Letter to the Editor: Keep Family-Run Coffee Stand at Croton-Harmon Station

To the Editor:

There is a situation brewing in Croton-on-Hudson between the MTA and a small female-owned family business that has run the coffee shop at the Croton Harmon Train Station for the last 51 years.

The Marafito family leased the coffee stand from the New York Central Railroad in 1966. Over the past five decades of serving coffee and breakfast to the thousands, maybe a million commuters over time, Nance’s Coffee and the Marafito Family has become a staple and family to all in our community. Stopping at Nance’s Coffee has been tradition for many local residents before their commute. My daughter, Danielle, worked at the stand for years, and remains very close with the family; a good family with ties to the community.

In 2008 the matriarch of the family, Theresa Fiorentino, who was blind and had run the stand for decades, died in a freak accident when she fell on the train tracks and was hit by a train. Coincidentally, years later, my daughter Danielle and Theresa’s grandson Sean received a life-saving award when they saved someone else who had also fallen on to the tracks and was severely injured. Along with Theresa’s family, the community of Croton grieved her tragic death… we had lost one of our own. After her death, Theresa’s daughters Nance and Linda generously donated their mother’s home to Croton EMS which is their headquarters today. A bench, donated by the Lion’s Club, sits outside of Holy Name of Mary Church in Theresa’s name. The family was active in the Lion’s Club and multiple charitable organizations. This community minded effort has channeled down to her children and grandchildren. As a member of Croton EMS, a resident of Croton-on- Hudson, and a supporter of small family businesses,

I feel the Marafito/Fiorentino family’s plight needs more than just community support. I spoke with Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and asked him to please review the Marafito Family’s situation in hopes that the county will recognize the importance of aiding the Marafito family in negotiations with the MTA.

The history of Croton-on- Hudson is very much intertwined with the history of railroading here in Westchester County, and is at the very heart of our identity as a community. Along with commuters, many residents have worked at the Harmon Yards, or still work in Harmon Yards…you would be hard- pressed to find anyone who hasn’t frequented the Croton-Harmon Station and Nance’s coffee stand.

In the words of Croton-on- Hudson Mayor Greg Schmidt in his letter to the MTA, “Nance Marafito Cohen is a Croton institution. She has diligently served the commuters of Croton, and her customers are the MTA’s customers… The history of the Marafito Family is every bit as much a part of our history as it is part of the history of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)” He added that the residents of Croton-on- Hudson are the MTA’s customers and asked that the MTA allow the family business to remain in Croton’s family.

The Marafito’s contract with the MTA was up in June 2016, they are currently on a holdover clause putting them month-to- month. The MTA has put the stand out to bid which is due August 4 th. I will support the Marafito family in any way I can, and welcome a chance to collaborate with the MTA and Westchester County to come to a fair resolution without infringing on the history and the ties this 51- year family business has with our community.

Robert J. Outhouse - Candidate – Westchester County Legislator District 9