WPCNR STAGE DOOR. From White Plains FORT HILL PLAYERS. March 5, 2011:
The Fort Hill Players announce THE COCKTAIL HOUR By A. R. Gurney and Directed by Steward Hanges Starring: Catherine Carter, Scott Griffith, Greg McCormack, Jennifer Weiss debuting March 18 at 8 PM at Rochambeau School, 228 Fisher Avenue
Tickets available at the door and online www.forthillplayers.com
Information: 914-946-5143
The Common Council will vote Friday morning to approve acceptance of a $1.9 million grant from FEMA’s Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant program to bring back seven
Tuesday evening the Council offered the ordinance approving the rehires. Acting Mayor Roach explained before the vote of the offering of the ordinance that since the Council was missing one member (a Mayor), therefore the ordinance could not be simply approved by unanimous consent of the six member Council. Instead, four members of the Council will return Friday morning to vote the formality of bringing the firefighters back on the payroll. The firefighters will be paid for by the city, and the city will be reimbursed by the grant, Councilman Boykin said..
To resolve this, Mr. Roach said he had been in touch via conference calls with Rep. Nita Lowey’s office and SAFER officials to ascertain whether the grant could be used for just seven firefighters. He said the $1.9 million would cover the cost of bringing back the seven firefighters for two years. He said the city would not be obligated when accepting the grant to keep the firefighters longer than two years.
The Council is seeking another SAFER grant to bring back two more firefighters with the grant in August. If the additional grant comes through, the city is expected to rehire or add those new firefighters to the firefighting team.
Asked if the Council and he were convinced the city actually needed the extra rig in service that hiring the seven firefighters back would achieve roach said he was. He said it would also save firefighter overtime.
Roach praised Rep. Nita Lowey and her office for their help and, on this issue and complemented her office on how she has been helpful to
WPCNR County Clarion-Ledger. From Westchester County Department of Communications. March 1, 1011:
With formal proposals for “reinventing Playland for the 21st century” due next week, County Executive Robert P. Astorino today detailed the framework that his administration will use to evaluate the submissions the county receives. As part of the process, he named members to a citizens committee that will assess the feasibility of proposals.
Astorino said the county was now at the second stage of a four-phase process – ideas, feasibility, setting direction and implementation – that will play out over the next several years. Establishing a framework for guiding decisions, he said, was critical to keeping the process on track.
“The outcome we are all looking for is creating a future for Playland that puts the park to its best use for years to come for
The formal, detailed submissions for the use of the Long Island Sound property in the City of
· Economics – Does the proposal offer a financially viable long-term business model? While the county does not expect to make a profit at the park, the current fiscal situation cannot continue.
· Environment – Is the proposal appropriate to local surroundings, area zoning and the environment?
· Entertainment – Is the proposal consistent with the purpose of a park?
–· Experience – Can the county feel confident about the proposer’s track record with respect to finances, customer service, safety and deadlines?
· Expectations – Is the proposal realistic?
To evaluate proposals using the feasibility guidelines, Astorino has appointed a 19-member citizen committee made up of representatives from the city and town of
“The breadth of stakeholders on the committee will ensure that a broad range of perspectives are part of our feasibility study,” said Jim Chisholm, chairman of the county’s Parks Board, who has been named chairman of the citizens group. “I am excited to be part of this important effort to keep Playland viable for years to come.”
The committee will be responsible for submitting a written report on the feasibility of the proposals that come into the county as part of the RFP. The expectation is that the committee would have its report completed by the end of June, however, this is not a hard deadline should the committee need more time. Assisting the committee will be William Mooney, senior assistant to the county executive, and Peter Tartaglia, deputy commissioner of the Parks department, who will make county resources available as necessary. This could include expertise from the Planning, Law, Budget and other departments. Space will be provided in the
Once completed, findings from the feasibility study will be incorporated into the RFP selection process. The hope is that the county executive would have enough information to set a direction for moving forward, or not, on the RFP’s by the end of November. The implementation phase, which would include contract negotiations and obtaining all the necessary legal, financial, environmental, local and other approvals, would follow, assuming a decision had been made to move forward on a proposal or combination of proposals. It’s estimated that the implementation phase would take several years to complete.
“This will be a very deliberative process, as it should be,” said Astorino. “We want to make the right decision for
This year, Playland will open for the season in May, operating in a similar manner to last season.
(Go to www.ryeplayland.org)
Since 1928, the focal point of the property has been the amusement park, which today has 50 major rides and attractions and covers about 30 acres. The prototype of today’s modern theme parks, Playland was the country’s first totally planned amusement park. Seven of its rides and several of its art deco buildings are designated as National Historic Landmarks.
The losses are about $4 million annually, including both operating losses and debt.
The RFP covers approximately 100 acres of the larger 280-acre Playland property. A critical feature is that its focus goes beyond the historic amusement park. Scenic vistas and a beautiful beach on Long Island Sound, an Olympic-size swimming pool, an extensive waterfront boardwalk, fishing piers, boating lake, dining and picnic areas, a proposed children’s museum, and an indoor ice skating rink, as well as the amusement park, can all be utilized, or not, in the plans submitted by developers.
Under the RFP process, the county is not obligated to accept any of the plans proposed.
Members of the Playland Citizens Committee:
Doug French, Mayor of
Joe Carvin,
Charles Dorn, Chairman of the Playland Strategic Planning Committee for
Board of Legislators:
Bill Ryan, Chairman of Public Works, Labor, Transportation and Parks
Judy Myers, Legislator
Sheila Marcotte, Legislator
Parks Community:
Jim Chisholm, Parks Board Chairman who will chair the Citizens Committee
David Swope, Chairman of
Liz Bracken-Thompson, Chairman of Friends of Parks
Business Community:
Richard French, President of Regional News Network; Representative from
Ellen Lynch, Representative from the Business Council of
John Peckham, President of Peckham Industries; Arts
Business/Amusement/ Entertainment:
Scott Bernstein, former Amusement/Entertainment Executive,
Jim Dannhauser, former Six Flags CFO, Bronxville resident
Natasha Caputo, Entertainment/Tourism Consultant,
Business/Real Estate:
Jim Houlihan, Houlihan-Parnes Realtors, LLC; former Board Member of Friends of Parks
Other:
Caleb Gilligan-Evans, Junior at
Father Richard Alejunas, S.D.B., Chairman of the
Law
Evan Inlaw, Attorney,
WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. Special to WPCNR from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. March 1, 2011:
The FBI is asking the public for help in locating Marat G. Mikhaylich, aka the Holiday Bandit, after allegedly robbing his eighth New York-area bank on Friday, February 25, 2011.
Marat G. Mikhaylich
IF you see this Man, Call
212-384-1000
Mikhaylich robbed a Sovereign Bank located at 541 Rahway Avenue, Woodbridge, New Jersey, around 1:45 p.m. Friday. Mikhaylich entered the bank, displayed a note, brandished a weapon, and demanded cash. He was last seen fleeing on foot.
Mikhaylich is a white male, approximately 6’3″ to 6’5″ tall, 35 years old, and approximately 200 pounds. He is from the Ukraine and speaks Russian. He often introduces himself to non-Russian speakers as Mark. During the most recent robbery, he was wearing a dark Sacramento Kings hat, dark sunglasses, a black jacket, dark jeans, and was carrying a black messenger bag.
A reward is available for a tip that breaks the case.
Anyone with information is asked to call the New York Office of the FBI at 212-384-1000 or the Newark Office of the FBI at 973-792-3000. As always, tipsters may remain anonymous.
Other banks Mikhaylich has robbed include: