eastchester review 2-6-2015

February 6, 2015 | Vol. 3, Number 5 | www.eastchesterreview.com

Eastchester REVIEWTHE

Ice rink president resignsschool’s standards and failed to live up to its end of the agreement.

Assistant Superintendent for Business Dan Carlin pre-viously told the Review that Insurance Fidelity, the bond-ing company hired as part of the contract with KenStar, would most likely appoint its own contractor in a “takeover agreement” to complete the job, which is roughly 60 per-cent completed, to date.

According to Carlin, Fidel-ity appointed J. Robert Fol-chetti & Associates, the same company that is undertaking the Midland Valley Drain-age Basin Flood Mitigation Project, which is a system of

pipes underneath the school to prevent flooding. That project is estimated to be completed by the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year.

“So when the ball was in [Fidelity’s] court, they en-gaged a completion contrac-tor,” Carlin said. “They have done that and they are on board and ready to start next week.”

What was left of the proj-ect included masonry and roof work, and pouring the con-crete floor that will become the base of the auditorium, Carlin said. However, the as-sistant superintendent also said the first priority, and most likely next step for Folchetti &

Associates, would be to pour the floor inside the auditorium.

Though the original com-pletion date was set for this month, the delay has pushed the end date of the interior of the auditorium to Memorial Day and the lobby and exte-rior to June 10, according to Carlin.

The assistant superinten-dent said there will be no change in cost for the project.

The Board of Education first approved a long-range capital plan in 2010, which in-cluded updates to the school’s auditorium and science class-rooms. In May 2012, the board

auditorium continued on page 11

Construction to resume on school auditoriumBy JoHN BraNdi

Staff Writer

Although construction of Bronxville High School’s au-ditorium was briefly suspend-ed after the Board of Education called it quits with the initial contractor last month, the proj-ect is now back on track after the bonding company stepped in to insure its completion.

On Dec. 16, the school dis-trict decided to end its contrac-tual agreement with KenStar Construction Corporation, af-ter school officials’ claimed the company backslid on the deal. The district claims the contractor failed to make cer-tain payments, didn’t meet the

By CHriS EBErHartStaff Writer

Since construction began in 2013, Kevin Wright’s fin-gerprints were all over Tucka-hoe’s recently-opened ice rink on Marbledale Road.

He dropped the ceremonial first puck before the inaugu-ral hockey game in Decem-ber 2014. He set up programs to teach children to skate and play hockey. He marketed the facility.

On Dec. 21, 2014, Home Ice officially opened its doors for business.

Just four weeks later, on Jan. 16, Wright resigned.

Wright was involved in ev-ery step of the development of the ice rink until a disagree-ment with his partner, Zev Abraham, boiled over and Wright washed his hands of the ice rink for good.

“I came to the realization that things weren’t going to be done the way I wanted it to be done, so I made my decision to resign,” said Wright, presi-dent of Home Ice Advantage, the company that owns the ice rink. “Things got a little crazy at the rink. It’s kind of tough because I put a lot into the project.

Wright said it was difficult to walk away from the rink but rather than continue down the current path he needed to step away.

“It seemed like when the investors got involved, things got contentious and there was a lot of stress to do things that I didn’t want to do,” he said. “I internalized a lot of frustration.”

Wright and Abraham, who was the chief financial officer

of the project, teamed up to build the ice rink in Tuckahoe.

Essentially, Wright had the vision—to bring hockey to the area—and Abraham was the financial backer of the proj-ect. The Eastchester Planning Board approved the ice rink at the end of 2013; construction began shortly after and fin-ished in November of last year.

Neither side was willing to divulge details of what the dis-agreement and Wright’s sub-sequent resignation were over.

But Wright did allude to the utility costs that come with running an ice rink.

“I think that’s where 90 percent of the friction came from,” he said, “but there wasn’t one thing that I could point to and say, ‘that was it.’”

Abraham said he “didn’t see eye to eye on certain mat-ters” with Wright.

The ice rink remains open, operating on the same sched-ule. Abraham said he is cur-rently in the process of search-ing for a new manager and hopes to find one shortly.

Anthony Rainone, Wright’s attorney, declined comment.

CoNtaCt: [email protected]

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Kevin Wright

ber but, to date, remains an un-finished product, according to county officials.

On Tuesday, Biederman,

when reached by phone, told the Review that his report’s writ-ten work is “mostly” completed and has been in the hands of the

Astorino administration “for a while.” He said, along the way,

Source: astorino, Standard amusements in talks

aStoriNo continued on page 10

According to a source, the Astorino administration has been in ongoing discussions with Standard Amusements about operating Rye Playland in the near future. Westchester County officials would niether confirm or deny that information to the Review. File Photo

By CHriS EBErHartStaff Writer

The county executive’s office continues to keep a $100,000 Playland consultant report under wraps while it has been in talks with Standard Amusements as a potential op-erator of Playland, the Review has learned.

In June 2014, following the collapse of Sustainable Play-land, Inc.’s plan to renovate the Westchester County-owned amusement park, County Ex-ecutive Rob Astorino, a Repub-lican, turned to Dan Biederman for help. Biederman, a renowned developer who is best known for redeveloping Bryant Park in New York City, was hired as a consultant for five months by Astorino, at a cost of $20,000 per month, to review Playland in its current configurations and produce a report on how to best utilize the amusement park and its surrounding space.

That final report was expect-ed to be completed last Novem-

2 • the eastchester review • February 6, 2015

February 6, 2015 • tHE EaStCHEStEr rEviEw • 3

By mariSSa PENNStaff Writer

The Eastchester Public Li-brary has undergone a series of recent renovations, with plans for future upgrades, including replacing its worn out roof.

The library’s roof, which is from the 1960’s, has been worn out and damaged due to several years of water damage and leaks, according to Tracey Wright, library director.

“The roof is over 20 years old, so it’s really time for it to be replaced,” she said.

The contract to replace the roof was just signed last month after a Jan. 20 East-chester Town Council meet-ing, according to Town Su-pervisor Anthony Colavita, a Republican. The council se-lected architectural firm Don-ald McDonald; the work is not expected to begin until May or June, Wright said.

The total cost of the new roof is estimated to be $300,000, according to Town Controller Dawn Donovan.

Eastchester library to move on new roofThe bid will go out at the end of February or early March.

“The roof has been patched up so many times that it’s just a compilation of patches,” Co-lavita said. “Its lifespan has been exceeded by a couple of decades.”

Funding for a portion of the project in the amount of ap-proximately $98,000, came from a New York State library construction grant, which the town had to match in order to receive the money.

The town has already ap-proved $150,000 toward the project and is going to identify where the remainder of the funding will come from during its capital budget in March or April, according to Donovan.

“We are happy that the town board has decided to move for-ward on this project,” Colavita said. “This will be the final step in returning the roof to working order.”

Future renovation plans for the library also include replacing the carpeting and installing new lighting in the entire library.

“Our light fixtures are re-ally outdated and some are even broken—replacing one here and there doesn’t re-ally make sense,” Wright said. “It’s going to be a big job and take a while for it to happen.”

It will be at least two years, if not longer, before any of the renovations plan-ned, outside of the roof work, will commence.

In addition to upcoming up-grades, the library underwent renovations last March.

The children’s room got a complete overhaul, with a new ceiling, new carpeting, a new circulation area and energy ef-ficient LED lights, according to Wright.

The children’s room was re-painted vibrant, bright colors, with Dr. Seuss characters and hot air balloons displayed on its walls. The children’s room also received a new comput-er, with several educational games for pre-school children.


The Eastchester Public Library’s roof, which has been damaged over the years due to numerous leaks, is finally going to be replaced. The project is set to start in May or June. The extensive water damage is visible on the ceiling of the library. Photo courtesy Eastchester Public Library


What’s going on...Eastchester Public Library

Local Children’s Author to visit EPL On Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 2:30 p.m., the East-

chester Public Library will welcome children’s author Christine Powell who recently published her debut title, “My Bed Is.” This picture book makes the experience of going to bed magical and imaginary. After the discussion, Powell will be signing books. The event is open to all and no pre-registration is required.

Teen/Tween Book clubOn Thursday, Feb. 9 at 4 p.m., the Teen/

Tween Book Club for grades 6 to 8 will discuss “Legend,” Marie Lu’s bestselling dystopian novel that is the first in a trilogy.

Teen Technology ClubOn, Saturday, Feb. 28 at 11 a.m., the Teen

Technology Club for grades 8 and up will have a special lesson in the free programming lan-

guage Scratch. Please bring your own laptop with Scratch already downloaded onto it. The discussion will be led from a screen, so if you cannot bring your own device you can still fol-low the discussion.

Reading Buddies Book ClubsOn Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m., 2nd and

3rd Grade Reading Buddies will discuss “Abel’s Island,” William Steig’s Newbery Honor-win-ning work of “animal fantasy.” It is the tale of a mouse who is washed away during a storm and is stranded on an island.

On Wednesday, March 11 at 7 p.m., 2nd and 3rd grade reading buddies will discuss “The Snow Spider,” the first of Jenny Nimmo’s Magi-cian trilogy. Inspired by Welsh mythology, “The Snow Spider” is the story of Welsh boy who on his ninth birthday learns that he may be a magi-cian just like his ancestors.

Online pre-registration, recommended for book clubs, is now open. Refreshments will be served. Copies of the books are available at the circulation desk.

Chinese New Year On Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m., the library

will have a Chinese New Year program for ages 5 and up. The library will welcome the year of the Sheep by reading stories, listening to tra-ditional Chinese music and making crafts of a firecracker and a lantern. Online pre-registra-tion is required, and begins on Feb. 11 at 9 a.m.

Tuckahoe Public Library

On President’s Day, the library will be closed and reopens on Tuesday, Feb.17.

Teen eventsTeen Art hour takes place on Wednesday,

Feb. 11 at 3:30 p.m.

“Science Workshop”The Science workshop, Wright Brothers and

Flight is for children ages 5 to 10 years and will takes place on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

Adult events:• AARP Tax Help

Fridays, 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. now until Feb. 27.

• President Truman Lecture Friday, Feb. 20 at 2:30 p.m.

• The Brontes: Books and Tea Explore the history and prolific works of the Bronte family on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 11 a.m.

• Hospice and Palliative Care program Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 11 a.m.

• Knit and Crochet Group Wednesday Nights at 7 p.m.

Adult Movie Adult Movie at the library is showing “The

Lucky one” on Feb. 11, “Secret Life of Bees” on Tuesday, Feb.18 and “Water for Elephants” on Feb. 25.

Please call to register at 961-2121. The library is located at 71 Columbus Ave. in Tuckahoe. You may also go online at tuckahoelibrary.org.

Bronxville Public Library “Book Discussion Group”

Join the Bronxville library on the third Tues-day of each month from 7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m., in the Board Room. Sign up at the Reference Desk to get on the email list.

“Computer Instruction”Free instruction in Internet access and Mi-

crosoft Office software, Tuesdays and Thurs-days at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Call the Reference desk at 337-7680 ext. 24 for more information and to register. You can also get instruction

online at LearningExpress, go to bronxville- library.org.

“Reader Instruction” Individualized instruction on downloading

books using eReaders is available by appointment.

“Knitters”Join the library every Wednesday at 11 a.m.

for a knitting hour at the Bronxville Public Library. In its inaugural season, the Bronx-ville Public Library Charitable Knitters Guild delivered scarves to residents of St. Christo-pher’s Inn for Christmas and cliked away on behalf of the Warm Up America Foundation making baby blankets.

Please bring in worsted weight, acrylic yarn in your choice of colors and size seven knit-ting needles.

Wednesday, 11 a.m. to noon, in the Board Room located on the lower level of the library.

No knitting instruction will be given. No registration is required. Come to one or all sessions. For more information, please call the Adult Reference Desk, 337-7680 ext. 24.

Blood supplies low

Since the beginning of the year, dozens of American Red Cross blood drives were can-celed due to inclement weather in parts of the country. In addition, widespread flu has kept some regular blood donors from donating. The Red Cross asks that healthy individuals help ensure a sufficient and diverse blood supply by giving blood.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities:

Rye:Feb. 28, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Rye YMCA,

21 Locust Ave.

White Plains:Feb. 20, 11:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., White

Plains Presbyterian Church, 39 North Broadway

Feb. 20, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Fusion Academy, 701 Westchester Ave, Suite 200E

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

all items to [email protected].

have a news tip?ContaCt yourloCal reporters

chris eberhart [email protected]

john brandi [email protected]

marissa penn [email protected]


Radon is a killerTo the Editor,January was National Radon Action Month and the American Lung Association of the

Northeast is reminding New Yorkers that radon can affect their lung health. Many may not be aware of what exactly radon is; radon is a colorless, tasteless and odorless gas that is found in soil and forms radioactive by-products which eventually can damage tissue inside your lungs and cause lung cancer. Radon enters your home, school or office building through cracks in the foundation or even through pipes and/or the water supply. People who have private wells are more at risk than people with community water supply.

Prolonged radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Radon-related lung cancers are responsible for an estimated 21,000 deaths in the United States each year. There are countless health risks to those living inside a home with high levels of radon. According to the EPA, smoking combined with radon exposure is considered a severe health risk.

Testing your home is the best way to find out whether you are being exposed to high levels of radon. The Lung Association sells radon kits for only $12. They are available at LungNE.org/products or by calling 1-800-LUNG-USA. For more information about Radon Action Month and how you can protect yourself from the dangers of radon gas, visit the EPA’s website at RadonMonth.org.

Jeff Seyler President, CEO American Lung Association of the Northeast

Letters to the Editor

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The letter should be signed and include the writer’s address and phone number for verifica-tion purposes. We will not publish letters that

cannot be verified. The opinions of letter writers do not reflect those of this newspaper.

Please submit via fax to (914) 653-5000 or email to [email protected] or via post to Home Town Media Group, C/O Letters to the Editor, 200 William Street, Port Chester, NY 10573.

We do not accept unsolicited Op-Ed submis-sions, film reviews, or food reviews.

About Letters to the Editor

Where’s all the lettersTo the Editor,Considering the fact that all the newspapers and magazines I read, except for the New

York Daily News, are publishing very few, if any, letters from their readers, I conclude that the people no longer have any opinions or their opinions are not worth publishing. This is a very sad state of affairs.

Yes, I am a very upset 92-year-old WWII, U.S. Navy veteran and retired engineer/manager.

Carmine Masucci,Eastchester


Publisher | Howard Sturmanext. 21, [email protected]

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

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

Reporter | Chris Eberhartext. 26, [email protected]

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Reporter | Marissa Pennext. 17, [email protected]

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Graphic Designer | Arthur Gedin

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Staff WritersJackson Chen, Alina Suriel

Staff PhotographerBobby Begun

ContributorsPeter Lane, Rich Monetti,

Christopher Petrowski

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EastchesterTHE

REVIEW

By JoHN BraNdiStaff Writer

If you got beer on the brain, two friends with a love for craft brew are creating a space where locals are invited to ride the wave of craft expansion into Westchester County.

Doug Cedrone and Bren-dan Carroll, both 27, said goodbye to their office jobs to open a craft beer place on Kraft Avenue in Bronxville called Beer Noggin. Cedrone said the name of the location, which once was home to a fro-zen yogurt shop, is a blend of two concepts: a derivation of an old English word meaning a four-ounce cup of beer and the idea that the two owners want customers to “use their noggin” when it comes to un-covering the vast flavors of craft creations.

“There’s a beer out there for everyone,” Cedrone said. “Beer can be sour; it can be sweet; it can be roasted like coffee. We’re so fortunate we found a really wonderful location and we’re in love with it. We wel-come people with open arms.”

Cedrone, a New Jersey na-tive, said he grew up in a simi-lar suburban environment to

Craft duo taps Bronxville market

the Village of Bronxville. He said it makes for the ideal lo-cation because you get to re-ally know your customer base.

“I enjoy this type of village, the atmosphere and communi-ty it fosters,” he said. “Every-body knows everybody else and [it has a] ‘we’re in this to-gether’ type of energy.”

Beer Noggin is also in great company with the county al-ready home to other quality breweries like Peekskill Brew-ery. Cedrone said that even in-cludes chains like White Plains-based The Brazen Fox, which recently opened up a second location on the Lower East Side in Manhattan, and Yard House in Yonkers’ Ridge Hill.

For Cedrone, his love for craft beers came while in col-lege, on a study abroad se-mester in Belgium. He said he started to see what beer could be, beyond the staples that were being passed around the college parties back home.

“It’s developing a love for craft beer as a culinary type of experience in terms of flavor and ingredient,” he said.

That’s not to say those tra-ditional beers won’t be in-corporated into the inventory of Beer Noggin. Cedrone

said, however, there will be a “heavier focus” on local beers. The idea is to first try the tradi-tional beer, like a Pilsner that’s been brewed for 1,000 years, and then branch out to alter-natives to have that anchor of something to compare the two.

The locale’s collection will also include imported domes-tic and foreign brews. Accord-ing to Cedrone, there will be a keg rotation when one is tapped out and seasonal vari-ety, but the beer spot will still feature “repeat beers” and a consistent selection of bottle brands.

“I would like for the cus-tomer to come in and first experience a comfortable and welcoming environment,” he said. “[The] craft beer industry, some people might be turned off to it because it might seem inaccessible or intimidating for the sheer choice. Ask ques-tions, learn what you like, and don’t like and why.”

Part of this learning curve will include events Beer Nog-gin looks to launch when they officially open in mid-April. Possible events, Cedrone said, will include a brewery tap takeover and brewery talks where patrons can learn more

about what they’re drinking. As part of the liquor li-

cense agreement, the craft beer spot will also serve “light snack fare.” Residents may be tempted to try the artisanal spiced nuts and hot pretzels, pickles and meat and cheese plates.

Still, as Bronxville’s com-mercial and retail vacancies dwindle in its business dis-trict, from seven vacancies to five in a matter of two months, it seems the village is open for business. The empty store fronts don’t scare Cedrone, who said it presents an ex-

citing opportunity for new neighbors, specifically other local businesses, to enter the streetscape.

“It’s expansion potential for Bronxville,” he said, “to spark up local commerce and the en-vironment. I’m excited to see what comes.”

And perhaps one day, Kraft Avenue will be known for its craft selection.

“We’re here to help im-prove peoples’ understanding of a really wonderful product,” Cedrone said.


A new beer destination will preimere this April on Kraft Avenue in Bronxville. Photo courtesy beernoggin.com

At 102 Kraft Ave., customers will soon experience unique brews on tap with the opening of Beer Noggin. Photo courtesy citysearch.com

A new craft beer place in the village will feature a variety of local, domestic and international brews. Photo courtesy Doug Cedrone

The name “Beer Noggin” blends beer and the thought behind choosing the perfect brew. Photo courtesy fuzebranding.com


This past week Gov. Cuo-mo presented his proposed state budget for the fiscal year 2014-2015. To be on time, the state Legislature must pass a budget by March 31.

Heavy on infrastructure re-pairs combined with an ambi-tious social agenda, the $14.16 billion proposed budget stays below the 2 percent tax cap only by exempting infrastruc-ture costs, something the gov-ernor and the state Legislature refuse to allow local govern-ments to do. Budget to budget, it is actually a 4.9 percent in-crease in state spending.

The number one priority of the New York Conference of Mayors and Municipal Of-ficials was to direct some of the $5.4 billion in windfall monies due to the various bank settlements back to the local governments to provide local property tax relief and assuage the crushing costs of state unfunded mandates. The governor did not need this ad-vice, rather choosing to leave the aid to municipalities flat at $714.7 million statewide and retaining $850 million of the settlement monies unused in a reserve account.

A lion’s share of the settle-ment monies, $1.3 billion, will go to the Thruway Authority allowing tolls to remain flat for the next fiscal year and to-wards the cost of the Tappan Zee Bridge. As to the bridge allocation critics posit, like any local construction project big or small, wouldn’t it have made more sense to have fi-nancing actually in place be-fore starting a project?

Much of the remaining capital spending is directed to-ward the economically belea-guered counties upstate:

*Seven upstate regions would compete for three $500 million economic develop-ment awards.

*The Syracuse State Fair

The state’s agenda doesn’t help usgrounds would see its largest infusion of investment ever in the form of a $50 million capi-tal grant.

*$400 million is directed to hospitals, primarily all upstate, to help with capital projects.

*Oneida County would re-ceive $300 million to create a healthcare delivery system.

*$40 million is allocated for improvements to the Port of Oswego and additional “inter-modal” railroads in Syracuse and Binghamton.

*A Southern Tier Farm Initiative costing $30 million would be created to help land-owners in the region maintain and develop farmland. The proposal comes on the heels of the Cuomo administration’s decision to ban hydro-frack-ing which some citizens in the Southern Tier had hoped would revive the depressed economy.

Another major component of the proposed budget is di-rected toward the state public education system. School aid would increase by $1.1 billion, representing a 4.8 percent in-crease over the 22 billion al-located to school districts in the current budget. However, the $1.1 billion is directly tied to legislative approval of the changes in teacher evaluation and tenure policy that the gov-ernor is advocating.

The governor would trans-fer control of teacher evalua-tion from local school districts to a statewide system with outside observers. Under the current evaluation system, less than 1 percent of the teachers statewide were found to be “ineffective,” an almost unbe-lievable rating for any profes-sion. The governor also pro-poses to require teachers to earn five straight years of high evaluation marks, instead of the current three year proba-tionary period before receiv-ing lifetime employment in the form of tenure.

Additional initiatives in the area of education include:

*Taking chronically under performing schools out of lo-cal control and placing them

under the supervision of a state appointed receiver.

*Expanding pre-K pro-grams to “high need” three year olds at a cost of $25 mil-lion. (There is no mention of giving New York City the au-thority to raise city personal income tax on the wealthy to fund universal pre-K.)

*Increasing the limit on the number of charter schools from 560 to 460 as well as increasing their funding. Speaker Silver has been a vo-cal opponent of this proposal along with the State Teachers’ Union.

Other initiatives of conse-quence in the governor’s pro-posed budget include:

*Raising the minimum wage from $8.75 to $10.50 statewide and $11.50 in New York City.

*Decreasing the small busi-ness tax rate from 6.5 percent to 2.5 percent resulting in the lowest rate in one hundred years.

*Increasing the financial al-location to the Environmental Protection Fund to $172 mil-lion representing a 28 percent increase since the 2011-12 budget.

*Giving district attorneys the latitude to release infor-mation about a grand jury’s collective thinking when it de-clines to hand down an indict-ment of a police officer inves-tigated over a fatality.

All of the above initiatives were temporarily eclipsed by the indictment of Speaker Shel-don Silver just 24 hours after the unveiling of this budget.

In a blistering indictment of our state government as well as Mr. Silver, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said Albany ex-hibits, “a lack of transparency, lack of accountability and lack of principle joined with an overabundance of greed, cro-nyism and self-dealing.”

In a chilling admonition, he added, “no one is above the law, no matter who you are or who you know or how much money you have.”

“Stay tuned.”

The second concert on the Midland Music series will take place on Sunday, Feb. 8, at 3 p.m., at the Bronxville Wom-en’s Club.

The concert titled “Cham-ber Music Post Meridian,” will feature Bronxville Women’s Club members Joyce Rasmus-sen Balint, mandolin; Ellen Bardekoff, oboe; and Oxana Mikhailoff, piano. The pro-gram will represent every era from late Renaissance to mod-ern and will include works by Mozart, Beethoven, Cimarosa, Tchaikovsky and Bartok. A re-ception follows the concert.

Tickets in advance for adults, $20; at the door, $25; seniors in advance are $18, at the door $20; students/children are $5. With advance reserva-tions, dinner prepared by Shel-don Party Services, will be

served at the club following the concert and reception; addi-tional prices, adults, $25; chil-dren under 12, $10. For more information and reservations, please call 337-3252 or visit bronxvillewomensclub.org.

Joyce Rasmussen Balint is the mandolin soloist with the Metropolitan Opera and is currently performing in the Met’s production of “Don Giovanni.” She has performed as a soloist and in orchestras including the Met Orchestra, the Boston Symphony and the Paris Opera. Ms. Balint, also a violinist, is concertmaster of the Amore Opera in New York City. She teaches in her private studio and at the Mozartina Musical Arts Conservatory in Tarrytown.

Oxana Mikhailoff is the mu-sic director of Midland Music

and is an active concert pianist and teacher. She appears regu-larly on the east coast playing solo and chamber music con-certs. She has a large private studio and also teaches at the Crestwood Music Education Center in Eastchester.

Ellen Bardekoff received her post graduate diploma from The Juilliard School, has won several awards for her oboe playing and has toured the United States and Europe with several ensembles in-cluding the Goldovsky Opera Company, the Egger Begeg-nungen Festival Orchestra, Austria, and the Orpheus En-semble. Ms. Bardekoff is cur-rently principal oboe with The Bronx Symphony. She is the founder and artistic manager of The Bardekova Ensemble. (Submitted)

Midland Music series returns

The Westchester County Health Department is offer-ing residents the opportunity this month to get free flu shots, along with vaccines to protect against six other diseases at its Yonkers and White Plains clinics.

“Getting these vaccines can help keep you and your fam-ily stay healthy this year,” said County Executive Rob Astorino.

The health department clin-ics will offer:

• Free flu vaccines to resi-dents age 19 and up

• Free HPV and menin-gococcal vaccine for college students

Residents who are uninsured or whose insurance doesn’t cov-er vaccines also may receive:

• Zoster vaccines for ages 60 and up to protect against Shingles

• Flu vaccine for children ages

six months through 18 years• MMR for residents age 19

and up, which provides protec-tion against measles

Call now for your appoint-ment. Supplies are limited.

Clinics will be held:• Feb. 6 and 20 at our White

Plains Clinic, 134 Court St., call 995-5800

• Feb. 13 and 27 at our Yon-kers Clinic, 20 S. Broadway, second floor, call 231-2500

“Last week’s case of mea-sles in a Bard College student who rode an Amtrak train as well as the multi-state measles outbreak that originated at Dis-neyland are fresh reminders of the importance of getting vaccinated,” Commissioner of Health Sherlita Amler said. “We have vaccines for chil-dren, students, adults and se-niors—and these vaccines pro-vide safe and effective protec-

tion for a number of diseases.” The Health Department

has expanded access to adult vaccines by giving more than 2,000 vaccines at a variety of clinics countywide.

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

For more health informa-tion, go to westchestergov.com/health; like us on Face-book . com/wchea l t hdep t and follow us on Twitter @wchealthdept. (Submitted)

Astorino announces free vaccine clinics

Official Newspaper

Town of Eastchester

Eastchester Schools


The Concordia Conserva-tory’s One of a Kind musical gala featured a concert with vocalist Sylvia McNair, the Ethos Percussion Group, vi-olist Lawrence Dutton, vio-linist Elizabeth Lim-Dutton, cellist Evelyn Wadkins and pianist Jon Klibonoff at the the Sommer Center at Con-cordia College. The perfor-mance was immediately fol-lowed by a dinner dance at the Bronxville Field Club.

The 2015 conserva-tory gala benefit commit-tee included chairs Allison Roesser and Linda Cioffi with Anne Angevine, Iris Bader, Lisa Smith Barr, Anja Cooney, Romy Coquillette, Ana Dimas, Lia Gravier, Jennifer Heathwood, Ma-rie Jensen, Stafford Meyer, Mauricio Morato, Mari-sol Sanchez, Erin Seuffert, Wendy Sigurdson, Laura van Tienhoven and Jeff Ungvary. Monies raised from the event support the scholar-ship, school music outreach, tuition-free holiday musi-cal, Project Music Achieve-ment in the south Bronx and Concordia Conservatory. (Submitted)

One of a kind performance

Vocalist Sylvia McNair performs on Jan. 31. Photos/Alissa Meyer

Left to right, Tracey and Jim Carroll, former Concordia Conservatory board members and current board members, David and Lisa Barr.

Left to right, Concordia Conservatory Executive Director Kathleen Suss, Hoch Chamber Artistic Director and Emerson String Quartet violist Larry Dutton, Mary Hoch, patron of the Hoch Chamber Music Series and former board member, and Liz Lim-Dutton, violinist.

Turina Piano Quartet performs to a sold-out audience at the conservatory’s “One of a kind” gala.


A letter focusing on governmental transparency and reform is gaining traction in Albany after Speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Silver, left, a Manhattan Democrat, was forced to resign his leadership position due to federal charges of corruption. He has since been replaced by Assemblyman Carl Heastie, a Democrat from the Bronx. Photos/assembly.state.ny.us

Post-Silver, Assembly calls for reformBy aliNa SuriEl

Staff Writer

With Carl Heastie, a Bronx Democrat, having been elected as the new speaker of the New York State Assembly this week, the question now remains whether he will learn from his prede-cessor’s mistakes.

Following a whirlwind two weeks which saw the swift downfall of longtime Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Man-hattan Democrat, on federal corruption charges, Democratic members of the state Assembly gathering in Albany on Feb. 2 added their names to a letter prioritizing the reform goals of applicants vying for the speaker position. The group calls itself the reform caucus, and the let-ter was sent as an initiative from members within the house’s Democratic circles. Out of the total 150 members in the As-sembly, 37 Democratic legisla-tors came forward to show their support and sign on to the letter, as of press time.

The letter was addressed to all interested candidates vying for the Assembly’s leadership seat, which had initially num-bered as many as five but then narrowed down to Heastie and Catherine Nolan, a Queens Democrat, by Feb. 2.

According to Assembly-woman Amy Paulin, a deciding vote was originally planned for Feb. 10 but moved up to Feb. 3 after a campaigning session in which it became apparent that Heastie would be the winner by a wide margin. Before be-ing elected into office in 2000, Heastie, 47, served as a budget analyst in the New York City Comptroller’s office. His elec-tion will mark the first African-American to hold the position of Speaker of the Assembly.

Assemblyman David Bu-chwald, a White Plains Demo-crat, publicly called for Silver’s resignation as speaker after his alleged crimes came to light, although he believes whether or not he keeps his legislative seat in the Assembly is ultimately the decision of Silver’s con-stituents. Silver does not face re-election until next year.

Buchwald was one of 23 Democrats to sign the pro-transparency letter during the first day of its circulation on Jan. 29. He is encouraged by reports that Assemblyman

Heastie has stated that he will meet with the reform group to discuss the various issues af-fecting the state Legislature.

“I definitely believe that he has the ability to bring changes to Albany,” Buchwald said.

Silver, who held his leader-ship post in the Assembly since 1994, was forced to resign as speaker after being arrested on Jan. 22 on charges of cor-ruption brought on by the U.S. District Attorney Preet Bharara and the FBI.

Allegations against him in-cluded claims that he had re-ceived nearly $4 million dol-lars in bribes and business re-ferral kickbacks in exchange for use of his powerful posi-tion and influence in the Leg-islature and charges that he in-tentionally misrepresented the source of this income as being from his work as a personal in-juries lawyer.

“Politicians are supposed to be on the people’s payroll, not on secret retainer to wealthy spe-cial interests they do favors for,” Bharara said in a statement.

Bharara charged that a lack of transparency and overabun-dance of greed were deep prob-lems still left to be solved in Al-bany, and he has since launched an investigation into Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, a Long Island Republican.

In the meantime, some in the Assembly are looking forward to what they feel is a chance for greater partici-pation for all members with the beginning of a new era of leadership. Silver was widely reported to have exercised a firm control in the Assembly which made his decisions dif-

ficult to oppose during his time as speaker. To avoid having this issue resurface, the reform caucus dedicated a portion of its letter to the question of a fair and open debate of ideas in a system which has traditionally valued seniority over all else.

Amy Paulin, a Scarsdale Democrat who has been in the Assembly since 2000, signed the reform letter on Monday, Feb. 2, and said she expects Heastie to have a more inclu-sive approach than his belea-guered predecessor.

“In my mind, we have an opportunity to make some changes that people have want-ed to make for a long time,” Paulin said. “So I’m looking at it positively.”

State Sen. George Latimer, a Rye Democrat who served in the Assembly until be-ing elected into the Senate in 2012, said the creation of the reform caucus is the first time he can recall so many Assem-bly members being united with a common interest, regardless of geography.

According to Latimer, the reform letter will likely con-tinue to gain attention and sup-port due to the unique nature of such a wide cross section of legislators asking for a struc-tural change.

“The test is not what we say but what we do,” he said. “And now we’re seeing [how] can we do things that we talked about and actually accomplish them.”

Assemblyman Steve Otis, a Rye Democrat, could not be reached for comment as of press time.


Astorino’s office raised ques-tions that required dialogue between the two sides, so the administration withheld the report.

Ned McCormack, spokes-man for Astorino, said one question has been added to another, and the administra-tion has asked Biederman to explore more things.

“We’ve been wrestling with this thing, and we’ve been ac-tively engaged,” McCormack said. “But we want to be care-ful and do it right.”

While the Astorino admin-istration and Biederman have been in contact, a source says, so to have the county execu-tive and Standard Amuse-ments, a special purpose en-tity that is backed by the New York-based investment firm Standard General that was founded by Nicholas Singer and Soo Kim.

According to the source, the Astorino administration has already chosen Standard Amusements to operate and renovate the park and has been in ongoing discussions with the company.

When reached on Wednes-day, Singer declined comment and said he could not confirm or deny that he was in talks with the administration. McCormack didn’t deny that the administra-tion has been in talks with Stan-dard but did say the county is “talking to a lot of people.”

Apparently, Central Amuse-ments is not one of them.

Valerio Ferrari, president of Central Amusements Interna-tional which has been in com-petition with Standard Amuse-ments to run Playland, said he hasn’t heard from the county in months but said on two

aStoriNo from page 1 separate occasions—once before Christmas and once as recently as this week—he was told the administration is speaking with Standard Amusements.

“They went for the mon-ey,” Ferrari said. “I think we could’ve done a good job, but at this point, I’m losing my faith...It’s been a roller coaster ride over the past few years.”

Standard Amusements, along with Central Amuse-ments, which is backed by the international company Zamperla that is largely known for its rejuvenation of Coney Island, were the runners-up to Rye-based SPI in a 2010 request for propos-als that was issued by Astori-no in seeking an operator to potentially run and renovate historic Rye Playland.

In 2012, Astorino tapped SPI, a nonprofit, to take over the iconic amusement park, but SPI pulled its proposal in June of last year amidst con-flict with the City of Rye over land use jurisdiction, back-lash from the neighborhood abutting the amusement park, criticism from the Democrat-ic-led Westchester County Board of Legislators and a pending lawsuit from one leg-islator challenging the valid-ity of the asset management agreement between Astorino and SPI that turned day-to-day stewardship of the park over to the nonprofit.

Following SPI’s with-drawal, the Board of Legis-lators re-engaged Standard Amusements and Central Amusements in September 2014. Central Amusements’ proposal revolved around adding new rides, while Standard Amusements’ pro-posal focused more on in-

vesting money into capital projects such as painting, wood replacement, pavement work and landscaping.

Standard earmarked a $25 million commitment to the county—$6 million up-front and another $19 mil-lion for capital projects. Of the $19 million, approxi-mately $15 million would be spent on capital im-provements before the sec-ond season. As part of the proposal, Playland’s older, iconic rides such as the car-ousel and Dragon Coaster, would be refurbished and three new rides—a $1.5 million double loop water slide to enhance the pool area, a $2.2 million inter-active children’s water play element and a $1.2 million “unicoaster,” which simu-lates a looping roller coast-er but with a smaller foot-print—would be added.

According to Standard’s proposal, revenue created from the park would first go toward paying its oper-ating costs, which has his-torically hovered around $14.5 million per year, then toward annual capital improvements for the up-coming season, which is estimated by the company to be a need between $1.5 million and $2.5 million per year. Standard would also recoup a $5 million manag-ing fee if annual revenues allow for it. And any ad-ditional surplus outside of those associate costs would then go to the county.

Board of Legislators Chairman Mike Kaplow-itz, a Yorktown Democrat, declined comment.



approved the borrowing of $5 million through a bond refer-endum to support the $10 mil-lion needed to follow through on the renovations. The re-maining funding for the proj-ect came from a 2011 con-struction reserve fund, which accounts for $2 million, and another $3 million from the Bronxville PTA, the Bronx-ville School Foundation and

auditorium from page 1

Bronxville school officials are hopeful that renovations to the high school’s auditorium will resume after a new contractor was found to finish the incomplete work. Photo courtesy atbs1.blogspot.com

other private donors. In 2013, the New York State

Education Department moved the project along by approving the renovation, marking the first time any updates would be made to the auditorium and science wing since the 1960s. Despite delays to the audito-rium, the redesign of the sci-ence classrooms have not been impacted, Carlin said.

Initial consideration to pos-sible litigation against Ken-

Star, the original contractor, seems to have stalled on the part of the school district, as Carlin said right now, the fo-cus is getting the job done and the only action taken was sub-mitting a claim to the bonding company to insure the comple-tion of the job.

A call to Folchetti & Asso-ciates was not returned as of press time.


The Concordia Conserva-tory will present “The Magi-cal Musical Mystery” on Sat-urday, Feb. 7 at 11 a.m. in the Schoenfeld Campus Center at Concordia College as part of its Musical Adventures fam-ily concert series. With book by Rami Vamos, the show fea-tures an all-star cast of con-servatory students with Olivia Damasco, Emily Murray, Jack Clough, Grace Smyth, Renz Toledo, Giulia Mazzello, Rose Hanish, Emma Sanchez, Jack Szczepanski, Carmel Pacht-Colblence and Ally Bruno with Kathleen Suss, stage di-rector, Audry Hamilton, cho-reographer and Greg Suss, music director. The band in-cludes Emma Sanchez, piano, Abby Carter, bass and percus-sion, Rose Hanish, cello, and Nick Lombardi, guitar. The students hail from Bronxville, Eastchester, Yonkers, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon and Tuckahoe.

About the showThis musical comedy cen-

ters on Detective Mervin Sch-

Conservatory presents magical mystery

luppinghammer who solves the case of the missing diamond of Dr. Stinkynose. Mervin’s road meets many musical characters along the way that helped to unravel the comedic mystery and crack the case.

About the Rami Vamos Rami Vamos shares the

stage with other musicians and actors to bring original mate-rial to audiences of all ages. His prolific compositional of children’s musicals include “Monsterland,” “The Amazing Tale of Prince Pickles,” “Once Upon A Time Signature” and Introducing: “Wolfgang Ama-deus Schmutzinberry,” “Eg-bert the Scaredy Cat,” and “Marsha the Martian.” Mr. Vamos has also written mu-sic for theatrical productions, setting his own compositions to masterpieces from many periods, and composed sev-eral solo and chamber com-positions over the past few years including a collabora-tive composition with guitarist Randall Avers called “12 Silly Songs for 12 Silly Strings.” In

the fall of 2006, Vamos was commissioned to write a musi-cal entitled, “The 12 Days of Christmas.” The commission was through a grant from the New York State Music Fund with Concordia Conservatory. The musical was the subject of a three-segment documen-tary featured on “Kids Teen News.”

Mr. Vamos is on the faculty of the Hutchinson and Siwan-oy Schools in Pelham, as well as Concordia Conservatory where he is string department chairman and on the guitar faculty. He holds a BM from Oberlin College Conservatory and a MM from Yale Univer-sity and has completed a New York City Teaching Fellow-ship that earned him a MEd from Queens College. He is also a teaching artist with Chamber Music Society at Lincoln Center.

Tickets are $15 adults/$7.50 children and seniors. To pur-chase tickets, please call 395-4507 or visit concordiaconser-vatory.org. (Submitted)


Evil foreigners hack legitimate designers

Don’t be surprised if you find an exact duplicate of your present or future kitchen, rep-licated in such foreign places as North Korea, China or even New Jersey. Even where food is scarce and life is cheap, people still want a breathtak-ing kitchen and they will not be denied, even if it means us-ing illicit means to hack into the interweb or darknet to steal your most secret design concepts or selfies. Is noth-ing safe today? Not really, just watch “Person of Interest” on TV, or the news if you dare. If you want to ensure a unique solution to your kitchen or bathroom project, and have it executed properly, look for a secure, licensed, accredited firm that has been around for a while and knows what they are doing.

Beware especially of the “sleeper contractor” who re-mains dormant until there’s mischief to be made. These reprehensible operators op-erate under the radar, off the grid, in the shadows, until it’s time to strike. They have no license, they have no insur-ance, they don’t even have scruples. They would steal a design or cut a corner, without giving it a second thought and install cabinets infused with arsenic, from countries that pay their workers pennies a

day. Just wait until something goes wrong or you need a re-placement part or the cabinets start to warp. If you’re lucky enough to find them, just as their name connotes, they’ll probably be “sleeping” on the job and unable to help you.

Unfortunately legitimate design/build firms don’t come cheap and I’ll tell you why. Licensing fees alone for a lawful home improvement business in our area runs more than a thousand dollars. They include Westchester County fees; separate fees for Yon-kers; Connecticut license fees and New York City, too. And in New York City you can’t actually do home im-provements even if you have a home improvement license unless you also get a “Home Improvement Salesman Li-cense” too. Also add Rock-land and Putnam license fees for firms that work there.

Then there are the feds. In order to be a legitimate home improvement contractor you must pay to be trained and certified by the EPA for the “Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program.” This train-ing costs a couple of hundred dollars every few years, not to mention the time involved for classes. In addition, you also have to pay $300 to the EPA every so often, just to be registered. On the other hand, you have to weigh all that against being taught never to leave stuff lying around that can be inhaled, stolen or cop-

ied by another, less reliable contractor.

And let’s not forget insur-ance, as if anyone with 15 minutes could ever forget in-surance. The “sleeper contrac-tor” doesn’t need “no stinkin’ insurance.” However, the properly trained and licensed home remodeling firm is re-quired to have many types of insurance. They need liabil-ity insurance, disability insur-ance, Worker’s Compensation insurance, auto insurance; and those with permanent loca-tions like a showroom need even more insurance. And in-surance isn’t free.

So when you hear that someone got an all new kitch-en with installation for $5,995, you can only guess who did it. Wake up. They made a con-scious choice to give up the piece of mind that comes from using a real American contrac-tor who plays by the rules. Of course this type of security doesn’t come cheap, but you get what you pay for. And, if you need warranty service years after the job has been completed, who do you think will not be sleeping and be willing to take care any prob-lems that may arise?

Walter is a one-year-old male orange tabby. He is a total lap cat, cuddly as a teddy bear. Walter greets you with soft meows and loud purrs. He is great with other cats and would be purrfect to keep you warm on cold winter days. Walter is in excellent health, neutered and up to date with all vaccinations. The adoption donation for Walter is $80. To meet this handsome kitty, please contact Pet Rescue at 740-4072 or visit NY-PetRescue.org.(Submitted)

Paul Bookbinder, m.i.d., c.r., is president of DreamWork Kitchens,

Inc. located in Mamaroneck. He can be reached for questions

at 914-777-0437 or www.dreamworkkitchens.com.


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February 6, 2015 • tHE EaStCHEStEr rEviEw • 15SPORTS

Like a lot of American sports fans, I’ve got some questions that need answering after last Sunday.

Questions like “What mar-keting genius thought that Na-tionwide commercial was a good idea,” or “Was the Pepsi halftime show real, or just a scary fever dream?”

But the biggest question of all is the most obvious; what the heck were the Seahawks thinking?

With under a minute to go, Seattle had the ball on the half-yard line with the best power running back in the game and a good chance to be the first team in 10 years to repeat as Super Bowl champs.

We all know what happened next; Seattle opted to throw the ball, Patriots’ defensive back Malcolm Butler picked it off, and just like that, Tom

A Super blunderBrady was hoisting his fourth Lombardi Trophy.

As entertaining as the game was—and in my mind, it was the best Super Bowl in my life-time that didn’t involve the Gi-ants—it’s been much more fun listening to pundits and fans come up with explanations for the bizarre play call that cost the Seahawks the game.

Some of the best hypothe-ses center on the media-averse Marshawn Lynch—who should’ve gotten the ball.

Did Pete Carroll not call his number because he—and NFL officials—didn’t want Lynch to take the podium as the Su-per Bowl MVP?

Was Carroll thinking about offseason negotiations with the star running back instead of winning the game?

Given enough time—and enough ammunition—sports fans can come up with all sorts of crazy scenarios. But I think the answer here is a lot simpler; Carroll and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell

simply got too “cute” for their own good.

Even the best coaches—and I’d include Carroll in that group—aren’t immune to buy-ing into their own hype.

I can remember what it’s like watching this happen as a fan.

In Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS, first-year Red Sox manager Terry Francona called on starter Pedro Marti-nez out of the bullpen against a lineup that had tattooed him all season long—and just one year after manager Grady Little stuck with Pedro one in-ning too long against the same Yankees’ squad, denying the Sox a shot at the World Series.

But at least when that hap-pened, I had time to talk my-self into the move—and Pedro thankfully didn’t blow the game.

For Seahawks fans, Sun-day’s decision must have been a real shot to the gut.

Carroll has long market-ed himself as an iconoclast, someone who goes against

Last Sunday’s Super Bowl was one of the most entertaining championship games of recent memory. But even on the biggest stage, mistakes do happen. Photo courtesy NFL.com

conventional wisdom. What better way to prove it than choosing the biggest play, of the biggest game of the year, to show just how forward-thinking he is?

If that play had worked, had

Ricardo Lockette come down with the ball, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. We’d be talking about the “gutsy” second down call by Carroll and his refusal to obey the norms of playcalling.

But, it didn’t work. Sometimes, conventional

wisdom is conventional for a reason.

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16 • the eastchester review • February 6, 2015 SPORTS

Golden Dozen honors starsBy miKE SmitHSports Editor

On Thursday, Jan. 29, the Westchester chapter of the National Football Foundation honored some of the area’s brightest stars at the annual Golden Dozen Awards ban-quet held at the Westchester Country Club in Rye.

A number of local stars were named to this year’s team, in-cluding Rye’s Andrew Liv-ingston and Tim DeGraw, Ma-maroneck linebacker Andrew Sommer, and Charlie Tarry and Steven Ircha from Bronxville.

According to Bob Everett, the secretary and chairman for the foundation, the Golden Dozen selections were made in recognition of each player’s achievements on the field and their commitment to academic achievement and philanthropic efforts away from the gridiron.

“We canvas all the coaches, and we had 44 nominations this year,” Everett said. “We look for kids who are truly student-athletes and make sig-nificant contributions to their school and their community.”

The Golden Dozen awards,

which have been around since 1974, have long been a source of pride for the area, Everett said, and serve as a reminder of the positive influence that young people can have.

“These kids are truly student-athletes,” Everett said. “We are talking about young men taking advanced placement courses, participating in two or three sports, serving in student gov-ernment and taking leadership roles in their schools.”

In addition, the foundation also handed out $15,000 dol-

lars in scholarship money to deserving recipients. Livings-ton—who became Section I’s all-time leading passer last fall—won the Chris Mello Scholar Athlete Award named after the former Garnet stand-out who lost his life on Sept. 11, 2001.

Tuckahoe’s Enoch Penney-Lareya, a two-way standout who rushed for 1,144 yards and 16 touchdowns this year, was an honorable mention for the Golden Dozen and was also awarded the Tony

Sabella Scholarship.Tuckahoe football coach

John D’Arco, who has coached Penney-Lareya for the past several years, said the award was affirmation for the positive impact that his star running

Tuckahoe’s Enoch Penney-Lareya fights for an extra yard against Haldane in the Class D championship game last fall. On Jan. 29, Penney-Lareya was awarded the Tony Sabella Scholarship Award at the Golden Dozen award banquet.

Mamaroneck linebacker Andrew Sommer punts the ball against Arlington last October. Sommer was one of 12 football players named to the Golden Dozen team last week. Photo/Mike Smith

back has had on the school. “It’s something that coaches

want, to have a player [like Enoch] who has such a positive attitude,” D’Arco said. “He has set the bar high as a role model on and off the field.”

According to Sommer, al-though the thrill of being named to the Golden Dozen was immense, the true payoff came at the banquet, when he got the chance to mingle with some of Section I’s best and brightest.

Sommer, who serves as the treasurer for Students for Senegal at Mamaroneck High School, said that meeting the other award winners was an eye-opening experience.

“It was an honor, and at the banquet I did my best to talk to as many of the other guys as I could,” the senior said. “Guys like Andrew Livings-ton from Rye, James Nicholas from Scarsdale. There were so many talented and intelligent people there.”

As the Westchester chap-ter of the National Football Foundation continues to hon-or these student-athletes, the function serves as a celebra-tion of how much of an impact sports can have on the commu-nity, Everett said.

“One thing I said in my concluding remarks was about looking at some of the schools these young men will be going on to,” he said. “I don’t think there is any reason to worry about the next generation.”

CoNtaCt: [email protected]’s Andrew Livingston became Section I’s all-time leading passer last fall. Livingston and teammate Tim DeGraw were both named to the Golden Dozen team. Photos/Bobby Begun

eastchester review 2-6-2015

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