Sound Shore

A construction fence stands in front of the Gedney Farm House in Mamaroneck Monday as preparations get under way to demolish the house, which has stood since the 1790s.

Rye Neck school officials awarded awarded a demolition contract Feb. 15 for the house and its ancillary buildings. The school district owns the vacant building at 734 E. Boston Post Road.

Asbestos abatement is to start this week, while students are on vacation.  The house is expected to be gone within three weeks.

Mamaroneck town officials are exploring the scenarios that could result from a possible dissolution of the nearby Rye Town—including the adoption of about 7,600 new residents.

The neighborhood known as Rye Neck—about 1.4 square miles—would become an orphan of sorts if Rye town decides to go out of existence. A study is under way to determine whether taxpayers would save money by doing away with Rye town or by merging municipal services in some other way.

Rye town envelops the villages of Port Chester and Rye Brook along with Rye Neck, a separate fragment of land that belongs to Mamaroneck Village.

The Town of Mamaroneck is a bystander in the study, but has a serious stake in the outcome.

“It’s an interesting, but very complicated issue,” Supervisor Nancy Seligson said this week as the town board ventured into a discussion on the matter.

If Rye Neck becomes part of the Town of Mamaroneck, it would still receive most services from the Village of Mamaroneck. But Rye Neck residents would no longer pay a slight premium for town recreation services like Hommocks pool, for one thing. But their town taxes might rise, according to one former study on the question. Under a second scenario,the Village of Mamaroneck would secede from the town, taking Rye Neck with it and becoming its own “town-village.”

Mamaroneck Town Administrator said he report to the town board by April with a look at the potential impact from the two alternatives. Any change in the municipal map would require a referendum.

The Rochester-based Center for Governmental Research is conducting the study for Rye Town and the villages of Port Chester, Rye Brook and Mamaroneck through a state grant. Information about municipal services and videos of the related public forums are online at www.cgr.org.

The group hoping to save the Gedney Farm House from the wrecking ball continues to scramble for a viable rescue plan.

The old house, which has occupied its lot in Mamaroneck since the 1790s, is owned by the Rye Neck School District, which no longer has a use for it and, to save money, plans to demolish it.

The Rye Neck Board of Education meets Wednesday night. The farm house is not on the agenda.

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The average citizen could be forgiven for not reading up on the “Study of Governance and Service Options” under way in the Town of Rye. The topic seems as dry as can be, except it’s also kind of interesting—particularly considering that some people don’t realize they live in the Town of Rye and pay taxes to it (about $32 a year on average).

The study, being carried out by the nonprofit Center for Governmental Research, is the latest to look at whether it would save money to eliminate this vestigial layer of local government altogether or rejigger municipal services in some other way. A forum Jan. 12 (click for PDF) will examine the current setup of taxes and services. (The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the Mamaroneck Village courtroom, 169 Mount Pleasant Ave., Mamaroneck.)

So with the aim of sparking some interest, I present this list of some of the most unusual things about Rye Town.

1. The town of Rye consists of two pieces, which sit on either side of the City of Rye and don’t connect.

One chunk consists of the villages of Rye Brook and Port Chester. The other piece is a slice of Mamaroneck called Rye Neck. The total 7.4 square miles are what’s left after the incorporation of various communities over the years. Rye Town in the 1660s covered a large swath extending from White Plains to Greenwich. Most town residents, 63 percent, live in Port Chester.

2. Rye Town Park, despite the name, is not located in the town. It’s in the City of Rye. It’s governed by representatives from the town, city and three villages.

3. Rye Town’s main responsibility is to assess and collect taxes within its territory. It also runs a court  and oversees the care of two parks and three cemeteries.

4. The town supervisor, a global hedge fund manager, is serving for free, until he brings property taxes to zero as promised. Rye Town relies on property tax for just 10 percent of its budget, and  Supervisor Joseph Carvin’s administration is trying to bring tax bills to zero by relying on other revenue. In Port Chester, your village tax bill on a $500,000 house is about $3,560 and your town taxes are about $30.

5. Rye Neck, the smallest chunk at 1.4 square miles, seems to be the clincher whenever questions come about about eliminating the town.

Says CGR’s baseline study:

As recently as 2007, the Village of Mamaroneck commissioned a Pace University study which considered potential options to address Rye Neck’s uncommon situation. The aim of the project was to look at annexation and consolidation alternatives. Results pointed to a potential 44.7 percent increase (from $85 to $123) in town taxes for Rye Neck residents if their locality were to be taken over entirely by the Town of Mamaroneck.

Intrigued? CGR’s “Baseline Report” is available here in PDF form. The document lists in detail all your local services, who performs them and at what cost.

A forum in Rye Tuesday night will bring together people who play key roles in Westchester’s affordable housing settlement — a complex and contentious issue. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters, the panel is set to include officials from HUD, Westchester County and local governments, and federal housing monitor James Johnson. It begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Rye Free Reading Room.

To read about the dispute between federal and county officials over local zoning, see this story by Gerald McKinstry. And for a larger look at the progress and the roadblocks in the settlement’s implementation, click here.

On Wednesday, November 9th Rye Neck Students at Daniel Warren gathered on the field to listen to an outstanding performance by the United States Army Field Band, “The Volunteers”.  Since the bands inception in 1981 this talented group of performers have toured in all 50 states as well as in Central America and Europe.  Louis Santoro, Village of Mamaroneck Deputy Mayor, joined Daniel Warren faculty, parents and Gold Card local Veteran’s from the community to listen to the concert and watch the children dance and wave their patriotic flags.  A special highlight to the day was honoring Daniel Warren’s Veterans; Tony Mauro, crossing guard and Lloyd Lybrand a long time custodian at the school.  Both men served their country as mechanics. Earlier in the week Daniel Warren collected and astounding 450 pounds of Halloween candy that was dropped at the office of Dr. Deborah Troy, Pediatric Dentist located in Rye. Dr. Troy paid patients $1 per pound and will ship the candy free of charge to Operation Gratitude www.operationgratitude.com, who will then send it on to our troops overseas.

Shown at the concert are second graders, from left to right, Alison Cooper, Kaitlyn Welsh and Analisa Wilmer.

Photo—and writeup—courtesy of Nicole Kujawski

Back in August, sports reporter Sharieka Breeden brought you the story of Rye Neck golf and tennis coach Mark Canno and friend Scott Levine, who were planning a charity trip to Kenya. Canno recently sent us an update; if you want to read the earlier story, it’s after the break. Here’s what Mark wrote to us:

Adventure of a lifetime!!! That is how we sum it up. Scott and I had a wonderful time visiting with the children of Shelters Children’s Home and going on Safari in Kenya.  We accompanied  Linda Wilson the founder of Caring for Kids of Kenya, Inc.  This nonprofit organization sponsors orphans in Kenya to go to school.  The trip is something we will both cherish and never forget. Through all the generous donations we were able to bring over 200 pounds of medical supplies, balls, shoes, sports wear, jewelry and much more to give to the children and the home.  We also raised over $9000.00 to buy a cow  (we named Rye Neck), lawn mower and personal items the kids needed for school.  We also sponsored 3 more children, Rueben, Joy and Charles who’s pictures are below.  Once we saw all the needs of the home we wanted to help as much as possible.

During the trip we also visited a slum where we  met Caroline’s mother.  Caroline is one of the children Caring for Kids  of Kenya rescued and now is in boarding school.  We brought food and  supplies for her and her 8 children.   She told us  how proud she was of her daughter who will graduate next year and has  flourished since she was rescued.  She only makes a few shilling per  month cleaning houses and doing laundry.

Upon our return we met with the Rye Neck  Superintendant and Principal and they loved the idea of raising money for  Caring Kids of Kenya. The Rye Neck Key Club is going to doing a Fashion Show  Event in December and some of the proceeds will go directly to sponsoring kids  at the orphanage.

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On Monday, October 3rd teachers from the Rye Neck elementary school met at Harbor Island Park to create a walking wall. Cars  honked their horns in support and children cheered as the teachers kicked off Walk to School Week. The event was organized by Rye Neck PTSA Safe Routes to School Chair, Marla Schneider and the Rye YMCA.

The Heard in Rye Speaker series continues this month with “Childhood Unbound: Saving Our Kids’ Best Selves – Authoritative Parenting for the 21st Century.”

The topic will be explored by Ron Taffel 7:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Rye Middle School Multipurpose Room, 3 Parsons St. Admission is free.

Taffel will offer techniques parents can use to handling challenging behaviors they face today from their 21st century kids. He will focus on how parents can encourage the good while steering children and teens away from the bad, and will discuss methods that can be used to:

•Stop depending on outmoded techniques and learn to establish effective limits

•Balance consequences and rewards and teach 21st century kids your values

•Learn the ways 21st century kids register parental love

•Hold 21st century kids’ fast-moving attention

•Engage 21st century children of all ages in meaningful conversation

•Build community again in the 21st century style today’s parents need and kids love

A child-rearing expert and father of two children, Taffel founded the Family Therapy Division at the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy in New York City, and serves as chairman of the Institute’s Board of Directors. He was also the first psychologist to become director of treatment at the Child and Adolescent Treatment Division of Downstate Medical Center.

He has authored books, magazine columns, and articles for professional journals, and has conducted consultations and workshops in 25 states across the country. Signed copies of his book will be available for purchase during the Heard in Rye event.

Heard in Rye is sponsored by the parents’ organizations and PTA’s of public and independent schools in Rye, Mamaroneck, Rye Brook and Greenwich, as well as the Rye YMCA, the Rye PBA and the Rye Youth Council. More information is available on the Heard in Rye web site: www.heardinrye.org.

On Friday, Rye Neck High School students will hear from a filmmaker who’s chronicled the stories of Sept. 11 victims and a former NYPD cop who was on the ground during the attacks.

During a special assembly, Paige Panzner-Kozek of the nonprofit Project Rebirth will speak about her organization’s work creating “Rebirth,” a documentary about the years-long journey of five people whose lives were shattered on Sept. 11. An abbreviated, 30-minute version will be shown after her remarks. (The full documentary will be broadcast Sunday on Showtime.)

Then, retired police investigator Steven Mona will speak about his experiences on Sept. 11. Mona, who led an elite anti-graffiti unit for the NYPD, personally knew more than a dozen officers killed in the attacks, including two members of his bureau. He and his unit spent the next nine months helping find “as many people as possible” at Ground Zero, organizers said.