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)

New Deputy Commish of Planning Assisted in Securing HUD Winbrook Grant Lauded

Posted on September 30, 2011 by John Bailey

WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. By John F. Bailey. September 30, 2011:

Chief of Staff for Mayor Tom Roach, John Callahan, asked if Linda Puoplo’s recent promotion to Deputy Commissioner of Planning was in part because she had helped obtain the recent $3.5 Million from HUD to begin the Winbrook Revitalization Project, said Ms. Puoplo did have a role in preparing the application that brought in the money.

Callahan explained Ms. Puoplo’s role in obtaining the grant in a statement Thursday evening:

“It was the Housing Authority’s grant application and it was supported by the city. Deputy Commissioner Linda Puoplo assisted in preparing parts of the grant application.

While her appointment to her new position as Deputy Commissioner of Planning was made by Planning Commissioner Habel, it was certainly supported by Mayor Roach.

I am sure Deputy Commissioner Puoplo’s entire body of work for the city was taken into consideration in connection with the decision to appoint her to her new position. Linda is a highly regarded, dedicated and valued member of the city’s management team. I am sure you are aware of how instrumental she has been in the success of the Youth Bureau and in securing many grants for it. In her new role she will, among other things, be assisting Commissioner Habel with securing grants being sought by the Planning Department, as well as overseeing and coordinating the grants process on a city-wide basis. “

The application, prepared in the second half of 2010 after the Housing Authority missed the June 2010 deadline to apply for HUD funding, convinced HUD to award $3.5 Million to White Plains for a Winbrook Community Education Center.

White Plains is one of only five cities to receive such a HUD grant, thanks in part to Ms. Puoplo’s efforts. The HUD $3.5 Million will be matched by $1.5 Million of White Plains funds to start the Winbrook revitalization project.

The Winbrook Revitalization project announced in July 2009 has gone two years without showing any tangible progress or funding sources until the securing of this grant.

Candidates Debate Shifted to October 13

Posted on September 29, 2011 by John Bailey

WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2011. From Fran Jones, Council of Neighborhood Associations. September 29, 2011:

The White Plains Council of Neighborhood Associations (WPCNA) and the Woman’s Club of White Plains will jointly sponsor a Candidates Night to be held on Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 7:15 pm.

The joint Candidates Night will be held at the Woman’s Club, 305 Ridgeway, White Plains, NY 10605-4114 (914-948-0958).

Please mark your calendar and plan to attend.

WPCNA Members Please Note: This event will be held INSTEAD OF the previously announced WPCNA Candidates Night originally scheduled for Tuesday, October 11.

FEMA WILL DELIVER DISASTER RELIEF AID TO ORANGE COUNTY

Posted on September 28, 2011 by John Bailey

WPCNR WASHINGTON WIRE. From the Offices of Senators Schumer and Gillibrand. Exclusive photographs by Andy Sealfon for WPCNR September 28, 2011:

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded Orange County public assistance to help rebuild and repair infrastructure damaged by tropical storm Lee.

Flooding in Warwick from Hurricane Irene (August) Photos for WPCNR by Andy Sealfon

After this type of assistance was not made available in the President’s initial emergency declaration, Senators Schumer and Gillibrand immediately called for Orange County to be added to the list of eligible counties.

Flooding from Hurricane Irene, August 29. Washingtonville, NY in Orange County.

Hurricane Irene Flooding August 29, 2011, Florida NY (Orange County)

The county is now eligible for assistance for debris removal, emergency protective actions, and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities. Schumer and Gillibrand noted that this was another important step in making sure that Orange County gets the help they needs to recover from Lee, and will continue to push for Orange County to receive Individual Assistance to help home and business owners recover.

Flooding, Town of Tuxedo (Orange County) September 18. Pilot Andy Sealfon who snapped these shots reports rains from followup to Irene, Tropical Storm Lee “wiped out a bunch of houses in Tuxedo and took out the rail lines. It was reported something like 100 million gallons was dumped into the area which caused all this damage.”

Tracks overrun with debris washed over them by Tropical Storm Lee September 18.

Drained Echo Lake in Tuxedo,shown April 18. The rains from Lee caused the Echo Lake Dam to wash out, flooding the thruway and over the train tracks. Some of the damage from storm Lee.

“We knew all along that Orange County needed help to cope with the devastation left by tropical storm Lee,” said Schumer. “Now that FEMA has heeded our call and stepped up to the plate to make the necessary funding available, we can begin the process of helping repair and rebuild local infrastructure damaged in the storm. I will continue to push for FEMA to grant individual assistance to help home and business owners rebuild as well.”

“This is great news for families and businesses in Orange County in dire need of help to dig out from this devastating storm, and begin to recover,” Senator Gillibrand said. “Now it’s time to put all necessary resources on the ground where we need them to bring relief. I will fight to secure all the federal funding our communities need.”

Through the PA Program, FEMA provides supplemental Federal disaster grant assistance for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly owned facilities and the facilities of certain Private Non-Profit (PNP) organizations. The PA Program also encourages protection of these damaged facilities from future events by providing assistance for hazard mitigation measures during the recovery process.

BID NAMES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Posted on September 28, 2011 by John Bailey

WPCNR DOWNTOWN DAILY. From the White Plains Business Improvement District. September 28, 2011:

After a two month search, the White Plains Business Improvement District (WPBID) has hired Mr. Kevin Nunn as its new Executive Director. Mr. Nunn replaces Mr. Rick Ammirato who relocated to Homestead, Florida in July, 2011 after seven years with the BID. The WPBID received over 100 resumes for the Executive Director’s position from applicants both locally and throughout the country.

Kevin Nunn to run BID

Mr. Nunn has previously managed economic development corporations in The Bronx and in Bridgeport Connecticut. He has served as President of the Bridgeport Economic Resource Center and Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation.

He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the NYC EDC (Economic Development Corporation and NYC IDA (Industrial Development Agency). Mr. Nunn has experience in urban planning and economic development. He has also served as Deputy Director for Planning and as Economic Development Director for Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer.

Bonnie Silverman, Chairwoman of the WPBID, says “Kevin’s unique combination of planning, economic development and government experience made him stand out among the other applicants. We believe he is the right person to build upon the successful programs initiatedby his predecessor”.

Founded in 1998, the WPBID is a non-profit, 501©3 corporation that offers supplemental services to the bid district to enhance its economic, social, and cultural landscape. Current services include marketing and promotion, special events, streetscape improvements, sidewalk cleaning and beautification and business advocacy. The WPBID contains 145 property owners with over 300 businesses in 5.4 million square feet of floor area.

Mr. Nunn said “he was excited to have the opportunity to work with property owners and businesses within the bid. The City of White Plains and the WPBID have done a terrific job of creating a vibrant, diverse and eclectic community in downtown White Plains. I look forward to working with everyone to support, strengthen and grow these efforts