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.

Hits: 0

WPCNR CITY CIRCUIT. From Karen Pasquale, Senior Advisor to the Mayor. November 2, 2011 3:15 P.M. E.D.T.:

Hits: 0

WPCNR THE POWER NEWS.From Consolidated Edison Media Relations (Edited and Annotated by WPCNR). UPDATED October 31,2011 10:45 P.M.:

 

As of 10:30 P.M, 44,662 County customers represent 12% of Con Ed’s customers remain without power. After the storm ended Saturday evening, 22% of  county customers were reported without power (77,000). It should be noted though that more customers were reporting outages through Sunday.

 

Locally in White Plains, at 10:30 P.M. 781 of 23,854 Con Ed White Plains customers are without power.

 

Karen Pasquale of the Mayor’s Office reports as of 3:30 P.M.:

 

“DPW has largely addressed those roadway blockages that did not involve downed wires. The focus at this point is on approximately a dozen locations throughout the City where DPW crews are working with ConEd crews to clear blocked or partially blocked roadways where downed wires are also involved. The City has about 60 employees actively working on storm clean-up. The Mayor has been in contact with Con Ed throughout.”

 

Around the county, at 10:45 P.M., Yonkers (5,414 are powerless and rising); Cortlandt (4,420), Greenburgh (3,396),New Castle (3,375 without power, about a third the population served), North Castle(3,082, ¾ of Con Ed customers there), Mount Vernon(2,147) and Yorktown (2,341) are the most affected. Progress has been made substantially in the Castles, Greenburgh, Cortlandt and Yorktown

 

THE CON ED POWER SCOREBOARD 10:30 P.M.

 

Ardsley 229

Bedford 573

Briarcliff Manor 1,567

Bronxville 165

Buchanan 27

Cortlandt 4,420

Croton 1,145

Dobbs Ferry 311

Eastchester 1,441

Elmsford 166

Greenburgh 3,396

Harrison 388

Hastings 489

Irvington 826

Larchmont 13

Mamaroneck 865

Mount Kisco 1,939

Mount Pleasant 2,990

Mount Vernon 2,147

New Castle 3,375

North Castle 3,082

New Rochelle 1,588

Pelham 718

Ossining 1,833

Peekskill 776

Pleasantville 1,055

Port Chester 66

Rye Brook 443

Rye City 209

Scarsdale 2,015

Sleepy Hollow 542

Tarrytown 730

Tuckahoe 230

White Plains 781

Yonkers 5,414,341

Yorktown 2

 

Hits: 0

WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. From the White Plains Department of Public Safety. October 30,2011:

On Saturday evening at approximately 11:18 hours, White Plains Public Safety received numerous calls about a head-on two vehicle collision in the Northbound lanes of Mamaroneck Ave.  The accident occurred approximately in front of 1211 Mamaroneck Ave.  Public Safety units arrived within seconds and observed two vehicles heavily damaged. 

 

In one vehicle, a 1991 Toyota Camry were four occupants. 

 

 The occupants had to be physically extracted from the vehicle, there were no signs of airbags and this may be due to the age of the vehicle.  The second vehicle, a 1998 Lexus, was carrying one male driver.  The airbags had deployed and the driver had been able to exit this vehicle and was found in the roadway. 

 

Police, Fire, EMS, a Con Edison Supervisor, and some off duty citizens that were from New Rochelle Fire & New Rochelle EMS were on the scene and all started rendering some type of assistance.  CPR was performed by members of Police, Fire and EMS on three of the most critically injured victims from the 1991 Toyota. 

 

 All five victims were transported from the scene by EMS ambulances directly to White Plains Medical Center.  Unfortunately, three victims, all in the 1991 Toyota Camry were declared deceased at White Plains Hospital. 

 

The fourth Toyota passenger suffered serious injuries was stabilized and subsequently transported to Westchester Medical Center, he is listed in serious but stable condition.  The Driver of the 1998 Lexus suffered trauma injuries and lacerations and was admitted to White Plains Hospital for observation.

 

The victims are as identified as follows,

 

1991 Toyota Camry Occupants:

 

Driver, Herbert Royster, Male, DOB 07/16/46 of the Bronx, Deceased.

 

Front Passenger, Aida N. Royster, Female, DOB 01/20/41 of the Bronx, Deceased

 

Rear Passenger, David Guerra, Male, DOB 02/04/60 of the Bronx, Deceased

 

Rear Passenger, Edgar Guerra, Male, DOB 02/22/50 of the Bronx, Serious but Stable, transported to Westchester Medical Center after treatment at White Plains Hospital.

 

1998 Lexus Occupant:

 

Edwardo Huezo, Male,  age, 25, resident of the Bronx, admitted to White Plains Hospital for blunt trauma and lacerations for observation.

 

This is an active police accident investigation, being conducted by our trained Accident Investigations Unit and assisted by White Plains Detectives. 

 

Preliminary and unconfirmed investigation at this time indicates that the Toyota was traveling southbound in the nortbound lane when it struck the Lexus in the vicinity of 1211 Mamaroneck Ave. 

 

Mamaroneck Ave. southbound had been shut and barricaded by the Police Department from Ridgeway to Rosedale Ave. due to storm road obstructions included downed trees, branches, and wires.

 

White Plains Public Safety Commissioner David Chong states

 

“the investigation is active and we will know more after the Medical Examiner’s report.  As a matter consistant with any tragedy the Department will be working closely with the Medical Examiners office.  Our hearts and prayers go out to all the victims of this horrific event.”

 

White Plains Mayor, Thomas M. Roach, who was in contact with the Commissioner and Responder’s on the scene said

 

 “My deepest condolences go out to the families of the victims of this terrible accident.  The members of the White Plains Police and Fire Departments, as well as other first responders, at the scene worked hard to assist the victims and get them needed medical attention. I would like to recognize and thank them for their actions.  I know I speak for everyone in our community in expressing our sympathy to the victims’ families and our gratitude to our first responders.”

Hits: 0

WPCNR Common Council Chronicle-Examiner. Special to WPCNR October 27, 2011:

 

Decades of quietly illegal procedure were exposed last night at the White Plains Common Council Special Meeting.

 

 

Carl Albanese  of White Plains spoke up and demanded Mayor Tom Roach comply with the New York State open meetings law and reveal the subject matter of the about-to-begin executive session at last night’s common Council meeting. Photo, WPCNR News Archive, April 2009.

 

The mayor tried to stop Mr. Albanese from speaking out, according to Albanese but he continued and rattled off the city violation of New York State Open Meetings Law executive session procedure violations.

 

According to witnesses of the historic moment, Mayor Roach rose from his seat behind the Mayor’s desk, walked over to chief of staff John Callahan and whispered in Callahan’s ear.

 

Callahan  recited as quick as he could,  the pending litigation suits and attorneys for discussion in the upcoming executive session primarily lawsuits that the White Plains Professional Firefighters have ongoing against the city on grievances.

 

Mr. Albanese said, “It  (Callahan’s reciting of cases) was so fast you could not decipher the litigation cases against the city.” Albanese said he was  then directed by Chief of Staff Mr. Callahan to remove all Albanese’s  videotaping equipment from the Mayor’s conference room, before the executive session began.

 

By standing up and challenging the Mayor on procedure, Mr. Albanese exposed  the procedure the city has been using for years to keep citizens unaware of pending, ongoing and serious policy matters involving, litigation, purchase of land and personnel matters as a violation of state open meetings law.

 

It is  “custom”  procedure that no member of the press of any media  has ever challenged, but accepted as “procedure.”

 

Albanese cited NYS OM L, Section 103 which  says that a governing body may enter into Executive Session–.

 

“upon a majority vote of its total membership taken in an open meeting pursuant to a motion identifying the general area or areas of the subject or subjects to be considered.”

 

It is Albanese’s contention that the city by this statement is required to state specifics of the matters, naming names and matters they are going to discuss, and not hang out a general explanation “for purposes of discussing pending legislation,” or “for discussion of personnel matters,” or for “purpose of selling or acquisition of land.”

 

WPCNR has a call in to the Mayor’s Senior Advisor to see if the city is going to contest this interpretation in the courts.

 

WPCNR has asked Mayor Roach, and city Chief of Staff  John Callahan, if the disclosure of subject matter and principles will be followed in future calls for going into Executive sessions on land acquisition or sale matters and personnel discussions…going forward.

 

Hits: 0

Where’s Mass Transit? Scopers Ask.

 

WPCNR BRIDGE NEWS. By John F. Bailey. October 26, 2011 UPDATED WITH EXHIBIT CHARTS 10 P.M. E.D.T.:  

 

The Department of Transporation unveiled its new Tappan Zee Bridge Reconstruction option at the Tarrytown Doubletree Hotel Tuesday afternoon in a scoping presentation that kicked off an accelerated environmental review of the Tappan Zee Bridge Replacement Project. 

 

The agency and chain of command responsible for funding, engineering and building the bridges has not been determined at this time.

 

The environmental review that began yesterday is scheduled to be completed in December 2012, with work beginning in 2013 and the project completed by 2018.

 

Choice of Two Designs, Cable Suspension Above, or  Arch Bridge below:

 

 

The new “bridge” is really two bridges, higher off the Hudson River and straighter than the present 1959-built Tappan Zee Bridge. The proposed spannings  allow more speed because they are level and add permanent lanes to the East West corridors, raising the total of lanes to 4 in each direction. The design met with widespread complaints in the scoping session because it has no mass transit component according to observers in the audience who spoke with WPCNR.

 

 

The New Bridge Profile (In yellow will be higher than the existing Tappan Zee Bridge, allowing for straighter, more level crossing rather than the alleged slowing of traffic on grade experienced now with the present bridge (profile and grade is colored in blue

 

Officials making explanations of the exhibit of the design in the reception area toured by WPCNR as well as officials making the official scoping presentation went to great lengths to assure the public that the dual bridge would be engineered to add mass transit of rapid bus transit or rail transit sometime in the future to be determined. A second scoping session is scheduled to be held in the Palisades Mall from 4 to 9 P.M. Thursday afternoon, when officials will again make the presentation they made Tuesday evening.

Mass Transit Could be Added in the future to this structure in the cantilevered space underneath the roadways or in the space between the bridges — bus or rail according to engineers.

 

 

The Chart immediately below shows how the Project engineers would add mass transit (rail, bus,or both in the future)

 

 

 

 

Who’s the Czar?

 

Browsing the bridge exhibits, WPCNR  asked William Reynolds, Communications Director of the Department of Transportation what agency is ultimately going to  be responsible to build and have ultimate control of the project: funding, engineering, choosing contractors, building the bridge.

 

“That (decision) is well down the road” according to William Reynolds, Communications Director, of the Department of Transportation the Federal Highway Administration  that stepped in last week to “fast track” the project environmental review to speed replacement of the bridge, or the New York Department of Transporation that has spent 10 years tinkering with the design of a replacement. Reynolds said the present stage beginning yesterday is the environmental review and designation of responsibility for the project has not been determined at this time. He said he would get back to WPCNR with more details on when and how the assignment of responsibility for building the bridges will be made.

 

Here is what WPCNR learned in discussing the design with DOT personnel at the reception area displaying key charts showing the new bridges (Press read-on instruction):

 

 

 

Overview of the new position of the new Tappan Zee Double Bridge, presented Tuesday. The Double Bridge will position slightly north of the present bridge (represented by blue line in the overhead view above. It will connect with the present Nyack and Tarrytown approaches (using the present Tappan Zee Toll Plaza).

Closeup view of the Nyack Side Connection to the new bridge.There appears to be no eminent domain land-taking. (Blue at right of overhead is the present Tappan Zee bridge.)

The Tarrytown Connection: Double Bridge connecting to prsent toll-plaza. No eminent domain appears needed.

The North Structure of the Double Bridge will be built first and when it is completed in an estimated 2-1/2 years, it appears the old Tappan Zee Bridge will be closed approximately 2016. The completed northern structure will carry 8 lanes of traffic, 4 east and 4 west bound, while the south side of the double bridge is built.

Upon Completion of the South ramp, the new North Bridge will revert to a 4 lane West bound only direction with a bicycle and pedestrian lane at far left,a 10-foot buffer/breakdown lane and 4 12-foot westbound lanes, an 8 foot buffer/breakdown lane, and a 12 foot Emergency Access lane.

The South Bridge will carry 4 lanes of eastbound traffic, and have a 10 foot breakdown/shoulder lane on the right andf Emergency Access on the left. It is scheduled to be completed by 2018.

 

The Tuesday Scoping Session kicked off the “fastrack” environmental review scheduled to be completed by December, 2012. The Bridge is expected to begin construction 2013 with completion of both structures by 2018.