Sunday, October 31, 2010

a quiet halloween

When I first took office as Town Supervisor Halloween night was a big heacache. Lots of mischief, vandalism, property damage. We responded to the numerous complaints by increasing the police presence during Halloween night. We assign additional police cars to patrol the town on Halloween. Prior to Halloween we send a message to students that vandalism will not be tolerated.
I just came back home--spent part of the evening with our new Police Chief Joseph DeCarlo. We spent some time patrolling the streets of the town and stopped by at some homes that had experienced problems in recent years. I am very pleased to report that this year Halloween was very quiet. We did confiscate eggs and shaving cream and the police checked to see that groups of teens were not causing problems. The police radio was relatively quiet (a contrast to years ago when I heard complaints, and reports of problems every few minutes).
I would like to thank Police Chief DeCarlo and all the officers who worked Halloween night for doing a great job protecting the community on a night known for mischief and pranks. This was the most quiet Halloween in my memory. On nights like tonight I felt good --knowing that we're getting great value for our tax dollars!

On another note -- I noticed that more and more people are decorating their homes for Halloween. Among my favorites: an amazing Halloween decorated house on Eiler in E Irvington.
PAUL FEINER
PS: I'd like to know if your impressions are similar to mine---were you pleased with how we handled Halloween? Any suggestions for improvements?

VETERANS DAY CEREMONY--THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH 1 PM DESANTI PLAZA, ACROSS FROM HARTSDALE TRAIN STATION

Saturday, October 30, 2010

channel 5 & 9 up...halloween police patrols...block party..supermarket hours

Just received good news from cablevision's government liaison: Channels 5 & 9 are back up.

NOT WANTED: HALLOWEEN MISCHIEF---The Greenburgh police will be out in force tomorrow evening to significantly reduce the possibility of mischief, rotten eggs and shaving cream and other Halloween night pranks. We will have a significant police presence throughout the town--especially where there have been past problems.
I WILL JOIN THE POLICE CHIEF patrolling the streets (after I take my daughter out for Halloween). If you would like us to stop by your house after 8:45 PM please e mail me at pfeiner@greenburghny.com. Call the police tomorrow evening if you have any concerns. You can also reach me on my cell: 438-1343. In recent years our police have done a terrific job keeping the streets of Greenburgh safe. We will work hard to do the same tomorrow evening.

AN INTERESTING CONCEPT--HALLOWEEN STREET PARTY--Some neighbors on Southway between Eastway and Westway--have asked the town to close their street. They are planning a block party. This kind of event is safe, fun. I hope more neighborhoods will consider similar block parties on Halloween in future years.

WANT TO CHAT ABOUT THE TOWN BUDGET OR ANY OTHER TOWN MATTER? I will be at my problem solver desk tomorrow (SUNDAY) from 11:30 to 12:30 at Stop & Shop in Dobbs Ferry.
Paul Feiner

Friday, October 29, 2010

BUDGET MESSAGE 2011

BUDGET MESSAGE - PROPOSED 2011 BUDGET

B BUDGET: $68.9 million in 2011 - Average unincorporated Greenburgh resident will pay $113.70 more in 2011 (combined A & B taxes)

A BUDGET: $15.7 million in 2011 - Average village resident will pay $73.79 more in 2011

Holding Back Expenses, Addressing Revenue Losses

The 2011 budget, like budgets in recent years, reflects our mission to control the costs of government. A chart is attached to this budget message comparing the 2011 operating budget spending per department to 2010 department spending. Some departments will spend less in 2011 than in 2010. This has to be done to offset large increases in employee fringe benefits over which we have less direct control.

The challenges we as a community face with the B Budget include certioraris, lower assessed values, pension increases, health care hikes and higher insurance costs. WE ANTICIPATE ISSUING $5 MILLION IN REFUNDS due to certioraris in 2011. Our pension costs have gone up by 36% for the Employee Retirement System (ERS) and 24% for the Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS). (The Town has no control over these percentages.) This equates to a pension cost increase of $1.0 million. In addition, health care costs increased by 15%, which equates to an increase of $1.4 million. Assessed valuations decreased by $9.2 million which negatively impacts the tax rate.

There would be no tax hike in my proposed B Budget were it not for certioraris. However, as a result of certioraris, there will be a 4.5% tax hike, which will cost a typical resident in the unincorporated area of town with a $15,000 assessment an additional $113.70 annually.

The “B” budget, which serves unincorporated Greenburgh, has a strong fund balance of $8.1 million. We are appropriating $3.1 million of the unincorporated (B Fund) fund balance to moderate this year’s tax levy. We can do this because the fund balance has increased in the past two years. The amount remaining will be in compliance with our fund balance policy.

During my tenure as Town Supervisor we have significantly increased services, including services to the villages. We now provide advance life support and paramedic services by trained police to village residents. This program has saved many lives. Greenburgh is the only town in the state to offer its residents this advance life support service by the police. We also expanded a service and made it available to village residents -special recreation for those with disabilities. I am proud that we have given children with special needs the opportunity to enjoy their quality of life and thank the villages for requesting this program.

At the end of this message I have included a listing of services currently offered to village residents by the Town. I think the taxpayers get great value from these services.

When the economy was good we were receiving a lot of revenue from the mortgage tax. As a result, we were able to increase services without increasing taxes. We used fund balance (our savings) to pay for these programs -without asking residents to absorb the actual cost for each of these the programs. In fact, a few years ago we had enough fund balance that we actually reduced taxes in the A Budget by 12% in 2006, 10% in 2007 and 32% in 2008.

Unfortunately, the economy is bad. We can no longer use large amounts of fund balance and do not have the mortgage tax revenue that we once had. Also, assessed valuations are down $13.9 million compared with 2010. We are appropriating $0.7 million of the A Fund fund balance compared to $2.8 million that was appropriated in 2010. This use of fund balance is in compliance with our fund balance policy.

We now have a choice to make: to continue to offer our residents these services or to cut back. My recommendation is to keep these services going -I could not live with myself if someone dies because we discontinued the advanced life support program. I have seen the smiles on the faces of children with disabilities while they are participating in recreation programs tailored for their needs. I know how grateful seniors are when they see a nutrition worker provide them with food.

To continue all of these important services, we need to replace the significant revenue losses mentioned above. Therefore, A Fund taxes will go up by $73.79 in 2011 for the typical resident of a village whose house is assessed at $15,000. This typical resident will now pay the Town $188.54 a year for Town services.

At the bottom of this budget message I have provided readers with a chart showing to which jurisdiction a typical taxpayer pays their taxes. A taxpayer in the Village of Ardsley, for example, will pay the Town $188.54, village government $3,575.70, the county $1,968.44 and the school district $7,685. Many think their Town tax is much higher than the $188.54 example because the Town acts as a tax collection agent for the schools, county and fire districts even though the Town has no control over their budgets.

LOOKING FORWARD

The Town has an AAA bond rating (the highest rating possible). Unlike the state government and many localities around the nation the Town is in good financial shape. One of the reasons is we adopted a Town fund balance policy a few years ago to instill fiscal discipline.

I realize that any tax hike - even with a small dollar figure amount attached to it – is undesirable. We need to look at the big picture and reinvent the way government runs. We need to find new revenues and more ways to cut expenses. These are some thoughts:

WE NEED TO STOP PAYING $10,000,000 per year in certiorari refunds

Over the last several years the town, villages and school districts have paid back over $10,000,000 per year in certiorari refunds. A new Judge assigned to certiorari cases has forced all municipalities in Westchester to pay certioraris faster. In the 2011 budget we have included $5 million in refunds for town alone, not counting schools, the fire districts or county. In 2010 we anticipate refunding approximately $3.1 million.

Members of the Town Board and I are looking for ways to stabilize the taxes, reduce certioraris significantly, eliminate big payouts and remove the volatility of the tax rates from year to year. We are also concerned because the percent of the total tax bill paid by residential property owners is going up while the percent of the total tax bill paid by the commercial sector is going down. One option to be considered is reassessment. However, before any decision to reassess is made, we will be asking the NYS Legislature to approve hardship provisions to assist struggling families and retirees.

REINVENTING GOVERNMENT

At a recent Town Board work session (October 28) we invited J. Dwight Hadley, CPA to speak to us. He was the former chair of the New York State Board of Accountancy. He is working with another upstate community on an innovative concept: the establishment of a sanitation enterprise fund. This concept, which the Town Board is currently reviewing, would change the way sanitation services are offered to residents and increase transparency. The Town would send residents a bill for sanitation services instead of having them pay for it through Town taxes. Residents/businesses would have the option of comparing the costs of our service with the private sector. If we offer a better service, individual residents/businesses could choose to hire the Town to pick up garbage. If you are not satisfied with our price or level of service you would have the option of contracting with the private sector.

HOTEL TAX –SIGNIFICANT NEW REVENUE STREAM

During the past two years the New York State Legislature has authorized other municipalities in Westchester to levy a tax on hotels. This tax is generating significant revenue to those localities. The Town of Greenburgh is requesting the State Legislature authorize Greenburgh to do the same. I anticipate that the State Legislature will take action in 2011, which will increase our revenues for 2012 and beyond. This could generate a six figure annual revenue increase.


FIRE CONSOLIDATION COMMISSION REPORT EXPECTED EARLY NOVEMBER

Over a year ago the Town Board appointed a citizens commission to take a look at the costs of operating the three paid fire districts. These districts are independent of the Town. The objective is to save taxpayer dollars by consolidating and/or sharing Fire and possibly other services. The report will be posted on the Town website.

INDEPENDENT LIBRARY DISTRICT

In recent years Greenburgh’s Library has been closed on Sunday’s. Other libraries around the county have also cut their library hours. In response, some communities around the state have created independent library districts. Library Commissioners are elected and their budgets are submitted to you the taxpayer annually for a vote. I am including $50,000 in the 2011 budget for a consultant to work with the library to determine if the Greenburgh Library district should be independent of the Town government. Another approach is to ask all the libraries within Greenburgh to coordinate their hours.


ONLY ONE NEW POSITION ADDED –COURT CLERK (EXPECTED TO PAY FOR ITSELF AND IMPROVE EFFICIENCY)

The 2011 budget does not include funds for additional personnel, with one exception: the Town Court, which will get one additional court clerk at the recommendation of the court administrator and Judge Charles Apotheker, Supervising Judge for the 9th Judicial District Justice Courts.

TOWN SERVICES TO THE VILLAGES

In response to residents of the villages who have asked about town services, I have compiled the following list of services that we currently offer residents of the villages. I believe that these services are worth the additional $73.79 in taxes for 2011 for a typical resident with a $15,000 assessment.

1. We offer Advance Life Support (ALS) and paramedic services which has a proven record of repeatedly saving the lives of village residents. Hopefully, you won't need them, but if you do these services are ready to respond to your call 24 hours a day.

2. The town-wide senior program serves or delivers over 30,000 meals to village seniors each year. The program provides a hot meal five days a week to eligible seniors. We have three nutrition sites - in Dobbs Ferry, Tarrytown and unincorporated Greenburgh. Our home delivery program provides delivery services to seniors who cannot come to one of these sites.

3. The Town has a recreation program for residents who have developmental disabilities.

4. The Town’s animal control department responds to calls for service within the villages. If there is a stray or injured animal the animal control unit will respond. We transport the animals to an appropriate medical facility for care.

5. The Town's civil defense unit provides civil defense services during natural disasters and other major events, such as post 9/11 and during blackouts. These services include coordination of communications for police, fire, paramedics and refilling of air packs and fresh air for specialized rescues. The unit also responds to refill the air tanks of village volunteer firefighters during fires.

6. The Town's highly trained and specially equipped special weapons and tactics (SWAT) team is available 24/7 to respond to emergencies. Officers from throughout the town who meet very rigorous standards are readily available to respond to emergencies in the villages.

7. The Town's road striping unit is responsible for striping roads, including the center and side lines and crosswalks on roads in all six villages.

8. The Town acts as a collection agent for the schools and county. The Town guarantees 100% of the taxes to both entities.



9. A few weeks ago, at the request of the villages, the Town took over the responsibilities of dog licensing.











TOWN WIDE BUDGET AT A GLANCE
INCREASE
PERCENTAGE

APPROPRIATIONS
2011
2010
(DECREASE)
CHANGE

Town Board
$116,378
$114,178
$2,200
1.93%

Town Justices
$1,333,180
$1,287,661
$45,519
3.54%

Supervisor
$196,108
$194,858
$1,250
0.64%

Comptroller
$716,750
$715,580
$1,170
0.16%

Auditor
$79,569
$77,250
$2,319
3.00%

Tax Collection
$243,503
$244,303
($800)
-0.33%

Purchasing
$170,863
$170,363
$500
0.29%

Assessor
$711,207
$712,613
($1,406)
-0.20%

Town Clerk
$303,725
$319,702
($15,977)
-5.00%

Town Attorney
$1,078,900
$1,053,656
$25,244
2.40%

Town Engineer
$45,921
$45,921
$0
0.00%

Elections
$180,280
$175,243
$5,037
2.87%

Public Works Administration
$480,016
$473,062
$6,954
1.47%

Central Services
$775,724
$815,840
($40,116)
-4.92%

Central Data Processing
$507,545
$515,578
($8,033)
-1.56%

Unallocated Insurance
$176,400
$168,000
$8,400
5.00%

Municipal Association Dues
$4,000
$4,000
$0
0.00%

Judgment & Claims
$300,000
$250,000
$50,000
20.00%

Taxes
$42,000
$41,000
$1,000
2.44%

Special Items
$8,000
$8,000
$0
0.00%

Contingent Account
$664,000
$500,000
$164,000
32.80%

TOTAL GENERAL GOV'T SUPPORT
$8,134,069
$7,886,808
$247,261
3.14%


Police & Constables
$12,099
$13,342
($1,243)
-9.32%

Police & Constables - Marine Unit
$0
$7,145
($7,145)
-100.00%

Police & Constables - SWAT
$159,934
$161,277
($1,343)
-0.83%

Traffic Control
$422,185
$423,556
($1,371)
-0.32%

Hartsdale Public Parking
$76,000
$74,000
$2,000
2.70%

Control of Animals
$321,412
$314,868
$6,544
2.08%

Civil Defense
$21,821
$24,861
($3,040)
-12.23%

Other Public Safety
$0
$14,000
($14,000)
-100.00%

Narcotic Guidance Council
$20,000
$20,000
$0
0.00%

Advanced Life Support
$914,456
$892,708
$21,748
2.44%

TOTAL PUBLIC SAFETY
$1,947,907
$1,945,757
$2,150
0.11%

MAINTENANCE OF BRIDGES
$5,000
$4,500
$500
11.11%


Nutrition Program - Transfer
$275,706
$240,585
$35,121
14.60%

Veterans Service
$600
$600
$0
0.00%

TOTAL ECON. ASST. & OPPORTUNITY
$276,306
$241,185
$35,121
14.56%


Council on Arts (1)
$0
$53,330

Recreation Administration
$210,912
$217,764
($6,852)
-3.15%

Rec - Park Maintenance
$0
$0
$0
0.00%

Day Care Center
$103,220
$100,657
$2,563
2.55%

Historian
$4,934
$4,934
$0
0.00%

TOTAL CULTURE & RECREATION
$319,066
$376,685
($57,619)
-15.30%


EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
$3,037,201
$2,784,525
$252,676
9.07%

INTERFUND TRANSFERS
$450,000
$375,000
$75,000
20.00%

DEBT SERVICE
$1,525,403
$1,436,310
$89,093
6.20%

TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS
$15,694,952
$15,050,770
$644,182
4.28%


(1) Council on Arts was moved from the A Fund to the B Fund and went from 53,330 to 52,402, a 1.74% decrease

TOWN OUTSIDE BUDGET
INCREASE
PERCENTAGE

APPROPRIATIONS
2011
2010
(DECREASE)
CHANGE

Town Clerk
$27,585
$27,835
($250)
-0.90%

Cable TV
$206,954
$120,968
$85,986
71.08%

Public Works Administration
$416,481
$393,810
$22,671
5.76%

Central Services
$313,500
$328,000
($14,500)
-4.42%

Unallocated Insurance
$551,250
$525,000
$26,250
5.00%

Judgment & Claims
$5,000,000
$2,800,000
$2,200,000
78.57%

Taxes
$111,060
$116,000
($4,940)
-4.26%

Special Items
$26,500
$25,000
$1,500
6.00%

Contingent Account
$1,070,000
$1,375,000
($305,000)
-22.18%

TOTAL GENERAL GOV'T SUPPORT
$7,723,330
$5,711,613
$2,011,717
35.22%


Police and Constables
$16,734,986
$15,802,920
$932,066
5.90%

Police-Housing Authority
$0
$0
$0
0.00%

Building Department
$930,522
$915,445
$15,077
1.65%

TOTAL PUBLIC SAFETY
$17,665,508
$16,718,365
$947,143
5.67%


Registrar of Vital Statistics
$2,700
$2,700
$0
0.00%

Environment Quality Control
$0
$0
$0
0.00%

Narcotics Guidance Council
$33,674
$33,674
$0
0.00%

TOTAL HEALTH
$36,374
$36,374
$0
0.00%


Highway Garage
$75,000
$89,700
($14,700)
-16.39%

Street Lighting
$742,866
$693,492
$49,374
7.12%

TOTAL TRANSPORTATION
$817,866
$783,192
$34,674
4.43%


Council on Arts (1)
$52,402
$0
($928)
-1.74%

Recreation Administration
$1,536,831
$1,614,592
($77,761)
-4.82%

Senior Transportation
$2,600
$2,600
$0
0.00%

Parks Maintenance
$1,630,215
$1,664,479
($34,264)
-2.06%

Anthony F. Veteran Park
$468,000
$466,233
$1,767
0.38%

Nature Center
$365,096
$359,290
$5,806
1.62%

Community Center
$2,699,929
$2,823,984
($124,055)
-4.39%

Fairview Greenburgh Pool
$613,300
$654,746
($41,446)
-6.33%

TOTAL CULTURE & RECREATION
$7,368,373
$7,585,924
($217,551)
-2.87%

Zoning & Planning
$480,730
$374,824
$105,906
28.25%

Sanitation
$4,794,732
$4,717,594
$77,138
1.64%

Rent Subsidy
$55,000
$55,000
$0
0.00%

Conservation
$28,093
$28,183
($90)
-0.32%

Other Community Services-Grants
$120,051
$121,051
($1,000)
-0.83%

TOTAL HOME & COMM. SERVICES
$5,478,606
$5,296,652
$181,954
3.44%


EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
$14,018,481
$12,608,507
$1,409,974
11.18%


Library Fund
$3,354,838
$2,992,740
$362,098
12.10%

Insurance Fund
$425,000
$350,000
$75,000
21.43%

Highway Fund
$5,100,115
$5,891,969
($791,854)
-13.44%

TOTAL INTERNAL TRANSFERS
$8,879,953
$9,234,709
($354,756)
-3.84%

DEBT SERVICE
$6,919,079
$6,367,991
$551,088
8.65%

TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS
$68,907,570
$64,343,327
$4,564,243
7.09%

(1) Council on Arts was moved from the A Fund to the B Fund and went from 53,330 to 52,402, a 1.74% decrease


THIS IS STEP ONE

The presentation of this proposed budget is step one. To offset the revenue declines and expense increases we have made many painstakingly considered choices. There are reductions in controllable expenses. The Town is continuing its practice of not filling positions as employees leave and we are offering an Early Retirement Incentive.

In the coming weeks the Town Council and I will be meeting with neighborhoods, civic associations and community leaders. We have until December 20 to approve a final budget.

I want to thank the other members of the Town Board for working in partnership with me on the proposed budget. We have been meeting week after week reviewing line items in every department budget. I also thank Bart Talamini, Town Comptroller, for his hard work and dedication in the preparation of this budget. He has done an outstanding job and has provided me with excellent suggestions during this budget process. During this period of fiscal austerity it is a challenge to do more with less. This budget provides the fiscal framework for meeting that challenge.

Sincerely,

Paul J. Feiner

Greenburgh Town Supervisor

P.S. The entire Town budget will be posted shortly on the Town’s web site, www.greenburghny.com.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

should the town reassess properties? 10 million loss in ratables a year

TOWN RATABLES DOWN TEN MILLION (town and villages) IN ONE YEAR DUE TO CERTIORARI REFUNDS
TONIGHT THE TOWN BD SETTLED ADDITIONAL CERTIORARI'S --CENTRAL 7 SCHOOL WILL ISSUE REFUND OF 3 MILLION...
SHOULD WE REASSESS? what do you think????

The October 27th Town Board meeting was not a great night for the Central 7 School district. If you read the following summaries-- the Town Board voted to settle a series of certiorari's with Highpoint. The Central 7 School district will be issuing a check for a few million dollars to Highpoint. The town is also issuing A BIG WHOPPING CHECK FOR MORE THAN A MILLION TO HIGHPOINT PROPERTY OWNERS. The county and fire districts are also issuing big checks..
Big refunds to property owners are approved at almost every Town Board meeting. The result: Our revenues are going down and have to be made up with tax hikes that you pay. This year the town will be cutting checks for $5 million. Next year it will be the same. If we keep spending flat you get a tax hike because revenues are down, due to certioari's. Are we throwing your tax dollars away? Do we have a responsibility to stop the bleeding?
Although the assessor can REDUCE taxes people pay--we can't increase the assessments unless there were home improvements.


There is a new Judge assigning Certiorari cases and he has actually expedited the process to the point that this has created a financial burden to the taxing jurisdictions, that most that are able, are now bonding to pay back the taxes.

QUESTION: Should the town reassess? WE, like almost every community in Westchester, have not reassessed since 1956. If we don't reassess certiorari's will continue and there will continue to be swings in tax rates each year.

What do you think? If we reassess should there be hardship provisions for senior citizens or a phase in period? Usually, after a reassessment takes place one third of the properties go up, one third go down and one third stays the same.

Is the failure to reassess actually costing you more since taxes keep going up due to ratable losses and refund checks?

In recent weeks I have been meeting with Village Boards located in Greenburgh. I have written to every school district in Greenburgh requesting an opportunity to meet with their School Board (Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings, Irvington, Central 7, Edgemont, Tarrytown, Valhalla, Pocantico).

If you would like to attend a community meeting about this matter or if you would like to be kept informed of the actions we are considering and discussions being held - please advise. In the past reassessment been avoided. However- the failure to reassess may be hurting everyone. So, at the minimum, we should have a serious discussion--should we stop the bleeding and take action?

Looking forward to hearing from you. e mail pfeiner@greenburghny.com

PAUL FEINER



REFUND CHECK ACTION FROM OCTOBER 27TH TOWN BOARD MEETING

THESE RESOLUTIONS WERE APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY--AFTER CONSULTATION WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. WE HAD NO CHOICE.

AT 1 – 10/27/10 Resolution authorizing tax certiorari settlement with petitioner Highpoint at Hartsdale Condominium I, for property located on Highpoint Drive. The Town's share of the refund is $478,830±; the Greenburgh Central School District No. 7’s share is $1,273,274±; the County's share is $354,713±; the Hartsdale Fire District’s share is $401,454±; the Bronx Valley Sewer District’s share is $46,707±; the Consolidated Sewer Mtc. District’s share is $9,470±. Refunds from all sources total $2,564,446±.

AT 2 – 10/27/10 Resolution authorizing tax certiorari settlement with petitioner Highpoint at Hartsdale Condominium II, for property located on Highpoint Drive. The Town's share of the refund is $282,382±; the Greenburgh Central School District No. 7’s share is $744,535±; the County's share is $209,186±; the Hartsdale Fire District’s share is $236,750±; the Bronx Valley Sewer District’s share is $27,545±; the Consolidated Sewer Mtc. District’s share is $5,585±. Refunds from all sources total $1,505,983±.

AT 3 – 10/27/10 Resolution authorizing tax certiorari settlement with petitioner Highpoint at Hartsdale Condominium III, for property located on Highpoint Drive. The Town's share of the refund is $465,360±; the Greenburgh Central School District No. 7’s share is $1,226,979±; the County's share is $344,734±; the Fairview District’s share is $377,927±; the Bronx Valley Sewer

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

town sale of surplus properties raised $457,000

Last year the town held an auction of town owned properties. We sold several parcels of property (including the waterwheel for affordable housing in Ardsley). Some of the properties did not sell. We held a silent bid auction today on other surplus town owned properties and raised $457,000. There have been added interest in other properties that the town will be reviewing for potential sale. The sale of these properties will help mitigate budget constraints but it also removes our liability on those properties and puts the property on the tax rolls. For additional information about the other properties e mail emccarthy@greenburghny.com or myself at pfeiner@greenburghny.com

Saturday, October 23, 2010

congrat's elmsford...spooktoberfest...supermarket hours...when will shoprite open...when will construction start for stop and shop/tarrytown?

CONGRATULATIONS to the Village of Elmsford. Attended their Centennial Plaza and Clock dedication tonight. The new clock and plaza, at the corner of Main Street & 9A, is an important streetscaping improvement.Will enhance Elmsford's downtown and business community. The town played a positive role in this enhancement. A number of years ago the town demolished a building at this location after we had acquired the property. We have a 99 year old lease with the village (which I will recommend be renewed!). Hat's off to Mayor Robert Williams and the Elmsford Village Board for working very hard on quality of life improvements in their community.

OOPS--Sent out an e mail earlier today indicating the wrong date for the Spooktoberfest event for older kids. The event takes place next Friday, not Saturday evening. Check the following website. This is a fantastic and scary event--with rides through the Hartsbrook Nature Preserve trails. Some actors and actresses will surprise you along the way.
http://www.greenburghny.com/Documents/Spooktoberfest%20adults%202010.mht

Stopped by at the Spooktoberfest event for younger kids at Hartsbrook this afternoon. A great event, nice turnout. The parks dept did a very nice job.

I'M AT THE STOP & SHOP SUPERMARKET IN DOBBS FERRY FOR MY CONSTITUENT PROBLEM SOLVER HOUR TOMORROW, SUNDAY FROM 11:30 TO 12:30. iF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, GOVERNMENT RELATED PROBLEMS--I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SEE YOU. lOOK FOR THE LETTUCE, TOMATOES AND MY TABLE!

Shoprite (midway shopping center)- new anticipated opening date: early January, 2010.
Stop & Shop (Tarrytown) hopes to break ground and start construction on Rt 119 this winter.
Paul Feiner

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

ANOTHER GOOD NEWS STORY FROM AN EX UNEMPLOYED

ANOTHER SUCCESS STORY. MORE PEOPLE ON MY LIST GAVE ME GOOD NEWS THIS WEEK THAN ANY WEEK SINCE I STARTED THIS JOB NETWORKING GROUP (ALMOST TWO YEARS AGO). So--don't give up. If you're out of work you may be next---with the good news.
If you have landed a job please advise. If you don't want to stay on this list please let me know.
If you have other leads, let me know so I can share them with others.
Good luck. Don't get discouraged.
PAUL



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: anthony Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 8:02 PM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Re: full time digital production artist

Hey Paul,



Thanks for keeping me updated with job openings, is greatly appreciated. I would like to inform you that I landed a job as a digital production artist at a great sports and entertainment company in Mount Kisco NY. I am reminding everyone out there, to keep perseverance in their mind, that there is hope out there.

Thanks so much for being such a great support.



Best,



Anthony


ANOTHER JOB OPPORTUNITY WORTH CHECKING OUT...,

Resumes can be sent to Blanca at blanca.stephens@tbwachiat.com


---Marketing Manager at TBWA in NYC---
TBWA and TBWA\Chiat\Day New York is seeking a Marketing Manager to support the CMO and President of the New York office to drive the development of leads, the management and conversion of global New Business pitches and/or those that are headquartered in the New York office.

The ideal candidate will have successfully managed multiple project timelines across diverse geographies, nationalities and personalities as well as possess:
· A high degree of energy and patience
· Interpersonal skills to build strong relationships with colleagues around the world
· Strong organizational, project management, and communication skills

Proficiency in the following is required:
· Microsoft office
· Adobe Creative Suite, including Dream Weaver
· Keynote and Powerpoint
· Basic server fundamentals
· On-line intelligence databases including: Access Confidential, The List Inc., Hoovers, In-Site, Factiva, and Datamonitor
· FileMaker Pro
· Moveable Type Blog Software

Key areas of responsibility include:
· Active participation in pitches, the development of prospecting and pitch materials and the stewardship of key proactive marketing programs like articles, studies and speeches
· Drafting marketing materials including drafts for RFIs, RFPs, and presentations
· Proactive management of TBWA profile and information on all databases and publications
· Management of five key events per year in New York
· Development and management of the monthly New Business webinar/call
· Supervision of Pitch Status around the world

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

don't give up!

From: Karen Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 4:02 PM

Subject: Finally



To all of you who have helped me and supported me through these past 2 years of being unemployed and sooooooo depressed --

I received a job offer yesterday to work as a legal secretary of __ which is a law firm on 56th & 7th. It is a large firm and I will be working for a partner who used to work at my old firm, __LLP. Thanks again - please wish me luck! I start 11/1.

Karen

Monday, October 18, 2010

REFUNDS REQUESTED FOR CABLEVISION CUSTOMERS...YOU TUBE SEGMENT ON GREENBURGH...HOME COMPOSTING OF LEAVES AT NEXT TWN BD MEETING

REQUESTING REFUNDS FOR CABLEVISION CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE BEEN DEPRIVED OF PROGRAMS THEY WANT TO WATCH
I am writing to the chair of the NYS Public Service Commission and the chair of the NYS Cable TV Commission requesting that NYS require Cablevision to issues refunds to customers when the company is unable to offer channels that cablevision customers paid for at the time they contracted for the service.
This past week Cablevision customers were deprived of the ability to watch major sports (NY Giants-Detroit Lions game). Major League Baseball National League Championship Series, the World Series are also aired on stations owned by Rupert Murdoch.
Earlier this year cablevision had a contractual dispute that resulted in the Food Network being taken off the air. The Disney network was out for a period of time during the Oscars.
This is unfair. Many customers would not subscribe to cablevision if they knew that they would not have access to these programs. I encourage the state to require refunds when there are service disruptions.

ARDSLEY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT POSTS 2ND YOU TUBE VIDEO---THIS TIME ON TOWN GARAGE SALE
Joshua Eng-Morris is a student at Ardsley High School. He is working on an interesting project—taping interesting video’s about Greenburgh. Check the following video out: it’s a great video featuring the recent town garage sale. It’s on You Tube..
I have uploaded the video to the garage sale

http://www.youtube.com/user/TownofGreenburgh?feature=mhum



COMPOSTING OF LEAVES COULD SAVE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS
Irvington GPTF's "Your Leaves: Love 'Em and Leave 'Em" Environmentally-Friendly Cost-Saving Initiative


On Wed., October 27 at 7:30 p.m., the Irvington Green Policy Task Force will be presenting "Your Leaves: Love 'Em and Leave 'Em", an environmentally-friendly cost-saving initiative to the Greenburgh Town Board during the Board meeting at Greenburgh Town Hall. The meeting will take place at 177 Hillside Ave.

Fall leaves are a valuable resource that most homeowners let go to waste by having them blown into piles on the street, or raked into brown landscaping bags stacked curb-side, left for eventual town pickup. Leaf collection, hauling, and disposal is a huge annual cost to every municipality in our tree-lovely county! Too often these curbside leaf piles spread out, or the bags tip over, washing leaves into the street, clogging storm drains and making roads dangerous for driving. Additional cost is thus incurred because these storm drains must be cleared to avoid flooding.

As a homeowner, are there options? Is there a better way? Whether you pay a lawn care service or do it yourself, the easy and cost-saving answer is: Leave 'em in place! Shredding your leaves where they are on the lawn, using shredded leaves as a winter mulch on landscape beds, collecting shredded leaves into compost piles, or simply leaving your leaves under the trees in wooded areas are all examples of using nature's own method of turning old leaves into new soil. In these stressful economic times, the"Love 'Em and Leave 'Em" Initiative is not only "green", it just makes Cents!
The public are welcome to come to the Town Hall for the presentation, or for more information and/or questions about mulching-in-place, visit the Irvington Green Policy Task Force web-pages at:
HYPERLINK "http://www.irvingtonny.gov/index.aspx?nid=224" http://www.irvingtonny.gov/index.aspx?nid=224
PAUL FEINER

Sunday, October 17, 2010

a job opening and good news from an X unemployed

Sent: Sunday, October 17, 2010 7:58 PM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Mike Baviello



Mr. Feiner

I wanted to thank you for all your support and e-mail updates on jobs, I landed a job as a call center manager. At the same time now I can help other that may be looking or need a new job.


I am working for Stratus com corp in Worcester for an inbound sales and we are looking for people that want to sell and make money, we have 3 shifts available.

They can send a resume to the director Marc Alvarez at malvarez@ncmintmail.com.

Again thank you for the support and help.


Mike Baviello

Saturday, October 16, 2010

binding arbitration urged in cablevision-mudoch dispute

I sent this letter to Rupert Murdoch and James Dolan yesterday urging binding arbitration in their contract dispute. Many people look forward to watching these games on TV. I encourage you to send similar letters.

PAUL FEINER

October 15, 2010

Mr. James Dolan

President and Chief Executive Officer

Cablevision Systems Corp.

1111 Stewart Avenue

Bethpage, NY 11714
Mr. Rupert Murdoch

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

News Corporation

1211 Avenue of Americas

New York, New York 10036


Dear Sirs:

I understand that your companies are engaged in negotiations regarding the renewal of the retransmission consent agreement for WNYW (NY channel 5), WWOR (NY channel 9) and WTXF (Philadelphia channel 29), that you have yet to reach agreement, and that News Corp. may block its programming from Cablevision customers if a new contract is not finalized by October 15.



The stakes for consumers are particularly high given that WNYW will air the Major League Baseball National League Championship Series, a New York Giants football game, and then the World Series, following the October 15, 2010 expiration. While I view the exact price and terms of your contract a business matter, you owe it to your consumers not to treat them as pawns in these discussions.

As a result, if you do not agree to a new contract by October 15, I urge you to submit to binding arbitration, before a neutral arbiter, and to continue to allow yours customers to view News Corp. programming channels until that arbitration is resolved. I view that as the only neutral solution to ensure that both of your business interests are protected and that consumers do not suffer because of your failure to reach an agreement on your own.

Sincerely,



PAUL FEINER

Greenburgh Town Supervisor

Friday, October 15, 2010

you can reach me if there are power outages--wind could cause damages

We have received a wind advisory from the weather service. Earlier today we had some power outages in Edgemont. Con Ed crews were clearing a downed tree on Bevery and Moreland. According to Con Ed 571 customers were out of services this afternoon. I have been in contact with Edgemont residents who experienced power outages this afternoon--fortunately there power has now been restored.
With a wind advisory in effect tonight it's possible that there will be additional downed trees. In the event that you are out of power and you want to contact me this weekend this is how you can reach me:
MY CELL: 914-438-1343...MY HOME-478-1219. MY E MAIL pfeiner@greenburghny.com or my personal e mail feiner98@aol.com.
I will stay in contact with Public Works, the Police Department and with Con Ed. Feel free to call me if I can be of help.
PAUL FEINER
3:33 pm EDT, Fri., Oct. 15, 2010
... WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM EDT SATURDAY...

A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM EDT SATURDAY.

STRONG NORTHWESTERLY WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT AND MAY GUST TO 45 TO 50 MPH.

THE STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE ON SATURDAY. HOWEVER THEY MAY FALL JUST SHORT OF ADVISORY CRITERIA.

WINDS OF THESE MAGNITUDES AND FOR THIS DURATION COULD KNOCK DOWN WEAKENED TREES. RESIDENTS SHOULD BRING IN OR TIE DOWN ANY LOOSE OBJECTS INCLUDING HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS.


Work Session Agenda of the Greenburgh Town Board

Tuesday – October 19, 2010 – 9:15 AM

(Work Sessions begin at 9:15AM except where schedule changes are made by the Board.)

(Please note that, although the Work Session Agenda is shared with the public prior to each Work Session, the Agenda may be revised at any point up to the start of the meeting as well as during the meeting, if necessary.)

(All Work Sessions are Televised Live on Cablevision Channel 76, Verizon 35 and are streamed live. Work Sessions and Town Board Meetings will be aired each Friday, Saturday and Sunday starting at 7:02am and 4:45pm. Each segment will run for approximately 6 to 7 hours,

depending upon the length of the two meetings.)

09:15 AM Special Meeting

09:45 AM Discussion to create a street name connecting unnamed road on Secor to housing authority apartments

10:00 AM Cable Equipment Contract

10:15 AM Preliminary Budget Meeting: Town Clerk, Tax Receiver, Community Development

11:15 AM Edye McCarthy/Assessor – Additional Assessment Services

Thursday, October 14, 2010

another success story..

________________________________________
From: Daf---name deleted@aol.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 11:28 PM
To: Paul Feiner
Subject: Hello Mr. Feiner

This is Doug. I just wanted to thank you, as I was fortunate
enough, to recently obtain a position, as a management trainee, at Sam's
Club, in Elmsford, NY -- a position that I learned of, through one of your
email listings.

Over the past several months, I found your email, job listings, to be the
only credible, as well as valuable source, of available positions, in the
Westchester County area. And in my case, it was the only source, that produced
any serious, and worthwhile results.

Thank you again Mr. Feiner, and please, rest assured, that your listings
are helping those of us who, in these difficult times, are searching for
gainful employment. Best regards. Sincerely.

Doug

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

12 million dollars to Greenburgh Health Center for new building from federal gov

The Greenburgh Health Center received great news from the federal government. $12 million dollars will be given to them to expand their center. The center is currently located on Tarrytown Road and will relocate to an approximately 30,000 square foot building on Knollwood Road—at the site of the abandoned Cooke’s Nursery. The center has outgrown the existing facility. With a poor economy and people losing jobs – the Health Center is needed now more than ever. The Health Center provides excellent quality comprehensive primary health care services. For information about the Health Center visit www.greenburghhealthcenter.com. The Health Center is independent of the town and county governments and receives funding from the US Department of Health & Human Services. The Greenburgh Health Center is a satellite site of the Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center, Inc. Judith Watson is the executive director of the Greenburgh Health Center.
Construction is expected to be completed in 2012. The Center will continue to serve residents of Greenburgh at their current location: 330 Tarrytown Road.
Congratulations and good luck!
PAUL FEINER

Sunday, October 10, 2010

HOME COMPOSTING OF LEAVES ENCOURAGED

Earlier today I cycled along the Old Croton Aqueduct --and chatted with hundreds of residents walking, bicycling on the Old Croton Aqueduct (one of the best dirt trails in the region for cyclists and hikers). Spent some time in Hastings, Dobbs Ferry & Irvington. In Dobbs & Irvington spoke to some environmental leaders about a new initiative being started in Irvington: LOVE EM AND LEAVE EM. The goal: to encourage residents to home compost their leaves. This initiative, if it takes off, could save localities like Greenburgh, significant dollars. I plan to work with Irvington environmentalists & the Greenburgh Nature Center on a town-wide initiative to promote home composting. If you would like to join the effort, please e mail me at pfeiner@greenburghny.com. If you would like someone to show you how to home compost on your property- please advise.
The following appears on the Irvington village government website. PAUL FEINER
Mulching-in-place
Love 'em and Leave 'em!

Your fall leaves are a valuable resource that most homeowners let go to waste by having them blown into piles on the street, or perhaps raked into brown landscaping bags stacked curb-side, left for eventual town pickup. Often these vast piles spread out, washing into the storm drains and potentially clogging them. Ugh! What a mess!

So as a homeowner, are there options? What approach to dealing with fall’s bounty of leaves is close enough to the “norm” that both homeowner and lawn care crews can embrace a greener methodology? Answer: Leave ‘em in place!

Mulching (shredding) in-place is the best solution. It is easy to learn, easy to implement, gets great “green” points, and best yet: actually saves time & money!

As an example of budget figures (and thus a source of possible tax savings), my village averages $30k dumping fees each fall for vacuuming up and carting leaves away upstate. Combined with labor costs, equipment maintenance, gas, etc., the seasonal costs are often well over $100k for the village. Removing leaves from our waste stream potentially eliminates this cost, resulting in reduced taxes. Most other villages and towns in our region would probably show similar costs and potential savings.

Mulched leaves are a low cost way to naturally fertilize your lawn and to fertilize and mulch your landscape beds. Benefits of applying leaf mulch to your garden include:

Increases water holding capacity of soil, especially useful for absorbing rainwater runoff.
Lightens clay soils and gives fluff to sandy soils.
Cools roots in summer and provides additional protection in winter.
Increase nutrients in the soil.
Increases biological activity of earthworms, microbes, and other beneficial soil organisms.
Eliminates or reduces yard waste from the entering the costly municipal “waste stream”.
It’s a free “fertilizer” for your landscape plants, vegetable garden and lawn.
By now you’re thinking, “OK, I’m sold! So how do I mulch-in-place? What’s the secret?”

There is no secret! It’s as simple as shredding your leaves into smaller pieces. You can shred ‘em using a lawn mower (preferably a mulching mower or mower with a low cost mulching attachment), a leaf shredder, a leaf blower / vacuum shredder, or even a DYI setup using a weed whacker inside a trash can. Almost like magic, leaf volume when shredded can be reduced up to 10:1.

The trick is to shred ‘em “in place” (minimize handling) where ever possible. This means to shred ‘em directly on your lawn into fine pieces. These will break down over the winter and fertilize your grass as well as help to prevent excessive turf compaction. On your driveway, rake into piles and shred ‘em, then collect the fine mulch and apply it to your garden beds 2’-3’ thick like you would any other mulch.

Leaves in your wooded areas? Simply leave ‘em alone and let ‘em decompose naturally. After all, your trees have evolved to recycle their leaves, thereby fertilizing themselves and helping to maintain the vigor of their root zones.

The one “problem” area may be your landscape garden beds. Un-shredded leaves can be heavy and damp (especially Oak and Sycamore) and may lead to perennial crown rot in some species. Carefully pull, rake or blow off the leaves, shred, and reapply the fluffy mulch back onto the beds.

But wait! There’s more: You’ve probably heard about the “green movement” to compost your leaves and grass clippings so as to produce rich compost for your Victory Garden. And while composting is fairly easy to do, there are a few “tricks of the trade” to follow so as to ensure that your pile does not go sour (termed going “anaerobic”) and produces compost. The key is to balance the amount of “green” (grass clippings) and “brown” (fall leaves) placed onto the pile. The pile ideally should be 3’x3’x3’ in size and also needs to be periodically watered and turned over. In anywhere from 6 months to a year (sooner when using a rotating compost machine), your pile will convert itself into a rich black compost mulch full of plant nutrients and beneficial microbes, mycorrhizae, and minerals. Your tomatoes will love you for it.

Any excess leaves left over from your mulching, once chopped up, could be used in your compost pile, as well. (These serve as a “brown” layer in your compost recipe.) Shredded leaves in your pile undergo speeded-up decomposition. Of course, deadheaded or cut-back perennials can also be place on the pile, as well as vegetables, bread and fruits. (These all serve as a “green”.) But to avoid attracting unwanted varmints, food wastes should generally be avoided except by the more experienced composter.

But the reality is that for quite a few homeowners, composting is often too much effort or perhaps considered too messy to deal with. Mulching-in-place is simpler, faster and cleaner overall.

The one impediment for many homeowners to “going green” with their leaves is getting their landscape maintenance company on board. The typical mow & blow landscape grounds crews would never consider maintaining a compost pile on your property, no matter how beneficial. Nor would they think to mulch-in-place. They simply aren’t trained this way. Mow mow mow. Blow blow blow. Into the street. Your yard is left spotless and inert.

Everyone needs “re-training”, from homeowner to landscape crews to DPW staff. Watch for upcoming GPTF public education sessions on mulching-in-place. Perhaps you can help to organize and sponsor one in your village or town. For more information and to discuss sharing resources contact the GPTF at green@irvingtonny.gov.

The sooner we start having everyone’s leaves “mulched-in-place” and/or composted on-site, the sooner we can start saving tax dollars AND benefit our shared environment by eliminating the senseless trucking of valuable leaf resources into another county or community. It’s a win-win situation. Save green by going green!

Leaf Mulching Tips Using a Mower


Keep your mower blade sharp.
Set your mower blade to 6 cm (2.5 inches) high.
Mow leaves when dry to prevent clumping.
Push lawnmower slowly to give mower time to chop up leaves.
Mow leaves when there is no more than 2.5 cm (1 inch) of leaf litter.
When adding mulch to gardens, do not put mulch right up to the base of plants or trees and make the mulch no deeper than 5 to 7.5 cm (2 to 3 inches).
If your lawnmower bags yard waste, either remove the bag to spread mulch evenly over the lawn, or use the bagged mulch where necessary around trees, shrubs and gardens.
You may be able to convert your mower to a mulching mower by purchasing a mulching blade retrofit kit which is available at hardware stores and garden centres. Mulching blades chop up leaves many times, producing very small leaf pieces.
If you use a lawn service, ask them to leaf mulch.

Links of Interest



VIDEO: Tim Downey's step-by-step overview of mulching-in-place



---



Making Leaf Mould (shredding your leaves) - Gardener's Supply

Put Fall Leaves to Work - Gardener's Supply

Compost Benefits - why Composting is Useful - Cornell Co-operative Ext., Tompkins County, NY

--


Westchester County Brochures:

Composting Leaves

Backyard Composting

Grasscycling



---





GREENSCAPING

Encourages consumers to grasscycle, mulch, and compost to reduce the amount of yard waste in the waste stream and provides details on how and what to compost.


Greenscapes for Homeowners - EPA


Greenscaping Guide: offers guidance for consumers on changing their landscapes to GreenScapes, saving time and money while protecting the environment - EPA


Greenscaping Guide in Spanish - EPA


Greenscapes Seasonal Planner: planning calendar to help you save time, money, and make your piece of the planet a healthier place to live. - EPA


Greenscapes Seasonal Planner in Spanish - EPA


Greenscaping for Businesses, Developers, Non-Profit Organizations - EPA

edgemont homes selling...for more and faster in 2010

The following article appeared in Scarsdale Patch. Many Greenburgh residents are interested in learning how home sales are doing in their neighborhood. If you are a realtor and would like to provide Greenburgh neighbors with info about the housing market in particular neighborhoods of Greenburgh, I'll periodically share the info with residents. I will also be sponsoring a meeting dealing with the state of the Greenburgh economy (commercial/residential property sales, vacancies, etc...) in the coming months.
E mail me at pfeiner@greenburghny.com if you'd like to share info with your neighbors. Or, if you'd like to help organize our state of the Greenburgh economy meeting to be held this winter.
PAUL FEINER
Real Estate Watch
By Rose Marinaccio | Email the author | 6:00am
Business
Third Quarter Home Sales Prove Again—Scarsdale and Edgemont on Top
40.982948
-73.77433
primary
Third Quarter Home Sales Prove Again—Scarsdale and Edgemont on Top

Did the recession hit Scarsdale residents? Believe it or not, this question is making its way around town, and it certainly seems to be a popular topic to discuss at dinners and parties. Undoubtedly, the answer is yes—but probably just in a different way.

While real estate did take a hit, and sales slowed down the past couple of years, it's certainly on the rise again. Many residents have even joked, "The recession changed our habits, not our wallet."

Scarsdale and Edgemont real estate is its own little world—proved by third quarter home sales results.



EDGEMONT

The number of homes sold in Edgemont in the third quarter of 2010 was somewhat similar to the same period in 2009. There were 25 homes sold between July and September, down from 26 homes in the same period last year.

However, looking at the total for 2010 leading up to the end of the third quarter, 53 homes have sold. This number is dramatically up from 2009, where only 35 homes had sold, for an increase of 51%.

The average sales price in the third quarter has dramatically increased compared to last year's numbers. The average price of a home sold was $1,231,060, with a median sales price of $1,195,000. 2009's numbers show a different picture, where the average sales price was $1,000,750 and a median price of $875,000.

The end of the third quarter shows Edgemont's total sales average for 2010 at $1,340,569, and a median sales price of $1,195,000. The total for the same period in 2009 was an average sales price of $938,629 and a median of $805,000.

The "Days on Market" average decreased. Edgemont, unlike other communities in Westchester, posted a decrease in the number of days it took for title to pass. Third quarter results show Edgemont has an average of 177 DOM, whereas 2009 posted an average of 200 DOM.

The most homes sold in this quarter were in the $1,000,000- $1,249,999 sales group, with 9 homes sold.

The highest selling price this year has been $4,236,250, and the lowest closing price for a home in Edgemont this year was $565,000.

The luxury home market in Edgemont is showing activity. There have been a total of 3 sales this year for homes priced $3M+, with an average of 164 Days on the Market. 2009 numbers showed no closings for luxury homes by the end of last year's third quarter.


.

Friday, October 08, 2010

work session...garage sale..fun events

FIRST TOWN SPONSORED GARAGE SALE TOMORROW!

DON’T MISS OUR FANTASTIC GARAGE SALE TOMORROW (SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9TH FROM 10 AM TO 5 PM). THE GARAGE SALE WILL TAKE PLACE AT GREENBURGH TOWN HALL, 177 HILLSIDE AVE. 50 VENDORS, LOTS OF FUN, GREAT BUYS. EACH OF THE VENDORS WILL BE CONTRIBUTING $50 TO REPLACE INDOOR SKATES AT THE THEODORE YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER.



.Work Session Agenda of the Greenburgh Town Board

Tuesday – October 12, 2010 – 9:15 AM

(Work Sessions begin at 9:15AM except where schedule changes are made by the Board.)



(All Work Sessions are Televised Live on Cablevision Channel 76, Verizon 35 and are streamed live. Work Sessions and Town Board Meetings will be aired each Friday, Saturday and Sunday starting at 7:02am and 4:45pm





09:15 AM Discussion of Dobbs Ferry Road Construction STATUS REPORT, DISCUSSION-HOURS OF CONSTRUCTION (SOME RESIDENTS COMPLAINING ABOUT DELAYS IN AM OR NOISE IN EVENING)

09:30 AM Preliminary Budget Meeting: TDYCC

10:30 AM Preliminary Budget Meeting: Parks & Recreation

11:30 AM Agenda Review

http://www.rivertownsguide.com

Aquefest!

Saturday, October 9 and Sunday, October 10 http://www.aqueduct.org Special Guest Tom Chapin performing in Dobbs on Sunday | 7 Villages Jog. Hike. Stroll. Cycle. The Friends will host their 6th Annual AQUEFEST!—a trail-long celebration of the Old Croton Aqueduct—on October 9 & 10, 2010. Saturday in Yonkers, Tarrytown, Ossining, Croton and Sunday in Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington with Special Guest Tom Chapin, 3-time Grammy Award Winner, performs family fun tunes at The Keeper’s House, 15 Walnut Street, Dobbs Ferry on Sunday, Oct. 10 noon-1pm. http://www.youtube.com/SundanceMusicInc.Weir tours in Ossining. Eco-art along the trail in Croton. Irish music and dance in Irvington. Fiddlers and kite flying in Hastings...and more! It's all free, but donations welcome! Join the Friends, renew your membership, purchase Aqueduct maps, caps, t-shirts, too!





Saturday, October 9 from 2pm – 4pm

Exhibit Opening – Backyard Wonders Greenburgh Nature Center An exhibit of landscape and wildlife photography, by Martin Stankiewicz, focusing on the Northeastern United States. Martin Stankiewicz is a nature photographer residing in Chappaqua, NY. Artwork for sale. Reception with refreshments. Free. December 5.



This Month at Greenburgh Nature Center

Go to http://greenburghnaturecenter.org/ for more details

- Fall Festival Sunday, October 17 from 1pm – 4pm

Come join us for cider making, scarecrow building and pumpkin carving contests, petting zoo, scavenger hunt, and live music. Special tree climbing/pruning demonstration by Bartlett Tree Experts.

- Scarecrows and Pumpkin Parade Sunday, October 24 from 1pm – 3:30pm A fun Halloween event for young children. Follow friendly scarecrows along our pumpkin trail. Come in costume and enjoy cider and treats, tattoos and more. "Teach the Children to Save" program information from Country Bank.

- Saturday, October 9 and Sunday, October 10: AQUEFEST

- Sunday, October 10: Camp-A-Palooza

-

Halloween in the Area

Visit http://www.rivertownsguide.com/02seasonal.php for links and info for the following and for many other Halloween Events in the Area.

-- October 8 - 11, 15 - 17, 21 - 24, 28 - 31 & November 5 - 7 The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze | Van Cortlandt Manor, Croton-on-Hudson

-- Friday, October 8 through Sunday, October 31: Scared by the Sound | Rye Playland

-- October 9 - 11, 16 - 17, 23 - 24 & 30 - 31 Boo at the Zoo | Bronx Zoo, NYC

-- Saturday, October 9 from 11am – 4pm (Rain Date: 10/10 from 12-5pm): Scarecrow Autumn Festival | Lyndhurst, Tarrytown

-- Sunday, October 10 & Monday, October 11 from 12pm - 3pm: Pumpkin Pickin’ | Muscoot Farm

-- Monday, October 11 - Sunday, October 31, daily 10:30am – 3:30pm: Scarecrow Invasion | Lyndhurst, Tarrytown

-- October 15-16, 22-24, 28-30: Horseman's Hollow | Phillipsburg Manor, Sleepy Hollow

-- October 15-16, 29-30: Jonathan Kruk's Legend | Old Dutch Church (across from Philipsburg Manor) Sleepy Hollow

-- Sunday, October 17 from 11am - 3pm: Autumn Celebration | Muscoot Farm Music, hayrides, gourd painting, fall crafts, games, and a whole lot more. -- Sunday, October 17 from 1pm – 4pm: Fall Festival | Greenburgh Nature Center

-- Saturday, October 23, Sunday, October 24, Saturday, October 30 & Sunday, October 31 from 10am - 4pm: Legend Celebration | Washington Irving's Sunnyside, Irvington

-- Saturday, October 23 from 1pm - 4pm (rain or shine): Spooktoberfest for Kids | Hart’s Brook Park & Preserve

-- Sunday, October 24 from 1pm – 3:30pm: Scarecrows and Pumpkins Parade | Greenburgh Nature Center

-- Friday, October 29 from 5 pm – 9 pm: Boofest | Lyndhurst, Tarrytown

-- Friday, October 29 from 7pm – 10pm (rain date: 10/30): Spooktoberfest Haunted Trail & Barn | Hart’s Brook Park & Preserve

-- Sunday, October 31 @ 2pm: Creatures that go Bump in the Night | Greenburgh Nature Center

Did we miss something fun? Email us info@RivertownsGuide.com



FROM HUDSON INDEPENDENT.COMSaturday 9
Tree Planting: From 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Bartlett Tree Experts teach you how to select the right tree for your property and plant it at the Greenburgh Nature Center in Scarsdale. Call 723-3470 or visit www.greenburghnaturecenter.org.
Read Out @ Warner: Kids in grades K-5 are invited to enjoy a day of reading, fun and surprises from noon to 4 p.m. at the Warner Library in Tarrytown. Call 631-7734 or visit www.warnerlibrary.org.
Going Nutty!: From 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. see who is feasting on all the nuts on the forest floor at Teatown Lake Reservation in Ossining. Call 762-2912, ext. 110 or visit www.teatown.org
Saturday 9 to Sunday 10
Aquefest: A trail-long celebration of the Old Croton Aqueduct featuring local music, artists, children’s entertainment and more in 7 locations, including Tarrytown on Sat. and Irvington and Dobbs Ferry on Sun. On Sun. at noon enjoy a special performance by Tom Chapin at the Keeper’s House in Dobbs Ferry. Check www.aqueduct.org for complete schedule.
Sunday 10
Cooking for Tweens & Teens: From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. young people ages 10-16 can learn to prepare gourmet brunch dishes at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills. Call 366-6200 or visit www.stonebarnscenter.org.
Beatlemania Again & Doug Ferony: Two shows beginning at 7 p.m. at the Irvington Town Hall Theater. Call 591-6602 or visit www.irvingtontheater.com.
other GREAT WEB SITES

www.thehudsonindependent.com for news and activities.
www.tarrytownpatch . com for more news and activities.
www.scarsdale10583.com news about Edgemont and Hartsdale

www.intervillage.org (non profit adult education programs)

www.volunteer-center.org (the volunteer center can provide you with hundreds of volunteer opportunities.

WANT TO SAVE MONEY? WWW.KnowtoriousPIG.com posts substantial discounts on their website every day. Most of the discounts are 50%+ off the typical costs. Example; $1- for an entree at a restaurant.

Want a free prescription drug card? Some residents have advised me that they have saved 40% or more off their prescriptions from this card. Also have cards for pets.

The cards are available at my office. No gimmicks, no registration. Just take a card. Cards are effective if you do not have insurance or if you are underinsured.







=

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

4 questions every candidate should be asked in the next few weeks...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR---4 QUESTIONS THAT EVERY CANDIDATE SHOULD BE ASKED
THESE QUESTIONS COULD RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT TAXPAYER SAVINGS...

To the Editor:
In the next few weeks candidates for state-wide office (and state legislative races) will spend time debating the issues. It's my hope that the following questions will be asked of all candidates running for office this year. I believe that the discussion of the following issues could result in significant taxpayer savings:

QUESTION 1: If elected, would you support state legislation that would eliminate pension padding? Should salaries of state and local employees be based on salary, excluding overtime?

QUESTION 2: Would you support a change in the state law that currently takes away the power of elected officials to set salaries of their employees? In some cases (police, fire-for example) local officials do not have the ability to unilaterally decide on salaries. When there is an impasse between the union and local officials concerning salaries arbitration panels can overrule local officials and impose salary hikes that result in unaffordable tax hikes. In the past arbitration panel awards have been very generous. These excessive increases make it more difficult for local officials to keep property taxes down. The threat of large arbitration awards may result in settlements that are higher than what normally would be awarded.


QUESTION 3: Last year the NY State Legislature provided voters with the ability to petition for a referendum for the consolidation of local governments and fire districts. Should voters have the ability to petition for a referendum to consolidate other levels of government? Which levels?

QUESTION 4: State mandates have resulted in higher property taxes. If you are elected would you promise not to vote for any mandate on school districts, county or local governments UNLESS the state fully reimbursed the entity for the cost of implementing the mandate?

I hope that the media and taxpayers will ask all candidates running for office this year to answer the above questions.

Sincerely,

PAUL FEINER
Greenburgh Town Supervisor

old croton aqueduct aquefest this weekend

Between stops at the Greenburgh garage sale this Saturday (at Greenburgh Town Hall) you should take your family to the 6th annual Aquefest—celebrating the Old Croton Aqueduct. I have attended this event annually. It’s a lot of fun—and the aqueduct path is stunning. Great hiking or cycling (although the path is dirt). The phone number of the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct is 693 0529. Their website is www.aqueduct.org. Tom Chapin will be at the event Sunday! Listing of activities on their website. Many Greenburgh residents are not aware of this jewel –which is probably less than 15 minutes away from your home.
See you this weekend. A copy of the article from Tarrytown Patch follows.
PAUL FEINER

By Lizzie Hedrick | Email the author | October 5, 2010 Tarrytown Patch

View full size
new
http://www.aqueduct.org/Credit courtesy photo
Photos (1)

Are you a juggler, painter, sculptor, fiddler, interpretive dancer, acrobat or even just someone who loves to walk? If so, Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct—a local organization dedicated to maintaining the aqueduct trail—invites you to come out this weekend and celebrate "Aquefest."
"Whatever it is you do—whether it's creating art, playing music or anything else, do it this weekend on the aqueduct," said event organizer Eileen Charles. This weekend's event will mark the sixth annual Aquefest, and Charles hopes the celebration will begin to take on a life of its own in the future.
"My dream is to have a weekend in which everyone knows to come out," she said. "We wouldn't have to hire bands and performers; they would just show up."
This year's Aquefest activities have been divided between municipalities so that Yonkers, Tarrytown, Croton and Ossining will host performers on Saturday and Hastings, Dobbs Ferry and Irvington will provide the entertainment on Sunday.
Charles has worked to make the weekend's activities and performances cater to both kids' and adults' tastes. On Sunday, Charles said Hastings would be more "kid-centric," featuring children's band "Annie and the Wonderband," and shows by a puppeteer.
At noon in Dobbs Ferry, three-time Grammy Award winner Tom Chapin will play some of his best-known music at the Keeper's House on Walnut Street.
Irvington's celebration will take on an Irish theme, commemorating the predominantly Irish workforce that constructed the original aqueduct in the 1840's. There will be Irish music and dancing.
The further north you go, Charles said, "the mellower the activities become."
In Tarytown, the organizers invite locals to help decorate the Aqueduct arch, a wood arbor, with: paint, glass tiles and yarn and organic cotton cloth donated by Flying Fingers Yarn Shop and Green Babies.
"By the end of the day the arch will look and feel like water is rushing through it, as the wind blows the attached green, yellow and blue yarn and fabric," Charles said.
Mucical performances in Tarrytown include Brother Flower from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., children's music by Zev from 1 to 2 p.m. and Hannah Becker, an acoustic guitarist and Sleepy Hollow High School senior, from 2 to 3 p.m.
Up in Croton and Ossining the activities are more historical and artistic than carnivalesque.
"People don't realize they're in the presence of history when they walk, run or cycle along the aqueduct trail," Charles said. In Ossining,visitors can actually descend into the tunnel and see the conduit that once supplied water to Westchester and New York City.
Finally, in Croton visitors will encounter sculptures made from all-natural materials as they stroll along the path.
Aquefest is free, but there will be membership tables located near the trail in all the villages involved. "We strongly encourage everyone to donate something, even if it's very little," Charles said.
Charles said she and her husband joined The Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct in the '90s because of their passion for its beauty and accessibility, and its unique way of connecting communities.
"The aqueduct is the lifeline of these villages," she said.
Tarrytown's Aquefest
Tarrytown's Aquefest events are centered around Neperan Park and will take place on Saturday, October 9. All day, you can help adorn a wood arbor with paint, glass tiles and yarn and organic cotton cloth donated by Flying Fingers Yarn Shop and Green Babies. There will be plenty of music and, as always, and open trail to walk or bike.
Musical line up
• 11-1 Brother Flower with special guest Mary Kohrherr, Listening to them tear into their songs, you'd think they were covering The Band or Hank Williams. Their version of The Who's Baba O Reilly armed with only a mandola, guitar and snare drum, sounds huge, Irish, and would surely make Pete proud. And the tender beauty with their version of Hobo's Lullaby just makes you sigh.
• 1-2 Music by Zev: Zev's original music for children draws from many musical cultures and traditions to create songs about everyday childhood: family, fantasy, silliness and whimsy.
• 2-3 Hannah Becker: This Tarrytown HS senior will soothe your soul with her lovely voice and acoustic guitar playing.

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

the budget (courts)...you tube segment: e hartsdale ave sidewalk sale...nature center halloween event...garage sale

THE 2011 BUDGET---COURT BELIEVES ADDITIONAL COURT WILL RAISE SUBSTANTIAL REVENUES...
The Town Board continued our 2011 budget discussions this morning. We're interviewing department heads -discussing budget options. Regina Hill, our new Court Administrator, told us that if we hired another Court Clerk to be the lead person over traffic and parking issues, that the court would be managed more efficiently. She believes that with the addition of another Court Clerk to properly manage the traffic and parking departments, additional revenue will be raised, more than offsetting the costs of the new hire. Old traffic tickets, dated several years, will be disposed of, and there will be a more efficient management of the current tickets. In addition, by hiring an additional Court Clerk the current clerk will be able to focus soley on the Criminal, Small Claims and Landlord/tenant proceedings.

YOU TUBE VOLUNTEER JOSHUA ENG MORRIS HELPING TO SHOWCASE HARTSDALE
T
Joshua Eng Morris is a student intern helping out this fall. His assignment: to take video's of interesting town happenings. Here is his first You Tube video---the sidewalk sale on E Hartsdale Ave. Joshua also interviews some local merchants. If you know any student who is interested in helping us capture the excitement of Greenburgh on video, please e mail me at pfeiner@greenburghny.com Here is the link for the video:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TownofGreenburgh



When my daughter was a little girl the nature center fall festival was one of the highlights of the year. I recommend this event to parents with small children. It's tons of fun.

What: Fall Festival

Where: Greenburgh Nature Center

When: October 17th

How Much: See Below

For further information, call (914) 723-3470 or go to: www.greenburghnaturecenter.org





SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17th, 1:00 – 4:00 PM – FALL FESTIVAL— Come join us for cider making, scarecrow building and pumpkin carving contests, petting zoo, scavenger hunt, tractor rides and live music. Special tree climbing/pruning demonstration by Bartlett Tree Experts. Fee if pre-registered by Oct. 14: Members-$5, Non-members-$8 per person. Fee day of event: Members-$7, Non-members-$10 per person. $1 per scarecrow building/pumpkin carving.



Scarecrows and pumpkins are left at the Center and used at our Scarecrows and Pumpkins Parade on Oct. 24th from 1:00-3:30 PM.


AND...DON'T FORGET-----GREENBURGH TOWN HALL GARAGE SALE THIS SATURDAY. WE NOW HAVE 45 VENDORS. THERE WILL BE MUSIC, GREAT BUYS, INTERESTING PEOPLE, LOTS OF FUN. EVENT BEING ORGANIZED BY TOWN CLERK JUDITH BEVILLE AND WINSOME GORDON OF OUR PHILANTHROPY DEPT.
Paul Feiner

Monday, October 04, 2010

halloween window painting contest..saturday's garage sale has 40+ vendors

THE GARAGE SALE THIS SATURDAY AT TOWN HALL FROM 10 AM TO 5 PM NOW HAS OVER 40 VENDORS, ACCORDING TO TOWN CLERK JUDITH BEVILLE AND WINSOME GORDON, ORGANIZERS OF THE EVENT. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A TABLE AT THE GARAGE SALE PLEASE CONTACT JUDITH BEVILLE AT 993 1504. $50 participation fee to benefit the indoor skating program at the theodore young community center….

REVISED PROGRAM
PLEASE CHOOSE ONE PROGRAM PER CHILD
WINDOW PAINTING or PICTURE PAINTING
GREENBURGH PARKS & RECREATION
HALLOWEEN WINDOW
PAINTING CONTEST
Saturday, October 23, 2010 (Rain date, Sunday, October 24)
9:00AM until 12:00PM
Children AGES 5-8 go to HARTSDALE VILLAGE
Children AGES 9-12 go to 4 CORNERS at HARTSDALE AVE. & CENTRAL AVE.
WINDOW PAINTING RULES
There is a $10 entrance fee for each applicant.
1. Contest is only open to children AGES 5-12 who live in in the unincorporated area of Greenburgh.
2. Contestants must bring his/her own supplies. These include WATER BASED/WATER SOLUBLE (TEMPERA) paints,
brushes, Bon Ami or Old Dutch Cleaner to mix with paint to make it stick to the glass better, newspapers, paper towels,
water, masking tape, containers for mixing paint, rags, and a garbage bag for cleanup.
3. Only washable water color/water soluble (tempera) paints are permitted. No felt tip pens, markers, pencils, crayons or other
materials are allowed.
4. NO SOLID DARK BACKGROUND COLORS (BLACK, BLUE, BROWN, GREEN, DARK GREY, PURPLE…)!!!
THEY CAN DAMAGE THE WINDOWS & PAINTINGS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED in the judging.
5. Participants are responsible for taping and placing newspaper around the brick work/building facade and sidewalk before
painting. Each participant must clean up his/her area. Contestants will be disqualified for paint on the building/sidewalk, or
for failure to clean up his/her area.
6. All entries must have a Halloween theme and must be painted by the applicant/child only (no parent participation).
7. Paintings will be judged at 12:00pm, October 23, 2010. Contestants need not be present at the judging.
APPLICATIONS DUE BY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15th, 2010
Please MAIL CHECK and APPLICATION TO: Keith Wright-Recreation, 11 Olympic Lane Ardsley, NY 10502
Please make check payable to Greenburgh Parks & Recreation
HALLOWEEN WINDOW PAINTING CONTEST
EACH PARTICIPANT MUST FILL OUT AND RETURN THIS FORM
(One Application Per Child)
NAME: AGE: GRADE:
ADDRESS:
TELEPHONE: SCHOOL:
I would like to share 1 (one) space and paint 1 (one) picture with who
is in the SAME AGE GROUP and has also entered the contest. (BOTH PAINTERS MUST APPLY AND NAME
THE OTHER ON EACH APPLICATION)
As a participant in the above program, I recognize and acknowledge that there are certain risks of physical injury and I
agree to assume the full risks of any injuries, damages or loss which I or my child may sustain as a result of such participation.
I further understand the Town of Greenburgh does not provide accidental medical coverage and it is my responsibility
to provide appropriate coverage. I agree to waive and relinquish all claims and hold harmless the Town of Greenburgh, the
Parks and Recreation Department, its officers, agents and employees from any and all claims. I further verify that under
penalty of perjury that my legal and permanent residence listed on this form is correct.
PARENT/GUARDIAN SIGNATURE: DATE:
OVER
PICTURE PAINTING RULES
There is a $10 entrance fee for each applicant.
1. Contest is only open to children AGES 5-12 who live in in the unincorporated area of Greenburgh.
2. Contestants must pickup supplies from the Recreation Dept on October 16th from 10am-12pm at 11 Olympic Ln., Ardsley
3. Paint and paper will be provided by the Recreation Dept.
4. All completed paintings must be returned back to the Recreation Dept. by Wednesday, October 20th, 6:30pm.
5. All entries must have a Halloween theme and must be painted by the applicant/child only (no parent participation).
6. Paintings will be judged by the Recreation staff and once the judging is done all paintings will be displayed along storefront
windows in the Village of Hartsdale on October 23rd.
APPLICATIONS DUE BY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15th, 2010
Please MAIL CHECK and APPLICATION TO: Keith Wright-Recreation, 11 Olympic Lane Ardsley, NY 10502
Please make check payable to Greenburgh Parks & Recreation
HALLOWEEN PICTURE PAINTING CONTEST
EACH PARTICIPANT MUST FILL OUT AND RETURN THIS FORM
(One Application Per Child)
NAME: AGE: GRADE:
ADDRESS:
TELEPHONE: SCHOOL:
I would like to share 1 (one) space and paint 1 (one) picture with who
is in the SAME AGE GROUP and has also entered the contest. (BOTH PAINTERS MUST APPLY AND NAME
THE OTHER ON EACH APPLICATION)
As a participant in the above program, I recognize and acknowledge that there are certain risks of physical injury and I agree to assume
the full risks of any injuries, damages or loss which I or my child may sustain as a result of such participation. I further understand
the Town of Greenburgh does not provide accidental medical coverage and it is my responsibility to provide appropriate coverage.
I agree to waive and relinquish all claims and hold harmless the Town of Greenburgh, the Parks and Recreation Department, its
officers, agents and employees from any and all claims. I further verify that under penalty of perjury that my legal and permanent
residence listed on this form is correct.
PARENT/GUARDIAN SIGNATURE: DATE:
Contact Keith at kwright@greenburghny.com or 914-693-8985 x151

Saturday, October 02, 2010

friends of library booksale...bonds sold at great rates...work session agenda

THE FRIENDS OF THE GREENBURGH LIBRARY ARE HOLDING AN AMAZING BOOK SALE THIS WEEKEND (TILL TUESDAY). I posted a short video on my facebook page (paul feiner). EVERY PARKING SPOT WAS TAKEN THIS MORNING. HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING A FANTASTIC TIME, PURCHASING BOOKS FOR $2- or less. I HAVE BEEN ATTENDING THE BOOK SALE ANNUALLY AT THE LIBRARY FOR MANY YEARS. THIS YEARS EVENT IS THE BEST EVER. A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE MANY VOLUNTEERS WHO ARE WORKING VERY HARD TO HELP THE LIBRARY RAISE FUNDS.
DON’T MISS OUT ON A GREAT BOOK SALE.
The Town sold the $6,080,000 Debt to Roosevelt & Cross at 2.4961 % interest this week. This is a great rate! Last year, we sold $11,000,000 at 3.1939%. Five institutions bid on the sale this morning. Our AAA bond rating helped us secure very attractive rates!
Work Session Agenda of the Greenburgh Town Board
Tuesday – October 5, 2010 – 9:15 AM
(Work Sessions begin at 9:15AM except where schedule changes are made by the Board.)

(Please note that, although the Work Session Agenda is shared with the public prior to each Work Session, the Agenda may be revised at any point up to the start of the meeting as well as during the meeting, if necessary.)

(All Work Sessions are Televised Live on Cablevision Channel 76, Verizon 35 and are streamed live. Work Sessions and Town Board Meetings will be aired each Friday, Saturday and Sunday starting at 7:02am and 4:45pm. Each segment will run for approximately 6 to 7 hours,
depending upon the length of the two meetings.)


09:15 AM Student Advisor Candidate to Parks & Recreation Advisory Board
09:30 AM Preliminary Budget Meeting: Courts DISCUSSION OF BUDGET
10:00 AM Comptroller DISCUSSION OF BUDGET
10:15 AM Purchasing DISCUSSION OF BUDGET
10:30 AM Assessor DISCUSSION OF BUDGET
10:45 AM Special Meeting
11:00 AM TD Bank
11:15 AM Motion for Executive
12:00 Noon Adjourn

Friday, October 01, 2010

library sale..fun events

Friends of the Greenburgh Library Annual Book Sale

Friday, October 1 - members-only preview 6 pm - 8 pm (membership available at the door, $10)
Saturday, October 2 - 10 am - 4:30 pm
Sunday, October 3 - 1 pm - 4:30 pm
Monday, October 4 - 10 am - 4:30 pm
Tuesday, October 5 - 10 am - 8 pm

Admission is free and free parking.

Location is:
The Greenburgh Library
300 Tarrytown Road
Elmsford, NY 10523

for directions:
www.greenburghlibrary.org

There are thousands and thousands of high quality books - 100% donated - no library discards, about 33% or more hardcover. Hardcover books are $2; softcover, $1. Some art books are specially priced, but are priced to sell.

Any questions, just call 721-8225. Please join us at this annual event.

Saturday, October 2nd Greenburgh Town Hall177 Hillside Avenue, Greenburgh, NY 10:00amto2:00pm Come and safely destroy unwanted personal papers and documents withThe Mobil Shredder –“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”(free)And Bring your E-Waste –Computers, Electronic Equipment, TV’s, Radios - $15.00 donation to TDYCC October9th:Greenburgh Town
Hall177 Hillside Avenue, Greenburgh, NY“An OldFashioned Block Party & Garage Sale”Discover treasures –jewelry & accessories, crafts, clothes, household items & more!10:00amto 5:00pm
Fun weekend activities from…
http://www.rivertownsguide.com


Weekend Highlights
Hastings Friday Night Live: Music in the Streets! FNL First Anniversary Celebration
Friday, October 1 from 5pm - 8:30pm
Come join the festivities as the streets come alive with music and activities for the entire family with Warburton Avenue will be closed to traffic. Steve Forbert performs at 8:30om at the JHCC, presented by Common Ground Downtown. Visit http://www.RivertownsGuide.com/fnl for a complete guide to the Celebration

Dobbs Ferry Festa
Saturday, October 2 From 1pm -8pm (Rain or shine)
Cedar and Main Street will be exclusively pedestrian and there will be music at various locations. Main stage at the corner of Cedar and Main: M.C. Joe Rooney, Calypso Trio, Backlash. Doubledays: Tramps Like Us. Mykonos: Minore. The Cookery: The JukeBox Romantics. In Front of Village Hall: Jacques LeBas. Dance, Collectibles, Fun and Food throughout Main and Cedar Street. Vendors welcome, as well as fans on Facebook
http://www.ferryfesta.com/

The Hastings Public Library Annual BIG Book Sale
Thursday, September 30 - Sunday October 3rd. They are now accepting book donations.

Used Book Sale | Greenburgh Public Library
Friday, October 1 - October 5
The Friends of the Greenburgh Library are now accepting donations for their annual sale which will take place October 1 through October 5. The group is seeking donations that include hardcover books (with dust jacket); paperback books, music CDs and DVDs.

Hastings Village-wide Tag Sale
Saturday, October 2 from 10am - 4pm
Due to popular demand, the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson Parks and Recreation Department will be hosting another village-wide tag sale this fall! For Registration Form (Sorry, Hastings residents only) and more information, contact Brian at bhealy@hastingsgov.org or (914) 478-2380, ext. 600.

The FAAN Walk for Food Allergy | Glen Island Park, Pelham Road, New Rochelle
Saturday, October 2, check-in @ 9pm, walk begins @ 10am
A group of motivated residents from the Westchester area are joining forces to organize a fundraising walk to build public awareness and raise money to help protect children with life-threatening food allergies. Visit http://www.foodallergywalk.org/site/TR?fr_id=1810&pg=entry for more information.

Evening for The Adina’s Angels Fund at Friends of Karen
Sunday, October 3 @ 5:30pm at Life: The Place to Be, Ardsley
An event to pay tribute to teenager Adina Berkowitz, who lost her battle with Leukemia. Money raised will support The Adina’s Angels Fund for Friends of Karen, an organization that helps critically ill children and their families. Activities for all ages are planned at this family entertainment site – including a deejay, food, raffles and a silent auction. For information, contact Sheri Leonard at 914.419.9775
and so much more in the area. Visit http://www.rivertownsguide.com for details and more events this weekend.

at Greenburgh Nature Center
Go to http://greenburghnaturecenter.org/ for more details
- Fall Festival Sunday, October 17 from 1pm – 4pm
Come join us for cider making, scarecrow building and pumpkin carving contests, petting zoo, scavenger hunt, and live music. Special tree climbing/pruning demonstration by Bartlett Tree Experts.
- Scarecrows and Pumpkin Parade Sunday, October 24 from 1pm – 3:30pm
A fun Halloween event for young children. Follow friendly scarecrows along our pumpkin trail. Come in costume and enjoy cider and treats, tattoos and more. "Teach the Children to Save" program information from Country Bank.


“A Dry Sale: Like An Old Fashioned Block Party and Garage Sale” | Greenburgh Town Hall
Saturday, October 9 from 11am - 5pm
Proceeds from the event will benefit the town’s youth skating program. If you would like to participate in the garage sale please email Town Clerk Judith Beville. Please reserve your table space by Friday, September 17, 2010. The $50.00 table space fee must be paid by Friday, October 1, 2010. For further information, please call 993-1627.

Garage Sale: Village of Ardsley | Ashford Park
Saturday, October 16 from 9am - 4pm
The Village of Ardsley will hold its annual Garage Sale at the Ashford Avenue Park. (Rain date is October 23, 2010). To participate: You must supply your own table. Your space is 8' x 10' and you are responsible for removing anything left at the end of the day. Set-up time is 8:30 am; vehicles must be removed from area by 9:45. Snack bar will be open. Resident Fee - $20.00 Non-resident Fee $25.00. For more information, please contact our Recreation Department at 693-8012.

Halloween in the Area
-- October 2 - 3, 8 - 11, 15 - 17, 21 - 24, 28 - 31 & November 5 - 7 The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze | Van Cortlandt Manor, Croton-on-Hudson
-- October 2 - 3, 9 - 11, 16 - 17, 23 - 24 & 30 - 31 Boo at the Zoo | Bronx Zoo, NYC
-- Friday, October 8 through Sunday, October 31: Scared by the Sound | Rye Playland
-- Saturday, October 9 from 11am – 4pm (Rain Date: 10/10 from 12-5pm): Scarecrow Autumn Festival | Lyndhurst, Tarrytown
-- Friday, October 9 - Sunday, October 31, daily 10:30am – 3:30pm: Scarecrow Invasion | Lyndhurst, Tarrytown
-- Sunday, October 10 & Monday, October 11 from 12pm - 3pm: Pumpkin Pickin’ | Muscoot Farm
-- Columbus Day: Monday, October 11 from 10am – 5pm: Scarecrow Invasion | Lyndhurst, Tarrytown
-- October 15-16, 22-24, 28-30: Horseman's Hollow | Phillipsburg Manor, Sleepy Hollow
-- October 15-16, 29-30: Jonathan Kruk's Legend | Old Dutch Church (across from Philipsburg Manor) Sleepy Hollow
-- Sunday, October 17 from 11am - 3pm: Autumn Celebration | Muscoot Farm
Music, hayrides, gourd painting, fall crafts, games, and a whole lot more.
-- Sunday, October 17 from 1pm – 4pm: Fall Festival | Greenburgh Nature Center
-- Saturday, October 23, Sunday, October 24, Saturday, October 30 & Sunday, October 31 from 10am - 4pm: Legend Celebration | Washington Irving's Sunnyside, Irvington
-- Saturday, October 23 from 1pm - 4pm (rain or shine): Spooktoberfest for Kids | Hart’s Brook Park & Preserve
-- Sunday, October 24 from 1pm – 3:30pm: Scarecrows and Pumpkins Parade | Greenburgh Nature Center
-- Friday, October 29 from 5 pm – 9 pm: Boofest | Lyndhurst, Tarrytown
-- Friday, October 29 from 7pm – 10pm (rain date: 10/30): Spooktoberfest Haunted Trail & Barn | Hart’s Brook Park & Preserve
-- Sunday, October 31 @ 2pm: Creatures that go Bump in the Night | Greenburgh Nature Center
Visit http://www.rivertownsguide.com/20localevents.php for links and details. Did we miss something fun? Email us info@RivertownsGuide.com

Apple Picking
Orchard Listing http://www.allaboutapples.com/orchard/ny05.htm
Some of our local favorites:
- Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm http://www.wilkensfarm.com/ 1313 White Hill Road, Yorktown Heights, 245-5111
- Outhouse Orchards http://www.drdaviesfarm.com/ Hardscrabble Road, North Salem, 277-3188.
- Dr. Davies Farm Rte 304, Congers, NY, (845) 268-7020
- The Orchards of Concklin http://www.theorchardsofconcklin.com/ Rte 45 & South Mountain Road, Pomona, NY. (845) 354-0369.

Aquefest!
Saturday, October 9 and Sunday, October 10
http://www.aqueduct.org/
Special Guest Tom Chapin performing in Dobbs on Sunday | 7 Villages
Jog. Hike. Stroll. Cycle. The Friends will host their 6th Annual AQUEFEST!—a trail-long celebration of the Old Croton Aqueduct—on October 9 & 10, 2010. Saturday in Yonkers, Tarrytown, Ossining, Croton and Sunday in Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington with Special Guest Tom Chapin, 3-time Grammy Award Winner, performs family fun tunes at The Keeper’s House, 15 Walnut Street, Dobbs Ferry on Sunday, Oct. 10 noon-1pm. Other highlights...Weir tours in Ossining. Eco-art along the trail in Croton. Irish music and dance in Irvington. Fiddlers and kite flying in Hastings...and more! It's all free, but donations welcome! Join the Friends, renew your membership, purchase Aqueduct maps, caps, t-shirts, too! Stay tuned for the entire AQUEFEST schedule of events. We still need a few volunteers in each community. To be involved contact Eileen at email.

Autumn Gala: Stars-on-Hudson Clocktower Players
Irvington Town Hall Theater, Saturday, October 16 @ 8pm
Followed by a wine and dessert after-party at a gracious Irvington home. JANE ALEXANDER, four-time Academy Award nominee, Tony and Emmy award-winning actress and JON SCOTT, Emmy award-winning television reporter, journalist and news anchor co-host as Broadway stars lift their voices to benefit our Rivertowns' vibrant community theater company Clocktower Players. Put on your party shoes, raise a glass, and let the music begin! Scheduled to appear: ROB EVAN Jekyll & Hyde, Les Miserables, Tarzan. JULIET EWING Footloose, Crazy For You. JOEL HIGGINS Shenandoah, Oklahoma, City of Angels. TERRI KLAUSNER A Chorus Line, Sophisticated Ladies, Evita. TERRY RAKOV Hello Dolly!, The Grand Tour. MADDIE CORMAN star of Tony nominated best play, Next Fall. And surprise guests!

Riverarts Membership Party and Fundraiser
Saturday, October 23 from 5pm - 7pm
Celebrate the new season at RiverArts Annual Membership Party and Fundraiser with our host Eileen Fisher to benefit arts events and educational programs in the Rivertowns. Visit our Home Page Fundraising section (Home Page right column) for links and details.
From hudsonindependent.com
Saturday, Oct. 2
Harvest Festival: From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. enjoy hayrides, games, farm demonstrations and much more at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills. Tickets available in Sept. Call 366-6200 or visit www.stonebarnscenter.org.
Chamber Music: At 8 p.m. the Tokyo String Quartet will perform at Sleepy Hollow High School. Call 861-5080 or visit www.friendsofmusicconcerts.org.
Annual Hudson Valley Writers’ Center Gala: Call 332-5953.
Ongoing

Photography Exhibit: Photographs by Sleepy Hollow resident Bob Gillich will be on display during the month of Sept. at the Warner Library in Tarrytown. Call 631-7734 or visit www.warnerlibrary.org.
Fatih Akin Retrospective: From Sept. 3 - 16 at Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville. Call 747-5555 or visit www.burnsfilmcenter.org.
Art Exhibit: “Eleven Eyes: Perspectives from Upstream”, works by artists who regularly show at the Upstream Gallery, Dobbs Ferry, will be on display through Sept. 29 at the Irvington Public Library. Call 591-7840 or visit www.IrvingtonLibrary.org.
Free Advice: Get clarity with dilemmas, indecisions or problems in relationships, social life, family issues, work/career. Join licensed counselor Richard Z. Ross for a 20 minute chat from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Coffee Labs in Tarrytown. Drop in or call 917-608-6625.
Kayaking: Rent a kayak between noon and 4 p.m. on the Tarrytown Lakes Saturdays and Sundays. Call 682-5135 or visit www.KayakHudson.com.
Butterfly Exhibit: Through Sept. enjoy close encounters with numerous varieties of butterflies and learn about their importance in nature at the Greenburgh Nature Center in Scarsdale. Call 723-3470 or visit www.greenburghnaturecenter.org.
StoryWalk: Take a walk with your child on a woodland trail and read a favorite children’s book along the way at the Greenburgh Nature Center in Scarsdale. Call 723-3470 or visit www.greenburghnaturecenter.org.
Discovering Wildflower Island: Take a guided tour of this two-acre refuge for native and endangered species of wildflowers at Teatown Lake Reservation in Ossining. Call 762-2912, ext. 110 or visit www.teatown.org.
“Trees: Heroes of Our Planet”: This natural history exhibit will run until Oct. 3 at the Greenburgh Nature Center in Scarsdale. Call 723-3470 or visit www.greenburghnaturecenterorg.
Farm Market: Stone Barns Center’s produce, meat and eggs are on sale Wednesdays and Fridays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 630 Bedford Road, Pocantico Hills. Call 366-6200 or visit www.stonebarnscenter.org.
Irvington Farmer’s Market: Wednesdays from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. through Oct. in the back lot of the Main St. School. Call 478-8068 or visit www.communitymarkets.biz.
Tarrytown Farmer’s Market: Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Patriots’ Park to Nov. 13. Call 923-4837 or visit www.communitymarkets.biz.
Piano Bar: Every Friday and Saturday from 8 p.m.to 11 p.m. in Bistro Z at the Doubletree Hotel in Tarrytown. Call 524-6410.
Films for children: Weekends at noon at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville. Call 747-5555 or visit www.burnsfilmcenter.org.
Weekday nature programs: Nature discovery for children ages 18 months to 5 years at the Greenburgh Nature Center in Scarsdale. Call 723-3470 or visit www.greenburghnaturecenterorg. Also for 2 to 7 year olds at Teatown Lake Reservation in Ossining. Call 762-2912, ext. 110 or visit www.teatown.org
Healthy Life series: Phelps Memorial Hospital Center in Sleepy Hollow offers the community a wide range of programs on health-related subjects as well as health screenings and support groups. Visit www.phelpshospital.org.
Stone Barns’ programs: A series of produce-related talks and tours will be offered on Saturdays and family programs on Sundays at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills. Call 366-9606 or visit www.stonebarnscenter.org.
Children’s programs at the libraries: Stories, rhymes and songs for children of various ages beginning Sept. 13 at Tarrytown’s Warner Library and Irvington Public Library. For Warner, call 631-7734 or visit www.warnerlibrary.org. For Irvington, call 591-7840.
Chess club: Join the Warner Library Chess Club which meets on the second and fourth Thursday of each month from 6:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Call 631-7734 to register.
The Big Score: The Greatest Heist Films: From Aug. 6 - Sept. 2 at Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville. Call 747-5555 or visit www.burnsfilmcenter.org.
“Rent”: See this groundbreaking musical Aug. 19 – Sept. 25 at the Westchester Broadway Theater in Elmsford. Call 592-2222 or visit www.BroadwayTheatre.com.
Kayaking: Rent a kayak between noon and 4 p.m. on the Tarrytown Lakes Saturdays and Sundays. Call 682-5135 or visit www.KayakHudson.com.
Art Exhibit: Oil paintings by Rosemary Phillips will be on display during the month of Aug. at the Warner Library in Tarrytown. Call 631-7734 or visit www.warnerlibrary.org.
Butterfly Exhibit: Through Sept. enjoy close encounters with numerous varieties of butterflies and learn about their importance in nature at the Greenburgh Nature Center in Scarsdale. Call 723-3470 or visit www.greenburghnaturecenter.org.
StoryWalk: Take a walk with your child on a woodland trail and read a favorite children’s book along the way at the Greenburgh Nature Center in Scarsdale. Call 723-3470 or visit www.greenburghnaturecenter.org.
Acting, Voice and Dance Classes: Broadway Training Center of Westchester in Hastings-on-Hudson invites adults and children in grades K-12 to register now for courses starting in Sept. Call 478-7065 or visit www.broadwaytraining.com.
Discovering Wildflower Island: Take a guided tour of this two-acre refuge for native and endangered species of wildflowers at Teatown Lake Reservation in Ossining. Call 762-2912, ext. 110 or visit www.teatown.org.
“Trees: Heroes of Our Planet”: This natural history exhibit will run until Oct. 3 at the Greenburgh Nature Center in Scarsdale. Call 723-3470 or visit www.greenburghnaturecenterorg.
Farm Market: Stone Barns Center’s produce, meat and eggs are on sale Wednesdays and Fridays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 630 Bedford Road, Pocantico Hills. Call 366-6200 or visit www.stonebarnscenter.org.
Irvington Farmer’s Market: Wednesdays from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. through Oct. in the back lot of the Main St. School. Call 478-8068 or visit www.communitymarkets.biz.
Tarrytown Farmer’s Market: Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Patriots’ Park to Nov. 13. Call 923-4837 or visit www.communitymarkets.biz.
Piano Bar: Every Friday and Saturday from 8 p.m.to 11 p.m. in Bistro Z at the Doubletree Hotel in Tarrytown. Call 524-6410.
Films for children: Weekends at noon at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville. Call 747-5555 or visit www.burnsfilmcenter.org.
Weekday nature programs: Nature discovery for children ages 18 months to 5 years at the Greenburgh Nature Center in Scarsdale. Call 723-3470 or visit www.greenburghnaturecenterorg. Also for 2 to 7 year olds at Teatown Lake Reservation in Ossining. Call 762-2912, ext. 110 or visit www.teatown.org
Healthy Life series: Phelps Memorial Hospital Center in Sleepy Hollow offers the community a wide range of programs on health-related subjects as well as health screenings and support groups. Visit www.phelpshospital.org.
Stone Barns’ programs: A series of produce-related talks and tours will be offered on Saturdays and family programs on Sundays at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills. Call 366-9606 or visit www.stonebarnscenter.org.
Children’s programs at the libraries: Stories, rhymes and songs for children of various ages at Tarrytown’s Warner Library and Irvington Public Library. For Warner, call 631-7734 or visit www.warnerlibrary.org. For Irvington, call 591-7840.
Chess club: Join the Warner Library Chess Club which meets on the second and fourth Thursday of each month from 6:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Call 631-7734 to register.
Men’s club: Meets every Wednesday at 9:45 a.m. at JCC on the Hudson in Tarrytown. Meetings have varied speakers and are open to the public free of charge. Call 366-7898 or visit www.jcconthehudson.org.
other GREAT WEB SITES
www.thehudsonindependent.com for news and activities.
www.tarrytownpatch . com for more news and activities.
www.scarsdale10583.com news about Edgemont and Hartsdale
www.intervillage.org (non profit adult education programs)
www.volunteer-center.org (the volunteer center can provide you with hundreds of volunteer opportunities.
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