Send In The Clowns

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WPCNR ON THE AISLE. Capsule Review by Renee Cohen. June 2, 2008:

 


Do you like the song “Send in the Clowns”?


 


If so, you’ll love the Armonk Players’ dazzling presentation of the Stephen Sondheim musical “A Little Night Music” at the North Castle Public Library. Remaining performance are at 7:30 pm Thursday June 5, and at 8 pm on Friday and Saturday, June 6 and 7, 2008.  “Send in the Clowns” is one of the musical highlights of this tale of the romantic lives of several couples.


 


The period (Sweden, 1908) costumes and scenery are creative and colorful, and among the cast members are the multitalented Lynne Barasch, Beth Brandon, Christine Colangelo, Christine DiTota, Judith Pennyfeather, Davina Porter, Larry Reina, and Anthony Valbiro. George Puello, a 30-year veteran of the Westchester Broadway Theatre, is the director and co-choreographer of  “A Little Night Music,” which won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award and the Tony Award for Best Musical in the early ‘70s. George Croom is the music director.


 


For more information, check out www.armonkplayers.org  and www.northcastlelibrary.org (for directions), or call  914 273-2165.


 


 

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The Real Deal: Rehearsal Dinners, Part 2

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WPCNR’S THE REAL DEAL By The Wedding Jeannie, Jeannie Uyanik of Cap and Gown Weddings with Elizabeth West. June 1, 2008: Last week we gave you the rules of thumb for a successful rehearsal dinner. This week, contributor Elizabeth West is going to offer some creative ideas and real world examples that readers can easily implement into their own rehearsal dinner design concepts.  Here’s Liz…


 



The Wedding Jeannie


Jeannie Uyanik


Wedding Planner to the World


WPCNR Columnista


 


 


 


Many brides are faced with the challenge of designing a creative and fun wedding without turning it into a sweet sixteen or an over-the-top Bat Mitzvah. With all the coordinating napkins, invitations, bubbles, and favors available, the wedding can quickly go from chic to something that looks like it came out of a Hello Kitty™ store.  And while I can appreciate a clever and whimsical idea, I usually tell brides that the best place for those ideas is at the rehearsal dinner.  Since everyone is usually a bit nervous with anticipation of the big day, it’s the perfect time to create an event that’s fun, relaxed, and personal.


 


 


Generally speaking, the actual wedding day is about the bride.  The groom can easily blend in with the other groomsmen and basically has one job- to show up.  This is why I often recommend making the rehearsal dinner more groom focused.  It’s the time to pay homage to the men in your life.  Often for the wedding, the groom’s ideas get instantly vetoed or overlooked (and sometimes rightly so).  So if you have to budge- why not do it with the rehearsal dinner?  It often can result in a fantastic and meaningful event.


 


We did this recently with a couple named Noelle and Thomas.  The bride confessed that she had ruled the decision making process for the wedding day, so she loosened the reins and allowed the rehearsal dinner to reflect the personalities of some important men in her life: the groom, her father, and the groom’s father. 


 


The bride’s father had a signature dish that he loved to make, a southern specialty called Shrimp n’ Grits.  When guests took their seats, there was a white bag of grits at each place setting.  Attached to the bag on the front was the evening’s dinner menu and on the back was a custom recipe card for her father’s Shrimp n Grits.  It was an inexpensive way to highlight a family favorite recipe, a great way to display the menu and a super favor for the guests- especially the ones from out of town. 


 


The music for the evening was inspired by the groom’s father.  A man of the 50’s and 60’s, he enjoyed the classics like Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash and Dean Martin.  So the couple created a song list for the evening that featured many of his favorite tunes.  And to let the guests in on the significance of the music, they included a note at the bottom of the menu card.  This was an understated but much appreciated gesture from the couple to the groom’s father.  And many of the older guests unexpectedly got into the nostalgia of the music and were so excited not be listening to The Black Eyed Peas! 


 


When it came to the dessert, it was a no brainer.  Since the groom was born and raised in NY, he was a lover of cheesecake.  So the couple did a trio of gourmet cheesecakes that would please almost any guest:  traditional NY style, pumpkin, and Turtle Cheesecake.  And as a last minute surprise, the bride had a custom groom’s cake brought out.  The groom happened to be a physician, so it was in the shape of a giant scrubs top.  It was a hit with the guests and a special treat for the groom from his bride.


 


Focusing on the groom is just one route you can go for inspiration.  Another option is allowing the details of the wedding to dictate what the rehearsal dinner should be like.  In 2006, we planned a black tie wedding at the W Hotel in midtown NYC.  Everything was super modern, sleek and very night-club like.  So for the rehearsal dinner, the couple went in the opposite direction.  They literally had beer and pizza in a classic New York pizzeria in Little Italy.  This offered the wedding party an intimate time before the big day to be relaxed and to enjoy being together without any unnecessary fanfare. 


 


The opposite works as well!  Several years ago we had a bride that was from a small community where she was very well known and loved.  Not wanting to hurt any feelings, she hosted a large wedding under a tent at her parent’s home.  The wedding was elegant but extremely relaxed.  The food was all served on stations and the event just flowed naturally.  The couple still wanted to treat their closest friends and family to a spectacular dinner.  So the night before, they bought out a local restaurant and served a decadent five course dinner to these special guests.  They presented each guest with a unique gift and used that night to make all toasts and speeches.  The next day was truly just for celebration and having fun!


 

It’s really easy to make the rehearsal dinner something you’ll look back on as a special time.  Get creative and whimsical!  Use your groom or family as your inspiration.  Take a different approach than you did with the wedding.  Or if you find yourself in a traditional situation…..just let your mother-in-law plan it.  But if she wants your input- be ready

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Should White Plains Eliminate Parking Tickets on Natl. Holidays?

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WPCNR MR. & MRS. & MS. WHITE PLAINS VOICE. May30, 2008: It happened again Monday. On a beautiful Memorial Day holiday, people came into the downtown, parked on the street during the parade and for the cemetery ceremony and when they came back to their cars they had a little “thank you” from the City of White Plains — the little red $15 Parking Violation Notice. Isn’t everyone a little sick and tired of this cheap shot by the world’s most hypocritical city?



A Friendly Thank You from the City of White Plains for Honoring the Nation’s War Dead. Is it time the Council woke up and eliminated this counterproductive, chase-away-the-consumer practice of the holiday parking ticket?


You can bet your boots anyone from out of White Plains who came to that parade, returned to their cars and got one of these little red “thank you notes”  isn’t coming back to White Plains to do anything anymore after that slap in the face. People got tickets during the parade, just after the parade and just after the Memorial Ceremony — even if they had bought 2 hours and 40 minutes time in the meter — as I did.


The city also refuses to tell this reporter how many tickets they handed out Monday. They know how many.


 Not telling is a dead tip off that those hard-working, efficient, swoop-in-and-get-you parking ticket brigades wrote a lot of them. They staked out cars. Very efficient, hard-working, dedicated to separating visitors to the downtown from their money. 


100 tickets is $1,500 for the city coffers; 200, $3,000, 300, $4,500 — it is easy money from persons not aware of the fine print on meters and parking garage signs in the City of White Plains especially on holidays.


Well, this city is prospering, if you read the latest Moody’s Report on the condition of the city. Perhaps, just perhaps, the Common Council might show a little concern about the city’s image instead of their own images, and  rein in this preposterous sucker scheme the Department of Parking engineers under the guise of the lie that the city needs the revenue.


Well, if we are that prosperous, shouldn’t we, in month five of  the official White Plains Recession, promote free parking on holidays — especially on parade days?


Especially when the city is going to need the good will of the driving consumer? We’re talking three gallons plus of gas here with every violation.


I personally think parking should be free in the city muncipal garages and lots on National Holidays like Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year’s Eve and Day. 


What do you think, Mr. and Mrs. and Ms. White Plains?


Tell the city and the Common Council what to do– in the poll on the right

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City Settles with CSEA Union for Reported 4% Raise Hike/New Benefits.

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. May 30, 2008: The city has after the Civil Service Employees Union has been without a contract for 11 months, settled with the union for a retroactive raise of reportedly 4% plus increase in health benefits. This sets the stage for a new round of talks with police, fire, and teamsters. Those contracts expire in one month. The settlement reached this month is scheduled to be voted on at Monday’s Common Council meeting, June 2.


The agenda:


COMMON COUNCIL
AGENDA REGULAR STATED MEETING
JUNE 2, 2008
7:30 P.M.


 


PLEDGE TO THE FLAG:                Hon. Dennis Power


INVOCATION:                                  Rev. Vincent Euko
                                               St. John the Evangelist Church


ROLL CALL:                                           City Clerk


EMPLOYEE                                         Carolyn Mayo
OF THE MONTH:                           Senior Account Clerk
                                                         Budget Department


PUBLIC HEARING:


1.       Public Hearing in relation to amending the Zoning Ordinance of the City of White Plains with respect to amending Section 7.7.1, Minor Amendment, to add a new Section 7.7.1.1.4 to remove from consideration as a minor amendment any application for a site plan amendment which includes the addition of any additional story or mezzanine level to an approved project.


2.                 Communications from Commissioner of Planning


3.                                                            Commissioner of Public Works


4.                                                            Commissioner of Parking


5.                                                            Environmental Officer


6.                 Environmental Findings Resolution


7.                 Ordinance amending an ordinance entitled “The Zoning Ordinance of the City of White Plains” with respect to adjustments to approved “site plans” and “site plan” amendments involving additional “stories” or “mezzanine” levels.


FIRST READING
ORDINANCES:


8.       Communication from Special Counsel in relation to the settlement of certain tax review proceedings.


9.                 Ordinance authorizing the settlement of certain tax review proceedings.


10.     Communication from the Mayor in relation to a Memorandum of Agreement between the City and the Civil Service Employees Association, Inc., extending for one year the collective bargaining agreement which expired on June 30, 2007.


11.               Ordinance approving and ratifying the Memorandum of Agreement entered into May 2008, between the representatives of the City of White Plains and the Civil Service Employees Association, Inc., Local 1000, AFSCME, AFL-CIO for the City of White Plains Unit, authorizing the Mayor to direct the Budget Director to make the necessary transfers from the Reserves for Financing to fund the increased payments under the Agreement, authorizing the Mayor to direct the Commissioner of Finance to start payments under the Agreement, and authorizing the Mayor to enter into a Collective Bargaining Agreement containing the terms of the May 2008 Agreement.


12.               Ordinance amending the White Plains Municipal Code by amending various sections of the Compensation and Leave Plan in relation to Elected and Appointed Officials and Managerial/Confidential Employees.


13.     Communication from Chairman, Capital Projects Board, in relation to Capital Project No. W5240, Water Transmission Main from CAPS.


14.               Communication from Environmental Officer


15.               Environmental Findings Resolution


16.               Ordinance of the Common Council, last amended on May 7, 2007, amending an ordinance entitled “An ordinance of the Common Council of the City of White Plains to amend the Capital Projects Fund by establishing Capital Project No. W5240, Water Transmission Main from CAPS.


17.               Bond Ordinance authorizing the issuance of $1,500,000 bonds of the City of White Plains, Westchester County, New York, to pay part of the $1,507,500 estimated maximum cost of the extension of a water transmission main from the Central Avenue Pump Station along Ferris Avenue past the intersection of Ferris Avenue and Richard Street, in and for said City.


18.     Communication from Chairman, Capital Projects Board, in relation to Capital Project No. C5304, Miscellaneous Sanitary Sewer Reconstruction FY 2008.


19.               Communication from Environmental Officer


20.               Environmental Findings Resolution


21.               Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of White Plains to amend the Capital Projects Fund by establishing Capital Project No. C5304, Miscellaneous Sanitary Sewer Reconstruction FY 2008.


22.               Bond Ordinance authorizing the issuance of $300,000 bonds of the City of White Plains, Westchester County, New York, to pay part of the $301,500 estimated maximum cost of miscellaneous sanitary sewer reconstruction, in and for said City.


23.     Communication from Chairman, Capital Projects Board, in relation to Capital Project No. C5304, Kittrell Basketball Courts, Lights and Drainage.


24.               Communication from Environmental Officer


25.               Environmental Findings Resolution


26.               Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of White Plains to amend the Capital Projects Fund by establishing Capital Project No. C5305, Kittrell Basketball Courts, Lights and Drainage.


27.     Communication from Chairman, Capital Projects Board, in relation to Capital Project No. C5306, Ebersole Ice Rink, Electrical System.


28.               Communication from Environmental Officer


29.               Environmental Findings Resolution


30.               Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of White Plains to amend the Capital Projects Fund by establishing Capital Project No. C5306, Ebersole Ice Rink, Electrical System.


31.     Communication from Commissioner of Public Safety in relation to a transfer of funds to cover additional costs for overtime within the Police Bureau.


32.               Ordinance authorizing a transfer between the 2007/2008 budgets of the Fire and Police Bureaus to cover additional costs for overtime within the Police Bureau.


33.     Communication from Commissioner of Recreation and Parks in relation to an agreement with the County of Westchester to continue operation of senior citizens programs under the Older Americans Act.


34.               Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into agreement with the County of Westchester for the conduct by the City of a program for Year 2008 under Titles III-B, III-C-1, and B-C-2 of the Older Americans Act.


35.     Communication from Director, Youth Bureau, in relation to a contract with the County of Westchester Department of Social Services to operate a Summer Youth Employment Program.


36.               Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into a contract with Westchester County Department of Social Services to operate a Summer Youth Employment Program.


37.     Communication from Chairman, Traffic Commission, in relation to proposed amendments to the Traffic Ordinance at various locations around the City.


38.               Ordinance amending the Traffic Ordinance of the City of White Plains in relation to No Standing At Any Time, No Parking 8:00A.M. to 6:00 P.M., No Parking, Designated handicapped Parking, Left Lane Must Turn Left, Middle Lane Must Proceed Straight, Three Hour Parking – Monday through Friday, Two Hour Parking – Monday Through Friday, Right Turns Prohibited, No Parking 10:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. – Monday Through Friday, Overnight Flashing of Intersection Traffic Control Signals – Under Computer Control, and Left Turns Prohibited.


RESOLUTIONS:


39.     Communication from Corporation Counsel in relation to an application submitted by Vintage Restaurant and Bar for a three (3) year renewal of a Special Permit for Cabaret Use at 171 Main Street.


40.               Resolution of the Common Council of the City of White Plains scheduling a public hearing for July 7, 2008 in relation to the application submitted by Vintage Restaurant and Bar for a three (3) year renewal of a Special Permit to operate a cabaret at 171 Main Street.


41.     Communication from Corporation Counsel in relation to an application submitted on behalf of Mac Corporation d/b/a Elements Restaurant, for a Special Permit for Outdoor Dining at 161 Mamaroneck Avenue.


42.               Resolution of the Common Council of the City of White Plains scheduling a public hearing for July 7, 2008 in relation to the application submitted on behalf of the applicant Mac Corporation d/b/a Elements Restaurant for a Special Permit for Outdoor Dining directly above the bar/restaurant, located at 161 Mamaroneck Avenue [Section 125.84, Block 6, Lot 13.1], to include a second story extra deck area on the roof.


43.     Communication from Commissioner of Building in relation to a request submitted on behalf of BNE Investors, LLC, for a second, one (1) year extension of Site Plan/Special Permit Approval to construct a multi-family residential building known as The Metropolitan at the intersection of Maple and DeKalb Avenues.


44.               Communications from        Design Review Board


45.                                                          Commissioner of Planning


46.                                                          Planning Board


47.                                                          Commissioner of Public Safety


48.                                                          Commissioner of Public Works


49.                                                          Commissioner of Traffic


50.                                                          Traffic Commission


51.                                                          Commissioner of Parking


52.                                                          Environmental Officer


53.               Environmental Findings Resolution


54.               Resolution of the Common Council of the City of White Plains extending for an additional one (1) year the Special Permit/Site Plan Approval originally granted on February 6, 2006, to BNE Investors, LLC (“Applicant”) and extended for one (1) year by resolution adopted March 5, 2007, to construct a new multi-family condominium residence (89 units) to be located at the corner of Maple and DeKalb Avenues, to be known as The Metropolitan (A) to increase the height of the proposed development from six (6) stories/90 feet to twelve (12) stories/125 feet for the RM-0.35 Zoning District under Footnote (N) of Section 5.3 of the Zoning Ordinance of the City of White Plains (Schedule of Dimensional Regulations: Residential) and (B) the proposed exchange of approximately 6,108 square feet of City-owned land adjacent to the southerly property line of the project site, on which the applicant, at its own cost and expense, will construct and thereafter secure a publicly usable neighborhood open space and ( C) compensation to the City for the difference in value of the City-owned land to be conveyed and the value of the land to be donated to the City in exchange, such value to be adjusted for any easements and restrictions appertaining to the parcels.


REFERRAL:


55.     Communication from Commissioner of Building in relation to an application submitted by Burlington Coat Factory requesting an amendment to a previously approved site plan to install exterior signage at 275 Main Street.                   


56.     Communication from Commissioner of Building in relation to an application submitted on behalf of Westchester Church of Christ for an amendment to a previously approved site plan and Special Permit, to add a two (2) story, approximately 17,000 sq. ft. building to house a new sanctuary, classrooms, a nursery, restrooms, a kitchen and storage areas, located at 511 North Street        


57.     Communication from the City Clerk in relation to a request submitted on behalf of LC Main LLC for consideration of either a lease or license with the City of White Plains on the traffic island at the intersection of Main Street and Renaissance Square



ITEMS FOR
INFORMATION:


58.     Communication from the City Clerk transmitting a request submitted on behalf of Rome Partners and Associates, for an adjournment to July 7, 2008 of the application for a one year extension for site plan and Special Permit approvals on a residential condominium development at 10 Windsor Terrace.

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Pollitzer Park

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WPCNR NEWS & COMMENT. By John F. Bailey. May 29, 2008: In the numbing aftermath of the sudden death of Marc Pollitzer, “The Voice of White Plains,” last weekend, it seems only right, in this reporter’s mind that some thought be given by the city fathers to reopen one of Mr. Pollitzer’s celebrated causes:



The New York Presbyterian Hospital property. Golf Range meadow . May 2002. It still exists in this state today. No one uses it or strolls on its grounds.



Going back in time, followers of the NYPH story which dates back some 23 years when the hospital proposed to turn their land into co-op city, will recall that proposal was defeated, then the hospital running into money problems in the late 90s proposed to develop an area near Bloomingdale’s into light retail in exchange for giving the city 60 acres of parkland. Concerned Citizens for Open Space objected to this, and Mr. Pollitzer marshaled and delivered some of the more eloquent arguments against that proposal, eventually resulting in the Council votedown of that proposal, 5-2 back in 2000.


Following that turndown,  the hospital proposed another use of the property, the building of a proton accelerator along Bryant Avenue. The Common Council again facing opposition from CCOS and Mr. Pollitzer, refused to refer that out. The hospital filed an Article 78, blackjacked the city into acquiescing. It was referred out as a result and the Council approved the construction, which due to the New York State economy and the hospital lack of funding never started construction.


Another product of this long extended wrangle over this Frederick Law Olmstead designed property was the closing of the property to the general public as a result of an ill-fated protest in which sympathizers with the CCOS position who were never caught, strung up yellow tape around an alleged oil dumping site on the property for the press. The hospital infuriated by this incursion, predictably closed the property to use by residents for strolls, bikeriding, and digging the ambience.


There was another effort by the Mayor’s Office to secure 6 acres of park property in exchange for rezoning the hospital land for a subdivision, which would have made the land sell for a higher price (to the hospital advantage), that, too was defeated by the Council.


Now, there is nothing on the table.


WPCNR suggested to Council President Benjamin Boykin that it would be a great thing if the city could make peace with the New York Presbyterian Hospital and negotiate an arrangement where White Plains citizens could once again enjoy this property.


The city spent $500,000 to spruce up Liberty Park, which now due to the city inability to manage the waters of the lake, is basically useless.


WPCNR suggests that Councilman Boykin work with the Mayor to take some baby steps and open up that property to the public on arrangements acceptable to the New York Presbyterian Hospital. Here’s how:


1.       The city should lease the 60 or so acres…golf course, meadows, driving range walking trails for a nominal annual fee – providing security – perhaps even aiding with the maintenance via lawn and tree management.  This would give the city a handle on how much it would eventually cost the city to run an actual park there. Use the Open Space Acquisition Fund money to pay for it for starters – it’s a lot better than paying individuals millions for land they were never going to develop anyway. (Where was the thinking there?)


 


Soccer  fields might be created at city expense – with the understanding that should the hospital eventually reach a deal to sell the property – that they were only temporary. But the ballfields are not necessary, White Plains reaccess to the park is the goal here. It is a shame that a great place for biking, strolling, romance, forest, and the great vistas of this property are only enjoyed by coyotes and birds at the present time.


I can hea the city protests now – the liability issues, don’t have the personnel, costs too much money. But, you never know until you try.


The Mayor and Common Council, instead of throwing hissy-fits at each other, should work together. If not the Council should do some work, since they have a solid 6-1 majority take it upon themselves to approach the hospital.


No matter what the Mayor says, the Council ultimately controls the money in the city. They just have to have the guts to control it. It is always the Council’s budget because they approve it.


 Instead of trying to develop the city, mysteriously decide to pay millions for property that was never going to be developed anyway in the guise of preserving open space, or ease development of a property that would, as Mr. Pollitzer said many times wreck a neighborhood if it were developed, Mr . Boykin and the Common Council and the Mayor have a chance and a sad legacy of opportunity to salvage the New York Presbyterian Hospital parkland at least until the next proposal comes along – which isn’t coming along anytime soon.


Tomorrow is Wellness Week in White Plains and they’ll be the usual news conference announcing it, with free health screening and a number of activities.


Introducing new access to the New York Presbyterian Hospital property would make everybody a lot more healthier. There’s a parking facility already built for it at Mamaroneck Avenue and Bryant.


The NYPH would be making a grand gesture.


Somebody on the Council or in the Mayor’s Office make a few phone calls please.


It could be appropriately renamed, for as long as it lasts,


Pollitzer Park.

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No Count on Memorial Day Parking Tickets Yet.

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WPCNR THE PARKING NEWS. From City Hall. May 28, 2008: Melissa Lopez of the Mayor’s Office has issued a statement on the Parking Policy in effect Monday. Here is that statement:


1. We do not have an exact count at this time of parking tickets given on Memorial Day, during the parade.  The Parking departments enforcement efforts during this parade were the same as all other parades.  We did not issue tickets to parade participants , but  as usual  we did issue tickets to the general public who  did not have enough money in meters to pay for their parking. 


This parade  was not treated any differently  than any other parade during the course of the year.  The City has to provide services during all of these special events  throughout the year and the services must be paid for.  We have voided any tickets that were issued to Veterans who might have been issued a ticket while they were parade participants.

2. The City Center  Garage is open and has been open  this past weekend as well. The repairs to the selected decks are going forward and we hope to have all repairs completed by  the end of this week or beginning of next week .

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Neither Holiday, Nor Veteran, Nor Time Stops White Plains from Ticketing

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WPCNR THE PARKING VIEWS. By John F. Bailey. May 28, 2008: It was a beautiful Memorial Day, a great parade, a moving Memorial Ceremony at the White Plains Rural Cemetery Monday. 



If you came to White Plains to see the parade, though, and did not know White Plains parking regulations are enforced even on holidays, it cost you a $15 Parking ticket – aggressively, ruthlessly, sadistically enforced by the WP Parking Enforcement Officers.  


Even though the long parade prevented the memorial ceremonies from beginning until 11:40 AM – no slack, no tardy parker was spared – except perhaps parkers at the American Legion Hall on Mitchell Place after lunch, but we do not know that.  WPCNR has a call into City Hall to get an exact count of how many tickets were distributed during parade hours into the early afternoon. I wait with baited breath.


 



Thank you for celebrating Memorial Day in White Plains, $15 Please!




When I say the tickets were aggressively pursued, I mean aggressively pursued.


This reporter is fully aware of the Parking Enforcement Officers and their hand-held ticket rayguns. I parked in the municipal lot, deposited $2  in the parking machine for 2 hours and 40 minutes, figuring the ceremony would be over by noon. Well I got back to the mobile unit at 12:45 P.M. My ticket was waiting for me – I was 10 minutes too late and a number of other cars in the lot were ticketed. I mean were they staking out the cars?



$2 bought 2 hours and 40 minutes of time for a 45 minute parade and 30 minute ceremony…Within 10 Minutes a Parking Hawk Swooped Down and Ticketed — Gotcha! What hospitality!



What a dedicated job! Fill those coffers at the expense of White Plains’ reputation in the county. It is a mini-mugging. The ticketing blitz should be held off until 2 PM when all the parade barricades and normal parking returns to normalcy — or the policy of ticketing on traditional holidays should be suspended. It sends an nasty, small, petty message, though the fine is far from petty.


I was not the only car victimized. They were giving tickets because they could. I was aware of it, but simply could not walk back from the Rural Cemetery in time to downtown to pick up the car, primarily because it took an hour to get the ceremony going after the parade had cleared the downtown.


But how many citizens headed in to see the parade and the ceremony were victimized unknowingly?



 How many persons seeing their  slap-in-the-face ticket on their windshields –decided to leave immediately and not lunch or dine or go to the movies as planned – spending far more than any $15 ticket would bring the city?


How stupid is this parking policy? Pretty stupid!


The Common Council should look into this. And stop allowing the Parking Department which kicked in $10 Million in profits last year, to execute policies that do not make good public relations sense. The city according to its Moodys Report is in great shape. Could we ease up on the fines on holidays?


Considering most towns do not enforce on-street parking regulations on national holidays, it creates extreme ill will to visitors who come into town for a parade and it costs them a $15 “gotcha.”


The same rigorous enforcement does not significantly  appear to be applied to the more traffically incorrect maneuver of the double-park, particularly on Mamaroneck Avenue and Main Street which appears to be rarely ticketed, even when spotted, and appears to be tacitly ignored. That should be a $250 ticket, at least, because it creates a traffic hazard.


WPCNR awaits the city count on the Memorial Day Ticket Count.


I tell you this reporter had one writer last year write in and complain about their ticket, and once burned by a White Plains traffic ticket – you won’t come back.


On July 4,  Labor Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year’s Eve and Day parking regulations should be suspended throughout the town, not used as a sucker play that costs White Plains a consumer every time they get a ticket and significantly cuts down on the people who will visit White Plains in the future.


Get rid of it.


As the Mayor’s Office is fond of saying, we are in great financial shape, we do not need the money any more.


The $15 I will pay on this ticket, still leaves me a $12 left of my $27 tax cut the Common Council gave me last week. Thank you! Thank you!


I say Common Council, Tear this Holiday Ticketing Policy up!

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A Little Night Music from The Armonk Players Opens Friday

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WPCNR STAGE DOOR. From Pia Haas. May 27, 2008: The sun sits low on Midsummer’s Eve and Fredrik Egerman waits for his young wife to warm up to him. Then his former mistress proposes a weekend in the country—and hearts and eyes, spouses and lovers, wander to a series of matchlessly witty waltzes. Featuring his most famous song, “Send in the Clowns,” Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning score elevates musical theater to new heights of sophistication and proves that love can make glorious fools of us all. Literate and stylish, A Little Night Music is also disarmingly warm, funny, charming and very human. Its well-constructed book is one of the best ever written, featuring a strong ensemble cast of vivid, memorable characters that span all age groups. It opens this weekend  in Armonk Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday  and plays the weekend of June 6,7 and 8




A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC


Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler
Directed by George Puello  


Musical Direction by George Croom.


Friday, May 30th and Saturday, May 31st  at 8pm. 


Sunday, June 1st  at 4pm.


Thursday, June 6th at 7:30 pm.  


Friday, June 7th and Saturday June 8th at 8pm.


 



The cast includes: Lynne Robyn Barasch (South Salem), Beth Brandon (Bedford), Daniel  Carlino (Pleasantville), Christine Colangelo (Thornwood), Christine DiTota (Harrison), Aaron Dworetzky (Armonk), Hillary Ginsberg (Chappaqua), Kat Hughes (Pleasantville), Maia Katz (Armonk), Kathryn Kitt (Sleepy  Hollow), Judith Pennyfeather (White Plains), Lisa Pierce (Harrison), Davina Porter (Westport, CT ), Larry Reina (Port Chester), and Anthony Valbiro (Rye). 



Performances will be at Whippoorwill Hall


North Castle Public Library


Whippoorwill Road, Armonk


Admission: $15 for Adults, $10 for Seniors and Students


To reserve tickets please call (914) 273-2165.
Tickets may also be purchased in advance at Framings, 420 Main Street, Armonk, NY 10504, (914) 273-4242.


The Armonk Players are sponsored by The Friends of the North Castle Public Library Inc.


For more information visit www.armonkplayers.org.


Or contact Anne Nisenholtz at 914-273-0011.


 

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Perfect Memorial Day Remembers Veteran Sacrifice. Renews Spirit. Optimism

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WPCNR PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE DAY. By The WPCNR Roving Photographer. May 27, 2008: Recession, an unresolved campaign, a war without perceived end, and a day to remember the sacrifices of the nation’s war dead all made Memorial Day Weekend 2008 particularly meaningful to White Plainsians as the sunshine and perfect 80 degree weather restored pride in the past, and offered the sunshine of the future. WPCNR takes a look at an American tradition — The Memorial Day Weekend.



Lead by Grand Marshall, Captain Shawn Tabankin, center, the City Fathers headed the parade, Left to Right,Councilmen Glen Hockley, Dennios Power, Assemblyman Adam Bradley, Councilwoman Milagros Lecuona, Board of Education Member, Bill Pollak, Captain Tabankin, County Legislator Bill Ryan, Councilman Benjamin Boykin and Tom Roach. 



White Plains Finest Signalled the Start of the Parade



Jewish Veterans of  World War II lead the parade of those who Served.



Looking Sharp! The WPHS High Marching Band debuted their new uniforms.




The Parade of Antigue Cars Turned Back the Clock to the Days of Penny Gas.



Girl and Boy Scout Troops — Legions of Them — Promised Future Dedication to Community and Country Service





Calvary Baptist Church



Slater Center Jerome Bump Robinson Drum Corps Always a Favorite!



The Ladies Who Make White Plains a Beautiful Place



White Plains Wolverines



White Plains Bravest: The Fire Department




Slater Center Drum Corps Marching Up Broadway to Rural Cemetary



Battle Hill Residents Were There!


 



Striking Old Glory at the White Plains Rural Cemetary



White Plains Milton Hoffman, veteran Reporter Dispatch Correspondent, delivered the Invocation, in which he described the veterans and those who gave their lives as “Champions of Righteousness and Justice,” setting a high note.



Adele Zucker, widow of a World War II veteran, reading the poem “I Remember,” urged those in attendance to introduce themselves to veterans and thank them for their sacrifice and to remember those who died defending America for the liberty they died for. Arne Abramowitz, Commissioner of Recreation and Parks read the Mayor’s Proclamation of the Day, noting the war dead did not serve in order to die they served to procure freedom.


 



Captain Shawn Tabankin, wounded in Afghanistan, shared personal insight with the audience on the special bond soldiers feel for one another, united in the defense of freedom. He wears a bracelet in memory of his medic, who died in Afghanistan in 2004. He said there is not a day he does not think of him. It was a unique and touching personal insight into the bond all veterans share.


 



The Presentation of the Home Defense Wreath by a White Plains Policeman and Fireman, as Mr. Abramowitz observes.



The WPHS Band played The National Anthem and rendered a medley of Taps, Amazing Grace and America the Beautiful that took the audience from melancholy, to appreciation to and uplifting of spirit.



The son of  the Veteran Honoree, Ralph Gersin, remembered his late father (owner of ARGEE Glass in White Plains), telling his World War II service and Korean War service, noting his career as an Army Air Corps Pilot, and how he took his grandchildren flying at age 90 just to prove he could still fly. His reminisces displayed Mr. Gersin’s strong sense of values that lead him to his extraordinary service. Mr. Gersin’s son closed commenting on the World War II veterans and war dead that “we’ll always remember your sense of commitment and your service to this nation.”


 



Moments after the Rifle Salute to Departed Veterans by the Firing Squad of American Legion Post # 135


 

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White Plains Honors Nation’s War Dead and Veterans Under Sunny Skies

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WPCNR Main Street Journal. May 26, 2008: White Plains staged its annual Memorial Day Parade Monday under clear sunny skies with hundreds lining the parade route down Mamaroneck Avenue, down Main Street past City Hall and up North Broadway to the Rural Cemetery where the remembrance ceremony unfolded. The parade was lead by Grand Marshall Captain Shawn Tabankin of the “Fighting 69th” National Guard, out of Fort Smith.



 


Captain ShawnTabankin  of Westchester County, served with the Fighting 69th in Afghanistan where he was wounded and received the Purple Heart. His sober address in which he shared the bond he felt with his fellow soldiers and the loss of  his medic, a Navajo Indian, Sergeant Lee Todacheena in Afghanistan four years ago,(the Captain wears a black bracelet on his wrist with Sergeant Todacheena’s name inscribed), leant a sense of immediate reality and enabled spectators to get ever so-slight an insight into how it feels to serve your country in combat with fellow Americans.  Captain Tabankin urged all to remember those who gave their lives and to give a thought to their families’ loss to this year’s ceremony.



Jewish War Veterans of World War II march to applause from the spectators.



Marine Veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan.


 



Vietnam Veterans Saluted Along the Parade Route.



American Legion Post 135 Veterans Stepping Smartly.


 

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