State Ignores Economical Tunnel Methods for Tappan Zee. Bungling Charged

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WPCNR GUEST EDITORIAL. By Alexander Saunders, The North Ring. March 22, 2008:  As we continue to consider the transportation crisis in the New York region (and your very thoughtful article by Mr. Ferlauto certainly gives a good review of the process to date). We should also learn from the experience of others.



 


All around the globe major transportation infrastructure has been recently completed using new technologies not considered in the Tappan Zee study. 


From Caracas to Cairo to Antwerp to Moscow to Kuala Lampur to Shanghai and hundreds of other places along the way, major underground projects have provided transportation without environmental detriment. The Tappan Tunnel would, like these many other projects, allow complete freedom of design and routing to accommodate the many modes of transport, including cars, trucks, rail freight, commuter rail, and high speed rail. Yes, trans can travel at 200 MPH and do, in Europe, Japan and China.


Underground construction requires no real estate takings, has no visual or sound footprint, and the constructin process does not delay ongoing traffic on the existing roads. Underground construction is rapid, reliable, and economical. World-Class projects everywhere are coming in for less than 1/10 of prices mentioned for the Tappan Zee.


Incremental costs per mile for large diameter tunnels have fallen precipitously and are now often as low as $50 Million per mile, or $350 Million to cross the Hudson from Palisades Mall to Elmsford, Exits 12 to 8. Two Tunnels  would be used for a total of $700 Million and would provide 9 lanes of traffic and 2 heavy rail lines. Trucks could be accommodated on rail.


While we have been discussing for over 10 years, (the Tappan Zee problem), if we had moved forward when the Tappan Tunnel was designed in 2002 by Dr. Martin Herrenknecht, the world’s greatest expert in tunneling, (he has hundreds of projects active around the world, we would be driving across the Tappan Zee Tunnel now.  

If we had accepted  the realities of our available money, we could have done the truck on train system using a single bore in one year for approximately $250 Million. This is embarrassingly the same cost that the EIS and redecking projects have come to. It is impossible to price the millions of man hours and gallons of fuel wasted while we have let the world pass us by.


It is even more impossible to price the thousands of people who have sickened from the air pollution on I-287 and I-95 in the past 10 years.

WE MUST MOVE FORWARD AND THE ONLY PLACE TO DO IT IS UNDERGROUND.


(Mr. Saunders represents The North Ring, an organization that has long promoted a beltway system of expressways and tunnels combined to provide efficient bypasses to New England and Long Island around the New York-Connecticut-New Jersey metropolitan area.)

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Cable’s Back! Major Hardware Failure Blacks Out White Plains Cable. Repairs Comp

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WPCNR MEDIA WIRE. March 22, 2008 UPDATED March 24, 2008 UPDATED MARCH 24, 2008, 3 PM EDT:  Jim Kenny, White Plains Public Access Executive Director reports that WPPA-
TV’s server has been repaired. Friday evening’s programming is showing this afternoon on Channel 76, to test the server. Kenny attributed the Friday night blackout to a software problem which, working with the manufacturer of the server today, was corrected.


Jim Kenny, the station’s Executive Director wrote today,  “What happened on Friday is a totally different problem than any previous problem (experienced by the station.)”


White Plains Public Access officials reported to WPCNR Saturday morning that Friday’s blackout of an hour and a half of  programming on Channel 75 and 76 was caused by “a major hardware failure within the playback server.” The regular schedule being in the computer server was unable to be cablecast, the programs being available only on digital files only in the computer server.



Cable server difficulties blacked out programming Friday, Saturday and today on Channel 76 and 75, Verizon FIOS channels 45 and 47.  White Plains Week, the city news roundup show, a popular show shown on Fridays and Monday evenings may be viewed on the internet website, www.whiteplainsweek.com.


Kenny said Friday he and the technicians arrived at the station shortly after the stations went down and worked with technical support personnel, but have been unable to isolate the problem. Kinney said the station is capable of putting up the programming manually.  He hoped to have the component, once identified, isolated and replaced to resume programming normally on Monday.


Sources familiar with the cable studio technical equipment are aware that the plant may be showing signs of strain and incompatibility with the upgrades (which included four different modulators installed in the last year)) they have undergone. The equipment has been made compatible to split signals to  both Cablevision and Verizon FIOS and installation of recent new equipment modifications.


As of Sunday afternoon, Verizon FIOS channels 45 and 47, the public access and government channels were not cablecasting and had a slide up indicating technical difficulties. Channel 46, the White Plains City School District channel on Verizon FIOS was cablecasting, a viewer reports.


The School District Channel on Cablevision Channel 77 was showing typical slide announcements as was Channel 76. Channels 75 was displaying a  message saying due to technical difficulties, cable television was not showing programs this weekend..


 


 

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White Plains Cable Ch. 76 Goes Dark Mysteriously from 7:30 to 9 PM

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WPCNR MEDIA WIRE. March 21, 2008 UPDATED 9:04 PM: White Plains Public Access Television is dark tonight, at least on the Cablevision cablecast on Channel 76,. The evening’s schedule is not being cablecast for unexplained reasons. White Plains Week, the city roundup show was not shown and neither was the program at 8 PM. Only a black screen was visible with no audio. Viewers can, however view tonight’s White Plains Week on the internet at the website www.whiteplainsweek.com.


Continuous monitoring by a WPCNR staffer Friday found regular programming  with audio did not return until 9 PM.  Because the program schedule is cablecast by a computer, the mysterious glitch which has occurred frequently over the last year, which management had reported corrected to WPCNR has returned.

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Pollak Chooses Not to Run Again for School Board.

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. March 21, 2008: William Pollak, a member of the White Plains Board of Education since 2002, (when he was elected  with Marie Valentin, in public response to the Board of Education’s secret ouster of popular Superintendent of Schools Saul Yanofsky, that was not disclosed to the city for six months), has announced to the media he has decided not to run for a third term. Rosemarie Eller whose seat is also expiring has decided to run again for a second three year term. Interested citizens wishing to run for Mr. Pollak’s vacant seat or Ms. Eller’s have until April 30 to file petitions (with 100 signatures) with Michele Schoenfeld, the School District clerk, to get on the May ballot.

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Sonny Katz, Beloved City Marshal, Restauranteur, Raconteur, Showman Departs

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WPCNR Legacies of White Plains. March 21, 2008: Seymour L. “Sonny” Katz, City Marshal of White Plains for more than 37 years, died March 21, 2008, at his home in White Plains. He was 86 years old, and remained active in his municipal position.

 


Sonny Katz


1921-2008


 

Seymour L. “Sonny” Katz, City Marshal of White Plains for more than 37 years, died March 21, 2008, at his home in White Plains. He was 86 years old, and remained active in his municipal position.
 

Mr. Katz was born on June 11, 1921, in Port Chester, NY, son of Joseph and Dora Katz. He attended public school in Port Chester and was a graduate of Port Chester High School.

 

He served in World War II as a staff sergeant in the Army Air Corps. He was sent to the Pacific Theater of war, including the Philippines and, at the conclusion of the war, Japan. Although one of his assigned tasks was as an aircraft gunner, he most enjoyed his role as a performer for the troops, singing with an Army “big band.”

 

Sonny married Constance of White Plains and they had four children: Susan; Michael; Ronnie; and, Debbie.

 

With his wife and father-in-law, Sonny operated Harry’s Luncheonette on Main St., in White Plains for many years. Sonny also was employed at Yonkers Raceway.

 

In the time when the cold war still was an international issue, Sonny assumed a position with the Department of Civil Defense and Emergency Planning for the City of White Plains. He subsequently was appointed as City Marshal, and served in that position during the administrations of eight Mayors.

 

Sonny previously served on the Board of Directors of the Hebrew Institute.

 

He was a founding member of the Board of Directors of Westco Productions, the non-profit professional theater company based in White Plains. The Sonny Katz Scholarship Fund, named in his honor by Westco, has been providing scholarship funds to assist high school graduates from White Plains and Port Chester with their college studies of the performing arts.  

 

Sonny is survived by his wife Constance, all four of his children, six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

 

The funeral will be held Monday, March 24 at 10 A.M. at The Hebrew Institute of White Plains, 20 Greenridge Avenue.

 

Donations may be made in memory of Sonny to Westco Productions’ Sonny Katz Scholarship Fund, or The Hebrew Institute of White Plains.

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Covering the Obama/Pastor Story

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WPCNR MR. & MRS. & MS. WHITE PLAINS POLL. March 20, 2008: We have had five nights of All-Obama and the Pastor-All the Time coverage on the news networks. Do the viewers of the news feel this story deserves as much coverage as the news networks have been giving it? Indicate your feelings in the new poll at the right.

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The Case for Commuter Rail Along the Tappan Zee Bridge

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WPCNR GUEST EDITORIAL. By Henry Ferlauto. March 20, 2008: In a few short months, one of the most important infrastructure and public works projects of our lifetime for the New York City tri-state region will be decided by a committee of people; most of whom are people we have never net, and will never know their names.  The Tappan Zee Bridge, which directly connects Westchester and Rockland Counties and ties together the entire tri-state area in so many ways, is aging and none too gracefully.  Yes, it’s true; our 50 year old bridge doesn’t look a day over 75.


 



Tappan Zee Bridge from 10,000 feet.



Commuter Rail from Rockland County Across the “New” Tappan Zee from Hudson to Port Chester?



 



Incredibly, the elected leaders of the region at every level of government, most of whom who have made public statements for reducing foreign energy dependence as well as reducing our collective carbon footprint have been largely silent on this very important issue.  I personally find this quite surprising. 


Even more surprising is the lack of public enthusiasm from the construction companies and labor unions as this project would be of tremendous direct benefit to both groups of interest.  But the needs of these two special interest groups pales in comparison to the needs of the masses that simply need to get from “Point A” to “Point B” on a daily basis so they can put food on their table.


 



Every municipality that presently has a railroad station in the Mid-Hudson Valley stands to greatly benefit from “Option 4A,” which in short calls for the full replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge and the construction of approximately 30 miles of commuter railroad from Suffern to Port Chester. 


For those municipalities that are cities such as Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Poughkeepsie, Stamford, White Plains, and Yonkers; a large pool of employees would become newly available to the corporate citizens in those cities that have a presence within them.  It also means those same cities can easily attract more companies to them because they can easily attract the required talent on a daily basis. 


 For the smaller towns in between, their citizens gain new sources of potential employment whereby they can leave their cars at home; and in the process ease the congestion of our over-crowded local streets and major highways as well as reduce our dependency on foreign oil and reduce our emissions of green-house gasses.


Many may say that it is too big in scope and simply too expensive; if not outright crazy.  The project is most certainly large by just about any measure.  But if we look to our past, we will quickly recognize that we have been at a similar crossroads before. 


The Erie Canel Was laughed at, too.


Approximately one hundred ninety years ago, this area, in particular New York City, which was much smaller in terms of the land that was in use at the time; and of course as was its population, was faced with a similar dilemma regarding its future.  A New York governor, very early in to his first of four terms, who also was previously a ten term mayor of New York City by the name of DeWitt Clinton pushed forth a 100+ year old proposal that was by all accounts in that day, utter lunacy. 


 President Thomas Jefferson called the idea, “little short of madness.”  He (Clinton) had the audacity to push that the State of New York spend $5,000,000, quite a hefty sum in those days, to essentially dig what amounted to a 363 mile ditch from Albany to Buffalo.  That “ditch” became known as the Erie Canal. 


Mr. Clinton’s previous claim to fame was the proposal and construction of “the grid” in New York City, which is how the avenues and cross streets were laid out back in 1811.  It is a structure that has helped Manhattan maintain order during its enormous periods of growth, even to the present day.


Deja Vu All Over Again


The arguments against the construction of the Erie Canal almost mirror the arguments being made today to not build a full commuter railroad across Rockland and Westchester Counties.  It’s too expensive, too massive in scope, and will never yield a return on investment. 


“Clinton’s Ditch,” as it was referred to by those against the project, was actually generating revenue before its completion and most importantly saved New York City by retaining its dominance as the major port on the eastern seaboard.  It also brought great fortunes to the cities that were dotted along the route.  Schenectady, Utica, Rome, Syracuse Rochester and Buffalo all experienced periods of great economic expansion. 


Dream Big


If the State of New York had not had the vision and courage to dream big and work hard, we would have ceded our leadership as the premier port in North America to New Orleans.  This is because until the construction of the Erie Canal, the only way to easily get goods past the Appalachian Mountains was to sail all way around the tip of Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico to the port of New Orleans to ship goods up the Mississippi River.  The investment of our ancestors paid off in spades; and paid off for all New Yorkers.   


Moving Human Capital Today


Fast forward to the present day.  Our most valuable resource is now human capital.  The literal moving of minds should be our highest priority.  Very simply put, the easier it is to transport human beings from one place to the other; the better off the entire tri-state region will be as a whole.                                   


At the risk of using a double-negative, I would argue that the tri-state area cannot afford to not embark on such a construction endeavor.  Our roads are overly congested, in particular I-287, I-95 and Route 9A.  The cost of widening those roads would pale in comparison to constructing a 30 mile rail line connecting a total of 5 north / south rail arteries to create a “grid” of rail lines for the entire region.


This one project is comprised of the two great ideas from our past brought forth by DeWitt Clinton that laid the groundwork for economic expansion in New York for well over 100 years.  It transports our most valuable resources with much greater efficiency and creates a grid of routes for such transport.


The Justification of Cost


From the perspective of pure direct cost to New York State, Option 4A may actually cost New Yorkers less than the others, even though in total it costs more.  Here’s why:  With Option 4A, the states of New Jersey and Connecticut get pulled directly into the equation.  They will have a much greater interest in the project’s success.  Both the other states would gain the same way New Yorkers would.  The cities would have access to a greater population pool and the smaller towns in between do not need to flood their roads with drivers. 


This means there will be far more influence with the United States Congress to allocate Federal funds for the project.  Instead of one governor, we would have three.  Instead of two senators, we would have six.  Our Representatives in The House would also be much greater in number.  No one is going to swing for the proverbial fences for extra funding for glorified buses that no one would ever want to take.  Rail has proven itself as the preferred method of mass transit for this area and many others over the past 100 years.  And its popularity in recent years has been dramatically on the rise.


The Stewart Factor


The full commuter rail option also lays a large portion of the groundwork for an even greater comprehensive regional transportation infrastructure that we so desperately need.  There is serious consideration for the construction of a rail link to Stewart Airport in Newburgh, which has seen it usage skyrocket in the past year.  920,000 passengers utilized Stewart in 2007, over triple the figure of 300,000 in 2006.  This strategic plan would give a mass transit option to another major airport and ease the congestion at LaGuardia Airport as well as the roadways and bridges to it, which is often the mode of choice because LaGuardia Airport has no rail options whatsoever. 


If we as a society are serious about encouraging the use of mass transportation, reducing the congestion of our roadways, reducing our dependency on foreign oil, reducing our carbon footprint and creating an economic foundation to sustain this area for generations to come; then I encourage you to contact all those elected officials whom represent you. 



Tell them we need “4A All The Way.” 



Mr. Clinton would be quite proud.



Henry Ferlauto

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Stewart Triples Fliers-Seeks New Cities. RR Link. Hud Valley Unity Urged

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WPCNR Tappan Zee Times. By John F. Bailey. March 19, 2008: The Port Authority’s  Stewart Airport in Newburgh has  tripled its ridership to its six airlines in one year, serving 900,000 passengers in 2007, compared to 300,000 in 2006. Its success and expansion is a key component of Tappan Zee Bridge restoration project now on target for a decision on the preferred configuration in May, according to the key planner for the Hudson Valley speaking at the Hudson Valley Regional Economic Summit Tuesday


 




 


Stewart  seeks more cargo and passenger business and new routes to the west and Caribbean to attract more ridership from its present airlines, its manager Diane Ehler said today at the Hudson Valley Regional Economic Summit. Ehler said the Port Authority hopes to attract development partners to add amenities to the airport, including parking,  is  repaving ramps to handle heavier planes.  To date, Ehler and her assistant told WPCNR the increased passenger traffic and partial implementation of  new Federal Aviation Administration flight patterns have not resulted in noticeable complaints to the airport.




The blossoming of Stewart Airport as evidence of a resurgence of the Hudson Valley was a dominant theme during the Hudson Valley Regional Economic Summit held Tuesday morning at Rockland Community College, being held to consider the transportation needs of the reason in connection with developing a replacement strategy for the Tappan Zee Bridge.


 



The keynote speaker noted the billions needed the various transit agencies’ spending plans ($33 Billion in financing) and stressed the Hudson Valley Counties had to speak as one voice to government to get their fair share of financing from representatives to finance the Tappan Zee Bridge and West bank and Westchester transporation needs.


 



 


Jonathan Drapkin of Pattern for Progress, the planning consultant employed by the Hudson Valley, called for the nine counties of the Hudson Valley Region, the fastest growing region in New York State,  (Westchester, Rockland, Columbia, Dutchess, Putnam, Ulster, Green, Sullivan, Orange), and business organizations  to form a consortium – the number one priority of 15 objectives he felt the Hudson Valley interests should work towards in preparing the region for the next hundred years.


The consortium, Drapkin said, would present a persuasive voice to press elected representatives for the financial resources needed to fund the renewal of the region’s transportation infrastructure to move more workers into the nine counties, making them more attractive to businesses to relocate there.


Drapkin compared various agencies needs for funding to accomplish their growth plans, and suggested that private financing be sought in addition to government and state funds and taxpayers’ dollars. He suggested that a united voice of all 9 counties speaking as one voice to political representatives and private investment had to be delivered strongly in order to attract funding for the projects.


Drapkin outlined demographic trends, showing that the Hudson Valley was the state’s fastest growing region with the most potential for return on investment of federal and state dollars.



Westchester County is the only county with as many commuters coming into the county each day as there are driving out of it. A trend that, Drapkin felt, should be reversed to keep more of the 200,000 who commute out of the Hudson Valley to work in the valley.


 



It was shown that ridership on Metro North was up 6% in two years East of the Hudson and up 13% West of the Hudson. Total ridership 82 Million as opposed to 40 Million in 1983. 



This chart demonstrated that of 1,100,000 workers 16 or over in 2006,  858,526 commuted by car, 71% of them driving alone. A total of 121,074 took a form of Public Transit.


 


He observed that 76% of commuters from Rockland and points West of the Hudson drive alone, and only 21% use public transit. He stressed as his second main point that any solution to the Tappan Zee bridge obsolescence had to be “multi-model” incorporating some form of rapid transit, followed by more parking at train stations, creative “tolling” to control motor traffic and raise funds; development to encourage rapid transit, with the ultimate goal of keeping the 200,000 persons who commute by car out of the Hudson Valley counties every work day to work somewhere else “here” in the county.


 


 



The Big 4 Panel addressed their priorities and took questions from the audience. They were, left to right, Astrid Glenn, Commissioner of the Department of Transportation; Peter Cannito, President Metro North; Michael Fleischer, Executive Director of the NYS Thruway Authority, and Diane Ehler, Director of Stewart Airport for the Port Authority. the Moderator, Mary Ann Crotty is at far right.


 


 



The explosive popularity of the airport is a key reason why Metro North President Peter Cannito said the railroad is upgrading the track bed on its recently acquired Port Jervis line with an eye to connecting with Metro North’s Secaucus station for service to Stewart Airport and commuter service from the West Side of the Hudson in Rockland County to Manhattan.  



The Metro North President noted that Tappan Zee Bus Service averaged 822 Weekday Rides (4,000 a week) in 2007 up 6% in 2007 over 2006. WPCNR observes this is very low compared to the number of persons who commute by car, truck or van.


Cannito reported Metro North is funding a study of developing a “one-seat” link between Secaucus and Stewart Airport. Cannito expressed confidence in a Rockland to Stamford rail link. 


Asked about whether Metro North considered commuter rail viable along the I-287 expressway , he told the CitizeNetReporter  a rail link across Westchester would be financially viable and attract ridership who would benefit from swift, one-seat commuting from the counties west of the Hudson into Manhattan, and across Westchester to Stamford, Connecticut.


At this time, he said, a one-seat linkup by train to LaGuardia and Kennedy Airports  from Rockland and points west was not being considered.  In response to questions on expanding rail freight to relieve the trucking of freight on Hudson Valley highways and the accompanying Carbon dioxide pollution and traffic congestion,  Cannito said he was exploring increasing freight business on the  west bank  Hudson tracks he shares with CSX, and developing businesses in partnership along that West bank trackage to attract increased freight tonnage.


Bridges over Hudson, Harlem, New Haven tracks barrier to increased freight.


He  said expansion of freight on the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines was restricted by the heights of the decades-old bridges across the tracks on the eastern banks of the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven Divisions of his railroad because current freight consists are higher than the freight rolling stock of the last century.  Raising the bridges would be cost prohibitive, he said and take years because most of the bridges were owned by many different jurisdictions. 


He said  he was looking at expanding the Beacon railroad line to Albany to connect to Massachusetts and points east.  Cannito said the railroad did not want to be in the development business, however, increased parking at railroad stations, perhaps in cooperation with developers was definitely needed in order to increase ridership if west bank passenger service and rail linkage to Stewart was to succeed.


Cannito observed that Metro North had doubled its ridership since 1980, and now earned 56% of its cost ($525 Million)  in fares.


Astrid Glynn New York Department of Transportation Commissioner said the DOT is beginning a Rail Study to develop more rail freight in the region  and identify how rail needs to be upgraded and what alternatives might be.  (The present rail study the DOT is working with is 21 years old, she said.)


Little Light on How I-287 MakeOver Would Proceed in  anyTappan Zee Project


Ms. Glynn, asked by WPCNR what David Anderson, the Project Manager for the Tappan Zee Bridge planning process,  had in mind when he said to WPCNR any improvements to the I-287 Cross Westchester Expressway would have to “accommodate” the improvements now underway between the Bronx River Parkway aqueduct and Exit 8, whether this meant the present I-287 could not be built on or would have to be widened on either side, or double-decked, said I needed to get further clarification from Mr. Anderson.



The new improved I-287/ I-87 split off the present Tappan Zee Bridge, believed to take about a decade to build and openened about three years ago and how any new bridge with rail/or bus rapid transit would connect with it is in question.



The much criticised  Exit 8 construction in White Plains which project director says will be accommodated and not “redone”.


Ramesh Mehte, a spokesman for the Department, said it was “too early” to tell how I-287 construction to accommodate the Tappan Zee solution would proceed. “They can engineer anything,” he told WPCNR, “but it has to be done on the right of way (I-287) that’s the only place it can go.”


 



C. Scott Vanderhoef, Rockland County Executive opened the meeting, hosted by Rockland Community College, and commented that “You can talk about all of our economic woes, the cut by the Fed and Bear Stearns, but the ball is not there. The ball for the long term is here: transportation in the Hudson Valley Region. Your vision for what you think is important matters to Ulster, Sullivan, Purchase, Rockland, Dutchess, Westchester, Greene, Columbia  Counties. Unless we have adequate transportation the economic engine will fail.”


 He said unless residents and workers can get from point to point, the Hudson Valley will not have the dollars to  improve economic advancement.  He said it was essential to open up more convenient access to Stewart Airport through rail and to expedite the Tappan Zee Bridge solution. He chided the process for taking so long to date (eight years).


Dr. Cliff L. Wood, President of SUNY Rockland  Community College, told WPCNR that Al Samuels President & CEO of the Rockland Business Association would be reaching out to consolidate and develop the efforts to unite the counties into a consortium.


WPCNR did not notice any representative from Westchester County at the conference, nor any officials from White Plains.


 

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Quarter Per Cent Sales Tax Solution for City Passes Assembly

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WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS.  From Assemblyman Adam Bradley’s Office. (Edited) March 18, 2008: Assemblyman Adam Bradley (D-White Plains) announced the Assembly passed legislation today (A.9679), authorizing the city of White Plains to add a one-quarter percent sales tax that will help curb additional property tax hikes. The legislation was advanced after the Assemblyman convinced city officials to keep the increase to only one quarter, instead of one half percent.


 


Bradley said the quarter per cent sales tax increase still had to be passed by the State Senate, but did not know when this would happen. He said “I expect they will pass it as soon as possible.”


 


Bradley added that the hotel tax measure possibly would be passed in May. Both the sales tax and hotel tax measures are being considered separate from the state budget.


 


 



 


“This legislation will help mitigate city property taxes by shifting more of the burden to the non-resident weekday population of more than 250,000 – individuals who benefit from important public services like police, fire protection and sanitation,” Bradley said.


Bradley pointed out that White Plains:


 


• Will continue to have the lowest sales tax rate of all major cities in Westchester County1;


 


• Is ranked fifth in the state’s annual sales volume;


 


• Records more than $1.3 billion in annual retail sales; and


 


• Is the center of Westchester County’s retail activity. 2


 


“This minimal sales tax increase will go a long way towards helping alleviate high property tax increases on White Plains families, yet it ensures that White Plains maintains a competitive advantage over comparable communities in Westchester by maintaining a lower sales tax rate,” Bradley said.


The quarter per cent is expected to yield $6 Million in new revenues to the city for the 2008-2009 city budget, due at the end of the month.

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Future Tap Zee Corridor Would Be Separate & Accommodate Present I-287 Project

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WPCNR Tappan Zee Times. By John F. Bailey. March 17, 2008: The new Cross Westchester Expressway construction between the Bronx River Parkway and Harrison currently in process is not going to be the infrastructure for any future East-West super transit bus/highway/rail corridor in the Tappan Zee Bridge-I-287 redesign currently under consideration. Any new construction would have to be built separately and accommodate it, the Tappan Zee project director told WPCNR today.



The Current I-287 White Plains Corridor Construction Project: Any new Tappan Zee 287 Corridor would “accommodate it.”



The Tappan Zee Bridge, I-287 Corridor Project Director, Michael Anderson, told WPCNR whatever the final decision is on a  combination of bridge design, bus, rail or highway  corridors is best to ready the aging Tappan Zee-I-287 corridor for the rest of the 21st century, it will be designed independent of the construction now being executed  (at great inconvenience and impact on White Plaisn) for 1.8 miles of the I-287 expressway in the White Plains area.


 




“The current project (Stage III) was designed and will be completed  (mid-2010) long before (the Tappan Zee-I-287 project),” Anderson said, “We have no plans of undoing or significantly changing it. Any new (Tappan Zee corridor) design would have to be self-supporting that would accommodate anything we’ve already designed.” Anderson is shown at a Scoping Hearing on the project in February


Asked if the current construction that is replacing nine bridges, one new bridge, and has included two building removals, once completed could be double-decked or  accommodate any commuter bus rapid transit or commuter rail, Anderson said the I-287 project in White Plains now under construction, Anderson said it would not.


 “ The (present project underway) could not in any way accommodate any bus (or rail) rapid transit system. Any I-287 redesign (as part of Tappan Zee-I-287 corridor project) in the area would have to be designed to have the least amount of impact on the present I-287. We will not undo what we’re already doing.”


Anderson said the current construction makes no provisions for any part of the Tappan Zee- I-287 redesign to come. He said there were no plans to alter the Stage III project at this time.


Last Tuesday, a spokesperson for the I-287 Cross Westchester Expressway Stage III project, Greg Kissloff, could not answer whether the infrastructure beingrebuilt as part of Stage III could accommodate double-decking or any building up in the future from any Tappan Zee-I-287 corridor resign, referred WPCNR to the Department of Transportation to answer the question.


According to Mr. Anderson today any new design of the I-287 to ready the corridor for the Tappan Zee “solution,” would be a completely new system of highway or transit options.



In February, documents presented at the series of Scoping Sessions on the Tappan Zee Corridor project indicated a final preferred alternative would be arrived at late 2009.


The 1.8 Mile stretch of reconstructed I-287 is scheduled to open in July, 2010, according to Kissloff.


Once the preferred alternative is chosen, then the design process would begin. According to the packet distributed at the Scoping session,


“Because the transportation needs of the corridor require a multi-modal solution, the highway, the bridge, and transit elements are intricately tied to one another and require iterative and concurrent development, analysis and consideration up to the decision on mode and alignment. Once the transit mode (bus or commuter, or light rail) and alignment decisions are made, the analysis can focus on the needs of the corridor which includes the structural needs of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge and associated highway network, while preserving the transit corridor in the existing right of way. It is anticipated that a subsequent NEPA (National Environment Policy Act) action will address station locations, vehicle types, storage facilities, site specific impacts and mitigation measures.”



Light Rail in Zagreb, Croatia downtown. Light Rail is an option being considered by the Tappan Zee Corridor project. Photo by Janine Kateff.


 



The Transmilenio (Bus Rapid Transit system) in Bogota, Columbia. The system which moves 75% of the city’s commuters with frequent buses running in two directions with stations inbetween the lanes, uses about three lanes of convention automobile lanes.

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