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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Westchester County Executive George Latimer, (second from right) outside the Bronx County Courthouse on The Grand Concourse after meeting with Bronx Bureau President Ruben Diaz, Jr. (below)

WPCNR County Clarion-Ledger By John F. Bailey. March 27, 2018:

The first meeting between Westchester and Bronx leaders that anyone can remember took place this morning when Westchester County Executive George Latimer traveled to the Bronx County Courthouse for a working meeting with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.

You can view the WPCNR Video of the News Conference at this link;MVI_6993

The two, both former New York State Assemblymen, now leaders of their respective “counties” met to define common grounds where their county interests and needs matched and where mutual strategies and lobbying government agencies for support would grow the thriving Bronx and Westchester economies.

In a news conference after the  approximately two hour meeting, the two leaders told assembled reporters  the two looked forward to promote and attract businesses and projects to the Bronx Westchester area.

Mr. Latimer said as soon as his economic growth team was in place, partnering to promote the Bronx-Westchester economic advantages to possible businesses and developers would be his economic team’s first priority.

Mr. Diaz said he looked forward to working with Mr. Latimer to promote entertainment, shopping and attractions (such as Van Cortlandt Park) to Westchester residents. He noted the Kingsbridge Armory Skating was a destination that would be attractive to Westchester hockey, figure skating enthusiasts, and recreational skaters.
Mr. Latimer said he would explore more ways such as transit improvement and promotions to bring Bronx residents to Playland Park this summer.  Mr. Diaz was very enthusiastic about this possibility, saying that was where his parents took him when he was a child growing up.

One reporter asked if Mr. Latimer would consider aiding residents of Van Cortlandt in surveying the quality of water flowing into Van Cortlandt Park from Westchest. Mr. Latimer said he would.

The news conference already has helped Westchester in a traffic heads-up:

Asked if the Major Deegan Expressway northbound construction just before the 161^st street Yankee Stadium ramp, where there are just two northbound lanes open  would be completed before Opening Day, Mr. Diaz said he did not expect them to be.

This is very bad news for Yankee fans for opening day.

The smartest route to Yankee Stadium used to be Brucker Expressway to the Deegan Northbound, and exiting at 149^th Street, and grabbing the easy park lots leading to the Stadium, averting the “parking lot stretching from the Deegan Southbound Stadium exit to  almost Westchester County.

Today, due to the one lane closure just before 161^st Street Northbound, it was bumper to bumper northbound, south of 161^st to about 149^th Street. This with no ballgame going on. Monday is going to be worst Bronx traffic jam ever, unless the DOT opens that lane.

Mr. Latimer urged people to take the Metro North trains to the game.

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Assemblyman David Buchwald (left) and Westchester County Executive George Latimer  vowing to bring the concerns of 70 Westchester leaders to the Public Service Commission in their news conference Monday morning.

WPCNR THE POWER STORY. By John F. Bailey. March 26, 2018:

County Executive George Latimer joined with Assemblyman David Buchwald to announce Monday morning a conference of county leaders organized by Mr. Buchwald held last Friday.

The full press conference can be seen HERE.

The two officials took the reactions of 70 towns and city leaders over two hours at Westchester County Center March 23.

Latimer said they would  present the leaders’ priorities  to the Public Service Commission of what was wrong with the  Con Ed and New York State Electric and Gas paralyzing slow response to the high wind rainstorm March 2 and snowstorm March 7 that pummeled Westchester County the first week of March.

The two storms left 70,000 customers without power from 3 to 10 days.

Latimer said the county leaders were surveyed to put together changes  Con Ed and NYSEG must make, to, in Mr. Latimer’s stern words “make sure this (delay in restoration response) never happens again.”

Once the results of the surveys of the leaders are tallied, and put in a workable format, definite next steps will be taken.

Mr. Latimer said he wanted communications with the county and affkicted communities to improve dramatically. He said the robocall system to notify customers when they would be restored was ineffective and had to be fixed to reflect realities on the ground. Latimer was highly critical of the Con Ed online outage maps which did not reflect “real time” for city and town governments or customers.

Asked if the county had an idea of how much money sanctions the Public Service Commission should fine Con Ed and NYSEG, he said it was too early to tell, that it was up to the PSC.

He was asked if he supported the establishment by Con Ed and NYSEG of  a standby auxiliary force of trucks and crews ready to spring into action in the New York area as suggested by County Legislator Mike Kaplowitz  as an always-ready-to-deploy power restoratioin force.

Latimer gave a hesitant yes, but also said Con Edison had not been forthcoming as to how many crews and equipment would have to comprise such a “Switch-on Force” to enable faster on-the scene-response to cut  turn-back-on time. He said the delay in the arrival of mutual aid repair crews and trucks from out of states showed the present mutual aid system needs to be looked at.

Latimer stressed the county wanted to work cooperatively with Con Edison and NYSEG and that the chief executives of both companies had expressed willingness to do so.

Latimer said he hoped the two power companies would hold news conferences soon to say what they thought could do  and would do to improve the situation.

Early this afternoon, the County Executive Communications Office announced Mr. Latimer would continue his outreach by holding a meeting with  Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. tomorrow,Tuesday,  at The Bronx County Building, Veterans’ Memorial Hall, 851 Grand Concourse (at East 161st Street) Suite 301, Bronx, NY

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The regal Hot Cross Bun from The Kneaded Bread in Port Chester, NY,USA–a Palm Sunday Must-Eat!

REMEMBER THE OLD NURSERY RHYME?

Hot cross buns
Hot cross buns
One a penny
Two a penny
Hot cross buns
If you have no daughters give them to your sons
One a penny
Two a penny
Hot cross buns
…
Hot cross buns

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Thousands Fill Post Road School Field Waiting to March for Our Lives in White Plains NY USA at 1 PM today

MARCH FOR OUR LIVES STEPS OFF AT 1:20 PM

CROWD WPCNR ESTIMATES AS 7,000- PASSING WHITE PLAINS HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER STRETCHING BACK FILLING POST ROAD FROM CURB TO CURB–THEY CHANTED STERNLY

“NO MORE GUNS. AM I NEXT?”

DOWN DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. BOULEVARD THEY COME

HEADING TO THE COURTHOUSE

THE PROCESSION TURNS INTO THE COURTHOUSE SQUARE STRETCHING ALL THE WAY BACK UP MLK BOULEVARD AND BACK TO AFTER WHITE PLAINS HOSPITAL ON POST ROAD.

CROWD FILLS SQUARE AND MLK BOULEVARD IN THE SPIRIT OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR WHOSE STATUE IT SEEMED WAS READY TO SPEAK

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the Director of Communications, County Board of Legislators. (Edited, with reporting by WPCNR)March 22, 2018:

The Westchester County Board of Legislators will be undertaking a review of the County’s contract with Standard Amusements to manage the Playland amusement park in Rye.

“Public-private partnerships are designed to be a win for both parties. The public-private partnership with Standard Amusements to manage Playland has steadily shifted the burden to the public,” said Legislator Catherine Parker, the Board’s Majority Leader (ABOVE) and representative of the district where Playland is located.

Parker, who has called on the Latimer administration to terminate the agreement, continued,

“Given the stated County obligation of tens of millions of dollars for capital improvements in the contract, that we know is significantly higher, the mechanism to recoup those investments is not in the agreement. The goal to unburden the public was negotiated away under the last administration, with substantive changes since the BOL vote in 2016. I look forward to hearing what the new administration has learned related to the management of Playland since taking office.” 

The contract between the County and Standard Amusements was signed in 2016 by former County Executive Rob Astorino (Shown above opening Playland for the season  that year).  New County Executive George Latimer has said that his administration would be looking at the Playland agreement with “a fresh set of eyes.”

(Editor’s Note:) WPCNR reported Wednesday the agreement has been in place since 2016, but is presently being held up (for two years) by a City of Rye lawsuit that is being appealed by the City of Rye, after being rejected by the New York State Supreme Court.

The suit challenged the county for the right of the  City of Rye to have final approval of any changes Standard Amusements or the County wanted to make to the park.

Standard Amusements has  said in the past to the Astorino administration, that it has not made the first payment due from Standard  as part of the agreement to accept the lease, because Standard wants to await the outcome of the Rye suit.

Wednesday morning, City of Rye Town Attorney, Kristen Wilson confirmed to WPCNR that the City of Rye appeal “has been perfected and has been filed for a little while.”

So the lawsuit is still “in play.”

The Westchester County Board of Legislators will be undertaking a review of the County’s contract with Standard Amusements to

The Board’s own review of the contract will be undertaken by the committees on Budget and Appropriations; Law and Major Contracts; Parks, Planning and Economic Development; and Public Works.

Legislator Lyndon Williams, chair of the Committee on Law & Major Contracts, explained the role of the Committee in connection with the agreement, saying, the committee “will assess whether there has been legal compliance with the terms and conditions on the contract approved by the Board of Legislators; and if not, what are the ramifications of such non-compliance.”

Williams continued, “This 30-year long-term contract has significant economic effect on County taxpayers, with the County and Standard’s commitments of $60 million. Given the major delays and changes occurring after the Board of Legislators approval, it is important that the Committee exercise its oversight fact-gathering function at this stage before reaching any conclusions and before recommending any action.”

Catherine Borgia, chair of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, said, the committee, “will be conducting a rigorous financial review of Playland in order to make sure the decisions we make about the park are what is best for the taxpayers of Westchester. We are happy to work with the administration and the other legislative committees to make sure we are creating the best future for Playland Park.”

MaryJane Shimsky, chair of the Committee on Public Works, said, “Capital repairs and upgrades must be done, no matter who runs the park; at the same time, the promises that Standard and the County made to each other regarding which projects were to be done, in what order, and when those projects were to be scheduled, were extensive and fraught with potential for complications. I look forward to working with the new administration, the Law Department and all stakeholders to perform a thorough reexamination of all relevant issues, to insure that the result works in the best interest of the County and of all people who use and love Playland.”

(Editor’s Note:) There was no mention in the Board of Legislators news release what  part of the Standard Amusements contractual agreement was not approved by the Board of Legislators, as Ms. Parker alledged in the Board announcement of Ms. Parker’s news conference today.