January 2019 Serving Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, Irvington, Scarborough-On-Hudson and Ardsley-On-Hudson Vol
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10 » Changing Hands 11 » New Rector 15 » Inspired by Dad Your Most Trusted Source for Local News and Events #SupportLocalJournalism | #HometownNewspaper January 2019 Serving Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, Irvington, Scarborough-on-Hudson and Ardsley-on-Hudson Vol. XIV No. 1 Community Helps Sleepy Hollow Mayor Wray to Seek Sixth Term Families Left Homeless by Fire in Sleepy Hollow by Robert Kimmel by Robert Kimmel Following a ravaging fire that forced residents to flee from their Sleepy Hollow home during Christmas Eve, the public’s generosity Mayor Ken Wray, along with a trio of in- was quickly marshalled to aid a village DPW employee’s extended cumbent trustees, will be pursuing a return family, and other tenants, occupants of the heavily damaged three- to their posts in Sleepy Hollow’s March story house. Among the 13 persons made homeless were three chil- election. The mayor and the trustees, Glenn dren, ages three, seven and nine. Rosenbloom, Denise Scaglione and John Village Clerk Paula McCarthy established a GoFundMe effort on Leavy, made known their intentions late last the Internet directed at collecting funds to help the families, and the month. The four will campaign under the village sent out an email letter to 2,200 residents, while informa- “Unite Sleepy Hollow” banner, the politi- tion was also placed on Facebook. The employee, Jose Zhinin, has cal identification they have used previously worked for the village for almost 18 years, and owned his home at while winning elections. 194 Beekman Avenue for 20 years. For Wray, it will be his bid for a sixth two- Christmas Eve fire in a home on Beekman Avenue left a village Robust assistance also came quickly through the determined ef- DPW employee and other occupants homeless. year term, continuing a tenure that began forts of Anne Richards, who administers the 10591 group, a com- with his successful first election to the post — Photo by Brittany Brand munity Facebook page, and Matthew Gullotta who maintains the in 2009 after serving as a trustee for the two Gullotta House Inc., a local charity which aids Westchester residents many of their meals as well. prior years. “It is an incredibly exciting time who face hardships. Richards rallied 10591 members to join in her ongoing endeav- for the village,” Wray said while expressing Within several hours following the fire, through Gullotta’s efforts ors to provide clothing, shoes, shelter and funding for the homeless his eagerness to remain as mayor. He cited and financial help, and with the assistance of the DoubleTree Ho- families. She assembled the goods at her house and managed delivery the Edge-on-Hudson development and the tel’s Assistant General Manager Michelle Cinto, the homeless were of the collected articles to the displaced persons. Through her mes- village’s adjacent East Parcel project with its lodged at that Tarrytown hotel for three nights and provided with saging to the community, she continued Continued on page 2 prospective Commons as among activities he wants to see through to their fruition. The village recently received a $1.5 mil- lion state grant toward the East Parcel de- Irvington Girls Basketball Coach velopment and it has achieved an upgraded bond rating this past fall from Moody’s In- PAID vestment Services. At that time, Sleepy Hol- PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE U.S. Maher Notches 700th Career Win PERMIT NO. 971 PERMIT NO. low was also recognized by the Mid-Hudson WHITE PLAINS, NY WHITE PLAINS, Regional Economic Counsel as a Priority by Tom Pedulla Project,” for “taking bold steps to realize its potential as a place of employment, a place Gina Maher recently reached to live, and a place for visitors.” an extraordinary milestone when “I want to build on all of the positive she earned her 700th victory at momentum Sleepy Hollow has established, Irvington, an unprecedented and I also want to see through completion total for a New York State Ath- of the major development projects we cur- letic Association girls basketball rently have in progress,” Rosenbloom stat- coach. Her remarkable resume ed. “But it is the growth and change that is also includes five state champi- upon us and the opportunity to help man- onships, 18 sectional titles and age it for the benefit of all Sleepy Hollow 22 league crowns. residents that is particularly motivating.” And yet the greatest measure of He added, “I look at the future with con- Maher’s success cannot be mea- fidence and excitement. In our soon to be sured. adopted Comprehensive Plan, we have an That would be the countless Coach Gina Maher (center) celebrates her milestone victory. invaluable resource filled with strategies on number of students who took life — Photo by Irvington School District how best to achieve our goals and overcome lessons taught during sweat-filled obstacles.” practices, hard-fought games or a quiet moment “Everyone has always said Ms. Maher is like Rosenbloom, who is also Deputy Mayor, away from the court to excel long after their days our second mom,” said Miranda Farman, a senior lauded the current Board of Trustees, “as at Irvington were done. Continued on page 15 Continued on page 3 www.thehudsonindependent.com MTA Cell Tower in Tarrytown is Removed by Alexander Roberts Cell Tower Needed for Improved stop the installation in 2015 with a com- Communications plaint before the Federal Communications The Metropolitan Transportation Au- The MTA maintained that the Metro- Commission, charging violation of the Na- thority’s 150-foot cell tower, erected over a North Police needed the tower to improve tional Historic Preservation Act because of weekend on Tarrytown’s waterfront in Sep- emergency communications. However, its the tower’s impact on the viewshed of the tember, was taken down over the weekend design allowed for co-location of the anten- historic Tarrytown train station. before the Christmas holiday. nas of private cell companies such as Verizon MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan told and T-Mobile, which could have paid the Public Forum Drew Hundreds The Hudson Independent that the agency MTA rental fees. While Donovan said that The public reaction, however, proved more was honoring its commitment to the vil- the MTA had not yet signed co-location potent as the tower energized hundreds of lage to remove the structure after igniting a agreements for this or any of the other 14 citizens to fill Village Hall at a public forum firestorm of controversy over its location ad- monopole locations slated for the region, it in October. In addition to residents, New Workers dismantle the platform that sat jacent to the Franklin Courts public hous- remains a possibility. York State Senate Senator Andrea Stewart- atop the Tarrytown monopole. ing complex and playground. While local “The income from such agreements could Cousins and Assemblyman Tom Abinanti —Photo by Alexander Roberts zoning prohibits cell towers near residential help meet MTA expenses, thus contributing attended the forum and were instrumental, properties, the MTA as a state agency had to lower tolls and costs to taxpayers, as well along with Tarrytown Mayor Drew Fixell, been promised by March 2019, as “an early exercised its right to pre-empt local land use as reducing the number of new private sites in negotiating with the MTA to remove the Christmas gift.” regulations. needed for cell service,” Donovan said. tower and in suggesting alternatives. Fixell One of the alternatives, an existing mono- The village had unsuccessfully tried to hailed the removal, which originally had pole at the new State Police barracks on Paulding Avenue, will now incorporate the tions. “On this Christmas Eve, they have ing community.” He also noted that the additional Metro-North antennas. Sleepy Hollow Fire lost their home to a raging fire. Their family Red Cross assisted as well. Giaccio added, Dan and Nancy Hanover mobilized hun- Continued from page 1 including a toddler, along with several ten- “Thankfully our fire department did an ex- dreds of residents and gathered more than ants, are left to wonder what’s next? Let’s cellent job when responding to keep the fire 300 signatures on a petition against the an effort to secure temporary residences for help them re-build their lives.” from spreading, and fortunately no one was monopole on Change.org. Dan Hanover them, pending the repair of the house. The village’s letter noted the “sad and dev- hurt.” said that he was glad the MTA had “kept its Gullotta and Richards were among the astating event,” stating, “One of our resi- After almost a week of donations to word” and taken down the cell tower. volunteers who brought goods and presents dents, who is also one of our Public Works the fund, it was approaching within sev- Charles Dickens, a retired teacher who to the families at the hotel. “It was good to employees, lost his home to a raging fire on eral thousand dollars of the $20,000 goal helped organize residents at Franklin Courts Wray Seeks New Term see the young children open their Christmas Beekman Avenue. His family, along with originally set by McCarthy, and nearly 300 and Franklin Towers against the structure, presents,” Gullotta said. several tenants were lucky to get out alive.” people had contributed. Donations can be marveled at how the community’s protest “This is a wonderful, hardworking Sleepy “Many people have been in touch with made to the GoFundMe link found on the brought it down so quickly. Hollow family whom I’ve personally known me to find out how they can help,” Sleepy Sleepy Hollow Village Facebook page, at “That’s the power of unity, and somehow for many years,” McCarthy wrote about the Hollow Administrator Anthony Giaccio https://www.facebook.com/sleepyhollowny.