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.

Hits: 0

WPCNR WEATHER SCOOP. By John F. Bailey. July 24, 2006, UPDATED  JULY 25, 2006 5:35 P.M. In a reversal of yesterday’s policy, the Media Relations Office of Con Edison reports to WPCNR  that citizens who were knocked off line only by Con Edision equipment failure (not BY  wind-related damage)  can file for refunds for food spoilage by downloading a Claims form on the Con Ed website at www.coned.com. Persons not having a computer can call 1-800-75CONED and speak to a customer service representative to get a form mailed out to them, (however, be prepared to go through the voice mail selections for what appears to be at least 5 minutes).

Westchester Residents or Commercial customers suffering equipment damage can file for $350 in food spoilage payments without receipts. If power failure was due to trees falling on wires, your outage is not eligible for food spoilage reimbursement.

If you wish to mail a request for a form, mail it to Con Edison, Claims Department, PO Box 801 New York NY 10276, the representative WPCNR spoke to reports.

Asked if Claims Forms were automatically going to be sent with White Plains residents’ next bills, the representative did not know at this time.

WPCNR also learned that claims forms were available at the Con Edison “Command Center”
 in White Plains last week. However, the representative speaking to WPCNR said that “Command Center” in White Plains is now closed.  At no time last week was WPCNR informed by the city or the county where the Con Edison “Command Center” was.

The representative said that the Claims Form can be drawn up by going on the www.coned.com website, clicking on my account and going down the “drop down” menu to Claims, clicking on claims and clicking on either the “Residential” or “Commercial” Claims forms.

Hits: 0

WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. July 24, 2006: As reported by WPCNR six months ago,  Mary Cavallero, the Chairperson of the White Plains Planning Board, a member of the Board for 17 years,  has resigned effective at the end of August, as she said she would.

Ms. Cavallero is the indefatigable, sharp-tongued, detail-oriented, issues-concious, fearless critiquer of sloppy site plans and relentless challenger of Gucci-shod multi-dollar-a-minute barristers’ loosey-goosey interpretations of zoning ordinances. She is the leader of the Planning Board who took  sophisticated but ordinance-challenged architects “to school” monthly — catching mistakes in math, interpretation and uncreative design.

She with Robert Stackpole, John Garment, Carols Roskol were the defenders of last resort of neighborhoods and residents’ interests on many projects. She resigned in a letter to the Mayor as of July 1. Unlike certain persons in elected positions who miss things in site plans (like possibility of sewage catastrophes), Ms. Cavellero read every word of every proposal and studied site plans on her own time and raised hard issues no matter how rich, how well-connected the presenters were. Her letter:

July 1, 2006

Hon. Joseph M. Delfino

City of White Plains

255 Main Street

White Plains, NY 10601

Dear Mayor Delfino:

As you know, I announced at the December, 2005 meeting that serving on the Planning Board has become difficult as I have increased my teaching responsibilities. This purpose of this letter is to formally summit my resignation from the Planning Board, effective at the end of the August, 2006 meeting.

Over the last seventeen years, I have truly enjoyed serving the citizens of White Plains. White Plains is a wonderful city and my love for it has grown as I learned more about it.

I want to complement you and the members of the Common Council for not interfering with the work of the Planning Board. As a result, you have received our honest recommendations on all matters that are referred to us.

Sincerely,

 Mary Cavallero

cc: Hon. Members of the Common Council

     Eileen McClain       

Hits: 0

WPCNR WEATHER SCOOP. July 22, 2006: As of 8:45 P.M. Saturday evening, Con Edison spokesperson Chris Olert reported to WPCNR that 69 White Plains homes are still without electricity, and 631 homes in the rest of the county are without power. Con Edison has reconnected 862 homes in White Plains in 24 hours, at the rate of 35 an hour, and appears on target for completing their commitment to Mayor Joseph Delfino that White Plains would be completely back “on” by Sunday.  Saturday morning extensive work was seen in the Gedney Farms area, one of the hardest hit areas. Olert said an additional 1,800 homes in Yonkers were knocked out by Friday evening’s storms, by as night fell, only 700 remain powerless throughout the county.

Hits: 0

WPCNR WEATHER SCOOP. July 21, 2006, 11:30 P.M. E.D.T.: Though thunderstorms hampered Con Edison and White Plains Department of Public Works cruise earlier this evening, the city succeeded in opening up the Havilands Manor neighborhood and Con Edison has restored power to 65 more homes since 7 P.M. As of 11:30 Friday evening, D. Joy Faber, Con Edision Media Relations reports 935 White Plains residences remain without power. Faber said Con Edison will be working throughout the weekend to restore those homes. Faber said invididual house and yard connections where there are trees down in power lines to the houses constitute the vast majorty of homes still affected.

Hits: 0

WPCNR PRESS BOX. By John F. Bailey. July 21, 2006. UPDATED 6:40 P.M. E.D.T.: As reported by WPCNR last week, Geoffrey Thompson, spokesperson for Louis Cappelli, the Super Developer, announced today Mr. Cappelli has asked his Louis Cappelli Foundation board to donate $1 Million to the renovation of Loucks Field in White Plains. Thompson, at this point describes the gift as cash. To date, Mr. Cappelli is the only corporate citizen of White Plains who has stepped to aid the School District on the High School athletic field project. The city government has not indicated it will match the gift in any way at this time.

Paul Wood, City Executive Officer, contacted WPCNR at 5:30 to clarify that the $1 Million may be a contribution “in kind,” and the form of it had not been “finalized” yet. Wood also said that the city was responsible for the gift, because Mr. Cappelli had asked the city recently what he could do for the city, (in connection with his enthusiasm at building 221 Main beyond his site plan approval). Wood said the city suggested Cappelli contribute to the school district.

Mr. Cappelli contributed $1 Million to Grace Church last year for renovation of Samaritan House, the women’s shelter, whose residents have reportedly been housed elsewhere. When first announced,  the gift was reported to be cash, but WPCNR learned that it was in “in kind” services, design of renovations and construction of the renovation, which is under way. While Mr. Cappelli’s firm is renovating, his construction crews are using the Grace Church driveway for delivery of cement to the 221 Main project.

.

Cappelli the man behind the Rennaissance in White Plains, the philanthropist who has contributed approximately $12 Million to White Plains in the last five years since he came to town, has stepped up to donate yet another gift.

The renovation of the White Plains High School Loucks Field will add a state-of-the-art-track, soccer, football, field hockey and lacrosse artificial turf playing surface, new spectator stands, press box, lights and dressing rooms to the site of the New York State Loucks Games was put last night by Triton Construction Corporation as $5,777, 742. The school district apprised of the gift by the city last week, had been hoping it would defray the escalating cost of the capital construction bond put last night at $70 Million, and calculated to go up 2% a quarter before construction begins.

Mike Graessle, chair of the Capital Projects Committee last night, held open the possibility that  the committee is leaning to eliminating the artificial turf and stands at the Middle School Highlands Parker Stadium (a cost of $3,672,717), and spending substantially less on redoing the stands at Parker in order to bring down the cost of the bond.

The Cappelli gift defrays $1 Million of the High School Field Cost, and should the district trim the Parker Stadium cost  below a million, the bond could be cut by $3.5 Million, and state aid of $2.5 Million could cut the bond back to under $65 Million. To date the Capital Projects Committee has not indicated what projects other than the two athletic fields they will recommend cutting, if any cuts are even being anticipated. A $66 Million Bond Issue, including Loucks Field renovation would cost $66 additional taxes to owners of a $15,000 Assessed house, beginning in 2007-2008