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WPCNR THE POWER STORY. From County Legislator Benjamin Boykin and Con Edison WITH REACTION from Business Council of Westchester. April 24, 2019
Con Edison said today that it has reached agreement with the owners of an existing natural gas pipeline that serves Con Edison’s facilities in Westchester County for additional natural gas capacity.
Once completed, this reasonable, low-impact solution will provide Con Edison with the natural gas capacity needed to lift the current moratorium on new gas hookups in Westchester County.
The Business Council of Westchester issued this statement, decrying the fact that the moratorium on new gas connections still remains in effect:
“Con Edison’s announcement Wednesday that it has reached an agreement with a gas pipeline company that currently provides natural gas to lower Westchester County to increase the capacity of the line offered a ray of hope for our increasingly energy-starved region.
Unfortunately, this potential increase to the available supply requires its own set of approvals. Con Edison characterized it this way: “The incremental capacity could be placed in service by November 2023.” That’s four and a half years, if the approval goes smoothly, and at least four and a half years more of the moratorium on new gas hookups in most of Westchester.
“We applaud Con Edison for this initiative and other actions the company is exploring to alleviate the crisis. However, the underlying energy shortage remains a serious issue that is already taking a toll and will continue to loom over the region and threaten our economic viability.
“That’s why the BCW back in March formed the BCW Gas Moratorium Task Force, a cross-section of developers, business leaders of small, mid-sized and large companies, as well as planners and affordable housing advocates to propose solutions. New York State and others are calling for a shift to renewable energy sources.
“While this is a laudable goal, the realities are that implementation of virtually any of the technologies now being discussed are not going to be sufficient to meet the region’s energy demand.
“The BCW will be holding an energy conference on May 10 with some of the top leaders in the energy field. In the meanwhile, the BCW Gas Moratorium Task Force will continue to work on assessing the overall situation, working cooperatively with all involved parties to understand and determine the best paths forward.”
The Con Edison news release continues:
“Under the agreement, Tennessee Gas Pipeline would provide the increased natural gas capacity to Con Edison’s distribution system in Westchester by upgrading compression facilities on its system outside of New York State.
These upgrades will enhance the capability of the existing pipelines to transport incremental natural gas supplies for Con Edison. Subject to the necessary approvals, the incremental capacity could be placed in service by November 2023. (Editor’s Note: 4 years from now).
This agreement supports continued economic growth in Westchester by supplementing existing natural gas capacity without the construction of a new pipeline. When combined with Con Edison’s continued efforts to advance renewables and alternative technologies, this approach will provide customers with clean, affordable heating and cooking solutions.
“This project offers a reasonable, sensible approach to allow an orderly transition to the renewable energy future we all desire,” said Tim Cawley, president of Con Edison.
“The solution provides the time needed to improve non-pipeline technology and make it widely available. The additional natural gas capacity will continue to support economic growth in our region, while reducing reliance on heating oil and the need for locally delivered compressed and liquid natural gas.”
Con Edison is continuing to implement the company’s $223 million Smart Solutions program for customers who are interested in alternatives to natural gas, including incentives to electrify heating systems, upgrade HVAC controls, install geothermal heat pumps or weatherize their homes. The increased gas capacity plan allows more time for technologies to advance, and for customer adoption to increase for alternative heating and cooking solutions.
Between the company’s announcement of the moratorium and its start on March 16, Con Edison received 1,600 applications for firm gas service in the moratorium area. Demand for natural gas in New York City and Westchester County has grown significantly in recent years. This has been due to conversions of heating systems from oil, as well as economic growth, with developers preferring natural gas in new buildings.
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The Hudson Gateway REALTOR® Foundation, raised a total of $30,417 at their “Runway for Hope” Fashion Show held on April 4 at Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle. The event featured fashions by Lord & Taylor in Eastchester and were modeled by HGAR Realtors.
Established in 2003 and relaunched in 2013, the Hudson Gateway REALTOR® Foundation has donated thousands of dollars to charities and non-profit organizations serving the housing, hunger, health, happiness, and humane needs of people throughout the Hudson Valley and beyond. Last year, the Foundation donated more than $81,000 to 26 local charities.
“We are so grateful to all who attended this exciting event and to our many sponsors who helped to make the evening possible,” said Maryann Tercasio, President of the Hudson Gateway REALTOR® Foundation. “This funding will allow us to continue to support so many wonderful charitable organizations that make a real difference in the lives of both individuals and families here in the Hudson Valley,” added Bonnie Koff, Chair of the HG Realtor Foundation Fundraising Committee.
The HG REALTOR® Foundation models include: Ed and Justin Albano of Keller Williams NY Realty in White Plains; Carol Aloia of Houlihan Lawrence in White Plains; Carmen Bauman of Green Grass Real Estate Corp. in Bronxville; Anthony Berardi of BHG Rand Realty in New Rochelle; Vikktoria Cooper of Coldwell Banker in Katonah; Justin Cruz of BHG Rand Realty in the Bronx; Virginia Doetsch, Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s Int. Realty in Bronxville; Luis Omar Figueroa in the Bronx; Rich Herska of BHG Rand in Nyack; Ron Garafalo, HGAR President, of John J. Lease Realtors in Middletown; Ari LaFauve of Compass Greater NY, LLC inDobbs Ferry; Nikki McMann of William Raveis-New York LLC in Katonah; Jeliana Melendez of Keller Williams in White Plains: Jennifer Moore of Houlihan Lawrence in White Plains; Leia Rodman of William Raveis Legends Realty in Briarcliff Manor; Evelyn Roman of Compass Greater NY LLC in Dobbs Ferry; Tremaine Selby of Weichert Realtors in Monroe; Al Smith of Coldwell Banker in New Rochelle; Veronica Suarez of Re/Max Distinguished Homes & Properties in Tuckahoe; Crystal Hawkins Syska of Keller Williams in White Plains; Linda Urban of Houlihan Lawrence inBriarcliff Manor; Elaine Voss of Coldwell Banker in Pound Ridge; Jill Ramsey Wilkins of BGH Rand in Goshen, and Suzan Zeolla of Houlihan Lawrence in Briarcliff Manor.
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FWPCNR THEATRICAL REVIEW By John F. Bailey. April 23, 2019:
NEWSIES recent arrival of the 1992 Disney musical revival at Westchester Broadway Theatre has hit the streets!
The pretty Mary Beth Donahoe’s Katherine, inquiring pert reporter from the New York World(whom I’d spill the beans to in a typewriter click), covers the hardnosed labor leader from Brooklyn, USA Jack Kelly (the street smart Daniel Scott Walton), and cocky New Yawk “Newsies” are an EXTRA EDITION!
Your kids will love these kids. You romantic couples out there will get ideas. You solidly marrieds will remember when you met. You revolutionaries out there will haul out the picket signs and fight for truth, justice and the American way!
This is a spirited high-kicking romance-struggle-tap-tabloid of a Disney dazzler, edgey against-the-odds story of newsboys with heart who struck The New York World and The New York Journal in 1899. Joseph Pulitzer cut their pay due to hard times (for Pulitzer)’s World is charming, filled with dancers flying high, suspense, great costumes.
Mary Beth Donahoe is Katherine, beautiful Reporter, Lois Lane of her time. She takes charge, tap dances, types and does a special on rugged newsie community organizer Jack Kelly (played to type by Mr. Walton) as he organizes his newsboys to fight back against a massive wage cut.
Yet Gibson Girl doll Donahoe, has a secret as she charms Mr. Kelly to trust her. Her secret? It’s one of the many surprises in store that turns da love story on its head.
They meet “cute” at a demonstration. (Don’t cha love that? I met my wife cute at a Prentice-Hall bridge club). The book is ripped out of today’s 72 point type headlines with cute kids with spunk, Brooklyn savvy, that bring home why unions are good things for workers.
From the first plaintive strains of the WBT musicians who evoke that ragtime era yet still delivering contemporary blues wail in the opening number Santa Fe, watching Jack and the heart-breaking Richie Tombs as “Crutchie” climb out of their rooftop beds—most of the newsies are orphans making a meager existence of pennies a paper. When they burst in Carrying the Banner in Newsies Square you get behind these charmers.
Then boom! To the office of Joseph Pulitzer at the World, who like today’s corporate titans, when times get rough they make it rough on you, cut wages, make layoffs, and keep The Bottom Line.
Stuart Marland is a “Snidely Whiplash” of Joseph Pulitzer that amazes the audience with his cruel solution to the paper’s hard times. (In fact after seeing this musical, I wonder why in God’s name journalists named a reporting prize after this nasty guy).
At Medda’s Theatre, Medda, hides Jack and fellow newsies are from pursuing police sent to break heads at the demonstration.
Galyana Castillo laughs up the audience, singing That’s Rich, that will remind you of Mae West’s show stopper’s of the past. The whole vaudeville theatre sequence is capped by Mr. Walton and Alec Cohen performing with the Bowery Beauties with high kicks, glamour and 1890s glitz singing I Never Planned on You/Don’t Come Knocking.
Ms. Donahoe delivers two great solos that lifts her heart and yours to the roof. She builds and builds, higher and higher with rippling mesmerizin soprano. the ballad Watch What Happens, inspiring Jack to greatness.
After the big demonstration is staged with the anthem Seize the Day in Newsies Square, we retire to the rooftop, with Jack heartbroken.
Second Act lifts you up out of your chair when Katherine returns to Jacobi’s Deli and the ballad of dreamers everywhere King of New York is belted, danced, tapped and taken to the next level. What a way to kick off Act Two. This number performs the same jump start that Too Darn Hot achieves in Kiss Me, Kate.
Jack is stunned by what he learns about Katherine after his demonstration is broken up by Pulitzer’s thugs and Crutchie is beaten.
Patrick Toombs sings a letter to his buddies, Letter from the Refuge, and this will stir your empathy no matter how deep you hide it.. A very believable performance that embodies the commitment of the newsies to truth, justice, and fairness. Solid, Mr. Toombs. Dead, solid perfect.
Jack is down in the dumps and does not want to see Katherine again, but she seeks him out. She tells him not to give up and wins back his heart with a gesture – can you guess what it is? Not going to tell you. It’s too good, and she seals it with the great love song of this musical, Something to Believe In.
Meanwhile the plan the newsies hatch with Katherine’s help to turn public opinion is about to happen.
The audience just loved this finale.
The second act soars into hearts, dreams, and makes you want to inspire your own special someone, and have a cause, damn it!
And it’s a true story. When kids turned things around like an Our Gang adventure; bad guys turn good; and love conquers time place and status.
Fire your dreams of the you you once were and can be again with the intrepid NEWSIES
EXTRA! EXTRA! NEWSIES plays through May 26. Better hit www.BroadwayTheatre.com or call the box office 914-592-2268, tell ‘em Addison DeWitt sent you!
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WPCNR DOWNTOWN DOINGS. From White Plains Hospital. April 22, 2019:
White Plains Hospital (WPH) officially broke ground on a pivotal addition to its campus today, a 252,000 square-foot, 9-story outpatient center for advanced medicine and surgery, located at the corner of Maple and Longview Avenues, adjacent and connected to both the main Hospital and the Center for Cancer Care. The announcement was made today at an official groundbreaking held at the site. The project is expected to be completed in two years in Spring, 2021.
The facility is one of the most significant additions to the Hospital’s ongoing campus transformation, which has also included extensive campus modernization and renovation, such as the expanded Center for Cancer Care, completed in 2016, and the Hospital’s new lobby and inpatient tower, completed in 2015. Since 2015, approximately 475,000 square feet have been renovated or added to the Hospital. The new project is estimated to cost approximately $272 million.
“White Plains Hospital continues to raise the bar on what it means to deliver the highest quality care in settings that are tailored to patients and their families,” said Steven M. Safyer, MD, president and CEO, Montefiore Medicine. “This new location represents the very best Montefiore has to offer, passionate physicians, who are leaders in their fields with access to cutting-edge research from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, backed by the most modern technology available today.”
The new advanced center will house new operating rooms, endoscopy suites, cutting-edge imaging, wound care delivered through hyperbaric chambers, and specialty physician practices including: orthopedics, spine, maternal fetal medicine, neurosurgery, and a Heart and Vascular Center.
“The new center is an exciting step in White Plains Hospital’s transformation into the leading tertiary care hub for patients in Westchester County and beyond,” explained Susan Fox, President and CEO of White Plains Hospital.
“Inside, we will deliver a seamless patient experience and offer ease and convenience for accessing additional advanced ambulatory services and procedures.” Ms. Fox continued, “The growth and vitality of White Plains Hospital has been a key driver in attracting top medical talent from major teaching and research hospitals in New York. Our medical staff has grown significantly, and we have added or expanded in key specialties such as oncology, interventional cardiology, neurosurgery, hepatobiliary surgery, electrophysiology and orthopedics.”
The facility will also be a job creator for the County. In 2018, White Plains Hospital supported 6,264 jobs through a combination of direct employment (3,034) at the Hospital and its satellites, and indirect job creation (3,230) for supply and equipment vendors, contractors, laborers, and in local businesses that support the Hospital’s workforce and visitors.
The new project is expected to bring a 9% growth in new jobs over the four-year period.
In the City of White Plains in 2018, WPH supported or sustained 2,605 jobs, accounting for 1 in every 36 jobs within the City, either directly or indirectly. By the end of construction, the impact on the City of White Plains is projected to be 2,869 jobs, of which 441 will be attributed to the new center.
Other Details:
Enhanced Patient Experience: The patient drop-off driveway is integrated into the building’s design, allowing patients to essentially drive into the building for convenient drop off. Two bridges will connect the outpatient facility to the main Hospital. One bridge will be designated for staff and patients, and another for visitors. This unique layout keeps hospital activity and patients “behind the scenes,” securing their privacy.
Sustainable Design and Construction: The project is designed in accordance with the principles of sustainable construction to support energy efficiency, water efficiency, light pollution reduction, and indoor air quality.
Smart Building Features: The building will feature a robust IT infrastructure designed to facilitate current and future medical technology, such as telemedicine. An intelligent infrastructure will support automatic building management, energy efficiency through technology and real-time data collection.
The new construction project is part of White Plains Hospital’s ongoing modernization, which has included extensive campus renovations, the addition of satellite offices, and the acquisition of new specialty practices. With locations across Westchester County, White Plains Hospital’s footprint now extends from New Rochelle to Yorktown.
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WPCNR THE POWER STORY. From the The New York State Public Service Commission . APRIL 19, 2019:
The NY Public Service Commisson announced late Friday afternoon, completion of a detailed and thorough Department of Public Service (DPS) investigation into the preparation and response of the State’s major utilities to five major storms that swept through New York in 2018, each leaving more than 100,000 customers without electricity.
As a result of the investigation, utilities’ shareholders could face potential storm-related financial penalties for failing to comply with their state-approved emergency plans.
Friday, the Commission also approved a settlement that resolves storm response failures by NYSEG and RG&E in 2017 IN THE AMOUNT OF $3.9 MILLION and further directed counsel to bring an enforcement proceeding in State Supreme Court to address recurring violations by these companies.
“When storms knock out power, it is the job of utilities to restore electricity to customers in a timely and safe manner,” Commission Chair John B. Rhodes said. “Utilities are responsible for pre-storm preparation, and the implementation of restoration efforts after a storm to assure safe and adequate electric service to the public.
“In recent years, the State has faced an increased frequency of severe weather events that have impacted utility infrastructure. It is mission-critical that our utilities are adequately prepared to meet and address these new realities and respond appropriately, including concretely improving plans and practices with each cycle. When a utility fails to meet its responsibilities and commitments, they must and will be held accountable.”
2018 Storm Investigation Winter Storms Riley and Quinn, which hit the mid-Hudson region five days apart in March, had peak outages of approximately 500,000 and 162,000, respectively, resulting in some customers being without power for more than a week.
In addition to storms Riley and Quinn, the Department’s investigation focused on three other storms in 2018: a windstorm in Western New York in April; a windstorm in the Plattsburgh and Glens Falls areas in early May; and a severe thunderstorm in the mid-Hudson region in mid-May.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s 2013-14 State Budget provided for significantly more stringent assessment and overview of utility activity requirements in New York. The Commission is now required to approve electric emergency response plans filed annually by electric corporations every December, and specifies areas covered in the emergency response plans.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the investigation shortly after storm restorations had been made. The DPS investigation identified 43 potential violations and instances where Emergency Response Plans (ERP) were not followed.
While each of the regulated major electric utilities in the state were allegedly found to be at fault, New York State Electric & Gas Corp. (NYSEG), Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R), and Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. (Con Edison) were allegedly the poorest performers according to the DPS report.
Among the issues identified were issues with operations, such as planning, internal staffing, as well as crew acquisition and crew management.
DPS staff uncovered information that NYSEG and Con Edison have been steadily reducing the number of line workers, which has had a direct result in the utilities’ poor initial responses and contributed overall to poor storm performance.
Further, the investigation found that utility communications with customers and public officials were ineffective.
In addition, slow road-clearing efforts was identified as impeding the delivery of the necessary resources and appropriate coordination with other partners, particularly municipal governments.
Enforcement Plan
The Commission today issued an order to show cause directing the companies to respond to the Staff’s investigation and explain why they should not be found to have violated the emergency response plans, regulations, and orders.
The order to show cause starts an enforcement proceeding; the PSC will review the record in the case before making a final determination regarding any potential penalties for Con Edison, NYSEG, RG&E, O&R, Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation and National Grid.
The now-concluded investigation determined that PSEG Long Island did not deviate from its emergency response plan. The Commission may order the utilities to implement the recommendations to improve emergency preparedness and response contained in Staff’s investigation report; many of the recommendations have already been adopted by the utilities.
Staff’s findings of poor performance by NYSEG and RG&E follows a previous staff investigation of the company’s response to a windstorm in 2017 that found similar failures.
Because of concerns of recurring failures at NYSEG, the PSC also directed the General Counsel to bring an enforcement proceeding in State Supreme Court to seek injunctive relief in the form of a court order that mandates improvements to emergency preparedness and response and improved internal controls to ensure improved processes are fully implemented.
NYSEG, RG&E Past Failures
The Commission today also adopted the terms of a joint settlement proposal signed by NYSEG, RG&E and DPS staff, and an investment joint proposal executed by NYSEG, RG&E, DPS staff, the NYS Utility Intervention Unit, the City of Rochester, and IBEW Local 10 to resolve utility failures related to a severe windstorm on March 8, 2017 in Western New York.
The weather events impacted areas served by the companies, with peak outages of approximately 123,000 and 48,000 for RG&E and NYSEG, respectively. The investigation into the 2017 storm identified several areas where the companies did not follow their emergency response plans, and identified areas where improvement was necessary.
Under the terms of today’s settlement, the companies will pay $3.9 million from shareholder funds, to be allocated $2.8 million to RG&E electric and $1.1 million to NYSEG electric, based on the outages experienced in each service territory.
The settlement resolves the companies’ liability for a penalty. Under the terms of the settlement, the money will be used for more effective event response prioritization, greater electric system resiliency, enhanced storm response capabilities, faster restoration of critical facilities, improved communications between the companies and customers having life support equipment, and improved wires-down procedures.
The $3.9 million is the largest ever for failure to follow an emergency response plan.
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JOHN NONA, COUNTY ATTORNEY ON FIRE FOAM POLLUTION AT THE WESTCHESTER AIRPORT–WHERE IT STANDS.
