Letters to the Editor July 11

Praise for Pound Ridge Town Board unwarranted

To the Editor:

A letter to the editor in The Recorder’s July 3 issue from the co-chair of the Pound Ridge Democratic Committee commends the Pound Ridge Town Board for securing the town a grant of $7.6 million for an $11 million water infrastructure improvements project. (“Writer: Don’t let The Farmer’s Grind fate happen in Pound Ridge.”)

By way of background, I am a trustee at two large Superfund sites under the U.S. EPA’s jurisdiction. EPA would never allow such a project without a complete “Alternatives Analysis.” An Alternatives Analysis looks at site data and a range of factors, including whether the project will achieve its goals, whether there are better alternatives based on all available technology, and the environmental risks of the project. An Alternatives Analysis has been attempted for this project (town consultant Laberge Group, May 2024). If it were properly done, the water infrastructure project would almost certainly fail such a review because there are other ways to achieve the clean water that we all want without the environmental risk that this project poses. 

The risk is that when you turn off the extraction wells currently serving the Scotts Corners area and bring in large amounts of additional water, all that water has to go somewhere. The septic systems that are being used may be overwhelmed and force the construction of a sewer system, even though the town has no viable plan for doing so. The Laberge Group report, however, states flatly without any data or analysis of the risk to septic systems that “[t]here are no significant environmental impacts associated with the project.” (Laberge Group report, Page 12).

The board got the answer it wanted. It failed to press for data or an analysis that might well have shown that there is a very significant environmental risk. That failure is not something the board should be praised for.

Norman W. Bernstein Pound Ridge

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Pound Ridge writer: financial statements way too tardy

To the Editor:

I have been on the board of a 48-home HOA, the largest in Pound Ridge, for almost 25 years.

Yearly, our accounting firm provides us with financial statements within two months after year-end. We could not run the Homeowners Association as effectively as we do, with no fee increase since 2000, had we not had timely financial statements.

The Hansan administration has taken on average 20 months to provide residents with financial statements. The 2020 financial statements were not provided until 30 months after the end of that year.

How can the board manage anything without current financial statements?

There is no comparison between our HOA and the town, as far as the budget is concerned, but the taxpayers deserve better service than we are getting.

Leah Benincasa Pound Ridge

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There’s a less-expensive fix to Pound Ridge water woes

To the Editor:

In response to Kate Jordan Chanpong’s heartfelt letter of July 3, (“Writer: Don’t let The Farmer’s Grind fate happen in Pound Ridge”) I suspect that she, like many others in Pound Ridge, is unaware of the PFAS remediation which could have been done about a year ago for about $390,000.

As briefly as possible, in late June 2024, deeply concerned about a pipe through wetlands to obtain water from a water company in Stamford which was being sued for providing PFAS-contaminated water, I asked for a meeting with Kevin Hansan and he graciously invited me to his office. We conferenced with the owner of a local water systems company who had done PFAS remediation in Armonk and he gave us an estimate of about $10,000 per building so about $390,000 for the 39 buildings in Scotts Corners. He only asked that the town handle the paperwork with the Department of Health. Hansan wasn’t sure if the New York State Department of Health would allow this type of remediation, so I said I would contact them to find out. I did.

The New York State Department of Health said they do not regulate this and gave me the names of two people at the Westchester County Department of Health. I called them and they told me that they recommend, for businesses like those in Scotts Corners, activated carbon, reverse osmosis, and ion exchange, which is also the recommendation of the EPA. I told Hansan. He asked me to get it in writing. I did. 

The Westchester County Department of Health sent Hansan a letter dated July 10, 2024.

I presented their recommended remediation at a Town Board meeting on July 2, 2024.

At a different Town Board meeting we were told that the Department of Environmental Conservation was going to test more sites for PFAS.

A homeowner in Scotts Corners published a letter recently stating that his water was tested and does not have PFAS.

Why has no one heard about this cheaper, faster remediation? Perhaps for the same reason that no one heard about the idea for a combined police and fire hub that might have saved money and definitely would have saved a beautiful old tree. Why do we need very expensive and large infrastructure for a tiny gem of a town? Can you guess?

Ellen Kearns Pound Ridge

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People of Pound Ridge deserve respect, not intimidation

To the Editor:

At the July 1 Pound Ridge Town Board meeting, 31-year resident John Nathan delivered a powerful and necessary statement condemning the board’s behavior at its prior meeting on June 17. His remarks were a wakeup call about the erosion of basic respect and civility at Town Hall.We thank John Nathan for speaking up. He reminded the board and all of us that the right of residents to speak on agenda items during meetings has long been established and reaffirmed in both past practice and official minutes. Yet, that right was blatantly denied to a resident at the June 17 meeting.

That resident simply asked why the town’s long-serving assessor, someone widely respected in our community, was not being reappointed. Instead of offering an explanation, board members became visibly irritated, told him to sit down, and when he didn’t comply immediately, one council member went so far as to pick up her phone and say she was calling the police.Let that sink in: a Pound Ridge resident asking a question at a public meeting was met with a police threat.

This isn’t just bad optics, it’s a direct assault on public discourse and democratic process. Disagreeing with a resident is one thing. Silencing them is another. Threatening them with police action? That crosses a line.

John Nathan is right: if this continues, residents may need to consider seeking an ombudsman to ensure our voices are protected. No resident should fear intimidation for participating in local government.

Our elected officials are not monarchs. They are accountable to the public. And if they can’t handle a respectful question from the people they serve, they should reconsider why they’re in office at all.

Ron Asaro Pound Ridge