Paul Feiner

Only 15 local governments (including Greenburgh) in NY have Aaa Bond Ratings out of more than 1,000 localities

pfeiner — Thu, 10 May 2012 04:31:45 +0000

NYS has 932 towns, 62 cities, 553 villages. Only 15 local governments (INCLUDING GREENBURGH) have Aaa bond ratings–the highest bond ratings possible. Moody’s complimented Greenburgh government on “strong fiscal management”…”low debt”. Standard & Poor’s, which also awarded Greenburgh their highest bond rating (AAA) mentioned “Greenburgh’s very conservative budget practices” and “good management practices.” The highest [...]

SMOKEY, HOMELESS DOG SINCE 1997, HAS A HOME!

pfeiner — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 02:22:37 +0000

Smokey is a cute dog who has lived at the Elmsford Animal Shelter (now called Pets Alive) since 1997. He never had a home. I learned about Smokey when I dropped off my daughter, Julia, at the shelter. My daughter and a friend are volunteering their time at this incredible organization that helps pets. My daughter and I helped Pets Alive try to find a home for SMOKEY. GOOD NEWS! After publicizing the plight of Smokey, Smokey found a home!

He is not homeless anymore — and has a caring family. I received the following e-mail from a constituent who gave me the good news. Smokey is lucky. There are many other dogs at the shelter (also senior citizen dogs) who need a home. Please help!

E mail I received from constituent: Please let your daughter know that today Smokey went home. He was surrendered as a puppy in 1997 and has been there since. Get on the petsalivewest.com website and follow the twitter. There is a pic with his caretaker of many years saying “goodbye.” Thank you for all you do and all you have done for Pets Alive Westchester. There are several hundred more animals that need homes.

Moody’s assigns Greenburgh highest bond rating possible Aaa

pfeiner — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 02:05:24 +0000

I am pleased to report that Moody’s has assigned Greenburgh the highest bond rating possible: Aaa! They commented that Greenburgh’s Aaa rating “reflects the town’s affluent and sizeable tax base, sound financial position with strong fiscal management and low debt profile.” “Conservative budget practices”.

TOWN ASKING NYS LEGISLATURE TO AMEND FINNERAN LAW- COULD GENERATE 3 MILLION IN REVENUE TO TOWN-INDOOR TENNIS BUBBLE

pfeiner — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:39:01 +0000

TOWN CAN GENERATE SIGNIFICANT REVENUE IF NEW YORK STATE AMENDS FINNERAN LAW….

SPORTTIME IS AGAIN INTERESTED IN PUTTING TENNIS BUBBLE AT TOWN TENNIS COURTS.

In 2005 Sporttime proposed to lease the tennis courts at AF Veteran park during The Town Board will have a public discussion on amending the Finneran Law at our Wednesday evening, April 11th Town Board meeting -at 7:30 PM. We think our best chance of getting the legislation approved is to propose a narrow amendment that wothe off season months when the park is not used by the public. The town would have received significant revenue from Sporttime. A minimum of $125,000 the first year. By the 15^th year the revenue to the town would have exceeded $271,645 dollars. In addition, Sporttime offered to pay for the reconstruction and resurfacing of five existing hard tennis courts…construct 2 har tru tennis courts to replace the existing hard tennis courts…install outdoor lighting for the two newly constructed tennis courts, new drainage around the tennis courts and a sidewalk form the parking area to the clubhouse with connecting paths to the tennis courts. They also had offered, at their expense, to resurface one outdoor basketball court and two handball courts and re-tile the existing tennis court restrooms.
They offered to construct a clubhouse building at their expense of about 3600 square feet on two levels, to provide an indoor viewing patio, a lounge, locker rooms, a pro shop and reception and office facilities.

Sportime offered free programs for junior and adult residents—a pre scheduled tennis camp for junior residents featuring free introductory tennis instructions during December and winter breaks…free racquets for junior residents- a minimum of 500 free tennis racquets valued at $15,000 to be given away per year…one free introductory group tennis lesson to interested junior and adult residents (based on availability). And—membership in Sportime at $0 per month with a valid unicard. Residents of Greenburgh will have access to Sportime tennis facilities in Mamaroneck, Westchesterand in Manhattan.

Why DID THIS LEASE AGREEMENT WITH THE TOWN NEVER HAPPEN?
A resident complained that the agreement would have violated the Finneran law, a law adopted decades ago by the NYS Legislature that made it difficult for the town to allow non residents to use the AF Veteran park.

WHAT COULD BE DONE IN 2012?
The Town Board is seeking an amendment to the Finneran law. We are asking the NYS Legislature to authorize our town to let non residents use the tennis courts . The wording of the proposed legislation follows…
Proposed Finneran Law amendment addressing only the proposed use of tennis facilities at Anthony Veteran Park. The proposed legislation will have to be approved by the Greenburgh Town Board, New York State Senate, New York State Senate and signed into law by the Governor. The Board has had some preliminary discussions with our State Legislators about the proposal.

PROPOSED WORDING
§ 2. Notwithstanding any provisions of law to the contrary, but subject to the provisions of section three hereof, all costs of acquisition by the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, of any public park, playground or recreational facility heretofore or hereafter made, all costs of construction or acquisition of any improvement at any such town public park, playground or recreational facility heretofore or hereafter made, and all costs of operation and maintenance of any such facility, shall be raised by the levy of a tax upon the lots and parcels of land within said town located in the area outside of incorporated villages and such public park, playground and recreational facilities of said town shall, subject to any agreements contained in any grant contract between said Town and the United States government, New York State or Westchester County and, except as may be otherwise determined by the Town Board of the Town of Greenburgh after a public hearing with respect to tennis facilities at Anthony F. Veteran Park located in the area outside of incorporated villages, be restricted in use to residents of said town residing in the area of said town outside of incorporated villages. Taxes heretofore raised through the levy upon the lots and parcels of land within said town located in the area of said town outside of incorporated villages to pay said costs are hereby legalized, ratified, validated and confirmed

GREENBURGH REPLACING STREET LIGHTS WITH LED LIGHTS…PLANS ELECTRIC CHARGER STATION AT LIBRARY..WIND TURBINES BEING EXPLORED…

pfeiner — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 22:51:48 +0000

The Town of Greenburgh recently replaced street lights along six streets in the Town with new energy efficient LED light fixtures. Working with consultants from Parsons Brinkerhoff, and in cooperation with the New York Power Authority (NYPA) the Town will evaluate the current state of LED technology as it relates to roadway lighting and determine its financial implications as a replacement for current roadway lighting luminaires. The test locations are selected to evaluate the performance and cost effectiveness of these LED fixtures.

OTHER ENERGY SAVINGS INITIATIVES WE ARE PURSUING–We plan to place an electric charger station at the Greenburgh library. The charger is being donated to the town and we will charge motorists for the electricity for their electric cars. We are also reaching out to private funders to help us place wind turbines at the roof of the library.

TARRYTOWN PATCH FEATURES STORY ON FEINER’S EFFORTS TO HELP QUAY RESIDENTS

pfeiner — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 22:46:55 +0000

Government,

Local Connections

Standing-Room-Only Quay Condo Meeting: ‘They Listened and We Spoke’

Huge turn-out of state, regional and local officials made for a very positive beginning for the Quay/Bridge negotiations.

By Krista Madsen
March 23, 2012

Yesterday was a long day for Paul Feiner. After his usual workday, the Greenburgh Town Supervisor went to the by-invite-only ribbon cutting for the new Super Stop & Shop at 5 p.m. (Patch photos soon!), then it was onto the standing-room-only Quay Condo meeting at 8 p.m. with every politician and media crew around, finally he had to drive his daughter for her birthday to the midnight opening of The Hunger Games.

But this story isn’t about Feiner, though Alice Goldberg, President of the Board of Managers of the Quay Condominium, certainly thinks he deserves credit for how far her complex has come in one two-hour meeting. “He is phenomenal,” she said. “He has been a wonderful support person for us.”

Feiner, who has a tendency to make himself extremely accessible, has been on the phone with Goldberg several times a day. He praised her in turn for being a “good organizer.”

It took a big organizing effort – writing letters to politicians, the media, and bridge officials; residents making phone calls – to get everyone in the room there last night, and there were many.

“Standing room only,” said resident Roger Ardanowski, who’s been to many populated Board meetings but “never like this.”

There were in the Quay Clubhouse, to name a few: representatives from the offices of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congresswoman Nita Lowey, Assemblyman Tom Abinanti, NYS Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, County Legislator Alfreda Williams, Village officials, over a half-dozen bigwigs from the State DOT and Thruway Authority including bridge Project Manager Michael Anderson, and “probably someone from every unit in the complex,” Ardanowski said.

Though the DOT folks had wanted to make a presentation, it was important to Goldberg that this time “they listened and we spoke.” There would be arranged a “different kind of meeting” on another occasion with the state transportion departments, but this time the residents needed to be heard.

Residents in the closest shadow of the bridge walked away feeling very confidant that the meeting made a difference and something good would come. “I feel very good about it,” Goldberg said. “Not only did [the politicians] show up but they were all very supportive.”

First Goldberg opened the meeting with the Board’s six initial mitigation requests:

That there would an official ongoing procedure in place to address all issues that arise in the construction of bridge.
That there be some kind of homeowner’s compensation “to make them whole” either in the form of partial payment accounting for loss of property value or some kind of buy-out agreement available to those who want to move.
That the pool and clubhouse moved be moved further away from its current site down a slope and closest to the construction.
Replacement of windows and insulation on west and south ends of the complex.
Construction of noise barriers on these same sides closest to the work.
Finally, that significant noise generating activities be curtailed except between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., and in the event of evening work that advance notification be made.

All the many politicians making comments to follow were in agreement that these were fair points. The transportation officials in turn made it clear that they had learned much here and were ready and willing to work together.

“Everyone was open to continuing the dialogue as opposed to doing it a courtroom,” said Ardanowski. “We’re not looking to sue. With all the politicans involved now, hopefully we’ll avoid that. It’s up to them.”

Feiner said the next step is another meeting, much more intimate, with just a handful of folks, including himself, at the Governor’s Office on April 4. Before that, he wants to poll the units to see just how many people would want a buy-out so he has a “better sense when we’re negotiating.”

“This meeting was really positive,” Feiner said. “Everyone’s being really smart about it.”

Goldberg agreed it was all very civil which made it very effective. “We’re not shouting, not crazy,” she said. “We know the bridge will happen but it will really have a big impact on where we live and we want to be heard.”

“May the odds be in your favor,” goes the tagline of that blockbuster film.

CITY & STATE NAMES FEINER,CARDINAL DOLAN AND SPEAKER QUINN WINNERS

pfeiner — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 04:54:06 +0000

It was a political holiday this week, but for some reason there were still plenty of winners and losers to consider. Redistricting seemed to be nearing some sort of end game, while Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg raised the stakes on pension reform. Albany and Washington were on vacation, as were public school teachers, who stared down a P.R. nightmare. Here’s how the rest of the week shook out for New York politics:

Karim Camara – The chairman of the Legislature’s Black, Latino, Hispanic and Asian Caucus is swiftly emerging as a powerful figure who seems to command the respect of both his colleagues and the governor’s office. As Cuomo seeks to bolster his standing among minorities throughout the state, Camara’s good graces will become an increasingly valuable piece of real estate for the governor. As long as the assemblyman doesn’t end up getting played by the governor, he’s riding high in Albany politics.

Timothy Dolan – Dolan’s official promotion to cardinal this week – and the platform that will come with it – raises hope in the Catholic world that his more personable styles will be able to restore the Catholic voice in America. And it’s even raised the specter that he could be the first American Pope. But he will likely have to be more vocal on hot-button issues – something Dolan was largely unwilling to do doing the gay marriage debate in New York.

Paul Feiner – When the state announced its plan to rebuild the Tappan Zee Bridge last year, the Greenburgh town supervisor launched a campaign to keep the old span in place and turn it into a pedestrian walkway, potentially saving millions of dollars at the same time. While some scoffed at the suggestion of another High Line-like greenway, this week Cuomo said it was an “exciting” option and his staff said they were exploring the issue. But there’s no word on whether they’ll take up Feiner’s proposal to install wind turbines on the new Tappan Zee.

Christine Quinn – Most people won’t pay attention to the details of this week’s court ruling against the Bloomberg administration’s homeless policy, but the City Council speaker won’t mind. She led the council’s lawsuit against the policy, and now can campaign for mayor as a compassionate defender of the powerless who stopped a callous administration’s cruel program. Quinn’s close ties to Bloomberg aren’t always an asset, so victories like this help her walk a tightrope

JOURNAL NEWS ENDORSES TAPPAN BRIDGE PARK CONCEPT

pfeiner — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:36:36 +0000

Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner continues to think out of the box. He has proposed that when the new Tappan Zee bridge is built, that the old bridge not be demolished (demolition costs could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars). The bridge should become a suburban version of the NY highline or the Dutchess County Walkway Over the Hudson.

Supervisor Feiner has also suggested that when the new bridge is built that engineers explore the feasibility of making the bridge an eco bridge–using solar and wind power. The following editorial appeared in the Journal News. Editorial: Why not turn Tappan Zee Bridge into park?10:37 PM, Feb. 23, 2012 |
A Journal News editorial

There doubtless are quite a few Hudson Valley commuters still coming to terms with the notion there actually will be a new Tappan Zee Bridge, and quite possibly before they draw their last breath. Now comes word, from the Thruway Authority and governor no less, that another seemingly farfetched idea — turning the existing bridge into a crossing for pedestrians and bicyclists — is gaining real attention. They are tearing the nay right out of naysaying.

Facing the prospect of a $150 million bill for demolishing the three-mile span, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Thruway Authority Executive Director Thomas Madison said Wednesday they are exploring the possibility of turning the Tappan Zee into a greenway for pedestrians and bicyclists. “Could you leave it up and what are the economics and the practicalities of that?” Cuomo said during a cabinet meeting in Albany. “It’s an exciting option.”

Well, we guess it is when he says so. When Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner suggested the same last fall, in a Community View on the Opinion page and also in a New York Times article, one could almost hear strains from “Man of La Mancha,” critics thought the endeavor so quixotic.

Wrote Feiner: “The proposal to turn the bridge into a park like the High Line (in Manhattan) would be a big boost to the local economy, promoting tourism and helping local businesses on both sides of the river.” He pledged to form a committee to press state officials on the matter. (Feiner and White Plains Councilwoman Milagros Lecuona co-chair the local effort; visit www.TappanBridgePark.com to learn more.)

If it sounds like Feiner was out on a limb, consider Tarrytown resident Jean Schneider. She started down the bridge-as-park route more than a decade ago, making her pitch to then-Gov. George Pataki. In a 2002 news article, Schneider called hers a “wild, wild dream.” In a letter to the editor just weeks ago, Schneider recalled the early effort. She wrote: “What inspired me was that I felt so deeply that we have lost the art of walking, communicating face to face enjoying nature at its finest, enjoying the seasons while savoring the ever-changing moods and rhythm of the river.”

Being spared that $150 million demolition bill would be nice as well — to go along with the satisfaction of making a smart, adaptive use out of something otherwise destined for the scrap heap. Communities are getting better at seeing the possibilities — consider waterfront makeovers up and down the East Coast; Bankside Power Station in London; Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco; Reading Terminal in Philadelphia; New York’s High Line and Meatpacking District; and the so-called “Low Line” park in Gotham, a virtually impossible (and amazing) plan for an abandoned trolley terminal.

Often it’s visionaries who move such projects along, until they gain official notice and favor — and private and public support; these individuals see opportunity where others cannot begin to imagine windmills.

Ours would be dull and wasteful places without them.

Now, if we could only get them to build this new bridge we have been hearing so much about …

NYS SHOULD COMMIT TO NO COST OVERRUNS ON TZ BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION

pfeiner — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:26:20 +0000

Greenburgh Town Supervisor calls on NYS to commit to no cost overruns on new Tappan Zee construction.
Writes to Governor, Tappan Zee Bridge project coordinator and State Legislators requesting that bid documents require winning bid to absorb all extra costs on design build project–Don’t manipulate bidding process
Some companies that are planning to bid have history of millions of dollars of cost overruns

Copy of letter Feiner is sending to Michael Anderson, Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Corridor Project Director, Governor Andrew Cuomo, NYS Legislators, members of Congress follows…

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An article in the Feb 9th issue of the Journal News indicated that there are 13 companies in four consortiums interested in building the new Tappan Zee bridge. Some of the companies that are planning to bid on the Tappan Zee project have histories of millions of dollars in cost overruns and months of construction delays on high profile projects. Two of the companies that are bidding have reported $42 million in cost overruns on the I-287 reconstruction project.
SUGGESTION: Before qualified companies submit bids – why can’t NYS advise potential bidders that no cost overruns will be allowed on this bridge construction project? If there are unanticipated additional costs – the company that is given the privilege of building the new bridge should absorb the costs of the additional work. In addition, there should be penalties if there are delays in the construction.
Companies that win the contract on a high profile bridge must not be allowed to manipulate the bidding process by coming in with a low price and ultimately getting paid much more. When they submit bids they should be realistic.
PAUL FEINER
Greenburgh, NY Town Supervisor

pfeiner — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:12:40 +0000

Virginia Road School, Monday, February 13,2012 7:45 PM