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

 

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. August 8, 2007: Friday morning workmen began clearing a large section of forest behind the left field of the White Plains High School Varsity Softball Field, taking down over an estimated 100 mature trees on the Havilands Lane side of the high school campus.  When a resident watching the tree carnage from his patio called to find out what was going on, he found that the Board of Education knew nothing of the project and that it had been decided upon just last Tuesday afternoon. Michael Crino told WPCNR today the cleared land is to be used to store fill from construction of the new football-track stadium at Loucks Field and possibly Parker Stadium.

 

Going, Going, Gone for Good.  Scene is looking out to left field at the Varsity Softball Field into the former copse of woods that no longer exists. About 100 mature trees were felled without warning Friday by the City School District for a Mystery Project that no one knew about to reportedly store fill from the high school Loucks Field Project

A look down the new leftfield line of the new “softball field.” Havilands Lane homes are slightly to the left.

 

 

 

Crino sent a letter to the school board describing what he and his wife, and a neighbor saw Friday morning, August 3 from their backyard. Here is the text of that letter, reprinted with permission:

At about 7:30 A.M., as we looked out over our backyards, we heard and watched trees being ripped out by heavy equipment. As some of us went over to the site, we were informed that they were clearing the wooded area and would have it all cleared by 3:30 P.M. that day. Not knowing anything about what was going on, what was being built, or what was happening in general, we frantically started calling the White Plains Building Department and Planning Board, all of whom had no knowledge or authority for that (high school) property.

Future Home Plate on new leftfield line.

Slightly to the left of the existing Left Field Foul Line. Fill from Loucks and perhaps Parker Stadium would shore up the valley creating a second softball field.

When talking to the construction crews working at the high school, they suggested contacting Mike Lynch at the Board of Ed. When I reached Mike Lynch and asked what was going on, I he said that they were clearing that area for another baseball field. I asked if he had a blueprint or site plan that I could see to determine the impact to me and my neighbors. He said that there were no plans drawn up for the field. He explained the layout of the wooded area behind my house and said they would not be clearing to the property lines and that they would stop at least 25 feet away.

My wife and I and one of my neighbors went over to the site and asked one of the workers, George, to show us what they were clearing. As we walked the property, there were only two trees marked with caution tape behind 60 Havilands Lane and that was it! We made more phone calls to Mike Lynch and to the Superintendent’s (of Schools) Office. At that time, Mike Lynch arrived at the site. Mike gave us a more detailed view of what was being done and explained that 15 foot evergreens would be planted as a screen and how much room was needed from the existing baseball (softball) diamond to the new one.

Then I talked with another neighbor at 68 Havilands Lane who informed me that NO ONE on the Board (of Education) to whom he had spoken had any knowledge of a ball field being built or of the wooded area being cleared. After numerous and more frantic calls, we reached Peter Bassano (of the Board of Education), who said he was unaware of this work being done but would make some phone calls and get back to us.

When Mr. Bassano called back, he informed us that the tree clearing would cease immediately. I went into the woods and informed George, who was in charge of the crew, about this decision and was told he couldn’t stop until someone called him. Twenty minutes later, and after another frantic call, they stopped. Unfortunately, by this time at 2:00 PM, I would say that 90% of the trees were cleared.”

Crino has learned based on a letter passed out at last evening’s Board of Education meeting that the clearing of the trees was to cost $4,700, and that landfill excavated from the Loucks Field project and the Parker Stadium project is going to be used to fill in the valley and create a field. Crino, who is in construction, believes a retaining wall would  have to be constructed to contain the fill and prevent run off.

Mr. Crino complained of this to the Board of Education last night. He wonders how much the new field is costing the taxpayers; who approved it; and why were not “bordering homeowners and taxpayers informed and “given a chance to review the project and express our concerns?”

In Crino’s opinion since no plans exist, he feels there is not enough clearance to put in a full softball field anyway.

Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors has a call in to him to explain the project to WPCNR. The Principal of White Plains High School was on vacation and unavailable for details.

 

Varsity Softball Field Out of Commission. A casualty of the tree felling was the Varsity Softball Field which appears to need extensive centerfield repair as the infield and outfield has been gouged by a perhaps unfortunate path to the woods taken by heavy equipment. Perhaps major repair is needed to have this field ready for play in the spring.

WPCNR The Homeless News. Observation By John F. Bailey. August 5, 2007 UPDATED Monday, August 6, 2007, 10:10 A.M. EDT: Sunday evening was the last night Westchester County would host the city’s hardcore homeless at the county Department of Social Services Offices at 85 Court Street, unless there is a last minute reprieve, which WPCNR was told by the Department of Communications Thursday, there would not be. 

Monday morning, Donna Greene of the Westchester County Department of Communications reported that 32 of the regulars at the Drop-In had “signed up for services.” She said she did not have a final count yet of how many stayed at the shelter on its final night.  She reports no homless will be picked up and housed in White Plains this evening, and said she would find out if there would be official liaisons at the Martin Luther King Boulevard and Quarropas intersection to advise the homeless who show up there this evening the shelter was no longer open. Greene in a statement wrote, “As you know there are no plans to look for a new Drop-In Shelter.” 

The Last Van to Court Street: The County’s Homeless Shuttle leaves on its last trip 10:25 P.M. Sunday evening.

The Last Van — Fully Loaded Arrives at 85 Court Street for the last time. The County is closing the shelter Monday and the homeless single men not registering with the Department of Social Services will be on their own nightly.

 

 Beginning August 6, tomorrow, the homeless not registered with the DSS programs will be fending for themselves nightly until late fall when the weather turns colder.

To date, 32 homeless who previously have not enrolled with the Department of Social Services have come across and opted in to DSS services so they may stay either in the Valhalla shelter tomorrow night or other shelters across the county. Donna Greene of the county Department of Communication told WPCNR Monday morning that as of Friday, 32 of the drop-in regulars had “signed up for services.”

To date, the county “tough love policy”  towards the hardcore single homeless men has shown success in getting more to accept DSS services, though Geofrey Ruff, a homeless person highly critical of the DSS services has told WPCNR it is not user friendly and places demands on its clients that are very difficult to comply with.

The county decided to close 85 Court Street based on City of White Plains demands that they do so, calling placement of the hardcore homeless adjacent to the city downtown was not an appropriate place. The city also did not make any suggestions as to where else in the city the homeless could be housed. Mayor Joseph Delfino had urged the County Executive to get all communities to take a share of the hardcore homeless instead of the county consolidating them all in White Plains, after the county closed their airport shelter about 20 months ago.

Last night was the last night for 85 Court Street.

Only one Volunteers of America van came to pick up the group of what WPCNR counted as about 15 homeless persons Sunday evening. This number is down considerably from the 43 men who usually pack the shelter in the colder months. 

The homeless were cloaked in the indifferent dim street vapor lights of the sleek county office  buildings waiting for the van to take them 4 city blocks to the shelter. They milled about the van as a blue-uniformed VOA officer checked them into the van for the last time.

No media crush. No reporters. No television cameras were there last night as they were at the opening of the shelter January 13, 2006.

The procedure went off quietly in the soft summer night for the last time. The van as has been the case for the 20 months the county has housed the hardcore single homeless men at 85 Court Street was fashionably late, picking the men up at about 10:25 P.M.

The lone van packed its sad human cargo in for the last time and began its meaningless meander down Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Right onto Main Street, past the glass pillars to paradise, past Renaissance Fountain, right onto Mamaroneck Avenue, past the City Center, then right onto Martine Avenue, then right at Mulino’s onto Court Street, on its five minute journey before turning into the driveway at 85 Court for the last time.

For the last time, they would wait to walk down the ramp to the basement conference room of cots with paper sheets, one bathroom and no showers.  

In the dark the men waited to disembark to enter the low-ceilinged makeshift barracks for their last night, to leave it a mere six hours later at 6 A.M. Monday morning.

The last van made its trip quietly from what this reporter could see.

As usual there was no quick unload of its human cargo.

Tomorrow night they will be on their own.

I wondered what their thoughts were.

What memories they would hold of the last 20 months sleeping in this sad place?

These men were once loved by someone.

They were once held in high hopes by their parents, maybe.

Good luck to them.

God Bless them.

No councilman or county legislators were present to urge the men to sign with the DSS, though the county has been working hard to get many to sign up with the DSS as previously noted.

The County issued no press release on the closing.

There were no closing ceremonies.