WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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WPCNR THE POWER STORY. From the Business Council of Westchester. February 5, 2019:

The Business Council of Westchester brought together more than 50 leading developers with projects planned for Westchester to a top-level briefing and discussion with representatives of Con Edison of the utility company’s announced March 15 moratorium on accepting new natural gas customers.

  A lack of pipeline capacity necessary to supply the gas to the utility to meet increased demand is the root cause of the problem, Con Ed has explained.

The two-hour, closed-door session Monday facilitated an open, wide-ranging discussion of the natural gas supply shortage situation which poses a real threat to the future of economic development in most of Westchester including its major urban centers.

Developers representing a cross-section of smaller, mid-sized and large companies, as well as affordable housing advocates, joined in the conversation and endorsed the BCW’s implementation of a task force to begin exploration of both short and long-term ways of addressing the issue.

“While the gas shortage has been years in the making, it has now reached the point of a crisis that threatens our economy,” said BCW President and CEO Marsha Gordon.  “While there are no easy solutions,” she said, “there are potential steps that can be taken to ease the immediate problem that we will be carefully evaluating with the goal of recommending a plan of action steps as quickly as possible.”

Gordon added: “The level of participation and interest, and the strong sense of unity reflects how deeply this issue will affect not only the development community but the residents of Westchester County.  After decades of struggling, our downtown areas of Yonkers, New Rochelle and other urban areas are seeing unprecedented new growth and renewal.  To jeopardize this is simply not an option.”

The BCW taskforce will include outreach to local, county and state leaders to work together to address the immediate and long-term situation, and in May will hold a major energy conference.

“The major takeaway from our initial meeting is that the business and development community is ready, willing and able to step forward and work with Con Edison, the state government, the Public Service Commission and any and all other involved parties to tackle the issue head-on,” Gordon said. “This was a wake-up call that can’t be ignored, and we’re confident that working together we can and will find viable solutions.  We have no choice.”  

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. BY John F. Bailey. February 4, 2019 UPDATE 5:20 P.M. E.S.T. IN BOLD:

County Executive George Latimer this morning outlined how the county would proceed in seeking to work to find solutions to Con Edison, the major electric and gas in Westchester County, putting in place a moratorium on new natural gas connections in Westchester County over 2/3 of the county.

He announced the county would seek an extension of the March 15 deadline for applications for new connections with the Public Service Commission.

He announced the formation of county and business groups to identify ways natural gas demand could be conserved to allow continued development. In tandem with that across-the-board reach out, Mr. Latimer said he would direct all county departments and municipalities to find how the county could cut down its use of natural gas.

He said he would work cooperatively with Con Edison to identify ways to cut natural gas demand to allow allocation of Con Edison limited natural gas supply.

WPCNR asked Mr. Latimer If the the Con Ed 6 % rate increase for electric and 11% for gas, primarily targeted for “infrastructure improvements,” as stated in the Con Ed news release (reprinted in the preceding article below), announcing the increase last Thursday would be devoted to increasing the availability of natural gas, and Latimer said Con Ed did not plan the rate increase revenues to improve availability of the gas supply.

Noam Bramson, Mayor of New Rochelle, told WPCNR as we were exiting the news conference, said that was important to know that Con Edison infrastructure within the county was not an issue, instead it was the availability of natural gas through either another pipeline leading into the county to bring in more natural gas was the issue behind the moratorium.

Bramson added that the more crucial date concerned when gas installations presently approved had to be connected to any facility being built, which he said was two years away. That date, approximately March of 2021, he said put present developments in jeopardy.

Tom Roach, Mayor of White Plains, told WPCNR that all of White Plains present “approved” projects were not subject to the moratorium, their gaslines already approved. (WPCNR requested a listing of the approved projects.

WPCNR believes they are The Broadstone, The Continuum (second building to come), 440 Hamilton Avenue renovation, the White Plains Pavilion project, (approved but awaiting redesign), Esplanade renovation, Projects that may be affected are the White Plains projects on Bloomindale Road and Westchester Avenue .

Recent projects that may be affected by the moratorium are the four forthcoming White Plains MetroNorth properties, which have no designs or projects yet proposed, the Martin Ginsberg project recently introduced, and the Good Counsel Property development current in an environmental evaluation and not approved yet.

Asked by WPCNR if the Public Service Commission had indicated how Con Edison and NYSEG would hold accountable the two power companies for their severely criticized performance in restoring power last March, Latimer said the county would be meeting with PSC next week, but at present time he had knowledge of PSC decisions on whether to discipline the two companies or not.

Mr. Latimer said he would be sending Joan McDonald, Director of Operations to Albany to discuss the possibility of extending the moratorium deadline.

Asked by WPCNR if he supported the Con Edison rate increases, Latimer said no decision has been made on that issue yet, and it was in the process of being evaluated.

Here is the WPCNR video of the complete news conference, hastily called this morning.

The details of the County Executive’s Plans include:

·         Facilitating next steps with municipalities and Con Edison;           

o   Including a full list of projects and their timetables for construction to get a big picture of where we as a County are with demand; 

·         Enlisting the help of energy consultants who can guide us through the regulatory process;

·         Tasking Director of Energy & Sustainability Pete McCartt with performing a survey to explore how the County can reduce gas usage at our facilities;

·         Tasking Director of Operations Joan McDonald with working with New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) Chairman & CEO John Rhodes from to encourage Con Edison to delay the moratorium so we as a County can develop and action plan;

o   Additionally, County Executive Latimer will be testifying at the next PSC hearing;

·         Working with the business community, and other entities, to help them navigate this moratorium and how it relates to development.

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White Plains Week can also be seen anytime on www,wpcommunitymedia.org

(Just scroll down the Program Wall to White Plains Week(

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Mr. Soloway on

The formula he has used to attract new patrons to unique new performances for changing tastes

The problems the arts face in Westchester

The need for arts in Westchester

How arts reach out to enthrall and educate people of all ages and change attitudes.

His changing model for carrying the Purchase Center for the Performing Arts to deal with the changing demographics of the Westchester audience

SATURDAY NIGHT AT 7 ON CH. 45 FIOS AND CH.76 ALTICE AND WORLDWIDE ON WWW.WPCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG

(SCROLL DOWN THE PROGRAM WALL TO “PEOPLE TO BE HEARD”)

AND NOW ON YOUTUBE AT

https://youtu.be/GDanyCLh9Ek  

AND WHITE PLAINS WEEK at

http://www.whiteplainsweek.com/

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2019. Statement from Councilwoman Milagros Lecuona. January 29, 2019 (Edited):

From White Plains Councilwoman Milagros Lecuona
January 28, 2019

Dear White Plains Democratic voters and dear Democratic District Leaders,

As you know, elections for local officials are almost here and the Parties’ City Committees are now going through the endorsement process, this time for three seats on the White Plains Common Council, among others.

One of those seats I have been proudly holding, with passion and with great dedication for more than 11 years.

The purpose of this letter is to officially announce that I am not seeking the endorsement of the White Plains Democratic City Committee for Common Council or pursuing re-election.

I strongly believe in term limits, partially because I believe that our democracy works best when more people are given the opportunity to hold power, rather than when power is held by a small number of people for a long time.

I am positive that there are other candidates who will fight for our City’s best interests and they are just waiting to be given the opportunity to do so.”

Dennis Krolian, who is also up for relection this year told WPCNR at the Common Council meeting Monday night he had also announced to the Democratic City Committee Nominating Committe, he would not seek reelection.

Krolian told WPCNR had served long enough on the Council and felt it was time to for him to depart. “I’m done,” he said.