White Plains CitizeNetReporter - County <i>Very</i> Quietly Announces Reopening of Library Garage

Westchester County will reopen the White Plains Public Library Garage for patron parking on Monday, the day before Christmas, to library goers who present a White Plains Public Library Card and identification with their picture to a Westchester County Police Officer stationed at the garage ramp.

Susan Tolchin, spokesperson for County Executive Andy Spano, said the Library underground parking will be opened again for library visitors beginning Monday, December 24. Vehicle search procedures will no longer be conducted on vehicles, Tolchin is reported saying.

There was no official news release or statement from the County Executive Office or Tolchin's Communications office announcing lifting of the ban, despite repeated requests from WPCNR, until after 1 PM Wednesday. A statement just issued from the County Communications Office reads:

Starting Monday library goers who present the proper identification will once again be allowed to park in the White Plains Library Garage, County Executive Andy Spano announced today.

"It's an early Christmas gift for the City of White Plains library patrons,'' said Spano. "We are very happy that we were able to work out an arrangement that protects the courthouse and other public buildings without continued inconvenience to the public. We thank the library patrons for their patience.''

Library goers who present photo ID and a White Plains Public Library card will be able to use the garage starting Dec. 24. The garage, which serves the library, the courthouse and the county office building, has been closed since Sept. 11 as a security precaution.

The Board of Legislators are expected to act Friday on a $1.1 million bond act proposed by Spano that would install new security in the 557-space garage.

Construction on changes to the garage -- ones that will probably include barriers to separate the public areas from those serving the County Office Building and the courthouse -- will probably not be completed for at least six months.

Spano said the new system was worked out with the cooperation of County Legislator Bill Ryan and White Plains Mayor Joseph Delfino.

WPCNR is attempting to clarify the roles Mr. Ryan and Mayor Delfino played in getting the County Executive to change his mind.

Victoria Hochman, spokesperson for the County Executive, said that she did not know how the liability issue was resolved, but theorized that it had to do with the security measures planned to be installed.

Asked if the county and the city would split costs, she said, no. Asked if the county would reimburse the city for lost revenue sustained while the library garage was closed, she said, no, but referred us to Susan Tolchin for a more definitive answer.

Presently, parking is being limited to lawyers and authorized county employees presenting identification to the Westchester County Police Officer "gatekeeper" at the Library garage ramp entrance on Martine Avenue. Trunks of the cars enterting are checked.

Law enforcement sources observing of the procedures have been highly critical of the effectiveness of the gate-keeping. Over 1,000 library patrons presented a petition calling for the garage to be opened.

WPCNR sources said that the liability issue was the roadblock to reopening the garage all along, with the county wanting the city to share responsibility for the security of the Library Garage.

The library management told WPCNR that it had not considered hiring a private security guard($15 an hour, from a typical security firm), to escort patrons across Martine Avenue, one of the library managers' main concerns being the safety of the elderly, mothers with children crossing busy Martine Avenue.

Now, apparently the county has very quietly has changed its position, as they did with the Westchester County Airport parking garage that was also closed immediately after the September 11 World Trade Center attacks.


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