WPCNR GALLERIES, GLITZ GUESTS & GLAMOUR. From Ann Brady, Purchase College. March 10, 2007: The Purchase College School of the Arts, School of Art+Design presents the BFA Thesis Exhibition Series 2007, rotating exhibitions showcasing the diverse talents of its undergraduate students, beginning this Monday, March 12 through May 4, 9AM-5PM, Monday-Friday.
Ryan to Schedule Major Discussion on Hardcore Homeless w/city/town Leaders
WPCNR’S THE HOMELESS NEWS. By John F. Bailey. February 9, 2007: Chair of the County Board of Legislators White Plains’ William Ryan (District 5), reacting to the County Executive Andy Spano’s scrapping the plan to build a new facility for the hardcore homeless at the Westchester County Police Headquarter in face of angry opposition, told WPCNR Thursday he would move to involve county Mayors, Supervisors and leaders of the Westchester towns, villages and cities in “substantial discussion” of “equitable distribution around the county of those who choose to live on the streets and not take advantage of Department of Social Services programs.”
Ryan Calls on Municipal leaders to Address the Hardcore Homeless Distribution Problem. Would Work with Mayor Delfino towards a leaders summit on equitable housing and distribution of the street people. Photo, WPCNR News ARCHIVE
He said it was his intention to make the hardcore homes “a major topic” at the next meeting of the Westchester Municipal Officials Association, which convenes the chief executives of county towns and cities to deal with major issues.
“It’s time to look at Westchester in its entirety as to how to serve the homeless street people in Westchester,” Ryan said.
Asked if he would reach out to Mayor Joseph Delfino of White Plains, who has for the last year advocated for such a countywide discussion, Ryan said he would be willing to team with the Mayor in presenting the situation to county leaders.
Ryan said, (noting recent rhetoric over housing hardcore street people) suggested leaders needed to “relax, take a deep breath, stop thinking politically and bring to the table a reasonable understanding of what the (hardcore homeless) situation is.”
Wednesday evening, Mayor Delfino, told WPCNR that since White Plains had the 85 Court Street shelter and was seeking to have it removed, and that he had taken the stance that all the homeless there would be returned to White Plains anyway even it the shelter had been moved, he was in an awkward position asking other municipalities to take the homeless. He said he advocated a county wide discussion among leaders on devising a system where homeless persons from individual communities were cared for by those communities.
Ryan said some certain communities housed more than their fair share of the homeless, naming White Plains as one of them. He said the County Department of Social Services and the county’s community leaders needed to address the distribution problem as a team: “It’s needed now. It has to happen.”
Asked why County Executive Andy Spano had backed off the Police Headquarters placement of the new “hardcore homeless shelter,” Ryan said the County Executive was committed to closing the 85 Court Street shelter: “He made the decision to close 85 Court Street. A mistake was made. Mount Pleasant threatened to sue. He probably consulted with the county attorney, and decided they would lose the suit based on the agreement.” Ryan suggested other locations are being considered.
Connors Confirms Court Order. Amount Owed, Appeal Option Under Review by Legal
WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. February 8, 2007: As first reported last night by WPCNR, the school district has lost a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, filed by the Travelers Casualty and Surety Company, seeking payment as part of its assuming responsibilities of the Trataros Construction Company, original contractor for the $28 Million White Plains High School renovation completed in 2003.
According to Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors speaking to WPCNR this morning, the district is subject to a court order directing the district to pay $2 Million to the Travelers Casualty and Surety Company. Mr. Connors indicated this afternoon that there is no further payment the district would face other than this payment, saying “The only payment we have here is the court order. There is nothing else out there to my knowledge.”
Connors also said there was $800,000 in funds left in the high school project, for the district to draw on to pay the court order sum, but that he did not know what the exact amount the district would have to pay “until our lawyers advise us.”
Asked if $2 million was the maximum possible amount the district faced stemming from the oft-delayed high school construction, Connors said, “our attorneys are reviewing it to see what the actual cost is.” Asked if the reported $6 Million other contractors had sued the district for in 2004, were still owed money from the project, Connors said “Some of that is part of this order,” (the $2 Million court order), but he emphatically said, “there is nothing else out there.”
WPCNR asked Mr. Connors this morning if the district was going to appeal the ruling. Connors said the district was to meet with their attorneys to see what its options were, had not ruled out an appeal, and to review the $2 Million payment, mentioning there were some “offsets,” but did not explain.
WPCNR has asked a follow up question to Mr. Connors this afternoon, whether the $28 Million project, completed in 2003, considering this court order and the district claim of $7 Million from the Travelers Casualty being thrown out means the actual cost of the high school project was $37 Million, and was not “under budget” as glowingly reported by the district at its conclusion. Mr. Connors said he could not answer that question because he did not know what I was referring, but he would give a final total.
No full disclosure
The Court Order is a surprise because the existence of the suit and detailed circumstances and disputed dollar amounts of this on going legal action involving the school district with Travelers Casualty, and other contractors was not disclosed publicly by the Board of Education at any public meeting since the completion of the high school project.
The suit was not disclosed or addressed publicly by the board when Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson was under consideration as the artchitect to conduct the District facilities review and estimates for facility improvements. The school district used KG & D estimates as the basis for developing the scope of its $69.6 Million capital project.
The existence of the court order the district faces was not disclosed to the Annual Budget Committee which met for the first time Tuesday evening to review the proposed $174.5 Million budget.
Mr. Connors is at the Strategic Plan Core Committee meeting at the Crowne Plaza Hotel through Friday.
Mayor Connects with West Side in Lex Makeover Meeting. Cooperation Ideas Flow
WPCNR West Side Story. By John F. Bailey. February 8, 2007: Mayor Joseph Delfino, four of his commissioners, the Executive Director of the BID, and members of the Mayor’s staff made an earnest and positive start to the “renaissance of South Lexington Avenue” last night. The energetic Mr. Delfino, in a virtuoso peformance, acted more as emcee of the meeting, taking questions for 3 hours as he and his staff sought the ideas and dreams that Winbrook residents, merchants and property owners have for their East Post Road and Lexington Avenue neighborhood.
The Mayor did not ruleout eminent domain to achieve cooperation among business owners, but held out hope that compromise and negotiation would make eminent domain unnecessary. The Mayor also said another meeting would be held with the neighbors after the BID vote had been taken. The Mayor said a mix-use of affordable housing on Lexington Avenue was the city’s idea on how to revitalize, but said only if the neighborhood agreed with him.
Mack Carter, Executive Director of the White Plains Housing Authority, galvanized the community with an earnest declaration that the residents needed to express their vision for the kind of face they wanted their neighborhood to have, and to create for their children the atmosphere that would help their children fulfill their potential. Carter criticised the present establishments landlords rented to along the Lexington Avenue across from Winbrook, saying that had to change to change the neighborhood.
Carter said many of the stores were much higher priced than stores elsewhere in the city for food goods and that the food was not good food for the residents, being of the fast food nature. He also criticised the multiple liquor stores on the Lex stretch. Carter’s talk which I have just sketched here galvanized the audience who agreed with encouraging comments that Carter was right on the money.
Mayor Delfino started the meeting telling the residents that “Winbrook is here to stay,” imploring the residents to contribute their ideas how how they wish the west side of South Lexington Avenue to look. He had his Commissioner of Planning, Susan Habel, and Commissioner of Public Works Joseph Nicoletti explain the street scape designs scheduled to be installed on South Lexington Avenue this summer, beginning at Main Street and working South towards East Post Road. The Mayor announced a $1 Million grant secured by Senator Hillary Clinton for the street facelift. A more precise explanation of the grant is expected from City Hall Thursday morning.
About twenty speakers came to the podium and spoke on concerns and visions. Topics that the residents said needed to be addressed to make the neighborhood prosper was the need for jobs for young people 14 to 25. One speaker said the youth unemployment rate in the neighborhood was 45%.
At least seven persons spoke on the need to improve the Thomas H. Slater Center. The Mayor said he was waiting input from the ministers of the area and anyone else who wished to give the city their ideas for upgrading the center.
There were a few comments about the need for affordable housing in the area, but they were far outweighed by complaints of residents about parking, fears that Albert Moroni (Commissioner of Parking) was going to install meters along Winbrook curbs.
There were about five persons who stressed the need for more minorities and minority contractors to be hired on jobs in the future Lexington Avenue rebuilding. The mayor responded by agreeing at Mack Carter’s suggestion to create a Directory of Minority Contractors to provide to contractors as the rennaissance hit Lexington Avenue.
The Mayor said that beyond the streetscapes the character of the neighborhood would depend on what the neighborhood, the property owners on Lex and East and West Post Road would envision it to be. Later in the meeting the Mayor said his vision was to build more affordable housing and said he would work to rezone to make the Lex stretch multi-use zoning (mix of residential and retail) which the Mayor said would enhance the value of property owners’ parcels.
The Mayor said affordable housing was the city’s vision of what would uplift the Lexington Avenue neighborhood but hastened to make it clear to the residents that if that was not what they wanted, the city would not force it.
Asked by one property owner if the city would use eminent domain to acquire properties, the Mayor said the city and the Common Council had not used eminient domain in the past and was reluctant to use it. He said he hoped to negotiate with property owners to convince them to bring about the new businesses that could revitalize the stretch. One resident suggested a large supermarket with better prices. The Mayor explained he did not think that was possible because of the parking requirements most large supermarkets required for viability.
The Executive Director of the Downtown Business Improvement District, Rick Ammirato, explained the benefits the BID would bring to the area, and said that a meeting would be held in March to explain all the BID could do to business owners in the Lex corridor, to be followed by a vote. He said that if 51% of the business owners or 51% of the largest property owners voted against joining the BID, he would attempted to assemble businesses on an individual basis to join the BID. He noted that The Galleria is in the district and is currently not in the BID.
Mayor Delfino told WPCNR that after the BID decision was made, he would hold another meeting with the neighborhood just as he did tonight to encourage them and draw out from them more reaction and to articulate more of their vision.
The neighborhood support for the renaissance coming to Lexington Avenue was there.