Merry Christmas!

Back To Square One For Shenorock Lake

The petition to create a Park District for the community of Lake Shenrock in Somers, NY was rejected by the Town Board at its December 9 meeting. The Town Board said the petition was "flawed". Proponents plan to try again in their effort to revitalize the Lake for swimming.

Read the story at NCNLocal.com: Shenorock petition thrown out.

See our earlier posts here and here.

A valid petition needs signatures by homeowners owning more than 50% of residential assessed value. Supervisor Murphy reported at the December 2 Board meeting that the Assessors determined that at least 48% supported the petition. More important, Town officials concluded that some signatures were in dispute. At that meeting, Councilman Richard Clinchy said the signature collection process was "chaotic" and "unreliable". Proponents strongly disagreed with Mr. Clinchy at the meeting. This post appears at the Facebook page of the United Owners Association:

The petition is scuppered, our Town Board is powerless, and the system has enabled a whining and ill-informed tiny minority to destroy efforts to enhance the neighborhood. Did one board member actually suggest we mail out a list of questions and answers? Unbelievable.

Supervisor Murphy plans to meet with leaders from both sides of the issue in January.

Schettini Engagement

Mary Lynn Schettini to wed Giuseppe DeRuvo

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

LITTLE FERRY LOCAL

Crescenzo and Carmela Schettini of Somers, N.Y., are happy to announce the engagement of their daughter, Mary Lynn Schettini, to Giuseppe DeRuvo of Little Ferry. The prospective bridegroom is the son of Agata DeRuvo and the late Giovanni DeRuvo.

Dr. Schettini received her Doctor of Optometry in 2007 from the New England College of Optometry in Boston, Mass. She is a licensed optometrist in the State of New York. Dr. Schettini is a graduate of Somers High School and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Fairfield University.

The complete story at northjersey.com is here.

Riot At Lincoln Hall

State and Somers police broke up a riot involving 30 students at Lincoln Hall School for Boys in Somers, NY on Friday. Two employees were injured and five students arrested. For details see the article at the 390.com.

Lincoln Hall is a school for the treatment and rehabilitation of troubled or delinquent male teens. This incident is the latest in a series of problems at the School. In November, police arrested five teens for vandalism or assault in three separate incidents, and in August, police charged two teens with burglary of homes in Somers.

As reported in LoHud.com, Somers Town officials are concerned.

Town officials are requesting a meeting with Lincoln Hall administrators to discuss the surge in violence, said Town Supervisor Mary Beth Murphy.

“In the last six to nine months, Lincoln Hall students have been in our court more than ever,” Murphy said Sunday. “We’re trying to get a meeting with their board of directors to discuss what has to be done. We want to find out what’s changed in the last year to create the situation where there are repeated incidents that seem to be escalating.”

Read the complete LoHud.com story here.

LINKS

http://the390.com/feature/state-police-respond-to-riot-situation-at-lincoln-hall

http://the390.com/feature/multiple-arrests-at-lincoln-hall-town-of-somers

http://somersspectator.blogspot.com/2010/08/news-round-up.html

http://www.lohud.com/article/20101212/NEWS01/12120395/-1/RSS01/Staff%20injured+,%20five%20boys%20arrested%20in%20large%20riot%20at%20Lincoln%20Hall%20in%20Somers

Library Ends Sunday Hours; Town Board Wonders Why

Because the Library's operating budget is not increasing this year, the Somers, NY Public Library will be closed on Sundays, starting January 1, 2011. The Library will be open two extra hours on Thursday and Saturday. The full text of the announcement is set forth below.

At the December 2 budget hearing held by the Town Board, some Board members questioned why the Library needed to close on its busiest day. An issue was also raised about whether the Library was allocating staff in an optimal manner during the week. The President of the Library Board of Trustees did not specifically respond to these inquiries, saying that a final decision had not been made.

The Library's announcement issued about a week after the December 2 budget hearing.

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Somers Library

Library Hours for 2011 Following the release of the Somers Town Board's Adopted Budget for 2011 and its resultant impact on the Somers Library, the Board of Trustees regrets to announce a change in its operating hours for the coming year. Effective January 1, 2011, the library will no longer be open on Sundays. In order to off set this change, and in consideration of those patrons who work late and can only use the library on the weekends, the library's hours of operation on both Thursday evenings and Saturdays mornings will be increased by two hours. The new library hours will be: Monday 1-8 pm Tuesday 11-6 pm Wednesday 10-5 pm Thursday 11-8 pm Friday 10-5 pm Saturday 10-5 pm

Cell Tower Balloon Test And Site Walk On Saturday

The Zoning Board of Somers, NY will conduct a balloon test and site walk for the proposed cell tower at 2580 Route 35, a location within a Residential Zone The test is scheduled for December 11 between 9 AM and noon. In general, a balloon test involves raising a large balloon to the height of the proposed tower so that the public and Board can get a better idea of how the tower will fit in the local area. The full notice appears below.

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

A Site walk with balloon test will be conducted at 2580 Route 35, Town of

Somers, New York in connection with an application for a Special Use Permit and

Area Variances to locate a wireless telecommunications facility in an R-120

Residential Zone. This application has been made to the Somers Zoning Board of

Appeals by HOMELAND TOWERS, LLC and NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS

PCS LLC (“AT&T”)(Application number BZ11A/09 – 37.13-2-3). The site walk

and balloon test is scheduled for Saturday, December 11, 2010 between the hours of

9:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon. In the event of inclement weather, the test will be

held on Sunday, December 12, 2010. Additionally, the following is a schedule of

alternate weekend dates for the site walk and balloon test pending weather

conditions:

Saturday, December 18, 2010 and Sunday, December 19, 2010;

Saturday, January 8, 2011 and Sunday, January 9, 2011;

Saturday, January 15, 2011 and Sunday, January 16, 2011;

Saturday, January 22, 2011 and Sunday, January 23, 2011;

Saturday, January 29, 2011 and Sunday, January 30, 2011.

The application materials are on file in the office of the Town of Somers

Zoning Board of Appeals and may be viewed there between the hours of 9:00 a.m.

and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Questions regarding the application can

be directed to Teresa Reale, Secretary to the Zoning Board of Appeals, telephone

(914) 277-5582.

The application will appear on the calendar of the Zoning Board of Appeals

at its next regularly scheduled meeting on December 21, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. in the

Town of Somers located at 335 Route 202.

Cell Towers And Dogs Are Subject Of Public Hearings At Tonight's Regular Meeting Of Town Board

The Town Board of Somers, NY holds public hearings tonight on an ordinance relating to cell towers (a/k/a wireless telecommunication facilities) and amending the local law regarding dogs. The full agenda for the December 9th Regular Meeting is here.