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Mayor Delfino proposes $5MM Open Space Acquisition Fund in landmark Environmental Protection Initiative.

Six months in the making. Aim: To acquire open space for city.

CCOS, Trust for Public Land, Westchester Land Trust officials, Councilmen Delgado and King laud program.

Parking fines, interest from sturdy pension funds and recreation trust fund to pay off $5 million in bonds seed money.

By John F. Bailey

CityLine: January 19-23, 2000: City Hall & Memorial Methodist Church

Mayor Joseph Delfino, joined by his harshest critics of his open space policy, closed ranks with them Friday, January 19 by offering a $5 million olive branch to long time crusaders for Open Space in White Plains to fund acquisition of Open Space for future generations.

The $5 million, funded by bonds, if approved by the Common Council, will be used to acquire open space parcels with the city, perhaps this year. The Initiative, if approved by the Council, would set in stone the city commitment and policy towards Open Space.

The Mayor said the $5 million fund will not require any property tax or sales tax increase, with the entire debt service to be funded by interest from a city pension fund that does not need the interest to remain solvent, interest from the Recreation Trust Fund, and parking fines previously devoted to Galleria garage debt service.

Environmental Protection Initiative created by administrationbased on gathering of CCOS input last summer.

The broad sweep of the "Environmental Protection Initiative" surprised and pleased Barbara Benjamin and Allan Teck, Chairman and President of Concerned Citizens for Open Space, respectively, who first learned of the plan Wednesday and Thursday of last week.

Monday evening at a CCOS Referendum Committee meeting open to the public, Mr. Teck told WPCNR what he knew about how the plan had been developed.

He said the city had called him and Ms. Benjamin to City Hall last summer to meet with George Gretsas to discuss their concerns and ideas for open space. However, the two CCOS leaders have not met with city officials since then about the details of the plan described in the news conference until last week.

Teck said the funding of the seed fund though was "no rabbit out of the hat," that the city had been working on a funding mechanism to float the financial vessel over the last year.

A gathering of "environmental eagles" praises the plan.

Ms. Benjamin and Mr. Tech were joined by Paul Gallay of the Westchester Trust for Public Land and Erik Kulleseid of the Trust for Public Land in praising the Delfino Administration for the program which the Mayor unveiled Friday morning.

After opening remarks, Mr. Delfino introduced Paul Gallay, who said "The White Plains Plan has it all, community involvement, and planning reforms to align last century with this century."

Gallay said he was pleased to say White Plains is now the eighth town to say "yes" to funding open space acquisition. He described the White Plains commitment of $5 million as exceeding any other town's commitment to date. He said the other 7 communities average only $2 million, with the highest being $4 million. He amplified this Monday evening at Methodist Memorial Church, saying North Salem committed $2 million and Pound Ridge, between $2 million and $3 million.

Erik Kulleseid, the Director of the New York State program at the Trust for Public Land joining the environmental enclave described the Mayor's Environmental Protection Initiative as "the best in Westchester County and comparable to the best in the country."

Common Council to vote on plan in February or March.
Mayor to appoint Committee to select properties for acquisition only if Council greenlights the "Initiative."

The Environmental Protection Initiative will be driven by a community committee provided the Common Council approves the initiative, which may be placed on the February 5 Common Council Meeting agenda.

The Mayor was accompanied by Councilman William King who has agreed to serve with Councilman Larry Delgado on the Mayor's "Open Space Acquisition Advisory Committee," which would be formed to move the program forward.

The Mayor said he would chair the Committee, which would consist of King and Councilman Larry Delgado (who could not be present Friday), and 6 city residents whom he will appoint, plus a member of the Planning Board, Conservation Board, and Recreation Advisory Board.

Mr. King, in his news conference remarks, said regarding the Initiative that "He (the Mayor) and I totally agree, and it is reflective of the desires of the City of White Plains to preserve a healthy community of wetlands and beautiful landscapes, and we want to preserve that."

The Mayor read a statement from Councilman Larry Delgado which said, in part: "I believe that the sizable five million dollar acquisition fund that will be available upon enactment, coupled with specific criteria for the acquisition of properties will immediately place White Plains at the forefront of the effort to protect open space. I enthusiastically support this initiative..."

Ms. Benjamin praised the plan as "superb" and said she looked forward to working with the Mayor, commenting that part of the plan's description was "word for word" what her late husband, Ted Benjamin, had envisioned.

Habel sees $5MM fund as a start, seed money to attractmajor funding for future purchases, small and large.

Interviewed Tuesday by WPCNR, Deputy Commissioner of Planning, Susan Habel described the $5MM as a starter mechanism for funding substantial city purchases of open space, as parcels became available or were identified.

She said that the ability to acquire attractive parcels without increasing property taxes or raising the mortgage transfer tax, or asking the public to approve a referendum was a plus. She commented that it is a way the city has of securing state, federal and private funding to help with purchases that might exceed the $5 million resources.

She said the fund was laying the foundation, setting a policy for the city for the future and was a commitment that could help solidify future open space opportunities without asking the citizens to vote for a property tax increase or a bond issue, which she felt might be defeated.

Asked if the city could increase the $5MM substantially if it was needed for a once-in-a-generation acquisition, Ms. Habel said she felt the city had substantial bonding ability at its disposal (upwards of $30MM or more), but asked WPCNR to check with the Budget Director to confirm this, which we are in the process of doing.

She cautioned though that over commitment of bonding by the city might send the wrong message to potential funding sources needed to close the gap on highly coveted, but out of range open space properties. She said it was important to build an array of funding sources in any acquisition program.

What the plan calls for:

Mayor Delfino, in his news conference statement, said the Common Council adoption of an Open Space and Natural Resource Policy will "address the management of the City's current and future Open Space and natural resources;" "strongly define the City's commitment to the acquisition and preservation of additional open space;" and "will establish procedures and criteria for the acquisition of additional open space by the city, including the creation of an Open Space Advisory Committee," chaired by the Mayor. The initiative also calls for preservation of endangered species and their habitats in White Plains.

The Financing Piece Numbers:

The centerpiece of the Environmental Protection Initiative is the $5 Million Open Space Acquisition Fund, which according to the proposal "rais(es) a significant level of funds for open space acquisition without raising property taxes."

The $5 million will be raised by bonds. The debt service on the bonds according to the proposal will be entirely paid for by city funds from the following sources:

1.) The Common Council will be asked to approve "the return to the City of up to 10% (or $200,000) of parking fines which were transferred to the White Plains Parking Authority in 1983 to fund debt service payments on bonds issued for the construction of the Lexington-Grove (Galleria) Garages."

2.) The Council and the State Legislature will be asked reassign at least 12 years of fines and fees that are presently deposited each year in the city's "closed local pension funds" (for a handful of police and fire individuals). These pension funds are deemed to be "self-sufficient" based on current balances for the next eight years and that no new funds are actually needed after this fiscal year. The annual estimated value of these fines and fees, according to the proposal, is $200,000, or approximately $2.6 million over 12 years, at a modest 2% growth rate per year.

3.) Interest income from the Recreation Trust Fund.

Reaction and Buzz:

Questions from reporters in the audience asked pertinent concerns:

The Mayor was asked if this sent a message to developers. The Mayor said not at all, that there were not too many open space tracts left in White Plains and "that's why we're doing this."

Another question asked if this was aimed at New York Presbyterian Hospital property. The Mayor replied he was told the second week in January that the property was still not for sale.

WPCNR asked if this was in reaction to the proposed referendum question that the CCOS meeting was going to take up Monday night. The Mayor said that the administration had always had Open Space in mind, but there were downtown development issues that had to be taken on first. Now, he said, they were addressing the Open Space need.

In the buzz that followed the news conference, the immediate focus was on what properties were possible candidates for Open Space acquisition with the funds.

William King cited areas in Silver Lake and along the waterfront along the lake and Woodcrest Heights. He also named The D'Elia property, and areas along the Bronx River Parkway.

Councilman Robert Greer, who attended the news conference had mixed reservations, voluntarily calling reporters' attention to the "timing" of the proposal.

Barbara Benjamin said the focus of the Monday evening Concerned Citizens for Open Space scheduled meeting would most likely form a committee to evaluate the progress of the Mayor's proposed Open Space Acquisition Committee, rather than a referendum initiative as the Monday meeting had originally planned to do.

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