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 STAGE DOOR. From White Plains Performing Arts Center. (EDITED) December 3, 2005: Charles Dickens‘ classic, A Christmas Carol, will return to the White Plains Performing Arts Center again this holiday season!  Producing Director, Tony Stimac will direct this classic tale brought to life with festive original music, eye-popping special effects and glorious sets.  A Christmas Carol will run from December 8 – December 18 and is sponsored by Union State Bank.

 Tony Stimac, director of A Christmas Carol said of this production, “We hope to make the experience of Scrooge’s journey as real as possible.  Ghosts are scary.  Confronting your lost dreams and realizing what you have become can be devastating.  However, getting a second chance and experiencing the joy of rebirth is the most exhilarating feeling in the world.  This roller coaster of emotions will be accompanied by a glorious score by Jordan Rudess, wonderful special effects and a physical production that will amaze and delight the entire family.”  Mr. Stimac is shown at November’s Common Council Special Meeting. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.

Other actors returning from last year’s cast include David Seven-Sky as Bob Crachit; Robert Tarry Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, Krista Woltersdorf as The Ghost of Christmas Past and Howard Davies as Jacob Marley.  The role of Tiny Tim will be played by Scott O’Brien from Rye. 

New to the production are Nellie O’Brien as Mrs. Crachit/Mrs. Fezziwig, Alex Scheer as Belle, David Berman as Young Scrooge, and Joel Karpoff as Mr. Fezziwig/The Ghost of Christmas Present.  Ensemble members include Kevin Cannon, Dana Hamilton, Megan Keane, Kristy O’Driscoll, Marissa Barnes, David Barrett, Sarah Cammarata, Taylor Clay, Sasha Mercuri, Ian Palmer, Scott O’Brien, Dan Pucarelli, Ashely Spinella and April Woltersdorf. 

 The WPPAC version of A Christmas Carol was adapted by the multi-talented Del Tenney.  Mr. Tenney’s career as an actor, writer, director and producer spans over four decades.  Aside from his more than 300 acting credits both on and off Broadway, he was the founder and director of the Hartman Theatre in Stamford, CT, which won the Drama Desk Award for “Outstanding Contributions to the American Theater.”

 Jordan Rudess, composer and musician, has written an original score for A Christmas Carol that will transport the audience back to 18^th Century London.  Mr. Rudess is the composer and keyboardist for Dream Theater and regularly plays with the Grammy Award winning Paul Winter Consort. 

 The creative team of A Christmas Carol is as follows: Andrew Cavanaugh Holland (Set Design), Andrew Gmoser (Lighting Design), Jim Walker (Costume Design) and Justin Boccitto (Choreographer).

 A Christmas Carol will play from December 8-18. Tickets prices are from $25 for adults and $15 for children ages 16 and under. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 888-977-2250 or by visiting the website at www.wppac.com.

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. December 2, 2005: The Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors issued 10 year projected enrollment figures for the White Plains City School District as of October 1 at Monday evening’s bi-monthly meeting of the Board of Education, describing it as “Kind of holding  at the elementary level. A little growth at the Middle School, and growth at the high school.”

At this point, the projections show that White Plains will be operating at district facility capacity for the next decade if projections hold true.

“If there are any new programs put in place (by the state or White Plains),” Connors said, “We have no space.”

Growth Sources

Connors noted that the growth in the White Plains High School population comes from more students staying for a fifth year at the high school to complete their diploma, and more students coming into the district at the high school level.

From a demographics perspective, Connors said the African-American population in the district is declining, while the number of Hispanic students is increasing. The Hispanic population in the high school counts for 20% of the student body, and 17% at the elementary level. 

Connors said he was asking the City of White Plains to provide the School District with the ethnicity of births in the city for the last three years, so the district could get a better perspective on what the actual enrollment pressures might be expected on the elementary school capacities, (which he described as at capacity now), by the school year 2007-2008.

He said the number of young Hispanic families was going up, and he wanted to verify that by actual city birth figures.

Impacts

Referring to class size, he said that presently the average class size in the elementary schools is 19-20. If elementary population projects to grow in three years, that ratio might be affected, as well as the capacity of the schools. Connors said that it takes about five years to build any new school. “You can’t wait until the last minute (to adjust to increases in enrollment).”

Asked by William Pollak, Board member, if there was evidence that new residents coming to the new apartments and condominiums opening in White Plains, were adding students, Connors said “The city does not see (the number of ) young families moving in increasing.”

In an enrollment study executed for the district by Bishop Associates, Inc. at a cost of $800, handed out to WPCNR, some interesting numbers emerge:

Less than 1% Growth in Enrollment over next 5 years

According to the projected enrollment figures, total enrollment by 2010-2011 is expected to reach  6,914, an increase of .7%.

High school enrollment (now at 1,939 in 2005-06) is projected to increase over the next three years 1,956 in 06-07; 1,965 in 07-08, 1,970 in  08-09; then erode to 1,970 by 2008-2009, then decline  to 1,899 by 2010-11, then hover between the low 1,800s up to 1,900 by 2015-16.

In the elementary schools, in 2005-2006 there are 2,758 students in grades K through 5 (an average of 552 students per elementary school. This number is projected to increase to 3,041 by 2010-11, putting 608 students in each elementary school, barring an unexpected influx of elementary age children.

Can the Elementaries handle the Growth?

For a reference, according to the school calendar for 2005-2006, this  608-student-per school capacity required by 2010-11 appears sustainable by the present elementary school capacity lineup based on the current enrollments.  Church Street School based on the school calendar figures is home this year to 604 students; George Washington School, 648; Mamaroneck Avenue School, 606; Post Road School, 478; and Ridgeway School, 627.

In the middle school (grades 6,7,8) the present enrollment is 1,378 according to the study (however actual school calendar enrollment figures indicate the middle school total is 1,558.) This figure is expected to decrease over the next five years by about 90 students to 1,288 by 2010-2011.

Middle School Enrollment to grow from 2011-12 to 2015-2016.

However the Middle School projection from 2011-12 through 2015-2016 takes an upswing (stemming from the elementary school increase over the next five years. Enrollment at the two ancient middle schools (Highlands and Eastview) is expected to rise from 1,288 in 2010-2011, to 1,320, 1,326, 1,347, 1,403 to 1,443 in 2015-1016. That 1,443 projection is an increase of 155 over the last five years of the decade.  But, considering the Middle School is according to this year’s School Calendar

 already at 1,558. The projections show the aging Middle Schools are going to be at or near capacity for the next ten years.

Slightly more enrollment increases from 2011 to 2015.

Total Enrollment is expected to grow from 6,762 in 2005-06, to 6,914 in 2010-11, with the growth coming in the elementary school level.  However, Bill Pollak said you had to add 178 to that base figure of 6,762 to reach the present enrollment of 6,940, which would grow with the additional 178 to 7092 in 2010-11.  There was no explanation why the projected study was short the 178. However, the projection trend of the study still is considered valid.

Connors said, “The (present) high school (enrollment) numbers are in line with the numbers we used to plan that (2000 high school expansion) project.” 

The Bishop Associates Study notes that for the five years from 2005-2006 to 2010, enrollment increases will average .4% or 30 students per year, and from 2011 to 2015, enrollment increases will ascend to .9% or about 61 students per year.

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. November 29, 2005: In the course of setting a discussion date to evaluate and set priorities for possible renovation of school facilities based on the recent study of a five year facilities plan prepared by Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson, the topic of renovation of the high school football stadium came up.

The Loucks Dream. Not Committed to, yet. Photo, WPCNR News

Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors made a statement to the Board of Education Monday evening to correct an impression created by a letter from the White Plains High School Athletic Fund, Inc., distributed to attendees of last week’s White Plains-Stepinanc Turkey Bowl Game. The letter, Connors pointed out to the Board, was distributed without his knowledge or the school district permission. He said no prior commitments had been made on going ahead with any suggestions and improvements to any schools or facilities at this time. He said those priorties, choices, and timetables, if any,  would be discussed at a meeting on December 19, 7:30 at Education House.

Connors, toward the end of the biweekly Board of Education meeting Monday night said, “There is no commitment to build anything. We have only committed to a Study.”

A False Start?

The Athletic Fund letter was actively distributed to some 1,000 fans and was included with a reply envelope (for a contribution) in the football program for the Thanksgiving Day Game. The letter contained language that could be construed to indicate the School District was already actively committed to execute  the Fund’s renovation program for Loucks Field. (Athletic facilities had been included in the K. G. & D. study as part of general consideration of athletic facilities.)

The language in the Athletic Fund letter read: “Earlier this fall, the White Plains Board of Education was presented with an architect’s report that outlined a comprehensive upgrade at all the schools in the district, including the high school, two middle schools and five elementary schools. Renovations and construction would include physical building and athletic facilities at all locations. The costs estimated for all projects would range from $50 million to $90 million, and would be submitted as a bond authorization to voters in spring 2006. In the meantime the School Board is stydying the proposal to determine the specifics and priority of proposed items it would wish to recommend to the voters.”

Upon Further Review.

Connors told the Board of Education he had no prior knowledge of the  WPHS Athletic Fund intent to distribute the letter, no one on the Athletic Fund board had spoken to him about it  and he wanted to make it clear that no commitments to execute any projects detailed in the study prepared by Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson Architects, included a $5 Million renovation to Loucks Field, and $3 Million renovations of Parker Stadium and Eastview Fields, had been made, contrary to what the letter conveyed.

The letter from Daniel Woodard, the Chairman of the Athletic Fund, said, “If  (Loucks Field renovations were) adopted, renovations would include a new, synthetic field, a new eight-lane track; lighting; home/away seating with a capacity of 3,250; shrubbery and landscaping. The new field would accommodate such sports as field hockey, football, lacrosse, soccer and track & field, as well as other events.”

Official Measurement.

Woodard’s letter seemed to imply the School District had enthusiastically assumed responsibility for renovating the stadium (by including it in the study), and by the White Plains High School Athletic Fund calling for additional contributions from the public for amenities to the Loucks high school athletic complex in addition to the stadium infrastructure (that the School District would execute) in this statement:

“However, more is needed to be done. To help develop and create a truly multipurpose, first-class facility capable of hosting a wide range of quality activities and events, the WPHS Athletic Fund is seeking donations to augment the School Board proposal.

Among the projects still needed: a wholly new field house with lockers, meeting and class rooms, and coaches’ offices; a main entrance plaza; state-of-the-art press box, concession stands and sound system. All told, these projects would range $2-3 million in cost.” (Editor’s Note: This is in addition to the $5 million called for in the  Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson study).

Connors emphasized that the Board would consider what the district had to do and needed to do for buildings and athletic facilieis at the December 19 meeting.

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WPCNR MR. & MRS. & MS. WHITE PLAINS VOICE.  November 27, 2005: Peter Bassano, a member of the White Plains Board of Education writes on the $50 Million to $95 Million price tag placed on school building and grounds renovation by the school district architects:

 Dear John,

We have not yet gotten to the point that we can say what, if anything, we need.   There are really 2 categories of work identified by the architect; Infrastructure work and capital improvements.  From hereon, we should be talking about these two categories separately. 

(More)

Having said that, I can honestly say that we havent progressed to the point that we would recommend spending anything yet.  The Board is still in the preliminary stages.  All this talk of $50 and $65 million is purely illustrative. 

The administration is working on their recommendations and priorities but the Board and community need to carefully look at long and short term plans, projected needs and alternatives before we begin looking at the dollars.  

The discussion about the SEQRA work is out of sequence but that is a factor of the length of time the SEQRA process would take and the fact that the much of the cost of the SEQRA work would not be passed on to the WP taxpayers. 

I dont think there are any surprises in the enrollment figures.  Generally steady with a few bubbles.  Im sure you can have a copy once the numbers are real.

Peter Bassano

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WPCNR ROVING PHOTOGRAPHER. November 25, 2005: Silver Lake now that the cold weather is coming in is back to its former beauty, the raw sewage algae and pollution being finally chased by colder temperatures. In fact the neighborhood is so cleaned up that some high class tenants have replaced the Canadian Geese. A family of distinguished swans have taken up residence, along with the hoi poloi in Trump Tower, seen overlooking Silver Lake today:

Distinguished Clientele Move Into Silver Lake Acquaminiums, obviously attracted by Trump Tower at City Center cache which can be seen overlooking the Lake in upper right of this photograph. Photo by the WPCNR Roving Photographer.