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WPCNR’S THE REAL DEAL By The Wedding Jeannie, Jeannie Uyanik of Cap and Gown Weddings, New York, June 14, 2008: When inviting friends and family to share in a special celebration or occasion, should it involve travel on the guests’ part, even in the age of priceline.com and thousands of miles and points, there are a few rules that every host should follow. This column explores how to arrange travel to an event for out of town guests, and provides two suggested itineraries of things to do between when they arrive and “the event!”
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No matter how lavish or how small the event, if you have more than 10 people coming in from out of town, it’s important to make sure that there is space for them to stay. Take the time to check out hotels (and the actual rooms) in close proximity to the location of the party. Set up an official block or group rate with the group sales team and notify guests about the rate.
Most importantly, boldly point out if there is an expiration of that rate (this is crucial because the majority of rates expire the month before the check in date and most guests call in the month before an event). Ideally, it’s always prudent to arrange two levels of hotels should the number of guest coming warrant it. Ideally, the differential between the two hotels should be $80-100 per night per room to allow for a wide range of guests to feel that their needs have been met.
If you have the means, arrange for a lovely welcome basket or at the very least, a check in letter. You can get as creative as you would like with the welcome letter and it’s a wonderful opportunity to help guests find their way around or give them a breakdown of the weekend’s festivities. Here are two examples of
Three proposed itineraries to enjoy your time in the city.
1) History and Home Cooking in
For more information, check-out:
Amy Ruth’s: www.amyruthsrestaurant.com
2) Boats, Bridges and the City’s Best Pizza in Brooklyn
For more information, check-out:
Grimaldi’s Pizza: www.grimaldis.com/brooklyn.htm
3) Brunch, Biking and Boating in
It’s no secret that Central Park is the jewel of
For more information, check out:
Rue 57: www.rue57.com
The second letter is an example of how you can fill your guest’s days with multiple activities.
Welcome to
In addition, here are some of our favorite places to eat, see and explore while in NYC:
PLACES TO EAT:
Sarge’s Deli – Traditional NYC Deli
548
Wu Liang Ye – Chinese
Yama 49 – Japanese/Sushi
Piccolo Angolo – Italian
Sarabeth’s – The “ladies who lunch” crowd
40
Serendipity 3 – The famous frozen hot chocolate place
Dylan’s
PLACES TO
The Frick Collection
Take Metro North railroad from Grand Central to the Botanical Gardens stop, about a 20 minute ride. The gardens are beautiful, and the Chihuly exhibit (closes October 29th) is lovely.
SHOPPING!
Fancy Schmancy
Walk west from the hotel to Madison Avenue or
Downtown Chic
Head downtown to
The
CLASSIC NYC SIGHTS:
For same-day discounted theater tickets, visit the TKTS booth, located in the Marriott Marquis.
Walk uptown to
GETTING AROUND:
Subway – You are right near the
Weisz Sells Harrison Court Med Center — Largest 2008 Comrcl Prop Sale in Cty
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WPCNR REAL ESTATE REPORT. From Cushman & Wakefield. June 13, 2008 (Edited): RPW Group, the firm owned by the well-known White Plains renovator of commercial office properties, Robert Weisz, and Cushman & Wakefield today announced the completion of the sale of Harrison Court Medical Center, a five-building complex located at 220, 222, 226, 230, and 244 Westchester Avenue in Harrison, NY. RPW Group sold the 189,197 square-foot property to Pro Med Properties for $53.3 million. The transaction is the largest commercial property sale year-to-date in Westchester County.
Built between 1967 and 1983, Harrison Court Medical Center is situated on 14.3 acres and located on the perimeter of downtown White Plains. There is also a pad site with the approval to build a 71,854 square-foot, four-story building located at 250 Westchester Avenue (adjacent to 244 Westchester Avenue).
“The final results of the sale demonstrate the fact that pricing is still moving upward for good quality assets,” said Robert Weisz, president of RPW Group. “In a real estate market where there is simply not an abundance of product available for purchase, the offering drew strong interest from the investment community.”
Andrew Merin, vice chairman, and Gary Gabriel, executive vice president, of Cushman & Wakefield’s Capital Markets Group, together with Glenn Walsh, senior director and Tom O’Leary, senior director, in Cushman & Wakefield’s Westchester/Fairfield County region represented the seller and procured the purchaser.
“It is extremely gratifying to execute on behalf of our valued long term client in the midst of a challenging market for investment property sales,” said Mr. Merin.
“This sale process demonstrated strong investor demand for well located medical office buildings in the post credit crunch environment,” said Mr. Gabriel. “RPW successfully repositioned the park and brought it up to full occupancy, while the acquisition enabled Pro Med to meaningfully expand its footprint in the suburban tri-state area.”
Collectively 97% occupied, the buildings range from a multi-tenanted four-story building to a single story, single-tenant building. Each building is unique which adds to the attractiveness of the offices for doctors and their patients, such as 220 Westchester Avenue with individual entrances for each of its six tenants.
The property offers frontage on I-287 and is located across from a 276 bed division of one of the region’s largest hospital systems, the New York Presbyterian/Cornell Medical Center. In addition, the site is two miles from the White Plains Hospital Center with 292 beds.
Hockley Ops Seek Signatures to Oust Dem Distrt Ldrs to Secure Hockley Mayor Bid
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WPCNR BACKROOM BULLETIN. By John F. Bailey. June 12, 2008: WPCNR has learned and Democratic leaders confirmed today that there is revolution in the air in the White Plains Democratic Party.
Councilman Glen Hockley speaking at Flag Day Thursday morning in White Plains, a city celebration which he helped inaugurate.
Supporters of Councilman Glen Hockley are fanning out across the city, carrying petitions door to door in an effort to sign up enough registered Democratic voters in White Plains 43 Districts so that a new cadre of district leaders supporting Mr. Hockley can unseat the current district leaders.
The effort WPCNR has learned, is an organized strategy by Councilman Glen Hockley to orchestrate his being nominated for Mayor to run on the Democratic ticket in the fall of 2009.
WPCNR was informed of this today by a district leader who became aware one of the Hockley supporters carrying a petition seeking to challenge their district leadership position. A highly placed member of the Democratic City Committee told WPCNR he was aware of the Hockley campaign, but did not know the extent of it.
The district leader who informed WPCNR, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strategy is for Mr. Hockley supporters to gather enough signatures to unseat current district leaders in enough “weighted” districts to sway the nomination for Mayor to Mr. Hockley next spring.
Cracking the Lineup, Securing “Delegates”
With Mayor Joseph Delfino possibly not running in 2009, the lineup of Democratic personalities to take his job (and nomination assures election in Democrat-heavy White Plains), is long: Councilpersons Benjamin Boykin, Rita Malmud and Dennis Power are ready to go. Bill Ryan, despite current public relations problems, could go. Assemblyman Adam Bradley could decide to run. The only name not on Democrats’ leaders lips is that of Mr. Hockley.
New district leaders favorable to him would assure Mr. Hockley of either being renominated for Common Council in 2009 or ultimately, the Mayor position, and make him a player rather than a discard like Mr. Bernstein was in the spring of 2007.
The more populated districts in White Plains are being targeted by the Hockley Intitiative. In 2001, the late Councilman Robert Greer, denied the Mayoral nomination by the party nominating committee which recommended Bill Ryan to district leaders, was able to win the nomination on the floor by secret ballot over the chosen nominee, Bill Ryan, by winning the more populated districts to his side.
WPCNR attempted to reach Mr. Hockley to confirm this Hockley grass roots effort, but was unable to leave a message.
As WPCNR’s source explains it, on the floor of the Party caucus next September, when district leaders are elected, anyone living in a district, a registered Democrat, who has the amount of petition signatures more than the present District leader can win that leadership position by presenting the petitions.
Disillusioned with District Leadership in Spring 2007
District leaders fell in line behind party leadership, much to the unhappiness of challengers for Common Council seats last year. Claire Eisenstadt, Don Hughes, Robert Levine, and Robert Stackpole challenged the party nominees for Common Council: Milagros Lecouna, Benjamin Boykin and Dennis Power.
Despite being told by District Leaders that the district leaders supported them, the actual floor vote fell in line overwhelmingly for the party line nominees: Boykin, Lecouna and Power. Incumbent Arnold Bernstein denied renomination for a seat he was elected to, challenged in the Democrat primary only to lose. Mr. Stackpole and Mr. Levine elected to challenge the party trio of Boykin, Lecouna and Power in the November general council 2007 election and lost.
Preempting a Preemption
Our armchair analyst of the Democratic Party sees that Councilman Hockley – who has for months incurred the wrath of party leadership for his support of Mayor Joseph Delfino positions, as did Mr. Bernstein – sees he has no possibility of winning the Mayoral nomination unless he can take over the party leadership. His strategy is to change the leadership district by district. Our source notes that the Hockley Initiative has about three months to make their play.
Our source dismisses the possibility of Mr. Hockley changing parties and running on the Republican ticket : “He knows his only chance is to change the leadership of the party.”
City Seeks Budget Director:Inquire at City Hall. Structure, Reporting Sketchy
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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. June 11, 2008 UPDATED JUNE 12, 2008 5:25 P.M. E.D.T.: The City of White Plains is advertising for a Budget Director, a position that has been vacant since June 2, 2006, when Anne Reasoner left the position and later took the position as Depurty Budget Director (in August, 2006)and then became Budget Director with the County of Westchester in the Andrew Spano administration. The advertisement appeared June 4, 8 days ago on the government employment website of the New York State Government Financial Officers Association.
In a statement to WPCNR, the Mayor’s spokesperson, Melissa Lopez confirmed the search was on, but whom any new Budget Director would report to, should they be hired, has not been determined. Ms. Lopez wrote: “As for the budget director, no decision has been made on the structure of the department yet. We are testing the waters to see if anyone qualifies. “
Asked if Gina Cuneo-Harwood, the Commissioner of Finance was leaving the city, Ms. Lopez said “No, absolutely not.”
The advertisement does not indicate whom the Budget Director will report to. The last two years, Gina Cuneo-Harwood, the City Commissioner of Finance and currently Chief Financial Officer has prepared the budget. Previously the city has taken the position that they would attempt to consolidate services in the interest of saving money, but had not made a firm decision to abolish the budget department. The current 2008-2009 City Budget passed by the Common Council May 27, states that the Budget Director is to be paid $130,396.
The advertisement reads:
BUDGET DIRECTOR, City of White Plains, New York
The City of White Plains is currently seeking an experienced Budget Director to direct
the preparation, execution, and control of the City’
s Budget (all funds) and six yearCapital Improvement Program. The City’
s operating budget is in excess of $161million. Must also be knowledgeable of grant accounting, GAAP, and special revenue
funds. Incumbent provides budgetary guidance to the Mayor and Common Council, is
responsible for the allocation and expenditure of funds, and formulates long and short
term budgetary policies. Position requires interaction with department heads, elected
officials and members of the public. Knowledge of GFOA best practices, distinguished
budget award criteria, and performance based budgeting a plus.
Appointment to this position is made by the Mayor, subject to confirmation by the
Common Council. Requires: BA or MA in business or public administration, political
science, accounting, economics or related financial field, and six (6) years experience in
public budget management or governmental finance at the supervisory or administrative
level. Salary DOQ. Send Resume to: Elisabeth Wallace, Personnel Officer, City of
White Plains. 255 Main Street, White Plains, New York 10601
County Studying Bus Rapid Transit Feasibility on Central Ave.
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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Westchester County Department of Communications. June 11, 2008: The Westchester County Department of Transportation is conducting a study to determine whether a high capacity rapid transit system could run along one of the county’s major commercial strips extending from
“With gas well over $4 a gallon, improving transit service is critical to giving people more feasible travel options,” said County Executive Andy Spano. (Pictured above is a Bus Rapid Transit System station in Bogota, Columbia)
A public open house will be held that will consist of informal discussions and viewing of project presentation boards from 5:30 to 8 pm, and a formal project presentation at 6 pm at the Will Library in Yonkers Monday.
It is intended to show residents how BRT components can speed up bus service on
“Enhancing the Bee-Line system to encourage more people to ride the bus will reduce the number of cars on the road and cut down on greenhouse gases – an important piece of the county’s Global Warming Action Plan,” said Transportation Commissioner Lawrence C. Salley.
From 2003 to 2007, the number of local bus riders on Central Avenue increased by more than 20 percent, mainly due to the introduction of MetroCard, opening of Empire City at Yonkers Raceway and the development of downtown
The open house will be conducted at the Will Library, which is located at
WP and PC High Seniors Named for Sonny Katz Scholarships
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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From Westco Productions. June 10, 2008: Seniors from Michelle Altmann, Port Chester High School, 2008
The recipients, Deborah Villalba of
The scholarship fund is named in honor of the late
Members of the community are invited to attend the event. Tickets are $50, and can be obtained by contacting Westco Productions at (914) 761-7463. Proceeds benefit the scholarship fund, and are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Michelle Altmann is graduating from
Deborah Villalba is an honors student at
Scholarship fund co-chairs are Westco Board of Directors members Sarina Russell and William Van Vlack.
The awards will be presented by last year’s winners, Kirsten Smayda and Helen Hess, both
District Nails Down 4.31% Interest Rate on 1st $50 Million of Capital Project.
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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. June 10, 2008: Fred Seiler, Assistant Superintendent for Business for the White Plains City School District announced last evening that the school district has locked in a 4.31% interest rate on the first $50 Million of construction bonds to pay for the new Post Road School, and the Mamaroneck Avenue School renovations.
Seiler told WPCNR the interest rate originally estimated was 5%, so the district will realize a modest savings on the debt service associated with the bonds in the 2008-2009 school budget ( estimated as $1,573,005 Million in January, 2008), but he has not figured out precisely the saving. (The district begins paying the principle and interest on the first $50 Million of the bond in the 2008-2009 year) Seiler said the interest rate is locked in with the bidders.
Seiler says that the district will offer the final $16 Million in bonds in the 2009-2010 year, where the district may be forced into higher interest rates. By putting the first $50 Million out for bids this spring, the school district appears to have had excellent timing and saved money. (The Federal Reserve Bank is reported today as announcing a higher prime rate to take effect in August). Seiler explained the delay in the $16 Million going out to market, by reporting that the state prohibits districts from financing projects that have not begun yet.
Seiler reported the new Post Road School project was having foundations poured at the present time, and was on schedule to open in the fall of 2009.
7 Lost Power in WP Monday Night. Power Back on in Hours.
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WPCNR THE POWER NEWS. June 10, 2008: A spokesperson for Con Edison today reported 7 White Plains residents were without power for a few hours Monday evening, but had power fully restored in a few hours. The spokesperson for Con Edison, Chris Olert, noted that the company ability to weather the relentless demand for power caused by the 95 degree heat Monday was helped in part due to the company’s investment in infrastructure last year and the installation of a new substation in Yonkers. As of this morning at 10:30 A.M., Olert reported no outages in White Plains. Currently as of 11:15 A.M. the temperature outside of WPCNR White Plains news studios, the temperature is 90 degrees in the shade.
Fed Contractor?Must Verify Legality of a Prospective Employee? E-Verify Required
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WPCNR THE IMMIGRANT NEWS. June 10, 2008 (From U.S. Department of Homeland Security): The Department of Homeland Security Monday designated E-Verify, operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in partnership with the Social Security Administration, as the electronic employment eligibility verification system that all federal contractors must use as required by Executive Order 12989, as amended. E-Verify is a free Internet-based system that allows enrolled employers to confirm the legal status of new hires within seconds.
“A large part of our success in enforcing the nation’s immigration laws hinges on equipping employers with the tools to determine quickly and effectively if a worker is legal or illegal,” said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. “E-Verify is a proven tool that helps employers immediately verify the legal working status for all new hires.”
Sandra Mastrangelo Awarded 4 Year Scholarship to Brown University
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WPCNR PRESS BOX. June 9, 2008 UPDATED 12 NOON EDT: A news conference held in honor of Sandra Mastrangelo, the all-universe catcher for the White Plains Tigers softball team, announced Ms. Mastrangelo has been awarded a four year full scholarship to Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, where she will continue her distinguished softball career.
Her Coach for the last five years, Ted O’Donnell who has had some great players through his decade as White Plains softball coach, said, “I never had a harder working player than Sandra,” and said, “It’s not a mystery the importance Sanra has played in the team’s success, and still found the time to place 14th in her class.” He predicted her character is so exemplary that she will make an impact in some way on society in the future.
Ms. Mastrangelo is the only scholarship recipient honored with such a news conference this reporter can remember as having prepared written remarks to thank the crowd of players, parents, and fans who packed the conference. Attributing her success to hard-work and dedication, she honored her coach, her various mentors at the school with the words, “Your belief in me, has made me believe in myself.”
Sandra and her Mom, Jody
Her fellow captain, Jackie Flooks prepared a “Hall of Fame Plaque” for her speaking eloquently of what she has meant to the team. Dom Sputo, father of Lauren Sputo, praised Ms. Mastrangelo for helping to break his daughter in as pitcher, and mentoring her the first two seasons.
The ” Sandra Mastrangelo Hall of Fame Plaque”– Created by her Softball Team Co-Captain, Jackie Flooks.The Plaque Reads:167 Consecutive Varsity Games & Scrimmages Played; Over 1,170 consecutive innings caught; 4 League Championships; 3 Time Sectional Semi-Finalist; 2 Time Section Finalist; 5 Time All-League; 4 Times All County; 4 Times All-Sectional; 2 Times All-State; 2 Year Captain; Con Edison Award Winner; 9 Times a Scholar-Athlete,(5 in Softball, 3 in Field Hockey, once in Track; 2008 New York State Softball Officials Organization Section 1 Sportsmanship Award; The Best Number 7 in the World.
The Hudson Valley Chapter of the New York State Softball Officials Organization has recognized Ms. Mastrangelo as a special kind of ball player. Jack Lim, the former President of the association, and frequent varsity umpire will be presenting her with a Section 1 Sportsmanship Award on behalf of the umpires.
Ms. Mastrangelo told WPCNR she had always had an affinity for Brown University, and hoped to study in the medical field there. She said the softball team has a new coaching staff, and the team is coming on, saying they see her as either an infield or catching possibility.
For the fans who frequent O’Donnell’s Bluff where fastpitch is played in White Plains, it just won’t be the same without Sandra behind the plate; the bazooka snap throws to first, her flying leaps to grab bloop pops, her ferocious defense of the plate, and her ability to call a game, calm down a pitcher and get that little something extra out of her. Like Frank Chance, “The Peerless Leader” of the old Chicago Cubs, Ms. Mastrangelo makes everyone she plays with better from her own example of hustle, intelligence, and poise in a pinch.