FIVE FOR THE HALL OF FAME: The 88-ers : Public Safety Commissioner Dr. Frank Straub, far left, and Mayor Joseph Delfino, presented Ceritificates of Excellence to the lifesavers of the 23 Old Mamaroneck Road fire on December 7 last night. Left to right the heroes are: Lieutenant James Manganello, who found an elderly victim overcome by smoke on the fourth and fifth floor, carried her one flight down to Fire Rescue 88 partners, Sal Birittieri, second from left, and William Simmons, third from left who carried her out of the building, down the remaining four flights. The woman was not breathing when carried out and Police Officer William Nicholson, second from right revived her with respiratory aid. Police Officer Pietro DeVito, far right, was commended for climbing trees adjacent to the building to reach a fire escape to aid two victims who were huddled on the fire escape above the fire on the third floor.  Photo by WPCNR News.

PRAISES CITY: Lieutenant Manganello of Fire Rescue 88,  taking the microphone shared a letter sent to him by the lady he helped save, which simply said "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you." He said that was the best gift he could ever receive, and thanked the city for giving the Department of Safety  the equipment to do their job. During the ceremony, the Mayor praised Commissioner of Public Safety, Dr. Frank Straub, for creating the Fire Rescue Unit 88 which has been operational for six months, and involved in two life rescues.  Photo by WPCNR News.

The city fathers and mother accepted some $630,000 of grants for city agency and programs, agreed to postpone a scheduled public hearing on the Hamilton Condominiums.

They urged the Bobker Group, seeking to build two 10 story condominiums on Maple Avenue on opposite corners of Hale Avenue, to hold meetings with the neighbors to discuss ambiences, accesses and appearances of the project. The neighborhood meeting will be held tentatively January 10 at the offices of Cuddy Feder and Worby.

The Council also approved a widening of Maple Avenue to three lanes at Hale Avenue to accommodate the two condominiums. It was unclear whether Maple Avenue would be widened to three lanes in both directions, or for what distance.

Comprehensive Plan Review Invitation.

Mayor Urges Citizens to Call Him When They Have A Question.

In a public hearing on rezoning a block of Minerva Place to light industrial, Robert Myerson, speaking off the subject, urged the Mayor to participate in a public meeting January 13, to discuss a review of the city comprehensive plan, spearheaded by an adhoc committee, the Citizens Plan Committee, which has submitted a 60-page report to frame the discussion. Myerson said “the city should do the planning for the city, not the developers.”

Mayor Delfino said that he had wished citizens had contacted him personally before they had prepared the report, saying that he had never been contacted. “No one in the city came to the Mayor (on this matter),” he declared. He said Commissioner of Planning Susan Habel had been working on such a review since last April or May. He noted that the Citizens Plan Committee report he had seen appeared to have a number of errors in it, and wished the committee had contacted him personally, “and we could have helped you with it.”

Myerson said that Ms. Habel had told the Citizens Plan Committee she had no time to work on the comprehensive plan review when the committee had discussed a comprehensive plan review with her in the fall, and that was why the committee had begun the work on their report.

The Mayor looked directly into the camera (the meeting was televised citywide) and invited all citizens with any concern to call him personally at the Mayor’s office. The Phone Number of the Mayor's Office is 422-1411.

The rezoning of Minerva Place, being executed to facilitate a redesign of the self-storage facility located on the corner of Minerva Place and South Kensico Avenue, passed.

Bobker Group Condominiums Urged to

Work Design with the Hale Avenue Neighborhood.

Councilpersons Rita Malmud and Benjamin Boykin each urged the Bobker Group, seeking to build two 10-story condominums on opposite corners of the Hale Avenue-Maple Avenue intersection (up the Maple Avenue hill from Fortunoff), to hold discussions with the neighborhood on how the projects will present to the residents of Hale, south of Maple Avenue to work out neighbors’ concerns. Boykin urged the Bobker Group to follow the example of The Jefferson (300 Mamaroneck Avenue), which held extensive neighborhood interaction meetings to accommodate their project to neighborhood concerns.

 Council Cranky on Hale Condos: Rita Malmud, center, disputed Counselor William Null's interpretation of the 125 foot or six stories ordinance, and Benjamin Boykin, right, urged a meeting of the minds on design with Hale Avenue residents. Photo by WPCNR News.

Robert Vogel and Libby Hutcheson, two residents of Hale Avenue expressed this was news to them that the condominiums were being proposed for their corner. Hutchenson, after hearing an explanation of the project,  said it appeared to be a project that would help the neighborhood, but the group had to work with the neighbors.   Vogel cited concerns about overflow parking freeloaders clogging the Hale Avenue streets to avoid paying at garages in The Westchester and Fortunoff, and Westchester Pavillion, as well as "cut-through" traffic.

Paul Wood, City Executive Officer, asked by WPCNR why the Bobker Group had not been advised to interact with neighbors before the project reached the public hearing stage, said “it had not been the appropriate time,” and that now was that time.

Null Underfire: Bobker Group spokesman, William Null, listens as Rita Malmud discusses the finer points of the RM-0.35 Zoning District Ordinance. Malmud took issue strenuously with Bobker legal counsel, who said the ordinance gave the group the right to build 6 stories or 125 feet. Null’s interpretation of that ordinance was that as long as the Bobker Group kept within the 125 foot limitation, the number of stories was up to them. The diagrams on the easel showcase the looparound parking entrance to both projects, Maple Avenue being on the left of the diagram.  Photo by WPCNR News

The architect added that from a selling standpoint the building made more economic sense at the 100 foot height than if he had designed it for 6 stories up to the full 125 foot height, using mezzanines within the apartments.  The model above shows the first two condominiums on the corners of Hale Avenue. The building in the foreground, left is Crowne Plaza Hotel, in foreground right is the White Plains Pavillion. Fortunoff is at upper left, partially hidden by the Crowne Plaza model. Photo by WPCNR News.

Bobker’s architect, Christoper Fogarty, said he had designed the two buildings for 10 stories, with set backs on the rear of the building leading up to a maximum height of the b100 feet, because he felt it would minimize the loom of the building over the two-story homes adjacent tothe site. Fogarty said he felt he had to “sculpt the building to solve some of the complexities (terrain, house proximity, increasing grade) of the site.” 

Eli Bobker, the developer of the two condominiums, stated that the units are designed to serve persons “already living in White Plains, looking to move out of their homes and into these units.” 70 units are planned in the first building, and 57 units in the second condominium, each 10 stories. After his public remarks, Bobker told WPCNR  the units had not been specifically priced out yet, but estimated the units would be 1,400 square foot units, priced at $425-$475 a square foot, (approximately $600,000- $700,000 per average unit).

In an impromptu discussion in the rotunda after the Council meeting had adjourned it was tentatively agreed that the Bobker group would meet with the neighborhood next Monday, January 10 at 7:30 P.M. in the Cuddy, Feder & Worby offices, according to William Null, Bobker’s counselor.

The Hamilton Moved to February. 

The Public Hearing on The Hamilton condominiums on Church and Barker Avenues was not reopened, and instead, adjourned to the February 7 meeting of the Common Council, no reason given.

Three of The 88-ers: Fire Chief Richard Lyman, second from left with three of " his 88 guys:" James Manganello, Sal Birittieri, and William Simmons. Photo by WPCNR News.