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 CITY HALL CIRCUIT. By John F. Bailey. September 11, 2011:

 

Governor Andrew Cuomo today, (pictured below) opened an exhibit of artifacts recovered from the World Trade Center ruins, recognized White Plains First Responders who participated in the valiant efforts to respond to the September 11 attack on the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center ten years ago today. The governor delivered a powerful message why we need to remember the events of this day: to educate and prepare today’s children for inevitable evils of the future.

 

 

The Governor spoke after White Plains Commissioner of Public Safety David Chong,(below) who was in the midst of what he described the chaos, flames and screams of that day ten years ago, in a moving speech put the last ten years in perspective. He said the collective efforts and sacrifices of citizens, police, fire fighters, and the military had put terrorists on the run, declaring that terrorism had been defeated.

 

 

Governor Cuomo said there were three lessons to be learned from that day that the children of today and tomorrow must take from it: The essence of  “pure evil” of that terrorist act countered “in the same moment, and on the same ground” by the pure good that human beings are capable of, describing how strangers at peril to themselves pitched in to help others. He said a second lesson was how Americans did not fingerpoint and single out other Americans for blame,that they came together as one people, invoking the phrase e pluribus unum  in the truest sense.  Finally, he  said what he hoped for the persons suffering from the loss of loved ones from 9/11,  

 

“I hope you have found a way to find some peace with the situation. I hope you have found a way to look back and honor our sacrifice and the contribution that was made that day towards this nation’s standing and freedom and liberty. Thank you and God bless you.”

Mayor Thomas Roach of White Plains welcomed the gathering keynoting the need that his children who were very young at the time needed to learn what the World Trade Center attacks were all about, and their significance.

Polce Chief James Bradley, left, Commissioner of Public Safety David Chong,Governor Cuomo,  and Sandra Lee, listen prior to the Mayor’s introducing them. On the wall behind the Governor is a “Riding List” from NYFD Engine Company 6 that responded to 9/11 ten years ago, showing the names of 4 firefighters who never returned, just one of the artifacts on display in the  New York Remembers exhibit now on display opposite The Trove in the White Plains Public Library.

New York Remembers includes a pictorial timeline of the events of that day and actual recoveries from the site. Governor Cuomo in his speech said when he observed the remnants of World Trade Center wreckage in a warehouse at Kennedy Airport he was profoundly moved, saying it put you right back there on that day. Seeing the artifacts lead him to establish 30 New York Remembers sites around the state.

 

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2011 September 10, 2011:

The White Plains Council of Neighborhood Associations (WPCNA) will host a forum for candidates to represent White Plains on the Westchester County Board of Legislators on Tuesday September 13 at 7:30PM at Ed House, 5 Homeside Lane, White Plains.
 
Bill Ryan (D) and Iris Pagan (R) are contenders to represent District 5 and Alfreda Williams (D) is running unopposed in District 8.
 
After introductions each candidate will talk briefly about their background and why they are running for this office. 

Candidates will be asked questions compiled before the meeting. Following that as time allows we will take questions from the audience.  

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WPCNR PRESS BOX. By John F. Bailey. September 8, 2011:

 

The New York State insurer for hundreds of school districts will pay for repairs to the three year old $5.4 Million Loucks Field storm damage inflicted by Hurricane Irene, the School District Assisstant Superintendent for Business, Fred Seiler told WPCNR today.

 

After an inspection by a representative from New York State Insurance Reciprocal, Wednesday, the inspector found the three year old Field Turf installation at Loucks could not handle “the excessive amount of rain” (6.2 inches over two days) Hurricane Irene had poured on the field over 15 hours..

 

According  to Seiler, the expert said fields like Loucks can only handle about 3 inches of rain.  Seiler added  “the underground drains, the rain was too much for them to handle.”

 

Since the 6.2 inches were delivered by Hurricane Irene that caused the wrinkles which were discovered on the field Monday of last week, the field has sustained 4.81 inches more rain (according to the Westchester County Airport) on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

Seiler reported the expert indicated that work needed to be done on the drain system under the field to prevent this from happening in the future.

 

Seiler said that LandTek, the installer of the field would be handling the repair work, and could do the job in three days. However, before repair can start Seiler  said “we need a few days of dry weather.” The work will consist of  “ironing out”  the wrinkles and cleaning out portions of the drainage system. If the work started next week, Loucks could be ready for play by the scheduled football opener at Loucks Friday, September 16 ,Seiler said.

 

Asked about whether the drainage efficiency of  the slopes on the west side of the field (where stands are installed)  had to be addressed again to carry water away from the playing surface or around the playing surface, Seiler said the school was in the process of hiring a new Director of Facilities and that would probably be “looked at.” 

 

When excessive water came out from under the stands in January of 2009 the contractors blamed clogged drains at the base of the stands for the outflow and the school district also undertook drainage installation at the north end and south ends of the stands. Asked if a drainage study was done of the slopes the stands rest on before construction, Seiler said he was not sure.

 

One of the motivations for creating a synthetic turf field at Loucks was to prevent the drainage problems the natural turf field had for decades so the playing field would always be usable no matter how much precipitation fell.

 

Today,  the district issued a press release officially announcing the field was closed, reading,

 

WHITE PLAINS CLOSES LOUCKS FIELD

 

 

            White Plains Superintendent of Schools Dr. Christopher P. Clouet has announced that Loucks

 

Field, at White Plains High School, is completely closed until further notice, due to damage from

 

Hurricane Irene.  He said the district is working with its insurance carrier to establish a timeline for

 

repairs to the field. 

 

            The school’s football team has been practicing at Parker Stadium, at the Highlands Middle

 

School, and early season games could be played there, if necessary. 

 

            Please see the district’s website, www.whiteplainspublicschools.org for updates.

 

 

 

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WPCNR FBI WIRE. From the Federal Bureau of Investigation. September 6,2011:

Gary Foster, a former vice president in Citigroup, Inc.’s treasury finance department, pleaded guilty today to bank fraud arising from his embezzlement of more than $22 million from Citigroup. Foster entered his plea before the Hon. Eric N. Vitaliano, United States District Judge, at the United States Courthouse in Brooklyn.

The guilty plea was announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office.

According to the charging documents, between September 2003 and June 2011, Foster first transferred money from various Citigroup accounts to Citigroup’s cash account, then wired the money to his personal bank account at another bank.

Foster concealed his thefts by making various false accounting entries to create the appearance that the cash account was in balance and by placing a fraudulent contract or deal number in the reference line of the wire transfer instructions to give the appearance that the wire transfers were actually in support of an existing Citigroup contract.

Foster used the money to buy real estate and luxury automobiles, including a Ferrari and a Maserati. The government has restrained real estate purchased by Foster in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New Jersey and seized numerous luxury automobiles and bank accounts that Foster controlled. In total, the value of the seized and restrained property is estimated to be approximately $16 million. Foster will forfeit the property pursuant to his plea agreement.

“The defendant violated his employer’s trust and stole a stunning amount of money over an extended period of time to finance his personal lifestyle,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “We will vigorously investigate and prosecute such conduct and seek to recover as much of the proceeds as possible.”

“Foster exploited his position as a trusted insider to embezzle tens of millions of dollars and to conceal the theft for as long as possible. The FBI is determined to uncover bank larceny in any form,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Fedarcyk.

The defendant faces a maximum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment on the bank fraud charges.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael L. Yaeger and Karen R. Hennigan.

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WPCNR PRESS BOX. By John F. Bailey. September 6, 2011 :

 

The six inches of rain Hurricane Irene dumped on White Plains August 27-28 ending 8 days ago, has made 30 yards of the southend of the Loucks Field at White Plains High School unplayable eight days later.

 

 

Loucks Field Looking to South Goal Sunday afternoon. Wrinkles heaving up have made surface unplayable.

 

 

District has Closed the Turf portion of the field to the public.

 

 

Sunday, bunched up “wrinkles” averaging an inch and a half to 2 inches  in height in the middle of the field south turf were observed by this reporter. The high stepping wrinkles could cause players to trip in game action. The field showed evidence of saturation Sunday and again this morning.

 

Wrinkles up to  half a finger’s height exist as of Labor Day morning.

 

A sign was placed at the field declaring the field unusable to the public Sunday. However unauthorized play was being conducted on the field on 50 yards of the north end of the field.

From Saturday, August 27 through Sunday August 28, Hurricane Irene resulted in 6.12 inches of rain according to the Westchester County Airport observations.

 

On Monday, Labor Day, the wrinkles had not diminished eight days after the rains had stopped.

 

The high school football team which normally practices on the Loucks playing surface was using the natural grass fields for their Monday morning practice.

 

The field opened three years ago, and this is the first instance of “wrinkle” damage happening on the field.

 

 

 

Loucks Leaks for first time, August,2009.

WPCNR NEWS ARCHIVE FILE PHOTO

 

There were drainage issues when the field first opened from stormwater spilling out onto the track from under the bleachers.

 

To read about the repairs the school district made during that flooding which occurred in July-August, 2009, go to http://www.whiteplainscnr.com/article7555.html

 

However, a field built by Landtek, the installers of Loucks Field, developed wrinkles in April of this year at a field in Ridgewood, New Jersey.

 

This happened 5 months ago April 11, due to a rain event causing the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook to flood the field.

 

News reports on the Ridgewood field event did not give a cause for the wrinkles,whether it was rising watertable or absorption from the surface flooding. To be fair the flooding of the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook was the worst in 56 years. However the White Plains storm resulted in only 6 inches of rain.

 

The Ridgewood News article did report that the wrinkles at the Ridgewood field were going to have to be fixed by the Landtek company.

 

A later dispatch from the Ridgewood News said that Landtek was paid a minimum of  $21,000 to “iron out” the wrinkles in the Ridgewood High Field.

 

Cause of the wrinkles was not reported, but apparently the field could not hold the rains. The flooding in Ridgewood along the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook was the worst since 1954.

To read about the damage done to the Ridgewood High field, go to: http://ridgewood.patch.com/articles/districts-flooded-fields-cleanup-to-cost-21k-superintendent-initially-forgets-to-disclose-full-cost#photo-5686086