rye city review 1-16-2015

RyeCityTHE REVIEWJanuary 16, 2015 | Vol. 3, Number 2 | www.ryecityreview.com

ed the request for the study group’s recommendations un-til the end of January.

Councilman Slack said, ”We have more work to do, but we look forward to presenting recommendations to the City Council in the near future to address this very real issue.”

The group which also con-sists of four local residents and Al Vitiello, a member of the Planning Commission, is still in the middle of its work, ac-cording to Councilman Slack, who added that the group has met in person three times with the most recent meeting taking place on Jan. 12.

The goal of the group is to research possible limitations on rock chipping involving aspects like duration, decibel levels and amounts of rock that may be removed. Cur-rently, the only restriction placed on rock chipping is the permissible hours of operation that ranges from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

“We’re all working together to try to come up with what we think are both practical and rea-sonable responses on issues that have been raised,” Slack said. “I think everyone has a sense of urgency to do this as quickly and thoroughly as we can.”

According to Slack, mem-bers of the group were given tasks and told to report back.

“In addition to a number of in-person meetings where the group has discussed and con-sidered input from neighbors, a sound expert, builders, and city staff, we have also re-viewed the codes of neighbor-ing peer communities as they relate to rock chipping issues,” Slack said.

However, in the midst of the study group and its research,

formance issues and customer service complaints, according to Rye Golf Club Commis-sioner Leon Sculti.

“[Powell’s] wasn’t doing a good job,” Sculti said. “There were some service complaints like the fries were too cold, and members weren’t happy. But the split was amicable, and it was the best outcome in a bad situation.”

When Powell’s was let go in mid-summer of last year, Lessing’s, the Long Island-based catering company that took over the food and bev-erage operations at the golf club’s Whitby Castle in April

2014, assumed responsibility for the poolside café and the club’s snack vendor cart as a favor to the city until the end of 2014. The contract with Powell’s was slated to expire at that time.

Prior to the city’s decision to contract out for services for the castle, the city had main-tained the operation of the food and beverage operation at the facility dating to back 2007, when a decision was made to take over the opera-tion from Restaurant Associ-ates. But since then, the deci-sion proved to be a drain on the golf club’s finances lead-

ing to the decision, last year, by the city to get out of the restaurant business for good. Lessing’s was hired, and in its first year the club saved approximately $2 million in expenses.

The agreement with Less-ing’s to run the castle is a 10-year agreement that expires in 2024 and includes minimum commission payments in ex-change for running the castle.

Mack Cunningham, chair-man of the golf commission, said he expects Lessing’s will throw its name into the RFP

City looks for new snack bar operator

snack BaR continued on page 9

By cHRIs EBERHaRTStaff Writer

The City of Rye is solicit-ing proposals to run the snack bar at Rye Golf Club for 2015 after a one-year contract with Powell’s Catering expired.

Last March, the city hired the Harrison-based cater-ing company Powell’s before the start of the golf season to run the golf club’s snack bar until the end of the year. But the contract was terminated just months later in a mutual agreement between the com-pany and the Boston Post Road golf club because of per-

Rock chipping persists

cHIPPInG continued on page 11

By JacksOn cHEnStaff Writer

Two months and an initial deadline have passed since the mayor appointed a group to study the impacts of rock chipping on local neighbor-hoods in Rye. But while the group has been working on gathering research, rock chip-ping continues with more sites springing up.

The noise has left nearby residents upset at the persist-ing disturbances.

The concern as it relates to rock chipping, which is a common practice in the con-struction field that consists of steadily breaking rock through the use of mechanical tools for later excavation, is the con-stant noise and vibration it produces leaving residents un-nerved. While rock chipping has been happening through-out the city for some time, the construction of a single family home at 135 Highland Road caused upset area homeown-ers to bring the issue to the Rye City Council’s forefront.

Shortly after, Mayor Joe Sack, a Republican, formed a citizen group dedicated to studying rock chipping and its negative impact on neighbors. The citizen group, which was established on Nov. 5, 2014 and is co-chaired by councilmen Richard Mecca, a Republican, and Richard Slack, unaffiliat-ed, was asked by the mayor to complete its work and prepare options for possibly new or more restrictive limitations on rock chipping for consideration by Dec. 31, 2014.

But nearing the end of last year, Sack decided to push the timeline further.

The mayor said he was overambitious in setting the year-end deadline and extend-

The City of Rye has finalized its list of flood mitigation projects to the state, as part of a program that disbursed $3 million to the city to aid in combating future flooding. It remains unclear which project, of the city’s priority list, will get off the ground first. For story, see page 3. File photo

A HELPING HAND

2 • The rye city review • January 16, 2015

January 16, 2015 • THE RyE cITy REvIEw • 3

By JacksOn cHEnStaff Writer

A Rye-based committee congregated for the final time regarding state funds that will be used toward flood mitiga-tion efforts in the near future.

On Jan. 12, the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery pre-sented a finalized overview of the city’s proposed projects that are to be put into action thanks to a $3 million state-funded grant. Meeting with the 11 members of the city’s Community Reconstruction Committee, the governor’s of-fice also wanted to reach out to the community to garner any comments. The comments made by the public would not be able to change anything in the final plans, but would be taken into consideration to-wards the implementation of the projects, according to Alex Breinen, policy analyst for the governor’s office.

While the final version of the plan won’t be available until after the Jan. 12 meeting, the state office is currently in the process of making final ed-its and corrections to the docu-ment, according to Barclay. The completed plan would include five chapters detailing the planning process, ranging from the community overview and risk assessment in the city to the overarching themes that the committee is addressing.

“Immediately after the plan is completed, the governor’s office will be looking at the proposed projects to figure out which project to move for-ward on first,” said Suzanne Barclay, the Office of Storm

Recovery’s regional lead for Westchester and Rockland counties. “We’re seeing what’s eligible and feasible so we can run with it.”

According to Barclay, the projects and their priority lev-els have not changed since the committee’s last meeting where votes were cast.

The highest priority projects are deemed proposed projects and would be funded with the $3 million, while the other op-tions highlight lower priority projects that would seek out other sources of funding.

The most expensive of the prioritized projects involves the resizing of the Bowman Avenue Dam’s upper pond. The $8.5 million undertaking would require the removal of more than 100,000 cubic yards of accumulated silt and under-lying rock.

Since the project exceeds the $3 million in funds be-ing disbursed to Rye, Barclay said that the governor’s office wouldn’t move forward with the resizing project initially.

“We want to get something started that is important to the committee and the community and that we can actually be-gin,” Barclay said. “We don’t want to start with a project where we still have to go look-ing for other money.”

Barclay added that her team’s first step is to identify a feasible project to start with. Once chosen and put into the preliminary stages of imple-mentation, the governor’s of-fice would also be looking to start the other three projects that are left. Further down the line when it comes to tackling

the Bowman Avenue Upper Dam resizing, Barclay said that they would look for addi-tional funding sources.

Compared to the upper pond resizing project, the oth-er three prioritized projects are much cheaper.

One of the more inex-pensive projects, totaling $250,000, would improve Mil-ton Road’s drainage by install-ing larger sewer pipes and an improved tide gate at Milton Harbor. The main purpose of the Milton Road project is to improve the firehouse’s ability to respond to emergencies.

The remaining two priori-ties, the creation of two storm-water retention ponds at An-derson Hill Road and modifi-cations to the sluice gate at the Bowman Avenue Dam, would cost approximately $1 million and $250,000, respectively.

Now that the project choice is finalized, the work of the committee members is basi-cally done, according to Ber-nie Althoff, a co-chair of the committee. Althoff said the committee was very active in the process of handling the funds and even wants to con-tinue working with the office to help the implementation of the projects.

“It’s not a good project un-til it’s implemented,” Althoff said. “Right now it’s just pa-per and that doesn’t do much against flooding.”

According to Barclay, the implementation of the projects would begin shortly after the final plan is submitted towards the end of January.

cOnTacT: [email protected]

Flood projects finalized

Proposed Projects Estimated Costs

Bowman Avenue Dam Upper Pond Resizing

Anderson Hill Road Stormwater Ponds

Improved Milton Road Drainage to Harbor

Modifications to Sluice Gate

$7.5M-$8.5M

$750K-$1M

$250K

$150K-$250K


What’s going on...Rye Arts Center

Maker Day, Satur-day, Jan. 24, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Join the RAC for a high tech and high touch maker day featur-ing new technologies for creating art and music, 3-D printing, minecraft, littlebits, cod-ing, maker activities and more. Construction kids, digital arts experience and RAC makers will be on hand to show you the latest in fun and making.

Through demos and interactive workshops, experience first-hand some of the new classes the RAC has lined up for its winter session. For all ages and lovers of the maker movement. The event is free and open to the public.

“Kindermakers”A half-day maker program targeted for

kindergarten students launches Jan. 29 at the Rye Arts Center. The program will include hi- touch and high-tech making activities us-ing simple to hi-tech tools ranging from card-board and glue to 3-D printers. Designed to foster creativity and nurture a child’s desire to design, create and build.

Registration has begun for the eight-week session. This takes place on Thursdays from noon until 2:45 p.m. For more information, email [email protected].

Deadline for our What’s Going On section is every Wednesday at noon. Though space

is ot guaranteed, we will do our best to accommodate your listing. Please send

all items to [email protected].

“A mid-century mind at play”In the gallery until Jan. 24.Bring friends and family to see the incred-

ible works of paper by this mid-century design genius. Irving Harper’s brilliant tour de force of sculpture and wall pieces made from cut paper and Elmer’s Glue makes its debut in a solo ret-rospective of his private works spanning more than 50 years. Call about group tours.

The Rye Arts Center’s Winter/Spring guide is now online.

Register today for exciting classes in music, visual arts, digital arts, photography, ceramics and stem+arts. Visit ryeartscenter.org for full class listing. The center is located at 51 Milton Road, in Rye. For more information contact via phone at 967-0700, or go online at ryeartscen-ter.org, for more detailed information.

Rye library

Open Sessions E-book help will be

offered on Thursday, Feb. 5, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:25 p.m. Come by to learn how to download e-books to your tablet or phone. Assistance is avail-able on a first come, first-served basis. For more information, go to ryelibrary.org or call 231-3161.

Wainwright House

“The new language of Take and Give”This 6-week workshop challenges the tradi-

tional definition of generosity and asserts that it’s not only in giving that we receive but in re-ceiving that we give. The truest form of gener-osity is a dynamic chain of give and take and take and give. Tuesdays at 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Jan. 20, Jan. 27, Feb. 10, Feb. 17. Jan. 24. and Feb. 3 are skipped.

“Artist’s way”Artist’s way with Valerie Huyghue. Wheth-

er you want to paint or play the piano, begin a book, a blog or a new career—this course will get you started. We will begin a weekly practice of focusing on our creativity using the work-book for each class. This is a six-week series and takes place on Tuesdays from 7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. The dates are as follows Jan. 20, 27, Feb. 3, 10, 24. No class on Feb. 17 and March 30.

“Alexander Technique” The Alexander Technique is a method of

movemenet re-education. It teaches us to recog-nize and change long-term postural and move-ment patterns that interfere with our natural ability to move with ease and fluidity. Appropri-ate for people of all ages. Four-week series with a choice between Series 1 or Series 3.

Series 1: Wednesday, Jan. 21, 28, Feb. 4, 11Series 3: Thursdays, Jan. 22, 29, Feb. 5, 12.

Class begins at 7 p.m. and goes until 8:15 p.m. Register at wainwright.org.

Westchester Jewish Center

“Unexpected Histories”Discover “Unexpected Histories” and what

Lady Gaga, Mickey Mouse and the Holocaust have in common during Westchester Jewish Center’s annual Scholar-in-Residence week-end on teaching the Holocaust to a contem-porary audience.

The weekend program runs from Friday eve-ning on Jan. 23 through Sunday afternoon, Jan. 25, at the Mamaroneck Synagogue on Rock-land Avenue and features Northwestern pro-fessor and Holocaust expert Danny M. Cohen in a series of interactive talks, workshops and lectures on the challenges facing a Holocaust educator. The presentation coincides with the observance of International Holocaust Re-membrance Day on Jan. 27 and the release of Cohen’s new Holocaust novel: “Train.”

All events at the Westchester Jewish Cen-ter, Rockland and Palmer avenues in Mama-roneck. For more information and to RSVP, contact Pat Tinto at [email protected] or via phone at 698-2960.


Join the center at this year’s event. It will be held on Sun-day, Jan. 25 and will begin at 11 a.m. at the Rye Presbyte-rian Church, 882 Boston Post Road, Rye.

By purchasing a bowl you will also receive a delicious meal. They will be serving soup and bread that will be do-nated by Kneaded Bread and Cornerstone Catering.

All proceeds from the sale are contributed to the interfaith soup kitchens of Port Chester. To date, the Clay Art Center has raised $68,000 to help fight hunger in the community.

It means a lot to those at the center, that they are able to engage the community in this manner. “By inviting people to create ceramic bowls, we are also raising awareness about issues of food insecurity right here in our home community. Empty Bowls is a great exam-ple of how social issues inform the arts and how arts can, in turn, help to positively shape a community,” Clay Art Center

Executive Director Leigh Tay-lor Mickelson said.

The Clay Art Center is a not-for-profit ceramic art orga-nization offering exhibitions, clay classes for adults and chil-dren, studio spaces for clay art-

ists and outreach programs in the community. The Clay Art Center is located in the heart of Port Chester at 40 Beech St., Port Chester. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by

appointment. For more de-tailed information about this or other programs being held, please contact Ariel Edwards via email at [email protected] or via phone at 937-2047. (Submitted)

Clay Art Center celebrates its 15th year of Empty Bowls, an international grassroots movement to raise awareness of hunger and food insecuri-ty. More than 100 volunteers started the new year with a generous spirit, creating hand-

15 years of Empty Bowlsmade clay bowls for the Clay Art Center’s fundraiser. The bowls, which are glazed and fired by Clay Art Center art-ists, will be sold at the annual Empty Bowls fundraiser being held this year at the Rye Pres-byterians Church.


Publisher | Howard Sturmanext. 21, [email protected]

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

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

Reporter | Chris Eberhartext. 26, [email protected]

Reporter | Jackson Chenext. 23, [email protected]

Reporter | Marissa Pennext. 17, [email protected]

Editorial Assistant | Laura Romeroext. 25, [email protected]

Graphic Designer | Arthur Gedin

Graphic Designer | Jim Grasso

Advertising | Lindsay Sturmanext. 14, [email protected]

Advertising Coordinator | Marcia Schultzext. 27, [email protected]

Staff WritersJohn Brandi, Alina Suriel

Staff PhotographerBobby Begun

ContributorsPeter Lane, Rich Monetti,

Christopher Petrowski

ColumnistsJohn Carey, Laura Slack

Paul Bookbinder, Rye City Council

LettersThe community’s opinion matters.

If you have a view to express, write a letter to the editor by email to

[email protected]. Please include a phone number and name for

verification purposes.

Community EventsIf you have an event you would like

to share with the community, send it to [email protected].

Delivery For home delivery or to subsribe,

call Marcia Schultz at (914) 653-1000 x27.

Classifieds & Legals To post your notices or listings,

call Marcia Schultz at (914) 653-1000 x27.

PostmasterSend address changes to:

The Rye City Review c/o HomeTown Media Group,

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Visit us onlinewww.ryecityreview.com

The Rye City Review (permit #106661) is published by Home Town Media Group weekly for an annual subscription of $32. Application to mail at the peridcals postage

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THE

REVIEWRyeCity Indie bookstore awarded grant

By MaRIssa PEnn Staff Writer

Westchester bookstore The Voracious Reader was the only one in the county selected as a recent recipient of a portion of a $1 million grant from best-selling author James Patter-son’s “Saving books, saving lives” independent bookstore campaign.

Eighty-one bookstores across the country received the award which Patterson first launched last year, including several in New York City like the iconic Strand Bookstore in Green-wich Village, allowing them to invest in improvements, dole out bonuses to employees and expand literacy outreach pro-grams, according to Patterson. The famous author personally funds the program.

“I made the contribution be-cause bookstores in America are at risk and publishing and publishers as we’ve known them are at stake. To some extent the future of American literature is at stake,” Patter-son said.

The Voracious Reader, lo-cated on Palmer Avenue in Larchmont, has not received the money at this point in time and owner, Francine Lucidon has yet to receive notice of the exact sum of money that she will be awarded. But she is planning to use the money to build a “book baby,” which is a store within a store for ages one to three.

The “book baby” is sure to enhance an already great space, according to Lucidon.

As independent bookstores fight to stay in business in a competitive and declining market, the grant money will make a huge difference for the Voracious Reader allowing the store to build the addition and use the money towards other ventures that Lucidon has not yet decided on.

Since 2008, the economy has been a difficult one to thrive in, especially for the book industry, which has seen massive shutdowns of bookstores across the coun-try. The Borders chain went out of business completely and Barnes & Noble has been shrinking. While some in-dependent bookstores have benefitted from these larger chains facing economic diffi-culty, they have also been hit especially hard with consumers

County, the Bronx and even Manhattan. In addition to sell-ing books, it has a little tea shop that sells ice cream, hot cocoa, tea and other goodies that she said are quite popu-lar. The Voracious Reader also hosts community events and author book signings. One no-table visitor to the bookstore was Julie Andrews, the fa-mous singer, writer and star of the classic film, “Mary Pop-pins,” who visited the store in 2013, along with her daugh-ter for a book signing of their children’s book.

“It’s really important to read to children from birth,

so we want to offer a place for new parents and grandpar-ents to keep that book culture growing and alive,” said Lu-cidon, who has a background in public relations.

Lucidon told the Review that one thing that inspired her to go into the book business, was her father taking her to a local bookstore every year on her birthday and telling her she could buy any book she wanted.

“I cherished the memories and this really instilled in me how special books are,” Lu-cidon said.


switching from paper copies to e-books, according to the American Booksellers Asso-ciation. Though many com-munities remain loyal to their local bookstore, the online dis-counters have wreaked havoc on the independent booksell-er’s business model.

According to a comprehen-sive survey released by the Association of American Pub-lishers and the Book Industry Study Group, mass-market paperback sales have fallen 14 percent since 2008. Yet, a few stores, like the Voracious Reader continue to thrive.

“We manage to pay the rent each month and get won-derful support from our com-munity,” Lucidon said. Ac-cording to Lucidon, the past few years she has seen an in-crease in business as people are recognizing the value of local. She went on to explain that 2008 was a really hard year, but since then her busi-ness has been steadier with a local base of customers fre-quenting the store and buying more books.

“People are coming in and browsing again” she said. “The past couple of years, I’ve definitely seen a change.”

The Voracious Reader, which was opened eight years ago by Lucidon, a New Rochelle resi-dent who originally hails from Philadelphia, Penn., sells pri-marily children’s books, but also has an adult and teen section. The bookstore draws customers not only from Larchmont, but from up-per portions of Westchester

Author James Patterson donated $1 million to the “Saving books, saving lives” campaign to help indie bookstores across the country. The Voracious Reader in Larchmont was one of 81 book stores selected.

The owner of the Voracious Reader, Francine Lucidon, stands in her shop, which was the only bookstore in Westchester County that was awarded a grant from the acclaimed author James Patterson.

A new room for children ages one to three may soon complement The Voracious Reader’s children’s book section, pictured, following receipt of grant money from author James Patterson. File photos


Bomb threat causes high school evacuationBy cHRIs EBERHaRT

Staff Writer

Another bomb threat was made to the joint Rye Middle/High School campus dur-ing the morning of Jan. 9, but school officials didn’t know learn of scare until an hour and a half after it was made.

The bomb threat was made in an email to three school admin-istrators, whose names have not been disclosed by the school dis-trict, with a timestamp of 7:33 a.m., on Jan. 9, 17 minutes be-fore the joint facility’s 7:50 a.m. opening time. But, according to Board of Education President Laura Slack, no one was aware a threat had been made and stu-dents were allowed to enter the building and carry on with their daily routines.

Slack said two of the email ad-dresses were wrong and the third email wasn’t seen until the ad-ministrator sat at his or her desk and checked his or her email.

“But as soon as the admin-istrator read the email and the high school officials were

For the third time this school year, the Rye Middle School/High School campus on Parsons Street was evacuated due to a bomb threat. File Photo

made aware, protocol was fol-lowed, police were notified and the school was evacuated all within five minutes,” Slack told the Review.

The Rye Police Department along with the Westchester Po-lice Department’s Hazardous Device Unit responded and searched the building for a lit-tle more than an hour and half while students waited in their assigned indoor evacuation locations. Police said nothing was found, and Rye City Su-perintendent of Schools Dr. Frank Alvarez sent an email to parents around 10:40 a.m. say-ing the building was safe and the students were returning to their classrooms.

This has been the fourth threat involving a weapon made to the campus this year.

In September 2014, there was a gun scare on school property. After the school day ended on Sept. 19, students believed they saw a gun in an-other student’s backpack.

In October, students were evacuated during school hours

because a bomb threat was written on the bathroom walls, and in December, a basketball game on campus against New Rochelle was cancelled be-cause of a second bomb threat. “The school district takes these threats very seriously,” Alvarez said. “The threats are incredi-bly disruptive, alarming to stu-dents and faculty, expensive to taxpayers, wasteful of Rye and county police resources and constitute a criminal act.”

To date, there have been no arrests involving any of the prior cases.

On Jan. 8, a similar bomb threat was made over social media within the Ossining school district. The following day, Ossining police arrest-ed two 16-year-olds, whose names are not being released because of their ages, and charged them with making ter-roristic threats.

Rye Police Lt. Robert Falk did not return calls for com-ment, as of press time.



The standing of the Pales-tinian Authority, PA, is bound to have been enhanced by the appearance on television of its President Mahmoud Ab-bas front and center in Paris among heads of state and gov-ernment including the prime minister of Israel. I do not crit-icize our president for his ab-sence, since I have no knowl-edge of the security aspects involved.

Those present may have harbored differing views of freedom of speech. Here in the United States we know there are limits, epitomized by the well-known notion that you may not shout “fire” in a crowded theater. In recent times at the United Nations, some countries have argued for a rule against “defamation of religions.” This has been re-sisted by others as an attack on freedom of speech.

As the PA applies to join the International Criminal Court, ICC, the implications

Middle East parties, tread warilyfor both it and Israel are con-siderable. The PA may be alienating more countries than it persuades by seeking puni-tive sanctions, and at the same time the PA may be jeopardiz-ing itself in other ways.

As long as the PA is not a member of the ICC, its nation-als are not subject to ICC pros-ecution, nor are offenses com-mitted on PA territory subject thereto. But the Rome Statute, which created the ICC, pro-vides in Article 12 that “1. A State which becomes a Party to this Statute thereby accepts the jurisdiction of the Court with respect to the crimes re-ferred to in article 5.” Those are war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, plus aggression whenever it is of-ficially defined.

Israel may be inviting prob-lems if it is withholding funds to which the PA is entitled by agreement. It is conceivable that the PA might seek to bring an action for damages against Israel in the International Court of Justice, ICJ.

Article 34 of the ICJ Stat-ute provides that: “1. Only states may be parties before

the Court.” Whether or not Israel raised the issue of the PA’s statehood in the ICJ, the Court would have to rule on it before deciding the merits. Article 36(6) specifies that, “In the event of a dispute as to whether the Court has jurisdic-tion, the matter shall be settled by the decision of the Court.”

The possibility of an ICJ ruling that the PA is a state must give Israel considerable pause. Article 35(3) of the ICJ Statute explicitly refers to situ-ations [w]hen a state which is not a Member of the United Nations is a party to a case, . .”

A basic rule of traditional international law is: “Pac-ta sunt servanda.” In other words, international agree-ments must be carried out, just like private contracts. So Israel might hesitate before withholding promised funds, just as the U.S. might do if its payments to the PA have been made pursuant to any agree-ment. Neither Israel nor the U.S. government are likely to want the ICJ to rule on Pales-tinian statehood.


Attention Lab lovers, I’m Finn, a big goofy Lab mix about 2 years old and 70 lbs. Though I know some basic commands, I’m still a bit strong on the leash. I’m very snuggly with humans and playful with other dogs and quite curious and interested in cats. I have a big Lab head, soft silky fur and white “socks” on my back paws. I always keep my kennel clean, so guess you can consider me “housebroken.” Larchmont Pet Rescue has taken good care of me as I’m neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, heartworm tested and micro-chipped. Why not let me make your home complete by donating $250? To learn more, please call 834-6955 or visit NY-PetRescue.org. (Submitted)

Celebrate Our Rye Y Stories!

To thank you for sharing your story during the Rye Y Story Project, we are pleased to invite you to a special opening reception for

ÿ Voices from the Community,ÿ the Rye Y Story Project Exhibit.

Friday, January 23, Noon ÿ 1:30 p.m. Member Lounge RSVP to Denise Woodin: [email protected] (Casual, come as you are!)

Rye City’s

Official Newspaper


snack BaR from page 1

process and wants to strike a long-term deal, similar to the one to run the castle, with whoever the next snack bar vendor is.

“I’d like to see whoever gets the snack bar to be able to plan for more than one year with performance barometers put in,” Cunningham said.

Rye City Manager Frank Culross said the city looked

into simply re-upping with Lessing’s, but said there’s a clause in the Lessing’s con-tract that requires an RFP. The clause also allows for a default arrangement with Lessing’s to run the snack bar if no one else takes it over.

“It’s my understanding that Lessing’s is interested and will submit a proposal,” Culross said. “It will be likely in the long run they get the snack bar but it’s a process that we’re

undertaking.”The city manager said

there is a possibility that there could be separate op-erators running the castle and snack bar this year. But, ul-timately, the goal is to have one operator run both to cre-ate more efficiency.

The RFP was sent out on Jan. 9; responses are due back to the city by Feb. 6 at 5 p.m.


The city sent out an RFP for a company to operate the snack bar at Rye Golf Club after the previous contract with Lessing’s expired at the end of 2014. Powell’s, of Harrison, ran the snack bar prior to Lessing’s last year, but left after mutual agreement with the city. Photo/powellsclambar.com


Red cross in need of blood donorsBy MaRIssa PEnn

Staff Writer

During the winter months, it is more difficult for people to come out and donate blood, which is why the American Red Cross has designated January National Blood Do-nor Month which dates back to 1970.

Blood is needed by some-one in the United States every two seconds yet, according to the American Red Cross, less than 10 percent of individuals that are eligible to give blood, actually do so. During the winter months, considered the slowest time of the year for blood donations, local blood banks are reminding the public that during the season of giv-ing, there is no better gesture than helping save lives by do-nating blood.

On Jan. 6, at the New Ro-chelle Public Library, the

American Red Cross held one of its many blood drives. It was a cold and snowy day, and a result just 14 donors ven-tured out to give blood. Ac-cording to Ashley Lawrence, the team supervisor for the American Red Cross of Great-er New York, 14 is an average number for this time of year.

“Since I started working here four years ago, it’s been pretty steady, but according to co-workers that have been with the American Red Cross longer, things were definitely busier a couple of years before that,” Lawrence said.

Luis Guerrero was one of the 14 participants who braved the weather to donate blood.

“I started giving blood through work,” he said. “It’s for a good cause, so it makes me feel good.”

According to Guerrero, it only hurts when the needle goes in and the rest is a “piece

of cake.” As seen at the recent blood

drive in New Rochelle, unpre-dictable weather can result in less people coming out to do-nate, and cancelations. Sea-sonal illnesses, such as the flu also cause donors to be un-able to make or keep blood do-nation appointments. Donors of all blood types are needed, especially those with O nega-tive, A negative and B negative due to the rarity of people with those blood types.

In addition to weather relat-ed and illness related cancel-lations, another factor that af-fects low wintertime donations is students being on break. This is due to the fact that about 50 percent of donations received come from students while on their high school and college campuses, according to the American Red Cross. Similarly, a decline in blood donations is also seen during

the summer months when stu-dents are on vacation.

Like other perishables, blood expires and goes bad, accord-ing to Stefanie Arcangelo, communications managers for the American Red Cross.

“It only lasts 42 days on shelves, and platelet donations can only be stored for five days,” she said.

In Westchester County alone, the American Red Cross collected 3,050 units of blood this past year, according to Ar-cangelo. From there, the blood is shipped to local hospitals, doctor’s offices, and infirma-ries throughout the county.

“The Red Cross is grateful to all the volunteer blood and platelet donors who roll up their sleeves to give back to their communities,” Arcange-lo said. “Many people choose to donate blood because they know a family, friend or neigh-bor who needed blood be-cause of an accident, illness, such as cancer, or because of a much needed surgery among other reasons.”

According to the American Red Cross, blood donors must be in good health and feeling well, must weigh at least 110 pounds and must be at least 17 years old. Sixteen-year-olds

may donate only with parental consent. In general, the entire donation process takes about one hour to complete. The drawing of blood for one pint takes anywhere from five to 10 minutes and the rest of the hour is spent in a registration and interviewing procedure.

“The need for blood is constant,”Arcangelo said.


aMERIcan Red CrossWestchester office106 N. BroadwayWhite Plains, N.Y.

946-6500

A donor gives blood during National Blood Donor Month, which is during the month of January, when blood donations are significantly down due to seasonal illnesses and difficulty traveling. Photo courtesy Blaire Baily

A blood drive where individuals are able to donate blood to those that need it the most. In the U.S., every two seconds somebody needs blood. Photo courtesy Jason Colston


By MaRIssa PEnnStaff Writer

Break out the tissue boxes and brace yourselves for a se-vere flu season.

The flu season, which be-gins in October and comes to an end around March, is at the midway point and it’s shaping up to be a difficult one.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-vention, New York has had nearly 4,000 confirmed influ-enza reports statewide, while other states across the country are seeing far fewer cases.

To date, the spread of influ-enza has been widespread in the Northeast region.

The CDC noted that in ad-dition to New York, Connecti-cut, Maine, Maryland, Massa-chusetts, New Hampshire and New Jersey are also experi-encing widespread flu activity. Also according to a recent re-port by the CDC, the Decem-ber 2014 flu reports were the highest since December 2008.

Furthermore, officials think that this year’s flu vaccine doesn’t work well against this particular virus, according to CDC officials.

Vaccines are made months in advance on a prediction of what flu strains will be pres-ent each year, and because this year’s vaccine is much less ef-fective than year’s past—they are generally up to 80 percent effective—we have seen a se-vere flu season so far.

According to the CDC, other than practicing good hygiene, the single best way to prevent

Flu season severe so far

This flu season has been severe so far—be on the lookout for flu symptoms, which include a high fever, body aches and coughing. Photo courtesy of patient-advocate.com

This flu season is going to be a rough one in part because this year’s vaccine is not as effective as years past. Photo courtesy prevention.com

the flu is a flu shot each season, even if the vaccine is not as ef-fective as formulated to be.

At Rye Beach Pharmacy, a local family-owned and oper-ated pharmacy, the flu shot is administered there daily for a cost of $29.95. But, according to Annette Hoban, a pharmacist at Rye Beach Pharmacy, which is located on Forest Avenue in Rye City, less people are being vaccinated this year.

There are a variety of flu shots available, which are de-veloped by several manufac-turers, each year prior to Octo-ber, when flu season starts. The manufacturers gather all strains of the flu virus and choose the ones that they believe are go-ing to be most problematic to formulate the shots.

“According to the CDC, we want the shot to be at 80 percent effectiveness,” Hoban said. “But this year’s is only at 40 percent [effective] or so.”

Hoban said less people are being vaccinated because they are not taking the flu as

seriously as it should be with the recent outbreak in Ebola making most of the major headlines rather than just the “plain old flu.” In its place, Tamiflu and other over the counter flu remedies are van-ishing off the shelves, said Bob Giaquinto, owner of Rye Beach Pharmacy.

“We have definitely seen an increase in people coming in for medicine. There are a lot more prescriptions being filled for Tamiflu,” Giaquinto said.

Meanwhile, the store own-er recommends Elderberry capsules, which reduce flu symptoms and probiotics to help keep immunity up in ad-dition to getting the flu shot.

CVS Pharmacy, however, has seen an 8 percent in-crease in vaccinations, ac-cording to Michael D’Anglis, a CVS spokesman with the national pharmacy chain.

“Even though this season’s shot is less effective than last, the CDC is still recommend-ing it and people are getting it,” he said.

At CVS, the flu shot costs $31.99. CVS also provides shot vouchers to those that cannot afford the flu shot, ac-cording to D’Anglis.

The Westchester County health department is offering free flu shots in Yonkers, on Jan. 23, and in White Plains, on Jan. 16 and 30. Inter-ested Westchester residents and non-residents should call, 813-5000, to make an appointment.


rock chipping continues in the neighborhood, contributing to the residents’ unhappiness.

“It’s very unnerving to hear banging all day long and it starts early in the morning,” said Frances Ginsberg, the next-door neighbor to the 135 Highland Road construction project. “I can’t really concen-trate on playing the piano.”

Ginsberg said the project started last summer, but more recently, in the winter, the magnitude of the noise has been less strong. She added that there have also been con-struction projects that involve

cHIPPInG from page 1 rock chipping popping up in others areas of the Indian Vil-lage section of the city, such as the property on the intersection of Highland Road and Mead-ow Place and the project on the corner of Highland Road and Wappanocca Avenue.

Ginsberg said she would like to see some sort of noise limitation on the process of rock chipping.

For local contractors like Jamie Howard, a lifelong Rye resident, rock chipping is common practice and a neces-sity in some situations. How-ard is currently working on the construction of a new house in the city and said rock chipping

on-site had finished more than two weeks ago. The contractor said that rock chipping started in early December as an on-and-off process.

While Howard was aware of the city’s temporary study group, he said rock chipping doesn’t need to see any new regulations.

“I think everyone should be allowed to work with their property,” Howard said. “Let’s say you want a base-ment for the new house, you can’t get it without chipping some rock away.”

Vitiello and Councilman Mecca declined to comment.


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By MayOR JOE sack

In one respect, 2015 is be-ginning just like 2014. For the second year in a row, this tra-ditional State of the City ad-dress by the mayor has been upstaged—and rightly so—by the swearing-in of council-members Richard Mecca and Richard Slack.

But in another way, the start of this year is actually much dif-ferent than the start of last year.

This time, we, the members of this Rye City Council, are not just offering the promise of restoring trust and confidence in our city government. After a solid year of hard work, perse-verance and a healthy dose of humility, it can be fairly noted that we have delivered on that promise.

Consequently, the state of our city is stronger now than it has been in recent memory. As we remain united, and as we continue to advance the in-terests of Rye in a straightfor-ward and business-like man-ner, the state of our city will only get even stronger.

The members of this coun-cil—which also include Laura Brett, Julie Killian, Terry Mc-Cartney and Kirstin Bucci—have worked together and with others to get the city back on track. And we have done that by respecting all points of

view, working through differ-ences and building consensus. This fresh approach has con-tributed to better solutions and stronger outcomes.

So in the span of just 12 months, Rye has racked up a string of notable accomplish- ments.

First and foremost, we end-ed our relationship with a city manager who by his actions and inactions had unfortunate-ly contributed to the public’s waning faith in the way our city was run.

We replaced that person with an upstanding and solid city manager, an old friend who helped steady the ship and navigate us through turbu-lent waters.

And regardless of who happens to be serving as city manager, we strengthened our oversight tools, giving all councilmembers for the first time the right to request, re-ceive and inspect the books and records of the city.

We enhanced our checks and balances with respect to the appointment of one of the most important and high-pro-file city employees, by oblig-ing the city manager to offer his or her choice for police commissioner to the council for our advice and consent.

We brought back the pro-cess of requiring council ap-

proval of the city’s outside au-ditor, and we took that oppor-tunity to shake things up and retain a new, experienced and well-regarded auditing firm. Thank you to City Comptrol-ler Joe Fazzino and the Fi-nance Department team for their hard work in making that happen.

We opened a brand new chapter at Rye Golf Club, by hiring a new caterer and a new club manager, both with es-sential input from golf club stakeholders. Thank you to General Manager Jim Buon-aiuto, Mack Cunningham and all the club commissioners and volunteers for keeping the bot-tom line in the black and dras-tically improving the overall member experience.

Regarding Rye Playland, we took proactive steps to ensure that Rye had a role in the decision-making in con-nection with the county’s proposed development plans. Thank you to Steve Vasko, and all the advisory committee members and local citizens, who helped keep this issue in the forefront.

We crafted creative legis-lation to address a long-sim-mering conflict at Rye Town Park, officially allowing dogs off leash in a designated area before 9 a.m., while provid-ing for stricter enforcement at

other times of the day. Thank you to Supervisor Joe Carvin, Bishop Nowotnik and all of our friends in the Town of Rye for being such good part-ners. And thanks to City Clerk Dawn Nodarse for helping to implement the registration component to this new law.

We set a new tone in our labor negotiations and settled long-standing talks with our police and public works unions by entering into agreements which were not only fair and equitable to city workers, but which also contained unprec-edented provisions to protect the long-term interests of Rye taxpayers. Our greatest city as-set is our city staff, and we are grateful for their fine service.

We applied vigorous due diligence to the senior afford-able housing proposal at the intersection of Theo. Fremd Avenue and North Street, which resulted in a thorough review of environmental and other impacts, and which—after more than two decades of talk—finally brought the tangible result of a new zon-ing district to the site. Thank you to City Planner Christian Miller and the Planning Com-mission for helping us to see that through.

We instituted pilot projects on the Milton Point “Loop” with regard to a reduced speed limit of 25 mph and the re-moval of dangerous rocks in the city right-of-way. We will learn from these pilots and we will expand them if they prove successful. Thank you to Brian Dempsey and all the members of the Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee, as well as interested citizens, for supply-

ing us with very useful infor-mation on this.

We passed a new law which was geared towards preserv-ing the essential character of our city by trying to save the Smoke Shop. With its iconic green façade and with its wel-coming atmosphere as a cen-tral meeting place, Peggy and Tony’s quintessential retail store is as much connected to our identity as any other place in Rye. I sincerely hope that the landlord becomes our partner in this effort and takes advantage of this unique opportunity.

These are just the highlights. There are many other ac-

complishments, both large and small, which have made a positive impact—from revers-ing the gravelling-over of the Central Avenue parkette, to approving new retail-friendly 15-minute parking spots at various places around town.

Perhaps the achievement for which I personally re-ceived the most positive feed-back was the re-surfacing of the train station roadway which runs through the MTA-owned parking plaza.

What a difference a year makes.

But we are not content to rest on our laurels. Working together, this council aims to keep the momentum, to re-solve unfinished business and to take on newer and bigger challenges.

In 2015, we will for sure recruit our next city manager, the person who will finally succeed Mr. Culross in the true Rye tradition of honest and effective leadership. We are glad to have Assistant City

Manager Eleanor Militana to provide continuity during the transition.

Regardless of whom the council hires as city manager, we should also continue to strengthen our ability to per-form our oversight role, by allowing all councilmembers to speak directly with city de-partment heads. Currently, this basic interaction is remark-ably not allowed to take place, based on the way the charter appears to be written.

However, we ought to be able to consult with them, not for the reason of direct-ing them in the performance of their duties, which should remain solely the function of the city manager, but simply for the purposes of gaining in-formation. Ironically, any or-dinary citizen can speak with a department head and this hap-pens on a regular basis.

Let’s not forget that our in-ability to do this prevented those of us who were suspi-cious earlier on about the Rye Golf Club situation from conducting an inquiry at the source, once our initial re-quests for information were ignored. If we had been able to do this, the city potentially could have avoided hundreds of thousands of dollars in in-vestigative fees, not to men-tion immeasurable grief.

We have seen the peril which may befall our city when the council does not fully embrace its necessary and proper oversight respon-sibilities. We should heed the lessons of the recent past and make this sensible change.

The State of the City

Hen Island, a seasonal island off the coast of Milton Harbor that has been plagued by controversy and infighting for years, will be addressed by the current Rye City administration this year, according to Mayor Joe Sack. File photos

Joe Sack, a Republican in his second annual address as mayor, said the city must stay on top of resolving litigation with the owners of the Tiki Bar and Pier Restaurant over a property tax dispute. cOnTInuEd on next page


We are thankful to Police Commissioner Bill Pease for his steady hand, but we ought to start thinking about our need to permanently fill the top leadership position at the police department. However, this will have to wait until a new city manager is in place, so that he or she can initiate and guide that process.

We ought to review the or-ganization and staffing needs at the fire department, which we began to address in this year’s budget, but which we must consider in much greater detail. As part of this effort, we should apply additional effort and resources towards recruit-ing, training and retaining vol-unteer firefighters. This public service has a rich tradition dat-ing back many generations in Rye, and I hope and believe that it will continue to be a tremendous source of commu-nity pride.

Importantly, we will need all parties involved—profes-sionals and volunteers alike—to put aside historic differ-ences for the greater good of the entire city. I am confident that everyone will rise to the occasion.

If possible, we ought to ap-ply the model of success we developed in negotiating other collective bargaining agree-ments, to our talks with the unions representing our fire-fighters and clerical workers.

We ought to continue to press our insurance claim with regard to the fraud at Rye Golf Club, to get the best recovery possible for the city, and we should also closely monitor the litigation regarding the Whitby Castle wait staff gratuities.

Unfortunately, there’s a raft of other litigation mat-ters which we need to stay on top of, including the Beaver Swamp Brook and the Tiki Bar matters. We will continue to rely on the good advice of City Attorney Kristen Wilson as we move forward. Thanks also to City Assessor Noreen Whitty for her important role in our tax cert litigation.

We ought to be prepared to reaffirm our rights if and when the County of Westches-ter comes forward with a new plan or a variation of an old plan, for the revitalization of Rye Playland. We want to be partners with the county when-ever possible, and we invite the county to work with us.

We ought to continue to pursue flood mitigation strate-gies, including the re-calibra-tion of the Bowman Avenue sluice gate and the options developed by the Governor’s “New York Rising” task force, among which is the possibility of upstream retention on the State University of New York campus in Purchase. Thanks to Holly Kennedy and Bernie Althoff and all the citizen vol-unteers for applying themselves to this ever present issue.

We ought to continue the conversation which we started about rock chipping and other building issues, and institute better regulations, while al-ways striving to strike the right balance between the desires of those who want to limit new construction, with those who wish to preserve property rights. We appreciate the in-put of our concerned citizens and we will continue to turn to Building Inspector Maureen

Eckman for her expert techni-cal advice.

We ought to consider taking steps to revise our City of Rye Development Plan—the so-called “Master Plan”—which has not been updated in three decades. I have an original edition from 1985. Our good friend John Carolin served as the capable chairman of the Planning Commission at that time. Today, we need the same type of equanimity, nobil-ity and foresight exemplified by Mr. Carolin 30 years ago. Let’s make the needed invest-ment and get the ball rolling to plan for our future.

We should begin to imple-ment the infrastructure proj-ects which were approved in 2012, but which were delayed because we came to realize that the projects were not suf-ficiently planned out at the time when they were submit-ted to referendum. As always, we could not embark on these projects without the solid lead-ership of City Engineer Ryan Coyne and the DPW staff.

We also have no shortage of new projects to undertake, in-cluding potential reconfigura-tion at Disbrow Park involving the Little League field to pro-vide for safer routing of traf-fic. Recreation Superintendent Sally Rogol, together with Bart Dinardo and the entire Recreation Commission, will as always play an important part in getting this done right.

We ought to address the complaints about the deer population by our neighbors in the Greenhaven and Manurs-ing Island areas especially. To that end, we will enlist the ad-vice and input of the state and

county, as well as our neigh-boring communities, and Rye will convene and host a deer management summit in the first quarter of the year.

Having hit the reset button on the long-standing Hen Island controversy, and having invited all interested parties to submit material and join a construc-tive dialogue, and having even traveled by boat out into Milton Harbor for a tour, we need to digest this disparate and com-plex information and ultimately weigh in with our perspective.

With regard to the Rye City schools, we ought to continue the improved communication which we have tried to culti-vate. Although we are sepa-rate organizations with dis-crete roles, there is often much overlap in our missions, espe-cially since we predominantly serve the same constituents. These intentions would also hold true for the Rye Neck schools, although on a much smaller scale. But thank you to Board of Education Presi-dent Laura Slack and her col-leagues for stepping up and being our close partners.

In particular, we ought to continue the direction of our recent discussion over the lo-cation of our public access ca-ble TV studio. There are dis-tinct synergies that exist in our respective efforts to inspire young minds, as they pursue careers and other adventures. Let’s work together on a joint

venture for the benefit of our shared love—our children.

And all of these initiatives, of course, must be considered in the context of providing the high level of services which the residents of Rye have come to desire and expect, while also keeping taxes as manageable as possible.

This is not an exhaustive list; there are many more existing issues which require our atten-tion, with many more sprouting up every day. We certainly have enough on our plate. The truth is that we relish these challeng-es. But we cannot take them on without your help, for which we humbly ask.

A couple years ago, I clipped an article from the Wall Street Journal which re-ported on the Berkshire Ha-thaway annual shareholders’ meeting. This article struck a chord with me, and has re-mained on a corner of my desk. It indicated that Berk-shire’s legendary chairman Warren Buffet had invited a prominent short-seller—that is, someone who had placed a bet against Berkshire stock—to participate in a panel posing questions to him.

The Journal concluded that, “Perhaps the most important thing you can do when every-thing seems to be going right in your portfolio is to listen to some-body who insists you are wrong.”

So we need and want your support. But we also accept

and learn from, and are shaped by your criticism. We seek out public engagement no matter its source or motives as an es-sential part of the good gov-ernment to which we all, I be-lieve, aspire.

More recently, a couple weeks ago, another article in the Journal caught my eye. This one asked success-ful people about the best and worst investments they ever made. Former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker put it succinctly, “The worst finan-cial investment I ever made was spending so much time in government. The most satisfy-ing personal investment I ever made was spending so much time in government, frustrat-ing as it could be.”

Another year older, and another year wiser, I think I know what he means. But I don’t think that I would have it any other way.

We ended 2014 on a high note with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the dedication of City Hall. And as we start the next half-cen-tury in this building, we can have optimism that our best days are still ahead of us.

Thank you, God bless you and God bless the City of Rye.

Joe Sack was elected into office in November 2013. He was sworn in as mayor in January of 2014. His term is four years.

The Rye City Council created special exemption legislation last year that allows for the smoke shop, considered by some to be a Rye institution, to remain on the corner of Purchase Street and Elm Place due to an agreement with the property’s landlord.

Mayor Joe Sack spoke of the ongoing concerns with the potential redevelopment of Rye Playland. Sack said in his State of the City address that Rye would continue to contest any plan put forward by Westchester County that isn’t in the best interests of residents. File photos


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PUBLIC NOTICE CITY OF RYENotice of Public Hearing on a proposed lo-cal law to amend Chapter 117, Landmarks Preservation, of the Rye City Code by amend-ing §117-5, “Designation of Preservation Districts or Protected Sites and Structures” Subsection E, by adding: (9) Protected site and structures: 600 Milton Road, the Bird Homestead, and 624 Milton Road, The Rye Meeting House, as landmarks.Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held by the City Council of the City of Rye on the 28th day of January 2014 at 7.30 P.M. at City Hall, Boston Post Road, in said City, at which interested persons will be afforded an opportunity to be heard concern-ing a proposal to amend §117-5 to add: (9) Protected site and structures: 600 Milton Road, The Bird Homestead, and 624 Milton Road, The Rye Meeting House, as landmarks.Copies of said local law may be obtained from the office of the City Clerk. Dawn F. Nodarse, City Clerk. Dated: January 21, 2015

LEGAL NOTICEThe Rye City Council has amended Chapter 76 “Dogs” of the Rye City Code in order to allow dog owners, who have registered for a permit with the Rye City Clerk’s Office, to let their dogs off their leashes in a specified area of Rye Town Park during the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Dogs must be leashed at all other times. In order to receive the permit, dog owners must complete an ap-plication and provide proof that their dog is licensed and up to date on their rabies shots. In addition to the permit, which must be carried at all times when in the park, the owner will receive a tag that must be attached to the dog’s collar. Additional regula-tions include: The maximum number of dogs that any one person shall have custody and control over is three. Dog owners must clean up after their dogs. Owners must not leave dogs unattended and shall have dogs under voice control at all times. Owners are legally responsible for their dogs and any injuries caused by them. Dogs must be discouraged from digging – Owners must fill any holes their dogs dig. Aggressive dogs are not permit-ted. The permit will be renewable every year. During the first year of the program there will be no charge for the permit. Application forms can be downloaded from the Permits and Forms section of the City of Rye website (www.ryeny.gov). If you have any question, please contact the City Clerk’s Office (914) 967-7371 during regular business hours.

January 16, 2015 • THE RyE cITy REvIEw • 15SPORTS

In the aftermath of the college football champion-ship game, one thing is read-ily apparent; it could not have worked out any better for pro-ponents of the playoff system. This year, for the first time ever, the College Football Na-tional Championship was de-cided by a four-team playoff scenario. The decision to do away with the old system—which simply pitted the two top-ranked teams in the nation against one another in a win-ner-take-all bowl game—was met with some consternation from college football pur-ists, many of whom felt that the third or fourth best teams in the nation had no business playing for the national title.

On Jan. 12, the worst fears of those playoff oppo-nents were realized as No. 4 ranked Ohio State beat the

Playoff feverOregon Ducks 42-20 in the title game to claim the first-ever College Football Playoff Championship.

Putting aside any doubts about the effectiveness of the newly implemented playoffs, Ohio State’s run to the nation-al title was certainly entertain-ing from a drama standpoint. The lowest seeded team in the bracket, playing with a third-stringer under center, toppling the two top-ranked teams in the country in succession to win a title?

That’s storybook stuff right there. It’s proof that the system works.

And for the traditionalists who may have been against the playoff scenario, who better than the Buckeyes to take it all?

Facing an Oregon team that represented a new era in college football, a lighting fast, spread-offense, “finesse” team, the Buckeyes relied on their throwback style—no-tably a punishing ground at-tack led by Ezekiel Elliot’s

246-yard, four-score perfor-mance—to ground the Ducks. The Big 10 conference pow-erhouse showed that while gaudy passing numbers and newfangled offensive schemes might be pleasing to watch, a wear-you-down rushing at-tack can be effective in its simplicity.

Add to that a hard-hitting de-fense, one that held Oregon to its lowest point total of the year, and Ohio State’s performance was proof that smash-mouth football can still translate into wins in this day and age.

I’m not an Ohio State fan by any stretch of the imagina-tion, but I was rooting for them on Monday night. Not because of any ill-will I bear Oregon, not because of my respect for Urban Meyer, and not even because getting the chance to watch a 250-pound quarter-back sling the ball around a bit makes for good television.

I was rooting for the Buck-eyes because a win for them was a win for the playoff sys-

On Jan. 12, Ohio State won the first-ever College Football Playoff Championship. Sports Editor Mike Smith feels that this is the start of something good for the NCAA. Photo courtesy Wikipedia.com

tem in general.We might see some tweaks

to college football in the com-ing years. There have already been talks to expand the play-

off system to eight teams, a decision that I’m sure will have vocal supporters on each side of the issue. But no mat-ter what happens, the fact re-

mains; the playoff era is offi-cially off to a good start.

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By LauREn dEMPsEyContributor

While wrestling is offi-cially a team sport, it actu-ally is a test mano-a-mano. When you are out on the mat, there is no one there to throw a pass to, block for you or just to even pick you up. Through a combination of determination, strength and hard work, Jackson Kliger-man won the Mamaroneck Wrestling Tournament for the 170-pound weight class and then followed it with a championship in the Wood-lands Tournament, thus earn-ing this week’s honors.

Jackson has a 14-1 record so far for this season, his fourth on the varsity squad,

and is one of the team’s cap-tains. His goal this year is to qualify for states.

In the Bernie Miller Invi-tational at Rye, he won four matches. In the champion-ship match in the Mama-roneck Tournament, Jackson beat the second ranked wres-tler in all of Section 1, 3-1, with the final points com-ing on a takedown with 15 seconds remaining. He won four more times at Wood-lands to capture that title.

“He has worked really hard for the past four years on varsity and it’s really pay-ing of this year,” teammate Franklin Goldszer said.

Coach Matt Beatty agrees.

“Jackson’s success did

Jackson kligerman

not come overnight,” Be-atty said. “He has worked hard and sacrificed much to become a leader and great wrestler. I look forward to watching him take over the 170-pound weight class throughout the rest of this season.”

Jackson was also captain of the soccer team this fall. He is in the process of con-sidering his college choices.

16 • The rye city review • January 16, 2015 SPORTS

Panthers sting Hastings

Lauren Vallarelli pulls up for a shot on Jan. 13 at Rye Neck High School. The Panthers beat the visiting Yellow Jackets 46-20.

By MIkE sMITHSports Editor

On Jan. 13, the Rye Neck Panthers bested Hastings 46-20 at home to win their fifth game of the year. Against the Yellow Jackets, the Panthers utilized a balanced attack—and stifling defense—to show just how dangerous this team can be when firing on all cylinders.

Kayla Pugliese led Rye Neck with 15 points and 10 rebounds on the day, help-ing stake the Panthers to a 12-point lead at the half. Pug-liese’s work on the glass was indicative of the Panthers’ commitment to rebounding this season, something that head coach Cathy Toolan said has been evident in most games. Against the Yellow Jackets, Rye Neck was able to get a number of second-chance points to help put some separation between the two teams.

“We’ve outrebounded our opponents in a bunch of our games this season,” Toolan said. “And we’re not the tall-est team, but the girls have managed to do a great job rebounding.”

Yohabet Tejeida added nine points in the win and also collected three steals as Rye Neck’s press caused problems for the Yellow Jack-ets’ ball handlers. According to Toolan, the Panthers’ dedi-

cation to the press has paid dividends in the all around play of the 5-4 ball club.

“This is the first year that we’ve put in the press in a while,” she said. “I think it gets the team more focused and even helps them get into the flow on offense.”

Though Pugliese was the high-scorer on Tuesday, the Panthers have no shortage

Alessia Panetta chases down a loose ball on Jan. 13. Rye Neck is currently 5-4 on the season.

Kayla Pugliese goes up for a layup on Jan. 13. Pugliese led the Panthers with 15 points and 10 rebounds against Hastings.

Juliette D’errico looks for an open teammate on Jan. 13 against Hastings. Photos/Mike Smith

of capable scorers. And the reliance on a well-balanced offense has created some matchup problems for other teams so far.

“Our leading scorer is al-most on a game-by-game ba-sis. We have a bunch of op-tions,” Toolan said. “I’ve had coaches come up to me and tell me that they were wor-ried about one girl, but then two other girls step up.”

As the Panthers look to the remainder of the season, they will attempt to improve their record in league play, starting on Jan. 15, after press time, against Dobbs Ferry.

On Jan. 30, they will trav-el to Irvington to take on the Bulldogs, a game which Tool-an thinks will be a good chal-lenge for her team.

“One of the mottos we have is that we want to get better each day,” said the head coach. “There are some games we know that, we can be success-ful, even if we’re a little slop-py or if we don’t shoot well. But we also play some great teams and those are going to be good tests.”


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