Repairs to the Elm Place retaining wall, which was deemed unsafe after the floods of 2007, began last week. The downtown street is closed to traffic from Theodore Fremd Avenue. Elm Place establishments, though, are open for business. Actual construction should be done, weather permitting, by summer and the street repaved shortly thereafter.

School District Reports Bleak Revenue Projections
Faced with the same economic woes that school districts in New York and the rest of the country are mired in, the Rye City School District presented bleak revenue projections at the January 6 Board of Education meeting.
With projected non-tax revenues reduced nearly $700,000 from the $6,577,570 budgeted for the 2008-09 school year, the district is now estimating further reductions – roughly $630,000 for 2009-10. Because of falling revenues the district is looking at a 2.5% tax rate increase.

A Short History of Rye’s Schools
The Rye City School District’s website states, with justifiable pride, that its three elementary schools and Rye Middle School are all National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence. It also notes that Rye High School is ranked among the top high schools in the country by both U.S. News and World Report and Newsweek.
In addition to its successful public schools, Rye is also home to three strong private day schools: Rye Country Day School (K-12), School of the Holy Child (5-12) and Resurrection School (K-8). To appreciate fully the development of such superior academic resources, it is useful to consider how far primary and secondary education programs have progressed in Rye since the colonial period and particularly in the last 100 years.

Recent Recruit Grads
The newest members of the City of Rye Police Department, Police Officers Debralee Hart and David Casale, graduated from 126th Session Basic Police Recruit Class of the Westchester County Police Academy December 19.

A Safety Reminder
The Traffic and Transportation Committee reminds residents to take extra care when riding a bicycle this time of year. “It gets darker earlier and the roads are slick, so bikers should wear reflective clothing and have reflectors on their bikes to make them more visible to drivers,” said Brian Dempsey, Traffic and Transportation chair. “We’ve received a number of calls from concerned residents on the subject of bike safety.”

Mayor’s Annual Message
Mayor Steve Otis delivered the annual address at the January 14 City Council meeting.

Analysis – Sustainable Rye
Last year, the subject we received the most emails, press releases and phone calls about was sustainability and all things green. Credit all the environmental advocates of Rye.
In a good economy, residents can focus on the important quality of life issues, not just the monthly mortgage payment and how they’re going to pay their property and school tax bills.

Reduced Hours at The Rye Library
Right after the New Year, Kurt Hadeler, Director of the Rye Free Reading Room, announced that owing to the current economic crisis and the reduction in funding from the City, the library would be open fewer hours in 2009. “We had few options but to scale back on new book and AV purchases or reduce the number of hours we are open each week,” he wrote the community. In the end, the library made carefully chosen cuts in both areas.

County Legislature Approves LI Sound Sewage Plants Upgrade;
With a Price Tag of $235 M, Can We Ask the Fed for a Bailout?
Most of us who live along Long Island Sound appreciate the value that it adds to our lives. And we’re willing to pay more for that value. But recently enacted county water quality legislation is going to put our appreciation to the test.
Unless Rye’s county and state elected officials can get a federal “bailout”, the City’s property owners will be paying an average of $350 more per year in sewer taxes by 2014. Why? To upgrade sewage treatment plants so that they meet federal standards. In contrast, the average county taxpayer will only be paying $35 per year more in 2009.

Sing Up for a Class and Get
Glowing This Winter
Many Rye non-profit organizations report that winter classes are just getting underway and that there is still space in some. Shake off those winter blues and learn something new by taking a class at Rye Recreation, Wainwright House, the Rye Y, the Rye Arts Center or the Rye Nature Center.

Rye’s County Tax Rate Up 3.37%
When City of Rye taxpayers receive their 2009 County tax bill, they’ll discover it’s 3.37% greater than last year’s. The increase translates to an additional $108 per year for the typical Rye homeowner with an assessed value of $22,550, according to City Assessor Noreen Whitty.

Follow-Up on the News
Preservation and Progress
It was standing room only at the teardown conference held in Rye last fall. Leaving the library that late November night, many residents said the discussion gave them much to think about.

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