My Rye

Real Estate Update May 2008 - The Annual Rye House Tour

Single Family Homes (ending  4/30/08 ):

On the Market:  97

In Contract:  24

Shop Talk:

Forty eight homes have sold in the past six months in Rye City, compared to seventy five during the same six month time period last year. Interestingly, the same trend we spoke about last month continues: the average price of homes sold increased from $1,804,678 to $1,935,344 during this time period, even though the amount of homes sold decreased. Twelve or 25% were under $1,000,000 with an average price of $754,542 while 36 or 75% were over $1,000,000 with an average selling price of $2,328,944.

*Data per WPMLS  Zip 10580, RCSD & RNSD only. 6 month period 11/1/07-5/1/08 compared with same time period last year.

Mansion Tax Update - Get Involved!

We received an email form Assemblyman George Latimer in response to our March MyRye.com article on N.Y. State's infamous "Mansion Tax". He is sponsoring a bill to change the threshold from properties sold at $1,000,000 to properties selling above $2,000,000 in our region. He writes, "I will try to make the case that the average home sales in Rye, Larchmont, Rye Brook, and elsewhere are routinely above $1 million, and the $1 million threshold, established in 1989, does not reflect the increase in house prices over 20 years. If you agree...please let me know by return email [latimeg@assembly.state.ny.us]: I will need all the support I can to move this bill in Albany."

To view the bill, click here.

The Annual Rye House Tour

The Rye High School Parents Organization is hosting the annual Rye House Tour on Friday, May 16th, from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. In addition to viewing five spectacular local area homes, the "Garnet Cafe and Boutique" will be presented in a showcase home for lunch and shopping.

The Rye House Tour was a concept that my manager, Nancy Neuman, and Pat Singer, her partner at the time at Country Properties Realty (pre Coldwell Banker), started in the late 1970's as a way for their firm to give back to the community. According to Nancy, it was strictly a community service project to give back to the town in the form of a Rye High School scholarship fund. This continued for ten years until it was taken over by the RHS Parents Organization and opened up to the greater community. Today, as well as Coldwell Banker/ Country Properties, the sponsors include other real estate firms as well as local builders and designers.

This year, the House Tour is featuring an exotic custom built home on a cul de sac in Greenhaven with fantastic mix of artifacts from the Middle East and beyond. An 11,000 square foot Milton Point waterfront estate is a highlight with direct water views from all rooms and interiors designed by the renowned Bunny Williams. A six bedroom cedar and shingle Adirondack style Colonial home in the Midland School District is also the location for a special boutique and luncheon. Also featured are a stately turn of the century home from 1905, and a Colonial from 1800 which houses an amazing collection of furniture, art, books, and collectibles.

Past homes from last year's tour included a 7,600 square foot 1928 Colonial with views from three golf courses, and a renovated Milton Point Colonial with water views and a beautifully landscaped garden.

Tickets are available at most local real estate agencies in town for $45.00 for the tour only, $65.00 for the tour and lunch. For more information, you may contact House Tour Chairs: Alicia Baldwin 967-9096, Lotte Meister 921-6110 or Sheryl Stroud 924-7455.

May Market Update and Article written by Judy Croughan, Licensed Realtor, Coldwell Banker Rye.

Real Estate, 9-11, Noise, the Post Road Diet and Sewage all on Agenda for City Council May 7, 2008

City council will go retro this Wednesday night by holding its meeting at Rye's historic Square House. Now a museum, the Square House hosted American Presidents George Washington and John Adams back when the building functioned as an inn and tavern.

We are not expecting council members to be drinking any ale or spending the night (although their meetings do run fairly late). We do expect council to discuss the following items that appear on the agenda for May 7, 2008:

• a real estate matter in closed session
• receive an update on the planned Rye September 11th memorial
• construction noise. There will be a continuation of a public hearing.
• the Boston Post Road diet (a continuing discussion)
• an application for U.S. EPA Grant for Sewer Pump Station Repairs

Traffic Safety the Focus as City Clerk Dawn Nodarse Pens First City Council Minutes

Stepping into her new role as City Clerk, Dawn Nodarse submitted her first Rye city council minutes from the March 19th meeting. It was baptism by fire for Nodarse who penned and eleven page report during a busy council meeting that included a focus on traffic safety in the wake of a recent accident when a student was stuck by a car while walking to school.

To the highlights:

• A number of parents spoke about traffic safety and their concerns including Kate and Lloyd Emanuel, the parents of Jamie Emanuel, the student who sustained a broken leg after being stuck by a car on March 10th and Jim Amico, whose son Jarrid died in April 2006 after being stuck by a car on Midland Avenue.
• The mayor and the council discussed a variety of initiatives around traffic safety including the Rye YMCA's Activate America program, studies looking at improvements to school campuses, the Temporary Trails and Traffic Safety Committee an the Safe Routes the School program.
• A resolution passed by council resolved: "that the projects submitted for funding will enable our community to move forward in achieving the goals of providing safe roadways for school children, promoting a healthier environment through decreased traffic, and to encourage walking and biking as alternatives to driving."
• Former Councilwoman Carolyn Cunningham came to council to report Rye is the location of not one, but two IBAs -- important bird areas -- Edith Read Wildlife Sanctuary and the Marshlands Conservancy. A group of presenters including Jeff Main, former Curator at the Edith Read Wildlife Sanctuary and currently Senior Curator in the Conservation Division of the Westchester County Department of Parks and Recreation, Jason Klein, current Curator of the Edith Read Wildlife Sanctuary, Jillian Liner, Director of Bird Conservation of Audubon New York, Allison Beale, of the Marshlands Conservancy and Beth Herr, of Ward Pound Ridge Reservation reported a Long Island Sound Stewardship Working Group is working with RTV on a program that will introduce their plan for conservation programs by identifying priorities, threats and recommendations for the two areas.

Smoking Gun: Health Inspector Cafeteria Reports on MyRye.com

Last Sunday, April 20th, the Journal News ran a story about Rye schools flunking Westchester County Department of Health inspections. At the request of MyRye.com, Journal News reporter Ernie Garcia has provided MyRye.com with copies of the original health inspector reports from various Rye school cafeteria inspections.

Of the 21 inspector reports provided, at least six of the reports are classified as "unacceptable". Comments range from "ceilings must be painted" to "all kitchen equipment must be washed down" to "kitchen floor not clean under equipment".

One report from November 2006 reports on "Red - Critical Items" at the Milton School following a construction inspection. "Red - Critical Items" are described on the health report: "These items relate directly to factors which lead to foodborne illnesses". The remainder of the various infractions are less serious "Blue Items".

It all sounds like homeland security's threat level index. View copies of the health inspection reports.

Rye People: The Rye Record's Robin Thrush Jovanovich

Your Name:  Robin Thrush Jovanovich

Your Day Job:  Editor and publisher. I cover the City Council and write both news stories and features. I take many of the photographs that appear, write most of the headlines and edit everything that goes in the paper.

(PHOTO: Robin Jovanovich with her husband Peter) The paper’s focus is Rye, although the paper is also mailed to every household in Purchase. We have a strong arts sections for a community paper — book and film reviews and art reviews of major exhibits in Manhattan, an “Out of Here” column on area concerts and cultural events, especially at SUNY Purchase, the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, and the Emelin in Mamaroneck.

Your Company: The Rye Record

Ours is an independent newspaper, which was started in the fall of 1996 by Dolores Eyler. She remains an owner, but I am the majority owner. Allen Clark was our partner until earlier this year, when he retired. The three of us were, for most of the life of the paper, a team.

The Rye Record began as a monthly and is now published 22 times a year. We publish a minimum of four special sections annually: Home, Garden, Schools, Holiday. We plan on doing our second restaurant guide this year.

The circulation is 10,000. Not only is the paper mailed free to every household in Rye and Purchase, but we hand deliver copies to every business and organization in Rye, and many in Harrison and Rye Brook.

MyRye.com: How many people work for your Rye paper?

Our small, but hard-working staff includes Duke Thrush, who handles Advertising & Production and does the Website, and Jim Byrne and April Miller, both associate editors. Jim covers the School Board and Sports; April covers School News and Obituaries. Any of them will do anything needed to get an issue out and work late, along with me, on deadline night. Ken Knowles, who handles our accounting, also sells advertising and is working with Rye merchants to make our website work for them.

A number of regular, mostly longtime contributors, write on everything from gardening to wines to the great outdoors.

How long have you worked for your company and what did you do before?

I started writing for the paper in 1997 and have been editor since 2000. I have worked in magazine and newspaper publishing since the summer of my senior year in high school when I worked for Ladies Home Journal. My first job out of college was with Time Inc. I took the only job they had — working at the first-floor desk, guiding visitors around photography exhibits, handling back issue requests. After nine months of waiting for an editorial job to open up, I left to work for The Westport News in Westport, Conn. My title was Features Editor. From there I went to work as an editor for Family Weekly, Good Housekeeping and Self.

After the birth of our second son, I stopped working full time and we started moving around the country and then overseas, I started working as a freelancer, for Conde Nast, Us magazine, The San Diego Union, The Patent Trader. I am the author of a children’s mystery.

What were the three biggest stories in Rye in 2007?

The Floods, the capture of the “Pillowcase Perp”, and the end of a Republican majority on the City Council were the biggest stories of 2007. The other big story was in sports; both the Rye High School field hockey and football teams were state champs.

1. We gave significant coverage to the March and April floods and their aftermath in print and on our Website, www.ryerecord.com.

2. Residents were pleased to read that the man suspected of 10 burglaries in Rye was arrested, with help from Rye Police, in Mt. Vernon December 5.

3. The ticket of Paula Gamache (D), Catherine Parker (I) and Joe Sack (R) was elected to the City Council November 6. The Rye Republican and Democratic Parties ran a combined ticket.

What are the three most interesting things about Rye that most people don’t know?

1. That a priest at Resurrection Church is responsible for the fact that homes on and around the Westchester Country Club grounds are within the Rye postal address. Reportedly, in 1910 when he heard that St. Gregory’s Church was to be built in Harrison, he asked the Postmaster of Rye to change the mailing address for those homes to Rye. It’s one of those stories that may be apocryphal. The details have never been fully explained or confirmed. We’re still checking into this!

2. The area near the mills, along Blind Brook from Oakland Beach Avenue to Stuyvesant, was never officially called “Milltown” on city maps. A real estate agent started calling the area that and it stuck, until the mills started closing. 

3. Aviatrix Amelia Earhart wrote the first of her best-selling books while living in publisher George Putnam’s house at 355 Locust Avenue (Rye mailing address, but actually in Harrison). Putnam fell in love with Earhart, got a divorce, finally convinced Earhart to marry him and they moved to the house next door (street renamed Amelia Earhart Lane after her death). Part of the house was in Rye, part in Harrison, and Earhart liked to tell local residents that she gardened in Rye and ate dinner in Harrison. 

What kind of stories do you most enjoy writing about?

Luckily, I enjoy writing about just about everything. I have covered City Council meetings for close to a decade; they’re the best way to keep abreast of the news and listen to residents. I haven’t missed many Memorial Day Ceremonies because the members of Rye American Legion Post 128 are among the best men and women I’ve ever known.

I would be content just interviewing writers and people from all walks of life as long as they have a sense of humor.

How does someone subscribe or get a copy of your paper?

Out-of-town subscriptions are available for $30 a year. Send us a check at 17 Elm Place, Rye, NY 10580 or call us at 925-0540 with credit card information.

We always keep extra copies of each issue, going back to November 1996, at our downtown Rye office. The day before an issue arrives in mailboxes we drop off 50 copies at the Rye YMCA, the Rye Free Reading Room, City Hall, and the Post Road Market. Many residents pick up copies at Rye Beach Pharmacy and Playland Market.

Tell us your contact information:

Your phone: 925-0540 (work)
Your email address: ryerecord@aol.com

Thanks, Robin!

Latimer Trivia Contest Answer

(PHOTO: The MyRye.com reader in the back has it!... Assemblyman George Latimer. Courtesy Larchmont Gazette). We had some great reader comments yesterday trying to untangle Assemblyman George Latimer's trivia challenge: driving a car, plot a route from Port Chester through Rye into Harrison where you do not pass through a traffic light.

Here is the answer:

Grace Church Street, Port Chester into
Grace Church Street, Rye
Left onto Kirby Lane
Right through the Westchester Country Club Beach Club parking lot
Right onto Manursing Way
Right onto Forest Ave.
Left onto Manursing Ave.
Left onto Cedar
Right onto Sylvan --- you could go to Goldwin and doubleback on Midland
Left onto Midland Ave.
Right onto Palisade
Around the Circle, head south on Milton Road
Right onto Parsons -- you could also use Rectory St.
Left onto the Boston Post Rd.
Right onto Old Post Rd
Left onto North St
Right onto Playland Access Rd
Left onto Theall Rd (when its not under construction)
Right onto Osborn Rd. --- or you could go right on Garver Dr. (near Con
Ed) and then turn left onto Theodore Fremd
straight into Harrison when you cross the Beaver Swamp Brook bridge

Assemblyman Latimer Challenges MyRye.com Readers to Trivia Contest

Assemblyman George Latimer is challenging MyRye.com readers to a trivia contest.

We'll publish the answer tomorrow. If you are bold enough, post your answer in the comment section below. With Latimer as the final judge, let's see who gets it right:

"A challenge to your readers... driving a car, plot a route from Port Chester through Rye into Harrison where you do not pass through a traffic light. There is a way to do so, with a few acceptable variations. Let's see who can get the right answer first."

Run, Jog, Walk in Rye

(PHOTO: tarlow001's 5.6 loop from FavoriteRun.com) Rye is focused on fitness. You have the YMCA's Activate America, the city council's trailways committee, the Westchester Triathalon and a ton of recreational and outdoor activities including the Marshlands and the Edith Read Sanctuary.

But if you are a beginning runner or walker, or if you are bored with your current route, what should you do?

Just ask "tarlow001" or "StacyLav" or a ton of other local runners, joggers and walkers who have posted their favorite routes on sites like FavoriteRun.com, MapMyRun.com, usatf.org and walkjogrun.net. You can use these sites to find new routes posted by others or post your own.

Food Fight: School Superintendent Ed Shine Accuses Reporter of Adjective Abuse in Report on School Kitchens

Superintendent of Schools Ed Shine is accusing Journal News reporter Ernie Garcia of not paying attention in English class. Well, kinda, sorta.

The Journal News ran a story "Inspectors flunked Rye, Blind Brook school cafeterias" on Sunday, penned by Garcia, about health department violations in the Rye City middle school and high school kitchens.

Shine sent an email to parents Thursday evening trying to take the air out of the impending accusatory bubble stating reporter Garcia has an issue with "adjective accuracy". In Shine's note he says:

"The reporter used words like “filthy” and “dirty” in discussion with school personnel, words that do not appear on the inspection reports and that are pejorative. We suggested to Mr. Garcia that he should not use adjectives that do not appear on the reports and should determine cause before jumping to a conclusion."

Garcia has written similar stories on failed health inspections in New Rochelle, Pelham and Yonkers. Garcia told MyRye.com on Saturday:

"I think the health inspectors' reports speak for themselves and readers should decide what they mean, be it dirty or not. My contention with school officials is that if these kitchens were simply messy at the time of inspection, why would they be classified as "unacceptable?""

You can look up the school cafeteria inspection reports in this database.

Shine's email to parents is printed below, in its entirety.

What do you think of the prospect of dirty school kitchens? Leave a comment on MyRye.com at the bottom of this story.

To:  All Rye City School District Parents, Administrators, Faculty and Staff

From:  Edward J. Shine, Superintendent of Schools

April 17, 2008

The Journal News is running a series of reports on school kitchens. The reporter, Ernie Garcia, is requesting Department of Health inspection forms and apparently is honing in on districts that have received a status report other than “Acceptable” to write about. He has written about Yonkers , New Rochelle and Pelham, to date.

He is writing about the Rye High School and Middle School kitchens next, for there are some inspections marked “Unacceptable” with the following comments: “All counter area/all kitchen equipment must be washed down.” “Stove area floor not clean under equipment” “Freezer food items stored on the floor” and “No electric power at this time of inspection.” 

The reporter used words like “filthy” and “dirty” in discussion with school personnel, words that do not appear on the inspection reports and that are pejorative. We suggested to Mr. Garcia that he should not use adjectives that do not appear on the reports and should determine cause before jumping to a conclusion. “Must be washed down” does not mean “dirty” or “filthy.” It can also mean the inspector arrived in between food preparation work when the counter had not yet been cleaned for the next process. “Kitchen floor not clean under equipment” does not, conversely mean it is dirty; it can also mean that there has been spillage during food preparation and cooking and will be washed, as it always is, at the end of the day. It is absurd to cite a report that the kitchens are “Unacceptable” because there was a power outage when the inspector showed up – in this case the “Unacceptable” simply meant that the inspector didn’t inspect and had to return at a time when the power failure was over, yet Mr. Garcia includes that report in his tally of how many unacceptable reports he found on file. Cartons of food stacked on the floor of a contained freezer also do not connote “filthy” or “dirty.” Regardless of logic or fact, Mr. Garcia seems intent on writing a negative story about the school kitchens.

While we find this reprehensible and irresponsible, there is nothing we can do to prevent him from applying his own adjectives and interpreting the reports in a way that he feels will make a better story. There isn’t much news value, apparently, to the Journal News, in writing a story that our kitchens are really tightly managed and carefully cared for. There is tremendous damage caused by this kind of irresponsible reporting, however, and I wanted you to be aware of the probability of this story and be assured that the Health Department reports do not in any way reflect the negative implications of Mr. Garcia.

Rye People: Rye Sound Shore Review's Christian Falcone

Publisher's Note: Over the next couple of weeks we will profile a couple of the people that report on Rye. Our first profile is of Chris Falcone of The Rye Sound Shore Review. Chris and The Rye Sound Shore Review were recognized this month at the New York Press Association 2007 Better Newspaper Awards. Chris was awarded for In-Depth Reporting, and netted the highest honor in the Spot News Coverage category for his coverage of the 2007 floods. Our congratulations to Chris for the insights he brings to the place we all call home.

Your Name: Christian Falcone

Your Day Job:  I serve as the lead reporter of The Rye Sound Shore Review. I write, on average, five to seven stories weekly, take many of the photographs to accompany those stories and have recently begun designing the layout of the front page of the paper. 

(PHOTO: Chris Falcone consulting with fellow reporter Kelechi Ubozoh.)

Your Company: Howard Sturman, the publisher of Home Town Media Group, produces five local weekly community newspapers: The Rye Sound Shore Review with a circulation of 7,563, The Town Report, consisting of Eastchester, Tuckahoe and Bronxville, The Harrison Report, The New Rochelle Sound Report and The Sound and Town Report, consisting of Mamaroneck and Larchmont.

MyRye.com: How many people work for your Rye paper?

There are several faces that put in an enormous amount of time and effort to produce The Rye Sound Shore Review. Managing Editor Lynda Wissing spearheads the weekly process of putting forth a quality paper along with help from Assistant Editor Dan Gabel. What makes their job so demanding is that they oversee all five papers during production. Bernie Rosenthal is the art director who focuses his entire efforts on Rye. And, unfortunately, he was set to design his last paper with the April 11 edition, prior to retiring after a lifelong career in the industry. Thank you for all your work Bernie.

Photographer Bobby Begun’s work is also quite often visible, from spreads of various sporting events to local school happenings. General Assignment Reporter Paige Rentz, Sports Editor Mike Smith and Contributing Writer Keith Loria also contribute on a weekly basis with several stories pertaining to various facets of Rye. RHS student Maggie Ward contributes weekly with her Garnet Insider, “Athlete of the Week” not to mention the work of Advertising Account Manager Lindsay Sturman.

How long have you worked for your company and what did you do before?

I have just completed my first year working at the paper. I graduated from Hofstra University with a B.A. in print journalism in 2005. While there I found a passion for writing and reporting and after trying to break into the industry for nearly a year I finally landed an opportunity with Home Town. Prior to finishing school and finding my career path I worked for a local moving company, Collins Bros., in Larchmont for several years and learned the true meaning of a hard day’s work. To this day it still serves as a constant reminder and motivation of what life could be like; carrying couches up several flights of stairs is not the easiest way to make a living.

What were the three biggest stories in Rye in 2007?

1. Without a doubt the number one story in Rye was the March 2 and April 15 floods which was readily reflected in our continuous coverage, which continues today, of the disaster which local municipalities were burdened with. Those storms, which would make national headlines, also led to an urgency on numerous fronts that quickly became public knowledge and spotlighted throughout the community. 

2. Although an issue that has really grown, and will continue to do so, with the onset of 2008, traffic and safety took center stage toward the end of last year with the highly anticipated release of the Trailways Report. That has led to a public discussion throughout the community regarding those recommendations for improvements to specified areas. The city has worked to fast track those recommendations as residents grow increasingly wary over the dangers that lurk within the community, particularly around the MS/HS area.

3. Another story which drew headlines even on a countywide scale was the rash of burglaries that occurred mostly within Rye but also other surrounding municipalities toward the end of 2007. From October 30 to November 28, the city was hit with several burglaries that targeted unsuspecting homeowners during daytime periods. A suspect, Jerry Johnson, was arrested in Mount Vernon and has since been link to some of the burglaries throughout this area. His prior rap sheet was enough to fill out a city council agenda, including being convicted of second-degree murder in 1972.

Other stories of significance were the tragic passing of RHS student Ryan Adamson, the ongoing teacher’s contract saga and the State championships of RHS’ football and field hockey teams.

What are the three most interesting things about Rye that most people don’t know?

1. How long ago flooding concerns first materialized for this area; revealed in the 1940’s but largely ignored by Westchester County leading to what is today a major catastrophe.

2. The MS/HS campus was initially designed, in the 1940’s, for the purpose of having students walk or ride bikes to school and therefore is not prepared to handle the influx of cars that it currently experiences on a daily basis.

3. How dangerous Midland Avenue really is. The problem lies in that it’s a county road and therefore the city’s hands are supposedly tied in terms of improving safety. But, in my opinion, something really needs to be done.

4. Rye is one of 43 municipalities within Westchester County and one of 10,000 governments throughout the state of New York. There is talk of consolidating local governments for the benefit of the financial future of the state, which began under former Governor Eliot Spitzer (D) and is now being continued by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo (D).

What kind of stories do you most enjoy writing about?

To be honest the majority of stories that I report on I enjoy. On occasion an issue might arise that is difficult to write about or I might find boring but that is rare. I’ve enjoyed covering the floods and writing about the rebuilding process from the inside out, evidenced by the nearly 100 stories that I’ve done on that topic. And I tend to learn a little about every issue I cover. One story I grew fond of, personally, was the lemonade stands that the Milton School third-grade students erected to raise money for research of pediatric cancer, supporting a charity known as Alex’s Lemonade Stand. After speaking to the entire third grade class I was touched to find out how much they cared and wanted to help. I believe they raised over $1,000 and donated it to the charity.  Anytime, I cover a cancer-related story it’s memorable after losing my mother to that disease when I was 21; which continues to live with me to this day.

How does someone subscribe or get a copy of your paper?

The Rye Sound Shore Review is published 51 times a year. If you’re interested in subscribing you can contact our Subscription Coordinator Dori La Valle at 914.653.1000 ex. 25 or Dori@hometwn.com. You can also view us online at www.hometwn.com. Otherwise, you can pick up a copy at several locations including City Hall, The Rye YMCA and The Rye Free Reading Room to name a few and most recently at one of our ten red display boxes located throughout the Central Business District. I’m sure you’ve seen them.

Tell us your contact information:

Your phone: 914.653.1000 ex. 20
Your email address: rye@hometwn.com / ctfalcone@hotmail.com

Thanks, Chris.