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WPCNR THE WHITE PLAINS STREET. By John F. Bailey, UPDATED September 4, 2003: In a 45-minute news conference Wednesday afternoon with WPCNR, Executive Officer of the City of White Plains, George Gretsas, dismissed as unfounded, misleading and politically motivated, rumors circulating last week and reported by WPCNR, that there is a problem with the City Center connecting with the White Plains Main Street sewer line. Late Wednesday afternoon, returning from a short vacation in Orlando, Florida, he gave us “the rest of the story.”
In the news conference Mike Gismondi, White Plains Commissioner of Building, was cued up on intercom, and Mr. Gismondi stated over the speaker system that “all sanitary, storm, and electrical” hookups from the City Center retail portion of the project to the Main Street Sewer Line, including Target (scheduled to open October 15), had been “connected, tested and approved” by the Building Department and city departments, clearing way for a Certificate of Occupancy.
WPCNR was also given figures measuring actually Effluent Flows through the city Main Street Sewer Line monitored late last fall and early spring showing that the Sewer is now operating at approximately 20% of its flow per minute capacity supporting Cappelli Enterpriss analysis of the flow stresses on the Main Street sewer. Gretsas said the pipe can absorb City Center effluent with ease.
Unfounded.
The statement to WPCNR over intercom by Gismondi officially discredits the rolling rumors of workers on the site and in city hall, speculating there was “a problem” with the Main Street sewer connection process. Gretsas said unequivocably Wednesday night that there are no “problems” with sewer connections to the City Center, and there were “no problems” of sewer access involving the two apartment towers and condominium loft under construction.
Gretsas unveiled to media for the first time, weekly figures of an Effluent Flow Analysis compiled that morning and early Wednesday afternoon from data on effluent flow monitored by a city-owned Sewage Monitor that has been measuring the weekly Main Street Sewer Line Flows since October 2002.
The monitoring reports dictated to WPCNR from Mr.Gretsas’ notes, showed that the capacities of the Main Street sewer line, a line that has never been replaced since its installation, were running an average of 20% of its capacity prior to welcoming the effluent from the City Center project. An estimate of the total City Center effluent to be added was not given. Gretsas promised to acquire today, but as of this writing have not been received. WPCNR will post it as soon as City Hall delivers it.
Mayor Eventually Agreed to City Run Test
The Mayor’s Executive Officer characterized WPCNR reporting that Mayor Joseph Delfino (attributed to the Mayor by the source who had mishandled the Commissioner originally reporting the exchange), had put Commissioner Joseph Nicoletti’s suggestion of testing the sewer line on hold as false, that it was tantamount to a charge of “corruption” or “malfeasance,” if it were true. (WPCNR respectfully disagrees that the term “on hold” implied that interpretation.)
Gretsas said that far from being against Mr. Nicoletti’s proposal, the Mayor had eventually agreed to the Department of Public Works lobbying that the city conduct its own sewer flow tests to supplement those conducted by a Cappelli Enterprises’ consultant (whose name was not supplied, but was said to be forthcoming today)who had done their own tests and analysis of White Plains effluents flow through the Main Street sewer line.
Consultant was Employed by Mr. Cappelli
WPCNR’s source had said the consultant in question, was hired by the city by Mr. Nicoletti and, as it turns out was not told accurate information. Our source had received erroneous information from his informant . Checking back with our Source, he explained his informant told him by way of explanation, that a participant in a staff meeting, a city commissioner, had reported to his informant that the Mayor had a profane exchange with Mr. Nicoletti, and had strongly criticized Mr. Nicoletti for wasting the tax payers money on a machine that had cost approximately $20,000, and that Mr. Cappelli had his own experts.”
Gretsas said WPCNR was wrong in reporting that this meeting had taken place a short time ago, that there was no meeting last Friday. The source who provided us with this information understood the time frame to be just before Labor Day, but actually, according to Gretsas the decision to install the city sewer monitor goes back sometime before late October of 2002, he could not recall exactly when, saying the decision to deploy a computerized city sewer monitor evolved prior to October 27 when the city sewer monitor was installed.
Machine cost $9,275.
Gretsas said that the city after “discussion” had eventually agreed with the Department of Public Works and other commissioners and purchased the machine for $9,275 (what is not clear is whether when the machine was already purchased before or after the Mayor’s disagreeable discussion reported by a Commissioner (not Mr. Nicoletti) who was present to witness the Mayor’s scolding of Mr. Nicoletti on acquiring the machine). The city machine was installed on the Main Street sewer line October 27, 2002.
“The Commissioner of Public Works (Mr. Nicoletti) has the same concern we have. If we need a new pipe, we don’t want to pay for it,” Gretsas said.
The machine has been monitoring the waste creation of businesses and residences along the Main Street sewer line which runs from Insterstate 287 on the east side of the city to the train station at Route 119 to the West, a distance of approximately 1.2 miles.
Origins of Rumor?
Gretsas said the Main Street Sewer Line is a 16-inch pipe and “every business and residence on Main Street hooks into this, it has a capacity to handle 5,210 gallons of effluent per minute.”
The issue of effluent capacity arose because Cappelli Enterprises, Gretsas explained, is required by the City Center Site Plan Approval to pay for all improvements in the infrastructure up until the time Certificates of Occupancy are issued. The matter of whether the Main Street Sewer could handle the effluent from the City Center complex first arose after the site plan approval in 2001 when “someone, I believe from the water department stuck a stick in the sewer pipe and said the sewer line was running at 80% capacity.”
Cappelli Enterprises Runs Their Own Test.
Cappelli Enterprises, according to Gretsas, then placed a monitoring machine the same as is in the sewer pipe today, in the pipe November 3, 2002, to get a more accurate reading. They contended that the “stick method tended to give a false reading because the water would rise against the stick,” Gretsas said. Mr. Cappelli hired a consultant (which is where our source’s informant misinterpreted the information told him by the commissioner relating the controversy well apparently over a year ago, saying Mr. Nicoletti had hired a consultant).
Cappelli Figures: Existing Businesses, Residences Use 20% of Main’s Line.
Gretsas said the Cappelli monitoring machine measured gallons per minute flow through the Main Street Sewer in January of 2002. He said Cappelli Enterprises found the old reliable Main Street Sewer line, the original first sewer line, flow rate ranged from 15 to 20% of its 5,210 gallon per minute capacity.
DPW Sewage Monitor Confirms Cappelli Findings In Rainiest Spring.
Gretsas continued his rundown of events, “So the Cappelli consultant comes in and puts this machine in to measure the flow of effluent, and says there is another 70 to 80% capacity left in the tank. Nobody in the city agrees. They dismiss the accuracy or effectiveness of Cappelli’s consultant. (Gretsas did not identify who disagreed). We can’t verify that they said. We want to be sure they said that we do not need a new line. We all decide, let’s go and buy our own machine.”
Gretsas said the machine is the same instrument the Cappelli consultant used and the Department of Public Works is convinced of the accuracy of the machine ability to record the flow.
City Results Are In and Are Lower Than Cappelli Figures
At Wednesday’s news conference, Gretsas revealed the average results of the city sewer monitor that has been “in the pipe” since October 27, 2002.
Gretsas noted that the city tests monitoring the capacity on the most rainy spring and summer in the county’s history are in through last May. He gave a sampling of them to WPCNR, reading from a notepad, covering the fall holiday season, and what he described as the heaviest rain week of the year. The results support the Cappelli findings that the Sewer pipe runs at an average of 20% of its flow-per-minute capacity.
Viewers should note the capacity of the Main Street Sewer Line flow-per-minute is 5, 210 Gallons.
Effluent Level Analysis: Main Street Sewer Pipe
Date of Installation in Main Street Sewer Pipe October 27, 2002
G.P.M Stands for Gallons Per Minute
End Week of Average G.P.M. Max. Recorded Max Pct. Capacity
Nov. 3, 2003 422 600 5,210 12.5%
Nov. 10, 2003 422 586 5,210 11.2%
Nov. 17, 2002 516 681 5,210 13.1%
Nov. 24, 2002 952 1,187 5,210 22.8%
Dec. 1, 2003 319 683 5,210 13.1%
Rainy Spring Weeks
End of Week:
March 23, 2003 999 1,433 5,210 27.5%
March 30, 2003 655 1,309 5,210 25.1%
April 6, 2003 630 1,155 5,210 22.1%
April 20, 2003 1,071 1,441 5,210 27.6%*
April 27, 2003 761 1,353 5,210 25.9%
May 4, 2003 863 1,886 5,210 36.1%*
(Figures Orally Provided by The Mayor’s Office, City of White Plains. Percentage; WPCNR)
The raw results show the Main Line Sewer pipe handles 11 to 13% on the high side of its capacity per minute tolerance on its maximum, and on a heavy use week, Thanksgiving Week maximum usage peaks to 23%. The average flow (11%) recorded by the city machine, shows the aveage sewage flow to be about 3 to 4% less than what Cappelli’s consultant estimated (15%).
Gretsas used the examples of the two worst rain weeks of last spring: April 20 and May 4, a wet week in the rainiest year in Westchester County history to demonstrate that the Main Line Sewer Pipe is handling a level of sewage with room to handle the City Center effluents in a worst case scenario. The peak levels during these two wet weeks were tested to 27.5% and 36% of its capacity.
Gretsas noted that the City Center effluent could be accommodated even at such high levels (28% and 36%).
The missing figure which Mr. Gretsas was working on to get for WPCNR Thursday morning was the average flow per minute expected to be fed into the Main Street Sewer Line by the City Center, and its three residences.
Cappelli Will Repair, Replace Sewer Pipe if Problem.
In another misunderstanding due to the time discrepancy WPCNR was not cognizant, Gretsas said that Louis Cappelli has demonstrated a willingness to protect the city from any problems associated with the sewer line after the City Center comes on line, contrary to what our source’s informant implied about Mr. Cappelli. Given the gap in time that our source was unaware existed, it is understandable now how Mr. Cappelli’s attitude may have changed.
Yesterday Gretsas assured WPCNR that “No one’s trying to get Cappelli off the hook here.” Gretsas said Cappelli is willing to sign an agreement that as the City Center buildings come on line and are issued their Certificates of Occupancy that he will upgrade the sewer line if the City Center effluents cause a problem.
Grestas on Down the Road:
Main Street Sewer Line Replacement Might Be Necessary.
WPCNR asked how the Main Street Sewer looks in view of the Effluent Level Analysis as it relates to future projects Cappelli is planning. Gretsas said that if 221 Main Street (the Cappelli Bland Hotel Project) and added, the prospect of development of the former A & P property on Main Street were developed that the 1.2 mile Main Street Sewer Line might have to be replaced. Gretsas said the city did not know at this time if it would have to be replaced.
“If it (the flow) approaches half capacity or more, we will. I don’t know,” Gretsas said.
The Main Street Sewer Line is still the original line first laid by the city according to an engineer intimately familiar with the city’s underground system, the former Mayor Alfred Del Vecchio Mayor Del Vecchio in a telephone interview with WPCNR recalled the replacement of the Mamaroneck Avenue sewer pipe in the late 1970s came about after a 1970’s review of the city’s infrastructure needs. The former Mayor said the decision to replace the pipe came about when a camera inspection of the pipe, located 40 feet below the surface of Mamaroneck Avenue, was in danger of rupturing. A year long construction of the Mamaroneck Avenue line was initiated over 1979-1980, with construction suspended during one holiday season.
WPCNR placed a question to City Hall as to whether a camera inspection had been conducted on the Main Street Sewer Pipe and Gretsas said it had been inspected visually the length of the entire pipe and found in perfect condition.
