Fantastic video's of the Theodore Young Community Center have been posted on You Tube (check: Greenburgh, NY).
Today's segment: Parent's day at the TDYCC---with great music: I know I can be What I wanna Be.
Sign up for some of the programs at the TDYCC. The programs, open to everyone in the town, are well run and first rate.
My daughter learned how to swim at the indoor pool about six years ago. She still talks about coach Ted!
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72 comments:
And I know you can learn the proper use of apostrophes some day.
It is YouTube not You Tube.
If the programs are open to "everyone in Town" then why shouldn't "everyone in Town" be charged for them?
But, where does your daughter swim now?
Is it open to the villages, too? I thought it was just for Unincorporated Greenburgh.
TDYCC is open to everyone in the entire town -- villages too -- but only Unincorporated pays for it. Bernstein's lawsuit, if he wins, would require all taxpayers in the town to pay. The Town and villages don't like that one bit. Feiner only wants Unincorporated to pay. Gets him votes every two years in the villages.
the pool was paid for by federal funds so it has to be open to everyone. but the cost of running the pool and pool equipment is a different matter.
the facility is used by people from all over westchester.
it should be privatized and run like a Y.
it is unfair (but perhaps not illegal) that only unincorporated gets the bill for it under these circumstances.
its a complicated issue of whether the facililty is recreational or something else and thus whether the finneran law applies.
the court will have to decide - probably in several years time.
the facility was built when feiner was only a teenager. so blaming him for the current state of affairs is irrational. he is only one vote.
most villagers (outside of elmsford) have probably never heard of the place.
If Bernstein has his way, the Finneran Law will be declared unconstitutional. Isn't that what he's going up to the Court of Appeals about? That's not going to take years to decide. That's going to be decided in the next several months. And if Finneran's unconstitutional, it won't matter whether TDYCC is recreational or something else. Everyone in town will have to pay no matter what. Feiner's been fighting Bernstein for years on this. He's not just one vote -- he's the defendant, and because Feiner wouldn't compromise when Bernstein agreed to mediate, how can he not be responsible for the current state of affairs?
if.
and if not?
the appellate division decision was a muddle. what guaranty is there that the court of appeals will decisively answer all the issues.
none.
just ifs.
last i checked the town spent $25000 trying negotiate these matters. the real party in interest is probably the villages anyway - not feiner.
Hey, at least Bernstein is trying to solve the problem, which is more than anyone can say for Feiner. If Bernstein doesn't get the answer he's looking for from the Court of Appeals, doesn't he also have a second lawsuit which deals with TDYCC? You gotta hand it to the guy, he's doing all he can to get tax fairness for unincorporated Greenburgh.
the second lawsuit depends in large part on his success in the first case now before the court of appeals.
he has every right to sue and he should be applauded for doing so.
but his seemingly strong case was reversed in spades by the appellate division.
the more interesting question is what will he and his supporters do if they lose?
further how will the decision of the court of appeals play in the election in 2009 when the terms of feiner, juettner (remember her?) and sheehan are up.
should be interesting.
I'm not a big fan of his personality, but I do appreciate that Bernstein looks out for Unincorporated Greenburgh.
4:21
One court said all facilities charged to all of Town.
Next court said only TOV could use.
Both are fair results, and as TOV resident, I can live with either one. What we have now, all can use, but only TOV pays is not fair.
I am a tennis player. I feel that Mr. Bernstein's lawsuits have prevented the town from concluding the deal with the company that wanted to pay the town big bucks for a tennis bubble rental agreement. My winter tennis playing has been impacted in a very detrimental way thanks, in large part, to Mr. Bernstein's need to keep fighting his battles in court. How much have these legal fights cost the taxpayers?
I am also a tennis player. I feel that the collapse of the tennis bubble deal is entirely of Feiner's own making. He signed a contract he never should have signed which said that if the courts accepted the Town's argument (against Bernstein) that parks in unincorporated Greenburgh must be restricted in use to unincorporated Greenburgh residents, then unincorporated Greenburgh taxpayers will have to pay up to $3 million to build the tennis bubble and clubhouse, plus guarantee Sportime's profits, and then pay them a management fee equal to the rent that Sportime would have paid the town.
A lot of us were pretty angry when we found out about that contract Feiner signed. That penalty clause was never mentioned in any town board meeting. One of us was quoted in the newspapers calling it an "albatross" that Feiner hung from the neck of unincorporated Greenburgh taxpayers.
Fortunately, Mr. Bernstein is trying to get the courts to rule that this penalty clause is unenforceable. I hope he succeeds. In the meantime, I understand that the Town has voluntarily agreed with Sportime to put the contract on hold for now.
I wonder who the legal genius was who advised Feiner to sign a contract that contained that hidden $3 million penalty clause? Was it Feiner himself? Doesn't he know that unincorporated Greenburgh is suffering from a 21% tax hike this year? Doesn't he know that next year doesn't look to be any better?
Feiner so bullies everyone. I have doubts whether any attorney who looked at it and knew about the Bernstein litigation wouldnt have had issues. Feiner got the Town into this mess, and now he cant figure a way out. Has anyone heard from his committee on this? or is going to wait for the courts to settle it.
Another small thing irks me. When the Tennis Contract was initially signed, there were complaints as to why TOV should pay same as Villagers for use. The answer was that what was Sportstime wanted. After the fiasco with the courts, one compromise involved TOVers being charged less. I am sick of Towns dishonesty.
So sorry that one of the bloggers tennis winter games has been squashed this time arround.
If the expense rests on the shoulders of the unincorporated area I suggest you move to Florida where there and there alone you could play tennis all year round.
We should not be the only ones burdened with taxes to please a few.
There are many bubbles arround Westchester join the facility and play to your hearts content.
But leave us alone.
VOTE FINER OUT, WE NEED SOMEONE TO STEP UP AND LEAD UNICORPORATED TO SUCCESS NOT FALIURE. HE IS TO POLITICAL TO HELP THE PEOPLE.IF ITS OBVIOUS TO US THE PEOPLE THAN HE IS DOING IT FOR POLITICAL GAIN.
I do not think that there is any other political position that would interest Feiner.
With this said I must remind him that time is running out if he expects to continue warming his chair at town hall he had better listen to the public and their demands.
Fact is Feiner's opponent in the last dem primary wanted to negotiate a fair end to Finnerman. Would have allowed tennis to go forward. Instead the courts may give an answer no one wants.
suzanne berger was trounced in the last election and the feiner team ousted two incumbents.
seems he must be doing something right.
if the referendum on the library grants is held and the $400,000 must be spent to reduce the bonding, its clear that sheehan is a political dead duck as sheehan is behind the dubious plan to spend the $400,000 in a way that increases taxes.
sheehan - bad for greenburgh.
The public should pay no attention to "Stop sheehanigans." He is a resident of the village of Ardsley, occasionally masquerading as Klondike Bar, whose sole purpose on this site is to create malicious mischief for Unincorporated Greenburgh.
The $400,000 in grants cannot be used to reduce the $19.8 million in bonds because the grants must be used for the purpose intended and may not be used to reduce a municipalities indebtedness. If that's what the town uses them for, the grants will be rescinded and the money will be lost. In addition, if the town refuses to disburse the money, the workers will leave the job and there will be huge delay costs.
Samis, Krauss and town controller Kolesar (whose secretly behind the effort to jack up the library costs to keep the building from opening) all know this, but don't care. They'll do anything to trash the library project. Theirs is an act of spite.
what nonsense. the library board of trustees has mucked up the project together with their enablers sheehan (see ramp folly) and juettner (sat silently while the project spent months contemplating use of the the old town hall even though it was filled with asbestos and its mechanical equipment had reached its useful life).
as samis and krauss discovered - greenburghers think the new library is ugly and they know its overbudget.
taxpayers in unincorporated greenburgh have a chance to take back their government by pushing for the public referendum.
what a shame the ecc is not backing this effort as they have called for such referendums in the past regarding such matters as taxter ridge.
lets get back to the merits of an idea and stop the personal attacks.
a public referendum is a good idea.
sign the petition.
so the project needs the $400,000 so the workers wont walk off the job?
so has unincorporated been lied to by those who say the project is not over budget?
i agree - lets stop the sheehanigans about this project.
a referendum is a good idea.
in the interim, noses are growing.
A public referendum whose sole purpose is to make the cost of a project that's nearly completed much more expensive and unfinished is an idea that makes no sense at all. This referendum is all about spite and personal attacks,nothing more. The persons backing the referendum think this is a wonderful way to embarrass Sheehan and Juettner, and they don't hesitate to say so. They also don't care what it ends up costing us taxpayers in unincorporated Greenburgh. I don't know if the ECC has taken any position on the matter (their website says they don't meet until September), but no civic association that cares about responsible local government would ever support the financial insanity that this referendum represents.
financial insanity was putting the library project in the hands of the board of trustees, something juettner and sheehan permitted.
these two have embarrased themselves long before the referendum on how the grant money should be spent was proposed.
If Samis, Krauss and certain residents of the village of Ardsley don't like the new library, and think Sheehan and Juettner are to blame, do yourselves a favor and vote for someone else next time they run. But how dare you guys try to make the library project more expensive for those of us in unincorporated Greenburgh, and leave it unfinished to boot, with this phony referendum that will only cost us bigtime. You guys are promoting this referendum as a joke. You're pretending to be whistleblowers, but you're anything but.
there will be plenty of candidates to run against sheehaningans. word is juettner will not be seeking reelection!
the town board's decision to use the grant money in a manner that does not reduce the town's debt is subject to a public referendum.
samis and krauss have every right to pursue this. they are doing the hard legwork by meeting voters face to face in shopping centers, train stations, and other locations. by all accounts, they are getting a good reaction to their efforts.
the whole town board voted to use the grant money in a certain way because they asserted that was the only way.
if they lied about, voters should know.
this is an exercise in truth and good government.
If the town board's decision not to use the grant money to reduce the library debt is subject to public referendum, then the choice voters will be facing is whether to accept the money or be required to give it back. Samis, Krauss, Kolesar (!) and others who are pushing for this ill-conceived referendum aren't telling the truth to voters. Not only are they not pointing out that the grant money will be forfeited if they succeed, but they aren't telling taxpayers how much additional money it will then cost to complete the project as a result of the delay this needless referendum will create. Those are the guys who are engaging in fraud, and for no reason other than to spit in the eye of local politicos they don't like. Sure wish the town's highest elected officials would come out of the closet and tell the public just how they are being misled by this motley crew.
hmmm, isnt this the same crowd that blew the whistle on the town board's dubious giveaway to the library of the old town hall property at no charge?
seems like juettner and sheehan have some explaining to do to the villages.
and arent these the same good folks who said why not a public referendum on taxter and the waterwheel property?
and didnt these two expose the sheehanigans about the doubtful need for a comprehensive plan?
kudos to samis and krauss who have a long track record of service to the entire town.
perhaps had the town board listened to samis and krauss about how the library project was way over budget, and admitted this, they would not have had to seemingly lie about why the grants are needed.
too bad the lesson of honesty is the best policy was not learned by the town board including sheehanigans who wrote the apparently false resolution that has resulted in the recall effort.
town board - you cant fool all the people all the time.
How come nobody invited me to the party? I just got a call alerting me of what's going on in this out-of-the-way location.
Nevertheless, I can't stay too long at the party as I've got to get home and get signatures -- maybe later.
But, I'm am still waiting for some proof that the $400,000 cannot be used to reduce the bonding. Lots of people "say" that but this goes back to January 2008 when this issue was first tackled; no one has yet come forward with proof.
What I do have, instead, is the Town's independent Bond Counsel's opinion that the grants CAN be used to reduce the bonding. And I have a response from the Town Attorney, not realizing I had FOILED several departments, denying my FOIL request for this by acknowledging that he had this Bond Counsel opinion but it was protected by "attorney-client" privilege. Who is the client? Who pays the salary of Mr. Lewis" Not the Town Board. And Tim Lewis also acknowledges that he has no opinions from the State (the bulk of the grants are Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) grants.
So consider the Town Board gathering at a Special Town Board Meeting, Tuesday afternoon July 22 (no public comment allowed) to vote on a legal document, the Resolution(s), which contains known defects (the grants can't be used to reduce bonding) and the Town Attorney, an officer of the Court, seated beside silently while the voting is happening and tell me if this doesn't look like WESTHELP all over again. The Town Board conspiring to commit an illegal action abetted this time by the Town Attorney and there is no question this time that all were aware of what they were doing is illegal.
Furthermore, as the original $19.9 million budget and bonding was the result of a Referendum, I maintain that any Amendments to that action should also be mandated to comply with the format of a Referendum. Failing that action by that Town Board, Ed and I decided to avail ourselves of the only legal recourse open other than marching into Court. Using the language of the amendment itself, CO-3, we began a petition drive to allow a Referendum whose sole purpose it to give taxpayers the right to determine the application of the grant proceeds.
The grants are not $400,000 in hand. Only about $200,000 worth of them have been received with the balance pending the completion of the project and Mr. Patterson not pulling the rug out from under the Library.
I shall address the scare tactics used to persuade residents, not to sign the petition, later this evening.
Now it's later.The Town has no clue what the project will cost, even if the $400,000 (all of it were available tomorrow). Furthermore, Mr. Feiner in the Friday Scarsdale Inquirer has been quoted as saying the project will be substantially complete by October 1 and ready to open by the end of November. It does take some time to move in and set up the Library. I'm thinking it will more than likely be early January, having read about this optimism at the Ossining Public Library (their construction history is still available at their website -- go there and observe the world of difference between how they kept their residents informed and how our library only posts a few photos -- talk about open Libraries).Nevertheless, even a view from Tarrytown Road can affirm that there are no construction vehicles at the Library; there are no cranes, no earth movers, no drilling equipment, no construction materials stockpiled, the site has been paved, the geothermals wells have long been dug and covered over...inside most of the painting has been done. So, try and get this simple fact in your heads, from August 21 (they have to wait it out even without Samis and Krauss because the law provides that a Referendum challenge could occur) to October 1is less than two months off. Now let's take a reasonable view and wonder how much remains to be done in this period that could incite the on-demand (by Sheehan) quote from the Construction Manager that a three month delay could cost the project $1.7 million; that workers would walk off the job, that further delays would ensue, that all sorts of legal expenses would result...Triton, facing big time heat for their shoddy project management, certainly has demonstrated a "willingness" to please Mr. Sheehan's first command.In fact, the reality is that most of the remaining work has already been COMMITTED to and will continue with or without the $400,000. The project has gone beyond its fail safe point. But the work remaining is not really the kind that summons up the picture of hard hats and work boots. What remains to be done is the kind of work such as touch-up painting, installation of phone and security systems, installation of shelving, flooring and delivery of furniture. The kind of work that is mostly done by the vendors, not the five contractors.What you will expect to find parked outside are Ford pick-up trucks and Chevrolet vans, not Caterpiller or Hercules heavy equipment.
However, you'll only see most of the delivery vehicles if the Library can scrounge up about $1 million to buy what is still needed, promised as part of the $19.9 million and effectively paid for already by the taxpayers. So, it had better be there the first day, Ms. Contrata. Citizens are not as tolerant as the Town Board which is willing to vote for costly change order do-overs of construction mistakes made by the architect or the construction manager or the contractor. We believe that those who "goofed" should be held accountable, not the taxpayers.
If you believed $1.7 million message from Francis, you've been had and when you think about, think about who and why you have walked away with egg on your face. Mr. Sheehan is the new public face of the project, Al Regula having been exposed as totally clueless. Mr. Sheehan has a lot to make up for already, having blocked Feiner's call for an independent owner's rep and then the costly Sheehan's Folly. Who knows, his actions may even cost him his re-election. So, now that he has put himself in front of the train; perhaps he would do well to start by telling the public just how much the project is over budget, and how many months it is delayed. Wouldn't a little honesty be in order. Instead, what the Town Board is trying to do (like in the Olympics) is to raise the budget bar height, with the first round by $400,000 (only $200,000 of this do they actually have). But, what he won't say is that the $400,000 has already been spent and with a Referendum challenging its availability to the project, the Town Board is really in deep manure. So, to avoid admitting that the project is over the limit and delayed (any anonymice recall hearing that officially?) they do the next best thing; blame the messengers and try to scare the public into believing that any delay will be prohibitive. Never mind that they can't justify the lies put forth in their Resolutions, they think that everyone should just turn the other cheek.What this petition for Referendum, and I'll be the first to admit it is more work than bargained for, (you've got to explain what it is for and why, August and people are away on vacations, rain, etc. and Ed and I, the principals, hold day-time jobs) is about is the acting out of the line from the movie "Network"...I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore!Speaking for myself, let me assure you that successful, or not, this will not be the only Referendum that the Town Board will encounter.Mr. Bernstein may know how to proceed via the Courts -- and have the resources to do so, but I think I will get there sooner and win bigger. A vote for "Littlechap" ala "Stop the World, I Want to Get Off". And win, lose or draw, after this first challenge, we'll know the process, create the organization and numbers two and after will go more smoothly. If you need another cultural reference point, think of it as the HalEd's Restaurant Movement. So watch out Town Board.It is not just about the $400,000 which is by itself, not the be all, end all to tax reform. It is about doing what the Town Board trundling through the neighborhoods of Greenburgh have failed to do. Lower your taxes. Clue: there aren't a lot of $1 million one stop tax reductions going to be implemented. It is going to come from smaller amounts, say $200,000 less police overtime here and $65,000 (Council on the Arts) there and $4,000 (outdoor sculpture curator) and over there, right at the dais in Town Hall on July 22, $400,000 (library grants).All they need to do is to prove me and the Town's Bond Counsel wrong is to show us the language in the grants and the DASNY culture that says that grants CANNOT be used to reduce the bonding. I don't doubt that grants can be added to the project but that is not the defining question.Can the grants be used to reduce the bonding? This belief is the basis for the Referendum: the Town deliberatly misled the Public by saying that they had no other choice other than to add to the project or lose the grants.But don't tell me, show me. This disagreement has been around since January 2008. You would think by the time of the July 22 vote they would have some proof other than assurances such as Brodsky said...To me, that is far less of an assurance than even that the missing $200,000 will ever end up at the Library's front door.
So take your phony threat of $1.7 million and shove it. And, if even a nickel is added to the project for reasons cited as delays due to the Referendum (assuming of course that we obtain the requisite number of signatures in time, 8/21) the delay should either be charged to maintining democracy in Greenburgh or to the Town Board for lying to voters.
If the Town Board had the guts to come out and say, look the project is over budget; we hope that everyone will understand why we want to use the grant money to pay down the widening budget deficit.
However, lying is so much simpler...and stacking the deck is what it's all about.
Sounds like this is all about some byzantine form of payback against local politicos not favored by Samis, Krauss and Kolesar (who leaked to Samis a few privileged e-mails from the bond counsel which Samis proclaims out of context is the bond counsel's "opinion"). It sure doesn't sound like their effort is about lowering taxes. If it were, they'd tell us how much applying that $400,000 to the bond debt would save us. By my calculations, it's about $1.22 a year for an average house assessed at $15,000 a year. (For those in Edgemont, just double that and make it $2.44 a year).
So, for a measly $1.22, we get all this blather from Samis -- and this has nothing to do with anybody's scare tactics, but gotta say, if their effort results in delays in getting the library opened, then their effort in vanity and self-promotion really will cost us. Don't they have better things to do with their time?
Oh, and one other thing. Samis assures us that the grants can be used to lower the debt, but has he actually read the grants? Don't they say they have to be spent for the purpose intended and may not be used to reduce debt? What? You say you haven't read the grants? Oh please. You guys really are ridiculous.
You guys call the town board liars, but sounds to me like you have some credibility problems of your own. Like you don't have any.
People shouldn't be dragging Kolesar into this. What he did was to comply with a FOIL request that the Town Clerk sent him. Are we now going to castigate one of the few people in the town government who actually obeys the law?
Yeah right. You mean to say that all those privileged communications between Kolesar and the town's outside bond counsel that Samis has been showing to the media were released by the town clerk herself? And even if that were so, is Kolesar denying that he's been forwarding to Samis copies of e-mails that Kolesar has been sending to the town board on the library? Sure looks like Kolesar is in this up to his eyeballs.
Anon 9:20 is one of that small gang that attacks without knowing why they are attacking, or caring.
Opinions of the town's bond counsel are not privileged. Tim Lewis said that were covered by client privelege because he didn't want to admit that the resolution that he drafted was not truthful. That's the kind of business that has been thrown at us for a long time.
From what I heard, Samis FOILED all emails regarding the library, the Town Clerk sent it to Kolesar and other departments, Kolesar complied and the others didn't.
I don't know why Kolesar is being attacked anyway. He has been more forthcoming than any Comptroller we ever had, and letting the public know things that the Town Board wouod like to hush up. Feiner critics and Town Board vritics should be happy. Naturally those who refuse to admit that the library project was a disaster don't want to hear anything that reveals the dimensions of that disaster.
disaster is spelled "juettner" and "sheehan"
seems like the self selected guardians of greenburgh are being displaced by the dynamic duo of samis and krauss.
its almost better than watching the olympics.
Is there another interpretation in reference to the grants what anonymous writes:
"don't the grants say they have to be spent for the purpose intended and may not be used to reduce debt?"
To me that looks like the punctuation at the end of the sentence is a question mark. So what readers need to know is that anonymous has played a syntax game upon readers, not actually made a statement. It is the kind of parlor trick that lawyers play in parlors with elevated benches and nearby seating for twelve.
But two can play that game. Didn't the original bonding Referendum state that the purpose of the bonding was to be used specifically to demolish Town Hall as well as other less specific purposes?
I guess we can't use the grant earmarked for the demolition and must send it back unused. Sorry, we already have the funding. You can't double bill for one use.
Anyone who has seen the emails also saw the original FOIL request for these documents requesting sritten opinions and the FOIL was sent to the Town Supervisor, the Town Board, the DPW, the Town Attorney and the Town Comptroller. So far, only the Supervisor, the Town Attorney and the Town Comptroller have responded which leaves the other departments in violation of FOIL law. However, the Town Attorney, acting to deny my FOIL, chose not to provide the key document, the Bond Counsel's opinion letter -- citing Attorney Client privilege, thereby trying to cover his and the Town Board's tracks. Mr Lewis was kind, however, to add that he didn't have any opinions from the State (the source of the bulk of the grants) which means that everyone who is chanting that the grants can't reduce the bonding are essentially making unsubstantiated statements -- like anonymous.
As for the actual dollars involved, it was never about the out-of-pocket expense. It could just as easily be handled by the Town Board reducing the bonding and voting to take $400,000 from fund balances and taxpayers would only feel the same $1.22 or $2.44 hit (assuming this includes the debt service if the face amount in bonds remain) and not have to worry about a Referendum.
However, why would the Town Board which says it is looking for ways to reduce taxes, not want to do this, even dollar by dollar. After all, if the Library expansion is on budget, why would it need more money? If bringing $400,000 back to taxpayers is not a meaningful sum in dollars, then we shouldn't be applauding the Town Board when they find a $25 or $50,000 program that can be cut.
But, the Town doesn't have all of the $400,000 in hand does it? And each day it looks less likely that the missing $200,000 will arrive in the mail.
And, the $400,000, even if it were in the Town's checking account, is still not enough to put Humpty Bumpty back together again.
The project is way over that figure and, once more I repeat, no one wants to publicly say so or yield to the obvious that the project is behind schedule.
It seems, according to anonymous, that the only problems with this project are Samis and Krauss who have no say or official position.
And, our plan to destroy the world won't even go into effect until August 21.
Dear 8:18
If you have money to throw away do it. These men have been trying every which way to save taxpayers money whether it be a penny or a million.
What have you done?????????
Had the town board listened to them from the beginning the library board and the residents would have been more than pleased with the building plus the amount to be paid.
Lies were told from the onset by the library board plus the construction outfit plus the one employee who was given the job to oversee the construction.
When Samis and Krauss spoke out against the plans for the library Kolesar was not in the picture at all so why are you pulling him into this picture.
And another think the supervisor was against this expansion from the beginning also.
If you have to put the blame on someone think back as to who on the town board were in favor.
Samis and Krauss are not trying to hurt the residents in any way .
The comptroller is only doing his job in responding to the residents HONESTLEY if he is asked any question thru FOIL.
Could it be that this too is something that you do not seem to understand.Let me explain Seeing Kolesar at town meetings or work sessions he is not a yes man. He is here to do a job and that's it.
We have had too many coverups in the passed so let this honest intellegent man do the job that he was hired for.
Honesty is what has been lacking for too long here in Greenburgh.
Krauss and Samis I salute you both for trying to bring law and order to this town.
It's never too late.
I see Samis concedes that his referendum was "never about the out-of-pocket expense." Well then if it's not about the expense, what the hell are these two (plus Kolesar) up to other than to see if they can keep the library project from opening, and because of the delay they're causing, making the project more expensive for those of us who actually pay taxes in Unincorporated Greenburgh?
Look, if the project is overbudget, we'll know soon enough. The town's gonna have to ask us for more money to complete the job. But so far the town hasn't said the project is over budget and the town hasn't asked us to fork over more money for it. So where do Samis and Krauss come off saying the project is over budget? Samis is so full of himself, he tells us that his referendum won't cost taxpayers any money in delay because the project is just about done. Well, which is it fellas?
This referendum that Samis and Krauss have cooked up smells to high heaven. Is Kolesar telling them something the rest of us have yet to hear? I personally could care less. What we need is some straight talk from our elected officials. Is more money needed? If so, how much more? And what if we just insist that the project stay within the agreed to budget? What then? I don't want my info to come from Samis and Krauss because it's clear they're obsessed with hatred for Sheehan or some other such nonsense. I want my info to come from our elected town officials. If they don't speak up and tell the public what's really going on, then they're just as much to blame for any cost delays as Samis, Krauss and Kolesar surely will be.
Stop including Kolesar in this mix.
Samis and Krauss have been stating right along the there was something wrong with first the plans and then the construction.
Kolesar was not our comptroller when this all started.
You seem to be someone who is on the library board or maybe a Sheehanite.
You and I know that there was something wrong but you all tried to coverup the findings that Samis and Krauss found out.
Yes there was another person Rettinger who came forth too with his findings.
As you and I know they were all poopooed on saying that they were against the library totally, Wrong. They were against the lies being told to the residents.
Both boards the library and the town board were lying right along.
To top the cake Regula was given the job to oversee the construction that was or was not on schedule ,we have enough money, no we need more money but everything is ok.
BULL.
Our comptroller Mikey come lately
just came into the picture and by golly he is doing a bang up job.
And another thing Feiner was agaist the white elephant renovatios from the onset.
never forget that juettner, a village resident who pays no taxes for the library, is the town board liason to unincorporated greenburgh's library.
what a farce that anon is waiting to hear the truth from silent diane about whether the library project is on budget or if the bonding can be reduced by the grants.
anon should spend some time with those gathering signatures. the voting public know there is something wrong with the project and that only krauss and samis are doing something about it.
they should be praised for their efforts are being done so on a daily basis.
Let us also not forget that anon at 11:40 is a disgruntled resident of the Village of Ardsley who is obsessed with hatred for Diana Juettner. Let us also not forget that this person doesn't pay taxes in Unincorporated Greenburgh and could care less that the referendum may result in cost delays that will make the library more costly for those of us who actually pay those taxes. Let us also not forget that if the voting public is getting their information from Samis and Krauss, they are probably not being told that the referendum is not about saving money at all, but is instead about some personal grudge they have against Francis Sheehan.
juettner is history. good riddance.
ps - if you know where klondike bars are on sale - please post!
There is no grudge going on toward Sheehan. The two Samis and Krauss are saying that a grant allocated to the library for $400,ooo.oo should be applied to reduce the taxpayers burden.
They made an inquire as to if this was possilble and they were told by the board No but with further investigation they were told that the grant can be used to reduce the debt owed for the library by the taxpayers.
They are just looking to save taxpayers a few dollars.
As far as Sheehan goes, well he made his bed by going against the supervisor who by the way was against the library renovation
from day one.
We should be thankful that there are citizens that are trying to look at many ways to save taxpayers a buck.
If the $400,000 grant money is used to reduce the $19.8 million bond, we'll save $1.22 a year, but if the state finds out we're reducing the debt instead of spending the money for the purpose set forth in the grant, which is what Samis and Krauss want, we lose the $400,000. Sounds like a lose-lose proposition from a couple of losers. Only die-hard opponents of the library would support such nonsense.
Let me understand this, presumably residents are concerned that the Town Comptroller is providing information to the public?
And that information is being used to show up the Town Board when it is caught lying to the public?
What did you say your name was?
But let's get back to the issue.
Is the project over budget?
Anonymous doesn't seem able to figure it out yet or says that even if it is, we'll find out eventually so why look now.
The May 2005 Referendum established a budget ceiling of $19.9 million which is $20 million on sale. This included over $4 million to cover contingencies and inflation. The Town Board voted to add $400,000 from grants (even though they only have $200,000 and the remainder might be in next year's mail, or not). The Town Board says the project is not over budget. So, why does it need the extra money; the money that no one has established cannot be used to reduce the project cost.
Meanwhile the Town Board which has committed itself (they say) to finding ways to reduce taxes has chosen to exclude the benefit, such as it is, of the $400,000 were it used to reduce bonding.
And while I don't deny that the dollars saved is not by itself such a big deal, let me convey this thought -- every little $400,000 (plus the interest over the bond life) helps. And if you still don't get it, then $400,000 is the equivalent of the Town Board eliminating or reducing 5 or 6 programs by $50,000 (I'm allowing for lower benefits for personnel). So if you don't think that the Town Board is saving money by chopping programs and reducing budgets then you won't agree that $400,000 is meaningful either. But, let me assure you that it does add up. $400,000 for a Comprehensive Plan that we can't implement because of no money to spare is another bag of peanuts. $65,000 for a Council on the Arts, etc. If you're waiting to see one item freeing $2 million to disappear from the budget, keep waiting.
And if you believe that a project that is now supposed to be completed around October 1, or in less than two months, can be held up to the cost of $1.7 million for a Referendum to be held Election Day November 4, you were born yesterday and can't vote for either position.
But ask yourself, in all candor, do you really believe $1.7 million is a real number or it is something contrived to scare people. If you have even the slightest problem in buying this story, ask yourself what the real agenda is for those who would promote this fiction. And I can assure you that their lack of the truth gene has been similarly exposed before. Unfortunately, the way some of our elected officials carry on business as usual is usually not in the public interest; rather it is in their own.
The fact that I don't pay taxes does not eliminate me from caring about those that do.
And Mr. Sheehan has willingly stepped behind the wheel of his own vehicle. No one helped him in and no one should be helping him out. But, hey, it's a free country and Greenburgh has open government and god made little green apples.
Samis sure sounds like he's being driven by emotion -- his blind hatred of Francis Sheehan -- than he is trying to save taxpayers any money here. And he also makes it sound like Kolesar is in fact feeding him information personally, as if Samis somehow were the "public" and not some hysterial gadfly hellbent on destroying the library project, as he has been these past few years. If Kolesar has information he wants the "public" to see, let me him put it on the town's website so we all can see it.
If the state is giving taxpayers $400,000 in grants for the library, that's free money in my book. I say let's take the money and spend it as quickly as we can before the state changes its mind because some two-bit town comptroller with a political ax of his own to grind decides to withhold the money on grounds that he thinks it must be used to reduce the debt.
For a $1.22 a year, I'm not gonna worry. But if that project is held up, and there are delay costs, I don't care whether they're $100,000 or $1.7 million, I'm gonna hold Samis, Krauss and most importantly Kolesar personally responsible for making life in Unincorporated Greenburgh even more expensive that it already is. And if the town board members don't put an end to this shameless self-serving publicity stunt, they're just as much to blame.
What is it you don't understand about the FOIL process?
When I FOILED the various departments and received the Town's Bond Counsel's opinion letter from the Town Comptroller, nothing from the Town Board, nothing from the DPW, other correspondence between Brodsky's office and Feiner from the Supervisor and a Denial of FOIL from the Town Attorney, you might think that I am happy we have an honest Town Comptroller.
Maybe that doesn't appeal to you.
Since the Town Comptroller doesn't control the Town website and you feel left out that "everyone" but you knows, why don't you ask the Town Board to post it. I certainly have no objections.
And if this $400,000 isn't important, then a $400,000 savings from any other Town department won't interest you either.
Finally. I'm shaking in my loafers that you are going to hold me personally responsible. I'd like to be there when you file your complaint as anonymous.
By the way, are you a citizen? You seem to be having a lot of trouble understanding the maintenance points of a democracy?
And, if you really, really, really believe in free money from the State, then you must not be a taxpayer either.
Anon at 2:29 is dead wrong. I don't think that Samis hates Sheehan. What comes through to me is that Samis hates the way Sheehan has operated, speechified, misled, and stonewalled. 2:29 may not be able to tell the difference, but a difference there is.
But what if Samis does hate Sheehan? Does it change the fact that the way Sheehan has operated, speechified, misled and stonewalled on the library is not OK?
It's the old story, it isn't the deed it is the cover-up. We have no choice about the library, we are stuck with the expense of building it and operating it for decades to come. But we don't have to be stuck with town officials who won't tell us the truth. If Juettner and Sheehan only had the guts to admit that which is so obvious to everyone -- that the library is over budget and late, and that we are getting much less than we were told we wouod be getting -- we could put it behind us and give some trust to these two. But by stonewalling and lying, we can't trust them ever again.
I say go Samis and Krauss.
I just finished posting a long piece on the WESTHAB MODIFIES...section. If you are interested please feel free to load up on what I said and then you can trash me with my own words.
OR, maybe I make some sense and you will start focusing on the real heavy in this melodrama. That folks most responsible for giving you over $20 million of expense for an at best $15 million structure. And, when maintaining all of that glass and twice the size of the old structure is added in, maybe you'll have a change of heart.
Hal and I are not trying to screw the Town, that is being done systematically by the elected officials and the puppets they hire to yes them to death whether it's against the law or not.
hey, Mr. 8:18 on 8/13, I just wrote to you as 6:58 on 8/13. For a "blind man" you move rom topic to topic. But please don't question my credibility, or integrity. That pisses me off. You don't know whether or not I read the grants, but I know you didn't. You're only there to throw darts. You see, if yu did read the grants, you wouldn't accuse me or Hal of a lack of cred. Most of the grant monies are for items from the original budget,paid out for work already performed.So, smart posterior cavity, tell me "how do you put the tooth paste back in the tube?"
If the grants are dedicated funds, and the project they were dedicated to pay for are complete, in good conscience, not even Feiner (I put his name first because he is first among equals) or Sheehan would dare to spend ear-marked for completed projects.
I'll be big about it. Just apologize to me and Hal; say you often bull-shit-for-affect, while blogging; and will never question my integrity again. You see, unlike you, I value my attribute of honesty.
To the sagacious one at 10:52 on 8/13.
Schmuck (nice Jewish word which can be used in mixed company, where a warranted word should not) you know how Hal and I are CERTAIN the library project is definitely OVER BUDGET is when the Town Board votes to tag on $400,000+ to the original $19,000,000+.
You know how we know it's NOT ON SCHEDULE when the Construction Manger is still on the site nearly 3/4 of a year (if as you probably did fail fractions) that's 9 months AFTER his contract was up. AND, the Town Board altruistically signed off on a change order for $49,000 for black top because the DELAYS caused an increase in this petroleum product.
A word of advice, always load before you shoot. And when you do, keep the safety on so you don't blow your toe/s off.
If you want to criticize someone, criticize Diana Juettner, she doesn't answer back
Weird, I don't even know you, but my intuision tells me the most difficult 3 years of your life where in the third grade.
ed
the library project is over budget by about 10 million.
its a shameful waste of taxpayer money in this digital age.
feiner was right.
sheehan and juettner have lead the town to a major fiscal fiasco.
That Juettner and Sheehan hating wacko from Ardsley is at it again. The Scarsdale Inquirer today called the referendum Samis and Krauss were pushing senseless. They also report that in order to qualify for the $400,000 in grants, the library had to report that it had exceeeded its $19.8 million budget by $400,000. Feiner wrote a letter to the state last January confirming that the project needed the additional $400,000 for that reason. The state says that the town would not have gotten the $400,000 otherwise. And that if the $400,000were used to reduce the $19.8 million bond, as Krauss, Samis and Kolesar were demanding, the library would have to show that the project's overall cost had gone down by $400,000, which it obviously hadn't. That means that if the referendum were successful, the town would have lost the $400,000 and there would have been costly delays, estimated to be as much as $1.7 million.
So it turns out that Samis, Krauss and Kolesar were really trying to screw the taxpayers in unincorporated Greenburgh by pulling the wool over our eyes. No wonder the Inquirer calls their actions senseless.
What a shame so much energy had to be wasted on these loudmouthed egomaniacal self-centered morons!
Oh, and town officials don't get off the hook either. They contributed to the mess by not plainly explaining the situation. Kolesar, of course, never understood it to begin with, which is bad enough. But the others should have done their homework and set idiots like Kolesar straight before he did any more damage.
sounds like the criticism of juettner, the liason from the town board to the library, was correct.
she is just useless.
thankfully she will be out in 2009.
so now its official - the library is overbudget.
krauss and samis were right all along.
$400,000 will probably become $4,000,000.
now just watch the house prices in unincorporated drop even further.
sheehanigans is damn costly.
any news on dromore?
thats another example of sheehanigans that might cost the town a big bundle.
My G-d, 1:02 I can't believe how smart you think you are. Think again!
The referendum is simply a vehicle to vote FOR or AGAINST an issue. If "it is successful," is something that a smartass like you doesn't define. What does it mean?
Also, Kolesar is not part of the "two crazies," so get off his case. Or, publish your name so if something happens to him because of finger pointers like you,
he can sue for the defamation you purvey and win.
Why did you not "pick up" on the fact you report that Mr. Feiner wrote to the state in January that $19.9 million was not enough and he needed ANOTHER $400,000. I guess he knew in January the Library project WAS NOT ON BUDGET. I wonder who else on the Board-Town and/or Library, town attorney etc.
Crusifying me and Hal was enough, I guess. The Feiner reveal got in the way of a good trashing.
All of the Wednesday morning quarterbacks like you keep the misadministration like them in power. But you keep on keeping on.
Next year a 15-20% tax hike followed by more of the same the next year and so on and so on.
What does it take for people like you to wake up a point the finger where it really belongs?
Ed, give it up.
On a project this size to go over budget by 400K isnt startling.
As to next years budget increase, I agree, will likely be in double digits. But simple math tells me that even if the state werent kicking in the 400K, that the library wouldnt be the main cause.
Too bad you Kolesar, and Samis dont care about the real budget busters, but only care about the things that bother Feiner.
8:40, I care enough about this town to try to expose the soft under belly...the administration, the nearly 20 years of mishandling $$$$$!
I appreciate your tutorial on $400,000 being "acceptable" as an over-run on a $20 mllion project. I didn't know that. In the real world of construction there's usually a clause in the contract called"liquidated damages." That's when you are liable for any delays or overruns attributable to you, even if it's a penny, no less $400,000.
And while I'm on the subject of a measly $400,000, does your crystal ball tell you the $400,000 will be enough to finish the project? I don't think so. I'd like to bet you cold hard cash, but alas, lecturers like you who make pronouncements from the cover of anonymity would be hard to collect from.
I never said the library is the cause of the tax increase. I never implied it! I never led anyone to infer. So your educing is as wrong as coupling Kolesar with the "senseless duo," that's two not three.
The real reason we're looking at a continuous series of double digit tax increases is because our "highest elected officials-past and present, don't know their butts from a hole in the wall regarding basic finacial management. They raped the fund balance mercilessly these past few years; they've authorised programs without funding them, they've failed to forecast even one month ahead no less 1-5 years ahead (to prepare for any "tidal wave" on the horizon). In short, they "crammed" for the test the night before it was given. The only problem with them is "they never went to class" so nothing + nothing= nothing.
And you and your ilk, are critical of the only person in Town government who has a clue about finance, AND does something about it.
Over budget is not acceptable in construction, ask any developer or the guy cutting the check. So leture someone else. It's tiresome being criticized by nameless, faceless, pseudo-chachums.
Give us solutions, not fingers.
To the 8:40 fool.
The $400,000 isn't the only overrun. It is the only overrun that has been admitted.
What about the lowering of the quality of the materials that were used (carpets are only one small example)? What about the need for the Library Foundation to raise funds for basic stuff because of overruns? What about the fact that the library we are getting is much less than the library we were told we were getting and that we approved?
We are geting hosed. If you were not so obsessed with blaming Feiner for everything and excusing everybody else, you might be honest enough to admit the obvious. Then it would not be necessary for Hal Samis and Ed Krauss (or even little me) to point out the truth in the hope that stuff like this won't happem again.
We are not getting what was proposed to us the public when this plan was submitted to the town board.
We are receiving inferior products not only in the construction but above all in the interior of the building.
The library board and some members of the board knew dam well of the goings on but they decided not to tell the public.
Well folks they thought that many of us were stupid.
Samis, Krauss and others laid the cards on the table to the board but as usual they paid no mind.
Yes we will not be able to have the library that was promised to us and who knows how much more money they will need to put the library in full operation.
Just remember we have a white elephant with a good roof and ramp for our children to have skate boarding contests.
We will have so many windows that it will cost a good penny to clean.
How much will the electricity ,air conditioning and other maintenance cost?
Was the board ever made aware of these coming expenses.
Well folks we are stuck with something that many will be trying to see what can we do to make it a useful place for the public.
How about a catering hall or a funeral parlor.
Sheehan is trying to screw the taxpayers by not investigating Al Regula keeping all those hook in fees for sewer connections. Regula was supposed to credit the sewer district for any fees collected. Instead, he kept the money for public works.
Sheehanigans Again!!!!!!!!!!!
Paul ,,,,
Al Regula must go.
He is not a trust worthy person.
He never thought that he would be discovered in what he was doing that was illegal.
Feiner is scared of Regula. Regula should have been fired in the Trash For Cash scandal. Feiner did nothing. Regula and Sheehan run Greenburgh.
What was the trash for cash scandal? I am annoyed that the Town pickups private garbage, but I would call that cash for trash.
About 5-6 years ago there was a makor scandal in Greenburgh where commercial properties were paying cash to have their garbage hauled away by the Town. Regula was allowed by the Town to bring in someone he knew to do "the investigation." The conclusion was nothin happened to Regula but several garnage men were suspended.
Plain and simple, lets cut out pick up of commercial trash. We have shown we cant control anything.
No matter what wrong Regula does he passes the buck to others.
Yes many of his men took the fall for his dishonesty.
Paul as someone had said some time Regula does not walk on water.
Get rid of him. How much more do you need to let him go.
Please don't let this escalate into show and tell.
Let's see if you will listen this time arround.
He has his time in he should go while he is still capable of going without other scandles coming to light.
Regula must be on vacation.
His men were actually seen cleaning off two islands off of Fort Hill rd.
What happened????????
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