WPCNR CITY CIRCUIT. By John F. Bailey. July 29, 2004, UPDATED 3:30 P.M. E.D.T., July 30, 2004: Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard was closed off between Barker and Main Street today as over 40 Con Edison trucks, fans, and flatbeds and hundreds of Con Ed workers converged to replace a transformer at the Barker and MLK Boulevard substation. The failure of two transformers, the third major breakdown in Con Edison's city infrastructure in two months, was reported to police last Friday, and work began replacing the transformer Sunday evening according to Con Edison spokesperson Dan Lyons on the scene.

Paul Wood of The Mayor's Office said, he had heard from Con Ed that first one tranformer went off, and that when a second one came on line to replace the first one, that it went out too. He also commented that it was his understanding that one transformer was from the 1920s, and that some of the wiring was very old. He said Con Edison had told the city the problem was one of outdated infrastructure. He quoted Joseph Nicoletti, Commissioner of the Department of Public Works as saying some of the feeder cables in the city were of aluminium which was part of the problem on Soundview Avenue, Wood said. Wood said Nicoletti had advised Con Ed not to use aluminum cables in the distant past when they were installed.

CALLING LIONEL TRAINS: Massive cranes prepare to lift out bum transformer (background, center), onto flatbed truck at noon on transformer site in downtown White Plains. Awaiting installation (at the left) is the brand-new transformer of the same size and capacity. Dan Lyons of Con Edison told WPCNR on the scene the new baby would be in service in mid August. One Con Ed worker told WPCNR he had to get a camera, because "this was a big job." Photo by WPCNR News.

The White Plains Department of Public Safety released a statement from Deputy Commissioner David Chong that said "The city has not experienced any significant lack of power, nor do we expect any. We're well aware of the situation, we're in touch with Con Ed. If there were to be a power failure, both the police and fire bureaus have contingency plans and will be ready to respond."

TASK FORCE of over 40 trucks lined Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard today supplying the logistics to put the new transformer in place. WPCNR counted over 40 trucks and estimated the personnel at close to 200 workers. Photo by WPCNR News.

WPCNR contacted Chris Olert, of Con Edison's Media Relations office. Asked what the cause of the transformer outage was, he said it was a problem with a feeder cable, but did not specify what that problem was, and said he would check. WPCNR asked Dan Lyons, the Con Edision spokesperson on the site what the cause was, and Lyons said upon being told of the feeder cable report, said "it had nothing to do with the feeder cable." Mr. Olert notified of this comment, said he would triple-check.

WPCNR asked Olert, in view of this being the third infrastructure failure in two months in White Plains whether developers in White Plains interface their power needs with Con Edison in detail before they build. Olert said Con Edison is in "constant contact" with developers. "They ask us where they can connect, and discuss it with us." WPCNR asked if  studies are filed with Con Edison as to Con Edison ability to supply power needs on massive new projects. Olert said they did, and that Con Edison signs off on their ability to supply power to new projects.

A GATHERING OF CRANES: The view down Barker Street Thursday afternoon, showing the Con Ed Task Force, and four cranes administering to the stricken transformer. Photo by WPCNR News.

WPCNR went a step farther, we asked if there was enough power to support the present scale of White Plains growth. Olert responded, " There is nothing in the Con Edison system that would constrict the growth of White Plains or Westchester County."

WPCNR asked if the power supply was adequate, then was the infrastructure been sufficiently upgraded to handle the new power demands of White Plains, considering the feeder cable failures that knocked out, according to Mr. Olert, Battle Hill and the Soundview neighborhood. Olert said he would get back to WPCNR on that matter.

We asked if Olert's technical division in the Bronx had isolated what had caused the feeder cables to fail in the two previous White Plains blackouts within the last two months, one knocking out Soundview Avenue and a large portion of the Highlands, and another feeder cable leading to the Fortunoff complex, burning out. He said he would have to check.

According to Westchester County's Department of Communication, in a news release issued today (see country story on transformer and outages), the four transformers in downtown White Plains supply power to White Plains, Harrison, West Harrison, Eastchester, Scarsdale, Purchase, the North End of New Rochelle and parts of Mount Pleasant, Tuckahoe and Rye Brook.