. The shipyard cut off the back of the yacht, rendering it incapable of being placed back in the water, according to Ducky—Momo. Then Derecktor allegedly advised that painting would cost three times more and other charges would also be higher.

Ducky—Momo refused to pay invoices, according to Derecktor’s side of the story.

They agreed to settle their dispute in late 2014. Ducky—Momo would pay a $200,000 outstanding balance and the shipyard would continue the repairs.

The dispute boiled over again, with Ducky—Momo claiming that work was not being completed and the shipyard claiming it was owed $535,735.

In 2015, Bruderman and a crew tried to take the Independence back to Seawanhaka.

Mamaroneck police were called and the men were escorted off the grounds.

Derecktor demanded arbitration to settle the matter and had the Independence “arrested” to keep it at the shipyard.

A panel of the American Arbitration Association awarded Derecktor $56,107 in 2016, in the first phase of arbitration, for work that was done.

The Independence was released from arrest in 2017, when both sides made $331,000 security deposits.

Last April, the arbitrators ruled that Ducky—Momo was entitled to $1,628,754 for damages to the yacht, unfinished or defective

work, and other fees and expenses.

Ducky—Momo asked a federal court to confirm the award. Derecktor moved to vacate or modify the award.

Judge Briccetti disagreed with the shipyard’s arguments that the arbitrators had exceeded their authority.

He upheld the arbitration award but did not formally enter a judgment against Derecktor, because the shipyard has a pending claim for $248,969 for keeping the vessel safe and seaworthy while the Independence was under arrest.

Until that issue is resolved, Briccetti found, it would be premature to assess damages.

Manhattan attorneys John D. Kimball and Alan M. Weigel represent Bruderman and Ducky—Momo. San Francisco attorney David J. McMahon represents Derecktor.

Boats being worked on at the Derecktor shipyard in Mamaroneck. Courtesy Derecktor.

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CONTRIBUTING WRITER

| By Norman Grill

Covid-related tax relief for individuals

BY NORMAN GRILL

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igned into law late last year, The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, contains a number of Covid-19related relief provisions for individual taxpayers. Here are some of the key ones: Economic impact payments. $600 per taxpayer ($1,200 for married taxpayers filing jointly) and an additional $600 per qualifying child (under age 17). The recovery rebate payment begins to phase out starting at $75,000 of modified adjusted gross income for single filers, $112,500 for heads of household and $150,000 for married taxpayers filing joint-

ly. These payments are similar to the ones many taxpayers received earlier this year under the CARES Act. Unemployment benefits.

Additional unemployment insurance in the amount of $300 has been extended for an 11-week period beginning Dec. 26, 2020.

Educator expenses. Clarification that personal protective equipment (PPE) used for the prevention and spread of Covid19 will be treated as a deductible expense, retroactive to March 12, 2020.

Charitable contributions — Nonitemizers. The $300 abovethe-line deduction for cash contributions given to a qualified charitable organization

is extended through 2021 and increases to $600 for married taxpayers filing joint returns.

In 2020, the maximum amount was $300.

Charitable contributions — Itemizers. The increased contribution limit to qualified charities that was specified in the CARES Act is extended through 2021 and applies to individuals and corporations. Amounts of up to 100 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI) are allowed as deductions (same as 2020). In 2019, the limit for the deduction for cash contributions was 60% of AGI. Earned Income. For the 2020 tax year, taxpayers may use earned income amounts

from the immediately preceding tax year when figuring the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Additional Child Tax Credit.

Flexible spending arrangements. Taxpayers can roll over unused amounts from 2020 to 2021 and from 2021 to 2022 and employers may allow employees to make a contribution change mid-year in 2021.

Money purchase pension plans. The Covid-related Tax Relief Act of 2020 also allows money purchase pension plans to be included as a qualified retirement plan, retroactive to the CARES Act. The CARES Act allowed taxpayers to make penalty-free withdrawals of up to $100,000 from certain retire-

served as the town attorney for Greenburgh and Bedford and was village attorney for Pleasantville.

On behalf of Keane & Beane, he served as special land use and environmental counsel to municipalities in Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange and Ulster counties.

Sachs received a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University.

He earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and received a Master of Laws degree from New York University. He had served as a law clerk to the Judge Charles H. Tenney of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Sachs is survived by his wife, Roslyn, daughters Beth and Lori, grandchildren David, Sarah and Talia Zoller and Maxwell and Lily Harrison, and sons—in—law Ron Zoller and Alexander Harrison.

Parkside Memorial Chapels reported there would be a private graveside funeral and interment at Sharon Gardens in Valhalla and that a larger memorial was to be planned once Covid restrictions are eased.

Attorney Joel H. Sachs

Attorney Joel H. Sachs dies at age 78

BY PETER KATZ pkatz@westfairinc.com

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ttorney Joel H. Sachs, partner and senior counsel at the White Plains—based law firm Keane & Beane PC, died Jan. 24 at age 78.

Sachs joined the firm in 1993 and is credited with establishing its environmental practice and building the firm’s representation of municipal and land use clients.

Recently he had been representing neighborhood associations and individuals in a lawsuit against the city of Yonkers over its issuance of permits regarding expansion and increased activity at a UPS distribution center on Tuckahoe Road in the city.

In an interview with the Business Journal last November, Sachs explained, “The problem we’ve had since day one is that they’ve completely ignored the concerns of the neighbors.

They’ve completely ignored the significant environmental impacts with the 24/7 operations, with noise, with odors, with refueling and they have a large number of vehicles that they are

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going to have on site for delivery of packages.”

Sachs was a recognized authority in the fields of environmental, real property, land use and municipal law and was honored by the Business Journal in 2007 with its Above the Bar Award in the field of environmental law. He was the first recipient of that award.

Sachs was active in numerous professional organizations including the New York State Bar Association, the Westchester Bar Association, the White Plains Bar Association, the National Institute of Municipal Law Officers and American Arbitration Association.

Sachs was admitted to practice before the state and federal courts in New York, Connecticut and Florida, the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Tax Court.

During his career, Sachs served as an adjunct professor at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University for more than 40 years teaching environmental and municipal law. He had served for five years as deputy chief of the Environmental Protection Bureau at the New York State Attorney General’s Office, FCBJ

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ment plans for coronavirus-related expenses, with the option to pay tax on that income over a three-year period or recontribute withdrawn funds.

This column is for informational purposes only and is not intended as advice. Taxes are often complex and mistakes can be costly, so consider seeking professional assistance on tax matters.

Norm Grill, CPA, (N.Grill@ GRILL1.com) is managing partner of Grill & Partners, LLC (www.

GRILL1.com), certified public accountants and consultants to closely held companies and highnet-worth individuals, with offices in Fairfield and Darien, 203254-3880.

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Coping with Covid—

that some patients who had been going to Westchester’s largest health care providers such as Westmed started coming to the nonprofit. She explained that while the school-based sites were closed because the schools themselves were closed, the health center’s other sites continued to operate.

“In collaboration with the governor’s office, we established a walk-up Covid testing facility in Mount Vernon,” Watson said. “It’s comprised of tents at our Mount Vernon health center location and one needs only to call the New York state hotline to either schedule an appointment or to walk in.”

Other new services that began during the outbreak are designed to help deal with hunger.

“Since the Covid pandemic started, we have provided testing of more than 17,000 people and have also provided meals and food for more than 19,000 individuals,” Watson said.

“Meals, health care, whatever we can do to serve the population. We provide an array of services. There is such food insecurity right here in Westchester. That was one of the lessons learned going through this pandemic. We knew there were people going hungry, but that number has snowballed as a result of the pandemic and those people are coming here. We established a food pantry in collaboration with Feeding Westchester and we see that service being offered going into the future.”

She said that after April 17, the date their Mount Vernon testing center opened, the number of people walking in to be tested went from 30 to 40 a day to 300 or more each day, Mondays through Fridays.

Watson said that the state provides personal protective equipment and the tents for the walk-in testing site but it is up to the nonprofit to pay for the staff and related costs. She said that the organization stands ready to offer Covid-19 vaccinations and, in fact, did receive a small amount of vaccine, which it used to begin inoculating its staff

MAKING AN IMPACT Each week the person or company that the Business Journals’ editors have chosen from the articles in the publication as making the most impact in the region will be tagged with the Impact stamp. At year-end, the most impactful story will be cited with an award and special editorial coverage.

JANUARY 18: René Hue, Murmuration JANUARY 25: Nic King, Proud Puffs FEBRUARY 1: Judith M. Watson, Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center Inc.

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NYC exodus—

(61,000 square feet in Stamford); Melissa & Doug (61,000 in Wilton); Philips Domestic Appliances (42,000 in Stamford); and Lone Pine Capital (38,000 in Greenwich).

Even so, Stamford had “a really busy year, believe it or not,” the city’s Director of Economic Development Thomas Madden said. Five companies are in the process of moving to Stamford, and 40 have “shown interest” in coming into the county, he said.

He promised “some major announcements” during the first and second quarters of this year.

Ted Ferrarone, co-president at BLT, said most of his company’s office buildings are for the most part still empty as the work-fromhome trend — which “worked better than most people would have thought” — continues. But while retail continues to suffer — “It’s been really tough for all of those guys” — residential is booming.

BLT recently opened its luxury Escape building in Stamford’s Harbor Point and has another two multiresident buildings under construction on the city’s waterfront as well as one in Norwalk. Ferrarone said an unusually high number of queries have been received from New York residents.

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Stamford activity ‘off the charts’ Madden added that Stamford had a roughly 93% apartment occupancy rate before Covid, which now stands at 96% to 97%. “We’re off the charts,” he said. “They’re all moving up to our area, to Harbor Point and downtown.”

Ferrarone agreed that interest in Stamford has been “accelerating for years,” and maintained that those new residents are looking to make a “permanent shift” to Fairfield County.

He noted, however, that the forecast is decidedly less sunny for properties that are significantly distant from a train station. Many “obsolete” offices in Stamford are in need of redevelopment, he said, citing developer George Comfort & Sons’ so far unsuccessful bid to transform 3 High Ridge Park into a Life Time fitness center.

Faced with the prospect of a one-hour train ride from Manhattan to Stamford, followed by another trip by car or bus to get home, Ferrarone said: “Young people don’t want to do that.”

Pajolek agreed, citing a recent Cushman & Wakefield study that reported those aged 50 and over were significantly happier to WCBJ

and a few patients.

“We obviously need much, much more to meet the needs of our population,” Watson said. “We have waiting lists of thousands of patients who are waiting for the vaccine.

It’s coming very slowly. Hopefully with this recent change in administration more vaccines will become available so that we can vaccinate the population that we serve.”

The organization was founded in 1973 and originally provided health services in trailers. It now is a federally approved health center under the Health Resources & Services Administrations’ Health Center Program.

“We’re a one-stop shop,” Watson said. ”We’re here, we’ve been here, we’re the trusted source. We care for people from the cradle to the grave, so whether it be pediatrics, OGYN, internal medicine, dental services, behavioral services, specialty services, we have on-site labs and pharmacies, we provide care.”

Watson emphasized that her organization sees patients regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay.

“There are thousands of community health centers just like ours all over the United States,” Watson said, revealing that when she was growing up she received health care from the center she now leads.

“I see myself in every patient who comes in,” Watson said. “My parents were not folks of means so I utilized the services of the health center as a child.”

After high school, Watson served in the U.S. Army and after leaving the service went to Pace University and became a registered nurse. She since has earned a

work from home/remotely, while those under 50 preferred being in an office for relationship-building opportunities with coworkers/mentors.

Madden predicted that, as the vaccines are rolled out, more people will be returning to their offices in the May through July.

“Onboarding new employees is the biggest problem,” he said. “You can’t shadow a mentor when you’re working from home. But over the next six to nine months, people will migrate back to the office fairly quickly.”

With boutique financial services firms coming primarily to Greenwich, Stamford should focus on luring biotech and media firms, Ferrarone said, building on momentum set by Sema4, which opened a 70,000-square-foot facility in Stamford in December; Charter Communications, which is in the midst of building new headquarters in Stamford, consisting of two buildings measuring a combined 777,000 square feet; and WWE, which in 2019 signed a 16½-year lease for a new 415,000-square-foot, three-building headquarters at 677 Washington Blvd.

“New York City is out of lab space or it’s too expensive,” Madden declared, “so those companies can migrate into Westchester County or Stamford.”

COMMUNITY MINDED

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he Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center Inc. operates eight sites, with its headquarters at 107 W. 4th St. in Mount Vernon. There are additional health centers in Yonkers and Greenburgh, an obstetrics location in White Plains, presence at the Coachman Family Center in White Plains and Grasslands Homeless Shelter in Valhalla along with school-based health centers at Mount Vernon’s Edward Williams Elementary School and the Mount Vernon High School.

In addition, it operates a mobile health van that allows its doctors, nurses and community outreach workers to provide health screenings and other services in various areas.

The MVNHC has a staff of about 300, including physicians and other medical professionals.

master’s degree in public health.

Watson said that the core population served at the organization’s centers is disproportionately affected by chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma and now Covid.

“If they can’t come here, where will they go? They have no place else to go,” Watson said. “We’re always seeking assistance with funding. We get a modest amount of money from the federal government. We write grants, we fundraise, we do what we can, but obviously it’s never enough.”

The Summit at Danbury.

He also pointed to The Village, a 133,000-square-foot facility at 860 Canal St. that is being marketed by the Wheelhouse conglomerate as an indoor-outdoor workplay environment, and BLT’s Peninsula at Harbor Point, a 14-acre waterfront development site that offers development of up to 1 million square feet, as prime opportunities.

“If and when (the Peninsula) gets developed, that will really set Stamford apart as well,” Madden said.

All predictions must be based on the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, Ferrarone noted. But he said there is “no reason” for the residential boom to slow down this year, while retail and commercial will likely take longer to rebound.

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CONTRIBUTING WRITER

| By Howard Greenberg

Westchester commercial real estate in 2020: What a difference a year makes

BY HOWARD GREENBERG

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estchester County’s commercial real estate market ended 2019 in a strong position. But at the start of 2020, the news of the pandemic was already being heard, culminating in a complete shutdown of all business in midMarch.

Approximately 300,000 square feet of leasing was tracked in Westchester County during the first quarter of 2020, which was down 37.6% year over year and 46.2% from Q4 of 2019. PepsiCo vacated 376,000 square feet at 1111-1129 Westchester Ave. in White Plains, where the beverage company had done a relatively short-term lease to house its employees while it was undergoing a major renovation of its headquarters in Purchase.

All submarkets except the West-287 market experienced a decline in leasing velocity in Q1 of 2020. The perennially strong East-287 market leasing dropped from approximately 200,000 in Q4 of 2019 to about 130,000 in Q1 of 2020.

The overall leader was the West-287 submarket, which recorded 75,000 square feet of leasing in 22 transactions. Good volume, but all due to small deals, with most of them under 5,000 square feet. This was almost double the leasing volume of Q4, which totaled 40,000 square feet in 11 transactions.

The White Plains CBD saw a decline of 24.9% and 48.6% in leasing volume over the past year and past quarter, respectively, per Newmark Knight Frank’s report. This market registered about 80,000 square feet leased in 18 transactions vs. a historical Q1 average of 120,000 square feet.

Business executives obviously had much more important and time-sensitive things to do than think about or shop for space. In March, New York state prohibited both residential and commercial real estate brokers from showing properties in person.

While there were many stories in the press about New York City companies looking for satellite office space in suburban markets, my personal belief is that these companies were doing some research and then putting the results in a file, waiting to see if there was any real need to shop for remote spaces.

Many commercial tenants who had looming lease expirations chose the BandAid approach, securing one- or two-year extensions to give themselves some time to figure it all out.

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The second quarter of 2020 reflected the total shutdown of the real estate market.

However, leasing activity was just about the same as in Q1 at 300,000 square feet, a year over year decrease of 36.6%. With a local move by Argus of 66,000 square feet (from one sublease space to another sublease space) the overall CBD leasing volume grew to 140,000 square feet, almost doubling the Q1 statistic. Other than the Argus sublease, the only other transaction of substance was Sterling National Bank’s 32,000-square-foot new lease at Reckson’s 360 Hamilton Ave. in the CBD. In the 3rd quarter of the year, leasing activity continued at a steady, but slow pace at about 315,000 square feet, well below the historical Q3 average of 450,000 square feet, according to Newmark. Renewals made up half of total leasing volume (many of those for short terms) and were up by 74.5% from the 2019 mid-year total.

Year to date absorption was a negative 1.2 million square feet in Q3, with about 550,000 square feet of that registering in that quarter. The East-287 submarket led with a negative absorption of 666,099 square feet and the White Plains CBD accounted for 215,890 square feet of the net loss. Much of the loss in the CBD was from Alliance Bernstein, which had announced its intention to relocate its administrative functions to Nashville several years ago.

At the end of Q3, overall availability was 24.4% vs. 22.3% in Q2 and 20.7% a year ago. Class A availability in the East-287 submarket was 20.4%, up a whopping 6.8 perWCBJ

centage points from a year ago. And CBD availability ended at 22.8%, up from 18.3% last quarter and last year.

Office market year end 2020

At 260,240 square feet, the fourth quarter of 2020 leased about half of the 507,490 square feet leased in Q4 of 2019. The net absorption in Q4 of 2020 was negative 54,000 square feet vs. a positive 153,000 square feet in 2019, so a decrease of more than 200,000 square feet for this period.

Westchester ended the year with 1,148,300 square feet of total leasing activity. This is a 35% decrease from 2019’s total leasing (1,762,710 square feet), which actually compares somewhat favorably to the national office leasing decrease of about 40% for the year.

The county had a negative absorption of space totaling 1,292,275 square feet vs. positive net absorption of 273,610 square feet at year end 2019, or a total swing of 1,565,885 square feet. This is a huge reversal of fortune in a market that totals 27.1 million square feet.

Year end 2020’s availability rate (including direct and sublease space) was 24.9% vs.

20.1% in 2019. The 2019 figure was the lowest since 2014, which was another indicator that our market was strong and getting stronger, until the pandemic hit.

While not all that almost 24% availability increase (the 4.8% increment between 2020 and 2019) was solely due to Covid, much of it certainly was. Sublease offerings have certainly increased, as companies are

looking to both reduce costs and to rightsize their space in anticipation of having fewer people in their offices in the foreseeable future. Many of these subleases are short term and these leases are much more likely to run out than they are to be subleased.

The commercial real estate picture in Westchester is still not clear. I have heard almost no concrete plans for offices to fully reopen, and those companies that have mentioned it are thinking about the third or fourth quarters.

Work from home is working well enough for most companies and will likely continue in some form well after offices do reopen. This being said, there are businesses that are making decisions and completing leasing transactions. There are other businesses whose leases are a year or two from expiration and they are already pursuing new leases or lease renewals knowing that they can negotiate a little harder in the current environment. The world will get back to some sort of normal in the foreseeable future. I will keep you posted as new information emerges.

Howard E. Greenberg is president of Howard Properties Ltd. In Valhalla.

Greenberg has more than 34 years of experience as a commercial real estate broker and tenant representative in the Westchester County market. He has also represented tenants throughout the United States and in Europe. He can be reached at (914) 997-0300 or at howard@howprop.com.

Manhattanville College student sues for unrefunded tuition and fees paid during pandemic

BY BILL HELTZEL bheltzel@westfairinc.com

A

former freshman has sued Manhattanville College for keeping tuition and fees for on-campus programs that were shut down last spring in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Purchase college changed handson learning to online instruction, Joseph Laudati, of Walden, Orange County, stated in a Jan. 12 lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, White Plains.

“When this happened,” according to the lawsuit, he “was forced from campus and deprived of the benefit of the bargain for which he had paid.”

Laudati filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of all students who were displaced from the campus during the spring semester.

Spokesperson Cara Cea said Manhattanville would not comment on pending litigation.

Manhattanville offers two distinct academic paths: remote online education and in-person education.

Online courses are specifically marketed to students who do not want face-to-face meetings in classrooms.

In-person education, according to the complaint, fosters an environment that is collaborative, socially responsible and community driven.

Students on campus interact with professors, mentors and peers. They use libraries, labs, gyms and the health center. They participate in extracurricular activities, student governance and cultural events.

Laudati said he paid tuition and other fees for the Jan. 22 to May 10, 2020 spring semester. He does not say how much tuition cost, but this year, one semester costs $19,440, according to the college website.

He also paid a mandatory $725 comprehensive fee for gyms, library and other resources, and $7,233 for room and board.

Manhattanville initially suspended in-person classes on March 11, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the complaint, and moved classes online. Then on March 21, students were told to move out of the dorms by the following day.

In April, the college announced that undergraduates would receive a credit up to $1,850 for fees and room and board for the fall semester. Graduating seniors would receive a refund.

“Unfortunately,” the complaint states, “appropriate refunds and credits were never issued.”

Laudati claims that the policy is inadequate. The housing refund, for instance, worked out to about 20% of the amount students paid yet they were deprived of housing for about half of the semester.

Laudati decided not to return to Manhattanville for his sophomore year.

When he asked for a refund, the complaint states, he was told he was not eligible because he was not returning.

He accuses Manhattanville of breach of contract, unjust enrichment and deceptive practices. He is demanding that the college “disgorge amounts wrongfully obtained for tuition, fees, on-campus housing and meals.”

Manhattan attorneys John M. Bradham and Peter B. Katzman represent Laudati.

PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO EMPLOYEES DURING COVID-19 RECOVERY You need to make sure that they’re healthy and you need to make sure that there’s a sense that you as an employer have their best interests at heart.

However, you will find there are circumstances with the potential for employer liability. There are quite a few State, Federal and NYC employment laws you need to be very sensitive to in terms of whether you can compel somebody to come to work…”

(Excerpted from the Westchester County Business Journal, Aug. 3.)

WE CAN HELP JEFFREY D. BUSS jbuss@sbjlaw.com 914-476-0600

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Norwalk trainer/yoga teacher finds virtual means more focused clients

BY PHIL HALL phall@westfairinc.com

T

he Covid-19 pandemic has been the worst of times for many businesses. But for Norwalk’s Brian Buturla Studios, which focuses on personal and yoga training, the increased reliance on virtual communications during the pandemic created something of an unexpected surprise for its owner.

“I’ve been very blessed,” said Buturla. “A lot of people are home — people aren’t going to play tennis, they’re not bowling, they’re not going to work — and they can meet at any time. So, they press the button and they get the trainer or they get the yoga teacher or they get a meditation session. We have a captive audience — I have had one of the best years ever.”

Buturla said the virtual environment has helped him reconnect with “some old friends who trained here for 10 or 20 years. Their situation just changed, so now I’m able to reconnect and feel like I’m in heaven.”

Buturla’s virtual realm experience is the latest in a career that included working as a trainer for World Gym in Trumbull and becoming the live-in trainer for a well-heeled family in Westport consisting of a father, mother and two young boys.

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“That was great for a while until the kids saw me going to work with my shirt off in my convertible while they were at the bus stop, and they told their mom they wanted to be a trainer,” he recalled. “So, my rent tripled, and here I am living out of somebody’s basement.

Once my rent was the same as a mortgage, I was able to purchase a nice piece of property invite everybody in to my home and this became my home studio.”

Last fall, Buturla achieved advanced certification as a corrective exercise specialist from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, which he dubbed “the gold standard of personal training.” Before certification, Buturla said he was often viewed as sort of a magician to help alleviate or erase ailments, but the new certification will enable him to help clients reduce injury risks, recover from injuries with greater speed and better identify movement compensations to help them achieve wellness goals faster.

“Everybody’s body needs to be maintained, like a car,” he said. “People get a different level of service when they contact someone like me, corrective exercise specialist.”

During the pandemic period, Buturla has seen a rising number of inquiries from desk jockeys who spend too much time working in front of their computers, resulting in a “tech WCBJ

neck” ache. He recommended an exercise to address this digitally induced dilemma.

“Simply by retracting the chin, lengthening the back of the cervical spine, getting the collarbones long, straightening the vertebra in the middle rib cage, taking a good breath into the belly, pretending there’s a string, everything you can do standing for good posture you can do sitting and taking into account these breaks,” he said. “If you have a little handle under the chair you’re sitting on, grab that with one hand and then do the opposite stretch for your neck and take a two second timeout. Isn’t that nice?”

Circling back to his newfound activity in virtual classes, Buturla admitted he did not think this medium would be right for him.

“Honestly, we didn’t think virtual personal training would take off,” he said. “But if I had you right there, we have even more attention than putting you in a room with a lot of distractions. I’ve got your attention, and that’s what works for people,” Buturla currently has about a dozen regular weekly clients and a number of “floaters” who pop in once or twice a month for sessions. His studio staff consists of himself and his wife, Colleen, whom he credits for helping to “clean up after sessions and do all the financial things and appointment settings

Brian Buturla, the Norwalk-based personal trainer and yoga teacher.

Contributed photo.

and rescheduling, so I could stay in the creative end of it. She manages the business and the marketing and social media side of things and helps me with video and photography and everything else that the studio needs. I am so blessed.”

Looking ahead into 2021, Buturla is planning to set up a virtual database where he can store videos of exercise treatments designed to address specific health and wellness needs.

“That means if we don’t have a chance to hook up at a certain hour or day or time, there’s going to be a video shot of every single exercise I think that you need,” he said.

“We would can do a video library through YouTube or the National Academy of Sports Medicine app and say, “Hey, this is your homework — you want to make sure you do these 10 exercises and take care of business on your own and get to me live virtually whenever you can. We’re really polishing the service taking care of the people we already have.”

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Chris Hutchinson, a student in Housatonic Community College’s advanced manufacturing cohort.

Courtesy HCC.

BY PHIL HALL phall@westfairinc.com

H

ousatonic Community College has kicked off the first-ever spring cohort for its advanced manufacturing program, an eight-month initiative that provides students with technical skills needed to secure internship placements and gain entry-level positions as machinists.

Adam Scobie, the program’s coordinator, noted that the program has been a staple of HCC’s fall semester, but several circumstances kept it from having it be available in the spring.

“It’s something that we’ve always wanted to try to do in our program.,” Scobie said.

“A lot of it came down to recruitment and staffing. Most people see this advertised as a fall program, so we’ve been trying really hard to pull in students for the spring. With staffing, our team has grown a lot in the last few years, and that’s allowed us to take on more students, which requires more hours on campus.

According to Scobie, the eight-month endeavor is a two-semester “hands-on program” that introduces students to machine technology and then to computer numerical control, which allows for handling machining tools and 3-D printers via computer.

“You’ll spend a little bit of time in lecture for those classes each week and then you’ll spend close to 12 to 15 hours each week in the lab, actually turning handles cutting machine or cutting metal yourself,” Scobie continued.

“The other classes that we offer support the theory behind manufacturing: we have classes on blueprint reading, metrology and on SolidWorks, which is a computer-aided design. This teaches students the engineering side of manufacturing, how to make solid models, how to make blueprints from the solid models, and then eventually it leads into 3-D printing.”

Students in the program are also required to take manufacturing math courses, which Scobie acknowledge is “difficult, but it’s not super difficult. We start off with the basics, and then by the end of the school year our

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Housatonic Community College expands advanced manufacturing program

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students are doing trig.” Classes in geometric dimensioning and tolerancing are also part of the curriculum.

Students that emerge from the first semester with a 3.0 grade point average can proceed into the second semester, where HCC helps place them into internships.

Scobie estimated that “eight to nine times out of 10” a student’s internship leads to a job offer before the program is over and the school will work to place those who conclude the program without securing employment.

“While we guarantee our interviews, you still have to sit down and sell yourself,” he said. “But we will line you up with as many manufacturers as we need to until you land a job.”

Classes are being held during the evenings at HCC’s Bridgeport campus, with Scobie adding that “as long Housatonic as a whole doesn’t shut down, we’ll be in person.” The spring program has 10 students.

Previous classes had between 20 and 22, but social distancing protocols and room capacity limits have reduced the usual student volume.

“I have about six appointments this week with interested students,” Scobie said. “Even if I get half of those, we will be up to the head count that we need.”

One of the students in the spring program is Stamford resident Chris Hutchinson.

“I was a hotel worker for the last three years, but with the Covid crisis, I was laid off in March,” he said. “I saw the program at HCC for advanced manufacturing and said this is the perfect time for me to attend this program. When I was laid off, it was important to me to try to find work in an industry that had a growing future. When I looked at the growth of the manufacturing industry in this state, there was no question that manufacturing was the place to be.”

Hutchinson added it was “really exciting to dive right in and feel like you’re a part of the production process, manufacturing the parts that customers are going to need. I’m really looking forward to a career in manufacturing. To me, my future looks much brighter than it did six months ago.”

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Workforce strategy

CT Gov. Lamont plans to train 2,000 residents

BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

G

ov. Ned Lamont plans to introduce legislation during the 2021 regular session of the Connecticut General Assembly that would focus on building a robust workforce in the state by developing and investing in short-term training programs, increasing access to post-secondary education, enhancing workforce data collection efforts and codifying a new state office focused on workforce development.

With 190,000 state residents filing for unemployment since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Lamont said that it is paramount that Connecticut develops job training programs, creates new governance structures and implements innovative policies that are focused on helping residents return to work and progress along meaningful career pathways.

The governor is proposing to codify the state’s Office of Workforce Strategy, an office within the Department of Economic and Community Development, that will serve as the connective tissue between educators, industry partners, communi-

ty-based organizations and government agencies so that workforce development programs and strategies are coordinated statewide.

The office will continue to be led by Kelli Vallieres, who has been serving as its executive director since July.

Working in collaboration with other state agencies, including the Department of Labor and the Department of Economic and Community Development, the Office of Workforce Strategy will coordinate short-term training through a new flagship program called CareerConneCT. The program will be an umbrella for a number of different efforts and initiatives, all of which will be focused on creating and scaling high-quality, short-term training programs in industries with high labor demands, such as advanced manufacturing, clean energy, bioscience, cybersecurity and allied health professions.

Through newly formed partnerships among workforce development boards, community colleges, employers and state agencies, the Office of Workforce Strategy recently concluded a series of programs that trained an estimated 850 individuals across in-demand industries, such as

information technology, health care, and manufacturing. These training programs were completed in four months and had a total completion rate of 97 percent across the different providers.

“We’ve seen firsthand through our recently completed CARES Act training programs how effective short-term training programs can be in getting our workforce back on track,” Lamont said.

“CareerConneCT will serve as the backbone for a high-performing workforce that meets the needs of the 21st century economy.”

The governor also announced that Connecticut is receiving a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor that will help build career pathways in the information technology and advanced manufacturing sectors. The grant is expected to provide both entry-level and incumbent worker training to more than 2,000 residents.

“The CARES Act job training programs and the recent grant from the U.S. Department of Labor are just a few examples of what happens when Connecticut stakeholders collaborate together to deliver programming across the state,” Mark FCBJ

Argosh, chair of the Governor’s Workforce Council, said.

“By collaborating with our regional workforce development boards, educators, employers, state agencies and community partners, we are creating lasting partnerships that will improve the outcomes of Connecticut’s workforce.”

“Developing a flexible, modern and high-performing workforce is critical to attracting and retaining businesses and talent in the state,” said David Lehman, commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development.

“Despite the slow jobs market, we continue to see interest in job training initiatives, résumé writing and other career-building activities,” Connecticut Department of Labor Commissioner Kurt Westby said. “Creating strategic initiatives that meet the needs of specific economic sectors is an important way to develop the workforce pipeline.”

The legislative proposal on workforce development is the first that the governor has announced this year. It will be included as part of his package of proposals that will be submitted to the General Assembly in February.

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CONTRIBUTING WRITER

| By Deborah Novick

Economic Forecast: Westchester’s biosciences sector in 2021

BY DEBORAH NOVICK

W

estchester County is home to the largest biosciences cluster in New York state, boasting 8,000 jobs and 20 percent of the state’s total biosciences employment. Our cluster comprises academic institutes doing basic research, R&D startups, large manufacturers and supply chain participants, and related industry experts providing specialized consulting, financing, marketing and communications, as well as other support services.

“Over the last few years, we have seen the bioscience industry grow exponentially in Westchester County, from those in the incubation stage that participate in our programs to the industry leaders expanding their reach,” Westchester County Executive George Latimer said. “We look forward to continuing to support this sector as it brings jobs and innovation to our county, strength-

ening the economy and our business community.”

Bioscience has long been a priority for the Westchester County Office of Economic Development, and our team is investing in its growth and continued success in 2021.

From startups to graduating companies to industry giants We are proud to support biotech startups, stage two companies and global leaders in the broad life sciences industry.

Regeneron, Acorda Therapeutics and the Hudson Valley’s only fully equipped biotechnology incubator, BioInc@NYMC, all call Westchester home.

Recently, we’ve seen more businesses relocating to Westchester from the city.

Oligomerix Inc. moved its headquarters from Manhattan to the Westchester Park Center in White Plains. In addition, Clarapath leased 7,000 square feet at 12

Skyline Drive after coming up from the Bronx. Existing Westchester businesses are also expanding their footprint: PTI recently signed a lease for 13,650 square feet of expansion space, now occupying about 28,000 square feet at 8 Skyline Drive, nearly four times the size of its original offices in Tuckahoe.

Why Westchester With New York ranking second in the nation for both life sciences jobs and higher education degrees in biosciences, Westchester’s vibrant life sciences industry benefits from access to top-notch talent and a wide range of opportunities for this talent pool to apply its skills — thanks in part, to the county’s 28 higher education institutions and award-winning public schools.

But education is only the tip of the iceberg. The perks of working and living in Westchester are endless: minutes away from New York City via car or train; more affordable commercial real estate options; 18,000 acres of parkland; vibrant downtowns and quiet suburbs; and a strong quality of life.

“The reality of it is, you need a ‘live, work, play’ scenario for these clusters to be successful,” said Patricia Ardigo, of PA Life Science Consulting. “When developing a true research park, you need to have that quality of life. These employees want to be able to get out of the lab and get outside when they can. They want a walking trail and to be able to synergistically talk and work together with people from other businesses in the park. That’s how it develops itself.”

We can build it, they will come The county’s largest bioscience cluster centers are at Westchester Medical Center and New York Medical College in Valhalla.

With Regeneron, the BioInc@NYMC incubator (which currently has approximately 1,000 square feet of lab space and 1,500 square feet of office space available), and the North 60, a $1.2 billion bioscience, technology and lifestyle campus in the town of Mount Pleasant, in development, it has become a hub of bioscience in the county.

But the question remains, how much space is available for companies in this sector that are interested in relocating to Westchester.

According to Larry Gottlieb, managing director, life sciences and health technologies for RMC Bio1 — Robert Martin Co., what Westchester can offer is much more than

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Deborah Novick just square footage.

“In 2021, it’s not solely about lab space, but rather the flexibility and connectivity of the workspaces,” he said. “It’s about finding places where we can cluster companies together and plug them into surrounding academia, health care, financial capital and quality of life resources within a zone of innovation. At Robert Martin Co., we are successfully repositioning some of our portfolio by tapping into the growing innovation cluster anchored (in part) by New York Medical College and Regeneron.”

Gottlieb said, “We have the space to accommodate graduating companies. Our hope is by investing and repositioning part of our portfolio, we can take those companies from the graduation phase to the next several phases of their development … to help the next Regeneron or Acorda Therapeutics reach that larger scale.”

BioMed Realty’s Ardsley Park Campus on Saw Mill River Road, home to Acorda Therapeutics, has up to 70,000 square feet of built lab and office space and 100,000 square feet of shell space available for possession immediately.

Supporting the next generation The Westchester County Biosciences Accelerator continues to provide entrepreneurship education and regional networking to seed-stage ventures to build their teams and secure funds. Twelve new startups were selected for the second cohort and began their participation in the program on Jan. 14th. And, the next cohort of Element 46, the county’s incubator network, will prioritize applications from the biosciences industry.

Deborah Novick is the director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation for the Westchester County Office of Economic Development. For more information, visit westchestercatalyst.com.

Fairfield Chamber’s e-gift card program helps boost in-town sales

BY PHIL HALL phall@westfairinc.com

E

ncouraging people to frequent local businesses has become something of a double challenge over the past year, with the increased dominance of e-commerce pummeling the brick-and-mortar retailers while the economic chaos created by the pandemic has forced many people to be more conservative with their spending.

The Fairfield Chamber of Commerce is seeking to get more residents to shop and dine within the community’s stores with a new digital program exclusive to the town’s business community. The Fairfield Community e-Gift Card program was launched in November with the participation of the town government in response to the distinctively challenging economic situation facing the region.

“This is another way to help our business community,” said Beverly Balaz, president of the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce.

“And it keeps local dollars local.”

Before Balaz took the leadership reins at the chamber, the organization did a pilot program with physical gift cards that were redeemable in Fairfield businesses, but that proved to be unwieldy to reconcile and manage and was quickly shelved. Balaz recalled that she was contacted a few years ago by Yiftee, a provider of e-gift card programs and digital promotions focusing on municipalities and chambers of commerce.

Balaz and Mark Barnhart, Fairfield’s director of community and economic development, heard the company’s pitch but initially turned it down.

“Neither one of us had the bandwidth at that time to really sink our teeth into it,” Balaz recalled. “This summer, I thought, ‘How can the chamber continue to promote our local business community? We’re not doing any events.’ So, I had bandwidth here to really dig my teeth into the program and called Mark, and I said, ‘We’re going to do this.’ And he said, ‘I’m in’ — and off, we went.”

The e-gift cards are available through the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce’s website and can be bought by anyone. However, they are only redeemable in the 72 Fairfieldbased businesses participating in the program. The e-gift cards can be acquired in denominations of up to $250, and the purchase is subject to 5% of the card’s value and a $1 delivery fee.

The card recipient is alerted by either email or text, and a personalized message from the purchaser is forwarded to the recipient. When the recipient presents an image of the gift e-card on their phone at the time of redemption, it is processed as a Mastercard transaction and the card bal-

New year.

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The e-gift card as it appears on a smartphone.

Courtesy Fairfield Chamber of Commerce. ance is displayed on the phone. Cards can be used at participating businesses until its amount is fully spent.

Balaz pointed out that unlike the cumbersome physical card program from years back, the new program does not require any new processing tools by merchants.

“If a business takes a credit card already, they don’t have to change their POS (point of sale) system,” she said. “They sign up through the chamber and we get them over to Yiftee, so they’re live and on the website.”

The chamber rolled out the cards in early November, ahead of the year-end holidays and by early January the program had already generated more than 700 e-gift card purchases and more than $42,000 in Fairfield-exclusive transactions.

“I myself gave the shop local e-gift cards as presents this holiday season,” Fairfield First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said.

“This program is a success all around and it makes me happy that our residents supported our local businesses.”

For Balaz, the program has the potential to become a staple of any holiday-focused marketing endeavor.

“We will continue monthly to market and promote themes to buy your e-gift card for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduation and special occasions,” she said. “But this isn’t just a holiday program — it is year-round and will hopefully go on forever.”

Visit one of our branches or call to connect with a local expert.

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Good Things ENTA ACQUIRES ASSETS OF TWO LOCAL PRACTICES ENT and Allergy Associates (ENTA) in Tarrytown has acquired the assets of two private medical practices: Dr. Edward Katime in Garden City and Dr. Shelley R. Berson in West Nyack, both in New York state.

ENTA’s extensive experience in implementing practice integrations ensures services are close to home without any lapse care and treatment.

Katime had been in practice for more than 35 years before retiring in November of 2020.

Berson closed her practice in West Nyack, after seeing patients in that location for more than 30 years.

She now continues to serve military veterans at Castle Point VA Medical Center in Wappingers Falls.. The Oradell office phone number is (201) 722-9850.

Robert Glazer, CEO of ENTA said, “We are truly honored to care for the patients of Dr. Katime and Dr. Berson.

These incredible physicians served their communities for decades. Caring for their patients is not something we take for granted. They have put their trust in us to provide the same quality of care their patients have come to expect and deserve and we will do everything we can to ensure that continues.”

ENTA has more than 220 physicians practicing in 40-plus office locations in Westchester, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, Rockland, Nassau and Suffolk counties, as well as New York City and northern/central New Jersey.

The practice sees more than 90,000 patients per month.

SIX NEW BOARD MEMBERS AT ARTSWESTCHESTER

Mohegan Sun Achieves Health Security Verification

Dawn French

Mark Ettenger

Dave Steck

Troy De Vries

Laura deBuys

Bernie Thombs

Board President Michael Minihan of ArtsWestchester in White Plains recently announced the appointment of six new members to the organization’s board of directors. They include Dawn French, Mark Ettenger, Troy De Vries and Bernard Thombs, each of whom will serve a threeyear term along with two affiliate board members Laura deBuys and Dave Steck who will each serve a two-year term. ArtsWestchester, the largest, private not-forprofit arts council in New York state, provides cultural programs and services that enrich the lives of Westchester residents and visitors.

French is senior vice president of marketing and community outreach for White Plains Hospital guiding its strategic goals.

She is a seasoned health care executive who maintains strong relationships with community and government leaders and

oversees a team that provides philanthropic support for the hospital.

Ettenger is president of The Emelin Theatre, chair of the village of Mamaroneck Ethics Board, president of the Edgewater Point Property Owners Association Inc. and president of the Vail Mountain Lodge and Spa. A former attorney, Ettenger had a 20year career at Goldman Sachs & Co., where he was a managing director.

Thombs is president of Bernard Raymond Incorporated, a security, surveillance and information management company, which specializes in all aspects of public safety for federal, state and municipal government agencies. During his more than 30 years of technical experience, Thombs has worked extensively with federal and state housing authorities and has lectured both nationally and locally on the ever-changing issues of public safety in the workplace and

urban communities. He currently serves as a member of the Westchester County Planning Board, the Hudson Valley Housing Authority and the African American Men of Westchester.

De Vries is general manager, electric operations, Bronx/Westchester for Consolidated Edison Company of New York where he is responsible for the electric distribution system through aerial infrastructure using bucket trucks. During more than 25 years at Con Edison, De Vries’ responsibilities have included risk management strategies and multiple critical programs. deBuys, president and executive director of Picture House Regional Film Center, and Steck, co-founder and executive director of YoFiFest were both nominated by their affiliate peers and then confirmed by ArtsWestchester’s Nominating Committee and Board.

MUSEUM LAUNCHES LOANING ART TO PUBLIC The Aldrich Comtemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield has launched Aldrich Care Box, a year-long traveling exhibi-

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tion unbound to a physical space. The museum’s curatorial and education Departments, Director of Education Namulen Bayarsaihan and Senior Curator Amy Smith-Stewart have commissioned five artists: Ilana Harris-Babou, Clarity Haynes, Athena LaTocha, Curtis Talwst Santiago and James Allister Sprang to create a series of objects that examine themes of care, grief, intimacy and healing through a diverse range of materials, methods and approaches. The Aldrich Care Boxes are available for loan to

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the public from now to Dec. 31.

During the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic, this project provides one-of-a-kind access to a tangible art experience outside the boundaries of the museum’s walls.

The public is invited to borrow one of five identical Aldrich Care Boxes and privately interact with the contents within a setting of their own desire for up to a week. Thus, participants of all ages will be afforded an opportunity to be a part of a distinctively participatory event contrary to the tradition-

ally hands-off museum environment.

The objects made for this project will be nestled together in a branded box, forever connected to each other and their shared encounters with the public.

The Aldrich Care Box will be available to borrow from the museum’s front desk during regular museum hours and by appointment when the museum is closed.

For more information on how to checkout an Aldrich Care Box, visit https://thealdrich.org/exhibitions/aldrich-care-box.

Mohegan Sun in Uncasvulle, recently named an “Industry Innovator” by Eastern Connecticut’s Chamber of Commerce, is now among the first casino resorts in the world to become Sharecare Health Security VERIFIED® with “Forbes Travel Guide.” The comprehensive facility verification helps ensure that guests and travel planners can book with confidence at properties that have appropriate health-safety procedures in place.

This verification also comes with an easily identifiable seal of approval — the Sharecare VERIFIED® with Forbes Travel Guide badge — based on compliance with expert-validated best practices that minimize the risk and impact of Covid-19 and potential future public health events.

“We are thrilled to be one of the first resorts to receive this important verification from Sharecare and Forbes Travel Guide,” said Jeff Hamilton, president and general manager of Mohegan Sun. “This is another testament to our team’s hard work and ability to quickly adapt in the unpredictable environment we live in. We will continue to be an innovative force in the hospitality industry by remaining dedicated to providing a safe atmosphere for guests while delivering exceptional guest service.”

Developed by Forbes Travel Guide, the global authority on genuine FiveStar service and digital health industry leader Sharecare, the comprehensive verification covers more than 360 standards across health and hygiene protocols, cleaning products and procedures, ventilation, physical distancing, the guest experience and health safety communication with guests and employees. Hotels and resorts are required to verify their health protocols on an ongoing basis to ensure continued compliance with the most up-todate global health standards.

STOP & SHOP SELECTS HABITAT FOR COMMUNITY BAG PROGRAM

STAR ADDRESSES LOCAL NEEDS

Christopher Georgiou, M.D.

INTERNIST JOINS SAINT JOSEPH’S MEDICAL PRACTICE Christopher Georgiou, M.D., has joined Saint Joseph’s Medical Center’s Medical Practice PC. In Yonkers and will be providing patient care related to all aspects of internal medicine at the 909 Midland Ave., Yonkers, facility.

Georgiou has been a general Internist with the New York Hotel Trades Council and Hotel Association of New York City Inc. Employee Benefit Funds since 1996. Prior to joining Saint Joseph’s, he had a medical practice in Long Island City, and is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Georgiou received his medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine and has a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from New York University. He completed his internal medicine residency at New York Medical College Consortium, Saint Vincent’s Medical Center of Richmond in Staten Island. His previously held positions include staff nephrologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and at Lower Manhattan Dialysis.

Saint Joseph’s Medical Practice is a multispecialty physician medical practice with nine offices in Yonkers, the Bronx, Riverdale and Manhattan.

The staff of highly trained physicians, board certified in family medicine and internal medicine, provide diagnosis, preventive, education and treatment for a wide range of illnesses and conditions.

Since 1888, Saint Joseph’s Medical Center has served Yonkers and the surrounding communities of Westchester and New York City with patient-centered, quality-focused inpatient and outpatient care.

Information for these features has been submitted by the subjects or their delegates.

STAR Inc. Lighting the Way hosted a spirited zoom kickoff event for its Martin Luther King Day of Service 2021 after receiving a $20,000 grant from The Arc-US and AmeriCorps to create a collaborative program between STAR and community partners, Open Doors Shelter and Person-to-Person, to address local food insecurity and hunger. This STAR initiative honors the work of Dr. Martin Luther King especially on the recent 26th anniversary of the MLK Day of Service. STAR Executive Director Katie Banzhaf said, “We were pleased to receive this generous grant again from The Arc US and AmeriCorps to launch an ongoing program of community outreach that includes people with disabilities assisting to help resolve a local need. STAR participants who are typically on the receiving end of community goodwill will be given a chance to pay it forward and make a meaningful impact throughout the year.”

Local businesses such as Fairfield County Bank, Priceline, BMW Darien, Bankwell, Groove, Tracy Locke, Palmers Market and Charkit signed up and helped STAR particularly with its food-distribution efforts.

From left: Star client, Star employee Troy Montgomery and Star client.

STAR Inc., Lighting the Way is a not–for-profit organization established in 1952 to serve individuals of all ages who are impacted by intellectual and devel-

opmental disabilities in Fairfield County, as well as providing support services to their families. For more information, visit starct.org.

SIMSBURY NONPROFITS TEAM UP FOR ANNUAL SPRING FUNDRAISER

Housatonic Habitat for Humanity in Danbury has been selected as the nonprofit of the month by Stop & Shop at 25 State Route 39 in New Fairfield. For each Community Bag purchased by customers during February, Housatonic Habitat for Humanity will receive a $1 donation.

Customers who purchase Stop & Shop Community Bags at other Stop & Shop may also direct their donations to Housatonic Habitat for Humanity by scanning the ticket on the bag and selecting Housatonic Habitat as their charity of choice.

“We are delighted to partner with Stop & Shop and help the environment at the same time,” said Fran Normann, executive director of Housatonic Habitat.

Housatonic Habitat for Humanity focuses on making a meaningful difference in the lives of qualified working families by promoting financial stability and self-sufficiency through ownership of affordable homes.

Households often consist of those who have limited assets and who have jobs that also have income caps.

CONNECT WITH westfair communications

Lisa Gray, founder and executive director, A Promise to Jordan, and Bob Miles, secretary of Simsbury Lions Club. Courtesy A Promise to Jordan.

Simsbury nonprofit A Promise to Jordan and the Simsbury Lions Club are teaming up to present “Ks to Kick Addiction and Blindness” on Saturday, June 12 to support the community and humanitarian services of the Lions Club and the mission of A Promise to Jordan to raise awareness of the problem of substance use disorders, erase the stigma and assist people in accessing quality care.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center and will consist of a 5K, 10K

walk and 15K bike ride along the railsto-trails path in Simsbury. “We are very excited to be partnering with the Simsbury Lions Club for the first time on this important event,” said Lisa Gray, founder and executive director of A Promise to Jordan.

Wanda Colman, marketing and communications chair of the Simsbury Lions Clubsaid , “The Simsbury Lions Club is pleased to co-sponsor this event with A Promise To Jordan. We believe it is crucial to increase awareness of the devastating

impact of addiction….”

Gray noted that marketing and volunteer opportunities associated with the event are available. Interested businesses can “adopt” a portion of the walking or biking track, set up a vendor space and more.

Registration is now open for the event on the A Promise to Jordan website, apromisetojordan.org. Each event costs $20 per person to enter.

For more information, contact info@ apromisetojordan.org or 860-390-1391.

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FEBRUARY 1, 2021

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Good Things OPEN DOOR: OVERCOMING VACCINE HESITANCY IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR Nearly 40 percent of Americans say they will definitely not or probably not get the Covid-19 vaccine when it becomes available to them according to a December Pew Research Center survey.

It is the overwhelming number of people of color living in underserved communities that most concerns health care providers like Open Door Family Medical Center.

“Communities of color have been hit hardest by the pandemic and are the same communities where vaccine hesitancy is most prevalent,” said Dr. Daren Wu, chief medical officer at Open Door, a Federally Qualified Health Center with sites throughout the Lower Hudson Valley region.

A more recent poll released by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that Black Americans continue to remain skeptical about the vaccine with only 35 percent saying they definitely or probably would not get vaccinated, citing concerns about side effects and the newness of the vaccine.

“These findings are not surprising, said Wu. “They are due to a history of racial bias, mistrust of the American health care system and access inequities. This skepticism certainly seems justified given the exploitation of communities of color by the medical establishment over the years.”

Prior to the pandemic, Open Door has worked closely with local clergy, elected officials and business leaders to improve public health outcomes with safety as a priority.

“We want the community to feel secure knowing that producers of these vaccines have strictly adhered to the necessary research, protocols and testing,” said Wu. “The vaccines have been brought to market in record time because of massive funding and collaboration across the globe between private and government funders. They have not been rushed to the detriment of their safety or efficacy.”

Wu stressed the importance of overcoming vaccine hesitancy at a time when a record number of Americans are being hospitalized and dying daily (an average of more than 4,000). Westchester County has been hit hard, reporting the third-highest rate of coronavirus infections in New York state.

Open Door has seen the surge in infections among its own patients. The positivity rate jumped to 29% in the final weeks of December. Open Door is currently providing more than 1,000 tests per week. Its mission has remained consistent since 1972: to provide high-quality health care that’s affordable, accessible and efficient.

Today, Open Door cares for more than 1,000 adults and children every day in Westchester, Putnam and Ulster counties with more than 300,000 patient visits and over 400 babies delivered annually regardless of one’s ability to pay. Open Door was recognized as the number one New York State Health Disparity Reducer and a leading Access Enhancer by the Health Resources Service Administration (HRSA).

FENSTERMAN FIRM WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS Abrams Fensterman has announced that retired Justice Jeffrey A. Cohen, of the Appellate Division, Second Department; and David A. House, formerly senior principal law clerk to Appellate Division Justice Sheri S. Roman, have joined the firm in its White Plains office. Cohen will serve as of counsel and House as partner.

Prior to his appointment by Governor David Patterson in December 2010 to the appellate division where he served for 10 years, Cohen was elected in 2009 to the New York State Supreme Court, Ninth Judicial District. He had been a judge of the Westchester County Court and acting justice of the Supreme

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FEBRUARY 1, 2021

Deborah Fay, manager of government affairs, New York at Entergy, has been selected to receive Volunteer New York!’s premier Legacy Award to be presented at the 41st annual volunteer Spirit Awards on Friday, April 9. The Legacy Award is given to a prominent leader in Westchester with a strong personal and professional commitment to volunteerism. The award ceremony will take place virtually. Last year’s inaugural live-streaming event proved that the magic of this celebration could still be shared and felt throughout the community virtually, as viewership totaled over 10 times the attendance of past sold-out in-person Volunteer Spirit Award events.

“On behalf of Volunteer New York!’s Board we are honored to present the

2021 Legacy Award to Deborah Fay…. Part of Deb’s legacy is the transformational impact she has had on countless organizations that are able to sustainably fulfill their missions for years to come due to her support,” said Valerie Mason Cunningham, Volunteer New York! board chair.

Fay joined Entergy, an integrated energy company, in 2002. Besides her manager of government affairs position she serves as the company’s corporate contributions coordinator supporting Entergy’s commitment to social responsibility, which has contributed more than $30 million over 20 years to more than 100 organizations.

Sponsorship opportunities for the Volunteer Spirit Awards event are now

Deborah Fay

available at volunteernewyork.org/ awards or by reaching out to Elisabeth Vieselmeyer at 914-227-9307 or evieselmeyer@volunteernewyork.org.

PROMOTION IN LEADING U.S. ACCOUNTING FIRM CliftonLarsonAllen LLP (CLA), one of the leading professional services firms in the U.S., recently announced the advancement of Sarah Watson, CPA, MBA, to the position of principal in the firm. Joseph Kask, CLA’s managing principal for New England, said, “Watson has served as an invaluable member of the firm’s tax team for many years, with more than 10 years of experience in public accounting performing tax compliance and planning services for privately held businesses and their owners.” Watson works out of CLA’s Shelton, Connecticut, office. Her areas of focus include taxation of high-networth individuals and pass-through entities such as partnerships, limited

liability companies and S corporations.

“Sarah has excelled as part of our accounting practice, bringing a unique skillset to a wide array of clients across several of CLA’s core industries….”Kask said.

Watson received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Western Connecticut State University and a Master of Business Administration from Salve Regina University. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants and serves as the treasurer for the Connecticut Alliance for Victims of Violence and Their Families Inc. With more than 6,200 people, 120

Sarah Watson

U.S. locations and a global affiliation, CLA exists to create opportunities through industry-focused wealth advisory, outsourcing, audit, tax and consulting services.

WCHS APPOINTS CO-DIRECTOR

Court since 2007. In 1990, Cohen was elected town justice of the town of Yorktown. During his 17 years on that bench, he also served, by appointment, as an acting city court judge in Westchester’s cities. Prior to his election he was a founding partner of Cohen, Timko & Moses, LLP, in White Plains.

House has been the senior principal law clerk to Justice Roman for 10 years. For six years before that, he was an appellate court attorney in the same court. He graduated cum laude from Pace University School of Law in White Plains and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Massachusetts, also cum laude.

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ENTERGY EXEC LEGACY AWARD WINNER

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The Board of Trustees of the Westchester County Historical Society (WCHS) recently announced that Barbara Davis of New Rochelle is joining Susanne Pandich in the shared position of co-director of WCHS. Most recently the community relations coordinator for the New Rochelle Public Library, Davis earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Goddard College and is the author/producer of dozens of articles and media presentations chronicling the history and features of Westchester County.

Besides serving as New Rochelle’s city historian, Davis has served two six-year

terms as a trustee of the Westchester County Historical Society and was its president from 1991 to 1993. She served as chair of the Westchester County Historic Preservation Advisory Council and has worked for Westchester County, the Westchester Library System and the Hudson River Museum.

In making the announcement, WCHS Board Chairman Susan Jainchill said, “We were presented with this wonderful and unexpected opportunity to have two experienced professionals combine forces in leading us into a new phase of promoting and preserving our county’s history. We couldn’t turn that down.”

Established in 1874, the Westchester County Historical Society is one of the oldest historical societies in America and the only organization that collects and promotes the countywide history of Westchester. The society’s comprehensive and accessible collection of books, pamphlets, periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts, maps and atlases and images pertaining to the history and genealogy of Westchester County is housed in the state-of-the art temperature- and humidity-controlled environment of the Westchester County Records Center located at 2199 Saw Mill River Road, Elmsford.

WELLNESS The Westchester and Fairfield County Business Journals Team With Sister Publication, WAG Welcome to a new feature of the Westchester and Fairfield County Business Journals — a taste of its sister publication, WAG magazine, celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Each month, WAG — a thematic luxury lifestyle publication judged a top magazine in New York state for the last five years — brings readers provocative profiles as well as unusual takes on everything from Fashion & Beauty to Travel, Food & Spirits, Wellness and Pet Care.

This week, we spotlight the Wellness portion of WAG’s combined January-February issue, “Reinventing Ourselves.”

WELLBEING • MINDFULNESS • CREATIVIT Y • ESCAPING

Breathe and make time for yourself

RELISH, RELAX, REFRESH

WELLBEING • MINDFULNESS • CREATIVIT Y • ESCAPE

Breathe and make time for yourself

Paint yourself happy Wall of hope How to holiday from home Natural healing Out of the past Sunlight and shadows Identity parade Off the grid Dip into past times Straight from the heart

Enchanted sleep Beyond the thrill The art of not compromising Into the wild As right as rain Positively blinkered Step back in time Pictures of you Be transported Ring in the spontaneous

WELLBEING • MINDFULNESS • CREATIVIT Y • ESCAPE

WELLBEING • MINDFULNESS • CREATIVIT Y • ESCAPE

Breathe and make time for yourself

Breathe and make time for yourself

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA All fired up Pearls of thought Don’t make do – mend Unfinished conversations Circle of trust In tune with nature Collective differences Sounds that time forgot The script of your life Lost birds

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Breathe magazine invites you to “make time for yourself.” Courtesy Breathe magazine.

t’s not often that we write about other publications, but we wanted to give a shoutout to Breathe — a magazine designed to help you exhale and thus recharge.

Breathe — which comes out of the United Kingdom but can be found on American newsstands — is subtitled “and make time for yourself.” Each issue is divided into five sections — well-being, living, mindfulness, creativity and escape. Issue 33, for example, includes: A step-by-step guide to analyzing your own handwriting with a page to “Try It Out”; An article on navigating differences with others that opens with this great quote by Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union: “Peace is not unity in similar-

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New Year’s realisations Meet and greet Balancing act Make every word count Into the storm London calling How to live well in limbo Absolute beginners More than a feeling Uninvited guests

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ity but unity in diversity, in the comparison and conciliation of differences.”

Recipes on cooking charred mackerel, fire-grilled beetroot and baked peaches out of doors; A look at self-publishing and a number of self-published successes ranging from Beatrix Potter’s “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” to E.L. James’ “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

And a tour of some of the world’s most “Seductive Sunsets.”

The clearly written articles are offset by highlight boxes and bullets of key points and accompanied by illustrations that draw you in with a mix of photography and hyperrealistic drawings in saturated colors.

But what makes Breathe so, well, breathable is an unusual viewpoint that allows you to tune in to yourself without any hint

of narcissism. (Indeed, Breathe’s special edition on gratitude — a subject WAG covered in its November issue — contains an article that suggests you “Love Yourself First.”)

Breathe understands that you have to go deep within to reach out, that sometimes you have to take your foot off the pedal to succeed; and that failure often later breeds success.

Meanwhile, Breathe inspires others. In one of the issues we purchased at Barnes & Noble’s concept store in Eastchester, we found a child’s drawing on a small, rectangular piece of paper with a flower in lavender, blue and gray. Underneath was written “Stay on the path to no resistance.”

We’re taking that as a sign from the universe as it sounds very Breathe-able.

For more, visit breathemagazine.com.

We brought the best pediatric specialists closer to you.

The newly opened Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital Pediatric Specialty Center brings top specialists to one convenient Greenwich location. From allergies to cancer treatment, your child will be cared for by specialists from a children’s hospital that ranks among the best in the country according to U.S. News & World Report. In addition, Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital physicians provide 24/7 emergency services and onsite care for children at Greenwich Hospital. Everything your child could need from our top ranked children’s hospital is now close by. ynhch.org

G T H N I E G T A I D S E S A M

Top clockwise: The lounge and hallway at Vicki Morav; the lounge at the Parlor. Courtesy Vicki Morav and the Parlor.

BY G

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t is perhaps no small irony that spas — oases of wellness — posed particular challenges in the Covid-19 era, given the proximity with which aestheticians work with clients. But where there’s a will, there’s a way as evinced by the opening of two new spas in Manhattan recently, both with enhanced antiviral protocols.

At the very least, they are there for spa lovers when they feel it is safe for them to luxuriate once more.

Vicki Morav wagmag.com/creating-aspa-at-home/ — known for her holistic approach to skincare using the sumptuous Swiss skincare lines Biologique Recherche and Valmont, among others — has opened a 32,000-square-foot space on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Pietro Simone wagmag.com/nourishing-the-theater-oflife/ — known for facial and body treatments using his anti-aging, botanicals-based Italian Bella Complex — has opened a tworoom suite at midtown’s The Parlor, a curated collection of beauty and wellness practices.

TREATING THE WHOLE PERSON When we interviewed Morav in the midst of the pandemic last summer, we learned that she considers the integrity of the individual — genetic history, predispositions and existing conditions — before designing a course of action that addresses nutrition, hormones, stress, exercise, environment,

habits and states of mental, physical and spiritual well-being. The new space, designed by Mathew Kelly, founding CEO of MKDREAMDESIGN, reflects this on its two floors. The first floor includes a welcome area, a retail space of beauty products, new treatment rooms ornamented with crystals and state-of-the-art saunas and showers.

The second floor has four treatment rooms for Morav’s anti-aging services as well as a space for panel discussions, educational workshops and meditation.

The spa is at 19 E. 71St. For more, call 212-744-4753 or visit vickimorav.com.

A NEW ‘THEATER’ When we interviewed Simone, he told us he considers the skin to be “the theater of life” as it is the largest organ in the body, one that becomes the backdrop for the self.

Simone nourishes that back-drop with his two skincare lines, Essential and Prestige, which draw on such ingredients as Puglian tomato seed oil, Tuscan grapeseed oil, Vesuvian apple, edelweiss and Sicilian almond oil in a host of bespoke treatments in his Parlor locale. Among those treatments is the Aurum Radiance Infusion, which uses a 24-karat gold peel and massage to revamp and reenergize the skin.

The Pietro Simone Skincare clinic is at 160 Madison Ave. For more, visit pietrosimone.com.

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Your Heart is in

good hands.

White Plains Hospital is here for all your family’s urgent, routine and specialized health care needs – including a full-service program of advanced cardiac services.

Early Detection Is Key

Curtailing Complications

Access to Advanced Care

“It’s estimated that 80 percent of cardiac events such as heart attack and stroke can be prevented,” says Dr. Roger Cappucci, Chief of Cardiology at White Plains Hospital. “Consulting with a specialist if you are at risk or are having warning signs can help us assess your condition and, in coordination with the many other sub-specialists here, develop a comprehensive cardiac care plan that is personalized for each patient.”

“Between 3 to 6 million people in the country have arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat, and the chances of developing one increases with age,” notes Dr. Daniel Wang, Director of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Program at White Plains Hospital. “Our providers use only the most advanced technology and research-proven techniques in our highly specialized labs to maximize safety and efficacy.”

“We pride ourselves on the fact that we are able to provide our patients with advanced coronary procedures, close to home,” notes Dr. Dimitrios Bliagos, Chief of Interventional Cardiology at White Plains Hospital. “It is often thought that you need to travel far to receive complex care. At the Hospital, we can treat everything from the routine to the most complex cardiac disease, with a personalized experience you can only get at a community hospital.”

COMPREHENSIVE CARDIAC CARE AT WHITE PLAINS HOSPITAL • Board-certified and fellowship trained experts in cardiovascular specialties available at several convenient locations • Two state-of-the-art cardiac catherization labs to implement the latest therapies in catheter ablation, pacemakers, and defibrillators, including remote monitoring • Advanced imaging techniques, such as CT-angiography, MRI, MRA and carotid ultrasound • First New York State-designated Regional Stroke Center in Westchester, with expert Stroke Team onsite 24/7

To find a physician call 914-849-MyMD or visit wphospital.org

COMING 2021. We are pleased to further enhance our cardiology programs and facilities with exciting new developments this year! The Center for Advanced Medicine & Surgery is scheduled to open this summer and is a nine-story, 252,000 sq. ft. building, featuring a state-of-the-art Heart & Vascular Center.

HEART DISEASE IN WOMEN

reversing the trend

Women know to schedule regular mammograms, but they continue to lag behind men in getting screened for heart disease – the No. 1 killer of women in the United States.

According to the American Heart Association, almost twothirds (64%) of women who die suddenly from coronary heart disease exhibit no previous symptoms. “This is why primary care physicians and cardiologists stress the importance of regular cardiac screening for women,” says Dr. Shalini Bobra, a cardiologist and specialist in women’s cardiovascular health at White Plains Hospital.

Dr. Bobra offers the following tips on how to spot the signs of a heart attack and what you can do to lower your risk.

Some of the most common signs of a heart attack in women include: chest pain that is more often “tightness” than sudden searing pain; general weakness; shortness of breath; and pain anywhere in the upper body, like the back of the neck or jaw.

Additionally, women who are experiencing signs of a heart attack often don’t seek the immediate, life-saving care they need. It is common for women to wait more than six hours after first feeling the symptoms of a heart attack before going to the ER, as they believe they are experiencing non-lifethreatening conditions like acid reflux, the flu, or normal aging.

Take Some Healthy Steps In addition to discussing your personal risk with a cardiologist, Dr. Bobra says these lifestyle changes can greatly impact heart health in women: • Don’t smoke, or quit now – By quitting smoking, you cut your risk of coronary heart disease by about 50%.

• Exercise moderately for 30 minutes a day (or as advised by your medical professional) – Walking, taking the stairs, and parking in the farthest spot all count.

• Eat a well-balanced diet – Avoid processed foods and stick to natural, whole foods. “We recommend a Mediterranean-style diet that is more plant based, for optimal heart health,” says Dr. Bobra.

Visit wphospital.org/cardiac to take our cardiac risk self-assessment.

ADDRESSING MALE WELLNESS

BY GIOVANNI ROSELLI From left: New York/Connecticut fitness instructor Isak Spanjol, author Giovanni Roselli and Men Care Now CEO Nicolas de Alejo. Courtesy Roselli Health & Fitness.

O

“Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self”. — “The Bhagavad Gita

ver this past year we have all had to pivot in some way shape or form. One of the ways I have kept myself busy is by welcoming opportunities that I may not have been introduced to otherwise. A few years ago while teaching a seminar in Greenwich, I met local yoga instructor Nicolas de Alejo. Little did we know we would one day be working together on a virtual project that we hope will introduce a whole new kind of health and consciousness to men’s fitness routines and regiments.

MEN CARE NOW Having lived in the high-octane world of finance in New York and coming into contact with many diverse types of men living in what some would call a stressful city, de Alejo decided to formulate tools and programs for helping men grow, heal, cope, develop and excel. I was honored to be asked to join the team as the biomechanics lead, along with top health and wellness experts Mike Okech, Loren Fishman, M.D., Aaron Powell, Ernesto Lira De La Rosa and others.

Together, we bring our diverse knowledge, energy and passion working with men

to help Nic create an approach to needed behavioral and physical change. Men Care Now is a platform for mind and body, helping men achieve physical and mental fitness for a healthy state of being. Since things affect men differently than women, and men experience and are exposed to different pressures and difficulties, the Men Care Now platform focuses strictly on men’s physical and mental fitness.

The men’s physical and mental training programs span multiple modalities, understanding all men are not created the same nor do all men have the same experiences and perspectives.

The primary virtual training offerings include: • Well-Being Fundamentals • Yoga Basics Intensive • Yoga Teacher Training VIRTUAL TEACHER TRAINING In the fall of 2020, MCN launched its first 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification done completely virtually with participants all around the country. I had the pleasure of working with the students on a bimonthly basis, specifically discussing the biomechanics of how certain joint structures and systems play a role in the MCN curriculum. The training explores the traditional components of a Yoga Teacher

Training program as outlined by the Yoga Alliance. The course covers yoga teacher training live, video study and partner work, and also includes additional opportunities to learn through books, journaling and homework. The assignments are embedded throughout the training and both Google Classroom and Zoom are used.

This program embodies the traditional aspects of yoga and allows many perspectives to drive the ancient wisdom of the practice of yoga. By exploring the practice from many perspectives, students are able to create a deeper connection to the practice while also understanding more about other experiences and how they might be unique or similar to their own.

Regardless of how it compares, the focus of this training is love and compassion for ourselves, for our community and for our planet. And isn’t that something we can all appreciate and get behind?

Wishing everyone health and safety as we continue to navigate through another year filled with unknowns and uncertainty.

Interested in learning more about the Men Care Now program? Feel free to shoot me a message at Gio@GiovanniRoselli.com and I’ll be happy to answer any questions as well as make the necessary introductions.

BRAND NEW ASSISTED LIVING RESIDENCE FOR OVER 30 YEARS, CHELSEA SENIOR LIVING HAS BEEN DEDICATED TO PROVIDING A COMFORTABLE, SAFE, AND SECURE HOME IN A CARING ATMOSPHERE OF RESPECT AND DIGNITY.

“I’m so happy to be here. It was worth waiting for!”

– Theresa S. (resident) “I feel my mom is in excellent professional hands. Your whole team was outstanding.” – Gary K. (son of resident)

CALL TO LEARN ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY AND HOW WE MIGHT HELP YOUR FAMILY 914-350-2588 The Chelsea at Greenburgh Assisted Living • Memory Care Respite/Trial Stays 715 Dobbs Ferry Road Greenburgh, NY 10607 ChelseaForYou.com

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Sandals' Red Lane Spa offers sybaritic outdoor spa treatments under a sun-kissed palapa.

Courtesy Sandals Resorts.

WAGMAG.COM JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

BY D E B

BI K.

KI C K

HAM

A

fter the year we all had, a spa experience to rejuvenate and refresh our minds, bodies and souls could be the perfect remedy to take on the New Year.

Well, now you can step into Sandals (not just your slip-on sandals), but I am talking Sandals Resorts, with some of the most posh spas I have experienced.

Yes, it’s an all-inclusive resort, and no, not all all-inclusives are created equal. Located throughout the Caribbean, Sandals Resorts offer high caliber amenities and services for couples in love. With an improving health picture around the corner, this could be the ultimate romantic getaway your heart, body and soul so desires. All you need to do is bring someone you’re crazy about.

If you feel the need to immerse yourself in a restored sense of well-being with a good, nurturing massage, you’re not alone. According to experts, today’s travelers are increasingly stressed, citing fewer vacation days to enjoy, a continued connection to their mobile devices and a constant worry of what’s been left back at home — not to mention the Covid pandemic. Indeed, a recent Spafinder Wellness 365 consumer survey found that 85 percent of people have returned from a vacation less rejuvenated than when they arrived. At the award-winning Red Lane Spas at Sandals Resorts, they have made it their mission to undo the trend, creating a vacation experience for couples to focus on “connection, time and love.” The spa features signature treatments curated to promote relaxation and romance.

The menu of treatments infuse Caribbean elements into the spa experience with aromas and ingredients from the islands such as coffee, ginger, raw sugar cane and coconut.

“Just like an incredible vacation, your spa experience should be transformational,” says Adam Stewart, deputy chairman of Sandals Resorts International.

The Spafinder survey also says that travelers report wanting a more nuanced “wellness” experience during their vacation, with 82 percent seeking spa treatments. Sandals Red Lane Spa believes that the path to this sought-after wellness immersion begins with the intent to allow couples to dissolve the every-

day worries and distractions of life in order to reconnect, both physically and emotionally.

They have also created a product line so good even USA Today voted it as one of the Best Splurge-Worthy Gifts of 2020. (I find that the complimentary, in-room amenities of the Red Lane Revitalizing sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner particularly noteworthy, ensuring terrific tresses as a result.)

Red Lane Spas’ enhanced, all-natural product line represents the regions of the Caribbean in which Sandals has resorts, including Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Antigua, Barbados, Grenada and the Bahamas. Featuring body lotion, body butter, shower gel, mineral bath salts, body scrubs, organic oils, candles and a suncare line, the products include organic ingredients whenever possible and are free of parabens, sulfates and synthetic fragrances. The products come in a range of five distinct blends including: Island Essence — A revitalizing blend of coconut, mango lime and green tea extracts to heighten and revitalize the senses that is the signature scent of Red Lane Spas; Fevergrass — A fresh lemongrass scent representing the island of Jamaica and combined with ugli fruit and green tea to invigorate and grab the senses, taking you on an aromatic journey; Wild Sugar — Capturing the sweetness and playfulness of the Eastern Caribbean with the essences of guava and green tea mingling with mango; Spice: A rich, musky blend of nutmeg, bayberry and clove — inspired by Grenada, known as “Spice Island,” to take you on a relaxing, southern Caribbean-inspired journey.

Using these scents, couples are especially encouraged to rekindle their romance through a series of exotic massage experiences, focused on the art of touch, serenity and connection. Signature treatments include the Scents of Love Couples Massage. Therapists guide couples through a romantic candle lighting and warm massage oil ritual based upon the chosen sensory experience.

To continue the path toward relaxation, Sandals Resorts also offer a full array of fitness experiences, including beach yoga, power walks, couples stretching and aqua fitness by the sea, as well as state-of-theart fitness centers at each resort — so you can dine at all of the included restaurants and still look good in your bikini.

And let’s not forget about an unforgettable Vow Renewal Ceremony on the beach.

For more on the Red Lane Spas at Sandals Resorts, visit sandals.com or call 877-SANDALS. And follow Debbi on Instagram at @Debbikickham.

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VID

G N I O G C A D N A DURIN M G CO

BY AL

EX

DIM

IT R I U,

MD

Alex Dimitriu, M.D.

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magine trying to tell yourself not to think about the coronavirus.

Impossible, right?

But everyday virus-prevention measures such as handwashing, disinfecting and physical distancing also happen to overlap tremendously with the type of circular thinking and repetitive behaviors known all too well by those with obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD. Tangled with anxiety, OCD is now recognized as a separate diagnosis in the DSM-5 manual of mental disorders. But both conditions unquestionably share impulse control problems as a trait. And Covid-19 presents a perfect storm of sorts to anxious and obsessive people, whom mental health professionals describe as “sticky” due to their trouble letting go of thoughts, fears and impulses.

Walking a fine line between doing what’s necessary to avoid the virus and doing too much too often is an especially fraught tightrope for those with OCD. OVERLAPPING FEARS TRIGGER OCD BEHAVIORS All of us need to focus each day on taking proper steps to avoid catching the coronavirus and unwittingly spreading it to others if we’re asymptomatic. And these measures simply take time, whether it’s restocking masks or disinfectant supplies, diligently washing our hands in 20-second spurts or strategizing

about how to stay 6 feet apart from others in various settings safely.

While these actions add up, however, they probably still don’t take the one hour or more each day that crosses into the realm of OCD. Obsessions, compulsions and disruptive thoughts trigger marked distress for those with the disorder, consuming an hour or more of a sufferer’s day or significantly interfering with their ability to work, go to school, socialize and otherwise live their daily lives normally.

Several aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic might trigger OCD-related fears and behaviors. What do they include?

• Contamination: Keeping hands, body and surfaces clean can be a daily obsession for someone with OCD during normal times. So public health advice to wash hands more often and using proper techniques can trigger excessive handwashing and household disinfecting far beyond what’s necessary. Sufferers may also pressure family and friends to wash their own hands frequently.

• Hoarding: Buying months’ worth of toilet paper, canned goods and other pandemic supplies? In Covid times, it doesn’t take a diagnosis of OCD to trigger the urge to stockpile. A scarcity mindset has infected many of us. But someone with OCD may panic-shop, which can lead to hoarding.

• Harming Others: Either by accident or on purpose, some with OCD worry excessively about hurting others. But Covid-19 may turn up the volume on such fears, triggering sufferers to go to extremes to avoid spreading the virus. They may decide to forgo any trip out of their home, even to shop for food or other necessities.

TIPS FOR COPING AND COMPASSION Nobody likes feeling anxious. For those with OCD, anxiety levels can be crippling.

But a sometimes-overlooked aspect about anxiety is that there’s a “sweet spot” that actually works in our favor. Too little anxiety can be as harmful as too much — but the right amount can be healthy and useful, propelling us forward to take care of ourselves and our priorities.

The same is true for OCD, of course, as well as the fear of germs and contamination. If you have OCD or know someone who does, watch for ways that the Covid-19 crisis may be changing OCD symptoms, obsessions and behaviors. Those in treat-

ment for OCD should talk to their mental health providers about these ripple effects.

There are also ways you can better cope at balancing public health advice and symptoms. These include: • Limit news or information: No, you don’t have to turn off the news completely or avoid all public messaging. It might lower anxiety, however, to allow only 10 or 15 minutes a day to update yourself on the latest about the health crisis.

• Disinfect on a schedule: Clean surfaces in your home only once a day for several minutes and no more. If no one has visited, you don’t need to wipe down the doorknobs again.

• Handwash for only 20 seconds: Sure, follow public health guidelines regarding handwashing. But overdoing it can actually introduce infection by breaking down the moisture barrier of your skin.

• "Practice resisting (some) impulses": While it's good to be thoughtful and careful, it's also equally important to know when it's too much. Take handwashing as an example or any checking behavior. At some point it can be too much (especially if no threat of contamination is present).

In these instances, and more generally for anyone with any repetitive or checking behavior, I ask that person to try to resist the "impulse" at least one in fives times, maybe one in three times, especially when there is no clear risk or danger. The goal is not to be completely under the control of our fears and irresistible impulses. Otherwise, it can quickly become a slippery slope, and behaviors can go unchecked.

If anything positive can result from the coronavirus pandemic, it’s that it offers those without OCD a valuable window into anxiety. On a daily basis, every one of us is getting a chance to experience what it’s like to live with anxiety and behaviors that may veer toward obsession.

Next time you’re wondering if you’ve washed your hands enough or worry you’ve somehow spread the virus to another person, it’s a small glimpse into OCD — and an opportunity for greater understanding.

Alex Dimitriu, M.D., is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. For more, visit siliconpsych.com.

possible, it’s been harder for some to stay motivated about weight.

LOSING THE ‘PANDEMIC 15’ IN 2021

"L

BY PREETI PUSALKAR, CNS

ose weight.” It’s one of the top New Year’s resolutions people make every January. But with the 2020 we all just experienced — hoo boy! — this common resolution is even more pressing for many as 2021 begins. Whether you call it the “Quarantine 15” or merely “pandemic pounds,” you’re definitely not alone if you’re among those who gained weight during the Covid-19 health crisis gripping the globe.

According to a survey commissioned by Nutrisystem, more than three-quarters of Americans gained up to 16 pounds between the months of March and July 2020 alone.

Another 63% said they were prioritizing weight loss after quarantine to slice off the excess pounds that crept on during lockdown.

WHY WE’VE GAINED WEIGHT It’s easy to see why so many have packed on the pounds this past year — especially if you had already struggled with your weight.

The pandemic created a perfect storm of sorts for weight gain, with many factors prompting people to eat more and exercise less. What contributed?

• Stress and anxiety: Nothing like a glob-

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al health crisis to trigger emotional eating, right? Many of the excess calories have also come in the form of “comfort foods” brimming with sugar and simple carbohydrates.

On top of that, stress ramps up our body’s production of cortisol, fueling weight gain.

• Boredom: Stuck at home during lockdown, many of us tickled our taste buds just to stave off the humdrum nature of our days. A lot of us also tried decadent new recipes and did a lot of baking. (Sourdough bread, anyone?)

• Lack of focus: The sheer volume of information streaming in every day about Covid-19 — even if you and family members were lucky enough to avoid catching the virus — made healthier lifestyle choices that much harder.

• Gym and park closures: Exercise routines were upended by on-again, off-again shutdowns around the United States all year.

These disruptions demolished many people’s best-laid plans for cardio, weightlifting and exercise classes.

• Postponed medical checkups: Physical exams at the doctor’s office and readings of blood pressure and cholesterol levels help a lot of people keep better track of their health. With these routine visits often not

SANE TIPS TO DROP POUNDS The start of vaccine distribution for Covid-19 in the United States is good news for a lot of reasons. Among them is the very real hope it offers of restoring our pre-pandemic lifestyles — day-to-day routines that include more normal ways of eating and moving.

And ,of course, losing the “Pandemic 15” is ideal for overall health as well.

It’s understandable to want the extra pounds gone as quickly as they came but aim for 1 or 2 pounds of weight loss per week. This pace is not only more realistic but allows you to adjust to the lifestyle tweaks you’ll make to achieve weight loss as well as maintain it going forward.

Here are some common-sense tips to lose the "Pandemic 15" in 2021: • Do one thing: Overhauling both your diet and exercise levels at the same time may feel like too much. So start with one thing — such as walking a mile a day, or skipping dessert — and build on these efforts over the days and weeks ahead.

• Eat on a schedule: Some people are embracing intermittent fasting, which limits eating to a set window of hours each day — say, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. But even if intermittent fasting isn’t your thing, try to plan when you’re eating and stick to a schedule, even if working from home means food is accessible at all hours.

• Turn your “commute” into exercise time: Many employees who left offices in 2020 will continue their work-from-home arrangements well into 2021. If you’re not commuting, spend that time moving your body instead.

• Liquor less: Tipping a nightly glass of wine (or two) or a frosty mug of beer are how many have sought relief from pandemic-related stress. But not only does alcohol depress your nervous system, it quickly boosts your calorie consumption and makes it harder to resist junk food.

• Prioritize stress management: Even as the pandemic eases (we hope) over the coming months, acknowledge the enormous stress that Covid-19 has created in your own life — whether through illness, job loss, or caregiving duties — and take healthy steps to manage that stress. Seeking counseling (which can be done virtually), practicing yoga or meditation, or taking long daily walks are just some of the ways to calm frayed nerves and focus more on your health.

Preeti Pusalkar, CNS, is a certified clinical nutritionist with Hudson Medical, with extensive training not only in nutrition but in functional medicine. For more, visit hudsonmedical.com.

MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE Wow to Pop Inc., based in Greenwich, announced that Renovation Angel has been recognized as the second recipient of Actionnate’s Actionnater of the Month award for its important contributions to The Circular Economy.

Actionnater of the Month is awarded to people, brands or nonprofits that inspire others with their passion to help make the world a better place by taking extraordinary action directed at purposeful change.

The Circular Economy is a purposely restorative and regenerative

economy focused on the elimination of unnecessary waste and overconsumption of materials and resources.

Actionnate, with its proprietary data base, is the only centralized data repository with comprehensive snapshots where consumers can go to validate brands and nonprofits to determine if they are meeting their avowed social causes, corporate governance and product standards.

Steve Feldman, founder and CEO of Renovation Angel (founded in 2005), said, “Like Renovation An-

gel, Actionnate is a market disruptor.

Where Renovation Angel transformed mansion demolitions into our nationwide platform of sustainability, Actionnate is taking a data-driven approach to measuring, reporting and facilitating real time social impact….”

Kathryn Minckler, founder and CEO of Wow to Pop, said, “We are thrilled to recognize Renovation Angel as Actionnater of the Month. Renovation Angel was an early pioneer in recycling luxury and is a model for The Circular Economy….”

FENSTERMAN FIRM WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS Abrams Fensterman has announced that retired Justice Jeffrey A. Cohen, of the Appellate Division, Second Department; and David A. House, formerly senior principal law clerk to Appellate Division Justice Sheri S. Roman, have joined the firm in its White Plains office. Cohen will serve as of counsel and House as partner.

Prior to his appointment by Governor David Patterson in December 2010 to the appellate division where he

served for 10 years, Cohen was elected in 2009 to the New York State Supreme Court, Ninth Judicial District. He had been a judge of the Westchester County Court and acting justice of the Supreme Court since 2007. In 1990, Cohen was elected town justice of the town of Yorktown. During his 17 years on that bench, he also served, by appointment, as an acting city court judge in Westchester’s cities. Prior to his election he was

a founding partner of Cohen, Timko & Moses, LLP, in White Plains.

House has been the senior principal law clerk to Justice Roman for 10 years.

For six years before that, he was an appellate court attorney in the same court.

He graduated cum laude from Pace University School of Law in White Plains and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Massachusetts, also cum laude.

EMBLEM HEALTH’S AGREEMENT WITH ENTA Emblem Health and ENT and Allergy Associates LLP (ENTA), based in Tarrytown, have reached an agreement on a provider contract.

Under the new agreement, Emblem GHI members will once again have access to ENTA physicians as in-network providers. This includes employees of New York City the education, police, fire,

sanitation, correction, housing and health and hospitals.

Emblem Health provides benefits to nearly three million members in New York and the tri-state area.

“Our goal is to continuously broaden and improve the accessibility of the comprehensive ENT and Allergy care we provide, especially for our valued civil service

workforce, including those teachers, police and firefighters who rely on Emblem GHI for their insurance needs,” said Dr. Robert Green, president of ENTA. The Emblem agreement follows on the heels of ENTA’s successful negotiation of a three-year provider agreement with MVP Health Care, completed this past October.

EPOC ENVIRONMENTAL GRANT PROGRAM ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS The Environmental Professional Organization of Connecticut (EPOC) Grant Program provides nonprofit and notfor-profit environmental advocacy groups, community-based groups and Information for these features has been submitted by the subjects or their delegates.

environmental education organizations funding for local projects that benefit the environment. The applications, due

by March 31, will be judged against the environmental benefits of the project and compared to other grant submittals. Environmental benefits can vary widely and successful applications may include projects within Connecticut that improve the environment, such as: property and watershed clean-

ups, reforestation efforts, biodiversity projects, streamside buffer restoration projects, monitoring environmental conditions of watersheds or ecosystems and hazardous waste collection efforts.

Also, proposals that promote environmental education and development of youth for careers in the environmental field will be considered.

For information and application form, visit at: www.epoc.org/grants.

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FEBRUARY 1, 2021

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Facts & Figures U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT White Plains & Poughkeepsie Local business cases, Jan. 20 - 26 Fort Cre 2018-1 Issuer, Manhattan vs. Chaim and Roiza Lobl, Monsey, et al, 21-7003-RDD: Adversary proceeding in Midway Market Chapter 11.

Attorney: Scott S. Markowitz.

U.S. DISTRICT COURT, White Plains Local business cases, Jan. 20 - 26 Robert Shields, Mount Vernon vs. Johnny Kwon M.D., New Rochelle, et al, 21-cv-552-KMK: Removal from Westchester Supreme Court, medical malpractice.

Attorney: Edward P. Milstein.

Albana Mehovic vs. Westchester Community Opportunity Program, Elmsford, 21-cv-567CS: Americans with Disabilities Act. Attorney: Daniel J. Grace.

Little Chubby One Inc., Nanuet vs. Buckle Toy Inc., Henderson, Nevada, 21-cv-593-KMK: Copyright infringement: Attorney: Andrew D. Bochner.

Ernie Nunez, et al, vs White Plains Hospital, et al, 21-cv-599NSR: Removal from Westchester Supreme Court, medical malpractice.

Attorney: Sheldon E. Green.

Jane Doe, New Jersey vs. Juan Gonzales Agency Corp., New Rochelle, et al, 21-cv-610-PMH: Sexual harassment.

Attorney: Seamus Barett.

Jos Shakya, Cortlandt Manor vs. SPCA of Westchester Inc., Cortlandt Manor, 21-cv-616-NSR: Job discrimination.

Attorney: Jillian T. Weiss.

Brenda Hutcheson, Mohegan Lake vs. New York Medical College, Valhalla, et al, 21-cv639-KMK: Family and Medical Leave Act. Attorney; Nicholas G. Sekas.

Stephen Boylan, Yorktown Heights vs. Yorktown Commons Condominium, Croton Falls, et al, 21-cv-646-PMH: Fair Housing Amendments Act. Attorney: Robert M. Schechter.

Mary Fitzpatrick, Wallkill vs.

St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital, Newburgh, et al, 21-cv-677-CS: Americans with Disabilities Act. Attorney: Nathaniel K. Charny.

J&J Computing Inc., d.b.a. Fireworks Extravaganza, Walden vs. Brian Hollenback, Maryland, 21-cv-700: Defamation.

Attorney: Adam K. Kurland.

Shameka McCrary, Yonkers vs.

Jawonio Inc., Yonkers, 21-cv-701: Americans with Disabilities Act. Attorney: Jordan El-Hag.

Items appearing in the Fairfield County Business Journal’s On The Record section are compiled from various sources, including public records made available to the media by federal, state and municipal agencies and the court system. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of this information, no liability is assumed for errors or omissions. In the case of legal action, the records cited are open to public scrutiny and should be inspected before any action is taken.

Questions and comments regarding this section should be directed to: Larry Miles c/o Westfair Communications Inc. 701 Westchester Ave, Suite 100 J White Plains, N.Y. 10604-3407 Phone: 694-3600 • Fax: 694-3699

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ON THE RECORD

PATENTS Cellular network authentication utilizing unlinkable anonymous credentials. Patent no. 10,904,754 issued to Jeb Linton, et al. Assigned to IBM, Armonk.

Compressing multiple video files using localized camera meta data. Patent no. 10,904,575 issued to Vijay Ananthapur Bache, et al. Assigned to IBM, Armonk.

Cooling structure for electronic boards. Patent no. 10,905,029 issued to Paul Bodenweber, et al.

Assigned to IBM, Armonk.

Determining a transmission number for a device. Patent no. 10,904,792 issued to Jeremy Greenberger, et al. Assigned to IBM, Armonk.

Filtering of content in near real time. Patent no. 10,904,616 issued to Garfield Vaughn, et al. Assigned to IBM, Armonk.

Method and apparatus for streamlined digital wallet transactions. Patent no.

10,902,423 issued to Cristian Radu, et al. Assigned to Mastercard International, Purchase.

Methods and systems for facilitating migration to centralized compliance content for integration with a plurality of digital applications. Patent no.

10,902,150 issued to Rajesh Mahalle, et al. Assigned to Mastercard International, Purchase.

Method for managing payment vehicle data based on location information. Patent no. 10,902,486 issued to Jaipal Kumawat, et al. Assigned to Mastercard International, Purchase.

One-way hashing methodology for database records. Patent no. 10,901,970 issued to Serge Bernard, et al. Assigned to Mastercard International, Purchase.

Protecting against notification-based phishing attacks.

Patent no. 10,904,287 issued to Gopal Bhageria, et al. Assigned to IBM, Armonk.

Reprioritizing waitlisted callers based on real-time biometric feedback. Patent no.

10,904,388 issued to Manjunath Ravi, et al. Assigned to IBM, Armonk.

Systems and methods of processing payment transactions using one-time tokens. Patent no. 10,902,417 issued to John Cacioppo. Assigned to Mastercard International, Purchase.

Systems and methods for capturing metadata from virtual shopping carts. Patent no. 10,902,499 issued to Manoneet Kohli. Assigned to Mastercard International, Purchase.

Systems and methods for filesystem-based computer application communication.

Patent no. 10,901,816 issued to Moreshwar Datye, et al. Assigned to Mastercard International, Purchase.

westchester county

Due to a problem in obtaining records, this section will be updated as they arrive.

Apologies for the interruption.

Facts & Figures BUILDING PERMITS Commercial Alpine Construction & Design, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, contractor for Maria USA Inc. Perform replacement alterations at 100 Western Junior Highway, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $80,000.

Filed December 2020.

Mechanical Advantage Construction LLC, New Fairfield, contractor for PSEG. Install galvanized steel access platform for the collector cabinet at 1 Atlantic St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $50,000. Filed Dec. 4.

Mechanical Advantage Construction LLC, New Fairfield, contractor for PSEG. Install galvanized steel access platforms for the auxiliary transformers at 1 Atlantic St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $80,000. Filed Dec. 4.

American Red Cross, Greenwich, contractor for American Red Cross. Alter space for Donor and Health Service Center at 99 Indian Field Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $800,000. Filed December 2020.

Morris Roofing Solutions Inc., Coventry, Rhode Island, contractor for Merritt Medical Center. Replace roof-covering system at 3715 Main St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $201,436. Filed Dec. 15.

Integral Construction & Pavin, Bridgeport, contractor for Adam and Alexandra Friedman. Replace retaining wall at 10 Perryridge Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $9,000. Filed December 2020.

Oceanview Pool & Patio, Southport, contractor for Vincent Tortorella. Construct new swimming pool at 26 Keofferam Road, Old Greenwich. Estimated cost: $150,000. Filed December 2020.

Jamie Duggan/Braydan Construction, Darien, contractor for Richard Davis and Fortune Butz.

Construct new swimming pool at 76 Shore Road, Old Greenwich.

Estimated cost: $100,000. Filed December 2020.

Pedro Quinten, Stratford, contractor for Nguyen Nham. Install a ramp at 3717 Main St., Bridgeport.

Estimated cost: $2,000. Filed Dec. 8.

Magna Construction, Stamford, contractor for GGC Lafayette Putnam LLC. Perform replacement alterations at 1 Lafayette Place, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $120,000. Filed December 2020.

Mechanical Advantage Construction LLC, New Fairfield, contractor for PSEG. Install galvanized steel access platform for the lube oil reservoir at 1 Atlantic St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $98,000. Filed Dec. 4.

Mechanical Advantage Construction LLC, New Fairfield, contractor for PSEG. Install galvanized steel safety access for the heat recovery steam generator trench at 1 Atlantic St., Bridgeport.

Estimated cost: $90,000. Filed Dec. 4.

Pickwick Properties LLC, Greenwich, contractor for Pickwick Properties LLC. Perform replacement alterations at 3 E. Putnam Ave., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $850,000. Filed December 2020.

RSN Interiors LLC, Norwalk, contractor for Allied Properties.

Install shampoo sinks at 151 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $7,200. Filed December 2020.

Seaman Construction Inc., Rowayton, contractor for Magali Swanson. Perform replacement alterations at 134 Otter Rock Drive, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $5,000. Filed December 2020.

ON THE RECORD

Seaman Construction Inc., Rowayton, contractor for Magali Swanson. Perform replacement alterations at 134 Otter Rock Drive, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $25,000. Filed December 2020.

Shoreline Pools Inc., Stamford, contractor for Stanton Devizes LLC. Construct in-ground swimming pool and required safety barrier at 961 North St., Greenwich.

Estimated cost: $95,000. Filed December 2020.

Residential Alisberg Parker Architects, Old Greenwich, contractor for OG Retail Partners 220 SBA LLC. Remove rear wood stairs and concrete walkway and rebuild in new location at 220 Sound Beach Ave., Old Greenwich. Estimated cost: $3,400. Filed December 2020.

Better Built Basements LLC, Berlin, contractor for Vlad and Amy Etinger. Remodel basement for office at 188 Henry St., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $43,800.

Filed December 2020.

Blatt, Robert, Greenwich, contractor for Robert Blatt. Renovate master bathroom, closet, dining room, office and living room at 25 Fox Run Lane, Greenwich.

Estimated cost: $55,000. Filed December 2020.

Brian Capone Land Services LLC, Stamford, contractor for Matthew and Julie Deschamps.

Perform replacement alterations at 131 Shore Road, Old Greenwich.

Estimated cost: $6,000. Filed December 2020.

C.W. Wright Inc., Westport, contractor for Yang Lee. Repairs due to flood at 33 Ballwood Road, Old Greenwich. Estimated cost: $91,000. Filed December 2020.

Carvalho, Eloane, Greenwich, contractor for Eloane Carvalho.

Remove existing roof and re-roof 53 Alexander St., Greenwich.

Estimated cost: $12,800. Filed December 2020.

Circelli Builders Inc., Old Greenwich, contractor for Sandra-Jane Mancini. Renovate existing house and construct new second floor at 15 Watch Tower Lane, Old Greenwich. Estimated cost: $926,000.

Filed December 2020.

Connecticut Environmental & Build, Greenwich, contractor for KD International Group. A new construction using existing foundation at 27 Glen Ridge Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $228,000. Filed December 2020.

fairfield county

Integrity Home Services LLC, Stratford, contractor for Theodore Jefferies. Replace roof at 955 Thorme St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $7,600. Filed Dec. 3.

JJM Building & Woodwork LLC, Newtown, contractor for Eric and Karon Hopp. Renovate office space and powder room at 156 Stanwich Road, Greenwich.

Estimated cost: $200,000. Filed December 2020.

Digesu Building Contractor LLC, Stamford, contractor for Mary G. Diana. Renovate kitchen at 16 Georgetown North, Greenwich.

Estimated cost: $60,000. Filed December 2020.

JJM Building & Woodwork LLC, Newtown, contractor for Bradford and Katherine Hastings.

Construct new HVAC, roof, windows and add new bedroom and bathroom at 23 Laurel Lane, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $850,000. Filed December 2020.

Francis Development, Old Greenwich, contractor for Baywatch Partners. Perform replacement alterations at 261 Cognewaugh Road, Cos Cob. Estimated cost: $10,000. Filed December 2020.

John C. Fiderio & Sons Inc., Meriden, contractor for Deborah Moulton. Build a single-story addition to expand bedroom and construct new full bathroom at 221 Ranch Drive, Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $32,000. Filed Dec. 10.

Franklin James Construction, Harrison, New York, contractor for Tara Development USA Corp.

Perform replacement alterations at 54 Nicholas Ave., Greenwich.

Estimated cost: $15,000. Filed December 2020.

Jonas Design Build, Greenwich, contractor for 77 Park Avenue LLC. Construct new single-family dwelling at 77 Park Ave., Greenwich.

Estimated cost: $1,800,000. Filed December 2020.

The Home Depot USA, Atlanta, Georgia, contractor for Michael Renat. Replace five windows at 56 Denver Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $3,496. Filed Dec. 9.

The Home Depot, Atlanta, Georgia, contractor for Michele Palazzolo. Replace six windows at 56 Rowsley St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $4,713. Filed Dec. 2.

Inspirit Development, A Chiesi, Sherman, contractor for Stefane and Regine Greenberg. Replace windows and door and renovate bathrooms at 27 Bailiwick Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $300,000. Filed December 2020.

Juan Pomaquiza, Waterbury, contractor for Marie Jecrois. Replace roof covering at 849 Ruth St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $7,000.

Filed Dec. 18.

KG Finish Carpentry LLC, Norwalk, contractor for Joseph and Mary Femenia. Construct attic with bedroom and bathroom at 150 Clapboard Ridge Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $200,000.

Filed December 2020.

Lildharrie, Clarence, Greenwich, contractor for Clarence Lildharrie. Construct pavilion with outdoor facilities at 93 Cutler Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $50,000. Filed December 2020.

Lopez, Patricia, Bridgeport, contractor for self. Build a rear addition for bedroom and extend kitchen at 144 Martin Terrace, Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $20,000. Filed Dec. 18.

Magilla LLC, Stratford, contractor for Magilla LLC. Build two-family dwelling at 732 Bishop Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: NA. Filed Dec. 23.

Makula Construction LLC, Bridgeport, contractor for Maykel Teodoro. Construct a single-family dwelling at 95 Terracey Place, Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $145,000. Filed Dec. 14.

Maple Estates LLC, North Bergen, New Jersey, contractor for Julita Kropiwnicki. Install sheet rock, windows, kitchen and bathroom at 138 Alsace St., Bridgeport.

Estimated cost: $29,300. Filed Dec. 14.

Mavicela, Eimar, Monroe, contractor for self. Add second floor to existing one-story structure at 92 Seaver Circle, Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $46,000. Filed Dec. 1.

Mazzoni, Keli, Bridgeport, contractor for self. Remodel kitchen, remove wall and add steel beam at 287 Courtland Ave., Bridgeport.

Estimated cost: $16,000. Filed Dec. 10.

Millennials Roofing LLC, Bridgeport, contractor for Edward Rivera. Perform a roof covering replacement at 536 Vincellettte St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $11,538.

Filed Dec. 15.

Minasul Construction, Trumbull, contractor for Pro Tech Home LLC. Build a new single-family dwelling at 29 Infield St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $145,000.

Filed Dec. 14.

Minosul Construction, Trumbull, contractor for Pro Tech Home LLC. Convert five-family house to four family at 1042 Iranistan Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $20,000. Filed Dec. 9.

Items appearing in the Fairfield County Business Journal’s On The Record section are compiled from various sources, including public records made available to the media by federal, state and municipal agencies and the court system. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of this information, no liability is assumed for errors or omissions. In the case of legal action, the records cited are open to public scrutiny and should be inspected before any action is taken.

Questions and comments regarding this section should be directed to: Larry Miles c/o Westfair Communications Inc. 701 Westchester Ave, Suite 100 J White Plains, N.Y. 10604-3407 Phone: 694-3600 • Fax: 694-3699

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Facts & Figures Nemiroff, Steve, Roslyn Heights, New York, contractor for James Trister. Renovate bathroom, kitchen and bedroom at 45 Bowman Drive, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $195,000. Filed December 2020.

Schwimmer, Randy, Greenwich, contractor for Randy Schwimmer.

Add garage bay and covered walkway at 293 Shore Road, Greenwich.

Estimated cost: $75,000. Filed December 2020.

Nescor, West Springfield, Massachusetts, contractor for Luis Melo.

Perform a roof replacement at 1305 Sylvan Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $29,000. Filed Dec. 9.

Servidio Landscaping LLC, New Canaan, contractor for Stephen and Maria Musante. Perform replacement alterations at 30 Sunset Road, Old Greenwich. Estimated cost: $15,200. Filed December 2020.

Next Generation Construction, Bridgeport, contractor for Paul Fazzino. Perform replacement alterations at 26 Owenoke Way, Riverside. Estimated cost: $20,000.

Filed December 2020.

Pellegrino, Michele, Greenwich, contractor for Michele Pellegrino.

Construct new garage at 71 Angus Road North, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $35,000. Filed December 2020.

Pellegrino, Michele, Greenwich, contractor for Michele Pellegrino.

Construct new single-family dwelling at 71 Angus Road North, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $850,000.

Filed December 2020.

Reeves, Leah, Greenwich, contractor for Leah Reeves. Move laundry to second floor at 8 Banksville Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $1,000. Filed December 2020.

Rodriguez, Patricio, Stamford, contractor for Claudia Shia Macora.

Construct new deck, increase size of kitchen, create space for master bedroom, walk-in closet and office room at 102 Orchard St., Unit 1/2, Cos Cob. Estimated cost: $45,000.

Filed December 2020.

Russo, Robert and Sarah Russo, Old Greenwich, contractor for Robert and Sarah Russo. Install spa/hot tub at 17 Edgewater Drive, Old Greenwich. Estimated cost: $12,000. Filed December 2020.

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FEBRUARY 1, 2021

Stasio, Daniel, Danbury, contractor for Douglas Musicaro.

Construct a new deck and replace windows with sliding doors at 12 Ledge Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $30,000. Filed December 2020.

Steven Mueller Architects, Greenwich, contractor for 3 Knollwood LLC. Build one-story pool house at 3 Knollwood Drive East, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $200,000. Filed December 2020.

Sunpower Systems, Newington, contractor for Vitolo Donna Kaiser.

Install roof-mounted solar panels at 31 Morgan Ave., Greenwich.

Estimated cost: $24,000. Filed December 2020.

Val-U-Home Improve, Brookfield, contractor for Peter Condax.

Remove existing roof and re-roof 17 Marks Road, Riverside. Estimated cost: $16,550. Filed December 2020.

Westview Electric LLC, Guilford, contractor for Stephen M. and Alison F. Soler. Renovate kitchen and put in under-cabinet lights at 4 Kent Place, Cos Cob. Estimated cost: $24,613. Filed December 2020.

Woodland Crossing, Greenwich, contractor for Woodland Crossing.

Remove existing roof and re-roof 40 Woodland Drive, Greenwich.

Estimated cost: $18,445. Filed December 2020.

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COURT CASES Bridgeport Superior Court Advanced Asphalt Recycling LLC, Washington. Filed by Joseph S. Bellantoni, Norwalk. Plaintiff’s attorney: Ganim Ganim Ganim & Ganim PC, Bridgeport. Action: The plaintiff was a truck driver who required the defendant’s services to pull his truck from the mud.

The defendant told the plaintiff to take a chain and while he was holding it, the defendant put the pay loader/backhoe in reverse and severed the plaintiff’s finger. As a result, the plaintiff suffered painful injuries and damages. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other further relief the court deems appropriate.

Case no. FBT-CV-20-6102129-S. Filed Dec. 1.

Cali, Alfred J., et al, Arlington, New Jersey. Filed by David Style, Bronx, New York. Plaintiff’s attorney: John J Radshaw III, New Haven. Action: The plaintiff retained legal services from the defendants.

The plaintiff paid thousands of dollars to the defendants who allegedly failed to properly advise the plaintiff that the amount of money was in excess of the funds permitted for the plaintiff as a debtor in possession and demanded turnover of said funds, all to the plaintiff’s financial detriment. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBT-CV-206102359-S. Filed Dec. 8.

Music, Halim, et al, Stamford.

Filed by Christian Calle, Stamford.

Plaintiff’s attorney: Moore O’Brien & Foti, Middlebury. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendants and sustained severe damages and injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBTCV-20-6102228-S. Filed Dec. 3.

Pettis, Kylie, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Filed by Aaliyah Johnson, Stamford. Plaintiff’s attorney: Moore O’Brien & Foti, Middlebury.

Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendant and sustained severe damages and injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other further relief the court deems appropriate.

Case no. FBT-CV-20-6102023-S. Filed Nov. 25.

Vaccarino, Russel, Trumbull.

Filed by Adriana I. Munoz, Bridgeport. Plaintiff’s attorney: Marc Alan Krasnow, Bridgeport. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendant and sustained severe damages and injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBTCV-20-6102056-S. Filed Nov. 30.

Danbury Superior Court Acar Leasing Ltd., et al, Wilmington, Delaware. Filed by John G. Sulzinsky, Ridgefield. Plaintiff’s attorney: Collins Hannafin PC, Danbury. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendants and sustained severe damages and injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. DBD-CV-206037725-S. Filed Nov. 12.

City of Danbury. Filed by Joanne Carozza, Danbury. Plaintiff’s attorney: Livingston Adler Pulda Meiklejohn & Kell, Hartford.

Action: The plaintiff was an employee of the Danbury Board of Education. As a full-time tutor, plaintiff was eligible to participate in the pension plan. However, the defendant denied the plaintiff membership and benefits of the plan. The plaintiff requests the court to take immediate action to grant all tutors of the Danbury Board of Education to have access to the pension and benefits and any costs and such other further relief the court deems appropriate.

Case no. DBD-CV-20-6037748-S. Filed Nov. 16.

Hennessy, Kiera Lynn, et al, Danbury. Filed by Mary Edmond, Brookfield. Plaintiff’s attorney: Nicole L Augenti, Brookfield. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendant and sustained severe damages and injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. DBDCV-20-6037651-S. Filed Nov. 6.

J. Lapaluccio Inc., Guilford. Filed

by Concrete Systems Inc., Hudson, New Hampshire. Plaintiff’s attorney: Butler Tibbetts LLC, Darien.

Action: The plaintiff provided precast concrete products for a project. The defendant acted as the general contractor for the project.

Despite the work and delivery by the plaintiff, the defendant did not compensate the plaintiff. As a result, the defendant breached the contract and plaintiff suffered damages. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. DBDCV-20-6037560-S. Filed Oct. 27.

Martins, Virgilio J., et al, Danbury. Filed by Cazenovia Creek Funding II, LLC, Bridgeport.

Plaintiff’s attorney: Juda J. Epstein Law Office, Bridgeport. Action: The plaintiff is the owner and holder of the tax lien wherein the defendant promised to pay the plaintiff. The defendant failed to pay the property taxes and as a result the plaintiff suffered monetary damages. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the tax liens, possession of the premises and monetary damages less than $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs. Case no. DBD-CV-206037482-S. Filed Oct. 19.

Stamford Superior Court

Nuvance Health Inc., et al, Hartford. Filed by John J. Kuczo Jr, Wilton. Plaintiff’s attorney: Silver Golub & Teitell, Stamford. Action: The plaintiff suffered medical malpractice from the defendants.

The defendants allegedly failed to take appropriate steps to ensure the diagnosis was prompt and his prostate condition would not develop into a metastatic prostate cancer. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FSTCV-20-6049378-S. Filed Nov. 25.

RFR Realty LLC, et al, New York, New York. Filed by Anthony Jones, Stamford. Plaintiff’s attorney: Moore O’Brien & Foti, Middlebury.

Action: The plaintiff was lawfully on the defendants’ premises when he sat on a chair that caused him to fall and suffer injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other further relief the court deems appropriate.

Case no. FST-CV-20-6049335-S. Filed Nov. 23.

Williams, Kristopher Nathaniel, et al, Stamford. Filed by Michael Midgette, Stamford. Plaintiff’s attorney: Nicholas R Nesi, East Haven. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendants and sustained severe damages and injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other further relief the court deems appropriate.

Case no. FST-CV-20-6049354-S. Filed Nov. 24.

Zitting, Shaun Ellen, Decatur, Georgia. Filed by Shana Wilson, Stamford. Plaintiff’s attorney: Berkowitz and Hanna LLC, Shelton.

Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendant and sustained severe damages and injuries. The plaintiff further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FST-CV-206049333-S. Filed Nov. 23.

Facts & Figures DEEDS Commercial Ahmed, Kelly and Ryan Ahmed, Fairfield. Seller: AAP Builders LLC, Fairfield. Property: 253 Homes St., Fairfield. Amount: $750,000. Filed Dec. 7.

Altered Properties LLC, Fairfield. Seller: Carole A. Maravich, Fairfield. Property: 47 Elderberry Lane, Fairfield. Amount: $460,000.

Filed Dec. 2.

Buckley, Nicholas P. and Corrin D. Silver, Santa Monica, California.

Seller: Open Door Investment Group LLC, Greenwich. Property: 67 Circle Drive, Greenwich.

Amount: $1,900,000. Filed Dec. 2.

Carrier, Daniel and Amanda Carrier, Fairfield. Seller: MLF3 Fairfield LLC, New York, New York. Property: 2470 Hillside Road, Fairfield. Amount: $757,000. Filed Dec. 2.

Villagomez, Eugenio R. and Isabel C. Villagomez, Easton.

Seller: 343-345 Suburban Ave LLC, Trumbull. Property: 343 Suburban Ave., Fairfield. Amount: $500,000.

Filed Dec. 2.

Residential Beggan, Krista and Stephen N. Beggan, Norwalk. Seller: Richard J. Toper and Lynn Toper, Norwalk.

Property: 1108 Foxboro Drive, Norwalk. Amount: $470,000. Filed Nov. 24.

Carney, Catherine, Bronx, New York. Seller: Susan K. Rubin, Stamford. Property: 89 Harbor Drive, Unit 207, Stamford. Amount: $393,500. Filed Nov. 30.

Castaneda, Luis and Maria E. Castaneda, Norwalk. Seller: William J. Carroll and Angela S. Carroll, Madison. Property: 50 Glenbrook Road, Unit 3G, Stamford. Amount: $225,000. Filed Nov. 25.

Eisen, Joan and Leonard Eisen, Greenwich. Seller: 4S Acquisition LLC, Old Greenwich. Property: 4 Sound Shore Drive, 2A, Greenwich.

Amount: $2,500,000. Filed Dec. 3.

Ceja, Kevin and Sabrina Lopes Natar, Norwalk. Seller: Barbara C. Doutel and Duane Doutel, Norwalk. Property: 12 Maher Drive, Norwalk. Amount: $297,500. Filed Nov. 24.

Gustafson, John and Courtney Gustafson, Fairfield. Seller: Paul John Casale and Andrea L. Casale, Fairfield. Property: 74 Westford Drive, Fairfield. Amount: $699,000.

Filed Dec. 4.

Coronado, Ena Laura, Westport.

Seller: Elizabeth L. Hirtenstein, Norwalk. Property: 307 Foxboro Drive, Unit 307, Norwalk. Amount: $462,000. Filed Nov. 24.

Jaffee, Anthony, Westport. Seller: Hilltop Property LLC, Fairfield.

Property: 703 Verna Hill Road, Fairfield. Amount: $1,649,000.

Filed Dec. 3.

Lubre 31 LLC, Fairfield. Seller: Sanddollar Development LLC, Fairfield. Property: 1505 Fairfield Beach Road, Fairfield. Amount: $1,300,000. Filed Dec. 3.

Simplify Real Estate Management LLC, Norwalk. Seller: Wachovia Mortgage Loan Trust, Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Property: 54 Winding Lane, Norwalk.

Amount: $362,500. Filed Nov. 24.

Dragovic, Efrim and Kimberly Dragovic, Stamford. Seller: Mary Ann Corcoran, Fairfield. Property: 212 Tuckahoe Lane, Fairfield.

Amount: $450,000. Filed Dec. 10.

Eason, Peter and Hailey Eason, Norwalk. Seller: Joseph E. Laird and Kate Laird, Norwalk. Property: 397 Rowayton Ave., Norwalk.

Amount: $740,000. Filed Nov. 24.

Ferrara, Joseph Michael and Annie Bao, Stamford. Seller: Mary Lombardo, Trumbull. Property: 267 Westlea Lane, Fairfield.

Amount: $908,000. Filed Dec. 7.

Labalbo, Alfred, Greenwich.

Seller: Michele Levy Bashan, Greenwich. Property: 474 North St., Greenwich. Amount: $2,100,000.

Filed Dec. 1.

Garces-Martinez, Luz, Norwalk.

Seller: William R. Lindstrum and Carol A. Lindstrum, Greenwich.

Property: 50 Aiken St., Unit 221, Norwalk. Amount: $220,000. Filed Nov. 30.

Lombardo, Kathleen M. and Thomas A. Lombardo, Stamford.

Seller: Jane Ma. Darien. Property: 30 Glenbrook Road, Unit 7G, Stamford. Amount: $143,000. Filed Nov. 25.

Pruden, Patricia A., Weston. Seller: Albert J. Benroubi and Michael John McAuliffe, Fairfield. Property: 21 Indian Point Road, Fairfield.

Amount: $810,000. Filed Dec. 2.

Geronimos, Christopher and Kimberly Geronimos, Fairfield.

Seller: Scott M. Gerard and Lydia V. Gerard, Westport. Property: 165 High Point Lane, Fairfield. Amount: $1,560,000. Filed Dec. 3.

Long, Devon and Emily Long, New York, New York. Seller: Michael A. Odierna, Greenwich. Property: 33 Sachem Road, Greenwich.

Amount: $1,170,000. Filed Dec. 7.

Quiroz Serna, Esperanza, White Plains, New York. Seller: Aida L. Coutts, Norwalk. Property: 20 Lenox Ave., Norwalk. Amount: $455,000. Filed Nov. 25.

Madrid Ayala, David and Diana Valdovinos, New Rochelle, New York. Seller: Samantha Lusher, Stamford. Property: 168 Highview Ave., Unit A, Stamford. Amount: $298,000. Filed Nov. 25.

Redondo, Mauricio and Estrella M. Redondo, Stamford. Seller: Sebastian Jankowski, Stamford.

Property: 95 Liberty St., Unit B5, Stamford. Amount: $355,000. Filed Nov. 25.

Mazurek, Alicia H., New York, New York. Seller: Marlene Rieske, Brookfield. Property: 697 Tunxis Hill Road, Fairfield. Amount: $385,000. Filed Dec. 11.

Robertson, Robert and Frances Lisa Robertson, Stamford.

Seller: Daniel Noone and Holly Noone, Stamford. Property: 29 S. Lake Drive, Stamford. Amount: $910,000. Filed Nov. 25.

Goldring, Robert Neil and Melissa Amy Goldring, Fairfield.

Seller: Christina L. Bosco and Lianne Bosco, New Jersey. Property: 42 Limerick Road, Fairfield.

Amount: $865,000. Filed Dec. 7.

Goold, Daniel and Tilottama Puri, Stamford. Seller: Joseph Arena and Jamie L. Tedesco-Arena, Stamford. Property: 180 Glenbrook Road, Unit 64, Stamford. Amount: $430,000. Filed Nov. 25.

Iannone, Franco, Norwalk. Seller: William F. Belward and Deborah A. Belward, Newtown. Property: 5 Hawkins Ave., Norwalk. Amount: $475,000. Filed Nov. 25.

Iuio, Michael and Justine Domuracki, Norwalk. Seller: Ellen J. Myers-Roxby, Norwalk. Property: 229 and 229 1/2 Silvermine Ave., Norwalk. Amount: $599,000. Filed Nov. 25.

Jones, Adrian, et al, Jamaica, New York. Seller: Richard Picagli, Stamford. Property: 32 Chatfield St., Stamford. Amount: $485,000.

Filed Nov. 25.

Ketaineck, Matthew, New York, New York. Seller: Margaret Teed, Norwalk. Property: 22 Quintard Ave., Norwalk. Amount: $520,000.

Filed Nov. 24.

Kleban, Evan, Fairfield. Seller: Owen Littman and Tara Cook-Littman, Fairfield. Property: 160 Stella Lane, Fairfield. Amount: $860,000.

Filed Dec. 2.

McLaughlin, Daniel J. and Kristin J. McLaughlin, New York, New York. Seller: Norma J. Libert, Fairfield. Property: 99 Oriole Lane, Fairfield. Amount: $0. Filed Dec. 10.

Oarethu, Johns Thomas and Asheley Rachel James, Danbury.

Seller: Marcia A. Gogliettino, Stamford. Property: 101 Givens Ave., Unit 2, Stamford. Amount: $334,250.

Filed Nov. 30.

Pinales, Milagros Natalia, Greenwich. Seller: Trian Stanciu and Leontine Stanciu, Glendale, New York. Property: 18 High St., Greenwich. Amount: $0. Filed Dec. 2.

Powell, Shyrill and Wayne Powell, New Canaan. Seller: Anthony Battaglia and Valarie Julia Battaglia, New Canaan. Property: 95 Columbus Place Unit 3, Stamford.

Amount: $427,500. Filed Nov. 30.

Presser, Lee and Rachel Newman, Greenwich. Seller: Thomas K. Brown, Villanova, Pennsylvania.

Property: 3 Dunwoodie Place, Greenwich. Amount: $3,925,000.

Filed Dec. 1.

Ruiz, Jorge and Elizabeta Filimonova, Fairfield. Seller: Patrick R. Hughes and Elizabeth V. Hughes, Fairfield. Property: 94 Limerick Road, Fairfield. Amount: $755,000. Filed Dec. 11.

Scherer, Joshua, New York, New York. Seller: Graham Bond, Fairfield. Property: 116 Sasco Hill Road, Fairfield. Amount: $1,595,000.

Filed Dec. 4.

Schlanger, Carl and Merritt Schlanger, Greenwich. Seller: Lisette Coen, Miami Beach, Florida.

Property: 20 W. End Ave., Old Greenwich. Amount: $1. Filed Dec. 3.

Schmitt, Robert and Michelle Levine, Fairfield. Seller: Robert B. Bellitto, Fairfield. Property: 83-Wheeler Park Ave., Fairfield.

Amount: $497,000. Filed Dec. 7.

Slater, Mary E. and Matthew Robert Slater, Rye, New York.

Seller: Balmikki S. Croce and Haisu Tian, Greenwich. Property: 28 Homestead Lane, Greenwich.

Amount: $670,000. Filed Dec. 3.

Sobo, Michael and Mary Ellen Sobo, Fairfield. Seller: Joseph E. Bonin and Loubna M. Bonin, Fairfield.

Property: 71 Yarrow Road, Fairfield.

Amount: $821,000. Filed Dec. 11.

Soddu, Luigi and Cristina Popa, New York, New York. Seller: Todd Mendik and Julie Mendik, Greenwich. Property: 276 Riversville Road, Greenwich. Amount: $2,917,500. Filed Dec. 4.

Tirado, Edith, Norwalk. Seller: JiaoJiao Wang and Kun Song, Mamaroneck, New York. Property: 10 Prospect Ave., Norwalk. Amount: $245,000. Filed Nov. 30.

Varga, Ryan and Stefanie Varga, Fairfield. Seller: James Beldotti and Joanne Beldotti, Norwalk. Property: 241 Old Stratford Road, Fairfield.

Amount: $290,000. Filed Dec. 7.

Vasquez Costa, Rocio, Norwalk.

Seller: Marie Svalstedt, Bethel.

Property: 13 Cedar Crest Place, Norwalk. Amount: $349,000. Filed Nov. 24.

Vesselovskaya, Tatyana and Eral Gokgol-Kline, Greenwich.

Seller: Heather S. Silver, Norwalk.

Property: 2 Point Road, Norwalk.

Amount: $1,775,000. Filed Nov. 24.

Villanueva-Villaran, Manuel and Julia Colon, Stamford.

Seller: Carlos Morales and Jessica Morales, Stamford. Property: 427 Strawberry Hill Ave., Stamford.

Amount: $491,000. Filed Nov. 30.

Wise, Catherine and Mark Wise, Brooklyn, New York.

Seller: Eckhard Albrecht and Karin Albrecht, Riverside. Property: 51 Hidden Brook Road, Riverside.

Amount: $1,550,000. Filed Dec. 3.

Serraty, Jackelin, Stamford.

Seller: Christina Heanue, Stamford.

Property: 637 Cove Road, Unit A17, Stamford. Amount: $180,000. Filed Nov. 30.

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Facts & Figures JUDGMENTS DiCamillo, Crescent M., Norwalk. $4,640, in favor of Capital One Bank NA, Richmond, Virginia,

by London & London, Newington.

Property: 2 Ambler Drive, Norwalk.

Filed Dec. 22.

Freire, Stalin, Norwalk. $821, in favor of HOP Energy LLC, Bridgeport, by William G. Reveley & Associates LLC, Vernon. Property: 7 Tower Drive, Norwalk. Filed Jan. 11.

Gorrie, Andrea, Norwalk. $519, in favor of HOP Energy LLC, Bridgeport, by William G. Reveley & Associates LLC, Vernon. Property: 4 Wildmere Lane, Norwalk. Filed Jan. 11.

Joseph, Francesca, Stamford. $737, in favor of Midland Funding LLC, San Diego, California, by Schreiber Law, LLC, Salem, New Hampshire. Property: 37 Greenwich Ave., Unit 2-6, Stamford. Filed Jan. 25.

Mendez, Yanerys, Norwalk. $1,932, in favor of CACH LLC, Las Vegas, Nevada, by the Law Offices of Steven Cohen LLC, Bronx, New York. Property: 16 1/2 Osborne Ave., Norwalk. Filed Jan. 11.

Monroe, Edward L., Norwalk. $11,175, in favor of Pharus Funding LLC, Scottsdale, Arizona, by Tobin & Marohn, Meriden. Property: 189 Newtown Ave., Norwalk. Filed Dec. 24.

Poulard, Katia, Stamford. $16,360, in favor of Cavalry SPV I LLC, Valhalla, New York, by Girvin & Ferlazzo PC, Albany, New York.

Property: 101 Grove St., Unit 2, Stamford. Filed Jan. 7.

Sandolo, Robert D., Stamford. $16,985, in favor of CACH LLC, Las Vegas, Nevada, by the Law Offices of Steven Cohen LLC, Bronx, New York. Property: 26 Skyline Lane, Stamford. Filed Jan. 11.

Trimboli, Robert, Norwalk. $8,333, in favor of Capital One Bank NA, Richmond, Virginia, by London & London, Newington.

Property: 12 Cider Lane, Norwalk.

Filed Dec. 22.

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FEBRUARY 1, 2021

Waddell, Nichelle, Stamford. $955, in favor of Standard Oil of Connecticut Inc., Bridgeport, by Philip H. Monagan, Stamford.

Property: 134 Webbs Hill Road, Stamford. Filed Jan. 4.

LIENS Mechanic’s Liens BDCM Real Estate Holdings LLC, Stamford. Filed by Oldcastle Buildingenvelope Inc., by Irena Mijic. Property: 2187 Atlantic St., Stamford. Amount: $25682. Filed Jan. 13.

Cassin, Joseph Matthew and Hillary Shaw Cassin, Greenwich.

Filed by Roccie’s Asphalt & Landscape Company Inc., by Vincent Engongoro. Property: 10 Wooddale Road, Greenwich. Amount: $99,450. Filed Jan. 14.

Sikiotis, Petula, Stamford. Filed

by The Hatch & Bailey Co., by Michael DeFelice. Property: 59 High Rock Road, Stamford. Amount: $7,887. Filed Jan. 4.

LIS PENDENS 170 Glover Avenue LLC, Norwalk. Filed by The Law Office of Charles I. Miller, West Hartford, for QSR Steel Corporation LLC. Property: 150, 166, 170 and 174 Glover Ave., Norwalk. Action: foreclose defendant’s mortgage.

Filed Jan. 20.

Attias, Richard, et al, Greenwich.

Filed by John M. McNicholas, Ridgefield, for Piotr LLC. Property: 532 North St., Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage.

Filed Jan. 8.

Depaiva, Joao, et al, Stamford.

Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for US Bank Trust National Association. Property: 1111 Hope St. Unit 1, Stamford.

Action: foreclose defendant’ mortgage. Filed Jan. 11.

DePanfilis, Russel, et al, Norwalk. Filed by Pilicy & Ryan PC, Watertown, for Nor-West Association, Inc. Property: Unit 7Q, Nor-West Condominium, Norwalk.

Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed Jan. 11.

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Feica, Lee S. and Sara Feica, Fairfield. Filed by Halloran & Sage LLP, Hartford, for BCMB1 Trust.

Property: 965 High St., Fairfield.

Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed Jan. 15.

Garnett, Gwendolyn A., et al, Stamford. Filed by Vincent J. Freccia III, Stamford, for the city of Stamford. Property: 21 Davenport Drive, Stamford. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed Jan. 13.

Murphy, Dana, Stamford. Filed

by Costello, Brennan & DeVidas PC, Fairfield, for Steven Murphy. Property: 35 Mill Stone Circle, Stamford.

Action: foreclose defendant’s mortgage. Filed Jan. 14.

Natiss, Kenneth, Greenwich.

Filed by Law Offices of Heidi E. Opinsky LLC, Stamford, for Patricia Natiss. Property: 6 Coachlamp Lane, Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendant’s mortgage. Filed Jan. 7.

Portillo, Jennifer, et al, Stamford. Filed by Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington, for Deutsche Bank National Trust Company.

Property: 17 Renwick St., Unit A, Stamford. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed Jan. 11.

Rodriguez, Jose A., et al, Stamford. Filed by Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington, for The Bank of New York Mellon. Property: 106 Old Barn Road, Stamford. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage.

Filed Jan. 11.

Valko, Jeffrey P., Fairfield. Filed

by Frankel & Berg, Norwalk, for Mutual Security Credit Union Inc. Property: 610 Fairfield Beach Road, Fairfield. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed Jan. 8.

MORTGAGES Baja, Israel S. and Yuga C. Baja, Stamford, by Glenn Whitmarsh.

Lender: Truist Bank, 901 Semmes Ave., Richmond, Virginia. Property: 44 Cerretta St., Unit 6B, Stamford.

Amount: $205,600. Filed Dec. 1.

Bjernestad, Peter, Stamford, by Kenneth R. Grace. Lender: Homestead Funding Corp., 8 Airline Drive, Albany, New York. Property: 170 Woodbine Road, Stamford.

Amount: $352,600. Filed Dec. 1.

Cuesta, Charles J. and Rachel A. Bernstein-Cuesta, Stamford, by Steven J. Baron. Lender: KeyBank National Association, 127 Public Square, Cleveland, Ohio. Property: 71 Fieldstone Road, Stamford.

Amount: $601,000. Filed Dec. 1.

Sanchez, Juan C., Norwalk, by Thomas S. Groth. Lender: Nations Lending Corp., 4 Summit Park Drive, Suite 200, Independence, Ohio. Property: 6 Colonial Place, Norwalk. Amount: $250,700. Filed Dec. 1.

Titanium Capital Group, 42 Derwen St., Stamford 06902, c/o Titanium Alternative Investments LLC. Filed Dec. 23.

Distasio, Dylan and Barbara Distasio, Norwalk, by NA. Lender: Mutual of Omaha Mortgage Inc., San Diego, California. Property: 10 Deane St., Norwalk. Amount: $383,200. Filed Dec. 1.

Schmitt, Robert and Michelle Levine, Fairfield, by Kim Rizza.

Lender: Cardinal Financial Co., 3701 Arco Corporate Drive, Suite 200, Charlotte, North Carolina.

Property: 83-Wheeler Park Ave., Fairfield. Amount: $472,150. Filed Dec. 7.

Interlayer printing process.

Patent no. 10,899,940 issued to Naveen Chopra, et al. Assigned to Xerox, Norwalk.

Escamilla, Gregorio, Norwalk, by Andrew S. Gale. Lender: Loandepot.com LLC, 26642 Towne Centre Drive, Foothill Ranch, California.

Property: 8 Kellee Court, Norwalk.

Amount: $465,600. Filed Dec. 1.

Ferrara, Joseph Michael and Annie Bao, Fairfield, by J. Brian Fatse. Lender: US Bank National Association, 4801 Frederica St., Owensboro, Kentucky. Property: 267 Westlea Road, Fairfield. Amount: $635,600. Filed Dec. 7.

Gupta, Varun and Shilpa Madan Gupta, Stamford, byNA. Lender: Bay Equity LLC, 770 Tamalpais Drive, Suite 207, Corte Madera, California. Property: 237 Strawberry Hill Ave., Unit 7, Stamford. Amount: $321,000. Filed Dec. 1.

Jacome Reinoso, Sonia and Ruben Reinoso, Norwalk, by Louis J. Colangelo. Lender: Wells Fargo Bank NA, 101 N. Phillips Ave., Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Property: 15 Fox Run Road, Norwalk. Amount: $446,500. Filed Dec. 1.

Noone, Daniel and Holly Noone, Stamford, by Mary Wilcox. Lender: Guaranteed Rate Inc, 3940 N Ravenswood, Chicago, Illinois. Property: 122 Stamford Ave., Stamford.

Amount: $999,200. Filed Dec. 1.

Pokoik, Davin and SheriAnn Pokoik, Fairfield, by Dean F. Popkin. Lender: Quicken Loans LLC, 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, Michigan. Property: 80 Patricia Circle, Fairfield. Amount: $395,000.

Filed Dec. 7.

Siano, Francesco and Dana Siano, Norwalk, by Gennaro Bizzarro.

Lender: PennyMac Loan Services LLC, 3043 Townsgate Road, Suite 200, Westlake Village, California.

Property: 45 Second St., Norwalk.

Amount: $195,500. Filed Dec. 1.

Wilbur, Andrew P. and Claudia J. Wilbur, Fairfield, by Scott Rogalski. Lender: Citibank NA, 1000 Technology Drive, O’Fallon, Missouri. Property: 227 Main St., Southport. Amount: $937,600.

Filed Dec. 7.

York, Jesse L. and Sara M. York, Fairfield, by Kimberly F. Calabrese.

Lender: Primary Residential Mortgage Inc., 1480 North 2200 West, Salt Lake City, Utah. Property: 48 Fox Run Road, Fairfield. Amount: $457,100. Filed Dec. 7.

NEW BUSINESSES 11 Forest Street Tic Perry, 34 E. Putnam Ave., Suite 110, Greenwich 06830, c/o Ventures LLC. Filed Dec. 24.

Drawbridge, 46 Southfield Ave., Suite 450, Stamford 06902, c/o Drawbridge Partners LLC. Filed Dec. 24.

King Construction Company, 23 Quintard Terrace, Stamford 06902, c/o Luis Reyes. Filed Dec. 28.

Loe Empire-Loyalty Over Everything, 113 Connecticut Ave., Stamford 06902, c/o Shanay Jones.

Filed Dec. 23.

PATENTS

Methods, systems and scanners for scanning bound documents with varying light intensity.

Patent no. 10,904,403 issued to Shankar Durai, et al. Assigned to Xerox, Norwalk.

Rotor blade tip design for improved hover and cruise performance. Patent no. 10,899,440 issued to Daniel Sargent, et al.

Assigned to Sikorsky Aircraft, Stratford.

Seals for rotor system fairings Patent no. 10,899,438 issued to David Hunter, et al. Assigned to Sikorsky Aircraft, Stratford.

Surface-wrapped user-interface touch control. Patent no.

10,901,609 issued to Royce Channey, et al. Assigned to Harman International, Stamford.

Systems and methods for selective localization of a multifunction device. Patent no.

10,902,222 issued to Muralidaran Krishnasamy, et al. Assigned to Xerox, Norwalk.

Vehicle speaker arrangement.

Patent no. 10,904,656 issued to Christopher Ludwig, et al. Assigned to Harman International, Stamford.

Associate, Treasury – ALM Modeling, Synchrony Bank, Stamford, CT. Develop credit card prepayment models, funding models, valuation models, and other Treasury ALM models for balance sheet mgmt. purposes. Req. Bach’s deg or foreign equiv. in Stats, Math, Econometrics, Engg, Science or rel. + 1 yr rel. work exp. Travel up to 5% req. To apply, email resume to HR Manager referencing job code CT0013 in subject line to: kristine. mackey@syf.com

LEGAL NOTICES NME Properties LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 9/18/2020. Cty: Westchester. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to Nicole Martucci, 290 Drake Ave, New Rochelle, NY 10805. General Purpose #62761

99 Cleveland Drive LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 1/12/2021. Cty: Westchester. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to Barnard Doran, 30 Grand Street, Croton On Hudson, NY 10520. General Purpose #62770

Christian Schreib Architect, PLLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 1/11/2021. Cty: Westchester.

SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to Christian P. Schreib, 657 Forest Ave., Rye, NY 10580. Purpose: Architecture #62779

Rosedale Property LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 11/12/2020. Cty: Westchester. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to 603 Harrison Ave., Harrison, NY 10528.

General Purpose #62753

El Rincon Colombiano LLC. Art of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/19/2020 Office: Westchester County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 2303 Villa At The Woods Peekskill, NY 10566 Purpose: Any lawful purpose. #62762

Notice of Formation of (based) Goods, LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the NY Secretary of State (NYSS) on 12/28/2020. Off. location: Westchester County. The NYSS is designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

Forward service of process to: 1767 Central Park Avenue, #402 Yonkers, NY 10710. Purpose: to conduct any lawful business activity. #62755

The Annual Return of the Leo Rosner Foundation, Inc. for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2020 is available at its principal office located at Palm Beach Towers, 44 Coconut Row, Apt. A-303, Palm Beach, FL 33480, Telephone No. (561) 832-8176 for inspection during regular business hours by any citizen who requests it within 180 days hereof. Principal manager of the Foundation is: William D. Robbins, Esquire #62763

MFB Ortho Services LLC Art. of Org. filed with NY Secretary of State on January 15, 2021. Office located in WESTCHESTER COUNTY. Secy. Of State designated as agent upon which process may be served. Secy.

Of State shall mail a copy of any process against it served upon him/her to: 27 Foothill Rd. Bronxville, NY 10708 (the LLC's primary business location). LLC may engage in any lawful act or activity for which a limited liability company may be formed. #62771

Notice of Formation of Kotahís Cakes, LLC. Arts of Org. filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 10/9/2020. Office location: Westchester County. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 342 Westchester Ave. Port Chester, NY 10573.

Purpose: any lawful activity. #62780

PostProJake, LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 9/21/2020. Cty: Westchester. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to Jacob S Pippin, 34 Greenlawn Rd, Katonah, NY 10536. General Purpose #62756

King Elias Ambulette, LLC Art of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/20/2017. Office loc. Westchester County. Cert of Amendment filed with SSNY on 12/28/2020. Name changed to King Elias At 76 Chestnut, LLC. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against LLC may be served and shall mail copy of any process to the LLC, 8 Park Avenue, Tarrytown, NY 10591.

Purpose of LLC: all lawful activities #62764

Notice of Formation of J.A.G. Auto Transport, LLC filed with SSNY on 12/09/20. Office location: 14 Maple Street, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to J.A.G. Auto Transport, LLC, 14 Maple Street, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. #62752

Kelly Friends LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 9/04/2020.

Cty: Westchester. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to One Renaissance Square, White Plains, NY 10601. General Purpose. #62757 Notice of Formation of Eldorado Court LLC, a domestic Limited Liability Company (LLC).

Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/22/2020. NY Office location: WESTCHESTER County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served.

SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her to The LLC, 64 Eldorado Court, White Plains, New York 10603. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity. #62758 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABIITY COMPANY. NAME: MELLGREN SOLUTIONS LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 09/17/2020. Office location: Westchester County. SSNY has been designated as an agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, 34 Hill and Dale Road, Cortlandt Manor, New York 10567. Term: Until (Perpetual); Purpose: For any lawful purpose. #62759 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: BeauxLion LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 11/30/2020.

Office location: Westchester County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, 18 Meadow Brook Road, Katonah, NY 10536. Purpose: For any lawful purpose. #62760

MEADOW SHOPPE LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 1/6/21. Office location: Westchester. SSNY has been desig. as an agent of the LLC upon whom process against may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to Nicole Schmidt, 5 Old Mamaroneck Rd., Apt 4L, White Plains, NY 10605.

General Purpose #62766 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (LLC). NAME: SUPERIOR COLLISION, LLC. LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 06/24/2020.

Office location: Westchester County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: Superior Collision, LLC., 3228 Albany Post Road, Buchanan, NY 10511, principal business location of the LLC. Purpose: any lawful business activity. #62767 Notice of Formation of LKF Consulting Services, LLC. Art. Of Org. filed with SSNY on 11/19/2020. Office Location: Westchester County SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 104 Parkview Dr. Bronxville, NY 10708.Purpose: any lawful purpose. #62768 Notice of Formation of WESTMONT REAL ESTATE CAPITAL LLC. Arts. of Org. files with Secy. Of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/19/19. Office location: Westchester County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Marc Samwick, 709 Westchester Ave., Ste. 300, White Plains, NY 10604.

Purpose: any lawful act or activity. #62769

Bofabri Realty LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 1/8/2021. Cty: Westchester. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to Francesco D. Nesci, 2 Beechtree Dr., Larchmont, NY 10538. General Purpose #62772 Notice of Formation of The TriFocal Advisor, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 9/22/20. Office location: Westchester County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Company, 80 State Street, Albany, New York, 12207-2543. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. #62773 Paula Lincoln LLC, Art. of Org. filed with SSNY 3/5/2020. NY office location: Westchester County. SSNY designated as agent for process. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: c/o The LLC, 145 Westchester Ave., Tuckahoe, NY 10707. Any lawful act or activity #62774 BB & H LI LLC Filed 4/15/20 Office: Westchester Co. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 570 Taxter Road, Suite 550, Elmsford, NY 10523 Reg. Agent: USA Corporate Services Inc, 19 W 34th St Ste 1018, New York, NY 10001.

Purpose: All lawful #62775 Monticello Venture Capital LLC. Filed 10/27/20 Office: Westchester Co. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 34 Norm Ave, Bedford Hills, NY 10507 Purpose: All lawful #62776 Notice of formation of Rossana Valentino Textiles, LLC. Art. of Org. filed with the SSNY on Jan. 6, 2021. Office: Westchester County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 137 Cedar Lane, Bronxville, NY 10708. Purpose: Any lawful purpose #62777 Notice of formation of Limited Liability Company (LLC): C. F. S. Consortium, LLC. Articles of Organization were filed on January 5, 2021. The LLC is located in Westchester County.

SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: the principal business location of LLC at 104 N. Lawn Avenue, Elmsford, NY 10523. Purpose: any lawful business activity. #62778

Notice of Formation of Lighty Lockhart, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 11/04/2019. Offc.

Loc: Westchester Cty. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 104 N. Lawn Ave. Elmsford NY, 10523. Purpose: any lawful purpose. #62781 Notice of Formation of Pancake Punch LLC filed with SSNY on 11/18/20. Offc. Loc: Westchester Cty. SSNY desig. as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 100 Fisher Ave #506 White Plains, NY 10602. Purpose: any lawful purpose. #62782 Seanís Lawn Care & Property Maintenance, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/28/20. Office: Westchester County. United States Corporations Agents, Inc. designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to United States Corporations Agents, Inc. at 714 13th Avenue, Ste 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. #62783 7 Victoria Lane LLC, Art. of Org. filed with SSNY 9/19/2019. NY office location: Westchester County. SSNY designated as agent for process. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: c/o The LLC, 145 Westchester Ave., Tuckahoe, NY 10707. Any lawful act or activity. #62784 Notice of Formation of The DiMartino Group, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 12/28/2020. Office location: Westchester County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to The DiMartino Group LLC, 445 Tarrytown Rd. Suite 1160, White Plains, NY, 10607. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. #62785 Mako Apparel LLC. Art. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/06/20. Office: Westchester County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 125 King St., Chappaqua, NY. 10514. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. #62786

Sealed bids will be received as set forth in Instructions to Bidders (https://www.dot. ny.gov/bids-and-lettings/construction-contractors/important-info) until 10:30 A.M. on Thursday, February 18, 2021 at the NYSDOT, Office of Contract Management, 50 Wolf Rd, 1st Floor, Suite 1CM, Albany, NY 12232 and will be publicly opened and read. Maps, Plans and Specifications may be seen at Electronic documents and Amendments which are posted to www.dot.ny.gov/doing-business/opportunities/const-notices.

The New York State Department of Transportation, in accordance with the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office the Secretary, Part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federally-assisted programs of the Department of Transportation and Title 23 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 200, Title IV Program and Related Statutes, as amended, issued pursuant to such Act, hereby notifies all who respond to a written Department solicitation, request for proposal or invitation for bid that it will affirmatively insure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability/handicap and income status in consideration for an award.

BIDDERS SHOULD BE ADVISED THAT AWARD OF THESE CONTRACTS MAY BE CONTINGENT UPON THE PASSAGE OF A BUDGET APPROPRIATION BILL BY THE LEGISLATURE AND GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. Please call (518)457-2124 if a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the letting.

Region 02: New York State Department of Transportation 207 Genesee Street, Utica, NY, 13501 D264453, PIN S12420, Albany, Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Dutchess, Erie, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, Nassau, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Orange, Orleans, Oswego, Otsego, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Schuyler, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Steuben, Suffolk, Sullivan, Tioga, Tompkins, Ulster, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westchester, Wyoming, Yates Cos., 2021 -2024 Statewide Emergency Bridge Contract Regions 1 - 10, Bid Deposit: 5% of Bid (~ $75,000.00), Goals: MBE: 0.00%, WBE: 0.00%, SDVOB: 6.00%

Sealed bids will be received as set forth in instructions to bidders until 10:30 A.M. on Thursday, February 18, 2021 at the NYSDOT, Office of Contract Management, 50 Wolf Rd, 1st Floor, Suite 1CM, Albany, NY 12232 and will be publicly opened and read. Bids may also be submitted via the internet using www.bidx.com. A certified cashier’s check payable to the NYSDOT for the sum specified in the proposal or a bid bond, form CONR 391, representing 5% of the bid total, must accompany each bid. NYSDOT reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

Electronic documents and Amendments are posted to www.dot.ny.gov/doing-business/opportunities/const-notices. The Contractor is responsible for ensuring that all Amendments are incorporated into its bid. To receive notification of Amendments via e-mail you must submit a request to be placed on the Planholders List at www.dot.ny.gov/doing-business/opportunities/ const-planholder. Amendments may have been issued prior to your placement on the Planholders list.

NYS Finance Law restricts communication with NYSDOT on procurements and contact can only be made with designated persons. Contact with non-designated persons or other involved Agencies will be considered a serious matter and may result in disqualification. Contact Robert Kitchen (518)457-2124.

Contracts with 0% Goals are generally single operation contracts, where subcontracting is not expected, and may present direct bidding opportunities for Small Business Firms, including, but not limited to D/W/MBEs. The New York State Department of Transportation, in accordance with the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office the Secretary, Part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federally-assisted programs of the Department of Transportation and Title 23 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 200, Title IV Program and Related Statutes, as amended, issued pursuant to such Act, hereby notifies all who respond to a written Department solicitation, request for proposal or invitation for bid that it will affirmatively insure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability/handicap and income status in consideration for an award.

BIDDERS SHOULD BE ADVISED THAT AWARD OF THESE CONTRACTS MAY BE CONTINGENT UPON THE PASSAGE OF A BUDGET APPROPRIATION BILL BY THE LEGISLATURE AND GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. Please call (518)457-2124 if a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the letting.

Region 08: New York State Department of Transportation 4 Burnett Blvd., Poughkeepsie, NY, 12603 D264443, PIN 801616, Westchester Co., Pedestrian Access Improvements: Route 116 Over Metro North Railroad, Town of North Salem, Bid Deposit: 5% of Bid (~ $20,000.00), Goals: MBE: 0.00%, WBE: 0.00%, SDVOB: 0.00%

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Wynton Marsalis (photo credit: Frank Stewart)

FEBRUARY 2021

A2

WESTCHESTER COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • ARTSNEWS

From the County Executive Dear Readers, Thank you for taking a moment to read this edition of ArtsNews. As we continue to spend more time indoors, masking up and being safe through the winter, I want to encourage all of you to enjoy the many events that Westchester’s arts community has to offer. While this pandemic has forced the cancellation or postponement of many of our arts events, they have not disappeared. I hope you take some time to explore these events and that they provide you with joy this winter. This issue of ArtsNews provides valuable arts news and a robust schedule of strong programming offered by arts groups throughout the County, including: • the announcement of Westchester's Poet Laureate (see page A4) • a nationally touring statue of Harriet Tubman in Peekskill (see page A12) • creative ways for students to spent their midwinter breaks (see page A20) We could all use a few moments of respite, and we have many wonderful opportunities to explore within our own County. As we patiently await our return to “normal,” remember that the arts are here to help heal us, and the arts will still be here for us when we get through this crisis stronger than ever before.

Sincerely, George Latimer Westchester County Executive

The work of ArtsWestchester is made possible with support from Westchester County Government.

George Latimer

Benjamin Boykin

FEBRUARY 2021

Contents A4

WESTCHESTER COUNTY’S FIRST POET LAUREATE: BK FISCHER

A8 A10

CONCEPTS IN CLAY

A11

PROFILE: DONNA WALKER-KUHNE

A12

HARRIET TUBMAN’S JOURNEY TO PEEKSKILL

A14

CREATIVE CULTURE: FOSTERING STORIES UNTOLD

A16

THE ARTS RAISE A MILLION THROUGH MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM

A18

ARTIST OPPORTUNITIES

A20

6 WAYS FOR YOUR KIDS TO ENJOY THE ARTS DURING MIDWINTER BREAK

A22 A24 A25

NEWS BRIEFS

A26

ARTS CALENDAR

ARTISTS: RAISE YOUR VOICES FOR CHANGE

MARSHA ON THE MOVE SAVE OUR STAGES ACT

Chairman, Westchester Board of Legislators

County Executive

WESTCHESTER BOARD OF LEGISLATORS José Alvarado Nancy E. Barr Catherine Borgia Terry Clements Kitley S. Covill Margaret A. Cunzio

Vedat Gashi Christopher A. Johnson Damon R. Maher Catherine Parker MaryJane Shimsky Colin Smith

David Tubiolo Ruth Walter Alfreda A. Williams Tyrae Woodson-Samuels

31 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains | 914.428.4220

Janet T. Langsam

Chief Executive Officer

Thanks to our generous supporters

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GANIZE

Board President

John R. Peckham Board Chairman

ArtsNews Editor & Communications Manager

Sydney Mitchell

Rocío De La Roca

Graphic Designer & Creative Manager

Contributor & Communications Associate

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ArtsNews (artsw.org), your guide to arts and culture in Westchester County, NY, is published by ARTSWESTCHESTER, a private, not-for-profit organization established in 1965. The largest of its kind in New York State, it serves more than 150 cultural organizations, numerous school districts, hundreds of artists, and audiences numbering more than one million. The goal of ArtsWestchester is to ensure the availability, accessibility, and diversity of the arts in Westchester.

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WESTCHESTER COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • ARTSNEWS

FEBRUARY 2021

FROM THE CEO

by Janet Langsam, ArtsWestchester CEO

Truth Be Told When I was a kid growing up in Far Rockaway, I was standard for behavior. This story was so ingrained in us kids that inquisitive, or so I’m told. Even in my stroller days I would ask in art class we all drew hatchets and cherry trees to celebrate him. Well, George Washington really is dead and so are many of each person who stopped to chat: “Who you?” One gentleman the principles he embodied, including the strict had the audacity to say he was George Washington, to which I replied: “Aren’t you adherence to truth. There were no alternative How we go forward now to dead?” I remember that story as a beacon facts. In today’s world, we have allowed the because we were taught to revere our restore truth and dignity in our normalization of lies, and it has been to our first president not for all his bravery, but peril. How we go forward now to restore truth civic dialogue is in question." for always telling the truth. We were told and dignity in our civic dialogue is in question.

And, while it is the sworn oath of all of our that he chopped down a cherry tree, as presidents, it is really up to all of us to elevate truth-telling to its ridiculous as that sounds, and when asked about it he owned up to it, saying: “I cannot tell a lie.” You might say that was the gold rightful honor. If George could do it, we can too.

"Father, I Can Not Tell a Lie: I Cut the Tree" engraving by John C. McRae (image source: nps.gov)

Don’t miss Janet’s weekly blog posts at: thisandthatbyjl.com

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WESTCHESTER COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • ARTSNEWS

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feature

Westchester County’s First Poet Laureate: BK BK Fischer of Sleepy Hollow believes that all poetry is dialogue—“a conduit not only for expression, but for collective energy, empathy and connection." With these values in mind, she will help to amplify the voices in Westchester’s diverse communities during her two-year role as Westchester Poet Laureate.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer and ArtsWestchester recently announced Fischer as the inaugural Poet Laureate after a panel of poets, writers and county representatives unanimously chose her for the position.

According to Latimer: "Everybody agreed that Fischer… would be an advocate for passing the mic to the voices that we don't get to hear as often in Westchester." She was one of 23 applicants. The four other finalists were Robin Dellabough, Eric Odynocki, Loretta Oleck and Rachel M. Simon.

Fischer has proposed projects that revolve around hearing current experiences of “sheltering in place,” gathering poetry that speaks to the landscape of the Hudson Valley, showcasing the poetry of others throughout the County, and drawing together performers who combine spoken word with other artistic disciplines, like dance, music and visual art, in dynamic new ways.

Fischer is the author of five books of poetry ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­and has been a teacher of poetry for more than 25 years. Her poems and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Paris Review, Kenyon Review, Boston Review, The Los Angeles Review of Books, FIELD, Literary Mama, Modern Language Studies, Ninth Letter and other journals.

ArtsWestchester CEO Janet T. Langsam explains: “The concept of a Poet Laureate is an affirmation that, in our present-day society, words matter and that it is important that these words be truthful, poetic and emblematic of our principles and our aspirations.”

Fischer

Westchester Poet Laureate BK Fischer (photo credit: Gina DeCaprio Vercesi)

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WESTCHESTER COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • ARTSNEWS

spotlight

An Amplified Poetic Voice

by Rashaun J. Allen

While reading her poem "Liars Hall of Fame," BK Fischer sketches the shape of an asterisk in the air. Conjuring up her own poetic voice, she sways in her home office chair to the rhythm of her words. Prior to virtually reading this poem from her Mutiny Gallery collection, published in 2011 by Truman State University Press, she says: “Even when they are already in print, I keep messing with my poems.”

That mess—revising, remixing on the fly and repurposing poems—has artistically paid off. Fischer is the author of five books of poetry and has been a teacher of poetry for more than 25 years. In the majority of that time, she has called Westchester home and is the County’s inaugural Poet Laureate. The time and dedication put into her craft may seem lengthy, but she is still producing and creating with high energy.

Her upcoming collection Ceive, which will be published by BOA Editions, is a deep meditation on the Latin root word meaning, “get, receive,” as well as a retelling of the story of Noah’s Ark in the present day on a container ship. Excitedly, Fischer said: “All of the poems about the journey have titles that use the root word in some way.” Her excitement for words hasn’t left her since childhood, as BK explains: “since I was about 5, I always wrote poems.”

Although her love affair for words hasn’t changed, her writing process has grown. She went from a budding poet “who wrote one lyric poem at a time” to a time-constrained editor who, motivated by parenthood and the interruptions it brings, “started writing interconnected sequences in a more project-based way.”

She explains: “I could pick up wherever I left off in the short intervals of time I had available for writing.”

As a teacher, Fischer has taught hundreds of students in university classrooms, schools and community centers like Hudson Valley Writers Center. One of her most “soul-changing”

experiences was her time teaching at Taconic Correctional Facility, where she taught an introductory creative writing class to women in a college program. Says Fischer: “They were pursuing degrees and, in many ways, it was just like teaching any other class. And yet, they were speaking from this very different condition as incarcerated persons. That changed how I think about the carceral state … and about justice more generally in the whole society.”

Her view about justice is intertwined with her belief that poetry plays a vital role in efforts to 'mobilize access.'

Her view about justice is intertwined with her belief that poetry plays a vital role in efforts to “mobilize access.” In our Westchester communities, Fischer as Westchester Poet Laureate will have an amplified opportunity to do so in word and deed alongside activated stakeholders.

However, her advice to aspiring poets—young, old, marginalized or incarcerated—is more practical: “Read. Read everything. There are so many ways to be a writer, because there are so many communities of writers. You start by being a reader—you see what you like, and see what those people are reading, and then you read that, and you see where those people were published in magazines and you send your stuff there. It’s all a network, and it branches out like a big ecosystem, and it has room for everybody.”

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WESTCHESTER COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • ARTSNEWS

FEBRUARY 2021

Liars Hall of Fame

by Westchester Poet Laureate BK Fischer

Jackalope. Pinocchio. Nixon. Thank you for coming. We’d love to but we have a lot on our plate. He couldn’t hurt a fly. The check’s in the mail. He didn’t see her the night of the murder. When they put the baby in your arms, you will know what to do. I can stop any time I want. This won’t hurt a bit. I’m five minutes away. Final closeout sale ends Saturday. Satisfaction guaranteed. It will change your life. Ponzi, Barnum, Gatsby, Iago (asterisk: insinuation). Münchausen. They’re no more addictive than coffee, tea, or Twinkies. I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally. I’m the last of the Romanovs. Coyote, Loki, Prometheus, Crow.

Weapons of mass destruction. It’s going to disappear—one day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear. It’s a Vermeer.

You look amazing. Of course I remember you. That makes a lot of sense. I’ve got the school nurse on the other line. I have read and understood the terms and conditions. The boy who cried wolf. Lance Armstrong. Saint Peter, three times before the rooster crowed. The 1919 White Sox. The Trojan Horse. No interest, no money down.

Nobody could have known a thing like this could happen. He didn’t lay a hand on her. Let’s keep in touch. The worst is over. It will go away on its own. When she’s grown she won’t even remember.

(originally published in Ninth Letter, updated 2020)

Sheltering in Stanzas:

An Evening of Poetry and the Arts March 4, 7pm (via Zoom) Remembering that “stanza” means “room,” Westchester poets will gather to speak to their experiences of poetry and art during the pandemic. In a time of isolation, these writers will share what’s “in the room” for them as they navigate this collective moment. The evening will feature poets from across the

County, including Westchester Poet Laureate BK Fischer and Westchester Youth Poet Laureate Danielle Kohn.

Follow #westchesterpoetry for updates on the Westchester Poet Laureate and new poetry events along the way.

Visit artsw.org/artspicks for our Top 5 Virtual and In-Person Arts Picks.

ArtsWestchester worked with Ridge Hill Shopping Center to commission this "Ella" mural by artist Danielle Mastrion (photos by ArtsWestchester)

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WESTCHESTER COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • ARTSNEWS

FEBRUARY 2021

feature

Concepts in Clay

by Adam Chau

Unrest by Kyle and Kelly Phelps (image courtesy of Clay Art Center)

“Concept, and how that content is met with craft, is all important to me,” explains Paul Briggs, co-curator of Clay Art Center’s current Concepts in Clay online exhibition. When most people think about ceramics, they might conjure up their grandmother’s tea set, or fine china that was gifted on their wedding day. The more art-savvy viewer might also think of ancient terracotta vessels and translucent porcelain, perhaps seen at a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. What isn’t often thought of is how pottery can be used as a conduit for activism.

Exhibitions that surround craft at the intersections of art, design and social discourse have been circulating in recent years, from vibrantly crocheted coral reefs (as seen in Toxic Seas at Museum of Art and Design in 2017) to beaded kitchen scenery (as in Making Knowing, on view at the Whitney Museum of Art). Ceramics, rooted in craft tradition, is having a revival in popularity, but is also being seen for its social commentary. As such, Concepts in Clay is a manifestation of timely discussions that are being had as a nation.

As with many institutions across the United States, Clay Art

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Center affirmed an "anti-racist agenda" in the summer of 2020 by submitting a public manifesto that outlines resources and objectives for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) artists and community members. Out of this came a virtual exhibition that was co-curated by artist and educator Paul Briggs. The exhibition features the artworks of 11 Black artists alongside didactics that explain the process and intention behind their practices.

Any artist in any era negotiates identity with content, but more sensitive is a show during a time in which there is a call for more representation in the art world."

There are many celebrated artists featured, including brothers Kyle and Kelly Phelps, who grew up in blue-collar Indiana.

Their realistic portraits of American life within the perspective of Black Americans document themes of resilience, rage and protest. These are snapshots that capture both human emotion and environment, as all of the figures are interacting with backgrounds that add to the narrative – such as an American flag or industrial settings reminiscent of a factory. Their didactic statement explains that these sculptures tell stories that cover the struggles of race, class and identity in the American Midwest.

Briggs talks about himself as an ‘editor’ for this slate of artists. Any artist in any era negotiates identity with content, but more sensitive is a show during a time in which there is a call for more representation in the art world. His curatorial statement offers insight into this negotiation: “What then makes this Black Art? It may not be Black Art in the sense that the themes narrate aspects of the Black experience…

What makes ‘Dave the potter’s’ work significant as Black expression is that he was Black in America, a slave in America. Achievement out

Untitled (Cell Persona) by Paul Briggs (photo courtesy of Clay Art Center)

of oppressive states of existence should be amplified and celebrated, even when the subject matter is not the very oppression from which it emerged.”

Briggs is also represented in the exhibition, with two pieces from his “Cell Persona: The Impact of Incarceration on Black Lives” series.

The visual weight of the clay, which could be mistaken for iron, is a way to translate emotion and elicit a reaction in combination with its title. The use of sharp edges with bent and knotted coils create an effective juxtaposition.

Concepts in Clay, on view through February 28, is multi-faceted in how artists broach both their material and their identity.

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feature

Artists: Raise Your

Voices for Change

ArtsWestchester announces a major new competitive artist unemployed as a result of the pandemic. The Voices for Change grant grant program, Voices for Change, in which three artists will be acknowledges that art can serve as a catalyst for change.” awarded grants of $10,000 to propose and actualize new works. This Mid-Hudson Valley regional artists working in all disciplines are is the first new program in a series of initiatives that the organization invited to submit proposals for visionary work that encourages deep is undertaking as part of its rededication to the social justice ideals of thinking about complex issues such as social justice, civic equity and equity, diversity, inclusion and access. the public good. A unique aspect of the program is that proposals are Beginning in the summer of 2020, ArtsWestchester began asked to include a collaboration with a service or cultural communityworking with a well-known consultant in the field of racial equity based organization. Three artists will receive a grant of $10,000 to and inclusion, Donna Walker-Kuhne (see page A11), who had implement and present their vision. Proposals may address a broad previously worked with ArtsWestchester to range of issues, including but not limited to develop its diversity and policy in 2005. As incarceration, homelessness or racial equity. an organization, ArtsWestchester is well The deadline for application is April 5. on its way toward reframing its mission, Speaking for the Voices for Change rededicating itself to social justice in all Committee, ArtsWestchester board member of its programs, and launching seven Betty Himmel says: “ArtsWestchester’s new initiatives in the coming year. These exhibition and performance programs are initiatives represent, in part, expanded deeply rooted in the belief that art has funding opportunities for artists and the power to illuminate complex issues, –ArtsWestchester board member organizations, and public programs that will encourage civic discourse and open the Farooq Kathwari be rolled out during 2021. community to new ways of thinking.

“ArtsWestchester has a long history of In past programs, ArtsWestchester has explored themes such as the new immigrant supporting historically under-represented experience, gender identity, voting rights, the expanded definition of communities,” says ArtsWestchester CEO Janet Langsam. “We want family, the age of data, and the economic crisis of 2008.” to ensure that our programming continues to respond to the people The debut of the Voices for Change artworks will come on the we serve, especially our immigrant and indigenous communities, heels of ArtsWestchester’s fall exhibition Who Writes History? a and communities of color. We want to listen more closely to, and National Endowment for the Arts supported project that seeks to honor the expressions of, diverse voices in our community. Voices for bring marginalized stories to the fore through contemporary art.

Change is one way to focus on concerns of equity.”

ArtsWestchester plans to announce additional social justice The Voices for Change grant initiative is made possible through initiatives throughout the coming months. contributions from board members and the Kathwari Foundation.

Ethan Allen CEO and ArtsWestchester board member Farooq Click here for Voices for Change application guidelines.

Kathwari says: “This grant that supports new artistic work comes at a critical time for creatives, when so many independent artists are

The Voices for Change grant acknowledges that art can serve as a catalyst for change.”

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Donna Walker-Kuhne: Helping Arts Organizations Put EDIA Into Their DNA

by Megan Thomson Connor Donna Walker-Kuhne is a busy woman. Lately, a regular week for her consists of Zoom calls, workshops, training, keynote addresses for conferences, working on her Arts and Culture Connections blog, and completing her forthcoming book, Champions for the Arts – an apt title for someone whose career spans 40 years with a focus on audience development. This new book will present case studies and tactics for community engagement worldwide, and interviews with “champions for the arts who are creating access to the community in smart, effective ways,” says Walker-Kuhne.

In 2005, Walker-Kuhne published her first book, Invitation to the Party: Building Bridges to the Arts, Culture and Community, a guide that was inspired by her time as the marketing director for the Public Theater in New York and, before that, at Dance Theatre of Harlem.

Since then, the focus of Walker-Kuhne’s work has evolved, through her work as Senior Advisor of Community Engagement at the New Jersey Performing Arts Centre and her consulting agency Walker International Communications Group, into community engagement.

Still, in 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, Walker-Kuhne began building social justice programs and leading EDIA (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Access) training. She is currently working with five nonprofit organizations to develop their EDIA initiatives and is also teaching an EDIA course at Columbia University.

Around the same time that Walker-Kuhne’s focus narrowed, ArtsWestchester’s Board of Directors began examining its own progress in supporting the four pillars of EDIA. The organization formed a subcommittee to work with Walker-Kuhne, who then led a series of workshops to inform the Board on the values and implementation of EDIA. ArtsWestchester had worked with WalkerKuhne in the past, when it looked at ways to encourage Westchester’s cultural institutions to diversify its audiences. More than a decade later, it was time for a self-evaluation.

The workshops were supported by reading materials and discussions on critical topics. Walker-Kuhne developed the agenda for these workshops in consultation with the organization’s CEO,

Donna Walker-Kuhne (photo courtesy of Donna Walker-Kuhne)

Janet Langsam. While the work is still ongoing, ArtsWestchester has emerged with a revised mission and vision statement, and reaffirmed its commitment to advancing social justice through several new initiatives (see page A10).

What is Walker-Kuhne hoping for when she addresses this type of work with organizations? “That they make a commitment to becoming an anti-racist arts organization,” she says. “That they are intentional about uprooting systemic racism and focus on applying the principles of EDIA as part of their DNA. It will take time, but it should be the singular goal.”

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spotlight

Harriet Tubman’s Journey to Peekskill

by Mary Alice Franklin

Struggle. Determination. Heroic.

Perseverance. These are words that shaped a “word cloud” in sculptor Wesley Wofford’s notes as he developed a concept for his Harriet Tubman statue. Wofford describes these word clouds as “empathy-building machines” that help him to answer the question “Where am I trying to take my audience emotionally?”

He explains: “As a sculptor, I’m generating these works in my studio. It’s like making a child.

You never really know how it’s going to go once it leaves the studio.”

Now the eight-foot-tall, 2,400-pound bronze statue has made its way to Westchester County. The nationally touring sculpture will be on view in Peekskill through the end of February. It is said that Peekskill is among the secret hiding spots on the Underground Railroad, along which slaves traveled as they sought freedom. Harriet Tubman is believed to have led some of those journeys. Wofford’s statue, Harriet Tubman: The Journey to Freedom, depicts the abolitionist leading an enslaved young girl to freedom.

Says Brian Fassett, President of the Peekskill Business Improvement District (BID)’s Board of Directors: “In light of recent events like the pandemic and the racial equality movement, the presence of this statue in our downtown takes on even more meaning…celebrating our community’s rich history and cultural diversity.”

Wofford explains that, although the work “seems reactionary” to the current national discussions of social justice, it was actually commissioned by a private client in 2018. “The fact that it happened to land when all of these social justice conversations started to happen was serendipitous… and illustrates that there is

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still a lack of representation for People of Color that needs to be filled “I see myself as a filter for amplifying her message, or in.” authentically representing who she was and the ideas she espoused.

The original work, which was installed in an undisclosed location So it was really about channeling that. Putting myself in her head and in 2019, took 16 months to construct. The touring piece is a recast seeing what comes out.” of the original. When What “came out” was developing his concept for a meticulously thought-out the statue, everything was statue. When considering his intentional. “Before I did question of “Where are we anything, I learned as much trying to take our audience as I could about Tubman,” emotionally?,” he says: “I he says. He and his team don’t have a pre-conceived researched original firsthope for what the viewer person documentation, read will feel, but there are lots biographies and reviewed of intentional symbolic first-hand accounts from things driving the viewer safe-houses along the emotionally.”

Underground Railroad.

The unseen wind is a metaphor for the struggle that Tubman was working against, oppression pushing I see myself as a on her. She leans into this wind, bracing herself against filter for amplifying the elements. Her dress her message, protectively envelops the girl, whose foot hangs slightly off or authentically the edge of the cliff, signaling representing peril for the viewer. The base on which they stand is who she was and a geographical contour of the ideas she the Chesapeake Bay. The espoused." dramatic step up represents the Mason-Dixon Line leading –Sculptor Wesley Wofford into Pennsylvania, like she’s stepping into freedom. “And the shackles are broken; they Then there was the have left the bonds of slavery (Photos left and above – credit: Wesley Wofford Sculpture 10-inch maquette model that behind them.”

Studio / photo courtesy of Peekskill BID) helped Wofford to figure In downtown Peekskill, out how the two figures in the piece would interact; the 30-inch the statue has become a platform for programming – a jumpingmodel to study the anatomy and muscle groups, for which a nude off point for discussion. Events in conjunction with the sculpture’s model posed; and a head study to get the expressions just right. The visit include an online event with photographer Ocean Morisset on sculptor hired a seamstress to build historically accurate clothing, February 6 and a panel discussion focused on the descendants of and also worked with a museum that provided a satchel, shoes and Harriet Tubman on February 20. The statue will remain on the corner historical details so that he could ensure authenticity. All of this of Central Avenue and Division Street, sponsored by Peekskill BID, before the actual sculpture was underway. until the end of February.​

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feature

Creative Culture:

Fostering Stories Untold

by Mary Alice Franklin

In 2020, no female directors were nominated for Academy Awards. This is a common story in the film industry. In fact, only five women have ever been nominated for the Award in the history of the Oscars. However in the town of Pleasantville, female filmmakers are being embraced and supported.

Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC)’s Creative Culture program for emerging filmmakers places priority on voices often unheard.

Though unusual for the industry, the majority of fellows in the program’s four-year history identify as female; but, the door is open for anyone who has passion and a story to tell.

During their time with Creative Culture, every fellow produces two short film projects in a collaborative community. “Important narratives about underrepresented populations exist; they are just undertold,” says the program’s director, Sean Weiner.

JBFC is making a name for itself as a safe space for these stories. Weiner continues: “When awarding fellowships, we hope to engage with stories that we haven’t seen enough of. This resonates with us because we’re trying to champion those voices and infuse them into the film industry.”

The film world is beginning to take notice. Films produced through Creative Culture have won awards in the independent film circuit. Four of them have qualified for the Oscars, and two of them have premiered on the Criterion Channel. Former fellows have moved on to successful and notable careers – for instance, Crystal Kayiza, who was awarded $80K by Tribeca Chanel’s “Through Her Lens” program, which celebrates women’s artistic voices. The Sundance Film Festival even chose JBFC as its sole New York-area “satellite screen,” though this partnership will now play out virtually due to COVID-19.

Creative Culture, it seems, is setting the pace for the industry.

Each semester, eight fellows from across the country participate in Creative Culture: while four filmmakers move on from the program, four new fellows begin and yet another four continue onto their second and final semester. This creates an environment in which there are always four “greener” fellows and four “established” fellows working together. They are all provided with production space, equipment, mentorship, networking opportunities and a community of peers.

According to Weiner, the nature of the rotating positions allows participants to “influence each other in positive ways – to humble, to boost confidence, to help evaluate one another.” He explains: “We want to take away the ego and instead cultivate community…

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and then we want to keep mentoring and supporting our fellows through the trajectory of their careers.”

Says former fellow Emily Ann Hoffman: “They never kick you out of the program. I’ve continued to receive so much support from JBFC.” Lucy Adams echoes Hoffman’s sentiments, saying that 90 percent of the work she has done since Creative Culture has been a result of the program’s community. This includes being able to use JBFC’s equipment, getting Weiner’s feedback, and working with other fellows.

Like many artistic programs, Creative Culture was forced to pause earlier this year due to the pandemic, but Weiner says that JBFC is committed to restarting the fellowship program this April. “We will

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pick up with the exact cohort of fellows who had their experience interrupted last March…Things will be a bit different in order to create a safe experience…but we feel strongly about following through, and completing our support of these filmmakers and their projects.”

In addition, applications will open in April for filmmakers hoping to enter the program in September, when Creative Culture will continue to foster the storytellers of tomorrow, whoever they may be.

Photo: Jacob Burns Film Center (courtesy of Jacob Burns Film Center)

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FEBRUARY 2021

The Arts Raise a Million Through Matching Grant Program

Art$WChallenge grantee Rye Arts Center's Head Start program (photo courtesy of Rye Arts Center)

Since its inception in 2007, the Art$WChallenge, a nationally unique matching grant program, has raised $4.7 million in private donations for arts and culture. The annual program gives the opportunity for arts groups to raise private funds within a set period of time, and for those funds, up to a maximum amount, to be matched 1:1 by ArtsWestchester, with support from Westchester County Government.

Through the Art$WChallenge, $2.4 million has been matched on top of the private funds.

This program continues each year to be a vital revenue source for participating arts groups, but was especially critical this year with arts groups struggling through the pandemic. For instance, when the arts needed help more than ever, the matching grant program broke several records. For one, 2020 had the largest amount of private funding ever raised in a single year: $757,993. This will be matched with $353,753 in County funding, totaling just over $1 million dollars in combined support for the arts and culture community.

ArtsWestchester CEO Janet Langsam says: “This unprecedented outpouring of more than 2000 individual community donors for large and small arts groups throughout the county shows the genuine affection that Westchester residents have for their art and culture

quality of life.”

Langsam continues: “We are grateful to all those who came to the rescue during these troubled times, especially our County legislators who invested $250K in the Challenge program.”

This year’s program was eligible to 126 arts groups – more than any other year. Benjamin Boykin, Chairman of the Westchester County Board of Legislators, explains: “The Art$WChallenge program is a powerful example of a public/private partnership that pays dividends for the economy… This investment makes good sense when you consider that, pre-COVID, on an annual basis, arts and culture added $172.3 million in total economic activity to Westchester.”

Adds Westchester County Executive George Latimer: “Despite the havoc caused by COVID-19, the Westchester arts community has rallied in a way that continues to provide engaging virtual and in-person cultural programs for county residents.” He continues: “However, to support these programs, given the canceled events and decline in ticket sales, groups have had to get creative with fundraising. This is where the Art$WChallenge matching grant program has helped.”

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Here is a list of groups that participated in the 2020 Art$WChallenge program: A Palo Seco Flamenco Company Accent Dance NYC Actors Conservatory Theatre Antonia Arts Arc Stages ArchForKids Arts and Culture Committee Arts10566 Asbury-Crestwood United

Methodist Church Ballet des Ameriques School

and Company Bedford Playhouse Bethany Arts Community Blue Door Art Center Chappaqua Orchestra Clay Art Center CLC Foundation Clocktower Players Concordia Conservatory Copland House Cross Cultural Connection Downtown Music at Grace Emelin Theatre for Performing Arts Friends of Music Concerts GoJo Clan Productions Gooseberry Studio Greenburgh Public Library Hamm & Clov Stage Company Hammond Museum Harrigan Educational & Cultural Center Harrison Public Library Foundation Historic Hudson Valley Hoff-Barthelson Music School Hudson Chorale Hudson Stage Company Hudson Valley Museum of

Contemporary Art Hudson Valley Writers Center India Center of Westchester Jacob Burns Film Center Jazz Forum Arts Katonah Museum of Art Lagond Music School Lyndhurst, A National Trust Historic Site

Mamaroneck Artists Guild Mount Vernon Friends of Recreation Music Conservatory of Westchester Neuberger Museum New Era Creative Space New Rochelle Opera New Westchester Symphony Orchestra Northern Star Quilters' Guild Nowodworski Foundation Peekskill Arts Alliance Pelham Art Center Performing Arts Center at

Purchase College Picture House Regional Film Center PJS Jazz Society The Play Group Theater Pleasantville Music Theatre Rehabilitation through the Arts The Revelators Rivertowns Arts Council, Inc. Rivertowns Village Green Ruth Keeler Memorial Library The Rye Arts Center

Schoolhouse Theater Sidra Bell Dance New York Songcatchers Sound Shore Chorale of New Rochelle Steffi Nossen Dance Foundation Taconic Opera Tarrytown Music Hall Thomas H. Slater Center Tutti Bravi Productions Untermyer Performing Arts Council Urban Studio Unbound Westchester Children's Museum The Westchester Chordsmen Westchester Collaborative Theatre Westchester Dance Artists Westchester Philharmonic White Plains Performing Arts Center YoFi Fest Yonkers Arts Young at Arts Youth Theatre Interactions

Art$WChallenge grantee Jazz Forum Arts (photo courtesy of Jazz Forum Arts)

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artist opportunities

Artist

OPPORTUNITIES ArtsW.org is Westchester County’s guide for all-things-art. On its “Artist Opportunities” page, artists in all disciplines can find nearby working opportunities that will help to strengthen and further their careers. Below is a sampling of some upcoming opportunities. To get these opportunities sent directly to your mailbox, sign up here.

Call for Photographers: Fourth Annual Larry Salley Photography Award ArtsWestchester, in partnership with the African American Men of Westchester, seeks nominations for Hudson Valley-based photographers to receive the fourth annual Larry Salley Photography Award. The award recipient will be furnished with a $1,000 cash prize. The winner, along with the finalists, will also have the opportunity to be featured in an online exhibition presented by ArtsWestchester.

Deadline: February 5, 2021.

Virtual Rockland Arts Festival Open to Applicants Artists and arts organizations interested in participating in the month-long virtual Rockland Arts Festival can apply through March 1. The festival will take place throughout the month of April. If approved to participate, the artist will have one artwork or image posted on the Festival’s website with a direct link to the artist's website or social media. All artists who are over the age of 18 and working in any artistic medium can apply, as well as arts organizations in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Deadline: March 1. Click for guidelines.​

Call for "Quarantine Art" for Spring Exhibition ArtsWestchester seeks submissions of creative works made during the pandemic for its curated spring 2021 exhibition. During this current pandemic, many people have turned to creative outlets like painting, photography, sewing, crafting, singing, writing and other creative activities. ArtsWestchester plans to reopen its gallery after an extended COVID-19 closure with an exhibition of these artistic projects. The organization invites those who live and work in the Hudson Valley to share their creativity and tell their pandemic story. All creative ideas are welcome. Deadline: March 3, 2021.

Education, by an anonymous artist on view in Bethany Arts Community's sculpture park (photo source: bethanyarts.org)

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Call for Artists: March Online Exhibition Each month, the Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden presents an online exhibition that features work by its artist members. The shows, curated by Bibiana Huang Matheis, are exhibited on the Museum’s website and remain on view for a year. Artists are to use each month's designated painting as a muse or inspiration for their submissions. All artistic media and styles are accepted, including 2D, 3D, video works, installation, literary forms, music and dance. To submit, Hammond members can email HammondMuseumArtists@gmail.com.

Deadline for the March exhibition: February 15, 2021.

Photo by the third annual Larry Salley Photography Award winner Arnold Kastenbaum

Call for Sculpture Park Artists Bethany Arts Community seeks project ideas for the sculpture park currently being developed on the organization’s property. The work may be site-specific, or the artist may submit an already existing piece. Proposals may be shown as photographs, hand-drawn sketches, digital renderings, or models/ maquettes. Artists should submit an initial artistic concept for this site, and the processes that might be used for the project.

Deadline: February 28, 2021.

Artworks submitted for Hammond Museum's March online exhibition must use this artwork as inspiration (artwork courtesy of Hammond Museum)

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6 Ways for Your Kids to Enjoy the Arts During Midwinter Break Schools are out of session in mid-February; however, between the cold weather and venues and businesses that are closed due to the pandemic, it can be difficult to keep kids occupied during this time. Luckily, the arts are available no matter the time of year.

Here are six organizations providing in-person and/or virtual arts activities to keep little ones busy and creative during their vacation week.

1

Pelham Art Center (in person)

Pelham Art Center offers two winter youth camps for students, both led by artist Donna Ross, on February 16-19. In “Eric Carle Creations,” kids will explore colors, shapes and textures to create colorful paper sculptures inspired by artist and author Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpillar). In “Acrylic Painting,” students will learn about basic color theory through “observational still life exercises and abstract mark-making.”

2

Westchester Children’s Museum (in person)

Westchester Children’s Museum’s Sunday workshops will focus on all-ages activities that are best suited for ages 4-6. On February 13, "Cupid’s Color Lab" is a half-chemistry/half-art workshop that introduces the technique of paper marbling to create Valentine’s Day cards. On February 20, students will discover the 1970s by creating their own lava lamp sensory bottle before a themed dance party.

3

Rye Arts Center (virtual and in person)

Acrylic painting youth camp at Pelham Art Center (image source: Pelham Art Center)

Rye Arts Center has three week-long workshops planned for February break, from February 15-19. In-person workshops include “Drawing, Painting and More,” during which kids will discover a new artistic medium each day, and “Ceramics Week,” for students who want to learn to work with clay. A virtual workshop, “Miniature Fun Model-Making 101,” teaches the art of miniatures, from conceptualizing to creating their models.

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Yonkers Community Quilt project, Nowodworski Foundation (image source Nowodworski Foundation)

Blue Door Art Center (virtual)

Blue Door Art Center will present a special Zoom series for midwinter break: “Travel Around the World in 3 Days” on February 15, 17 and 19. Artist Zafiro Acevedo will lead children to create art forms from around the world: Native American dream-catchers, Brazilian carnival masks and Chinese lanterns for the new Lunar Year. Additional Zoom activities include a love-themed workshop on February 13 and an activity that demonstrates sponge-painting Cherry Blossom trees on February 20.

Nowodworski Foundation (virtual)

Nowodworski Foundation’s “Yonkers Community Quilt” is a community project that showcases the diversity of the city of Yonkers. All are welcome to participate in these collaborative art-making workshops, including children. Participants will use basic art supplies like crayons, markers and paints to create their own portion of the quilt. Zoom sessions take place throughout February; sessions during winter break are Feb 17, 20 and 21.

6

ArtsWestchester (virtual)

Two of ArtsWestchester’s programs went virtual to help keep creativity alive during the pandemic: ArtsMobile, for children; and Teen Tuesdays & Thursdays, for teens. The result is an expansive digital library of arts activities that is updated weekly. During February break, kids and teens can create works of art for their Valentines, including a heart collage and an upcycled flower and vase.

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news briefs

NEWS BRIEFS

In Memoriam: Karen Marie Marmer Violinist Karen Marie Marmer recently passed away. Marmer performed with a number of European and American groups throughout her career, but of note was her involvement with the REBEL Baroque Ensemble, which she co-founded and co-directed with her husband and fellow musician, JorgMichael Schwarz. The well-known ensemble specialized in 17th- & 18th-century repertoires performed on period-appropriate instruments. She and Schwarz also formed Black Marble Violin, a group that explored rarely performed works written for two violins, as well as the Bedford chamber series Musica Antiqua Nova. Marmer studied at the Aaron Copland School of Music in New York City and Yale School of Music.

Pop-Up Library Pops Up in New Rochelle New Rochelle Council on the Arts unveiled a new “Pop-Up Library” at the New Rochelle MetroNorth train station last month. The whimsical kiosk, designed by artist Charles Fazzino, was the last in a series that were otherwise installed throughout the City in 2019. The six pop-up libraries, each designed by different artists, are intended to promote literacy and encourage the free exchange of books. The message is simple: “take a book or leave a book.”

Fazzino’s design is seven feet long and features built-in seating in the shape of red lips so that browsers can sit to read for a few minutes.

Other kiosks are located at Glenwood Lakes, Hudson Park, Huguenot Park, Lincoln Park, outside of Columbus School and at Paws Place Dog Park at Ward Acres Park.

Artist Charles Fazzino with his pop-up library (photo courtesy of New Rochelle Council on the Arts)

Karen Marie Marmer

Historic Hudson Valley Receives Conservation Grant Historic Hudson Valley has been awarded a Conservation Treatment Grant of $3,850 from The Greater Hudson Heritage Network (GHHN), in partnership with the New York State Council on the Arts. In all, $115,739 in grants was awarded to 22 organizations throughout the State. The grants are meant to provide “support for treatment procedures by professional conservators to aid in stabilizing, preserving and making accessible an array of unique objects” at museums, and historical and cultural organizations. Priority was given to objects that, once treated, will “impact public interpretive programs, exhibitions and education.“In the case of Historic Hudson Valley, the funds will aid the conservation of large bandboxes, c.1830, by Greenwich Studios, Inc.

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Neuberger Museum of Art Reopens to the Public Neuberger Museum of Art has announced that it plans to reopen to the public on February 19. Aside from delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Museum recently underwent a series of internal renovations that prevented the reopening of its doors until now. On view in the galleries will be three exhibitions that feature work from the Museum’s permanent collections: Modern and Contemporary Selections from the Permanent Collection, African Art and Culture: Selections from the Collection, and Color and Motion, Ideas and Dreams: Modern and Contemporary Caribbean and South American Art from the Collection.

In Memoriam: Sister Beth Dowd Sister Beth Dowd, Founder of the New Rochelle nonprofit Songcatchers, recently passed away. Dowd graduated from the College of New Rochelle and received a Master of Arts degree and a Master of Music degree from The Catholic University of America. During her accomplished career as a music educator, she was also active in campus ministry at the College of New Rochelle and music ministry at Blessed Sacrament Parish in New Rochelle.

Songcatchers, which received a 2017 Arts Award by ArtsWestchester in the “Education” category, is dedicated to providing affordable and accessible music programs to multicultural communities in Westchester. The organization’s services consist of choral arts, after-school music and early childhood music programs. The organization’s mission is “reaching peace through music.”

Sister Beth Dowd (photo courtesy of Songcatchers)

New Interim Managing Director Named at Performing Arts Center at Purchase College Purchase College recently announced the appointment of Christy Havard as Interim Managing Director of the College’s Performing Arts Center (The PAC). Leading up to her appointment, Havard served as Director of Production for The PAC, a role that she has held since 2005.

Previously, she served as Production Manager at the New 42 Street Inc., which includes the Duke Theatre on 42nd St and The New Victory Theater. Seth Soloway, who is departing the Managing Director role to accept the position of Associate Dean for Presenting and External Relations at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, says of Havard: “Her extensive production background and natural leadership skills will be a great asset…[to] ably steer The PAC through [its] current challenges and beyond.”

Christy Havard (photo courtesy of Performing Arts Center at Purchase College)

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MARSHA ON THE MOVE Monthly Web Feature When Business Council of Westchester President Marsha Gordon, is not advocating for businesses in the County, she can be found at the cinema or theater. Read Marsha's reviews on ArtsWestchester's "As a Matter of Art " blog: artsw.org/artsblog.

New Initiatives for Paycheck Protection and Shuttered Venues Passed by Congress Two federal initiatives, to be administered by the Small Business Administration, were recently passed by Congress: • The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) now allows certain eligible borrowers that previously received a PPP loan to apply for a Second Draw PPP Loan. Second Draw PPP Loans can be used to help fund payroll costs, including benefits. Funds can also be used to pay for mortgage interest, rent, utilities, worker protection costs related to COVID-19, uninsured property damage costs caused by looting or vandalism during 2020, and certain supplier costs and expenses for operations.

• The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program (SVO) includes $15 billion in grants to shuttered venues, including: theaters, live performing arts organizations and relevant museums. Eligible applicants may qualify for SVO Grants equal to 45% of their gross earned revenue, with the maximum amount available for a single grant award of $10 million. $2 billion is reserved for eligible applications with up to 50 fulltime employees.

Promo still from Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (photo source: Netflix)

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix) This "Netflix Original" movie felt more like theater than film. In fact, it is based on a play of the same name, written by Pulitzer Prizewinning writer August Wilson, who also wrote Fences. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom features truly moving performances by Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis that I believe are award-worthy. Of course, this makes the loss of Boseman even more painful. The film includes an important education about the birth of the Blues – the inequities imposed upon Black artists who developed this genre (one that gave birth to so much more) but were not compensated for their talent.

I loved seeing the strength of the character Ma, who stood up for as much as she could, and wasn’t taking any of the abuse thrown her way. Also great was viewing the interactions between the “men in the band,“ each with their own stories and challenges, and seeing how they coped…some with faith, some with acceptance, and some with violence. This is a great movie/ theatre experience and should not be missed for the acting, history and music.

CENTER FOR DIGITAL ARTS OFFERING CREDIT AND WORKFORCE TRAINING COURSES Fulfill your dream, whether on campus or online, at the Westchester Community College Center for the Digital Arts Peekskill Extension and take courses in Graphic Design, Digital Filmmaking, Drawing, Digital Imaging, Digital Photography, and more. Get a workforce training certificate in 3D Animation, UX Design, Social Media Marketing and Digital Photography, visit our Maker Space, and create a 3D print. At the Center for Digital Arts you’ll get started on your portfolio, meet other artists, and develop a network within the rich artist district of downtown Peekskill.

REGISTER NOW! 914-606-7300 ▪ sunywcc.edu/peekskill peekskill@sunywcc.edu

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SAVE OUR STAGES ACT to Provide Relief for Local Arts Venues

by Rocio De La Roca Since early 2020, arts venues throughout Westchester and the country have remained closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most performing arts venues were forced to cancel shows, refund tickets and turn to new virtual platforms in order to survive. Yet, there is hope for struggling arts institutions: Congress recently passed the Save Our Stages Act as part of its COVID-19 Relief Bill.

The Act will allocate an estimated $15 billion toward grant programs for live venues, independent movie theaters and other cultural institutions, according to a recent joint statement by Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.

Though the grant details have not been finalized, Westchester venues, including the Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC), The Picture House and Bedford Playhouse, have expressed gratitude on social media to state legislators for their efforts in supporting theaters in New York. JBFC stated in a Facebook post: “Thanks to Schumer's efforts on our behalf, this pandemic is only an intermission—not the end—for independent exhibitors.”

Tarrytown Music Hall (TMH)’s Executive Director, Bjorn Olsson, believes the funding will be a “...godsend for independent venues, making it possible for many to reopen that would otherwise have

gone under.” TMH, like many theaters, has been closed for more than ten months and remains without the ticket income it relies on for its theater and programming. A grant would allow the TMH to focus on creating a “safe, welcoming space” for audiences, artists, staff and volunteers to return to when venues are allowed to reopen.

According to Olsson, this relief package will also provide support to the infrastructure for the performing arts. For instance, the funding could prevent musicians from losing concert venues and theater groups from losing their homes. Beyond providing relief to the arts community, the Act would also stimulate local economies, especially for industries that depend on arts venues to attract customers, explains Olsson.

He adds, “If there is a silver lining to be found in this terrible ordeal for the arts community, I think it has shown so clearly that no livestream in the world can hold a candle to the magic of real people performing for real people in real-time. The magic of the performing arts.”

Performing arts venues looking for grant and loan information can visit the U.S. Small Business Administration's "Shuttered Venues" page for up-to-date information.

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upcoming virtual and in-person arts activities

February 2021 Arts Offerings

Time Stretching Out On Waves Of Patience by Austin Eddy, on view in Madelyn Jordon Fine Art's Look Forward | Look Back exhibition, through 3/13

Arc Stages presents a Virtual Pop-Up Session program designed to inspire and challenge students of all ages with fun, unique online options of the theatre craft. The program will run through February 12.

Bedford Playhouse’s Virtual Playhouse brings a selection of interactive programs, from comedies to environmental documentaries, author talks, weekly trivia for kids and more.

ArtsWestchester is providing an "Art of the Week" assignment every Monday on Instagram, ArtsMobile activities, Teen Tuesdays & Thursdays program and more.

Bethany Arts Community will present Ossining Black History & Culture, on view from February 6 through March 5 (IN PERSON). To commemorate Black History Month, the exhibition will honor more than 190 years of economic, social, spiritual, political and education contributions made by the African American community of the Village of Ossining. Reservations are encouraged but not required. Gallery hours: Mon-Fri: 10am-12pm and 1-3pm.

Axial Theatre will present a line-up of 14 short plays and monologues that celebrate love for its annual Twisted Valentines festival on February 12-20. The original pieces have been curated into two virtual programs available for streaming on the theatre's website.

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for more arts events, visit artsw.org

Blue Door Art Center is open to the public and presents the 13th Annual Juried Member Exhibition and Contest, featuring the works of the Center’s artist-members (IN PERSON). The center will also host a series of free art workshops for kids on Saturdays via Zoom. Hours: Sat: 1-5pm.

• Love-themed Zoom Workshop:

February 13 • “Travel Around the World in 3 Days"

- Zoom Workshop Series: February 15,

17 & 19 • Painting Cherry Blossom Trees

Workshop: February 20 via Zoom

Clay Art Center has reopened its studios for open studio sessions by appointment (IN PERSON). The Center also offers virtual classes, artist lectures and demonstrations, as well as a virtual exhibition, Concepts in Clay: Artists of Color, which features the work of eight Black artists.

• Virtual Artist Talk with Vinnie Bagwell:

February 3 at 7pm • Virtual Artist Talk with Rich Brown: February 23 at 7pm • Maker Date Special - Valentine's Day: February 12 & 13 at 7pm (IN PERSON) • Family Wheel Night (Ages 9-99): February 13 & 27 at 6pm

(IN PERSON) • Saturday Clay (Ages 6-99): February 13 & 27 at 2-4pm

(IN PERSON) • Home Studio Basics: February 21 at 1pm

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts offers a variety of music and family programs.

Audiences can enjoy new live-streamed concerts and past performances by worldrenowned artists on youtube.com/caramoor.

Center for the Digital Arts at Westchester Community College will host classes online and via remote learning. The Center offers digital arts education, including web development, 2D/3D animation, digital video and more. Click here for the full list of classes.

• Animation 1: Sundays, February 21-March

28, 9am-1pm • Creating Simple Video Content for Social

Media: Thursdays, February 18-25, 6pm • Painting and Drawing for Adults:

Saturdays, February 6 through

May 1, 10am.

• Teens Game Design for ages 12-17:

Saturdays from February 6 through

April 17, 10am

Performance by Amy Helm recorded live for the Emelin Theater, 2/26 (photo credit: Ebru Yildiz)

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upcoming virtual and in-person arts activities Color Camera Club of Westchester will be presenting photographic programs via Zoom. Audiences can also visit the photography club's website to view an exhibit of images from its members. colorcameraclub.com • Saman Majd and “A Rookies Journey”: February 1 at 7:30pm • A Photographic Visit to Morocco with Joe Carline:

February 8 at 8pm Copland House's virtual performance and conversation series, UNDERSCORED, offers premieres, revivals and classics by American composers. Each program includes a conversation, performance and live Q&A. • Virtual Premiere of John Musto’s Sonata for Cello and Piano:

February 22 at 1pm Downtown Music at Grace is broadcasting its noon concerts of chamber music and a variety of genres on its YouTube page.

Emelin Theatre is presenting a diverse roster of virtual events, including musical concerts and film screenings as part of its Film Club.

• Livestream Concert: Livingston Taylor: February 12 at 8pm • Livestream Concert: Amy Helm: February 26 at 8pm • Virtual Film Club: February 10 & 24 at 7:30pm

JOURNALISM: BECAUSE REGIONAL NEWS MATTERS. WESTFAIRONLINE.COM

Friends of Music Concerts will offer a recording by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for a period of five days. On February 13-19, a recording by pianist Gloria Chien will feature the works of John Field, Franz Liszt and Felix Mendelssohn.

The Ground Glass presents a couple of online group photography exhibitions, The Decisive Moment Revisited and Abstractions. thegroundglass.org Hammond Museum presents an Artist Members Virtual Gallery, featuring the works of the museum’s members through June 5, 2021. For a complete list of programs and workshops, visit hammondmuseum.org.

Harrison Public Library is offering suggestions on its website for what to read, watch, listen to and learn, as well as virtual workshops for teens and adults via Zoom, online book clubs, yoga classes for adults and more. For a complete list of programs, virtual classes and workshops, visit harrisonpl.org/events/harrison.

• Digital Art and Transformation, a virtual art exhibit by Gregory

Bart: February 28-March 1 Hudson River Museum presents Librado Romero: From the Desert to the River (IN PERSON). Also on view: Landscape Art & Virtual Travel: Highlights from the Collections of the HRM and Art Bridges (IN PERSON). Museum Hours: Thurs-Sun: 12–5pm.

Hudson Stage Company presents A Remedy for the Pandemic Blues, a virtual series of four commissioned one-act plays by the Company’s favorite playwrights and directors. On February 21 at 3pm, the series will kick off with a family reading for all ages.

Hudson Valley Museum of Contemporary Art is reopened by appointment, with an expanded exhibition of How We Live. Virtual tours and an in-depth Sculpture Trail Walk are available on the Museum’s website. Hours: Thursday-Saturday by appointment.

• Climbing the Walls - A virtual theater, poetry and image

project in collaboration with Studio Theater in Exile:

On view now • Writing the Walls - A virtual poetry project in collaboration with

Studio Theater in Exile that features poetic works that were

inspired by artworks in the How We Live exhibition: Ongoing Hudson Valley Writers Center will present free readings throughout the month and a special offer on Slapering Hol Press chapbooks. A series of classes and readings, all on Zoom, are open for registration.

For a complete list, visit writerscenter.org.

• Order and Disorder, Pattern and Variation, Centripetal and

Centrifugal with Patrick Donnelly: February 6 at 12:30pm

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for more arts events, visit artsw.org • Virtual Reading: Carolyn Forché & Lori

Soderlind: February 7 at 4pm • Poetry Reading with JP Howard &

Marilyn Nelson:

February 10 at 7pm • Intentional writing with Karen Finley:

February 13 at 12:30pm • The Joy of Editing: February 14

at 12:30p • Editing & Revising Your “Finished Poems”: February 16 at 5pm • Midrash Workshop with Alicia Ostriker: February 20 at 12:30pm • Poetry Reading- Alicia Ostriker, Roger

Reeves, Jeffrey Yang: February 24

at 7pm • Write an Electric Ten-Minute Play:

February 27 at 12:30pm • Coming of Age-Writing Workshop:

February 28 at 12:30pm Irvington Theater presents “The Music of Linda Ronstadt,” a concert film of Common GroundConcerts’ 2016 tribute performance to Ronstadt livestreming February 26-28. The film features Ronstadt’s hit songs, alongside lesser-known works from her expansive catalogue. All proceeds from this virtual concert will be donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

Jacob Burns Film Center screens new releases and repertory films in its Virtual Screening Room, and provides short films with related activities for kids.

Jazz Forum Arts has launched Jazz Forum @ Home, a series of concerts that are livestreamed on Facebook Live every Saturday at 7pm, and Jitterbugs @ Home, which provides online jazz classes for kids aged 2-5.

John Jay Homestead's site offers interactive activities, such as children’s projects, a virtual tour and downloadable worksheets on its website. johnjayhomestead.org

Wamkelekile (Welcome in Xhosa: Cape Town South Africa) by David Dixon, on view in Blue Door Art Center's 13th Annual Juried Member Exhibition, through 2/6 (image courtesy of Blue Door Art Center)

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upcoming virtual and in-person arts activities Katonah Museum of Art has reopened its Museum and Learning Center. Visitors can purchase tickets to see the Young Artists 2021 exhibition, featuring the work of high school senior artists through February 28 (IN PERSON). Admission is by advance reservation. Hours: Tues-Sat: 10am-5pm, and Sun: 12-5pm.

• Young Artists 2021- Opening Weekend:

February 6-7 at 10am-6pm (IN PERSON) Lyndhurst Mansion offers winter grounds passes to the property between the hours of 10am and 3pm as the property closes at 4pm (IN PERSON). Purchase passes here. Its online Voices of the Landscape exhibition is also available on its website.

Mamaroneck Artists Guild (MAG) will present Seeing RED, a group art show featuring the MAG artists through February 28.

• Seeing Red - Virtual Reception: February 6 at 12pm • MAG Workshop Series: Art Critique Sessions: February 9

& 23 at 11am, February 10 & 24 at 5.30pm Neuberger Museum of Art will present new exhibitions featuring works from the museum’s collections -- African Art and Culture (on view starting February 19), Then and Now: Modern and Contemporary Selections (on view starting February 19) and Color and Motion, Ideas and Dreams: Modern and Contemporary Caribbean and South

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CONTACT:

Cameron Bock cbock@artswestchester.org or 914.428.4220 x335

American Art (on view starting February 28). Pre-recorded 20-minute guided meditations are available on its website, as well as weekly artrelated projects and activities for kids.

• In Conversation - Allison Miller & Daniel Gerwin:

February 18 at 1pm New Castle Historical Society will host an online lecture on African American heritage foodways in New York with culinary historian Lavada Nahon (February 10 at 7pm).

New Choral Society is streaming an evening of chamber music, previously recorded at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church.

New Rochelle Council on the Arts​ has installed "Pop-Up Library" kiosks in New Rochelle to promote literacy and encourage the free exchange of books. Kiosks are located at New Rochelle MetroNorth train station, Glenwood Lakes, Hudson Park, Huguenot Park, Lincoln Park, outside of Columbus School and at Paws Place Dog Park at Ward Acres Park.

Nowodworski Foundation presents Yonkers Community Quilt, a free virtual workshop series for those who are interested in art or want to participate in a community project that showcases the diversity of the city. Workshops will be held on select dates from February 3 through 28. To confirm/sign in, email office@sitenf.org.

The Peekskill Business Improvement District is displaying a 2,400pound bronze statue of noted abolitionist Harriet Tubman until the end of February. The nationally touring​sculpture is located on the corner of Central Avenue and Division Street.​ • ​​Online event with Photographer Ocean Morisset: February 6 • Panel Discussion- Descendants of Harriet Tubman: February 20 Pelham Art Center presents With Every Fiber, an exhibition of fiber works that communicate emotions and meanings beyond the literal context of the material through April 3 (IN PERSON). The Center also offers a series of virtual studio visits and workshops.

• With Every Fiber - In-person & virtual opening reception: Feb. 6,

1pm & Feb. 11, 5pm • Portrait Intensive for Adults & Teens 14+: February 16-19 at 4pm (IN PERSON) • Youth Camp - Eric Carle Creations: February 16-19 at 10am (IN PERSON) • Youth Camp - Acrylic Painting: February 16-19 at (IN PERSON) • Art Journaling: Sundays, February 28-March 14 at 1pm (IN PERSON) • Virtual Studio Visits: Mary Ann Lomonaco (February 18),

Joy Curtis (February 25)

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for more arts events, visit artsw.org The Rye Arts Center will present Nature’s Art II: Geodes from the Collection of Robert R. Wiener, on view from February 11 through April 30 (IN PERSON). A collection of rare gems, minerals and geodes, as well as complementary works from artists will be featured. The Center also offers in-person and virtual classes in drawing, painting, ceramics and more.

• Make A Polar Bear with Polymer Clay Workshop: February 6,

2 & 3pm (IN PERSON) • Valentine's Day Workshop - Laser Cutting with Glowforge:

February 11, 4:30pm (IN PERSON) • Valentine's Day Pop Up Cards Workshop: February 13 at 10am

(IN PERSON) • February Break Week-Long Art Workshops: February 15-19,

10am & 12:30pm (IN PERSON) The Schoolhouse Theater’s Pandemic Players will continue to present free Zoom readings of an assortment of plays.

• Virtual reading - A View from the Bridge: February 6 at 3pm • Virtual reading - Shooting Star: February 13 at 3pm • Virtual reading - An Inspector Calls: February 20 at 3pm • Peter Calo in Concert: February 28 at 7pm

When I go to school I mostly play two instruments – guitar and drums. When I see other kids, they say it’s boring, but that’s not what I see. In fact, that is the opposite of what I see. I don’t just see a bunch of notes on a paper, I see a feeling – a beat that just makes you want to be yourself, makes you want to be calm and happy. And that’s what everyone should feel! And that’s the thing that keeps me going.

Songcatchers, Inc. After-School Music Program Student Alejandro Lopez, 11 years old

ALL ALL ALL TOGETHER TOGETHER TOGETHER NOW. NOW. NOW.

Pelham’s The Picture House offers film screenings via its virtual cinema and continues its Education at Home program, which presents Let’s face it. No one has had it easy during thisLet’s pandemic. face it. No one has had it easy during this pandemic.

Let’s face it. No one has had it easy during this pandemic. short films with discussion questions and activities for students of any Your newspaper is reporting from the front lines thenewspaper local stories of Your is reporting from the front lines local stories of We’ve hard atthework reporting on the public health crisis that’s Your newspaper is reporting from the front lines the local storiesbeen of COVID-19 and its painful shutdown. We thankCOVID-19 our talented andjournalists. its painful shutdown. We thank our talented journalists.

COVID-19 and its painful shutdown. We thank our talented journalists. grade level. disrupted everyone’s lives.

We’re proud of our brand of reliable, But we’ve lost business, too. Like us, you’re probably saying is enough.

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RiverArts will host a virtual open mic night with folk singer-songwriter Adam Hart on February 18 at 8pm. Comedians, poets, spoken word artists and singers are all welcome.

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WESTCHESTER COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • ARTSNEWS

FEBRUARY 2021

upcoming virtual and in-person arts activities

Music of Linda Ronstadt benefit concert, livestreamed by Irvington Theater from February 26-28 (photo copyright: Jim Metzger Photographer)

Steffi Nossen School of Dance is offering virtual dance classes this winter. Classes include modern, ballet, jazz tap, hip-hop, preprofessional programs and more. Through March, the School also offers virtual Moving Wheels and Heels Adaptive Dance Classes for people of all abilities.

Tarrytown Music Hall's “Night In With the Music Hall” series continues with weekly livestream concerts via its Facebook and YouTube pages.

• Livestream Concert - Matt Sucich: February 3

at 7pm • Livestream Concert - Alex Cano: February 6 at 6pm Walkabout Clearwater Coffeehouse will present “Deeper Than the Skin,” a livestream performance featuring Reggie Harris and Greg Greenway. On February 13 at 7:30pm, this musical journey will incorporate narrative, poetry and reflection on the complex topic of racism and its legacy in America.

loved ones with a virtual performance of love songs performed by the Chorus’ award-winning quartets. For more info, visit chordsmen.org/ singing-valentines.

The Westchester Symphonic Winds will host a webcast in place of its annual Winter Concert on February 28 at 3pm. This program will feature current performance projects produced by members, plans for upcoming performances and appearances by special guests. The webcast link will be published online at westchestersymphonicwinds.org.

White Plains Public Library is open to the public and allows a limited number of patrons into the building to browse and borrow materials (IN PERSON). The library's web page also provides online resources for families. Library hours: Mon-Thurs: 10am-7pm and Fri-Sat: 1-5pm.

Interested in Writing for ArtsNews?

We want to hear from you!

Westchester Children’s Museum continues its virtual learning programs and resources, with STEAM activities for the whole family, an early literacy interactive program and more.

• Density Disco Dance Workshop for ages 4-8: February 20 at 11am (IN PERSON)

To be considered, tell us about your interest/experience in the arts, and include a writing resume and three writing clips. When we have an article to assign, we may get in touch with you!

The Westchester Chordsmen Chorus is offering virtual Singing Valentines on February 14. Westchester County residents can surprise

Contact artswnews@artswestchester.org.

No phone calls, please.

It’s good for business.

ArtsWestchester, with support from Westchester County Government and the business community, has provided the following 110 arts organizations with grants.

ArtsWestchester’s grants programs reach every community in Westchester County, providing support to artists and arts and cultural groups both large and small.

artsw.org/donate @artswestchester