Week In Review: Arrests in Housing Authority Case, a New Gallery Exhibit and Soccer Madness

Police knew someone was up to no good when security camera systems at two different Port Chester Housing Authority buildings were trashed earlier this summer.

Burglars gained access to storage rooms at public housing developments on Purdy and Traverse avenues on the same day, June 8—they stole computer parts from one room, and poured gasoline on a computer in the other. The intent was the same—to knock out the security cameras in both buildings.

This week, detectives arrested 28-year-old John Jones and 22-year-old Jeffrey Stamps, charging both men with felony burglary. But the investigation isn't done with—detectives are looking into illegal activity at those buildings, and they're interested in what Jones and Stamps were trying to hide.

At this week's village board meeting, trustees revisited the investigation into money that was skimmed from Port Chester's parking meters. Police are still piecing together information about the thefts, and Village Manager Christopher Russo said there's not much he can say publicly about the details until the investigation wraps up.

Port Chester collects about $500,000 a year from its 750 parking meters, but officials may never know how much money was stolen. That uncomfortable detail was raised by trustees Sam Terenzi and John Branca as the board listened to Russo's update.

As Branca put it, the village doesn't have a "baseline" to compare to the current, supervised meter collections. Complicating things further are broken meters, spikes in meter usage due to lot closings, and the installation of digital multimeters around town. Officials can compare current collections to the previous year, but some trustees said they'll never know how much of the difference to attribute to theft.

In other government news, Mayor Dennis Pilla will meet with other Westchester mayors to figure out a way to get grant money without handing over zoning control to the county. And Port Chester Patch sat down with Goldie Solomon, one of the village's most politically involved residents, to talk about politics and patriotism.

The long summer days may be shortening, but there's still plenty of game left at the local parks before school starts. Columbus Park played host to the Independence Cup, an annual tournament that pits children in three age groups against teams from other towns, states and countries. This year's guests of honor were a trio of teams from Colombia. The kids stayed with local host families, and for many of them, it was the first time they'd seen sites like the New York skyline.

And finally, if you're among those of us who can't live without coffee or sugar, check out the Clay Art Center's upcoming gallery exhibit. Dubbed Habitual Rituals, the collection is the work of a single artist who looked at everyday crutches and indulgences as inspiration for her functional artwork.