$43 million County Center emergency hospital included those four HUGE unused tents being dismantled.

Those tents have large steel structures and external equipment for plumbing and heating/cooling. People could live in them in an emergency. Take a look before they are gone. 

The key item is way down at the bottom of the article quoted below: the cost for something not used:

Recent "LoHud" (Lower Hudson Valley as White Plains does not have coverage) article 1/25/21

by DAVID PROPPER | ROCKLAND/WESTCHESTER JOURNAL NEWS dpropper@lohud.com

The tents outside the Westchester County Center in White Plains are coming down after the hospital beds they housed were never used, the county announced Monday.

Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins said during a COVID-19 briefing the state would fully dismantle the tents situated on the County Center parking lot within two or three weeks. The tents were originally put up in March as part of an effort to expand hospital capacity regionally at the peak of the COVID-19 first wave. The inside of the County Center was also converted into an overflow hospital and is now used as a mass vaccination site...

Once the tents are cleared, parking will be available for people traveling to the County Center to get their vaccine shots...

The facility has not treated COVID-19 patients. It's only other use was as a virus antibody testing site in the late spring...

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers converted the County Center and adjacent parking lot into emergency hospital that had 110 beds as COVID-19 hospitalizations skyrocketed. The cost for the transformation was $42.9 million.

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Vaccine for COVID-19: County Executive favors teachers (union). Friday, January 15, 2021

Supplies have been cut but there were massive problems already from New York State down to Westchester County with elected officials not able to plan, organize or administer. All while they're licking themselves and preening.

The Westchester County Center building in White Plains is the major location for vaccination. But for some reason, the four large tents that had been created by the Army Corps of Engineers in the spring to handle COVID patients have not been used to vaccinate. Were any patients ever treated in those tents?

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Why is Westchester removing HUGE unused tents that could be COVID-19 vaccination sites? Sunday, January 24, 2021

You can't make up stuff like this...

The 16 second video pan below shows plenty of parking available in case Westchester County claims it is destroying the four HUGE tents to restore parking spaces: ...

The Westchester County Center building is the only substantial COVID-19 vaccination site currently in White Plains. A Westchester County clinic at 34 Court Street in White Plains starting vaccinating Thursday January 21, 2021. That first day was so badly organized that many people with appointments had to stand OUTSIDE, some for more than 45 minutes, just to get inside to start checking in. That building is much too small for such a purpose. Those four steel structured tents at the Westchester County Center would seem much better suited...

So why the sudden rush to destroy unused resources just when they might finally serve a good purpose? Is there an explanation other than incompetence?

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Hardly any of the County Center parking lot is being used by commuters. At most one third of that parking lot is used by those going to the County Center building to get vaccinated. That Westchester County clinic building at 34 Court Street in White Plains would probably fit inside one of the four tents.

Why is Westchester removing HUGE unused tents that could be COVID-19 vaccination sites?

You can't make up stuff like this.

Friday, January 22, 2021 at 11:18 AM the south most of the four tents adjacent to the Westchester County Center building was observed being dismantled:

Today, Sunday January 24, 2021 at 10:57 AM all four tent roofs had been removed. The 16 second video pan below shows plenty of parking available in case Westchester County claims it is destroying the four HUGE tents to restore parking spaces:

The Westchester County Center building is the only substantial COVID-19 vaccination site currently in White Plains. A Westchester County clinic at 34 Court Street in White Plains starting vaccinating Thursday January 21, 2021. That first day was so badly organized that many people with appointments had to stand OUTSIDE, some  for more than 45 minutes, just to get inside to start checking in. That building is much too small for such a purpose. Those four steel structured tents at the Westchester County Center would seem much better suited.

Vaccine for COVID-19: County Executive favors teachers (union). Friday, January 15, 2021

Supplies have been cut but there were massive problems already from New York State down to Westchester County with elected officials not able to plan, organize or administer. All while they're licking themselves and preening.

The Westchester County Center building in White Plains is the major location for vaccination. But for some reason, the four large tents that had been created by the Army Corps of Engineers in the spring to handle COVID patients have not been used to vaccinate. Were any patients ever treated in those tents?

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So why the sudden rush to destroy unused resources just when they might finally serve a good purpose? Is there an explanation other than incompetence?

Vaccine for COVID-19: County Executive favors teachers (union).

Supplies have been cut but there were massive problems already from New York State down to Westchester County with elected officials not able to plan, organize or administer. All while they're licking themselves and preening.

The Westchester County Center building in White Plains is the major location for vaccination. But for some reason, the four large tents that had been created by the Army Corps of Engineers in the spring to handle COVID patients have not been used to vaccinate. Were any patients ever treated in those tents?

The County Executive's own statement and anyone's common sense observation of those going to/from the County Center and its parking lot strongly suggest favoring teachers over citizens 65 and older.

An Update on Vaccine Availability from County Executive George Latimer

Published: 11 January 2021

We are currently in Phase 1a and Phase 1b, which is the below list. However, this is fluid. Please check the New York State eligibility application to determine eligibility and find a vaccination location.

Teachers and education workers
First responders
Public safety workers
Public transit workers
People 75 and older ...

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That list has 29 entries with teachers at the top. Who doesn't love teachers but the basic vulnerability is age. Maybe old people need a union.

Also, the County Executive was out of date on the age eligibility:

Coronavirus | Covid-19 Vaccine | White Plains Hospital

Effective, Monday, January 11, New York State has expanded the list of people eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination to Group 1B. This group includes first responders, public safety and transit workers, education workers, and individuals 65 years and older...

White Plains Hospital currently does not have the vaccine and we will update our patients via email and continue to update this website as more information becomes available.

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For a couple of days it appeared that old people were confined to a few pharmacies but even that didn't last. Email I sent to friends:

from: Ken
date: Jan 13, 2021, 6:21 PM
subject: Old people get vaccine at pharmacy.

I think I finally figured it out. Union members got the heads up and grabbed all the appointments for the next few months.

Over 65 are supposed to use a participating pharmacy, like Rite Aid. From the NY State website:

RITE AID 10547 ( 3.1 MILES )

Location :

196 EAST HARTSDALE AVENUE HARTSDALE NY 10530

How to Schedule Appointment :

Scheduling will start in next day or two please check back.

That's the closest to White Plains, which local officials let get left out.

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References to pharmacies have disappeared, at least for now.  There's always the Javits Center in Manhattan. If I must get vaccinated in a crowded place, I'll hold out for Yankee Stadium.

From: Ken
Date: Thu, Jan 14, 2021, 10:47 AM
Subject: COVID-19 vaccine distribution problem.
To: George Latimer <ce@westchestergov.com>
Cc: Thomas M. Roach <mayorsoffice@whiteplainsny.gov>, <digital@lohud.com>, <letters@lohud.com>

The Westchester County Center building is the only place I've found in White Plains where people in the 1b group can get vaccinated. However, the fix appears to be in. I received notice from my doctor group 9:30 PM January 12. I'm guessing that favored unions with workers in 1b already had word January 11 and filled all the appointment slots for the next few months. I'm guessing that the over 65 people getting vaccinated there are also members of one of those unions. You know, like a teacher.

Also, if you're not also using those expensive fully equipped tents adjacent to the County Center building built by the Army Corps of Engineers in April, why not?

Over 65 citizens are stuck waiting for a pharmacy not in White Plains to start scheduling and hope that the early appointment slots there are not also filled.

Local municipal officials need to do their local jobs and stop running for Secretary General of the UN or Pope. Feel free to share with the Governess. The state website had technical problems.

Kenneth Matinale
White Plains, NY

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from: Ken
to: George Latimer <ce@westchestergov.com>
cc: "Thomas M. Roach" <mayorsoffice@whiteplainsny.gov>,
news12wc@news12.com,
digital@lohud.com,
letters@lohud.com
date: Jan 14, 2021, 9:56 PM
subject: New York | Covid-19 Vaccine: more screwups.

https://am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/Public/providers

WESTCHESTER COUNTY CENTER ( 1.1 MILES )
Location : 198 Central Avenue White Plains NY 10606

How to Schedule Appointment : Schedule your vaccine appointment

Status: Appointments Available
Last Updated: 1/14/2021 8:00PM

I checked:

Event Type: Point of Dispensing
Date: April 16, 2021
Time: 08:00 AM - 06:30 PM
Registration Deadline: April 16, 2021
Appointments Available: 0
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And that was for all intervening dates, which this moron software repeats over and over rather than have simple calendar scheduling. I used the browser search function to check. And what if someone cancels? Can we get on a backup list to fill in? Apparently that never occurred to any government system designer or programmer.

And pharmacies have disappeared. Could this be more screwed up? Please check with the Governess.

Kenneth Matinale
White Plains, NY

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Common Council members elected by district: "Patch" asked for 2021 change we'd most like to see.

Michael Woyton, Patch Staff
Verified Patch Staff Badge
What’s the No. 1 change you want to see in White Plains in 2021?

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Change the city charter so that Common Council members are elected by district (precinct) and not at large as they have been for many decades. That's the only way there would be anything approaching fair representation rather than the council being dominated by people who live in houses outside of downtown where most of us live in apartments. As it is now, council members don't give a damn about quality of life where most White Plains citizens live.