Letters to the Editor July 25, 2025

Board of Assessment Review urges town to retain Briganti

To the Editor:

At the July 15 Pound Ridge Town Board meeting, I stood before the board and read a letter on behalf of Board of Assessment Review in support of Diane Briganti, our long-serving town assessor. I respectfully requested that the letter be recorded in the minutes and posted on the town website so residents could see where my board stands.

To date, the letter has not been posted.

Because of this, I am writing directly to the community through this letter to the editor to ensure the public hears our message loud and clear: the Board of Assessment Review unanimously supports Diane Briganti’s continued service as town assessor.

Below is the letter we submitted, verbatim:

“We, members of the Board of Assessment Review have known and worked with Diane Briganti, our Town Tax Assessor, for the past several years, ranging from two to five years for individual members. During this time, we have held annual tax grievance hearings. Ms. Briganti has consistently demonstrated professionalism, competence, fairness, compassion, and thoroughness in her work. In June 2025, Diane reviewed and organized documentation for over 70 grievances, giving our board the information needed to make informed decisions efficiently.This is time-consuming, often tedious work, and Diane performs it with integrity and dedication.We wish to be on record in support of Diane Briganti’s continued employment as Town Assessor.”

Signed by: Patricia Mulligan, Roxanne Wasserman, Luther Peacock, and myself, Peter Marchetti.

We ask the Town Board to take this recommendation seriously and urge the residents of Pound Ridge to join us in supporting Diane.

Peter Marchetti Pound Ridge

Pound Ridge writer says town assessor is not ‘retiring’

To the Editor:

There’s a rumor going around town that our town assessor, Diane Briganti, is planning to retire. That is not true. It is my understanding that she wants to stay and keep doing the job she’s been doing so well for years. 

Many of us in town know Diane from visits to the Town House. She is kind, professional and helpful. Whether it is a tax issue or just understanding a form, she takes the time to walk people through it. That means a lot. At the Town Board Meeting of July 15, 2025, Peter Marchetti read a letter from the Board of Assessment Review Board. Every member of the board signed it and they spoke highly of Diane’s work. They said she is fair, hardworking, and honest and they want her to stay. He also asked that statement be put into the minutes. But the Town Board already posted the job application within 24 hours after the earlier meeting and said that she could apply for the job as well. 

I think Diane deserves to stay. If you see a petition to support her, I’ll be the first to sign it and I hope others will too. Lets show the Town Board that the people of Pound Ridge appreciate Diane and want her to continue at her present position. 

Katherine G. Biagiarelli Pound Ridge

Assurances about Scotts Corners septic are incorrect

This is a response to a letter to the editor by Ellen Ivens, published in the July 18 Recorder. (“Pound Ridge wastewater task force member responds to letters.”) 

To the Editor:

A water-bearing aquifer, such as the one under Scotts Corners, functions as a slowly moving underground stream. (See U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1186, Page 8). When an above ground stream is subject to more rainfall, as typically happens in the spring or early summer, the elevation of the water in the stream rises which can result in flooding. 

In the same way, when more water is introduced into an aquifer by heavy spring rains, the elevation of the water in the aquifer rises.  (See Figure 4 and accompanying text in USGS Circular 1186 at Page 6). The piping in of water and shutting down the extraction wells currently in use in Scotts Corners will have exactly the same effect. The introduction into the aquifer of more water will cause the elevation of the water in the aquifer under Scott’s Corners to rise. 

(Town consultant) LaBerge, in connection with its report, collected no data as to the elevation of the water in the aquifer under Scotts Corners, nor did it collect data on the elevations of the septic systems in use under Scotts Corners. And of course, LaBerge did no analysis on the effect of the rise in the elevation of the water in the aquifer under Scotts Corners on the septic systems in use under Scotts Corners. 

Given the potential adverse effects on the septic systems, it was reckless for the board to proceed with the plan to pipe in more water and shut down the extraction wells currently in use in Scotts Corners.

Norman Bernstein Pound Ridge

Disputing July 18 Ivens letter on Scotts Corners water

To the Editor:

In response to the July 18 letter from Ellen Ivens, (“Pound Ridge wastewater task force member responds to letters.”) I’d like to address three points.

First, Ivens writes, “Unfortunately, health department requirements are based on use.” The Westchester County Department of Health has visited Scotts Corners more than once and they understand the buildings. In their July 10, 2024, letter to (Town Supervisor Kevin) Hansan, they wrote, “The owners of the non-community non-transient water supplies in Scotts Corners can submit their site-specific designs for granular activated carbon or reverse osmosis treatment systems to the Westchester County Department of Health for review and approval.”

“Non-community non-transient water supplies” is the WCDOH designation for small businesses in Scotts Corners. Ivens further writes, “maintenance of the system … are never considered.” Maintenance is needed whether it’s individual filters or a municipal water system, for which people would pay water bills in addition to the initial cost not covered by grants.

Second, Ivens writes, “If one reads past the headline, it is clear that the “no PFAS” statement refers to treated water.” Seriously? Maybe I remembered this wrong? Suddenly I realized that I saved some papers for the fireplace. Mad search. Whew! The second paragraph states, “Even more telling, our untreated water — with no filtration — measured only 4.6 nanograms per liter of PFOA and non-detectable levels of PFOs. These two compounds are the only PFAS currently regulated by the state, which has a set maximum contaminant level of 10 nanograms per liter for each. Our results fall well below that threshold.”

Third, Ivens writes, “The proposed public water supply approved by the voters …” Well, I am a Westchester County Certified Election Inspector serving Pound Ridge for the last 22 years. There are approximately 4,000 registered voters who live in Pound Ridge. Only 36 voters were eligible to vote in this permissive referendum. They were Scotts Corners homeowners and the representatives of entities which own the buildings but do not live in Scotts Corners. There were 20 “Yes” votes, 15 “No” votes, and 1 abstention.

The permissive referendum happened because of the determination and great efforts, including getting the required number of signatures on petitions and filing the petitions correctly, of people who live in Pound Ridge. The homeowner’s May 9, 2025, letter states: “a referendum that I, along with other concerned neighbors, helped organize to ensure transparency and due diligence.”

Ellen Kearns Pound Ridge

Editor’s note: Ellen Ivens’ original letter specified “voters in the water district.” It was shortened for length.