New Castle News

By Eileen Gallagher

For the first time since 2011, the question of garbage collections in New Castle came up at the town board meeting.

The town’s contract with SaniPro ends on January 1, 2015, and the board is preparing an RFP (request for proposal) for refuse collectors. To that end, the board is requesting costs for both once and twice weekly pickups.

Board member Elise Mottel reiterated her opinion from her days on the board that made the decision to cut the collection days. Increased recycling has resulted in less garbage, she feels. In reaching the decision at the time, both the town and sustainability advisory boards believed that the 33 percent reduction in trucks on the road would save about 9,500 gallons of diesel fuel, as well as save the town $200 thousand in costs. Mottel also pointed out that the “green” award ($194 thousand) received by New Castle for reducing the pickups is only one year into its three year term.

Fellow board member Adam Brodsky has spoken with several residents who bemoan the fact that, despite “the significant amount of money [paid] in taxes,” a quality of life service such as garbage collection was cut in half.

Supervisor Rob Greenstein reminded the board, “If we are going to rule out two day a week pickup, it does not help our negotiating position. We want to get the best possible price for the service.” He pointed out the town was midway through its contract with SaniPro when the change in collection terms was originally made.

Moratorium, or not

Have you been asking yourself what a moratorium is, and how it would affect the town? According to Merriam-Webster, it is “a legally authorized period of delay, or a waiting period set by an authority.”  For New Castle, issuing a zoning moratorium would halt all development, and could potentially be struck down. According to Greenstein, the courts have struck down moratoriums that are used solely as a means of putting the brakes on controversial projects.

Also, Greenstein observed that the loudest call for a zoning moratorium seems to be coming from residents opposed to the spa at New Castle project. He went on, “ We must remain open for business and keep moving ahead.”  Continuing, Greenstein added, “Some residents prefer hamlets to not grow or change. This is not economically sustainable.” Greenstein believes that our property taxes make our community unaffordable to both empty nesters and young families just starting out, and will ultimately drive down our property values.

Addressing the matter of development at Chappaqua Crossing, Greenstein stated, “if we get this right, the town has a tremendous opportunity to not only help with the Chappaqua Crossing campus and its productive use, but to rejuvenate our existing business hamlets at the same time.”

Legislator’s update

In his address to the town board, Chairman of the Westchester Board of Legislators Mike Kaplowitz touched on the proposed affordable housing at 54 Hunts Place, stressing that the county is committed to the creation of 750 units of affordable housing, but acknowledged that the legislators “do not have the expertise on health and safety matters.” For that, they are relying on the expert opinion of the New York State Board of Variances, who are due to issue their findings as to the eight variances petitioned by Conifer in their April 8 hearing. Kaplowitz assured the town board they are monitoring the situation very closely. “We don’t want to put anyone in potential peril.”

Vision statement

Responding to the supervisor’s request for the board members’ vision and priorities, Jason Chapin relayed his thoughts on the positive aspects of New Castle, concluding, “we must be doing something right if the Clintons, Gov. Cuomo and many others have chosen to live here.” Acknowledging the “daunting challenges” the town is facing, such as high taxes and struggling businesses, Chapin expressed his willingness to pursue limited retail at Chappaqua Crossing and some development at the site of the proposed spa. Chapin went on, “I’m open to exploring the feasibility of moving Town Hall to Chappaqua Crossing if it does not negatively impact our hamlets, if it makes financial sense and if there is public support to do so.”

Observing the current town board, Chapin pointed out that “all five members are dedicated to serving the town to the best of our abilities, but there are significant philosophical, managerial, and financial differences of opinion. That has led to some vigorous debates and is part of the democratic process.” He concluded by encouraging resident involvement as the town’s master plan update continues.

by Eileen Gallagher

Tuesday, March 18, in Chappaqua had all the energy of the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Manhattan the day before–with a great deal of information conveyed to anyone attending or watching online.

For starters, during the annual “Conversation with the Supervisor” hosted by the League of Women Voters at the Chappaqua Library, about 35 audience members listened as Town Supervisor Rob Greenstein touched on various topics including the Master Plan process and proposed Chappaqua Station restaurant.

Via Vanti Discussion

Throughout the week, Carla Gambescia’s name has been highly visible in social and local media outlets. Her idea for the Chappaqua Train Station, which she first proposed to the town board in February of 2013, would have been a smaller version of Via Vanti in Mount Kisco. Controversy seemed to rest on the bathrooms and their availability to the public.

Greenstein was asked about this matter by an audience member on Tuesday, prefaced by his explanation that there had been a disagreement over the terms of the lease with Gambescia, and that a deal was never reached. He went on to explain that when incoming and outgoing board members met, they all agreed the bathrooms must remain open to the public, a term that was not negotiable. According to Greenstein, this was clear from the beginning, and even more important than the rent.

“Why wasn’t [the bathroom availability] brought back to Via Vanti to say, hey, it’s mandatory?” continued the questioner.

“It was made crystal clear about the bathrooms, there was a breakdown in negotiations and no communication for three or four weeks,” responded Greenstein. “It is all documented in emails.”

During the previous year’s “Conversation” event, then-supervisor Susan Carpenter made the following statemen which also incorporated this stipulation:

“We’re hoping, or at least the town board is at least considering leasing the train station for some public use, with the condition, of course, that the coffee service will be maintained for the commuters in the morning and that the bathrooms will remain open to the public so that people using the train can always go in and use the bathrooms if they need to.”

After former Town Administrator Penny Paderewski stated in her Administrator’s report on October 22 that “the Chappaqua Train Station floor renovation is completed, and we are days from signing a lease with Via Vanti,” nothing further was noted in board minutes for the remainder of the year.

Master Plan

The current New Castle Master plan was written in 1984, and has not been updated since 1989, offered Greenstein. Work groups formed are brainstorming issues and questions for public outreach, he explained. The process is being guided for the next 12 weeks by Tiffany Zezula and John Nolon of the Pace Land Use Law Center, and is expected to last about 18 months.

Nolon praised the town board for having an open, public approach to the process. “You are legallly obliged to have one public hearing before turning it over to the town board, then the town board has one public hearing before you adopt the plan. [Including the public throughout the process] is something you are doing in your wisdom.” He went on to say that “there is a tremendous amount of wisdom handed to the town board from the community.”

Meetings will be held in different parts of town to best reach all members of the community, and will include small group discussions facilitated by Pace to discern the concerns, values and “pie in the sky” visions of each resident. As Zezula put it, the town should “strongly value that ‘pie in the sky’ because that means something to people.”

A Ladle of Chappaqua Love?

The same day, Leslie Lampert introduced her proposal for a “hybrid” of Ladle of Love and Cafe of Love for the Chappaqua Train Station.

Lampert arrived with her “posse” and shopping bags brimming with three kinds of soup and bread for sampling. Her presentation included a slideshow playing in the background as she described her 24 years as a resident of Chappaqua and railroad commuter, sitting around the dinner table every evening asking her children “what’s Chappening?” Understanding the hectic lives faced by many families, Lampert’s theme for the restaurant would be “we’ve got you coming and going.”

Community and relationships were the key words Lampert and her team used as they spoke of nourishing and participating in many community efforts. Jennifer Mendes, manager of Ladle of Love in Mount Kisco, referred to their many regular customers as friends. Kitchen manager Mike Donnelly, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, spoke of their “good, honest food,” all locally provided. Mendes went on to say of Lampert, “Leslie being great to her employees has enabled them to be great to their customers.”

Lampert envisions a “gathering for the community in a casual way” where people could get food quickly, or just sit and linger. Soups and everything available at Ladle of Love, as well as some menu items from Cafe of Love (also in Mount Kisco), would be available in Chappaqua or, as she proposed, “Love at 10514.” Flowers, wine, and  vegetables from farms such as Hilltop Hanover would be available to buy as a “quick grab getting off the train,”  as well as seasonal ice cream and hot chocolate. The restaurant would open at 5 a.m. and remain open throughout the day until at least 8 p.m. According to Lampert, other than minor adjustments, the train station is perfect the way it is, and she would keep it that way.

By Eileen Gallagher

Two New Castle residents, Frank Nestro and Kenneth Martin, received accolades and engraved plaques at Town Hall Tuesday to honor their actions on behalf of a New Castle Police Officer.  Chief of Police Charles Ferry provided a recap of a January 22 crime incident on North State Road–during which time Nestro and Martin, Chief Ferry explained, jumped into action on behalf of Officer Sean McNeill. Criminal charges brought against the perpetrator, who was convicted and sentenced in the New Castle Justice Court, were detailed in a recent police release.*

Nestro and Martin were driving along North State Road at the intersection of Route 100 in New Castle on January 22, around 6:45 in the morning, related Chief Ferry, when they came upon the scene of a “one car” automobile accident. According to Chief Ferry, as they slowed down in their respective cars, their eyes were drawn to the site of an agitated person with Officer McNeill, who had responded to the call. When the person grabbed the officer’s gun and tried to wrest it from his holster, Chief Ferry continued, Nestro and Martin sprang into action. The two civilians raced from their cars and grabbed the driver, now a suspect, restraining him enough for Officer McNeill to take him into custody, Chief Ferry said.*

With the danger behind them, Nestro, Martin, and Chief Ferry smiled broadly as they posed for photos with the town board members, supervisor, and families. A standing ovation for the citizens followed the presentation.

Station Restaurant Negotiations Continue

During a work session immediately preceeding the board meeting, Peter Chase, followed by Carla Gambescia, offered their ideas and vision for an optimal food service scenario at the currently vacant train station.

Peter Chase came to the meeting room with his own vision and a video presentation** depicting the concepts he has in mind for Chappaqua Station because, as he phrased it, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” As a developer and operator of restaurants and bars around the world, Chase and his wife Erin have been hired by hotels and restaurants to “conceptualize” their spaces. Chase sees the future of “the crown jewel of Chappaqua,” as town board member Adam Brodsky characterized the station, as a market type experience a la Grand Central Station combined with a restaurant and repurposed bar area in what was once the ticket window of the station.

Chase’s food service would begin in the early hours with coffee service and breakfast type foods available by 5 a.m. , and lunch and dinner throughout the day. The Chases are big proponents of the “slow food movement,” or the preservation of traditional and regional cuisine while encouraging the farming of plants, seeds, and livestock characteristic of the local ecosystem. To that end, they would make full use of the Chappaqua Farmers’ Market.

“These last few weeks have been incredibly difficult,” Gambescia began, as she recalled the hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars spent in creating and planning for what she thought was her space for the Chappaqua location of Via Vanti. Wishing to transform the station from its current “pass through” status to a place of community for her fellow New Castle residents, Gambescia attempted to tantalize the audience with her descriptions of nutella crepes, flavored gelatos, an array of meatballs, homemade mozzarella, and lasagna cupcakes.

Exuding her love of Italy and its culture, traditions, and cuisine, Gambescia took the audience on a tour through an Italian piazza, the center of a community where neighbors gather for food and friendship. Gambescia believes that Chappaqua’s train station could be such a place, in a town that, as she phrased it, is more about families and food than any other place in America.

Gambescia continued on, describing the past 13 months of negotiations with first the previous town board, and now the sitting board. According to Gambescia, what she thought was an agreed upon lease, after waiting seven months for the town to complete foundation remediation work, came to an abrupt halt over one unlikely issue:

Bathroom Disagreement

According to Supervisor Rob Greenstein, the one non-negotiable part of the lease to anyone who rents that space is that the bathrooms must remain available to the public at all times. Greenstein, who contended that bathroom use for the commuters is a major issue, indicated that the previous board had required that, and it is still in effect.

Discussions with Adam Brodsky since January of this year never resulted in a finalized lease, said Gambescia.  “We preferred to have the access [to the bathrooms] limited at dinnertime… I was lead to believe that we were having a negotiation. I was not under any impression that this [bathroom use] was going to kill the deal,” explained Gambescia.

At the next work session, the board will announced that it will hear proposals from the owner of a gourmet food shop in Hawthorne and Leslie Lampert, owner of Cafe of Love and Ladles of Love, both in Mt Kisco.

Code Red, and Code Red, and Code Red…

During the Administrator’s Report, Jill Shapiro also addressed citizen reports of a repetitive theme of the testing of the Code Red system.  Several residents described receiving several emails from the system. This was due to the “overperformance” of the system, according to Shapiro, town administrator, who apologized for this and ascertained from the company that the offending server will no longer be in use. There is now a policy and procedure to ensure that it does not happen again, she said.

Planning Board Vacancy Announcement

The following is an announcement from Rob Greenstein, Supervisor:

The Town of New Castle would like to thank Douglas Schuerman for his three years of service on the Planning Board and his three years of service on the Environmental Review Board.

As of April 1, 2014 the Town of New Castle will have an opening on the Planning Board.  The New Castle Planning Board was established on February 16, 1929.  The Board is composed of five members, each appointed for a term of five years.  The Planning Board meets on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, except during the month of August.   

The Planning Board is empowered by New York State Law to act on requests for subdivision of land and applications for approval of site plans based on application of the Town’s Zoning Ordinance, the Land Subdivision Laws and the Town’s Master Plan of Development, and removal of trees as determined by the Town’s local ordinances. No construction, excavation, filling, re-grading, or clearing of vegetation on any area proposed for subdivision may be undertaken without approval of the Planning Board. The Planning Board also must approve site plans for single plots including location and dimension of buildings on the property, parking, screening, signs and landscaping. It may attach conditions to its site plan approval that must be met before a building permit is issued and that must continue to exist in order to obtain a valid certificate of occupancy. No change of use for a property may take place without Planning Board approval. Additionally, the Planning Board is responsible for implementing the Town’s Master Plan.

In addition, the Planning Board reviews and makes recommendations about amendments to the Zoning Ordinance and amendments to the Town’s Master Plan, which regulates land use within the Town to protect public health, general welfare, and safety of the residents.  The Planning Board is authorized to adopt any rules necessary to properly exercise its power of site development and plan review with final Town Board approval. The Board may apply the rules of “cluster zoning” to a subdivision if it determines that such a zoning application is to the Town’s benefit provided that, in certain instances, the Town Board authorizes it to do so. The Town Board appoints the members and Chair of the Planning Board. Members may be reappointed. Town Board members may not be members of the Planning Board. The Town Board may require Planning Board members to take educational and training courses.

The term of the vacancy is 2012 to 2017.

A resume with a cover letter identifying why you would like to become a member of the Planning Board should be submitted to Mary Deems, the New Castle Town Clerk

* According to the New Castle Police Department press release, Dimitrios Vitaliotis was charged with the following crimes:

Attempted Robbery in the third degree
Attempted Grand Larceny fourth degree
Resisting Arrest
Obstructing Governmental Administration second degree
Criminal Mischief  fourth degree  

Vitaliotis was arraigned before  Judge Sorkin of the New Castle Justice Court and was sent to the Westchester County Jail on $20,000 bail.  His next court appearance was set for Jan 23 2014 at 7:30 p.m. New Castle Justice Court.  He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to one year in jail.