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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER.  From Town of Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner, OCTOBER 9,2025

Flooding has existed in Greenburgh and throughout Westchester for decades. The Greenburgh Town Board, in recent years, has appropriated millions of dollars trying to help reduce flooding around town.  We need hundreds of  millions of dollars of additional funding to make a significant impact in the fight to reduce flooding.

Every year we will do more work throughout the town. We are also seeking grants to help us do more. But- even if we do everything we can we still won’t be able to prevent flooding in certain neighborhoods that are located in areas that get flooded frequently.

We can reduce flooding. We’re getting super storms more frequently than ever. And our drainage systems weren’t designed for the storms that are taking place now.

As you are aware, the severe storm of July 14th required us to adjust our priorities and focus resources on emergency response. Since then, we have been aggressively cleaning out the Manhattan Brook to mitigate the risk of further flooding.

In addition, we continue to coordinate with Westchester County on broader efforts to address drainage conditions affecting the Fulton Park and Old Kensico areas.

We have been removing obstructions and also have been encouraging the county to work with the town on an annual maintenance -obstruction removal plan. In late August the Town Board met with residents of Gibson Ave to discuss the flooding problems that residents experienced. A link to the Town Board meeting is below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJjn8pD2xtI

Over a week ago we met with county and state officials and discussed initiatives the town can take with the village of Elmsford to reduce flooding in N Elmsford. Among the suggestions (besides removing obstructions) is removing a bridge that contributes to flooding.. That requires NYS approval. We’re working with Senator Cousins, Assemblywoman Shimsky and Legislator Imamura to obtain permission to accomplish that.

This is a link to a NYS DEC report published earlier this year with suggestions that could address flooding problems near the Saw Mill River. If NYS would give us permission we would remove obstructions from the river annually. This is a link to a NYS DEC report with recommendations:

file:///C:/Users/Paul%20Feiner/Downloads/sawmill_fmandresreport.pdf

We have a limited number of town employees and limited budgets. And are trying to prioritize work so we can  help the maximum number of people. Please be assured that we are committed to moving forward with all planned project.

We appreciate the community’s patience and understanding as we balance emergency response with long-term infrastructure improvements.

See below of the list of Drainage projects that have been completed, in the works and future projects for this year.

                         Completed drainage projects

•             Dalewood Drive – Replace collapsed piping

•             Laurel Street – new drainage system within road along with curbing

•             Old Sprain Road – Replace collapsed piping crossing

•             Columbia Road – Replace collapsed piping

•             Pine Ridge Road/Calvin Court – Drainage improvements

•             Buena Vista Island – Drainage improvements

Work In progress

•             Ferndale Road – Drainage improvements

•             Worthington Road – emergency road repair

•             TDYCC – Parking lot improvements

•             Calvin Ct – Drainage improvements at end of road

Future pojects

•             Rita Lane – Drainage improvements

•             Old Kensico Road – Drainage improvements

•             Old Jackson Ave – Culvert Improvements

•             Longfellow Street – Drainage improvements

•             Rockingchair Road – Drainage/Curbing improvements

•             Paret Lane – Drainage Improvements

•             Finish Taxter Creek & brook @ 116 Taxter Road cleaning/widening

•             Manhattan Brook Cleanup/Widening

•             E Hartsdale Ave (dog alley)

•             Rockledge Road – Sidewalk/Curbing/Drainage

•             Nature Center Parking Lot – Drainage improvements

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS 4 CORNERS HARTSDALE

The town hopes to rezone the 4 corners in Hartsdale as mixed use development. We recognize that we will need to address flooding in Hartsdale. This is a report with recommendations that we received. We will be looking to create a partnership with NYS, the eventual developers of the 4 corners and the town -coming up with the funds needed to reduce flooding in this section of town.

https://www.greenburghny.com/DocumentCenter/View/9075/Hartsdale-Four-Corners—DRAFT-Stormwater-Study-April-2022

A few years back we spent significant resources widening and armored the channel at Troublesome Brook in Edgemont.

PAUL FEINER

Greenburgh Town Supervisor

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New York State and NYPD’s Investments In Subway Safety Continue; Transit Crime Down 30 Percent in September

Governor Hochul Successfully Fought To Restore $187 Million in Homeland Security Grant Funding Last Week

Governor Kathy Hochul today called out Washington Republicans for cutting critical safety and security funding for New York’s mass transit system. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) had been slated to receive $34 million in federal Transit Security Grant Program funds, which support essential counter-terror and transit security functions. Last week, lawmakers were notified that the MTA was to be the only agency of 21 applicants nationwide to not receive federal security dollars via this program.

“Keeping New Yorkers safe, from our streets to our subways, is my highest priority,” Governor Hochul said. “Since 9/11, New York has relied on federal support to ensure that our transit system has the counterterrorism resources it needs to keep millions of riders safe every single day. The shocking actions of Washington Republicans to slash these funds and defund the police put New York City at risk.

We will not tolerate these cuts; New York will take every action available to us — including the courts — to ensure the MTA gets this critical funding to keep millions of riders safe.”

The Transit Security Grant Program was started after 9/11. Administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), these grants support critical functions to keep mass transit systems safe from security threats. The MTA carries a significant portion of the United States’ mass transit riders, with over 6 million daily trips taken on Metro-North, the Long Island Rail Road, and New York City Transit. In addition to approximately $12 million which would go to the NYPD, the MTA had planned to utilize this year’s grant funding to support the following public safety and counter-terror investments:

• Two cybersecurity projects, extending cyber visibility into MTA’s key systems, and a cyber lab to develop protections and vet operational technology systems.
• The procurement and deployment of approximately 330 tactical cellular cameras to replace & expand upon current unsecure offline devices in a cost-effective manner.
• The expansion of MTA weapons of mass destruction chemical detection system across 9 subway lines and a commuter rail terminal.
• The TSA mandated frontline security awareness training of 16,000 MTA employees.
• 374 deployments of MTAPD counterterrorism teams.
• The procurement of 3 MTAPD counterterrorism coordination and response vehicles.
• The installation of several hundred cameras, access control points, and laser intrusion detection systems at a major subway complex.

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	Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Enjoying this newsletter? Why not share it with a friend? Health coverage, outbreak care, and mosquito risks The NY Dose Marisa Donnelly Oct 9 READ IN APP   From debates on health insurance subsidies and innovations in patient care during outbreaks, to rising concerns of mosquito-borne diseases, a lot is unfolding in public health right now. Let’s unpack what it means for New Yorkers. Infectious disease “weather report” Covid: All New York wastewater data are delayed. The CDC dashboard isn’t updating during the federal government shutdown, the state dashboard paused reporting due to a lab transition, and NYC’s data download hasn’t been refreshed since July. In short, our early warning system is offline. Right now, hospitalizations, our best proxy, are trending down, which is good news. Hospitalizations lag community spread, so we are likely well on our way down the summer wave. York State Covid-19 hospitalizations. Figure from the New York State Department of Health. Annotations by YLE. Flu: Flu reports haven’t kicked off yet, and with wastewater data paused, we’re relying on last week’s low activity. So far, no sign of an early start. RSV: This is the one to watch. RSV season usually starts around now, but delayed CDC data means we don’t have as many signals to rely on. New York state will start publishing their weekly respiratory report soon (they always start in October), so that will give us insight. I expect cases to rise soon. Now is still a great time to get your fall vaccines. New York health insurance on the line What the heck is going on? During the height of the pandemic, Congress passed temporary health insurance subsidies through the 2021 American Rescue Plan and extended them in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. These subsidies expanded eligibility for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans and increased financial assistance for people with lower incomes. The goal was to make health insurance more accessible. Now, Congress is debating whether to let those subsidies expire at the end of this year, or renew them. This decision has become a sticking point in federal budget negotiations and the subsequent federal shutdown. How will this affect New Yorkers? About 140,000 New Yorkers across the state currently benefit from these enhanced ACA subsidies. If they expire, those New Yorkers would pay an average of $114 per month for coverage. Figure from the New York Department of Health. Because these subsidies help lower income families afford insurance, any increase in cost could be a serious financial burden. This would likely result in more people delaying or dropping coverage altogether. When fewer people have health insurance, health problems are more likely to go untreated until they become emergencies. This is more expensive for everyone in the long run—treatment costs more for individuals, hospitals, and the health system. Why would we ever reduce health insurance subsidies? Simply put, to cut costs. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that extending ACA subsidies would increase the federal deficit by $350 billion over the next decade. But, they would also keep coverage for about 3.8 million Americans who might otherwise lose it. It’s a tradeoff: shorter-term budget savings versus long-term health. My take It would be a mistake to let these subsidies expire. While it may look like big budget savings on paper, the reality is that it will shift costs elsewhere, including to local hospitals, state budgets, and families already under financial burden. When coverage becomes more expensive, many make tough decisions: delaying treatment, skipping preventative care, or foregoing insurance entirely. This can push illnesses to later, costlier stages—more late-stage cancers, unmanaged chronic conditions, and more infectious disease spreading in communities. This isn’t just numbers. It hits real families who are already juggling to pay rent, buy food, and pay medical bills. I don’t see anything about this that leads to a healthier New York. Reimagining patient care and safety during outbreaks Recently, I visited a demonstration at NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn that reimagines how we protect both patients and providers during infectious disease outbreaks. At the center of it: a clear plastic containment chamber fully equipped with a hospital bed and monitors inside. Inside, a patient can receive care from clinicians who work through glove ports—similar to a neonatal incubator—without the need for full personal protective equipment (PPE). The Care Cube tested by doctors and nurses at NYC Health and Hospitals/South Brooklyn. The containment chamber is being piloted by doctors at NYC Health + Hospitals to determine if it’s feasible and worth investing in. In the image above, clinicians are running a simulation as if a patient potentially has MERS-CoV, a high-risk respiratory virus. This setup has two big benefits: First, it dramatically reduces exposure risk for health care workers by fully enclosing the patient and their respiratory droplets. Second, it allows patients to see and be seen by loved ones—a stark contrast to the isolation we witnessed during the height of Covid, when loved ones couldn’t enter hospitals or patients’ rooms. During the exercise, doctors and nurses performed routine care and even practiced an intubation through the chamber’s walls. They showed that, with training, complex procedures could still be done safely and efficiently. It’s early days for this technology, and it won’t replace all infection control measures. But innovations like this are part of a growing toolkit that prepares us for future respiratory outbreaks, while maintaining human connection. A big thank you to Dr. Syra Madad and the incredible team at NYC Health + Hospitals for their work, and for including me in this simulation! Question grab bag Will outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya, or malaria become more common in the U.S.? Short answer: Probably yes, but only sporadically. This goes back to the long history the U.S. has with mosquito-borne diseases. In the early 1900s, malaria was widespread across the country. It was such a huge problem that the CDC was founded in 1946 specifically to control it. Dengue and yellow fever (spread by a different mosquito species), also caused outbreaks in the U.S., mostly in the South. Through large-scale vector (i.e. mosquito) control programs—like draining wetlands, improving housing, and widespread insecticide use (including DDT, which was widely used at the time but is now banned in most countries because of environmental damage)—malaria, dengue, and yellow fever were all eliminated as a locally transmitted disease by the early 1950s. Fast-forward to today. The mosquitoes that transmit malaria (Anopheles species) and dengue and yellow fever (Aedes aegypti) still live here, but the pathogens themselves rarely enter local populations. Occasional local cases, like the malaria in Florida, Texas, and Arkansas in 2023, remind us that vector control programs work well, but aren’t perfect. For chikungunya, the primary vector (Aedes albopictus) arrived in the U.S. in the 1980s, through used tires imported from Asia. They’ve since spread widely across the Southeast and parts of the East Coast. Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are the primary vector of chikungunya virus. Image from the CDC. These mosquitoes are resilient. The mosquitoes that transmit dengue, yellow fever, and more recently Zika can breed in tiny amounts of standing water—think bottle caps, potted plants, or gutters—and thrive in warm, humid, urban environments. Vector control programs have slowed their spread but can’t eliminate them entirely. For any outbreak to occur, four things need to align: The right mosquitoes must be present. The virus or parasite must be introduced (often by travelers). The climate must support mosquito survival and pathogen replication (the right temperature, humidity, and availability of standing water). People and mosquitoes must come into contact. While vector control efforts are still in place to keep these pests at bay, climate change and international travel will make these conditions easier to occur in more places in the U.S. This means that we’ll likely see more localized outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya, or malaria, especially in warmer states like Florida, Texas, and Arizona. But widespread, sustained transmission remains unlikely thanks to strong vector control and public health systems. That said, we need to stay vigilant. The key is to continue investing in mosquito control and community prevention, like removing or treating standing water, mosquito surveillance and testing, and using repellents. What else to know Onondaga County is offering free naloxone (Narcan) training courses in person or over Zoom. Schedule it here. Oneida County is giving a limited number of free car seats to eligible families on October 21st. Call 315-798-5461 or email carseatsafety@oneidacountyny.gov if you need a new car seat to see if you qualify. The New York Citizen Preparedness Training Program in Erie County is providing tools and resources to prepare for disasters, respond accordingly, and recover quickly. They have multiple workshops scheduled for October. Bottom line You’re all caught on this week’s New York public health news. I’ll see you next week! Love, Your NY Epi

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HAS UNTIL JULY 2026 TO COMPLETE REPAIRS AT ITS EXPENSE OR OWNERS’ EXPENSE IN SETTLEMENT

WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. October 6, 2025:

The City has under a consent order to settle an environmental violation  has until some date in  2026 to complete repairs to feeder sewer lines to main Mamaroneck Valley sewer line leading to the south shore towns of Rye, Mamaroneck and Larchmont among others that may be affected.

The suit was filed against 11 Westchester Communities in 2018,  including White Plains in the  Mamaroneck Valley System alleging they were in violation of the Clean Water Act.

The city monitored the White Plains portion of the sewer line and isolated the sections of the White Plains sewer system with the greatest  “inflow and infiltration.”

The Common Council in September 2018  authorized the matter be settled by consent order. The city  agreed, according to the backup material to “remove enough inflow and infiltration in the Mamaroneck Valley portion of the it the White Plains sewer system  In the backup material the city stated  “we expected to be in compliance with the Sewer Act by the end of 2020.”

Covid stopped the  compliance efforts and the city failed to complete its remediation work by the end of 2020.

The City and the plaintiffs held discussions and the plaintiffs agreed to give White Plains an extention to remove enough inflow and infiltration to comply with the Sewer Act by the end of 2022.

The extension of 3 years was agreed to provided  the city pay  legal and engineering fees of $10,000; engineering fees of up to $2,000 per year for 2021 and 2022 for reviewing City progress; $9,000 for an environmental benefit payment which will be waived if the city offers an opt-in program acceptable to the plaintiffs, for city property owners to obtain a private lateral repair service by April 21.

The City is required to complete “scheduled repairs” in 2026. It is also required to make “provisions regulating sanitary sewer lines to the Municipal Code. Included in the backup material  is a new code for sanitary sewer repairs for “lateral hookups.”

The Opt-in repair arrangement open to property owners is not included in the backup document. In the case of making required repairs it is unclear whether the city will share the cost with the property owners, for example to speed compliance.

In addition to the previous settlement payments, the city is required to pay plaintiffs’ attorneys and engineers’ fees of $43,059 and pay a maximum of $15,000 each for plaintiffs’ engineering fees to monitor the city’s  progress  toward compliance and a $10,000 environmental benefit payment related to the Long Island Sound watershed.

WPCNR is intrigued and is attempting to find out how many of the 10 other violators of sewage inflow standards are behind in their efforts to comply.

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Welcome to Kirsten’s New York Minute! Here’s what she’s been up to this week: 1. Fighting for affordable health care President Trump and congressional Republicans have proven that they would rather shut down the government than make Americans’ health care more affordable. 20 million Americans are on the brink of seeing their premiums skyrocket. If we don’t extend the health care assistance that families rely on, many Americans will have to make impossible choices: pay rent or see a doctor; put food on the table or buy their child’s medication; keep their small business afloat or offer their employees health insurance. Kirsten and her Democratic colleagues stand ready to work on a commonsense, bipartisan solution to reopen the government and make sure that Americans don’t see their health care costs skyrocket. Read more. 2. Helping New Yorkers navigate the government shutdown As of October 1st, the federal government has shut down. Kirsten’s office will remain open to assist New Yorkers throughout the shutdown. Because of the shutdown, many federal agencies will be operating with significantly reduced staff, so delays in processing new applications and resolving any issues should be anticipated. Kirsten and her staff will do everything they can to assist you during and after the shutdown. If you are a New Yorker who needs help from a federal government agency, open a case with our office here . For information about how the shutdown may impact you and your benefits, click here . 3.  Protecting Social Security As ranking member of the Senate Aging Committee, Kirsten is leading the fight against the Trump administration’s threats to raise the Social Security retirement age, which would amount to a benefit cut for millions of Americans. This week, she sent two letters to Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano to sound the alarm about the dangerous ramifications if this change were to be implemented. Americans deserve to be able to retire with dignity and not be worried that this administration will keep raising the bar on retirement. Read more. 4. Combating the politicization of the military This week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressed his desire to return the military to the early 1990s – a time when victims of sexual misconduct were deterred from reporting, women could not serve in combat roles, and sexual orientation was grounds for discharge. Justice for survivors of sexual assault in the military should not be up for debate. This week, Kirsten spoke with NPR’s Here & Now to discuss her commitment to supporting all of the men and women in our military and fighting to preserve the military justice system. Listen here. 5. Helping New Yorkers get their benefits A Nassau County constituent contacted Kirsten’s office for help after her Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits were mistakenly suspended. The Social Security Administration (SSA) stated she was earning too much from her work for a named employer for which the constituent had never worked before. After Kirsten’s team contacted SSA, the erroneous work earnings were removed and the agency released over $12,000 in benefits to the constituent.