Greenburgh Insider: Bed Bath Beyond closing Elmsford store.

 

Bed Bath Beyond was a popular store in the town and village.

Some disappointing news: Bed Bath Beyond closing their Elmsford store.

https://westfaironline.com/uncategorized/bed-bath-beyond-closing-elmsford-store/?mc_cid=476ca23906&mc_eid=6cc76641c6

PAUL FEINER

Greenburgh Insider: Tuesday is the last day to pay 2nd half of school taxes without penalty.

 

Stop by at Town Hall and pick up a free reflector when you pay your taxes in person (but you can also pay online).

Tuesday is the last day to pay 2nd half of school taxes without penalty.

Stop by at Town Hall and pick up a free reflector when you pay your taxes in person  (but you can also pay online)

 

Tuesday is the last day of the month. On Wednesday February 1st there is a 10% penalty imposed on taxpayers who paid the 2nd half of the school tax late. I have always felt that the penalty is excessive but this is the law in Westchester County.  Every year some taxpayers pay their taxes a day or two late and still get charged the penalty. That's why I keep reminding taxpayers of their obligations. We have also put up signs around town reminding them that the school tax bills must be paid by the end of the month.

If you want to pay your taxes in person stop by at Greenburgh Town Hall on Monday or Tuesday. The tax office is open till 5 PM on Monday and till 7 PM on Tuesday. We are giving out free REFLECTORS (see photo below) to those who stop by at Town Hall.  Reflectors should be worn if you walk around town at night. Many motorists can't see pedestrians who wear dark clothing.

If you want to pay your taxes on line the link is below.  If you pay by credit card there is a fee to cover costs. If you pay online using your checking account there is no fee.

 

 

https://www.greenburghny.com/190/Tax-Department

 

The town has no control of school taxes. Each school district sets their own tax rates and approves their own budget. The town only acts as a tax collector for the school district.

PAUL FEINER

Greenburgh Insider: GOOD NEWS! Scholarships for childcare have increased!!!

 

The scholarship has high-income limits – up to $92,120 for a family of three – and covers 50-60% of the cost of care. It can make a difference for many families in Greenburgh.

GOOD NEWS! Scholarships for childcare have increased!!!

 

 

The scholarship has high-income limits – up to $92,120 for a family of three – and covers 50-60% of the cost of care. It can make a difference for many families in Greenburgh. Please read the flyer below which highlights the benefits. Please share this fantastic opportunity with family and friends who could benefit from the scholarship. Childcare is so important!

PAUL FEINER

Greenburgh Insider: AARP TAX PREP - FREE.

 

The AARP will once again be at the Theodore Young Community Center beginning Friday February 3rd to help residents file their taxes.

 The AARP will once again be at the Theodore Young Community Center beginning Friday February 3rd to help residents file their taxes.   They are offering this free service on Friday's and Saturdays.  Call for an appointment: 914-989-3622. The AARP has provided this important service to the community for many years and we are very appreciative and grateful. 

 

PAUL FEINER
 Greenburgh Town Supervisor

Greenburgh Insider: Construction of new sidewalk on N Washington Ave to start.

 

N Washington sidewalk will enable residents to walk safely from W Hartsdale Ave to Central Ave
estimated completion of sidewalk: April, 2023.

miles of additional sidewalks planned.

GOOD NEWS---THE PROMISED SIDEWALK ON NORTH WASHINGTON AVE WILL START  

retaining wall work to start next week.

SIDEWALK CONSTRUCTION TO START FEBRUARY 13 AND BE FINISHED BY LATE APRIL

A number of years ago residents who live on North Washington Ave and some of the surrounding streets  took a walk on North Washington. Many residents encouraged the town to build a new sidewalk on the street. We had just completed construction of a sidewalk on Columbia and felt this would be another important pedestrian safety improvement.  North Washington connects from West Hartsdale Ave to Central Ave.

I am pleased to advise you that construction of the promised sidewalk will commence on February 13. There will be some inconveniences and traffic delays during the construction but we will do whatever we can to minimize the disruptions. The construction is anticipated to last till the end of April. Con Tech will be working on a retaining wall starting next week  which is expected to be complete by February 20th.  We think that when the work is completed it will be much safer for pedestrians.

A big thank you to those who have advocated for this sidewalk over the years. I hope that you will be pleased with the quality of the work.

WE have started planning for the new sidewalk to be built on West Hartsdale Ave. Construction of that sidewalk should start within two years. Another sidewalk will be built on Dobbs Ferry Road. We received grants from NYS and the federal government (Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins and former Congressman Mondaire Jones) for those important pedestrian safety improvements.  Later this year- a sidewalk will be built on Hillside Ave from the Greenburgh Town Hall to South Road. And, we hope that construction of a sidewalk on Juniper Hill will begin at the end of 2023.  

Our goal: to make Greenburgh a safe place for pedestrians. Miles of new sidewalks have been built around town in recent years. And miles will continue to be built in the coming years.

PAUL FEINER

PS: If you walk at night please wear a reflector. Free reflectors can be obtained at the Greenburgh Town hall and Library.  We are distributing over 15,000 reflectors. Motorists have a difficult time seeing pedestrians walking on streets when wearing dark clothing.

Greenburgh Insider: Progress report--Elevator at Hartsdale train station.

 

An important initiative that will make life so much better for the disabled and elderly.

I contacted Metro North asking for an update on the progress of the elevator construction at the Hartsdale train station. Work is expected to be completed by the end of the summer. Good news! This is an important project that will make life so much better for the elderly and disabled. Sorry for the inconveniences during the construction.  

 

Work for the Hartsdale station elevator is expected to be completed by late summer and includes following:

•             Installation of steel for the walkway connecting elevator to overpass on the west side (inbound)

•             Installation of all glass, and roofing and railing for the walkway

•             Installation of elevators cab and components, and machine room components

•             Perform required testing and commissioning of elevators

•             Installation of sidewalk curbing at elevator street entrances

•             Installation of new lean bars and benches in the overpass

•             Restoration of disturbed areas including some landscaping as requested by the Town  

PAUL FEINER
Greenburgh Town Supervisor

Greenburgh Insider: Mt Joy Road sewer line replacement update.

 

Work should take a few weeks. There will be some inconveniences during construction.

There will be some inconveniences on Mt Joy Road near Central Ave (close to Troublesome Brook). There is an emergency sewer line replacement that will take a few weeks to complete. This will be an expensive but necessary infrastructure project that is receiving priority attention by the town. Sorry for the aggravations.

PAUL FEINER 

Greenburgh Insider: Church with the famous message board on Ardsley Road.

 

The Greenville Community Church has the most interesting message board around- with inspirational messages.

If you drive on Ardsley Road you will pass one of the most inspirational message boards that could be found anywhere. The Greenville Community Church which is located at 270 Ardsley Road (near Central Ave) has been posting interesting messages, words of wisdom, one line commentaries  at the entrance of the church for years. 

I interviewed Rev. Samuel Clover of the Greenville Community Church and Joanne Fernandez, a longtime congregant and one of the elders of the church about the history of the sign and community reactions. You don't have to be Jewish to love Rye bread. And, you don't have to be a congregant at the Greenville Community Church to appreciate the messages on the church sign that will always make you think and reflect. One of the highlights of each week for me is driving past the church and checking out the message board. The messages change about once a week. The sign has become almost a destination point for some.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4eXAxt41os

PAUL FEINER

Greenburgh Insider: Happy Lunar New York- the Year of the Rabbit.

 

Celebrate the Lunar New Year--wishing our Chinese and Asian community a happy and healthy year.

Happy Lunar New year.   Today is the beginning of the year of the Rabbit (one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac). Westchester County is celebrating the new year at the Michaelian Office Building, 9th floor, 148 Martine Ave, White Plains at 5:30 PM on Tuesday. RSVP to communications@westchestergov.com. 

For at least 23 years the Evergreen Club has been meeting at the Theodore Young Community Center on Manhattan Ave. Over 100 participants, most of Chinese heritage, enjoy Tai Chi, singing, English instruction, board games, dance and music. We are so pleased that the Evergreen Club has been an important part of our community and look forward to celebrating the Lunar New Year with their members this week. We have a large Chinese community in Greenburgh--and it is a community that is growing. The Chinese community in Greenburgh are active and help to enhance the character of our community.

There are also many events in NYC that will be taking place during the month. A highlight is the NY Chinatown parade scheduled for February 12th.

 If you know of anyone looking to move to a great neighborhood or open up a business in a community that is welcoming and diverse --encourage your Chinese friends and family to consider Greenburgh. We will make them feel special!

PAUL FEINER

Greenburgh Town Supervisor

Greenburgh Insider: 15,000+ free reflective slap bracelets being given out by Greenburgh -be visible!

 

White Plains Hospital has donated 5,000 reflectors.

Phelps Hospital has ordered additional reflectors.

Greenburgh Police initiative: BE SEEN GREENBURGH.

MORE THAN 15,000 HIGHLY VISIBLE REFLECTIVE SLAP BRACELETS BEING GIVEN OUT TO GREENBURGH RESIDENTS FOR FREE.

White Plains Hospital has donated 5,000 reflectors....Phelps Hospital has ordered reflectors which will be distributed.

We would like to announce our latest initiative to increase pedestrian safety awareness. It’s called Be Seen Greenburgh! As part of the Be Seen Greenburgh initiative, we plan to distribute more than 15,000 highly visible reflective slap bracelets to the community. We encourage everyone to be seen in Greenburgh by wearing something reflective when outside after dark. We would like to thank our first partner in safety, the White Plains Hospital, for donating 5000 bracelets to help our initiative.  Phelps Hospital has ordered reflectors which will also be distributed. We hope to have many more partners in safety. Slap bracelets are available to the public at the Greenburgh Police Department, the Greenburgh Town Hall, the Theodore Young Community Center, and the Greenburgh Public Library. For more information about the Be Seen Greenburgh initiative, please visit our website at police.Greenburghny.com.

 

Here is the link to our video on Youtube.

https://youtu.be/-q2Jn-92bsc

Please encourage family, friends, neighbors to wear bright clothing, use reflectors or flashlights when walking in the evening.  Sadly, there have been pedestrian fatalities in the region because motorists have not seen pedestrians walking at night. 

PAUL FEINER

Greenburgh Town Supervisor

Greenburgh Insider: Avoid Late Property Tax Penalties.

 

We don't want you to get a 10% penalty for paying taxes late so have been placing reminder signs all over town.

We don't want you to get a 10% penalty for paying taxes late so have been placing reminder signs all over town.  Municipalities in Westchester County collect school taxes. Schools are independent of the town government but one of our responsibilities is to collect the taxes for them. The 2nd half of your tax bill is due the last day of January each month. And -every year taxpayers forget to pay on time. Those who pay their tax bill on February 1st get fined 10% (the town does not set the penalty. I think is excessive).

We have been placing signs (see below) all over town reminding taxpayers to pay on time.  Please remind your neighbors and friends that taxes are due Tuesday January 31st. You can pay your tax bill at Greenburgh Town Hall or online (visit the Receiver of Taxes page on the town website: www.greenburghny.com).

I will send out another reminder before January 31st.

PAUL FEINER

Greenburgh Town Supervisor

 

Greenburgh Insider: Governor proposes that state have ability to overrule local zoning over housing.

 

I urge the state to consider another option: providing financial incentives to schools and local governments to build affordable and market rate housing to address housing shortage.

 NYS and Westchester County has a housing shortage.  Governor Kathy Hochul has proposed  that NYS build 800,000 units of new housing in the next 10 years and is recommending that the NYS Legislature approve legislation that would override local zoning laws if a town, village or city does not hit a required number of new developments.  A number of other municipal officials in Westchester and around the state  have expressed concern that  these requirements violate home rule and represent unfunded mandates that create burdens on the infrastructure in small towns all over the state.  Each municipality is unique and each municpalities needs are best addressed through local zoning. the state should not override local zoning with blanket legislation." 

 Unincorporated Greenburgh could easily comply with the requirements that the state would set for us.  New housing developments and affordable housing have been approved and are planned for the future.  But, I share the views of other local officials that NYS should not have the ability to override local zoning.  It's a bad precedent.

 I suggest that an alternative approach--provide financial incentives to communities that comply or do more than what the state is requesting. An example: In the past when housing has been proposed in Greenburgh and elsewhere residents who object to the housing proposal have raised concerns about the school district. WIll the housing proposal overwhelm the school district? Will taxpayers be paying more to educate more kids? How will the new development impact existing childrens education?  I think if a locality works with the Governor and State Legislature and helps the state solve our housing crisis the school district should be eligible for additional funding.  Local governments, if offered  additional  financial assistance  if we build more housing, would also have an incentive to do more to end the housing crisis.  Another incentive to create  more affordable housing:  NYS should pay the proper real estate taxes on each unit of affordable housing that is currently subsidized by local governments. Currently affordable housing developments do not pay the  same real estate taxes that market rate units pay.

A carrot rather than a punishment will achieve the same goals that the Governor has set.  It actually may accomplish more since local governments will have an incentive to support more housing.  
I would like to emphasize that unincorporated Greenburgh will not have to worry about a NYS override of our zoning laws since I anticipate that we will continue to do more than our fair share --approving more housing developments and affordable housing.  We are doing this voluntarily.   In 2009 Westchester County entered into a stipulation and order  with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to increase its efforts to further fair and affordable housing.  The county agreed to build 750 units of affordable housing in 31 of the county's lease diverse communities. Greenburgh was exempt from the requirement because we had already done our share voluntarily.

SOME ARTICLES ABOUT THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSAL

https://reason.com/2023/01/11/new-york-gov-kathy-hochuls-housing-plan-avoids-common-mistake-of-other-yimby-reforms/

 https://www.theexaminernews.com/hochul-local-communities-gear-up-for-possible-housing-fight/

https://slate.com/business/2023/01/kathy-hochul-housing-new-york-zoning.html

What do you think?

Paul Feiner

Greenburgh Town Supervisor

Greenburgh Insider: Greenburgh resident Barbara Johnson Armstrong witnesses history.

 

From the Civil Rights movement to the Swearing in of Georgia's first African American Senator - Greenburgh resident Barbara Johnson Armstrong witnesses history.

From the Civil Rights movement to the Swearing in of Georgia's first African American Senator - Greenburgh resident Barbara Johnson Armstrong witnesses history.

  

Greenburgh resident, Barbara Johnson Armstrong attended the swearing-in ceremony for the newly elected Georgia Senator, the Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock. Armstrong met Senator Raphael Warnock over twenty years ago, while he was a Ph.D. student at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. In 2005, Armstrong participated in a mission trip to South Africa along with Senator Warnock and others. She followed his ministerial trajectory from Abyssinian Baptist Church, in Harlem, New York, to Douglas Memorial Community Church in Baltimore, Maryland, and finally, to the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. For the past two years, Armstrong joined in a weekly prayer circle that was developed shortly after Senator Raphael's first Senatorial term. At his second victory, he invited her to attend his swearing-in ceremony in the U.S. Capital Building.

As Barbara remembers the turbulence of the Civil Rights Movement during her childhood, she recalls African Americans not represented well in government and in great disparity and inequalities in our society. It was rare to see African Americans elected to the U.S. Senate. She felt deeply gratified when Senator Warnock was reelected for a second term by Georgians of every race, creed, and color. In his acceptance speech, he noted that his mothers’ brown hands had picked cotton and tobacco for meager wages in white-owned fields. Tears came to Barbara Armstrong's  eyes when she heard him say, “That in 2022, his mothers’ hands picked her son to represent her state in the U.S. Senate.” The change for which the late Dr. King hoped, prayed, and advocated is indeed coming, albeit slowly.

We will add this story to the collection of African Diaspora stories. If you have a story about your experiences during or after the Civil Rights movement please e mail me at pfeiner@greenburghny.com

PAUL FEINER

 

Greenburgh Insider: NYS should change the law and reimburse motorists for pothole damages on state roads.

 

If your car was damaged on a state road due to a pothole you cannot get reimbursed. And- many of NYS roads owned in Greenburgh continue to be in poor shape.

Many of the roads owned by NYS have lots of potholes on them and are in bad shape. Motorists frequently experience car and tire damage when driving over a pothole. 

If your vehicle was damaged on a New York state road, (Dobbs Ferry Road, Central Ave, 119, Hillside, Knollwood, Saw Mill River Road, Broadway in Greenburgh) and your car suffered damage - you are out of luck.  Between November 14th to May 1st of each year the NYS government has exempted itself from having to reimburse motorists for car damages even if they had received written notice of poor road conditions.  If one's car is damaged NYS doesn't pay the car owner a penny.

It's my hope that Governor Kathy Hochul and the members of the NYS Legislature will vote to change the law  and allow motorists to get remibursed for potholes on state roads if they had received notice of the potholes and did nothing about it.  Many of the NYS owned Roads in Greenburgh are in poor shape. Two of the worst  examples: Knollwood Road and Central Ave---numerous potholes, craters, horrible road conditions. If NYS is unable to afford to maintain their roads they should at least reimburse motorists whose cars and tires are damaged due to the potholes.  I will encourage state lawmakers to change the law.

PAUL FEINER
Greenburgh Town Supervisor

Greenburgh Insider: African American stories during Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr birthday weekend- Greenburgh experiences.

 

Some fascinating stories of Greenburgh residents --highlighting their experiences, struggles.

Last year the town initiated an interested initiative that we want to promote every year on Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr birthday. Residents of Greenburgh tell their stories and highlight the struggles and challenges of the African American Community.  It's important to never forget.   This is part of the Greenburgh living history initiatives. Other living history stories include 150 interviews with veterans of World War II and the Korean conflict and interviews with those who experienced the tragedies of 9-11.

 

THE AFRICAN DIASPORA EXPERIENCE: Living Narratives of Greenburgh Residents.

 

Last year we launched a new town initiative – archiving African American Stories – that we’d love to keep growing. Have a story to tell about your family history in Greenburgh and beyond?    Share experiences you had growing up here or elsewhere  and tell us how you and your family overcame the struggles.

Please email pfeiner@greenburghny.com, including a photo or more if you have any. We will reach out to record an interview.

LINKS TO THE AFRICAN DIASPORA EXPERIENCES CAN BE FOUND BY CLICKING BELOW.

 

Please visit our website where we’ve compiled the stories so far: https://sites.google.com/view/greenburgharchives, which include:

 

·         Councilman Ken Jones writes about his aunt, Anna Bernard, a Parkway Gardens resident who was the first African American to be admitted to the NY Bar.

 

·         A fascinating report by Bishop Preston, noting "the marks of slavery still burn bright." Bishop Dr. Wilbert G. Preston is the Pastor of Christ Temple and chairs the Greenburgh Housing Authority. 

 

·         Eugene Rutherford, is a lifelong resident of Greenburgh, Storyteller and retired Teacher/Educator.

 

·         Tina Harper of the TDYCC interviews Greenburgh resident Charlotte Phoenix, PhD, about her incredible grandfather's life journey from Mississippi to Michigan. 

 

·         Civil Rights Stories: Elaine Finsilver recounts how she was so active on the local front for the fight for justice in the 1960s she missed MLK Jr's famous speech; the text of Bill Greenwalt's sermon from 2020 on the 1963 March on Washington; and Mike Sigal on his participation in the Civil Rights Movement.

 

·         Ron Cook, first African American to integrate Ardsley schools in 1965, as interviewed on Paul Feiner's WVOX radio show in 2018. 

 

·         Tina Harper of the TDYCC interviews Greenburgh resident Diana Bason about growing up in White Plains and Greenburgh.

 

 

PAUL FEINER
Greenburgh Town Supervisor