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)

County Exec to Sign Asset Management Agreement with Sustainable Playland to Develop Playland Tuesday. PREMATURE SAYS BOARD OF LEGISLATORS

Posted on July 22, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR PLAYLAND NEWS. From the Westchester County Department of Communications and the County Board of Legislators Press Office. July 22, 1013:

Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino will sign two major Playland agreements on Tuesday, July 23, that are designed to preserve the Dragon Coaster and other iconic rides, protect taxpayers and position the 100-acre park in Rye as a year-round destination for family fun.

The County Board of Legislators spokesman, Tom Staudter, said the signing was “premature,” in that the Chairman of the Board of Legislators, Kenneth Jenkins, has a lawsuit pending that the awarding of the contract was not legal for the Board of Acquisitions and Contracts to do without approval of the Board of legislators because of the size of the contract.

Staudter said the proposed signing did not indicate the Board of Legislators had decided that Sustainable Playland was the Board’s choice. He said the Board has retained an independent consultant to evaluate the proposed financial benefits to the county of the four main proposals, including Sustainable Playland are. Staudter said that report would be released “soon.” Staudter also asked rhetorically if Sustainable Playland would be presenting a check towards the county debt on Playland, (original proposal by Sustainable said they woud present a $4 Million payment for the county Playland debt upon signing of the Assest Management Agreement).

Geoffrey Thompson, spokesman for Sustainable Playland told WPCNR that Sustainable Playland would not present a check to the county at the scheduled signing tomorrow.

Thompson told WPCNR that once the agreement was signed, Sustainable Playland could be free to ink investors in the project to contracts to fund the $34 Million in investment Sustainable Playland promises and proceed. Staudter, the Board of Legislators spokes person said Sustainable financing and ability to fund what they say they will do in Playland was a primary concern of the Board of Legislators.

Staudter pointed out to WPCNR that Sustainable as part of the Asset Management contract, had to provide an “improvement program” by the end of the year, with specifics, for the board approval. He also noted that the courts could very well throw out the Board of Acquisition and Contracts award of the Asset Management Program to Sustainable.

The signing ceremony will take place on the Playland Boardwalk at 11 a.m. (In the event of rain, the ceremony will be inside the Westchester Children’s Museum’s new home on the Boardwalk.) Astorino will be joined by Corinne Zola, president of the museum, and by Kim Morque, president of SPI.

Astorino will sign an asset management agreement for Sustainable Playland Inc. (SPI) to operate the park. Terms call for SPI to invest $34 million in the park and manage all vendors.
Astorino will also sign the lease with the Westchester Children’s Museum for the museum to use one of the renovated bathhouses on Playland’s boardwalk as its home. As part of the agreement, the children’s museum will operate under the umbrella of SPI.

Astorino said both agreements were important components of his initiative to “reinvent Playland for the 21st century,” an effort he began in 2010 upon taking office.

“Since 1928, Playland has been part of the identity and fabric of Westchester County,” said Astorino. “Through our new public-private partnership with Sustainable Playland and the Westchester Children’s Museum, we are reinventing Playland with a vision that builds on tradition by keeping what we love, such as Kiddyland and the historic rides, replaces tax dollars with private capital and adds new attractions and experiences for visitors to enjoy on a year round basis. This is a winning formula for saving Playland today and for future generations.”

Both Morque and Zola expressed their eagerness to get started on the reinvention of Playland.

“Sustainable Playland is gratified that we have reached this milestone,” said Morque. “We thank our supporters and we look forward to working with the county government, our operating partners, stakeholders and the non-profit community in a public-private partnership that will result in a revitalized park that preserves and enhances Playland’s amusement park components, historic structures and landscapes. We are particularly pleased that the Westchester Children’s Museum will be moving forward with construction of their facility and working with Sustainable Playland in this exciting community-based park restoration effort.”

Zola thanked the County Executive and Board of Legislators for approving the lease and added: “The Westchester Children’s Museum grew from grass roots to more than 3,000 donors from all municipalities in Westchester. This museum will be an economic driver for the county and an anchor for the redevelopment of PlaylandPark. We look forward to seeing a crowd gathered at the Westchester Children’s Museum in 24 months, when we will cut the ribbon and open the doors to our spectacular museum.”

ABOUT THE ASSET MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT WITH SPI

This season, Playland will continue to be run by the county, with the plan for SPI to take over next season. Under the agreement, SPI, a Rye-based not-for profit, will run the park, maintain the grounds, and manage the vendors who operate activities on the property. The terms of the 10-year asset management agreement or AMA, which includes a 10-year option to renew, call for SPI to invest $34 million in private capital into the park.

In addition, SPI will pay the county a base fee that could eventually total $4 million, provided all zones become operational as planned. SPI will also make annual payments to the county based on the park’s net operating revenue. SPI estimates this to be about $1.2 million per year once the park is fully developed. SPI’s payments will go toward retiring the county’s existing $32 million of debt on Playland.

With the signing, SPI has 30 days to submit a Playland Improvement Plan (PIP) to Astorino, consisting of the material changes the group proposes to make when the park comes under its management. After the PIP is reviewed by the county executive, it will go to the Board of Legislators for approval. If the BOL does not approve the PIP by December 31, 2013, SPI has the right to withdraw from the agreement.

Admission to the park will be free all year round as well as access to Edith Read Sanctuary, the Boardwalk and the Pier. Throughout the park, attractions will be grouped into a variety of zones with fees charged for various activities.

SPI’s proposal includes:

An aqua zone, featuring a mini-water park and beach attractions
Outdoor ball fields and an indoor field house
Renovated indoor ice rink and a new outdoor winter rink
A Great Lawn, that will provide enhanced public access to the Long Island Sound and add attractive multi-use space to the park.
Indoor multi-use facility, which can be rented for parties, weddings, meetings and conferences
New restaurants.

Proceeds to pay the county, maintain the grounds and make improvements will come from fees SPI charges its vendors, equity investments made by SPI and its vendors, revenues generated by the attractions run by the vendors, and other sources of income, such as parking and sponsorships.

SPI was selected by Astorino in 2012, following a “request for proposals” process. Out of the 12 proposals reviewed by the county and a citizens committee, Astorino said Sustainable was chosen because it had the best vision for the park financially and operationally, as well as far-reaching experience and strong local ties.

The park has been costing taxpayers $3 million to $5 million annually in recent years, as the number of visitors has decreased from over one million in 2006 to 433,000 last year. Under the SPI’s operation, the goal is to make the park a year-round destination, less dependent on weather and to reduce or eliminate the taxpayer subsidy.

ABOUT THE WESTCHESTER CHILDREN’S MUSEUM LEASE

Under terms of the lease approved previously by the Board of Legislators and the Board of Acquisition and Contract, the Westchester Children’s Museum will lease approximately 21,390 square feet of space in what was formerly used as a men’s bath house. The lease will run for 10 years.

The Westchester Children’s Museum, a not-for-profit, will operate under the management umbrella of SPI, which will allow the two organizations to share expertise, minimize costs and increase efficiencies. In return for investing over $7 million in infrastructure improvements, the museum is being given a lease of $1 a year for a 10-year period. Plans call for the museum to be open to the public within two years.

The Westchester Children’s Museum will be a celebration of childhood. Exhibit areas will contain experiential laboratories, interactive art pieces, sculptural elements, hidden worlds, climbing structures, and physical connections to the outdoors. The museum’s exhibits and programs will draw from the region’s rich history, cultural diversity, flourishing ecosystems, and literary and artistic traditions.

Even before the museum doors open, the Westchester Children’s Museum is delivering quality educational enrichment programs that leverage hands-on, exploratory approaches toward learning. Its Museum Without Walls programs are presented at a variety of community centers, schools, and childcare centers throughout WestchesterCounty. Since the program began in 2010, more than 8,000 kids have engaged in learning experiences that are full of fun and discovery.

The Westchester Children’s Museum projects it will add over $4 million a year to the local economy while creating much needed construction and permanent jobs, encouraging tourism, and reinvigorating Playland – all while preserving a national historic landmark.

44 Years Ago: Men Walked on the Moon. A Tribute to the High and the Mighty

Posted on July 20, 2013 by John Bailey

This column originally appeared on WPCNR on February 1, 2003, and celebrates the Dreamers, the Achievers, the High and the Mighty:

The Space Blazers:

The Apollo 11 Crew: Nail Armstrong, Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin, Jr. Mr. Armstrong set foot on the moon 44 years ago on July 20.(NASA Photo)

The two papers I receive at WPCNR White Plains News Headquarters, White Plains, New York, USA did not tell you this was the 44th anniversary of the day when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.

The exact hour was 20:11 GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). That was the culmination of the last great American achievement — the personal computer and the internet were to come as the next great American achievement conquering space — when Apollo 11 with Armstrong in command, with astronauts Michael Collins and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. blasted off to the stars for real becoming the Flash Gordons, Buck Rogerses, Tom Corbetts and Captain Videos for all-time.

Their mission was a success.

But there have been the tragedies associated with striving for the stars and being the best, achieving the best, working for the good. Those are the persons who keep the dreams alive by their deaths and personal sacrifice. I wrote the following after the explosion of the Columbia Space Shuttle upon reentry after 19 days in space in January 2003.

Saturday’s fatal Columbia Space Shuttle accident killing all 7 astronauts aboard when the historic spacecraft broke up over East Texas at daybreak Saturday morning begins a period of national mourning.
The expected media speculations have started, guessing at the cause of the reentry that went bizarrely, awfully wrong.
The truth is the civilized world takes absolute scientific miracles for granted. We do not appreciate the courage and skills of the men and women creating the future.
Those of us with cell phones, internet connections, high-speed trains, satellite communications and entertainment (all products made possible by the space program), do not realize the magnitude of daring achievements that you and I have come to accept to be executed like clockwork.
I first learned of Columbia’s fate late Saturday afternoon when my wife mentioned that instead of sports programming being videotaped on our television, there was coverage of a live NASA event on ABC.
(Incredibly, the radio station I had been listening to on the way from a sports clinic had not reported any hint of the accident. That station was Z-100, the most listened-to station in the New York metropolitan area. America Online also on their first up page did not mention the missing craft as of midday. That kind of communications misjudgment is sad.)
As I watched the close of Mr. Jennings’ coverage at about 3 PM, he signed off with no recap, no names of astronauts, and some parting words about what he thought was the cause of the disaster.
I’ll say what he should have said.
Columbia’s seven astronauts who died — we know their names: they were

Columbus, Magellan, Cook, Lewis, Clark, the Wrights, Lindbergh, De Laroche, Earhart, Markham, Gruber, Chaffee, Grissom, White, Gargarin, Komarov, the Challenger Crew, the crew of Soyuz 11. They are a handful of the hundreds of brave men and women who went into the unknown.

Appollo 11’s Crew turned the dreams of the 1950s visualized in television shows like Tom Corbett, Space Cadet (above, Astro, Roger and Tom) and Captain Video, “The Master of Science” below into reality.

America’s Spacemem and the explorers before them are the people who trust in their ability and their vessel to expand the world’s horizons, to know the unknown, whose legacies build a better world. Whose deeds inspire and achievements are the catalyst for achievement to come.
From Cook’s fragile vessel which sailed the Pacific, to the marvel that was the Columbia, the captains courageous who sailed the Roaring 40s, blazed the Oregon Trail, discovered how to fly, and flew the oceans, journeyed to the stars, knew the risks they were taking.
The media trivializes their courage, their skills, and the difficulty of what they did and wanted to do, to concentrate on the causes of their failure, as if knowing the cause will make their loss acceptable.

The Magnificent Seven
I do not know Columbia’s Magnificent Seven. I just see their smiling faces in their photograph, and I regret the loss of every one. They had achievement on their faces, pride in their demeanor. Their eyes shown with the glow of being alive and striving to do the great things they set out to do.
Civilization has been created because of people like the crew of the Columbia’s Magnificent Seven, not the incompetence we see demonstrated daily today where technology is concerned.
The Columbia itself had flown 26 missions since launching in 1981. It was guided and outfitted with the best 2003 communications and equipment had to offer.

Not like Captain James Cook’s bark, Endeavour, a 100-foot ship powered by sail that conquered the “space” of his time, the Pacific Ocean. It was the Columbia’s Magnificent Seven’s Endeavour. They were tracked, they were backed up, but they perhaps more than anyone here on the ground knew the high dangers of the shuttle mission.
Liftoff, as their predecessors, The Challenger crew fell victim to, is fraught with risk. Reentry, which needs to be negotiated at precisely the right angle of attack, is equally risky. Soyuz 11’s spacecrew of Dobrovolskiy, Volkov, and Patsayev died in 1971 on reentry, when the Russian cosmonauts took too long to descend.
No guarantees in real life. Machines sometimes run out of miracles.
The magnificence of the explorers’ sacrifice and dedication, is that they accept the risk of “the endeavor.”
They accept the challenge, bear it alone, seizing challenge with an indomitable spirit and confidence, facing death when it comes with the satisfaction that they made the effort, and I suspect analyzing, coping, trying to fix it until the end, the very end. Then never give up.
Columbia’s Magnificent Seven, after 16 days in space, are gone now. My sorrow is with their families who will miss these Magnificent Seven, and who know in their hearts that they died trying to reach the pinnacle of their aspirations.
They are only human.
They tried their best, achieved their best, and experienced what they longed to experience. They dared to live the great adventure.
Not all of us have the courage to follow our longed-for adventures and make them real. You can watch movies that attempt to give that experience by transference. That’s why, I believe, you and I take it so personally when we lose heroic personalities of our time. We wonder what they are like. We glorify them, rightly so.
Follow Me! They Say.
I wonder how those Magnificent Seven felt, how satisfying it must have been, to be at your best, doing what you love, coping with the risks.I envy them that.
The Columbia Crew is the Miracle.
In reality it is not machines that conquer, it is the intrepid personalities, each unique, each contributing, who perform the miracles with God’s help. That they fall short is an example to us, not to take ourselves, our fates, or our existences for granted.
This is true of the everyday people we take for granted: the firefighter, the policeman, the train engineer, the airline pilot, the construction worker. All are highly trained disciplined workers, executing precise tasks for which the non-expert has no feel or understanding . What makes for the desire to achieve? What is out there or up there that leads them on?

The Feel of the Unknown

I took Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s biographical adventure diary, Listen! The Wind down from the bookshelf.

She was the young bride of the aviator-pioneer, Charles Lindbergh. She navigated for him in his aircraft, and ran his radio communications on his many exploratory flights around the world.

In a passage she describes a night flight over the ocean, in which she was operating the radio for her husband Charles, who was at the controls. Mrs. Lindbergh is describing the feelings she has as she tries to tune in the South American coast at sea in the dark of night in 1933, 80 years ago.

The feeling, the courage of the adventurer, the explorer has not changed. This is great:

“Night was the hardest. It would be all right once it was day. I kept saying…We began to hit clouds. I could tell without looking up, for the plane bumped slightly from time to time, first one wing down and then the other. And the moon blackened out for short periods.

Then for longer periods. I could not see to write my messages. I stiffened, dimly sensing fear – the old fear of bad weather – and looked out. We were flying under clouds. I could still find a kind of horizon, a difference in shading where the water met the clouds. That was all. But it seemed to be getting darker.

Storms? Were those clouds or was it the sky? We had lost the water. We were flying blind. I turned off the light quickly (to give my husband a little more vision), and sat waiting, tense, peering through the night. Now we were out again. There were holes through which one could see the dark sky. It was all right, I felt, as long as there were holes.

More blind flying. This is it, I thought is what people forget. This is what it means to fly across the ocean, blind and at night. But day is coming. It ought to be day before long… Daybreak! What a miracle. I didn’t see any sign of day and yet it must be lighter. The clouds were distinguishing themselves more and more from water and sea.
Daybreak—thank God—as if we had been living in eternal night—as if this were the first sun that ever rose out of the sea.

Note: This column originally appeared February 1, 2003 on WPCNR.

Con Edison’s Finest Days. 101 in the Shade? Need Power? You Got It. Utility Delivers!

Posted on July 20, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR THE POWER NEWS AND COMMENT By John F. Bailey. July 20, 2013:

Just a few years ago, if the metro area and Westchester County had been hit with a week of 90 to 100 degree heat and humidity like we have this week, the area would have experienced blackouts, brownouts, and downright no power in many areas. County officials, city officials would have been screaming about investigating Con Edison’s incompetance.

But, this week, Con Edison service in keeping the power on is an example of company that did not cut corners, spent Billions in beefing up their infrastructure and has delivered this week to keep the area reasonably sane in the hottest week of all time in this area. I have lived here all my life.

I can tell you this is the hottest week I have ever experienced in Westchester County. It is glorious summer weather though.

So before the officials get on Con Ed the next time a storm comes through. The finger-pointers should hold some press conferences and salute the men and women of Con Edison, and the management for corporate heroism this week. They were ready. They were prepared. They did and continue to do the job.

My admiration.

According to a Con Ed report Friday afternoon:

Today’s (Friday) brutal heat and humidity led to all-time peak electric usage records in New York City and Westchester County, topping out at 13,322 Megawatts (MW) at 5 p.m. Before today, the all-time peak record was 13,189 MW set on July 22, 2011. That mark was first broken at 2 p.m. today, and usage grew through the afternoon.

Con Edison continues to urge customers to conserve energy as best as possible. Demand response programs, which pay large customers to cut back on power usage during heat waves, were helping to reduce electric demand by approximately 400 MW. The company also said energy efficiency programs implemented by businesses and homes helped conserve electricity.

At the same time, hundreds of dedicated Con Edison field crews have worked through the scorching temperatures to restore customers impacted by scattered power outages.

Con Edison reminds customers to use these energy and money-saving tips:

Install a timer or clock thermostat on your air conditioner so you can program it to operate and shut-off at a pre-determined time.
If you have a room air-conditioning unit, close off the rooms not being used; if you have central air, block off the vents for un-used rooms.
Plan cooking, baking or other household activities that produce heat and humidity for the cooler times of the day and night.
Use a portable or ceiling fan to circulate the pre-cooled air in your air-conditioned home. A fan uses about 90 percent less energy than an air conditioner.
In very humid weather, adjust your air conditioner’s fan to a low setting. It’ll take longer for the air conditioner to cool your home, but your unit will bring in steamy air at a slower rate and make you feel more comfortable.
Pull your curtains and shades on windows to block out the heat.

Customers can report outages and check service restoration status at www.conEd.com or by calling 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633). When reporting an outage, customers should have their Con Edison account number available, if possible, and report whether their neighbors also have lost power.

Customers who report outages will be called by Con Edison with their estimated restoration times as they become available.

Also, download our new free iPhone and Android app, My conEdison, to report and check the status of a power problem, and view our interactive online outage map.

NOAM BRAMSON COURTS WHITE PLAINS MONDAY AT 7 AT THE YWCA

Posted on July 20, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2013. July 19, 2013:

White Plainsians have received robocalls this evening from Democratic Candidate for County Executive, Noam Bramson, inviting them to a meeting to greet and ask him questions about the issues.

He will appear at the White Plains YWCA, 515 North Street at 7 P.M.