THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR

WPCNR SOUTH END TIMES. By John F. Bailey. May 7, 2009: Henry Shyer, President of Ridgeway Country Club invited an audience of 175 persons at Ridgeway School, many from the adjacent Gedney Farms neighborhood,to join the country club for just $15,000 a piece and join the “Ridgeway Country Club Family,” that he described as “a camp for 50 year olds.” He and his membership director invited persons on tours of the club, giving out phone numbers in an gracious attempt to woo new members. He said that bids received on the club would be presented to his Board of Directors May 21.

President of Ridgeway Country Club fields questions from crowd of 175 packing Ridgeway School Auditorium. He discussed the timetable for a decision on sale of the club and invited the audience to apply for membership in the club, (pictured below)

Shyer was invited by the Gedney Farms Neighborhood Association to attend the meeting, and clear the air on the sale of the club that was first reported by the WPCNR website three weeks ago. Shyer said the club had a $1.5 Million deficit due to membership loss, and needed 50 new members at $15,000 apiece to withdraw the club from the market. He said the club had had five bids, (the property of 120 acres is being offered for sale at $20 Million).

The first of these bids would be submitted to his Board of Directors May 21. After their approval, should they give it, the entire membership would have to approve any such sale.

In response to questions on reopening negotiations with the developer Louis Cappelli, Shyer said the club would not, and explained that the club had negotiated with Cappelli 18 months ago, but “so many lawyers got involved,” that Cappelli walked away from the deal. Shyer added that Cappelli was willing to pay $24 Million for memberships, but he had to bring the actual prospective members to the club for their approval, which lead to Cappelli walking on the deal.

The President of the Gedney Farms Neighborhood Association, opened the meeting assuring the throng that any development of the club was at least five years away, due to the environmental process any application would have to go through. Robert Stackpole has been appointed to head a sub-committee to explore ways to save the club or acquire it. Mr.Stackpole told WPCNR after the meeting that the committee’s first effort would be to galvanize Common Council support and political support to block any such sale and preserve the private club for use as a golf course and open space in the neighborhood.

Thomas Anderson, Acting President of the Westchester Land Trust told the audience there were four ways the Trust suggested that the club might be saved from a sale:

1. The City of White Plains could rezone the club into a recreational zone. He pointed out the Town of Mamaroneck prevented Bonnie Briar Country Club from developing its property by this device, and it was upheld in court due to the Town of Mamaroneck’s extensive environment review.

2. The City of White Plains or the County of Westchester or in consort could buy the club and run it as a municipal golf course. The President of the Gedney Farms Association, Terrence Guerriere said he had spoken with County Commissioner of Planning Jerry Mulligan who had told Guerriere the county “was not interestedin operating another golf course.”

The Mayor’s Office spokesperson, Melissa Lopez, told WPCR two weeks ago the city was not interested in the course.

3. Negotiate to Purchase the Development Rights.

4.The City of White Plains could negotiate with the developer who purchases the property to build a conservation development erecting a limited number of homes on the site.

Anderson said the Westchester Land Trust has been successful in the past in raising money and funding to purchase land.

Bill Ryan, the County Legislator from District 5, expressed his skepticism of the WPCNR report that the county was not interested in the golf course acquisition. However, WPCNR assured Mr. Ryan that the Westchester County Department of Communications spokesperson Donna Greene, when asked if the County Executive would consider acquiring the course, said “No.” Ryan offered to involve the Board of Legislators in exploring ways the County could help save the club.

Rita Malmud, (standing, far left)the White Plains Councilperson, asked Mr. Ryan (standing, upper right), would White Plains need do to engage the county’s help in the effort to preserve Ridgeway as a club. Dennis Power, the White Plains Councilperson, endorsed that effort.

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. May 6, 2009: Erosion of investment values in the state retirement funds managed by the Comptroller’s Office will cost the White Plains City School District at present an additional estimated  $3.5 Million in payments in 2010-11, according to Assistant Superintendent for Business Fred Seiler, unless Wall Street recovers substantially more than the present uptrend.

Monday the state reported that the teacher retirement fund the Comptroller’s office manages, had lost 40% in value due to the Wall Street decline from June through March of this year.

Asked the effect of this erosion on the next White Plains City School District budget which will be the first budget crafted by the incoming Superintendent of  Schools Christopher Clouet, Seiler said the district will pay $7 Million in teacher retirement benefits in the $185.8 Million  2009-2010 School Budget coming to a vote May 19. That would increase $3 Million if state investments in the teacher fund did not rebound substantially by June, Seiler said.

The district will pay $1.2 Million in employee-other-than-teacher retirement benefits in 2009-10, meaning that a similar 40% hike in contribution if demanded by the state, would require another $500,000 in thee 2010-11 School Budget.

WPCNR, ever the optimist, points out that if the stock market recovers that 40% by June, the increase may not be as servere.

The district, though will face a probable teacher settlement within the next year, as the fact-finding procedure presently continues, of a similar $3 Million conservatively, meaning that the district could when if the state demands the $3.5 Million in additional retirement contributions and a $3 Million teacher settlement, plus escalated health benefits, will face a  very real  $7 Million increase in the 2010-11 School Budget.

That is $7 Million to fund even before a a possibly significant decline in assessment values  based on the erosion of home prices of 10% in White Plains exacts an impact on the White Plains Assessment Roll, which declined a shocking $5 Million this year.

The new Supertintendent of Schools,  should start work very early on the 2010-11 budget, considering what kind of scythe could be wielded on district expenses, or else the district will find itself faced with runaway expenses comparable to the $12 Million the City of White Plains claims it now faces.