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 Greenway Ranger. By John F. Bailey. March 25, 2006. UPDATED March 26, 2006 1:20 A.M. E.S.T. UPDATED March 27, 9:10 A.M. E.S.T.: An outpouring of approximately 80-85 White Plains residents rallied for their Greenway Saturday morning, to hear Jack Harrington, “Father of the Greenway” describe the history of the Greenway (the former N.Y. Westchester & Boston Railway track bed, now a park) and point out why the 9 properties alongside Railside Avenue should not be divested by the City of White Plains as planned. 

Councilpersons Rita Malmud and Tom Roach called for a citizen campaign to change the minds of Councilpersons Arnold Bernstein, Benjamin Boykin, Robert Greer, and Glen Hockley, as well as Mayor Jospeh Delfino whom they reported today are going to vote to approve the sale of the lands April 3.

Saturday evening Benjamin Boykin told WPCNR bid on the property would be opened 5 P.M. Tuesday and the winning bids for the property announced to the Council Wednesday. He said he planned to attend the Monday night meeting of the Rocky Dell/Reynal Park Association.

Sunday Councilperson Rita Malmud advised WPCNR, “I do not have any firm info on when the bids for the Railside lots will be opened and the winning bid announced.  It is possible that it is Thursday of this coming week, and it is possible that the Council vote on the sale of the property will be on our April 3 agenda.”

The March to Stop the Railside Sell-Off. Behind the 80 or so marchers on a crisp, brooding 45 degree morning that chilled a reporter’s hands, is the 30-foot high ridge of the compost pile of the city dump that Jack Harrington in the brown jacket, “Father of the Greenway,” marching with Councilperson Rita Malmud in the yellow jacket said was composed of years of ashes from the former city incinerator. Harrington also noted that removal of trees from the Railside lots, once sold, would expose the unsightly compost pile to Greenway users, deteriorating the appeal of the Greenway trail as a park. Photo, WPCNR News

Newsconference: Rita Malmud, Anne Jordan-Duffy, Jack Harrington, “Father of the Greenway,” Paul Piekos, President of the Rocky Dell, Reynal Park Neighborhood Association and Councilman Tom Roach.Councilpersons Rita Malmud and Tom Roach called for citizen contact with their other four councilpersons who were not present at the rally and planned to vote for the land sale April 3 to turn around the sale. 

Photo, WPCNR News.

County Legislator Ryan told WPCNR afterwords he was going to have the County Planning Department render an opinion on the sale because the city move violated the county policy of acquiring property “contiguous” to parkland when such property became available for sale. Photo, WPCNR News

Taking questions in a adlib news conference, Councilperson Malmud said the lands would be up for approval of their sales at the April 3 meeting of the Common Council. Asked by Dennis Power of the Westchester County Department of Economic Development, and former candidate for Mayor why Mr. Roach and Mrs. Malmud did not call a Special Meeting of the Common Council to head off the sale instead of allowing the sale to come to a vote, Mrs. Malmud responded she and Mr. Roach did not have the votes yet to overturn the sale policy.

 Mrs. Malmud urged residents to lobby her colleagues: Arnold Bernstein, Benjamin Boykin, Robert Greer and Glen Hockley to change their votes to deny the sales, April 3.  The Railside Sell-Off was planned and suggested by the Budget & Management Committee last spring  to contribute a one-time only $2.7 Million towards the current budget when revenues were not coming up to expectations.

Tom Roach called the sale of the lands “ridiculous.” He said the tax benefit from building homes on the nine properties was neglibile, amounting to about $80,000 a year. He said the only reason to sell the properties was to bring in money. Roach said, the city instead should concentrate “not on bringing money in, but on what’s going out.”

Ryan to Bring in County Planning Department for an Opinion.

County Legislator Bill Ryan, a White Plains resident, said the sale plan was a barometer on “where the city’s going, where the city stands on development, and as a city that regards the environment.” Ryan said he plans to ask the County Planning Department this week to take a position on the White Plains sell-off because it goes against the Westchester County policy of acquiring land “contiguous”(bordering) to parkland when such adjacent lands came up for sale.

Ryan noted that this was the same battle residents had to fight in Woodcrest Heights three years ago to preserve the woods beneath the heights from massive development.

Anne Jordan-Duffy, a spokesperson for the rally, said residents needed to bring their friends and show up at the 7 P.M. Monday meeting of the Rocky Dell-Reynal Park Neighborhood Association at Ridgeway School Monday when Councilpersons Arnold Bernstein, Benjamin Boykin, and Glen Hockley, all currently reported as Yes votes for the sales will be in attendance. Mr. Greer, battling Lou Gehrig’s Disease, ALS, and wheelchair bound is not expected to attend, but that is not confirmed.

Jordan-Duffy also urged residents to write letters to the councilpersons urging the sales not be completed, and to show up at the April 3 Common Council Citizens to be Heard portion of the Common Council meeting, as well as the regular council meeting, if a public hearing is scheduled.

Going Down? Too Late to Save:  Mr. Harrington said this lot on the East side of Railside Avenue, already sold by the council, if developed into a homesite would eliminate the trees that currently block the ugly compost mound, seen vaguely in the background this morning, because of the trees. Harrington said neighbors on Railside and walkers on the Greenway would see the compost mound when and if development took place. Photo, WPCNR News

As citizens threw questions at Mrs. Malmud and Mr. Roach, one resident raised a question about how the council could do something allegedly  illegal as not properly informing the neighborhood of the plans to sell the lots, Mrs. Malmud said, “The council can do anything illegal if they have the votes.” This brought uneasy laughter from the crowd. Asked by WPCNR if she wanted to rephrase that answer for the press, Ms. Malmud laughed, and so did most of the crowd.

Speaking with organizers afterward, they placed their faith in being able to convince the councilpersons in favor of the sale that the neighborhood did not want the land sold.

One resident asked if Mrs. Malmud and Mr. Roach could bring legal action and stop the sale as Mrs. Malmud did with other citizens to block movie theaters by mounting a suit that contended the former Hole in the Ground (filled with rainwater at the time) was “wetlands.”  Marc Pollitzer said that legal action could be mounted, however he noted an expensive bond about $50,000 had to be put up by individual citizens bringing the suit. 

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WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. March 24, 2006 UPDATED 7 P.M. E.S.T., 9:00 A.M., March 25, 2006, UPDATED Saturday, March 25, 5:33 P.M. E.S.T. Updated 1:14 A.M. March 26, 2006 UPDATED MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2006 4:30 P.M. E.ST.:  Mayor Joseph Delfino issued a statement Friday welcoming Moodys Investor Services announcement that the bond rating agency has removed the Negative Outlook from city bonds. The Mayor said the Moodys decision prooves that criticisms of the city financial policies of his administration were just “rhetoric.”

The reprieve on the negative outlook appears to have come from a new analyst, Lisa Cole,  assigned by Moodys to evaluate the City of White Plains. The previous analyst who assigned the negative outlook, primarily because of expenses running ahead of revenues and excessive use of fund balance to balance the budget was Edith Behr.

The Moody’s report on the new issue of $7.8 Million in bonds was posted to the Moody’s website Monday, March 27 as of 11:25 A.M. E.S.T.

Mayor Jospeh Delfino. November, 2005. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.

In an official statement released through the Mayor’s office Friday afternoon at 4:12 P.M., the Mayor hailed a return to normalcy: “This is certainly welcome news, but more than that it is a testament to the fiscal health of the City of White Plains. Moody’s has confirmed that they will remove the negative outlook, and affirmed our bond rating at AA1. The ‘doomsday’ scenario predicted by many has been exposed as rhetoric. The future of the City of White Plains remains bright, and this report from Moody’s is a clear indicator of that.”

David Maloney, Strategic Area Development Officer Grants Coordinator of The Mayor’s Office reported earliery that city hall efforts at balancing the budget have passed muster with the Moody’s Financial Services (the national bond rating agency)  committee which rates the city’s bonds.

Maloney said Friday the city was notified that Moody’s has withdrawn the negative rating they gave the city’s bonds two years ago, and affirmed the city’s bonds’ Double A-1 rating. Mr. Maloney had no further details  from Moody’s on the positive things the bond-rating agency saw that prompted them to remove the negative outlook — the source of much criticism from financial critics of the city. 

Not Posted on Moodys website.

However, as of Saturday evening, the Moodys website has not published any notice that the negative outlook has been lifted from the city’s bonds, though other ratings changes made Friday March 24 were posted as of 6 P.M. Friday. Persons familiar with the way the Moodys publishes rating changes remark that as soon as ratings are changed they are published on the website.

Councilman Benjamin Boykin told WPCNR Saturday evening that usually Moodys will call a company to advise them of any change in their rating and that a report will be coming out shortly.

Moodys could not be reached for an explanation. The Mayor’s Office also could not be reached to find out how they learned this information. (In 2004 when the negative outlook was assigned city bonds, the Mayor’s Office repressed this information from the Common Council and the Budget and Management Committee for approximately six weeks. The negative rating came as a shock to the Common Council.)

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WPCNR PHOTOGRAPH OF THE DAY. By the WPCNR Roving Photographer: March 24, 2006: The White Plains Tigers Softball Team emerged from Hangar 51 at White Plains High School for their first outdoor practice this week. The Roving Photographer captures the promise of that first outdoor practice on O’Donnell’s Bluff. The ball club plays in Utica this Sunday, weather permitting in a series of scrimmages against some top ball clubs.

Good Old Ball Days

Lace those cleats, adjust that do, pound that glove

The sun is smiling, warming frozen fields with its love.

Shadows shorten promise new thrills on the infield buff

The Tigers in the Rough have returned to O’Donnell’s Bluff.

Crack of steel on yellow cowhide

Drives hard hops cross chilled infield dirt

Unruly sharp March winds blow in spring’s flirt

 Unseasoned dirt cuffs balls into bad hops, darters to the side.

Ponytail hopefuls cavort, chatter and revel on awakening diamond

Striding and dashing for the first time between the lines of distinction

Where spectators wish they could be but only they, the determined

Have been chosen to follow in the tradition of Tiger conviction.

Lazy cans of corn soar into frowning spring skies,

Long legs stretch and dash cross endless outfields

Frisking like colts, the forever young rejoice in softball’s yields,

Spearing fungos and drives in outreached gloves,  snaring flies.

Perfecting the nonchalance from which to spring into fleet flight

To the edge of the earth, back, back back for the long majestic drive,

Weaving in wary crouch to speed, to dive, to backhand with majestic hand sleight

The joy of knowing you could, you might, you can – what delight!

In sweatshirts and sporting faces flushed by rawhide breezes,

These elite have returned filling, warming the lonely diamond with their laughters

Their talents, dedicating  themselves to the new season’s discoveries

The growth, the achievement the heartbreak, the triumph of softball daughters.

Blank scoreboard sits patiently awaiting games to begin

When its impartial realty shatters, disappoints, grooms, exalts and boasts.

But for now, the Tigers in the Rough delight in going flat out for the first time

On the field rich with names they remember, aspiring to follow the Tiger ghosts.

— Fastpitch Johnny

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WPCNR The Parking News  By John F. Bailey. March 23, 2006: Councilman Tom Roach’s suggestion that the city of White Plains license valet parking, is a thought already being turned into action by Denver, Houston, Boston, Palo Alto, Santa Monica, and is now being considered seriously by Charlotte, North Carolina and Washington, D.C.  Many of these cities cited the congestion valet parking was creating as the reason for regulating the nightly procedures.

The Valet Zone: Licensing to Come? Photo, WPCNR News

WPCNR research has found  cities just like White Plains are having problems with restaurants in burgeoning new downtowns using city right of ways they do not own to enhance their draw at city expense and motorists’ inconvenience. Charlotte is attempting to do something about it, and so is Washington, D.C. Cities which have already jumped on the valet renegade operations use a variety of fees and strict regulations  to keep them in line. One of the key provisions of most plans is the requirement the valet operator/restaurant/business carry insurance, as well as the company parking the cars.

With Traffic Commissioner Tom Soyk giving valet parking at the City Center a positive evaluation, and promising to make traffic signage more clear at the Main and Mamaroneck intersection, Roach suggested the city license valet parking now operating at other locations in the city, which are not under Mr. Soyk’s scrutiny or the city presently, being “maverick” operations, according to Soyk. Soyk is shown at the head of the table giving the City Center valet operation a vote of confidence. Photo, WPCNR News

Tom Roach proposing the licensing idea to Mayor Joseph Delfino Tuesday evening. The Mayor felt there were no problems with valet parking as presently executed in the city, and he did not want to dwell at long length on the licensing issue, attempting to head Mr. Roach off at the pass. But, Mr. Roach made his point, and Mr. Soyk is going to draft some legislation.  Photo, WPCNR News.

Let’s take a look at Some Valet Licensing Practices:

In Boston, time limits on how long a vehicle can be parked waiting to be parked are set. Beantown requires records to be maintained for each car parked; permits are issued for one year, and renewable. As of November, 2003,  Boston charged $40 per linear foot of curb space used for the permit, and $150 per sign for a five year period.

For example if one parking space was 20 feet long and “Cheers” used 10 spaces for their “holding queue” the fee would be $8,000 a year. Plus the restaurant and business would have to pay the establishment where they were parking the cars if they did not have their own lot or were using a city lot.

Reading Boston’s valet parking permit regulations indicates White Plains has to look at creating valet parking areas where the cars are eventually parked; perhaps consider shared valet parking zones, and insurance issues. Boston does not allow parking at street meters.

When Palo Alto enacted a Valet Parking ordinance in 1999, the fees were similar to Boston’s: $450 permit application, $74 annual permit renewal; $220 short-term permit; $35 per space per week for on-street parking spaces (for the valet parking zone); $150 per valet parking sign fee and a $30 penalty for unauthorized parking in on-street valet parking spaces.

When Santa Monica was drawing up their ordinance in 2001, they recommended $1,750 per valet location, and a space use fee of .50 per hour of valet operation annualized upfront. Santa Monica projected a $50,000 revenue from the 17 operations expected, and that was 5 years ago. They also opted for a uniform rate, so motorists could not congest traffic by “shopping” for the least expensive valet rate.

In Houston, valet parking regs were enacted in 2003. Businesses there must apply for a valet zone permit for $100 a year. Valet companies in that city which operate the valet parking for businesses that offer it must pay $1,000 the first year and $750 each additional year. Houston also requires the valet companies operating the nightly drop-offs and returns to maintain liability coverage of a  minimum of $300,000, and perform a criminal background check on their “Kookies.” (Remember Edd Byrnes as the Parkboy on 77 Sunset Strip?)

In the mile-high city of Denver, they have a most specific ordinance which can be read at www.denvergov.org/parking_Management/template311681.asp.  The ordinance allows the valet offering establishment two meter spaces (40 feet) for their valet zone included in the excise and license application fees. And Additional meter spaces for more than a 40 foot zone are purchasable for the annual meter time request for one year upfront about $2,500 back in 2001 when the ordinance was enacted. This is in addition to the fees the establishment will have to pay for the private parking area where the cars will eventually be parked. 

The issues are many: hours of operation; method of operation; how much of the street is given over; insurance; who parks the cars; where they are parked; the routes the cars take to and from the valet zone; signage; licensing fees; and potential revenue and enforcement penalties for violations.

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WPCNR DETOUR DAILY. From Westchester Department of Communications. March 22, 2006:  Portions of Old Mamaroneck Road, between Mamaroneck Avenue and Scarsdale line, will be closed weekdays in both directions beginning March 23 until April 21 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

This is part of a county construction project to reconstruct Old Mamaroneck Road.  The project is scheduled for completion by September 20.  The roadway improvements planned for Old Mamaroneck Road include rehabilitation and repair of roadway pavement and shoulders, installation of new drainage structures, new pavement striping and utility work.

Detours will be posted for these closures.  Motorists are advised to seek alternate routes as delays will be expected when approaching this location during construction hours.  Minor delays may also occur to Bee-Line Bus Routes 60 and 63.

            For additional information on this project, contact Westchester County Department of Public Works at 995-2555 or log on to http://www.westchestergov.com/dpw