School Security Issues

Since the tragedy in Connecticut in December, everyone is aware of the need for safety in our schools.  While writing my blog in January concerning handicap access to the school, I realized that there isn't adequate security at the Edgemont Junior/Senior High School.

The main entrance does have offices where visitors are supposed to sign in. However, anyone can bypass the office and freely enter the many buildings on the school campus.

The back entrance to the school is of even more concern. There are no offices or guards to watch who enters the campus.

This is an issue that should be discussed at the school. Newtown had locked doors, which had tragic results. Our school has much less than that.

Welcome International Readers

When I check the statistics for my blog and see where people are from who 
are reading it, I've always been amazed at the number of non-US visitors.

I would hope you enjoy having a look at a small American town and thank you
for visiting.

приветствие
willkommen
bienvenu
benvenuto
välkommen
welkom
привітати
sveikt
환영받는
sambutan

Traffic Advisory: February 11 - February 22

Starting this Monday night, February 11 thru February 22 on weeknights, the Bronx River Parkway's southbound lanes will be closed from Crane Road to Christie Place. As I blogged last May 10, the Crane Bridge is being replaced by the county in a 39 million dollar project. The existing bridge, build in 1924, was deteriorating and needed to be replaced or repaired.  

On the above dates, from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am, a large crane will be on the parkway in order to install 25 foot high concrete forms for the new bridge.

In March, the same closures will be repeated in order to remove the concrete forms.

Sometime in April or May, 12 more beams will be installed over the Metro-North Railroad tracks. The closures for this work will be forth coming.

To find out more about the project you can visit:

http://publicworks.westchestergov.com/crane-road-bridge

One of the Most Dangerous Corners in Westchester

The intersection of Fort Hill Road and Ardsley Road in Edgemont is one of the most dangerous in Westchester.  Over a period of  ten years, the neighborhood has tussled over whether a traffic light should be installed.

On Sunday, October 14, a blinking red warning light was connected to the wire grid. The light was not activated until three weeks ago after a  large accident occurred. The flashing light greatly enhances the visibility of the approaching  four-way stop signs compared to the poorly visible stop sign which you can see in the photo below.

I decided to find out just how many accidents have occurred at this intersection.  I spoke to Sergeant Foltin, Commanding Officer of the Traffic and Safety Unit of the Greenburgh Police Department. Here are the statistics with the year and number of accidents:

2006    17
2007    15
2008    32
2009    13
2010    20
2011    18
2012    15
2013      3

As you can see, a solution was needed.  However, based on the fact that since the light was activated there have already been three accidents, has the light helped?  At this rate, there will be over 36 accidents in 2013.

Edgemont High School Handicap Access

Edgemont High School is built on a California or an open access campus, instead of one large collegiate gothic style building. There are five different buildings that hold classes. A major problem the school has is handicap accessibility.

When entering the campus by way of the main offices, the only way to get to any of the classes is via a large number of staircases.  The only wheel chair access is by way of the back entrance to the school via Old Colony Road.

There are two sidewalks from the parking lot. One sidewalk goes down a sloped hill but has 3 steps.  The only way to enter the campus in a wheel chair is by entering the E building, which has an elevator that takes you to the lower level of the campus.

Wheel and Deals

Central Avenue is the road that divides Edgemont in two halves. Why is this road in that location?

Central Avenue was originally going to be a thorough fare that connected New York City with the state capital in Albany.

The contract for this road was handled by one of the most renowned corrupt politicians in New York history, William Magrear Tweed, better known as "Boss Tweed."

It has been alleged that the towns that wanted the road gave bribes and kickbacks to Mr. Tweed's organization in order to bring commerce to their towns.

Central Park Avenue was completed in 1871, but never reached Albany. The road was only reached as far as White Plains, ending at the present day location of  the Westchester County Center.

All Good Things For the New Year

2013, a new year and a new beginning!  My thoughts and wishes go out to the Spierer family whose daughter, Lauren Spierer, went missing from the University of Indiana in Bloomington on June 3, 2011. The people  who were last with her on the night of her disappearance have refused to speak to police or report anonymously what occurred that night.

May the new year bring  conscious and resolve to the people who know what happened.

Solution Found

It's nice to see that a solution has been found and executed for a safe crossing on Edgemont Road by Crane Pond.

In my September 15th blog, I talked about a proposed raised crossing on Edgemont Road by Crane Pond. The raised sidewalk was to slow down traffic and make it safe to cross the road into Crane Pond.  The project was to be scheduled last summer, however the cost was estimated to be over $90,000, so the project was put on hold.

In my October 13th blog, I posted some pictures showing how Massachusetts and Connecticut have solved their problems. It sure looks like solution to the crossing at Edgemont Road is simular to the suggestion I proposed at that time. Perhaps Paul Feiner is reading my blog.

Bad Dream Becomes Nightmare

My heart goes out to everyone who was touched by the horrific massacre that occurred in Connecticut .  If not now, when is the time for a discussion of mental health issues and gun control?

Back in 2000, when I began attending the Greenville School, my mom says she used to complain that all entrances to the school were open all day long. She says when she expressed her concerns to the administration her fears were dismissed. Last night, she attended a party and spoke to a parent whose two children are presently attending Greenville. The red front doors are still unmanned and open to anyone. During the extensive reconstruction project of the school, no security measures were put in place.

The Edgemont Junior/Senior High has five separate buildings. All are completely open. Anyone not associated with the school can easily gain access to the campus by entering via the Old Colony Road entrance.

Security measures did not prevent the unthinkable. But the breaking in of the doors in Newtown, allowed time for a call to 911 to be made. Precious moments would be lost in a situation where school officials are unaware of an uninvited person entering a school building.

When will this problem be addressed?

Edgemont-Farm Country

Edgemont wasn't always a place of beautiful homes and paved roads.  At one time,our area was a collection of many farms.  A look at the map above and  you will notice four of the main roads that still exist today. All the land west of Fort Hill Road from Ardsley Road north to Underhill Road was owned by four families. Grand Army  Road (which was called Tuckahoe Road ) was home to one farm on the east side of the road.

Our town maps and many others are viewable by appointment at the Erskein Dewitt Map Collection at the New York Historical Society. The New York Historical Society is located at 77th street and Central Park West.

November 24 - Small Business Saturday

Small business day is tomorrow, November 24th. Several years ago, American Express promoted the idea that people should support the retailers in their local community. 

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/Shop-Small/?pkw=small+business&pmt=p&pcrid=15844209894

I thought it would be interesting for you to know that one of the oldest continuous stores in our community is the Scarsdale Ford on Central Avenue. They have been in their current location since 1975. 

The world has changed since that time and many places of business have come and gone. In 1975, E.J. Korvette's, a discount department store, was located across the street from Scarsdale Ford, where the ShopRite store on Central Avenue currently resides. 

Growing up my father's parents told him that E.J. Korvette's got it's name from the owners who shortened  the acronym, " Eight Jewish Korean Veterans. This rumor was proven false because the department chain was actually started in 1948, two years before the Korean War.

Remember to shop locally this Saturday and support the stores that help our community.

Art Work or Historic Relic ?

In my last post, I wrote about the railroad engine wheel that was used by the Greenville Fire Department to signal volunteers to come to the fire house.

Last week I went with my parents when they went to vote. Their polling place is at the Greenville Fire Department. The entrance to the polling place is behind the fire house. Directly in front of the entrance is the engine wheel which I wrote about. The brass plaque is all worn away. Not many people would know what it is or why it is there. My parents always thought it was a piece of art. Now, like you, they know the history behind this piece of art work hanging behind the Greenville Fire Department.

The Edgemont Fire Department

The Greenville Fire Department is located at 711 Central Park Ave, across the street from the A&P. The volunteer arm of this fire department was formed in 1913,  making this the oldest volunteer organization in our area.

In 1913, fire calls were received at the Greenville Hotel, which was located on the northwest corner of Central Avenue and Underhill Road. ( for more information on the Greenville Hotel, go to my blog from June 28th, 2012.)  When a fire call was received, an alarm was sounded by striking a hammer on an old railroad engine wheel. Volunteers ran or rode their horses to the hotel, grabbed their equipment and hurried to the fire. In the above picture, you can see the engine wheel that was used on the left side of the photograph.

Below is a picture of the fire department in its present location in 1950.

Here's how the expanded building looks today.

The Haves and Have Nots

Sandy made landfall in the Northeast five days ago. It has changed many peoples lives. After it was safe to leave the house, I was going to post some photos of the destruction it has caused in our community. After looking at the photos, I felt the losses our neighbors suffered were too hurtful for others to see. 

The effects of Sandy grows stronger every day. On that first day, the story of the haves and have nots was quite evident. There was a division between those with electricity, food, cable, internet and hot showers and those who sat in the dark with coats on, freezing in their own homes. This time the haves and have nots was not a reflection of the foundations of our social order. 

Now on the fourth day after Sandy, there's another story of the haves and have nots. What the have nots want is gasoline for their cars and generators. This new development is beginning to turn scary.

Here's the Hess gas station on Central Avenue and Mount Joy. There's now 124 cars on the line to get gas. Drivers,at least for now, are patiently waiting for up to three hours. The line for this station makes a giant U shape around Central Avenue. With two police officers supervising, the line made its way from the Hess station up Mount Joy to Fort Hill Road.

It turned on Fort Hill Road heading towards Scarsdale Farm Road.

It then snaked its way down Fort Hill Road until it reached Ardsley Road.

 

It then turned on Fort Hill Road and headed down Ardsley Road all the way back to Central Avenue by the Scarsdale Ford dealership.

Update on Popham Street Bridge

The Popham Street Bridge over the Metro North tracks has been under construction for the past two years.
According to Paul Zaicek, from the Scarsdale Town Hall, the new bridge should be completed by the end of October, 2012.  Last Wednesday, I snapped this photo and as you can see, it doesn't look close to meeting the timeline.

Things began to change on Friday night when all traffic over the bridge was suspended. Workers spent the night putting the last beams across the bridge.

By Saturday morning, things looked a lot closer to making the October deadline. The project, according to Mr. Zaicek, should finally come to an end at the end of December.

Warning LIght for Dangerous Corner

If you've ever had to drive thru the intersection of Ardsley Road and Fort Hill Road, you'll know the  4-way Stop sign there doesn't exactly do its job in preventing accidents. At least once a week, an accident occurs here due to cars not seeing the Stop sign or not knowing the traffic rules concerning a 4-way Stop sign.

As I'm writing this, workmen are putting up what will be a flashing red light, that will warn all cars of the need to stop here. Some members of the community have been requesting a traffic light for this corner for years, while others have opposed it.

Can You Help Solve This Probem ?

Last month I talked about the crosswalk problem by the Crane Pond on Edgemont Road. While visiting the state of Massachucetts recently, I noticed that for pedestrian crosswalks they used a yellow box.

 This kind of marking is much clearer to see that the usual zebra stripe pattern used in New York State. As cars approached the yellow box, all the cars came to a stop.

Another solution was seen in Connecticut. A large warning sign keeps motorists on their toes.

Why can't one of these two ideas be used as a solution for the crosswalk on Edgemont Road ?

These solutions would eliminate the need for the raised crosswalk on Edgemont Road. The raised crosswalk would require the curbs on both sides of the road to have cut outs made due to handicap regulations. The cut outs are what add a lot of money to the cost of the project.

The Greenburgh Police Department's traffic regulations office was contacted numerous times concerning this issue but they have failed to return calls.

Calling All Students, Parents and Grandparents

October is the month many high school seniors are filling out applications for early decision to the college of their choice.  Students consider many factors, one of those factors should be the college's safety record.

A very helpful site is a government website that tracks all robberies, sexual offenses (forcible and non-forcible), burglaries, and assaults. A very cool extra is that you can get the name, address and phone number of the local security officer on campus. Students and parents should program the phone number on your phone.

http://ope.ed.gov/security/Index.aspxhttp://ope.ed.gov/security/Index.aspx

When you get to the web site, click on the right side column under "get data for one institution/campus."

Under "Institution City" type in the town your school is located and hit "search".
Click on the college you are considering and you will see the crime statistics for 2008 -2010.

Edgemont student, Lauren Spierer, has brought this issue to the forefront of our minds.

Discovery Playground Opens in Edgemont

The Greenburgh Nature Center opened their new Discovery Playground. The playground has been designed for children ages two thru twelve. The structures were made of natural materials. The Greenburgh Nature Center is located at 99 Dromore Road. Membership is not required to visit the playground, outdoor animal exhibits or the hiking trails.

You can find more information at  http://greenburghnaturecenter.org/

Edgemont Loses Another Business

The sad news is that the Sprainbrook Nursery, located at 448 Underhill Road in Edgemont is going out of business. Unless Al Krautter, the owner of the business can find another buyer for the nursery, the property will be sold for development. Under the current zoning, six one-family homes could be built on the four acre plot of land.

The Sprainbrook Nursery has always added a personal charm to the community. It differs from the Home Depot style of plant and flower sales. Sales people are more knowledgeable about different varieties of plantings.

If the property is sold for home development, it will be once again another change in the character of the neighborhood.

The new homes would be in the Edgemont School District.