July 22, 2016

Mamaroneck REVIEW THE

July 22, 2016 | Vol. 4, Number 30 | www.mamaroneckreview.com

Ralph’s to undergo more stringent review process

By JAMES PERO Staff Writer

BLACK& BLUE In the wake of the shootings of Dallas police officers on July 7, an act precipitated by the sudden deaths of two African-American civilians in Minnesota and Louisiana at the hands of law enforcement, Westchester County took to the streets to react with planned events in White Plains and Mamaroneck.

For coverage, see page 8. Photo/Bobby Begun; photo/Chris Courtney

More Mamaroneck seniors could receive tax breaks

By JAMES PERO Staff Writer In an effort to allow more seniors access to affordable housing, the village of Mamaroneck will mull over an amendment to the village code that expands senior eligibility for tax cuts.

According to Village Manager Rich Slingerland, the

amendment would modify a statewide program called Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption, SCRIE, which allows local municipalities to provide tax abatements to property owners looking to keep rent at a controlled level. These abatements would then be passed onto seniors in the form of a more stabilized rent.

Slingerland said the village’s income threshold—the maximum yearly income a senior can earn to remain eligible for SCRIE—is currently $18,500.

If passed, however, a new proposed threshold would be set to $35,000.

Assistant Village Manager Daniel Sarnoff doesn’t know how many additional seniors

will be covered by the proposed expansion, but the number likely won’t be astronomical.

Mayor Norman Rosenblum, a Republican, however, said the village Board of Trustees will consider the measure in order to give seniors in the village the extra financial help they need, and SENIORS continued on page 5

A crusade to rectify what many residents claim has been a faulty zoning process for a popular new Mamaroneck business, Ralph’s Italian Ices & Ice Cream, pushed forward on Monday night, after the village Zoning Board of Appeals acknowledged that the business was previously misclassified.

“We don’t think [Ralph’s owner Scott] Rosenburg did anything wrong,” said zoning board Chairman Barry Weprin. “But he should’ve gone through a site plan review at the minimum.”

Fervor over Ralph’s has reached a boiling point since its opening in May after what residents in the surrounding area have described as disruptive noise conditions, traffic, and unsightly garbage resulting from the business’ booming success.

“Our quality of life has gone down,” said Stephanie Figliomeni, a resident of the adjacent Keeler Avenue. “People argue that I live in a commercial area, but we’ve never had a business that stays open until 1 a.m. and has hundreds of customers.”

The zoning board’s decision will require Ralph’s—which will remain in business in the interim—to submit an application for a special permit by Aug. 17, and shorten their hours of operation to 10 p.m. on weekdays and

11:30 p.m. on weekends.

The business’ hours of operation are currently set until 1 a.m.

Monday through Saturday and until midnight on Sunday. The storefront is located at 946 E. Boston Post Road.

In front of a full audience in Mamaroneck’s village courtroom, angered residents of the surrounding area vocalized their case for revoking Ralph’s certificate of occupancy; a move they say will mend a number of traffic and noise related issues spurred by the business.

Rosenburg, a Long Island resident and owner of Ralph’s—a popular New York chain—said he’s been shocked by the amount of opposition to his business.

“I’ve had dozens of businesses before and I’ve never had this,” he told the Review.

Rosenburg owns and operates three other Ralph’s Italian Ice shops on Long Island.

Currently, while the business is classified as a retail establishment, residents claim that, under village code, Ralph’s should have been vetted through the lens of the village’s fast food protocol.

Figlomeni and others who attended the meeting contend that if Ralph’s had followed the proper protocol, the business would have been mandated to follow a more stringent set of regulations, RALPH’S continued on page 7

2 • THE MAMARONECK REVIEW • July 22, 2016

July 22, 2016 • THE MAMARONECK REVIEW • 3

Water quality trouble looms at Shore Acres Club

Seasonal water quality monitoring performed by environmental organization Save the Sound has confirmed fecal contamination and virtually no improvement over the past three years at the Shore Acres Club, located at 500 The Parkway in the village of Mamaroneck. File photo

By FRANCO FINO Staff Writer Despite multiple years of troubling reports, an annual water quality testing program has once again revealed elevated levels of bacteria at the Shore Acres Club, located in the village of Mamaroneck, confirming fecal contamination and hazardous swimming conditions for residents.

According to Save the Sound, an independent environmental group that is responsible for running seasonal water quality monitoring studies to measure bacteria levels of beaches, shorelines, streams and rivers along the Long Island Sound, 2015 beach data reveals the Mamaroneckbased club is one of two Sound beaches to receive a failing water quality grade.

The unsafe water contamination is associated with a number of health risks, including viral, parasitic, skin and bacterial infections. Young and elderly residents are also susceptible to more serious diseases and gastrointestinal infections.

Common causes of fecal contamination in Westchester County waterways typically involve sewer overflows, where untreated waste and raw sewage is released into the environment.

While water pollution is easily attributed to humans, according to Tracy Brown, the director of

the Western Sounds Program of Save the Sound, the high bacteria levels come from animal waste, too. She said often fecal excrement from geese and seagulls goes unattended, and rainy weather washes the contamination into local waterways.

Brown also stressed that sewage from the village’s septic tanks have played a significant role in the pollution of the Mamaroneck Harbor. Several dozen old septic tanks currently exist around the village.

Mamaroneck Village Manager Richard Slingerland said it’s possible that septic tanks are contributing to the pollution at the Shore Acres Club. “Once those [septic] systems exceed their useful life, they cause sewage to leach out,” he said.

But according to Slingerland, the origin of the general bacteria that is infecting the village beach club is virtually unidentifiable at this point. “The bigger problem is coming out of the Otter Creek area,” Slingerland said.

Dan Natchez, president of the Shore Acres Property Owners Association, said it is not unreasonable to consider that there is a leaking pipeline stretching from underneath the beach club into Otter Creek, which is located directly adjacent to the Shore Acres Club.

Brown added that, when it rains, it looks like there’s contamination around the Otter Creek.

“[The village] should invest in waste water infrastructure [and] look at the health of [Otter] Creek to see what’s polluting it,” she said.

According to Slingerland, however, the village just repaired a leaking pipe in the vicinity of Otter Creek in June.

To date, the village has a budget of $600,000 this year to spend on inspections, water testing and pipe repairs, but village officials are reluctant to confirm whether or not it will resolve the pollution at the Shore Acres Club.

Although data shows that some waterways experience a wide range of bacteria levels on a yearly basis, Otter Creek and the Shore Acres Club have tested relatively the same throughout the past couple of years, showing no improvement. “When the [Shore Acres Club] fails, it’s a rather significant failure,” Brown said.

With its close proximity to Shore Acres, Otter Creek is among 35 Long Island Sound waterways below the national average for water quality.

Save the Sound receives its water quality samples from the Westchester County Department of Health. “The data is as accurate as it gets,” Brown said.

The Shore Acres Club could not be reached for comment as of press time.

CONTACT: franco@hometwn.com

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4 • THE MAMARONECK REVIEW • July 22, 2016

What’s going on...

Mamaroneck Public Library

Visit mamaronecklibrary.org for more information on summer hours and programs.

Pokémon Go Pokémon Go is a free game app for your smartphone that lets you catch Pokémon in real world locations, like the Mamaroneck Public Library.

The library is a PokéStop, where you can stock up on Pokéballs, potions and other items to help you catch ‘em all.

Is Pokémon draining the battery of your smartphone? Remember to use the free Kwikboost charging stations in the front lobby, Teen Room or Children’s Room to recharge your device.

Post pictures of the Pokémon you find at the library on the Mamaroneck Public Library’s Facebook page. Each week, a winner will be chosen to receive a 3-D-printed Gym Badge. Remember, the picture must involve the library in order to qualify.

All ages story and craft hour

ther details at 630-5875.

This five-day workshop will teach the girls how to design and build EV3 LEGO Robots; programmable command robots using high quality motors, sensors, gears, wheels, axles and other technical components. Functions are limited only to one’s imagination.

This program is made possible by a grant from Westchester Library System, sponsored by Mamaroneck Elks Lodge B.P.O.E. No. 1457.

Do You Need Health Insurance?

Make an appointment for a one-on-one information session with a Westchester County health department navigator, who will be in the library’s Tech Room on Wednesdays from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Representatives will answer questions about health insurance-related topics, including essential plans, Medicaid, Child Health Plus and health coverage for business owners’ employees. Clients should be prepared with their Social Security numbers, documents for legal immigrants, birth dates, employer and income information and insurance policy numbers.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the Westchester County Department of Health at 813-5192. Appointments are available in English and in Spanish.

Home Buying Made Simple

On Wendesday, July 27 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 On Saturdays from 11 a.m. to noon in the Chilp.m. in the Community Room. Join Theresa Vitidren’s Room. No registration required. There will Finck, a mortgage loan officer, for a brief course in be stories will appeal to all ages of kids and their making home buying simpler and easier. caregivers, and a craft simple enough for the little kids and creative enough for the big kids.

Tabletop Thursday On Thursday, July 28 from noon to 4 p.m. in the Teen Room. Teens are welcome to drop in for On Monday, July 25 from 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in activities, games, crafts and other activities. This the Children’s Room. For ages 3 to 7. Drop in for program is free and open to the public, and regisstories, songs and a craft relating to a different cultration is not required. ture each week. No registration required.

World Languages Storytime

Snap & Chat Robot Marker-Overs for girls On Monday, July 25 through Friday, July 29 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. For girls in grades seven to nine. Registration is required. Space and materials are limited, and other registration requirements and restrictions apply. Please contact Ellen in the Mamaroneck Teen Library for fur-

Larchmont Public Library Although the main library is under renovation, the library is open and operating from the Larchmont Village Center, located directly behind the main library building. For information about the library’s renovation, call 834-2281 ext. 3 or visit larchmontlibrary.org. Find more programs on the website, as well as summer hours.

Saturday morning yoga with Damien Germino

tivity is free and open to the public, and registration is not required.

Adults will be able to welcome their weekend with yoga every Saturday through July 30 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Michael P. Coords Activity Room. Learn about the history, philosophy and practice of yoga with instructor Damien Germino. Germino will guide participants to understanding the poses and breathing techniques that will bring peace and beauty to relieve stress while they stretch. Participants should bring their own yoga mat or towel to class. This class is free and open to the public, and registration is required. For more information or to register for this class, call 834-2281.

Move and Groove Storytime: Bubbles

Saturday Sahaja Meditation On Saturdays from 11 a.m. to noon at the Village Center. No registration required. Sahaja Meditation is unique because of how quickly it can help you achieve self-awareness. You will feel calmer, more relaxed and better focused every time you meditate. Try it for free and see.

Project Linus Knitting and Crochet Group On Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon in the Village Center. Join this knitting/crochet group and use your talents for a good cause. The group has created and donated several blankets to Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital for the benefit of local children. No registration required. For all questions related to Project Linus, email Doris Patt Smith at momdsmith1@yahoo.com.

Read Around the World Storytime: Asia On Tuesday, July 26 from 3:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. For ages 5 to 7. A free ticket is required to attend this event. Tickets are available on a firstcome, first-served basis beginning at 3:15 p.m. on the day of the program.

Pack your bags and get ready to travel the world. Every Tuesday, visit a different continent through stories, music and crafts. Come join in the fun and get your special Read Around the World Storytime Passport stamped.

Mystery Fun in Ryder’s Garden Every Wednesday from 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., there will be a craft or gardening activity in Ryder’s Garden for children ages 3 and up. This ac-

On Thursday, July 28 from 2:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. For ages 3 to 4. A free ticket is required to attend this event. Tickets are available on a firstcome, first-served basis beginning at 1:45 p.m. on the day of the program.

On your mark, get set, move in storytime. In honor of the Summer Reading Program theme, there will be stories and movement-based activities. Enjoy some great stories about bubbles and then make your own.

Cooking workshop with Chef D’Amour Giovanni Green On Thursday, July 28 from 3:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. For ages 6 to 10 with family members. A free ticket is required to attend this event. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 3:15 p.m. on the day of the program.

Join Chef Giovanni Green of Break Bread not Hearts and have a delicious experience at the library as you pick vegetables from the garden and cook with them. You can learn about food, where it comes from and what is good for you while you learn how to whip up a tasty treat. The food used in the program will be from the yield of the vegetable garden planted in Ryder’s Garden this past spring.

At Home on the Sound Volunteers needed At Home on the Sound is seeking additional summer volunteers to drive older neighbors in Mamaroneck and Larchmont to errands, shopping or appointments. The local nonprofit supports adults who want to remain in their own homes as they age. Rides will be provided on weekdays, and volunteers can determine when and how often they drive. For more information or to become a volunteer, call 899-3150 or email athomeinfo@athomeonthesound.org.

Deadline for our What’s Going On section is every Thursday at noon. Though space is not guaranteed, we will do our best to accommodate your listing. Please send all items to news@hometwn.com.

July 22, 2016 • THE MAMARONECK REVIEW • 5

Recreation Dept., LMCTV host Tiki Invasion

On Friday, July 29, the village of Mamaroneck Recreation Department and LMCTV will host their first annual “Tiki Invasion” at Harbor Island Park’s Stephen E. Johnston Beach. The event will kick off at 6 p.m. and will feature a variety of tiki-themed activities, drinks and food.

A live band, bonfire, fire dancer and an outdoor screening of “Joe Versus The Volcano” will add to the festivities. The event is free and open to the public. Parking inside Harbor Island Park will cost $10 per car.

The event is scheduled to end at 11 p.m.

Molly Spillane’s, Orange Bank & Trust and the Alliance for Community Media Northeast Region are sponsors for the event.

LMCTV, or Larchmont-Mamaroneck Community Television, serves the tri-municipality of the villages of Mamaroneck and Larchmont and town of Mamaroneck by covering news, governmental meetings, Board of Education meetings, the arts and culture, community events, educational events and offers unique, original programming.

The network airs and channels 75, 76 and 77 on Cablevision

and channels 34, 35 and 36 on Verizon/FiOS. “This is an event that you won’t want to miss,” said Matt Sullivan, COO of LMCTV. “We wanted to do something that everyone could enjoy, while at the same time celebrate our wonderful community. LMCTV is thankful to the village of Mamaroneck Recreation Department, in particular Sandy Korkatzis, for all of their hard work and making this event possible.”

For more information, please contact Sullivan at msullivan@ lmctv.org or call 381-2002 ext.

202. Visit lmctv.org. (Submitted)

SENIORS from page 1

the nation.

And while expanding tax cuts like the SCRIE will help more seniors, increasing the number of residents assisted by the program will come with some stipulations.

According to Slingerland, the abatement works on a sliding scale, so the higher a resident’s salary, the less assistance they will receive from the program.

“It slides down so someone earning lower incomes gets a higher subsidy,” he explained, adding that the state allows for a maximum threshold of $50,000.

“So someone making $50,000 might only get a 5 percent subsidy.”

According to a recent memo to the Board of Trustees, other municipalities in the county have also moved to increase their thresholds

in an attempt to provide seniors with more benefits. The cities of New Rochelle and White Plains have both raised their thresholds to $40,000 and $30,000, respectively.

The village of Mamaroneck currently has the third lowest threshold of any of the 16 municipalities in Westchester County participating in the program, landing just above the villages of Sleepy Hollow and Pleasantville, which are both approximately $15,000.

Before being enacted, the amendment must still go through a round of public hearings. The first regarding the change is scheduled for the village’s next Board of Trustees meeting on Aug. 15.

every bit helps.

“It’s a no-brainer,” he said.

“This type of program has a limited financial impact on the village itself, but it has a tremendous financial impact for those that live in the village.”

In Westchester County, Slingerland explained, tax abatements for seniors are especially important, given the county’s cost of living and relatively high rent.

According to a quarterly 2016 report from the National Association of Realtors, while the median national house price was $230,000, in Westchester County, the median home sold for just less than $420,000. Westchester also often tops the list of highest property-taxed counties in

CONTACT: james@hometwn.com

She’s not crazy, her name just rhymes with it. Read Lenore Skenazy’s column every week in the Review.

A past contributor to the Daily News and the New York Sun, Skenazy has also appeared on “The Daily Show,” been profiled in the New Yorker and even had her own reality TV show, “World’s Worst Mom.”

6 • THE MAMARONECK REVIEW • July 22, 2016

Mamaroneck THE

REVIEW

170 Hamilton Ave., Suite 203 White Plains, N.Y. 10601 Tel: (914) 653-1000 Fax: (914) 653-5000

Publisher | Howard Sturman ext. 21, publisher@hometwn.com

Local chef awarded

James Beard grant

Christian Falcone Associate Publisher | Editor-in-Chief ext. 19, chris@hometwn.com Executive Vice President | Ira Ellenthal ext. 31, irathal@hometwn.com Sports Editor | Mike Smith ext. 22, sports@hometwn.com Editorial Assistant | Sibylla Chipaziwa ext. 25, sibylla@hometwn.com Editorial Assistant | Suzy Berkowitz ext. 30, suzy@hometwn.com Reporter | James Pero ext. 20, james@hometwn.com Graphic Designer | Arthur Gedin

Guadalupe Hernandez has been working at The Spotted Pig in New York City since May, learning the ins and outs of the restaurant business under renowned chef and co-owner April Bloomfield. Photo courtesy Facebook

Graphic Designer | Jim Grasso Advertising | Lindsay Sturman ext. 14, lsturman@hometwn.com Advertising Coordinator | Sibylla Chipaziwa ext. 27, ads@hometwn.com Staff Writer Corey Stockton, Franco Fino Staff Photographers Bobby Begun, Andrew Dapolite Interns Justin Grant, Josh Stabile Columnist Lenore Skenazy

Letters

The community’s opinion matters.

If you have a view to express, write a letter to the editor by email to chris@hometwn.com. Please include a phone number and name for verification purposes.

Community Events

If you have an event you would like to share with the community, send it to news@hometwn.com.

Delivery

Guadalupe Hernandez, 43, recently received a culinary grant from the James Beard Foundation to undergo a women leadership mentor program. She was one of 21 women selected nationwide.

Photo courtesy Guadalupe Hernandez

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Classifieds & Legals

By SIBYLLA CHIPAZIWA Editorial Assistant

Postmaster

Guadalupe Hernandez has been cooking for a living ever since immigrating to the United States from Mexico to be with her husband in the early 90s.

Once here, Hernandez cared

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for the elderly to both make money and improve her English, bringing meals from home to work.

“Sometimes when I’d warm up my food and they’d see me eat, my clients would ask what the food was,” she said. “Eventually, I started cooking for them.”

She became a private cook to mostly elderly clients, so she had to be mindful of various dietary restrictions, including lowsodium and low-fat. Hernandez, a resident of Rye, decided to become a professional chef and enrolled in culinary school two years ago. Having had her fill of cooking privately, she also started looking for restaurant jobs,

only to be told that she didn’t have the requisite experience.

“But I have been cooking for almost 20 years; I know how to cook a steak, I know how to cook an egg,” she’d say.

Hernandez, 43, started volunteering and earning internships, finally gaining restaurant experience. She then noticed culinary scholarships and grants, and began applying for those, too.

Hernandez applied for one particular grant within hours of its deadline.

Earlier this year, the James Beard Foundation, a culinary nonprofit organization, notified Hernandez that she was one of 21 women selected nationwide

for its Women in Culinary Leadership grant.

“I decided to apply because I felt I met the requirements they were asking for,” she said. “I’m so honored to have received this grant. I’ve worked hard to be at this level.”

The James Beard Foundation’s mission is to “celebrate, nurture, and honor America’s diverse culinary heritage through programs that educate and inspire.” The nonprofit is named after James Beard, called the “Dean of American cookery.”

After his death in 1985, his Greenwich Village brownstone was transformed into the foundation’s base for culinary heritage and programs.

Candidates of the leadership grant will participate in either a six- or 12-month mentor/grantee program. The program exposes candidates to the front and back of house of a restaurant. Front of house means the areas that guests are exposed to, and back of house covers the kitchen, employee areas and offices. All candidates have had some form of culinary or hospitality experience through school or past employment. Hernandez in particular will mainly focus on back-of-house aspects.

Now in its third season, the Women in Culinary Leadership Program offers hands-on mentorships, giving women the chance to break through the culinary world’s “glass ceiling” by working with industry leaders

and building restaurant and/or kitchen skills.

“There are so many wonderful women in the industry, but that’s not enough,” said Shelley Menaged, manager of special projects and student programs for the James Beard Foundation.

“We’re giving these women a leg up… a chance to take it to the next level.”

Hernandez started her mentorship this past May at The Spotted Pig in New York City, under renowned chef and co-owner April Bloomfield. The restaurant offers a fusion of American and Italian cuisines.

“I’m like a sponge trying to learn as much as I can,” Hernandez told the Review of her experience so far.

As a woman of color in a white, male-dominated industry, Hernandez says she does not experience discrimination based on her gender and race anymore.

“I don’t think there’s a big difference now between men and women, especially in the kitchen,” she said. “If you go to the back of a restaurant, especially the prep team, most of them—if not 100 percent—are Hispanic.

Being in an environment like that, it’s awesome because I can work with everybody. There’s no racism. We all want to work.”

A representative from The Spotted Pig could not be reached for comment.

CONTACT: sibylla@hometwn.com

July 22, 2016 • THE MAMARONECK REVIEW • 7 RALPH’S from page 1

A zoning board appeal led by disgruntled residents has put one village of Mamaroneck business—Ralph’s Italian Ices & Ice Cream—up for a second, and more stringent, review process. File photo

including being required to publicly notice and vet the business before its opening through a site plan review.

According to Weprin, while a special permit process is often expedient, for a business that has already garnered as much

attention as Ralph’s, a review process could potentially take longer than usual.

Figliomeni, who has partially led the crusade against Ralph’s, said that while the zoning board’s decision on Monday was promising, conditions on

her street have yet to return to normal. “[Traffic] is going to be our battle now,” she said. “We need to address the other issues facing the community.”

CONTACT: james@hometwn.com

Traffic, noise and dangerous conditions are among the major complaints from area residents, pictured at the July 17 zoning board meeting, who claim that Ralph’s classification as a retail store was rendered incorrectly.

Photo/James Pero

8 • THE MAMARONECK REVIEW • July 22, 2016

Westchester speaks out

on high-profile killings

Hundreds of protesters of all races and denominations rally in downtown White Plains at a justice march in the wake of two African-American civilian shootings by police this month. Photos/Bobby Begun

Justice marchers’ moods and messages are easy to observe during the rally in White Plains.

By SIBYLLA CHIPAZIWA Editorial Assistant Gun violence has always been a hot topic in the news, and lately, civilians and members of law enforcement have both been targeted in what some call a racist agenda, and what others call retaliation for how minorities are treated.

On Thursday, July 14, local organizers held a rally calling for police reform in the wake of two civilian deaths of AfricanAmerican males at the hands of Republican Mayor Norman Rosenblum of the village of Mamaroneck law enforcement that sparked places a candle at a memorial during a vigil on held on July 15 in honor of the slain Dallas police officers. Photo/Chris Courtney outrage across the nation. Hundreds of participants of all ages chures demanding police reform neapolis, Minnesota, as well and races marched for justice on both county and state levels, as other civilians shot and through downtown White Plains. including establishing both in- killed by law enforceWESPAC, an organization based dependent oversight structures ment during the week in White Plains that focuses on and a special prosecutor to in- of the Fourth of July.

In response to those peace and justice activism, led vestigate and discipline police misconduct. shootings, five Dalthe rally.

The impetus of the White las police officers were The march, which began at 6 p.m., started at Calvary Bap- Plains rally were the murders of tist Church and ended at Court Alton Sterling on July 5, in BaCONTINUED on next page Street, where a stage was set up ton Rouge, Louisiana, and Phifor speakers to address racial- lando Castile on July 6, in Minized policing, police accountably, transparency, reform, and improving relations between communities and police.

On hand were members of the Westchester Coalition for Police Reform, a subdivision of the Westchester Martin Luther King Jr. Institute for Nonviolence.

The coalition handed out bro-

The Rev. Franklyn Richardson, of Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, addresses hundreds of supporters in downtown White Plains at the conclusion of a march for justice and police reform on July 14. Richardson offered suggestions to address racialized policing.

July 22, 2016 • THE MAMARONECK REVIEW • 9 gunned down, and several others were injured by Micah Johnson, an Army Reserve veteran of the Afghan War. The shooting took place during a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest for Sterling and Castile.

That was recently followed by the shootings of three Baton Rogue police officers on July 17

by Gavin Long, a former Marine who served in Iraq.

Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., a co-founder of the coalition, is no stranger to police shootings. He lost his father, Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., to bullets from White Plains police officers in November 2011. The shooting took place at 135 S. Lexington Ave., Chamberlain Sr.’s home, which marked the first stop on the march.

Chamberlain Sr., an African-American and former U.S. Marine, was shot when police responded to a LifeAid alert.

Chamberlain Sr. refused help when emergency personnel arrived at his residence, leading police to break down the door to his apartment. Police used a Taser to try and subdue Chamberlain Sr., who police said was wielding a butcher knife, and also shot him twice. He later died at White Plains Hospital.

In 2012, a grand jury decided against indicting the police officers involved in the shooting.

This year, 639 civilians have died at the hands of law enforcement, as of press time, and 66 police officers have been killed in the line of duty over that same timeframe.

Now, as a country tries to unite behind a common cause, the importance of building relationships between police and the communities they watch over becomes a focal point.

Imam Ali, of Yonkers, addresses the gathering of supporters at the White Plains police reform rally. He shared his vision for an America that lives in unity and with respect for all walks of life.

Photo/Bobby Begun

Many rally participants brought out their children, bearing signs and T-shirts with important messages to all.

Photo/Andrew Courtney

and mingling with members of law enforcement in Dallas following the shootings played out more than 1,500 miles away.

Village of Mamaroneck Mayor Norman Rosenblum, a Republican, feels that the recent events are a result of po-

litical correctness and “different groups representing their own agendas.”

“I think there has to be honest and open dialogue among all parties,” he told the Review.

“The first line of defense this country has is our uniformed personnel: your police, your fire, your EMS. And when you go after them, you’re going after everybody.”

A police officer looks on at a memorial adorned with candles in memory of the five Dallas police officers ambushed and killed on July 7 through July 8.

-with reporting by Andrew Dapolite

CONTACT: sibylla@hometwn.com

Residents of the village of Mamaroneck lay candles in front of the memorial at the village courtroom on July 15.

Appreciation and admiration for the work of local police was shown in a candlelight vigil held in the village of Mamaroneck on the evening of Friday, July 15, which honored the police officers killed in Dallas on July 7 through July 8.

Participants gathered at the memorial in front of the Mamaroneck courtroom to light candles and show gratitude to the men and women in uniform who protect and serve their communities. Police officers from the area were present, and scenes reminiscent of civilians hugging

A police officer from the village of Mamaroneck speaks with a resident at the Dallas candlelight vigil. Emphasis on positive relations between law enforcement and communities is seen as one solution to the tensions felt nationwide.

Photos/Chris Courtney

10 • THE MAMARONECK REVIEW • July 22, 2016

New design concept puts ‘bar’ in Barnes & Noble

The back section of the new Barnes & Noble store in Eastchester is expected to have large sections of seating and offer table-side service. Renderings courtesy AvroKO

By COREY STOCKTON Staff Writer Westchester County will be home to one of a handful of concept stores being launched by Barnes & Noble this year.

The former site of the Borders bookstore at the Vernon Hills Shopping Center in Eastchester will return to a hub for book and music sales with the building of a new Barnes & Noble. The bookstore chain will update the location by being the first of its kind to also offer a restaurant and lounge along with its usual conveniences.

The new location, on White Plains Road, is one of four new concept stores planned to launch this year offering dining and drinking services beyond the usual café. The other three stores are set to be built in Edina, Minnesota, Folsom, California, and Loudon, Virginia.

The Eastchester location is

scheduled to open in October, with a full-service restaurant serving beer and wine, as well as a bocce court, an outdoor fire pit and patio seating.

Along with the new design, Barnes & Noble will be launching a new mobile app to help customers navigate the store.

Jamie Carey, Barnes & Noble president of development, said the app will provide users with a store layout and help them find books and other media they’re searching for.

In a released investors meeting, Barnes & Noble CEO Ron Boire said that people are increasingly looking for a place to gather and be part of a community, adding that he hopes the new store concepts will be central to the locations they inhabit.

Carey added that the new design would reinforce the community feel. “When customers come to our new stores, they’ll know it is a Barnes & Noble, but

it will be through a new experience,” he said.

The new location will join three other Barnes & Noble storefront already in Westchester; the other locations are in White Plains, Yonkers and Mohegan Lake. The company has been closing locations throughout the country for several years, but only closed eight locations last year, which is the fewest number of store closings it has reported in 16 years.

The Borders, which had previously rented the Eastchester space, closed in 2011, after the corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The storefront has been vacant ever since.

The Barnes & Noble café will not be the only one in the Eastchester plaza to serve alcohol. The Starbucks in the Vernon Hills Shopping Center also serves beer and wine.

CONTACT: corey@hometwn.com

The café in the new Barnes & Noble will serve beer and wine; the bookstore will also have a large outdoor seating area with a fire pit and bocce court.

July 22, 2016 • THE MAMARONECK REVIEW • 11

Fear-Pokémongering RHYMES WITH CRAZY Lenore Skenazy

By now, even if you have not yet played Pokémon Go, you are more aware of it than your own breathing. You have read that the app has been more downloaded than any other app, ever, and that it has actually convinced kids to leave the house to go play outside—a miracle!

But you have probably also heard about the player who stumbled upon a dead body, and the two guys who walked off a cliff (but lived), and the 15-year-old who didn’t look up and got hit by a car. (She’s alive, too.) And then there were those four guys arrested in a black BMW somewhere in Missouri for waiting in a secluded area and robbing the Pokémon players who stopped by.

So if you are part of the vast web of Very Concerned Adults whose life’s purpose seems to be dreaming up terrible things that can happen to kids anytime they venture beyond the kitchen, you can relax. You’ve got your stranger-danger stories. Phew! Now you can remind us that anytime people are headed outside, especially kids, they had better think long and hard first.

Following this incredibly predictable script, a bunch of our local TV stations are solemnly warning us about scenarios they have made up in their heads. Reports CBS New York, “there are worries that sex offenders might use the app to lure children.”

And says NBC New York, the app “could potentially put

young people at risk.”

Note to news editors: Worries are not the same as “realities.” What’s more, pretty much anything can “potentially” put young people at risk, including eating dinner (they could choke!), playing baseball (they could get hit by a bat!) and attending school (what if they fall off the stage during a production of “Annie?”).

As delightful as Pokémon Go is to play—I love it and I’ve never played videogames (or whatever this is) before—it almost seems to be more exciting to the authorities who can spit out a new set of warnings faster than you can say, “Air Time!”

And so all the way across the country, the San Francisco Police Department took it upon itself to tell moms and dads that they should “know where [their] kids are going when playing with the app” and “set limits”—as if parents couldn’t possibly do that themselves. As if this whole “kids going outside” thing is just so new and crazy.

The ‘Frisco Fear-mongers also published this Pokémon Go Safety Tip: “Know your surroundings and pay attention to where you’re going/who is around you. Slow car paralleling a person on foot might be a sign it’s a getaway car.”

Um, yeah. Except that with literally 15 million people playing this game across the entire country for the past week, we have that one BMW in Missouri to point to as an actual menace.

Meantime, over in England, which you’d think has bigger problems to freak out about, the authorities are warning that the app could be used to make

children “easily accessible to criminals”—and they don’t even have the game there yet!

It’s almost like there’s a parallel universe out there: Game players get points for finding Pokémon, and the warning class gets points for dreaming up Hollywood horror movie plots. But the warners also get massive publicity, because nothing sells like kids in peril. Even if they aren’t in peril.

(Can I remind us all here that stranger-danger is the least likely of crimes?)

So the other morning, I was walking around my bustling, leafy Queens neighborhood when I saw one mom showing another mom the app. The explainer had her 10-year-old son with her. “Can he go out on his own to play?” I (a stranger!) asked.

“Oh no, no, no,” she said, as if I’d queried, “Would you bathe your child in acid?” The other mom agreed: No way.

“What age do you think you’ll let them play on their own?”

Answered Mom No. 1, grimly laughing: “28.”

The Pokémon game is so fun, so simple, so sharable, it is as if the company invented the 21st century equivalent of the ball—a toy kids can play with on their own, or in a group, or when they’re walking down the street.

But the ball came of age before the warning industry, indeed before the dawn of history, so kids simply got to go outside and play with it.

Imagine that.

CONTACT: lskenazy@yahoo.com

12 • THE MAMARONECK REVIEW • July 22, 2016

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13 • THE MAMARONECK REVIEW • July 22, 2016

Business Briefs Fordham Westchester’s Ravazzin Center awarded $500K grant by county Fordham University’s Ravazzin Center, an extension of the school’s Westchester campus, has been awarded a $500,000 grant by Westchester County for its work with the Children and Family Institute.

The Ravazzin Center, part of Fordham’s Graduate School for Social Service, GSS, will use the grant money to evaluate a care model aimed at reducing the risk of homelessness for children in foster care.

Over the course of three years, GSS researchers will evaluate several components of the program’s work with homeless youth, including outreach, education, employment opportunities, and connections with families and support systems. The Fordham research team will also assess a network of peer-to-peer “navigators,” foster care teens who help other teens “navigators,” or foster care the social service system.

“Sometimes youth don’t feel that the professionals understand them,” said Janna Heyman, Ph.D., professor of Social Work and chair of the Ravazzin Center. “Having a young person that can say, ‘I’ve been there,’ and who can help connect them to professional support and guidance makes a big difference.”

The Ravazzin Center has spent the past two years studying how Westchester County helps its foster care youth. Its research revealed a gap in communications that has led to the implementation of the peer-to-peer approach.

The previous research also helped identify factors that lead to homelessness, such as the number of times a child has been moved from home to home.

“Now, we identify the youth that have been moved several times and understand that’s when we should bring in peer-to-peer navigators and professionals to further support them,” Heyman said.

The next three years will be devoted to implementing the program and evaluating its various components—from education to housing, to peer-to-peer programming.

The Ravazzin Center was established in 1995. Its mission is to empower social workers and communities to meet the needs of an aging society through development and dissemination of knowledge.

Fordham University’s Westchester campus is conveniently located off Interstate 287, Interstate 684 and the Hutchinson River Parkway. The 3-story, state-of-the-art building sits on 32 landscaped acres in West Harrison. Fordham Westchester is home to the Fordham School of Professional and Continuing Studies, Gabelli School of Business, Graduate School of Education and Graduate School of Social Service. It is also home to four institutes: the Beck Institute on Poverty and Religion, Children FIRST, National Center for Social Work Trauma Education, and the Ravazzin Center on Aging.

Furniture Sharehouse 2016 Designers’ Committee kickoff promises stunning results Prominent area designers gathered at Mamaroneck Self Storage recently to search through stacks of unique items from the Furniture Sharehouse inventory, as well as new items

donated by local home furnishing vendors, to begin the creative process that will result in 10 stunning vignettes to be featured in the Furniture Sharehouse’s upcoming gala, “The Power of Ten: Celebrating 10 Years of Furnishing Families.” The hallmark of the gala, these signature “Designer Vignettes” are part of the Gala Silent Auction, and an integral part of the evening’s fundraising.

Since opening its doors in 2007, Furniture Sharehouse has provided more than 54,000 items of free furniture to more than 10,000 individuals in need, including more than 5,000 children, to fill their empty apartments and help them rebuild their lives. The “Power of Ten” gala will help raise much-needed funds to furnish hundreds of families each year moving from homelessness, escaping domestic violence, struggling with poverty, and recovering from personal or natural disasters.

Mamaroneck Self Storage is providing storage and studio display space for the furnishings to be used to create the designer vignettes. Refreshments for the kickoff meeting were generously sponsored

by Mist Home Vintage and Modern, located at 614 Fenimore Road in Mamaroneck, putting the designers in the mood for “browsing and brainstorming.”

“The Power of Ten: Celebrating 10 Years of Furnishing Families” gala will be held on Friday, Oct. 28 at Mamaroneck Beach & Yacht Club.

For more information on ticket and sponsorship packages, contact Rose Cappa-Rotunno at events@ theeventdepartmentny.com or call 747-0519.

Houlihan-Parnes leases The Westchester Bank’s 5th branch

White Plains-based Houlihan-Parnes Realtors LLC announced that it has represented The Westchester Bank in a 10-year lease for a 2,050-square-foot storefront bank branch space located at 301-305 Mamaroneck Ave., Mamaroneck.

Jamie Schwartz of Houlihan-Parnes Realtors represented the tenant. John Manous of HoulihanParnes Realtors represented the owner.

Schwartz said, “We were once again able to find the perfect space for The Westchester Bank’s fifth bank branch. The space was formally a RadioShack that had occupied the storefront for over 25 years. It was not on the market at the time of our search, and we were able to negotiate a deal for the space prior to RadioShack rejecting the lease in its bankruptcy proceeding and vacating the space. It’s one of the prime storefront locations on Mamaroneck Avenue in the central business district, near many other national and regional banks.”

John Tolomer, president and CEO of The Westchester Bank, said, “As we continue our strategic growth of our bank branch system, Mamaroneck is a desired location both from a consumer and commercial business banking aspect. As the leading community bank in Westchester County, The Westchester Bank is also recognized as one of the fastest-growing

community banks in the country, with total assets in excess of $570 million, loan balances in excess of $470 million, and deposits of $476 million.”

Norm DiChiara, AIA of Norman DiChiara Architects P.C., designed the branch.

Houlihan-Parnes Realtors LLC is a nationally affiliated, multi-faceted real estate investment company headquartered in White Plains. Its companies and affiliates are engaged in the acquisition and ownership of all types of commercial real estate investment property in the continental United States. Its various companies and affiliates specialize in commercial mortgage finance, investment sales, property management, and leasing and mortgage servicing. For more information, please contact James J. Houlihan at 694-6070 ext. 324 or by email at jjh@ houlihanparnes.com.

The Westchester Bank is a New York state chartered and full service, FDIC-insured commercial bank offering state-of-the-art technology with a comprehensive line of business banking products to businesses and consumers, including business and personal checking, business lending, commercial mortgages, savings accounts, CDs, money market accounts, Interest on Lawyer Accounts (IOLA), attorney escrow accounts, and tenant security accounts. The Westchester Bank is headquartered at 12 Water St., White Plains, with branches located at 2001 Central Park Ave., Yonkers; 464 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains; 994 Broadway, Thornwood; and 51 South Moger Ave., Mount Kisco.

William Raveis in Rye gets new salesperson Mary McCabe has joined the William Raveis Rye office, located at 78 Purchase St. McCabe comes to Raveis with a wealth of experience and a strong network of industry and client connections. Prior to selling real estate, she owned and operated a successful Larchmont restaurant called Bellizzi. Her passion for real estate resulted in her transition into the business in 2013. She has since built a successful career in the residential market.

McCabe works with buyers and sellers across Westchester and Connecticut as licensed real eastate salesperson. She can be reached at 217-0032 or Mary.McCabe@raveis.com.

William Raveis is the largest family-owned real estate company in the Northeast. It is ranked fifth in the leading real estate companies of the world, and is the world’s largest luxury real estate network, with 3,500 offices. For more information, visit raveis.com.

The next Business Briefs section will run in August. Please send any submission for our August edition to news@hometwn.com, with “Business” in the subject line of your email.

Each submission may include one picture. If you have any questions, email us at news@hometwn.com.

14 • THE MAMARONECK REVIEW • July 22, 2016

Mike drop LIVE MIKE Mike Smith

I feel like over the past few years, I’ve devoted a lot of space in my column to retirements.

Whether it was Derek Jeter’s emotional farewell at the end of the 2014 season, David Ortiz’s historic 2016 season or Tim Duncan’s perfectly understated announcement last week, I’ve always had a fascination with an athlete’s decision to hang ‘em up.

And now, I understand why.

A few weeks ago, I told some of my teammates on my men’s baseball team that this, indeed, would be my final season.

My body is too battered, my arm is hanging on by a thread, and lately, I realize there’s more I want to do in life than spend every single weekend of my summer on a hot, dusty field somewhere in the five boroughs.

I couldn’t tell you the last time I went to the beach.

So I decided that, no matter what, 2016 would be my last summer playing baseball.

Baseball has been a constant in my life ever since I was old enough to play T-ball. With the exception of two years in college when I decided that living the fraternity life was more important to me than taking the mound, I’ve been out there on the diamond.

So as confident as I am that my decision will stick, I can’t help but wonder how I’m going to deal without the sport I love.

Now don’t get me wrong; I’m not equating myself to the figures I mentioned above. These guys were titans in their fields, and I’m a weekend beer league player who had a spectacularly unsuccessful collegiate career that saw my ERA rise way higher than my GPA ever would.

But still, when something has been so important to you for so long, it’s always tough to walk away.

And to be perfectly honest, I’m starting to rethink my stance on the whole farewell tour.

My teammates spoke to a few other players around our league and word of my impending retirement got out. I may not have been one of the best players out there, but I served as a player, manager, league official, photographer— and on some occasions, sports psychologist—to a wide array of people I would never have come into contact with otherwise.

Sure, my own guys wanted me to stay on; I don’t think any of them want the unenviable task of running our team after all. But the pleas to stick around for one more year that came in from opposing players, coaches and umpires?

That was touching.

Watching Ortiz at this year’s MLB All-Star game, being

SPORTS

hounded by other, younger MLB stars to keep on playing, I understood that as much as these season-long farewells are about saying goodbye to the game, they are also a chance to gain validation from peers, which, no matter how many accolades these guys may accrue over the course of a career, may be the most important thing.

I took what will likely be my last-ever at bat on Sunday afternoon. My team may be playoff bound, but as the skipper, I can’t, in all honesty, envision giving a guy who is hovering around the Mendoza Line a meaningful postseason at bat.

On a 1-0 count, I turned on a letter-high fastball and drove a pitch into the left centerfield gap for what will likely be my last-ever hit on a baseball diamond.

Five years ago, it would’ve been a double. But now, creaky knees and all, I didn’t see any reason to push it. I made a hard turn around first, and shrugged as I headed back to the bag, where the opposing first baseman, a huge teddy bear of a guy I’ve played against for the last decade, greeted me with a grin and a warm hug.

It was a close game, it was a big spot, but he also knew it was time to say goodbye.

After the game, both teams decided that a couple of pizzas and a few cold ones were in order.

We hung out behind the backstop, trading war stories from

On Saturday, Sports Editor Mike Smith may have collected his last hit in 25 years of playing baseball. As he prepares to hang up the cleats for good, he is starting to understand just how hard it is to say goodbye.

Contributed photo

games across Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens and Atlantic City. Their first baseman starting harping on my looping curveball, and I had to quickly remind him that in 10 years, he still nev-

er got a hit off me.

We parted ways, dirty, sweaty, tired and happy, and once again, he implored me to give it one more shot.

I’m not going to rethink it.

But now I understand why saying goodbye can be so damned hard.

Follow Mike on Twitter @LiveMike_Sports

TO COVER LOCAL SPORTS, YOU NEED A

LIVE MIKE! Follow Mike Smith @LiveMike_Sports stats • recaps • commentary Follow @mamaroneckview for Mike’s live, in-game action updates

SPORTS

July 22, 2016 • THE MAMARONECK REVIEW • 15

Local team ready for tourney

Rye’s Katie Popp blows past a defender at the Westchester County Center. Popp was selected to a Hudson Valley basketball team that will be competing in an annual state tournament.

By MIKE SMITH Sports Editor On Friday, Aug. 5, a handful of the top basketball players in Section I will head to Johnson City, New York, to take on the best teams from across the state at the annual Basketball Coaches Association of New York, BCANY, Summer Hoops Festival.

With a deep talent pool headlined by a number of 2016 All-State selections, Hudson Valley coach Kristi Dini is confident that her squad will have a strong showing at the prestigious tournament.

Entering into her fourth summer as the Hudson Valley coach,

Dini said she has seen interest in the summer festival rise through the years. This year, tryouts, which were held over three days in June, attracted 35 potential players, nearly double the turnout most years.

“Section I has some strong teams and even though some sections hand-select their teams and asked players to participate, we thought this was the most fair way to pick a team,” Dini said. “Ideally, the goal is to bring up a roster filled with talented players.”

Talent will not be a problem for the Hudson Valley squad.

Eight of the 12 players selected for the team received All-state

Katie Popp looks for an open teammate at the County Center.

Photos/Mike Smith

honors last winter, including both Korina Guerra and Katie McLaughlin from Ursuline High School, Katie Popp from Rye High School, and Avery LaBarbera from Harrison High School. “[Tryouts] were really exciting but it can be stressful,” LaBarbera said. “There were a lot of good players, not a lot of girls that I knew, but it was an honor to be selected.”

For Popp, a rising senior who played on the Hudson Valley team two years ago but had to pull out of the event last year due to an injury, the 2016 festival represents one last chance to bring back gold for the area.

“It’s definitely more exciting, as a senior knowing it’s going to be our last chance,” Popp said. “I think I’ve played either alongside or against pretty much all of the girls, I’ve known a lot of them my whole life, and we definitely have big aspirations.”

According to Dini, who previously coached at Somers High School, her time as a Section I coach allows her to enter the tournament with a good idea of just what her players are capable of.

“I knew all of them coming in, either having coached against them or scouted them,” she said.

“But on their high school teams, they’re not playing on a team where every player is as good as they are, so some of them might be playing completely different roles here.”

Avery LaBarbera, a rising junior at Harrison High School, competes during a playoff game in 2016.

LaBarbera was one of 12 girls selected to the Hudson Valley basketball team that will be competing at the BCANY Summer Hoops Festival in August.

Avery LaBarbera drives to the hoop during a 2016 game against Eastchester.

Because BCANY rules state that teams cannot practice until the week of the event, the Hudson Valley team will have to work quickly to form a cohesive unit.

“We haven’t been together for an official practice, and we have to get the girls used to playing with each other,” the coach said.

“That means putting in offenses, press breakers, a taste

of how you want to defend; it’s a lot to do in four days. It’s not easy. But these girls always rise to the challenge.”

CONTACT: sports@hometwn.com

16 • THE MAMARONECK REVIEW • July 22, 2016