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“GOOD MORNING DENNIS AND TONNY FROM WHITE PLAINS NY USA WHERE IT’S 62 CLOUDY WPCNR DEGREES. LAST NIGHT AT A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE COMMMON COUNCIL, WHITE PLAINS WAS PRESENTED WITH A $1.50  75% INCREASE IN PARKING ($3.50 FOR 2 HOURS) FOR THE CITY CENTER GARAGE TO AVOID KITE REALTY THE NEW OWNERS OF THE CITY CENTER DEFAULTING OCTOBER 15 ON WESTCHESTER COUNTY INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY REVENUE BONDS.

“THE DEFAULT PROBLEM DEVELOPED DUE TO COVID—FROM JULY 2020 THROUGH JANUARY 2021 CITY CENTER GARAGE REVENUES DECLINED  33% FROM AMOUNTS COLLECTED PRE –PANDEMIC WHILE  OPERATING COSTS OF THE GARAGE DECLINED 5%, NET INCOME DECLINED 60%.

. THE CITY HAS KNOWN THIS SINCE MARCH 12 AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS ISSUE HAS APPEARED IN PUBLIC.

IT RAISES THE QUESTION FOR WHITE PLAINS ABOUT HOW MUCH PARKING REVENUES IN THE REST OF WHITE PLAINS HAVE DECLINED AND HOW MUCH WHITE PLAINS HAS BEEN MADE WHOLE BY COVID AID.

 ANOTHER ISSUE WHITE PLAINS (AND OTHER TOWNS AND CITIES) FACES AS IT PREPARES THE 2022-23 BUDGET BEGINNING IN JULY IS WHETHER OR NOT THEY WILL HAVE TO  RAISE PARKING FEES AT METERS AND CITY GARAGES IN THE REST OF THE CITY TO PREVENT GARAGE MIGRATION FROM THE CITY CENTER FACILITY TO THE LESS EXPENSIVE MUNICIPAL PARKING LOTS AND GARAGES

REMEMBER FASNY?

THIS 11 YEAR STRUGGLE FOR THE FRENCH AMERICAN SCHOOL OF NEW YORK RIDGEWAY COUNTRY CLUB PROJECT STILL AWAITS REVIEW BY THE APPELLATE COURT IN BROOKLYN.

WELL ACCORDING TO DAN SEIDEL THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLANTIFF, THE GEDNEY FARMS NEIGHBORHOOD, THE CASE IS STILL NOT SCHEDULED. NO COURT DATE YET.

SEIDEL ALSO SAID THE PROJECT IS ESSENTIALLY DEAD BECAUSE THEY DO NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT FUNDS TO BUILD THE PROJECT,

BECAUSE TIME (10 YEARS GOING ON 11) HAS GONE BY HE BELIEVES A NEW ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW SHOULD BE DONE.

HIS SUGGESTION IS FOR WHITE PLAINS TO BUY THE PROPERTY BACK FROM THE SCHOOL AND WHILE OPENING THE PROPERTY FOR HOUSING AND PUTTING IT BACK ON THE TAX ROLLS.

GRAFMAN MAKES A COMMON COUNCIL RACE

ALLAN GRAFMAN A PUBLIC RELATIONS MEDIA CONSULTANT IS NOW RUNNING FOR COMMON COUNCIL IN THE FALL REPRESENTING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND THE COMMON SENSE PARTY.

I SHOULD BE INTERVIEWING HIM NEXT WEEK. HE IS RUNNING AGAINST INCUMBENTS JOHN MARTIN,JUSTIN BRASCH, AND RICHARD PAYNE, A FIRST TIME CANDIDATE. MR. GRAFMAN WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOWCASE HIS CANDIDACY AND THE INCUMBENTS THEIR VISION AND MR. PAYNE’S WHAT THEY BRING TO THE TABLE AT THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS FORUM FOR COMMON COUNCIL CANDIDATES MONDAY OCTOBER 18, 7 PM VIA ZOOM (VIRTUALLY),

SCHULTI SHUNS FORM WITH LATIMER

IN THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE RACE, GEORGE LATIMER’S OPPONENT, CHRISTINE SCHULTI  DECLINED TO APPEAR AT THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS CANDIDATES FORUM IN OCTOBER, THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ANNOUNCED. THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS GAVE NO EXPLANATION FOR HER DECLINING TO APPEAR.

SCHOOL OPENING

WHITE PLAINS SCHOOLS OPENED LAST WEEK WITH SOME CONFUSION ON THE SCHOOL BUSES  PARTICULARLY AT THE HIGH SCHOOL AND SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS JOSEPH RICCA SAID THAT IS BEING STRAIGHTENED OUT WITH THE BUS COMPANY. SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS JOSEPH RICCA SAID THAT IS BEING STRAIGHTENED OUT WITH THE BUS COMPANY.

PARENTS ASKED ABOUT A CAFETERIA INCIDENT INVOLVING AN ALTERCATION AT THE HIGH SCHOOL BETWEEN STUDENTS AT LUNCH HOUR. PARENTS ASKED HIM ABOUT IT LAST FRIDAY ON DR. RICCA’S WEEKLY ZOOM REPORT, ASKED ABOUT IT BECAUSE THEIR STUDENTS CAME HOME THURSDAY TALKING ABOUT IT. DR. RICCA SAID THE SCHOOL IS COUNSELING AND DEALING WITH THE PARTICIPANTS AND TALKING WITH THEIR PARENTS. HE SAID THERE WERE NO INJURIES. HE SAID HAD THEIR BEEN INJURIES, PARENTS WOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. HE SAID LAST WEEK WAS THE FIRST WEEK STUDENTS HAD SEEN EACH OTHER IN AN IN-SCHOOL SITUATION SINCE LAST SPRING AND THIS MAY HAVE BEEN POSSIBLY CONTRIBUTING TO THE THE ALTERCATION.

HE SAID THERE WAS ONE INFECTION OF COVID IN A CLASSROOM IN AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND THAT CLASSROOM WAS NOW ON LEARNING REMOTE.  HE CALLED ON PARENTS NOT TO SEND CHILDREN TO SCHOOL IF THEY APPEARED SICK IN ANY WAY.

WPCNR SUGGESTS SCHOOLS EVERYWHERE SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE  SIMMERING TENSIONS THAT MAY BE LURKING AT THE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL LEVELS AND BE PREEMPTIVE WITH COUNCILING AND CALMING STUDENT FEELINGS ABOUT THE NEW ENVIRONMENT.

WHITE PLAINS MALL MAKEOVER INTO HAMILTION GREEN PRESENTED

LAST NIGHT RXR REALTY PRESENTED THEIR NEW PLAN FOR BUILDING HAMILTON GREEN THE DEVELOPMENT PLANNED TO REPLACE THE WHITE PLAINS MALL AND WAS READY TO START THE FIRST PHASE OF CONSTRUCTION.

RXR HAS SECURED AN AGREEMENT TO PURCHASE THE BALANCE OF THE PROPERTY FROM THE FORMER OWNER AND PRESENTED A DESIGN THAT EXPANDS THE OPENING SPACE AND ELIMINATES THE ABOVE GROUND PARKING STRUCTURE PREVIOUSLY PLANNED AND PUTS 4 STORIES OF IT UNDERGROUND.

RXR ASKED FOR A SITE PLAN EXTENSION AND THE ATTORNEY SAID IF APPROVED, THE PROJECT COULD START IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2022.

(CORRECTION: IN THE FIRST EDITION OF THIS TRANSCRIPT I REPORTED THE GARAGE INCREASE WAS APPROVED. IT WAS NOT BUT SHOULD BE ON NEXT MONDAY’S AGENDA.)