Phelps Memorial Hospital Center’s 27th Annual Champagne Ball, held in November at Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor. A surprise guest was John Sebastian, a founder of The Lovin’ Spoonful, who delighted fans by performing songs he and his band made famous in the 1960s. The evening’s honoree was Lawrence Faltz, MD, of Larchmont, Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at Phelps Memorial Hospital Center in Sleepy Hollow, and Clinical Professor of Medicine at New York Medical College. The gala’s theme “Looking Forward,” referred to the ongoing growth of hospital facilities and services, which continues to benefit from Dr. Faltz’s leadership.

From Rob Greenstein, New Castle Town Supervisor

National Weather Service has announced a severe winter storm approaching. Blizzard Warnings are in effect from 1 pm on Monday, January 26, 2015 through midnight on Tuesday, January 27, 2015.

I have declared a Snow Emergency for the Town of New Castle, effective Tuesday, January 26, 2015, 6:00 pm. During the emergency period, it shall be unlawful to park or leave unattended a motor vehicle on any street or highway. This emergency shall be in effect for a 36 hour period until Wednesday, January 28, 2015 at 6:00 am.

Town Hall will open at its regular time of 8:45 am but will close at noon on Monday, January 26, 2015. All Evening Meetings for Monday, January 26 have been cancelled. Recycling Center is open today Monday, January 26 but will be closed on Tuesday, January 27.

Town Board Meeting, originally scheduled for Tuesday, January 27 has been rescheduled for Wednesday January 28.

There will be no recycling and garbage pick-up on Tuesday. All Tuesday recycling and garbage pickups will instead be picked up on Wednesday. Regular Wednesday pickups remain unchanged.

To keep residents informed, and to ensure that our community is prepared, we have compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions.

Stay Safe!

Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I receive storm updates?
• Is Department of Public Works ready?
• When are the snow plows sent out?
• Which streets are plowed first?
• What can I do if snow is blocking access to my mail box or driveway?
• What if there is a fire hydrant on my property?
• Is New Castle Police Department ready?
• Is Con Edison ready?
• What contact numbers do I need?
• Will the Emergency Operations Center be activated?
• How can I prepare before the storm?
• What should I do during the storm?
• Is it safe to go outside?

How do I receive storm updates?

Sign up for codeRED and New Castle Police Department Nixle alerts, and please check the town’s web site.

For Nixle text alerts, just text your zip code to 888777. For email (& text) alerts, go to https://local.nixle.com/register/.

For codeRED notifications: https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/A84FF0D0EFC6

Is Department of Public Works ready?

DPW crews will be pre-salting the roads and will spend tonight and tomorrow at work.

When are the snow plows sent out?

The plow operators are dispatched immediately at the beginning of a storm and stay out continually during the storm. They are responsible for clearing over 24 square miles – 101 miles of Town owned roads!

Which streets are plowed first?

Snow plows first clear primary and major artery streets, school streets, and streets serving emergency response facilities and heavy traffic. After those roads are clear, secondary streets are cleared and streets with moderate traffic. Lastly, all other streets, including cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets, are plowed. After a major storm, it may take two to three days for plow crews to clear all the streets.

What can I do if snow is blocking access to my mail box or driveway?

During snow plowing operations, the snow from the street will end up in front of driveways and mailboxes. The property owner is responsible for access to his/her individual driveway or mailbox.

The only way to avoid extra shoveling is to wait until the Public Works crews have done their final clean-up on the street.

What if there is a fire hydrant on my property?

Our local fire departments ask residents to clear hydrants near their homes throughout the storm (when safe to do so). It may save a life.

Is New Castle Police Department ready?

New Castle Police Department staffing will be increased for the duration of the storm. All equipment, vehicles and staff are ready. In the event of life or property threatening emergencies, dial 911. To report blocked roads, call 911.

Is Con Edison ready?

Con Edison is closely monitoring the winter storm expected to hit our area today, and have augmented our staffing levels in preparation. We have been in contact with our Con Ed liaison. The Municipal Dashboard has been activated. The Municipal dashboard allows municipalities to see the customer outage details, input priority customer orders to be addressed, and view restoration progress via an outage map.

What contact numbers do I need?

To report loss of electric or if you smell gas, contact ConEd at 1-800-75CONED (1-800-752-6633) or go to www.ConEd.com To report downed trees: New Castle Police: 914-238-4422. To report downed power lines: New Castle Police: 914-238-4422. To Report Water emergency: Millwood Water Treatment Plant: 914-944-0036 / 914-944-0037.

Will the Emergency Operations Center be activated?

Our emergency responders are working together to prepare and respond to the storm. They have been in contact with each other and will be meeting later this afternoon to discuss our preparation, concerns and how we can help each other to protect life and property during the storm. We will continue to have open communication and work as a team with a common goals. We are ready to activate our Emergency Operations Center, if necessary. As the storm evolves we could make that decision. Some of the factors to consider are:

• The number of road closures on major and secondary roads.
• Types of closures – wires down vs just trees
• An extraordinary incident that involves multiple agencies or the need for resources beyond local capabilities
• A threat to life and property that involves a large geographic area of town.

How can I prepare before the storm?

Be familiar with winter storm watches and warnings.

Have disaster supplies on hand, in case the power goes out. Include a flashlight and extra batteries; portable, battery-operated radio and extra batteries; a first aid kit; a one-week supply of food (include items that do not require refrigeration or cooking in case the power is shut off); a manual can opener; one-week supply of essential prescription medications; extra blankets and sleeping bags.

Develop an emergency communication plan in case family members are separated from one another during a winter storm (a real possibility during the day when adults are at work and children are at school) and have a plan for getting back together.

Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to serve as the family contact because after a disaster, it’s often easier to call long distance. Make sure everyone knows the name, address and phone number of the contact person.

If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55 degrees F.

What should I do during the storm?

Stay indoors and dress warmly.

Monitor your emails and check out the town’s web site www.MyNewCastle.org for the latest information.

Bring pets inside during winter weather.

Is it safe to go outside?

Dress warmly and wear loose-fitting, layered, light-weight clothing. Layers can be removed to prevent perspiration and chill. Outer garments should be water repellant. Mittens are warmer than gloves because fingers generate warmth when they touch each other.

If you go out to shovel snow, do a few stretching exercises to warm up your body. Also take frequent breaks.

Protect your lungs from extremely cold air by covering your mouth when outdoors. Try not to speak unless absolutely necessary.

Avoid overexertion. Cold weather puts an added strain on the heart. Unaccustomed exercise such as shoveling snow or pushing a car can bring on a heart attack or make other medical conditions worse.

Be aware of symptoms of dehydration.

Watch for signs of frostbite and hypothermia.

Keep dry and change wet clothing frequently to prevent loss of body heat. Wet clothing loses all of its insulating value and transmits heat rapidly.

Remember to help your neighbors who may require special assistance – infants, elderly people and people with disabilities.

Email Your Town Council and Town Administrator

You may contact your town board members and town administrator by using the links below, or as a group. For a full list of town contacts, click here.

Rob Greenstein – RGreenstein@MyNewCastle.org, 914-238-7281

Lisa Katz – LKatz@MyNewCastle.org, 914-238-7299

Elise K. Mottel – EKMottel@MyNewCastle.org, 914-238-4785

Jason Chapin – JChapin@MyNewCastle.org, 914-238-4778

Adam Brodsky – ABrodsky@MyNewCastle.org, 914-238-7262

Jill Shapiro – JShapiro@MyNewCastle.org, 914-238-4742

All – TownBoard@MyNewCastle.org

With my first year as Supervisor in the books, it’s time to reflect on what we’ve done and where we are going as a community. I’ve said it again and again: it is truly an honor to serve the citizens of New Castle. Over the past year, I have brought residents into the process and engaged them, listened to your concerns and ideas, and governed in a transparent fashion. I have tried to bring vision and fresh ideas to the table; even if those ideas come from others. And, most important, I have acted in the best interests of the entire community. I am very proud of the progress made throughout the year, and I will mention a few highlights:

Communication
The theme for communication has been dialogue. You should hear from your town government and your town government should be able to hear from you. We’ve done so much in this area:

We started a new communication staple for the community – the New Castle eNewsletter! The eNewsletter is emailed to residents every week.

We did a town wide mailing asking residents for feedback.

We simplified our email addresses to both communicate with town employees and board members, as well as report problems to town hall.

We are in the process of revamping the town’s web site.

Fiscal Responsibility
We successfully reduced our costs as we increased the services provided to our residents and businesses. The tax rate will increase 1.53% — just $9 for the average homeowner. This is the lowest tax increase – by far – in 6 years!

We had an aggressive approach with renewal of the workers compensation and garbage contracts. Workers Compensation Renewal resulted in a $222,525.00 savings per year for 2 years. This is a 29.00% savings! The garbage Contract resulted in a $477,980 savings per year. Over the course of the seven (7) year garbage contract, we are saving over $3,000,000.00.

New policies
We adopted several new policies:

• A new vehicle use policy.
• A new town policy against harassment and discrimination.
• A new equal employment opportunity policy and procedure.
• A new code of ethics.
• A new non-union employee compensation policy.

Transparency
After a two year hiatus, I reintroduced the Supervisor’s Report to keep residents updated on the Town Board activities and status of various land use applications.

At Town Board meetings, I engaged residents and answered questions. Some have said that I allowed too much public comment, but when issues are so important to our residents they need to be heard.

I communicated my views about the critical issues that face us, including the Master Plan and Chappaqua Crossing.

New Boards
We established several new boards:

• Ethics Board
• Mandate Relief Committee
• Downtown Business Development Committee
• Emergency Planning Committee
• Coyote Management Task Force
• Coyote Awareness and Safety Advisory Committee
• Millwood-West End Advisory Committee.

Commercial Growth
The Downtown Business Development Committee (“DBDC”) was established to assist the long-term economic stability of the Town’s downtown business districts.

We changed the free parking in town from two hours to three hours.

We reviewed preliminary designs for new water and sewer lines, as well as streetscape and traffic improvements.

Safety
New Castle now has zero tolerance for distracted driving. We introduced distracted driving banners throughout town, and gave out thousands of car magnets.

We approved a resolution requesting NYSDOT to reduce the speed in downtown Chappaqua generate significant pedestrian traffic of middle school children.

We have also installed safety ski netting for sledding at Gedney Park.

Master Plan
It has been 26 years since the Town’s Master Plan was last updated. The Master Plan update is finally underway and progressing nicely! Pace Land Use Law Center conducted seven (7) public outreach meetings. We retained Penn Schoen Berland (PSB), the company that conducted the Chappaqua school district survey, to conduct a survey for the town master plan process. We added a 2015 budget line to hire a Master Plan Consultant.

Emergency Preparedness
We are committed to ensuring that our community is prepared. In order to prepare for a community emergency, we are in the process of forming the Emergency Planning Committee. We will continue to communicate effectively and have increased subscribers to CodeRED.

Rosehill
After meeting with residents and hearing their concerns, the developer of the Legionaries property decided to abandon his commercial plans for a spa & restaurant and change it to a residential development. Sixty condos, a clubhouse, indoor-outdoor pool, health club, tennis, a theatre. No commercial use at all.

Sewer diversion project
The Town is aggressively seeking additional funding from the state and the county to further defray the cost of this project. We have also explored state, federal and county grants that may be available to the Town for this project and have filed a number of state grants. We are hopeful that one of those applications will be granted.

Take It or Leave it Shop
We relocated Take it or Leave it Shop to the station parking lot behind the Shell station. The new wood shed is larger and in a much better location than the old one. The drop off area is easier to use, and parking at the train station is plentiful. It also generates lots of cross-traffic on Saturday with the Farmer’s Market.

Cooperation with Chappaqua Central School District
We have worked to grow a greater and more positive relationships with the Chappaqua Central School District. We had a joint school and town board meeting. We worked with the school Finance Committee and are working together on initiatives such as mandate relief and putting an end to distracted driving.

Chappaqua Crossing
We did all this while bringing to a resolution the longest and most controversial land use application in our Town’s history – Chappaqua Crossing. After ten (10) public hearings over an eight-month period, in a 4-1 vote, Town Board members approved approve retail zoning at Chappaqua Crossing. A review of my statement on Chappaqua Crossing can be found here.

While we accomplished a lot, I truly believe that much of this could not be accomplished without our dedicated full time employees. Jill Shapiro, the former Town Clerk and Receiver of Taxes, has shone as our Town Administrator, as has Gerry Moerschell, our Deputy Commissioner of Public Works. We started the year with three new board members, including myself, new town attorneys and a new Town Clerk. Jill held many hands and wore many hats, yet still managed to keep town hall running smoothly while Gerry has kept our infrastructure in great shape.

As we look ahead to the New Year, let’s look forward not as individuals, but as a community. Together we can make New Castle an even better place to live, work and raise a family. Progress means that with each turn, more needs to be done, and I will continue to work hard for the community. I look forward to another year of progress ahead of us.

Video of supervisor’s report

Rob Greenstein
Town Supervisor