Letters to the Editor

To the Editor,  more »

To the Editor:

As we approach the holiday season, we are all considering what gifts to give. One of the most significant gifts you can give is to sign up to save lives by registering to become an organ and tissue donor. I am a strong supporter of organ transplants. With over 111,000 people currently waiting for organs nationally, and only 6,000 people donating annually, too many people are left without a lifeline. The New York statistics are among the worst in the nation. Only 17% of New Yorkers 18 and over are on the donor lists, as compared to 42% on average nationwide. Fighting myths regarding donations and publicizing the positive effects of donating organs are two key steps to bringing organ donation into the mainstream, and improving New York’s statistics.  more »

To the Editor,

Your recent article on the public TZB planning meeting correctly stated that elected officials and residents alike were in strong disagreement with the presented D.O.T. plans for a new bridge because it omitted the need for mass transit.

Planners presented several problematic assumptions. They have continued to rule out a tunnel option for this area with the explanation that it was “...because of higher construction costs, a longer construction time-frame, greater disruption to surrounding land uses and the inability to implement a shared use pathway for cyclists and pedestrians.” While the bridge vs. tunnel issue is no longer in question, their continuing to ignore ANY tunnel plan is based on such grievously incorrect information.  more »

To the Editor:

I am writing to express my support for the 2011-2012 TUFSD School Budget and urge my fellow residents of the school district to vote for it on May 17, 2011.

By combining wage freezes where possible, utilizing retirements, leaving certain positions open, and leveraging concessions by three of the four collective bargaining units in the district, the School Board has been able to stave off programming cuts that would fundamentally disrupt the quality of education our children receive.  more »

Dear Irvington School District Community,

We seven are former members of the Irvington Board of Education (BOE), with thirty nine years of collective experience, having served thirteen three year terms. During this time of intense public scrutiny of the mission and costs of public education, we offer this open letter to the community to urge you to vote “YES” for the proposed school budget on May 17, 2011.

District residents vote to approve or reject the annual school budget proposed by the BOE – and thus whether to accept the associated tax levy. This year, the proposed budget is $50,324,892, which represents an budget-to-budget increase of less than one percent, with an estimated tax increase of 3.17% or $37/ month for the average taxpayer.  more »

To the Editor:

The Town of Greenburgh, like every municipality and government entity, purchases many items –paper goods, chemicals for our pools and water system, furniture for buildings, tires for our vehicles, books for the library ---and much, much more.

We have a purchasing department—headed by Mark McCrum.Pete Saracelli of Tarrytown is our deputy Purchasing Director. They try very hard to get the best prices for each of the purchases we make. Starting immediately– I will be posting a few purchases on our website weekly (www.greenburghny.com) . Our goal: to confirm whether we are getting the best price possible for our purchase.  more »

To the Editor:

As a resident of White Plains for 11 years, I am writing in support of the State Commission on National and Community Support (NCNS), and its principal program, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, (RSVP) under the Volunteer Center of United Way. It MUST survive any budget cuts, because for years it has provided increasing volunteer engagement in an enormous variety of activities supporting health-care, job-readiness, economic literacy, youth leadership and much more. Last year alone it engaged more than 15,000 volunteers of all ages, not only for those vital functions, but to build strong bridges between local corporations and community organizations.  more »

To the Editor:  more »

To the Editor:

I would like to sing the praises of Edible Arrangements in Tarrytown. We recently experienced a short stay at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital and wanted to send a thank you gift to the wonderful stay there. I had a gift certificate that I won in a raffle and decided to apply it toward a fruit basket. With the help of the lovely owner I selected an arrangement that was twice the amount of the gift card. She took the delivery information and came to realize that we were not sending the basket to a family there but because WE had been there with our child. When I went to hand her my credit card to cover the difference in price she looked at me and said, “that’s okay.” She would not take the money.  more »

To the Editor:

Unfortunately, the recent election in Tarrytown was, for the first time in a long time, conducted in a tone that reflected the general bitterness of national politics, rather than the community-minded spirit that has become our norm. This was particularly noticeable in the coverage of the candidates by both local newspapers, The Hudson Independent and The River Journal.

In the case of The Independent, it appears that the Republican/Tarrytown First candidates declined to be interviewed, thus limiting the scope of their exposure to voters, a surprising, and perhaps costly mistake. Nevetheless, The Independent did provide information about those candidates and ran their photos in an effort to balance the coverage.  more »

To the Editor:

My wife and I tend to buy ahead and carry a Metro North Rail (MNR) ticket with us, so we are ready to catch the train without worrying about ticket machine problems, or having the wrong peak/non-peak ticket. Buying an off peak Tarrytown/GCT ticket on-board now costs $15, instead of the $9 machine fare (if the machine is working, accepting credit cards and not inundated with people). Fare increases are nothing new, but read on about how MNR plans to take in more of your money if they are lucky.

MNR has now enacted a new expiration policy on single ride tickets that was  more »

To the Editor:

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I read the articles in your last few issues regarding the progress of the plans for the former GM factory site. If it were 10 or 15 years ago, these articles wouldn’t be too far out of place in an Ossining newspaper if a few names and numbers were changed. Should Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown finally agree on what they actually want at the end of Beekman Ave., I hope, for their sake, that it turns out differently than what we’re left with down by the Ossining train station.  more »

To the Editor:

Thank you to the Irvington PTSA for showing The Race To Nowhere last week to a large crowd. It’s about our culture of overscheduled and overachieving families who set no limits on how hard their children work and perform. All in a race for the big trophy of an Ivy league degree and big bucks. Instead we see children losing their childhood, becoming very depressed and one committing suicide.  more »

To the Editor:

On December 21, 2010, the Irvington Board of Education wisely voted (3-1-1 abstention) to advertise for a curriculum leader position in the Irvington school district. Those who voted yes or abstained noted that all budget decisions must be responsibly considered within the overall context of school district spending rather than as stand-alone items. The Board member who voted “no” said nothing to explain that negative stance.  more »

To the Editor:

Thank you very much for your recent article, “Mentoring Program Helps Fill Void of Boys and Girls Club” (December, 2010). I would like to commend Dr. Smith, the principals in all 5 of our school buildings, the high school guidance counselors, and the coordinators of the after school programs for not only their support but also for the enthusiasm with which they have welcomed the mentoring program. It has been a true collaborative effort involving our entire school district.  more »

To the Editor,

Another local publication recently ran a story on the GM site filled with misinformation. Since the publisher has repeatedly ignored requests to print corrections, I would like to set the record straight.

This Board inherited a legacy of disagreements, lawsuits, and no developer. Claimed “amenities” consisted of half built buildings, multi-million dollar liabilities for completing those buildings, obligations to build parks in and around the new development, and contributions to non-Village organizations. The previous administration never achieved an agreement.  more »

To the Editor:

W.B. King’s article speaks volumes (pun intended) about Washington Irving’s literary contribution to Halloween, but also to the region’s importance to the spooky holiday. It was excellently written, and the article had me envisioning the ghostly goings-on this time of the year.

It is here too that I wish to acknowledge Irving’s contribution to literature overall. True, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle” are his most renowned works, but let’s also recognize that he was a significant biographer in addition to his work as a fiction and essay writer: and his development of American literature as a whole is not always, in my opinion, fully recognized.

Thanks again for the great article.

Steve Sears

To the Editor:

As a D.P.W. worker of twenty-one years, I want to comment on a statement reported in the November issue of “The Hudson Independent.” Tarrytown’s village engineer, Mr. Michael McGarvey, noted that Anthony Ruggiero received eight and one half hours training on confined space in 2007.

Out of respect for both the Ruggiero and Kelly families, my frustration is that eight and one half hours confined space training does not match up to New York State or Westchester County’s protocol on complete training in confined space entry. That is why Anthony Ruggiero and John Kelly didn’t know of their danger or fate, in my opinion.  more »

The Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow Community Coalition is supporting local nonprofit organizations to make the upcoming holidays joyous for families in need.

At the food pantry at Christ Church of Tarrytown (43 South Broadway), canned food, gently used coats, boots and hats and monetary donations are welcomed. Deadline for drop-off is December 1. Contact Terise Levine (914) 631-6152.

The RSHM Life Center in Sleepy Hollow (32 Beekman Avenue) is collecting new toys, clothing and monetary donations by December 14. Contact Susan Gardella (914) 366-9710.  more »

Four miles of Route 9, known to most residents of Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown as Broadway, are in for a bit of a facelift and the public is being asked to comment on the planned changes. An hour prior to a joint public meeting of the Boards of Trustees of the two villages, scheduled for November 8, at 7 p.m. in the Sleepy Hollow Village Hall, the designs for streetscape improvements along the roadway, stretching from Route 119 to Route 117, and new “wayfinding signage” between Wildey Street and Gordon Avenue, will be unveiled.

Members of the public are encouraged to express their views on the proposed designs, and also, should they wish, “file written statements in place of, or in addition to,” the opinions they may voice at the meeting.  more »

To the Editor:

I have recently been awarded a President’s Volunteer Service Award through the auspices of the Westchester County Cornell Co-operative Extension. I want to thank the CCE for honoring me with this volunteer service award. As you might expect, this is totally unexpected, but it is certainly a pleasant surprise to be recognized for my time and effort volunteering in the local community. I also have to thank those around me who have volunteered their time, as well. It is only through this network of community volunteers helping one another that effective education and real change in public behavior / understanding can be accomplished.  more »

To the Editor:  more »

To the Editor:

Recently our newspapers carried stories about the $200 billion New Yorkers owe to cover healthcare for public sector retirees over the next decades.

Here is the situation in the Irvington school district.

The present value of our school district’s obligation to cover health insurance and Medicare reimbursements—not pensions—for employees once they retire is over $60 million. Because our district has no money set aside to cover the cost of retiree healthcare, we pay-as-we-go. The ultimate payout will be much higher than $60 million.  more »

To the Editor:

On behalf of the friends and co-workers of the Tarrytown DPW, we would like to extend our deepest appreciation and gratitude to the Tarrytown Fire Department, Tarrytown Police Department, Tarrytown Ambulance/EMS workers, and the many other emergency workers and fire departments who assisted during the tragic loss of our friends and brothers, Anthony Ruggiero (Ruge) and John Kelly. We would also like to thank our fellow DPW departments from around the county and our local merchants for their support, offering their condolences, lowering their flags to half mast and for the care and concern shown by everyone in the community. We lost two truly amazing men that day but their memory will live on in our hearts forever.

Marty Anniccherico

Tarrytown

To the Editor,  more »

To the Editor:  more »

To the Editor:

On August 2, the New York League of Conservation Voters, which (in the League’s words) “works to make environmental sustainability a top political priority in New York State,” endorsed Tom Abinanti as candidate for State Assembly, 92nd District. I was delighted to hear this because it affirms my experience with County Legislator Abinanti as a tremendous advocate for the environment.  more »

To the Editor,

I have followed the articles about the health code violations at Coffee Labs and I have an opinion that think deserves some attention. I see the headlines about government coffers being depleted all over the country.

State and town budgets have been slashed, health and pension benefits have been reduced and layoffs have occurred as a result of the lack of money.  more »

To the Editor:

Coyotes are in our backyards because we built our houses in their yards. Now, it is up to us to take responsibility for our actions by learning to coexist with coyotes (and other animals) without causing them further harm.

If you have pets, it is your responsibility to protect them. Likewise, if you have small children, you must never leave them unattended, especially when they are outside. Pet owners and parents who ignore due diligence must be prepared for the consequences, and demonizing wild animals should not be an option. Attacks by family pets are far more common than encounters with wild animals, and mauling by family pets is also an avoidable tragedy, all it takes is more adult supervision.  more »

To the Editor:

Well behaved dogs on leashes accompanied by tidy owners are a wonderful asset to our street scene. Coffee Labs has been cultivating great relationships with social dogs and their owners for years. This adds a richness to the fabric of our community that folks upstate enjoy and relax with.

Lea Cullen