Public Missing From Town Public Hearings On Stop Signs

Town Music Camp Canceled

by Harriet Kline

(June 16, 2005) There were three public hearings on the Town of Mamaroneck Board’s agenda last night. But, no members of the community attended to speak either for or against the three proposals submitted by the Town Traffic Committee.

The Traffic Committee had proposed the installation of stop signs on (1) West Garden Road and Clover Road, (2) West Garden Road and Mardon Road and (3) Locust Ridge and Glen Eagles Road.

All board members indicated they were either very familiar with the three sites or had inspected them in preparation for the meeting. The board members questioned the advisability of using stop signs to solve the traffic problems and suggested the possibility that enforcement of local hedge laws might improve visibility at one of the sites.

All members of the board expressed their frustration with the lack of public participation to inform their decision-making. They voted to table the three proposals until their July 13 meeting.

Town Summer Camps Attract Too Many/Too Few Kids

Town Administrator Steve Altieri announced that all Town summer camps (Hommocks, Murray and Monroe) have been oversubscribed. Supervisor Valerie O’Keeffe indicated that the Town had made successful efforts to place some children in camps in neighboring communities

Mr. Altieri also said that the Town was exploring the possibility of creating a “trip oriented” camp for pre-teens to alleviate the overcrowding in the existing three camp programs.

However, the Town’s music camp has failed to attract sufficient enrollment and will not be operating this summer, for the first time in 43 years. (See: Building Future Prodigies? Town's Music Workshop Celebrates 41st Year.)

“It came as a shock to all of us,” said Tim Hooker, who has led the summer program for the past number of years. Reached at his year-round position as band director at Mamaroneck High School, he reported there were only 24 children enrolled as of Memorial Day – half the number for the same time last year, and not enough to justify running the camp. “It was horrible,” to have to make the calls to the “super star” musicians and high school students he attracted to teach at the camp.

This would have been summer 33 for Rich Williams, a trombonist and teacher. “I’m very disappointed,” he said, when reached for comment. “This has been my summer livelihood. I’m scrambling like mad to fill it up.”

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