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

WPCNR SOUTHEND TIMES. By Don Hughes. March 9, 2006:  There were about 30 people at the Rocky Dell Neighborhood Association meeting yesterday. There was universal disappointment over the Mayor’s, Councilmen Boykin’s and Hockley’s comments during the last Common Council meeting  that the city already had plenty of open space.

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Councilman Roach, (Pictured in August 2002)  and Assemblyman Bradley attended and spoke about the  importance of maintaining open space; as well as it being poor policy  to sell public assets to fund operating expenses.  Assemblyman Bradely  also indicated that White Plains was less concerned about, and had less, open space than any of the other municipalities in his district. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.

Adam Bradley at City Hall, 2003. Clarifies Statement.Photo, WPCNR News Archive

Amplifying his remarks in a telephone to WPCNR Thursday afternoon, Assemblyman Bradley told WPCNR that his being reported as saying White Plains was less concerned about…open space, was incorrect, that he never said that.  He told WPCNR this was an “unfair representative of his remarks. Bradley said Thursday, “that there is concern because White Plains has less open space than other municipalities,” and that he felt that the policy of selling the Railside Avenue land “is a tremendously misguided policy in light of that (that White Plains does not have much open space.”  He told WPCNR “that remark  does not support that White Plains is less concerned.”

Alan Teck, President of CCOS, (Picture from August, 2002) refuted the Mayor’s statement that the Open Space Committee had recommended the sale of the Railside property, indicating that the Mayor has not even called a meeting of the committee in over two years, and that, at most, what that they had done was to prioritize the various parcels of open space. Photo, WPCNR News Archive

The association will be mounting a petition and letter writing campaign as well as a door-to-door sweep to counter the notion that ‘most’ people don’t know what the Greenway is and couldn;t care less.

  It was suspected that ‘most’ people don’t know about Councilman Hockley’s dog park either.  They started work on sample notices and letters at the meeting.

It also came out that the immediate neighbors to the parcels that have already been sold did not all receive notification of the sale, and that the one neighbor who did, received it the day before the bids were due – in spite of the fact that he had expressed interest to the city in purchasing the property over a period of several years. 

There was disparagement of the Mayor’s comments that the vacant land was costing the city money in the form of taxes.  It was suspected that this is, in fact, a rather small number.  It was also commented that any additional property taxes paid by future purchasers would be offset by service costs.  The group will research the issue.

WPCNR STAGE DOOR. By John F. Bailey. March 8, 2006 UPDATED 12:05 P.M. E.S.T.: Mayor John Shields of Nyack reported to WPCNR tonight that the Attorney General’s office, upon further review has affirmed its approval the private, off-the-market sale of the Helen Hayes Theatre Company building to Milbrook Acquisitions of Manhasset for $3.7 Million.

A news report  today also reveals the Attorney General  office stuck with their original approval even though Mr. Shields, Thom Kleiner, (Orangetown Supervisor) and Harriet Cornell, the Rockland County Legislator, presented an appraiser’s criticism of the  appraisal Helen Hayes Board used to justify the $3.7 Million sale price. The independent appraiser’s critique pointed out the lack of specific, important information missing in the appraisal according to the news report. 

The reaffirmation of the approval, clears the way for the Milbrook Acquisitions to close on the property March 26. Milbrook is owned by the Pikus family which has contributed over $27,000 to the Democratic Party since December of 1999, according to Federal Election contributions records.

The Attorney General’s Office upheld its previous approval, despite learning that the deal was arranged by the Helen Hayes Non-Profit, without their advising the Village of Nyack or the Rockland County Board of Legislators who have provided substantial funding to the theatre, and without offering the building for sale on the open market.

The rationale for the quickie sale in private with a firm that was recommended by a member of the Board of Directors who had done extensive work for Milbrook Properties, the parent company, was that Helen Hayes could save approximately $200,000 in debt if they could pay off a note within 5 days, and save $200,000 in a commission.

At the meeting Mayor Shields had with Assistants Attorney General Gary Brown and Tom Hoffay in White Plains today,  the objections of Orangetown Supervisor Thom Kleiner, Rockland County Legislator Harriet Cornell, and the Mayor were detailed to the  Attorney General team who refused to block the sale.

The three officials argued that the property was not offered to the general market, and that a firm offer of $5 Million and $500,000 in improvements was turned down by the Helen Hayes Board  in order to meet the lower $3.7 Million contract. However, Mayor Shields tonight reports the attorney genral found nothing “illegal” about the sale and Shields says the sale will take place as a result.

Shields said he is asking the Helen Hayes Theatre Company Board of Directors to add an addition 4 members to their Board to bring the Board of six  up to full strength (10 persons) before any more decisions are made about what proposals would be accepted from groups seeking to run the theater.

The “outgoing” Helen Hayes Theatre Company Board has a 30-day option to rent the building from Milbrook after the closing and is also reported by Shields as having the right of decision as to what proposals from entrepreneurs would be best to run the theatre.

Shields told WPCNR, “We’re going to ask them to do that (fill out the Board).”

Shields said last week the Village has no other legal option to stop the sale, and it was up to the Attorney General alone to block the sale and give the public a chance to bid to the Board.