mountkisconews.com

On Friday night at Grand Prix New York, Mount Kisco Public Library held a fundraiser. While well over 100 attendees listened to live music and enjoyed the catering by Grand Prix New York, the Mount Kisco Public Library through the Moses Taylor Post of the American Legion sold over 450 tickets for a raffle, raising over $40,000.

The following need to be thanked by the community for their contributions to the evening’s success:

•Daniele Churchill and Churchill’s of Mount Kisco: Daniele Churchill, owner of Churchill’s of Mount Kisco donated a blue convertible 2008 BMW 128i to be raffled off for the library. A link for Churchill’s of Mount Kisco is provided in the right margin of this story.

•Mayor Michael Cindrich for conceiving the event and coordinating the different parties. His efforts are more than most mayors in Westchester undertake.

•Jim Diamond of Diamond Properties for donating a 50 inch plasma television and promoting the event. Mount Kisco would be a better place if all property owners were as involved in the community.

•Grand Prix New York for providing the food at cost, promoting the event and donating a dinner and racing for ten as a raffle prize.

•Michael Nappi and his band for providing the entertainment. The band was outstanding.

•American Legion, Moses Taylor, Jr., Post 136 for co-sponsoring the event and doing what they always do best, serve the community.

•Sheila Smith, last but not least, for organizing the event so well that it ran seamlessly. Sheila, an event planner for Square Events, has created a niche as an event planner for fundraising activities.

The only complaint of the evening was that none of the Mount Kisco residents in attendance won the BMW convertible but the winner did purchase a ticket and by doing so, donated to our local library.

Local film maker Michael Castro recently announced that he created a website for his films. The films, from 7 minutes to 70 minutes long, are on a range of subjects.

MPC Studios, as described on the website, is not a big-time money-making studio or even a small-time independent money-making studio. It is, however, the result of a creative local Mount Kisco resident who has fun making films.

The website is http://www.mpc-studios.com/ and is linked on the right side of this screen.

As reported here, if you are looking for a fun evening that can raise money for your village, you should attend the Race for the Library. Tonight at 7:00, the American Legion will sponsor a fundraiser for the Mount Kisco Public Library at Grand Prix New York at 333 North Bedford Road in Mount Kisco. A ticket to the event will cost $50 (or $25 with the purchase of a raffle ticket) and will include open bar, hors d’oeuvres, one free race on the Grand Prix race track and live music. The live music provided by Michael Nappi and his full band. The purchase of a ticket for an evening out for two and a raffle ticket to win a BMW convertible is only $150. Contact Sheila Smith at sheila@squarevents.com or show up at the Grand Prix tonight.

After the creation of Mount Kisco News, a new website, Chappaqua-Mount Kisco Patch started online. Chappaqua-Mount Kisco Patch, an affiliate of Patch, a platform that supports about three dozen local websites, does a fairly comprehensive job of covering Chappaqua and Mount Kisco. Editor Tom Auchterlonie diligently attends Village Board, Planning Board, Zoning Board and Architectural Review Board meetings and summarizes them well.

It is, however, Chappaqua-Mount Kisco Patch! Please! Are we a suburb of Chappaqua? Is there more going on in Chappaqua than Mount Kisco? Even the website address shortchanges Mount Kisco (http://chappaqua.patch.com/). Follow the link and give it a read but remember there is only one MountKiscoNews.com

As the snow came down this morning, my children, especially those with mid-terms at Fox Lane High School, were hoping for a snow day. It reminded me of my December 9 post on the Mount Kisco Library’s snow day policy. According to the policy, the library is closed whenever the Bedford Central School District closes for inclement weather. It was my position that comparing the Bedford Central School District with the Mount Kisco Library is a flawed comparison. For instance, some of the Bedford Central School District buildings need to be open at 7:00 am. The Mount Kisco Public Library does not open until 10:00 am. Further, the decision to close the schools is based on transporting thousands of children on buses at the opening time. Library patrons come to the library by their own means throughout the day.

The then-President of the Mount Kisco Library Board of Trustees, Philip F. Menna, disagreed with my opinion and posted the following comment:

I am sorry that you did not agree with the Board’s policy. However, the Board of Trustees feels that it is a sensible approach. The fact that it was 40 degrees at 10:00 AM that day is really looking at it from hindsight. Suppose the temperature did not climb above freezing. Then, the road conditions would have been dangerous and icy, and if someone was injured on the way to the Library then we would have made a mistake in opening. As was stated in the article, Mt Kisco was not the only Library that closed that day.

Perhaps the criticism, should be directed at the Bedford School District for closing the schools instead of calling a two hour delay. In think that in this case it was the School District that made the wrong call, but I would be the last to fault them. Apparently, they erred on the side of caution, and no one can fault them for that.

I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Menna but I disagree with his comment. First, the comment does not address why the library’s closure should be linked to the BCSD because of the differences that I noted. Mount Kisco Village Hall and all Mount Kisco government services were opened that day. Wouldn’t it be better to close the library on days when the Village Manager closes Village Hall? Mr. Menna’s letter also does not address that Mount Kisco residents need the library more when there is a school closure as parent’s will more likely go to the library for children’s books and movies on a day the school is closed. I hope the current library board will revisit this policy.

At the January 11, 2010 meeting of the Mount Kisco Village Board, Mayor Michael Cindrich appointed and administered the oath of office to Mount Kisco Fire Department’s new fire commissioner, Lanny Hyatt. Lanny has 42 years of experience with the department. Lanny Hyatt was recommended by the Mount Kisco Fire Police to serve on the Board of Fire Commissioners. He was then interviewed by the Mount Kisco Village Board and appointed by the Mayor. The Mayor must review and appoint individuals appointed to the Board of Fire Commissioners.

Also, the Fire Police appointed two new members. Michael Lasner and Victor Naranjo. Thank you to both men for volunteering.

Above (left to right): Mayor Cindrich congratulates outgoing Fire Commissioner Ray Zaccari; Lanny Hyatt takes the oath of office; Micheal Lasner and Victor Naranjo are sworn in as members of the Mount Kisco Fire Police.

The Patent Trader, a local institution, is long gone along with its editors and writers. One writer, Eugene Driscoll, covered Mount Kisco and surrounding towns from May 1998 to September 2003. Eugene was a dedicated journalist that would work hard to get to the heart of the story. He also covered difficult stories that required investigation.

After leaving The Patent Trader, Eugene went to work for The News-Times in Danbury. Between 2003 and 2008, he received nine reporting awards from the Connecticut Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists for his work at The News-Times of Danbury. He was the first online editor in the history of The News-Times. His most recent reporting awards came in 2008, when he won first place — and honorable mention — for Web-based, breaking news coverage.

Eugene is now the editor for the Valley Independent Sentinel, a non-profit, online-only news site dedicated to Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton in Connecticut. The Valley Independent Sentinel’s website is http://valleyindependentsentinel.org/

The following Mount Kisco stores will donate up to 10% of all store sales on Friday, January 29, to AmeriCares to aid in Haitian relief efforts.

Purple Passage is one of our Best Merchants (see link on right side of screen).

To donate directly online go to www.americares.org/mtkisc

On January 25, 2009, the day of the most recent rain and wind storm, the Mount Kisco Fire Department responded to a total of 7 calls. There were five calls for downed electrical wires and two elevator calls. On a night when most of us were trying to stay inside, our volunteer fire department was out and serving their community.

If you are looking for a fun evening that can raise money for your village, you should attend the Race for the Library. On Friday, January 29, 2010, the American Legion will sponsor a fundraiser for the Mount Kisco Public Library at Grand Prix New York at 333 North Bedford Road in Mount Kisco. A ticket to the event will cost $50 (or $25 with the purchase of a raffle ticket) and will include open bar, hors d’oeuvres, one free race on the Grand Prix race track and live music. The live music provided by Michael Nappi and his full band.

As part of the evening, the Mount Kisco Library Foundation will be raffling off a BMW 129i convertible, a 50″ plasma TV and a gourmet dinner and racing for 10 at Grand Prix New York. Only 600 tickets will be sold for the raffle for $100 each. The BMW 128i convertible was donated by Danielle Churchill, owner of Churchill’s of Mount Kisco, a new upscale clothing store in Mount Kisco.

Tickets can be purchased at Grand Prix New York, the Mount Kisco Athletic Club, the American Legion or by contacting Sheila Smith at sheila@squarevents.com. The purchase of the raffle ticket and an evening for two is only $150.