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)

Con ED: Almost Everyone Back After Storm Outages. Peak Demand Day of 2012

Posted on July 27, 2012 by John Bailey

WPCNR THE POWER NEWS. From Con Edison. July 27, 2012:

Con Edison crews have restored almost all of the 4,800 customers that were affected by last evening’s severe storms.

As of 4:45 a.m. only 35 customers remained out of service, 19 of them in Yonkers.

Outages peaked between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. last evening. Over 75 percent of those who lost service from the storm were restored by midnight.

During today’s sweltering heat wave, Con Edison reported a new electric peak for 2012 of 12,836 megawatts (MW) at 1 p.m. Thursday, surpassing Wednesday’s high of 12,455 megawatts at 6 p.m.

The all-time electric peak for Con Edison’s service area was 13,189 MW set on July 22, 2011 at 4 p.m.

City to Acquire 3rd Side-Load Garbage Truck. Recommends Buying Seaberg Bldg.

Posted on July 26, 2012 by John Bailey

WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. By John F. Bailey. July 26, 2012:

The Capital Projects Board voted to acquire a new sidearm-loading garbage truck Thursday afternoon for $275,000, while eliminating purchase of two rear-loading garbage trucks. John Callahan, city Corporation Counsel, confirmed the truck was the third truck to be acquired by the city, pending approval by the Common Council.

Eileen Earl, the long-time consultant to the financial department explained the new truck is being acquired for the efficiency and labor-saving it has shown in the one year trial of the first truck.

Mr. Callahan in the meeting, also announced the city has reached an agreement to acquire 200 Westchester Avenue, (known as the Seaberg Building) adjacent to the city Department of Purchasing at the eastern “gateway” to the city. The building will be acquired for $465,000 (pending approval by the Common Council), plus $25,000 for renovation, and $5,000 closing costs for a total purchase of $495,000. Michael Genito, the city Commissioner of Finance told WPCNR the cost of the building would be financed over twenty years.

Earl said the city had been trying to acquire the building for about twenty years since the Seaberg food operation previously located there closed.The building is being purchased from Consortium Properties, LLC. She offered the opinion the building had long been an “eye-sore” on Westchester Avenue.

Commissioner of Public Works, Joseph Nicoletti said the building would be used for storage of water department equipment, currently stored out of doors. He said the purchase gives the city access to the DPW lot off South Kensico Avenue, from Westchester Avenue. Nicoletti said the city would renovate the exterior of the building to match the facade of the city-owned Department of Purchasing building.

The purchase is the third such land investment approved by the Capital Projects Board in a month. Previously the city decided to build a parking garage adjacent the Esplanade for $17 Million; purchase the Gerber Building for $2.7 Million and now the Seaberg piece for $495,000.

Asked what the city was eyeballing for acquisition next, Callahan did not indicate whether other properties were being eyed by the city or not.

No Plan to Decide BRT Until Input Is In. 60 Experts to Judge Bids. Tolls In Air

Posted on July 25, 2012 by John Bailey

WPCNR TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE NEWS. By John F. Bailey. July 25, 2012. Part 2:

WPCNR provides this wrap-up of the rest of the LoHud Editorial Spotlight discussion with Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Tappan Zee Team. To see the discussion in its entierty go to http://www.livestream.com/editorialspotlight/video?clipId=pla_0d5dea02-9da5-4214-9941-30bdb19206c2&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb:

Optimism for an increase in funding from the Federal Government was expressed by Thruway Authority Executive Director Thomas Madison, that with new funding passed this year by congress made available for the TIFIA program(Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, the state may be able to fund more with TIFIA than the $2.2 Billion they are asking for now. But this appeared to be wishful thinking, with nothing concrete.

Larry Schwartz, the Secretary to the Governor, said the effect on tolls for the bridge is still being evaluated, expressing the hope the tolls would be comparable to similar bridges in the area.

As an aid, WPCNR calculated in February that to finance $6.2 Billion through the TIFIA program, at its current rate and pay the maintenance costs of the new bridge, tolls would have to go up to $11.50 a Trip. To read that commentary go to www.whiteplainscnr.com/article9023.html

No timelines were given as to how soon a decision would be made on the bids from bridge contractors on the costs of building the new bridge. The Governor’s office is now assembling an evaluation team of about 60 persons, what New York State Thruway Executive Director called “the best and the brightest from around the world,” to evaluate contractor bids due to be submitted tomorrow.

Larry Schwartz, the Secretary to Governor Cuomo said the names of the “Evaluation Team” would be announced by the Governor’s office when they are finalized. It was noted that the Federal Government would also have to approve any construction using Federal money.

Schwartz said that the possibility of using Route 119 as the dedicated bus lane through Westchester County ( long promoted by the Tappan Zee project for Bus Rapid Transit in previous meetings) has not been discarded, but the imput of all communities had to be considered. He noted that Thruway project affecting White Plains at Exits 7 & 8 had dragged 25% longer than it should have taken and the impacts of establishing BRT lanes on 287 would subject that area and its citizens to more inconvenience for years.

Schwartz returned to the theme of gathering input from communities, decision-makers and government officials, and the need to reach consensus together on how to execute rapid transit through the counties, and to determine the need for it. He did not dismiss the data already gathered by the Thruway Authority engineering teams on transit data.

Brian Conybeare, the newly appointed representative to deliver the message of the administration, said it would be his job to disseminate key information to the public as the Governor’s Office makes decisions. He said the public could ask questions via phone at 1-800-855-TZBRIDGE or go to the new website made live today at www.newnybridge.com

The Governor’s Tappan Zee Bridge Team today gave the impression that indicated months of meetings and discussion lie ahead for the Tappan Zee Bridge Project which to move ahead requires more meetings with more people, scores of government officials and stakeholders in the project.

White Plains Sales Tax $$ UP 9.6% At Fiscal Close—

Posted on July 25, 2012 by John Bailey

WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey. July 25, 2012:

White Plains completed its fiscal year June 30 with a 9.6% real gain in sales receipts, setting an all-time high in sales tax collections of $50,972,671.36, compared to $46,494,447 in 2010-11, a gain of a real 9.6% year to year.

White Plains had been riding a 15% gain in sales tax collections through May, however June receipts were off 15.3% at $4,218,196.45 ($762,780 less than June 2011’s record $4.9Million).

Westchester County Sales Receipts in June, (the halfway mark in the county fiscal year) were off 1.4% which means the county is virtually even with last year’s sales tax collection pace ($230.1 Million to $222,991,747 after six months in 2011.)