Classics on Central

Some cars make you stop and stare others may remind people of their youth.The Sunoco Gas Station at 858 Central Avenue (across from Scarsdale Ford) has been serving our community for over 20 years. It's owned by Mike Tatlian, who grew up in Edgemont and graduated the high school in 1983.

http://www.newyorkgasprices.com/Sunoco_Gas_Stations/Scarsdale/56344/index.aspx

Besides serving gas Mike specializes in repairing antique cars. Here are some photos of the 1956 Lincoln Continental and 1957 Chevy truck he has recently been working on.

The oldest car Mike has worked on is a 1932 Deuce Coup, like the car in "American Graffitti." Mike mainly works on Corvettes. The most valuable one was a 1967 Corvette Convertible, like the car from the Austin Powers movie. That one was valued over $100,000.

Support your local merchants and visit Mike's Sunoco on Central Avenue for all your car needs.

How Global Change Effects Us

If you have passed by Crane Pond on Edgemont Road recently, you've noticed the green blanket covering the water.  It's not algae as you might have thought but duckweed (a tiny plant). Duckweed is not hazardous to people or animals, but it is quite unsightly. The cause of this rapid growth of Duckweed is due to the warmer than usual temperatures this summer and past winter. The other causes are the increase in sediment level and the runoff of lawn chemicals into the pond. Duckweed also brings up the nutrient level in the pond which causes more Duckweed to grow.

According to Mike Nessler from the Greenburgh Recreational Department, the pond needs to be dredged. The last time this was done was in 1985. He estimates that three feet of sediment needs to be removed. The problem is the $75,000 cost to dredge the pond.  Recently this department  had a 7% decrease in funds and has had to layoff staff. An alternative to dredging would be to treat the pond chemically which would cost $2,700 per year. A proposal for the chemical treatment would need to be submitted to The Department of Conservation and it takes six to eight weeks to get an approval.

Two week ago, the town tried to remedy the problem by having  the Greenville Fire Department spray down the pond. By cooling the water temperature and oxygenating the water, the Greenville Fire Department was able to clear up 75% of the problem. But within two days,  the duckweed multiplied and the pond was back to it's ugly green slime.

Here's what Crane Pond looked like last fall.  Please call Town Supervisor Paul Feiner's office (914-993-1540) to express your thoughts.

Domed Stadium or Reservoir ?

There is a water reservoir on Ardsley Road between Warnke Lane and Fort Hill Road.  The playground at the elementary school I went to (Greenville School) overlooks the reservoir. The only thing is, when I was seven years old and saw this view:

I thought I lived near a domed stadium.  I guess as an adult you can tell the difference, but to a child's eye it's hard to see the difference.

A Place for Peace, and a Piece of History

If you are looking for a place to relax and get some quiet time, there is a place for you in Edgemont, just off Central Avenue at Dromore Road.

The Greenburgh Nature Center is a natural preserve with trails, ponds and gardens. The center provides a place to have interactive and educational experiences about advances in environmental literacy. They offer a host of activities that you can find on their website.

 http://greenburghnaturecenter.org/

 If you are just interested in just taking in the beauty of the thirty three acres, you can hike the many trails or just find a spot under one of the great trees and read a book.

Now for the history. You wouldn't know it by walking around the Nature Center, but there used to be a quarry on the land between the Nature Center and Edgemont High School. By the way, the Nature Center is just behind the school's tennis courts and gymnasium. 

The quarry supplied the stone that was used to pave Central Avenue back in 1906. Stone from the quarry was also shipped to New York, where it was used on the retaining walls along the Metro North tracks in the Bronx.