WPCNR East Ender. By John F. Bailey. September 30, 2004: Last week WPCNR posed a list of questions to Thompson & Bender, public affairs consultants to New York Presbyterian Hospital, regarding the two year delay in beginning the proton accelerator project in the center of their property in White Plains. Tuesday a meeting was held among New York Presbyterian Hospital executives and Mr. Thompson to discuss the answers to WPCNR's queries.
Wednesday afternoon, WPCNR received the answers to those questions.
The written statements indicate the hospital blames the delay on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation when they changed standards in 2003, one year after the approval of the project (August, 2002).
The hospital maintains their proton accelerator is still state of the art, and will "upgrade as needed."
The hospital states that funding will be finalized after the site renewal is granted, but do not say specifically when the money will come in, whether it will be all state money, partners' money, or NYPH money, or private money. The hospital, in addition did not indicate who their partners were at the present time, saying they would be announced after the approval.
SITE OF PROTON ACCELRATOR/BIOTECH LAB: Street on right is Bryant Avenue. Street to bottom of map is Mamaroneck Avenue. The "X" on lower left is Bloomingdale's. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.
Here is the text of Mr. Thompson's answers, with WPCNR's questions:
THE FORMER DRIVING RANGE on New York Presbyterian Hospital property. June, 2002. Site the two-building complex up for Site Plan Permit Renewal. Photo, WPCNR News Archive
TO: John Bailey, WP Citizen Net Reporter
FR: Geoff Thompson, spokesperson for NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
John: Here are the answers to the questions that you had posed:
Q. (WPCNR): What comes next after all permits are in place?
A: The next step is site work. (outlined in Sequence 1)
Q (WPCNR): Going into the project, didn’t the Hospital and the City know the permits that would be needed and the time needed to process them all?
A: NYSDEC changed its regulations in 2003. The environmental review process DEC mandated meant meeting new higher standards. Once the DEC put its new regulations in place, the hospital then did the work and prepared the documents to meet them. This was a time intensive process.
Further, as has been explained by the Commissioner of Planning, (Susan Habel) the hospital was required to meet extensive, multi-step environmental conditions as outlined in the Special Permit issued by the city. Only after these conditions are met can the hospital proceed on foundation and other work.
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has been asked to meet the most comprehensive environmental requirements ever imposed on a project undertaken in White Plains. Many of the requirements are unique to its specific project. The time needed to meet all of these requirements was an unknown at the time of the original approval and has only become known as the hospital did the required work.
Q. (WPCNR): Are there additional participants beyond IBM and GE?
A: The final list of participants is subject to obtaining the permit renewal.
Q (WPCNR): Is the project funding finalized?
A: Finalization of funding is subject to obtaining the permit renewal.
Q (WPCNR): What is the future of proton technology? Is it still relevant? Have the plans for the proton installation at NYPH changed?
A: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital continuously assesses all medical technology and any upgrades that become available. This is an on-going process for all medical equipment. The plans for the proton installation at White Plains have not changed technologically. Upgrades, when available, will be included.
Q (WPCNR): Have new development projects in White Plains, i.e., Fortunoff, City Center, been included in NYPH traffic studies for "no build" scenario?
A: Yes. This is the same question that came up two years ago and the answer is the same. Incidentally, the Renaissance Square project Cappelli plans to build at 221 Main St., included the NYPH development in its traffic studies.
