All Done But Finishing Up.

The City Council Public Services Committee spent most of their regular meeting Monday evening hearing of projects that are nearing completion.

The Golf Course renovation is expected to be complete within two weeks.

The latest phase for Fair Acres Sports Complex is all but done with the paving of the old parking lot and the walking trail.

City Administrator Tom Short reported that there is one disagreement with the architects of the Memorial Hall project. The City approved a change order to install a sump pump in the elevator shaft after the construction crew hit water. The architect routed the outlet pipe so it dumped the water just outside the new main entrance on the south side of the building. The City objected due to the mess and safety concerns so the design was changed to dump the water toward Oak Street. The City wants the Springfield architect to pay the $2,800 bill for the switch, but they offered to only pick up $500 and won’t budge says Short. The Committee is considering withholding the amount from the final paycheck. The City Attorney is being consulted.

Zonin’ issues are always tough. Those who sit on the Planning, Zoning, and Historic Preservation Commission have ta look at two sides of the question face to face and usually make one of ‘em mad.

The first question I always ask when observin’ this process is how would I react if what ever is bein’ requested was goin’ on next door to my house. Then I ask what I could reasonably expect when I purchased that particular location. That doesn’t always come up with a good answer, but at least I get a good look at how the neighbors are feelin.’ Change tends to spook most property owners, but if they get a chance to see what’s really bein’ done, they are usually willin’ to take a look.

Like I said, zoning issues are tough, and they should be. If changin’ zonin’ was easy, ever’one would be doin’ it.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Carthage Printing Services

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH

YOUR AMERICA

By Amy Anderson

Halloween is a few short weeks away, and most of America’s youth — and young at heart — are deciding what they would like to do for this deliciously wicked holiday. Trick-or-treating, parties, haunted houses and scary storytelling all make the grade, and New York’s Westchester County has come up with a bevy of activities to satisfy the Halloween fantasy of children and adults alike.

Westchester County is Washington Irving country. That is to say, it is the setting for one fantastic and chilling story — "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Although there will be many activities throughout the month of October, here are a couple centered around the legend and a few that just sound fun. Enjoy!

On the weekend of Oct. 25-27, you can enjoy the festivities of the "Legend Weekend" at Washington Irving’s Sunnyside, the author’s former home in Tarrytown, which is now a historic landmark, and at Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow. Daytime activities include storytelling, puppet shows and walks about the gorgeous grounds. But stay tuned for the night, because odds are good that you’ll run into
the Headless Horseman as he rides
the grounds of Philipsburg Manor. (www.hudsonvalley.org, 914-631-8200)

In Sleepy Hollow on Friday and Saturday of that same weekend, gather the children for a special reading of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" in the actual Old Dutch Church featured in the book. The reading will be done by Ward James Riley, and reservations are required for this 8 p.m. reading. Come earlier in the day to wander through the graveyard to pay homage to the major characters of the book, including Katrina Van Tassel, whom Ichabod Crane was so in love with, and Brom Bones, her jealous suitor. Washington Irving himself is buried nearby in the old churchyard. 914-631-1123. www.olddutchburyingground.org

For a bit of a change, on the Saturday the 26th at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, catch a showing of Boris Karloff’s "Frankenstein," with a re-written score performed by the Chappaqua Orchestra. (914-747-5555).

Or on Sunday, Oct. 27, you can attend the Halloween Family Event at the Gothic Lyndhurst Estate in Tarrytown featuring a host of Halloween activities and an interactive "spooky" tour. (www.lyndhurst.org, 914-631-4481.)