WPCNA Hosts School Budget Forum

The White Plains Council of Neighborhood Associations will host a community input session on the School Budget at its February meeting. White Plains Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Christopher Clouet, Assistant Superintendent for Business, Fred Seiler, and members of the School Board will be on hand to take part in the dialog.

School Superintendents Clouet and Seiler and School Board members will attend the February meeting of the White Plains Council of Neighborhood Associations (WPCNA) to discuss the School Budget process and seek community input.  The meeting will be held at Education House at 5 Homeside Lane in White Plains, NY at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, February 9, 2010. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend and participate.

Substantial reductions in state aid and the Star exemption coupled with increases in salaries and benefits will make this year's budget even more difficult than last. School Board President Donna McLaughlin sums up the predicament this way: "This adds up to a potential increase of almost $10 million in expenditures for next year, without considering tax certioraris.  It is clear that we need to consider all options in order to hold this budget to an acceptable level." 

The School Budget Forum will include presentations reviewing the district's finances, the state's and city's financial constraints, and other issues relating to development of the budget. White Plains residents are invited to comment and discuss spending efficiencies, budget priorities and ways to increase revenue.

Interest in the School Budget is stronger than ever, so come early to get a good seat. The Forum will get underway promptly at 7:30 pm to allow plenty of time for audience participation.

The WPCNA, which is an apolitical non-governmental organization, provides a citywide forum on education, safety, health, government, the environment, and open space.  Its members are the autonomous neighborhood associations dedicated to preserving and improving the quality of life in White Plains.

To learn more about the WPCNA, please visit: http://www.wpcna.org/. For information on the School Budget, please visit the District website: www.whiteplainspublicschools.org

Contact
Louis J. Bruno, President
White Plains Council of Neighborhood Associations (WPCNA)
914-574-2269
loubruno@wpcna.org

Joseph 'Bud' Nicoletti to Speak at WPCNA Sustainability Forum

White Plains City Engineer and Commissioner of Public Works, Joseph 'Bud' Nicoletti, Jr., PE has joined the panel of luminaries exploring The State of Sustainability in White Plains at the January meeting of the White Plains Council of Neighborhood Associations.

The popular speaker and award-winning long-time proponent of sustainability, Bud Nicoletti will review both "The Greening of the White Plains Fleet" and "Storm Water Management" in an illustrated discussion at the White Plains Council of Neighborhood Associations (WPCNA) Forum on the State of Sustainability in White Plains. The Forum will be held at Education House at 5 Homeside Lane in White Plains, NY at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. Admission is free and audience participation is encouraged.

Mr. Nicoletti joins keynote speaker, the prominent architect and urban planner Bice Wilson; White Plains Common Council Member and architect Milagros Lecuona; fellow Common Council member Dennis J. Power, who is the newly-appointed Chair of the Ad Hoc Sustainability Committee for the City and Director of Program Development for the Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities; White Plains Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Christopher Clouet; and Pam Millian, Distribution Manager for the T uv Ha’Aretz Community Sponsored Agriculture committee of the five synagogues of White Plains. The closing speakers will be Patti and Doug Wood of the Grassroots Environmental Education organization.

Visit the Forum's collaboration website for more information: http://sustainability.wpcna.com   Interest in this unique Forum is running high, so come early to get a good seat. The Forum will get underway promptly at 7:30 pm to accommodate the speakers and audience participation.

The WPCNA, which is an apolitical non-governmental organization, provides a citywide forum on education, safety, health, government, the environment, and open space.  Its members are the autonomous neighborhood associations dedicated to preserving and improving the quality of life in White Plains.

To learn more about the WPCNA, please visit: http://www.wpcna.org/ or contact Louis J. Bruno at 914-574-2269 or by email

Sustainability Forum at White Plains Council of Neighborhood Associations Meeting

The White Plains Council of Neighborhood Associations will sponsor a Forum on The State of Sustainability in White Plains at its January meeting.  The keynote speaker will be Bice Wilson, AIA on "Evolving Towards a Sustainable White Plains: Vision, Culture and Practice."

Sustainability, which has environmental, social and economic contexts, can be defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the future.  In its first meeting of the new year, the White Plains Council of Neighborhood Associations (WPCNA) will feature local leaders exploring sustainability in White Plains.  The meeting is at Education House at 5 Homeside Lane in White Plains, NY at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. Admission is free and audience participation is encouraged.

In addition to Bice Wilson, a prominent architect and urban planner, the Forum will include architect and White Plains Common Council Member Milagros Lecuona speaking on "City Planning;" Dennis J. Power, Director of Program Development for the Westchester County Dept. of Environmental Facilities and a Common Council member on "Business, Local Government and the Schools;" White Plains Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Christopher Clouet on "Education: Infrastructure and Instruction;" and Pam Millian, Distribution Manager for the T uv Ha’Aretz CSA committee of the five synagogues of White Plains on "Community Sponsored Agriculture."  The closing speakers will be Patti and Doug Wood of Grassroots Environmental Education on "How Green is My Town --White Plains."

Visit the Forum's collaboration website for more information: http://sustainability.wpcna.com  And come early to get a good seat. Interest in this unique Forum is running high.

The WPCNA, which is an apolitical non-governmental organization, provides a citywide forum on education, safety, health, government, the environment, and open space.  Its members are the autonomous neighborhood associations dedicated to preserving and improving the quality of life in White Plains.

To learn more about the WPCNA, please visit: http://www.wpcna.org/ or contact Louis J. Bruno at 914-574-2269 or by email

Oyster Bay Historical Society Breaks Ground for New Research Center

Toasted by mild winds and balmy temperatures, the Oyster Bay Historical Society (OBHS) broke ground for the new Angela P. Koenig Research and Collections Center at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, December 15, 2009.

“It’s been a long haul,“ said OBHS Director Thomas Kuehhas. “Almost as long as Odysseus’ journey in The Odyssey.”

The new Research and Collection Center, named in honor of Angela Koenig, will provide much needed space for the Society’s staff, for researchers, genealogists, and visiting school children, and, more importantly, will provide the heating, ventilation and air conditioning needed for proper archival storage of its growing collection.

Ms. Koenig was a long-time Trustee of the Society. She also gave generously of her time and energy for a number of Oyster Bay organizations, including the Doubleday Babcock Senior Center, the Youth and Family Counseling Agency of Oyster Bay-East Norwich, the United Way, and the Rotary, whose Clamdigger she edited for several years.

At the groundbreaking on Tuesday, architect Louis Baldino said “the building will be staked out on the site [on Friday] and the actual excavation will start sometime early next week.” Baldino Construction, the family business operated by his father, Philip, who founded it, and his brother, Mario, will build the new Center.

According to Mr. Kuehhas, “The cost to construct and furnish the new facility … is approximately $1,350,000.” The Dolan Foundation is generously providing a matching grant for contributions. But, he said, “We still need to raise an additional $125,000 in donations/pledges which would be matched by the grant,” to be able to finish the interior of the Center.

Headquartered in the historic Earle-Wightman House museum and library, the Oyster Bay Historical Society has provided tourists, students, scholars, and historians with historic exhibits, lectures, maps, photographs, artifacts, and historical and genealogical documents for more than 40 years. In recognition of its contribution, the museum has been designated an historic site on the Revolutionary War Heritage Trail.

To make a contribution or pledge for the Angela P. Koenig Center, please visit the Society's website at www.oysterbayhistory.org, or contact its Director, Mr. Kuehhas, by phone (516-922-5032) or email.

Bryant Gardens Annual Holiday Ceremony

The Bryant Gardens Cooperative in White Plains, NY will hold its Annual Holiday Lighting Ceremony on Saturday, December 12, 2009 at Nine Bryant Crescent from 5:30-7:30 PM.

The Bryant Gardens Board of Directors invites residents, guests and its White Plains neighbors to take part in the Christmas Tree Lighting at 6:00 PM, and the Chanukah Menorah Lighting at 6:15 PM. Rain date for the festivities: 12/13.

A 2009 Beautification Award winner, Bryant Gardens is famous throughout Westchester for its lively holiday events and seasonal decorations, and this year is no exception. Merrymakers will enjoy hot apple cider and donuts while reveling to music and entertainment by Hart to Hart. And with Santa sure to visit, moms and dads will want to bring their cameras and camcorders.

The Bryant Gardens Cooperative, located in White Plains, NY off Bryant Avenue, between Mamaroneck Ave and North Street, consists of fifteen two-story Colonial style garden apartment buildings, two on a cul-de-sac off Bryant Avenue, and the remaining buildings on Bryant Crescent, a private road. Originally built in the early 1950s, they were converted to cooperative ownership beginning with a non-eviction plan in 1981. The complex includes thirteen sets of unattached garages, three large parking lots, and a private park at the bow of the Crescent.

For more information, visit the Bryant Gardens website or contact Louis J. Bruno at 914-574-2269 or by email.

Binghamton, NY: Coin & Paper Money Auction

Bob & Sallie Connelly will conduct a Coin & Paper Money Auction comprising over 300 lots at the Showplace in Binghamton on Sunday, November 22, 2009 at noon with a preview at 9:00 am.

In this auction are 30 gold coins (including two McKinley, two $20, 1879 $3, 0.25 dollar California, etc.), over 120 silver dollars, pennies (including 1909-S V.D.B. & 1914-D), Wheat pennies "by the bucket" (10,000 per bucket), Walking Halves (including 1916S, 1921, 1938D and 1921-D), 10 National Bank Notes (including 1882 $5 Sidney, NY, $10 Binghamton, NY, etc.), Type Notes, Broken Bank Notes, and Confederate money.

Photos of selected items are displayed in an AuctionZip Gallery.

Additional details, photos and directions are available in the auction brochure (PDF: 553 KB), which is also available in a slim version (151 KB) without photos.

Absentee and phone bids for this auction can be submitted using the online bidform.

Bob and Sallie Connelly, whose business includes antiques, auctions, appraisals and an art gallery, have been conducting auctions in the Binghamton, NY area for more than 30 years.

For more information, visit the Connelly's website: http://www.bobconnelly.com/

Bryant Gardens Gets Beautification Award

The White Plains Beautification Foundation will present the Bryant Gardens Cooperative with its 2009 Neighborhood Beautification Award at its November meeting.

Writing to Bryant Gardens Property Manager Robert Orlofsky, White Plains Beautification Foundation President Mary R. Merenda says the “lovely gardens this year” at Bryant Gardens enhance the City of White Plains, helping to make it a “city within a garden.” She will present the Award on Monday, November 16, 2009 at a meeting in the White Plains Public Library, Room B, 2nd Floor, at 12:30 pm.

Bryant Gardens Board of Directors President Gaierose Haskel points to a long-term commitment to beautification that began over two decades ago when Mr. Orlofsky began as Property Manager.  Supported by the Board and assisted throughout by Head Gardener Tony Garrido, Mr. Orlofsky has directed the plantings and improvements, garnering earlier awards in 1991 and 1998

According to Ms. Haskel, this latest award is yet another “tribute to the vision and direction” of Mr. Orlofsky.

The White Plains Beautification Foundation is a not-for-profit charitable organization comprised entirely of volunteers. One of the Foundation's goals is to have people think of White Plains not just as a major business and shopping center, but as "A City in the Park."

The Bryant Gardens Cooperative, located in White Plains, NY off Bryant Avenue, between Mamaroneck Ave and North Street, consists of fifteen two-story Colonial style garden apartment buildings nestled on 22 acres in a park-like setting minutes from downtown White Plains.

For more information:
White Plains Beautification Foundation website; contact President Mary R. Merenda at 914-761-8224 or by email.
Bryant Gardens Cooperative website; contact Louis J. Bruno at 914-574-2269 or by email.