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 East Side Story. By John F. Bailey. June 27, 2006: In a citywide mailing this weekend, North Street Community presented a composite description of its senior residential community. A public hearing on the project is scheduled for July 5 at the next monthly meeting of the Common Council. The brochure announces for the first time that doctors’ services and the services of the renovated St. Agnes Hospital planned to feature residential apartments  for those in need of assistance with daily activities and medical conditions requiring nursing care will be available to residents of White Plains.

 

 

C. J. Follini, one of the Managing Members of North Street Community confirmed this policy in an interview on the White Plains Week television program which will be -cablecast this Friday at 7:30 P.M. on WPPA-TV, in which Mr. Follini, interviewed by John Bailey, Peter Katz and Jim Benerofe stated the assisted living units and long-term care units would also be available to White Plains citizens needing end-of-life care.

 

Follini said the details of the financial arrangements and conditions had yet to be worked out. A White Plains resident seeking assisted living or long-term care, he said, would not have to own a condominium apartment in the complex to use either the doctors services or the St. Agnes assisted living/nursing care facility.

 

According to the 4-color brochure received by this reporter, the St. Agnes Hospital building will be converted to contain 40 “assisted living residential units” and 40 “long-term care” units and medical services. As has been stated publicly previously by Mr. Follini,  emergency services will not be made available in the former St. Agnes Hospital site.

 

The condominium residential component of the project will consist of “390 independent living senior residential condominium units” that will be from four to seven stories in height. Follini notes on the program that the location of the condominiums is in a downward sloped section of the property to present the lowest profile possible to the surrounding area. The entire project, the brochure notes, will cost $125 Million. Condominium units are designed, and be price-pointed from $400,000 to  $900,000. Projecting an approval by the Common Council this year, Follini expects the project to be completed by 2008.

 

In the program, Follini makes a case for the need for senior living facilities in Westchester County, and describes a continuum of health care standing by for condominium buyers, as well as White Plains residents who may avail themselves of the doctors’ services on site, as well as the choice of the planned assisted living and long-term care nursing facility in the remodeled St. Agnes Hospital.

 

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WPCNR PRESS BOX. By Fastpitch Johnny. June 23, 2006: The Chicago Bandits who fell a run short of the NPF Championship last August took command of the NPF the last two nights, dropping the Connecticut Brakettes out of first place with two impressive victories, showing a mix of smart-hitting, pitching depth, short-game execution and speed that pressured the Connecticut Brakettes. With two games left Saturday at 7:05 and Sunday at 5:05 P.M., the Brakettes hope to find their hitting and fielding stride against the relentless Bandits.

 

Fielder’s Choice: Chicago’s Vicki Galindo after backhanding Jessica Merchant’s grounder (Merchant is rounding first)  in the hole and tagging Stephanie Best running by, watches the third base umpire call Stephanie out. The play prevented big damage in the third in the first game of the Bandit series Thursday night in Bridgeport. Photo, WPCNR Sports.

The Brakettes are loaded with strong power hitters,  but despite numerous opportunities to brake the game open against the Bandits Thursday, they could not get the big bop or bingle when they needed it. Bandit speed broke open the game. Patience and intelligence at the plate turned the tide against the Brakettes’ Kaci Clark who pitched into and out of jams, but tired in the fifth and sixth innings as the Bandits overcome a 2-0 deficit with crooked numbers in the 5^th and 4 in the 6th . 

 

The Connecticut Brakettes lost their third straight game Friday night. Sarah Pauly pitched a complete game surrendering two runs on three hits, fanning seven, and one unearned run.

 

Nicole Trimboli, reached on Stephanie Hill error at first. Mackenzie Vandergeest sacriced the runner and catcher Selina Collins singled to right field to give Chicago a 1-0 lead and get the Bandit’s first hit. 

In the sixth, Vicky Galindo got to second on what should have been a single, reaching second when leftfielder Aimee Minor who did not see Galindo sneaking into second base. Pauly missed the fielders choice on the next hitter. Walked Jaime Clark intentionally, but Nicole Trimboli grounded to the right side to drive in the second run.

The unsung heroine of the New York Juggernaut championship season of 2004, Gina Oaks 1-hit the Brakettes after a shaky start, shutting them out 2-0, with Sarah Pauly (4-2) taking the loss.

 

Little Leaguer throws out the first ball Thursday night before opener of the Bandit-Brakette Series. Photo, WPCNR Sports.

 

Bandit Bounceback

 

You have to like this Bandit club, arriving an hour late due to airplane delays they took the field at 8, and kept Kaci Clark in trouble every inning, taking the diminutive fireballer into long counts, going to school and tiring her out. Of course, the same was happening to Jessica Salinger, because that connoisseur of the strike zone, Clem De Rosa was calling balls and strikes.

 

Fiery Competitor Jessica Salinger throwing heat for the Bandits Thursday night. Photo, WPCNR Sports

 

 

 

Mr. DeRosa savors each pitch like a food critic and if it is not to his taste and just right he calls it a ball, or if it has merit, he calls it a strike. He produces a lot of agitation from both benches with his long counts produced by his picky, inconsistent strike zone. We saw this last week when he was behind the plate for the Racers game. Hitters and pitchers suffer brutally with Mr. DeRosa behind the plate. Thursday evening was not exception.

 

 

The Brakettes  threatened in the second and broke through on a single by Stephanie Best a walk (on 3-2) to Kellie Wilkerson. A fielder’s choice nifty grab by Vickie Galindo, the Bandit third sacker got the second out on sharply hit ball to her backhand side by Jessica Merchant, and she tagged Best out going to third. Then Mr. DeRosa the umpire took over the game.

 

Salinger worked Kelly Kretschman to 3-2 and several fouls that brought groans from both benches, and lost her on a very close pitch to load the bases. Stephanie Hill hit a grounder to short that the Bandit shortstop Jaime Clark lost her grip on and threw it wildly to first, allowing Kellie Wilkerson to score the first run. Christina Enea, the first baser tried to tag Steph coming down, but missed her. Enea throw wildly to Serena Collins at the plate allowing Merchant to score. Kaci Clark had a 2-0 lead.

 

 

Kaci Clark In Motion. Photo, WPCNR Sports.

 

UCLA’s Andrea Duran debuted for the Brakettes Thursday night. The UCLA star will be with the Brakettes for the season. Photo, WPCNR Sports.

 

Kaci struck out the side in the fourth and the 150 fans on hand were confident.

 

In the fifth the tiring Clark fell victim to the Bandit speed. Anne Stefan bunted down third way and beat it out for a hit. Vicki Galindo, lefty hitter slap hit sharply deep in the shortstop  hole the Brakettes’ Jess Merchant did not have a play. Two on. Nobody out. Kaci muscled up and struck out Trina Peel. 

 

Jaime Clark the cleanup-woman, attoned for her error in the third and her strikeout in the third with two in scoring position.  She took Kaci’s fastest two pitches of the night for 2 strikes. Then Kaci threw a bad 0-2 pitch –  righty hitting Clark struck the ball on a line to right to the opposite field sharply sinking.  Adrienne Alo making her first start in right for the Brakettes was indecisive as to whether to dive for the ball. She stopped and it skipped off her glove past her 10 feet. She threw to third allowing Steffan to score, to make it 2-1, with Galindo to third and Clark taking second.

 

Clark said of her game-tying hit, “Just trying to not try to outthink her. She was pitching to me. I thought maybe they wouldn’t, so I was being a little bit passive at the plate. If I was going down I was going down swinging so I took the pressure off myself. I think it was a curve ball. It was a good pitch to hit, we had the runner going, so I took advantage of it..yeah…yeah.”

 

With Nicole Tromboli up, Kaci threw a wild pitch 5 feet over catcher Fairchild allowing Galindo to scamper in and tie the score, 2-2. To add insult, Clark induced Tromboli to ground to first holding the runner.

 

Mackenzie Vandergeest had been made to look bad by Kaci her first two times up, striking out twice. Not this time. On a 3-2 pitch, Mackenzie ripped a single up the middle to score Clark with the winning run.

 

After the game Mack told how she adjusted after Clark had struck her out twice:  “She was going outside with a lot of them and I was staying off the rise ball a little bit better. Just made adjustments, shorter swing instead of such a big hack I shortened up a little bit and put it in play.”

 

In the fifth, the Bandits Salinger tried to protect the 1-run lead. The Brakettes attempted to strike back. Kellie Wilkerson worked Salinger for another 3-2 Clem De Rosa walk. Gene Lenti, Bandit Co-Head Coach had had enough. He went out gave Jess the hook and brought in Amy Harre, the fireballing blonde Valkeree.

 

On a 2-0 pitch Harre served one up a little too good to Jessica Merchant and she blasted it into the right centerfield alley to the fence. Wilkerson was at third when the ball was picked up but Patti Fernandez the Brakette third base coach did not send her in to attempt to tie the score.  Harre was still in mucho trouboles.

 

Not to worry. She induced Kelly Kretschmer who is off to a bad start against big league pitching to induce a check swing roller to the circle for an easy out. Wilkerson languished at third.  Next Harre got Stephanie Hill on another late swing grounder to first. End of threat.

 

The Bandits continued their havoc against Kaci Clark in the sixth, scoring four more runs after Kaci was almost out of an inning that started badly.

 

  Stacy May singled sharply through the shortstop hole. Clark hit Annie Steffan in the hand with a pitch. Two on. Nobody out.  Galindo sacrificed the runners up perfectly. Peel hit into a force play. Two down.

 

 Up came Jaime Clark, the clean-up woman and she burned Kace again on the very first pitch to ice the game. On Clark’s first pitch she drove the ball high far and one-hop to the fence in deep right center in the humid night, for a bases clearing triple to score May and Steffan. It was 5-2, Bandits. However the Brakette outfield took a long time getting the ball in. Nicole Trimboli singled to right on a 1-2 pitch to score Clark and it was 6-2.

 

Then the Brakettes lost their concentration on a steal attempt when the catcher’s throw went off the glove of the shortstop into center but no one was backing up. Trimboli scampered to third and centerfielder Kretschman’s throw to third went wild allowing Trimboli to score to make it 7-2.

 

Harre finished off the Brakettes in the sixth and seventh and the Bandits had a surprise win to end a bad travel day.

 

 

 

Friday night the master of subtle movement, Gina Oaks blanked the Brakettes.  Connecticut now trails Chicago by 2-1/2 games for first place with a 7-4 record to the Bandits’ 10-3.  Gametime Saturday is 7:05 P.M.

 

Inside Fastpitch

 

 Bandits Co-Head Coach, Gene Lenti was really pleased about the come-from-behinder win Thursday after the long journey in from Chicago:  “We told them it was a great effort tonight. We had a lot of difficulties travel-wise. They just overcome it. They don’t even think about it. It’s never really a bid deal to them. We don’t allow it to be and they don’t allow it to be. We started off a little shaky, one inning we had a lot of errors and a lot of mistakes but then we came back we just never really gave up. And that’s been the way the Bandits have played ever since we’ve been in existence. No matter what the score, or the situation, we don’t give up. I think that’s indicative of the inning we scored the four runs. It was all with two out.”

 

“We struggled a little bit against China Taipai. They’re a very good team. We took the last two, and we’re in good shape going this way now. We’re working hard out there and putting runs on the board.”

 

Asked how the Bandits were drawing in Chicago, the manager said, “We had our biggest crowd out Monday night against China Taipai, drawing 1,300. Tuesday night, over a thousand. It’s starting to pick a bit. School’s over. Graduations over. We’re starting to get the travel teams coming in.”

 

WPCNR asked what adjustments they made with their hitters against Kaci Clark tonight: “We thought she was really owning the outside part of the plate. She was getting us out on the outsidehalf. In the inning we scored three runs and the 4 runs, we tried to take those outside away from her. You can see we had a lot of balls to rightcenter, rightfield. That’s the thing you got to do. You can’t fight Kaci’s pitches you have to go with them. We didn’t want her to dominate both the outside and the upper part of the plate. So we said let’s get this one on the top of the plate and take away the outside and make it a little bit more the middle.”

 

I asked how he figures out what to do, if the hitters tell him what’s happening:

 

“They’re getting themselves out. It’s different if the pitcher’s getting you out. But you’re getting yourself out when you’re swinging and missing on good pitches over the plate and we’re not making adjustments.  There are some things we want to encourage the pitcher to do and some things we want to discourage the pitcher to do. “

 

The National Pro Fastpitch Standings June 24, 2006:

                                           W      L       GB

Chicago                          10     3        ____

 

Connecticut                     7    4         2-1/2

 

Texas                                 9      6       2-1/2

 

Akron                                 7      5        2-1/2

 

New England                   4      4          5

 

Arizona                              7      8           4

 

Philadelphia                      3       7          5-1/2

 

 

 

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WPCNR THE FEINER REPORT. By Town of Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner. June 23, 2006: The Deer Park police department in Orange County has created a “Zero Tolerance Means Zero Chances” policy, which prohibits drivers 16-21 years old from taking a plea bargain if ticketed for a traffic violation. They must either plead guilty or go to trial.

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WPCNR City Confidential. By John F. Bailey. © 2006, The CitizeNetReporter. All rights reserved. June 21, 2006: Wendy Rosenbach, spokesperson for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation told WPCNR today that the reason the DEC is asking the city for a testing plan to determine the present state of TCE contamination in the ground water emanating from the city dump is, “the TCE levels didn’t go down that much” after 26 barrels containing “traces” of the contaminent, TriChloroEthylene, a degreaser and cleaning solvent were removed from the dump in 1998-99.

 

Rosenbach said the DEC’s made its decision calling for a new testing plan based on the results of the city ground well monitoring. She said the DEC will be reviewing the testing plan to be submitted by Department of Public Works Commissioner Joseph Nicoletti, and held out the possibility of doing “split-tests” with the city to confirm the city findings.

 

She said today there is no date set for a meeting with the city on the compost operation that Nicoletti presented solutions for May 31.

 

Rosenbach said there was no TCE threat to the city drinking water, but that TCE was in the ground water running off from the site of the compost and city landfill.  She did not have the levels of TCE available.

 

DEC did not require remediation in mid-80s.

 

WPCNR learned from Michael Graessle, Executive Officer of the Del Vecchio Administration, who recalled that the chemical was identified as “carbon tetrachloride” and was discovered in the dump. Graessle said that the DEC said the city did not have to remove that chemical at the time. He recalls:

 

“The best of my recollection the city had been notified by the DEC that there was a contamination of the water flowing down from the West branch of the Mamaroneck River that flows down to Long Island Sound. They discovered the material was a cleaning fluid, my recollection was it was carbon tetrachloride, and it was emanating from their belief at the city’s landfill. Expoloration was done and indeed it was found through some testing to be some 50 gallon drums that had apparently been buried many years earlier. They had rusted through and the content was now leaking out and contaminating the water.

 

There appeared to be some stone underneath that was bowled in shape, so the carbon tet would leak into that and gather there and in rainstorms, it was then flushing up and over the edge of the rock,  then traveling into the water stream and reaching down into the West Branch of the Mamaroneck River. The state then asked that the city not excavate, but rather to test it and monitor the well water. I was a little surprised because I thought it would be more appropriate to dig it up and then relocate the soil and treat it as contaminated soil and remove anymore remaining liquids.  The city had agreed to a 5 year monitoring period and testing wells to go on as long as needed.

 

 

Graessle said he did not recall the removal of the drums reported by Rosenbach to WPCNR.

 

Graessle also recalled as Commissioner of Planning during the Delfino Administration a gas station on Gedney Way experienced a problem with their fuel tanks, also requiring city monitoring. That leakage, he said went into the landfill area. “The state DEC did require the city do to reclamation there. Many people will recall they had a pile of dirt excavated out sitting on the land for more than a year. The city had test wells put on the landfill to test for that.”

 

 

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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. June 21, 2006: The Common Council and Mayor Joseph Delfino have scheduled a work session Wednesday at 6 PM in the Mayor’s cozy little comference room to discuss Developer Martin Ginsburg’s request for 5 more stories on his Pinnacle at 240 Main Street; talk over the Performing Arts Center Budget and agreement with the city; chat about the Louis Cappelli request for 408 feet and “mechanical camouflage,”  plus review the beginnings of the Lexington Avenue “Renaissance”. Following the Work Session the Common Council will hold a hearing to have the Comprehensive Plan Review session presented to the Council. Rumors that no public comment will be allowed have been received at this listening post. The Work Session agenda:

1.                  Amended site plan submitted on behalf of Pinnacle-Westchester LLC, to construct 171 unit, 27 story 280 foot residential condominium apartment building, including 293 off street parking spaces in a structured parking garage, and an adjacent 260 Main Street building containing 50 affordable residential rental units.

 

 

2.                  A proposed amendment to Sections 4.4.15 and 4.4.22 of the Zoning Ordinance of the City of White Plains submitted by LC Main LLC, with respect to exceptions to building height limitations and the screening of mechanical equipment, and informal site plan application.

 

 

3.                  Capital Projects in relation to Miscellaneous Storm Drain Rehabilitation, and Rolling Stock Acquisition.

 

 

4.                  East Post Road Phase II Urban Renewal Plan.

 

 

5.                  Operating Agreement between the City and the Performing Arts Center.

 

 

6.                  Proposed legislation in relation to the possession and use of air pistols.

 

 

7.                  White Plains Cable Franchise Agreement and Budget Transfer.