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)

Sound Shore Beaches, Harbors Closed Because of Sludge Leak

Posted on July 16, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR BEACH & HARBOR REPORT. From the Westchester County Department of Health. July 16, 2013:

As a precaution, the Westchester County Department of Health is advising all recreational boaters and swimmers in

Rye Harbor, Milton Harbor and Greenhaven, in Rye, and in Mamaroneck Harbor to avoid contact with Long Island Sound until further notice due to an ongoing sludge force main break.

There will be no swimming at these beaches until further notice:

Beach Point Club, Orienta Beach Club, Mamaroneck Beach and Yacht Club, Shore Acres Pointe and Harbor Island Park Beach, all in Mamaroneck; and American Yacht Club, Shenorock Shore Club, Coveleigh Club and Greenhaven Association, all in Mamaroneck.

An underground force main break near Blind Brook has released sludge close to where the Blind Brook empties into Long Island Sound, in the vicinity of the Rye Marina on Stuyvesant Avenue near Milton Road in Rye.

The Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities took the force main out of service at about 2:15 p.m. Monday, but repair efforts are hindered by high tide. Low tide begins at about 4:30 a.m. tomorrow and the Department’s contractor will be on site at that time to begin repairs. It is not known how much sludge has entered Long Island Sound due to the force main break.

The county health department will sample the water today.

Once results are received and evaluated, at the earliest on Wednesday afternoon, the health department will determine whether to reopen the beaches and lift the advisory or to sample the water again.

County Sales Tax Receipts UP 5.82% First 6 Months. White Plains Sales $$ Handle Continues FLAT

Posted on July 15, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. Figures From Geoffrey Gloak, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Commentary by John F. Bailey July 15, 2013 CORRECTION.:

Westchester County Retail is back in the money.

Through the first six months of the new county fiscal year 2013, the county sales taxes are up 5.82%, based on a robust $51 Million raked in in June. The June County Sales Tax Collections alone were $51,067,630 compared to $43.7 Million last year, an increase of 17% .

At this pace the county is on pace to generate $488 Million in sales tax $$ a $10 Million surplus over the $478.7 Million forecast. If the county only equalizes the $229 Million it realized in sales tax receipts from July to December of 2012, it will generate $473 Million. At a 6% rate of increase, it could conceivably top $500 Million in sales taxes receipts.

The June break out is particularly noteworthy because it is $2 Million more than the county pulled in in December of 2011–the June 2013 county handle is equivalent to a peak holiday month. It is also the largest one month jump in two years.

Through the first six months of the 2013 fiscal year, the County has pulled in $243,486,675. compared to $230,100,707 the first six months of 2012, an increase of 5.8%. (CORRECTION:Due to an omission in computing the first six months of 2012, WPCNR has not counted a full month in 2012.

The City of White Plains June sales tax was virtually even with June of 2012, receiving $4,339,872 in sales taxes, compared to $4,218,196 in June, 2012, That is an increase of about 3% (.028) just ahead of inflation

More significantly, the June White Plains increase was 2.7% in sales tax receipts while the County was generating a 17% increase, a significant difference.

The city finishes the fiscal year 2012-13 with a sales tax handle of $49,913, 990, approximately $2 Million less than last year’s $51 Million. It also shorts them a little in paying for next year’s pay raises that they bank on paying for with funds from the tax stabilization fund that is funded out of current year sales tax receipts.

First Test Piles for New Tappan Zee Bridge Begin Installation Today

Posted on July 15, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE NEWS . From the New York State Thruway Authority. July 15, 2013:

Beginning today, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC will install the first test piles for the New NY Bridge.

The test pile operations will be conducted over the next three months at proposed locations for pile foundations. Work will start at the main span footings. Piles will be placed by utilizing both vibratory and impact installation techniques. The test pile program will verify subsurface conditions in preparation for the construction of the bridge’s permanent foundation.

Multiple crews will conduct night time boring operations along I-87/I-287 in both Westchester and Rockland Counties. The night time operations are necessary due to lane closure restrictions during day time hours that are in place to keep traffic flowing over the current bridge. Boring operations will begin at exit 10 in Rockland County and move west into Westchester County.

Ongoing operations

– Temporary Westchester trestle construction including pile driving on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

– Survey inspections on existing bridge

– Rockland environmental monitor installations continue

– Geotechnical land borings

– Mobilization at the exit 10 staging area

– Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline

Westchester:

Night time boring operations to investigate subsurface soil conditions will be conducted in the southbound shoulder of I-87/I-287 and will require a temporary right lane closure between the existing bridge and exit 9 on Friday, July 19 from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Rockland:

Night time boring operations to investigate subsurface soil conditions will be conducted in the southbound shoulder of I-87/I-287 and will require a temporary right lane closure between exit 10 and the existing bridge from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. beginning Monday, July 15 through Thursday, July 18.

WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SERVICE RESTORED

Posted on July 15, 2013 by John Bailey

A failure of the WPCNR international server caused White Plains CitizeNetReporter to go dark this morning. Now as of 2 P.M. service has been restore. Thank you for your patience.