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WPCNR Common Council Chronicle-Examiner. Special to WPCNR October 27, 2011:

 

Decades of quietly illegal procedure were exposed last night at the White Plains Common Council Special Meeting.

 

 

Carl Albanese  of White Plains spoke up and demanded Mayor Tom Roach comply with the New York State open meetings law and reveal the subject matter of the about-to-begin executive session at last night’s common Council meeting. Photo, WPCNR News Archive, April 2009.

 

The mayor tried to stop Mr. Albanese from speaking out, according to Albanese but he continued and rattled off the city violation of New York State Open Meetings Law executive session procedure violations.

 

According to witnesses of the historic moment, Mayor Roach rose from his seat behind the Mayor’s desk, walked over to chief of staff John Callahan and whispered in Callahan’s ear.

 

Callahan  recited as quick as he could,  the pending litigation suits and attorneys for discussion in the upcoming executive session primarily lawsuits that the White Plains Professional Firefighters have ongoing against the city on grievances.

 

Mr. Albanese said, “It  (Callahan’s reciting of cases) was so fast you could not decipher the litigation cases against the city.” Albanese said he was  then directed by Chief of Staff Mr. Callahan to remove all Albanese’s  videotaping equipment from the Mayor’s conference room, before the executive session began.

 

By standing up and challenging the Mayor on procedure, Mr. Albanese exposed  the procedure the city has been using for years to keep citizens unaware of pending, ongoing and serious policy matters involving, litigation, purchase of land and personnel matters as a violation of state open meetings law.

 

It is  “custom”  procedure that no member of the press of any media  has ever challenged, but accepted as “procedure.”

 

Albanese cited NYS OM L, Section 103 which  says that a governing body may enter into Executive Session–.

 

“upon a majority vote of its total membership taken in an open meeting pursuant to a motion identifying the general area or areas of the subject or subjects to be considered.”

 

It is Albanese’s contention that the city by this statement is required to state specifics of the matters, naming names and matters they are going to discuss, and not hang out a general explanation “for purposes of discussing pending legislation,” or “for discussion of personnel matters,” or for “purpose of selling or acquisition of land.”

 

WPCNR has a call in to the Mayor’s Senior Advisor to see if the city is going to contest this interpretation in the courts.

 

WPCNR has asked Mayor Roach, and city Chief of Staff  John Callahan, if the disclosure of subject matter and principles will be followed in future calls for going into Executive sessions on land acquisition or sale matters and personnel discussions…going forward.

 

Where’s Mass Transit? Scopers Ask.

 

WPCNR BRIDGE NEWS. By John F. Bailey. October 26, 2011 UPDATED WITH EXHIBIT CHARTS 10 P.M. E.D.T.:  

 

The Department of Transporation unveiled its new Tappan Zee Bridge Reconstruction option at the Tarrytown Doubletree Hotel Tuesday afternoon in a scoping presentation that kicked off an accelerated environmental review of the Tappan Zee Bridge Replacement Project. 

 

The agency and chain of command responsible for funding, engineering and building the bridges has not been determined at this time.

 

The environmental review that began yesterday is scheduled to be completed in December 2012, with work beginning in 2013 and the project completed by 2018.

 

Choice of Two Designs, Cable Suspension Above, or  Arch Bridge below:

 

 

The new “bridge” is really two bridges, higher off the Hudson River and straighter than the present 1959-built Tappan Zee Bridge. The proposed spannings  allow more speed because they are level and add permanent lanes to the East West corridors, raising the total of lanes to 4 in each direction. The design met with widespread complaints in the scoping session because it has no mass transit component according to observers in the audience who spoke with WPCNR.

 

 

The New Bridge Profile (In yellow will be higher than the existing Tappan Zee Bridge, allowing for straighter, more level crossing rather than the alleged slowing of traffic on grade experienced now with the present bridge (profile and grade is colored in blue

 

Officials making explanations of the exhibit of the design in the reception area toured by WPCNR as well as officials making the official scoping presentation went to great lengths to assure the public that the dual bridge would be engineered to add mass transit of rapid bus transit or rail transit sometime in the future to be determined. A second scoping session is scheduled to be held in the Palisades Mall from 4 to 9 P.M. Thursday afternoon, when officials will again make the presentation they made Tuesday evening.

Mass Transit Could be Added in the future to this structure in the cantilevered space underneath the roadways or in the space between the bridges — bus or rail according to engineers.

 

 

The Chart immediately below shows how the Project engineers would add mass transit (rail, bus,or both in the future)

 

 

 

 

Who’s the Czar?

 

Browsing the bridge exhibits, WPCNR  asked William Reynolds, Communications Director of the Department of Transportation what agency is ultimately going to  be responsible to build and have ultimate control of the project: funding, engineering, choosing contractors, building the bridge.

 

“That (decision) is well down the road” according to William Reynolds, Communications Director, of the Department of Transportation the Federal Highway Administration  that stepped in last week to “fast track” the project environmental review to speed replacement of the bridge, or the New York Department of Transporation that has spent 10 years tinkering with the design of a replacement. Reynolds said the present stage beginning yesterday is the environmental review and designation of responsibility for the project has not been determined at this time. He said he would get back to WPCNR with more details on when and how the assignment of responsibility for building the bridges will be made.

 

Here is what WPCNR learned in discussing the design with DOT personnel at the reception area displaying key charts showing the new bridges (Press read-on instruction):

 

 

 

Overview of the new position of the new Tappan Zee Double Bridge, presented Tuesday. The Double Bridge will position slightly north of the present bridge (represented by blue line in the overhead view above. It will connect with the present Nyack and Tarrytown approaches (using the present Tappan Zee Toll Plaza).

Closeup view of the Nyack Side Connection to the new bridge.There appears to be no eminent domain land-taking. (Blue at right of overhead is the present Tappan Zee bridge.)

The Tarrytown Connection: Double Bridge connecting to prsent toll-plaza. No eminent domain appears needed.

The North Structure of the Double Bridge will be built first and when it is completed in an estimated 2-1/2 years, it appears the old Tappan Zee Bridge will be closed approximately 2016. The completed northern structure will carry 8 lanes of traffic, 4 east and 4 west bound, while the south side of the double bridge is built.

Upon Completion of the South ramp, the new North Bridge will revert to a 4 lane West bound only direction with a bicycle and pedestrian lane at far left,a 10-foot buffer/breakdown lane and 4 12-foot westbound lanes, an 8 foot buffer/breakdown lane, and a 12 foot Emergency Access lane.

The South Bridge will carry 4 lanes of eastbound traffic, and have a 10 foot breakdown/shoulder lane on the right andf Emergency Access on the left. It is scheduled to be completed by 2018.

 

The Tuesday Scoping Session kicked off the “fastrack” environmental review scheduled to be completed by December, 2012. The Bridge is expected to begin construction 2013 with completion of both structures by 2018.