Sound Shore Beaches, Harbors Closed Because of Sludge Leak

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WPCNR BEACH & HARBOR REPORT. From the Westchester County Department of Health. July 16, 2013:

As a precaution, the Westchester County Department of Health is advising all recreational boaters and swimmers in

Rye Harbor, Milton Harbor and Greenhaven, in Rye, and in Mamaroneck Harbor to avoid contact with Long Island Sound until further notice due to an ongoing sludge force main break.

There will be no swimming at these beaches   until further notice:

Beach Point Club, Orienta Beach Club, Mamaroneck Beach and Yacht Club, Shore Acres Pointe and Harbor Island Park Beach, all in Mamaroneck; and American Yacht Club, Shenorock Shore Club, Coveleigh Club and Greenhaven Association, all in Mamaroneck.

An underground force main break near Blind Brook has released sludge close to where the Blind Brook empties into Long Island Sound, in the vicinity of the Rye Marina on Stuyvesant Avenue near Milton Road in Rye.

The Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities took the force main out of service at about 2:15 p.m. Monday, but repair efforts are hindered by high tide. Low tide begins at about 4:30 a.m. tomorrow and the Department’s contractor will be on site at that time to begin repairs. It is not known how much sludge has entered Long Island Sound due to the force main break.

The county health department will sample the water today.

Once results are received and evaluated, at the earliest on Wednesday afternoon, the health department will determine whether to reopen the beaches and lift the advisory or to sample the water again.

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County Sales Tax Receipts UP 5.82% First 6 Months. White Plains Sales $$ Handle Continues FLAT

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WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE.  Figures From Geoffrey Gloak, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Commentary by John F. Bailey July 15, 2013 CORRECTION.:

Westchester County Retail is back in the money.

Through the first six months of the new county fiscal year 2013, the county sales taxes are up 5.82%, based on a robust $51 Million raked in in June. The June County Sales Tax Collections alone were $51,067,630 compared to $43.7 Million last year, an increase of 17% .

At this pace  the county is on pace to generate $488 Million in sales tax $$ a $10 Million  surplus over the  $478.7 Million forecast. If the county only equalizes the $229 Million it realized in sales tax receipts from July to December of 2012, it will generate $473 Million. At a 6% rate of increase, it could conceivably top $500 Million in sales taxes receipts.

The June break out is particularly noteworthy because it is $2 Million more than the county pulled in in December of 2011–the June 2013 county handle is equivalent to a peak holiday month.  It is also the largest one month  jump in two years.

Through the first six months of the 2013 fiscal year, the County has pulled in $243,486,675. compared to $230,100,707  the first six months of 2012, an increase of  5.8%. (CORRECTION:Due to an omission in computing the first six months of 2012,  WPCNR has not counted a full month in 2012.

The City of White Plains June sales tax was virtually even with June of 2012, receiving $4,339,872 in sales taxes, compared to $4,218,196 in June, 2012, That is an increase of about 3% (.028) just ahead of inflation

More significantly, the June White Plains increase was 2.7% in sales tax receipts while the County was generating a 17% increase, a significant difference.

The city finishes the fiscal year 2012-13 with a sales tax handle of $49,913, 990, approximately $2 Million less than last year’s $51 Million. It also shorts them a little in paying for next year’s pay raises that they bank on paying for with funds from the tax stabilization fund that is funded out of current year sales tax receipts.

 

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First Test Piles for New Tappan Zee Bridge Begin Installation Today

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WPCNR TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE NEWS . From the New York State Thruway Authority. July 15, 2013:

Beginning today, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC will install the first test piles for the New NY Bridge.

The test pile operations will be conducted over the next three months at proposed locations for pile foundations. Work will start at the main span footings.  Piles will be placed by utilizing both vibratory and impact installation techniques.  The test pile program will verify subsurface conditions in preparation for the construction of the bridge’s permanent foundation. 

Multiple crews will conduct night time boring operations along I-87/I-287 in both Westchester and Rockland Counties.  The night time operations are necessary due to lane closure restrictions during day time hours that are in place to keep traffic flowing over the current bridge. Boring operations will begin at exit 10 in Rockland County and move west into Westchester County.

Ongoing operations

–          Temporary Westchester trestle construction including pile driving on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

–          Survey inspections on existing bridge

–          Rockland environmental monitor installations continue

–          Geotechnical land borings

–          Mobilization at the exit 10 staging area

–          Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline

Westchester:

Night time boring operations to investigate subsurface soil conditions will be conducted in the southbound shoulder of I-87/I-287 and will require a temporary right lane closure  between the existing bridge and exit 9 on Friday, July 19 from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Rockland:

Night time boring operations to investigate subsurface soil conditions will be conducted in the southbound shoulder of I-87/I-287 and will require a temporary right lane closure between exit 10 and the existing bridge from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. beginning Monday, July 15 through Thursday, July 18.

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AVIATION STAKEHOLDERS INVITED TO AIR ISSUES ON FUTURE OPERATIONS OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY AIRPORT

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WPCNR WESTCHESTER WINGS. From the Westchester Aviation Association. July 15, 2013:
The Westchester Aviation Association is informing all aviation pilots, aircraft owners and members to attend a public hearing on the future development of the Westchester County Airport at the Westchester County Center Wednesday, from 7 to 9 P.M.
According to Donna Greene, of the Westchester County Department of Communications the hearing is the beginning of the process for developing a new master plan for the county airport. She said it is a first step in the process of addressing current and future Westchester aviation operations to bring airport issues into the 21st Century, since the last master plan was created in 1987, 26 years ago.
The Westchester Aviation Association statement to its members says:
If continued access to Westchester County Airport (HPN) is important to you as either a General Aviation or Business Aircraft user, then your attendance at the Westchester County Airport Master Plan hearing on July 17th. is critical.
This may be your only chance to affect the outcome of the HPN Master Plan and more importantly, the survival of a viable Runway 11/29.
Please attend this meeting and give your opinion. Your participation will make a difference and we appreciate any help and support.
If you have any additional question please contact John Johnston, WAA President at: 917 817-392, or Milt Hobbs WAA Vice President at: 914 289-4861.
Ms. Greene told WPCNR she is unaware of any specific issues involving runway 11/29 of any nature. She said she was going to have an internal briefing on it at 3 P.M.
Notice of Public Hearing
The Westchester County Department of Public Works and Transportation will hold a public meeting on July 17, 2013 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Westchester County Center on the Westchester County Airport Master Plan process being conducted in accordance with the requirements of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidance.
The Master Plan process is now in the information gathering stage and this meeting will introduce the public to the process.
Attendance at the July 17th meeting is encouraged as the public’s participation in the process will be valuable to help guide the preparation of the Airport Master Plan.

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WHITE PLAINS WEEK FOR JULY 12 NOW ONLINE!

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PETER KATZ, JOHN BAILE AND JIM BENEROFE REPORTING

PETER KATZ, JOHN BAILEY AND JIM BENEROFE REPORTING TONIGHT ON

CASS CIBELLI AND THE REPUBLICAN SLATE.

THE OAKLAND BAY BRIDGE DELAY.

POLICE OVERTIME BLOATS–CITY SHOOTS SELF IN FOOT.

THE REBELLION ON THE GREENWAY– SECESSION NEXT?

THE BEFORE I DIE BOARD.

AND MORE!

SEE THE ALL NIGHT NEWS BOYS–MORE ALIVE THAN LIVE AND LOCAL.

ON THE INTERNET AT

www.whiteplainsweek.com

IMPORTANT: In this week’s program, the Claudia Murphy who is running for Common Council on the Republican Common Council Slate was confused with another person, due to the Republican Party failure to provide background information as requested by e-mail and telephone by the producers a week ago.

Claudia Murphy is the owner of Happy Paws Pet Sitting, Treasurer for the Carhart neighborhood association, and president of the Live Oaks condominium board of managers.  She was very active in the fight against the proposed detox center on Dekalb Avenue and quite vocal at the public hearings regarding this project.

 

 

 

 

 

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Letter from Cass Cibelli: Taxes Outrageous. Mayor has lost his way.

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247ec80[1]Dear Mr. Bailey,

     What an honor it is to have been nominated to run for mayor of White Plains. Moreover, my running mates, Anne Marie Encarnacao, Claudia Murphy and Carlo Albanese, respectively, each brings a unique White Plains’ experience while clearly unifying on an indelible message:
        White Plains can no longer function under one party rule. Our ticket has independent minded men and women, democrats and republicans alike; each uniquely qualified to lead. A true bi-partisan ticket!
     At the turn of the century, my wife Patricia and I chose to settle and raise our family here because there was a sense of hope; a sense that economically we could live here and grow. Well, we’re certainly living here and growing now with two beautiful grade school children.
That our taxes grow just as our children do is outrageous.
     Leadership is borne out of vision and vision is focused when input to that vision is honest and trustworthy.
     Currently, my opponent, Mayor Tom Roach, nevertheless a gentleman, has lost his way.
     He relies on his party patrons to sustain him, to guide him and fails to map out the future of the City.
         Yet, when we look around, growth has stalled, shoppers are leaving in numbers and morale amongst police, fire fighters and DPW workers is at an all time low. I know this for a fact because we talk.
     When we’re mayor, fiscal responsibility will be the first order. Depts will not spend their budgets down like DPW currently does.
      DPW spends its entire budget in the 3rd quarter, recently squandering $200,000 on unneccessary curbing and an acre of trees!
        Between this and a confounding $300,000 on a bike lane to nowhere, Mayor Roach wasted $500,000. And this is only the beginning. People lost their jobs at DPW. It doesn’t have to be this way.
     Another $20,000 to survey the Greenway! We have people in our government who do such work as part of their jobs! There’s more.
     The purpose here is to say thank you for trusting us with this honor to bring a campaign to the people that is framed in trust, honesty and competence. We plan to campaign on our merits and vision, where every citizen, every neighborhood matters.
      My promise as Mayor is to offer citizens a monthly forum to address the mayor and commissioners on the citizens’ turf, without the limits currently imposed at City Hall.
       The People’s Forum shall open the doors to government and render an elected body who is accountable to the people; not an elected body which currently is smug, entitled and aloof leaving an inaccessible path to City Hall.
My best regards,
Cass V. Cibelli
Candidate for Mayor
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County Clerk: Jump in Foreclosures a Wake-Up Call for Homeowners to Get Help

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WPCNR REAL ESTATE NEWS. July 11, 2013:

Timothy Idoni, Westchester County Clerk,  told WPCNR that his office announcement of the rise in new foreclosure filings the first six months of the year did consist of many filings of what he called “clean paper foreclosures” on homes previously served with foreclosure notices which were invalidated for incomplete paperwork by 2011 government rulings stopping banks’ practices of “robo-signings” which started a wave of attempted foreclosures in 2008-9.

However, in his talking with the county court about the new foreclosure notices,  Idoni said there were quite a few new foreclosures, too, not just reservings. He said the intent of his announcement was to urge homeowners on verge of foreclosure, served with foreclosure notices to seek help from organizations like Westchester Residential Opportunities who could advise them how to work out arrangements to keep their homes.

Idoni did not have a ratio of how many fresh foreclosure filings there were as opposed to filings involving previous attempts at foreclosure.

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Foreclosures Soar first six months of Year in County. Filings of OLD Foreclosures.Does Not Indicate New Market Distress

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER.From the Westchester County Clerk. July 9, 2013 UPDATED JULY 10, 2013 WITH ANALYSIS BY WPCNR;

“The foreclosure activity in the first half of 2013 is the highest since the foreclosure crisis began,” reported Westchester County Clerk Timothy C. Idoni who serves as Clerk of the Westchester County Supreme Court where foreclosure actions are heard.

The information, though, does not signal a new wave of homeowners facing distress, according to an expert in distressed properties, Phil Faranda of J. Philip Real Estate, who spoke with WPCNR Wednesday morning. Mr. Faranda also runs the web newsite, www.nyshortsalesblog.com and www.jphilip.com

Faranda says these filings are filings of complete,  updated paperwork banks started three to four years ago when hundreds of people were being foreclosed on during what Mr. Faranda called the “robo-signing crisis” when the government declared a moratorium on instant foreclosure actions because people were losing their houses without getting due process in the courts. Faranda sees this sudden increase of foreclosures indicating that banks which attempted foreclosures in the county two to three years ago have finally gotten all documents necessary to begin the long process leading to repossession.

“I don’t believe this is the crisis it appears to be,” Faranda said, noting the inventory  would eventually come on the market, but not all at once. He did not  see the filings at all as  a new wave of new homeowners being unable to pay their mortgages. Some he said may not even know they still own those homes. Some he said, had already sold.them.

As the settlements of these foreclosures  come on the market, he said the properties would help real estate sales because buyers who could not afford homes at the steadily rising prices  would have lower priced homes to choose..

He added that the homes would be coming onto a stable market where mortgage money and favorable monetary policy by the government was available, and not in the climate of four years ago where mortgage money was not available. Prices were plummetting and there was no consumer confidence. Mr. Faran

The Office of the Westchester County Clerk reported one thousand four hundred and twenty six (1,426) foreclosure actions started between January 1st and June 30th of this year, as compared with eight hundred and twenty four (824) during the same period last year.  One hundred and fifty one (151) foreclosure judgments have been entered in the first half of 2013, in comparison to ninety three (93) entered during the first half of 2012.  A month-by-month breakdown of foreclosure filings follows:

 

January

February

March

April

May

June

Total
2006

100

119

159

120

140

128

766
2007

146

132

252

181

145

156

1,012
2008

243

231

285

224

202

225

1,410
2009

124

154

210

266

240

266

1,260
2010

260

181

222

210

208

262

1,343
2011

133

145

144

150

157

156

885
2012

105

131

143

148

150

147

824
2013

208

200

275

268

266

209

1,426

“As foreclosure activity in Westchester County increases, so does the risk that our residents will fall prey to a foreclosure scheme,” cautioned Idoni who urged residents to seek help from a trained foreclosure counselor.  Westchester Residential Opportunities (WRO), a non-profit housing agency with offices in White Plains and Mount Vernon, conducts Mortgage Default Orientation sessions most Wednesdays in their White Plains Office.  Trained counselors are available to help at (914) 428-4507 ext. 334 or by visiting www.wroinc.org.

For more information on the Office of the Westchester County Clerk, please visit WestchesterClerk.com or call (914)995-3081.

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American Bridge Company and Fluor Corporation’s New Oakland Bay Bridge Opening Delayed to December Due to key Safety Bolt Failures

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DELAYED UNTIL DECEMBER- BOLTS DEFECTIVE. The New Oakland Bay Bridge will not open due to defective safety bolts.

WPCNR TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE NEWS. By John F. Bailey July 8, 2013:

The new Oakland Bay Bridge, the model project that New York State touted as one of the reasons they chose Tappan Zee Constructors ( a consortium of American Bridge Company, Fluor Corporation, and Granite Construction) to build the New Tappan Zee Bridge will not open until December due to cracks in the new bridge safety bolts selected by American Bridge and Fluor.The California Toll Bridge Program announced the delay  in an official report Monday.

It is expected to take until December 10 to repair the cracks.

American Bridge and Fluor, are starting on the new New York Tappan Zee Bridge. A press release just yesterday touted the bridge beginning.

In the official report of the Tappan Zee Bridge Selection Committee who went with American Bridge and Fluor the committee wrote, in selecting Tappan Zee Bridge Constructors,  on page nine of the “Blue Ribbon Selection Committee Report::

“Past project experience is more directly relevant to this type of construction,” (their only reference to American Bridge Company and Fluor Corporation “experience.”)

The Blue Ribbon Selection Committee picked American Bridge Company, Fluor and Granite by this process, as described in the Executive Summary:

The BRSC took the following steps in its best-value assessment:

Conducted an in-depth trade-off of technical quality and price, comparing the relative technical and cost advantages of the original proposals as explained by clarifications received in Communications and Discussions with the proposers;

Determined whether the higher-priced proposal offered sufficient quality advantages over lower-priced proposals to justify the price difference;

Reached a decision on which proposal provides the best value;

Documented a justification of the selection; and

In addition, the BRSC separately considered whether the potential enhancements identified by each proposer during Discussions might affect the best-value decision.

Considering both the value added to each proposal based upon the potential changes and the financial impact (if any) of such changes, Niagara (Tappan Zee Constructors) was still also considered to be the best-value proposer.

The Blue Ribbon Selection Committee did not talk over how the new Oakland Bay Bridge Project has been going with the California Department of Transportation

WPCNR was informed by the California Department of Transportation spokesman Mark Dinger on July 1st  that CALTRANS had no record of  any correspondence “that would document any official contact” with the New York Tappan Zee Selection Committee ever contacting CALTRANS about the American Bridge Company and Fluor performance on the new Oakland Bay Bridge.

The spokesman for the New Oakland Bay Bridge, Andrew Gordon speaking to WPCNR in a telephone call last week also reported he has not had any contact with anyone connected with the New Tappan Zee Bridge  Selection Committee in either phone calls or correspondence. He also recalled no representatives from that Committee or anyone from the Thruway taking a tour of the Oakland Bay Bridge in progress.

To see the complete Associated Press story on the delay, go to http://news.yahoo.com/bay-bridge-opening-delayed-until-least-december-183331615.html;_ylt=AhW5TIL6GiCZGvuG9G5NQIAJVux_;_ylu=X3oDMTJhbmtrdHVxBG1pdANBVFQgMyBTdG9yeSBKdW1ib3Ryb24gSG9tZSBDYWNoZWQEcG9zAzM2BHNlYwNNZWRpYUF0dFdpZGdldHJvbkFzc2VtYmx5;_ylg=X3oDMTFkcW51ZGliBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3BtaA–;_ylv=3

 

 

 

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