The new Greenburgh Public Library will open a week from Monday--December 15th. There will be activities for children and adults all week. Tours will be given to library patrons during the week. The Library Board has invited civic association leaders to a ribbon cutting ceremony a week from Sunday. The library will not be staffed that day.
We are planning an aggressive effort to raise private funds. If you would like to donate significant dollars - a room or even the entire library could be named for you or a loved one.
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73 comments:
"We are planning ... " Are you on the Library Board, Mr. Feiner?
You mean the new "Greenburgh Video Store and Entertainment Center", don't you. Why bother. Anything else can be found on the internet.
anybody here about the leaky roof on the library yet. Or is this just something feiner holds back from telling the public. Al thanks a lot on your last project. It is very typical of many of your projects. Leaky roof on two locations multipurpose building and library. Thanks much Al I hope the only consulting you do is with yourself and I hope you tell yourself to leave the town of greenburgh.
ALWAYS NEGATIVITY....
the truth hurts...
the town library will soon prove to be the disaster hal samis said it would be.
talk about duplication of services - the library is a poster child of waste
The library may be the jewel Ed Krauss predicted it would be when he urged voters to support the referendum.
I was considering making an end of year gift to the library until I saw Paul Feiner tell the librarian at a work session that the library had to raise funds privately to cover next year's operating expenses because the town was going to reduce the town's library allocation for every dollar that the library raises. As much as I support libraries, I think it's best to stay away from Greenburgh's library. I didn't like seeing Feiner get rid of library trustees he didn't like, I didn't like seeing Feiner appoint replacements who know nothing about libraries, and this latest statement of his, that the library must raise funds privately to cover operating expenses, was really the last straw.
Dear 5:53,
Just didn't want you to think I am ignoring you so I'm chiming in now just for you. I'll be back later to bring some perspective to this topic.
As for you, engrais d'un vache masculin.
Fortunately for you and unfortunately for others, this is the year that no one needs to look far for tax deductions.
For the last two years or so Krauss has been offering suggstions on how to run the library construction project more cost effectively. He went before the town board and questioned the guys from Triton, and when they bull $#!ted him he called a spade a spade. So what's your problem with him?
It's sneaky A-Holes like you who give this blog a bad name.
Crawl back in your hole and place the blame where it belongs.
Dear almost donor to the library: If you really cared about the library you would make a donation. I wonder how many people who are being invited to the library dedication ceremony next week care enough about the library to make a personal donation. Put your money where your mouth is!
I wonder how many people who've been invited to the library dedication ceremony are declining to go for that very reason. Feiner has poisoned the atmosphere there.
stupid comment!
What a great Town Board!!!! You gave 20 million plus for the Library and nothing for its workers and maintenance staff. What a great Town to work for. But I guess we should be thankful for a job, just like you have told us.
juettner should donate her whole salary to the library - she has not earned it
How can anyone place Regula in a consulting job after all the crooked things that he has done.
Are you all gluttons for punishment.
Have you asked the public if they want this man still holding the reins over his men.
Have you asked the public how they
feel in the suggestions he made to take away services from the home owners?
Whatever he did for this town had to and has to be done all over again.
We have voted in a pack of fools that do not know how to run an honest town.
You all care about friendship and the hell with the public.
Putting this man back in action goes to show all of us, that you the entire board do not care about the public who definetly made a mistake in voting you all in.
.
The Library has not only invited civic associations to the grand opening.
Perhaps the opening is not to be so grand after all.
When I FOILED for the list of invitees, the Library responded that it will take it the full legally allowed 20 days to assemble the list. And to think that they just sent the invites out two weeks ago.
And Howard Jacobs says the grand opening can't be extended to mere taxpayers who paid for the Library because there aren't enough parking spaces. Time to pave those "34 landbanked" parking spaces that the Library got a variance to remove from the pre-Rferendum list. But, surprise, where's the money now for paving?
Don't fall for the nonsense that the Library operating budget should be greater than it was in 2006 (the last year of the old building). Then, the Library managed to accumulate $420,000 of unspent funds. Even last year, with the $200,000 cut by the Town Board which necessitated (per the liars at the Library Board of Trustees) the elimination of the cybermobile and Sunday hours, the Library managed to accumulate an unspent $200,000 going into the end of 2008. Looks like they actually could have operated the cybermobile and maintained Sunday hours afterall -- even without the Lanzas. Instead they took this money and recently spent $100,000 of this surplus, not for operations which it was intended for, but moved it to the expansion project, a capital expense. Why did they want to do this? Because the project was "on budget".
And don't think that residents are getting anything like the Library they were promised for $19.9 million. And, surprise, steel, copper, lumber, glass, asphalt, interest on borrowings...all are back to or below pre-Referendum levels. So much for "if we don't build it now it will become too expensive".
Now the Library's crying poverty
again because their operating budget has been reduced. It will be only a month, or so wait, to see if the Library Trustees have voted yet undisclosed generous salary increases to the Library Director, the Assistant Library Director and the Assistant to the Library Director.
Pretty pathetic effort on the part of the 16 member Library Foundation, wouldn't you agree, having raised only $150,000 in two years. This was before the current problems of the economy. However, this is a lot more than the Library itself has raised from no community car washes, bake sales, fund drives. The Referendum was May 2005 which followed years of complaints that the old Library was too small. So, let's not be fooled by the story that the "going got tough" this year and that is why few private funds were raised. Even commissioned fundraiser Timmy Weinberg failed despite her being loved by all.
In the Sunday NY Times article, Eugenie Contrata, the Library Director is quoted saying that she is asked "When is the Library going to be open". Stupid question, all anyone had to do was ask Al Regula who would have answered that the project is on schedule.
Ms. Contrata comes off as the village (Mamaroneck) idiot saying "I love the fact that from the highway people can see it, they can see we're using it and that libraries are still relevant to society today".
Few unincorporated residents will need to take the highway at night to know the Library is open; this confirms early suspicions that the dysfunctional and costly design (to build and maintain) was indeed something only to advertise the architect and not serve the patrons. Actually, the architect always had not only the first and the last laugh on Greenburgh and has much to celebrate in being hired by rubes. And good fortune smiled on the Construction Manager who never had and never again will have as good luck to by hired by a client with absolutely no one to administer oversight.
Now, in the good old days, the statement that the Library will not be staffed during the Grand Opening was the kind of balloon that was floated to assure residents that no expense was being incurred and that no overtime was being given out. In a shrewder environment, the question needs to be asked even though hard to verify, is there compensatory time being arranged.
Those familiar (at least those who aren't threatened with arrest trying to attend Library Foundation meetings held on Town property) would know that taking the meeting minutes for the Foundation is the Assistant to the Library Director who has been given comp time from Library work for this duty.
So, if all that is involved is just opening the front door on Sunday, the question remains: why is the Library taking pains not to inform their patrons that a Grand Opening ceremony is planned the day (Sunday) before the public is told the Library is open? The Town Board and other dignitaries are invited so those readers who like to be present when the Town Board meets might want to stop in on their own accord. The Supervisor has written elsewhere that the Public can't be turned away. And if you decide to "crash" be sure and say hello to former Library Director and hasty emigrant Demita Gerber who started the whole ball of wax rolling. If you have a chance, ask her why she (and the Architect) were so insistent upon spending (voted down) $150,000 for the building to be LEEDS "certified". Don't be afraid to rub it in her face; neither she nor the Architect were going to be paying taxes for it. And ask her why the Library had to purchase a $10,000 back-up generator for the cybermobile which is never going to be used and certainly isn't going to housed inside the building or under the proposed outdoor canopy.
Feinerlyy what the Supervisor actually said was that if the Library wanted to spend more than their budget allocation, they should start raising private funds as the taxpayers are already being bled dry.
What the Town Board should be doing, which it is not, is obtaining a memorandum of understanding with the Library which details what services the Library is going to provide in return for receiving their 2009 budget. Since the Town Board claims it cannot dictate how the Library spends its budget allocation, then the Town Board is being seriously delinquent in its responsibilities to taxpayers by turning over $3+ million to a non-elected Library Board of Trustees (they ain't no School Board but seeking the same rights as) who can spend it as they see fit and reduce or eliminate whatever services they want to in the aftermath. The Town Board should learn from last year's lie regarding funding the cybermobile and Sunday hours. One might even say that the Town Board is inviting criticism of their lackluster performance should the Library Trustees decide along the way that there isn't enough money to keep the Library open Sunday, Monday night, Wednesday night, Friday...whatever. The Trustees will deflect the uproar back to the Town Board by saying there isn't enough money can't to be open. Thereafter as the Town Board and the Library Trustees bounce the blame back and forth, the public suffers while the press releases fly. Having such a memorandum of understanding is good business practice and the Town Board should recognize, despite the source, that it is to their own advantage to have this before giving over the $3+ million.
And for the record, the Library told taxpayers that the doubled in size building would NOT be that much more costly to operate because of all the savings the new smart building would provide. Let's see how that works in practice.
Finally, the whole game plan of the Trustees is to get off the hook and wipe their dirty slate clean by unveiling an exciting children's room. Parents will be so happy that they will overlook all the other problems and lip service to the balance of a library of the future. A bigger Library is the result of building two times the space; bigger alone is not the judge of better.
One thing for certain (per this writer) is that residents are stuck with an expensive lemon but perhaps handicapped persons from all over the County travelling by Beeline bus will choose the Greenburgh Library because of its eastbound bus stop and connecting wheelchair ramp (aka Sheehan's $175,000 Folly). So in case anyone with disabilities actually shows up, the Trustees need to be sure while Mr. Regula is still around, that this ramp has been added to the sanding, salting and snow removal schedule. Al's never let the Library down before; he just may need a little reminder.
But do ask your Town Board to make certain what residents can expect to receive for their annual $68 in taxes construction funding plus the unbroken out effect in the unincorporated budget of the 2009 $3+ million budget. It isn't too much to ask; hey, Diana Juettner, the Town Board liaison to the Library and herself a Village resident, probably already knows
the answer. Just in case, you might point out that you are a little concerned to read in the NY Times article per Ms. Contrata that "there is fear that opening on Sundays, a 30-year tradition, is in jeopardy".
All that extra space including the fabulous new Childrens Room and all 46,000 feet of it may be closed one or more days. Now that should make taxpayers and patrons a little concerned; not to mention those driving on the highway who need to see at 60 mph "that libraries are still relevant to society today".
The Town Board needs to ascertain just what it is funding not "youse pays your money and youse takes your chances".
I wonder if the Greenburgh Library is sorry they let Elmsford's 1 million dollars over three years slip away because they got too greedy. That's the Library Board and Demita Gerber"s fault entirely. (by the way Hal, she won't be at the grand opening) She started this mess and then ran away. I'm sure comp time is running like a river in the Library. These overpaid Librarians probably don't need any more money. They would rather have time off. I will slip through the door on Sunday just to see this monster.
Dear 7:59,
You will note the words "hasty emigrant" attached to Demita. I expect this covers your "she ran away". However, I heard that she will be back visiting for this event.
Futhermore, I'm not in agreement that the non-management staff of the Library are so overpaid. For one they are CSEA positions and their (not those at the top) raises are determined by negotiations not controlled by the Library Board of Trustees. And for the most part, they are helpful, polite and willing to go the extra step to assist residents.
Keep in mind that while the CSEA covers many town employees, many of them do not deal directly with the public in the normal course of their work. However, I expect that working at the Library is somewhat less stressful than in other departments; I don't expect that anyone will lose sleep or their job if a patron's reserve title didn't arrive when expected.
Again, the Elmsford contract negotiation is not the Library Board of Trustees, Feiner or the Town of Greenburgh's fault. Elmsford was looking for the best deal possible on behalf of its residents. They recognized the loophole in the rules of the Westchester Library System and took advantage of it. And the Ardsley Library (which raised money from public solicitations) made a good deal which was, for the most part, just providing a library card.
At the same time, the Greenburgh Library was going forward with their expansion which involved a lengthy period of downtime (even lengthier because it is Greenburgh, Regula and Juettner) due to construction and delays. Elmsford officials would have been shot had they paid top dollar to buy a Greenburgh library card for tis citizens to a soon-to-be closed Greenburgh Library.
In fact, if Elmsford officials really understand what was involved in our Library expansion and who would be in charge, instead of a three or four year contract with Ardsley, they should have sought a five year or six year contract.
Just because the front door is open on December 14/15, don't think the problems have gone away.
The library should not have been built. Robert Bernstein, Ed Krauss and others pushed hard for the expansion. We now have to live with what we have. We should make the best out of the library that has been built.
Going forward---what should we do? How can we make our new library an asset to the town?
How to make the library an ASSET ..........Sell It
Feiner brags to the NYT Westchester section that the Greenburgh library is the "premier" library in the county, and then blogs anonymously at 10:20 pm that it "should never have been built" and places the blame on residents Bernstein and Krauss.
The library expansion was authorized by voters in May 2005 in unincorporated Greenburgh after the Feiner-appointed library board of trustees held more than 70 public meetings throughout unincorporated Greenburgh urging its approval. Bernstein and Krauss were not members of the library board, did not speak for the library board at these sessions, and probably did not even attend more than a handful of these sessions, if indeed they attended that many.
However, Bernstein was among those opposed to Feiner's backroom attempt to sell the old town hall site to the client of his largest contributor at a sweetheart price -- a client now in big financial trouble. And Krauss was among those who pointed out that the longer Feiner delayed the library project, the more expensive it was likely to cost unincorporated taxpayers in the long run.
We spent $19.9 mill. to compete for "prestige" with the children's "trove" room at the White Plains library 1.5 miles down the road, and which is feely available to Greenburgh residents already?
juettner is the town board liaison to the library
juettner is a disaster
Bernstein spoke up for the library. So did Krauss.
So did dozens and dozens of other unincorporated Greenburgh residents? Why does PF anonymously single them out? Is he afraid of them politically? They were not members of Feiner's library board of trustees which recommended the expansion, they did not appear at the more than 70 meetings where the library board met with the community before the referendum, and they are not town-wide elected officials.
However, Bernstein spoke out against Feiner selling the old town hall property to the client of Feiner's biggest campaign contributor for a sweetheart price. He was right to do that. He favored the library expansion because the library board that studied the matter was in favor of the expansion. Krauss spoke in favor of the expansion because every year of delay was likely to cost the town even more. He was right about that.
The sweetheart price was many millions of dollars. Compare that to the zero dollars that the town got from letting the library use it for parking that it doesn't need.
Besides, Bob Bernstein is always accusing prople of improper behavior. It suits his purpose to do so.
I'll take Krauss anytime for honesty.
I remember what Bernstein did. He thought it was wrong for Feiner to seek to sell the old town hall property to the client of Feiner's largest campaign fundraiser because the library board was still considering whether it needed the property for the library expansion. If the library didn't need the property, Bernstein felt that the property should at least be appraised at fair market value before Feiner negotiated a sales price. Feiner disagreed. Feiner said he had an appraisal for the parcel, but wouldn't produce it, claiming it was "out of date." I admire Bernstein for raising these issues. It shows he's got guts. He lets the public decide for itself whether Feiner's conduct was wrong.
The above information is wrong. We were offered about 3 million for the property. In addition, the town was negotiating with SUNRISE to landscape the library at their own expense and to make other donations to the library construction project that would have significantly reduced our costs. The town would never have sold the property to any developer without an independent appraisal of the property. Had the town pursued my suggestion the town would also have generated additional revenue each year from the property. Other benefits: many of the senior citizens living at the assisted living facility would probably have donated their time to work at the library, reducing the library's costs.
Feiner is wrong. Without waiting for the library board of trustees to decide whether the old town hall site was needed for the library expansion, Feiner asked for a town board resolution giving him 30 days to negotiate a deal with Sunrise. This was consistent with his entire approach, which was to send out an RFP the year before offering to sell the old town hall site by representing, without first consulting with anyone, much less the library board of trustees, that the new library expansion would only encompass 15,000 additional square feet and would not therefore interfere with use at the old town hall site.
Sunrise, which was one of two responses the town received, made an offer, but the town had no way of knowing whether it was reasonable. Indeed, at the time, Feiner demanded that the town board give him 30 days to negotiate the contract with Sunrise, he didn't have a current appraisal on the property; therefore, he was in no position to know whether the $3 million offer Sunrise made was fair. He just wanted everyone to take it on faith that it would be.
And Feiner is in no position to say that had the deal gone through the town would have been better off. Sunrise, for those who are unaware, is today teetering on bankruptcy. It's too bad that Feiner still insists on fighting these old battles. He was wrong then, he's wrong now, and he seems hellbent on doing his best to destroy what was once a solid and supportive library community.
I am surprised that even Feiner contributors/supporters havent come to realize that his support is so heavy handed it may no longer be productive.
There were preliminary discussions, preliminary offers. We were making great progress with Sunrise. We would never sell any town property without an appraisal. I am sure that we would have made a handsome profit from any sale.
I want to emphasize that no sale of any town property can take place without an appraisal.
Paul,
Is this no sale without appraisal provision similiar to the requirement that contracts (like Xposure) be put out for bids?
Feiner had plenty of opportunity to get an appraisal of the old town hall property to show how much money the town would have made if the public supported his selling the property rather than letting the library use it for the expansion. But he never, never, never bothered to get an appraisal done. The reason is simple: an appraisal would have shown that his fast track decision to sell the property to Sunrise, which was represented by his largest campaign contributor, was always intended to be a sweetheart sale. The public wisely rejected what Feiner was selling because he wasn't able to put his money where his mouth was.
The ONLY legal way for a government to sell REAL PROPERTY (land for you non-lawyers) is by SEALED BID auction.
Feiner would have broken the law once again by selling the property through a negotiated sale. But, is that a surprise? Feiner 's record and his own statements clearly demonstrate he has no respect for process or the law - that's another reason he must go.
paul - you are temporizing here - you had no appraisal - you were caught doing some sheehanigans
The comment by Anonymous at 5:16AM (??!!) raises a question about the sale of land included in this year's Town Budget.
Has the sale already happened and the closing will take place during the next fiscal year?
If not, how does the Supervisor already know how much money will be raised by the sale?
Does the Supervisor have an appraisal from a reputable real estate source indicating the value and will the Town set an "upset" price to ensure the realized revenues are at least as high as the projected revenues?
Mr. Supervisor?
(By the way, thank you for having Mr Kolesar respond to my question about O & E coverage. I am very surprised at the low levels - I would have thought prudence dictated a much higher level of coverage in a Town as large and complex as Greenburgh.)
the case keeps being made for what the town needs - a professional manager!!
all the villages have them - why not greenburgh?????
Dear Mr. Samuels: The town had an insurance committee, made up of residents with significant insurance backgrounds (a former Deputy NYS Insurance Superintendent was involved). The committee gave the town a stamp of approval for its current insurance programs.
Was that "Blue Ribbon Panel" of insurance "Experts" empanalled when the Town was so underinsured it cost the town entire $6,000,000.
Even the "Mighty Casey" struck out...but not nearly as often as Paul Feiner.
Dear Annymous at 12:50 -
Thank you for the information. Being new to the area I'm just learning my way around. Where can I read the report on line or get a printed copy? I am interested in reading the reasons the committee cited in support of their determination.
Thank you.
REPORT OF THE CITIZENS INSURANCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Release Date: October 26, 2006
REPORT OF THE CITIZENS INSURANCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (POSTED ON WEB SITE)
The Citizens Insurance Advisory Committee was formed to assess the town’s current insurance coverage and to make recommendations to the Town Board for obtaining optimal levels and quality of insurance in as cost effective a manner as possible. The report, in its entirety, is posted in on our web site: www.greenburghny.com (under the section forms). Special thanks to Richard Liskov, chair; Joi Mayhawk, Eugene Pepe, Ben Palancia; Jim Reese; Lisa Geoghegan and R. trieff as well as Comptroller Jim Heslop, Assistant Comptroller Pauline Kirkland and representatives of the town’s current broker, Arthur J. Gallagher. The town will be reviewing the recommendations and will follow up on the report. PAUL FEINER
Thank you for posting the location of the Insurance Committee's report. I look forward to reading it in the next few days.
What about the primary question I asked? Has the property already been sold or does Mr Feiner have an appraisal which indicates the value of the property. If the sale is made by sealed bid releasing the appraisal should have no effect on the winning bid as presumably all bidders have access to the same information.
Dear Mr. Samuels: We are planning to sell the waterwheel property off of 9A. We have an appraisal, did an RFP. A committee, consisting of representatives from Ardsley (the property is in Ardsley) and unincorporated Greenburgh is reviewing various proposals. We are also looking at selling 27 Main Street in Dobbs Ferry and will follow similar procedures. There is one other property we are looking at selling and are conducting an appraisal.
12:04
Where are public hearnings and documents regarding sale of this property???
Dear Anonymous at 12:04 -
Who is "we"?
Are you actually Mr Feiner? I presume you are not because you're answer is unresponsive to my question. If the sealed bid auction is the way the property will be sold, I am very confused by the issuance of an RFP. Or, does the RFP mean the Town is making decisions about who may be permitted to buy the property? If that is the case, why does the Town believe it is not required to sell the property by sealed bid?
As an aside, I have read the posting which purports to be the Insurance Committee report. I believe that only the 8 page "executive summary" is posted.
I note that only the Chair was permitted to see the actual policies and that he was the only one "permitted" to ask questions. While that may be efficient, it doesn't make for a very probing report. The specific question of O and E insurance is not mentioned at all in the summary. Some deficiencies were noted in the summary, but to infer adequacy of specific coverages because they are not specifically cited as deficient seems a stretch.
I assume the reasons the Committee determined the coverage was adequate more than 4 years ago is detailed in the body of the report.
How may one obtain the full report including any relevant attachments, addenda and appendices?
For fear of reading more library expansion recidivism, let me add my two bits.
I actually once supported the Library up to the point that I became aware of the failings of the Library Board of Trustees who were clueless throughout and that giving them $20 million to play with would be akin to financial suicide. Their actions and the architects's willingness to serve any master during the Sunrise imbroglio were the coming attractions of the future and enough to provoke my subsequent intense interest. I adopted the Library expansion as my cause celebre because the then recent events in White Plains regarding the Court House construction overruns were the primer for how this could happen here. And as a Journalism major, I was intrigued with why the local media never delved into how these municipal construction projects, one after another, are doomed from the start.
The Library Trustees had, in fact, already "signed off" on the old Town Hall parcel and told the Town Board that they did not need the additional land for their expansion.
For all intents, this made the old town hall parcel, surplus land.
The Library's architect, Todd Harvey, confirmed that the parcel would not be needed and that what remained of the entire site would support 160 parking spaces. This is published fact.
I opposed this view arguing that no one could be certain until final library plans had been approved and thus the need to call a timeout on the disposition. Let's take a breather and wait and see.
However my barking did eventually wake up the Library Board which revoked its letter saying it now needed the parcel and this in turn motivated Diana Juettner to reverse herself. She boarded the train after it left the station and advocated supporting the idea of holding off. This is really how Juettner got involved and not the way that the folklore has come to tell it. Later, the sleeping Juettner would be held responsible for not informing the Library Trustees that the old town hall would be unusable as a temporary library because of inherent defects that became the fabric of the Town Board's decision to move to its present location.
Complicating the Sunrise advocacy was the fact that the neighborhood did support the concept as the plan was not an invasive commercial use and would not bring substantial traffic from its use. No one wanted another car dealer to end up with the property or even a strip shopping center. Also the aesthetics and synergy with the Library were acceptable. Feiner is correct that Sunrise agreed to provide landscaping and some other amenities however it is also true that no appraisal was ever produced despite the public demand to see one.
That the property was being rushed into the open arms of Sunrise is also true but following proscribed rules and procedures has never been Feiner's strong suit.
After the Library changed its mind and said we need the parcel, the Sunrise deal hastily departed the scene.
and no thought was ever given by juettner (an alleged attorney and villager) that the old town hall site could not be simply given away to unincorporated greenburgh's library.
villagers too have had enough of silent diane.
out she must go in 2009.
its almost - any one but juettner.
Hal,
"That the property was being rushed into the open arms of Sunrise is also true but following proscribed rules and procedures has never been Feiner's strong suit."
That it is not his strong suit is first, no excuse, and second, why he should not be re-elected.
We have seen the damage time and time again of his mismanagement and delegation to other mismanagers. We will likely see it again. The Fortress Bible Suit.
feinerism is a dead end.
we need a town manager so someone could be the supervisor and have a life and not be expected to fix every pothole or ban the circus.
all of the villages have professional managers. greenburgh is floundering with amateurs.
feinerism is a dead end.
we need a town manager so someone could be the supervisor and have a life and not be expected to fix every pothole or ban the circus.
all of the villages have professional managers. greenburgh is floundering with amateurs.
Thanks for that insight Bob.
Greenburgh doesn't need a town manager; it's got plenty of managers as it is. We call them department heads or commissioners. One of them is called the town comptroller. What Greenburgh needs, though, is a not a town manager, but a competent town supervisor.
if you have a competent town manager, feinerism will not be needed.
we need to minimize the role of the town supervisor - the only way is to get a town manager.
thats why we need candidates who will support this change.
the villages are not perfect but they run much better than the town of greenburgh.
we have had amateur hour. it has failed. time for a new direction.
if you have a competent town manager, feinerism will not be needed.
we need to minimize the role of the town supervisor - the only way is to get a town manager.
thats why we need candidates who will support this change.
the villages are not perfect but they run much better than the town of greenburgh.
we have had amateur hour. it has failed. time for a new direction.
ps - not bernstein, just a concerned taxpayer who has had enough.
bernstein vs. feiner - now that would be great!
If you think feiner is bad try working for some of his department heads
The town is competently managed. All my neighbors are very pleased with the level of services we receive from the township. I live in Edgemont!
No Paul, you live in the gated community of Boulder Ridge. You only drive through Edgemont on your way to visit your sister.
Does the New Library leak? anyone?
YES
its leaking money too!
samis - please run.
re: article in today's journal news
diana juettner - village resident who doesnt pay one dime for the unincorporated greenburgh library (outside of the parking lot area the town gave to the library free of charge even though its partially village property) is the town board liaison to the library???
the new library is costly white elephant that is a monument to the architect and the fecklessness of juettner and jacobson.
leaking?
Must have used the same roofer as the one hired when the multi-purpose center was built.
send the repair bill to juettner.
Dear Mr Feiner -
It has been two days since my last question, and no response.
Please direct me to the full report of the blue ribbon citizens' committee on Insurance.
You have also not answered whether the Town will hold a sealed bid auction (as required by law) to dispose of the properties or whether a different arrangement is contemplated - perhaps a ground lease which would provide the Town with a long term income stream as well as an immediate cash source.
I await your response.
I heard that there was some pretty shady business that went on when the town "stole" the hillside property. I heard that a group of lawyers were planning to buy the property and when some confidential paperwork came through town hall regarding the purchase/sale. mr.poopypants used the info to negotiate the Hillside deal out from under them. Completely unethical behavior.
That's what I heard.....
dear mr samuels
you are a welcome new voice on the blog
it took the town's legal department nearly 12 years to foreclose on the waterwheel property in ardsley. the site is an eyesore and there is no end in sight.
prediction - nothing will happen with the property for at least another 5 years.
the town should have sold it at the top of the market and banked the funds for the economic disaster we now have.
the folks who failed us are
diana juettner
francis sheehan (igans)
paul feiner
juettner and feiner have been in office since 1991. they are long past their sale date.
Welcome Mr. Samuels. But please come to Town Board meetings and speak up. The Town Board ignores the same people who come and speak. More voices are needed.
Ditto. Welcome Mr Samuels.
Care to run for Town Supervisor? :)
The bookmakers are taking bets as to how long will it be before the library closes its' doors due to lack of funds.
Rather than a ribbon-cutting ceremony, there should be an auction selling anything from the library. Anything from furniture to office space to the whole building should have a price. Then maybe the town can get some of its money back. What a joke this has been. Millions for a needless expansion on a resource that is used less and less with the continuing progression of technology. And now donations are needed just for operation. If donors actually want to make themselves believe that they are making a difference by throwing money at a library, donate to the libraries within the schools where it will reach our youth. If I can access Nietzsche from my cell phone, a child can access common research from his desktop at home. Our money would be better allocated within our schools and in providing technology within and throughout the town for those that do not have it at home. We don't need that monster on the corner of Route 119 and Dobbs Ferry Road and its space to provide such services. In the meantime, if you go to the ceremony, take plenty of pictures. It will likely be the only time you will see that many cars in the parking lot and that many people on the property at t he same time.
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