The Real Deal – Sell, Donate, Preserve or Re-Use the Dress

 


 


WPCNR’S THE REAL DEAL. By The Wedding Genie. September 29, 2007: It’s hard to imagine that spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on a dress can actually end up helping not only someone else but you as well after the wedding is over.  It can if you decide to donate it to a good cause!  This is one of the many options available to brides after the wedding is over and the dress just takes up space in the closet along with a host of memories and good pictures of course. 


 


 



Jeannie Uyanik, Planner to the World


The Wedding Jeannie




 




 





Our favorite charity, to which a gown can be donated, bridal, bridesmaid or mother of the bride, is the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation (www.makingmemories.org).  The organization has an arm called Brides Against Breast Cancer (BABC) which accepts donated gowns from brides, retailers and designers and then resells the dresses in order to raise money to grant wishes to terminal breast cancer patients.  Breast cancer is the number one killer of women under 48.  In many cases, the men and women suffering from this illness have young children and their wishes more often than not are to make a happy memory during such a difficult time. 


 


 Past wishes granted include family vacations to Disney World or Hawaii; video cameras for recorded messages; the opportunity for a child of a parent suffering with breast cancer to meet someone famous; tickets to major sporting events and many others.  These wishes literally provide families with wonderful memories that they can hold on to and hopefully enjoy during a time of such sadness and exhaustion.  The first wish ever granted was to a woman who just wanted to have a family reunion, and although she was not given much time by ALL the doctors, she remains healthy today (this was 7 years ago) – she swears it was the renewed joy she felt by having an opportunity to celebrate her life for a day, rather than focus on her disease, that helped her beat the diagnosis. 


 


Brides Against Cancer


 


Brides Against Breast Cancer gives women an opportunity to really help others while getting a tax write off and doing something good with something that brought them so much joy.  Additionally, BABC does “Gown Tours” all over the country – so if you are a bride looking for a dress – there is a gown tour coming to New York city next week (October 4-7).  And, if you have a dress that you want to donate you can either go to www.makingmemories.org for details or bring your dress to the gown tour next week.  For more information on the event please see http://www.brides.com/promo/somethingpink/. 


 


But, if donating your gown is not the preference, there are two other options.  You can preserve it for yourself or someone else – we recommend doing this right after the wedding – it makes cleaning the dress easier and allows the preservation process to start immediately.  The most cost effective option is online through a company called WedClean http://www.wedclean.net/ and it costs about $129 for the preservation of your dress.  Its simple, time efficient and very reasonably priced.  Two other options where you don’t have to send your dress away to an internet company are J. Scheer & Co. http://www.jscheer.com/, which can be expensive, but you definitely get what you pay for and Hallak Cleaners http://www.hallakcleaners.com/.  Both are extremely reputable and reliable. 


 


Bridal Dress Exchange.


 


And of course, the last and often most lucrative third possibility is to sell your dress to another bride.  A new option that just came on the market and which we love so far is Save the Dress http://www.savethedress.com/, a website that allows you to market your dress directly to prospective buyers.  The costs for listing a gown are very reasonable and the process straightforward.  More traditional means for selling a gown include Ebay http://www.ebay.com/, a popular source for brides over the past few years and Craig’s List www.craigslist.org, which is a free site to list on but does not garner as much success as Ebay, even though there are selling and listing fees involved (based on the sale price of the dress).


 


Reuse


 


While not a common option, we have also had a few brides re-use their gown by cutting it down to a wearable cocktail dress.  Frankly, this is not one of our favorite options – and if you really wanted to see the dress re-used in your presence, we would highly recommend offering it to a friend or relative, for whom there would be great sentimental value in accepting your wedding gown! 


 


Whatever you decide to do with your dress we hope your decision brings you as much fulfillment as the dress did on your wedding day!  And to make sure that this is the case, next week’s column will discuss attire for weddings and events– and of course, cover the gown!


Note: Got a question or a comment for the Wedding Genie? Ms. Uyanik will answer your questions. Simply e-mail her at [email protected]

Posted in Uncategorized

Wild Card Yawns. Inflating the Price: Yankees’ Last Hurrah: Apres Moi, le Deluge

 


WPCNR VIEW FROM THE UPPER DECK. By Bull Allen. September 29, 2007: As the agony and the ecstasy of the race for second place in the major leagues unfolds this week,  I cannot help be reminded of 1964, the year before the Yankees sunk into oblivion until George Steinbrenner took over the ball club in 1975. The year of the great Philadelphia Phillie collapse – up 6 games with 12 to play and they lost em all – with a very similar manager to Willie Randolph: the implacable unemotional cold and cerebral Gene Mauch.



Ebbets Field, Brooklyn USA. 1955.


Memorial Day Doubleheader, Brooks and the Pirates. The Brooks won both ends. 


Photo (c) by John C. Wagner, Jr., www.pportals.com/jcw. Used with permission.



Connie Mack Stadium (formerly Shibe Park) in the 1960s. Scene of the Philadelphia Phillie El Foldo in 1964. Photo from the WPCNR Collection.


Watching the pictures of the Yankees celebrating second place Tuesday night shows just how oriented toward mediocrity major league baseball has become. However, you see the Yankees had to win this year  — why to inflate the selling price of this ball club when the Principal Owner, George Steinbrenner departs.



Here is a ball club that thanks to the major league baseball balanced schedule fattened up on second division clubs – with the exception of Tampa Bay – and had the incredible luck to have the Detroit Tigers main man pitcher come up injured in August. They also had the Boston Red Sox to thank for giving them four games  in which Boston had the lead. Nevertheless, New York did go 71 and 39 over this stretch to get the Wild Card.  However this was an elbow-nudging , wink-wink pennant race. Boston, whenever they had a shot at putting New York away managed to let the game slip away, and allow New York to stay close. Almost like a caucus.


So now we are treated to the ugly celebrating of second place. New York did not have the horses to take out Tampa Bay firmly last week, losing a pair to the Rays – and two to the Blue Jays. And what happened to the overrated Roger Clemens? He won 6 games for the Yankees that is $3 Million for each win. But, hey at least they picked him up. Though I still have to laugh at the comments by his team about what a team player he is. If you’re a team player you stay with the team. Period.


The Metropolitan Nightmare.


 Picking up Roger by the Boss is is more than Omar Minaya did for the Mets who are now struggling to make the Wild Card with 3 games to play, tied with the Phillies, because they have pitching that has been overused.  And as I pen this, the Mets have lost again. The Phils have won. This is not good.


 If the Phils win tomorrow and the Mets lose it is over. And the San Diegos have won, too, meaning the Metropolitans are facing doom—2 games behind the Diegos for the Wild Card, 1 behind the Phils for first. The Phils win two. They win and the Mets go home.


What excitement! For second place.


 


Had Minaya acquired a pitcher, perhaps two,  for the stretch run, he would not be in this position.  When teams fought for pennants when I was a kid, they went for pitching not hitting to shore up for a stretch run. Should the Metropolitans lose this one, it can be placed squarely on the front office. And over bullpen usage.


Why are the wild cards so exciting? Well, because the ball clubs are flawed. It’s like watching ants struggle haplessly.  No team in the wild card hunts is complete. They have ragtag rotations, unreliable bullpens, inconsistent offenses. Might we dare say, they have inept motivational management. 


 I suspect because of the failsafe nature of the Wild Card – a lack of the feeling of the necessity to win.


Well now the Metropolitans have to win,  twice  —  to have a shot at making the playoffs and they have the pesky last place Marlins. The Phils have to take out the Nationals twice more…then what do you do?


Do they play off, if San Diego or Arizona are tied for first? Ha! Let the geniuses on Fifth Avenue (Major League Baseball Headquarters), figure that one out. It is a dog’s breakfast.


You have to be intense every game.


You saw this lack of desire to win to win at all costs that has cost the Metropolitans. You saw it in the Red Sox attitude of a couple of weeks ago, maintaining that first place did not matter as long as they got in. How else do you explain sitting Many Rodriguez in two games against New York, and keeping Ortiz out in that Friday night Fenway fracas?


 Now you have the ludicrousness of the Yanks spraying champagne over themselves for finishing second. It was a disgrace.  If  Francona had to win those games you bet your bippy he’d play Manny and Pappy.


There was a time when the Yankees finished in the Wild Card in 1995, when they did not champagne it. Apparently that attitude has changed. The cheerleaders of the New York Press Corps have dutifully reported this a great Yankee resurgence, failing to note the injuries that killed the Detroit Tigers and the Seattle Mariners.


A save by the farm system


The Yankees actually found some arms  and put players in the outfield who can catch and have strong arms,  and pitchers in their farm system to take up the slack.


But now Joe Torre is once again faced with a five game short series. Will St. Joseph stop the kneejerk refusal to use Mariano Rivera in tie games? He has lost two World Series because of this syndrome. Will he stop putting in untried pitchers in tied games that are tied?


You have to hand it to the Yankee farm system which supplied them with young arms  Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Kei Igawa, and of course the mysterious ace of the orient, Chien-Ming Wang. Very reminiscent of the 1964 young arms that saved that season before The Yankees said goodbye to the  big time for 10 years – the awful CBS years.


Another plus has been Ron Guidry as Pitching Coach – someone who knew how to get someone out in big spot.


I have seen the Wild Card race take front and center all season long to the detriment of the pennant races. Now we are focusing on the Wild Card finish. It is disgraceful that the clubs “in contention” cannot dispose of these cellar ballclubs when they have to.  But that’s exactly why you can’t have the wild card in baseball (and fastpitch softball) – it is too even a game.


Contrived Series Schedule


The other absurdity – one of the two latest sins upon baseball perpetrated by the Bud Selig era — is that the first place teams get to decide the playoff schedule. The Red Sox sometime on Monday will get to choose whether there are 5 straight games played or there is a day off in between for travel.


By the way the darlings of New England have officially first, having disposed of Minnesota Friday night, while the Yankees gave up 4runs late and lost to Baltimore. But, it did not matter. The Yankees were already “in,” remember?


Here’s the playoff take..


 A day off favors a team with a weak third starter, allowing them to pitch their first and second starters twice. No days off mean you lose your second start with your second starter, maybe and no days off also means bullpen flameout.  Any first team that selects a day off inbetween games 2 and 3 is doing the Wild Card team a favor. The Yankees and Mets are great examples of that. When the Yankees have days off they do better, so do the Mets. The Mets bullpen has been blownup the last seven games which have been played back to back.


But, Major League baseball  cannot give teams a choice of the schedule. Really, that is soooo bush league.


Inflating the Price


This is an unpleasant subject. But George Steinbrenner is not well. A member of his family, Harold Steinbrenner has been made Chairman of the Yankee Global Enterpises LLC. If Mr. Steinbrenner passes away, we have been vaguely assured the Yankees will stay in the Steinbrenner family.


But will they? Will the younger Steinbrenner have The Boss’s will to win at all costs?


Or is this the last hurrah to produce a winning ball club once more when the infrastructure is about to implode as it did in 1964 when Mickey and company limped into to the World Series just like this year’s Yankees did.  That was the year when the New York Press Corps was howling for Yogi Berra to be fired when the Yankees fell apart by midseason.


But they developed Mel Stottlemyre out of the minors that year, and Al Downing to supplement Whitey Ford and Jim Bouton with Pete Ramos,  Rollie Sheldon and Hal Reniff in the pen and Tony Kubek, Mickey, Roger, Tom Tresh and Bobby Richardson and Joe Pepitone and Elston Howard had one last good year together to win by 1 game over the Pale Hose and the Baby Birds.


The next year they went down the tubes, finishing last—10th in a 10-team league.


The Yankee youth pitchers this season will be well scouted next season and will most likely not be that effective. The Yankee starters Mussina and Pettitte  are suspect. The rooks, Mr. Hughes and the main man, Mr. Wang are not going to be enough. The young players being relied on will again be heavily scouted next spring and will not be as effective. Cabrera, Cano, Duncan have had great years the scouts will descend on them like vultures next year and pick them apart. Meanwhile Matsui is 33, Jeter is 33, Damon, 34, Posada,36. The big time players are getting older. That’s a lot of age.


My thinking is – if the Yankees lose their will-to-win, their leader for the last 32 years, George M. Steinbrenner, the Bronx faces a bleak future. The farm system has produced this year. Will they continue to do so?


I see the Yankees winning one more year or at least being close for one more year, setting them up for the opening of a new ballpark in 2009. But the nucleus is getting old: Jeter shows no signs of slowing down, yet. Posada is in his mid-thirties having his best year. A-Rod, he is at best a streaky player who was in his walk year this year. Everybody has a great year in their walk year.  Matsui, Abreu, getting long in the tooth. The Yankees are a team in transition mode …going down…not up.


Forbes magazine valued the Yankees at $832 Million early this year. That is up from $250 Million in 1998. When they build Yankee Stadium the Yankees will own that $1 Billion ballpark. That should make the Yankees command – for starters $1 Billion on the market – if not more.  A handsome acquisition for any conglomerate or sports collector like God forbid, the owners of some hockey and basketball teams in town.


The commitment of the Steinbrenner Family to the Yankee winning tradition when they can command enough money so no Steinbrenner will ever have to work again, well I think they are going to sell that team, take the big time money and run.


 Should a conglomerate buy the team, you’re not going to have the win at all costs mentality that to his everlasting credit George Steinbrenner brought to the Yankees for the last 32 years.


As a Yankee fan, I salute Mr. Steinbrenner as perhaps the greatest owner New York baseball has ever had. Thirteen trips to the postseason—better than the Atlanta Braves – better than the Yankees of Jacob Ruppert and the Yankees of Dan Topping and Del Webb.


Thank you George on behalf of Yankee fans everywhere.


Blaming the Umpire


Another thing that happened this week that sends a really bad message is Major League Baseball suspending an umpire for saying a profanity to a player allegedly because the profanity caused the player to hurt himself by charging the umpire.


Come on. The player tossed his bat at the home plate umpire objecting to a strike call. The first base umpire confirmed it. The player gets mad, charges the first base umpire, who rebukes the player.


Pardon me (full disclosure here, I umpire ballgames), but did the first base umpire tell the player to charge at him? No, the player lost his cool. His temper and  perhaps his career.


When his manager through him to the ground to prevent further suspension, the player injured his ACL. He’s out for the season for San Diego.


And the umpire gets suspended?


Major league players are told that arguing third strikes are automatic ejections. You cannot do that.


These players should know better.


Terrible things are said to umpires. Players  and managers show them no respect, and neither do broadcasters.


But without the integrity of umpires – baseball is lost.


I totally disagree with suspending the umpire for a hotheaded, immature ballplayer’s fit of temper which caused the player to injure himself basically.


Umpires are held to a much higher standard than players, coaches, managers, reporters. When they show a little humanity, they suffer. We generally take the crap as part of the game and let it roll off.


A player, a coach, a parent, a fan, a manger has no right to charge an official anywhere, nor challenge a call.


 An official’s reaction should not be penalized. It sends a bad message.

Posted in Uncategorized

Hail to the Assessor.

WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. September 29, 2007: The Common Council will consider appointing Lloyd Tasch, Acting Assessor since December 2006, to the position of Assessor through September, 2013 Monday evening. Mr. Tasch, formerly Deputy Assessor ascended to the Acting Assessor  Role when Eyde McCarthy left the position to take the Town of Greenburgh Assessor job.



New Mr. Assessment. Lloyd Tasch is expected to be appointed Assessor at the Common Council meeting Monday night.


Tasch has brought personality and a dry sense of wit to his lucid policy presentations to the Common Council, treading gingerly through the landmines of the certiorari/assessment/sales tax issues in recent months. Assuming the full time position, he moves into the true hot seat at city hall as the city attempts to stop the certiorari bleeding that has shrunk the tax rolls from $337 Million in Total Assessed Valuation in 1998 to $290 Million today, a decline in total assessed value of  14% in ten years. Among the pressures Tasch faces will be assigning assessments to new properties as they come on the market, the timing and the amounts of increased assessments due, if any.


Other items on the agenda of interest are whether or not to grant Cappelli Enterprises a 4-month extension past August , 2008 to have the affordable housing completed that the firm owes before it opens the second tower at 221 Main; whether or not the council will continue to table the 1/2% sales tax increase requested by the Mayor, plus these items of interest:


A stipend to pay for staffing after midnight parking enforcement violations;


 Continuation of the Public Hearing on the hotel proposed for 1133 Westchester Avenue; 


Naming the new Court Street Extension Renaissance Square; 


Bonding for $2.2 Million in new street construction; $100,000 for work on the North White Plains Parking lot; and bonding for $225,000 for Library restrooms, and last but not least a $250,000 grant to Community Housing Innovations which is the developer of the Minerva Place affordable housing project, (the community development funds are to replace the money the federal government has denied Community Housing Innovations)


The agenda:


COMMON COUNCIL
AGENDA REGULAR STATED MEETING
OCTOBER 1, 2007
7:30 P.M.


PLEDGE TO THE FLAG:               Hon. Thomas Roach


INVOCATION:                                Rev. Gawain de Leeuw
                                       St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church


ROLL CALL:                                           City Clerk


RECOGNITION:                                 Service Awards


APPOINTMENT:


1.       Communication from the Mayor in relation to the appointment of Lloyd Tasch as Assessor of the City of White Plains to a term expiring September 30, 2013.



ADJOURNED
PUBLIC HEARING:


2.       Public Hearing in relation to the application submitted on behalf of 1133-399 Westchester Avenue LLC and 1133-300 Westchester Avenue LLC, the owners of the property known as 1133 Westchester Avenue (Section 131.20, Block 1, Lot 1.1), located in the C-O (Campus Office) Zoning District, for Special Permit/Site Plan Approval to construct a 142 room extended stay hotel, with accessory parking, and Special Permit/Site Plan Approvals to allow placement of a day care center, restaurant, bank and health club in the existing office building, in accordance with Sections 2.5.1, 5.2, 6.2, 6.7.7, 6.7.29, 7.2, and 8.3 of the Zoning Ordinance of the City of White Plains.


3.                 Communication from          Commissioner of Planning


4.                                                            Planning Board


5.                                                            Conservation Board


6.                                                            Westchester County Planning Board


7.       Public Hearing in relation to establishing the extension of Court Street from Main Street through to Hamilton Avenue as a new City street and naming the new street “Renaissance Square” to be added to the Official Map of the City of White Plains in accordance with Section 29 of the General City Law.


8.                 Communications from        Commissioner of Building


9.                                                            Design Review Board


10.                                                          Commissioner of Planning


11.                                                          Planning Board


12.                                                          Commissioner of Public Safety


13.                                                          Commissioner of Public Works


14.                                                          Commissioner of Traffic


15.                                                          Traffic Commission


16.                                                          Westchester County Planning Board


17.                                                          Environmental Officer


18.               Second Reading Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of White Plains establishing the extension of Court Street from Main Street through to Hamilton Avenue as a City street and naming the street as “Renaissance Square” to be added to the Official Map of the City of White Plains in accordance with Section 29 of General City law.


19.     Public Hearing in relation to the application submitted on behalf of RL & MC Industries, Inc., operator of Aura, for a Special Permit for Cabaret Use at Aura located at 107 Mamaroneck Avenue.


20.               Communications from        Corporation Counsel


21.                                                          Commissioner of Building


22.                                                          Design Review Board


23.                                                          Commissioner of Planning


24.                                                          Planning Board


25.                                                          Commissioner of Public Safety


26.                                                          Commissioner of Public Works


27.                                                          Commissioner of Traffic


28.                                                          Traffic Commission


29.                                                          Commissioner of Parking


30.                                                          Westchester County Planning Board


31.               Resolution of the Common Council of the City of White Plains denying the instant application submitted on behalf of RL & MC Industries, Inc., operators of Aura, for a Special Permit to operate a Cabaret known as Aura at 107 Mamaroneck Avenue (Section 125.76, Block 5, Lot 18).


PUBLIC HEARINGS:


32.     Public Hearing in relation to the application submitted by L&M Caterers on behalf of BOE@324 Restaurant and Bar, for a Special Permit for Outdoor Dining located at 324 Central Park Avenue on the privately owned, front sidewalk premises.


33.     Public Hearing in relation to the application submitted by the Lazy Boy Saloon & Ale House and Lazy Lounge for a one (1) year Special Permit to operate a Cabaret at 152-154 Mamaroneck Avenue.


34.               Communications from        Corporation Counsel


35.                                                          Commissioner of Building


36.                                                          Design Review Board


37.                                                          Commissioner of Planning


38.                                                          Planning Board


39.                                                          Commissioner of Public Safety


40.                                                          Commissioner of Public Works


41.                                                          Commissioner of Traffic


42.                                                          Traffic Commission


43.                                                          Westchester County Planning Board


44.                                                          Environmental Officer


45.               Environmental Findings Resolution


46.               Resolution of the Common Council of the City of White Plains approving the application submitted on behalf of J.N.J. Enterprises, Inc., d/b/a The Lazy Boy Saloon for a Special Permit to operate a Cabaret at 152 Mamaroneck Avenue (Section 125.84, Block 7, Lot 4) subject to certain conditions contained herein.                                                                                                            



FIRST READING
ORDINANCES:


47.     Communication from Special Counsel in relation to the settlement of tax review proceedings.


48.     Ordinance authorizing the settlement of certain tax review proceedings.


49.     Communication from Chairman, Capital Projects Board, in relation to Capital Project No. C5299, North White Plains Parking Lot Rehabilitation.


50.               Communication from Environmental Officer


51.               Environmental Findings Resolution


52.               Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of White Plains amending the Capital Projects Fund by establishing Capital Project No. C5299 entitled, North White Plains Parking Lot Rehabilitation.


53.               Bond Resolution authorizing the issuance of $100,000 bonds of the City of White Plains, Westchester County, New York, to pay part of the $100,500 estimated maximum cost of rehabilitation and improvement work at the North White Plains Parking Lot, in and for said City.


54.     Communication from Chairman, Capital Projects Board, in relation to Capital Project No. C5298, Miscellaneous Street Reconstruction FY 2008.


55.               Communication from Environmental Officer


56.               Environmental Findings Resolution


57.               Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of White Plains amending the Capital Projects Fund by establishing Capital Project No. C5298, entitled Miscellaneous Street Reconstruction FY 2008.


58.               Bond Ordinance authorizing the issuance of $1,757,800 bonds of the City of White Plains, Westchester County, New York, to pay part of the $2,259,125 estimated maximum cost of the reconstruction of various City streets or street segments and related improvements, in and for said City.


59.     Communication from Chairman, Capital Projects Board, in relation to Capital Project No. C5300, Library Interior Renovations – 1st Floor Public Restrooms.


60.               Communication from Environmental Officer


61.               Environmental Findings Resolution


62.               Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of White Plains amending the Capital Projects Fund by establishing Capital Project No. C5300 entitled, Library Interior Renovations – 1st Floor Public Restrooms.


63.               Bond Ordinance authorizing the issuance of $225,000 of the City of White Plains, Westchester County, New York, to pay part of the $226,125 estimated maximum cost of the renovation and rehabilitation of public restrooms on the ground floor of the White Plains Public Library, in and for said City.


64.     Communication from Commissioner of Public Works in relation to the closure of certain public streets and appropriate parking restrictions on Sunday, October 21, 2007, for the Annual White Plains Hispanic Day Parade and Festival.


65.               Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of White Plains authorizing the closure of certain public streets and appropriate parking restrictions on Sunday, October 21, 2007, for the Annual White Plains Hispanic Day Parade and Festival.


66.     Communication from Commissioner of Public Works in relation to the closure of certain public streets and appropriate parking restrictions on Sunday, October 7, 2007, for the Annual Columbus Day Parade and Festival.


67.               Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of White Plains authorizing the closure of certain public streets and appropriate parking restrictions on Sunday, October 7, 2007, for the Annual Columbus Day Parade and Festival.


68.     Communication from Commissioner of Public Works in relation to the closure of a certain public street and appropriate parking restrictions on Sunday, October 28, 2007, for the second Downtown White Plains Walk for Diabetes.


69.               Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of White Plains authorizing the closure of a portion of a certain City street and appropriate parking restrictions on Sunday, October 28, 2007, for the second Downtown White Plains Walk for Diabetes sponsored by the American Diabetes Association.


70.     Communication from Commissioner of Planning in relation to an application submitted by Community Housing Innovations, Inc., for a grant of $250,000 from the Affordable Housing Assistance Fund for twelve units of low and moderate income ownership housing and two units of middle income ownership housing at 5 Minerva Place.


71.               Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of White Plains granting the application submitted by Community Housing Innovations, Inc., under Section IV of the City’s Affordable Home Ownership Program for a grant of $250,000 from the City’s Affordable Housing Assistance Fund for an affordable housing project to include twelve (12) units of low and moderate income ownership housing and two (2) units of middle income ownership housing at 5 Minerva Place.


72.     Communication from Commissioner of Planning in relation to the appropriation of Fund Balance in the Community Development Rehabilitation Program Revolving Fund.


73.       Ordinance amending the Community Development Fund Budget by appropriating Fund Balance and allocating such increase to the Rehabilitation Revolving Fund Program.


74.     Communication from Director, Youth Bureau, in relation to a contract with the Drug Free Communities Support Program of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration Center for Abuse Prevention to receive funds for the continuation of the program.


75.        Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into a contract with the Drug Free Communities Support Program of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, Center of Abuse Prevention in order to receive an award in the amount of $100,000 for the continuation of the Drug Free Communities Program.


76.     Communication from Deputy Director, Youth Bureau, in relation to a contract with the Regional Partnership of Schools and Colleges Great Potential Program to receive funding.


77.       Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into a contract with the Regional Partnership of Schools and Colleges Great Potential Program to receive an $8,000 Award to operate the Great Potential Program.


78.     Communication from Deputy Director, Youth Bureau, in relation to a contract with the County of Westchester Office of Workforce Investment to receiving funding for an Out-of-School Youth Employment Program.


79.       Ordinance amending an ordinance entitled, “Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into a contract with the County of Westchester Office of Workforce Investment to receive up to $247,352 in funding for an Out-of-School Youth Program under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).”


80.     Communication from Deputy Director, Youth Bureau, in relation to a contract with the Westchester/Putnam Workforce Investment Board to receive a two year grant for an In-School Youth Employment Program.


81.      Ordinance amending an ordinance entitled, “Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into a contract with the Westchester/Putnam Workforce Investment Board in order to receive a two year grant.”


82.     Communication from Director, Youth Bureau, in relation to a contract with the Westchester Clubmen to receive funding to operate The Clubmen Higher Aims Program.


83.               Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into a contract with the Westchester Clubmen to receive funding in the amount of $35,500 to operate The Clubmen Higher Aims Program for the period of October 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008.


84.     Communication from Commissioner of Recreation and Parks in relation to leasing space at Ebersole Ice Rink for a skate shop.


85.      Ordinance providing for the leasing of space for the purpose of maintaining and operating a skate shop at the Carl J. Delfino Park Building – Ebersole Ice Rink in the City of White Plains.


86.     Communication from Commissioner of Recreation and Parks in relation to leasing space at Ebersole Ice Rink for a food concession.


87.       Ordinance providing for the leasing of space for the purpose of maintaining and operating a food concession at the Carl J. Delfino Park Building – Ebersole Ice Rink in the City of White Plains.


88.     Communication from Commissioner of Recreation and Parks in relation to an agreement with the County of Westchester for the operation of nutrition programs under the Older Americans Act.


89.        Ordinance amending an ordinance entitled, “An ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into agreements with the County of Westchester for the continuing operation by the City of White Plains for programs for years 2007 and 2008 under Titles III-B and III-C-1 of the Older Americans Act.”


90.     Communication from Personnel Officer in relation to a proposed amendment to the Municipal Code by establishing and abolishing certain positions and amending the Table of Organization.


91.        Ordinance amending Section 2-5-81 of the White Plains Municipal Code by establishing a certain position title, and amending the 2007-2008 Table of Organization by adding and abolishing certain positions.


92.     Communication from the Mayor in relation to a proposed agreement between the Department of Parking and the Civil Service Employees Association with regard to a stipend for a parking enforcement midnight tour of duty.


93.        Ordinance approving a tentative agreement between representatives of the Parking Department and the Civil Service Employees Association with regard to a stipend for a parking enforcement midnight tour of duty.


94.     Communication from Chairman, Traffic Commission, in relation to proposed amendments to the Traffic Ordinance at various locations around the City.


95.       Ordinance amending the Traffic Ordinance of the City of White Plains in relation to Designated Handicapped Parking Spaces – Streets.


RESOLUTIONS: 


96.               Communication from Commissioner of Planning in relation to the discontinuance of a portion on the easterly side of the right-of-way of Longview Avenue, and scheduling a public hearing for November 5, 2007.


97.               Resolution of the Common Council of the City of White Plains scheduling a public hearing for November 5, 2007 in relation to the proposed discontinuance of the portions of street right-of-ways on the easterly side of Longview Avenue, between Maple Avenue and East Post Road pursuant to Section 152 of the White Plains Charter and Section 29 of the General City Law.


98.     Communication from the City Clerk transmitting a request from LC White Plains LLC, requesting a proposed amendment to a previously approved site plan to permit development of 23 affordable rental units in the Air Rights Building above the City Center Municipal Garage.


99.               Environmental Findings Resolution issued under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, Environmental Conservation Law Section 8-0101 et. seq. (SEQR), regarding an amendment to the previously amended site plan approved by the Common Council on September 20, 2001 and August 4, 2003, for the project known as the City Center to permit development of 23 affordable rental units in the Air Rights Building above the City Center Municipal Garage.


100.             Resolution of the Common Council of the City of White Plains approving the application submitted on behalf of LC White Plains, LLC (“Applicant”) for an amendment to the previously amended site plan originally approved by the Common Council on September 20, 2001, and subsequently amended thereto, for the project known as the City Center, including an amendment adopted August 4, 2003, relating to the initial approval for the portion of the City Center “Development Site” known as the “Air Rights Building” which had permitted the construction of approximately 60,000 square feet of retail space in two (2) levels on the northerly portion of the top of the City Center Municipal Garage and the construction of a deck over the remainder of the top parking level to be improved with, inter alia, a swimming pool and outdoor recreational amenities, to now permit construction of twenty-three (23) “affordable” residential apartments on residential two (2) levels in the first retail roof level of the “Air Rights Building”, totaling approximately 26,400 square feet within the existing envelopment of the “Air Rights Building.”


101.   Resolution of the Common Council of the City of White Plains authorizing a Certification of a Home Rule Request seeking enactment of State legislation to amend the Tax Law in relation to authorizing the City of White Plains to impose an additional increase of one-half (½) of one percent (1%) Sales and Compensating Use Tax.



ITEMS FOR
REFERRAL:


102.   Communication from Commissioner of Building in relation to a request submitted by LC Main LLC to extend the obligation to complete the affordable housing units in relation to 221 Main Street for 120 days.

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Ritz Carlton Residences and Renaissance Square to Open October 10

WPCNR PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE DAY. By the WPCNR Roving Photographer. September 28, 2007: Louis Cappelli, the architect and driving force behind the White Plains renaissance, after a long 14-hour day announced to WPCNR this evening that the Renaissance Square (extension of Court Street) would open in two weeks, ( the new boulevard is shown taking shape Thursday afternoon. Mr. Cappelli also announced that the Ritz-Carlton Residences would open October 10. The grand entrance to the hotel is shown taking shape, while the breathtaking vision of the two Ritz Carlton spires present their cutting edge profile to the skies.



Renaissance Square with Via Quadrono Cafe Building to the left, leading to the grand entrance of The Ritz-Carlton Westchester Thursday afternoon. Opening of The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton will take place in two weeks according to their builder, Louis Cappelli.



The Real Ritz-Carlton Westchester today waiting her debut October 10 with the opening of the Residences.

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