WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER 3,374,995 VISITS IN ONE YEAR—65,000 VISITS A WEEK BY 985,281 VISITORS

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. March 27, 2009: The Common Council last night approved a resolution continuing the Open Arms Homeless Shelter “Drop-In” capacity (of approximately 17 additonal beds) through May 31. In a marathon Executive Session lasting at least and hour and a half,  that was still going on at about 10 P.M., the council considered and approved 12 certiorari settlements for a series of co-operatives and condominiums, signaling another round of crippling certiorari filings.  Details will not be revealed until the Common Council meeting of April 6.

The council was cool towards a proposal by the owners of 14 Mamaroneck Avenue to post a computerized message board overlooking Renaissance Square. The Board, estimated by its presenters to cost $1 Million to install was envisioned as a delivery system for advertisements, community messages, and emergency messages by its promoters. Rita Malmud, the councilperson, was particularly skeptical, especially about the possibilities of audio messages and visual distractions. Glen Hockley supported the concept as a wave of the future. Dennis Power the Councilperson worried about its intrusiveness on the parklike atmosphere of the square. Such a board exists presently in the city of Milano, Italy on one of the famous old squares. The project will be referred out for comment.

The Council learned it had been approved for approximately $652,000 of green energy grants  in federal stimulus money from Congresswoman’s Nita Lowey’s office to execute energy audits and energy “retrofits” in residential and commercial buildings, and the development of advanced building codes and inspections, and creation of financial incentive programs for energy efficiency improvements.

Commissioner of Planning Susan Habel announced the city had learned it would receive $241,000 for Community Development funds  to create jobs and enable part-time jobs to keep persons employed (such as camp programs), in addition to the city’s  present annual  allotment from the federal government, believed to be about $400,000, which has been declining in recent years. The full amount, she said, was not known at this time. She expressed chagrin that the city would have received more if the American Community Service had not used data from 2000 which showed White Plains population declining. Yonkers, Habel said Yonkers receive $4,000,000, New Rochelle, $1,000,000 and Mount Vernon, $600,000 in like grants.

On the matter of  the new hotel rooms about to open April 1 at the Ritz-Carlton, Commissioner Habel noted that the council had approved reduction in office space in the second tower in August 2006 and earlier in 2005, and that the Planning Department approval of moving the lot line simply reflected those changes in the plans. No one on the Council expressed any qualms about the fact that the addition of 24 new hotel rooms springing up was a complete suprise to the council.  City Assessor Lloyd Tasch noted that the addition of hotel rooms reduced the assessible value of the property because hotels rooms were assessed lower than office space. No one asked what this meant in terms of dollars to the city. Tasch observed that the Ritz said they needed the rooms to be competitive for the business conference market because they did not have enough room capacity to handle a major meetings.

Commissioner of Public Works Joseph Nicoletti expressed frustration on the state’s confusing process of awarding stimulus money for public works projects. He observed  that it appeared to him many of the projects had already been pre-selected by the state, from the laundry list of projects submitted by Mayors, leaving very little big time stimulus money to trickle down to cities like White Plains based on applications. White Plains has an $18 Million water supply tank (first brought up three years ago, and postponed for three years) and $5 Million sewer connection line pending, but Nicoletti felt the city had little chance of obtaining funding for those shovel-ready projects. Nicoletti lamented that most projects were traffic oriented, and expected the city would get funding for traffic signal modernization.

Commissioner of Planning Susan Habel said that the city affordable housing stock was mostly filled, but a handful of studios and 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom units were still available. She said credit worthiness handicapped many singles from qualifying for the studio units, as well as families.

The council met in executive session on certioraris and WPCNR has learned that 12 certioraris and assessment reductions  involving co–ops and condominiums were approved.  They had already been figured into this year’s assessment roll. The very long executive session lasting as long as the public portion of the meeting, might have involved budget discussion, otherwise in this time of anxiety over budget cuts and deficits, the council did not bring up the budget at all.

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WPCNR BACKROOM BULLETIN. March 25, 2009 UPDATED 10:22 A.M. E.D.T.:  Through a Democratic City Committee E-mail today,  WPCNR has learned New York State Assemblyman Adam Bradley will announce his candidacy for Mayor of White Plains on Monday at 11 A.M. on the steps of City Hall. Bradley can run for Mayor next fall without giving up his Assembly seat, so even should he lose the race, he will still have a job in the Albany statehouse.

Here is a copy of that E-Mail circulated to Democratic City Committee members in White Plains today:

March 25

To:  Friends in White Plains

From:  Paul Schwarz

Re:   An important announcement

The time has come to make a change in the government of White Plains.  Please join us on the steps of City Hall on Monday, March
30th, at 11:00 a.m., as Adam Bradley announces his candidacy for Mayor.

We need audience members to arrive there by 10:50 for an event which will last no more than 30 minutes.

Where:  City Hall (255 Main St.)
When:   Monday, March 30, 10:50 – 11:30
Rain or shine!

There is a great deal to be done, but we feel that this is the year.  You may sign up to volunteer at the website:
www.BradleyForWhitePlains.org     which will be operational starting Monday 3/30.

[We are sending this out early.  We have learned that an article will appear in tomorrow’s JN.]

Paul


Apologies – you may receive multiple copies of some form of this announcement.  Please RSVP to me if you have not done so to another
committee member.  Thanks – and hope to see you there.

It is a free pass  year for Bradley to take a run at the White Plains Mayoralty without giving up the Assembly position. In the past when queried by WPCNR, Bradley has repeatedly said how he is focused on serving all his constitutents in the 89th Assembly District, now he will have to juggle that awesome responsibility with a Mayoral campaign.

Adam Bradley, October, 2008

Bradley, the lone Democrat who has the political recognition needed to unseat the incumbent Mayor, Joseph Delfino, (should he, Delfino, decide to run), has refused to commit that he is running for Mayor for weeks, despite repeated queries from the press. The Journal News reported today Bradley had made a committee filing with the Board of Elections reserving the ability to fundraise, but still would not commit he was running to Journal News reporter Keith Eddings.

The assumption of course is that Bradley’s opponent will be incumbent Mayor Joseph Delfino, who has not officially committed to running himself, though recent political policy maneuverings in city hall indicate Delfino is setting up campaign issues specifically aimed at Mr. Bradley’s vulnerability on the sales tax issue.

Bradley has set up a website for mayor at www.bradleyforwhiteplains.org. The website currently is not live, and only accessible by user name and password. Perhaps it will be live on Monday. Mr. Schwarz has confirmed to WPCNR that the site will be “live” Monday, timed to coordinate with Mr. Bradley’s announcement.

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WPCNR THE DEVELOPER NEWS. By John Bailey. March 24, 2009: WPCNR has learned and the Mayor’s Office confirmed today that the U.S. Postal Service has had two sets of talks with the city on possible plans for a massive redevelopment  by a major developer of the Main Post Office site covering 4 acres of land, located between Bank Street  and Lexington Avenues across from the United States Court House in White Plains.

Part of the 4 acres of Fisher Ave. Post Office site that the General Post Office is eyeing for development. U.S. Court House is in background at right. Our Lady of Carmel Church at left.

The Developer taking part in Talks with the City  and the General Post Office is Handling Construction on this  $860  Million Project on the Schuykill River in downtown Philadelphia for the Brandywine Realty Trust. It features the tallest building in Philadelphia, the Cira Centre at the far right, a major conference center)  at 29 stories opened in 2005, and is beside the 30th Street Railroad Terminal  at 437 feet. The Cira Centre South to the left is scheduled to be completed in 2011 and reach 937 feet.

The Fisher Avenue Post Office, the other portion of the Fischer Avenue Post Office site the Post Office is planning on redeveloping.

The developer involved is Keating Building Corporation, according to Paul Wood, City Executive Officer. Keating Building Corporation are  construction managers of the $350 Million redevelopment of the 30^th Street Post Office site in downtown Philadelphia to house the Internal Revenue Service, and other government offices among other uses.

Wood said the city had two meetings with the General Post Office which showed the city some sketches of the plans. Wood described the plans for the development as “mixed use” and that we really don’t “have anything yet, it’s premature.” He described the developer as a specialist in working with the U.S. Post Office in developing  post-office owned sites. Wood said he did not have another meeting scheduled yet, but the concept is definitely in post office plans.  Height of buildings, number of buildings, and of course, uses are unclear at this time. Wood said the city would welcome the development.

Keating Building Corporation, a wholely independent subsidiary of the national construction giant, Perini Corporation, is currently the Construction Manager of the Cira Center post office redevelopment project in Philadelphia, scheduled to open in 2010. This project reshapes downtown Philadelphia, by renovating the historic 30^th Street Post Office building, and construct a skyscraper office complex, completing the Cira Center.  But a quick look at their website indicates this is easily the most prestigious developer White Plains has ever had the possibility of attracting.

For a video on the Cira Center, click on http://www.ciracentre.com/default2.html

For the Philadelphia Business Journal Report on the Cira Centre South project now underway go to http://philadelphia.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2007/11/19/daily2.html

Keating Building Corporation describes itself on its website,  as

 a private company based in Philadelphia. It has a significant presence in many markets, but is most prominent in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the District of Columbia. With in-house expertise in construction, environmental management, development and investments, The Keating Group possesses distinct advantages over other contractors and developers. Even clients who look to The Keating Group primarily for one particular type of service (for example, construction or development services) benefit greatly from The Keating Group’s wide-ranging expertise. And as a single source for a variety of specialized services, The Keating Group offers its clients and partners a large degree of project control that unquestionably filters through to the bottom line.

On the Keating website, www.keatingweb.com  you will learn that Keating Building Corporation has developed, builty or is building diverse  projects including: Bally Park Place Wild West Casino in Atlantic City; Lincoln Financial Field (Home of the Philadelphia Eagles),  the Philadelphia Eagles Practice facility, the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the Pittsburgh Casino and the Sugarland Casino in Pittsburgh.

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. March 24, 2009:  WTNH-TV New Haven reported that dozens of New London High School students went on strike yesterday to protest the rumored firing of the New London High football coach who has been cited for breaking state of Connecticut school practice rules. . The outgoing  New London Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Christopher Clouet characterized the strike this way, according to WTNH-TV.

“There were a number of adults who acted in what I think was a shameful manner by manipulating the kids into doing this (the student strike),”  Superintendent of Schools Christopher Clouet is quoted as saying by WTNH. “I think that’s a shame but I want to say I think the kids handled themselves very well.”

Dr, Clouet will be the new Superintendent of Schools for White Plains starting in July. To see WTNH’s story, go to: http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/news_wtnh_newlondon_coach_students_walk_200903231800_rev1

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. March 23, 2009: Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors told WPCNR today that he expects as this time 12 current employees will lose their jobs of the 51 positions being elimated to get the school budget for 2009-10 down to $185.9 Million. He said most of the positions affected will not be filled due to attrition, people leaving, going back to school, or retiring.

As of Monday afternoon, the Superintendent said 4 Clerical positions would eliminated, 20 Teaching Assistants, 3 Security Guards, and 20 Certified Positions (which he defined as any position requiring state certification, such as social workers, or teachers), and 4 Administrators. He declined to identify the Administrators who are currently employed. He estimated that about 12 persons total would actually lose jobs.

Asked if the district since it has determined these jobs did not have to be filled and could be eliminated whether the positions were not needed to begin with, Connors said, “They are needed. We are continuing at this time to minimize the impact (of such cuts) on the quality of education on the school district.”

He said the effort is continuing. He also said he urged persons currently employed in the district contemplating retirement or leaving the district for any reason to advise the administration so jobs could be saved now.