Inside Press

 

 

Join The Mental Health Association of Westchester for our annual benefit celebration, An Evening at Metropolis! The festivities begin at 6:30 pm at the Metroplis Country Club in White Plains and include cocktails, dinner, silent auction, and award presentations to outstanding individuals and companies who have made a difference to MHA and the field of mental health. For more information, contact Constance Moustakas at 914-345-5900 ext. 7511 or development@mhawestchester.org or visit www.mhawestchester.org

2. The Mental Health Association of Westchester received a grant of $5000 from THE TD Charitable Foundation in support of community outreach for MHA’s new initiative OnTrackNY My Health, My Choices, My Future, which is an innovative treatmentprogram for adolescents and young adults between the ages of 16-30 who have had unusual thoughts and behaviors or who have started hearing or seeing things that others don’t. An important goal is to help individuals remain in their lives or quickly return to their lives. As a brand new program, TD Bank’s contribution will help MHA ensure that the message is received by those who need it most

3. New York State Long Term Care Ombudsman Program at MHA Westchester is seeking volunteers. The Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, which serves residents in licensed long term care facilities in Westchester County, is recruiting volunteers who are interested in training to become Ombudsmen.  An Ombudsman helps to resolve complaints, monitors quality of life and helps to preserve the dignity of residents in long term care facilities.

A volunteer must be at least 21 years of age and complete a mandatory certification training program to become a New York State Certified ombudsman.  A commitment of 4 hours weekly for one year is required after the training.

LTCOP staff and a faculty of experts cover a wide range of subjects, such as the aging process, regulations, levels of care, and how-to skills of working and negotiating with staff for the protection of residents’ rights as prescribed by law. The training is free.

Please call for an application to be eligible for the FALL training starting on Thursday, October 3, 2013.

By Grace Bennett

In response to an InsideChappaqua.com story by Zarah Kavarana about Movie Nights in Millwood Park this summer, Town Administrator Penny Paderewski contacted us to let us know how instrumental the Millwood Task Force was in conceiving and ultimately bringing the idea to fruition.  I told her I would welcome a statement too from the Millwood Task Force. Here’s what I received from Michael Stern, co-chair of the Task Force:

“The Millwood Task Force has been seeking ways to enhance the quality of life for, and  project a positive impact that the  Millwood Hamlet/West End neighborhoods  have on the entire Town of New Castle. Early this year Leslye Smith, an MTF member, suggested that the MTF approach the Town with an Idea to have a functionsuch as a concert or Movie Night in the Millwood Hamlet, as mostly all such events are currently held in the Chappaqua Hamlet of New Castle.  It was decided that a Movie Night would be best to pursue.  It could put Millwood “on the map” to those in Town unfamiliar to what our Hamlet’s Business District has to offer.

The idea was then brought to the attention of  Penny Paderewski the Town Administrator who agreed that a Movie Night in Millwood was an idea that she could present to the Town Board and Supervisor.  Millwood Park was presented as a site that could be able to handle such an event.  we were told  the Parks Department would need to  facilitate such an event.  Funding for the Films and equipment necessary to present them however was another issue, as the Town did not have money allocated into this years budget.

At the March MTF meeting, Movie Night was further discussed.  Attending the meeting was Rob Greenstein, from the Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of  Commerce.  He proposed the possibility that the Chamber of Commerce could  attempt to get Financial Sponsors from the Business Community to fund the Movie Night(s)The MTF was notified in April that that the Chamber was able to get several Millwood Sponsors.   Drug Mart, Matero’s Jewelry and others stepped up to the plate and agreed to fund the Rentals, signs and other expenses.

The event itself was Co-Sponsored by the Town of New Castle, the Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of Commerce and the Millwood Task Force.

Arrangements were made with the Town to set up Four  Dates in June for the Movies.  (several rain dates were rescheduled for July).

The Millwood Task Force was very pleased to see it’s Vision come to fruition with the co-operation of the Town of New Castle Parks Department Staff, and the Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of Commerce for the funding and  promotion, embracing Leslye Smiths idea for the Millwood Movie Night.

A Special Thank you to Penny (Town Administrator), Rob  (Chamber of Commerce) the Parks Department, as well as the Financial Sponsors of the Movies.

This,  I believe, is an example of how local business and government can work together for the good of our Town.”

 

 

 

By Zarah Kavarana

Two changes at both ends of the affordable housing proposed plan on Hunt’s Lane was described  last week by the architect for Conifer, Inc., Steven Schoch.  Meanwhile, a public hearing on zoning and town development plan changes for grocery-retail for Chappaqua Crossing will continue tomorrow, 7 p.m. at town hall.

Explained Schoch re the Conifer proposal:  The Quaker Street entrance will be well landscaped so that the property can blend seamlessly into its surroundings and have more of a greener feel instead of simply feeling like a “vast gulf.” This would help appease one of the community’s main concerns that the building will be too isolated from the rest of Chappaqua. Conifer plans to work with the board on all necessary details of the landscaping.

Formerly a rendering, a rectangular deck will be built on the opposite side of the building. It will be furnished appropriately for the recreational use of residents in order to become an integrated part of the whole structure. Conifer will additionally add more details to the building with columns, stone walls, and landscaping around the entire property.

In response to the changes, board member Robin Stout brought up a point that had not yet been mentioned about the eventual growth of the landscaping.

He said, “The bridge is going to look better over the years because there’s a lot of landscaping on the bridge that hasn’t yet matured. And so as I understand it, this connection to the bridge on the south side would be matching the bridge. It’ll grow with the screening on the bridge, and it will blend together – not quite as one piece – but visually it will read uniformly.”

Town Supervisor Susan Carpenter read out a letter received last week from Sean Fitzgerald, Assistant Commissioner for the New York State Division Housing and Community Renewal (HCR) to Tim Fournier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Conifer Realty, regarding funding requirements for the project’s apartment count.

It acknowledged Conifer’s great attempts to make the project suitable to residents of New Castle. The letter declared HCR’s approval to reduce the number of units from 36 to 28, and said that it will not approve of any further reductions. Building affordable housing in Chappaqua is too important to HCR’s mission for there to be less units. Any further reductions could jeopardize HCR’s funding for the project.

The Conditional Negative Declaration has been made public since Monday, July 22. Stout wanted to clarify that it has not been drafted by the applicant, but instead by the Town Planner.

Board member Elise Kessler Mottel questioned the applicant about the fence proposed to be built on the Quaker Bridge. The board had requested for there to be a fence due to safety reasons, but it had notably been stricken from the applicant’s draft.

Schoch stated that the fence would be subject for approval by the Department of Transportation (DOT). He made note that there would be no need for a fence on both sides of the bridge. The fence would be put in to prevent people who are exiting the building to run out into the roadway, but a fence on the other side would not serve a purpose. Mottel responded by saying that a fence on both sides of the bridge would be good for consistency purposes.

Stout pointed out to members of the public that the fence would not ruin the aesthetics of the bridge: In fact, there is already a fence present over the train tracks to prevent garbage and thrown objects from falling. The concept for the new fence is similar to the one existing in terms of style and lack of visibility, but it would be between the sidewalk and the road instead so that people cannot make pick-ups and drop-offs on the bridge, he said.

There was vote to close the public hearing on the applicant’s Zoning Text Amendment with four members in favor and one opposed. The following items were also authorized by the board:

• Enter into a contract with Mind Mixer in order to provide web-based public education and outreach in connection with the master plan update for a cost of $299 per month

• Use of the Chappaqua Train Station on Friday, December 6 and Saturday, December 7, 2013 by the Chappaqua Garden Club for the annual Wreath and Greens Sale

• Use of the Pocket Park by the New Castle Democratic Committee on Saturday, July 27, 2013

• Purchase of the 2014 Tri-axel Chassey Truck with a roll off hoist and power trapper at the price of $170,300

• Promotions of three Police Officers to the rank of Sargent.

• Award storm water RFP for consulting services to assist with review of certain applicant submissions for the proposed re-zoning of Chappaqua Crossing to AKRF

• Monthly reports from Building and Engineering