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 COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. August 9, 2005: County Executive Andy Spano has sent a letter to White Plains residents, announcing the planned transformation of the Open Arms Shelter on West Post Road into a daytime drop-in center for the homeless. No further details are available.

The shelter will be transformed with a $2 Million grant for the program, Spano has titled “Project Trust.” Instead of being dropped on the streets after being bused from the County Airport Drop-in Shelter, residents would be dropped at the Open Arms Shelter (where they are picked up nightly each evening to be bused to the county drop-in shelter at the airport.)

Spano says the concept of the program was supported by White Plains’ Planning and Public Safety Commissioners when it was applied for by the county last year.

The Mayor’s Office of White Plains in the aftermath of the murder of Concetta Russo-Carriero, criticized the county for not monitoring homeless people during the day in White Plains, and advocated for a place for the homeless to spend time during the day, was asked by WPCNR for a comment as to whether it still supported such a day shelter to be in White Plains at Open Arms. They may be in the process of formulating a statement.

The County Department of Communications has been asked when the Open Arms shelter would open for the day services, and has not responded.

Spano remarks in the letter that the county Public Safety Commissioner is now under instructions to inform the White Plains Police when homeless persons known to be Level 3 Sex Offenders are released in the city. Phil Reisman, a Journal News columnist had revealed level 3 sex offenders were staying at the County drop-in shelter about a month before the murder in a column, even receiving an anonymous tip that Philip Grant was staying there.

Here is the text of the Spano letter received by White Plains residents:

August 2, 2005,

Dear White Plains Resident,

Since the death of Concetta Russo-Carriero in White Plains last month there has been

much publicity and some misconceptions about the County’s homeless policy.

I am writing to clarify our position and to update you on what the County is doing to further protect all our residents.

Much has been said, erroneously, that the County is “busing” homeless people into White Plains each day. This is not true. In fact, the Volunteers of America, under contract with the County Department of Social Services, take the homeless who are in White Plains during the day, out of the city at night to sleep in the drop-in center at the airport. In the morning, they are returned to where they were picked up. The policy was started in the 1980s after a homeless person froze to death on the streets. Westchester is not required by law to have this program. We do it not only because it is the humane thing to do for the homeless, but also to eliminate what could be a nuisance or a threat to our residents. Without it, these transient people would wander the streets, the downtown and the neighborhoods of White Plains at night. They would not stop coming to White Plains because as in many other cities across the nation, street people tend to congregate in cities where they can find food, transportation and services.

Since the horrific crim at the muniucipal garage, we have added a number of measures to try to improve safety for White Plains residents. I directed Westchester County’s Commissioner of Public Safety to notify White Plains Police when we discover that a street person picked up in White Plains is a Level 3 sex offender (not so easy to do because not everyone carries identification). As of today, there were no known sex offenders using the drop-in center.

Also of concern is what these transient homeless do during the daytime. To address this, our Department of Community Mental health last year applied for a federal grant to partner with Grace Church’s Open Arms and other agencies to provide daytime services. The grant application was supported by the White Plains City Planning Commissioner, the White Plains Public Safety Commissioner and the White Plains Library.

I am pleased to announce that just last month we were awarded a $2 Million grant, over five years, for “Project Trust.” This means that Open Arms will operate a daytime drop-in center, 365 days a year to target homeless people living on White Plains streets (and sleeping in the County’s overnight center) to provide them with services, food, clothing, bathrooms, showers and medical care. The purpose is to convince them to participate in and enter our shelter system and get them off the streets.

In our regular shelter system, the homeless can get job counseling and training, mental health, drug and/or alcohol treatment and participate in other programs designed to help them become self-sufficient and thus less of a risk to society. Our programs are working, which is why the homeless population in Westchester continues to decline while that of other counties increases. But we cannot force our transient homeless into the shelter system.

Nor can we force sex offenders like Philip Grant, who is charged with Mrs. Russo-Carriero’s murder, to be confined under current state law. That is why I have asked the Governor and State Legislature to call a special session to pass a civil commitment law. Under such a law, sex offenders who are deemed to be dangerous and likely to strike again can be confined even after their jail sentence ends.

If such a law were in place, I believe Philip Grant would not have been free to commit the horrible murder of Concetta Russo-Carriero. Her family thinks so too and is lobbying for civil commitment.

I would urge you to visit our website at www.westchestergov.com to learn more about civil commitment and to e-mail our legislators. I hope this information is of help to you and if you have any questions, please contact my office at (914) 995-2127.

Sincerely,

Andrew J. Spano

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WPCNR PRESS BOX. Special to WPCNR From Dayna Dixon, Chicago Bandits. August 7, 2005 (Edited): Outside it may have seemed like a perfect day, but to Bandit fans a storm had rolled into the ballpark.  The first place Chicago Bandits lost the final game of the series to the fourth place New York Juggernaut 5-1. The five New York runs were scored in just one painful inning for the Bandits.

The game started off as a pitcher’s duel.  Both Bandit Lauren Bay and Juggernaut Peaches James recorded 5 strikeouts each in just the first three innings.  James finished the game with 8 strikeouts and zero walks while giving up 4 hits and will move up just behind 2nd ranked Bay for wins.  After this game, Bay has 13 wins and James will now have 12. The fourth Place Juggernaut remain within striking distance of the First Place Bandits, 4-1/2 games off the pace, and tightened up the 4 team race for the NPF Playoffs. Akron drew within 1 game of the Bandits, and the third place Texas Thunder are within 2 games.

Bay was not the only Bandits pitcher to get some action.  Both Amy Harre
and Gina Oaks came in for the last 2.2 innings, but were not able to
repair the dent New York had made in the fifth inning.

In the second inning, Juggernaut Ryan Realmuto dove back to first when
catcher Mackenzie Vandergeet attempted to pick her off first base, but it
was too far off for Gina Oaks to grab.  The ball was deflected off of the
umpire’s body to prevent it from going to right field and allowing
Realmuto to advance.  A couple pitches later Realmuto was successful at
stealing second base.

Jaclyn Pasquerella worked the pitcher in the third inning by staying in
the batter’s box for 9 pitches.  Bay finally sent her to the dugout with a
swinging and a miss for strike three.

Although the pitchers started out hot, the game took a turn in the bottom
of the fourth inning when the Bandits scored first.

Bandit Gina Oaks ended the series of zeros on the score board with a
single into left field.  Jaime Clark followed with a double to the fence
in center that brought Oaks home for her 18th RBI, bringing the score to
1-0.  Vandergeest hit a shot to first baseman Jodie Cox who caught the
line drive.  Juggernaut Natasha Watley ended the inning by cleaning
fielding Lindsay Hamma’s ground ball.

The Bandits ran into deep trouble in the top of the fifth inning.  Alicia
Smith started it up with a single to advance Chelsea Spencer and Jodie
Cox.  When Jackie Pasquerella came up to bat, the bases were loaded with
no outs, giving her the opportunity to open up the flood gates.

3-run Throwing Error.

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WPCNR PRESS BOX. Special to WPCNR From Dayna Dixon, Chicago Bandits. August 5, 2005: The Juggernaut turned to their former Acette Friday night to wrench a game from the NPF league-leading Chicago Bandits. Amazing Amanda Scott, pitching coach for the Nauts for the first eight weeks of the season, showed her protegees how it’s done twirling a 4-hitter, stranding three Bandits on the bags in the 7th to nail down the win at Benedictine University Stadium outside Chicago.

AMANDA SCOTT BACK IN THE CIRCLE AGAIN. File Photo, Courtesy NY Juggernaut.

Trina Peel walked stole second and moved to third, scoring on a wild pitch by Amy Harre in the Naut fourth for the only run Amanda needed. Jackie Pasquerella plated Trina with the second Naut tally in the seventh with a two out single after Trina had doubled. The 4th Place Nauts hung in the National Pro Fast Pitch race moving to 26-8, “peeling” the First Place Bandit lead to 4-1/2 games, and 3 in the AILC (All-Important Loss Column).

National Pro Fastpitch Standings August 6, 2005

                                         W       L     Pct.    Games Behind

Chicago Bandits                33       5     .868            —-

Akron Racers                    30      6      .833              2

Texas Thunder                   28       8     .778              4

New York Juggernauts      26       8     .765               4-1/2

Arizona Heat                     23      12     .657              8-1/2

New England Riptide         22      16      .579              11

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. August 5, 2005: Mike Gismondi, Commissioner of Building for the City of White Plains, assured WPCNR Tuesday evening that though plastic pipe can now installed in buildings six stories or 75 feet high in the city, that the Cappelli Hotel structure, currently planned for six stories, 200-plus rooms,  would not be permitted to use the plastic pipe.

Mike Gismondi, Commissioner of Building, right, shown at first presentation of the Louis Cappelli 221 Main Street dual tower and hotel project, December, 2004. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.

Plastic pipe was granted building code-legal status in the city when the Common Council accepted the revised Supplementary Building Code Tuesday afternoon, 6-0. The new ordinance permitting the conditions under which plastic pipe may now be used, appearing in the section labeled “Materials” reads:

(1) Plastic plumbing materials are not permitted for installation in buildings in the City of White Plains exceeding six stories above grade, or seventy-five feet in height above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access, whichever is lower.

The Compromise according to Councilman Tom Roach, was brokered by Councilman Robert Greer as a means of helping individual homeowners save money by being able to install plastic pipe in their homes, while prohibiting use of plastic pipe in high rise buildings, which arose as an issue over the last two weeks, raised by the plumbers union and firefighters.

Speculation reached the CitizeNetReporter, that, even though Louis Cappelli has stated repeatedly he would not use plastic pipe in his buildings because it was not appropriate for a luxury building, that Cappelli would use the plastic pipe in the hotel portion of his building.

Commissioner Gismondi, when asked by WPCNR if this was legal even if the hotel were only six stories, said plastic pipe was not permitted because the hotel and the double high rise condominiums were part of one building, one foundation, and you could not mix and match iron pipe and plastic pipe.

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WPCNR Quill & Eyeshade. By John F. Bailey. August 5, 2005: Paul Wood, White Plains Executive Officer announced to WPCNR Wednesday evening that the city had made its budget numbers for the fiscal year 2004-2005 showing a surplus of approximately $2 million.

Paul Wood, White Plains Executive Officer. Photo, WPCNR News

Wood did not give the exact amount of the surplus the city had collected, but said it was the first surplus in many years. Wood said the county mortgage tax collected on real estate sales had come in at over $4 Million, creating the surplus.

The 2004-2005 budget figures had recognized $2,257,023 in county mortgage tax receipts  as of December 31, and according to Wood has approximately doubled  “to over $4  million” over the last six months of fiscal 2004-05, (ending June 30).Wood did not say how the surplus would be applied to the 2005-2006 budget. The 2005-2006 budget (as passed) counts on only $2,200,000 from the mortgage tax.

Wood said the final sales tax figure had come in slightly below $41.5 million but a higher-than-expected mortgage tax “handle” had enabled the city to meet its budget with a surplus.  The sales tax budgeted for 2004-2005 was $37,800,000, and as of December 31, 2004, had reached $20,878,181. With Wood’s disclosure Wednesday it would appear, if the budget ends up at “slightly below $41.5 million,” that sales tax for the last six months of 2004-2005, was exactly even with the first half. This is good, from the city standpoint, considering you have no holiday shopping season from January to June.

By WPCNR rough estimate sales tax collections for 2004-2005, ending at approximately $41.5 Million means that sales tax rose about 10% year to year from 2003-2004 to 2004-2005. With the expected opening of Wal Mart in January, this should bode well for the city.

Asked when the actual quarterly city performance numbers would be released, Wood said they would be forthcoming.