Harrison Review 1-9-2015

January 9, 2015 | Vol. 3, Number 1 | www.harrisonreview.com

Harrison REVIEWTHE

An investment management company alleges State Sen. George Latimer, a Rye Demo-crat, hasn’t paid his mortgage since January 2014, and he is now facing foreclosure proceed-ings on his Wainwright Street home.

According to the foreclo-sure lawsuit, filed in state Su-preme Court on Dec. 12 by Carrington Mortgage Services, a California-based investment management company, Latimer and Robin Phelps Latimer took out a loan with Chase Bank in October 2006 for $355,250 and agreed to pay monthly pay-ments of $2,363 through 2036.

In the foreclosure documents, Carrington Mortgage Services claims Latimer hasn’t made payments toward his mortgage loan on his Rye home since January 2014 and petitioned the court to order the state senator to pay the remaining balance of $322,592.23.

Latimer, 60, told the Review there have been disagreements

between him and Carrington Mortgage Services about how much is owed, and he intends to resolve the issue in court.

“I have copies of payments that I made throughout the year that show the inaccuracies of the mortgage company’s allega-

tions,” he said. “But it’s a per-sonal matter between me and the mortgage company that will be resolved through the judi-cial system. It wasn’t campaign money or state funds we’re talk-ing about. And none of this af-fects my public policy.”

During his re-election cam-paign for state Senate last year, Latimer’s Republican opponent Joe Dillon’s Yonkers home was being foreclosed, an issue raised in attack ads by state Demo-crats, but Latimer refused to take part and never mentioned the foreclosure in the debates or interviews leading up to Elec-tion Day.

Latimer ultimately won re-election to a second term repre-senting the Senate’s 37th Dis-trict, which includes Bedford, Bronxville, Eastchester, Harri-son, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Port Chester, Rye City, Rye Brook, Tucka-

hoe, White Plains and portions of Yonkers. -Reporting by Chris Eberhart

Democratic State Sen. George Latimer’s Rye home is in the beginning stages of foreclosure. File Photo

State senator faces foreclosure on Rye home

drinks.” Lust refused a breathalyzer

test to check his blood alcohol level.

The judge was charged with driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, driving while his ability was impaired and leav-ing the scene of an accident, both violations.

He was held overnight at the 10th Precinct in New York City until his arraignment the fol-lowing morning, on Dec. 20. Bail was set at $2,500, which the judge posted, and his driv-er’s license was suspended pending a Department of Motor Vehicles hearing next month for refusing to take the breath test.

Lust’s attorney Andrew Quinn refused a plea deal that included 15 days in jail, a $2,000 fine, a DWI program and a one year license sus-pension. Lust is due back in Man-hattan Criminal Court on Jan. 22.

Lust can continue to serve as judge. Only a felony conviction would be grounds for removal.

Lust, one of Harrison’s two part time justices, was first elected in 1999 and is currently serving his fourth term. He ran on the Republican and Demo-cratic lines in 2011 and is up for re-election this year. A part time justice in Harrison makes $62,072.

A call to Quinn was not re-turned as of press time.

CONTACT: [email protected]

By JOHN BRANDIStaff Writer

Town Judge Marc Lust al-legedly drove drunk—and tried to use his position of power to avoid arrest—in New York City last month, according to documents obtained from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.

On Dec. 19, Lust was leav-ing a Christmas party at around 5:15 p.m. when he hit another vehicle at 10th Avenue between 34th and 35th streets. The driv-er of the other car, Ridgewood, N.J., resident Michael Antoni-cello told police that Lust, 63, drove off after knocking the rear bumper off his vehicle without the judge providing his license and insurance identifi-cation number, according to the documents.

Antonicello later said that he had to follow Lust for a block and a half to halt Lust’s car. However, the New Jersey resi-dent said the judge wouldn’t even acknowledge him, that he was just “looking straight ahead.”

“I had to turn to get in front of him to make him stop,” An-tonicello said. “He didn’t even pull over. He stopped in the middle of an intersection.”

Upon inspection, police said Lust exited his vehicle and had a pale face, slurred speech and the odor of an alcoholic bever-age on his breath.

The arresting officer also said that Lust couldn’t get his bear-ings and was “swaying on his feet.”

Lust reminded the arresting officer of his position as a judge and that he wanted to make the whole incident disappear.

“I’ll take care of this,” Lust allegedly told police. “I’ll take care of it. We don’t have to do anything about this. I was at a Christmas party. I only had three

Town judge charged with DWIBy AlINA SuRIel

Staff Writer

With the main bulk of the work done on schedule and within budget, and only minor details remaining, construc-tion at Ma Riis Park is going exactly as planned.

“It looks very nice,” said Mayor Ron Belmont, a Re-publican. “We’ve been getting a lot of compliments on it and the veterans are very happy about the way the “Dough Boy” looks.”

As part of the project, four foot black metal fencing was installed to replace the chain link fencing which had previ-

First phase of Ma Riis Park upgrades completedously surrounded the park on Heineman Place and Harrison Avenue, as well as individual brick piers to hold and support the fence. Additionally, fresh concrete was installed around the World War I “Dough Boy” statue in a corner of the park opposite from the main en-trance of Town Hall at 1 Heineman Place. The 1936 statue depicting an American soldier with a hand grenade held over his head is a copy of a mass produced 1926 de-sign by American scuplter E. M. Viquesney, according to the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

But not all of the work at

the park is done just yet. According to the mayor,

construction will continue in a second phase once the weath-er begins to get warmer come spring. The town is still set to replace the benches and side-walks at the park’s perimeter, and plant new landscaping and shrubbery.

The work is being done at a cost of $117,000 by Vernon Hills Contracting of Mount Vernon.

“I think it’s money well invested, and down the road we’ll want to do a little more also between the gazebo and other things,” said Town Councilman Fred Sciliano,

a Republican. “I think it’s a good first step.”

The town planned for the park’s renovations to begin af-ter its Columbus Day parade in October. According to Sci-liano, the space needed to be available for use in the activi-ties that day because the park served as an ending point for the parade. Festivities in the park for the day included face painting, different kinds of ethnic food stations and a live band.

As the 2014 Citizen of the Year, lifetime Harrison resi-dent Frank Cuce served as

mA RIIS continued on page 8

Town Judge Marc Lust finds himself in hot water after allege-dly driving while intoxicated. Photo courtesy YouTube

2 • The harrison review • January 9, 2015

Sunday Monday TueSday WedneSday ThurSday Friday SaTurday

1 2 3

4 5

Schools reopen

6

8th grade Parent Orientation,

7 p.m.,HHS

7

PTA meeting9:30 a.m.,

HHSBoard of Education

meeting7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.,

LMK

8

PT Council9:30 a.m.,

LMK PTA meeting

7 p.m., PRE

Town/Village Board meeting7:30 p.m.,

Municipal Building

9

PTA New Year’s Breakfast8:30 a.m.,

HAS PTA meeting

9:15 a.m., PUR

10

11 12

Theater Arts Casting3:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.,

HAS

13

Architectural Review Board meeting

7:30 p.m.

14 15

PTA meeting9 a.m., HAS

PTA meeting7 p.m., PAR

Zoning Board meeting8 p.m.

16

ACT late registration deadline

17

18 19 20

Planning Board meeting7:30 p.m.

21 22

Town/Village Board meeting7:30 p.m.

Municipal Building

23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30

January 2015Planning ahead...

January 9, 2015 • THe HARRISON RevIew • 3

More development along Platinum MileBy AlINA SuRIel

Staff Writer

Property taxpayers along the Platinum Mile corridor of I-287 will be happy to know that on-going development is continu-ing in the area with the rehabili-tation of one of the corporate parks on Westchester Avenue.

A building which will con-tain an 85,000 square foot new medical facility is in the pro-cess of being built on West-chester Avenue in a 13-acre professional campus formerly known as The Harrison Ex-ecutive Park, according to the firm behind the deal, Simone Development of the Bronx. The compound, which has been renamed the Purchase Professional Park as part of the revitalization effort, is already home to three other buildings used as corporate offices and medical facilities at 3000, 3010 and 3020 West-chester Ave., respectively. The fourth building located at 3030 Westchester Ave. is set to be completed and occupied

in the first quarter of 2015, and has already been leased to WESTMED Medical Group.

“The renovations and mod-ernizations that we are making at the Purchase Professional Park are a significant invest-ment by our company that will clearly position this complex as the choice location for medical practices and business profes-sionals in Westchester County,” said Joseph Simone, President of Simone Development.

The other three buildings in the Purchase Professional Park were built in the late 60’s to early 70’s, and have been all been renovated as part of the overhaul of the space.

Upgrades include refurbish-ment of the exterior facades, repairs in the lobbies and all common area hallways and restrooms, and replacement of some of the hardware in all of the elevators. In addition to these structural improve-ments, new, energy efficient LED lighting is being installed in all of the parking areas, and an existing courtyard will re-

ceive a new fountain center-piece and outdoor furniture for employees and visitors. According to information on its website, WESTMED Medical Group is a physician-owned, multi specialty group medical practice. The health-care organization already has an internal medicine practice located at 3020 Westches-ter Ave., but Dean Bender, a representative for the Simone Development, told the Review that he believes all of WEST-MED’s offices will be moved to the new building at 3030 Westchester Ave.

The plan for 3030 West-chester Ave. fits in perfectly with the town’s intention of en-couraging development along I-287, an area that had previ-ously been occupied by most-ly corporate office buildings which made up 60 percent of the area’s tax base. The years following the 2008 recession saw up to 30 percent of these buildings left vacant after many corporations fled the area. The surrounding communities were

A new medical facility on Westchester Avenue is the latest in a series of developments along the I-287 corridor, where one million square feet of commercial office space has been repurposed since 2008. Photo courtesy Simone Development

so affected by the loss of reve-nue that the rehabilitation of the Platinum Mile was written in as a priority of the 2013 Town Comprehensive Plan.

Harrison Councilman Joe Cannella, a Republican, high-lighted some of the challenges faced in revitalizing the area.

“The buildings and the Plati-num Mile is basically eroded and that’s been going on for a long time, and that has affected the tax base in general,” Can-nella said. “It’s a problem that will continue because many of those buildings are too expen-sive to rehabilitate in their cur-rent form. They were not built with the expectation that they’d

have a hundred year capacity, and as a result some of them are reaching the end of their life.”

Bender highlighted the trend of reconstruction along the Platinum Mile by wellness and healthcare facilities. Memorial Sloan Kettering opened a new outpatient facility on Westches-ter Avenue early in October, and N.Y. Health & Wellness, a medical practice combining ho-listic and conventional medical practices, opened in December less than five miles away from the Purchase Professional Park.

“Now they’re starting to call it the medical mile because a lot of those office parks along there have been turned into medical

space,” Bender said.Harrison Councilman Ste-

phen Malfitano, a Republican, was glad to see development along I-287 regardless of what type of businesses happened to settle in.

“It’s still the Platinum Mile,” he said. “And what busi-nesses ultimately end up locat-ing there, it just so happens that we’re seeing more occupation in the medical field, and some biotech. Nothing is constant, the world doesn’t stand still, and to see this type of renewed interest and development, it’s encouraging.”



What’s going on...Learn the basics of woodcarving. Ages 14

and up only. Fee $40; pre-registration required at 864-7286.

• Lasdon Park, Arboretum and Veterans Me-morial, Route 35, Katonah - 864-7268. Grow-ing under Lights - 2 p.m.

Learn how to grow indoor plants using ar-tificial lights. Free; pre-registration required at 864-7264.

• Marshlands Conservancy, Route 1, Rye -835-4466. Evening Owl Prowl - 5:30 p.m.

Free vaccines offered

Get the vaccines you need at a free vaccine clinic Jan. 9 and Jan. 23 at the Yonkers Clinic, 20 South Broad-way, 2nd floor, call 231-2500. In White Plains, on Jan. 16 and Jan. 30 at White Plains Clinic, 134 Court St., call 995-5800. Supplies are limited, so please register in advance.

The health department clinic will offer:Free flu vaccines to residents ages 4 and up

and free HPV and meningococcal vaccine for college students.

Residents who are uninsured or whose insur-ance doesn’t cover vaccines also may receive these vaccines:

Zoster vaccines for ages 60 and up to protect against Shingles

MMR for women of childbearing age who neither received this vaccine nor had the dis-eases measles, mumps and rubella Tdap for residents ages 19 and up who never received a Tdap vaccine. This vaccine provides protection against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis and is especially important for adults who spend time with infants, who are not fully protected from these diseases.

Westchester residents are encouraged to register at health.ny.gov/Go2Clinic. Residents without internet access can call 995-7425. Walk-ins are also welcome. Supplies of each vaccine are limited and are not guaranteed.

To prevent spreading the flu, cough or sneeze into your elbow and wash your hands often with soap and water. If you do get a respiratory infec-tion, stay home until 24 hours after your fever subsides to avoid spreading your germs. Clean surfaces you touch frequently, such as door-knobs, water faucets, refrigerator handles and telephones. Get plenty of rest, exercise and eat healthy food.

For more information about the flu, contact the Westchester County Department of Health at 813-5000 or go to westchestergov.com/health, on Facebook at Facebok.com/wchealth-dept and follow on Twitter@wchealthdept.

classes, this is a first. Offering the 200-hour, two week Yoga Immersion Retreat with Robin Appel beginning Jan. 12, and a 300-hour teacher training intensive with Berna-dette Birney beginning Jan. 19. Wainwright is also offering “Yin Yoga,” “Prenatal” and “Child Teacher Training” in March 2015.

Yoga Alliance CertificationWainwright offers a unique yoga training

environment, incorporating a holistic ap-proach, with dedicated teachers who are ex-perts in their respective specialties. Each teacher is ready to guide his or her students through the refinement of the yoga practice and its authentic teachings. “Wainwright House Yoga Training Academy” is ready to help you achieve your goals, grow your prac-tice and inspire you on your path to excellence.

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Carol Craig at 967-6080 or email at [email protected].

SPRYE events

Friday, Jan. 9 at 9 a.m.: Monthly current events discussion/breakfast at Ruby’s Oyster Bar, 45 Purchase St., Rye. Breakfast a la carte.

The mission of SPRYE is to enable adults who are 60 and older in the towns of Harrison, Port Chester, Rye and Rye Brook to live in their own homes as long as possible while remaining ac-tively engaged in the communities they love. We accomplish this by providing access to essential

services, amenities and neighborly assistance.

The American Red Cross

The American Red Cross asks people to make a resolution to give blood regularly in 2015, be-ginning with January National Blood Donor Month. Donated blood has a limited shelf life and must be constantly replenished to treat pa-tients in need.

New Rochelle Jan. 18 at 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Church of Holy

Name of Jesus, 75 Lispenard Ave., in New Rochelle.

Jan. 27 at 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Iona College, 715 North Ave.

Hawthorne Jan. 19 at 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Amer-

cian Red Cross, 40 Saw Mill River Road, up-per level 3.

White PlainsJan. 16 at 11:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., White

Plains Presbyterian Church, 39 North Broadway.

Westchester events

Westchester County nature centers and Muscoot Farm events

Saturday, Jan.10 :• Trailside Nature Museum at Ward Pound

Ridge Reservation Cross River - 864-7322Naturalist’s Choice Hike - 864-7322Weather and seasonal conditions will deter-

mine where this hike will lead.

• Lenoir Preserve, Dudley Street, Yonkers - 968-5851.

Surviving the winter - 11 a.m.Learn how local flora and fauna have adapted

to survive Westchester’s winter.

• Cranberry Lake Preserve, Old Orchard Street, North White Plains - 428-1005.

Winter Wonderland Hike -- 11 p.m.A hike to enjoy the fresh, crisp air.

• Marshlands Conservancy, Route 1, Rye call 835-4466.

Winter Bird Feeder Make‘n’Take - 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Make your own bird feeder to take home, then go for a hike.

Sunday, Jan.11: • Muscoot Farm, Route 100, Somers - 864-

7282. Basics of Wood Carving - 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Harrison library events

Deadline for our What’s Going On section is every Thursday at 3 p.m. Though space is not guaranteed, we will do our best to accommodate your listing. Please send

all items to [email protected].

Children’s programs Children’s programs will continue at the

Jewish Community Center of Harrison, 130 Union Ave.

Mondays-9:30 a.m. Rockin’ Tots for ages one to three.

10:30 a.m. Parachute Play Time for ages two to five.

Tuesdays-9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. Wiggle and Giggle with Dawny Dew for ages one to five. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Wainright House

Wainwright House announces its “Yoga Training Academy.” While Wainwright of-fers many yoga and movement programs and


LettersThe community’s opinion matters.

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verification purposes.

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Delivery For home delivery or to subsribe,

call Marcia Schultz at (914) 653-1000 x27.

Classifieds & Legals To post your notices or listings,

call Marcia Schultz at (914) 653-1000 x27.

PostmasterSend address changes to:

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Publisher | Howard Sturmanext. 21, [email protected]

Editor-in-Chief | Christian Falconeext. 19, [email protected]

Sports Editor | Mike Smithext. 22, [email protected]

Reporter | Alina Surielext. 20, [email protected]

Reporter | John Brandiext. 18, [email protected]

Reporter | Marissa Pennext. 17, [email protected]

Editorial Assistant | Laura Romeroext. 25, [email protected]

Graphic Designer | Arthur Gedin

Graphic Designer | Jim Grasso

Advertising | Lindsay Sturmanext. 14, [email protected]

Advertising Coordinator | Marcia Schultzext. 27, [email protected]

Staff WritersChris Eberhart, Jackson Chen

Staff PhotographerBobby Begun

ContributorsPeter Lane, Rich Monetti,

Christopher Petrowski

ColumnistsRon Belmont, Emily Giove, Paul Bookbinder

HarrisonTHE

REVIEW

Orwasher’s baguettes cooling.Chef Stephen Robinson cooks up his famous Bacon Butties.

Company sells chutneys made from Nirmala Gupta’s family recipes from Northern India.

Christiane’s Backstube of-fers baked treats best known by German café patrons.

Zamir Iosepovici of Taiim Falafel Shack grew up in Is-rael, and now he creates “the food you’d enjoy anytime, anywhere” there.

Stephen Robinson of Rob-inson & Co. Catering, who will return to the market in February, cooks up hot “Ba-con Butties.” For those of

By NICOle ReeDContributor

On Saturdays this win-ter, the Mamaroneck com-munity is going to be thrilled that Keith Cohen, the owner of Orwasher’s Bakery, never went to law school. Twenty years ago, he almost did. But instead he listened to an in-tuition: he wanted to work with food. He took a job with a bakery in the city, Tribeca Oven, and over the next sev-eral years, he became a master baker who went on to lead the growing business.

In 2007, Cohen bought Orwasher’s Bakery, a legend-ary city bakery dating back to 1916. In the years since, Co-hen has modernized the facil-ity and revitalized the practice of using New York grains and flours, as well as other ingre-dients when the recipe calls for it. Serious Eats declares Orwasher’s signature baguette “the Best in New York City.”

The New York Times says, “His handsome baguettes…have crisp, well-burnished crusts enclosing nicely porous,

Farmers market goes indoors for the winterchewy interiors that demand good butter.”

The descriptions of Or-washer’s baguette tell of one of the many delicious foods to discover at Mamaroneck’s Down to Earth Winter Farm-ers Market. Now in its seventh season, the market returns to St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 168 W. Boston Post Road, at Mt. Pleasant Avenue, in Ma-maroneck. It runs every Sat-urday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., through May 2, 2015.

In addition to Orwasher’s Bakery, the Mamaroneck Far-mers Market welcomes back many beloved weekly vendors, including: American Pride Seafood, Dr. Pickle, Gaia’s Breath Farm, Gajeski Pro-duce, Orchards of Concklin, Pie Lady & Son, Sohha Sa-vory Yogurt, Stone & Thistle Farm and Taiim Falafel Shack.

Together, these vendors of-fer Atlantic Ocean seafood, seasonal fruits and vegetables, pickles, delicious pies, creamy yogurt, pasture-raised meats and eggs, and “Israeli soul food”—amazing hummus, babaganoush, falafel to go and

more. A host of rotating ven-dors also accent the market. We can look forward to foods from Bombay Emerald Chut-ney Company, Christiane’s Backstube, Hudson River Api-aries, Kontoulis Family Olive Oil, and Robinson & Co. Ca-tering with more vendors like-ly as the season progresses. Please visit DowntoEarthMar-kets.com for specific dates.

All of the vendors at the market are farmers and food makers from this region. The guiding principle for local is that the vendor travels “to market and back in a day.” The food makers are small-scale businesses that source as locally as possible. If they offer a product that cannot be sourced locally, like olive oil, then they sell at the mar-ket based on their transparent relationship with the product. In the example of Kontoulis Family Olive Oil, Demetra Kontoulis Bouras travels to her native country of Greece every year to help harvest ol-ives from groves planted by her grandfather. Ask any ven-dor how she grows her food or how he makes his products and be prepared for a story of commitment and adventure.

Greece is just one stop in a world tour of foods at the Mamaroneck Winter Farmers Market. In these instances, the vendors are inspired by two things: fresh, local ingredi-ents and their global culinary backgrounds.

Sohha Savory Yogurt makes yogurt and toppings in the Middle Eastern tradition. Bombay Emerald Chutney

us new to the Bacon Butties world, these are sandwiches made with English butter, ba-con and HP Sauce.

“They’re beautiful British sandwiches, just like you’d find at the Portobello Road Market in London,” Robinson said.

The market also has a line up of fun, relaxing musical events planned. This Saturday, Jan. 10, the local community group, Bach 2 Rock, will en-gage people in the love of mu-sic. Kids of all ages are invited to stop by their table to try the array of instruments that they will have on hand. (Please note there is no market sched-uled on Saturday, Jan. 24, due to a previously planned event at the church.)

On behalf of everyone at Down to Earth Farmers Mar-kets, the crew who manages the farmers markets in Ma-maroneck, Rye, Larchmont, and New Rochelle, among others, we wish you a Hap-py New Year. Thank you for supporting local farmers and food makers.

Sohha Savory Yogurt being prepared.

Apple varieties by Orchards of Concklin. Photos courtesy Nicole Reed


By JOHN BRANDIStaff Writer

Deputy Town Attorney Fred Castiglia, having served un-der five Harrison mayors, has stepped down from his posi-tion as of the new year.

Castiglia first made his in-tentions known at the Dec. 18 Harrison town board meeting in a letter to the board, that he would be leaving his position effective Dec. 31, 2014. He thanked the board, both past and present, for allowing him the opportunity to serve for the past 30 years.

Village Attorney Jonathan Kraut said though Castiglia will no longer be in the town’s Law Department, he will still maintain his residency in the town and “be visible” to residents in the community. Kraut said that while work-ing with Castiglia, he was a great source of knowledge and “wise council.”

“Fred has had a long and distinguished career with the town,” Kraut said.

Deputy Village Attorney Chris Cipolla said Castiglia is a great guy and that he will be missed. Though Cipolla said Castiglia has done a lot of good for the community, he called his retirement well deserved.

Kraut said Castiglia will most likely spend time with his family now that he’s left the post, but the village attor-

Harrison Deputy Town Attorney Fred Castiglia has retired after an 11-year stint. Photo courtesy Town of Harrison

Attorney steps down in Harrison

ney made it clear that Castiglia is moving on from a profes-sional career in law.

Castiglia’s most recent ten-ure, which he just left, began in 2001 and about the same time that Councilman Joseph Cannella, a Republican, joined the Town Council. The coun-cilman said Castiglia has a long history of service with other administrations.

“[Fred’s] really been a leg-end in many respects,” Can-nella said. “[Castiglia’s] a unique personality and a great resource. He really will be missed and for his capacity that he brings to work.”

Meanwhile, the search to replace Castiglia is an internal affair amongst the town board, according to Kraut. He said

the board takes recommenda-tions for the position and that it is a normal review process from there. Still, Cannella said that process hasn’t begun yet, as of press time, and the board was just digesting the news of Castiglia’s announcement.

With Castiglia now retired, there are currently three attor-neys that represent Harrison. Castiglia, as a deputy town attorney, made $71,216 as of 2014. This echos Town Attor-ney Frank Allegretti’s salary.

Meanwhile, Kraut, as village attorney, made $39,068 and Ci-polla, as deputy village attor-ney, made $62,424, as of 2014.

A town and village attorney in Harrison advises the town boards, departments and of-ficials, and handle a wide va-riety of legal matters affecting the operation of its affairs. An attorney also represents and defends Harrison, its various boards and officials, in state and federal litigation.

Furthermore, an attorney will prosecute all local law and code violations, and defend and monitor property dam-age and personal injury claims presented against the town.

Calls to Castiglia and Coun-cilman Stephen Malfitano, a mayor when Castiglia began his recent tenure 11 years ago, were not returned as of press time.


Grover is a very handsome male Russian Blue mix cat with thick, silky smooth fur. Grover is a sweet and friendly young adult who is about 1 to 2 years old, he would make a wonderful family pet. He gets along with other cats, loves attention and lots of human contact, he is simply a joy to be around. Grover is neutered, in excellent health, and is currently up to date with all of the vaccinations that are required. The adoption donation for Grover is $80. To meet this sweet, cuddly kitty, please contact the Larchmont Pet Rescue via phone at 740-4072 or visit the website at NY-PetRescue.org.(Submitted)

grand marshal of last year’s parade, but he is also familiar with Ma Riis Park from hav-ing lived nearby on Calvert Street during his childhood years. His parents took him to the park as a small child and when he had his own children in Harrison years later Cuce did the same.

“It’s a place where genera-tions meet and have done so probably since the town was

mA RIIS from page 1 incorporated,” he said. “It’s one of the most recognizable parks in Harrison.”

Genevieve Riis, from whom Ma Riis Park gets its name-sake, also lived in the six-story apartment building on Calvert Street where Cuce grew up. Riis moved into the building with her son Richard in 1933 after the death of the boy’s fa-ther, Richard A. Riis Sr.

Genevieve Riis was well known for her devotion to charity work and volunteer

service. She organized 25 women to write and send packages to soldiers through-out World War II and later spent 41 years volunteering at a veteran’s hospital in Mon-trose, N.Y. She received letters of commendation from every U.S. president from Franklin Delano Roosevelt to George H.W. Bush, and lived in Har-rison until she died at the age of 91.


Although the first phase of construction at Ma Riis Park is done, the entire project won’t be finished until the spring. Photo/Alina Suriel


Photo courtesy Patti Rube

There’s a lot going on this yearOn a recent wintry Decem-

ber afternoon, Harrison Girl Scouts Troop 1885 brought warmth and holiday cheer to The Bristal, an assisted liv-ing facility in White Plains. The troop members, fourth and fifth graders at Purchase School, sang classic and cur-rent holiday songs. The girls were joined by volunteer Ju-lianne Sanscartier, a junior at Harrison High School, for piano accompaniment and her angelic singing voice. Dozens of The Bristal’s residents were on hand to enjoy the music and holiday spirit.

A highlight of the day was the attendance of one of The Bristal’s residents, Arlene Perazzini. Arlene, a legend among Harrison Girl Scout leadership, holds the distinc-tion of having received her 30-year Girl Scout patch for her years of service. Arlene was thrilled to meet the girls and join them for a photo.

Upon learning of Arlene’s attendance at the event, Harri-son Mayor Ron Belmont said, “Girl Scouts is an exceptional organization and has thrived because of the continued dedi-cation of its volunteer leaders.

Arlene Perazzini, a former Harrison resident and long-time Girl Scout leader, helped to create an environment in which girls learned about leadership and civic responsi-bility. Her legacy is still felt to-day and I appreciate her many years of service to the Town/Village of Harrison.”

After singing, the Girl Scouts led a project, with the enthusiastic assistance of sev-eral of The Bristal’s residents, to assemble activity kits for do-nation to the Maria Fareri Chil-dren’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center. (Submitted)

Girl Scouts visit with Bristal residents

I would like to take this time to extend my warm-est wishes for a happy and healthy new year. I hope you, and your family, had a peace-ful and joyous holiday season, appreciating and celebrating the blessings in our lives. As we begin 2015, I am happy to report that Harrison con-tinues to build on the success of the last few years. In addi-tion to our improved bond rat-ing from Moody’s, Harrison’s 2015 Budget was adopted and remains under Gov. Cuomo’s mandated tax cap. Three new police officers were added to the Harrison Police Depart-ment. DPW staff remains steady and buildings and equipment have been kept up to date. The Recreation De-partment continues to increase and improve its programs, with a record number of resi-dents using the facilities. The town board successfully en-tered into an agreement with Verizon, allowing residents to enjoy FiOS service. I am proud to say we have made great strides while keeping tax increases in check, main-taining a healthy reserve and providing all necessary mu-nicipal services. Building on this momentum is a priority and I look forward to the chal-

lenges and opportunities in the year ahead.

Recently, my office was contacted by the community relations officer from the on-line publication, Safe Choice Security. The Town/Village of Harrison has been named one of the 20 most improved cities in New York. To en-sure the accuracy of rank-ings, the publication com-pared crime statistics, includ-ing both property and violent crimes, of all municipalities, with populations of more than 5,000 from the years 2007 to 2012, to determine the list of the safest cities. Visit http://www.safechoicesecurity.com/blog/20-cities-in-new-york-with-the-most-improved-crime-rate/ for the full list.

I would like to bring your attention to the Harrison Girl Scouts.

Frequently, over the last several months, the Girls Scouts have generously do-nated Girl Scout cookies along with creating art work and cards for the Senior Citi-zens that receive Meals on Wheels. These items have been received with much joy and appreciation. During the holiday season, the Scouts sang holiday carols, prepared holiday cards and provided candy canes. Thank you to all involved, specifically Troop 1880 Leader Selena Cefaloni, Troop 1896 Leader Anna Cat-anzariti, Troop 2376 Leader

Lindsey Helmer, Troop 1885 leaders Patti Rube and Morela Paris and Troop 2468 Leader Veronika Frohlich for their thoughtfulness and generosity.

The Harrison Public Li-brary is continuing its commu-nity movie program. While the library is under construction, the new location for Brown Bag Cinema is in Harrison’s Town Hall. The library staff will show “Gone Girl” on Jan. 16 at noon. For more informa-tion, call 948-2092.

Please make note of the Ssanitation schedule change for the week of Jan. 19, 2015: Monday, Jan. 19 is a holi-day and town offices will be closed. Garbage and recy-cling normally collected on Monday, Jan.19 will be col-lected on Tuesday, Jan. 20. Garbage and recycling nor-mally collected on Tuesday, Jan. 20 will be collected on Wednesday, Jan. 21. There will be no bulk trash pickup on Wednesday, Jan. 21. The normal collection schedule for household trash and recy-cling will resume on Thurs-day, Jan. 22.

The next “Lunch with the Mayor” is on Friday, Jan. 16. I will be at Casa D’Italia lo-cated at 265 Halstead Ave., in Harrison. I will be at this location from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and look forward to meeting with residents and talking about issues facing our community.


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January 9, 2015 • THe HARRISON RevIew • 11SPORTS

When I stop and take mea-sure, it’s pretty apparent that I’ve got a lot of crazy friends on Facebook.

I’m not talking about your garden-variety social media neurotics either. Excessive baby photos, manic swings and compulsive relationship status updates; those are all par for the course. But some-how, it seems like, for what-ever reason, about 75 percent of my online friends are very into the conspiracy movement.

My feed is seemingly al-ways clogged with posts rang-ing from “new” information on the JFK assassination to “proof” that Jay-Z and Be-yonce are the supreme leaders of the Illuminati and perpetu-ally scheming to bring about the New World Order.

If you’re like me, you learn to block this stuff out. It be-comes white noise.

But this week, those tin-foil

The fix is in?hatted acquaintances of mine stumbled on a new cause du jour—namely the NFL’s trans-parent attempt to rig Sunday’s NFC Wild Card game between the Cowboys and the Lions.

For those who didn’t watch the game, a dubious call by of-ficials to pick up the flag on a pass interference call against Dallas linebacker Anthony Hitchens – a call that, had it stood, may well have sent the Lions to the NFC Divisional Round Game this weekend, was immeasurable proof that the fix was in.

But the flag was picked up, Dallas rallied to win the game, and social media exploded with charges that the NFL of-fices were willing to do any-thing to ensure that big-market Dallas would live to play an-other day.

Now, forget for a moment that the NFL’s popularity has grown exponentially in the last decade – despite Dallas’ gross ineptitude in that time. Com-pletely disregard the fact that the NFL reinstated Lions’ de-fensive linemen Ndamukong

Suh – who was suspended for a cheap shot on Aaron Rogers one week ago – just in time to play in Sunday’s game. It’s completely plausible that the NFL would risk the appear-ance of impropriety in order to put Tony Romo into the next round, right?

Well, maybe if you’re a sports fan.

Sports fans, like some ama-teur political enthusiasts on both sides, often disregard the most plausible explanations – in this case, the officials just blew a call – for the one that best fits their worldview.

You don’t like the Knicks? Then David Stern must have rigged the 1985 draft lottery with a frozen envelope to en-sure that Patrick Ewing ended up in Madison Square Garden. You’re a Yankee fan? Then former Maine senator George Mitchell clearly targeted those in pinstripes when he released his report on PED use in base-ball. If you, like many, can’t stand the Cowboys, then Sun-day’s no-call was certainly a result of Dallas owner Jerry

The Cowboys’ victory over the Lions on Jan. 4 has some NFL fans believing that the league is rigged in Dallas’ favor. If that is true, Sports Editor Mike Smith just hopes that the powers that be will show some love to the Knicks. Photo courtesy NFL.com

Jones’ deep pockets and his pull in the league offices.

Was it a bad call? For sure. Was it a sign that Roger Goodell will stop at nothing to ensure a few more people will tune into this weekend’s divisional showdown? That’s pretty unlikely.

Sports makes people go a little crazy, myself included, but I’d bet just about any-thing that what we witnessed on Sunday was just a case of blind luck.

But just in case there are shadowy figures running our professional sports leagues

those mysterious fixers happen to read this column, maybe it’s time to fire up those freezers again.

The Knicks need all the help they can get.

Follow Mike on Twitter,

@LiveMike_Sports

Follow Mike Smith @LiveMike_Sports stats • recaps • commentary

Follow Mike Smith @harrisonreview for Mike’s live, in-game action updates

To CoVER loCal spoRTs, you nEEd a

LIVE MIKE!

12 • The harrison review • January 9, 2015 SPORTSHuskies top Croton

Zach Evans sets up the offense against Croton-Harmon on Dec. 27. Harrison is gearing up for some tough league games over the next two weeks.

Tyler Gersten drives towards the hoop on Dec. 27 at the County Center. The Huskies reeled off their fourth straight win, besting Croton-Harmon 64-36. Photos/Mike Smith

Joe Nannariello goes up for a shot against the Tigers. Nannariello finished with 13 points and six rebounds.

Justin Stagg waits for an in- bounds pass at the West-chester County Center. Stagg was named the MVP of the Challenge Game, scoring 21 points and hauling in eight boards.

By mIKe SmITHSports Editor

Over the last two weeks, Harrison’s basketball team has been riding a hot streak. With a win at the County Center on Dec. 27, the Huskies ensured that they would head into the new year on a positive track.

Participating in the annual Slam Dunk Tournament Chal-lenge game against Croton-Harmon, the Huskies started quickly and never looked back, taking down the Tigers 64-36.

Justin Stagg led with 21 points on the afternoon, many of those coming from beyond the arc, and collected eight rebounds en route to being named the game’s MVP.

“It’s definitely an honor,” Stagg said after the game. “But this was about the team. This was a true team effort.”

Employing a high-pressure defense and a deep rotation, Harrison used its bench to harass the Tigers all game be-fore wearing Croton down in the third quarter. According to head coach Gary Chiarella,

Harrison’s ability to main-tain a fast tempo is incumbent upon the play of its bench. Against Croton-Harmon, Har-rison’s reserves accounted for 19 of the team’s 64 points.

“We’re beginning to see guys stepping up,” Chiarella said. “We’ve had Zach [Ev-ans], [Joe] Nannariello and Stagg playing well for us but we’re starting to get some of the younger guys a little more experience in these situations.”

The Huskies have now won four straight games, taking first in their own holiday tour-nament last month and win-ning their first league game against Pelham in the process. According to senior Joe Nan-nariello, who had 13 points, six rebounds and two steals against Croton, it has been Harrison’s commitment to a team game that has helped the Huskies get off to a hot start.

“We’re playing together. We’re sharing the ball,” he said. “Everyone gets involved, everyone participates and ev-eryone on the bench is always ready to come in.”

As one of the key contribu-tors on last year’s squad which made the sectional semifinals for the first time since 1968, Nannariello said the oppor-tunity to play the Challenge Game at the venue that will again host the Class A final four was a good opportunity to inspire some of the team’s younger players to shoot for the same heights this winter.

“We came here last year for the first time in 50 years and nobody had any experience,” Nannariello said. “This was a great chance for everyone to get used to the floor and get used to the scenery.”

The Huskies will be test-ed early in 2015, with games against Pelham and last year’s semifinal foe Eastchester on the schedule. As the team ventures into the meat of its season however, Chiarella is confident that the lessons his squad have learned early on will help them as they look to get back to the County Center.

“I don’t want to say this was a warm-up game, but I’m very happy we got the chance to come play [at the County Cen-ter] this week,” said the head coach. “If we continue to play well and find ourselves back here, I’m glad we were able to get out here so it won’t be overwhelming for the guys.”



TEACHING YOUR TEEN TipsÊ forÊ helpingÊ teensÊ learnÊ toÊ drive

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A VEHICLE

Lifestyles of Westchester County/January 2015 VoL.16 no.109

INSIDE WESTCHESTER COUNTYINSI

DE

ON THE ROAD


TIPS FOR HELPING

TEENS LEARN

TO DRIVE

Parents can employ various methods

to help their teen become more

comfortable behind the wheel.

Few parents look forward to the day when they must teach their teenager to drive a car. Handing over the keys to a teenager and then riding shotgun as he or she learns the basics is hardly a recipe for a stress-free afternoon, but it’s a part of life many parents must endure sooner or later, and it’s a rite of passage for their chil-dren.

While it’s likely your son or daughter will not be a great driver from the get-go, there are ways parents can make the

more subtle driving skills that might be difficult to learn in a parking lot. Coming to a stop, main-taining a safe distance between vehicles, acceler-ating and decelerating on roadways and learning to share the road with pedes-trians and/or cyclists are all valuable lessons that can be learned on a back road without heavy traffic.

Some lessons are best learned on the freeway

Some skills, includ-ing changing lanes and merging into traffic, are best learned on the free-way or highway. Teens will eventually take to the highway once they get their driver’s license, so it’s best to teach them how to handle using on and off ramps and learn-ing to yield when enter-ing a highway so they’re comfortable with such driving and don’t have to teach themselves.

Teach kids to anticipate other drivers

Anticipating other drivers is a lesson even some veteran adult driv-ers must learn, much less teen drivers with little or no experience driving. When teaching teenagers to drive, emphasize how difficult it can be to an-ticipate other drivers’ ma-neuvers and how defen-sive driving techniques

are designed to help drivers predict what other drivers will do in order to protect themselves from drivers who might be unpredictable. Teach teens to keep an eye out for drivers routinely switching lanes without signaling and tell them to be mindful of other driv-ers when they pull up to a stop sign. Teens who will become good drivers will eventually find such techniques are second na-ture, but initially parents should instruct them in the ways to anticipate the behavior of other drivers so the teens can stay safe on the road.

Practice driving at dif-ferent times of the day

Taking teens out to drive at different times of the day can teach them that road conditions, even when the weather is nice, vary depending on the amount of light. Driving at dusk and dawn, for instance, can be difficult because glare from the sun can decrease visibil-ity and headlights might not provide much help. Like learning to drive on the highway, learning to drive at various times of the day is a valuable les-son that kids should learn with their parents in tow and not on their own after they have received their driver’s license.

process of teaching their teen to drive less stressful and more likely to be a success.

Utilize an empty park-ing lot as a classroom.

Empty parking lots are great places to teach teens to drive. In an emp-ty parking lot, teens can practice skills like turn-ing or braking without the risk of running into another driver. This gives kids the feel of a vehicle and an opportunity to fa-miliarize themselves with the vehicle’s controls, including those for turn signals and headlights. Find an empty parking lot that is large, such as one outside a closed gro-cery store or a nearby school when school is not in session.

Find a less-traveled road to practice more subtle driving skill

Once your teen has become familiar with the vehicle, a good next step is to find a back road or a road without heavy traffic where he or she can learn


THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A VEHICLE

Buying a new automobile, be it a brand new car or a preowned vehicle, is a considerable investment. Some buyers agonize over which automobile to buy, while others tend to stick with the same make or model for years on end.Regardless of which group buyers fall into, there are some things all consumers should consider before buying their next vehicle.

Driver needs: A large sport utility vehicle might be your dream vehicle, but it might not be the most practical car to start parking in your garage. When examining your vehicle needs, ask your-self what you use the car for. Is it just a vessel to get you from point A to point B? Do you rou-tinely use your vehicle

to take your children and their teammates to and from soccer practice? Is your commute long or short? Each of these things should factor into your decision. For exam-ple, if your commute to work is especially long, then perhaps a smaller, more fuel-efficient ve-hicle is the most practical choice. However, if you

routinely carpool or use your car to get the kids to and fro, then a larger ve-hicle with a more roomy interior might be the best bet regardless of its fuel efficiency.

Budget: Your budget is perhaps the biggest thing to consider when shop-ping for a new vehicle. Many buyers intend to finance or lease a ve-

hicle, and sites such as Edmunds.com can help prospective buyers esti-mate what their monthly car payment will be. The larger the down payment you’re able to make, the less your monthly pay-ment will be. In addition, those who intend to fi-nance their vehicle pur-chases should consider the length of their finance

agreement. You might be able to finance a vehicle purchase in as little as 12 months or as long as 72 months. The longer your agreement, the less you will be paying each month. However, you will pay more interest the longer your agreement is and your payment is like-ly to be the same in the 72nd month, when the vehicle has significantly depreciated in value, as it was in the first month when the vehicle’s value was at its peak.

Lease or buy: The decision to lease or buy is something to consider. Leasing allows drivers to drive a brand new car for far less money than if they were to purchase the vehicle outright, and the terms of a lease are typically far shorter than those when buyers are financing, which allows drivers to get a new ve-hicle more often. Buying or financing a vehicle has its advantages as well, most notably that you will be making pay-ments for something you’re eventually going to own. In addition, buy-ing or financing gives consumers more flexibil-ity, as they’re allowed to sell the car whenever they

choose without penalty, something that is not al-lowed under many lease agreements. In addition, there are no mileage re-strictions when buying or financing, while such restrictions are typical when leasing a vehicle.

Insurance: Some ve-hicles are more expensive to insure than others. In-surance companies base insurance rates on a host of factors, but those ve-hicles that have the stron-gest safety records and are less likely to be stolen tend to cost less to insure. How much you will pay to insure a vehicle also depends on how you will be paying for it. Lenders typically require borrow-ers who are financing or leasing a vehicle to fully insure the car, which costs considerably more than basic insurance coverage that drivers who buy their vehicles outright tend to choose. Weigh the costs of insur-ing different makes or models before making your purchase.

Buying a new vehicle requires a considerable financial investment, so buyers should weigh a host of factors before driving their next vehicle off the lot.


OLDER DRIVERS HAVE TO REASSESS ABILITIES

For many older drivers, driving is more than getting from point A to point B. Getting behind the wheel allows older drivers to remain inde-pendent as well as mobile. But as a person ages, his or her risk of injury on the road increases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Older adults and their family members need to make plans for handing dwindling skills behind the wheel and the point in time when it is no longer safe for a loved one to continue driving.

In rural and suburban commu-nities, driving is a necessity for independent living. With limited re-sources available for older individu-als to get around, seniors may hold onto the notion of driving longer than is safe and practical. The Na-tional Highway Traffic Safety Ad-ministration says that in 2009 alone, 5,288 people age 65 and older were killed and 187,000 were injured in traffic accidents. Older people are involved in around 15 percent of all traffic accidents in a typical year.

Getting older doesn’t mean it’s time for you or a loved one to turn in your license just yet. There are ways people can come together to make the driving experience go

smoothly, and it often begins with an honest conversation.

Let a loved one know you are on his or her side. Make sure the first topic of conversation is that it is not your intention to take away the keys of the car. Indicate that you want to work together to help keep this person behind the wheel as long as possible. Being open and honest about intentions may eliminate arguments or animosity.

Figure out safe ways to keep your loved one driving. This may include identifying a new car with upgraded safety features, such as brighter headlights, a back-up camera and a better safety record. Enroll together in a driving safety course to brush up on driving skills.

Go for a “test drive.” Family members can ride along with an older driver to get a better sense of his or her ability behind the wheel. If drivers have too many close calls, frequently get lost in famil-iar places, exhibit slower response times or are easily distracted, this should be a wake-up call and the loved one should intervene.

Schedule a vision and hearing exam. Driving abilities can be af-

fected by poor vision and hearing, both common side effects of getting older. Getting a senior a new eye-glass prescription or a better hear-ing aid may make all the difference in his or her driving ability.

Review prescriptions and over-the-counter medications. Many seniors take a bevy of different medications, and the side effects to these drugs could impact their driv-ing abilities. If medications cause drowsiness or dizziness, speak with your loved one’s physician about a possible alternative treatment that might make driving safer.

Be honest. If an older driver is no longer safe behind the wheel of their automobile, it is important to involve other family members and make a joint decision to remove driving privileges. Have other so-lutions available, such as senior busing or courtesy vans, so your loved one doesn’t feel he or she will be confined to the house.

Driving is a sensitive subject for older drivers who see being able to get behind the wheel as an oppor-tunity to maintain their indepen-dence. But individuals need to be honest with themselves to remain safe on the road.

CAR THEFTS mORE LIkELY DURING CERTAIN

TImES OF THE YEARAutomotive break-ins and thefts are something no driver wants to experience. They can leave a person feeling violated, and the hassle of replacing the vehicle and the contents inside the car can bring additional stress.Statistics indicate that a vehicle is stolen in the United States roughly every 28 seconds. Roughly one million cars are reported stolen each year. According to Statistics Canada, about 100,000 cars are stolen on average each year in that country. Although there are many precautions to help safeguard against car theft, being particularly vigilant during certain holidays might be the best preventive measure a driver can take.According to analysis of National Crime Information Center vehicle-theft data by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, car thefts are more likely to occur during certain holidays. The Bureau reports that, between 2010 to 2011, the most recent span of time for which data is available, there were 20,800 U.S. car thefts during the 11 holidays studied. So on which holiday is your car most likely to be stolen? Here are the holidays as ranked by the number of thefts reported in 2011.11. Christmas Day: Thieves may be more interested in opening presents under the tree than venturing out in the cold to steal a car or truck. This holiday ranks the lowest among the major holidays.10. Thanksgiving: While the turkey and trimmings were being set on the dinner table, 1,526 vehicles were being stolen in 2011. 9. Christmas Eve: Those who are engaging in some last-minute shopping at the mall or visiting friends and family for a cup of eggnog may want to be cautious as to where they park their cars.

8. President’s Day: Even Honest Abe cannot prevent would-be thieves from making off with a car on this holiday. 7. Independence Day: Perhaps the fireworks and the revelry of July 4th help to mask the steps needed to steal a car. In 2011, 1,862 vehicles were stolen amid the “rocket’s red glare.”6. Valentine’s Day: While couples are dining at favorite restaurants or cuddling up on the couch with a movie playing, a car thief may be making off with a stolen car.5. New Year’s Eve: So many people are caught up in the moment of toasting the new year that they may not realize a thief is making his or her own resolution to steal a car or truck.4. Labor Day: The unofficial end to summer is also a prime time for vehicle thefts. There were 1,947 car thefts reported in 2011.3. Memorial Day: The unofficial start to the summer entertaining season is also a prime time for car thefts.2. New Year’s Day: While individuals were sleeping off the remnants of their midnight partying, 2,288 vehicles were being stolen on January 1, 2011. 1. Halloween: Although not an “official” holiday, Halloween is the holiday when the most number of vehicles are stolen. The trick is on the person who comes home to find not only is the trick-or-treat candy missing, but also the family car.Being aware of these prime car-stealing dates can help drivers protect their valuable assets. In addition, it is advised to always park in well-lit areas, keep belongings out of view, make sure the vehicle is always locked when it is parked — even if it’s in the driveway, invest in an alarm or vehicle immobilization system, and to be extra careful if your car driven is one of the most-stolen makes and models

Harrison Review 1-9-2015

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