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 COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the  Westchester County Department of Communications. July 27, 2011 (EDITED):

Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino in an attempt at damage control over county credit being give a “Negative Outlook” by Moody’s Investors Service issued this news release:

In recognition of Westchester County’s prudent management, all three rating agencies in the past week have reaffirmed the county government’s AAA bond ratings, Astorino announced. 

            “This is an important accomplishment for us,” said Astorino. “The reaffirmation is a recognition that Westchester County is being well managed as it works through a difficult economic environment. We are making tough but smart choices to reduce our workforce and cut spending, while continuing to provide essential services. In practical terms, having three AAA ratings means that our costs when we borrow are kept as low as possible.”

            However, Astorino noted that one of the agencies, Moody’s Investors Service, qualified its rating by putting the county government on a “negative” outlook, based on what it said was too much use of reserve funds to balance its budget. The two other rating agencies, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Reports, maintained the county government on a “stable” outlook.

            Astorino added that Moody’s has also made it clear in a separate report that what happens to the federal government, as Congress deals with the debt ceiling, could have implications on Westchester County.  If  the federal government is downgraded, Westchester is one of the 440 AAA-rated local governments that Moody’s says is “indirectly linked” to the federal government and could be downgraded as well.  

            Westchester County currently has a general reserve fund of about $160 million, down from $201 million in 2006. Rating agencies generally want a reserve fund balance to be about 5 percent of expenditures, a criteria Westchester County government currently meets.

“Moody’s warning is significant and cannot be ignored,” Astorino noted.”At budget time last year, I warned the Board of Legislators that they were on shaky financial ground when they dipped into our reserve fund to restore spending cuts that I had proposed. In my State of the County message last April, I said that the county was ‘fortunate but fragile.’ As the legislators look ahead to the 2012 budget, I hope they will heed this warning.”

            Here are highlights of the rating agency reports:

·        Standard & Poors: The AAA rating reflected what S&P said was  “maintenance of a strong financial position, despite the recent drawdown of reserves and low-to-moderate overall debt burdens with rapid amortization.” The agency noted that the county had made workforce reductions and had consolidated some departments to reduce costs. “The primary strengths are the county’s comprehensive budget planning and monitoring policies,” the report stated. The report further stated: “The stable outlook reflects our expectation the county will continue to control expenditures in light of the recently passed New York State property tax cap legislation, and maintain its solid financial position  and reserves.” 

·        Moody’s : The agency said the county has a large and diverse tax base and  a strong socio-economic profile, but noted that there will be continued pressure on operations due to the “narrowing” of the reserve and a dependence on “economically sensitive” revenues such as state aid and sales tax and hotel tax. On a positive note, Moody’s said the county’s debt load was “manageable,” and credited the county with recently shedding its obligations to guarantee the debt of the Westchester Medical Center.

·        Fitch: Fitch Ratings cited the county’s fiscal discipline and modest debt levels as key contributing factors to the high rating and “stable” outlook. Fitch said the county’s “active management of expenses” and a “…demonstrated willingness to reduce expenditures to moderate larger budget gaps and budget conservatively” have helped Westchester County to maintain a strong credit profile.

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WPCNR WATER WATCH. From the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. (EDITED) July 26, 2011:

Current health advisories remain unchanged since yesterday’s DEP decision to close Midland and South Beach, and Cedar Grove Beach in Staten Island, and Sea Gate in Brooklyn.

 DEP is still working around the clock to stabilize the operations that have been restored and is putting affected systems  at the 135th Street/12 Avenue plant back in working order. Of the plant’s five engines used to pump wastewater into the facility, only two engines need to be operating during dry weather to handle the wastewater flow into the plant.

The wastewater that is being processed is receiving primary treatment and chlorine disinfection, which are the key components of the sewage treatment process needed protect public health. DEP is making progress restarting a third engine at the plant, which will provide redundancy during dry weather and add additional capacity during storms.

Signs have been placed at the beach entrances to alert the public to the closure. The four beaches will remain closed for swimming and bathing until the Health Department has made a determination that it is safe to swim. The decision to close these beaches was based on a review of both water flow through the harbor and an evaluation of actual water samples taken at the shoreline.

Alternative beaches, such as Coney Island Beach, Rockaway Beach, Orchard Beach, Manhattan Beach and Wolfe’s Pond Beach, remain open and unaffected based on current water quality modeling and sampling. Fifty-four outdoor pools are open for swimming as well. Call 311 to find the pool nearest to you.

Beaches and status changes will be available to the public through website postings at the City’s beach website www.nyc.gov/health/beach, at www.nyc.gov under NYC Right to Know, and at www.nyc.gov/health, the City Information Hotline 311, and those who have signed up to Notify NYC will receive up to date status information relating to public beaches via Twitter, RSS, email and SMS.

In the event of rainfall that would trigger a wet weather advisory, the Health Department will issue standard wet weather advisories for public beaches through 311, Notify NYC and its Web page. Descriptions of wet weather advisories can be found at http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/beach/beach_adv.shtml#wetweather.

The city Parks Department is restricting access to the river at the 79^th Street Boat Basin and has placed signs prohibiting kayaking, canoeing and other recreational activities from all city boat launch sites along the Hudson River and other appropriate sites. The Hudson River Park Trust as well as the Battery Park City Authority also installed similar signs at sites under their jurisdiction. During the initial incident, the New York City Police Department Harbor Unit patrolled near the plant to ensure boaters kept a proper distance.

DEP and the Health Department continue to take samples in the harbor and at permitted beaches that could potentially be impacted. For the most up-to-date information, go to the NYC Health website at www.nyc.gov/health, the DEP website at www.nyc.gov/dep, or call 311. Individuals can also receive proactive alerts by signing up through 311 for Notify NYC, the city’s official source for information about emergency events and important city services. Riverbank State Park, located atop the treatment plant, is open. Westchester County and New Jersey DEP are also performing water sampling and water flow modeling to determine any impacts on their rivers and beaches.

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WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. From the Office of  Robert Castelli. July 22, 2011:

Assemblyman Robert J. Castelli today joined veteran White Plains Reporter John Bailey and Guest Commentator, Westchester Guardian reporter and long time White Plains resident Nancy King for a special taping of the White Plains Week program to discuss many of the issues facing the City of White Plains, and the 2011 legislative session in Albany. 

During the July 22^nd taping, which taped two shows that will air this evening and around Labor Day, Assemblyman Castelli presented Bailey with an official Assembly proclamation recognizing the show’s milestone achievements of 500 episodes over ten seasons.

“It is a rare honor for me to be able to recognize those public affairs programs which make invaluable contributions toward informing and educating the citizenry of this great State and thereby enhancing the quality of its government of, by and for the people,” Castelli said.

 “After ten years, White Plains Week continues to bring insight and intelligence to its audience ‘from Ann Arbor to Zagreb,’ shedding light on White Plains, as the hosts unravel its most intricate complexities. I am fully confident that they will continue to do so over the next decade. Every citizen in White Plains has most certainly benefited, in one way or another, from that intelligence and insight which White Plains Week brings to its audience.”

 White Plains Week is a weekly news round-up of news and events in White Plains and beyond. The program features John Bailey, editor and publisher of White Plains CitizeNetReporter www.wpcnr.com; Jim Benerofe, editor and publisher of suburbanstreet.com and whiteplains.com; and, award-winning journalist Peter Katz, formerly with ABC News and WFAS Radio among others.  

“John Bailey, Jim Benerofe, Peter Katz, Alex Phillipidis,  and all the cast and crew of White Plains Week throughout the years have distinguished themselves in their profession over the last decade,” Castelli said.

“Their talent, wit, charm, intellect and unique personalities permeate all they do. Those seeking in-depth and objective coverage of the news that matters need look no further than the White Plains Week team, old school reporters who can be seen worldwide each week delivering their insightful, hard-hitting and direct commentary on the fast-moving news and behind the scenes intrigue in the historic City of White Plains, the birthplace of this great Empire State.”

White Plains Week can be seen every Friday at 7:30 pm and again on Monday at 7:00 pm on Cablevision Channel 76 in Westchester, on Verizon FIOS television throughout Westchester County, as well as online at www.whiteplainsweek.com.

The first half of the Robert Castelli interview may be seen tonight at 7:30 P.M. and later on the internet at www.whiteplainsweek.com

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WPCNR RIVER WATCHER. From the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. (Edited) July 22, 2011:

Millions of gallons of raw sewage continue to pump into the Hudson River from New York City Sewage Treatment Plant after a fire Wednesday knocked out power. The DEP reports power has been restored but cannot estimate when the deluge of effluent will be stopped.

The plant processes 125 Million gallons of raw sewage a day from New York City and a good portion of that is pumping semi-treated into the Hudson. The DEP says:

“Based on recommendations from NYC Health, — the Hudson River, the East River from the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge to Verrazano Bridge, the Harlem River and the Kill Van Kull (Staten Island)  to the Goethals Bridge will not be fit for recreational activities such as swimming, canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing or any other water activity that would entail possible direct contact now through at least Sunday.

Also, consuming fish caught from these areas is not recommended for anyone until the pollution advisory is resolved. It is recommended that individuals catch and release fish back into the water.

The Westchester County Health Department made this announcement Thursday afternoon:

The Westchester County Department of Health is notifying residents to avoid direct contact with the Hudson River along Westchester County now throughout the weekend.

At 4 P.M. Thursday, a County Health Department spokesperson told WPCNR there is no indication yet the effluent has reached Westchester Hudson River shores. She said the county department of Health expected to begin testing Hudson River waters for sewage levels but could not say when that would begin.

Here is what the DEP has done so far to treat and stop the massive leak:

Overview of Incident

The North River Wastewater Treatment Plant (at 135th Street and 12th Avenue) was taken offline Wednesday afternoon following a four-alarm fire in the engine room that started at approximately 11:45 am. At approximately 5:15 pm yesterday, untreated wastewater started to be directly discharged into the Hudson River and continues at this time as the plant remains offline.

The North River plant has been in operation since 1986 and treats on average 120 million gallons of wastewater a day from Manhattan’s west side above Bank Street and northern Manhattan.
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Status of Plant Operations–POWER BACK.

DEP is working as quickly as possible to get the plant operational. DEP staff and contractors are inside the facility repairing equipment, assessing damage, and performing cleanup activities.

The plant has been re-energized, which is the first step toward bringing it back online.

The estimated time to bring the plant back online is still undetermined.

DIVERSION TO WARDS ISLAND–CHLORINE TREATMENT ON OUTFLOW

In order to minimize the discharge of wastewater from the plant, DEP is performing some small “pump arounds”—pumping wastewater flow out of an 84-inch sewer at West 117th St. in Manhattan that normally flows to the plant and pumping into a 42-inch sewer at Frederick Douglass Boulevard and 117th, which flows to the Wards Island Wastewater Treatment Plant. DEP is also applying chlorine to some sewer outfalls near the plant to reduce the bacteria in the untreated wastewater discharges.

Environmental, Health and Community Impacts

The New York City Health Department has issued beach pollution advisories for the following locations to take effect Friday, July 22, at 10 am through Monday, July 25:

• South Beach in Staten Island
  
• Midland Beach in Staten Island
  
• Cedar Grove Beach in Staten Island
  
• Sea Gate in Brooklyn

Water quality modeling indicates that these beaches have been potentially impacted by the untreated sewer discharges from the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant. Though the beaches are not closed, the New York City Department of Health does not recommend swimming and bathing until this advisory is lifted, especially for people with underlying medical conditions, or young or elderly people who may be more likely to get sick if beach water is swallowed. Signs will be placed at the beach entrances to alert the public of the risk.

Alternative beaches, such as Coney Island Beach, Rockaway Beach, Orchard Beach, Manhattan Beach and Wolfe’s Pond Beach, remain open and unaffected based on current water quality modeling. Fifty four outdoor pools are open for swimming as well. Call 311 to find the pool nearest to you.

The New York City Police Department Harbor Unit will be patrolling near the plant to ensure boaters keep a proper distance. The city Parks Department is restricting access to the river at the 79th Street Boat Basin and placing signs prohibiting kayaking, canoeing and other recreational activities from all city boat launch sites along the Hudson River and other appropriate sites. The Hudson River Park Trust as well as the Battery Park City Authority are also installing similar signs at sites under their jurisdiction.

DEP and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene continue to take samples in the harbor and at permitted beaches that could potentially be impacted. For the most up-to-date information, go to the NYC Health website at www.nyc.gov/health, www.nyc.gov/dep, or call 311. Individuals can also receive proactive alerts by signing up through 311 for Notify NYC, the city’s official source for information about emergency events and important city services. Riverbank State Park, located atop the treatment plant, remains closed until further notice. Westchester County and New Jersey DEP are also performing water sampling and water flow modeling to determine any impacts on their rivers and beaches.

DEP will continue to provide routine updates on the status of the plant’s operations and public health impacts in collaboration with the Health Department.