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. October 17, 2006: Pending clarification from the School District, the positive vote on the referendum Tuesday night may not be enough of a margin of victory to approve the $69.6 Million bond issue according to the New York State Constitution, as a jubilant Board of Education hoped, unless the School District perhaps got permission from the state for a straight yes-no count without a specified winning margin.

Is Referendum Vote Approved at 53%? Constitution Seems to say otherwise. Photo, New York State Constitution by WPCNR News.

WPCNR has learned this evening, that according to the New York State Constitution, in order to pass the referendum for $69.6 Million today, the School District apparently needed 60% of the voters casting ballots Tuesday to approve the issue.

At 1,032 Yes Votes to 926 No votes, at this hour, pending counting of affidavitt ballots tomorrow, the district has only a 53% to 47% margin failing the state 60% requirement. According to the Clerk to the Board of Education, Michele Schoenfeld, less than 100 affidavitt ballots remain to be counted. However, if there were 100 Affidavit ballots all in favor it would still not deliver the 60% margin.  (1,132 Yes Votes to 926 No votes, yields a 55% margin — 5 fiver percentage points short of what the constitution says is the required margin of approval.)

The paragraph in the New York State Constitution at http://www.dos.state.ny.us/info/pdfs/cons2004.pdf spelling out the margin requirements is on page 31, in Article VIII, Local Finances, Section 4 Paragraph H, and reads:

(h) any school district which is coterminous with, or partly within, or wholly within, a city having less than one hundred twenty-five thousand inhabitants according to the latest federal census, for education purposes, five per centum; provided, however that such limitation may be increased in relation to indebtedness for specified objects or purposes with (1) the approving vote of sixty per centum or more of the duly qualified voters of such school district voting on a proposition therefor submitted at a general or special election, (2) the consent of The Regents of the University of the State of New York and (3) the consent of the state comptroller. The legislature shall proscribe by law the qualifications for voting at any such election.

Pending a final canvas tomorrow, the yes votes may go up, and the point moot, reaching the magic 60%. The School District could not be reached at this hour to determine what this means to the tentative declaration of voter approval tonight. Votes were counted tonight on site by Board of Elections inspectors hired by the School District according to Ms. Schoenfeld.

Incidently, the paragraph also shows conclusively that  the referendum could have been legally held by the School District in the general election November 7.

 

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. October 17, 2006: Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors speaking after the approval White Plains voters gave his $69.6 Million referendum request tonight, said, “I appreciate the work of the Board of Education, and the voters coming out. It looks right now, it is as I had thought that it would be. We won. We’re going to verify that in the morning, and then move forward. I appreciate the people coming out to vote and I think it’s good news.”

Timothy Connors, Superintendent of Schools left, thanking the Board of Education and the community. Center is Nicolas Andreadis, of Triton Construction, and Eric Kaeyer, Principal of Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson, architects. Seated at right is Leah Rea of the Journal News. Photo, WPCNR News

Asked what the next step was in the process, Connors said the Board would verify the vote Wednesday evening, “and we’ll come together and determine our next steps with moving forward with the bonding and with our architects and moving forward with the state to get this project under way.”

Asked when construction would start on the stadiums (previously said to be the first step in the project), Connors said, “I think what we’ve got to do now is sit with the architects and the construction managers and get a timetable that we can put out there with certainty so people know for certain what’s going to happen, not only in terms of the infrastructure and the fields, but what the timetable will be for Mamaroneck Avenue and Post Road. We’ve got a lot of work to do and we’ll get started on that very shortly. We thank the people for coming out to vote and thank all those who worked hard to make sure we shared with the public the pros and cons with the project and we’re very pleased what we see right now.”

 

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WPCNR PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE DAY. By the WPCNR Roving Photographer. October 17, 2006: It’s autumn in Westchester County, and just over on King Street in Greenwich, Connecticut is the original farmer’s market: Purdy’s Farm, where Del Zanette has presided over the area’s best apples and cider, and vegetables  for 41 years. Purdy’s Farm itself has been on the site for 90 years, Del says.

The CitizeNetReporter has been visiting Purdy’s since I was 5, now 45 years later…like Playland Purdy’s is still here.

Mr. Autumn: Del Zanette  at his Westchester-Connecticut tradition: Purdy’s Farm on King Street just a mashi shot from Westchester County Airport. Mr. Purdy, one of the area’s working farmers grows his vegetables, tomatoes, egg plant, squash and other organic delights on his two acres in Greenwich horse country. He offers the tasty  crispy, semi-sweet McCoon’s apples now in season, plus Cortland, Delicious, Golden Delicious, Galas and other unique apple choices grown at  Glory Farm in Marlboro, New York. He still supervises the making of his apple cider at a friend’s farm upstate, delivering a full-bodied and mellow old fashioned apple cider.  Currently he is planting Rye wheat on his acreage, which he plows over and it serves as fertilizer for next year’s crop.  It would not be autumn in Westchester County without Del Purdy and his stand. Photo by the WPCNR Roving Photographer

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. October 12, 2006 UPDATED WITH PIX 4:35 P.M. E.D.T. UPDATED WITH MORE PIX AND ANALYSIS 6:40 P.M. E.D.T.: James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia just completed installation of a FieldTurf artificial turf football field at their football stadium this summer. Ty Phillips, Director of Facilities for JMU told WPCNR the entire installation was completed in three months and cost under $1 Million. He noted that the bulk of that cost though was not installation, but for demolition of the concrete base the rug turf which the new Field Turf  replaced, and for grading a crown for the Field Turf surface for television purposes. He says that if you did not have to do much excavating the cost would be way below that.

 

Bridgewater Stadium on campus of James Madison University. The gridiron was converted in the summer of 2006 to FieldTurf in just 3 months. FieldTurf is similar to the synthetic turf proposed for Loucks and Parker Stadiums at White Plains High School and Highlands Middle School. It’s a field that’s soft to fall on. Gives a true “cut” every time and the James Madison Facilities Director says the players love playing on it. Photo Capture from James Madison University website.

Phillips said the switch to Field Turf move was made by the university for safety reasons, he said it’s much easier on the joints of the athletes. He reports that using rug turf, which consists of a carpet on a layer of concrete, “it’s basically hard as a rock,” you can expect to lose an athlete a year one knee injury a year because of the way the rug turf grabs your ankles.  Phillips said field turf according to a study he’s seen is a “cheaper” and safer a playing surface than natural grass.  He said he expects the new FieldTurf to last 12 years and possibly 15 years.

 

 

A FieldTurf installation in Libertyville Illinois, showing how soccer and lacrosse markings (in orange) are integrated into the “blade” turf. Photo Capture from Libertyville High School site.

 

Phillips said lining of the fields most likely would have to be done at time of construction, and that he was investigating the use of using removable paint on lines of other field configurations for the other two FieldTurf surfaces on the James Madison University campus. White Plains is touting their fields which are comparable to FieldTurf as being used for field hockey, soccer and lacrosse in succession.

 

Phillips said he does not recommend a FieldTurf like surface for Field Hockey because the long blades of FieldTurf slow down the ball too much, and the rubber surface is too soft. Our Field Hockey Coaches don’t like it for Field Hockey he said. He did note that shorter blade lengths of FieldTurf fibre could be ordered depending on the nature of the sport.  He said his baseball field has a FieldTurf infield surface which the players really like. The White Plains Athletic Department should pay close attention to what kind of blade length is installed at Loucks and Parker as well as field marking if the district is serious about multi-sport use at Loucks and Parker.

 

 

 LOUCKS FIELD at Twilight Sunday afternoon. Note the bare turf on the “crown” of the football field. Photo by WPCNR News.

 

Loucks Field Renovation: two sets of metal bleachers seating 3,250 (not 2,500) with press box, lights,. locker rooms, artificial turf system and 10-lane track on the straightaway. Cost: $ 6 Million (Approximate)Photo, WPCNR News.

 

Loucks Field Bleachers (wooden) Sunday afternoon. They would be replaced by metal stands, handicapped accessible, with new locker rooms behind them. Photo, WPCNR News.

 

I asked about maintenance of FieldTurf: “Between natural grass and field turf it’s unbelievable. On FieldTurf, we run a groomer over the surface once a month, and magically that just helps to level the rubber pebbles (under the surface) because they tend to congregate to different areas and you might get a low spot. As needed you run a little rake machine over it, basically it’s like a lawn sweeper and it’s to pull up any debris, leaves or anything like that and that’s all you do. No trimming. No lines to paint. There’s really no maintenance.”

 

The architect,. Erik Kaeyer noted thes advantages to a new artificial turf field.

 Photo, WPCNR News.

 

 

Parker Stadium Proposal: New set of metal bleachers, seating 1,300 with press box, plus installation of synthetic turf and running track. Cost: $3.4 Million. (Approx.) Photo, WPCNR News.

 

Twilight for Parker Stadium. Seen Sunday afternoon. Highlands Middle School is just behind the ancient concrete and stone bowl. Photo, WPCNR News.

 

The majestic ancient sweep of Parker Stadium Sunday afternoon. The concrete and stone structure is said to be unsafe, the bleachers in need of replacing, and deteriorated stairs and locker rooms. The old structure is said to be impossible to make disabled accessible. It would be replaced by a metal bleacher structure with a press box. Artificial turf would be installed on the grass field with a rubber surface walking track. Photo, WPCNR News

 

 

Phillips said he has not reduced his maintenance staff, but has been able to shift them to remaining grass fields and other tasks as a result of the reduced maintenance on the football and other FieldTurf fields. “If we had the money, we’re probably get some more (FieldTurf fields).”

 

Phillips said after his football team has played three games at their stadium, that the players love the new field because it is softer to fall on than a grass field. He said there have been football injuries but none related to the new FieldTurf. Phillips added that track runners love the field for light workouts because it is easier on their joints. He noted that compared to a grass field, the new FieldTurf installations save him thousands of dollars in materials costs every year as well as worker hours grooming the fields.

 

Football players WPCNR has spoken to, like turf to play on because they cut better, but one reason given stadium upgrades is to attract events to the community in the case of the high school field and provide more usage of Parker and Loucks by the community and city recreation programs.

 

No longer money-saving, Superintendent, Architect Say.

 

The City School District, up until Saturday morning made the case for the artificial stadiums based on the extended use and cost savings the artificial turf surface will provide. However on Saturday, Mr. Kaeyer said that the district will not save money on going to the synthetic turf field, and the Superindent of Schools agreed, Mr. Connors saying the benefit of the aritificial turf fields at Parker and Loucks would be increased usage.

 

 

Stadium Construction Major Part of  “synthetic turf” Construction.

 

The major cost of the project, though appears to be in the stadium stand construction. The reasons given by the School District for the stadium reconstruction is the dilapidated condition of the Parker stands, the non-compliance with Disabled Americans access rules, and the “unsafe” condition. Of course, the reason the stands are dilapidated is the school district neglect of the concrete over the years.

 

At the Loucks Field the main rationale for upgrading to new stands, press box, lights, locker rooms is to host outside district events such as Loucks Games, state football and soccer championships, Empire State Games, and to accommodate bigger time events.

 

No estimate of future revenue from such a state-of-the-art facility has been projected.

 

 

The cost of the new stadiums with artificial turf at Parker and Loucks is $9.6 Million. In twelve years according to Mr. Phillips, of James Madison White Plains would have to replace the turf. Phillips estimate is four years longer than what White Plains has been told. Replacing the turf (installed at the cost of  approximately $800,000  ($667,000 at Parker; $772,000 at Loucks) today according to the Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson estimate,  would involve at least a $1 million replacement WPCNR reckons  in either 8 years or 12, depending on how much White Plains used the field. Phillips, the James Madison Facilities Director estimated a 12 year life to his new field, but he uses that only for football and practices.

 

On the Highlands Parker Stadium Project, site work for providing a foundation for the bleachers costs $830,962; Safety Measures/Walks and General, cost $661,000; The turf, $667,000; and the balance of the estimate is filled out with Player’s benches, grading and excavation, drainage basins paiting, for $400,000. The total cost of the Parker project is put at approximately $3.4 Million

 

On the Loucks Project, the turf alone is estimated at $772,000, with Bleachers adding $1.5 Million, new track, $600,000; Lights, $300,000; Site work, $846,000; plus Tennis court reconstruction for $543,918. The overall Loucks reconstruction is put at $6 Million.

 

The $9.4 Million on the stadiums is supposed to be spent within the next year with both fields ready for play by fall 2007.

 

If you take for granted that the cost of the two new synthetic turf fields over 12 years is approximately $800,000, ($783,000 if the cost of the stadiums stays at $9.4 Million)  this means that the district choses to spend $800,000 a year on increasing field usage. No number has ever been estimated as to how many more games would be played or needed for that matter.

 

 For the same $800,000 a year, about eight full-time teachers could be hired for a full 12 years.

 

The Grass Cost: $320,000 vs. $9.4 Million.

 

In contrast, Michael Lynch, Administrator of Buildings and Facilities for the district estimated the cost of maintaining Parker and Loucks Stadiums as grass fields to be $11,480 a year each. Double that and you get a cost of $22,960 a year. Multiply that by 12 years, and you get $275,520 to keep the Parker and Loucks Stadiums grass, but of course you lose the multiple usage the artificial turf gives you.

 

Mr. Lynch also said he would recrown the grass fields once in the next 12 years for a cost of $44,000 for both grass field crowns, bringing the total estimated expenditure for maintaining two grass fields at Parker and Loucks as $320,000. Add say 60% inflation over 12 years and the cost comes to approximately $512,000 over 12 years as opposed to a $9.4 Million expenditure to build new stadia with artificial turf at Loucks and Parker, to increase usage of fields.

 

You could install artificial turf at Loucks and Parker to increase your usage for the $772,000 cost to turf each field only, ($1,544,000)  thus getting your usage and spending far less money. Whether the bleachers would be required by the state  to be improved is in question.

 

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WPCNR School Days. By John F. Bailey. October 16, 2006 UPDATED WITH TOUR PICTURES 11:53 A.M. E.D.T. More Pictures Added 12:15 P.M. E.D.T. UPDATED WITH ENROLLMENT GROWTH CHART 6:00 P.M. E.D.T.:  Citizens attending a tour of Post Road School, hosted by the School District learned Saturday that flooding into the lowest level of the school below grade, was cited as a main reason why the school needs replacing, but when questioned, the Administrator of Facilities and Operations for the district, Mike Lynch said the flooding has been going on in Post Road School for at least 15 years.  A spokesperson for Westchester County Department of Communications today said that neither the County Department of Public Works nor the Environmental offices had ever been notified of this problem by the School District.  The City Department of Public Works Commissioner has not been made available to comment on the condition of the city storm drains.

 

Timothy Connors, Superintendent of Schools, leading a Post Road Autopsy Saturday morning. Mike Lynch, Administrator of Buildings and Facilities explains that city storm drains on Sterling and Soundview Avenues backup into the Post Road ground floor — five times in the last year. Photo, WPCNR News.

 

Visitors were shown the cramped computer lab, a library too small to house the student population, the  cramped, boxy classrooms from the distant past whose layout no longer fits the open classroom style of today that “eats” space with computer installations and the break-away-into-groups teaching modes. The Principal of Post Road, Laura Havis noted that the classrooms no longer fit the state standard size requirements. 

 

The City School District hosted a public briefing and tour Saturday morning at Post Road School to show the public how the 90 year old building has deteriorated, is obsolete and needs to be replaced with a new school built adjacent to it.

The Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors, the architect  Erik Kaeyer of Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson, and construction manager, Nicholas Andreadis of Triton Construction answered questions from less than 10 citizens on the condition of the school, the estimates of construction. Then attendees were taken on a tour of the building.

 

 

City, County Storm Drains Backup Flooding school for years.

 

The flooding Lynch told the group comes from the city storm water drains running down Sterling and Soundview Avenues, and from the County storm water drains on Post Road. Because the school is located at the foot of the hill, the overflow backs up and bubbles up into the boilerroom, first floor classrooms, and even through the water fountain drains. 

 

Cracks and corrossion at base of wall and floor on Post Road first floor hall, adjacent boiler room. Photo, WPCNR News.

 

Room 7 — adjacent to the boiler room, wall on Sterling Avenue side leaks at base and at windows when storm drains cannot handle the flow. All storage, the instructor says is to the center of the room as  a result. Photo, WPCNR News

 

Lynch told this reporter that nothing has been done by either the city or the county to fix the overflow problem in the fifteen years he has been in charge of buildings for the district. The school district has not undertaken any major fixes to relieve the flooding condition either.  In the hour and a half briefing, questions were raised primarily about the estimating of the project.

 

Cramped Boilerroom makes repairs to pipes very difficult. Storm water backs up into the room out into the halls. Photo, WPCNR News.  

 

Replacement of school Due to Rising Enrollment by 2010

 

The Superintendent said that the need to replace Post Road school comes from the addition of 280 students (based on 2005 birthrates), expected to join the district in the year 2010. The additional building of 6 extra classrooms in the new school will bring the capacity of Post Road School up to 600, (currently  Post Road serves approximately 493 students) on a level of the other five district elementaries (in addition to 9 more classrooms which will be leased to BOCES), otherwise he said class sizes would increase. The physical layout of the school was also deemed inadequate and crowded.

 

Enrollment Chart Comparisons showing how Post Road School presently compares to the other White Plains schools in number students and project enrollment as of 2010. Chart was presented to the public prior to the tour. Photo by WPCNR News.

 

The Tour

 

As the tour began Superintendent Connors drew the crowd attention to the narrow hallways, the cramped staircases as being not wide enough to accommodate the elementary school children, and particularly disabled students, (no ramps).  He showed the small classroom dimensions that have existed at Post Road School since 1914, that the architect and the school district agree are too small and no longer adequate.

A Fourth Grade Classroom at Post Road, choc-a-block to the brim. It is home to 20 students. Not all classrooms are this small, but it demonstrates how today’s classroom standards and teaching styles are not met by the Post Road layout. Photo, WPCNR News.

 

Connors Starts the Tour. Notes narrow hallways. Photo, WPCNR News

Narrow Stairs — Not Handicapped Accessible — are obsolete — causing crowded, unsafe conditions. Photo, WPCNR News

 

 

Narrow hallway with students expected to hang coats, backpacks on hooks in corridor, as there is no room for cubby space in the smaller classrooms. Waterfountains back up during heavy rains. Photo, WPCNR News.

 

The library was described as too small, and unnavigable for disabled students, it being split between two floors without an elevator, while lacking storage space. There was also a limited number of computer stations. The library does not provide the media center spaciousness that school libraries today need to accommodate the new information age adequately.

 

The Post Road Library, lower level. Superintendent Connors explains the limited space the library provides for book storage and media center layout. Photo, WPCNR News.

 

Library Reverse Angle from upstairs level, showing what the district feels is limited book space and areas for students.  Note bucket for catching ceiling leaks directly above the genetleman in the red sweater. Photo, WPCNR News.

 

The Library Upstairs. A drawback, according to the superintendent is lack of workstation space as well as lack of handicapped access to the second floor. Photo, WPCNR News.

 

The computer lab had a lot of computers  jam-packed into its claustrophobic “square” room. Computer terminals were touching one another and students, when seated would be elbow-to-elbow. The computer information teacher explained how the cramped computer staging, restricted his ability to move from computer station to computer station quickly due to the close configuration of the seating.

 

Jampacked Computer Lab, makes maneuvering of students and teachers difficult, according to Computer Lab Instructors shown at right. Room, based on WPCNR experience is claustrophobic. Photo, WPCNR News

 

The auditorium was another area that was pointed out as being too small to accommodate the entire school population of 493 students (as of September). It appeared to this reporter more of a setting than a performance center. The superintendent pointed out the coffin-like teacher workroom space that has to serve all the faculty.

 

Auditorium, inadequate for school population of close to 500 children, according to the Superindent of Schools (Center of Picture). Photo, WPCNR News

 

 

 

Christian Reyes, the head custodian  at Post Road School was saluted by Superintendent of Schools Connors for keeping the school looking excellent despite his never-ending battle with flooding from the city and county sewers. Mr. Reyes has done a superb job because the school on Saturday morning looked bright a cheery despite its cracks on the joints of the ground floor. There were no odors and the classrooms I saw were brightly lit, but jam-packed with “stuff.”

 

Christian Reyes, Head Custodian of Post Road School, the man with the difficult job of keeping Post Road School looking as clean as it does, despite coping with floods, mildew, and collateral damage. Photo, WPCNR News.

 

The Chronic Flooding.

 

Mr. Connors upon entering the ground level of the school turned the tour of the subterranean depths of Post Road School to Michael Lynch, who said “The storm sewers hit us this building hard. The storm drains back up. Once last month and four times in the last year.” Because of the chronic funding, Lynch said the school custodial staff is routinely treating the ground floor for “cracks and mold.” Lynch said the storm water drain back up is so serious, the water fountain drains backup. The water fountains at Post Road School, according to the custodian, Mr. Reyes, the fountains drain into the city storm water drains. He also said that during a really heavy storm the sanitary sewers back up too into the toilets. “We have trouble with those, too,” he said.

 

A Post Road teacher, showing off her ground floor level classroom (Room 7), adjacent to the boiler room mentioned how her classroom floods at the windows and through the wall at the base of the class room where wall meets floor, from the storm drain backups. Lynch, showing the boiler room said the boiler room is very small, making pipe replacements difficult, causing repairmen to stand on existing pipes to make repairs in some cases. He showed a sump pump installed to take care of the chronic flooding with a trip switch that triggers the sump pump, when water reaches the tripper.

In courtyard, between Post Road main building and cafeteria/Gymnasium, storm drain backup freezes in winter perpetually creating ice conditions. Reyes said the school put in a drain to prevent the water collecting, but it has not worked.  Photo, WPCNR News.

 

 

 Flooding is more serious on the Sterling Avenue side, as opposed to the Soundview side, Lynch said. Asked afterwards how long the flooding condition had existed, Lynch said, the flooding was happening fifteen years ago when he joined the School district.

 

WPCNR has placed a call to the Mayor’s Office to get Commissioner of Public Works, Joseph Nicoletti’s reaction on the alleged storm drain situation affecting the Post Road School, and contacted the Westchester County Department of Communications to get the county reaction as to why the Post Road  storm water sewers which the School District pointed out are the county responsibility, backup, and if the School District has ever asked for them to address the problem by increasing storm water drain capacities.

 

Donna Greene spokesperson for the Westchester County Department of Communications responded to WPCNR’s question this afternoon, writing,

 

“John, I checked with both  (Westchester County) DPW and Environmental Facilities. Neither has any indication that it ever heard from the school district about this.”

 

 

Post Road School Saturday Morning. Photo, WPCNR News