This edition of CrotonBlog.com's "To-go" edition gives you all full articles and comments from the past 5 days. Get the last 7 days or 3 days.
~ The following were originally published on May 9, 2008 ~
This Way to the 'Giant Garage Sale' Saturday
The Croton Friends of History are offering residents a chance to ‘divest’ themselves of all those things that are just taking up space around their houses. And best of all, the contributions all go to a good cause—namely the Friends of History, and their very-popular series of free, entertaining and educational programs. So, why not donate your no-longer-needed items to their upcoming garage sale. To participate, simply drop off your donated items at 108 Old Post Road South on Friday, May 9, 2008 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. And, if you’re unable to bring them yourself, please call 914-271-3135 to arrange for pick-up (for any & everything except clothing).
Then, on Saturday, May 10, 2008, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, the GIANT garage sale opens to the public.
..... ~ The following were originally published on May 8, 2008 ~
That's One Good CHEF
To the members of our community:
The sun is shining and spring is truly here! As I walk around our schools and see gardens built at PVC, spring shows at CET, and listen to the wonderful sound system used during West Side Story at CHHS I think of all the ways CHEF has helped the children of this community and I am so very proud of our hard work.
Saturday, May 10th marks the culmination of months of hard work by so many committed and energetic people from our community. Under the Stars, CHEF’s largest annual school fundraiser, will take place that night at the Senasqua Lodge, at Croton Point Park. The pre-dinner wine tasting at 5:30 PM followed by the dinner, dance, and auction starting at 6:30 PM, is truly an evening out for the Croton community.
Please come and enjoy a wonderful evening with old and new friends here in Croton. Please come and support our children and our schools.
If you haven’t bought your tickets there is still time. Log onto www.crotonfoundation.org or call 271-2410.
I look forward to seeing you on Saturday night!
— Gem Mitchell, President, Croton-Harmon Education Foundation
..... ~ The following were originally published on May 7, 2008 ~
Croton Police Blotter - Week of April 21st
April 21
10:40 PM: Patrol responded to a report of a domestic dispute at a residence on Grand Street. Shortly thereafter, officer encouraged on of the persons involved to leave and return the next day to gather personal belongings.
April 22
2:13 AM: There was a report from a resident on High Street about a domestic disturbance in the area. Patrol responded to the scene and upon locating the persons in dispute, urged one of them to leave the area.
3:39 PM: There was a report from a business owner on Grand Street who had safety concerns about a backhoe having been parked atop a nearby pile of dirt. Patrol responded to the scene and later ask the contractor—who was fixing a gas main—to move the equipment.
6:19 PM: There was a report from a resident of Yorktown Heights that damage was done to his car while it was parked at the Croton Harmon train station parking lot.
April 23
12:20 AM: There was a report from a resident of Olcott Avenue about a loud group of youths in the area. Patrol responded to the scene, and after locating the group in question, asked them to be more quiet while awaiting their rides home.
6:25 AM: Officer on patrol reported that sometime overnight, a vehicle was used to push a Johnny-on-the-Spot across the Duck Pond park parking lot. Police reported no damage while the matter remains under investigation.
10:05 AM: An employee in the village engineering department reported possible attempted fraud regarding a permit application for a construction project located on Bank Street. The matter is under investigation.
3:38 PM: There was a report from a resident of Truesdale Drive about two youths who, while on Paradise Island (off Mayo’s Landing) in the Croton River, had started a campfire. Patrol responded to the scene, had the youths extinguish the fire and took them to police HQ. Of the two boys, one, a 17-year-old resident of Briarcliff, was charged with open burning and is expected to appear in village court. Both were later released to their parents.
April 24
9:20 AM: Croton detective arrested a 16-year-old male resident of Croton and charged him with burglary in connection with a recent break-in at Senses Salon, located on Old Post Road South. The youth was later released to a custodial adult pending an upcoming appearance in village court.
April 25
9:20 AM: Officer on patrol reported the sometime overnight, a bike rack was stolen from Duck Pond park on Bungalow Road. The matter is under investigation.
4:39 PM: There was a report from a resident of Hessian Hills Road about a water main break in the area as water was leaking from the outside into his basement. Patrol responded to the scene and subsequently dispatched DPW workers to the area in question to repair the burst pipe.
10:15 PM: There was a report from a resident of Terrace Place about an ‘unfriendly’ dog in her yard. Patrol responded to the scene and contacted a neighbor to retrieve their loose dog.
April 26
6:35 AM: There was a report from a resident of Finney Farm Road about a strange noise in her home. Patrol responded to to scene and help the resident discover that a Leaking pipe was the source of the noise.
1:09 PM: A resident of Alexander Lane reported the an ATV was driving in the area. Patrol responded to the scene but was unable to located the vehicle in question.
1:55 PM: Officer on patrol reported that someone had recently placed “Do Not Eat Animals” stickers on a stop sign at Veterans Corner. Police subsequently removed the stickers from the sign.
April 27
1:45 PM: There was a report from a resident of Endicott, New York, that while his car was parked for two days at the Croton Harmon train station parking lot, some intentionally ‘keyed’ the paint on his vehicle. The matter is under investigation.
3:57 PM: There was a report from a resident of Olcott Avenue that someone had recently stolen his mountain bike from his front porch. The matter is under investigation.
April 28
12:01 AM: There was a report from a resident of Cleveland Drive that someone had recently slashed a tire on his car—which was parked in his driveway. The matter is under investigation.
11:22 AM: There was a report from a resident of Olcott Avenue about a sewage backup at his home. Police directed the DPW to follow up with the caller to help remediate the problem.
..... ~ The following were originally published on May 6, 2008 ~
Croton-on-Hudson Wins Westchester Water Tasting Contest
The Westchester County Department of Health held its annual water tasting contest today at which residents sampled water from four of the County’s municipalities and proclaimed Croton-on-Hudson their favorite.
The blind taste test was held in recognition of National Drinking Water Week outside of the Michaelian Office Building on Martine Avenue in White Plains from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Nearly 140 people sampled water from the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, Town of Greenburgh, City of Yonkers, and City of Peekskill.
Croton-on-Hudson received the most votes (40), followed by Greenburgh (37), Yonkers (31), and Peekskill (30). Of the municipalities that participated, Croton-on-Hudson was the lone well water supplier.
For additional information about the contest or other water quality initiatives, contact the Westchester County Department of Health at 914-813-5000 or visit www.westchestergov.com/health.
- On Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 9:00 PM, "TeaDrinker" wrote:
Great news! And such perfect timing after Cornelia Cotton was talking about Croton’s world-famous drinking water at last night’s village board meeting. Perhaps she’s right, Croton should install a fountain to pay tribute.
I only hope that Mayor Schmidt’s plan to inject Croton’s water supply with the chemical additive zinc orthophosphate doesn’t alter its taste.
- On Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 7:14 AM, "Leo Wiegman" wrote:
I agree this is more great news. Croton Water was also #1 in the 2006 Taste Test and a runner up in 2007. Here are some related notes:
- This is National Drinking Water Week May 4 - 10, 2008
- “Marc” suggests the village “trademark Croton Water in order to make sure that the rights to the name are secured” and study the feasibility of Bob Scott’s suggestion that Croton might be able to bottle and sell its water.
- What kind of nature-friendly bottle would we use for our Croton Water?
- On Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 8:36 AM, "waffels" wrote:
Teadrinkers point is very important to look at…we “hope”(!) that the villages water isn’t affected. The decision was a rush job and not enough thought put to it and once it’s done it’s done no changing the outcome. Obviously the current pipe conditions don’t affect our water as is based on the H2O award. Posting the public notice of meetings related to this wasn’t enough. The word needs to get out that this is happening because I bet that most of the residents of this village don’t realize what is in play. Spread the word.
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May the Fan (and Clive) Be With You
From Clive’s blog, “I’m hosting a free mini-Star Wars fan film festival on Wednesday, May 7th from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM at the Croton Free Library, so if you love fan productions and you live in Westchester, c’mon down!”
Details: May The Fan Film Be With You will show and discuss some of the best Star Wars fan films ever made. Most people have only seen these movies on the internet, but this program presents them the way they were meant to be seen—in full-quality on a big screen. Films to be shown include: Hardware Wars; Troops; George Lucas In Love; Duality; Pink Five; Beagle and many more.
Besides showing movies, the program will discuss the history of the growing fan film movement and explore what compels filmmakers to invest so much effort into their personal visions of the Star Wars mythology. All material screened will be appropriate for the whole family, but the discussion will be aimed primarily at adults and young adults. The program will run about 90 minutes.
Host: Clive Young is the author of the upcoming Homemade Hollywood: Fans Behind The Camera (Continuum; September, 2008), the first book about the secret history and surprising future of the Fan Film movement. He also edits the fan film blog, fancinematoday.com.
For further program information, contact the Croton Free Library at 914-271-6612 or visit its website at www.crotonfreelibrary.org
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Riverdrifters Gallery to Open by 'Honoring the Spirit of the Wood'
On Saturday, May 10, 2008, the public is invited by Croton-on-Hudson artists Barbara Hunt and Jeanne D. Shaw for the grand opening and reception of their Riverdrifters Fine Art Works Gallery.
“Honoring the Spirit of the Wood” is the overriding theme of the work done by artists Barbara Hunt and Jeanne D. Shaw. The two create sculpture out of Driftwood and other found objects, as well as paintings, photography, ceramic art, Dream Catchers and walking sticks. Along with a strong Native influence, the Hudson River is their main inspiration.
The festivities begin a at 11:00 AM and continue until 4:00 PM and include a gallery dedication at noon, followed by a session on Eastern Woodland history at 1:00 PM. Throughout by day, drumming will be provided by the Nimham Mountain Singers—a unity drum group that sings Eastern Woodland songs of their native Aboriginal Heritage. Light refreshments will also be served.
For more information, please email Jeanne D. Shaw at Maniart8@aol.com.
..... ~ The following were originally published on May 4, 2008 ~
Meet Tony Conetta: Robert Moses He Ain't
One almost expects to be assailed with fear mongering by politicians in the nation’s capital. Scare tactics, a standard operating procedure in Washington, are de rigueur nowadays. But one doesn’t expect to experience them in the Village of Croton-on-Hudson from a would-be contractor to the village.
Yet that’s exactly the unseemly tactic Anthony O. Conetta, 60, vice president of the Long Island-based engineering firm of Dvirka and Bartilucci, tried to employ at last Monday’s sparsely attended work session of the village board. Dvirka and Bartilucci have done work for this village before. They should know better.
It seems that some 700 parking spaces may continue to be lost to use from time to time if the flood-prone area of the parking lot (Sections G and H) at the Croton-Harmon station is not renovated at a cost to Croton of more than $2 million. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Administration, has already unequivocally turned down Croton’s application for a grant to make improvements that would forestall future flooding events.
The federal government is obviously not anxious to open its coffers for the repair of a parking lot built over a filled-in marsh and with a long history of flooding—one that probably should never have been placed there. Where were environmentalists when this wetland area was originally filled in? Croton is appealing the decision, but getting an inept FEMA to acknowledge that it made a mistake is unlikely. It still won’t admit that anything was wrong with the hundreds of thousands of formaldehyde-contaminated trailer homes it supplied to Katrina hurricane victims, causing many to sicken or die.
Dvirka and Bartilucci have their eyes fixed on a heftily remunerative contract to raise sunken portions of the parking lot by five or six feet. Mr. Conetta conjured up his mushroom cloud at Monday night’s work session. Unethically trying to scare board members and the public, he claimed that the loss of the sinking parking spaces would mean that some 700 current parkers would be driving to New York City instead of taking the train.
Clearly way out of his depth as an oracle, he claimed that it would also cost the 700 evicted parkers an extra $8.5 million annually plus $3 million in tolls to make the round trip by automobile. Mr. Conetta seems to have an unusually clouded crystal ball. We don’t know where he gets his numbers from or what are his credentials as a traffic consultant and planner. It is patently obvious that Robert Moses he ain’t. Nor is he another Lewis Mumford, Jane Jacobs or James Howard Kunstler.
Mr. Conetta would have you believe that—with gasoline already topping the $4.00 a gallon mark in Westchester—parkers are going to elect to drive to the city. Does he not know how much parking garages or parking lots charge for daytime parking in the city? In the East 40’s, for example, monthly parking rates vary from $480 to $1,200. Just how gullible and sheeplike does Mr. Conetta think the people of northern Westchester are?
Mr. Conetta is a civil engineer with expertise in storm-water management. A graduate of the City College of New York (Class of 1971) with a Bachelor of Science degree, he also has a M.S. (Environmental) degree from the same institution. Mr. Conetta is even familiar with garbage. For 14 years he served as garbage commissioner of the community of Port Washington on Long Island. He was edged out and unseated by challenger Jeremy Devine in 2002 by a close vote (602 to 571). Asked about his plans after his defeat, he was quoted as saying, “I’m going to devote my time to the PYA (Port Washington Youth Activities) league.”
But Mr. Conetta is really no more qualified to opine on issues like the driving patterns of commuters than Mayor Schmidt, a chiropractor, is qualified to perform brain surgery, or even to treat a hamster with the sniffles or a guinea pig with a nosebleed.
Were Mr. Conetta more familiar with the parking picture at stations on Metro-North’s Hudson Line, he might have been spared from making such a foolish Baron Munchhausen prediction.
There’s an ace in the hole for harried parkers at the Croton-Harmon station beset not only by rising water but by ever-rising parking rates. We refer to the $29.3 million expansion and improvement plan for MTA’s Cortlandt station. Announced last September, this program adds a broad list of amenities, including 750 new parking spaces being added to the 885 existing spaces already available there.
Paradoxically, not only is parking at the Cortlandt station more convenient for many commuters who now park at the Croton-Harmon station, its rates are cheaper. Is it possible that Mayor Schmidt is spending more than $2 million to save the flood-prone area from a watery grave like the Titanic, only to find that parkers—so long taken for granted by money-grubbing Croton—have long since abandoned Croton and are parking at Cortlandt?
Instead of throwing money down a rat hole, perhaps the most sensible course for Croton would be to let the river reclaim the continuously sinking flood-prone area. With parking facilities more motorist friendly and less expensive at the Cortlandt station, Mayor Schmidt’s legacy to Croton may very well turn out to be a $2 million white elephant that attracts no parkers at all.
- On Monday, May 5, 2008 at 11:32 AM, "TessD" wrote:
Metro North only needs to add a few more trains to their Cortlandt schedule to make it a more viable choice for commuters who now normally park in the swamp that is Croton.
I am disgusted by the situation and the cost of parking in Croton but of course, driving into the city is utterly laughable. It is simply not an option. What an idiotic statement.
While we are on the subject of the glorious conditions of the lot in Croton, I parked there on a Friday and spent the night in the city. I have a non resident permit and this is something I have done regularly without any problem. I came back to find a note on my car that the lot is closed (one of the flood prone lots) on the weekend and this is a warning but next time I will be ticketed or towed. Are they out of their minds? After paying a damn fortune to park there, they are going to tell me that overnight parking on a Friday night is any more risky than on any other night?
I had a doctor appointment early one morning and got to the lot around 9:30. The flood prone lots were closed and there was not ONE spot to be had. I ended up going home and working from home. This is obscene given what I am paying to park there.
Someone really needs to get this ridiculous situation under control. I doubt it will ever happen. That said, when those spots become available in Cortlandt, I am first on the list.
.....
Croton Teen Theatre to Hold Auditions
The Croton Teen theater, a summer educational program now in its twenty-first season, has announced auditions for its upcoming production of Cole Porter’s 1939 musical, “Anything Goes.”
Organizers hope that the romantic musical comedy will serve as the springboard for area teens to sharpen their acting, singing and dancing skills in a professional environment. Under the direction of tom Berger, Artistic Director of Directions Theatre company in Manhattan and regional musical director John Bronsten, the show is a shipboard tale of identity mix-ups coupled with songs such as “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top,” and “Anything Goes.” Croton Teen Theater also offers learning opportunities in lighting, sound, costumes and set construction.
Auditions will be held Monday, May 19th, Wednesday, May 21st and Thursday, May 2, 2008 at the Asbury United Methodist church, located at 9 Old Post Road in Croton-on-Hudson. For more information, please contact John MacLean at 914-271-1418.
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Read more at CrotonBlog.com. Printed on: Friday, May 09, 2008