Sound Shore

This just in from the Bronxville Library:

“The Bronxville Public Library announced today that Library Director Laura Eckley has submitted a letter of resignation, effective Feb. 3.  Ms. Eckley is leaving to become director of the Larchmont Public Library.

“Laura has been a true asset to our library, and we appreciate her dedication and expertise,’’ said Kathy Mullen, President of the library’s Board of Trustees.  “While we are sad to see her leave, we wish her all the best in her new endeavors.”

Eckley joined the Bronxville Public Library in 2003 and was named Library Director in 2009.

“It has been both a privilege and a honor to work at the Bronxville Public Library for the past nine years,” said Ms Eckley in a resignation letter sent to the board earlier this week.  “It was a truly rewarding experience to serve the community.”

Details regarding the search for a replacement will be released after the next board meeting scheduled for Feb. 8.”

The press release gives no information on how—if at all—Eckley’s resignation will affect the lawsuit she brought against the library after a raise to $100,000 was rescinded several weeks after it was instituted. The suit also charged that Eckley was the victim of gender discrimination, pointing out that men in positions of similar responsibility made much more than she.

The fire just after midnight Tuesday in a large commercial building in Port Chester would have been a lot worse if DJs from an entertainment network hadn’t been inside.

Alarms linked to the sprinkler system, which should have alerted the Fire Department automatically to the fire at 200 William St., were faulty, as were exterior alarms that should have sounded, according to Port Chester code enforcement officials. The sprinklers alone probably would not have stopped the blaze, Port Chester Fire Inspector Kevin Brennan said. Luckily, people at the entertainment network Zedalza called 911.

“Had they not been in the building, we probably would have lost the entire block,” Brennan said. The structure is a 139,000-square-foot former factory-warehouse bordered by William, Oak and Smith streets. It includes woodworking shops, a commercial photographer, the Zedalza radio station and other offices. The fire apparently resulted from self-combustion from a buildup of dust in sanding equipment at a businesses called Avanti, according to fire officials. Inspectors found  construction work had been done there without a permit, and issued a stop-work order. The fire damage was minimal, charring the floor beams, Brennan said. Inspections are continuing throughout the building.

Code-compliance work is continuing at two other large commercial properties in town where fires occurred: a set of businesses at Westchester Avenue and Main Street and and a retail parcel at North Main and Adee streets with apartments on the upper floors. Both properties are only partially re-occupied and have been cited for numerous electrical code violations.

Port Chester’s Capitol Theatre will be revived next year as a big-name concert venue, recovering its legendary status in live music, according to entrepreneur Peter Shapiro. The stage has seen the likes of the Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd and many nights’ worth of other acts. Built in 1926, the historic landmark fell into disuse during the 1980s and lately has been a venue for private events.

Shapiro, whose ventures have included Wetlands in Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bowl, is teaming up with concert promoter The Bowery Presents and General Manager Tom Bailey of The Blue Note in Manhattan.

We’ll have more at LoHud.com, and you can follow the developments at The Cap is Back website.

Chef Maria Reina, who used to cook at Tarry Lodge in Port Chester, is now teaching the art next door at Tarry Market. Tarry Cook Shop, as the program is known, was scheduled to started with sauces on Wednesday and will move on to “Hearty Soups” Dec. 7 and “Saute Basics” Dec. 11. There is also a program for middle-schoolers.

Reina is a personal chef and caterer who also teaches in Rye and Rye Brook.

For more info, head over to her blog, or call (914) 649-9430.

Something to think about while you’re getting into holiday shopping mode: Could you get by without plastic bags if you had to?

Rye is considering a ban that would stop retailers from using the ubiquitous plastic checkout bags that are hard to recycle and too flimsy to reuse. Larger, more durable plastic bags would still be allowed. So would the small plastic bags used for produce. The proposed ordinance is modeled on a three-year-old policy in Westport, Conn., and supported by the Citizens Campaign for the Environment. It would be the first law of its kind in Westchester County.

Here’s the full story on LoHud.com. And you can watch Rye’s Nov. 16 public hearing, with a very detailed presentation and discussion, on this city website. Rye officials will discuss the idea again Dec. 7. If the law is passed, retailers will have a six-month grace period to learn about the ban and use up their inventory  of bags.

Let us know what you think of the idea.

It’s hard to think of any type of food store that Port Chester lacks. The village has everything from Costco to corner bodegas;  your standard Stop and Shop, your gourmet Tarry Market, and your specialty La Placita, with whole sections devoted to Colombian and Peruvian goods.

So it’s no small thing for Jane Stout (in photo below) to come in and declare that she has opened a one-of-a-kind food store.

It’s called That Discount Place, and it proudly sells goods that were discontinued, overstocked or stamped a “best by” date from, say, July. Modeled on the “salvage grocery stores” of the Midwest and South, her store offers a changing assortment of goods at about 30 to 60 percent off the usual prices. (Note the dented cans in top photo.) Stout says the products are safe, if not always perfect, likening her store to “the aisle of misfit groceries.”

She opened Oct. 29 on the corner of Irving Avenue and North Pearl Street. For those who have questions about the “best by” dates, she refers customers to the USDA. Such dates are guidelines and not “safety dates,” says a USDA fact sheet. Other than infant formula, products are not generally required to be dated.

For customers who aren’t satisfied with the merchandise, the store accepts returns within five days.

As previously reported, The Fresh Market, a specialty grocer, will be opening a store in the former Old Navy space on Route 22 in Eastchester soon. A spokeswoman told us this week the store—which is currently under construction—should open in early 2012, and is expected to bring 80 to 90 jobs to the area, including assistant store manager and department manager positions.

To prepare, the store is holding a Career Open House Nov. 9 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at The Ritz Carlton, 3 Renaissance Square, White Plains. Applicants need to apply online directly at www.thefreshmarket.com/careers before attending the event. Search “jobs” using keyword 125.

From the official description: “The Fresh Market provides a unique grocery shopping experience with stores that are designed to evoke old-world charm with a warm and inviting atmosphere, classical music, soft lighting, delightful aromas, and superior customer service. The Fresh Market’s friendly, knowledgeable staff is available to offer expert advice, product knowledge, cooking tips, and samples to customers throughout the store. The Fresh Market currently operates 100 stores in 20 states, with plans for continued expansion throughout the country.”

Rye police are forwarding a reminder from FEMA that disaster relief applications in the wake of Hurricane Irene are due by Oct. 31.

Those affected are urged to register ASAP:

“Registration keeps open the possibility of a wide range of assistance,” said Philip E. Parr, FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer. “If your insurance coverage comes up short, or other damage appears later, you need to be registered with FEMA to be considered for disaster assistance.”

To register, call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362.  Phone lines are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET, seven days a week until further notice. People with hearing disabilities can use the TTY number, 800-462-7585. Applicants can also register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or with any web-enabled mobile device or smartphone at m.fema.gov. Follow the link to “apply online for federal assistance.”

Longtime Scarsdale resident and poet Ann Cefola will launch her newest book, “St. Agnes, Pink-slipped” from 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 15 in the newly restored library at Trinity St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 311 Huguenot St., New Rochelle.

Cefola got inspiration for the title of her book after hearing that St. Agnes Hospital in White Plains had changed its name.

“She picturred the displaced saint trudging up North Street,” a publicist said. “That image became the inspiration for the title of her new poetry chapbook” available from Kattywompus Press.

“In the early 2000’s, so many people in Westchester had been downsized,” Cefola said. “Who would think it could happen to a saint?”

The event will feature a reading by the poet and refreshments. It is free and open to the public, although the church is accepting donations to its building repair fund.

To learn more about Cefola, visit www.anncefola.com. For information on the church and directions, visit www.trinitystpaul.org.

Thousands remain without power and roads remain closed a day after Tropical Storm Irene passed through the Lower Hudson Region. Look for continual updates to the story, as well as photo galleries and video reports, at Lohud.com. Read complete coverage in tomorrow’s edition of The Journal News.

Eric Dierssen mops up water inside Tri City Auto Parts on Mamaroneck Ave. in Mamaroneck this morning. The auto parts store was one of the businesses along Mamaroneck Ave. that sustained water damage from tropical storm Irene yesterday. Photo by Seth Harrison