FASNY Planners Met With School Officials in June to show Roundabout North Street Entrance Possibility. | WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER 3,374,995 VISITS IN ONE YEAR---65,000 VISITS A WEEK BY 985,281 VISITORS

WPCNR SOUTH END TIMES. By John F. Bailey. September 17, 2013:

White Plains City School District officials met with the French American School of New York in June to review FASNY alternative proposals for entrances to their proposed campus on the former Ridgeway Country Club, WPCNR has learned

Contrary to protestations of school board members they knew nothing of the proposed entrance alternative offerred last night in the approved Final Environmental Impact Statement (shown above), WPCNR has learned representatives from the French American School of New York met with Assistant Superintendent for Business of the School District, Fred Seiler and Facilities and Operations Manager Frank Stefanelli in June of this year.

Fred Seiler told WPCNR Tuesday afternoon that the group from FASNY included the head master of the French American School, a representative from the FASNY project architectural firm, a member of the FASNY Board and two others. Seiler said they presented about four designs, one of which included the proposed traffic circle/roundabout entrance featured in the Final Environmental Impact Statement approved as complete and accurate by the Common Council by a vote of 5-2 Monday evening.

Previously this week a member of the school board Peter Bassano told WPCNR, the board had not known of the proposed entrance until the beginning of September and said the Interim Superintendent, Timothy Connors had not known either.

Seiler said that the FASNY contingent did show him and Stefanelli ithe design for the roundabout/traffic circle to Seiler and Mr. Stefanelli. Asked if the two had any reaction, Seiler said “Frank felt the roundabout would be difficult for pedestrians to cross.”

Asked if Seiler had told the Board of Education about the presentation, he said he had told the superintendent, Christopher Clouet at the time, and Seiler said the Board of Education did not feel it was an issue that concerned them at the time, and that it could be taken up when and if it was an actual proposal. Seiler did not say he and Stefanelli had endorsed any of the plans shown.

Now that the roundabout entrance to the proposed FASNY campus has made it as one of two finalists in the search for a mitigating traffic alternative in the Final Environmental Impact Statement that will be used to base any Common Council findings on the project, Seiler said the French American School has set up a meeting with the Board of Education to discuss the roundabout solution in detail.