... could involve demolishing part or all of the structure, according to White Plains Mayor Tom Roach...
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The late, not so great, train station (at the location of 15 Bank Street twin rental towers) was eventually demolished and replaced with a big hole in the ground for parts of three decades: late 1970s, 1980s, early 1990s. At least one small tree grew there.
It's heir is the giant hole in the ground at Maple Avenue, a block up from Bloomingdale Lane. It's been that way about three years.
A current abandoned site is the mini mall, which still contains the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Partial demolition of the Galleria seems unlikely. Wipe out the entire mall and the attached municipal garage and start over. Unfortunately, quick development in White Plains is the exception, so new and improved use of the Galleria location is years, hopefully not decades, away.
How many years has work been going on to refurbish the train station?
Plans are being created to redevelop the Galleria shopping mall in downtown White Plains into a massive mixed-use project that could involve demolishing part or all of the structure, according to White Plains Mayor Tom Roach...
The mayor revealed that the city had been involved in “serious” ongoing talks regarding redevelopment of the mall site. He said that as owner of the municipal garage adjacent to the mall, the city has a distinct interest in the property.
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The following posts were sent to White Plains decision makers, mostly elected officials, and to the lame local media. All were too unimaginative and timid to act or investigate until now the plague has forced the closing of Macy's and Sears, the two anchor stores of the Galleria mall, and something had to be done. The city should have been out in front but lagged way back.
Instead of moaning about the Galleria, remove it. Central Park should have been put there.
The library takes up valuable space and has long since outlived its usefulness. The City could derive lots of money from selling that land, including the desolate concrete area between it and the public safety building, you know, the one that is unmarked and has an entrance more secret than that to the Batcave.
New York City also includes small strips of land in its count of "parks" but it also has large botanical gardens in Brooklyn and the Bronx and, of course, Central Park in Manhattan and Prospect Park in Brooklyn.
A central park is exactly what White Plains lacks. It should have been created at the site of the unsightly Galleria indoor shopping mall between Main Street and Martine Avenue. Evacuation and controlled demolition are the only real solution to that mess.
With a little imagination, not even a lot. Photo below taken Saturday Feb. 17, 2018 at 2:30 PM. In other words in the middle of the afternoon on a cold overcast winter day: perfect for shopping. And even then the garage roof of the Galleria indoor mall has no cars, ZERO. Could that space be put to good use?
At the library, tonight 7-9 PM. Hey, what else is the library good for? ...
Would you support controlled demolition of the Galleria and its garage for the purpose of creating a central park?
Note: my question was not asked by the League of Women Voters.
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Galleria: put it out of its misery. Tuesday, March 10, 2020 ... Would you support controlled demolition of the Galleria and its garage for the purpose of creating a central park? ...
My question was not asked. Too bad. White Plains is a one horse town. Always was. Always will be.
COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics Cancelled on Thursday February 18 and Friday February 19
Due to historic weather conditions across the country affecting the delivery of COVID vaccine, the Westchester County Department of Health must postpone the following vaccination clinics: • Thursday, February 18 at 134 Court Street, White Plains • Friday, February 19 at 134 Court Street, White Plains
• Friday, February 19 at Westchester Community College
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I'm scheduled for Moderna dose two 2/18/21 at the Westchester Dept. of Health office in White Plains at 134 Court Street. This morning I received a message from New York State confirming my appointment tomorrow. In the 27 days since my first vaccination I have not received any electronic message from Westchester County. I learned from friends that tomorrow's appointments have been cancelled. I later found that information on the county web page above.
Moderna is in Texas, so that may be why the vaccine did not arrive but where did New York State get its supply and why did the state send confirming email messages this morning? There is a big disconnect between Westchester County and the state. BIG!
Apparently the Westchester County Center building will be open tomorrow for vaccinations. The capacity there could be much bigger if the four huge tents had been left operational.
Since the County Center building is still the primary building in White Plains used to vaccinate people against COVID-19, the adjacent tents could have provided much additional space for that purpose. But rather than use them to vaccinate, Westchester County removed the tops in January supposedly to make room for additional parking, which was not needed. Then rather than complete the removal of the tents, they sit there as of February 11, 2021: unusable and still occupying possible parking spaces.
What the heck? How does that make any sense? The following post contains more detail:
Those tents have large steel structures and external equipment for plumbing and heating/cooling. People could live in them in an emergency.
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The tents were intended for COVID patients, so they should easily be useful for simple vaccination. No COVID patients ever used those tents. They were created when Westchester County and New York panicked rather than planned a year ago. Now Westchester County is further wasting the many millions of dollars spent on these tents.
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
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.
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 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.
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.
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?
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.
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:
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 )
Location :
196 EAST HARTSDALE AVENUE HARTSDALE NY 10530
How to Schedule Appointment :
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.
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.
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 ______________
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.
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.
