Message from the Mayor: Water Tower, Con Ed, Black History, Art, Party4Good
Posted on: February 20, 2017 - 2:54am
A note to cover some current issues, a bit of history, and good causes.
Water Tower next steps
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Next for the Waterfront effort involves determining the next steps on future of the water tower. We are seeking indicative quotes from potential vendors on the cost of storing the water tower should the Village determine we want to dissemble and store it. We are also going to have the tower tested for PCBs to make sure it hasn’t been painted or otherwise treated with PCBs as was the interior of Building 52. If so, that may fatally compromise any notion of saving the structure and we would instead focus on replacing it or simply tearing it down. Once we have the results of the testing, we will be polling the community for its sentiments on the future of the water tower.
Con Ed sells off Green business
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You may have gotten a postcard from a firm called Constellation informing you that they are now your electricity provider. Con Ed Solutions was the provider that we contracted with last year to provide the default (green) electricity to the entire village. If you were not signed up with another Electricity Service Company (ESCO), you defaulted to Con Ed Solution’s green energy. Con Edison Solutions sold this line of business to Constellation, who will honor the rate we have negotiated for the full term of the two years of the contract. You have nothing to worry about, and as we approach the end of the two-year contract term, we will determine our alternatives and keep you in the loop.
Black History Month
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In honor of Black History month, it’s worth recounting the story about one of our more famous residents, Kenneth B. Clark. Dr. Clark was a prominent psychologist, scholar and educator. He pioneered research that was later pivotal in the United States Supreme Court decision in 1954, Brown v. Board of Education, which ruled segregated schools unconstitutional. He was the first black president of the American Psychological Association and he was the first African-American to earn a doctorate in psychology at Columbia University. Later, Mr. Clark was the black tenured instructor in the City College system of New York.
Mr. Clark moved to Hasting in 1950 with his family for the same reason that many white professionals moved here: better schools for his children. (That year, coincidentally, was when he authored the famous study on the psychological effects of segregation on black children later used in the Supreme Court ruling.) He was friends with another renowned resident, sculptor Jacques Lipchitz, who had a studio in the village. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and James Baldwin were his houseguests here, and several other black families moved to his neighborhood, forming a black community unusual at the time. This was not to say that life was easy: his daughter, Kate Harris, was, as she put it, “good enough” to be named president of her class, but she recounted feeling shut out and rarely invited to the homes of her white friends. Dr. Clark believed in the power of integration and was a Hastings resident through to his death at the age of 90 in 2005.
Art Show in Library
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Local photographer John Maggiotto will open a show in the Orr Room at the Library on February 26th from 3PM to 5PM. The glowing, large-format landscape shots of the interior of Hillside Woods are stunning and make you want to run off to to see them for yourself. Ten percent of any proceeds from sales will benefit the Vine Cutting squad, who work on a voluntary basis to keep invasives at bay.
Party4good
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A group of residents are sponsoring a community dance party (“Party4Good”) to raise money and awareness for four great local causes: (1) the Hasting Youth Advocate’s Food Pantry, (2) Hope’s Door, (3) Riverkeeper, and (4) the International Rescue Committee. The event will include DJ, dancing, Broadway entertainment, food, drink, auction/raffle, and more. The event is scheduled for March 4th at the Community Center from 7PM to 11PM. Tickets are $50.00 per person. Tickets are available here. For more information, email hastingsparty4good@gmail.com
Other News
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The community lost one of its greats, Abba Tor, who passed last week at the age of 93. Mr. Tor served for nearly two decades on the Planning Board. An engineer by training, he was responsible for (among many famous structures) the classic TWA terminal at JFK with its evocative cantilevered gull wings.
Village Clerk Susan Maggiotto retires after over two decades of dedicated service to our Village. We’ll miss her and know her shoes are big to fill. A new clerk has not yet been announced.
As always, reach out with any questions.
Sincerely,
Peter Swiderski
Mayor