My Rye

Trailways and Traffic Safety Committee Presents Reco's

At the February 13th city council meeting, Doug French, Co-Chair of the Temporary Trailways and Traffic Safety Committee with Greg Howells (director of the Rye YMCA), presented the Committee’s prioritized recommendations. The committee's recommendations are certainly timely with both the Boston Post Road "diet plan" and the recent accident involving a student walking to school.

The Committee is focused on a pedestrian network that links points of destination with good signage; a need for a trailway plan (outside groups (the County for example) are designing plans to come though Rye); a need for safer routes to school; our declining infrastructure; our growing active population; and that now is the time to tap into outside grant funding, to leverage planned City capital projects and coordinate with outside initiatives.

French said the mandate to the Committee was to study and develop a plan for pedestrian safety, school pedestrian and traffic safety, and trailway development in one comprehensive plan.

The Committee’s top recommendations are as follows:

1. Implement school safety projects and apply for safe routes funding. Focus on: a) re-striping the Boston Post Road from Rye High School to Osborn Road; and b) create a sidewalk or trailway on the west side of the Boston Post road from Johnson Place to Hornridge Road.
2. Immediately redesign and repair areas with potential safety hazards (sidewalks along Oakland Beach Avenue up to Milton Road)
3. Leverage planned City Capital Projects (widen and re-stripe Forest Avenue from Martin Road to Manursing Way; improve the sidewalk along the west side of Theodore Fremd along train tracks)
4. Tie into County’s Playland Parkway and Theodore Fremd Projects (re-stripe Midland Avenue to Damiano Recreation Center; fill major gaps on west side at North Street and along Theodore Fremd)
5. Take care of some of the simpler things, such as connecting minor sidewalk gaps.

The Call to Action from the Committee to the Council is to:

1. Endorse the top 3 to 4 priorities as outlined above
2. Designate a person to take the lead in getting key stakeholders (schools, city, neighborhood groups) together for feedback, action and role clarification.
3. Begin phase 2 assessment-planning to include costs, engineering and grants (including Safe Routes to School grant due April 1, and Federal Transportation Enhancement Funds, due June 1)

Discussion followed concerning the criteria required for the Safe Routes to School Grant. Greg Howells, Director of the Rye YMCA said it should provide more benefits to more children and encompass elements of the 5E’s (Engineering, Education, Enforcement, Encouragement and Evaluation). Bob Zahm, School Board Member, said it was doubtful the schools can move fast enough to provide much help and he emphasized that getting people to walk requires a culture change over and above providing the sidewalks. Brian Dempsey said the Traffic and Transportation Committee favors re-striping the Boston Post Road with the “Diet” approach and it would be good if it could get into the grant. Helen Gates, grant writer, urged homeowner involvement and having permits already in place in order to make the application competitive.

Ben Franklin's Milestone 24; American History in Rye

If that history class or history book is getting a little dull, just take a walk.

We have spoken about our friend Benjamin Franklin and his travels thru Rye setting up mile markers along The Boston Post Road for the 254 miles between New York City and Boston. We found Franklin's milestone number 24 along the Post Road by the Jay House.

According to this Associated Press article:

"Franklin was put in charge of the colonial postal system by the British government in the mid-18th century. His first challenge: overcoming the suspicions of his Yankee customers, who were sure they were being cheated on postage that was assessed by the mile.

So in the summer of 1753 Franklin set out on the Boston Post Road in a carriage with a homemade odometer attached to the wheel. Every mile a stake was driven into the ground. A crew followed behind, setting stone markers."

To find the mile marker, park at the Jay House or just inside the driveway of the Marshlands Conservancy. Walk along The Boston Post Road so, when facing the Jay House, you are just to the right of the front door. You will see the red-ish mile marker embedded on the stone wall.

If you look very closely, one can actually see the number "24" still barely visible on the mile marker. A small plaque is also affixed which says:

"This is one of some 230 markers erected on the Boston Post Road in 1763.

Their locations were fixed by Benjamin Franklin, then Deputy Postmaster General, who for that purpose drove a chaise with a distance recorder over the route.

Restored to this its original position June 1st, 1927, by the Village of Rye.

"Remove not the ancient landmark which thy fathers have set." (Proverbs XXII, Verse 28.)"

Oh My Omakase: Sushi Nanase Delicately Crushes Competition

Put yourselves in the good hands of Yoshimichi Takeda, formerly of Masa and Nobu in Manhattan, and order the omakase at Sushi Nanase in White Plains.

You'll think you just bought a one-way ticket to Tokyo because 1. the place is an incredible culinary taste bud carnival of the freshest fish and most inventive Japanese cuisine and 2. it costs about as much a one-way ticket to Tokyo.

On Mamaroneck Avenue, the joint is tiny and plain looking from the outside. Make certain to secure reservations and arrive on time, as there are reports of Mr. Takeda having "adverse reactions" when customers don't follow these rules and disrespect the toro..

The Zagat review scores the food a 28 of 30 and reports:

"The chef-owner at this “tiny” “no-frills” Japanese “inn” in White Plains may strike some as “fussy”, but come here for “nothing else” but “exquisite” sushi “delicately” prepared with “special touches” and you’ll be in “heaven”; many find it “exorbitantly overpriced” with a $30 minimum per person, but keep in mind “your dinner was in Japan 18 hours earlier”, so if “it feels like you’re paying to fly in your meals, you are!”"

A New York Times review from 2006 is equally flowing with praise:

"...I recommend putting yourself in Mr. Takeda's hands. It is in taste combinations and presentation that his talents are best illustrated.

A recent omakase (chef's choice) dinner started with a beautiful orange Japanese persimmon, its sweet meat carved out, mixed with tofu, then placed back in the shell and served with a spoon that resembled a twig. Next came a series of tastes that transitioned our palates to smokier, huskier flavors: chestnuts; tiny clams; okra, sliced in half with pearls of salmon roe and caviar on top; a slice of yam; and a conch, sticking out of its shell.

There were oysters, those extraordinary scallops, broiled cod and king crab in vinegar. Finally, long, lovely plates of sushi arrived -- salmon, tuna, fluke, shrimp and more. Each piece had just the right amount of rice, with little surprise spoonfuls of wasabi packed between the rice and the fish. Small bursts of flavor and color sat on top of each piece, from various roes and truffles to gold leaf. The meal ended with a light, refreshing ginger peach sorbet and sweet, sticky bean paste with lime zest. We felt as if we had been taken on a wonderful journey without ever leaving our seats."

Sushi Nanase, 522 Mamaroneck Avenue (DeKalb Ave.), White Plains, Telephone 914-285-5351.

Traffic Safety Top of Mind on Council Agenda

We'll see what we missed when the minutes are published, but the agenda at city council last week (March 19th) looked relatively light.

Council did meet in executive (closed) session for about one hour to discuss "collective negotiations pursuant to article fourteen of the civil service law and a discussion of the potential purchase of real estate." No further detail and what all this is or if the real estate purchase has anything to do with Bowman Avenue.

Among other items, parents were expected to show up at the meeting to express concern about traffic safety and how students can walk to school in a safe way. This comes in the wake of the March 10th accident when a Rye eighth grader was hit by a car and her leg was broken. One of her parents was expected to address the council.

One item on the agenda was a resolution supporting "SRTS" - Safe Routes to School (note to council: you guys need to decode the acronyms for all of us common folk).

Also on the slate was a continuation of the noise control public hearing, appointments to the Board of Assessment Review and Finance Committee, a bid award for "street materials" and confirming a regular council meeting will be held at the historic Square House on May 7, 2008.

Journey to the Center of the Earth: Rye City Council - Meeting Minutes from February 13, 2008

Venerable City Clerk Sue Morison penned her last city council minutes during the February 13, 2008 meeting. There was so much material on the 13th, Morrison way have a workers comp claim for carpel tunnel after her 12 page manifesto.

Let's get to it:

First, a little Jules Verne for all you literature fans. Mayor Otis reported attending a public hearing on the proposed Rye-Syosset tunnel and discussed one possible strategy for opposition to the tunnel project:

"...everyone owns the land below their homes all the way to the center of the earth so the Mayor suggested Rye could, if necessary, enact a law requiring a permit to excavate under our homes. He asked the Corporation Counsel to further investigate this possibility."

If you were planning to sell your air rights to Donald Trump, now you can sell your "center of the earth rights" to tunnel developer Vincent Polimeni. Given the natural curvature of the earth, we think Rye and Syosset homeowners could have competing claims once we hit 1,000 miles below the earth's surface. Start digging and plant your flag now!

Back to reality, here are the highlights from the 18 items in the last Morison minutes:

• Council spent 52 minutes in executive session discussing the Osborn  and "other" pending litigation.
• Councilwoman Parker was congratulated on the birth of her son Aiden Walker.
• Sue Morison was thanked for her seven years of service as City Clerk. (MyRye.com note: we'll miss your minutes!)
• During "open mic" (AKA "Residents may be heard who have matters to discuss that do not appear on the agenda'), a "flood" of Indian Village residents - Bernie Althoff, Greg MacKenzie and Holly Kennedy - inquired about the status of various flood mitigation projects. More on this issue will be covered in a follow-up story.
• A public hearing on noise abatement, fines and leaf blowers continued.
• Trailways and Traffic Safety Committee. We'll write-up a follow-up story on this one too, but Doug French presented the group's recommendations and ominously stated Rye needs safer routes to school just weeks before a tragic accident.
• Brian Dempsey, chair of the Traffic & Transit Committee and a traffic consultant, presented a study prepared by his firm TRC Engineers recommending the Central Avenue bridge be re-built.
• City Planner Christian Miller discussed revisions to a storm water code and said his committee (the Water Runoff Working Group composed of Serge Nivelle, Jim Nash, Carolyn Cunningham, Hugh Greechan, Larry Lehman, Lewis Nash and Richard Filippi) was recommending a number of things to reduce runoff including reducing the size of property requiring a permit from 300 tom 100 square feet and to encourage property owners to maximize on-site storm water runoff retention.
• Our men and women in blue got new duds. Council approved a bid for new police uniforms.

Want more? Read the complete Rye City Council February 13, 2008 minutes.

Pat the Barber

Many of us live in Rye because of the small town feeling you get walking down Purchase Street. And much of that feeling is created by the people that work in and around Purchase Street who we all depend on for various services.

So we were saddened to hear that Pat the barber passed away last week. Pat was a fixture in Frank's Barbershop, making legions of Rye men and boys look good. While this writer typically sits in Frank's chair, no one in Frank's shop could miss overhearing Pat spinning one of his fishing stories.

A mass is planned for this week.

Apawamis Flood Control Project

The Rye Flood Action Committee sent along this photo of the new retention project at the Apawamis golf club. These retention containers will hold the runoff from a new construction project for slow release onto the drainage pipe that ultimately goes down Onondaga Street.   

Spitzer Follies, From Left to Right

The following opinion piece is written by Superpolitico, an imaginary political being who speaks in the third person and actually speaks his mind.

One of the things Superpolitico likes best about the Rye Sound Shore Review is when they call up local notables--usually elected officials--and ask for a quote on an issue. Recently they asked local pols what they think about the Spitzer follies.

Most amusing and distressing is now our local pols line up on the issue from left to right. Starting from the left and working our way right, thanks to the Sound Shore Review:

George Latimer, Assemblyman and Democrat: "I wish Mr. Spitzer well." Superpolitico: "I hope the guy chokes on his breakfast cereal."

Nita Lowey, Congresswoman and Democrat: "My thoughts and prayers remain with the Spitzer family." Superpolitico: "My one thought is the guy's wife has a slam dunk divorce case."

Joseph Mondello, Chairman, New York State Republican Committee: "The stunning allegations of Governor Spitzer's personal involvement in an interstate prostitution ring are a shocking disappointment..." Superpolitico: "What's with the cynical high road? At least this did not happen in a bathroom stall in the Minneapolis airport."

Michael Long, Chairman, New York State Conservative Party: "... resign immediately. Any delay, any vacillation can only deepen public disgust..." Superpolitico" "You would be saying the same thing if this never happened and the issue at hand was campaign finance reform."

Geeks Taking Over Rye Town Hilton

We hope you are not attending a wedding or a lavish company event this weekend at the Rye Town Hilton.

Today thru Sunday, the hotel turns into Geekville for the annual Lunacon event hosted by who else but the Lunarians -- "a non-profit educational organization and one of the New York Metropolitan area’s oldest science fiction and fantasy societies". Also known as the association of social awkward kids from the fifth grade that could not name the Yankee line-up and played Dungeons & Dragons all the time that are now engineers and quant freaks with the exact same dysfunction (only they are now way wealthier than you).

Some of the programming really caught our attention including "Bondage In Brundage: How do you make sadomasochistic characters respectable? If you write about bondage, do you have to get all the knots right? How does polyamory work in fiction, as opposed to real life? A guide to everything a writer needs to know about alternative sexuality. Adults only."

And here is another charmer: "People for the Ethical Treatment of Mars: With Spirit and Opportunity showing that liquid water did exist at some time in the past, Mars is looking more and more like it could be terraformed and colonized. But should it be? What are some of the consequences that could occur if we did? But if we don't, will we be closing off the possibility to extend our reach to the stars?"

Hey, sounds more interesting than the average conference junket. And if you are in Starbucks this weekend and a bunch of people walk in wrapped in aluminum foil or dressed as Spock, don't worry -- it is just a friendly Lunarian.

MyRye.com Goes Global, Way Global

A couple weeks ago, MyRye.com went Hollywood. Now, we have gone global. Way out global. We have always gotten our share of the curious from the United Kingdom or Japan and other familiar places.

But how about web visitors from the last remaining British territory in the Pacific? With a total of 50 residents?

Hello Pitcairn Islands! In case you guys have not figured it out, it is easier to avoid scurvy and get fresh fruit over here in Rye, but the real estate is definitely more expensive.

(PHOTO: One of these people reads MyRye.com)