January 19, 2026
UPDATE TO BOIL WATER ADVISORY FOR TOWN OF GREENBURGH WATER MAIN BREAK 1/19/26 AT 11:30 AM
To Residents of the Greenburgh Consolidated Water District #1,

UPDATE TO BOIL WATER ADVISORY FOR TOWN OF GREENBURGH WATER MAIN BREAK

1/19/26 AT 11:30 AM

To Residents of the Greenburgh Consolidated Water District #1,
We have received many questions regarding who should be observing the Boil Water Advisory as a result of the water main breaks on Sunday. This applies specifically to residents, businesses, and schools that have experienced either no water, low pressure or discolored water at any point since the breaks occurred. The Boil Water Advisory will remain in place until further notice, which will be at least 24 hours AFTER the repairs have been completed. The projected time for the completion of the repairs is by 5 p.m. today.

When in doubt, please err on the side of caution and drink boiled or bottled water. We thank you for your patience as the Town works diligently to make the necessary repairs to deliver safe and clean water back to you.

Regards,
Joy Haber
Greenburgh Town Councilwoman

Westchester County Health Department is responding to a water main break that may impact up to approximately 1,000 residents in Greenburgh, with possible effects extending into portions of White Plains.

The Westchester County Department of Health’s Division of Environmental Health is actively working with the Town of Greenburgh and its water operators to monitor the situation, support repair efforts and ensure appropriate water quality testing once service is restored.

When water service returns, affected residents will be placed under a Boil Water Notice as a precautionary measure. The notice will remain in effect until further testing confirms the water supply is safe for consumption and residents are officially notified that the advisory has been lifted.

BOIL WATER ADVISORY ISSUED

A boil water advisory has been issued by the Westchester County Department of Health and will remain in effect at least through Tuesday, January 20, 2026 and until further notice as a precautionary measure related to water main break/repair for all customers in the following areas served by the Greenburgh Consolidated Water District #1 in the Town of Greenburgh:

Between Sprain Brook Parkway and Central Park Avenue including Central Park Avenue corridor (north of Jackson Avenue and Fort Hill Avenue, south of Underhill Road).

Between Central Park Avenue and Bronx River Parkway (north of Clifton Road and Inverness Road, south of Old Army Road and Edgemont Road).

All streets on both sides of Central Park Avenue (north of old army and Underhill Road, and south of North Healy Avenue).

A boil water advisory means that those in the affected area are strongly advised to boil all tap water at a rolling boil for a minimum of one minute prior to drinking it or using it to prepare food, wash dishes by hand or brush teeth. The advisory does not extend to bathing, washing clothes or using a dishwasher.

The boil water advisory was issued as a precaution to protect residents from potential contamination caused by ground water infiltration into water mains as a result of the reduction in water main pressure caused by the water main break/repair.

Updates will be provided by the Greenburgh Consolidated Water District #1 in a timely manner and as they become available. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Greenburgh Consolidated Water District #1 at (914) 989-1900 or Westchester County Health Department at (914) 813-5000.

View it on website

Getting Over-burdened With Bonds During A Recession

This email notification below was provided by Greenburgh School District Board member David Warner to residents. We feel the information conveyed here is pertinent because this is a repeat of Mr Feiner/the Town and the School District pushing their own bonds onto the Unincorporated taxpayers at the same time. The last time this happened, the former School Superintendent was trying to float a bond for $114 million dollars (over $200 million with interest) and Mr Feiner for $49 million. The voting process to move forward with gifting GameOn 365 this $2million dollar gift is being held on a Thursday, when most residents would not be paying close attention. The police department needs something. However, other properties, such as 100 Hillside Avenue, haven't been scrutinized for use, which would provide roughly 4-times the space at one-third the cost!

Re: New Police Headquarters, July 26th, 2022

The Town of Greenburgh is planning a $2M referendum for a Nov 8th public vote to purchase property on Dobbs Ferry Road for a new police station/EMS facility. When they build the facility, it will cost $55-60M and they will need to pass a referendum for about $50M for that. Currently the police station and Town Court are located on Tarrytown Road near RJ Bailey. The police station will move to Dobbs Ferry Road, while the Town Court will remain where it is. See Meghan Hak's e-mail attachment below for more details.

There is a special meeting at Greenburgh Town Hall this Thursday 07/28/22 at 7:30 PM to discuss the purchase of the land. I have spoken with BOE President Tracy Mairs regarding this meeting. Since the current Greenburgh CSD BOE has not discussed this topic, we cannot represent a position for or against the referendum. However, we can state what we have done and are considering regarding facilities, and ask questions.

As this is a public meeting, anyone in the community can attend and ask questions. I called Town Hall and confirmed that there will be public input at the meeting. Advance notice is required, and requests to speak should be e-mailed to townclerk@greenburghny.com. The clerk's office wasn't certain whether allowed input would be the normal 5 minutes per speaker or only 2 minutes per speaker. I know that recently the requirement that anyone participating in person wear a mask was reinstated due to the high incidence of COVID.

Tracy Mairs and I will both attend, and I am signing up to speak. I intend to ask:

1)  At Greenburgh CSD we are working on making our COVID ventilation fixes permanent, adopting an Energy Performance Contract, building a security vestibule at the middle/high school, upgrading our fire hydrant system, replacing the Highview and mansion roofs, and restoring the RJ Bailey Auditorium. Priorities for our next set of projects include repairing and replacing school roofs and outer walls, adding ECP classrooms, and upgrading our asphalt track. Our taxpayers are a subset of the Town taxpayers. How do we coordinate our efforts so that we don't interfere with one another?

2) What is the financial impact on the tax rate per $1000 of the proposed $2M bond?

3) What is the financial impact on the tax rate per $1000 of the later $50M bond?

4) If you are unable to pass the $50M bond, are you able to sell the land for enough to recoup the cost of the $2M bond?

5) If the $2M bond passes, you will be removing the Dobbs Ferry property from the tax rolls. If the Town Court remains in place, there will be no Tarrytown Road property coming back onto the tax rolls to offset the loss of the Dobbs Ferry Road property. On the other hand, other projects like the Elmwood development should increase the tax base. Is there a five-year projection that accounts for the major projects in process that affect the tax rolls? After adjusting for inflation, are we looking at a net loss or a net gain in total assessed value of the town?

If you have additional questions, but won't be asking them yourself at the Town meeting, please feel free to share them and we will try to pass them on.

Covert Collusion with GameOn 365 – Again – By Special Decree!

A number of years ago, Mr Feiner appeared to collude with GameOn 365 for the property where Frank’s Nursery had been on Dobbs Ferry Road. When Frank’s Nursery fell into Chapter 11, Frank’s abandoned the property and failed to pay the taxes on it. Subsequently, the Town gained ownership of the property and that’s when the subterfuge happened. Spearheaded by the Worthington Woodlands Civic Association and the Council of Greenburgh Civic Associations, they rallied the troops, the press and other community leaders to see the sham of a deal Mr Feiner had made with GameOn 365 to illegally lease the property in order to build an 83 foot high Sports Bubble. Mr Feiner, a non-practicing attorney, knows how much he can push the boundaries of legality and used to be fond of saying, “If you don’t like what I’m doing, sue me!” The town was about to be sued when Game On pulled out and went next door looking to buy the Golf Range from the Visioli family to build a Sports Complex. This plan was abandoned and eventually they did buy the 32 acre property and kept it as a Golf Range.

The former Frank’s Nursery property was finally sold for $3.5 million to a developer named Capitol Seniors Housing, who would be building an assisted living facility at that location for about 100 residents. Sadly, before inking the deal, Mr Feiner and Mr Lewis* claimed remediation of the former Frank’s Nursery property would be capped at $100,000. The cost to the Town for remediation was ultimately $1.5 million! Is this why there are so many jokes about not trusting lawyers? Regardless, after back taxes were paid on the property, and the cost of remediation, the Town taxpayers did not see a profit on this property.

The Town Board and specifically Mr Feiner, have struggled for years to find a way to keep the pesky residents and critics of the Town Board at bay. Finally, they have the pseudo-Covid switch (science? really?) that they conveniently flick on or off at their discretion. And they do. While many municipalities have gone back to in-person meetings, the Town of Greenburgh is giddily besides themselves with their unchecked power of keeping the public and most importantly their detractors, out of many discussions that would impede their questionable transactions. Coupled with the ultimate control of forcing residents to utilize Zoom for their 5-minutes of comment, Mr Feiner can “pull the plug” on anyone disagreeing with him.

Now, during the slowest business time of the year with constituent families not around, residents and employees away on vacation, the Town Board quietly put a special meeting and vote on the agenda during Executive session which will wholeheartedly benefit GameOn 365. No mention was made public of this special meeting at the Town Board’s Work Session meeting. Nor was anything said at the subsequent regular Town Board meeting. Mr Feiner decided to try to sneak this through for an obscure night (Thursday 7/28) when those who don’t follow the Town Board’s shuffle won’t even be aware of what these integrity-lacking Board members did – not until you receive your tax bill with the sizable increase caused by the acceptance of this proposal. It wasn’t until Mr Feiner sent the cleverly-crafted “Good News!” email out was his scheme unhatched to the public.

In this case, GameOn 365 has offered to sell 4 acres of the Golf Driving Range on Dobbs Ferry Road for $2 million so the Town can build a new Police Department/Emergency Medical Services Headquarters property adjacent to the Golf Driving Range on Dobbs Ferry Road. Their original goal when the Frank’s Nursery property sale fell through to Game On 365 because scrutiny, lawsuits and the overall “shade” cast on it by so many, it was impossible for Mr Feiner to move forward with the GameOn 365 scheme. 

GameOn 365 is also offering to gift a piece of their property to the Town in return for a private access road for access to the new facility enabling the Town to absorb the cost for build this new Police Station. This is the newest in a long list of Feiner’s Follies. At the same time, the Town would be assuming responsibility and costs to build the road, allowing GameOn 365 to return to the Town (the goal all along) and apply for permits for more construction to benefit their owners and majority stakeholders. Mr Feiner is well-known for having an end-game years down the line with a habit of waiting out his opponents. We believe that’s what is happening here.

The rushed proposal in question is to have a referendum to float a Bond to build this new Police Station on the GameOn 365 property. Mr Feiner also sent out another well-crafted document trying to validate the rationale for going along with this debacle. He points out that the age and the size of the current facility is woefully undersized, doesn’t meet Federal standards, does not have proper facilities for male and female staff and there’s a lack of parking. He purports that the building was constructed in 1956 and renovated in 1993 and 2001. Who was Supervisor during the renovations? Why didn’t the Supervisor at the time look forward to create a better building then? Incompetence then and apparently still.

He questions throwing more money into what he considers a bad building. Really? You may recall several years ago when Greenburgh School Superintendent Chase and several School Board members were trying to float a Consolidation Bond, claiming it would only be $114 million dollars. After scrutinizing those figures, what was planned, and NYS Department of Education information, the totals didn’t lie, unlike the Superintendent. The amount was well over $200 million dollars! At the same time, Mr Feiner was trying to get support for a $49 million bond to replace both the Police Headquarters and the Town Court. What changed that the cost would go from $49 million to now $55-60 million for only the police department’s new building. Why the difference; what about the Town Court, also housed at the current location? And why the disparity in figures from a few years ago until now?

Mr Feiner also bemoans the fact that the building is non-compliant, wasteful, operating costs are exorbitant, poorly insulated and vehicles are exposed to the elements. Funny, but most of our cars and automobiles are exposed to the elements but unlike the police department, we cannot change out our vehicles every three years like they do. He has concerns over security and safety. Huh? Can he be serious that the police are afraid of crime in Greenburgh, and if so, what about us, the public?

There may be legitimacy in some of the concerns raised, but after 30 years at the helm, Mr Feiner has been more than derelict with repairs, infrastructure and/or maintaining the well-being of many of our buildings. It’s difficult to go along with this proposal for several reasons: first, the price is fictitious and made up by Mr Feiner; second, there are no plans drawn up that would allow a conscious, good faith  review and cost estimate; third, many have questioned using/purchasing/leasing the building at 100 Hillside Avenue (the old Dannon bldg) but have only been ignored; fourth, holding the special meeting on a Thursday night, with little notification and limited participation (through Zoom) or in-person smacks of the ultimate disregard for the public (taxpayers) as nothing more than following the letter of the law to allow Mr Feiner vis a vis the Board to fix a pre-determined outcome.

This behavior, so often seen by a one party-rule Town needs to be slowed down in the least and stopped at the best so the public can truly ask questions and get answers, not platitudes. Mr Feiner and his Town Board have stated that this bond will cost Unincorporated Town members roughly a $150 increase in their taxes and Village residents only $86 based on a $750,000 assessment. To the Village residents, we implore you to vote No for this. For Unincorporated residents we ask you to be diligent, and write to the Town Board and Mr Feiner opposing this sham! Just say, "NO!" Tell them we want facts and figures before committing to another of Feiner’s Follies.It’s the only way to get A Better Greenburgh.

* Tim Lewis, was the Town Attorney at the time and was given a judgeship. It’s like they say in business, those who can’t do get promoted.

Virtual Open Forum

 

PETITION to Keep Greenburgh Green and Residential

PETITION to Keep Greenburgh Green and Residential

Unincorporated Greenburgh officials are currently considering an application by a developer to build senior housing pursuant to a zoning technique known as a Floating Zone. In essence, this allows commercial buildings in residential areas, as well as density bonuses to maximize developers’ profits. Adoption of Floating Zone legislation would be the most significant change to our Zoning Ordinance in decades. The impacts on the integrity of our neighborhoods and the overall character of our community, including the environment, traffic, demographics, and schools have not been considered adequately. 

Residents, not developers, should decide the future of our Town. To achieve this goal, we the undersigned residents of Unincorporated Greenburgh ask the Town Board to take the following steps: 

1) Reject the concept of Floating Zones and immediately adopt a moratorium on accepting applications for developments pursuant to Floating Zones, including but not limited to housing for seniors, solar farms and self-storage facilities. 

2) Appoint a Land Use Committee consisting of residents who will study how to implement the goals and policies of the Comprehensive Plan that pertain to providing adequate housing for the Town’s senior population. The Committee should determine the need and recommend appropriate locations and criteria for such facilities. 

3) Refrain from considering any changes to the Zoning Ordinance until the above issues have been thoroughly studied, the Land Use Committee has issued its report, and the public has had an opportunity to weigh in on the matter. 

We want the Town to follow the 2016 Comprehensive Plan: protect our residential and green spaces, encourage community-friendly commercial development in areas already designated for such use. 

Dora T. Ashley 

Carol Allen 

Elaine Taylor-Gordon 

Christopher Henry 

Aparna Rao 

Please join us and sign the petition online: https://www.change.org/Keep_Greenburgh_Green_and_Residential

Sign the Petition

Keep Greenburgh Green and Residential

CHANGE.ORG

Gilda's Club of Westchester 1-Mile Run

Lucas Cioffi To Challenge Town Supervisor

Today I'm excited to announce that I'm running as an independent in the November election for Town Supervisor in Greenburgh, NY. The incumbent has been in office 28 years, usually running unopposed. Democracy works better when we have a choice.

The first step is to collect 1500 signatures by May 26th. This is quite a large number, so it will take dozens of volunteers gathering 5-20+ signatures to make this happen, and we only have three weeks to do it. If you would like to receive a copy of the petition to mail or hand back to me, please fill out this form: https://www.greenburgh.us/

If we receive these signatures by the deadline, then things will get quite exciting. The second phase will involve innovative ways to get neighbors together, talking, and listening to each other.

Contact

lucas@greenburgh.us https://www.greenburgh.us; 917-528-1831

  

About This Campaign 

This campaign will be bold yet respectful, and without personal attacks. Greenburgh collects over half a billion dollars in tax revenue from its 90,000 residents. Lucas is seeking election to the role of Town Supervisor in Greenburgh, NY in order to significantly increase transparency across the board and to give residents a substantial voice in how their tax dollars are spent.

About Lucas
Lucas Cioffi is a US Army veteran, open government advocate, husband, and father of two. He was born and raised in Greenburgh and has returned to Greenburgh to raise his family. Lucas graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point, graduated from the US Army Ranger School, earned the rank of captain, and served as an infantry officer in Iraq from 2004-2005.

During the five years when he lived in Washington, DC, Lucas mobilized 1500 non-profit professionals, researchers, and government leaders in support of the federal government’s Open Government Initiative. He hosted conferences in partnership with the US Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, Treasury, Department of Agriculture, General Services Administration, and NASA. Lucas served three years on the board of the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation, collaborating with talented dialogue facilitators working to bridge political and racial divides.

In 2016 Lucas and his family lived on Market Street in Charlottesville when that street erupted in large-scale race-based violence and made national and international headlines. Lucas then served on the Charlottesville Community Leadership Council which worked to build bridges in the community in the wake of that violence.

Lucas is a software engineer, entrepreneur, and business owner. He has served in leadership roles in civic organizations and large technology companies and looks forward to helping Greenburgh catch up and surpass other municipalities in how it listens to its residents and delivers the services they require.

School Board Candidate Dr Tanya Dragic

Kevin Morgan Passes

Elmsford, NY - Kevin Patrick Morgan, 63, a lifelong resident of Elmsford, NY died April 4th, 2019 after a short battle with cancer. Born May 20th, 1955 to the late Alphonsus and Rosie (O'Reilly) Morgan, he is survived by his loving wife Nancy (Parks) of 40 years, son Kevin (Rhonda) and daughter Kristen (Rajesh) Kumar. Poppy to Evan, AJ, Julia, and Liam. 

     He was a decorated retired police detective in the Greenburgh Police Department, an Investigator for the legal aid society, Greenburgh Town Councilman, member of the Elmsford Rotary, and Leukemia And Lymphoma Society board member in which he won man of the year for his fundraising efforts. 

     Kevin is survived by sister Linda and his brothers Robert and Richard and many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his sister Deborah and his brother Brian. Reposing, Hawthorne Funeral Home, 21 West Stevens Avenue, Hawthorne, NY, on Saturday, 2-5 PM and Sunday 3-7 PM. Funeral Mass, Monday at 10 AM at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Elmsford, NY. Interment will be at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Greenburgh, N.Y. In lieu of flowers donations to Leukemia And Lymphoma Society

https://donate.lls.org/lls/donate

Published in the The Journal News on Apr. 5, 2019

Fairview Discrimination Lawsuit Update

After ABG posted our original story about the Fairview Fire District making a financial settlement with David Hecht, we learned a little bit more information about this case. We currently await the court transcripts to read the actual testimony, but have heard a few things that we find interesting and wanted to share.

One major issue was regarding David Hecht’s residency. While many have stated that Hecht was a Village of  Elmsford resident, Hecht apparently claimed to be a resident of the Unincorporated portion of the Town. Why does this matter? It’s simple, the Fire District’s Board of Fire Commissioners will only hire Greenburgh residents, not Village residents. We’re not sure if they make exceptions or not to the policy.

So this move explains why Hecht lied about his residency while trying so desperately to become a paid fireman. After being turned down, he saw the dream becoming less attainable and decided to initiate a lawsuit against the Fairview Board of Fire Commissioners for age discrimination. Then he enlisted several of his friends to testify on his behalf. One of those friends, retired firefighter Darryl Leake was reported to be disgruntled while on the job and even after he retired, this was a way of getting payback. A current Deputy Chief, as well as a sitting Town Councilman testified on his behalf. Regardless of who spoke on his behalf, Hecht would still not get the job he coveted. And once this last test’s list expired, he would have had to take another fire test and hope to be hired. What we believe is that Hecht could be found to have lied under oath!

Until we can have a look at the court transcripts, we can only surmise what Hecht said under oath based on what he said publicly while trying to make his case via the media. One issue that indicates he lied under oath, is that Hecht applied for and apparently received financial aid via the STAR (School Tax Relief) program from New York State. We’ve been told that in 2007 he applied for STAR exemptions as a resident of Elmsford. Three years later, he applied for STAR exemptions as a Greenburgh resident. One way or the other, if he didn’t physically move, it could be said he lied about one of his residences. Lying on your taxes might cause him some unforeseen financial stress if pursued by authorities, causing him to lose some of his proceeds for tax penalties payment.

Speaking of his award from the settlement, Hecht was suing the Fire District for age discrimination for $1 million. Testimony unknown, we wondered why the District would settle when the evidence pointed to a solid case against him. ABG learned unofficially that Hecht had lined up additional personal lawsuits against the Board members and other firematic personnel. Settling was a cost effective move suggested by the District’s insurance company that would be paying the settlement. So in the end, the Fairview Fire District, Fire Department and the public are finally finished with David Hecht. Or, so we thought!

ABG has learned that now Hecht is suing the Hartsdale Fire District and its Chief, Edward Rush. Apparently, someone informed Hecht that he wasn’t hired by the Hartsdale Fire District because Chief Rush, “didn’t like Hecht.” That statement alone should not be cause to sue, however, we’re leaning toward Hecht accepting another settlement from another insurance company looking to get out from under this as quickly and inexpensively as possible. The fact that Chief Rush may have said he didn't like Hecht could be taken a number of different ways and certainly could have been referring to results and information from his fire test and evaluations, etc. Although we’re sure Hecht will twist it to his advantage seeking another settlement.

Next up in the parade of lawsuits will probably be against the Town of Mamaroneck and the Village of Larchmont, who apparently entertained hiring Hecht before the defecation hit the ventilation with the Fairview FD. Hecht remained with the Fairview Fire Department volunteers but no longer enjoys the camaraderie prior to his lawsuit and is fairly inactive. It remains to be seen what will happen with Hecht’s paid firefighting career or even if he will ever have one. It also remains to be seen if he will be successful suing more fire departments in the future.

Milton Hoffman, Longtime Greenburgh Resident Passes

Milton Hoffman, a long time Greenburgh resident, passed away today. His passing was very sudden. The service will be at the Hebrew Institute in White Plains on Greenridge Avenue at 10am for anyone who would like to attend.  Shiva arrangements are being planned and not currently available. We presume they will be at the Hoffman home at 66 Lawrence Drive, White Plains. 

Milt was no only a longtime Greenburgh resident, but had recently retired as an Editor at the Journal News, formerly of White Plains. More recently he had gotten involved with trying to force a consolidation of fire departments and fire services with two of the three paid fire districts. 

Our sympathies, prayers and well wishes go out to the Hoffman family and friends.

Elmsford Fire on North Goodwin Avenue

Top to bottom: View of fire scene
View of White Plains Avenue facing north

At approximately 10 PM last night, the Elmsford Fire Department was called out to a structure fire in at 88 North Goodwin Avenue just north of White Plains Avenue in Elmsford. Arriving fire crews witnessed flames coming through the roof. As hose lines were stretched from hydrants to the trucks for water supply, an aggressive interior attack of the fire was mounted by fire crews while a 10-75 was broadcast across the County from the Richard A. Flynn Fire Training Center’s 60 Control, the radio operations arm of that facility. Elmsford firefighters, battled not only the fire, but the cold weather and difficult conditions. They had the fire knocked down and the scene under control approximately 20 minutes after their arrival. No injuries were reported. Numerous fire departments assisted including Irvington, Tarrytown, Ardsley,Valhalla, Hawthorne, Fairview, and Hartsdale.

This Job Stinks!

Driveway pipe

Looking up Randolph

Fulton Park has had its share of abuse from the Town for the last seven or so years. Mr Feiner, et al, dumped Westhab’s subsidized housing in the neighborhood. Then he appointed new Zoning Board of Appeals members and coerced his newly appointed subjects to approve the Deli Delicious petition to pave his entire property and (illegally?) expand onto the state property to create a drive-through window for a private company.

Now something completely different is happening that will have a better outcome for this previously ignored and now “dumped” upon neighborhood - but it still stinks – literally! Apparently, the Town Public Works Department discovered several of the sewers in the area were at an unusually high level after some recent rains. Not only does this create a foul smell, but it can cause the sewage to back up in multiple locations as well as being a health hazard. Fulton Park knows what that smell and cleanup nightmare is like after having had all kinds of sewage back up into residents’ basements when the neighborhood was flooded during Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene. Naturally, FEMA, NYS, Westchester County and the Town talked about helping but in the end, did nothing!

Looking down Randolph

An email was sent out to the Fulton Park residents from Public Works Commissioner Victor Carosi advising of what would be taking place starting today. Here's what it said:

We have a substantial sewer break in the brook behind Randolph Road.  We expect noise and disruption to residents along Randolph Road and Benedict Road during the work.  This will include operating a large pump and having pipes along the street for probably the next five days.  The pumping will be necessary to operate 24-hours a day.  The pump ordered is fitted with noise dampening mufflers, but it still will be noisy. 

I would like to inform the neighborhood association and/or key residents in this area.  Victor G. Carosi, P.E.

Commissioner of Public Works

Town of Greenburgh, NY

(914) 993-1644

We decided to investigate and found crews in the process of laying out 12" piping to bypass a section of pipe that had been found to have cracked and been leaking. Representatives from the Town stated the plan is to pump as much of the sewage and water from the dead end of Benedict Rd through the piping into another sewerage drain located on Randolph Road. Our photos show the piping and driveway plates that are actually flat piping, allowing cars in and out of their driveways. The Towns representatives were forthcoming with information and their plan. After all, this wasn’t a Town Board meeting so there was no need for secrecy, special meetings behind closed doors or Executive sessions.

“Quiet pump”

The schedule of events after the piping is hooked up is to pump the water and sewage tonight and tomorrow and then evaluate the amount left. If the level is low enough, they plan to repair the existing pipe with a liner, hopefully eliminating the need to tear up the road and physically replace the old pipes. If everything checks out okay, the work will continue probably through Monday. If they need to do a bit more, it could go longer. They are confident it should go smoothly. They also said this should not disrupt any residents use of water or sewers (toilets, showers, etc.).

Workers laying the pipe said it was a dirty job but once everything gets started, it should be “routine”. One fellow did comment on the extraordinary amount of mosquito bites he got just laying the equipment out in place. He said they sprayed the area but to no avail. Most residents are already well aware of the Panama Canal-like quality Fulton Park suffers from with mosquitos. Well, as the saying goes, “Its a dirty job but somebody has to do it.” And while this job really does stink, we’re glad the dedicated employees of the Town are there doing the job. 

Court Dismisses Feiner Suit for Uncontested Election

We received this Press Release from the Bernstein Campaign offices. In the interest of fairness to other candidates, we have chosen to post it as the local media only prints Mr Feiner’s releases and his points of view.

“A state supreme court justice today dismissed an attempt by current supervisor Paul Feiner to run uncontested in the September 10 Democratic Primary by having Bob Bernstein removed from the ballot.

“Today’s ruling means Greenburgh Democrats will have a choice on September 10, and an opportunity to discuss the real issues plaguing the Town under Paul’s 22-year reign of error,” Mr. Bernstein said. “Paul enjoys wasting taxpayer money by going into court without facts, evidence, or credibility on his side. From being sued for violating the constitutional rights of a church, to unlawfully giving away millions of dollars in town revenue to residents opposed to a homeless shelter for single women, Paul’s constant mismanagement of the Town has cost taxpayers millions of dollars and its time voters had a chance to say ‘enough is enough.’”

Mr. Feiner alleged Mr. Bernstein should be removed from the ballot on grounds of fraud, including using the name “Bob” on the designating petitions. State election law allows nicknames like “Bob” and a formal opinion of the state board of elections actually states using the name “Bob” for “Robert” is perfectly acceptable.

The court’s action today followed two and a half days of testimony in which there was never any evidence introduced to show fraud of any kind by Mr. Bernstein. “This trial was a gross waste of taxpayer money engineered by a 22-year incumbent clinging desperately to power,” Mr. Bernstein said. “It was a politically motivated malicious attempt to smear me and keep me from meeting voters and discussing the very real concerns they have about our Town. I hope voters will find these tactics just as distasteful as I do.” ”

Lash Kia Auto Dealership in Greenburgh to Close

One of our readers relayed a story he was having with his car’s front end. He contacted Kia USA to see if the parts were covered under the Kia (and Hyundai) 100,000 mile warranty. Kia USA assigned him a case number back in April, when he was also told they would have to get back to him as to the warranty coverage. You would think this would be a simple yes or no answer, all the while hoping for a “yes” and expecting a “no”. They called him back and said “Yes, it is covered under the warranty.”

He called Lash Kia, not the dealership where he bought the car and they told him they needed to inspect the car to see what parts would be needed. This was a reasonable request. The only limitation was that they could not see him for three weeks! While Kia’s have certainly increased in popularity, there cannot be that many of them needing service causing such a backup. He waited the three weeks and dropped his car off on May 20th. He was told to bring the car to the same location as the showroom. Upon arrival, he found the service department was at a different location. After finding the second location, the service person stated he had no appointment in his book. Tempers rose but remained controlled and he left his car for the evaluation. He was told he would receive a call when the inspection was done. He received no call back.

He called the Lash Kia service department and spoke with Tom, who told him they would have to order the parts. He could pick the car up and use it until the parts came in and then bring it back for the repairs. He retrieved the car and called every couple of days inquiring if the parts had arrived or not. On the last day of May, Friday the 31st he called again. He was told that Lash Kia was no longer doing Kia service and only Volkswagen service. Another call to Kia USA.

Speaking with Todd at Kia USA confirmed that Lash Kia is in fact losing their Kia dealership as of June 1st. So while the award winning and well-designed automobiles from South Korea are becoming more and more popular, it seems that not enough people in Greenburgh and the immediate surrounding area are interested in their cars. Lash Volkswagen is apparently not included in the closing of the Kia dealership.  Kia USA recommended West Nyack Kia or Yonkers Kia as an alternative dealership for current and future Kia owners. We are sorry to see any business leave, but based on our reader’s lament, it’s no surprise.

Floating Dollars & Bronx River Flooding

ABG offices sit high atop Greenburgh overlooking the beautiful landscape covered in the proverbial blanket of white as Town vehicles appear to be about the only ones on the road. There seems to be a calm enveloping the area. Our copy of the daily newspaper may have been delivered but promises to remain undiscovered for weeks. We had received our copy of The White Plains Examiner before the storm which featured an article about the County’s move to address flooding with the Bronx River within the Town of Greenburgh. It a topic ABG has often posted about.

We’ve heard and seen the posturing before, so it remains to be seen if this time will be any different. County Executive Astorino announced the County is ready, “with an $800,000 capital project to restore over three acres of wetlands and riverbanks just north of Fisher Lane and east of the Bronx River Parkway in Greenburgh.” Translation? The County will throw a pittance toward an issue that needs addressing from at least the Kensico Dam southward into the Bronx, where the water continues it’s final exit. This will be nothing more than “photo ops” and press conference “attaboys” garnered to get political points, press coverage and accomplish little else.  This was exemplified by County Executive Rob Astorino, who said in a prepared statement, “It is important that we target achievable projects in problem areas in order to reduce and prevent future flooding.” Translation? As an “achievable” project, they mean they know they won’t fix the problem, but will be able to say upon the project’s completion that they completed the project. Government double-speak? You decide.

Last year the Astorino administration chose this site in Greenburgh as just one of the seven capital projects as part of a $9 million effort to address chronic flooding along the Bronx River and Sound Shore. The bond act has been sent to the Board of Legislators for approval. And while we assume the bond will be passed, the effort may all be moot if the entire river corridor is not attacked as a global entity. An inspection of the river from the Greenburgh area into the Bronx shows too numerous an amount of blockage to document. 

An effort made in Westchester that will contribute to creating a better and/or increased water flow, without participation from all points south of Westchester County, renders the money spent, the effort of little consequence and tantamount to floating dollars down the river. The people who suffered from Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene have finally given up any hope of receiving funds from FEMA even though they are mandated to pay flood insurance to them; all the while new applicants hammered by Hurricane Sandy are just learning this lesson.

What’s needed is a consolidation of bipartisan leaders who run the length of the Bronx River to establish a plan with a concerted effort to tackle this vexing problem. We also need leaders which are willing to begin upgrading everyone’s aging infrastructures to help increase water flow created by all the development from the last twenty or thirty years. It’s not an easy task but one that will reap huge rewards for every community. We can only hope.

Mt Vernon Meeting Tonight Against Shelter

The County issued a press release regarding this contractual move with a church, the Friendship Worship Center. Here is one portion quoted from it: “The drop-in site is simply a humane response that allows the homeless to get out of the cold and into a clean bed for the night. It protects some of the most vulnerable in our society from freezing outdoors and does so in a cost-effective way. Westchester County has a long history of taking care of the less fortunate and providing shelter for the homeless.” What the press release neglects to discuss is the humane approach to our children that is of the utmost importance.

In the never-ending saga of politically correctness, but ignoring common sense, the Astorino administration has moved forward with putting this homeless facility, aka warming center, in a daily-use area for children on Mount Vernon’s Lincoln Avenue. Documents received by ABG and posted here show the blatant disregard for Mount Vernon’s youth with a communication from County Legislator Lyndon Williams. While nothing may ever happen between the kids and the homeless adults, ABG doesn’t believe Astorino and his administration should take that chance.


It’s well known that many of today’s homeless population have mental challenges and pose risks to themselves and others when left to fend for themselves. And while we recognize the need to address the homeless population being outdoors with this frigid weather of late, ABG also recognizes the harsh realities that come with not addressing these people’s needs properly. Legislators have passed laws to treat the mentally challenged population more humanely and like they are normal. We’ve seen their actions force the closure of psychiatric facilities and clinics that would normally help them.

After witnessing the carnage in Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School, our heightened concern for school children questions just how prudent it is to place the homeless population in immediate proximity to the four surrounding schools’ children? The school’s church opens to receive the homeless only at night (9 p.m. to 6 a.m.) and during colder months until mid-April, releasing them into the neighborhood that has the children coming to school each morning. The Mount Vernon YMCA used to provide this service for the homeless until they were forced to close their doors. Even though a church may be a good spot to help the homeless population, it needs to be a church that can be utilized away from children. 

A statement from community leader Donna Jackson sums up the issue rather well. “I'm against the placement of this shelter in this facility, considering that it would be placed smack dab in the middle of a residential zone surrounded by 4 schools (one of which exists in the same building of the propsed shelter).  Mount Vernon's mental health, medical and social services have been slashed and dismantled thanks to Astorino (so how would our community service these people from the COUNTY?), if there was a real genuine, heartfelt need to "save a shelter" or expand a shelter, the county should have (a) not closed the Greenburgh facility or (b) if there was funding available, they could have helped Mount Vernon invest in and shore up the homeless shelter at the YMCA.  The placement of this shelter at Friendship, without appropriate social service supports, and without advanced public input is a slap in the face to Legislator Lyndon Williams, and this portion of taxpaying voters of Westchester County.”

ABG was disturbed to find a link between Greenburgh, Mount Vernon, The Paul and Astorino. Bishop Edwers, is a County Transportation Board member. His wife works with the County Youth Bureau, where Astorino recently appointed faithful Republican and County Legislative candidate Iris Pagan, to a commissioner position. ABG understands there have been other interactions that Astorino has had with Edwers, showing him other favors in the past. The church is a big building and Rev. Edwers needs to pay a mortgage, heating and electric bills, and so on. This seems like another done-deal the County walked “winked” toward with an old friend, angling another pawn in this strategic Greenburgh/Feiner/Astorino chess game of collusion and compromise. We need politicians with a moral, ethical and legal compass. Just skirting the boundaries of the law must stop. We can only hope. 

Execution in Greenburgh

Greenburgh Police received a call last night between 8 and 8:15 PM, for shots fired and responded to the vicinity of a shooting in the area of Oak and Warren Streets, close to Manhattan Avenue, where they found a 20-year old man in a car, shot. When they arrived at the scene, he was still alive. Paramedics treated him at the scene and transported him to the Westchester County Medical Center in Valhalla, NY. He subsequently passed away from the gunshot wounds at the hospital. ABG sources have told us that this appears to have been done as an execution-style shooting with two gun shots; One was to the head and the other in the throat of the victim.

There have been other shootings in the area where this body was found. And, while there are several gangs known to be in the area, ABG sources could not confirm if this was a gang related shooting or not. Police officers we spoke with are hoping this is not gang related and does not spark more or retaliatory shootings.

Police said early this afternoon that they are continuing to investigate. The victim’s identity is expected to be released Sunday evening pending notification of his family. Anyone with information is asked to call the Greenburgh Police Department at 914-682-5331.

Calling In The Troops

As usual, the evenings Town Board meeting started out with about an hours and a half’s worth of wasted time. Patience exhausted, even Mother Theresa might have snapped. The first presentation was from a small group of students from the Xposure program of the Theodore Young Community Center. Their’s killed a half an hour. The Convicted criminal Alan Hochberg and his Citizen’s Committee  members each got up and hammered The Paul’s financial failures, with Hochberg returning to the microphone after each speaker to give a synopsis about that person. The mutual admiration society would have been proud.

Speaker after speaker got up and found fault with the financial operations of The Paul and the Town. As has been said, The Paul lacks the “shame gene” and while he should have been embarrassed that “his” committee ripped his policies apart, he just thanked them. After an hour of this, the Board might not have been ready to move on but the audience certainly was ready to get down to the real business at hand. There were two hearings: one for a Town-wide zoning change to allow Independent or Assisted Living Facilities and while removed from the agenda at the last minute, the GameOn 365 referendum/proposal/“done-deal” brokered behind closed doors by The Paul and his Stepford Board.

Several issues with the Brightview Senior Living Center start with a play on words as to what type of facility they plan to be. Then will they have kitchettes, or a communal dining room; will they accept Medicaid or not? If they do not accept Medicaid patients, will it really be low cost, and will poorer people will effectively be barred from this particular facility? Any future facility built under this zoning code will also be able to block Medicaid recipients, ultimately making these facilities only for the wealthy or those with assets that can be used to purchase entry.

Another issue is the size of not only the Brightview facility in particular but the future commercial structures to be allowed in any tiny residential neighborhood through this zoning change. Since the Town’s Legal and Building departments are incapable of writing a law, and The Paul will not utilize the expertise on his appointed Zoning Board, the Town always counts on the developer’s attorneys to craft and propose the law. The repeatedly experienced problem with this is that the law serves the developer better than it winds up serving the Town. Our Town Board, reliant on Francis “Back Pocket” Sheehan’s pseudo-legal abilities, usually produces sloppy, incomplete and inadequate Town laws. Whenever Sheehan writes proposed legislation for the Town, the G10 typically points out it’s flaws and then in their act of defiance, the Board passes it anyway.

Resident after resident got up to speak against the zoning proposal change mostly for three reasons: 1) it allowed structures to be four stories in the middle of residential neighborhoods throughout the Town; 2) it had setback allowances that would effectively let a parking lot be created to within feet of a private home; and 3) it utilizes state and county roads as a necessary access/egress to the facility. Two Edgemont residents suggested utilizing just a state road instead. Another consensus was that most people favored having assisted living facilities but were against such a liberal granting of neighborhoods to the developers, especially in residential neighborhoods. As Greenburgh becomes more and more congested with structures throughout the Town, we need tighter controls as to how we parcel our land away. We also feel that any structures created should incorporate flood, traffic and infrastructure alleviation since our current administration seems incapable and unwilling to do so.

The other hearing, pulled from the agenda at the last minute, was to be for the GameOn 365’s 83-ft tall sports bubble proposal for 715 Dobbs Ferry Road. Scan back through the ABG site and you can read in detail all the issues with this “done-deal”. Simply, a group of uninvested investors struck an apparent back room deal with The Paul to lease the property before it was acquired by the Town through foreclosure. Several plaintiffs sought a legal solution to this questionable and costly-to-the-Town deal, so The Paul turned around and decided to put the lease on the referendum. Both the proponents and opponents each posted a video on the Town website explaining their positions. The  supporters posted a slick 10-minute commercial. The opponents posted their positions and highlighted why this deal should not be done. The referendum, which was penned to favor approval by stretching the truth, passed. The Paul would go on to say that the people spoke. Actually, about 1% of the Town’s registered voters voted in the election and about two-thirds of them voted in favor of the proposal.

The room was literally split in two: GameOn 365’s supporters on one side and the Woodlands-Worthington neighborhood, the G10 and others sat on the opposite side. Even though the hearing had been removed from the agenda, both sides spoke passionately as to why they were for or against the proposal. The Paul continues to claim this is about one established company trying to stymie competition. The Paul has repeatedly pushed the GameOn 365 proposal after brokering what has been called a back-room, sweetheart, done, under-handed and under the table deal. It will require a zoning change after the property reverted back to residential six months after the foreclosure. The Paul will propose the change without reservation and mandate his Stepford Board to vote it through. They will comply without hesitation.

All the points as to why the proposal should not be allowed were not only impassioned, but logical. The GameOn 365 supporters were struggling to make their case. After all, we have the desire to build a superstructure to play kids games versus homeowners whom have invested in the homes, the neighborhood and the Town trying to save their largest investments. Game on stands to make a proposed $55M through the course of the fifteen-year rent-controled project. But wait, there’s more!

Once The Paul finally realized he would lose the lawsuit on all counts listed in it, he decided to change the deal to a sale, circumventing the court case. But the public voted in a referendum to support a lease, not a sale. No matter, The Paul could legally do this based on the legal requirements for foreclosed property. But wait, there’s more! Since The Paul decided to make this a sale, the House of Sports, located in Ardsley, the supposed “competitor” for GameOn 365, publicly announced they were offering $3.5M for the property! This is twice the money the Town would make from the GameOn 365 proposal! But wait, there’s more. House of Sports also said they would pay for the remediation of the property.

The Paul, never one to accept defeat quietly, did what he always does, he tried to level the playing field (no pun intended) and insist that House of Sports’ offer was not sincere. One of the House of Sports owners got up and said, “I am always serious about business.” Then another House of Sports owner got up and she questioned why the conditions The Paul was saddling on them was not done to GameOn 365? Everybody knows why, but the Board members won’t admit it’s because the House of Sports proposal was not the deal The Paul wanted. Fortunately for the House of Sports, they can meet with all the conditions The Paul throws in their path. During the night, The Paul could feel his grip slipping away. He began texting furiously to have supporters come to the meeting and speak for the proposal. They did. In fact, Town Clerk Beville pushed them to the top of the pile, forcing those who signed up earlier to speak to wait further into the night. That was wrong. Several residents protested. No matter for The Paul, the damage was done.

In the end, the neighborhood and the residents are the ones who will suffer. They will suffer with a bubble the is over eight stories tall. It will increase traffic congestion which will be compounded by additional traffic congestion from the Fortress Bible Church and School once it finally gets built nearby. The glaring issues of The Paul picking and choosing projects he favors, laws being broken, spot-zoning being done all pale to the bad shape the Town is spiraling into. It’s time for a change. We can only hope.