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. From Westchester County Department of Communications. July 31, 2003: A former high-ranking NYPD official who was head of security operations for Major League Baseball will become Westchester County’s new Commissioner of Public Safety.

Thomas Belfiore, 46, is currently head of the New York City office of SafirRosetti, a security consulting and business intelligence firm. He is a 20-year NYC police veteran who last held the rank of Deputy Chief and Commanding Officer in the First Deputy Commissioner’s Office.

 “He’s a world-class guy for a world-class county,’’ said County Executive Andy Spano in announcing Belfiore’s appointment at a press conference on Wednesday.

Belfiore, who starts work Aug. 25 in the $147,552 a year job, will replace former Commissioner Louis D’Aliso as head of the 280-member department.

Belfiore said he was honored to be chosen to lead a department which has had a reputation for service, professionalism and integrity, and he thanked the County Executive for this opportunity.

 “I promise to serve the people of Westchester County and do all I can to ensure their safety and security in these challenging times,’’ he said. “I also look forward to working with the Board of Legislators, the District Attorney and county commissioners as well as every local police chief and the outstanding men and women of the Department of Public Safety.’’

During his 20 years in the NYPD, Belfiore held leadership positions in training, patrol, internal investigations, administration and policy making. He was commanding officer of the NYPD Police Academy, precinct commander and commanding officer of a joint internal investigations task force. He was also in charge of the NYPD’s “Compstat and Trafficstat” units, which analyze traffic and crime statistics to devise creative policing solutions.

As Commanding Officer of the New York City Police Academy, he was instrumental in updating training and curriculum including introducing a more hands-on approach to firearms and tactical patrol training.

His experience at the NYC police academy will be a major plus for Westchester, which, under Spano’s leadership, has already expanded the types of training available to recruits and other police departments.

“My intention is to use my experience to build on what is already being offered at the police academy,’’ said Belfiore.

As Commanding Officer of the 19^th Precinct in New York City’s upper East Side, Belfiore’s team of nearly 300 uniformed officers and civilians were responsible for providing police services to more than 200,000 people. During his tenure, there was a significant drop in felony crimes and an enhanced quality of life.

In January of 2001, Belfiore retired from the NYPD to become Director of Security Operations for Major League Baseball where he worked to help baseball beef up security at its stadiums to deal with post 9-11 realities. The following year, he joined his former commissioner at the NYPD, Howard Safir, as head of the New York City Office of SafirRosetti as a security and anti-terrorism consultant to private industry.

“His experience can only enhance our anti-terrorism efforts, and help us to improve our state of preparedness,’’ said Spano.  

Spano praised Belfiore not only for his professionalism, but for his bravery.

“This is a man who on seven occasions has received department recognition for acts of bravery and intelligent policing,’’ said the County Executive. “We are proud to have him on board.’’

Belfiore was chosen from among several candidates in a nationwide search to replace Commissioner D’Aliso who retired May 26 after seven years as commissioner.

Belfiore has a bachelor’s degree in police science and a master’s degree in criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He lives in Brewster with his wife, Dana, and their two children, Blaise and Mark.

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A 9-month-old male black tabby cat is in need of a new home. Owner is allergic. He is extremely affectionate and playful. Please call Laurie at 914-391-9553.

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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. From Paul Wood, The Mayor’s Office. July 29, 2003 UPDATED 12 NOON E.D.T. July 29, 2003 The Mayor’s Office announced today that Fortunoff’s has reached a contract with Morton’s Steak House to open a Morton’s at the new Fortunoff’s scheduled to open September 17 on Bloomingdale Road.

Morton’s will be in direct competition with Outback Steakhouse one block up the street at the White Plains Pavillion Mall, owned by Erstadt-Biddle.

Deborah Raskin of Rubenstein Associates, Fortunoff’s public relations agency, told WPCNR today that Morton’s was scheduled to open in Spring, 2004, and that it would join Whole Foods Market and the Cheescake Factory, and have street entrances only. She said she had no other information at this time.

But, with the signing of Morton’s, White Plains will have world-class steak house in town. According to Morton’s Steak House in Chicago, the White Plains Morton’s at Fortunoff’s would be the third Morton’s in the New York area. There is one on Fifth Avenue, and  in New Hyde Park on Long Island.”We used to have one at the World Trade Center,” the  contact said, “but we lost it on 9/11.”

For a review of what Morton’s will bring to White Plains, go to http://www.citivu.com/travelwatch/mortons.html which goes into great detail about Morton’s service, quality of beef, and special atmosphere.

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey, July 28, 2003:  Common Council President Benjamin Boykin told WPCNR Friday that the Common Council would routinely refer out the New York Presbyterian Hospital request for renewal of its biomedical-proton accelerator site plan permit to city departments for review. The original site plan was approved August 4, 2003 and has to be renewed in order for the hospital to proceed with the project. Boykin said the council would subject the review to its usual routine scrutiny, as the council always does in matters of site plan renewal. He would not say that the Council was considering new conditions for site plan renewal, nor would he rule setting new conditions out.

When asked if the council would discuss new conditions with the hospital in return for the site plan renewal, Boykin repeated his statement that the council would examine the present state of the project, its  for profit or not for profit nature, who the hospital’s partners were, and did not say whether the council was discussing possible new conditions of renewal, or would consider adding conditions.

Boykin said he stood by his statement in June when he noted publically that the new partner  with the hospital, the Center for Neuron Science, appeared to be a for profit operation, that appeared not in the spirit of the original approval. Mayor Joseph Delfino in a statement one month ago accused the Common Council of “amnesia,” noting that partnerships with for-profit corporations were within the parameters of the approval, and quoted Common Council minutes quoting Mr. Boykin to that effect.

Boykin said he expected the site plan renewal to be voted upon in September, at which time he also expected the public would be allowed to comment on the site plan renewal.

Hospital Blames CCOS Lawsuit for Delay, Site Clearing Soon.

The New York Presbyterian Hospital released an update on where their research complex project stands. The statement is a restatement of a New York Presbyterian Hospital in a formal letter to the Common Council from Robert Volland, which complains about the delays caused by the Concerned Citizens for Open Space Article 78 lawsuit that Judge Richard Mollea has been considering for three months since all final motions were received at the end of April, (according to Edward Dunphy, city Corporation Counsel). Here is the text of the Hospital’s statement, released Friday by the hospital’s spokesperson, Geoffrey Thompson:

Since receiving the City’s approval of its project last August, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has been working diligently towards the commencement of construction of the medical and research facility it will build on its Westchester Division campus in White Plains.  A wide array of program planning, development and site work that is necessary prior to the start of construction is now largely complete, and the Hospital is extremely pleased with the project’s progress.

The special permit approved by the City last August expires on its anniversary.  As is typical with construction projects authorized by a special permit, the Hospital has requested a one-year extension of the permit for the City.  This request was formally made in a letter to the Mayor and Common Council dated July 18, which detailed the Hospital’s project achievements to date.  Such extensions are routinely given in the normal course of construction projects in White Plains.  In fact, over the last decade, City records indicate that there has not been a denial of a first-year extension request of any owner under similar circumstances.    

Since the adoption of the City’s comprehensive and detailed resolution approving the facility by the White Plains Common Council in August, 2002, the Hospital has invested over $1 million conducting extensive studies pertaining to the new building, the site, and myriad related issues.  Additionally, as required under the resolution, the Hospital has submitted various additional documentation and information required under the resolution for City agency approval, which approval was recently obtained after more than six months of City staff consideration.

Concurrently, the Hospital conducted a thorough review and evaluation of potential construction and financial partners.  A leading firm specializing in the development of health sciences facilities has now been selected and will be announced in the coming weeks, once it completes its due diligence process.

This process has continued despite the fact that both the Hospital and the City are challenging the lawsuit brought by CCOS and several neighbors that seeks to overturn the Common Council’s approval of the project.  While this lawsuit has resulted in considerable lost time, diverted resources and delays in finalizing relationships with participants in the project, the Hospital has nevertheless been able to proceed with its overall planning.

With regard to the building site, the Hospital has received a site-clearing permit from the City Building Department, and earlier this month commenced a variety of exploratory tests, borings and other geotechnical studies that are the required precursors to the start of construction.  This work is nearing completion, and the Hospital is awaiting the results of these findings to start design of the foundation.

While all of this work has been underway, over the last 11 months the Hospital has also explored a broad range of programming and operational opportunities for the new facility.  The Hospital is creating a center of excellence in translational medicine which will bring direct medical benefits to patients suffering a wide range of debilitating diseases through the advancement of medical knowledge, creation of new medical treatments, and application of the most advanced clinical techniques.  These medical advances will have direct health benefits to all people seeking treatment for serious illnesses, including the people of the community and neighborhood of White Plains.

The interest and support the Hospital has received for this project is tremendous.  In his January, 2003, State of the State address, Gov. George Pataki announced his intention to designate the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital project in White Plains as a State Center of Excellence.  The Hospital strongly believes that there is a clear need for a facility of this kind, and that placing it on the White Plains campus and having it fully-integrated with Hospital programs and services makes total sense.  The approval from the City enabled the Hospital to test the concept, and affirmations of support from prominent individuals, the medical schools and funding sources has gone well beyond initial expectations.  The potential medical benefits of the project to patients everyone, including White Plains, more than validates the importance and value of moving forward as rapidly as possible.

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Westchester County Department of Communiations, News Releases from IPSEC and RiverKeeper. (Edited)  UPDATED July 25, 2003, 10:00 P.M. E.D.T.: Westchester County Executive Andy Spano reacted with shock and dismay Friday to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s decision certifying Indian Point’s Emergency Plans were adequate. FEMA reached the decision after months of Westchester County refusing to certify the plans. The decision also shocked Riverkeeper, the activist organization that has been in the forefront opposing the plans.  Riverkeeper, in a statement called on Governor George Pataki to take a stand on the FEMA certification that sets aside county refusal to certify the evacuation plans as adequate.

County Executive Spano issued this statement on the FEMA decision:

“It is outrageous for FEMA to think it can override the counties who know more about  the evacuation plan than anyone else. We have told the federal government that the emergency evacuation plans for Indian Point are unworkable in a fast-moving emergency.  In my opinion, FEMA’s credibility is completely destroyed on this issue  – especially when its own former director, James Lee Witt, issued a detailed report saying the emergency plan cannot work in a fast-breaking scenario.  FEMA has never addressed the concerns raised in the Witt Report

“We in Westchester will take our concerns directly to the NRC, which has the ultimate authority on this matter. We will use every legal and administrative means at our disposal to fight recertification.”

In bitter reaction to the FEMA recertification announced today by the Associated Press, (no offiicial press release from FEMA was published), The Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition (IPSEC), a coalition of 58 citizen, environment, health, and public policy organizations, denounced FEMA’s ruling that the residents within the 10-mile radius of Indian Point can be protected by the current evacuation and sheltering plans for the nuclear power plants located in Buchanan, NY, just 22 miles from New York City.  From IPSEC’s press release:

IPSEC project coordinator, Lisa Rainwater van Suntum, PhD, commented, “FEMA’s decision to re-certify the Indian Point Radiological Emergency Preparedness Plan (REPP) is an abdication of the agency’s legal responsibility to protect the public’s health and safety.  We are appalled at the gross recklessness of this Federal Agency.  If the local counties and first responders cannot give reasonable assurance that they can protect residents, and SEMO, recognizing the state’ home rule policy, stands behind this decision, how can FEMA rule against them?”

“This ruling ignores the comprehensive evaluation conducted by James Lee Witt Associates for the State of New York at a cost of almost one million dollars and conducted over several months in the late summer and fall of 2002.  FEMA’s actions show that corporate profits and an extremely well-funded public relations campaign by the operators of Indian Point supercede long established rules and regulations, and contradict the findings of the most extensive and unbiased evaluation of Indian Point’s evacuation plan.”

James Lee Witt is the former director of FEMA and had responsibility for nuclear emergency planning for the entire country for eight years.  When hired by Governor George Pataki, Mr. Witt was specifically lauded for his nuclear emergency planning experiences at all levels of government.  The Witt Report states in no uncertain terms that the Indian Point REPP is “inadequate to protect the public from an unacceptable dose of radiation.”  The report continues that the plan inadequacies would be even worse if the radiation release were faster or larger than current design basis assumptions.  This is the type of scenario one could expect from a successful terrorist attack. Finally, James Lee Witt questioned whether certain aspects of emergency planning could even be improved enough to protect the public.

“The Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition is greatly disappointed and distressed by FEMA’s findings that fly in the face of compelling evidence.  Over 300,000 residents living within the 10-mile radius of Indian Point have been put in jeopardy by the Federal agency meant to protect residents. Entergy’s own traffic analysis just indicated that evacuation times have been greatly understated, which resulted in Westchester and Rockland County officials considering a sheltering strategy rather than even attempting evacuation. This is tantamount to admitting that the evacuation plan cannot work.  Residents cannot be expected to just stay put and hope for the best,” continued Rainwater van Suntum. 

IPSEC called upon FEMA to reverse their decision and the NRC to pull the plug on the plant.

It is the responsibility of the NRC to suspend operations until such time that the evacuation plan can be successfully implemented.  If a plan cannot be successfully implemented, under 10 CFR 50.47, the operating license must be withdrawn.  These steps are the legal and ethical responsibilities of FEMA and the NRC.  IPSEC expects that these responsibilities are met.  In the event that these agencies charged with protecting the public health and safety abdicate their responsibilities, it would be incumbent on the affected citizens and their government bodies and representatives to seek redress through other means.

RiverKeeper released a statement upon unconfirmed rumors of the surprise certification, and here is the text of that statement from Alex Matthiessen, Executive Director of Riverkeeper: