‘Bedford’s backyard preserve’ By JEFF MORRIS // The town of Bedford held a ribbon-cutting ceremony July 24, celebrating the culmination of a years-long effort to preserve and provide public access to the 87-acre Buxton Gorge property in Bedford Hills.  The property had been on the town’s radar for more than 20 years. It is a forested area that lies between Buxton Road, the Rome Avenue apartments, and state Department of Corrections property. It surrounds a spectacular natural gorge formed by glaciers and erosion over thousands of years.  Last November, the Bedford Town Board approved the expenditure of $1.5 million from the town’s open space fund for the Buxton Gorge purchase.  Town officials said the ribbon-cutting ceremony July 24 was held both to celebrate this significant recent addition to Bedford’s open space and to honor volunteers and community partners who contributed to the success of the acquisition and who will help secure its ongoing preservation and community benefits.  “With the property’s 22-year tenure on the town’s high-priority open space acquisition list, the Bedford Town Board has picked up the work of past supervisors, the Open Space Acquisition Committee, and dedicated community partners to realize this next piece in the puzzle resulting in an environmental treasure for residents to protect and enjoy now and in the future,” said Bedford Town Supervisor Ellen Calves.  She added, “This land is now protected for the benefit of the environment and the enjoyment of our residents, making Bedford an incredibly desirable town in which to live and underscoring the value we place on sustainability and wellness.”  Calves stressed that the preserve is in walking distance to the town’s most diverse neighborhoods, “illustrating the ability to provide inclusion, equity and access to all residents through open space acquisition. Buxton Gorge is Bedford’s backyard preserve, open for all to enjoy.”  According to town officials, the preserve is home to 16 species of mammals, 73 species of birds, 11 species of amphibians and reptiles and 193 species of plants and trees. The preserve is also “a lovely place for a shaded walk in the woods,” they noted.  In addition to existing Bedford Riding Lanes Association trails on the property, the Recreation and Parks Department has blazed a new family-friendly, moderate difficulty, 1.25-mile trail that loops around the preserve with views of the gorge. The department also plans to develop a trailhead area with six parking spots off Buxton Road. Parking is also available for hikers and horse trailers at the Bedford Community Church on Bedford Center Road.   After the brief ceremonial ribbon cutting, Bedford Recreation and Parks Commissioner Christopher Soi led a hike on the town’s new trail. W. Grant Gregory, chairman of Lakeover Development Company, hosted a reception after the hike and shared his vision for community collaboration and engagement in conservation.  Years in the making The first portion of the town’s purchase was negotiated in 2019 between then-supervisor Chris Burdick and  Gregory; Lakeover Development Company had acquired the property in 2003. Members of the town’s Open Space Acquisition Committee worked to encourage Gregory to make the sale. The town board approved the purchase of 56 acres that included the gorge in April 2020, and began efforts to establish a trail system with multiple trailheads that were safe, accessible and convenient to the public.  When Burdick, who was subsequently elected to the state Assembly, looked back on his time as supervisor in December 2020, he cited the purchase of Buxton Gorge Preserve as one of the highlights of his tenure —the largest open space acquisition in the town’s history.  Over the next several years, town officials and community members were able to work together to facilitate access to the property, including completing a four-party agreement in November 2020 between the town, the Bedford Community Church, the Westchester Land Trust and the BRLA. Jeff Osterman, then-planning director, said the BRLA trails provided “the first simple, easily available access into the park.”  In 2021 and 2022, Soi worked on further improvements, including additional access points, trailheads and a town trail system. Then in August 2023, George Bianco and Wendy Belzberg of the town’s Open Space Acquisition Committee asked the town board to consider purchasing additional parcels of land adjacent to the preserve. Bianco noted it had taken 18 years of negotiations to achieve the initial purchase, with the owner given the ability to subdivide three lots, and the committee having right of first refusal on those lots. The committee negotiated to buy the lots.  The Open Space Acquisition Committee was formed to advise the town board on potential acquisitions using funding provided by the town’s Open Space Tax Levy, which was approved in a referendum in 2000 and renewed in 2017. At the August 2023 meeting, Calves said the open space fund balance was roughly $2,450,000. Since the balance increases every year on account of the tax levy, “we don’t have to borrow too much to effectuate this acquisition,” the supervisor said at the time.  With the additional funds approved last November, the town was able to purchase 30 more acres to link the original parcel to the Bedford Hills neighborhood, which Calves said would benefit from being able to “just walk down the sidewalk into 80 acres of a beautiful preserve.”  At the July 16 town board meeting, Calves said the fund balance from the open space levy stood at $1.1 million.  Also at the meeting, the town board indefinitely tabled a plan to establish an additional land preservation fund using a graduated property transfer tax on sales above the county median price.

By JEFF MORRIS //  At the July 31 meeting of the Bedford Central Board of Education, the board met the new outside consulting firm that will be reviewing the district’s special education program.  Only four board members were present, but Superintendent Robert Glass said the date was chosen in order to get started because “we really want to get moving.” He said even though parents may be vacationing or paying little attention to the schools at the moment, there would be limited time available at later board meetings, with the next one not scheduled until Monday, Aug. 26, and this would give plenty of time for review of the materials.  Leaders of a team from Public Consulting Group, a Boston, Mass.-based firm founded in 1986, appeared virtually at the meeting to give an overview of the group and its detailed project plan. Mauria Uhlik, senior consultant and project director, said PCG has partnered with over 5,600 districts and 27 state agencies, and that 25% of all IEPs in the U.S. are managed in PCG systems. “We have a large breadth and depth of not only practitioner experience, but technology experience, and we’re bringing all that to the table as it relates to the project,” said Uhlik.  The study is the board’s latest response to years-long criticisms of Bedford Central’s special education program, which were exacerbated by incidents of abuse of special needs students that occurred at Fox Lane High School in the 2021-22 school year. Those resulted in an independent investigation that led to an administrative shakeup including the eventual exit of the Fox Lane principal. Though the abuse was not tied directly to the special ed department, it accelerated the demand for changes.  In September 2022, Glass had revealed that the district was looking to Arlington, Virginia- based Hanover Research to do an outside evaluation of the special education program.  “This report does nothing for us. It does not help us in any way. We already knew everything the survey showed.” – Trustee Steven Matlin By January 2023, Glass reported that Hanover consultants were in the middle of the special education program study, and that anything that would come out of it would be built into the 2023-24 budget “if there are any associated needs there.” But when Hanover delivered a culminating report in October 2023 on its year-long look at the special education program, it received a withering reception from the board.  “This report does nothing for us,” trustee Steven Matlin said at the time. “It does not help us in any way. We already knew everything the survey showed.” Then-board president Robert Mazurek called the presentation “almost overwhelming in its lack of precision,” and said it provided no specifics on what needed to be improved. And then-trustee Kristine Stoker, a longtime critic of the special education department who had pushed for an independent evaluation of the program before joining the board, echoed the criticism, saying, “We wasted a year in my opinion.” Stoker subsequently resigned from the board in May, citing personal reasons.  Gilian Klein, who is now board president, pointed out that Glass was new to the district when he picked Hanover, with whom he had worked previously, and not entirely familiar with the district’s special education history. She urged the board to learn from what went wrong and move forward.  In April, the district issued a request for proposals for “a qualified consultant or firm with experience in Special Education” to be awarded a contract for a 12-month period from June 2024 to May 2025. The requirements in the RFP called for an independent review with no conflict of interest to anyone involved or previous work undertaken for BCSD; a strong understanding of models of special education “which close achievement gaps, create a strong home and school partnership, and provide for unique learners through best practice programing for placement categories such as autism,” and a strong understanding of “legal requirements in paperwork, process, and timelines associated with best practice.”   Klein made clear that the requirements were developed in consultation with the Special Education Parent Teacher Organization and special education parents.  Those requirements were addressed by PCG, whose presentation also identified multiple areas to be studied in depth. “To PCG, a review is not just about identifying the challenges and offering recommendations,” PCG stated, “it’s about creating an intentional, ambitious, and urgent path forward for the BCSD community to improve the outcomes of students with disabilities.”  PCG presented a proposed timeline, which includes interview and focus groups, classroom observations, surveys and IEP file reviews in September. A draft report is scheduled for delivery in January 2025, with a final report in February, action planning in March and April, and a final action plan tentatively set for May. A board presentation would be made in June 2025.  New Board of Ed trustee Lisa Mitchell asked for assurance of linguistic diversity, especially for participation in focus groups. Uhlik responded that PCG engages in multiple languages. PCG’s senior advisor and qualitative content lead, Jennifer Baribeau, added that their forms are also accessible in those languages. Klein emphasized that ensuring multi-language accessibility was a priority in the district’s initial discussions with PCG.  Trustee Blakeley Lowry noted it was important to both the board and the community to have an action planning component. She asked if there would be the ability to implement some of the actions to be identified in March and April before the end of the school year. Uhlik said the PCG strives to identify initiatives that can be implemented quickly, particularly in conjunction with the district’s budget planning season.

By JIM MACLEAN // The Mount Kisco Memorial Pool Swim and Dive Team capped off a perfect season with a dominating performance at the Northern Westchester Swim Conference Division 1 championships, finishing 40 points ahead of the second-place team to win the crown. After going undefeated with a 5-0 record in dual meets, Mount Kisco entered the championship meet at Yorktown on Aug. 3, as the favorites and the team lived up to its top billing, scoring 303 total points to win the crown, 40 points ahead of second-place finisher Willowbrook. Pound Ridge finished fourth with 196 points, and Katonah was sixth with 134 points.  Mount Kisco followed up the championship victory on Saturday the next day with an impressive performance at the All-Star Meet on Aug. 4, at Briarcliff, coming home with 13 first-place finishes. Leading the way at both meets was Annabel Smith as she had another record-setting day in the pool at the All-Star Meet. Smith was a New York state high school champion last winter for her Fox Lane swim team in the breaststroke, and she set a new all-star meet record to win the 100- yard, 18-and-under breaststroke race with a time of 1:08.13. Smith followed that up with a first-place finish in the 18-and-under girls freestyle with a time of 56.34 to be a double-winner in individual races. She also anchored the Mount Kisco 18-and- under girls 200-yard freestyle relay team to victory as she teamed up with Molly Cosgrove, Madeline Oh, and Isabel Valenzuela for the win. Mount Kisco had another record-setting performance in the girls 14-and-under 200-yard medley relay as Cosgrove, Sophia Oh, Kelsey Grayson and Devin Pellow combined for the win with a time of 2:01.19 to tie the meet record. Jack Tsai of Lewisboro was also a double-winner in individual events as he won the boys 14- and-under butterfly race with a time of 25.82 and followed that up with a victory in the 14-and- under freestyle with a time of 51.22. In the diving competition, Samantha Mishier of Lewisboro was a champion in 13-and-under girls diving with a final score of 114.80. Clara Blackburn was an All-Star champion for Pound Ridge as she won the girls 10-and-under backstroke. Andi Staton of Mount Kisco won the girls’ eight-and-under backstroke race. Mount Kisco had four champions in the breaststroke races. In addition to Smith, Sailor Briar won the boys eight-and-under breaststroke, Sophia Oh won the girls 14-and-under breaststroke, and Vincent D’Eramo won the boys 14-and-under breaststroke. In the butterfly, Mount Kisco had three champions as Nico Lahre won the boys 10-and-under butterfly, Devin Pellow won the 12-and-under girls butterfly, and Kelsey Grayson won the girls 14-and-under butterfly race. Mount Kisco had three other relay teams take first at the All-Star Meet. In the boys 10-and-under 200-yard medley relay, Bobby Stauton, Isaiah Olk, Lahre and Beckett White teamed up for the win. In 12-and-under girls freestyle relay, Madelyn Sotherden, Olivia Oh, Sofia Valenzuela and Ali Pfluger swam for the victory. In the boys, 14-and-under medley relay, Hayden Justiniano, D’Eramo, Andrew Acocella and Colin Zissu combined for the win. Photo credit: Gregory Kaplowitz Pictured clockwise from top left, Patrick Regan, Waccabuc Country Club Lakers coach, readies his team at the Northern Westchester Swim Conference All Star Meet. Kelsey Grayson, 14, finishes after competing in the 50-yard butterfly for Mount Kisco Memorial Pool; Logan Zizic, 9, competes for Pound Ridge Swim and Dive team in the 50-yard breaststroke at the Briarcliff Law Park Pool; Clara Blackburn, 10, gives the thumbs up to her Pound Ridge Swim and Dive teammate. Divisional Swim Meet Analise Braddock competes for Katonah Swim and Dive Team in the 14 and under 50-meter breaststroke at Divisionals. Photo credit: Gregory Kaplowitz Kevin O’Donnell, 14, launches off the blocks for Katonah Swim and Dive Team at Divisionals. Photo credit: Gregory Kaplowitz

Ross M. Weale, 85, a 32-year resident of South Salem, died July 19 at his home on Lake Waccabuc. The cause of death was cancer.  He was born in Englewood, New Jersey, the only child of Gilbert and Margery (Ross) Weale. He went to primary school in Englewood and graduated from Trinity Pawling School in Pawling. He received his BA from Nichols College and took several graduate courses at Harvard Business School. In 1962, he married the former Carol Elizabeth Bowen. He is survived by his children, Ross M. Weale, Jr. (Denise) of Croton and Sara E. Weale of Katonah, and four grandchildren.   Weale entered The Bank of New York’s Executive Management Program after graduating college. He served in several senior management roles as president of a Bank of New York subsidiary in Syracuse and regional president of the Bank’s largest retail division, the County Trust Region of the Bank of New York. In 1985, he co-founded Country Bank in Carmel. Ross finished his career serving as president of the Putnam County Economic Development Corp.   He was involved in many community organizations. He served as council president for the Westchester Putnam Boy Scouts of America, trustee of Northern Westchester Hospital Center and chair of the Westchester Health Fund. Other affiliations included director of the ReliaStar/Voya Life insurance Co., chair of the New York State Small Business Advisory Board during the Pataki administration and chair of the Tompkins Mahopac Bank’s Business Development Board.    Family members said his interests included photography, nightly cocktail cruises on Lake Waccabuc, annual trips to Cape Cod and international travel.     Friends may call at Clark Associates Funeral Home, 4 Woods Bridge Road, Katonah, on Saturday, Aug. 3, from 1 to 3 p.m. There will be a brief service at 2 p.m.   In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Guiding Eyes For the Blind, Inc.  611 Granite Springs Road, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598, or online at  donate.guidingeyes.org

Robert William Strasser, 92, a former Pound Ridge resident and fire chief, died July 5 in Lenoir, N.C. Born in New York City to the late John and Elizabeth Strasser, he also lived previously in Pelham, New Rochelle, Eastham, Mass., and Morganton, N.C. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Carole Strasser; his daughters, Deborah Cukierski (Matthew) Stephanie Strasser of Southington, Conn., Janet Lasher (Fred) of Nelliston, N.Y. and Nancy LaMotte of Fenwick, Del.; his son, Robert B. Strasser-Leist (Laura) of Redmond, Wash.; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. His brother, Richard Strasser, and his sister, Mary Beth Rohrauer, predeceased him. Robert graduated from Iona College in 1953 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He was employed by Sensitive Research Instruments, Litton Industries and Vicks Chemical Company, and in later years owned his own company, Fire Safety & Detection. He was a member of the Pound Ridge Volunteer Fire Department for 18 years, serving as chief in 1981. Following his retirement, he volunteered caring for the elderly. His passions included the Catholic Church, body surfing in the Atlantic, World War II history, 1940s swing music, old cars and movies, and rooting for the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets, his family said. Memorial Donations may be made to Pound Ridge Fire Department, P.O. Box 129, Pound Ridge, NY, 10576, or Caldwell Hospice and Palliative Care, AMOREM, 902 Kirkwood St. N.W., Lenoir, NC 28645.

By JIM MACLEAN // Like most teenagers graduating from high school, Tyler Renz had some big life decisions to make. After graduating from Fox Lane High School in June, Renz was ready to attend St. John’s University in Queens this fall on a baseball scholarship, but then the Milwaukee Brewers made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Milwaukee selected Renz in the 18th round of the Major League Baseball draft in July. The Brewers then flew him out to headquarters in Milwaukee last week and put an offer sheet in front of him that made Renz change his mind. The Brewers did not want to risk the chance of Renz going to college, and presented him with an offer sheet that included an $825,500 signing bonus, a large amount for an 18th round pick. “Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith,” Renz said, elaborating on his decision to accept the team’s offer. “I really wanted to go to college, but the offer they gave was too much to turn down. It showed they really believe in me and they wanted me.” “This past week has been really hectic and chaotic, and my peers helped me get through it. It ’s a great honor and a great opportunity,” he added.” Just being drafted by Major League Baseball is a level of recognition achieved by few high school players, as Renz became just the fourth Fox Lane player to be drafted and the first to sign right out of high school. He had already committed to St. John’s before his senior season began, and his stock continued to rise after what he accomplished this spring to finish off his amazing Fox Lane career. Renz was named Section 1 Pitcher of the Year after compiling an 8-1 record with a 1.13 ERA and 88 strikeouts. In three seasons at Fox Lane, he compiled a 19-3 overall record, graduating as the Foxes career leader in victories and strikeouts with 224. Those career numbers and his performance under pressure have Fox Lane coach Matt Hillis believing that the Brewers made a smart decision to sign Renz. “At this stage of his career, he’s the best pitcher we’ve ever had come through Fox Lane and we’ve had plenty of really great arms,” said his former coach. “He burst onto the scene as a sophomore and you could see it coming. He has amazing composure, control of three pitches, and an unbelievable work ethic. He doesn’t get rattled, no moment is too big — just a fierce competitor who will keep getting better and better.” “He’s only 17 years old and his full potential is untapped. The ceiling for him, we don’t even know what that is right now. I think he has all the characteristics to be on the big stage, “ added Hillis. Last spring, Renz and the Foxes advanced to the Section 1 Class AA championship game but came up just short of the title. Renz did his part with three-straight saves to help the Foxes reach the final, and he admits it is an experience he will always treasure competing at Fox Lane with his friends from childhood. Renz is a lifelong resident of Mount Kisco and he has played baseball with many of his Fox Lane teammates as far back as he can remember. “I’ve known most of them since Little League; 10 years growing up learning the game with these guys means everything to me,” he said. “Our main goal was to win a Section 1 championship, I really wanted to go out with that, and we gave it our best effort.” Now, Renz gets the opportunity to continue his baseball career, though not at the collegiate level playing for St. John’s, as he planned. At this point in his life, the main goal for Renz is to be the best baseball player he can be, and the opportunity to join the Brewers organization gives him a path to focus on baseball and give it his best shot. He accepted the offer and is now headed for the Milwaukee Brewers training facility in Phoenix, Arizona, to start his professional baseball career. He knows this three-month session with the Brewers staff in Arizona is just the first step in his pro career; then he will be assigned to a minor league team for next year. He is a long way from making it to the ultimate dream of taking the mound for a major league game, but the future looks bright for Renz and he plans to make the most of the opportunity. “I love playing baseball and I love winning,” he said. “I just try to go out there and compete on every pitch. I still have a lot of room for growth and a lot of work to do. This is just the beginning and I have a long road ahead to get to where I want to be.”

By Jeff Morris// A new business, oHHo Botanicals, which recently opened at its new location in the old Bedford firehouse, gained approval from the Bedford Planning Board at its July 22 meeting to temporarily continue operating a portable pizza oven on the premises. The business’s application to the board was for a proposed site plan amendment seeking to “enhance the recently completed retail occupancy in the historic Ivanhoe Firehouse building by incorporating an interior accessory pizza bar area and the ability to accommodate an exterior portable pizza oven on the outdoor patio.” Because of the septic restrictions in Bedford Village, the business is not permitted to have a kitchen, and no food can be prepared onsite. “It is not possible to open a restaurant without a kitchen nor is it oHHo’s intention to enter into the restaurant business or defer focus from its core business,” according to oHHo owner Nicola Stephenson. It became clear early in the discussion that the planning board would split the application, putting a priority on permitting the outdoor operation while putting off a decision on the interior aspect until it can be studied further. “Is it possible to do this in a two-step thing?” asked Board chair Deirdre Courtney-Batson. “I don’t necessarily have a problem with the outdoor part of it on a temporary basis”, but, she said, she thought there were too many unsettled questions to approve the indoor portion. Joseph Thompson, the architect representing oHHo, confirmed the applicants were fine with delaying a decision on the indoor portion. “We weren’t seeking action on that tonight,” he said. The immediate issue needing resolution was a temporary approval from the Building Department that would only permit continued operation of the pizza oven through Friday, July 26. Town Planning Director Jesica Youngblood explained that the permit issued by the building department was a temporary extension equivalent to one for an event with a food truck. For the permit to continue, she said, the planning board would need to give its approval. The portable oven is currently located in the rear of the building, occupying a parking space. Thompson said the business owners would like to move the equipment to the garden dining patio in front of the building, but the building inspector had raised concerns because of the proximity to a tree. He said that problem should be solved because a spark arrester is required, and one is actually already installed on the oven. The oven itself, he said, is highly insulated and cool to the touch. The unit in question, a Caterer Napoli Quattro mobile brick oven, is owned and operated by Pizza Girls NY. According to papers submitted by Stephenson, the pizza oven is new, wood burning and compliant with all safety requirements. She said the business had previously opened the Old Firehouse for a pop-up weekend winter market in December 2023 and “invited our long-term collaborators, the Pizza Girls of Rochambeau farm, to make pizza under their license.” She said Pizza Girls has operated the oven at multiple Westchester locations including at John Jay Farmers Market; in December, the oven was situated in the front garden “and was well received.”  Stephenson noted that serving coffee and pizza at the new location encourages customers to stay longer in the store, increases browsing and invites return visits.  The board engaged in a lengthy discussion of details for the future indoor installation of the portable oven with a commercial exhaust hood. It considered location of the exhaust discharge and supervision of the oven during its three-hour cool down time. Time was also spent on the proposed location of the oven on the front patio and the implications of any tree trimming that might be necessary. An amendment to the site plan was approved, with conditions regarding the oven’s supervision and safe operation, and granting the building inspector leeway to make adjustments to its location on the patio. The board acknowledged it was attempting to ensure the oven’s continued operation during the height of the summer season, as there are no more planning board meetings scheduled until September. The approval will run through Dec.  31. Editor’s note: oHHo owner Nicola Stephenson is a member of The Recorder Working Group, comprised of volunteers who have helped launch the nonprofit local news organization.

By NEAL RENTZ // The Lewisboro Planning Board on July 16 voted unanimously to approve the first phase of a project to make alterations to Double H Farm on Boutonville Road. The work, when completed, will enable the owners to covert the site into a private riding academy.   However, the board did not take action on the subdivision proposal from Double H Farm’s owners and Felicia and Kevin Reid, adjacent property owners. The public hearing, which began in June, was continued July 16. Planning Board Chairwoman Janet Andersen noted at the meeting that the board conducted a site walk of the 37.2 acre property in April. The property is located in a R-2A Residential Zoning District and the Westchester County Agricultural District.  On the existing horse farm parcel, Double H Farm LLC is seeking initially to construct an outdoor riding ring and a grand prix riding field for horse owners to leave their horses on the property, where they would be trained. The applicant is also proposing asphalt and gravel driveway improvements.  The plan for Phase 2 would include a complete teardown of the existing barn and construction of a new barn and indoor riding ring in the same location. Double H Farm is also proposing the rearrangement and regrading of various paddocks, reconstruction of the existing maintenance barn, with housing proposed above the barn. This plan will be updated in a future submission.    Double H Farm, together with the Reid family, is also proposing a subdivision/lot line change, which would merge a total of 6.9 acres into the Reid family property located at 45 Cross River Road.  Andersen said the only issues in Phase 1 of the project are some improvements being sought by Double H Farm, including a reconfiguration of some paddocks. In addition, Double H Farm is seeking approvals for field regrading and handling runoff, she said. “There are no new buildings being considered now,” Andersen said.  Andersen said a future submission from Double H Farm will include proposals for buildings and a public hearing will be conducted on a future proposal once it comes before the board.  During the July public hearing, some neighbors expressed concerns about the proposals. Don Whitman, who said he has lived nearby for over 70 years, noted that his house is located directly across from the applicant’s maintenance building. “I’m very concerned about the increase in traffic on Boutonville Road South” if the project is approved, he said, adding, “Over the years I’ve had several incidents with the maintenance personnel” employed by various owners of the site. Among other issues, he said, workers have plowed snow and gravel across the road onto his property. He suggested the planning board encourage the applicant to create an access road or driveway from Route 121 before approving the project.  Andersen told Whitman that the planning board is not a code-enforcement body and the appropriate path would be to take his concerns to the building department. Charles Martabano, an attorney representing Double H Farm, told Whitman he would share his contact information with the farm manager. Martabano said he also heard Whitman’s concern about the main gate being locked and would relay the concern to his clients and the barn manager.  Another resident, Calixto Perez Galan, expressed concern that the proposed plans would lead to “changes in the character of the neighborhood.”  Martabano said that the farm would have a staff member at all times living in the barn to oversee the horses.  On the subdivision proposal, Andersen said she wanted to know what would happen to the site in the future if the subdivision were approved. Daniel Hollis, an attorney representing the Reid family, said his clients are spending $650,000 to purchase a nearly 7-acre property to buffer their current property. If the subdivision was approved by the board, the subdivision would not be developed but would be merged with the Reid parcel. If the Reids or another future owner of the land wanted to develop the property, they would need approvals from the town, Hollis said.  Hollis called on the board to close the public hearings on Phase 1 and the subdivision proposal. Andersen replied that she wanted to continue the public hearing on the subdivision plan at its next meeting Tuesday, Aug. 20, and would ask the planning board to schedule a site walk on the property being proposed for subdivision.  The board voted unanimously to approve Phase 1 of the project and to continue the public hearing on the proposed subdivision at its Aug. 20 meeting. It also agreed to schedule a site walk Saturday, Aug. 17.  ACME Market expansion Also at the meeting, the planning board voted unanimously to approve the proposed expansion of ACME Markets, located in the Goldens Bridge Village Center on Route 22, Goldens Bridge. The board approved a change of use from a bank to a food store. The application was reviewed by the board in June, Andersen said.  Town Planner and Wetland Consultant Jan Johannessen said the plan is for the market to expand into the property that formerly housed a bank. The property is located in an RB zoning district (retail business) and the proposal is a permitted use, he said.   T-Mobile Wireless approval The board also voted unanimously to approve the request from T-Mobile Wireless to renew its special use permit for the facility it uses at the Leon Levy Preserve, located on Routes 35 and123, South Salem. The facility is owned by American Tower.  Andersen noted the application first came before the board in March, with a public hearing opened and closed in June.  “There’s no proposed modifications or improvements,” Johannessen said. Because of changes made to the town’s zoning ordinance a few years ago, T-Mobile will no longer be required to have the permit renewed in the future, he said.

Pictured clockwise from top left: Dash Mackof, Delilah Mackof, Anna Wright, Maggie Nenaditch, and Ava Cronin. Photo credit: Gregory Kaplowitz The Katonah Swim and Dive Team pulled out a dramatic late victory over host Briarcliff at its July 13 meet. Going into the last event, the 18 and under co-ed relay, and trailing by a single point, the foursome of Kyle Berk, Katie O’Donnell, Ava Cronin and Michael O’Donnell finished first and lifted the team to the win. Triple event individual winners on the day for Katonah were Joey O’Donnell 10 boys back, fly and free; Katie O’Donnell 18 girls back, fly and free; Isabelle Hehman 12 girls breast, fly and free; and Annalise Braddock,14 girls breast, fly and free. Double winners were Delilah Mackof, 14 girls backstroke and 18 girls diving; and Maxime Desbois, 12 boys breast and free. Single winners included Dash Mackof, 13 boys diving; Rebecca Hehman, 8 girls backstroke; Henry Kepple, 8 boys breastroke; Henry Becker, 12 boys backstroke; Michael O’Donnell, 18 boys backstroke; Gordo Rinaldo, 8 boys breast; Ava Cronin 18 girls breast; Olivia Hickerson 8 girls fly; and Kevin O’Donnell 14 boys fly.

By DAVID POGUE // If I were really an “Eco Dude” — if I wanted the smallest carbon footprint humanly possible, I’d never get in a car. I’d own nothing that’s been manufactured or transported. I’d never heat or cool the house. I’d do without electricity. I’d grow my own food. I wouldn’t have had kids. I wouldn’t be me at all.  The challenge, therefore, is curbing my carbon production without becoming a mountaintop monk.  In most areas, I’m doing pretty well. But my job as a TV correspondent involves travel, and travel is a toughie. Ain’t no such thing as an electric Boeing 737. (Although, honestly, electric planes are coming along nicely. Current   prototypes can go 300 miles on a charge, carrying six people — and battery tech is improving about 10% a year. We’ll get there.)  For now, I assuage my guilt by tapping Delta’s “Buy carbon offsets for this flight” checkbox. Doing so adds, say, $8 to the cost of the ticket; that money, in principle, funds some project somewhere that counteracts my share of the flight by planting trees or protecting a forest. Sometimes, though, I encounter an industry that seems determined to resist my efforts. For example, hotels.  Hampton Inns are part of Hilton. When I checked in to one recently, they handed me my room card, Wi-Fi instructions — and two plastic bottles of water. In a plastic bag.  They didn’t ask. They handed.  Let’s see now. Hilton manages about 1.2 million hotel rooms. They’re not all full every night, and not all of them force the plastic down your throat. But OK. Let’s say that 40% of those rooms trigger the bottle-shoving. That’s 960,000 plastic bottles that Hilton alone is churning out every single night. About 11 tons of plastic that will wind up in the landfill, the oceans, and your veins.  (“But they’ll be recycled!” Oh, please. No, they won’t . )  Now, let’s suppose that Hilton executives do not, in fact, live in some pre-internet cave, and that they are aware of the plastics problem . Clearly, someone must have crunched the numbers and calculated that the purchase price of those bottles — and the environmental cost — pays off. Maybe there was a customer survey and people said they like the free waters. Maybe the little gift generates customer loyalty and return bookings. Well, you know what those customers would probably like better? A nice, free sports bottle. A reusable bottle.  So, here’s my proposal to those hotels: Invite your guests to grab a free, shiny, new aluminum sports bottle at check-in (offer, don’t insist). Point your patrons to a clean, shiny water dispenser in the lobby (maybe infused with mint or lemon) for filling it. Do a customer survey on that deal, Hilton!  And crunch that spreadsheet, too. The price for plastic sports bottles in bulk is 92 cents each; for sleek aluminum ones, it’s $2.20.  OK, that’s more expensive than the two plastic bottles you’re giving out (about 50 cents wholesale), but how’s this to cheer you up? You can put your logo on that bottle. Free advertising forever! And what price can you put on the warm, grateful feeling a free gift will inspire in every guest?  I’ve got something to say about the mini fridges, too. They’re in 60% of hotel rooms now, costing each hotel about $215 a year in electricity per room and producing 275 pounds of carbon dioxide. Per room. That comes to 144 more tons of carbon blanketing the planet, for the mere 20 percent of hotel guests who even care about a mini fridge.  I once tweeted about hotel mini fridges. My followers’ arguments for their continued existence seemed to be (a) “But I take a medicine that has to be refrigerated,” (b) “But I need to put breast milk in there” and (c) “But I put leftovers in there.”  Got some bad news for you, folks. The mini fridges don’t get cold enough for any of that. They hang out at 40 degrees Fahrenheit, which the government calls “the danger zone” for leftovers. Food and Wine cautions you especially about putting seafood in there. If you need a real fridge, the front desk will happily chill your stuff.  That’s why I turn off every fridge in every hotel room I occupy, and I encourage you to do the same. The hotel is providing the temp knob on that fridge, isn’t it? It’s my right to adjust it — no different than a thermostat. I’m no eco-terrorist.  If the next guest needs the fridge, they’re welcome to turn it on again—but 17 million empty mini fridges running 24/7 365  days a year is not what the world needs right now.  And speaking of air-freezing systems, in what universe is 62 degrees a good default temperature? That was, in fact, the temp of the Florida room I checked into recently. I may be a liberal snowflake, but that doesn’t mean you have to keep me frozen.  Hotels are the dirtiest chunk of the transportation industry , At their current growth rate, by 2050 they’ll be pumping out 131% more carbon pollution than they do now. (Especially, by the way, if they keep putting plastic disposable cups in the bathroom wrapped in plastic .)  Not all hotels, to be fair, are villainous. I’m happy to report that our own Bedford Post Inn does not have mini fridges and does not hand out plastic in any form. No mini soaps, no disposable shampoo bottles and, in the bathrooms, they give you glasses made of glass.  But they can’t all be Bedford hotels. Remember that Hampton Inn that gives out the two plastic bottles? They literally have a card hanging in the bathroom that says: “We intend to pave the way to a net-zero future.” And sure enough, a PR rep let me know that by 2023, Hilton hotels eliminated (well, were supposed to eliminate) single-use miniature soap and shampoo bottles. And 70% of its hotels offer water-bottle filling stations.   But what about those water bottles in a plastic bag, handed over to every guest? “Efforts vary by brand and property,” the rep said.  David Pogue is an Emmy-winning correspondent for “CBS Sunday Morning” and a New York Times bestselling author. He lives around here.

By David Pogue // Hello there! I’m new around here. My wife Nicki and I moved to Bedford Hills last fall. It was a whole big empty-nester/house-downsizing thing. I think of myself as a valiant eco-warrior (although my loved ones may describe my obsessions less charitably). For example, I report stories about the environment for “CBS News Sunday Morning.” I wrote a book called “How to Prepare for Climate Change.” I’ve just joined the board of Bedford 2030.  And when it comes to attempting to minimize my destruction of the earth … man, do I walk the walk. Take, for example, plastic recycling. If you’ve ever visited a municipal landfill — mountains of trash, shot through with massive festering shreds of drooping, filthy, shredded plastic — you know why plastic is a problem. It refuses to biodegrade. Instead, it breaks down into tiny pieces ( microplastics ), which finds its way into your water, your food, your air, your bloodstream, and — via the placenta — newborn babies.  So I’ve become, I suppose, something of a freak. I reach into the trash in public places to retrieve plastic bottles that lazy slobs throw there (instead of using the recycling bin 12 inches away). Amazon prints “Recycle me!” right on their bubble-wrap shipping envelopes. What they fail to print is: “But first, take all the paper labels off me, or else the recycling facility will just send me to landfill.” So yes, I sit there with scissors, cutting off the labels, so that I can recycle the rest.  Food residue ruins the recyclability of plastic. So yeah, I wash the insides of my cereal-box liner bags before sticking them in our plastic bag recycling box. (What’s that? “But you can’t recycle plastic bags?” Of course you can! True, you can’t put them into your regular recycle bin; they gum up the recycling equipment. But you can take them to chain grocery stores or the Bedford Recycling facility, located at 343 Railroad Ave., Bedford Hills.)  I mean, I could go on. (Just ask anyone who’s met me at a cocktail party.) There’s a whole website ,  the Bedford 2030 Recyclopedia, that itemizes every consumer item you’ll ever come across, and details whether or not it’s recyclable. If you’re drastic about plastic like me, it reads like a thriller. Unfortunately, the Recyclopedia also presents a cold, hard truth: It’s hard to master plastic recycling. Nobody outside the recycling industry could ever learn all the rules. It’s impossible. For example: You can put No. 1 and No. 2 plastic into your main bin, except if it’s black, like the bottom half of restaurant take-out tubs. Those go into the trash. (The scanners at the recycling plant can’t see black containers against the conveyor belt.) You can recycle a plastic bottle with the cap attached, but if the bottle is glass, you’re supposed to throw the cap away. Mesh produce bags “can be recycled,” and yet they should be “discarded with your regular trash.” You can’t recycle cardboard milk and ice cream cartons so, weirdly, it’s actually better to buy your milk in plastic jugs that you then recycle. Those, at least, won’t end up in the landfill. Got it? If you recycle at all, you mean well. You’re really trying. You’re putting effort into doing your part. But millions of us throw things into the bin that we’re not really sure about, because we want to give it the benefit of the doubt. That’s called “wishcycling.” Unfortunately, wishcycling is actually worse than doing nothing at all. A worker at the recycling facility (ours is in Stamford, Conn.) will have to reach onto the conveyor belt, grab that thing you threw in with good intentions, and send it to the landfill.  In other words, the golden rule for recycling is not “If in doubt, throw it in the recycling bin.” Hard though it may be to accept, the real rule is: “If in doubt, throw it out.”  And then there’s the elephant in the room — the problem so big, it makes all of this stressing about the rules of plastic recycling look almost foolish. Recent research  indicates that only about 5% of our plastic ever actually gets recycled.  The rest goes to landfill, or it’s burned, or it winds up in the ocean. The entire plastics-recycling concept, in other words, is essentially a myth, propagated by the plastics industry in hopes of heading off regulation.  See, China used to buy our used plastic, no matter how grubby and contaminated. But in 2018, the Chinese government announced that it was sick of serving as the planet’s trash pit and announced that it would no longer accept our stuff. To this day, U.S. recycling centers are still struggling to find buyers for the plastic they do collect. Here’s my “Sunday Morning report " on this topic. I had a long talk with Bedford town advisor, Peter Kuniholm, a longtime environmental engineer, former president of the New York Solid Waste Associations, and a principal author of our Recyclopedia. He didn’t exactly say, “Dude, you’re overthinking this to the point of absurdity.” But he did imply that I might be missing the forest for the shrubs. The important work is not persuading people to micromanage the plastics they’re putting into the various bins; it’s persuading people to recycle at all. Only 35% of Bedford residents recycle anything!   If you could peer-pressure your family and neighbors into just recycling the basics — paper, cardboard, metal, glass, and No. 1 and No. 2 plastics — you’d be striking a powerful blow against landfillage and carbon pollution. Kuniholm also pointed out three bits of good news.  First, our 35% residential participation rate is actually excellent compared to most towns; in fact, it’s the highest recycling rate in the state. (Insert very weak cheer.) On the other hand, only 12% of our local businesses recycle at all, which is pathetic. Second, remember that stat about “only 5% of plastics are ever recycled?” Things are better where we live, thanks to our MRF in Stamford. (MRF stands for materials recovery facility and is pronounced, hilariously, “merf.”)  The Stamford MRF is modern and high-tech. Its sophisticated sorting equipment winds up separating, baling, and selling about 75% of the plastic we send there. In other words, three-quarters of Bedford’s recycle-bin plastic actually does get melted down and recycled. Yeah, that means a quarter of the plastic is too contaminated to resell, so it goes into the landfill but again, that’s much better than many processing centers.  So let’s see: 35% of Bedford homeowners, and 12% of Bedford businesses, recycle at all, and the MRF recycles 75% of the plastic we send there. Multiply it all out, and you learn that a grand total of 16% of Bedford plastic winds up recycled. Distressing as hell, but nothing like the 5% national average. The plastics situation won’t improve until we succeed at three tasks. First, we need new laws, like the one that just fizzled in the New York legislature  under pressure from plastics lobbyists. Second, we need materials scientists to hurry up with developing plastic that’s genuinely and completely biodegrade . Finally, we need to upgrade our MRFs with robot sorting machines, molecular-resolution cameras, and laser and infrared sensors. Those technologies will permit our MRFs to produce bales of much purer plastic, which will fetch a much higher price on the resale market, which will mean that more of our recyclables will, in fact, be recycled. At that point, the limiting factor on what plastic gets recycled won’t be the recycling facilities; it’ll be our own laziness.  Anyway, I guess I can live with knowing that 75% of my own plastic gets recycled. Meantime, I’m thrilled with my new hometown. I look forward to meeting people, making friends — and then haranguing them about plastic. David Pogue is an Emmy-winning correspondent for "CBS Sunday Morning” and a New York Times bestselling author. He lives around here.

Man arrested for DWI in Bedford Hills A resident of Bedford Hills, male, 48, was arrested Sunday, July 28, at 7:51 p.m., on Rome Avenue, Bedford Hills, charged with driving while intoxicated. Police responded to a call about an erratic driver on Babbitt Road; the described car was located shortly after near the Bedford Hills Elementary School on Babbitt Road where the officer observed the driver traveling very slowly and crossing over the double yellow line. A traffic stop was initiated and the operator identified himself. The officer noted the driver showed signs of intoxication, and a strong odor of alcohol emanating from inside the car. Also observed were several unopened cans of beer on the back seat. Asked if he had been drinking, he said in Spanish he had consumed four or five beers. A Spanish-speaking officer was requested to conduct field sobriety tests which the man was unable to complete. Police said he was somewhat uncooperative and was arrested on scene. Due to an equipment problem at Bedford headquarters, he was transported to Pound Ridge police headquarters for further testing, which he refused. His wife drove their car back to their residence and returned to collect him. He was released with three summonses and an Aug. 14 court date. Hack of Katonah woman’s Facebook account tied to Bitcoin sale Sunday, July 28, at 4 p.m., a Katonah resident reported her Facebook account was hacked while she was out of the country. The company notified her of suspicious activity on her account. Although she was locked out of that account, she discovered through a friend that someone had copied photos from her original account to create a fake account promoting her as a Bitcoin expert. The friend thought the fake account was real and purchased bitcoin. The caller notified her bank for precautionary purposes and a report was made of the hack. Details about the friend’s bitcoin purchase were not provided. Monday, July 22 9:35 a.m. — A resident of The Terrace, Katonah, reported an incident that happened a week earlier. The complainant said a neighbor’s dog got loose from its electronic fence and bit his wife when she went to pet it. The dog was returned to its owner. The dog control officer has been notified. 10:42 a.m. — Police responded to a report of a female calling for help from inside a moving car on Robinson Avenue, Bedford Hills. An officer stopped the car near the Bedford Hills post office; a teenage couple was inside. Police spoke to the teens separately; they said they were arguing. The male told the police he wanted the female to leave the car and not to return to his home. She exited the car and called someone to pick her up. No further action was required. 5:41 p.m. — While doing a routine check around the ShopRite shopping center on North Bedford Road, Bedford Hills, police were alerted to a man seen sleeping in the bushes at the Stop & Shop on North Bedford Road, Mount Kisco. The police went to that location and found the man, who was awake. Police said he was noticeably intoxicated. Westchester County Police arrived on scene to take over the situation. Tuesday, July 23 12:07 p.m. — A male, 87, driving with his wife, pulled into a handicapped parking spot at DeCicco & Sons on Old Post Road, Bedford. He accidentally struck the handicapped sign, panicked, and threw the car into reverse, striking a cement pillar attached to the store building. His car sustained minor damage; there was no damage to the pillar. Fire personnel and an ambulance arrived, but the couple refused medical services. 6:52 p.m. — A summons was issued to a driver caught speeding on Bedford Road and Harris Road, Bedford Hills. Wednesday, July 24 9:30 a.m. — One school bus rear-ended another school bus on Bedford Road, Bedford Hills. No children were on either bus. The operator of the first bus said he didn’t have time to stop when he crashed into the school bus traveling immediately in front of him which had suddenly stopped in traffic. Neither bus was damaged, and there were no injuries. 11:44 a.m. — A man who said he has been out of the country since 2001 came to police headquarters for help locating his daughter, who he thought lived on Church Street, Bedford Hills. Detectives located several previous addresses for his daughter, but were unable to make contact with her. The man and his family members were advised and no further action was requested at this time. Thursday, July 25 1:16 a.m. — A resident of Overlook Drive, Bedford Hills, reported a bat inside the house. On arrival, an officer located the bat in a bedroom. The caller provided an officer with a broom, and the bat was flushed out and dispatched with the broom. The homeowner said they would bag it up and take it to their vet along with his dog for testing later that day. 2:44 a.m. — Police responded to a report of an intoxicated male walking on Bedford Road, Bedford Hills. When located, he declined to give his last name, said he had a problem with his roommate and only wanted to go home and to bed. No further action was taken. 7:34 a.m. — A driver attempting to execute a U-turn on Cross River Road, Katonah, struck another car headed in the opposite direction. A female, 38, from South Salem was transported to Westchester Medical Center by Katonah Bedford Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps for an injury to her neck. Both cars were towed from the scene. No citations were given. Friday, July 26 12:43 p.m. — A resident of The Farms in Bedford Village reported a man in a black hoodie, blue jeans and white sneakers attempted to enter her locked car parked in the driveway. She said he left in a dark-colored car, possibly a Range Rover. Police didn’t have any other leads. 5:00 p.m. — A woman holding a cardboard sign asking for money outside a wine shop on Bedford Road, Bedford Hills, was advised of local ordinances against solicitation and left the area. 6:48 p.m. — A man reported as unsteady on his feet walking on Old Post Road, Bedford, told police he was fine and didn’t need assistance. 7:20 p.m. — Police went to a church in Katonah after a man was reported behaving in a disruptive manner. The caller said the man became upset when he was told he couldn’t join an AA meeting because he had been irate, threatened self-harm, and said he had a beef with another attendee. While speaking to police, the man appeared emotionally unstable. An ambulance was requested and Katonah Bedford Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps transported him to Northern Westchester Hospital. Saturday, July 27 3:20 p.m. — A woman holding a cardboard sign asking for money outside ShopRite on Bedford Road, Bedford Hills, was advised of local ordinances against solicitation and left the area. Sunday, July 28 6:37 p.m. — A report of a man on the pavement outside the Gas Mart on Haines Road, Bedford Hills, was determined to be unfounded. — Eve Marx, The Recorder staff writer This report was made from official reports provided by the Bedford Police Department.