WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. February 27, 2007: The new  Post Road School design, finetuned by meetings with teachers, administration and parents of Post Road School with the architect, Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson was unveiled last night before the Board of Education by architect and 22 of his helpers and associates at Education House.  The architects,  accompanied by associated staffers, designers, estimators, landscape architects, mechanical engineers, estimators and other professionals also introduced the finished designs  of the two new football stadia, Parker and Loucks Field,  promising construction would begin this summer. 

They said designs for Post Road are anticipated to be sent to the State Education Department for approval in September, with construction  expected to take 18 months. They expect to begin construction one year from now, with occupancy of the new building anticipated for fall 2009, and project completion, including demolition of the old Post Road School and preparation of the playing fields complete by the end of 2009-10.

The $38.5 Million Post Road School ( rendering design shown last night) from the Sterling Avenue main entrance  is dazzling in its modern design, limestone exterior, exotic interior courtyard, and environmentally correct green roof. The main entrance features a school bus drop-off on Sterling Avenue and parking for 72 cars on the Soundview Avenue side. Note school bus rendered in photo. Photos WPCNR News

The detailed Post Road School Plan includes building a three floor school in the Northeast corner of the present Post Road School site, with one floor below grade, containing cafeteria and new auditorium; kindergarten, first and second grade on the second floor, and third, fourth and fifth grades on the third floor. A new library is located on the second floor.  The circle in the middle of the school represents a two story courtyard.

Computerized aerial view of the new Post Road School superimposed on a Google satellite photo of surrounding vicinity.  Post Road is the street on the left of the picture. Soundview Avenue is the crossing street. You are viewing the Soundview Avenue side.

The New Post Road School design, shown from the Soundview Avenue side of the site. Parking for 72 spaces is provided on the site on the Soundview Ave entrance. Architects said dropoff and pickup would be on this side of the building, with school bus staging on the Sterling Avenue side.

Direct Overhead view looking Southeast, showing how the New Post Road School fits between Soundview Avenue on the south and Sterling Avenue on the North. The new playing fields run along Post Road.  Entrance to the new school is on the Sterling Avenue side.

A closer view: Sterling Avenue is on the left. Soundview is on the right. Note the six school buses in the staging area in front of the entrance to the new school, the two story open air courtyard in the center of the structure, and the green roof on the top of the gymnasium.

Russell Davidson, left, Principal of Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson, presenting his progress report on the Capital Projects last night. Eric Kaeyer, the architect of the school design is standing at the right. An entourage of KG & D professionals involved in the project looks on. 

Davidson noted that the new Post Road School delivers an additional classroom for each grade level, provides classrooms meeting or exceeding State Education Department requirements, in-room bathrooms for grades K, 1,& 2, a new 2 story auditorium seating 340 on the first floor, and a new library, self-contained on the second floor that is twice the size of the present school.

$3 Million Parker Stadium Redesign.

The two stadium projects were presented and have changed significantly. Parker Stadium which was originally planned to gut the “Roman Colisseum” concrete grandstand will now have the new 1,300 seat bleachers built atop the concrete storage catacombs below the present concrete stands. The concrete stands will be removed, the catacombs repaired and renovated and new stands with a press box built on top. Grasy knolls will be created from the 20s to the endzones, replacing the present delipidated stands.

The new $6 Million (approximate) Loucks Field viewed Looking North from the White Plains High School. There would be no stands built on the  northern side in this new design. Stands for 3,500 are included on the south side, nearest the high school (bottom of view). Davidson justified the jumping pits, by noting that by eliminating the bleachers on the north side of the field, and putting the pits there, that the field could be made wider.

 The new Loucks would feature with a press box and stadium lights for night events.  Davidson said the field house will remain as is. There will be no concession stands. He said temporary bleachers could be erected over the jumping pits to add to the capacity.

Davidson reported that design for both stadia have been sent to the State Education Department for review. Cost estimates are being updated by the architect and construction manager, Triton Construction. Construction for both stadiums is expected to begin this summer with Parker ready for Turkey Day kickoff next fall and Loucks complete by the end of the year, perhaps in time for Loucks Games next year.

Asked if the project was still on budget, the cost estimator for Triton said “the numbers were holding.”  Mr. Davidson also said that design consulting with staff and parents at Mamaroneck Avenue School — the other major renovation part of the $69.6 Million capital project — would begin next month. 

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 WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From Michele Schoenfeld, Clerk to the Board of Education, February 26, 2007, EDITED: The Annual White Plains Board of Education Budget Vote and Election will take place on Tuesday, May 15th, 2007, Noon to 9 P.M., at six voting districts.  Two Board seats — will be up for election, each with a three-year term of office, beginning July 1, 2007.

Candidates must be United States citizens, 18 years of age or more and residents of White Plains for at least one year.  Petitions are available from Michele Schoenfeld, District Clerk, at 5 Homeside Lane.  They must be signed by 100 qualified voters and returned by April 25th.

Registration, for qualified voters new to the City, or those who are not registered to vote in general elections, will take place on Saturday, April 28th, Noon to 5 P.M., at Mamaroneck Avenue School, Nosband Avenue.  A resident who has moved within White Plains during the last year may also change his/her voting address at that time.

Absentee ballots are available by application to the District Clerk, for any voter who will not be in White Plains during the time of the election.

 For further information, please call 422-2071.

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. Written by John F. Bailel, Special to WPCNR from Don Hughes. February 23, 2007: The Common Council, despite Rita Malmud’s objections that they had not gotten the paperwork on the agreements in time, voted to purchase the Greico property Thursday evening in the third Special meeting of the Council called in the last two months.

The Mayor bluntly informed the Council  in a shouting barrage, when Council President Malmud complained about the short notice given the Council to review the arrangements with Greico and that there was no exact purchase price established, or how the city was going to pay for it, that the council responsibility was representative, and the Mayor’s office was “administrative” and he wasn’t going to change that and they would just have to deal with it.

The Mayor pointed out that the 45 day agreement the Trust for Public Land had negotiated with the Greico family in which the city would have the opportunity to purchase the proberty was due to expire in 15 days and that was why the urgency of acting last night was required. The Mayor did not explain why it has taken the city approximately a month to draw up the paperwork.

The Super Developer Explains it All

The Council received a visit from the Louis Cappelli who presented his analysis of his announcement last week that he wanted to build 23 units of apartments on the existing retail floor of the City Center Garage. Cappelli said it was unlikely that the affordable housing at the Pinnacle would be built at this time and that he (Cappelli) was protecting himself by moving to build the 23 units now. He said he could build them within 9 months.

The Super Developer said that if The Pinnacle should go ahead and build the affordables they plan for 260 Main, that he would sell the new City Center Garage units at market rates. Should the Pinnacle be unable to build the affordables at 260 Main, Cappelli would turn the new 23 City Center Garage units into affordable housing, enabling him to meet the affordable housing quota he is required to build as part of his approval for the Ritz Carlton project. Cappelli added that since he was approved for 600 units at the city center, and has only built 500, that he did not need Common Council approval to build the 23 units in the City Center Garage, because he already had that right. Our reporter, advised the Council was in agreement with Mr. Cappelli’s analysis.

The County Planning Department it was learned from remarks by Susan Habel, White Plains Commissioner of Planning, is checking into Ginsburg Development (builders of The Pinnacle) request for $2 Million towards their $17 Million it would take to build the 42 units of affordable housing, and according to Habel, found that the County Attorney has said this is not legal.

Cappelli added that to meet the requirement he build the other 19 units, he would build those at the buildings he as acquired on Main Street across Court Street and across from Macy’s.

Police OT

The council also approved $50,000 in additional Police overtime for patrol of The Galleria garage, and approximately $200,000 in other police overtime, which our reporter says is included in the budget.

Boot for Scofflaws Parked OT

The council also approved a new ordinance allowing the city to immobolize (or boot) scofflaw cars found to be parking overtime. Previously the law only allowed scofflaw cars to be booted if they were illegally parked.

The subject matter of the executive session was not revealed. 

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WPNC CITY HALL CIRCUIT. February 22, 2007: The Common Council will hold a special meeting tonight at 6 at City Hall to discuss Police Overtime, the puchase of the Greico Property on Silver Lake, the Louis Cappelli affordable housing project atop the City Center Garage, and new parking ordinance — plus hold an executive session on the possible acquisition or sale of land. The agenda:

COMMON COUNCIL AGENDA

SPECIAL MEETING

FEBRUARY 22, 2007

6:00 P.M.

RESOLUTION:

1.       Communication from Commissioner of Planning in relation to the purchase of 4.5 acres of property near Silver Lake Park and known as the Grieco Property from the New York Trust for Public Land.

2.                 Resolution of the Common Council of the City of White Plains expressing the Common Council’s support for the acquisition of open space within the City pursuant to the Open Space and Natural Resource Policy of the City of White Plains and authorizing the Corporation Counsel to prepare a contract for the acquisition of the open space parcel known as the Grieco Property from the New York Trust for Public Land.

DISCUSSION:

3.       Application submitted by LC White Plains LLC for an amendment to a previously approved site plan of the “Development Site” known as the Air Rights Building.

4.       Proposed amendment to Compensation and Leave Plan.

5.       Community Development Rehabilitation – YWCA.

6.       Parking: Advertising; proposed Towing Scofflaw Ordinance; proposed change to Traffic Ordinance.

7.       Budget Transfer – Police Overtime.

8.       Entertainment of a motion to enter into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing the proposed sale or acquisition of real property.

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WPCNR RINKSIDE. By  “Edge” Bailey. February 22, 2007: Some 70 young ladies from Westchester, Connecticut and New Jersey’s Skyliners Synchronized Skating team and Team Image from the Yonkers Figure Skating club begin competition for the National Championships in Colorado Springs today. After spending the first four days on the “front range,” adjusting to the altitude and putting together practices on the World Ice Hall, the area’s elite most team-like teams are ready to try for that one great skate at the 2007 United States Figure Skating Synchronized Skating National Championships.

2007 Eastern Synchronized Skating Champions — The Skyliners Junior team..working on their “Wheel” at Playland Ice Casino in preparation for taking the ice at the Nationals Tonight in Colorado Springs for their Technical Program. The Juniors, 1st in the Providence Eastern Championships, will be skating with 14 of synchronized skatings elite teams Thursday and Friday. Photo, WPCNR Sports

The Juniors are Champs of the East on the ice after their great skate in Providence Rhode Island at the end of January in the Eastern Championships, nosing out the amost equally excellent Icemates by a blade.

Skyliners Working their double line over and over at Playland Ice Casino last week.

The Skyliners Coach and Choreographer Josh Babb has been working the Junior team hard to fine tune their Technical and Free Skate programs to get closer to the top four teams they skated against at the Dr. Porter Classic in December in Ann Arbor, the International Qualifier in Lowell, Massachussetts and of course The Colonials. They have had extra  practices and longer practices each week for the last three weeks, finishing off with 9 hours of practice last Friday and Saturday before winging to Denver and on to Colorado Springs Monday.

Skyliners Skating to Poseiden to Win in Their Last At Bat in Providence.

Executing the Spread Eagle Intersection

Waiting for the Results of their Free Skate in Providence on the SynchroTron

Skyliner Juniors kiss the Providence Ice after their Eastern win.

The Skyliners ecstatic about their first ever Gold Medal in the Junior Division, have refocused themselves in hopes they can execute two great confident skates tonight and tomorrow. There is such a fine line between a great skate and a disaster in synchronized skating where everyone has to pull together and one ice nick or a soft patch can wreck an element.

The teams are graded by the judges who have the benefit of instant replay to seewhether all skaters in a line were performing the footwork in synch, or whether one was not putting her edge down or getting that twizzle or mohawk (footwork moves) precisely right. Synchronized skating is the truest team sport there is. All skaters have to execute the same, and when they do not the deductions come and whole elements circles, intersections, lines can fail to get “called” lowering their score. 

The girls traveled to “The Garden of Gods”  Tuesday afternoon and enjoyed the breathtaking views of Pike’s Peak. And spent their time enjoying each other’s company and of course, practicing.

Skyliners Enjoying Brunch in Providence before their winning skate.

Celebrating their win late Saturday night in Providence. What a feeling! Those smiles say all the work is worth it.

Parents celebrate too — simply pleased that their daughters were able through their daughters’ own hard work and effort achieved the feeling of winning a prestigious championship or achievement. It does not get any better if you’re a parent — seeing your children succed on their own and achieve happiness — well it might!

Tonight the Juniors take the ice for their Technical Skate to Proud Mary — and a season of growth, achievement and pride and learning — not matter what the result will continue. Two great skates, back-to-back are their goal that they will always remember.