Happy Holidays from MyRye.com

Charmain:

Both the boys and girls locker rooms at Rye High School were constructed in 1964/1965 and neither has been renovated since. So it’s not just the girls who prepare for phys ed classes in substandard conditions, it’s all students both boys and girls.

DEAR SANTA,
I only want two things for Christmas….my son Jarrid & a heart for Mr. Scott Pickup.
It’s okay if you can’t find Jarrid & bring him back to me, I believe he is happy where he is now – but I truly believe you can help Mr. Pickup.

My name is Jim Amico, I live in a small suburban City called Rye, N.Y. & live on what most consider the “most dangerous” street in Rye….MIDLAND AVE.
Not so long ago on April 17th, 2006 my 10yr old little boy , Jarrid, was mowed down by oncoming traffic on Midland Ave.
His injuries were severe, the Doctor’s did everything they could to save him, Jarrid DIED the following morning! The thinking is that Jarrid was trying to cross the street on his bicycle to get to where his mom & little sister Allye were. Jarrid is no longer with us so we will never really know why he chose that very moment to cross the street, my belief is that he wasn’t trying to cross & lost control of his bicycle. Allye was just a mere “7 YEARS OLD” when she witnessed for herself a parent’s worse nightmare. Jarrid flew thru the air right before her and her mom’s very eyes – almost like you do on Christmas Eve
Our lives are changed forever. My wife Maggie lives with unthinkable guilt as she blames herself every minute of every day for her little boy’s death. My daughter Allye, now 13, is beginning to process what she witnessed almost 6 years ago! Our pain is unbearable and we do not wish this on any human being. You see Santa – I grew up on this street, on this very block that took my son’s life, the street I grew up on took my little boy’s last breath away.

In June of that year, 2006, I decided that for as long as I live I would do everything in my power to make the children safe and never allow another parent or family endure this UNBEARABLE PAIN that will burden us for the rest of our natural lives! With this I found myself standing at the podium of one of our City Council Meetings requesting a “STOP SIGN” for this notorious intersection…Midland Ave. & Palisade Rd. Never in my wildest imagination did I ever think I would be writing to you 6 years later asking for your help in my quest to keep our children safe. I have been met with one excuse after another, smoke screens, mirrors, an arrest, insults, disrespect, lie after lie after lie and now I have somehow become the brunt of jokes, most recently by our City Manager!!!

Until now I didn’t think this level of cruelty existed. Standing in the way of keeping our children out of harms way is just one man, our City Manager Mr. Scott Pickup.

I have come to the conclusion that the only way any one man, woman, or human being can be as CRUEL as Mr. Pickup has been to me & my family is he must have been born WITHOUT A HEART!

So Santa, can you please help Mr. Pickup and bring him a HEART for xmas…oh and don’t forget to sign my name to the card……JIM AMICO!

MERRY XMAS SANTA!!!

Well, looks like Santa is keeping Mr.Pickup on the naughty list, no sign of a “HEART”!!!

Dear Old Garnet,

My name is Charmian, not Charmain, but many people transpose those two letters. I know when the locker rooms were constructed because I attended several school board meetings on the subject, but since I’ve only lived in Rye since 2002 I always appreciate your perspective.
I do believe, correct me if I’m wrong however, that the boys’ and girls’ facilities are separate and un-equal. Since we, regrettably, did not pass a bond to upgrade the lockers of either sex, perhaps the boys and girls should just switch and the girls can have the better space for the next 45 or so years – just to level the playing field. That’s a cost free solution which sounds fair to me. What do you think?

Charmian:

I’m merely providing you with information and have no idea why you decided to go into attack mode. Did I speak about the bond issue or the provision of alternate approaches? No.

The locker rooms were constructed in the mid-1960s and opened officially for use in January 1965 following the school’s 1964/1965 holiday break. Stacked with boys on the first floor and girls directly above, the square footage allocated to each gender’s facility has to be close to being the same. It is even possible that the girls facility might be slightly larger. Do you have the square footage numbers?

In fact I voted yes on the bond referendum and will do so again when a revised proposal is offered to Rye residents by the BOE. So from my perspective no alternative, “cost-free” option was or is necessary.

Dear OG,

“Attack mode?” Not at all, this is my happy place. You missed where I said I appreciated your perspective. That is genuine, I do. I would never think that you did not vote for the bond. I’ve always had the impression you were an Old Garnet booster.
Again, I’m only repeating what I heard at several school board meetings I attended where locker rooms were discussed. I thought upgrades were unnecessary, and said so from the lectern, but I was informed that the girls’ facilities were inferior to the boys’. I believe Kendall Egan mentioned this but I could be mistaken. She was quite familiar with the facilities. I’ll check with Katy Keohane and report back to you.
Will I see you at the swearing in today so I can say hello?