Yorktown and Cortlandt region

An union accord has been settled between teachers and the administration in the Hendrick Hudson School District.
Here’s the announcement:

The Hendrick Hudson School District has reached a tentative settlement agreement with the Hendrick Hudson Educational Association, the union representing the district’s 234 professional teaching staff.

The tentative agreement, if ratified by the membership and the Board of Education, will result in the restoration of six full-time teaching positions. The district also expects to restore three previously fulltime positions as part time positions through savings in operational costs. “We are relieved that we were able to restore these critical positions, and as a result, will be able to maintain our quality programs,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Daniel McCann.

“We are pleased and appreciative of the HHEA and their leadership for taking the necessary steps to bring this contract to resolution. This resolution is the result of 18 months of talks and some marathon negotiation sessions. The HHEA and the District were able to come together to resolve our differences and ensure that our students are provided with the very best education,” continued McCann.

“The HHEA is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with the district. It was a long negotiation process. We thank everyone involved for their dedication to the children, the community, and the educators of the Hendrick Hudson School District,” said Doreen Halsall, Co-President the Hendrick Hudson Teacher’s Union.

According to McCann, “The leadership of the HHEA, Doreen Halsall, Gary Delcioppo and members of the negotiation team, played a critical role in bringing this contract to resolution. I would like to offer a special thanks to Ron Longo, attorney for the district, and Tom Casey, NYSUT representative for the HHEA, who helped to balance perspectives in these challenging times.”

“On behalf of the Board of Education, and the community, I would like to thank the HHEA for their commitment to restoring valuable positions while recognizing the difficult financial position the district was facing,” he concluded.

Dozens of speakers came to Village Hall in Croton to debate the merits of a re-zoning scheme for the village’s Harmon business district.
Supporters called the new zoning package a necessary incentive to draw development to the area and give property-owners greater flexibility in designing new construction. Critics said the zoning would allow for too much residential development and lead to larger buildings out of scale with the community.
The village Board of Trustees did not pass the zoning Monday night after the public hearing, but passage could come next month after some more administrative moves are completed by the administration.
First proposed more than two years ago, the new zoning would allow for greater flexibility, as well as larger buildings on the commercial thoroughfare. Residential housing would be permitted, in a mix of residential and retail in one building.
Mayor Leo Wiegman said the intent was for land owners to “better utilize their properties.” The ultimate goal, he said, was for more development to broaden the tax base.
One supporter of the changes, Joanne Jackson, said successful business districts had a common feature. “The formula that works is a mixed-use scenario, that has a combination of commercial and residential,” she said, and the proposed zoning would encourage that.
“It doesn’t make sense to continue to say, ‘do nothing,’ “ she added.
One property owner, Milly Marano, said the greater flexibility for new building could make a positive difference. “It could raise the tax base,” she said, “Stores with apartments on top, they all thrive.”
But many critical opinions were also voiced.
“I like Harmon the way it is. It’s a quaint littler area,” said Virginia Calcutti, “It will take care of itself.”
Said Jane Hallock, “The plan allows for too much density and not enough parking. It makes no sense for the neighborhood….I don’t agree Harmon has been stagnating—businesses have been opening.”
While a majority of the village trustees support the new zoning, one dissenter on the board, Greg Schmidt, has become a vociferous opponent.
“It’s not going to improve the tax base in Croton, it’s not going to happen,” he said. The zoning would lead to residential development that the community did not need, Schmidt said. He said the other trustees on the board had been unwilling to engage in an open debate on the merits of the plan. Dismissing concerns that he was making a political stand on the zoning issue, Schmidt said at the public hearing that he was not running for office again.
Wiegman, the mayor, said he expected a vote sometime in the next few weeks.
“I was delighted to see people make good comments on both sides,” he said.
Wiegman said the village administration would issue a list of answers to many questions that have been raised by the public.
An earlier version of the zoning was challenged by a lawsuit, and opponents raised the possibility of new litigation.

My Divine Concierge and March Boutique have teamed up on a clothing drive that will benefit Innovations for Community Advancement or IFCA.

Niña Weireter of My Divine Concierge, an Ossining business that organizes senior move management, said people can drop off clothing and accessories for men and women from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at March Boutique, 1250 Pleasantville Rd., Briarcliff Manor. The boutique is offering a 10 percent discount that evening to shoppers who bring in items.

Weireter said she will have tax deductible forms on hand.

IFCA is an Ossining based not-for-profit neighborhood preservation group that buys, renovates and rehabilitates homes and rents apartments for low to moderate income people. Clothing will go to the organization’s thrift shop and its clients, Weireter said.

Chabad Lubavitch of Briarcliff- Ossining is hosting a holiday party May 27 to celebrate Shavuot, the day when the Torah was given to the Jewish people.

It will be at 11:30 a.m.  at the Chabad center, 11 Orchard Road, Briarcliff.

The program will commence with the special Torah Reading of the Ten Commandments – “to reenact the Sinai experience,” Rabbi Dovid Labkowski, director of Chabad of Briarcliff-Ossining explained in a press release from Chabad.  “Our festivals do not merely mark events of the past. We are enjoined to relive the historic occasions and making them relevant and meaningful today.”

The feasting and partying will be highlighted by the children taking center stage to hear to Ten Commandments being read.  The children will have the opportunity to create and participate in holiday activities.

The party will feature ice cream and cheesecake.  The custom of eating dairy foods on Shavuot began back when the Torah was presented 3,324 years ago and participants ate dairy food.

It is  is free and open to the public.  Reservations are appreciated but not required. Please call Chabad, 914-923-2522 or info@ChabadBriarcliff.com to reserve.

Students from the elementary school to the high school put on a science fair that covered everything from robotics to rockets nutrition to global warming.
Hundreds of visitors came to the high school Friday evening to take in the hands-on science fair and get an up-close and personal lesson from the students.

Fifth-grader Ella Deutchmann spent hours working on a global warming demonstration.

Visitors got information on buoyancy at one booth.

It’s the second annual “experience” science fair that the district put on to promote a hands-on approach to education.

Actor Peter Falk, a native son of Ossining who made roughly 50 films, will be remembered this week at a special screening of his movie “The In-Laws” at the Ossining Public Library.

He grew up on nearby Prospect Avenue. He died at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif., on June 23, 2011 at the age of 83. Falk was known for a range of movies from comedies to dramas and he appeared in stage productions as well. He was particularly known for his police detective character, Columbo where he wore a tattered khaki raincoat.

The film evening is at 5 p.m. Thursday and will feature an introduction to the film by  John Farr, who analyzes movies and stars at bestmoviesbyfarr.com.  Farr  has appeared on PBS, CNN and NBC, is  A wine  and cheese reception follows the film and there will be a display of Falk memorabilia, including the infamous Columbo raincoat and some of Falk’s excellent art work.

The event is co-hosted by the Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough, and Ossining Historical Societies. Members of either group will be admitted for $12; friends for $15.

Library rules require all payments to be made in advance. Please send checks to “BMSHS”, Box 11, Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. 10510 or call 941-4393.

The event will be held in Budarz Theater in the lower level of the Ossining library at 5:00 p.m.

Younger students in Yorktown got a hands-on lesson in gardening and plant biology, and older students are teaching them. Here’s the story from the Yorktown School District:

At the Mohansic Elementary School, about 30 YHS students from the Operation Grace Club will be working with students in both the YHS Life Skills class, as well as students at Mohansic, to garden together.

The Operation Grace Club is a service organization for students to help make a difference in our community (sponsored by the F. Grace Foundation).
The Life Skills class has been growing a vegetable garden in one of the high school courtyards this year, and will continue to do so this summer). An educator from Hilltop Hanover who has been teaching the students about pollination is also taking part.

Hundreds of runners came out for a 5K run at FDR Park in Yorktown for the The Mental Health Association of Westchester County.
Here’s an write-up from the sponsors:

300 hundred runners, walkers and friends who showed their support of MHA, and helped to promote awareness of the importance of mental health. Congresswoman Nita Lowey helped kick-off the festivities, which included music, food, entertainment and awards, saying: “We have to do even more with mental health research in Washington and I will take back that message. We need to resolve the issues that cause mental illness. We will continue fighting together.” Special guests Gerri Willis, host, The Willis Report, Fox Business Network and Lou Young, Emmy award winning CBS News Reporter, both longtime supporters of MHA on the move: Run/Walk, were at the starting line to cheer on the runners; and Sarah Hreyo, Miss Westchester, was on hand giving out ribbons to the winners of the Kids’ Race.

“On this morning, our community stands together in support of MHA, in support of accessible mental health services and in solidarity with all those who care about serving and supporting the individuals and families that turn to us,” said Dr. Amy Kohn, MHA CEO.

Yorktown players cheer Ryan Fagan after his homerun against Mahopac during the baseball game at Yorktown High School on May 10, 2012. Yorktown beat Mahopac 5-2. ( Xavier Mascareñas / The Journal News )

See more photos in a gallery online, and go to LoHud.com for the story.

Also, see a video from the game: Yorktown-vs-Mahopac-baseball

Here’s the info on an art exhibit at the Hudson Valley Hospital Center:

If your soul is longing for a simpler time when swimming in the local pond and drying off under the sun were the ultimate summer entertainment, then you must visit “Local History and Color,” the latest exhibit at Hudson Valley Hospital Center’s Art for Health Gallery.

“Local History and Color” celebrates the works of five local artists with very different styles, but one thing in common: the enthusiasm they bring to their work through the use of color. On exhibit from May 4 –September 3, are the works of local artists Robert and Andrew Barthelmes; Cheryl Vlachos, Phyllis Smith and Carol Carpentieri.

The exhibit is currently on display in the lobby and in Hospital’s main corridors. An opening reception will be held on Friday, June 1 from 4-6 p.m. in the lobby. The exhibit will also be a featured stop on a tour of local art galleries as part of Peekskill Open Studios June 2-3. The weekend long celebration of art features visual and performing arts by more than 100 artists in their studios, performance spaces and 15 special exhibitions in galleries and other venues throughout Peekskill, NY.
“We are very excited to be part of the Peekskill Open Studios tour this year,’’ said Suzanne Ashley, curator of the Hospital’s Art for Health program, which consists of 13 fine art galleries throughout the hospital. “Robert Barthelmes’ Finktown with its historic look at Peekskill is particularly relevant. We are very fortunate to have all these talented artists on exhibit.’’
Robert Barthelmes “Finktown” is a series of watercolors that tells the story of Peekskill’s neighborhoods during the artist’s childhood in the 1940s and 1950s. “Finktown” is a snapshot in time of an area around lower Main Street and is named for John Fink, the man largely responsible for the development of the area. The series celebrates the simple working class neighborhoods that flourished throughout the northeast during that time.
“In reality it was an ordinary place, but by illuminating these scenes of life there, Finktown is brought back, and it becomes, however fleetingly, a rich extraordinary place,’’ said Barthelmes, who is now retired after a 31-year career as creative director with Conde Nast Publications.
The work of Andrew Barthelmes, Robert’s son, is also on display, and while it too celebrates street life, it does so in a more modern and urban style. The younger Barthelmes received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts in 1996 and been in several group and solo shows in the New York area.

Cheryl Vlachos is an accomplished American Oil and Watercolor painter. Vlachos’ landscapes have a surreal quality and she is considered one of the new school of Hudson River Painters. A Cortlandt Manor resident, Vlachos work has been exhibited in many galleries in New York City, SoHo and throughout Westchester, Connecticut and Rhode Island. She as been a professional art director and graphic designer and is an art teacher for adults and children.

Phyllis Smith, a painter and photographer, describes her intricate paintings as “complex, deliberate and precise microcosms found close to the earth.” Smith’s work is rooted in nature and she uses her skill as a painter to delve deeper into subjects she often initially discovers through her photography. A native New Yorker, she returned to complete her fine arts degree in 1998 after a career as an advertising production manager. Her work has been exhibited throughout New York, Westchester and Connecticut.

Carol Carpentieri describes herself as “self taught” saying her age has allowed her to shed inhibitions and express herself joyfully through art. Her whimsical work explores her world through a variety of medium from oil and acrylics, watercolors to sculpture. Born in Brooklyn, NY, Carpentieri lives in South Salem where she enjoys gardening. Her work has been exhibited at the Katonah Museum.

The “Art for Health” program seeks to display the works of both emerging and established artists. It is unique because of its scale and the quality of the artwork that it brings to a hospital setting. “Art for Health” now has more than 350 pieces of fine art on display. Many of the works are by artists who have exhibited in museums and galleries internationally. Most of the artworks are donated. In 2010, “Art for Health” received a community service award from ArtsWestchester.