WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER 3,374,995 VISITS IN ONE YEAR—65,000 VISITS A WEEK BY 985,281 VISITORS

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From New York State Education Department Press Office. March 17, 2004 (EDITED): School Report Cards released Wednesday by the State Education Department show 85% of students entering high school in 1999 across the state passed their Regents Exams in 2003. Official conclusions on results across the state, showed:

• More students are taking and passing Regents Exams at 65 each year, even as 5 exams are required.
  
• The number of students graduating each year remains stable even with higher standards.
  
• Achievement is climbing as more students receive Regents Diplomas, requiring a 65 score on 8 exams including 2 math and 2 science exams.
  
• Despite gains, an achievement gap continues in high school.
  
• Elementary school students show continuing progress in English and math, and middle school students show progress in math.

“This school report card shows good news,” State Education Commissioner Richard Mills said, “but New York still faces many challenges. More students are achieving higher standards each year. The number of graduates is staying constant, even with higher standards. But we need to do better. Too many young people historically take longer to graduate, or they drop out. We need to press on and provide more help to students and close the achievement gap.”

Resources Key

“The Board of Regents has made closing the achievement gap a priority,” Regents Chancellor Robert M. Bennett said. “The improvements shown in this report card, combined with the continuing challenges, make the best possible argument for getting enough resources to the children who need them most. That’s why it’s urgent that New York State adopt the Regents’ proposal for reforming State Aid to schools.”

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WPCNR Common Council Chronicle. March 17, 2004: Commissioner of Planning Susan Habel walked the Common Council through the six letters of comment received since the hearing on the  Final Environmental Impact Statement was closed two weeks ago at the Tuesday evening work session at City Hall. After the Council agreed on the language they wanted, Commissioner Habel said a draft Findings Statement would be available by next Wednesday’s work session.

The most significant development was Louis Cappelli’s request in a letter of March 12, requesting a 7 year period following completion of the hotel/condominium project “to market and commence construction of the office building, after which time the environmental approval for the office building would have to be reconfirmed.” The council agreed to this. Bruce Berg’s letter requesting this said that if construction of the office building had not begun the time the hotel/condominium is occupied, then a landscaped plaza inthe office building area would be created.

Susan Habel told WPCNR that the Findings Statement would be presented at the April 7 meeting, with an expected vote on the Cappelli hotel project possible in May.

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WPCNR ART NEWS. By John F. Bailey. March 16, 2004: The Common Council was introduced to a portable sculpture “The FireClock” Tuesday evening intended to grace Renaissance Plaza. They liked it and moved, 5-2  (Bernstein, Boykin, Greer, Hockley, and Mayor Delfino concurring, Malmud and Roach demurring), to authorize $60,000 in seed money from Urban Renewal Funds to have its creator, Gayil Nalls undertake a feasibility study of the work of art.

“FireClock” is an original work combining fire and time “unlike anything else in the world” created by Gayil Nalls, the creator of “The Universal Scent” confetti that rained on Times Square at the turn of the millenium.

FIRECLOCK By Gayil Nalls. A computerized conception of FIRECLOCK installed on the Renaissance Plaza fountain. The clock portion of the sculpture is the concentric circles at far left. The clock will tell time by the use of flames with hours indicated on the exterior circle, and half-hours on the interior circle, with flames popping out for each hour of the day. In the evening, on the half-hour, pedestrians will see flame shows set to music and what Ms. Nalls describes as “sounds of the universe.” The flames  will pop out and die, and appear to race along the swoop and dip of the gold ribbons in time to the music. Photo by WPCNR News 

The sculpture was introduced by the Mayor’s Executive Officer, George Gretsas, warning that all art engenders controversy.  He said it is intended to be installed over the Renaissance Plaza Fountain during the months of November through April, when the water fountain is dormant for the winter. 

The sculpture purpose, Ms. Nalls said, is to attract persons to view its “fireclock” that will use flames to tell the time, in halfhour increments 24 hours a day.  The flame jets in the ribbon tracks, 6 inches wide, she said will thrill crowds with flame shows in the evening. The flames dancing and racing along its graceful roller coaster ribbons in dazzling sequence in time to music and sounds of the world and the universe, according to Ms. Nalls

FIRECLOCK in nightime, showing the FIRE CLOCK indicating 12:30 at night. Flames are created from natural gas and are are issued from jets with the metal ribbons. You can see the flames in this rough computer-conception racing on the “Flameway” at far right. Ms. Nalls said the sculpture is designed to be removed during the summer months from April through October, and installed again in November to provide a tourist attraction in the dreary winter months. Photo by WPCNR News

Ms. Nalls created the work on speculation at the request of the Mayor’s Office, and will create the sculpture for a cost of $1 Million to $1.5 Million dollars, which will be defrayed by the generosity of an anonymous donor who has pledged $1 Million towards the project.

There was no indication when the sculpture could be installed, because it is still in the concept stage.

The Sculptoress Explains the FIRECLOCK (on easal) To learn more about the artist, visit her website at http://www.worldsensorium.com/Photo by WPCNR News.

Glen Hockley was impressed with the sculpture and enthusiastic. Robert Greer found it very interesting, and likened it to the “Firewall” in Providence, Rhode Island attraction that draws massive crowds in Providence in the summers. Benjamin Boykin said he did not know what to think about it, but was willing to do the feasibility study.  Arnold Bernstein was intrigued. Tom Roach and Rita Malmud were against even studying it.  Malmud said dryly  the Renaissance Plaza was not the place for it, and Roach said firmly  the scope was too big, and the money could be better spent on Ebersole Rink.

Eli Schonberger, observing, spoke up saying FIRECLOCK would be a drawing card that would bring people to the city, and told of a museum that once installing a sculpture drew 10,000 persons in three weeks. He said the sculpture would be an attraction that would mark White Plains as a place that cared about art.

Mayor Delfino said the city had no art and the sculpture would be an attraction and make a statement about the city.

Ms. Nall said that she has not showcased her FireClock to any other cities as of yet, but if White Plains did not wish to go ahead after the Feasibility Study, she would offer it to other cities and organizations. She said she had done a patent research on the concept, and had found nothing that remotely resembles it. It is, she feels, truly unique and marries the concept of fire and time.

Currently, Ms. Nalls is finishing a video piece designed for projection in a spherical plexiglass globe, known as an “Omniglobe,” that will be showcased at the Siggraph Convention, a technological graphic artists convention.

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WPCNR PARALLEL LINES. By John F. Bailey. March 16, 2004: The Executive Board of the Parking Authority gave City Hall all it wanted last night approving $5 Million in new revenue streams to contribute to the city’s soaring budget due to sales tax revenue lag and pension, health, salary, and erosion of assessments. The vote of the Executive Board was unanimous.

The Common Council still must approve the rate hikes in meter rates, garage hours, parking permits hours of meter operation (extending 6 P.M. to midnight), and the manna also includes a million dollars from Parking Authority Reserves.

One silver lining in the rate hikes is the city on street meters will be free from 12 midnight to 2 A.M. when all cars have to be off the street.

The $5 Million will only cover one/third the projected paper deficit, estimated by WPCNR based on Budget Director Ann Reasoner’s January sales tax estimates, anticipated salary increases and general expenses as about $12 Million, making a double digit City Tax Increase likely. The Journal News quotes Mayor Joseph Delfino as calling for a 14% increase, the first time the city has put a figure on what residents may face.

The 2003-04 city budget is $104.3 Million. The projected $12 Million deficit would run the budget to $116 Million, without taking into account increased city expenses other than salaries, for all departments, the operation of Liberty Park, the possible acquisition of parkland from New York Presbyterian Hospital, and the expense of running the White Plains Performing Arts Center.

Budget worriers received some reason for optimism on money matters yesterday. A source, on condition of anonymity within city hall downplayed the significance of January and February Sales Tax receipts, (February was not revealed), showing the city running behind last year’s sales tax pace. This source said that these were only estimates supplied by the Comptroller’s office and did not reflect the real January, February receipts which would be reported at the end of March. This source said the January February “estimates” would not reflect  the receipts from new establishments, Fortunoff, Circuit City, Target, Applebee’s, and the Performing Arts Center and movie theatres. Therefore, this source expected the city would be much better off than the now suspect January-February sales tax estimates indicate.

If Mayor Delfino is right, and the city needs to enact a 14% Tax Increase, the owner of a $600,000 home, assessed at $15,000, who is now paying $1,920 a year in City Taxes, would pay $363 more in 2004-05 City Taxes. Link this to the $360 more in School Taxes the same owner will pay under the projected $143.9 Million School Budget, and that owner will pay approximately $723 more in taxes to the city and the City School District next year.

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WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. From Governor Cuomo’s Office. September 28, 2013:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New York State’s Housing Recovery Program will fully compensate homeowners affected by Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee, and Superstorm Sandy for the repair costs of damage to their homes due to ‘earth movement.’

Under FEMA’s existing National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) regulations, damage caused by the movement of soil or earth – even if the movement is the result of flooding – is not eligible for coverage. In comparison, physical damage to a building caused directly by flood waters is covered under NFIP. As a result of this gap in coverage, hundreds of impacted homeowners throughout the state have had their NFIP claims denied, leaving many with no place to live and no resources to rebuild.

“Over the last few years, we experienced three once-in-a-century storms that wreaked an unprecedented level of devastation in communities across the state,” Governor Cuomo said. “While we have made much progress in recovering from Irene, Lee and Sandy, many New Yorkers are still left without a place to call home and limited resources to rebuild due to National Flood Insurance Program regulations, which state that homes damaged by ‘earth movement’ are not covered. Yet it simply does not make sense that some New Yorkers who were just as hard hit by the same storms as others cannot be compensated for their losses. That is why the State is stepping up to bridge this unfair gap in insurance coverage.

Under our Housing Recovery Program, homeowners will be fully compensated for all repairs of damage. We are pleased to deliver this assistance so that all New Yorkers can move forward on the path to a full recovery.”

“Many New Yorkers were hopeful that they would be covered since they had purchased flood insurance,” said Director of the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, Seth Diamond. “However, they were unaware of this NFIP rule regarding earth movements. As a result, these homeowners did not receive the assistance they were seeking, and many who did not have the resources to rebuild on their own are still not back in their homes. Now, these residents will be eligible to receive funding through the State’s home rebuilding program instead, and their eligible rebuilding costs will be covered.”

The State will continue to conduct outreach to homeowners to ensure that those interested can apply for assistance. In addition, the Office of Storm Recovery will provide technical assistance to the communities under the New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program to evaluate and determine if local resiliency measures could assist with limiting the impact of earth movements. For more information, call 1-855-697-7263 or visit www.stormrecovery.ny.gov.

Governor Cuomo created the Office of Storm Recovery in June 2013 to centralize recovery and rebuilding efforts in storm affected municipalities throughout the State. In close collaboration with local and community leaders in these areas, the Office is working to respond to communities’ most urgent rebuilding needs while also identifying long-term and innovative solutions to strengthen the State’s infrastructure and critical systems for the future. Storm Recovery programs include the Recreate NY Smart Home program, which provides homeowners with assistance for home repairs/rehabilitation, mitigation and elevation, and buyouts, and the Small Business program, which provides small business grants of $50,000 or more, as well as low-interest loans.