“QTP” Auditions for Manager Role at WP Performing Arts Center.

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WPCNR STAGE DOOR. By John F. Bailey. May 19, 2003: The Executive Director of Queens Theatre in the Park, the former New York State Pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair that has been turned into a successful arts center with a year-round schedule in Flushing Meadow Park, will be presenting a proposal to the White Plains Common Council this evening along with Westco Productions and Centerpoint Stage.

Jeffrey Rosenstock, Executive Director at the Queens venue since 1989 will be making a presentation tonight at the Common Council, along with a partner. Mr. Rosenstock has presided over the growth and multi-cultural and diverse programming mix at the 475-seat Queens Theatre in the Park for about fourteen years, coming to the theatre in 1989. The Queens Theatre in the Park is supported by the New York Office of Cultural Affairs, receives numerous state supported grants, and has consistently produced a steady eclectic mix of plays, musicals, artists, and renowned cultural productions in his tenure. The Theatre itself seats slightly more than the 425-seat White Plains Performing Arts Center now under construction.

A sampling of plays and attractions at the Queens Theatre appears to fit the mission of the White Plains Performing Arts Center. In just the last six months, its “Theatre Series” has presented a premiere play, oldfriends.com with Pat Carroll and Patricia Connolly; Home, a Tony Award Nominee “Best Play,” and premiered American Dreams: Lost & Found, the play by Studs Terkel; a new production of As You Like It; Master Class, the Tony Award “Best Play”; and is currently presenting the new 1930s musical, Dames at Sea. It produced and continues to present the first Latino Artists Festival in 1998, runs a Black Cultural Festival. The full extent of their diversity of programming can be viewed on their website at www.queenstheatre.org.
“QTP” as it is known in the anachronym-obcessed world of the arts, is an experienced, fully booked community arts center already operating in a demographically diverse semi-suburban setting, with a proven track record.

The appeal of the Queens Theatre in the Park would appear to be the ability to offer touring companies and artists it books a secondary venture in the metropolitan New York area: The White Plains Performing Arts Centre, a strong advantage for any artistic director.

They also appear to offer an in-place and functioning theatre venue of the same size and audience demographics as the White Plains Performing Arts Center will have to appeal to: the sophisticated Queens audiences of Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill and western Nassau County, the large Queens Latino population (25% of Queens residents are Hispanic) and Blacks

The Queens Theatre in the Park entry was a late entry in the theatre auditions to be held by the Common Council this evening at 7 at City Hall, getting their proposal in to City Hall two weeks ago. Mr. Rosenstock was out when WPCNR contacted the Queens Theatre in the Park Monday morning. At this time, it cannot be determined whether Mr. Rosentock is attempting to run the theatre as a separate venture, or what his other resources are, which most likely will be explained in detail this evening.

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Key Dates This Week for School Budget Vote. Pick Up Absentee Ballots

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WPCNR NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS. From Dolf Biel. May 19, 2003: The League of Women Voters will have a “Candidates Night” on Tuesday, May 20, at 7:30 p.m. in the Women’s Club on Ridgeway.

A public budget hearing will be held on Wednesday, May 21, at 7 p.m. in the high school.

The School board election and budget vote will be on June 3 at your
local polling place.

Absentee ballots are available. To obtain one, call Michele Schoenfeld at (914) 422-2071. She’ll mail out an application. Alternatively, they can be picked up in person at Ed House, 5 Homeside Lane. She suggests calling ahead to assure that someone who controls the ballots will be available when you arrive.

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Adam In Albany: Legislature Leads New York in the Right Direction

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WPCNR’S ADAM IN ALBANY. By District 89 Assemblyman Adam T. Bradley. May 17, 2003:I am proud to be part of the bipartisan leadership in the State Legislature which made the right choices for New York families by overriding the governor’s misguided vetoes, we ensured New York’s children would have access to quality education and would be prepared for success in a rapidly changing world.

Our bipartisan budget restored $1.1 billion of the governor’s $1.4 billion cut to education. The Legislature’s budget makes real investments in our future leaders and helps protect effective education programs such as pre-kindergarten and smaller classes, while avoiding teacher layoffs. Most importantly, this additional aid will enable Westchester school districts to operate more effectively and stabilize our property taxes.

The Legislature’s budget provides nearly $4.8 million more than the governor’s original budget for school districts in the 89th Assembly District, including:

• $2,146,565 for White Plains;
• $749,970 for Katonah-Lewisboro;
• $537,348 for Chappaqua;
• $489,202 for Bedford;
• $373,715 for Bryam Hills;
• $342,169 for Harrison; and
• $157,513 for Valhalla.

Leading our children toward a brighter future

The governor originally proposed increasing tuition by $1,400 at SUNY schools, while cutting Tuition Assistance Program grants by a third. Again, the Legislature fought the governor’s ill-advised choices, restoring the cuts to TAP, reducing the administration’s original tuition hike proposal by more than one-third to $950 for resident students, and restoring base aid to community colleges.

Our budget will provide more opportunities for our children to receive a higher education and help New York attract more businesses and high-paying jobs.

Together, the Assembly and Senate put aside partisan differences to do what’s right for our children and families by investing in education, ensuring quality healthcare and most importantly stabilizing property taxes. We put the needs of our constituents first. I’m proud of my veto override vote, and the leadership role that both houses of the Legislature played in standing up to the governor’s wrong choices. It’s an important victory for all New Yorkers, especially our children. I will continue working to ensure that our children have the resources and opportunities that they deserve to achieve their dreams.

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The Sea Chase Week 9: GA II Needs to Sail 185 Miles A Day to Win

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WPCNR ADVENTURER’S LOG. By Cynthia Goss. May 14, 2003 09°48’N 37°34’W / Atlantic Ocean — When Great American
II–the 53-foot trimaran taking a run at the Hong Kong-New York record
logged by the clipper ship Sea Witch in 1849–entered the doldrums, she had some breathing room. As GAII approached the doldrums, Sea Witch was an estimated 500 miles behind. But skipper Rich Wilson (Rockport, Mass.) and “Captain Larchmont,” Rich du Moulin (Larchmont, N.Y.) knew better: they knew this band of fickle
winds and squalls could be a parking lot–and it could easily devour the
space they put between themselves and their legendary nemesis.

Children from the Hommocks School in Larchmont, communicated by radio this week to their very own “Captain Larchmont,” Rich du Moulin. Their cheer gave heart to the adventurers.

Kids Reach Out to Sea

While Wilson and du Moulin have given school children a memorable learning experience, the children have been giving something back as well.

This week, Wilson and du Moulin talked for 30 minutes with students at the Hommocks School in Larchmont, New York. Students and teachers fired questions at the two sailors and then ended their session with a huge group cheer. Those small voices from so far away were powerful fuel for two sailors who have sailed alone on a vast ocean for 60 days.
After GAII emerged from the doldrums, Wilson and du Moulin had some bad news. While they only logged a 4.6-knot average speed in the doldrums, Sea Witch, the ghost ship, was much speedier, averaging a pace of 8.1 knots. But the good news was their pace was fast enough to retain a one-day lead on the ghost.

On Wednesday , GAII is sailing in Northeast trade winds and logging some of the best 24-hour runs in her history.

Report from the Atlantic

“In ideal conditions, with a following breeze and flat water, the boat
glides along like a toboggan on new snow,” said Wilson today in a radio broadcast. “She was built as a cruiser/racer 15 years ago and is not capable of the sustained high speeds of today’s modern racing multihulls. But she easily attains speeds of 15 knots and higher in these ideal conditions.”

On May 14, GAII logged 292 miles in 24 hours–the best run
Wilson and this boat have made together to date.

The Challenge: 185 Miles A Day for 15 Days to Beat The Ghost Ship Against Storms Headwinds, Lulls.

As of today, GAII is some 2,780 miles from New York. Wilson and du Moulin will have to cover that distance in 15 days in order to break Sea Witch’s record. But the strong Northeast trades they are enjoying today won’t last: storms, headwinds, and lulls in the breeze could easily lay in their path.

“We need to fly to have a shot at the record,” said du Moulin in a
satellite email report. “For the past two days, these Northeast trade winds have allowed us to put the pedal down. . . but we have to fly while we can.”

Two Weeks To Beat

For Wilson, du Moulin, and some 360,000 school children following their voyage, this ocean adventure could be over in just two weeks. Students have been schooled in math, meteorology, the hard lessons of life at sea, and a myriad of topics through the unique sitesALIVE! Internet-based programs Wilson has created around his record runs across the world’s oceans. But even when Wilson and du Moulin reach their destination at the Statue of Liberty, the educational efforts of sitesALIVE.com and its companion sitesALIVE Foundation will continue to bring other live adventures to children across the nation.

To break Sea Witch’s record, GAII will need to reach the Statue of Liberty during the week of May 26.

Jibes and Reachs

HOW THE PUBLIC CAN FOLLOW GREAT AMERICAN II: The website tracking the voyage of Great American II is http://www.sitesalive.com. Daily position reports and a Captain’s Log are posted on the site so classrooms, students, and families who purchase licenses can follow the progress of the boat. For information, go to http://www.sitesalive.com/oceanchallengelive/.

The saga of GAII will also be published in a number of national, regional, and local papers, in the Newspaper In Education supplements, and tracked on the AOL@SCHOOL program (keyword: sitesalive).

Great American II’s Newspaper In Education participation is supported by the sitesALIVE Foundation. Established in 2002, the Foundation addresses teacher training in computer technology and funding for budget-constrained schools. The mission of the foundation is to enhance K-12 education by promoting the use of technology with real-world, real-time content from around the globe.

Some 360,000 students are expected to follow the voyage of Great American II.

For a chart showing the relative positions of Great American II and Sea
Witch, go to
http://www.sitesalive.com/ocl/private/03s/pos/ocl3position.html

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Mayor, Council Set their Raises, and Those of Department Heads at 3.75%

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WPCNR CITY HALL PRESS ROOM. From The Mayor’s Office. May 16, 2003: The Mayor’s Office announced Thursday evening that in Executive Session Wednesday evening Mayor Joseph Delfino and the Common Council agreed on individual salary increases for the Mayor and the six Common Council members of 3.75%. The total increase of the Mayor and Common Council members in dollars is about $12,000. Commissioners and Department heads were also slated to receive 3.75% increases.

The terse report from the Mayor’s Office noted that the total raises of salaried department heads and commissioners, and the Mayor and Council amounted to approximately 4% of the total budget of $104.8 Million.

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A New Life: Albert Pirro Reps Med. Office Aimed for Mamaroneck & Rosedale

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WPCNR TALK OF MAMARONECK AVENUE. By John F. Bailey. May 16, 2003: The White Plains Planning Board will consider a two-story medical office building complex next Tuesday evening, proposed for the southwest corner of the Mamaroneck and Rosedale Avenue intersection, just south of the Morgan Chase and Reliance Banks and across from the Mobil and Exxon service stations in the toney southend. The proposal seeks to convert the vacant former “Sassafras” Restaurant parking lot into an medical office complex. The Planning Board will also see the new public debut of Albert Pirro as a public relations liaison representing the project after the suspension of his law license..



MEDICAL OFFICE SITE, at Rosedale and Mamaroneck Avenues on West side of Mamaroneck Avenue in the Southend.
Photo by WPCNR


Initial neighborhood reaction to the project is not known. Knowledgeable city sources familiar with the site say blasting will be involved because plans call for building the complex into the side of the hill, slightly below residences on Rosedale Avenue to the west of Mamaroneck Avenue.

The building proposes to be 10,170 square feet, two stories, rising to a height of 25 feet. It seeks no variances and is well within the zoned 19,090 square feet permitted on the site. The use is to provide medical offices for prospective health oriented tenants with 49 parking spaces proposed.

The project is proposed by the Elmsford firm, Autumn Properties & Development, with Angelo Monaco described as principal, and is expected to be presented to the Planning Board by Mr. Pirro who describes himself as a Zoning and Code Consultant. Mr. Pirro is head of the well-known state lobbying firm, Buley Public Affairs of Rye.

Pirro is embarking on his new life facilitating projects after having his law license suspended for three years by the Second Department of the state Appellate Court as a result of having been convicted of federal conspiracy, tax evasion and tax fraud in the year 2000. The suspension took effect Tuesday. He is reported by the Rye Town Planning Board as having represented a project in Rye in the recent past.

Autumn Properties & Development lists their law firm as Parish, Weiner & Maffia, Incorporated, also of Elmsford.

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White Plains “A City in a Park.” Council Sees Different City on Top of Tower

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WPCNR Common Council Chronicle-Examiner. By John F. Bailey. May 15, 2003: Mayor Joseph Delfino and members of the White Plains Common Council present and past were whisked to the 35th floor of the City Center North Tower under construction late Tuesday afternoon and treated to a panoramic view from the top lead by their personal Tour Guide, Louis Cappelli, “The Super Developer.”



ON TOP OF WHITE PLAINS:
“We went up to the 35th floor, we looked out, and were able to see through the cloudy skies, Manhattan, the George Washington Bridge, the Throgs Neck Bridge, the Long Island Sound, and the Catskill Mountains,” Councilman Boykin told WPCNR this week. It is a spectacular view of White Plains and 35 miles around.”
Photo by WPCNR News




COUNCIL PRESIDENT BOYKIN IMPRESSED: Councilman Benjamin Boykin said the councilmembers on tour were awed by the spectacular views that well-heeled future residents will enjoy on the upper floors of Louis Cappelli’s personal ziggurat, even on a cloudy day, according to Council President Benjamin Boykin. Showing the courage to ascend the open floored construction site were Councilpersons Rita Malmud, Robert Greer and former Councilperson Pauline Oliva.
Photo by WPCNR News


White Plains Is a City in A Park.

Boykin said it was really worthwhile to see the perspective and get an appreciation for the appeal of the residences under construction. He said he was impressed by how White Plains looks from the air, calling it “a spectacular city we live in in White Plains and how many trees we have. White Plains is really a city in a park.”

Boykin said there was construction material all over the 35th floor, of course, but it was not scary and there was a guard wire at the edge, though he did not go up to the edge of the floor and look down. He was “O.K.” with the experience, he said.

Boykin reported Cappelli has saying the first tenants would move in to the North Tower in March, 2004, although renting has not begun as yet. “Cappelli says he’s going to rent 30 apartments a month.” Boykin added.

Touring the Inner Sanctum of the City Center

Next Mr. Boykin, said, Mr. Cappelli directed the construction elevator to stop at the 28th floor and the 9th floor of the evolving apartment tower, to show the council the difference in views from the various levels. Finally the entourage was shown the movie theater complex on the third floor of the City Center below. The 16 theaters are now under construction by National Amusements, Inc.

“They are going to be magnificent.” Boykin said. “They’re just beginning to start framing them in, and then we went down to Target, (on the below street level of the City Center) and they’re beginning to start framing, and within a month, they’re going to be ready to start stocking it.”

Performing Arts Center Report

Asked about the White Plains Performing Arts Center construction, the Council President said, “They’re just beginning to start laying it out. They’re starting to put up some of the mezzanine. When you come into the breezeway or walkway, tyou will come in to an open area and you can look down into the bottom of the theater. That’s going to be open with glass around it.”

Boykin said he did not know who was putting in “the guts” of the operating Performing Arts Center. Boykin said the theatre “would have their own people doing that,” but said he did not know who would construct the technical operating facilities. He did say that National Amusements had offered to design the Performing Arts Center for the city. “It’s all going to come together within the next couple of months.”

Theatres Already a Rave.

Mr. Boykin said, “National Amusements is putting together the East Coast Showplace. They normally spend about $6 Million putting in a theater like this. They’re spending $10 Million putting this theater together. There will be places when you leave the theater, where you can talk about the movie; they’re putting in a very upscale, extremely elegant theater. Cappelli is putting together his crown jewel here. He really is. This City Center will be the talk of the East Coast.”

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Underclass Awards Night Releases Its Winners.

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From Michelle Schoenfeld. May 14, 2003:Over 150 students received awards at the annual White Plains High School Underclass Awards Night held on May 1st. Included were the following book awards from various colleges and universities:

Mara Gay received the Barnard in Westchester Book Award; Wendy Culp, the Brown University Book Award; Cheryl Mae Velasco, the Bryn Mawr College President’s Book Award;
Christina Guhl, the Colgate Book Award; Allison Wing, the Columbia University Book Award; Sarah Pickman, the Cornell University Book Award; Sean Mascali, the Harvard Prize Book Award; Andrea Del Pilar Ramirez, the Mt. Holyoke Book Award; Tyler Lein, the Oberlin College Alumni Book Award; Rachel von Glahn, the Rutgers University Book Award; Kerry Cook, the Smith College Club Book Award; Evan McGuirek, the University of Michigan Club of Westchester Book
Award; Asuka Nakamura, the University of Pennsylvania Book Award; Kelly O’Neil, the Wellesley College Book Award; Camille Marquis, the Williams College Book Award; and Aditya Shirali, the Yale Book Award.

In other presentations, Sean McLaughlin received the West Point Award; Morgan Kellogg and Cornell Scarborough received the Scholastic Art Awards; and Yu Shi received the Rensselaer Medal.

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White Plains Students Can Parlez Plenty and Can Quo Vadis to the Maximus.

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From Michelle Schoenfeld. May 14, 2003:At the May 12th meeting of the White Plains Board of Education, Foreign Language Coordinator Joan Kass presented students who excelled in recent competitions.

In the National French Contest, 11 Middle School students placed in the top ten in their academic levels, based on years of study. Diana Bohorquez and Jacob Herrmann placed first and second in their level in the County. In National results, Diana Bohorquez and Brendan Daly placed third in their levels. The students’ French teachers are Rose Morochnick and Rebecca Peters.

In the Latin Certamen competition, sponsored by Westchester County Latin Teachers, the ninth grade team of Nicole DeGroat, Zachary Drillings, Melissa Genadri and Souyma Sanyal placed first in the County. Their teacher is Sue Gillen.

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Theatre: City Wrestles with Public’s Right to Know With Negotiation Leverage.

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WPCNR MAIN STREET JOURNAL. By John F. Bailey. May 13, 2003: A spokesman for the Mayor’s Office reported to WPCNR last night that the city has not decided whether the fourth organization to apply to run the White Plains Performing Arts Center, scheduled to premier this October at the Cappelli Enterprises City Center, is legally allowed to be considered due to the fact their response to the city’s proposal was three weeks late.
George Gretsas said the City Corporation Counsel, Edward Dunphy, is still reviewing the fairness of accepting the proposal. Because of the question of whether it is legal for the city to consider a Proposal received after “the deadline” for proposals, Mr. Gretsas said he could not release the fourth organization’s identity.

Presentation Format Under Review

In a wide-ranging telephone discussion of theatre issues, Gretsas and his Economic Development Director, Paul Wood, said the format of “Presentation Night,” presents a conumdrum for the city.

“We’re trying to balance the public’s right to know with the best interests of the city in view of once we select one operator, we are going to have to negotiate with that operator on terms,” Gretsas explained. He pointed out that if each presenter were to see the other’s presentation and specifics, the competitor’s could adjust their proposals to appear more attractive to the Common Council which, Gretsas said will make the choice of who manages the new theatre.

Shroud of Executive Session

Professional Facilities Management of Providence, Rhode Island, White Plains’ new Centerpoint Stage lead by Jonathan Mann, and Westco Productions under the direction of Susan Katz are scheduled to make presentations to the Common Council next Monday at 6 PM, May 19. Gretsas hinted that the presentations may be made in Executive Session.

The situations in which the Common Council is legally permitted to shroud the public’s business in Executive Session are 1.)Discussions of the Sale of Land; 2.) Discussion of Legal Matters with Counsel, and 3.) Matters involving Personal, i.e., union negotiations, etc. There are several options open.

There are several possibilities that could be considered: 1.) The fine line of justifying an impresario’s credentials and preserving the city’s and that impresario’s negotiating positions could be balanced by having credentials and plans presented publicly and the financial details and arrangements presented privately. 2.) The city could keep the entire process open and accept sealed bids, based on demanding a “best offer.”
Obviously, the Mayor’s Office concerns on negotiation leverage, as well as being fair to all presenters are well founded.

Waiting Tables Until You Get a Part.

The process is unusual in that the theatre has no budget in place because the endowment for the theatre has not been raised.

Two organizations, Centerpoint Stage and Westco Productions have said they are in position to launch fundraising efforts. How such operator-generated fundraising would be executed by the two organizations obviously would have to be part of negotiations. Professional Facilities Management told WPCNR they were not a fundraising organization and would handle the programming based on the budget of the White Plains Performaing Arts Center.

The Community-Corporate Relationship Piece.

Another piece that has to be considered is the procedural role the two citizen committees structured in Duncan Webb’s original plan on how the theatre would be managed. One citizens’ committee is envisioned as a fund-raising group of businesses and citizens. The other committee oversees the production content. This raises questions of management.

For example, in deciding the programming of the theatre who has the veto power? Who decides the distribution of dates? How profitable does the “non-profit” theatre have to be to avoid subsidies by the city? Where will the “Angel Money” come from for the programming needed to be in place within five months to pay the theatre’s first performers (if they are commercial acts).

Calling All Angels. Calling All Angels.

The Mayor’s Office says that no corporate angels are actively being sought at this time to bankroll the theatre’s start-up. However, there are deep pockets with a susbtantial stake in the city who could be readily solicited as the theatre’s “angels:” Fortunoff’s, Cappelli Enterprises, Mills Properties, Target, Circuit City, Gannett, Cablevision, Pepsi, Westin Hotels, Marriott, Legal Seafood, LCOR, the Clayton Park owners, are all all players in town with deep pockets. Some of the city’s exemplary corporate citizens can be expected to want to “be a part of it.” Heineken USA, Merrill Lynch, Prudential Financial, Combe, Inc., Entergy, Washington Mutual, Morgan Chase, and the new bank in town taking over the Sea Star. There are also a number of other sources in the city for funds: the universities — Pace, Berkeley College, Mercy College, SUNY, Westchester County Community College who could expect to use the Performing Arts Center. That’s 24 sources. If each contributed $500,000 that would give the theatre a $12 Million endowment, if each contributed $1,000,000, a $24 Million endowment results.

Gretsas said a decision of the Council was expected to be reached shortly after May 19, in order that the Common Council could vote on and approve the operator at the Common Council meeting of June 2.

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