The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

New Castle News

What’s on the Agenda for the Sustainability Advisory Board in the Town of New Castle

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The  Sustainability Advisory Board is thriving.  Its members – all volunteers – are engaged and enthusiastic.  Chair Beth Sauerhaft is the Director of Global Environmental Sustainability for Pepsico.  Other members have expertise in the fields of environmental law and solar energy.  This year the SAB plans to address the following five key areas:  plastic bag use, reduction of residential household energy, vehicular idling, recycling, and landscaping methods.

The use of non biodegradable plastic bags has become a national issue.  “Towns around the country have banned the use of bags in retail,” Sauerhaft noted.  The SAB is examining the amount of time needed by retail establishments in order to prepare for such a ban and what type of assistance may be provided by the town.

In an effort to decrease the amount of energy used in residential dwellings, the SAB is continuing its effort to promote Energize New York’s program by elucidating the value of home energy assessments.  Heather Flournoy, Community Outreach Director for Energize New York has worked with the SAB on events at the library and the farmers’ market and is particularly impressed by its members.  “They’re all very knowledgable,” she said.

A law prohibiting idling already exists in Westchester County.  Sauerhaft related that the SAB is focusing on “raising the profile of it in town.”

The SAB is also advocating a reduction in the amount of garbage discarded by households by promoting recycling.  Recycling is also a source of revenue for the town which sells much of the materials.

In an effort to change some of the methods used in residential landscaping, the SAB is encouraging gardeners to use leaves as mulch instead of bagging them for removal by the town.

Code Red

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When entering the hamlet, a sign promoting Code Red – the new emergency notification system in town, comes into view.  This program enables the town to send out texts, emails and phone calls in the event of an emergency.

When Code Red debuted in January, the first official announcement advised residents about a water main break at the intersection of Route 120 and Seven Bridges Road.  Several people expressed their appreciation of the system to Town Administrator Penny Paderewski, noting that they had altered their routes thereby avoiding the area.  When Storm Nemo arrived, alerts regarding the conditions of local roads were disseminated and news was posted on Facebook and Twitter.

Code Red was implemented by the town in response to feedback by the community.  “People said they weren’t getting enough information from the town during Sandy.  That’s one of the reasons we put it in,” Paderewski said.

The Nixel system will continue to be utilized by the police department for matters concerning public safety.   To receive the code red alerts, a separate registration is required.  “It’s really important that they sign up,” Paderewski continued.  For those who do not have access to the internet, registration may be completed in person at town hall or on the phone.  As of January 29th, 8,232 people had signed up.

Christopher Miller, spokesman for the Office of Emergency Management in NYC said that a similar system, known as Notify NYC, is “just one tool in our toolbox.”  Information is also distributed via Facebook, Twitter and the media.  Notify NYC was used most recently during Hurricane Sandy.  A warning about Storm Nemo was issued by the National Weather Service.

Former Yankee Homer Bush Talks to Temple Beth El Middle School Students

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Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester was honored to host Homer Bush, former major league baseball player and member of the 1998 World Champion New York Yankees.

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“Mr. Bush was inspiring,” noted fifth grader Jake Meyrowitz. Following a film highlighting his baseball career, Mr. Bush spoke to Temple Beth El middle schoolers about his road to becoming a professional athlete and his time with the New York Yankees. In heartfelt and sincere terms, Mr. Bush spoke to the audience about his childhood, growing up in East St. Louis with his seven siblings and single mother and his drive to achieve athletic success. After his presentation, Mr. Bush graciously stayed for pictures and autographs and spoke informally with the attendees.

“As a die-hard Yankees fan, it was truly inspiring for me to see Homer Bush share the lessons of his life to our youth,” stated Temple Beth El’s Assitsant Rabbi Geoffrey Mitelman. “He spoke beautifully about the need to plan, the need to work hard, and the need to be part of a team, which are such vital skills for our kids to learn.” Fifth grader Ryan Raicht said that Mr. Bush’s message of “always having a plan and working hard to realize it” was something that he would always remember.

This event, organized and sponsored by the Temple Beth El Junior Youth Committee, was intended to teach Temple Beth El middle schoolers about sportsmanship, achievement, and pursuing dreams. Temple Beth El’s Junior Youth Committee was formed to encourage kindergartners through eighth graders to become more involved and interested in events at Temple Beth El.

One Dozen Museums Under One Roof!

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Sample the riches of the art museums, historic sites, nature centers and other cultural institutions catering to families at the Chappaqua Library’s annual “Museums @ the Library Day” on Saturday, March 2nd from 1-4 pm.  Both adults and children of all ages are welcome to attend this open-house-style afternoon and partake of the hands-on activities on offer.  There will be live animals visiting, as well as origami, colonial crafts and games, Hudson River-themed crafts, mask-making, paper “quilts” and more.

This year’s participating institutions are Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden, Hudson River Museum, Jacob Burns Film Center, John Jay Homestead, Katonah Museum, Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site, New Castle Historic Society, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, Van Cortlandt Manor, Westchester Children’s Museum,  Westmoreland Sanctuary and the Wolf Conservation Sanctuary.

The program is free and open to the public.

The Chappaqua Library is located at 195 S. Greeley Avenue.  For further information, call the Children’s room at 914.238.4779×3 or visit our website:  www.chappaqualibrary.org.

It’s Gold And Silver For World Cup Gymnasts

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wordcupChappaqua, New York, February 1, 2013 – World Cup Gymnastics announced today that their gymnasts, Katherine Colella took home the 1st place all-around medal and Justin Valentino took home the 2nd place all-around medal at the prestigious 2013 Sand Dollar Whitlow Invitational which took place January 25-27, 2013 at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex.

Competing in the Level 5 Senior event, Colella, who is from Pleasantville, NY scored 36.975 all-around to earn the first place medal.  She also earned first place on Floor with a 9.400 for her incredible performance and took home the 2nd place trophy for Vault with a 9.525.    Ossining native, Valentino scored 36.925 to earn the 2nd place all-around medal in the Level 6 Junior event.  She also took home two 2nd place medals for Vault and Beam with scores of 9.600 and 9.475 respectively.

There were also some great individual performances.  In the Level 6 Junior event, Brianna Ferrari of Valhalla had a spectacular Vault and earned the 1st place medal with a score of 9.475.  She also tied for 3rd place on Floor with a 9.250.  Her teammate Aubree Glover from Millwood tied for 3rd place on bars with a 9.000.

“It was exciting to see the girls do so well at such a large Meet where they competed not only with gymnasts nationally, but also from across the world,” stated Matt Maucione, girls team coach.

World Cup Gymnastics is deemed one of the most revered recreational and competitive gymnastics programs in the state offering mommy and me classes for infants, pre-school gymnastics, school-age recreational gymnastics, tumbling for cheerleaders and competitive teams.   For more information, please call 914-238-4967 or visit www.worldcupgymnastics.com.