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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. From Chris Burdick, Bedford Town Supervisor and Democrat Nominee for 93rd Assembly District. AUGUST 9, 2020:

8.8 4:30pm SATURDAY AFTERNOON UpdateTropical Storm Isaias and Power Outages IN BEDFORD.

 With more resources available in NYSEG service area, I am cautiously optimistic that the estimated times of restoration are realistic and might be advanced. I have significant concerns over Con Edison’s efforts, which have been absymal. 
After my ranting the last couple of days, we finally have crews in town to handle restoration (not just “cut and clear”), however, the resources remain insufficient. 
Being on a Con Edison call this (Saturday) morning with municipal officials from other Westchester towns, their plight is even worse – blocked roads (residents trapped not able to get in or out), critical facilities inaccessible, dangerous live wires. 

 Status of Outages  NYSEG outages as of this writing is 1229 out of 6685. Con Edison is reporting 236 of 1053 (this is more recent than on website).
Both utilities note that you may not see trucks on your street as they would be working at substations, transmission lines which serve your street.   

NYSEG Restoration Plans and Estimated Times of Restoration

NYSEG senior operations personnel report their restoration work plan for today that there are 50 crews working on circuits either in Bedford or serving Bedford: 

1.    Four make safe crews with the town (addressing the giant tree on Cresent Ave) – this is the reason for periodic outages in Bedford Hills and Katonah.

2.    17 crews on Bedford substation (NYSEG, Oneonta, contractors and 1 local Bedford crew)

3.    18 crews Cantitoe substation

4.    10 RGE crews working out of Golden Bridge substation working towards water treatment plant (power restored)

NYSEG Estimated Time of Restoration as of this writing:
Updated Restoration Times
3:00 PM- 364:00 PM – 197:00 PM – 18:00 PM – 469:00 PM – 57510:00 PM – 102
Closed Roads Except where crews are working, all roads in Bedford now are open.  

Con Edison Restoration Plans and Estimated Times of Restoration 

I spoke a short while ago with senior Con Edison operations personnel. They have several crews working on circuits in Bedford or serving Bedford. The crews are “cut and clear” crews as well as line crews responsible for restoring power. 

There is a crew dedicated to the “Mt. Kisco Loop”, which is a circuit which covers about 150 of their 226 customers without power. There also are crews on McLain and Old Wagon which then will move to other roads as they complete work from there.

Explanation on Power On and Off Again Friday night Katonah residents lost power though power previously had been restored to them.  The reason for last night’s outage is due to NYSEG crews needing to “open a circuit” (this means de-energizing the circuit) to allow them to work on a massive downed tree in Bedford Hills. This may occur from time to time until the work is complete – three crews are working on it today, as noted above.

Workplace, Internet and Charging Facilities   We have the courtroom at the Town offices at 321 Bedford Road open as a workplace, internet and charging facility. Additionally, wifi is accessible outside in the lobby. As noted previously, space is limited due to social distancing and you must wear a facemask or will be asked to leave. It will be try to keep it open until 9:00 PM tonight.  

Dry Ice/Water As noted yesterday, we distributed dry ice and water this morning. We do not know at this point whether dry ice will be available tomorrow.

Showers; Parks  Shower facilities will be open today only until 6 PM. Residents arriving to utilize the showers will be required to sign-in and wear a mask upon entry. We ask that showers are limited to 5 minutes in duration. We also recommend the use of footwear (flip-flops, water shoes) when taking a shower. Shower stalls and bathrooms will be disinfected/sanitized routinely during operating hours. 

Other Park Operations: When we are able to re-open pools, they will operate on normal operating hours of 10am-8pm, and the pool sessions and reservation system will be in place.

BVMP – power has been restored, and pool is being attended to by staff today for reopening tomorrow, Sunday, August 9th

KMP – power has been restored, and pool is being attended to by staff today for reopening tomorrow, Sunday, August 9thBHMP – no power at park. Operating as a shower facility today. Depending on when power is restored will determine ability to reopen. 

As noted previously, the parks do not have power, so as I previously announced we had to close the pools. We have made arrangements for a generator to provide sufficient electricity capacity for the pool house only at the Bedford Hills Memorial Park.  

The pools require substantial electricity (pumps, etc) so we are not able to open them at this time. Rec & Parks staff continue to maintain pools with available power from generators, and have cleaned the pools and pool grounds from storm debris. When power is restored, additional steps need to be taken to fully prepare the facilities for the public’s return. Once that is complete, we will reopen as soon as possible. 

CHRIS BURDICK, BEDFORD TOWN SUPERVISOR