WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. From News Reports. May 5, 2007: The Journal News reporting in their roundup of Westchester Industrial Development Agency activities reported this morning that LCOR, the favored developer of the Bank Street commuter parking lot, has been approved by the IDA for tax relief of $6.51 Million. In the report, the Journal News notes that LCOR, in addition, seeks $39 Million in “local tax breaks” over fifteen years (possible PILOT?) from White Plains, which works out to $2.6 Million in forgone revenues per year, $39 million total. It is the first public mention of the amount of tax relief the city is possibly considering granting LCOR to build the 538 unit double towers on the city commuter parking lot. The tax writeoffs are in addition to the $6 Million discount the city is giving LCOR on the purchase of the land. Previous media requests of the city for details on the PILOT LCOR seeks for the project were not responded to.
2 White Plains Seniors Are First Winners of Sonny Katz Scholarships
WPCNR STAGE DOOR. From Westco Productions. May 3, 2007: Two seniors, Helen Hess and Kirsten Smayda, from White Plains High School have been selected as the first recipients of “Sonny Katz Scholarship Fund” awards from Westco Productions, the White Plains-based non-profit professional theater company. The awards will be presented on Sunday, June 10, at noon, during the organization’s First Annual Awards Brunch at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains.
Kirsten Smayda, Divine Voice
Ms. Hess, (Left) and Ms. Smayda, right, plan to pursue college-level studies in the performing arts. Each will receive $1,000 to use in order to further their studies. The scholarship awards will be presented by New York State Assemblyman Adam Bradley and New York State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer. The award recipients were chosen through an application process which included talent auditions judged by performing arts professionals. Photos, Courtesy Westco Productions.
The scholarship fund is named in honor of Seymour “Sonny” Katz, who was a founding Board Member of Westco. Sonny is well-known throughout Westchester County for his more than 35-years of service as City Marshall for the City of White Plains, a position he still holds. Photo, Courtesty Westco Productions
Kirsten Smayda is a senior at White Plains High School, where she has been involved in five musical theater productions, with lead roles in three of them. She performs with the school’s Symphony Orchestra, Choir, Mixed Ensemble, and Honors String Ensemble. She owes much of her musical talent to Claudia White, her voice teacher of four years, and Rebecca Eckfeld, her violin teacher of ten years. Kirsten plans to major in vocal performance at Syracuse University.
Helen Hess has studied violin and viola with Rebecca Eckfeld. A senior at White Plains High School, she is concertmistress of the Symphony Orchestra and performs with the musical “pit” orchestra and the Honors String Ensemble. Helen has performed with the Greater Westchester Youth Orchestras, in Area-All State Orchestras, and with the chamber music group YNOS. Helen will be pursuing a degree in viola performance at Boston Conservatory.
Co-chairs of the Awards Brunch are Westco Board Members Sarina Russell and William Van Vlack.
Members of the community are invited to attend the event, which will feature the Crowne Plaza’s renowned all-you-can-eat Sunday Brunch of more than 200 culinary delights. Tickets are $50, and can be obtained by contacting Westco Productions at (914) 761-7463. Proceeds benefit the scholarship fund, and are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. For information about Westco and it’s programs visit their web site at www.westcoproductions.org.
Applicants for Middle Class STAR tax rebate Have to Apply Online. Info Coming.
WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. May 3, 2007: Linda Levine, Community Liaison with Assemblyman Adam Bradley’s office confirmed to WPCNR today that Middle Class Taxpayers eligible for the newly enacted STAR Middle Class Taxpayer rebates need to apply to the state to receive that rebate.
She said present STAR parctipants receiving the STAR assessment reduction and last year’s STAR rebate check, would be receiving a post card from the state within the next two months, advising them how to apply for the new rebates of $1.035, (Income less than $120,000), $776 (Income between $120,000 and $175,000), and $517 (income between $175,000-$250,000).
Levine said that seniors over 65 applying for the Enhanced STAR Program, currently in the “IBP Program” will be notified by the city assessor’s office when the new income level is set by the state in June, but that they then would have to apply for the Enhanced STAR program with the Assessor. She said the figure of $73,800 quoted as maximum for Enhanced STAR eligibility is incorrect that the figure has not been set yet by the state. Seniors over 65 receiving an income under the figure set by the state in June could receive the STAR assessment break, the Middle Class STAR rebate as well as Enhanced STAR.
City Said County Pipe Was too Small to Handle White Plains Sewer Volume on Bev B
WPCNR THE SEWER REPORT. By John F. Bailey. May 2, 2007: In a document circulated to the Beverly Road area, obtained by WPCNR, a resident of Beverly Road is attempting to organize other neighbors in the Beverly- Albermarle Road area victimized by sewerage backups April 15 to seek a solution to the fears of another effluent backup on the next heavy rainstorm.
The document reports the City Department of Public Works told them the county was responsible because the county sanitary sewer line was too small to handle the city volume. This would appear to mean that the city has known its sewerage pipe is too big, and the county knows it too, according County Commissioner of Environmental Facilities, Anthony Landi in an interview with WPCNR last week.
The resident reports in the document that their basement was filled April 15 to a depth of 3-1/2 feet of sewage, causing a loss of everything in their basement including their furnace.
The surprise is they also report this is not the first time it has happened. They experienced a sewerage back up in the March 2, 2007, heavy rain at which time the city first advised them the county line was too small for the city pipe leading into it. Yet, the city made no fix of the problem, and neither did the county.
To date city hall has not responded to WPCNR questions as to what the city and the county are going do to fix the Beverly Road sewer situation.
The White Plains Common Council nor the Mayor’s Office has not publicly shown any interest or concern or sought any accountability from the county or the public works department of either county or city on how to deal with the Beverly Road- Albermarle Road sewer situation so it does not happen again.