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. | WHITE PLAINS WESTCHESTER DAILY NEWS SERVICE VISITS SINCE 2000 A.D. 25TH YEARl REPORTING THE NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW News Service Since 2000 A.D. 2026 WILL BE OUR 26TH YEAR OF COVERING WHITE PLAINS NEW YORK USA . John F. Bailey, Editor (914) 997-1607 wpcnr@aol.com Cell: 914-673-4054. News Politics Personalities Neighborhoods Schools Finance Real Estate Commentary Reviews Policy Correspondence Poetry Philosophy Photojournalism Arts. The WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER. TELEVISION: "White Plains Week" News Roundup, 7:30 EDT FRI, 7 EDT MON & the incisive "People to Be Heard" Interview Program 8PM EDT THURS, 7 PM EDT SAT on FIOS CH 45 THROUGHOUT WESTCHESTER AND, ALTICE OPTIMUM WHITE PLAINS CH 1300 Fighting for Truth, Justice and the American Way. TOP 10 VISITORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD :1. USA. 2.BRAZIL3.VIET NAM 4. CHINA 5. JAPAN 6.UK. 7.CANADA. 8.INDIA. 9.AUSTRALIA 10.IRELAND 11.GERMANY 12..ARGENTINA 13.BANGLADESH 14.RUSSIA. 15.NEWZEALAND. 16. FRANCE. 17.MEXICO. 18.UKRAINE. 19.SOUTH AFVRICA. 20. IRAQ.

Three Tappan Zee Bridge Proposals Received by Thruway Authority

Posted on July 27, 2012 by John Bailey

WPCNR TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE NEWS. Special to WPCNR From the New York State Thruway Authority. July 27, 2012:

At 5:30 P.M. Friday afternoon, Brian Conybeare, Special Advisor the Governor on the New Tappan Zee Bridge, issued this statement:

“Today the Thruway Authority received three proposals for building a new bridge to replace the Tappan Zee. The proposals comprise more than 70 boxes and an estimated 750,000 pages. The submitted bids are from the following teams:

Kiewit-Skanska-Weeks Joint Venture

(Kiewit Infrastructure Co., Skanska USA Civil Northeast Inc., and Weeks Marine, Inc.)

Tappan Zee Bridge Partners, a Bechtel/Tutor Perini Joint Venture

(Bechtel Infrastructure Corporation and Tutor Perini Corporation)

Tappan Zee Constructors

(Fluor Enterprises, Inc., American Bridge Company, Granite Construction Northeast, Inc., and Traylor Bros., Inc.)

The first stage involves reviewing the proposals for completeness and compliance before the proposals are deemed accepted for substantive selection review, a process expected to take four weeks given the massive volume of material. Additional information regarding the selection process that will begin in four weeks will be available next week, and the process will be open and transparent as federal procurement law will allow.”

City Schedules Special Meeting of Council to Discuss Chamberlain Lawsuit, FASNY

Posted on July 27, 2012 by John Bailey

WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. JULY 27, 2012: At 6:24 Friday evening, the City Clerk noticed a Special Meeting of the Common Council Monday evening to discuss the status of the French American School of New York Draft Environmental Impact Statement, and the DEIS of the Recreation District Zoning Ordinance setting tighter zoning restrictions on large tracts of privately owned land in the city.

In Executive Session, they will discuss the lawsuit brought against the city by Kenneth Chamberlain, Jr.

The Agenda:

COMMON COUNCIL

AGENDA

SPECIAL MEETING

July 30, 2012

5:30 P.M.

RESOLUTION:

1. Communication from the City Clerk in relation to a request by Milonga Arepas & Tapas Grill, Inc., 74 Mamaroneck Avenue, for a waiver of the thirty (30) day notification requirement set forth in Section 64(2)(a) of the New York Alcoholic Beverage Control Law.

2. Resolution of the Common Council of the City of White Plains waiving the thirty (30) day notification requirement set forth in the New York State Alcoholic Beverage Control Law in regard to an application submitted by Teresa Espinoza,owner of Milonga Arepas & Tapas Grill, Inc., (“Applicant”), located at 74 Mamaroneck Avenue for the re-submission of an application for a liquor license due to an error in the original submission.

DISCUSSION:

3. Capital Projects: Rolling Stock; Purchase of real property.

4. Open Space Recreation District (OSRD) – Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement.

5. French American School of New York – FASNY – Draft Environmental Impact

Statement.

6. Entertainment of a motion to enter into executive session for the purpose of discussing:

tax review proceedings in the matters of Sears Roebuck & Co., #1333 v. The City of

White Plains; Norstrom, Inc., v. The City of White Plains; and, pending litigation in the

matters of Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. As the Administrator of the Estate of Kenneth

Chamberlain, Sr. V. City of White Plains, et. al.; City of White Plains v. Albert A. Nolletti

and Gedney Farms Wholesale Nursery, Inc.

Con ED: Almost Everyone Back After Storm Outages. Peak Demand Day of 2012

Posted on July 27, 2012 by John Bailey

WPCNR THE POWER NEWS. From Con Edison. July 27, 2012:

Con Edison crews have restored almost all of the 4,800 customers that were affected by last evening’s severe storms.

As of 4:45 a.m. only 35 customers remained out of service, 19 of them in Yonkers.

Outages peaked between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. last evening. Over 75 percent of those who lost service from the storm were restored by midnight.

During today’s sweltering heat wave, Con Edison reported a new electric peak for 2012 of 12,836 megawatts (MW) at 1 p.m. Thursday, surpassing Wednesday’s high of 12,455 megawatts at 6 p.m.

The all-time electric peak for Con Edison’s service area was 13,189 MW set on July 22, 2011 at 4 p.m.

City to Acquire 3rd Side-Load Garbage Truck. Recommends Buying Seaberg Bldg.

Posted on July 26, 2012 by John Bailey

WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. By John F. Bailey. July 26, 2012:

The Capital Projects Board voted to acquire a new sidearm-loading garbage truck Thursday afternoon for $275,000, while eliminating purchase of two rear-loading garbage trucks. John Callahan, city Corporation Counsel, confirmed the truck was the third truck to be acquired by the city, pending approval by the Common Council.

Eileen Earl, the long-time consultant to the financial department explained the new truck is being acquired for the efficiency and labor-saving it has shown in the one year trial of the first truck.

Mr. Callahan in the meeting, also announced the city has reached an agreement to acquire 200 Westchester Avenue, (known as the Seaberg Building) adjacent to the city Department of Purchasing at the eastern “gateway” to the city. The building will be acquired for $465,000 (pending approval by the Common Council), plus $25,000 for renovation, and $5,000 closing costs for a total purchase of $495,000. Michael Genito, the city Commissioner of Finance told WPCNR the cost of the building would be financed over twenty years.

Earl said the city had been trying to acquire the building for about twenty years since the Seaberg food operation previously located there closed.The building is being purchased from Consortium Properties, LLC. She offered the opinion the building had long been an “eye-sore” on Westchester Avenue.

Commissioner of Public Works, Joseph Nicoletti said the building would be used for storage of water department equipment, currently stored out of doors. He said the purchase gives the city access to the DPW lot off South Kensico Avenue, from Westchester Avenue. Nicoletti said the city would renovate the exterior of the building to match the facade of the city-owned Department of Purchasing building.

The purchase is the third such land investment approved by the Capital Projects Board in a month. Previously the city decided to build a parking garage adjacent the Esplanade for $17 Million; purchase the Gerber Building for $2.7 Million and now the Seaberg piece for $495,000.

Asked what the city was eyeballing for acquisition next, Callahan did not indicate whether other properties were being eyed by the city or not.

No Plan to Decide BRT Until Input Is In. 60 Experts to Judge Bids. Tolls In Air

Posted on July 25, 2012 by John Bailey

WPCNR TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE NEWS. By John F. Bailey. July 25, 2012. Part 2:

WPCNR provides this wrap-up of the rest of the LoHud Editorial Spotlight discussion with Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Tappan Zee Team. To see the discussion in its entierty go to http://www.livestream.com/editorialspotlight/video?clipId=pla_0d5dea02-9da5-4214-9941-30bdb19206c2&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb:

Optimism for an increase in funding from the Federal Government was expressed by Thruway Authority Executive Director Thomas Madison, that with new funding passed this year by congress made available for the TIFIA program(Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, the state may be able to fund more with TIFIA than the $2.2 Billion they are asking for now. But this appeared to be wishful thinking, with nothing concrete.

Larry Schwartz, the Secretary to the Governor, said the effect on tolls for the bridge is still being evaluated, expressing the hope the tolls would be comparable to similar bridges in the area.

As an aid, WPCNR calculated in February that to finance $6.2 Billion through the TIFIA program, at its current rate and pay the maintenance costs of the new bridge, tolls would have to go up to $11.50 a Trip. To read that commentary go to www.whiteplainscnr.com/article9023.html

No timelines were given as to how soon a decision would be made on the bids from bridge contractors on the costs of building the new bridge. The Governor’s office is now assembling an evaluation team of about 60 persons, what New York State Thruway Executive Director called “the best and the brightest from around the world,” to evaluate contractor bids due to be submitted tomorrow.

Larry Schwartz, the Secretary to Governor Cuomo said the names of the “Evaluation Team” would be announced by the Governor’s office when they are finalized. It was noted that the Federal Government would also have to approve any construction using Federal money.

Schwartz said that the possibility of using Route 119 as the dedicated bus lane through Westchester County ( long promoted by the Tappan Zee project for Bus Rapid Transit in previous meetings) has not been discarded, but the imput of all communities had to be considered. He noted that Thruway project affecting White Plains at Exits 7 & 8 had dragged 25% longer than it should have taken and the impacts of establishing BRT lanes on 287 would subject that area and its citizens to more inconvenience for years.

Schwartz returned to the theme of gathering input from communities, decision-makers and government officials, and the need to reach consensus together on how to execute rapid transit through the counties, and to determine the need for it. He did not dismiss the data already gathered by the Thruway Authority engineering teams on transit data.

Brian Conybeare, the newly appointed representative to deliver the message of the administration, said it would be his job to disseminate key information to the public as the Governor’s Office makes decisions. He said the public could ask questions via phone at 1-800-855-TZBRIDGE or go to the new website made live today at www.newnybridge.com

The Governor’s Tappan Zee Bridge Team today gave the impression that indicated months of meetings and discussion lie ahead for the Tappan Zee Bridge Project which to move ahead requires more meetings with more people, scores of government officials and stakeholders in the project.

White Plains Sales Tax $$ UP 9.6% At Fiscal Close—

Posted on July 25, 2012 by John Bailey

WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey. July 25, 2012:

White Plains completed its fiscal year June 30 with a 9.6% real gain in sales receipts, setting an all-time high in sales tax collections of $50,972,671.36, compared to $46,494,447 in 2010-11, a gain of a real 9.6% year to year.

White Plains had been riding a 15% gain in sales tax collections through May, however June receipts were off 15.3% at $4,218,196.45 ($762,780 less than June 2011’s record $4.9Million).

Westchester County Sales Receipts in June, (the halfway mark in the county fiscal year) were off 1.4% which means the county is virtually even with last year’s sales tax collection pace ($230.1 Million to $222,991,747 after six months in 2011.)

COUNTY TO COUNTY BRT A LONG WAY OFF. 100 TO 150 COMMUNITY MEETINGS PROMISED

Posted on July 25, 2012 by John Bailey

WPCNR TAPPAN ZEE NEWS. By John F. Bailey. July 25, 2012:

In a lohud.com webcast that went down after the first twenty minutes due to unexplained technical difficulties, Larry Schwartz, Secretary to Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Thomas Madison , State Thruway Authority Executive Director, made clear that a Tappan Zee Bridge cross-Rockland, cross-Westchester Bus Rapid Transit system will not become reality for years.

The form the BRT lanes promised on the new Tappan Zee Bridge will take after they touch the Rockland and Westchester shores has also not been decided. That massive undertaking will only take shape after the state conducts meetings with community officials all along the route. Schwartz emphasized the state wanted to proceed forward working directly with the communities. This, coming after the New York State Thruway has been involving communities in presentations, drawing up plans and taking their comments the last ten years, as a cost of $280 Million.

The moderator,Nancy Cutler, Lohud Rockland County Opinion Editor, asked directly if there been any decision about whether to extend the promised BRT Lane piecemeal (across Westchester County and Rockland Counties) or across the counties, Schwartz said

” I think the commitment is to not make any predertermined decisions but to work with the Rockland County Executive, the Westchester County Executive, their staffs, as well as the local elected officials in the community, the business community, the transit advocates, and the civic associations to figure out what makes sense, what’s needed and what will be used (ridden). “

“We’re going to have as many meetings with the community and the different stakeholders here in the lower Hudson Valley region as needed. We’re targeting now between 50 to 100 (meetings), but if we need to do 150, whatever number we need to do, this is an on-going process. Governor Cuomo has made it clear that he wants the process to be open and transparent now and throughout the construction phase of the new Tappan Zee Bridge. That’s why we’re here in this ongoing effort to establish an open line of communication, to get input and feedback , to learn to listen, and also to be responsive to the concerns and questions that Westchester and Rockland residents have regarding our building a new Tappan Zee Bridge.”

Schwartz promised to do a better job “in terms of our openness, our transparency, and making sure we have a constructive dialogue.”

He said..”In addition to being transparent, we need to be honest, trustworthy, straightforward and credible. That’s the governor’s task to me and to the project team here in not making commitments the state will not be able to keep.”

Madison said the build first with transit inclusion was the best solution: “a brand-new structure that would not preclude any transit option for the future, and this was central to the governor’s vision for moving forward with the Tappan Zee Bridge project: let’s build a bridge now; build a bridge we can afford today, but make the necessary investments today that make a commitment today that in the future we will not preclude any transit option on the bridge.”

Schwartz noted on BRT feasibility:

“even on an incremental (construction) basis, it’s going to be cost.y that One of the proposals we presented today was a Suffern to Tarrytown BRT System that would cost $1.9 Billion, depending on how you construct it. SomeBODY has to pay for that. We have to find the money. Governor Cuomo has made it clear we have to move forward with the bridge, and we have to do this project in the most financially feasible and affordable way, that doesn’t have an impact on the taxpayers, and minimizes the impact on the toll-payers. The governor’s committed to transit; he’s certainly committed to transit on the bridge; he’s committed on working on transit solutions off the bridge…there’s a lot of ideas out there some of those ideas are going to have significant community impacts and I think we need to do a better job of educating and informing the community, when you build a BRT what that really means in terms of not only costs, but community impact. In 1997, they talked about widening I-287 to include HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes…there was a lot of community outcry from Greenburgh, Elmsford, and White Plains and Governor George Pataki dropped the idea.”

An engineer on the panel Mark Roach, said the key to making BRT a success was reliability which could only come from dedicated bus lanes.

When the complete discussion is available, WPCNR will follow up with more coverage of the rest of the discussion. At the time when the feed went down on Internet Explorer from the lohud site, there were approximately 325 viewers

Tonight at 6 PM at the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road there will be another forum with state officials to discuss Tappan Zee Bridge issues. Thursday there will be one in Rockland County at the Rockland Community College Cultural Arts Theatre, 145 College Road, Ramapo.

Gov Hires News 12’s Conybeare to Liaison on Tappan Zee Bridge. Salary:$160,000

Posted on July 24, 2012 by John Bailey

WPCNR TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE NEWS. From Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Press Office. July 24, 2012 UPDATED JULY 26, 2012:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Tuesday the appointment of Brian Conybeare to the position of Special Advisor for the Tappan Zee Bridge. Mr. Conybeare will serve as the liaison for the Governor to Hudson Valley residents and businesses, at a salary of $160,000, according Director of Public Affairs of the New York State Thruway Authority, Dan Weiller, the Albany Times-Union reported Thursday

As such, he will be located in the Hudson Valley on full time basis conducting the day-to-day meetings with local community and business leaders, and working with Secretary to the Governor Larry Schwartz, who Governor Cuomo recently appointed to oversee the Tappan Zee Bridge project. Mr. Conybeare will play an important role in ensuring that the issues raised by residents involving the $5 billion project are heard and resolved.

“After more than ten years of gridlock surrounding the Tappan Zee Bridge project, we are moving forward to finally build a new, safer bridge for the Hudson Valley,” said Governor Cuomo. “As we continue to make progress, Brian Conybeare will help connect my administration with residents and the business community. Mr. Conybeare has an extraordinary background in journalism and is familiar with the many facets of this complex project. In his role, he will help ensure that affected communities are provided the information they need and that concerns are properly addressed. Together, we will build a bridge that serves all of Hudson Valley.”

Mr. Conybeare said, “I would like to thank Governor Cuomo for giving me the opportunity to participate in this significant project. The New Tappan Zee Bridge will be a testament to New York’s workforce and innovation under Governor Cuomo. I look forward to working with the Governor and his team to ensure that the new bridge is constructed through a transparent and inclusive process.”

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Conybeare was an anchor for the News 12 Evening Edition. He was also a co-anchor on the weekly political talk show “Newsmakers” and hosts the station’s local election debates and live town meetings.

Mr. Conybeare is an award-winning reporter, most recently receiving a 2011 New York Emmy Award for his exclusive story on a parking ticket scam called “Rental Rip-off.” In 2009, Brian won a national award from the Society of Professional Journalists. His ground-breaking reporting on corruption in the promotions department of the Yonkers Raceway Casino led directly to a criminal probe and three arrests. It also won him the highly respected Sigma Delta Chi Award from the SPJ. He has also been honored with two other New York Emmy Awards, five Edward R. Murrow Regional Awards, and five New York Associated Press Broadcast Awards.

Mr. Conybeare received a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from the University of Michigan and a Master’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from New York University. He currently resides in Eastchester with his wife Janna and their four children.

After ten years of delay, the movement to replace the Tappan Zee Bridge is finally underway under the leadership of Governor Cuomo. The project will build a new bridge that will be safer, transit ready and, in the process, will create over 45,000 jobs. Representatives of the Governor’s office are presenting plans to local communities to receive feedback on the project. Mr. Conybeare’s appointment will help further the dialogue and feedback between the Governor, local business representatives and residents of the Hudson Valley community.

MTA Extends Ticket Life

Posted on July 24, 2012 by John Bailey

WPCNR COMMUTERCATOR. From the MTA. July 24, 2012:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is set to extend the validity of one-way and round-trip tickets on the commuter railroads from two weeks to two months. The refund period for those tickets is being extended from one month to two months. Ten-trip tickets will remain valid for six months. The period during which a ten-trip ticket is refundable is being lengthened to match its validity.

A $10 refund processing fee will remain in effect to recoup some of the administrative expenses of issuing and mailing checks.

The MTA anticipates that this change in the validity period will mean an annual loss of about $6 million in revenue to Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Rail Road.

In December 2010 the MTA abbreviated the validity periods to reduce revenue loss from uncollected tickets and imposed a refund fee of $10 to partially cover the actual cost of processing the refund.

These policies generated numerous complaints from customers and elected officials. In response, the MTA has agreed to increase the validity on one-way and round-trip tickets.

These changes were presented to committees of the MTA board at their July 23 meeting. They take effect September 4, 2012.

Penn State Gets Life. NCAA Hits them in the Money where it Counts.

Posted on July 23, 2012 by John Bailey

WPCNR VIEW FROM THE UPPER DECK. By Bull Allen. July 23, 2012:

Well the NCAA made up just a little for the lifetime of hurt and psychological damage to children allowed to continue for years by the gutless, inexcusable, disgraceful behavior of the pathetic men who ran of the Pennsylvania State University the last 15 years. They gave them a life sentence. Not the death penalty.

The decision: a $60 Million fine; no bowl game appearances for four years, probation for 5 years, loss of 20 scholarships a year for four years, and stripping the late football Head Coach and his teams of 111 victories, effectively destroying the coach’s legacy forever. The former coach who put the success of the football program above the welfare of children and kept the offending molester on his staff, even after being told of the abuse. I can’t really figure that out, can you?

The fine really hurts.

It hurts not just the football program – but the school itself and its ability to run other athletic programs and academic programs. It will hurt students and possibly mean a raise in tuition.

It may also, if the quality of football deteriorates, wreck the program slowly. The NCAA is allowing all present Penn State players to transfer to other schools to play in September, if they wish. Any football player with talent will get out and go elsewhere.

The loss of 20 scholarships a year dooms the talent attraction tools. It will be eight years before the program recovers, if at all.

Who wants to go to a school if you can’t go to bowl to showcase for the NFL?

As the revenue from football drops, the school’s athletic programs will become mediocre. It is a life sentence, not a death penalty.

I applaud this decision by the NCAA, because no school wants to pay a $60 Million fine. Perhaps it should have been more, though.

But, perhaps those loyal Penn State alumni who loved the former head coach so much will step up and pay the $60 Million fine. They should. Who will write the first check?

Mark Emmert the President of the NCAA, an organization long criticized for its loosey-goosey approach to disciplining big time schools, has set a new tone with this punishment.

Universities that are tolerating abusers of any sort, in any sport have been put on notice they had better turn out the perverts, if, of course, there are any. Hopefully the Penn State assistant coach who disgraced his employer with condonance by the head coach, is the the only one.

Penn State said they would not appeal the sanctions.

How big of them. I expect the alumni fund drive to begin with a big football dinner shortly.

The entire staff of the football program needs to go.

How could those people work with this horrendous person the last 12 years? How could that head coach keep such a monster on his staff? How could they? How could he?

How can the present administration keep that staff in place?

In an ironic footnote, the decision was inexcusably leaked to the press Sunday by the press.

They ran with it.

Yes, the same inexcusable see-no-evil, hear-no-evil, do-no-evil press that saw no evil going on for oh…maybe 15 years in the Penn State football locker room while a child molestor was molesting children in Penn State facilities. And no one in the press picked that up? They could not tell this was going on? Journalism failed on this one. It would have taken guts to tell the story, and you would have needed a source to go on the record…always hard to find.