June 16, 2010, Members of the GreeNR Sustainability Plan sat on a panel hosted by the Confederation of Neighborhood Associations at the American Legion Post on North Avenue.
Panelists: Dr. Herbert Fox, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, NYIT, Michael Deane, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, Turner Construction Corp., Dr. Joyce Kent, Chair, Science Department, New Rochelle High School, and Richard St. Paul, New Rochelle City Councilman, District 4. Louis Trangucci, New Rochelle City Councilman, District 1 was unable to attend.
Dr. Fox explained that he was a long time New Rochelle resident, has owned two homes, and now lives in a co-op. After listing his credentials to the group, he began to discuss the GreeNR proposals and the opportunity he feels we have as a community, to essentially save the planet. He discussed commercial Green upgrades, how his co-op’s building management recently replaced the boilers in his building and his efforts to get businesses and buildings to paint their roofs white and plant green roofs to save energy. An audience member raised the issue of the dangerously high mercury content in Compact Florescence (CF) light bulbs and the potential eco-hazard that would occur in a bulb broke inside of a household. In the GreeNR plan, where are the CF Bulb drop off disposal locations to safely dispose of these mercury eco-hazards or instructions on what to do if one breaks in your home. Why wasn’t this information included in the GreeNR plan?
The GreeNR representatives agreed that drop off locations where the bulbs are sold and public education or awareness campaign was necessary. One resident mentioned the 60 second cycles in CF lighting affected his sight, having the effect of a strobe light, and he would stock up on incandescent bulbs. The committee mentioned that once LED lights are in greater supply, the CF bulbs [filled with deadly mercury] would possibly be phased out. Almost every home has at least one CF bulb and residents are living with the possibility of mercury poisoning if a CF bulb breaks inside of the home. Businesses that sell the mercury filled CF light bulbs should also accept these bulbs for recycling and post an advisory on what to do and who to call if one of these bulbs breaks.
Then the GreeNR panelists discussed the recommendations to building new high story apartment buildings similar to the Avalon within walking distance of the train station. The panel assured the audience that the new structures proposed would be mid-height buildings along North Avenue and that no private residences would be taken from residents. The GreeNR plan calls for 50 towering apartment buildings. We still do not know where they will be built if the GreeNR proposal is adopted. We will follow this as it develops.
The second speaker was Dr. Joyce Kent, Chair, Science Department, New Rochelle High School, who discussed involving school children in the green sustainability programs. Dr Kent then read a passage referring to the GreeNR project that said in part, “Assets do not belong to those who have accrued them…” and discussed open green spaces and the programs she develops for students. This statement raised concerns in the audience, as if what she meant was that what we owned did not belong to us. Is this what the secret committee was discussing? Taking our assets? Her presentation continued and there wasn’t enough time for a follow up question to ask her to explain how that passage related to the GreeNR project. Maybe Dr. Kent can respond on this site. It was taken by many in the audience that what we owned, it our property did not belong to us and seemed to confirm the belief that the hordes of outside companies that have actively supported the GreeNR LEEDS proposal are about land and property acquisition and are using the GreeNR initiative to seize private property for their own enrichment.
We hope Dr. Kent will take the time to clarify the passage she read at the meeting on this blog.
Michael Deane, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, Turner Construction Corp., then spoke of his 20 years in the field and his work as a Chief Sustainability Officer. He talked about Green Buildings and that his company “Turner Construction” was involved in the construction of 150 LEED Certified Buildings and 190 schools, office buildings and hospitals. When Mr. Deane mentioned that his company earned 20 Billion, yes 20 Billion [with a ‘B’ dollars] from these ventures, there was a silent gasp. Apparently Turner Construction had made a lot of money in Green Sustainability projects and they have plans to make a lot of money in New Rochelle.
If this plan goes through, with the proposed 15 – 20 year tax liens attached to what was once private property will result in the seizure of property and eviction from your home. What if your landlord cannot afford to pay for the sustainability upgrades, either your rent goes through the roof and or you will be forced to move. A company that makes billions of dollars a year hasn’t come to New Rochelle to play tidily-winks or hop scotch. Hold on to your wallets, we better find out the real cost for homes, businesses and residential buildings before this goes any further.
What was also curious is that Mr. Deane said he was on the GreeNR committee, hired by Mr. Strom, the NR City Manager, but he left the committee soon after. Mr. Deane said he could not speak to the findings of the GreeNR committee, but he could speak to what his company could offer in terms of services. The audience was polite and did not inquire further as to why he left the GreeNR committee. It was clear he was there to represent to his company and to sell his companies 20 billion dollars a year services. He is here to make a lot of money for Turner Construction and they expect us to pay.
Audience questions covered concerns about the involvement of outside/international groups, organizations such as the United Nations and individuals associated with the project who have demonstrated agendas that are not in the interest of residents. These concerns in our opinion were not adequately addresses by the panel representing the GreeNR committee. Direct questions were repeatedly side stepped.
Mr. Deane with Turner construction was asked about the GreeNR recommendations/requirements for smart appliances (stoves, refrigerators, washers, dryers, air-conditioners, electricity use and heating units) in private residences. The appliances would be electronically connected to the grid, in reality the appliances would relay info to, speak to, and be controlled by the grid run by the power company. This connectivity would allow the power company to decide what appliance runs when. This question was side stepped by Mr. Turner and never answered. An audience member shared that in California, people can volunteer to submit to the wished of the power company but the reality is the power company, not you will control your appliances. The question was also asked about the proposed electric bill sharing, making the individual’s power use available to neighbors. Have we entered “A Brave New World?”
Richard St. Paul, New Rochelle City Councilman, District 4 discussed that the City Council would be reviewing the GreeNR proposal in six segments, at every other Council meeting, that would run through January 2011. Of interest was the fact that the City had received a million dollar matching grant for sustainability that would be used, to retrofit ‘green’ City Hall and select government buildings to LEEDS standards, once the matching funding of 1 million dollars was secured. Councilman St. Paul said the City Council was not sure where or how they would secure the one million dollars in matching funds, and said the some of the matching funds may be taken from the public fund, our tax dollars. The City says they cannot afford basic services for tax paying residents and our elected officials are considering re-directing a million tax-payer dollars to Green City Hall? With the marching funds the renovation of City Hall’s initial cost would be 2 million dollars. City Hall must tell us the real cost of the renovation of the 500 homes, targeted businesses and residential buildings targeted for the GreeNR sustainability upgrades.
In light of the fact that City Hall had obtained government funding to green a government building and other government offices, the question was raised, what about the home, property, building, and business owners? What grants are planned for the rest of us, the tax-paying public? A suggestion was offered to the GreeNR committee representatives and Councilman that residents, businesses and property owners should not pay ONE CENT towards sustainability upgrading. As the proponents want to use New Rochelle as a model, we should not have to pay to promote the businesses that have circled New Rochelle like vultures, waiting to take the cash and run. It’s easy to propose costly upgrades when you are not paying for them.
The GreeNR committee said that all of the recommendations were voluntary and no one was paid to be on the committee. Only time will tell. One of the final curious statements was made by the Councilman who said that the City Council would decide, after evaluating the plan, what if anything from the plan to mandate. Yes, he said the word mandate.
If you review the people involved in the planning of the GreeNR report admitted that they met in secret. It is hard to believe that they had no expectations of benefiting in the future. Turner Construction expects to benefit. The companies and individuals who participated in the drafting of this misguided plan must have been promised a benefit. Where is the benefit for the New Rochelle resident? Answer: No where to be found.
With the Turner Construction company earning 20 Billion Dollars in Green Sustainability projects, we all have to wonder and ask how much money is this going to cost New Rochelle residents per home, apartment building and business. City Hall is priced at 2 million to start, so half of that is 1 million estimated per private home. 1 million multiplied by 500 (the first block of homes scheduled to be renovated) are we looking at 500 million dollars for the first phase of the project? No wonder Turner Construction is interested. 500 million is a whole lot more money than 20 million. They would be in the money and we would be on the streets.
The City talks about cutbacks to police, fire, sanitation and education. We cannot afford this plan. The money these companies were promised is not here in New Rochelle. We should be investing in ourselves, not rushing to give money away that we do not have. If you have a lien on your property and cannot pay, the city will take your property and with your credit ruined where will you go?
The City Government is getting matching grants and the match will probably come from our hard earned tax dollars. The GreeNR plan calls for everyone else to get ‘favorable loans’ and for 15 to 20 year tax liens on properties attached to our property taxes. Try to sell a house with a 15-20 year lien.
As it seems that there is no benefit to New Rochelle residents. The process should be more transparent as recently proposed by Councilman S. Paul. All meetings from the City Council to IDA and Zoning meetings should be recorded unedited for viewing on-line with text printed on demand on-line, at the public library and senior centers as a public service to those who do not have computers, pay the salaries of our government officials who should be working for us not against us.
One question that was not asked due to lack of time was what is the cost of GreeNR enforcement officers? Salary, health benefits, retirement, etc have to be factored in. Who will pay for this? Will this be a new unelected layer of government accountable to the United Nations, or another outside agency, or individuals? We would loose control of our destiny. Could this be another incarnation of Eminent Domain? If you cannot pay for the improvements GreeNR requires, you will loose your home. With the recent history of steals and deals in New Rochelle, we all have to be very cautions and stay informed. This is something we cannot afford individually or as a community.
Call your councilperson, ask questions as to the real cost of this plan in writing, attend meetings and stay informed. The home you save may be your own.
Lady Justice needs an education and some etiquette
Ladyjustice – your ignorance is showing.
I am the Co-Chair of the New Rochelle Confederation of Neighborhood Associations and the principal who organized the GreeNR panel discussion at the Confederation’s meeting on Wednesday night, June 16, 2010. I take exception to your characterizations of the meeting, the professionals who spoke at the meeting, and what was said. I resoundingly denounce any inferences, innuendos, and conclusions that you have drawn from your erroneous characterizations. I don’t have time to go into every last erroneous detail of your blog, but I will say two things.
First, you completely misconstrued what Joyce Kent, Chair of the New Rochelle High School Science department, meant when she said that “[a]ssets do not belong to those who have accrued them…” Dr. Kent’s reference was to land and other natural resources that were here long before man ever inhabited the earth. We did nothing to deserve these resources. We are lucky to have them. Despite the fact that we own land by statute (man-made property rights that have been codified), we still have an obligation to protect our land for future generations. Dr. Kent’s comment had nothing to do with eminent domain or the taking of assets by the government.
Ladyjustice – go back to college. Get educated before you write another blog!
Second, Turner Construction Corp. provides services in nearly all sectors of the construction industry: http://www.turnerconstruction.com/. However, it is primarily involved in construction of health care facilities and, to the best of my knowledge, it has no interests in New Rochelle and will not have any interest in New Rochele whether or not the city council approves GreeNR. Michael Deane, the Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, who spoke at the Confederation meeting, has no personal, financial, or other interest in the GreeNR Sustainability Plan. I happen to know that he resigned from the Sustainability Advisory Board for personal reasons, and he is not obligated to explain these reasons to ladyjustice or anyone else. Those who needed to know are already aware.
Ladyjustice – go back to etiquette school. Your manners are sorely lacking. Give our professionals the courtesy their professionalism deserves. Don’t jump to premature conclusions!
Ladyjustice – you need to apologize profusely to Herb Fox, Joyce Kent, and Michael Deane for your ignorance and your presumptuous inferences, innuendoes, and conclusions.
Joyce Furfero, Co-Chair
New Rochelle Confederation of Neighborhood Associations
Ladyjustice Does Have Some Valid Points
The whole GreeNR plan needs far more scrutiny than it is getting. While people jump on the bandwagon(www.newrochelletalk.com/node/1958) for social engineering we tend to push through without proper evaluation of the consequences. I was at that meeting and while all of the speakers deserve appropriate respect, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be challenged on the issues. Case in point, does anyone really believe David Kooris and ICLEI chose New Rochelle to help put a sustainability plan in place and was done so out of pure charity? Who pays for the software and engineering of the plan, the follow up programs? Taxpayers. While it is in it’s infancy, you can’t deny the connections between the RPA, ICLEI, Souris, Tides Foundation, SEIU, ACORN et al. NOBODY does anything for nothing these days. So, while you may not like someones line of questioning, you have to grant the hard pressed, challenging questions, and demand for answers that this plan requires. There is way too much at stake to just blindly follow the leader. At the very least, the true costs of implementation and carry through need to be spelled out for a taxpayer to make an informed decision. To date, these questions have not been answered. If the plan is to stand on it’s own merit, it will survive any and all criticism.
The truth needs no apology.
The truth needs no apology.
I accurately described what was said in the meeting and I am entitled to my opinion. That is what America is all about. This is not a dictatorship where everyone has to subscribe to a certain group-think. I seemed to have hit a nerve – the truth hurts.
Your comments and unwarranted personal attacks on me have shown that you are a supporter of the GreeNR plan and this administration.
There are people, who for whatever reason, believe everything they are told. There are others who see this plan and this administration for what it is.
In time you will see that you are on the wrong side of history and misinformed.
No need for you to apologize. I guess this is a part of your learning curve.
This was a public forum not a closed meeting for the rubber stamp committee. I guess you think ‘ladies’ should be seen and not heard.
GreeNR
So here we have another example of the Obama Socialist agenda.
Use the excuse of climate change pseudo-science to engineer social changes. In this case build housing units close to public transportation in an effort to encourage the use of public transportation. In the process, of course, we destroy the character and economic basis of the community. After all, as Ms. Kent says, the assets you have acquired through a lifetime of work do not belong to you. To whom do they belong? Why, to the Socialist planners of course. They know far better than you what is good for you.
In the process we have the Al Gores and Turner Constructions of the world making a fortune off this incredible climate scam.
The reality of climate is this. All of human civilization has existed in a relatively brief interglacial period which will probably come to an end some time in the next couple of thousand years. The earth will then reglaciate as it has many times in the past million years and we will have three mile thick glaciers down to Georgia.
The climate variations that have been observed over the last thousand years or so are blips. The warming of the 10-12 century, the cooling of the 14-16 century and the gradual warming since are all minor variations within the larger picture of glacial advance and retreat.
One wonders what sort of junk science Ms. Kent is foisting on our children.
This transparent effort at central planning in the manner of Socialist regimes the world over should be resisted.
Jack Wagner, M.D.