The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

New Castle News

A Look at Energy Efficient Vehicles in the Town of New Castle

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New Castle is definitely focusing on putting your tax dollars to work in a green way.  When choosing vehicles, a high priority is placed on fuel efficiency and diminished emissions.

The town’s fleet includes nine hybrids:  five Ford Escapes, one Nissan Altima, one Honda Civic, one Ford Fusion and one Ford Focus.   “We try to buy the type of equipment that burns less fuel and contributes less pollutants,” Scott Smith, Assistant to the Commissioner of Public Works noted.  For some of the vehicles employed by the town, including the class seven trucks which are used for snow plowing, hybrids are not currently available.

In the town’s police department, there are currently four hybrid vehicles.   Three of these are used by administrative personnel and the fourth is utilized for parking enforcement.  The latter vehicle, the Ford Focus, is particularly efficient due to the nature of its beat which does not necessitate high speed travel.  “He drives very slowly,”  Chief Charles Ferry noted.  “We see a lot of the benefits of the hybrid in parking enforcement,” he added.

According to Ferry there are currently no hybrids which can accommodate the requirements of a patrol car.  “Patrol vehicles have to be pretty big,” he observed.  They need to carry computer systems and other equipment.  Although they are not hybrids, the Dodge Chargers employed by the department do have an energy efficient feature – at low speeds they run on four cylinders and at higher speeds they switch to eight.

Eat Dinner With Your Family Night

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Due to the busy lives being led by New Castle residents, family time is sometimes relegated to the back burner.  The Chappaqua PTA is aware of this phenomenon and encourages harried parents to begin to rectify the situation by sitting down and sharing a meal with their family.

Maura Marcon, the Chappaqua PTA president supports this concept wholeheartedly.  “Sit down, take a break, eat dinner with your family,”  she advised.  “It’s important that we do get together as families; eating and talking,” Marcon continued.  The PTA always insures that the date for Eat Dinner With Your Family Night – the fourth Monday of September – is noted on the district calendar and that information regarding the program is disseminated to all residents.

Elyse Falk, a parent of 3 boys, aged eleven, nine and five, is also a strong proponent of the concept.  She serves as co-chair of the nutrition committee for the district as well as co-chair of the nutrition committee at West Orchard.  Falk always eats with her offspring and relishes the opportunity to converse while consuming a home-cooked meal.  “I love promoting good nutrition,” she noted.  On Monday, she served meatballs, pasta and kale, and yes, her kids do enjoy the latter.  She often seasons the kale with kosher salt and olive oil and then roasts it until crispy.   Her other method of preparation is to sauté the kale and add it to rice or pasta.

The concept for advocating that parents eat with their children was developed by Casa Columbia, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University whose website states  “the more often kids eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.”  For further information visit:  http://casafamilyday.org.

Evan’s Team Trauma Run: Online Registration Ends this Friday!

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Trauma Run this Sunday September 23rd.
It’s a 5k obstacle course that is designed for non-athletes and fierce competitors alike. This is either a lot of laughs or a great workout OR BOTH – but there is something for everyone. Check out last year’s race pictures.  Friday is the last day to register online.  It’s time to register now! (Walk in registration will be available, but we cannot guarantee desired or 9:30 Evan’s Team wave time).

Click here to register

*BBQ at the Lieberman’s house after the event. Also, while you are on the website – on our Homepage you can view plans for the new Family Waiting Area at Westchester Medical Center I.C.U.

What is Evan’s Team?

Evan’s team is a group effort committed to helping the community. There are times we need to raise awareness or times we need to raise funds. But either way, we all enjoy working together and making something good happen.

Our team continues to challenge ourselves with events that are fun in participation, but also very relevant in accomplishing ambitious goals.

Our first project is aimed at helping trauma patients and families at the Westchester Medical Center by aiding in a much needed remodeling of the family area. On a daily basis, helicopters efficiently medevac patients from all over New York State for what will inevitably be an extended stay for that patient. Effectively treating a trauma victim also includes aid to family members who have been surprised by a loved-one’s injury and need to be educated on life-sustaining decisions. However, the current waiting-area leaves a lot of room for improvement as the family members are hunkering in for a long stay as well. Our idea is to create a block of rooms where those families can rest comfortably when possible and doctors can consult privately. Want to join our team?  Click Here to Learn More about Evan’s Team

You Can be a Referree!

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It’s easier than you think.
It’s good fun and good exercise.
It’s a powerful way to support kids in your community.

Chappaqua AYSO will sponsor BASIC REFEREE training and certification at Bell School auditorium on two evenings in October. New referees receiving BASIC certification will be qualified and equipped to begin refereeing games immediately, beginning with U10 boys and girls. Youth referees can earn scholarship contributions for each game they cover. JOHN BARNES, Referee Instructor for AYSO Region 139, will conduct the course in two sessions, the first on Tuesday, October2, 7-10 p.m. and the second on Thursday, October 4, 7-10 PM. To get your certification you must attend both sessions.

If you’re 12 years old or older, you are welcome to join the course. If you are 13 or younger, a parent will need to attend the training with you, but that means Mom or Dad gets a shirt and a whistle and a badge, too!

One adult may attend with up to three 12-13 year olds.

Pre-requisites:

  1. You must register as a volunteer in the eAYSO system. Instructions on how to do so are at the end of this message.
  2. You must complete REFEREE SAFE HAVEN Training prior to the BASIC REFEREE course. Once you have completed your online volunteer registration and have your AYSO ID number go to AYSO ONLINE TRAINING and take the online course. It will take you from 60-90 minutes.
  3. Adult volunteers [18 and over] who plan to referee in New Castle need to complete New Castle’s TOWN BACKGROUND CHECK.
  4. Sign up for roster number 201205899.

JOHN BARNES has served Chappaqua AYSO as Referee Instructor, Referee Administrator, Referee Assessor, and Chief Referee for most of the last two decades. His referee courses are packed with all the knowledge you need to take the field with confidence, take control of any game, and promote fun, development, and safety.

Find instruction for registering as a volunteer at https://www.eayso.org/