A Neighborhood of Dependency or Learning?

The French American School purchased 128 acres in White Plains to consolidate their campuses. Many thought it was a win-win for the school and the community as it would preserve much of the open space that was once the golf course of the Ridgeway Country Club. And yet, residents near Gedney Farms see it another way and are lobbying to prevent the school from making Ridgeway their new home. In a recent debate for the County Legislative 5th District’s seat, the topic came up. The three candidates danced around the issue without giving a firm answer. Aren’t you tired of politicians playing it safe and not giving answers? I know I am.

Terrence Guerriere, a real estate attorney and President of the Gedney Farms Association, recently voiced his concerns on a local radio show. Gedney Farms has about 1,400 residents who have enjoyed a relative quiet lifestyle due to their proximity to the golf course. Residents believe that 1,200 students, teachers, and administrators coming into their neighborhoods Monday through Fridays would change the character of their peaceful neighborhood. Really? In Fulton Park, which has seen homeless, ex-convicts and drug users dumped in our neighborhood for years. We’d love a school. I guess it’s all about perspective.

A more salient issue is that the former country club paid about $300,000 in property taxes to White Plains, and a tax-exempt school would not, causing White Plains residents to bear an even larger tax burden. The school would require infrastructure changes to sewers and roads and could increase the risk of flooding as much of the property is located on wetlands. Having just been flooded out myself (8ft of water in my basement), the infrastructure proposals are probably inadequate. The school would require an increase in services for sanitation, police and firemen. I disagree. There is only the need for police and fire if there is a crime and/or fire. The staffing of both are adequate to address anything that might happen at the school or its property. Sanitation would be provided for by a private carting service.

The French American School submitted plans for a $60 million, four-building complex to the city of White Plains this past May. If approved, they’d be consolidating three separate locations from Larchmont, Mamaroneck and Scarsdale into one, allowing K through 12th grade to all be in one location. Aren’t all our politicians clamoring for consolidation, whether it is viable or not? Here’s a start.

According to the school, “plans for the property would preserve over 60 acres of the site as permanent and publicly accessible open space; restore and enhance the natural conditions of the site; and improve the existing stormwater and drainage conditions of the property.  Less than five percent of the site will be covered by impervious surfaces.” However skeptical neighbors wonder who will bear the cost to maintain the 60 acres of open space and wetlands. There is nothing mentioned regarding increasing the ability of the infrastructure outside the property to be able to handle the additional drainage from the site. This is one of the most focused upon issue in our flooded neighborhood.

If not a school, what would Guerriere prefer to see on the site? “A golf course,” he replied. He claims that the White Plains Comprehensive Plan said that the best use of the property is a golf course, and if not, there should be single-family homes. According to Guerriere, the area is zoned for ¾ acre lots and since much of the property is wetlands only 30 homes could be built on the 128 acres. While I appreciate his position and want to agree, White Plains passed on the purchase of the land when they had the opportunity. I would be happy it’s a school moving in and not more subsidized housing? School is only open from 8AM to 3PM, and maybe 6-ish with extracurricular activities. Between holidays, summers off, and limited hours, its not a bad option considering what they could get.

In my town, Supervisor Paul Feiner has created neighborhoods of dependency and guaranteed votes at reelection time by committing lower social-econmic people to his largesse, while the rest of us must fund it! When a forty-eight unit subsidized housing unit was proposed for our neighborhood, Paul Feiner went  pedal-to-the-metal to make it happen. No neighborhood wants this. We would have gladly taken a school.

For now, the White Plains Common Council has imposed a moratorium on the development of open space and plans to extend it beyond the October 3rd expiration date. That's a smart direction to pursue. The extension would give the city more time to study land-use laws for four golf courses, the Hutchinson River Parkway Reservation and the Mamaroneck River East Branch. Again, really? They should have gone through all of this before the FASNY property purchase or told them they would be stopped early on. In the meantime, the Council did vote to move forward with an environmental review of the French American School’s proposed project. That’s a positive sign for FASNY but still doesn’t adequately address the neighbors concerns. Maybe there’ll be a politician with an opinion and will actually take a stand on this. It should be interesting to see how it plays out.

Reduce or Eliminate Taxes For Flood Victims

I was surfing for some firematic and flood articles and came across an interesting tidbit out of Albany. It reminds me of the comment Fulton Park Civic Association President Maria Gomez, made at the last Greenburgh Town Board meeting. In response to the ludicrous suggestion by Paul Feiner that maybe FEMA would purchase homes in the flood zone, she told the Board if they really wanted to help the victims of the flooding, lower their taxes! Well, along those same lines, a new legislative bill would exempt New York flood victims from state sales tax for their moving expenses and for purchases that replace clothing, appliances and other items.

The proposal by two upstate lawmakers — Assemblyman James Tedisco and Sen. Hugh Farley — would cover the sales tax on storage, furniture and other purchases large and small necessitated by the flooding damage caused by from tropical storms Irene and Lee. Why aren’t any of our local lawmakers, otherwise normally whores for publicity, offering the same type of relief?

Flood victims would be reimbursed for disaster purchases through a tax credit as long as they have receipts.

The bill could be taken up in January or earlier if the Legislature calls a special session this fall. Let’s hope the politicians can put the partisanship aside and unite for the victims.

The Behavior of Both Sides Stinks!

As a registered Republican, I voted for County Executive Rob Astorino. During the same election period, I ran for County Legislator and lost. While disappointed, I’m not bitter. However, there does seem to be bitterness between the parties that may or may not simply be partisanship at its worst. I’m almost glad I’m not there. Regardless, I’m disheartened with the behavior of both sides – it just stinks! To be clear, I won’t give a pass to any politician’s behavior merely because of party affiliation.

The County Legislators recently voted to override the County Executive’s veto to move forward with the repairs necessary to preserve the home owned by soldier Elijah Miller, host to General George Washington during the Revolutionary War. The building is located on Virginia Road in North White Plains, and also has plans to move it nearer the Kensico Dam. It is surrounded by commercial properties and lacks easy access and parking. While I am emotionally against changing its location for historic reasons, intelligent thought warrants it. I vaguely remember visiting this treasure on a field trip as a grammar school student. Back in the day, I couldn’t appreciate the significance of it. I recall thinking something to the effect that this was a trip away from school and we get to look at more old stuff. Old stuff indeed!

The overwhelming and most troubling part of this entire debacle is the point that this historic landmark has been owned and neglected by the County long before Astorino replaced Andy Spano as County Executive. Why wasn’t this mostly-the-same legislature not maintaining this landmark all along? It appears the responsibility and onus is not only Astorino’s, but the legislature's as well.

Astorino stated in his veto message, “Under the County Charter, the sole authority for the direction of a Commissioner is vested in the County Executive, and so the Act is a nullity since it goes beyond the powers conferred to your honorable board.” Well, there you go: the official answer as to why we will let a historic portion of our heritage in Westchester County rot before our eyes. Voting along with Astorino, but for different reasons was Democrat Mike “Tax-Hike” Kaplowitz of Somers, who supported the project but didn’t feel the economic times were right for the County to pick up the tab, saying, “I thought we should have had more of a group that would have helped offset some of the cost.” C’mon, Mike. If you support it, and the money has been appropriated, then just fix it. You’re trying to play both sides and not show any backbone when pressed later. Why haven’t you been leading the initiative to have a private/public confluence that can help offset the costs? Probably because that would mean actually doing something and we can’t have that, can we?

The legislature is playing games by ignoring an issue that never should have gotten to this point - had they been doing their due-diligence. Astorino apparently prefers to stand on principle rather than doing the right thing. They are both wrong! Astorino has told the two commissioners involved to put together a cost projection and time schedule to move the house. Prioritization is what’s missing here. There are two issues involved with the home and they don’t necessarily go hand in hand. The first is repairing the house; the second is moving the house.

During each campaign every candidate says how they will cross the isle to work with their colleagues from other parties and they can mend fences or have a knack of turning people from one position to another. It’s all campaign bull! This latest tug of war is proof. Fix the building and play the games later.