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 PICTURES IN TIME. December 29, 2003: The White Plains CitizeNetReporter continues its review of the big stories of the year in White Plains during the year 2003 for the months of March and April.

THE COMMON COUNCIL WAS HELD SPELL BOUND at the first March Work Session when Duncan Webb, the city theatre consultant present the Request for Proposal and operating plan for the White Plains Performing Arts Center.

MACK CARTER, (second from right), Executive Director of the White Plains Housing Authority, using shuttle diplomacy, worked out a plan with Susan Habel, Commissioner of Planning, and the tenants association of Winbrook to solve the dispute over where to put build a new headquarters for the White Plains Housing Authority.

FORT HILL PLAYERS staged “The Real Thing” at Rochambeau School.

THE SAINT PATRICK’S DAY PARADE

NITA LOWEY HELD HEARING ON COUNTY EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, exposing government footdragging on funds and supplies to county police and fire departments.

WHITE PLAINS HIGH SOFTBALL TEAM continued its winning tradition.

“MR. NUMBERS,” Richard Lasselle, Assistant Superintendent for Business, of the White Plains City School District sold White Plains on his last school budget, convincing the electorate to approve a $134.6 Million School Budget for 2003-04, up from $126.9 Million in 2002-03. Lasselle retired at the end of July after eight years with the school district. Lasselle was succeeded by Terrance Schruers in August.

TARA POLLARD THREW A PERFECT GAME for the White Plains Tigers, shutting out Yorktown, 2-0 at White Plains, retiring 21 hitters in a row. Carrie Abbott saved the perfect-0 with a backhand stab in the 7th. Ted O’Donnell’s fastpitch team had a very good year with a new cast of characters.

A CONDOMINIUM was proposed and approved for Windsor Terrace, to be built by Frank Cantatore’s construction company, continuing the gentrification of the Eastview neighborhood. Cantatore agreed to contribute a sum for an affordable housing downpayment fund in lieu of setting aside units for affordable housing.

AN ATTEMPT BY THE TOWN OF GREENBURGH TO CO-OPT THE 10603 ZIP CODE WAS BLOCKED BY AN ANGRY Mayor Delfino.

EMPLOYEES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS POSED FOR PHOTO OP WITH MAYOR DELFINO AS THEY WERE ALL HONORED AS EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH FOR THEIR SNOW REMOVAL PERFORMANCE IN THE CITY DURING THE 02-03 WINTER.

COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC SAFETY, DR. FRANK STRAUB announced a Safe Streets Campaign to enforce speeding, seatbelt, cellphone laws, and curb reckless driving within the city limits. Within 2 months the city police had issued 2,400 Speeding tickets and approximately 6,000 citations. The police issued 600 speeding tickets in the first 14 days, at some stretches, violations were running at 25 violations an hour.

WORK BEGAN ON DEMOLITION OF THE FORMER FOUNTAIN PLAZA to create Renaissance Plaza at Mamaroneck and Main.

WHITE PLAINS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER space began to take shape at City Center Construction.

EBERSOLE RINK held its annual Ice Show. Ally Solinger is in the spotlight.

GROUNDBREAKING FOR RENAISSANCE PLAZA. The genial Louis Cappelli announced the beginning of Renaissance Plaza construction in late April.

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WPCNR PICTURES IN TIME. By John F. Bailey. December 26, 2003: Over the next week, WPCNR will be reviewing the big stories of 2003, as told in pictures on WPCNR week-by-week. In today’s first installment, WPCNR presents January and February of 2003:

AT MIDNIGHT, THE MAYOR’S NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY FEATURED A BALL DROP AT MAIN & Mamaroneck Avenues, complete with GALA at the Westcester Arts Council at Martine & Main.

ADAM BRADLEY began his political career, being sworn in by Judge Jo Ann Friia  as Assemblyman for the New York 89th Assembly District, after primarying and beating Naomi Matusow in a primary in September, 2002 by 23 votes. He easily won the General Election. Now, Mr. Bradley is touted by many as a candidate for Mayor of White Plains in 2005, or as a future State Senator.

IN JANUARY, 03, CITY BUDGET DIRECTOR EILEEN EARL noted the declining state of White Plains Budget finances, and raised a question of whether the state is returning to White Plains all the sales tax revenue it is entitled to receive. WPCNR found that according to finance directors in New Rochelle and Yonkers,  the state does not audit its collection and distribution of sales tax revenues. Earl also warned White Plains it was cutting too deeply into its fund balance that was project at $4.2 Million at the conclusion of 02/03. A scant one month later, Ms. Earl abruptly resigned.

COUNTY EXECUTIVE ANDY SPANO blamed Westchester County’s budget deficit on state mandated medicaid increases, called for a capping of medicaid payments. The situation was not addressed by the state legislature and one year later, Mr. Spano is asking for another 1% sales tax increase to balance his budget. 

HEAVY SNOWS AND COLD on January 16-17 froze over Silver Lake.

IN FEBRUARY, Louis Cappelli after puchasing the Halpern-owned 221 Main Street parcel in late 2002, proposed his Cappelli Hotel-Office complex to the Common Coucil, preserving the Bar Building. It was received with open arms by the Common Council, with only one Councilman, Benjamin Boykin, worried about height. The two new proposed buildings are shown in white. Bar Building is in gray just to the left of the hotel in the foreground. City Center is at right of center with its two apartment spires.

ORIGINAL LOUIS CAPPELLI HOTEL DESIGN seen looking North across Main Street. Bar Building is at lower left.

IN FEBRUARY, LARRY GOTTLIEB OF ENTERGY defended James Lee Witt’s criticisms of Indian Point and pointed out serious factual errors in Witt’s report. Subsequent revelations by the Federal Emergency Management Administration, published by WPCNR, cited over 136 errors in the Witt Report.

TWO FEET OF SNOW LANDLOCKED WHITE PLAINS Over February 16-17, but the Department of Public Works had White Plains up and running within 24 hours in a job of snow removal that was incredibly efficient.

ON FEBRUARY 20, Department of Public Works Commissioner unvieled design for his double-deck parking garage on Bryant and Mamaroneck behind Rader’s and the U.S. Post Office, fronting Mamaroneck Avenue. The plan was in response to solving the overnight parking needs of the Highlands, Old Mamaroneck Road area. The $2.7 Million project was approved in December, 2003.

THE COMMON COUNCIL’S ENVIRONMENTAL LAWYER MICHAEL GERARD SUGGESTED BRINGING IN JEFF ZUPAN AND EUGENIE BIRCH as consultants on the Cappelli Hotel Project to assist the Council in determining appropriate development design. Birch and Zupan delivered their report personally on December 19. (See last week’s story.)

ON THE FIRST OF MARCH, ANN REASONER, DEPUTY BUDGET DIRECTOR, was appointed to succeed Eileen Earl as Budget Director.

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WPCNR County Clarion-Ledger. From Kyle Rabin, Riverkeeper Press Office. December 24, 2003: Riverkeeper, the Hudson River environmental advocacy organization, has released a statement noting that Entergy, operators of Indian Point, the regional nuclear power plant, sent out a press release claiming no loss of power during the August 14 blackout of 2003, when actually the Nuclear Regulatory Commission today declared they did lose power. The following is a comparison of the two statements by the Riverkeeper organization:

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s December 22, 2003 report – which examines numerous unplanned outages at Indian Point – reveals that during the August 14^th blackout key back-up systems were not in operation.  The NRC found that Entergy had not corrected a known problem with the plant’s back-up diesel generators and as a result the diesel generators failed during the blackout.  Without out this important back up power, emergency response equipment had to be shutdown so that it would not be damaged due to overheating.  This seriously complicated the emergency response to the blackout and placed the public and plant workers at risk.

Also troubling, Entergy Nuclear’s August 14, 2003 press release states that “the plant’s back-up diesel generators automatically turned on to provide sufficient electrical power onsite.” (SEE PRESS RELEASE BELOW)

Given, Entergy’s delay in repairing key safety equipment and the company’s release of false information on the day of the blackout, the NRC must order the immediate shutdown of Indian Point.

Instead, the NRC has chosen to play down the significance of their agency’s own findings.

We continue to urge our Congressional delegation to continue to press the NRC to withdraw Entergy’s license to operate Indian Point.  (And in the mean time: to take steps to ensure that the NRC becomes a more effective regulator. We can’t have the fox guarding the hen house, anymore.)

The NRC’s timing of the release of this report is unconscionable.

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http://www.entergy-nuclear.com/Nuclear/newsroom/newsDetail.asp?ID=493&RC=Nuclear&List=Region

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WHITE PLAINS – CSEA members employed at Westchester Medical Center and their supporters from other CSEA bargaining units and other labor unions will demonstrate on Tuesday, December 30, 2003, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in front of the Westchester County Office Building at 148 Martine Ave.
The union is demonstrating to protest layoffs at the hospital and to demand a public investigation into the hospital’s finances. Within the past five years since the hospital became a public-benefit corporation, Westchester Medical Center has gone from turning a profit to running a deficit.
About 210 hospital employees represented by CSEA will be directly impacted by the layoffs, with 125 workers slated to be laid off and 85 employees to be reassigned or demoted to lower civil service grade job titles.

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. From The Office of the District Attorney Press Office. December 23, 2003: Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro is announcing helpful tips to parents to keep their children safe and alcohol-free this holiday season. Research has shown that the majority of teens 12-15 obtain alcohol from their own homes. Parents and guardians must be particularly attentive in making sure that alcohol is not accessible to their children during the holidays.
District Attorney Pirro states, “Parents are the most important influence on children when it comes to decisions on alcohol and drug use. Holiday festivities can take a tragic turn when under-aged individuals partake in alcohol and/or drugs. Parents must know that if they allow alcohol to be served to under-aged individuals in their homes, they will face criminal charges and possible civil liability. The crime of Unlawfully Dealing with a Child is punishable by a fine of up to $1000 and/or up to one year in jail. My Office will continue to investigate and prosecute those individuals who sell alcohol or provide alcohol to minors.”

District Attorney Pirro offers the following Safety Tips to parents and guardians this holiday season:

• Make sure alcohol is not accessible to children in your home. Lock it up if need be!

• If you host a party or minors drink alcohol in your home you are subject to both criminal and civil liability.

• Set a good example for your children regarding the use of alcohol. Make sure you and your guests drink responsibly so your children can use you as their role models.

• Call when your child goes to a party to make sure the parents will be home and that they share the same values as you do regarding under-aged drinking.

• Talk to other parents about ways to send a consistent, clear message that underage drinking is not acceptable behavior or a “rite of passage.”

• If you know of a store which is selling alcohol to minors, call Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 898-TIPS (8477). The caller can remain anonymous and a reward is offered.

• If you know of a party where minors are using alcohol, call your local police department.

The District Attorney’s Office has been extremely proactive in combating under-aged drinking. In September 2002, the Westchester County Advisory Council on Underage Drinking was created through the efforts of District Attorney Jeanine Pirro and the Westchester County School Superintendents to assist local communities in Westchester County in developing and sustaining local coalitions to deal with the problems of underage drinking and substance abuse. A web site was created to provide ideas and strategies that coalitions may use, as well as providing the list of coalitions in Westchester. The website address is www.wcacud.org.

he District Attorney also established the Clear Choices, Prosecutors Reach Out Legal Awareness Workshops (PRO-LAW) and Crash Course programs to provide valuable alcohol/drug prevention information and education to teens throughout Westchester County. For more information call the District Attorney’s Community Crime Prevention Bureau at (914) 995-3317. Community involvement and accountability are the keys to success in the prevention of under-aged drinking.