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WPCNR ICE STREET. October 25, 2008: Everybody got back on the ice at  Ebersole Ice Rink, a White Plains tradition for 53 years with skating lessons beginning Saturday, with skating lessons for Tots, Alpha, Betas and Gammas and children of all ages.  The White Plains Figure Skating Club began Tuesday. Ebersole is also home to the White Plains Plainsmen hockey clubs and the White Plains High School hockey team – one of the few high school teams with its own hometown rink.

Welcome Back! Kristen Fuerst, Ebersole Skating School Director for 12 years, reports 350 boys and girls have already signed for skating classes at Good Ol’ Ebersole, and there is still time for parents to sign their kids up at the White Plains Department of Recreation and Parks Headquarters. Private lessons are also given at the rink by the Skating School Instructors. Contact Rec & Parks at 422-1336, for the Skating School Booklet, or the skating school at 948-6696, for information on Advanced Figure Skating and contact Libby Hollahan for information on the White Plains Figure Skating Club.

 

 

The rink’s “family” astmosphere is where White Plains kids grow up. It’s safe. It’s run by people who have been there for years. Marty Peck, with Pam Peck above  has run the skate rental concession since the rink opened in 1955.

Mr. Peck told WPCNR he started his Skating Shop right at the rink where the locker rooms are now. He says he now sees little girls he rented skates to coming back to the rink with their daughters and sons. He says it seems like just yesterday. Skates cost just $7 a session.

 Lou, the friendly man who handles admissions has been checking in the ice princesses and princes of the ice in for 48 years.

The Ebersole Snack Bar is renowned for its superbly medium burgers for $3, hot dogs for $2 and Fries for $1.75  (crispy, toasty and addictive!), plus capachino for a $1.75 you can’t beat that.

 

Run with savvy, welcoming atmosphere by Matt Hansen, the rink never changes.  One of two outdoor rinks in Westchester County the air is fresh wholesome and on cold winter’s nights it’s invigorating!

Ebersole is a place where all the kids meet and the parents, too, get together on the lesson nights, Saturday mornings and at the private sessions. It’s the closest thing  White Plains has to a community center for all.  Friday nights on teen nights, kids from all grades and neighborhoods come together to skate, and under the knowing hand of the rink staff can bring over a hundred teenagers together without having a regiment of police on hand. It is a testimony to the way the rink is run.

Juliana Bailey, aged 9 in 1998 at Ebersole with pal, Amy Reinthaler, 13.  Great friends, despite the difference in age, the two went on to skate for their colleges on syncrhonized skating teams, competing on a national level. Photo, Kristen Fuerst.

Good ole Ebersole, as this reporter has written many times, is where kids learn confidence through working on their skating, admiring older girls who have gone before them do their twizzles, wallys, crossovers, loops, lutzs and the ultimate – landing the first axle. All aspire to the coveted  black White Plains Figure Skating Club jacket. As grow up at The Eb, the young become the older girls whom the skating school employs as teachers and the Ebersole tradition carries on year after year.

Two for the Ice for Life : Juliana Bailey, 18, left with 22 year old Amy Reinthaler, right, 10 years later,   last Spring at the Nashville Synchronized Skating Midwest Championships. Ms. Reinthaler  pioneererd  Synchronized Skating at the University of Notre Dame. Ms. Reinthaler was a mentor whom Ms. Bailey looked up to for leadership and guidance at Ebersole Rink when they both skated there. Once you skate together, you’re friends for life — and you get all those great college skating warmup jackets, too! 

It’s the way Ebersole has  been for 53 years.

 

 

WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey. October 23, 2008: Thomas Suozzi, Nassau County Executive, and  Chair o the Governor’s Commission on Property Tax Reform, told politicians and concerned businesspersons at the Ritz Carlton last night,  a property tax cap  and Circuit Breaker legislation, would only happen if citizens and businesspersons  started a  strong political movement to pressure the legislature.

Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi addressing Westchester County Association Government Reception Wednesday evening at The Ritz-Carlton.

 He said special interests were too strong to expect realistic rollback of state mandates, and said his Commission’s recommendations had received  “ incredible pushback” from school districts and the teachers’ unions against the tax cap proposals. He told WPCNR that the public need “to keep pushing for (the cap).” Asked if he felt the property tax cap and circuit breaker legislation had little likelihood of being acted on in the 2009 Legislature, he said, “that’s why  the public has to keep pushing.”

Suozzi was the featured speaker behind introductions of key politicians: Congresswoman Nita Lowey who said she welcomed any suggestions from the public on further measures to deal with the national financial crisis, Assemblyman Adam Bradley who promised the legislature was going back into session to address the state budget, , County Executive Andrew Spano, who described the present financial situation in the county and the state has one “I have not seen in my lifetime. Spano, borrowing White Plains Mayor Joseph Delfino’s philosophy, said heartfully, “Let’s keep together and let’s work together. We’re all family, we all need to work through this together as a family.” 

Suozzi hammered home to an audience who was unusually impolite, continuing to buzz with conversation while Mr. Suozzi was speaking. At one point, Suozzi said the audience could continue their conversations in a few moments and asked them to “pay attention”  and, describing the problem with mandates and how they get enacted, because new mandates are described to legislators as good ideas. Mr. Suozzi said  “you can’t do every good idea.”

Suozzi suggested it was unrealistic to expect tax reform without a groundswell of public demand for it, saying,  “1. We’ve gotten “incredible pushback” from school districts and teachers union. 2. You have to change laws we have. 3. You will not get mandate reform because there are too many special interests. The only way is to enact a tax cap and circuit breaker.”

WPCNR caught up with County Legislator Bill Ryan after the talk and asked him what could be expected on the County Budget, now under construction. Ryan said he had submitted a budget for the Board of Legislators  1.4% above this year’s budget. He said he was hopeful the county could bring in a budget taking into account inflation of about 1.4% above 2008. (Last year, the county budget rose 3.9%)

Ryan said he had met with Governor David Patterson and representatives of the New York Conference of Mayors Monday in New York, at the request of the Governor, who wanted their input on how Patterson might cut the state budget so as not to stress the counties.

Ryan said he told the governor the best way to cut the budget was not to cut mandate funding, because would force the county to raise taxes to fund the mandates shifting the burden for the mandates. Ryan instead suggested state cuts be made in state aid on discretionary services. “This way,” Ryan told me, “the county can pick and choose where to allocate our money.”

Westchester County Association’s Bill Mooney, far left, and Alfred Del Bello, far right, flank the County Executives, Andrew Spano, second from left, and Thomas Suozzi.

 

Observations:

Suozzi was going to take questions, but ended his talk, it appeared due to lack of respect from the audience.  This reporter was embarrassed the way Mr. Suozzi’s talk was paid attention to by the audience of persons who should know better. Mr. Suozzi is a guest of Westchester County. At least a third of the persons continued talking and drinking during Suozzi’s talk.