WESTCHESTER’S OLDEST AND MOST RESPECTED NEWSPAPERS

Vol 111 Number 20 www.RisingMediaGroup.com

PRESORT-STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDWhite Plains, NY

Permit #7164

Friday, May 13, 2016

PAL Poster Contest winners Manuel Melendez and Leah Calvelo with Police Commissioner Charles Gardner, Police Officer Kirk Maher and Captain Paul Rice. Photo by Ed Whitman.

Mayor Mike Spano rallies the education community for a capital bond plan to rebuild Yonkers Public Schools, while at MLK school.

From left are Dr. Edwin Quezada, superintendent of Yonkers Public Schools; the Hon. Liam McLaughlin, president of Yonkers City Council; Hongbing Liu; Mayor Mike Spano; Jeremy

Monk, executive education director at Dingsheng Education; Dr. Rosemary Uzzo, educational consultant; the Hon. Michael Sabatino, minority leader on the Yonkers City Council; and Dr.

Nader Sayegh, president of the Yonkers School Board.

Gorton High School Valedictorian Sukhjeet Singh, left, and Salutatorian Trisha Marisse Magat.

YFT President Pat Puleo with Mayor Mike Spano at the state capital last year, lobbying for additional state education aid.

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano visits Gino Civale’s studio at Carpet Mills Art District.

Meet Manuel Melendez and Leah Calvelo, this year’s winners of the Sgt. Mike D’Ambrosio PAL Poster Contest held May 2 at City Hall. The two will appear with Yonkers Police Officer Kirk Maher and Captain Paul Rice on this year’s Police Athletic League poster, which will be distributed and placed at hundreds of locations throughout the city.

The poster contest is one of Yonkers Rising’s favorite events to support and cover, because it un-derscores the need to create a relationship between

young people and the police - in Yonkers and in every community. The contest also gives the people of Yonkers an opportunity to see firsthand the girls and boys who are the future leaders of the city.

The 12 finalists spent a week rehearsing and preparing to show how they learned to speak in public and gain confidence in interviews, answer-ing questions before a large audience of friends and family.

By Dan MurphyAn ambitious plan to rebuild the crumbling

Yonkers Public Schools has been introduced in the State Legislature, which would provide the first phase of funding to begin a $2 billion total reconstruction of existing schools and build new schools throughout the city.

Mayor Mike Spano has led the effort on the city level to rally students, educators, parents and stakeholders to call on Albany to change the state

reimbursement formula for Yonkers to include a higher rate of reimbursement, and payment by the state.

Spano launched the Rebuild Yonkers Schools advocacy campaign earlier this year, and has proposed a four-phase, 13-year reconstruc-tion plan to rebuild the city’s 39 public schools. Similar legislation has been passed in New York’s other “big four” districts, including Buffalo,

Two prominent Chinese educators, Mr. Hongbing Liu and Mrs. Dan Zhao, visited the City of Yonkers last week to tour early childhood classrooms in the Yonkers Public Schools and Sarah Lawrence College, to learn and share best practices in literacy instruction. Liu and Zhao met with Mayor Mike Spano, who presented a proclamation from the city

to Liu, commemorating the visit and recogniz-ing him for catalyzing cross-cultural sharing in education.

Liu is chairman of Dingsheng Education, better known as “Magic English,” a leading provider of English training courses targeted to children age 3 to 12 in China. Dingsheng

By Bayan BakerYonkers Rising had the opportunity of sitting

down with proud Gorton High School Valedicto-rian Sukhjeet Singh and Salutatorian Trisha Ma-risse Magat earlier this month. Both students, who are part of Gorton’s magnet program, have utilized all of the opportunities offered to them in order to graduate with honors this year.

Sukhjeet is graduating with an overall grade-point average of 95.48, and Trisha is graduating

with an overall GPA of 95.14. When asked which teachers they feel influ-

enced, inspired and guided them most throughout their academic careers at GHS, both said they are grateful for all of their teachers, but in particular, Sukhjeet thanked Barbara Vines, who teaches ad-vanced placement chemistry and physics; Derrick Houghton, who teaches science; Brian Foster, who teaches AP world history; and Stephanie Russo,

Editor’s note: In the April 15 issue of Yon-kers Rising, we reported on accusations made by supporters of Charter Schools against the state and national teachers union. We requested, and received, a response from Yonkers Federation of Teachers President Pat Puleo, which is printed below.

This letter is in response to the article titled

“Teacher Union Fails to Stop Charter Schools:”The state teachers’ union is not trying to

stop charter schools. In fact, we represent sev-eral of them. The state union is concerned about the increase in funding to charter schools since there continues to be a lack of accountability and transparency over the use of public funds.

The City of Yonkers will celebrate its artistic community with the third annual Yonkers Arts Weekend, a celebration of the thriving and di-verse arts community from Saturday, May 14 to Sunday, May 15.

“Yonkers has secured its reputation as an artistic hub in the region and we are so excited to share that with residents and visitors each year during Yonkers Arts Weekend,” said Mayor Mike Spano. “Yonkers’ rich history, coupled with our thriving arts community, has transformed the city – especially the historic waterfront district –

into a walkable museum.”Yonkers Arts Weekend will feature hundreds

of local, regional and international artists, paint-ers, photographers, performing artists and sculp-tors in four of the city’s most exciting cultural hotspots: the Downtown Yonkers Waterfront District, the Carpet Mills Arts District, Untermy-er Gardens and the Hudson River Museum. For a complete list of events, visit www.yonkersny.gov/play/yonkers-arts-weekend.

Days before Arts Weekend, Spano an-

Meet the 2016 PAL Poster Contest Winners

Yonkers Rallies for State Capital Funds to Rebuild YPS

Prominent Chinese Educators Visit Yonkers

Gorton H.S. Congratulates Valedictorian, Salutatorian

YFT: We Don’t Lobby Against Our Own Members

Yonkers Arts Weekend Has Arrived!

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PAGE 2 - YoNkERs RisiNG - FRidAY, MAY 13, 2016

Hometown Hero Vinny SpanoWins Wrestling Battle

PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENTS: GOOD FOR YONKERS & GOOD FOR BUSINESS

A PLA is an agreement that defines wages and work rules for a project, and is approved by labor and the awarding public body before the project begins. The purpose of a PLA is to ensure that all

construction work be performed efficiently and economically without interruption.WHY USE A PLA?

COST With PLAs, there are no

hidden costs. Contractors make specific bids. Labor costs are predetermined so there will be no cost

over-runs.

QUALITY PLAs encourage higher quality contractors and

sub-contractors to bid on projects. Additionally, PLAs that include apprenticeship requirements ensure that construction is performed by a well-trained, skilled,

efficient work force.

DIVERSITY PLAs may include provisions

to employ women and minorities ensuring that everyone has an equal

opportunity for employment. PLAs value a diversified

workforce. The Northeast Regional Council of

Carpenters specifically works with community programs to recruit minorites and women.

ECONOMY PLAs often include local hiring provisions which

ensure that local residents have job opportunities and cycle money into the local economy. Prevailing wage

provisions reduce the burden on local government services.

SAFETY With a PLA, a public or

private entity may require workers to have safety

training and meet advanced OSHA standards. This

reduces costs associated with work-site injuries.

“The Wolfman,” with Council Majority Leader John Larkin and the Nolans, and Deputy Parks Commissioner Steve Sansone.

Vinny Spano holding the trophy with, from left, Rick Embree, veteran Raymond Saunders, Mary Hoar, (Spano), and LAW promoter Francisco Rivera.

Vinny Spano with his trophy and large contingent of family and friends.

Favorite son Vinny Spano fought off 29 tough pros to win the May 1 Ira Goldman Memorial Battle Royale at Legendary Ac-tion Wrestling’s inaugural event at the Castle Royale on Waverly Street.

Longtime Yonkers educator Mary Hoar presented the Ira Goldman Trophy to Spano, who brought the crowd to its feet when he dis-patched Big Mike Cast over the top rope to claim the Battle Royale championship. More than 300 fans, special guests and performers were on hand for the show.

“It was an honor to be in Yonkers on this very special afternoon,” said LAW promoter Francisco Rivera. “The community came to-gether for a great event. I was so pleased with the turnout and the enthusiastic response to our wrestlers. Thank you, Yonkers.”

Yonkers City Council Majority Leader John Larkin and Minority Leader Michael Sabatino were among the dignitaries in at-tendance. Also present were the Rev. Steven Lopez, vice president of the Yonkers School

Board; Steve Sansone, deputy commissioner of parks, recreation and conservation; Robert Voorheis, legislative aide representing As-semblywoman Shelley Mayer; and retired Westchester County Clerk Leonard Spano.

Nine hotly-contested matches entertained the enthusiastic crowd, which included a wild band of fully engaged children, who booed and cheered with abandon.

“Great show, great time, awesome fam-ily-friendly atmosphere,” said LAW Acting Commissioner Rich Embree of Yonkers. “We can’t say enough good things about the staff at Castle Royale, who did everything possible to help us make the afternoon a success.”

A large crowd of Spano family members cheered as “local boy Spano” became a Yon-kers ring legend. The crowd stood and cheered for several minutes after Vinny’s rousing vic-tory in honor of Mr. Goldman, who passed away last November after an exceptional, multi-faceted career of public service and al-truism.

The Kentucky Derby may have turned out as predicted with heavily-favored Nyquist winning the kickoff to the Triple Crown sea-son, but Bethenny Frankel’s choice for top hat at Empire City Casino’s annual “Fancy Derby Hat Contest” was not an easy one. The Real Housewives of New York star and Skinnygirl founder hosted the Kentucky Derby Day fes-tivities at the casino and historic raceway in Yonkers.

About 100 contestants vied for Frankel’s attention by showcasing their wild and wacky Kentucky Derby hats. In the end, her criteria for a winning hat came down to a blend of two things.

“Creativity, but still sort of holding true to the tradition of the Derby,” said Frankel, who stayed true to Southern tradition and high fashion, donning an elegant black creation by custom hat designer Barbara Feinman.

Frankel is no stranger to horse racing as her late father, Robert Frankel, was one of the most successful and respected American thor-oughbred horse race trainers in the history of racing.

Frankel kept the crowd on its toes for a few heart-wrenching moments while choos-ing which contestant would win the $750 cash prize. She ultimately picked a unique and cleverly designed, oversized magnolia-

inspired hat created by its wearer. But a close runner up who wore a martini glass-themed hat that Frankel enjoyed enough to pretend to take a sip out of was also promised a Skinny-girl basket of goodies for her efforts.

The Skinnygirl mogul also mingled with fans and casino patrons, posed for photos, presented her spin on the classic derby drink “Cooler than the Julep,” and tried her luck by playing some electronic blackjack (the new-est addition to the casino fl oor that offers bet-ter odds than traditional blackjack). This was Frankel’s fi rst time gambling without a dealer, and she had a strong contingent of loyal fans cheering her on.

“I had a lot of fun because you don’t feel the pressure of the dealer and you can do your own thing,” she said of the machines. “There’s something relaxing about sliding your virtual coin into the little circle. You get to take a minute to decide whether to hit or stand. The way the machines were designed was so interactive, it made it really fun. I was very surprised by that. I guess I’m just an old dog and that’s the new tricks now.”

“Bethenny’s sense of style, fashion and knowledge of horse racing made her the per-fect Kentucky Derby Host for us,” said Clare Galterio, the casino’s host and celebrity gossip guru. “I’m not sure what was more entertain-

ing to watch: the Kentucky Derby itself or the crazy hats that graced our festivities all day long. Bethenny also has a knack for blackjack and knew exactly when to hit or stand. She’s

a pro.”For more information on other events the

casino hosts throughout the year, visit www.empirecitycasino.com.

Derby Hats Off to Bethenny Frankel at Empire City

Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny Frankel joins ladies in their best derby hats for the Kentucky Derby at Empire Casino at Yonkers Raceway. Photo by Stefan Radtke.

Photos by Donna Davis

FRidAY, MAY 13, 2016 - YoNkERs RisiNG - PAGE 3

Deputy City Clerk Mike Ramondelli with Mario Zuccarelli.

Eric Schoen with Maury Povich.

By Dan Murphy Members of Yonkers City Hall, and those

residents who had interactions with the City Clerk’s Offi ce, recently joined to say “happy re-tirement” to Mario Zuccarelli, who worked in the Clerk’s Offi ce since 2003, and combined with his other civil service work, has more than com-pleted the numbers of years required to collect his well-deserved pension.

I write “well-deserved” because my inter-actions with Mario were always pleasant and helpful. I spoke to Mario on those few occa-sions when I needed speak to the clerk or deputy about a legal notice. As I was on deadline, I was usually nervous – or grumpy – but Mario always got me what I needed.

Mario’s courage to fi ght through progres-sive Multiple Sclerosis, which he was diagnosed with fi ve years ago, and his desire and commit-ment to continue to go to work, make him a role

model for all of us who don’t want to wake up and get out of bed and go to work some days.

“Mario is a very special person who simply never used this disease as an excuse,” said City Clerk Vinny Spano. “He took paratransit to get to work every day. He used a rope to pull himself up out of bed. When this disease robbed him of the use of writing with his right hand, he sim-ply started to use his left . He truly is one of the strongest and bravest people I have ever met and has been a true inspiration to me and many oth-ers that he has come in contact with.”

More than 100 well-wishers attended Mario’s retirement party at Castle Royale last month, including Mayor Mike Spano and Coun-cil President Liam McLaughlin. “Team Mario” shirts were handed out, and donations can still be made to Team Mario, c/o Mike Ramondelli, 4 Portland Place, Yonkers, NY 10703.

Th anks, Mario, and enjoy your retirement!

Yonkers Th anks Mario Zuccarelli for His Service

Th is, Too, is Maury & More

By Eric W. SchoenTelevision icon Maury Povich taped the

3,000th episode of “Maury” last week. My good friend is the co-executive producer of the show and I have several friends who are part of the “Maury” team. Th ey work diligently to produce a show that makes you laugh, makes you cry, makes you smile and ultimately entertains you.

I usually am in the studio audience of the show several times during the taping season, but my busy schedule didn’t permit me to do so this year. Full disclosure: My friend forgot to invite me to the taping of the show featuring America’s fa-vorite zookeeper Jack Hanna – an episode of the show that is more my speed!

Whenever I am in the audience, I am amazed at the people who tell me they saw me on televi-sion. Whether it be high-powered people in Yon-kers City Hall, my next door neighbor or friends throughout the country, “Maury” certainly attracts a diverse audience.

When I tell people my friends work for “Mau-ry,” they think, “Wow, they have an easy and fun job. How diffi cult can it be to get people from all over the country to take paternity tests? How diffi -cult can it be to fi nd out that cheating is going on?”

Let me tell you that the “Maury” team works very hard to produce a show that draws consis-tently high ratings. You might not watch the show every day, but when you do you can always count on a fascinating hour that makes you realize that maybe your life is not as bad as you think!

I can attest to the fact that the “Maury” team works long hours. Some nights during taping, they get very little sleep. Th ey are oft en called out in the middle of the night to handle situations that are frankly above and beyond the call of duty – all to produce a product for you to enjoy.

Th e hard work it takes to produce “Maury” is duplicated in all of the television shows you watch every day. It might look easy, but knowing people in the industry, I can tell you it is not.

Congratulations to the “Maury” team, led by Paul and John, on show number 3,000! You don’t have to “be the father” or take a lie detector test to determine if your spouse is cheating to realize there are a lot of good people tirelessly working in television to brighten up your day!

The Race for the White house So it’s Hillary vs. Th e Donald. Unless, of

course, Bernie Sanders somehow sneaks in. So many things cross my mind when I see the politi-cal chaos going on in this country…

One thing about Republicans: Aft er bitter pri-maries they always seem to coalesce around their candidate. Jeb, George H. and George W. Bush are either sitting out the race or not supporting Trump. Sen. Lindsey Graham and former Repub-lican presidential candidate Mitt Romney are not in Trump’s corner either, it seems.

Will Jeb, George H., George W., Lindsey or Mitt support Hillary? Do you really think any of them will infl uence the votes of Americans?

Th e big question on the Democratic side is: Will Bernie Saunders supporters vote for Hill-

ary, who represents the establishment they rally against? Or will they go to Trump, who certainly is not a member of the establishment. Will the FBI’s upcoming questioning of Hillary have any impact on the race?

We witnessed large numbers of young people attending rallies for Sanders. Many of them could not vote in the primary elections because they were not registered. But they can register to vote for the November election. Th ese young people will make the diff erence in the race for the White House this year.

Speaking of November, in New York, the general election is Nov. 8. Applications must be postmarked no later than Oct. 14 and received by the Board of Elections no later than Oct. 19 to be eligible to vote. Th e last day for in-person registra-tion at the Westchester County Board of Elections, 25 Quarropas St., White Plains, is Oct. 14.

Don’t say you didn’t know!Bye, Bye, Shelly

So former State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is going to jail for the longest prison term for any New York politician. It’s an embarrass-ment to his constituents, the State of New York, his family, friends and his colleagues in govern-ment service.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s fundraising is under investigation, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s advisors are also under investigation. Who’s next?

It reminds me of the refrain from that old Peter, Paul and Mary song, “Where Have all the Flowers Gone?” When will they ever learn?

E-Prescriptions Good As of last month, all doctors in New York

State are required to prescribe electronically. Th at means they send your prescriptions via computer to your pharmacy.

It cuts down on errors, and that certainly makes it worthwhile. It’s like the old days when your doctor would call in a prescription to your local pharmacy, which you would pick up a half-hour later with a box of Barton’s candy and a pint of Schrafft ’s ice cream. (Some say the ice cream and candy made you feel better than the prescription did!)

Chips on Credit Cards One store requires you to dip, the next store

requires you to swipe. Does anything make sense when you use your charge card to shop? Are the chips safer than swiping?

Target requires you to dip and enter a pin number when using its store-branded charge card (which, by the way, saves you 5 percent on your purchase). What happens if you are in line at Tar-get with a shopping cart full of food and fashions and you forgot your PIN?

Someone needs to make sense out of the con-fusion that exists in the credit card world!

Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com and follow him on Twitter @ericyonkers. Catch the Westchester Rising Radio Show featuring Dan Murphy and Eric Schoen on Th ursdays at 10 a.m. on WVOX 1460 on the A.M. dial, or on the Internet at wvox.com and click on “listen live.”

PAGE 4 - YoNkERs RisiNG - FRidAY, MAY 13, 2016

Dear Editor: I want to thank Eric Schoen for his recent

column concerning the City of Yonkers’ new pol-icy to allow for catered weddings at its Untermyer Park property on North Broadway in northwest Yonkers. His article asked many questions that seem to remain unanswered, and I hope he will excuse me if some of my questions are redundant.

I spent a good part of my youth at this beau-tiful park and can understand its potential as an awesome venue for weddings. The problem is that the park, sandwiched between the Richmond Children’s Center and St. John’s Riverside Hospi-tal, is situated in the North Broadway/Gateway Road/DeHaven Drive corridor, which is among the most densely populated areas in Yonkers. Besides the three mostly medical office build-ings located close to the park, there are at least seven apartment complexes in this small area and the parking situation is already a nightmare. The Boyce Thompson mixed-use development is hap-pening just a few blocks away and, while it will hopefully be a boon to business in the city, it will also mean more congestion in the area and more traffic on the already-maxed-out Executive Bou-levard.

This new policy will seemingly make Unter-myer Park and thus the City of Yonkers a banquet/catering facility, at least according to Yonkers City Code §43-8 {52}, i.e. “An establishment which serves food and drink and provides entertainment to paying customers and their invited guests on weddings, bar mitzvahs, birthdays and other simi-lar occasions.” How soon will it be before the city broadens its category of these large, private events that might be held at Untermyer Park?

I question and am very intrigued by the city’s wedding policy fact sheet, which notes payment for the venue as a “contribution” of $15,000 plus a $2,500 rental fee. Contribution? Is this a fee to the City of Yonkers or a possibly tax-exempt contribu-tion? To what city account are these funds being deposited? Is the city using the term “contribu-tion” to exempt it from following city and zon-ing code restrictions, to which other catering and banquet facilities must adhere – not the least of which is the distance from residential dwellings, which are a stone’s throw away from the park?

I will leave it to the Yonkers City Council to address this issue.

As Mr. Schoen stated, the city’s application for an Untermyer Park wedding limits its approval

of large-scale weddings, but there is no language that indicates how many weddings in total will be allowed on an annual basis. And, again: Who will approve the applicants and on what basis will they be judged and by whom? Again, as Mr. Schoen points out: Where will you put a crowd in inclem-ent weather, since the Cola Center is woefully in-adequate?

I don’t even want to get started on who will do the catering.

There will be valet parking but, again, the onsite Untermyer Park lot is inadequate. Where do you put the cars? Has the city entered into any agreement with the aforementioned medical facil-ities to use their parking lots for these occasions? The city dedicated parkland in 2007 at the corner of North Broadway and Odell Avenue, near St. John’s Hospital. Unfortunately, the city had the chance to ask the Simone Brothers, the developers of the Boyce Thompson Property, to complete the park during their vetting process as developers. It was only to have been a relatively inexpensive pas-sive park, and it has been ready for such use since 2010 – when the Department of Environmental Conservation cleared it for use.

I do hope the city does not intend to de-dedi-cate this land, paving this small potential paradise for a parking lot.

Applicants must also provide insurance in the amount of $2 million, naming Yonkers as ad-ditionally insured. Yonkers is self-insured. Why is there no hefty performance bond requirement, should the city’s property be damaged or other-wise compromised?

Like Mr. Schoen, I guess I am scratching my head as I note the seemingly new City of Yonkers position of “manager of events planner” refer-enced in the Untermyer Park wedding policy fact sheet, which might be a newly created position in Yonkers. I would ask if it had been added to the City of Yonkers’ current 2015-16 budget after it was approved by the City Council, and an expla-nation as to the need of such a position as we face yet another budget crisis.

Although Yonkers is mandated to stay within its property tax cap, it does not hesitate to retain the so-called nuisance taxes, such as the income tax surcharge and the real estate transfer tax, aka the “hostage tax,” to fund many of these superflu-ous positions. Joan GronowskiYonkers

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From County Leg-islator Virginia Perez:

I was joined by my colleagues at the Board of Legislators in pass-ing a Bond Act in the amount of $6.8 million for rehabilitation work to reduce inflow/infil-tration at the Yonkers Joint Wastewater Treat-ment Plant. The bonds will also fund a sewer system evaluation sur-vey.

The rehab work will take place at sev-eral sites along the Trunk Lines that carry sewage through all seven Yonkers sewer districts to the Yonkers Joint Wastewater Treatment Plant. The projects include replacing 450 linear feet of corru-gated iron pipe within the Hutchinson River. The new ductile pipe will be placed out of the water flow along the east side of the river.

In addition, the bond act will fund reha-bilitation of the Roberts Avenue combined sew-age overflow regulators and the installation of a new CSO regulator to supplement the existing one. The regulator was originally built in the late 1930s.

The system evaluation survey will identify potential failure/erosion sites along the trunk line. Those sites will be replaced or repaired as needed.

I have long ad-vocated for the county to invest more in the Yonkers Joint Waste-water Treatment Plant to ensure the highest standards of environ-mental compliance. As part of a previous bond act, I convinced the county executive to create a schedule for the completion of rehab and expan-sion work at the Yon-kers Joint Wastewater Treatment Plant, spe-

cifically as such work relates to odor remediation.I am gratified that I was able to deliver on

my commitment to Yonkers residents, especially those who reside near the plant, to get this im-portant work done. The Yonkers Joint Wastewa-ter Treatment Plant serves people from all over Westchester County. I will continue to insist that Westchester County do everything and anything necessary to ensure that Yonkers residents and their local environment are protected… that in-cludes protection from odors.

The county executive and the public works commissioner have assured me they will stick to the schedule we agreed to and I will continue to monitor their progress and engage in community outreach to keep residents informed.

Perez Continues Support of Wastewater Plant Rehab

County Legislator Virginia Perez

Letters to the Editor

Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site has begun renovations to the inside of the manor, in preparation for the mid-summer installa-tion of a new exhibit based around the immi-gration history of Yonkers. This multi-year, multi-phase exhibit is expected to be released in several phases, with phase one opening to the public in September. The site will remain open to the public during this time and will be the host of multiple upcoming programs.

Over the course of these renovations, the current exhibit, “Slavery: The Great and Foul Stain,” will be removed to allow for the prepa-rations and needed repairs to each room. The house will remain open throughout the transi-tion, allowing patrons to be able to witness the progress being made for the exhibit firsthand. While the panels will be removed, the portraits displayed in the current exhibit will be relo-cated to other rooms in the manor, and remain viewable to the public.

Repairs are expected to continue through mid-July, when upon completion, a temporary portrait exhibit will be installed in rooms not being utilized during this phase of the exhibit. The rooms will be configured to highlight the manor’s extensive portrait collection of histori-cal presidents and politicians, including several not displayed at the manor for more than a de-cade.

The site has also announced the following programs for May and June:

Guided tours take place at noon on Sat-urdays. Like your tours with a more personal touch? Enjoy a private museum tour with a knowledgeable docent. The cost is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students, and free for Friends members and for children 12 and younger.

On Saturday, May 21 at 10:30 a.m., Sto-rybook Bonanza will return to Philipse Manor Hall. This annual free book giveaway is pre-sented in partnership with the Yonkers Federa-tion of Teachers. Children from prekindergar-ten through third-grade can take home a book

of their choice, and have their picture taken with a certain big, red dog of literary fame!

Then Saturday, May 28 at 3 p.m., a free movie will be shown for families in the Goth-ic Chamber inside the Manor Hall. Attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket to sit on and snacks to munch on.

The Path through History Weekend: Saw Mill River Heritage Trail Tour will take place Saturday, June 18 at 10 a.m. Join the staff of Philipse Manor Hall on a walking tour of down-town Yonkers, which helped shape – and has been shaped by – the Saw Mill, or Nepperhan River. Following the river from its mouth at the Hudson to Chicken Island, participants will learn about the growth of Yonkers from 1682 to the present, and discuss how these changes are connected to larger trends in New York and the United States. The cost is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students, and free for Friends mem-bers and for children 12 and younger.

The on Friday, June 24 at 8:30 p.m., stop by the manor for the beginning of the summer-time Movie under the Stars series, taking place on the west lawn free of charge. Patrons are en-couraged to bring their own refreshments and a blanket to lie on. Additional outdoor movie showings will take place Fridays, July 29 and Aug. 26.

Colonial Games Day is scheduled for Wednesday, June 29 from noon to 2 p.m. Don’t start your summer plopped down inside; step away from the television, turn off that smart phone and stop by Philipse Manor Hall to play like a colonial kid. From Bilbo catchers and whirligigs to tops and graces, children can stop by the manor to learn about, and try out, some of the top-of-the-line toys from the 1700s. Ac-tivities for the day are free, and all children must be accompanied by an adult. Colonial Games Day will take place each Wednesday between June 29 and Aug. 31.

For more information on upcoming programs, call 914-965-4027 or visit www.nysparks.com/historic-sites/37/details.aspx.

A Trip Around the World with the Florian Schantz Jazz Combo will be presented Sunday, May 22 at 2 p.m. at the Yonkers Library, Will Li-brary, 1500 Central Park Ave. This program is sponsored by Friends of the Yonkers Public Library. Admission is free of charge, no tickets are required, and seating is in the 325-seat Pincus auditorium.

The Florian Schantz Jazz Combo presents inter-national music including polkas, traditional Italian and Latin dance favorites, classical themes interpreted as traditional jazz, and other surprises. The program will consist of both musical and educational content and is appropriate for all ages.

The leader of the band is 13-year-old trumpet, flugel-horn and cornet player Flo-rian Schantz, who has been leading the band since he was 9 years old with around 150 public performances since 2014. Also featured are Rup Chattopadhy-ay on trombone and tuba, Margaret Schantz on

Flügelhorn, Cory Ackermann on drums and Low-ell Schantz on guitar.

For more information or directions to the li-brary, call 914-337-1500.

Philipse Manor Announces Upcoming Programs

Take ‘A Trip Around the World’ With Jazz Combo

The Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site in Yonkers.

A young singer from the Florian Schantz Jazz Combo.

FRidAY, MAY 13, 2016 - YoNkERs RisiNG- PAGE 5

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Do you remember ANGELA DOLAN?

Mary Angela Dolan was born in County Fermanagh, Ireland, in 1918. She emigrated to Yonkers in 1949 and may have worked at

O’Dare’s restaurant on 602 Central Park Avenue. If you have any recollections or photos of Angela, please contact Zoe McCaw at zmccaw01@qub.

ac.uk or 31 Colenso Court, 2-18 Colenso Parade, Belfast BT9 5BB, N. Ireland.

Th e Th ird Precinct Police Community Coun-cil will meet Tuesday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m. at the Chema Community Center, 435 Riverdale Ave., Yonkers. Residents and merchants of southwest

Yonkers are urged to attend. Usual quality of life concerns will be discussed.

For information, contact President Bob Stauf at 914-476-2284.

Th e North Yonkers Preservation and Develop-ment Corporation will host a bus trip to Atlantic City and the Taj Mahal Casino on May 18 and June 15. Th e cost is $80 per person and includes a ticket to the show “Coasters,” to take place from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on May 18; as well as $30 in slot dollars.

Th e bus will leave the community center, 219 Ridge Ave., at 7:45 a.m.; the St. Casimir’s Senior Center, 289 Nepperhan Ave., at 7:55 a.m.; St. Jo-seph’s Nursing Home on South Broadway at 8 a.m.; and White Castle at 8 a.m.

For reservations, call 914-423-9745.

Community Council Meets

Bus Trip to Atlantic City

The Yonkers Fire Department last week an-nounced the commencement of its semi-annual fi re hydrant inspections, set to begin Monday, May 16 throughout the city. Yonkers fi refi ght-ers are expected to conduct the inspections in a span of four to six weeks, with the work to take place between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The program is designed to test the city’s 4,280 fi re hydrants to ensure they are working properly, have proper pressure and can function effectively in the event of a fi re.

While the inspections take place, residents can expect to see fi re trucks and crews of fi re-fi ghters identifying hydrants on their streets, and opening the hydrants and fl owing water during the testing procedure. While the inspections

occur, residents may experience fl uctuations in water pressure and discolored water, due to a disruption of the water system from opening and closing the hydrants. Automated calls will be sent to residents alerting them when the fi re department will be in their area and may affect their water service.

To prevent laundry staining, it is recom-mended that residents avoid doing laundry during the hours of inspection; once cold water runs clear, it is safe to run laundry. In the event that laundry is ruined, residents are encouraged to contact the Yonkers Water Bureau at 914-377-6765 to obtain “Red-B-Gone” stain remover at no cost.

Residents can contact the Mayor’s Helpline at 914-377-HELP (4357) with additional ques-tions or concerns.

Join a representative from the Pace Wom-en’s Justice Center for a discussion on elder law, estate planning and living wills and health care proxies Tuesday, May 24 from 1 to 2 p.m. in the board room on the fourth fl oor of the Riverfront Library, One Larkin Center. The program is free, but registration is requested by calling 914-375-7966, as seating is limited.

The Riverfront Library also recently an-nounced the next title for a new book discus-sion group that meets in the evenings; the group began discussing books in February and seeks more readers to join the discussion.

On Tuesday, May 31 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Room 2B on the second fl oor, the group plans to read and discuss a wide range of books, includ-ing fi ction, nonfi ction and memoir – whatever the group is interested in.

May’s discussion will be on award-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Ameri-

canah,” the story of two Nigerians, Ifemelu and Obinze, who are young and in love when they depart military-ruled Nigeria for the West. Beautiful, self-assured Ifemelu heads for Amer-ica, where despite her academic success, she is forced to grapple with what it means to be black for the fi rst time. Quiet, thoughtful Obinze had hoped to join her, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a danger-ous, undocumented life in London.

Fifteen years later, they reunite in a newly democratic Nigeria, and reignite their passion – for each other and for their homeland. Copies are on reserve at the library’s Circulation Desk.

The Riverfront Library is accessible to peo-ple with disabilities. Parking is available at side-walk meters and for a fee in the nearby Buena Vista and Warburton parking garages. For more information, contact Mary Robison at 914-375-7966.

Mayor Mike Spano last week announced Andrea Brown as his newest appointment to the Yonkers Board of Education. As a school board trustee, Brown will join eight other members of the board, which is the offi cial policy-making body of the school district. The new trustee ap-pointment comes after Trustee William Iannuc-cilli’s fi ve-year term recently expired.

Brown’s fi ve-year term runs through May 2021.

“As we work toward providing our stu-dents with the best education possible, I am proud to appoint Andrea Brown to the Board of Education, who comes with diverse community leadership and management skills and is in-step with the needs and concerns of the district and supports our schools’ goals for our students,” said Spano. “I also want to extend my gratitude and appreciation to Mr. Iannuccilli for his years of service to the Board of Education and who served our city and our students with loyalty, professionalism and distinction.”

A long-time community leader, Brown currently serves as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Yonkers

branch president, and on the mayor’s African-American Advisory Board; acts as fi rst vice president of the Empire State Federation of Women’s Clubs; and is involved in other com-munity and not-for-profi t organizations. Brown, now retired, served in various capacities with Westchester County and worked as an admin-istrative aid for the Offi ce of the Yonkers City Council and the Shiloh Baptist Church in New Rochelle. She attended Westchester Business School and Westchester Community College.

“I am honored to be appointed by Mayor Spano as the newest trustee to the Board of Ed-ucation,” said Brown. “As a parent and grand-parent with present and past experiences in leadership in organizations who support high-quality public education for all children, schol-arships for higher education, and an agency that empowers children and families, I will provide a ‘grassroots’ perspective to the board.”

Spano also reappointed current board Trustee John Jacono, who has served the board over the last four years, fi lling a vacant seat. Jacono’s new fi ve-year term also runs through May 2021.

Fire Dept. to Begin Annual Hydrant Inspections

Elder Law Discussion, Book Group at Library

By Mary hoarPresident emerita, Yonkers historical So-ciety

Monday, May 16 May 16, 1923: Captain Felix Reisenberg

of Palisade Avenue was appointed command-er of the school ship Newport. Reisenberg, with the American Bureau of Shipping, was editor of the Nautical Gazette and had writ-ten several technical books on seamanship. He was the brother of well-known Yonkers artist Sidney Reisenberg.

May 16, 1927: After spending two weeks in Yonkers waters, members of the U.S. Navy left the area. The vacationing sailors were on 11 ships under the command of Rear Admiral Charles Hussey, who was aboard the fl agship Antares.

Tuesday, May 17 May 17, 1941: Striking simultaneously in

several areas of Yonkers, police and immigra-tion inspectors questioned more than 1,000 Yonkers residents as part of a nationwide drive to round up local aliens illegally. Of the more than 1,000 Yonkers residents questioned, only four were arrested.

May 17, 1941: Ninety-eight newly natu-ralized citizens received their citizenship cer-tifi cates as part of “I Am an American Day” in Yonkers. Judge Benjamin Moore addressed the gathering.

Wednesday, May 18 May 18, 1919: Dr. Benjamin Stilwell was

notifi ed that his son, Lt. Col. Joseph Stilwell, had been promoted to the rank of full colo-nel in the Regular Army and had been recom-mended for the Distinguished Service Medal. Another son, Major John Stilwell, was pro-moted to lieutenant colonel. Both were serv-

ing in Germany.May 18, 1940: Members of Sarah Law-

rence College’s fi rst graduating class of 1930 returned for their 10th reunion. Two promi-nent members of the class attended – novelist Eleanor Green, and actress Barbara O’Neill, who played Scarlett O’Hara’s mother in “Gone With The Wind.”

Thursday, May 19 May 19, 1913: Yonkers residents lined the

Hudson River waterfront to see the Washing-ton Irving, the Day Line’s new steamboat, on its maiden voyage from New York to Albany.

May 19, 1917: W. Dean Smith and Arthur Hall left Yonkers to take up their duties as vol-unteer ambulance drives in France as part of the American Field Service; they went with an ambulance donated by the people of Yonkers.

May 19, 1927: World traveler and lec-turer Howard Brenton MacDonald of Ravine Avenue introduced a song dedicated to Gorton High School students. The title? The “Gorton Victory March!”

Friday, May 20 May 20, 1906: The Yonkers Department

of Public Works started a new system of sprin-kling its main streets all day Sundays. The rea-son? The large number of complaints received by the city “fathers” about the excessive dust stirred up by the large number of automobiles cruising streets, making Sunday “promenad-ing” almost impossible.

May 20, 1923: City Judge John Broderick jailed a New York City man for using profane language with a police offi cer. The visitor had received a ticket for parking in a restricted area, and had not hesitated to make his feel-ings known.

Brown Named to School Board; Jacono Re-Appointed

On Th is Day in Yonkers History…

Dutch SchultzPercy Grainger

Continued on Page 6

PAGE 6 - YoNkERs RisiNG - FRidAY, MAY 13, 2016

Legal Notices ANTIQUES • ART • COLLECTIBLES

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ClassifiedsNotice of formation of OLA-YA MORILLO REMODEL-ING, LLC, a domestic LLC, Arts. Of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/11/2016.Of-fice located: Westchester County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom pro-cess against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail pro-cess to The LLC, C/O CRIS-TIAN MORILLO, 250 New Main Street Yonkers 10701.General Purposes.

#6761 05/06 - 06/10

Notice of formation of SOSA & ASSOCIATES, LLC, a domestic LLC, Arts. Of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/16/2016.Office located: Westchester County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to The LLC, C/O Leo Sosa, 434-A South Broadway, Yonkers 10705. General Purposes.

#6763 05/06 - 06/10

Notice of formation of WHITESTONE MARBLE WORKS, LLC, a domestic LLC, Arts. Of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/16/2016.Office located: Westchester County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom pro-cess against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail pro-cess to The LLC, C/O SEVKI KARAKAYA, 252 LAKE AVE #A YONKERS NY 10701. General Purposes.

#6762 05/06 - 06/10

Notice of Formation of JD-MMakar Realty LLC Art. Of Org. filed with SSNY on 2/25/2016. Office Location: Westchester County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: JDMMakar Realty LLC, 109 Webster Ave., Yonkers, NY, 10701. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

#6767 05/13 – 06/17

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK – COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER

INDEX# 50352/2016 FILED: 04/18/2016

SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS AND NOTICE

Plaintiff designates Westchester County as the place of trial. Venue is based upon the County in which the mortgaged premises are situated. REVERSE MORTGAGE SOLU-TIONS, INC., Plaintiff, against THE UNKNOWN HEIRS OF THE ESTATE OF VIRGINIA PECORA MOORE AKA VIRGINIA MOORE if he/she/they be living and if he/she/they be dead, the respective heirs-at-law, next-of-kin, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, devisees, legatees, assignees, lienors, creditors and successors in interest and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through said Defendant(s) who may be deceased, by purchase, inheritance, lien or inheritance, any right, title or interest in or to the real property described in the Complaint, PATRICIA BELLUSCIO AKA TRICIA BELLUSCIO, DORINA DRAKE, FRANK DRAKE, THE SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, THE WESTCHESTER DEPARTMENT OF SO-CIAL SERVICES, THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, THE YONKERS SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION, and “JOHN DOE” and “JANE DOE”, the last two names being fictitious, said parties intended being tenants or occupants, if any, hav-ing or claiming an interest in, or lien upon the premises described in the complaint, Defendant(s). TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME IF YOU DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS SUMMONS AND COM-PLAINT BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEYS FOR THE MORTGAGE COMPANY WHO FILED THIS FORECLOSURE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT, A DEFAULT JUDGMENT MAY BE ENTERED AND YOU CAN LOSE YOUR HOME. SPEAK TO AN ATTORNEY OR GO TO THE COURT WHERE YOU CASE IS PENDING FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON HOW TO ANSWER THE SUMMONS AND PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY. SENDING A PAY-MENT TO YOUR MORTGAGE COMPANY WILL NOT STOP THIS FORECLOSURE AC-TION. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTOR-NEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Sum-mons, to serve a notice of appearance on the Plaintiff’s attorney within 20 days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York); The United States of America, if designated as a Defendant in this action, may appear within (60) days of service thereof and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief de-manded in the Complaint. NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT: THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is to foreclose on a reverse mortgage with the maximum principal amount of $544,185.00 dated August 28, 2008, executed by VIRGINIA PECORA MOORE AKA VIRGINIA MOORE to WORLD ALLIANCE FINAN-CIAL CORP recorded on November 21, 2008 in Control No. 483180075, in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Westchester. WORLD ALLIANCE FINANCIAL CORP as-signed all of its rights, title, and interest in the Reverse Mortgage by way of a correc-tive assignment executed July 2, 2010 to REVERSE MORTGAGE SOLUTIONS, INC., and recorded in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Westchester on July 29, 2010, in Control No. 501973038. This assignment corrects the assignment executed April 17, 2010 and recorded in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Westchester on May 4, 2010, in Control No. 501133292, covering premises known as 11 Undercliff Street, Yonkers, NY 10705, (Section 1, Block 191 and Lot 23). The relief sought within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt described above. To the above named Defendants: The foregoing Summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an order of the Hon. Mary H. Smith, Jus-tice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, and filed along with the support-ing papers in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Westchester on 4/15/2016. This

is an action to foreclose on a mortgage. ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the City of Yonkers, County of Westchester and State of New York, Section 1, Block 191 and Lot 23, said premises known as 11 Undercliff Street, Yonkers, NY 10705. YOU ARE HEREBY PUT ON NOTICE THAT WE ARE AT-TEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. By reason of the default in the payment of the monthly install-ment of principal and interest, among other things, as hereinafter set forth, Plaintiff, the holder and owner of the aforementioned note and mortgage, or their agents have elected and hereby accelerate the mortgage and declare the entire mortgage indebt-edness immediately due and payable. There is now due and owing, the principal sum of $327,156.88 together with all sums that may be due for interest, taxes, insurance, loan advances, and/or fees for inspections, property preservations or other expens-es incurred to protect the property, and expenses and costs of suit as may be allowed by the loan documents and/or approved by the court. UNLESS YOU DISPUTE THE VALIDITY OF THE DEBT, OR ANY PORTION THEREOF, WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER YOUR RECEIPT HEREOF THAT THE DEBT, OR ANY PORTION THEREOF, IS DISPUTED, THE DEBTOR JUDGMENT AGAINST YOU AND A COPY OF SUCH VERIFI-CATION OR JUDGMENT WILL BE MAILED TO YOU BY THE HEREIN DEBT COLLEC-TOR. IF APPLICABLE, UPON YOUR WRITTEN REQUEST, WITHIN SAID THIRTY (30) DAY PERIOD, THE HEREIN DEBT COLLECTOR WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH THE NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE ORIGINAL CREDITOR. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED A DIS-CHARGE FROM THE UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT, YOU ARE NOT PER-SONALLY LIABLE FOR THE UNDERLYING INDEBTEDNESS OWED TO PLAINTIFF/CREDITOR AND THIS NOTICE/DISCLOSURE IS FOR COMPLIANCE AND INFORMA-TIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORECLOSURE New York State requires that we send you this notice about the foreclosure process. Please read it carefully. SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT You are in danger of losing your home. If you fail to respond to the Summons and Complaint in this foreclosure action, you may lose your home. Please read the Summons and Complaint carefully. You should immediately contact an attorney or your local legal aid office to obtain advice on how to protect yourself. SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE The State en-courages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid, there are government agencies, and non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about possible op-tions, including trying to work with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by New York state Banking Department at 1-877-Bank-NYS or visit the Department’s website at www.banking.state.ny.us FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS Be careful of people who ap-proach you with offers to “save” your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profit from a homeowner’s distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone offering such services for profit to enter into a contract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you until they have completed all such promised services. Section 1303 NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this Sum-mons and Complaint by serving the copy of the answer on the attorney for the mort-gage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the an-swer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you may lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further infor-mation on how to answer the Summons and protect your property. Sending a pay-ment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING AN ANSWER WITH THE COURT.

Kozeny, McCubbin & Katz, LLP. Attorneys for the Plaintiff, 40 Marcus Drive, Suite 200 Melville, NY 11747 Our File 26788

#1449 04/29/16 – 05/20/16

nounced that the city officially authorized the Carpet Mills Arts District to build out the cur-rent vacant, commercialized warehouses that occupied the area into retail storefronts. The ap-proved retail zoning will help allow this historic and artistic area to become a major retail and tourist destination for the city of Yonkers, he said. CMAD stretches from Lake Avenue on the north to Ashburton Avenue on the south, and Nepper-han Avenue on the west to Saw Mill River Road on the east.

The open storefronts will give space to poten-tial business owners and entrepreneurs to open restaurants and retail establishments, amusement and sports shops, boutiques, dry cleaners, event space, retail home furnishing stores, art galleries and more. Retail is the first step in improving an area, according to Spano. He said the city hopes to follow in the footsteps of areas that are now flourishing with art galleries and retail spaces, such as SOHO, Williamsburg, Hoboken, Beacon and Hudson.

Additionally, the rezoning project of CMAD will bring in new types of tenants, which will mean more jobs, more sales taxes, upgrades to the area, improvements to the appearance of buildings and the potential for bigger businesses, such as a medical office or a school.

In April 2015, the area, consisting of the former Alexander Smith Carpet Mills, was for-mally named the Carpet Mills Arts District, a milestone that further validated a growing com-

munity within Yonkers. Over the years, a group of area building owners, known as the Owners’ Coalition, worked toward a change in zoning that would allow for ground-level retail options like restaurants and specialty shops. The group has developed a creative site improvement vision for the district, which promises to solidify and en-hance the district’s identity in the arts and cre-ative industries – naturally drawing higher-end businesses, tenants and patrons to the area.

“This area is an undiscovered gem about to explode with art and retail establishments,” said Randolph Rose, president of R.J. Rose Realty and a member of the Owners’ Coalition. “The City of Yonkers voted 100 percent in favor of this project. The regional economic council also recently gave us a $500,000 grant to start the process going. Ev-eryone loves the idea.”

The $500,000 capital grant from the Em-pire State Development Grants Program is to help revitalize and further the development and renovation of the CMAD area. The funding will be used for exterior improvements to the build-ings, including arts destination signage, lighting, entrance ways and landscaping improvements.

“Yonkers is establishing itself as a destina-tion city for artists to live, work and exhibit, and people are taking notice,” said Spano. “There is so much history and authentic, raw space in the Alexander Smith Carpet Mills buildings – which once housed more than 8,000 industrial workers – that it lends itself to becoming a community for industrial creatives. Yonkers has become home to an emerging arts scene, and creating an arts dis-trict at the once-thriving Carpet Mills site is the next step in telling our story.”

Yonkers ArtsContinued from Page 1

May 20, 1927: Internationally-known pi-anist Percy Grainger made his Yonkers debut at a concert at Gorton High School.

Saturday, May 21 May 21, 1918: Mayor Wallin announced

that only emergency street construction and repairs would be done in the immediate fu-ture; all else would be put off until summer. Coal and petroleum used to manufacture road products was limited by the U.S. Fuel Admin-istration to ensure war industries had a suffi-cient supply to do their job.

May 21, 1932: With the help of his ser-vice revolver, off-duty Yonkers police officer John Glus easily arrested two young men who had just stolen a car. The officer, who was get-ting ready to go to bed when the crime was committed, was barefoot and pajama-clad.

Sunday, May 22 May 22, 1927: Public Safety Commissioner

William Cameron, after making an inspection tour of the Alexander Street jail, said it was “…the best jail in the country from which to make a getaway.”

May 22, 1933: Federal authorities went on the hunt in Yonkers for fugitive beer baron and public enemy Dutch Schultz, who was hiding in a “pala-tial” Tuckahoe residence just before being picked up by the Feds.

May 22, 1942: Lt. Col. Egbert White of Plym-outh Avenue, former vice president of the Batten, Barton, Durstine and Osborn advertising agency, was chosen to head Yank, a new Army newspa-per to be distributed to all American servicemen throughout the world.

For more information on the Yonkers His-torical Society, Sherwood House and upcoming events, visit www.facebook.com/YonkersHistori-calSociety, or LinkedIn and Twitter @YonkersH-istoric. For information on membership in YHS, call 914-961-8940 or email yhsociety@aol.com.

On This DayContinued from Page 5

FRidAY, MAY 13, 2016 - YoNkERs RisiNG - PAGE 7

PCSB Bank employees were out in full force for the 2016 Putnam Heart Walk on April 24, raising $51,465 for the American Heart Association. The PCSB Bank Team included 129 employees, along with hundreds of family members, friends and pets.

The Putnam Heart Walk raises funds for the American Heart Association, which is dedi-cated to building healthier lives, free of cardio-vascular heart diseases and stroke. The AHA’s current goal is to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent while re-

ducing deaths from cardiovascular disease and stroke by 20 percent by the year 2020.

The AHA works to achieve this goal by im-proving patient care and advocating for better health, raising awareness and educating Ameri-cans, and protecting the future by helping chil-dren develop lifelong health habits.

PCSB Bank operates 15 banking centers in Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess and Rockland counties. The bank recently changed its name from Putnam County Savings Bank after 145 years.

To eliminate mosquito breeding sites and prevent the spread of West Nile Virus and oth-er mosquito-borne diseases, the Westchester County Health Department will offer free min-nows, mosquito dunks and “Keep Healthy and Bug Off” brochures to residents on six Mosquito Control Days this month.

Residents with ornamental ponds should add the fathead minnows to the water to keep it from becoming a mosquito breeding site. The dunks serve the same purpose in birdbaths, rain barrels and unused pools.

Health department staff will be available to answer questions and give out “Keep Healthy and Bug Off” brochures, which offer advice on how residents can prevent mosquito bites and eliminate standing water around their homes to keep mosquitoes from breeding nearby.

“We’ll show residents things they can do to protect themselves and their families from mos-quitoes,” said Peter DeLucia, assistant commis-sioner for public health protection. “We’ll also give them minnows and dunks to prevent mos-quitoes from breeding on their property. Min-nows are our natural ally in the battle against West Nile Virus and they’re very popular with residents. They eat many times their weight in mosquito larvae.”

Residents with ponds who want the min-nows should bring a bucket or pail to 2 Loop Road at the Westchester County Airport on Thursday or Friday, May 19 or 20, between 11

a.m. and 6 p.m.; or Saturday, May 21 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The building is the fi rst one on right from the airport access road. Minnows will be distributed in watertight plastic bags, and residents should plan to bring them straight home and release them into ponds with at least 8 inches of water.

To eliminate breeding sites, the health de-partment has started to apply larvicide to catch basins that hold standing water but are clear of debris. Larvaciding teams will evaluate and treat, as needed, all catch basins on county and municipal roads throughout the county over the next few months.

To help prevent mosquitoes from breeding, residents should eliminate standing water from around their properties, especially after it rains. Large areas of standing water on public property that cannot easily be removed should be report-ed to the health department at 914-813-5000.

“If we use all the available strategies, we can minimize our exposure to mosquito bites and reduce the mosquito population in Westches-ter, but we need residents to help,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler. “Please re-move from your yard or turn over anything that could hold standing water and make use of the dunks and minnows we are offering.”

To learn more about mosquito prevention, visit www.westchestergov.com/health, “like” the department on Facebook or “follow” it on Twitter @wchealthdept.

Westchester County’s Department of Senior Programs and Services has issued a request for proposals from qualifi ed agencies to provide so-cial adult day services, with funding that comes from grants through the federal Older Americans Act.

Social adult day services include structured, comprehensive programs that provide socializa-tion, supervision and monitoring, personal care and nutrition in a protective setting during the day or overnight but for less than 24 hours.

“Our RFP outreach is important because it enables the county to offer the highest qual-

ity services to adults and their caregivers,” said County Executive Robert Astorino. “It gives us an opportunity to look at our options and com-pare costs. Our ultimate goal is to help adults remain in their homes and their communities by offering their caregivers temporary rest and re-lief from caregiving responsibilities.”

Proposals must be received by May 26 at: The Department of Senior Programs and Servic-es, County Offi ce Building, 9 S. First Ave., 10th Floor, Mount Vernon, NY 10550.

For more information about this and other RFPs, visit www.westchestergov.com/rfp.

With more than a decade of experience in engineering and technology jobs, an under-graduate degree in engineering and master’s degrees in fi nance and library science, Tina Master has the background and experience many companies desire. Yet she was having a diffi cult time fi nding a position for which she wasn’t overqualifi ed and under-challenged. After working part-time and consulting while home with her children, she found herself los-ing confi dence after being out of work for three years.

Now, after participating in a six-week regional job training program known as Jobs Waiting, Master is employed as an informa-tion technology specialist at Cabrini Eldercare, with possibilities for growth and promotion ahead.

“I hadn’t thought about a career in health care, but I knew my skills could be a perfect fi t,” she said about her decision to apply for the free program. “The Jobs Waiting program gave me my self-worth back, helped me perfect my ‘elevator pitch,’ and taught me how to prepare for a job interview. Most importantly, I had the chance to meet employers who were looking for candidates – one of whom ended up hiring me.”

Funded by a federal Ready to Work grant, Jobs Waiting is a workforce re-training program led by Westchester County and the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Develop-ment Board, and managed by the Westchester County Association. Its goal is to provide 500 long-term unemployed individuals with job readiness skills as preparation for new careers in health care in the Hudson Valley, which cur-rently has more than 3,500 open positions in the health care sector. Jobs Waiting recruits

participants for a six-week boot camp (the next session starts May 16 in Yonkers), which pro-vides training, professional mentoring and a personal job coach.

“We are so busy hiring, so this program is perfect for us,” said Simone Smith, director of human resources at Cabrini Eldercare. “We’ve been very impressed with the candidates, who are professional and prepared.”

Smith met Master at a Jobs Waiting boot camp “graduation,” brought her in for in-terviews, and hired her for her new position. While many people think of the clinical side of health care, the sector also includes jobs in ac-counting, technology, medical coding and bill-ing, and customer service, according to Smith, who has plans to interview additional program participants for open vacancies.

Jobs Waiting may be the answer for a range of job seekers, from those who lost their jobs during the Great Recession or stayed home to raise children, to those who are look-ing to transition to new careers.

“This program provides an excellent low-cost opportunity for health care businesses to hire candidates who are ready to work,” said Donnovan Beckford, director of the Westches-ter County Offi ce of Workforce Investment, which applied for the federal grant. “We’re matching newly-trained workers with employ-ers desperate for a talented workforce. It’s get-ting people back to work, saving employers time and money in the recruitment process, and strengthening our regional economy with a strong talent pipeline. It’s a win for everyone involved.”

To learn more about Jobs Waiting and fi nd out if you are eligible, call 914.948-4144 or visit www.JobsWaiting.com.

New parents, students, grandparents, baby-sitters or anyone interested in learning CPR are invited to Sunshine Children’s Home on May 21 for a friends and family CPR class.

This American Heart Association CPR course will be taught in a group setting using practice while watching to provide students with the most hands-on practice time. The friends and family program is free and open to the public,

but space is limited and interested participants should contact Paula at Sunshine Children’s Hospital at 914-33-7051 or plisti@sunshinechil-drenshome.org.

Sunshine Children’s Home in Ossining is a 54-bed licensed nursing facility that specializes in the care and treatment of medically-complex children who require post-acute, rehabilitative care.

Hundreds helped raise funds for the American Heart Association during the recent Putnam Heart Walk in Brewster.

PCSB Bank Helps Lead Heart Walk

Health Dept. Aims to Combat Mosquito Growth

County Seeks Proposals for Social Adult Day Services

Free Job Training Program Starting in Yonkers

Friends & Family CPR

Seniors and Health Care

Gorton’s college advisor. Similarly, Trisha thanked Ann Radcliff e, who

teaches English; Donna Cooke, who teaches AP English; Vines; and Dr. Clarice Morris, who teach-es anatomy, physiology and medical microbiology.

Sukhjeet, whose favorite subjects include his-tory, earth science and physics, took advantage of the college-level classes off ered at GHS and was en-rolled in college-linked algebra, AP world history, AP U.S. history, AP psychology, AP chemistry, Century Honors Regents geometry, Century Hon-ors earth science and Century Honors Chemistry.

Trisha, whose favorite subjects are science, math and art, also enrolled in college-level classes, including college-linked algebra, college-linked anatomy and physiology I, AP English, Century Honors English, Century Honors U.S. history and government, and Century Honors geometry.

When they were not found busy studying for their rigorous classes, GHS’s valedictorian and sa-lutatorian spent their time as part of Gorton’s many aft erschool extracurricular activities. Sukhjeet is vice president of student government, a National Honors Society and National Arts Honors Society member, a part of the Th anksgiving food drive and the blood drive, volunteers at Open House and Ca-reer Day, and is part of the Healthcare Introduction program with Westchester Community College’s medical magnet.

Within his community, Sukhjeet also volun-teers at the Dhuknivaran Sikh Cultural Society, the Will Grinton Library in Yonkers, and has also participated in the Ridge Hill Academy business program where young students within Westchester are taught the essentials of business. On his many trips back to India, Sukhjeet has also volunteered at the hospitals there, furthering his passion for medicine.

Trisha, who is also a member of the National Honors Society, is a member of the varsity soccer team, Senior Committee, treasurer of Student Gov-ernment, a member of the Smart Scholars Program, a volunteer with the blood drive, and a competitor of the Poetry Out Loud Club. She is also a part of the African-American Men of Westchester’s Youth

Annual Business Skills competition, participates within the health care practicum at St. Josephs, and also a member of the Healthcare Introduction Pro-gram at Westchester Community College.

Sukhjeet has applied, and been accepted, to the following colleges: Manhattan, Mercy, Iona, Manhattanville, Westchester Community College, City University of New York-City College of New York, the College of Mount Saint Vincent’s, and CUNY Lehman College, where he will begin at-tending in September 2016. He said he would like to obtain a bachelor’s degree and then continue to-ward a career in business or fi nancing, and poten-tially in the future, a career in science education. He said he hopes to one day repay the favor and infl uence the minds of high school students, as his teachers have.

Trisha has applied, and been accepted to: the State University of New York at Buff alo, Pace University, Mount Saint Vincent’s, Iona, Manhat-tanville, Mercy, Sienna College, Mount Saint Mary College, CUNY Lehman and CUNY City College of New York. She will be attending the College of Mount Saint Vincent’s starting this fall, and said she would like to obtain a bachelor’s degree in bio-chemistry and then continue toward a doctorate of pharmacy.

When questioned about their school and what they believe Gorton High School off ered them that was essential to their education, both Sukhjeet and Trisha had great things to say. Sukhjeet said the faculty and staff are very helpful on campus, and one can always fi nd the teachers staying aft erschool for the benefi t of the students. Trisha added that there is something special about the school spirit at Gorton.

“And the medical program magnet at Gorton is unlike any other,” she said.

Th e valedictorian and salutatorian of Gorton High School’s 2016 graduating class each leave be-hind a piece of advice for all future students and graduates. Sukhjeet said: “Never wait for the last minute because deadlines are scary.”

Trisha added: “Always strive for the best and dream big because, as Ellen Johnson Sirelaf once said, ‘If your dreams don’t scare you, then they are not big enough.’”

Congratulations, Sukhjeet and Trisha, and best of luck on all of your future endeavors!

Gorton H.S.Continued from Page 1

The Blue Door Art Cen-ter will kick off Yonkers Arts Weekend with a special musical performance by Mount Vernon natives Trindigo Art House on Friday, May 13 from 5 to 8 p.m. at 13 Riverdale Ave.

Trindigo Art House is an online gallery and nomadic showcase of visual and per-forming arts. The Trindigo ex-perience showcases artists who illustrate through poetry, mu-sic, photography, fine art and other forms of expression. For more information, visit www.bluedoorartcenter.org or www.trindigoarthouse.com.

Performers include poets Zayia, Ebony Gayle, Josh Ha-zlehurst and Eugene “Gravitas Amor;” and singers Ellarese, Ol’ Soul, Lexxy and Abi Palmer.

On Saturday, May 14, Art-Speak with poet-in-residence Golda Solomon will take place from 1:30 to 5 p.m. at Blue Door Art Center. Admission is $20 for members or $25 for non-members and is open to the public.

Poet? Painter? Songwriter? Storyteller? Performer? Be it canvas or notebook, brush or pen, ArtSpeak at Blue Door Art Center lets you explore your medium and genre. Join in the welcoming space where energy and talent change landscape with each exhibition. For more information, visit www.bluedoorartceter.org or call 914-207-0477.

Also on Saturday, May 14, from 7 to 9 p.m., Po’Jazz on Hudson will take place, featuring

Golda Solomon and special guest the Jazz and Poetry Choir Collective.

Then on Sunday, May 15 from 2 to 5 p.m., there will be an opening reception for “Mind and Material,” featuring work by College of Mount Saint Vincent faculty and staff. The show will be open to the public through June 11.

PAGE 8 - YoNkERs RisiNG - FRidAY, MAY 13, 2016

Legal NoticesSUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORKCOUNTY OF WESTCHESTER----------------------------------------------------------------------xIn the Matter of ForeclosureofTAX LIENS

Pursuant to XIX of the Charter of the City ofYonkers and Article 11, Title 3 of the Real PropertyTax Law, by the City of Yonkers, New York, -- List ofdelinquent taxes as of April 15, 2016, consistingof one volume.----------------------------------------------------------------------x

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE OF TAX LIENS BYCITY OF YONKERS, NEW YORK

BY ACTION IN REM

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that on the 15th day of April, 2016, JOHN LISZEWSKI, Com-missioner of Finance and Enforcing Officer of the City of Yonkers pursuant to law filed with the Clerk of Westchester County, a list of parcels of property affected by unpaid tax liens held and owned by said City of Yonkers which on such date had been unpaid for a period of at least two years after the date when the tax, assessment or other legal charge represented thereby became a lien. Said list contains as to each such parcel, (a) a brief description of the property affected by such tax lien, (b) the name of the last known owner of such property as the same appears on the assess-ment roll of said City of Yonkers for the last calendar year, or a statement that the owner is unknown if such be the case, (c) a statement of the amount of such tax lien upon such parcel including those which shall have been due for less than two years together with the date or dates from which, and the rate or rates at which interest and penalties shall be computed.

All persons having or claiming to have an interest in the real property described in such list of delinquent taxes are hereby notified that the filing of such list of delin-quent taxes constitutes the commencement by said City of Yonkers of an action in the Supreme Court, Westchester County, to foreclose the tax liens therein described by a foreclosure proceeding in rem and that such list constitutes a notice of penden-cy of action and a complaint by the said City of Yonkers against such piece or parcel of land therein described to enforce the payment of such tax liens. Such action is brought against the real property only and is to foreclose the tax liens described in such list.

No personal judgment shall be entered herein for such taxes, assessments or other legal charges or any part thereof.

This notice is directed to all persons having or claiming to have an interest in the real property described in such list of delinquent taxes and such persons are hereby notified further that a duplicate of such list of delinquent taxes has been filed in the office of the Commissioner of Finance of said City of Yonkers and will remain open for public inspection up to and including the 10th day of June, 2016, which date is hereby fixed as the last day of redemption.

AND take further notice that any person having or claiming to have an interest in any such parcel and the legal right thereto may on or before said date redeem the same by paying to the said Commissioner of Finance of the City of Yonkers the amount of all such unpaid tax liens thereof and in addition thereto all interest and penalties which are a lien against such real property, computed to and including the date of redemption. In the event that such taxes are paid by a person other than the record owner of such property, the person so paying shall be entitled to have the tax liens affected thereby satisfied of record or to receive an assignment of such tax liens evidenced by a proper written instrument.

Every person having any right, title or interest in or lien upon any parcel described in such list of delinquent taxes may serve a verified notice of interest or a duly verified answer upon the attorney for the City of Yonkers setting forth in detail the nature and amount of his interest and any defense or objection to the foreclosure. Such answer must be filed in the office of the County Clerk and served upon the attorney for the tax district foreclosing within twenty days after the date above mentioned as the last day for redemption. In the event of failure to redeem or answer by any person having

the right to redeem or answer, such person shall be forever barred and foreclosed of all right, title and interest and equity of redemption in and to the parcel described in such list of delinquent taxes and a judgment in foreclosure may be taken by default.

Dated: April 15, 2016JOHN LISZEWSKICOMMISSIONER OF FINANCE and ENFORCING OFFICER for the City of Yonkers City Hall40 South BroadwayYonkers, NY 10701(914) 377-6141

MICHAEL V. CURTI, ESQ.,CORPORATION COUNSEL andATTORNEY for the City of Yonkers City Hall40 South BroadwayYonkers, NY 10701(914) 377-5063

#1444 04/15/16 – 05/20/16

TO THE PARTY TO WHOM THE ENCLOSED NOTICE IS ADDRESSED

You are the presumptive owner or lienor of one or more of the parcels mentioned and described in the list referred to in the enclosed notice.

Unless the taxes and assessments and all other legal charges are paid, or an answer interposed, as provided by statute, the ownership of said property, will in due course pass to the City of Yonkers as provided by the law of the Charter of the City of Yonkers and the State of New York.

Under the Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act of 1940 and acts amendatory thereto, special rights and privileges are given to persons in the military service, which includes all members of the Army of the United States, the United States Navy, the Marine Corps, the Coast Guard, and all officers of the Public Health Service de-tailed by property authority for duty either with the Army or Navy, in Federal Service on active duty with any one of said branches. If you are in Military Service, or if any one else within your knowledge or information, who is the owner of any right, title or interest in or lien upon any of such parcels, is in Military Service, will you kindly so advise me.

In the event of your failure to respond to this motion on or before the twentieth day after June 10, 2016, the last day of redemption herein, application for judgment of foreclosure or for judgment of foreclosure and sale in the within foreclosure action will be made to the County Court of Westchester County.

Dated: April 15, 2016

JOHN LISZEWSKICOMMISSIONER OF FINANCE and ENFORCING OFFICER for the City of YonkersCity Hall40 South BroadwayYonkers, NY 10701(914) 377-6141

MICHAEL V. CURTI, ESQ.,CORPORATION COUNSEL andATTORNEY for the City of Yonkers City Hall40 South BroadwayYonkers, NY 10701(914) 377-5063 #1444 04/15/16 – 05/20/16

The unions are calling for legislators and the governor to ensure that public dollars are being spent appropriately.

It has been reported by the comptroller’s office that the Charter School of Educational Excellence in Yonkers is holding over $3 mil-lion dollars in excess while the Yonkers Public Schools are continuously being underfunded. If the money is not needed by the charter school to provide services to its students or offset the continuously increasing costs to charter school teachers for their minimal health insurance, perhaps that money could be used by the other school children in Yonkers Public Schools.

I would like to state for the record that the YFT does not lobby against our own members. We lobby for fair funding for all of our Yonkers Public School children. We spend a great deal of time in Albany working to bring educational funding to Yonkers. The $25 million received last year by the Yonkers Public Schools from the governor’s budget was greatly needed and I don’t believe it would have occurred without the help of the union. Many Yonkers unions came together with parents and elected officials and brought that funding to our school children.

In addition, it is shocking to me, as well as to many on the City Council, that Dr. Edwardo LaGuerre, owner of the Charter School of Edu-cational Excellence, is holding so much in unre-stricted reserves (more than $3 million), when he fights against giving his teachers a decent competitive salary or even agreeing to a printed contract. The teachers at the Charter School of Educational Excellence in Yonkers are woefully underpaid in comparison to New York City, Yonkers, Mount Vernon and other districts – while Mr. LaGuerre has publicly boasted about the profit he is making from the Charter School of Educational Excellence.

A recent report by the Center for Popular Democracy estimates that charter school fraud statewide has cost New York State taxpayers $54 million this school year alone. The report notes: “Despite the tremendous investment of public dollars, New York has failed to implement a sys-tem that adequately monitors charters for fraud, waste and mismanagement.” Statewide, New York schools are struggling with a near-0-per-cent property tax cap and are owed billions of dollars, while charter schools are awash in a sea of cash. As of last year, charters have hundreds of millions of dollars on hand.

In 2014, unrestricted net assets held by charters grew to $392.1 million, up from $298.5 million in 2012. In 2014, 184 charter schools studied had, on average, 25 percent of their an-nual budgets in cash reserves. That is six times what traditional public school districts are per-mitted to hold.

Nothing in the state budget strengthens the accountability for charter schools. The union has asked that the state ensure the following from charter schools:

That charter schools statewide educate the same number of English language learners, students with disabilities and students in tem-porary housing in the same percentages as the community in which the charter school resides; that they ensure students are treated fairly; that there be more transparency and accountability in the use of state funds; and that they allow the state the ability to audit all money sent to educa-tion management organizations and other out-side charter entities.

I am a board member of the New York State United Teachers, which is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members and is comprised of teachers, teaching assistants, aides, college and other professionals. One of our goals is to take the profit motives out of education and save those public tax dollars for our students – not corporations and CEOs.

I would also like to take this opportunity to celebrate the many successes of our Yonkers Public Schools. The YFT would like to congrat-ulate Yonkers Middle/High School for its recent U.S. News and World Report ranking of third-best high school in Westchester and 149th-best high school in the country. Saunders High School has also long been acknowledged as one of the top high schools in the U.S., historic in its career and technology program. While career and technology is being rediscovered in other parts of New York State, Yonkers has long sup-ported and been rewarded by the programs of Saunders High School.

I’d also like to also congratulate the more than two dozen pre-kindergarten-through-grade-8 schools receiving recognition of “schools in good standing” by the State Educa-tion Department.

If there is one failing we have in Yonkers, it is not recognizing the overwhelming successes that we have. All the while we are constantly fighting for the adequate funding needed by our students to move on to even greater success.

Pat Puleo is president of the Yonkers Federa-tion of Teachers and a national board-certified teacher.

YFT: WeContinued from Page 1

The Fourth Precinct Community Coun-cil will meet Thursday, May 17 at 7 p.m. at the Fourth Police Precinct, 53 Shonnard Place, Yon-kers. Captain Cavorte, precinct commander, and

his staff will be present to address matters of con-cern.

Everyone who lives or works in the area served by the Fourth Police Precinct is invited.

Community Council Meets

Blue Door Celebrates Yonkers Arts Weekend

FRidAY, MAY 13, 2016 - YoNkERs RisiNG - PAGE 9

PAL Poster Contest staff with finalists on the night of the show.

Yonkers Rising Editor Dan Murphy with congeniality winners Hanna Simoes and Pat Sullivan.

PAL board member Mike Bennett poses with his family after receiving the PAL special award presented by James Vetrano, PAL vice president emeritus, with his wife, Roberta, and sons

Michael and James.

YPS Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada with poster contest winners.

PAL Poster Contest Chairman Michele D’Ambrosio with Council President Liam McLaughlin and Manuel Melendez and Leah Calvelo.

Poster contest winners Manuel Melendez and Leah Calvelo with, from left (back row) Capt. Paul Rice, Judge Linda Jamieson, Alex de Castro, Commissioner Gardner and Police Officer

Maher.

Congratulations to all of the finalists, who were told by Deputy Mayor Steve Levy, Coun-cil President Liam McLaughlin, Yonkers Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada and Police Commissioner Charles Gardner that “you are all winners.”

We couldn’t agree more.The 10 finalists included Manuel Melendez,

Leah Calvelo, Patrick Dillon, Joshua Fernandez, Patrick Sullivan, Leila Barnett, Hailie Fedor, Jair Tola, Frank Hernandez Jr., Hanna Simoes, Jeanette Egiziaco and Maggie Doran.

The finalists were interviewed by last year’s poster contest winners Jim Pardo and Erin Wasyl-enko.

The judges, as always, had the toughest job of the evening, in picking two winners. This year’s judges were Assistant County Attorney Karen Bel-tran, Anthony Flower from Flower Funeral Home, Chief City Court Judge Michael Martinelli, Felix Rodriguez from Stew Leonard’s, John Rubbo from Yonkers Brewing Company, Acting Family Court Judge Mary Ann Scattaretico-Naber, and Assistant DA Justin Tolbert.

Counting the votes from the judges were Jeanne Martinelli and Jasmine Hernandez Esq.

A special award of appreciation was given to longtime PAL board member Mike Bennett for his longtime service to the Police Athletic League and the people of Yonkers.

Yonkers Rising sponsored the congeniality awards for the finalists, with Hannah Simoes and Pat Sullivan selected by their peers as the winners.

Then the winners were announced... Ten-year-old Leah Calvelo, a fifth-grader at

Yonkers Montessori Academy, said she enjoys Cul-tural Day at her school because it gives students an opportunity to share their own culture and learn about others. Her extracurricular activities include gymnastics and ice skating, and her favorite subject is English language arts because she loves to read and write.

Leah is keeping up-to-date on the earthquake in Ecuador and its aftermath, and said she is proud to be the PAL Poster Contest winner because “the police are kind and helpful. Every day they risk their lives for us.”

Her role model is gymnast and gold medal winner Gabby Douglas, who taught her “to keep going no matter what.” Leah said she hopes to be-come an author when she grows up, “to share my thoughts with the world.”

Eleven-year-old Manuel Melendez, a sixth-grader at PEARLS Hawthorne School, said he en-joys the Read-a-Thon held at his school every year. His favorite subject is science and he enjoys learn-ing about animals and especially elephants.

Manuel is a member of the Math Club and Science Club at PEARLS, where a 95 percent aver-age is required to join. He also plays football and enjoys keeping up on sports scores and the presi-dential race. His role model is his uncle, who is a Yonkers firefighter, and Manuel said he hopes to become a marine biologist when he grows up.

“The police are brave and dedicated people who aren’t always appreciated,” and said, adding that the YPD’s Stop and Shake program is one of the positive outreaches to the community.

The PAL Poster Contest is named after Sgt. Michael D’Ambrosio, who was the driving force into making the event into one of the most popular and positive events in the city. Sgt. Mike’s daughter, Michelle D’Ambrosio, took over as chairperson of the contest this year and did a great job.

Meet theContinued from Page 1

Rochester, Syracuse. The average age of YPS is 75 years. Cur-

rently, Yonkers schools are 4,100 students over-capacity.

The Assembly bill, introduced by Assem-blymember Shelley Mayer, and the accompany-ing Senate bill, introduced by State Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, calls for the following:

Named the “Yonkers City School District joint schools construction and modernization act,” the legislation would amend the education law and the public authorities law, in relation to implementing such joint schools construction and modernization act.

The bill outlines the need “to modernize ex-isting school buildings and construct new school buildings in Yonkers based on the age of the buildings, the deterioration of the buildings, the growing student population,” and the city’s in-ability to finance such repairs, and declares that the city of Yonkers is unable to pursue a modern-

ization program without special legislation, as was provided to Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse.

The bill creates the Yonkers Joint Schools Construction Board, a new, nine-member board that would have the authority to select the proj-ects and allocate the funding. Borrowing for the projects would go through the Yonkers Industri-al Development Agency. Members of the board cannot have a conflict of interest with other city or YPS business.

The superintendent and the Yonkers Board of Education would submit a draft plan to the construction board recommending the projects to be undertaken in phase one, from the state, at a rate of 98 percent.

The 98 percent reimbursement rate request-ed is the key to the bill, and whether it will be approved. Compromises in the reimbursement rate, currently at 70 percent, could be the final outcome. The borrowing would not be included in the city’s regular budget or allocation for YPS, and would not be included in the calculation of the property tax cap.

All projects must be reviewed and approved by the State Education Department, and the bill

calls for Phase I spending not to exceed $523 million, and would include construction of three new schools and renovation of existing schools.

The oldest school in YPS is 119 years old, and currently managing a seat-deficit of 4,104 seats. Increased enrollment has required overuse of available classroom space for regular instruc-tion and has resulted in a shortage of libraries, art rooms, music rooms, computer rooms and other common school facility elements.

The city and the school district cannot bor-row enough to fund the project without the state’s approval and increased reimbursement.

Assemblymember Mayer has made changes to the complicated and technical bill, which are suitable to the mayor.

“Sen. Stewart-Cousins and I have intro-duced bills that the mayor is comfortable with, including some changes to include wider par-ticipation and good government practices,” said Mayer. “I am hopeful that we can work jointly with the State Division of Budget in moving for-ward toward a resolution to rebuild and fix the YPS, which we must do.”

The City Council passed a home rule mes-

sage on the item to allow it to move forward in Albany.

Mayer would not comment on the political machinations that will be necessary to get the bill approved with the increased state reimburse-ments. The State Office of the Budget is under the control of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who will, in the end, have the final say on whether the rebuilding of YPS will happen.

Negotiations between Spano and the gover-nor’s office in the weeks to come will determine the outcome. The other impact that will have to be determined is how much the Yonkers taxpayer will have to pay for the project, which depends on the amount of reimbursement Yonkers gets from the state.

Right now, many stakeholders and officials are focused on the city budget, with public hear-ings to begin next week. Items including funding for the YPS for the next school year and the pro-posed increase to the city Income Tax Surcharge are likely the hot topics.

But the issue of rebuilding YPS, and getting the state to pay more for it, has been long dis-cussed but never acted on until now.

Yonkers RalliesContinued from Page 2

Photos by Ed Whitman

immerses students in a fun and interactive English-speaking environment by decorating its centers to look like play areas and equip-

ping them with multimedia technologies for learning.

Zhao, a graduate of Peking University, is chairman of the Board of the Natural Intel-ligence Alliance of China, whose December 2015 conference aimed to enhance the knowl-edge of more than 1,000 kindergarten prin-cipals and teachers from across China. Zhao is also chairman of New World International Kindergarten in Beijing.

“It is my honor to welcome two very dis-tinguished educators from China, Mr. Hon-gbing Liu and Mrs. Dan Zhao, to the City of Yonkers, where I have made investment in the education of our children my priority,” said Spano. “By coming together and sharing best practices across cultures, we can ensure that our children are academically successful and prepared to take on the challenges of the 21st century.”

Dr. Rosemary Uzzo, an educator and community leader from Yonkers, introduced the mayor to the two prestigious educators, whom she met when invited to China last De-cember. During her trip, she spoke at a con-ference sponsored by Zhao’s organization, the Natural Intelligence Alliance of China, on the need for teaching critical and creative thinking skills at an early childhood level.

She was also invited to speak to the staff and answer questions about pedagogy at one of Liu’s “Magic English” schools. During both of these engagements, Uzzo presented letters of greeting from Spano, which invited both Liu and Zhao to visit Yonkers. As a result of the warm greetings and strong sentiments about the need for quality education contained with-in these letters, both educators were prompted to visit the U.S. to meet Yonkers’ own “Educa-tion Mayor” in person.

The visit also included a stop at Cross Hill Academy School, where YPS Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada welcomed the Chinese educators. A luncheon was held at Xaviar’s X20 to celebrate the “cultural building and blend-ing” that occurred.

Azeneration, a consulting and training company owned by Xiuli (Tina) Chen located in California, hosted the luncheon and helped organize the visit.

Prominent ChineseContinued from Page 1

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Yonkers School Board President Dr. Nader Sayegh with astronaut and Yonkers native Ron Garan.

The computer room in the new Tech Central at the Riverfront Library.

By Phil FoleyI am happy to report that the Yonkers High

School Athletic Program is finally playing la-crosse on the varsity level. This is excellent news for students who want to play this sport, because if they can play well enough there is a chance they could win college scholarships!

There are a boys’ team and a girls’ team, coached by Kyle Calabro and Kevin MacDon-ald, respectively. Kyle was an All-Conference MVP player at Misericordia University, and Kevin has been an assistant football coach at Roosevelt H.S. and is the cheerleading coach at Yonkers.

I spoke with both Kevin and Kyle last week; Kevin will write an article for Rising early next month when his team participates in the Great Adventure Lacrosse Tournament – which tournament is important to Kevin because he said two of his girls have a good chance of winning scholarships when they participate in the event.

“The teams’ home games are at Tibbets Field,” said Coach Kyle. “The program started a month and a half into the season. We are sup-

posed to play 15 games that I know of. The boys are very hungry and eager to get better after each and every game. We practice from 3 to 6 p.m. at Tibbets Field on Monday through Friday and early mornings on Saturdays. (Stu-dents) get to the field by taking an east or west bus from their schools.

“The team is 0-4 but constantly improv-ing through hard work and determination,” he continued. “There are only three players on the team that have played in a lacrosse game before. So my goal is to recruit from all the sports that have similarities of lacrosse to their sports. It would be great to help spread la-crosse to the youth to keep up with the growth of lacrosse in the area.

“I plan on using my background in train-ing all levels of athletes to improve their over-all lacrosse IQ, stick work, strength, speed and agility,” concluded Kyle. “It all starts with getting their sticks in their hands all year round, joining summer leagues and winter leagues. After seeing these boys’ attitudes and drive, I believe the future of the team is very strong.”

The Yonkers Public Library hosted the grand opening of Tech Central, the new technol-ogy training center and makerspace at the Riv-erfront Library, on May 4. This space expands the library’s ability to offer basic training in computer skills to more people each year, and also brings to Yonkers some cutting-edge tech-nology, including 3D and large-format printers, a recording studio and teleconferencing.

The celebration began with an official ribbon-cutting with Mayor Mike Spano, City Councilmen Chris Johnson and Michael Sabati-no, and Superintendent Edwin Quezada joining Library Director Edward Falcone in dedicating the new room. Tours of Tech Central drew large and enthusiastic crowds, including groups of pu-pils from schools throughout Yonkers.

The special guest was Col. Ron Garan, who graduated from Roosevelt High School and has had an illustrious career as a pilot, astronaut, author and entrepreneur. His message was in-spiring, encouraging kids to identify what they love to do and pursue it whole-heartedly, and speaking movingly of the need for us all to see the world, its landscape and its people as deeply

interconnected as he did while in space.The library also last week hosted “A Starry

Night,” a fundraising gala to generate support for programming at Tech Central and through-out the library system. Guests were “rocketed” to the library’s top floor, which had been trans-formed into a marvelous event space. The gala was a great success, with more than 100 Yon-kersites from throughout the city in attendance, including elected officials, leaders from many of the library’s not-for-profit partners, and teachers from the district.

Col. Garan was again on hand, and was introduced by Yonkers School Board President Nader Sayegh and City Council President Liam McLaughlin.

The event raised much-needed funds for the Yonkers Public Library and was an opportu-nity to bring together supporters – both old and new – for an evening of fine food, music and friendship. We hope this will be the first of more events to come,” said Nancy Maron, president of the library’s Board of Trustees. “For those in-terested in participating with the library, I look forward to hearing from you.”

Yonkers High School Starts Playing Lacrosse

Library Users ‘Starry-Eyed’ Over New Tech Center

The Yonkers High School lacrosse team.

Photos by Donna Davis