THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR | 2,905,611 VISITORS VISIT 8,324,077 TIMES 3 TIMES EVERY DAY IN ONE YEAR. HIGHEST ACTIVITY IN WPCNR HISTORY.White PlainsCitizeNetReporter lifted its worldwide visits from unique visitors to wpcnr.com to 8,324,077,a 1,306,419 increase in visits in one year from 7,017,658 visits to the site last year which covers White Plains and Westchester County. The 8,324,077 visits were made by 2,005,611 unique visitors who visited wpcnr an average of 3 visits a day. ON JULY 20- -2026 visitors have accessed wpcnr and made 3,072 visits an average of 1.6 visits. In the last week 33,495 individual vistors made 54,458 visits, averaging 1.6 visits. In the last month, 152,940 visitors recorded 229,338 visits (1.5 visits)

BROTHER JIMMY’S– STANDARD IN SOUTHERN BARBECUE LANDING AT FORMER BUTTERFIELD 8

Posted on August 26, 2014 by John Bailey

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BROTHER JIMMY’S THE HOT MANHATTAN BARBEQUE HANGOUT WITH NUMEROUS LOCATIONS IN MANHATTAN WILL BE FILLING THE AIR WITH THE IRRESISTIBLE AROMAS OF PULLED PORK, RIBS, AND THE FEEL OF A REAL COLLEGE BAR AS EARLY AS NEXT WEEK RUMOR HAS IT AS THEY TAKE OVER THE SPACE WHERE BUTTERFIELD 8 USED TO BE (SHOWN BELOW). IT’S THE BARBEQUE THAT WHITE PLAINS HAS LONG NEEDED. SOUTHERN STYLE

WPCNR DOWNTOWN STRIP. August 26, 2014:

WPCNR has learned that Butterfield 8 undergoing renovations, will be opening next week as a Brother Jimmy’s the downtown Manhattan “go-to-to-meet-up-watch-the-game-and-see-your-buds-from-the-old-alma-ter-place.”

Brother Jimmy’s has announced on its website that they are now hiring for the White Plains location at 147 Mamaroneck Avenue.

University of Michigan alums in New York go to Brother Jimmy’s to catch the Wolverine games, and next weekend — when UM plays Appalacian State to open their season, the U of M Westchester alumni are switching to Lola’s prior to their Brother Jimmy’s opening game next week..

Brother Jimmy’s according to our sources delivers southern barbecue, wings, the fishbowl cocktail with an aligator floating in it…and a conviviality the 20-somethings and 30-somethings love because it approximates the feel of those old college hangouts without the stiff formality of restaurants and without the younger crowd.

BOARD OF LEGISALTORS APPROVES ICE CASINO OPERATOR CONTRACT. KAPLOWITZ CRITICIZES BIEDERMAN $100.000 CONTRACT

Posted on August 25, 2014 by John Bailey

Playland Ice Casino (at far right) on the Boardwalk at Playland last Spring.

CNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the Westchester County Board of Legislators Press Office. (Edited) August 25, 2014:

The Westchester County Board of Legislators voted to approve a 10 year management agreement with Playland Ice Casino LLC, a subsidiary of American Skating Entertainment Centers LLC, to operate the Ice Casino last Thursday. American Skating Entertainment Centers also runs the Westchester Skating Academy in Elmsford.

The newly refurbished ice casino will open in September after the county has taken two years to repair the rink from Hurricane Sandy damage.

According to the management agreement, the new operator of the Ice Casino will “be responsible for all activities and operations of any kind and nature whatsoever conducted within the Ice Casino, including but not limited to learn-to-skate and learn-to-play hockey classes, public skating, in-house ice hockey programs, kids first hockey program, travel and high school hockey, freestyle skating, summer camps, concessions, special events and seasonal activities, and sponsorships.”

Chairman Kaplowitz cited the agreement with American Skating as the model that Westchester County should employ regarding operations of the amusement park.

(Editor’s Note: According to the Journal News, American Skating will pay the county $380.000 in year one, $250,000, year two, and 2% more each year for the next eight years. The contract calls for American Skating to make $640,000 in facilities in the next year and a half.

American Skating will pay the county 25% of revenue over $1.6 Million, the County Department of Communications said to The Journal News,\. The County Department of Communications did not send out a press release on the contract, and the Board of Legislators did not send out this press release until this afternoon, but that release did not includ details of the contract or why the contract with American Skating is a better arrangement. )

“American Skating was chosen through the County Executive’s RFP like the prospective amusement park operators. A focused approach to finding public/private partnership opportunities for each of the parks operations was central to the County Executives plan to mitigate the cost to taxpayers of running the park. The management agreement with American Skating is exactly that type of partnership. I commend the County Executive for the efforts his Administration has made to improve park operations. I think it is time to wrap up the reviews and take action.”

Sustainable Playland Principal’s Contract to Analyze Playland Ops Approved Over Kaplowitz’s Objection.

At the Board of Acquisition and Contracts (A&C) meeting on Thursday, August 21st, Board of Legislators (BOL) Chairman Michael Kaplowitz (D) Somers, voted against a $100,000 contract to hire a consultant, Biederman Redevelopment Ventures Corp. (BRV) to analyze the operations of Playland Amusement Park.

The proposal, which will run through November 2014, came from County Executive Rob Astorino. Ultimately the contract was approved by 2-1 vote.

Chairman Kaplowitz said, “I do not support this consulting contract for $100,000 to review Playland’s operations and make recommendations regarding opportunities for management of Playland Park and its facilities. I feel the cost is too high and I also believe that this additional review of Playland will jeopardize our chances of finding an operating partner for the 2015 season.” Kaplowitz noted, “The County Executive has already identified the top three operators for the amusement park through an RFP process. While the County Executive’s top choice Sustainable Playland Incorporated, did not pass muster with the BOL, I believe that the County Executive’s second and third choices to run the park are both promising alternatives.”

The BOL Committee on Labor, Parks, Planning and Housing will be meeting on September 4th with Standard Amusements and Central Amusements International, the runners up in the County Executive’s search for operators of the amusement park. The BOL could vet both of these companies and reach a management agreement in time to hand over operations for next season.

FASNY HEARING MOVED TO WHITE PLAINS HIGH SCHOOL on Monday, September 8

Posted on August 25, 2014 by John Bailey

WPCNR FASNY NEWS. From the Mayor’s Office. August 25, 2014:

The City Clerk announced today that the third concurrent hearings on the French American School of New York application for a Special Permit to build a 5 building campus on the former Ridgeway Country Club and its concurrent hearing on the closure of Hathwa lane will move to the much larger venue, the White Plains High School auditorium on Monday, September 8, beginning at 6:30 P.M. Citizens wishing to speak must sign up at 5 P.M. in the audtorium lobby. Citizens who have already spoken at previous hearings may not speak again.

The change comes after three months of intense lobbying and e-mailing by Gedney Association members who claimed the Common Council Chambers were too small and witnessing the hearings on closed circuit television on screens in the halls of the city hall rotunda was hot, inconvenient and inhibited attendance.

At Long Last, Lyons Place Garage of the 21st Century Opens Today

Posted on August 25, 2014 by John Bailey

WPCNR THE PARKING NEWS. From The Mayor’s Office. August 25, 2014:

In March 2013, the City of White Plains acquired the Lyon Place Garage from the Esplanade Assisted Care Facility. The garage had fallen into a state of disrepair and had been closed to the public. Recognizing its importance to shoppers and businesses, the City acquired the garage with the intention of replacing it with a new, state-of-the-art, eight-story parking facility.

The City acquired the property from the Esplanade at no cost in exchange for a 99 year occupancy agreement pursuant to which the Esplanade will have use of 161 parking spaces and pay a pro rata share of operating costs. The City began demolition of the old garage in May 2013 and after demolition proceeded immediately with construction of the new garage.

The project will make a significant contribution to the economic vitality and growth of the Post Road corridor. The new facility will have 619 parking spaces, with 458 spaces available to the public to support the workforce, shoppers, diners, and visitors.

A formal ribbon cutting ceremony will occur in September. Details to follow.

September parking permits for the new garage will go on sale immediately and can be purchased at the Lexington-Grove East garage office (located adjacent to Macy’s at the Galleria). Call the Lexington-Grove East garage office at 422-1392 for details. As in the City’s other garages, the Lyon Place garage will utilize multi-space meters. The multi-space meters accept cash (coins and bills) or credit cards and offer the “pay by cell” option. The “pay by cell” account is connected to your Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover card. In addition, if you forget how “pay by cell,” the receipt from the multi-space meter provides instructions.