White Plains Urban Renewal Agency

THE CITY OF WHITE PLAINS Official Proceedings of the Common Council Vol. 100 City of White Plains, N.Y., December 3, 2014 No. 33 THE CITY OF WHITE PLAINS OFFICERS Mayor.... THOMAS M. ROACH Council President.... JOHN M. MARTIN City Clerk.... ANNE MCPHERSON ________ COUNCIL MEMBERS: Nadine Hunt-Robinson Milagros Lecuona John Kirkpatrick John M. Martin Dennis E. Krolian Beth N. Smayda The Adjourned Regular Stated Meeting of the Common Council held on Wednesday, December 3, 2014, at six o'clock in the evening in the Common Council Chamber, Municipal Building, 255 Main Street, Mayor Roach presiding and the following Members present: Mrs. Hunt-Robinson, Mr. Kirkpatrick, Mr. Krolian, Mr. Martin, Mrs. Lecuona, and Mrs. Smayda. ________ Council President Martin asked unanimous consent to add to the evenings agenda communications from the City Clerk and the Commissioner of Public Safety, and to take those items out of order on the calendar. Unanimous consent granted. Council President Martin moved to add the items to the evenings agenda. Mrs. Smayda seconded the motion. Adopted by the following roll call vote: Mrs. Hunt-Robinson, Mr. Kirkpatrick, Mr. Krolian, Mrs. Lecuona, Mr. Martin, Mrs. Smayda and the Mayor - 7 - 0. ________ Communication received from the City Clerk Mr. Martin moved that it/they be filed and spread in full upon the minutes. Mrs. Smayda seconded the motion. Communication received from the City Clerk Mr. Martin moved that it/they be filed and spread in full upon the minutes. Mrs. Smayda seconded the motion. Carried. TO THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL: Attached is a communication transmitting a report dated December 1, 2014 prepared by Firepro entitled "Gedney Farm Fire Department Response Analysis." Subsequent to submission the report was forwarded to the Department of Public Safety for review. In order to memorialize the referral of the report to the Department of Public Safety, please find here attached the Firepro Report for your information and action as appropriate. Sincerely, ____ Anne M. McPherson, CMC City Clerk DATED: December 3, 2014 41 Hathaway Lane White Plains, NY 10605 December 1, 2014 Dear Mayor Roach and Members of the Common Council: We write with respect to the FASNY petition to close Hathaway Lane, and in, particular, emergency access to the Gedney Farm neighborhood. ° Council Finding G-4 states that the closure of Hathaway Lane would have a significant adverse impact due to the loss of emergency vehicle access. The Finding required FASNY to create an alternate emergency access roadway that is accepted by appropriately designated city staff, with any comments thereon delivered to the Common Council for approval (Exhibit "A"). ° In the revised petition dated October 20, 2014 (¶ 27), FASNY stated that the City's Public Safety representatives expressed that they would only use either an open Hathaway Lane or the emergency access driveway in the most remote emergency conditions. Public Safety representatives also stated they typically avoid using any roadway or driveway where their vehicles may come into conflict with school children on site. (Exhibit "B"). ° In the Department of Public Safety letter dated November 6, 2014, Commissioner Chong deleted the phrase "the most remote" of the revised petition. That is, the Public Safety seems to have amended the FASNY petition to reflect that it would use either an open Hathaway Lane or the emergency access driveway " . . . in emergency conditions". This letter did not state expressly that Public Safety found that the proposed fire access roadway was acceptable, and does not set forth the bases of such a conclusion. Commission Chong did not retract the statement that Public Safety typically avoids using any roadway or driveway where their vehicles may come into conflict with school children on site. (Exhibit "C"). ° In her November, 2014 report, Ms. Habel stated that the representations made by FASNY in the petition is inaccurate: The Public Safety representatives did not say that " . . . they would only use either an open Hathaway Lane or the emergency access driveway petition is inaccurate: The Public Safety representatives did not say that " . . . they would only use either an open Hathaway Lane or the emergency access driveway proposed under the current site plan in the most remote emergency conditions. Nor was it stated with respect to police and fire responses " . . . they typically avoid using any roadway or driveway where their vehicles might come into conflict with schoolchildren". (Exhibit "D"). Discussion Between October 20 and November 6, 2014, an apparent 180-degree reversal took place. This raises serious concerns about the fairness, accuracy and integrity of the review process. These concerns are heightened by the ex parte nature of this process in which the applicant has unfettered private communications and contact with City staff to which the public is not privy. We submit that the Common Council must fully investigate the contradictions, ambiguities and apparent reversal of position before considering approval of the Public Safety communication, and FASNY's applications and petition. These questions include: • Upon what did FASNY base the statements in para. 27 of the revised petition? • Were the statements in the revised petition accurate at the time that it submitted the revised petition? (It is difficult to fathom that a careful attorney like Michael Zarin would make an error on this critical issue). • If the statements in the petition were accurate, what caused Mr. Chong to reverse his position in the November 6, 2014 communication? • Why would Public Safety accept the proposed access roadway where it " . . . typically avoids using any roadway or driveway where their vehicles may come into conflict with school aged children"? • What further happened to allow Ms. Habel to recommend that FASNY met the conditions of Finding G-4? Conclusion The public record contains several crucial questions that must be answered before this Council can approve the November 6, 2014 communication by Public Safety, or render a decision on FASNY's applications. The report of Firepro, Inc., the Gedney Association's fire safety expert, is an indication of the type of "Comprehensive Analysis" that is the standard of inquiry in matters of this kind (Exhibit "E"). We suggest that the Department of Public Safety should provide at least the same level of technical review of the impact on public safety that could result from the closing. If this Department does not have the resources to perform such an analysis, an independent neutral organization with impeccable credentials should be retained at the expense of the applicant to conduct such a review, eliminate the ambiguity, and report directly to the Common Council before any action is considered. Such further inquiry, including a comprehensive analysis on at least the level of the Firepro report, will enable the Common Council to identify the relevant areas of environmental concern, take a hard look at them, and make a reasoned elaboration of the basis for its determination. Without such inquiry, a reviewing court would undoubtedly find that acceptance of the Habel and Chong communications, and granting of FASNY's applications, were affected by an error of law, arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion, and irrational. Such further inquiry, including a comprehensive analysis on at least the level of the Firepro report, will enable the Common Council to identify the relevant areas of environmental concern, take a hard look at them, and make a reasoned elaboration of the basis for its determination. Without such inquiry, a reviewing court would undoubtedly find that acceptance of the Habel and Chong communications, and granting of FASNY's applications, were affected by an error of law, arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion, and irrational. Very truly yours, Denise L. DeMarzo Joseph L. DeMarzo SEQRA FINDINGS - DECEMBER 19, 2013 FINDING G-4: If Hathaway Lane is closed from Ridgeway to Gedney Esplanade due to development of the Project Site under either the MPP/North Street or MPP/Bryant Avenue, to avoid the significant adverse impact due to the loss of emergency vehicle access through this portion of Hathaway Lane, FASNY must design, construct and maintain an alternate emergency access roadway through the site from Ridgeway to Hathaway Lane north of Gedney Esplanade. The design and construction of the emergency vehicle access and the plan for its continued maintenance shall be subject to and a requirement of any Special Permit/Site Plan approval. As part of any Special Permit/Site Plan approval process the design, construction and maintenance plan for the emergency vehicle access must be reviewed and accepted by appropriately designated City staff and/or consultants, with any comments thereon delivered to the Common Council for approval. 24. Upon the conveyance of the discontinued portion of Hathaway Lane to FASNY, FASNY will provide the City with an easement all relevant easements over that property for access and maintenance of municipal infrastructure located in the current right- of-way or on the Site. (See id . at 67.) 25. Following the discontinuance of the subject portion of Hathaway Lane, emergency vehicle access to the School Campus would also be preserved from Ridgeway through construction of an a now enhanced Emergency Access Driveway from Ridgeway into the Project Site. (FEIS at 1.2-2; see also FEIS Fig. 1.2-5.) 26. Emergency access throughout the Project Site would be provided in compliance with Section 503 of the New York State Fire Code. The emergency access plan has been reviewed and thoroughly vetted with the Chief of Police and Fire. Following New York State Fire Code. The emergency access plan has been reviewed and thoroughly vetted with the Chief of Police and Fire. Following 27. The EIS provides that the reconfiguration of the emergency access and Campus circulation would add only five (5) seconds to response time to any emergency vehicle crossing the Campus. More importantly, the City's Public Safety representatives in reviewing the Site Plan expressed that they would only use either an open Hathaway Lane or the emergency access driveway proposed under the current Site Plan in the most remote emergency conditions. They typically avoid using any roadway or driveway where their vehicles might come into conflict with school children on-site. Nonetheless. they seemed assured that if they were to use FASNY's current proposed emergency access, as designed, it would operate comparable to an open Hathaway Lane from an emergency response perspective. 28. Finally, the discontinuance of the subject portion of Hathaway Lane, pedestrian access from Ridgeway to Gedney Esplanade would be provided through the western setback area on Parcel A. This would replace the existing pedestrian path that would be discontinued , or the The Findings Statement correctly determined that keeping Hathaway Lane open while operating the school created significant adverse safety and emergency access impacts that could not be adequately mitigated during those periods. The Findings Statement also correctly determined that closing Hathaway Lane addressed the safety and emergency access impacts, but did not mitigate the impact of the diversion of traffic to neighborhood streets to the maximum extent practicable. In light of these Findings, FASNY redesigned the Emergency Access Driveway to enable through traffic on the Emergency Access Driveway on all non-school days (approximately 196 days per year). The Emergency Access Driveway would be closed to non-school traffic, except public safety and emergency vehicles, on all school days. This removes the need for vehicles to divert to other neighborhood streets on week- ends, holidays, and all summer. As noted, it is also enforceable and can be noticed on the school's website, through mailings to the neighborhood, and through postings at key locations. The Emergency Access Driveway is not in the same alignment as Hathaway Lane in order to permit parking areas to be drawn further from the residential property at 57 Hathaway Lane and the residences abutting Parcel D on Ridgeway. In addition to compliance with Section 503 of the New York State Fire Code, any emergency access to be provided to and through the FASNY Campus if the lower portion of Hathaway Lane is closed, must comply with any conditions and requirements of the White Plains Department of Public Safety. Any partial discontinuance approval resolution must include the conditions requiring emergency access to and through the FASNY Campus by the Department of Public Safety, with public access on non-school days. As per the communication from the Deputy Commissioner of Parking for Transportation Engineering, after a period of operation, the option of opening the emergency access to and through the Site to the public on other non-school hours will be evaluated on a periodic basis to determine if opening of the access to the public is viable on weekday evenings. Approval of the partial discontinuance of Hathaway Lane must occur prior to any Special Permit/Site Plan approval. Although not stated in the Revised Petition, if any of the proposed portion of Hathaway Lane is discontinued, all public utility easements must meet all the requirements of the City's Department of Public Works and other affected public utilities, including any fees and bonds to be paid. This is provided for in the Revised Transportation Management Plan and the Revised Construction Management Plan. Revised Petition #2 discontinued, all public utility easements must meet all the requirements of the City's Department of Public Works and other affected public utilities, including any fees and bonds to be paid. This is provided for in the Revised Transportation Management Plan and the Revised Construction Management Plan. Revised Petition #2 The representation made by FASNY in this paragraph regarding statements allegedly made by the City's Public Safety representatives is inaccurate. The Public Safety representatives did not say that "they would only use either an open Hathaway Lane or the emergency access driveway proposed under the current Site Plan in the most remote emergency conditions. Nor was it stated with respect to police and fire responses that "they typically avoid using any roadway or driveway where their vehicles might come into conflict with school children." Fire and police responses and the response routes are determined by the nature of the calls, not by predetermined procedures. Both the Police and Fire Departments have determined, as stated in the communication of the Department of Public Safety, that the proposed Emergency Access Driveway proposed by FASNY would operate comparable to Hathaway Lane from an emergency response perspective. Revised Petition #29 through #38. The Common Council should rely on the Law Department for legal advice, not the Applicant. D. CONCLUSION: The Revised Discontinuance Petition is appropriate, subject to the modifications and conditions stated herein which should be noted as conditions in any Hathaway Lane partial discontinuance approval resolution and as conditions and requirements of any Special Permit/Site Plan approval. E. DECLARATION OF COVENANTS, RESTRICTIONS AND EASEMENT The Revised Declaration of Covenant, Restrictions and Easement is being reviewed by the Law Department and will be subject to Corporation Counsel's recommendations to the Common Council and to final approval as to form. TO THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WHITE PLAINS: DEAR MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL MEMBERS: The Department of Public Safety has reviewed the plans for: French American School of New York (FASNY) Site Plan Amendments The following are our comments: 1. Introduction Pages 10-13 -The congestion that would be created by mixing through traffic on a realigned Emergency Access Driveway between Ridgeway and 57 Hathaway Lane during school opening and dismissal hours and during after school campus events would create conflicts between the through traffic, school pick up and buses, event traffic and emergency vehicle access and circulation through the site. This conflict is not created if the Emergency Access Driveway is closed to through traffic other than police and emergency vehicles during these periods. 2. Exhibit 2 Section 4.6 -The emergency access driveways from Ridgeway and from Gedney Esplanade will have gates that open automatically when approached by emergency vehicles. through the site. This conflict is not created if the Emergency Access Driveway is closed to through traffic other than police and emergency vehicles during these periods. 2. Exhibit 2 Section 4.6 -The emergency access driveways from Ridgeway and from Gedney Esplanade will have gates that open automatically when approached by emergency vehicles. 3. Special permit application introduction Page 12 - Remove the phrase "the most remote" 4. Exhibit 5 page 7 of Hathaway Lane Discontinuance Petition remove the phrase "the most remote". 5. Exhibit 2 Section 7 - Public Safety recommends a camera program that gives access to Public Safety. 6. Exhibit 2 Section 8.1 and 8.2 - Include notification of Public Safety of name and number of FASNY Traffic/Transportation Liaison and advance notice of special events and modification to schedule. 7. Exhibit 4 Section 3.11 - Provide emergency lighting during construction for officer safety and entry access for Public Safety. 8. Exhibit 4 Section 3.11 - Provide a plan for emergency access to the campus and through the campus on Hathaway Lane during construction. David E. Chong Commissioner of Public Safety Dated: November 6, 2014 GRAPHIC UNAVAILABLE: Click here Gedney Farm Fire Department Response Analysis Prepared by: FIREPRO® Incorporated December 1, 2014 Lee C. DeVito, P.E. President Kurt A Ruchala, P.E. Principal With Assistance From Kevin Cox, P.E. Thomas Bull Introduction This report is provided at the request of The Gedney Association. The French American School of New York (FASNY) is proposing to develop a new campus at the former Ridgeway Golf Club site in White Plains. As part of the development, FASNY proposes to de-map the portion of Hathaway Lane between Ridgeway and Gedney Esplanade, south of 57 Hathaway Lane. The purposes of this report are to analyze the proposed use of an emergency access roadway on the FASNY property for fire emergency response, and to review the existing fire department response routes and those that would remain with the proposed development of FASNY at the former Ridgeway Golf Club site. FIREPRO® makes all reasonable efforts to incorporate practical and advanced fire protection concepts into its advice. The extent to which this advice is carried out affects the probability of fire safety. It should be recognized, however, that fire protection is not an exact science. No amount of advice can, therefore, guarantee freedom from either ignition or fire damage. the proposed development of FASNY at the former Ridgeway Golf Club site. FIREPRO® makes all reasonable efforts to incorporate practical and advanced fire protection concepts into its advice. The extent to which this advice is carried out affects the probability of fire safety. It should be recognized, however, that fire protection is not an exact science. No amount of advice can, therefore, guarantee freedom from either ignition or fire damage. Materials Reviewed 1. Fire Department Travel Routes - prepared by Joseph DeMarzo 2. Map Fire Route North Street 3. FASNY - French American School of New York, Technical Memorandum, Hathaway Lane Discontinuance: A Matter of Fairness and Safety, September 8, 2014 4. FRENCH-AMERICAN SCHOOL OF NEW YORK, Revised Site Plan/Special Permit Submission, 10/20/2014 - Zarin Steinmetz Letter & Documents 5. FRENCH-AMERICAN SCHOOL OF NEW YORK, Revised Site Plan/Special Permit Submission, 10/27/2014 - Zarin Steinmetz Letter & Documents 6. Portions of FASNY DEIS, FEIS and Council Findings 7. Letter of J. Michael Divney and Jean Divney dated August 16, 2014, to Mayor Thomas Roach and Honorable Members of the Common Council, City of White Plains. 8. Drawings SP 14, SP-15, & SP-16 by JMC Site Development Consultants, 5/5/14. 9. SEQRA Finding G-4 dated December 19, 2013. 10. Pages 12 through 13 of FASNY attorney M. Zarin letter of October 20, 2014. 11. Report pages 14 & 15 by Sue Habel, City Planning Consultant November 2014. 12. Memo prepared by David E. Chong, Commissioner of Public Safety to the Mayor and Common Council Members, November 6, 2014. 13. Memo prepared by Thomas J. Soyk, P.E. PTOE, Deputy Commissioner, City Transportation Engineer, November 19, 2014. Site Visit Lee DeVito visited the Gedney Farm neighborhood on November 12. 2014 and traveled and timed potential fire department response routes between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Reference Documents 1. NFPA 1710, Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments, 2010 edition. Description The Gedney Farm neighborhood is located in White Plains. New York. The thoroughfares of North 2010 edition. Description The Gedney Farm neighborhood is located in White Plains. New York. The thoroughfares of North Street to the East, Ridgeway to the South, Mamaroneck Avenue to the West and Bryant Avenue to the North surround it. The neighborhood consists primarily of single-family homes and is suburban in nature with a street pattern dating to the 1920's. Street widths can be as narrow as 18 feet. Hathaway Lane - Two Way Hathaway Lane runs North-South from an intersection at Bryant Avenue at the north end to an intersection with Ridgeway at the south end. The existing Hathaway Lane public right of way is 50 feet in width of which there is 24 feet of pavement. The right of way extends from Gedney Esplanade to Ridgeway. Also intersecting from North to South are Heatherbloom Road. Heather Lane. and Gedney Esplanade. all with an eastern terminus at Hathaway Lane. FASNY seeks to de-map the portion of Hathaway Lane south of 57 Hathaway Lane to Ridgeway. This section of Hathaway Lane separates the east and west sections of the former Ridgeway Golf Club property. A single residence is present at the intersection with Gedney Esplanade, with a driveway connecting to Hathaway Lane. Response Time The nationally recognized response time for career fire departments has been obtained from a document published by the National Fire Protection Association. That document is NFPA 1710. Its purpose is to specify the minimum criteria addressing the effectiveness and efficiency of the career public fire suppression operations, emergency medical service, and special operations delivery in protecting the citizens of the jurisdiction and the occupational safety and health of fire department employees. Section 4.1.2.1 on NFPA 1710 states the following: The fire department shall establish the following objectives: 240 seconds (4 minutes) or less travel time for the arrival of the first arriving engine company at a fire suppressions incident and 480 seconds (8 minutes) or less travel time for the deployment of an initial full alarm assignment at a fire suppression incident. Therefore, the response time for the initial arriving engine company to a residential home in the Gedney Farm neighborhood should be four minutes or less under this provision. French American School of New York Plans The plans developed by FASNY propose to develop a campus setting with multiple buildings and facilities for the school's various programs. These include a pre-school, elementary school, middle school, high school, performing arts building, parking lots, internal circulation roadways, walking paths and athletic facilities. FASNY proposes to integrate the discontinued section of Hathaway Lane with various circulation driveways and parking lots within their campus setting. Curbing and landscape features will separate the lots and driveways from each other. Emergency Access Road FASNY proposes to provide access to its campus driveway system for emergency response to the Gedney Farm neighborhood. The campus has been designed for exclusive vehicular access from North Emergency Access Road FASNY proposes to provide access to its campus driveway system for emergency response to the Gedney Farm neighborhood. The campus has been designed for exclusive vehicular access from North Street. This would require access to the campus driveway system to be limited to some form of gated access at both Ridgeway and Hathaway Lane across from 57 Hathaway Lane. The Common Council Findings of December 2013 state that FASNY must create and maintain an emergency access route though the Site from Ridgeway to Hathaway Lane north of Gedney Esplanade. The design and construction of the emergency access road and a plan for its continued maintenance would be subject to the Special Permit/Site Plan approval process. The emergency access road configuration would have to be reviewed and accepted by City staff and/or consultants, with any comments delivered to the Common Council for approval. Private driveways are not typically used to access an incident located outside the property that the driveway is located on. In this case, travel across private property for emergency vehicles is being proposed for access to another public way. Except in rare cases, the prudent responder would not employ such a route when an alternate public way is available. The proposal is further complicated by the need to deny access of vehicles on the campus to both Ridgeway and Hathaway Lane. This arrangement would require a lockable gate system at both ends of the driveway. If the driveway were used by emergency vehicles to access the Gedney Farm neighborhood from Ridgeway. delays would be incurred to operate the gate at the beginning and end of the driveway, take two additional right turns, drive over a speed bump. and pass through two intersections in order to reach Gedney Esplanade. Although we said "drive" over a speed bump, a typical fire engine weighing upwards of 30 tons can only crawl over a speed bump. Additional delay may also occur not just on the distance and configuration of the driveway system but also in turning the corners in the system. The JMC drawings do not provide any indication that vehicle turning requirements for fire engines and ladder trucks have been considered in creating the driveway system. When compared to the existing route which is a straight drive down Hathaway Lane to Gedney Esplanade, we question the statement that the new route will only require an additional five seconds when compared to the existing route, as described on page 7 in paragraph 27 of the FASNY petition. In addition, the high likelihood of encountering conflicting pedestrian traffic in the form of schoolchildren and vehicular traffic in the form of parent and staff cars and school buses would make this route an unacceptable option for the prudent emergency responder. Other concerns that must be addressed include: 1. The specifications for construction of the private driveways and their ability to handle the weight of a fire engine. The driveways along the access route must be reinforced to withstand the substantial weight of fire engines. 2. Maintenance of the driveways during inclement weather conditions. FASNY must keep the route clear of ice and snow on a 24/7 basis. 3. Potential conflicts would exist between fire engines and FASNY school buses and vehicular traffic including parent, staff and visitor vehicles. This would contribute further to an increased response time. particularly if a disabled vehicle blocks access. 4. Very low speed limits would be required on emergency access route due to unlatching of access gates, crawling over a speed bump, FASNY vehicle traffic, parking area, pedestrians including school children, and curves on route. This would contribute further to an increased response time. particularly if a disabled vehicle blocks access. 4. Very low speed limits would be required on emergency access route due to unlatching of access gates, crawling over a speed bump, FASNY vehicle traffic, parking area, pedestrians including school children, and curves on route. This would contribute further to an increased response time. 5. The potential for school children and adults being in the emergency access route would require that the FASNY provide training and information to the FASNY personnel, children, and parents about the potential for fire emergency vehicles passing through the route, and the activities the children and parents must perform during the use of the route by a responding fire engine. 6. Street lighting would be necessary along the emergency access route to provide for safe access during darkened hours. Fire Department Response The White Plains Fire Department maintains Fire station No. 7 on the Northwest corner of Ridgeway and North Street. This Fire Station is staffed around the clock by career firefighters. The engine company stationed at this Fire Station would be the first due company to an incident in the Gedney Farm Neighborhood. The station has one engine company and one ladder company. Fire department response was calculated using three consumer mapping programs: Google Maps, MapQuest, and Waze. These programs are designed to account for local speed limits. The response time was also analyzed on a site visit that occurred on November 12, 2014 between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. The travel speed will vary depending on the traffic, parking, and structure of the roads, such as curves, as well as the requirement to slow and stop at intersections. Therefore, in addition to using hand calculations, we used the previously mentioned three software programs, as they adjust to actual travel conditions. The travel time information provided in the tables provides time range between the various software programs, and includes observations obtained during the site visit. Current Fire Response Route - Hathaway Lane The most direct route from this Fire Station to the northeast section of the Gedney Farm neighborhood is to travel west from the station on Ridgeway to Hathaway Lane, then proceeding North on Hathaway Lane to the intersection of Gedney Esplanade and Hathaway Lane. The following lists the distance and calculated vehicle travel time using the consumer mapping programs to six locations in the Gedney Farm neighborhood via an open Hathaway Lane, based on actual route timing. Location Travel Distance (Miles) Travel Time (Minutes) 57 Hathaway Lane 0.5 1 41 Hathaway Lane 0.69 1 to 2 16 Oxford Road 0.82 2 65 Heatherbloom Road 1.08 3 27 Macy Avenue 0.79 2 6 Robinhood Road 1.05 3 To compare the calculated time above to actual on the street drive time. the following lists the vehicle travel time using an automobile in the mid-afternoon on November 12. 2014 to various addresses in the Gedney Farm neighborhood. These corroborate with the theoretical times for the "off-peak" period. Location Travel Time 41 Hathaway Lane 1 min 45 sec 16 Oxford Road 2 min 30 sec travel time using an automobile in the mid-afternoon on November 12. 2014 to various addresses in the Gedney Farm neighborhood. These corroborate with the theoretical times for the "off-peak" period. Location Travel Time 41 Hathaway Lane 1 min 45 sec 16 Oxford Road 2 min 30 sec 65 Heatherbloom Road 3 min 15 sec Alternatives to Current Route If an open Hathaway Lane is no longer available as a fire response route, the other fire response options are to either provide access from Ridgeway onto Murchison Place (Murchison Place Route) heading northbound, or from Ridgeway to North Street, traveling north to Bryant Avenue and then traveling south on Hathaway Lane (North Street Route). Murchison Place Route If the existing route using an open Hathaway Lane is not used, the next most direct route between the Fire Station and the intersection of Gedney Esplanade and Hathaway Lane is to continue 0.3 miles west on Ridgeway to Murchison Place. A fire engine would then travel North on Murchison Place to Hotel Drive, continue Northeast on Hotel Drive to Gedney Esplanade, and turn right onto Gedney Esplanade to the intersection with Hathaway Lane. This route is twice as long as the current most direct route and measures approximately 1.2 miles. The response time of the first due fire engine company would be more than 1 minute longer than the response time through Hathaway Lane, based on the calculated response travel times. This assumes that Murchison Place is open for travel and not partially or fully blocked. This route requires full stops at Murchison Place and Hotel Drive and at Hotel Drive and Gedney Esplanade. The associated deceleration and acceleration at these intersections, and the need to travel very slowly on Hotel Drive due to narrow curves, increases response time even more. In the DEIS, FASNY stated that if Hathaway Lane was closed fully, the Murchison access route would extend the travel route by approximately 3/4 of a mile and would likely take an additional 60 seconds or longer. FASNY stated further: "This additional response time is not considered ideal: so full closure of Hathaway Lane is likely not a realistic option". Chapter 16: Alternatives, pp. 16-16 to 16-18. www.johnmeyerconsulting.com/fasny/deis/ altematives.pdf. Use of this route would result in calculated response times to many homes that are two or three times longer than those associated with the current route, which raises a serious concern for protecting the residents of this neighborhood. Below is the travel time calculated using consumer mapping programs. Location Travel Distance (Miles) Travel Time (Minutes) 57 Hathaway Lane 1.19 3 41 Hathaway Lane 1.34 3 to 4 16 Oxford Road 1.35 4 65 Heatherbloom Road 1.5 4 27 Macy Avenue 1.03 3 6 Robinhood Road 1.30 4 As we concur with the opinion of FASNY that the Murchison Place is not a viable option we did not perform a drive analysis of those routes. North Street Route 6 Robinhood Road 1.30 4 As we concur with the opinion of FASNY that the Murchison Place is not a viable option we did not perform a drive analysis of those routes. North Street Route This route from Fire Station No. 7 consists of a turn eastbound onto Ridgeway, left onto North Street northbound, a left onto Bryant Avenue eastbound, and left onto Hathaway lane heading southbound. At peak hours of White Plains High School and the proposed FASNY development, fire response time would likely encounter traffic, including many school buses, at the entrances to these schools, and would also face potential delays at the intersection of North Street and Bryant Avenue at peak hours. The following lists the distance and the software calculated vehicle travel time to six locations in the Gedney Farm neighborhood. Location Travel Distance (Miles) Travel Time ( Minutes) 57 Hathaway Lane 1.6 4 41 Hathaway Lane 1.42 3 to 4 16 Oxford Road 1.43 3 to 4 65 Heatherbloom Road 1.17 2 to 3 27 Macy Avenue 1.67 5 6 Robinhood Road 1.63 4 to 5 However, the response time to homes at two sites exceed the response time of four minutes established in NFPA 1710, and all sites would experience a response time two to three times greater than the open Hathaway Lane route. To compare the calculated time to drive time, the following lists the vehicle travel time using an automobile in the mid-afternoon. 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., on November 12. 2014 to various addresses in the Gedney Farm neighborhood. Location Travel Time 41 Hathaway Lane 3 min 0 sec 65 Hathaway Lane 3 min 30 sec 65 Heatherbloom Road 2 min 38 sec 27 Macy Avenue 4 min 43 sec 6 Robinhood Road 4 min 20 sec FASNY Response Presentation FASNY has not, to our knowledge, provided a publically accessible analysis of the North Street access route. We consider this to be significant deficiency in the FASNY presentation, in that an applicant routinely performs an extensive analysis of fire response time if its plans may adversely affect fire response. Response Summary Travel Distances (Miles) Location Hathaway Murchison North 57 Hathaway Lane 0.5 1.19 1.6 41 Hathaway Lane 0.69 1.34 1.42  Travel Distances (Miles) Location Hathaway Murchison North 57 Hathaway Lane 0.5 1.19 1.6 41 Hathaway Lane 0.69 1.34 1.42 16 Oxford Road 0.82 1.35 1.43 65 Heatherbloom Road 1.08 1.5 1.17 27 Macy Avenue 0.79 1.03 1.67 6 Robinhood Road 1.05 1.30 1.63 GRAPHIC UNAVAILABLE: Click here Travel Times (Minutes) Location Hathaway Murchison North 57 Hathaway Lane 1 3 4 41 Hathaway Lane 1 to 2 3 to 4 3 to 4 16 Oxford Road 2 4 3 to 4 65 Heatherbloom Road 3 4 2 to 3 27 Macy Avenue 2 3 5 6 Robinhood Road 3 4 4 to 5 GRAPHIC UNAVAILABLE: Click here Concept of Fire Progression When a fire starts it is usually a small fire, such as a fire in a waste basket or a cigarette that has smoldered in a couch. As the fire grows and develops flames it utilizes oxygen in the air to produce heat. and as the flames continue to grow additional heat is produced. The additional heat causes other combustible items in the area of the initial flames to pyrolyses and produce combustible gases. Those additional combustible gases will ignite when the temperature in that area reaches the flammable temperatures of the gases. This is how a fire spreads from room to room in a home. As the temperature continues to increase more materials produce combustible gasses and the rate of fire progression accelerates. With the rapid heat build-up flashover can occur in a room in three to five minutes. The concern with today's fire incidents is that with changing technology the products that are placed in homes has changed from organic products such as wood, cotton, or wool to plastic products, which vaporize quickly, produces very high heat release rates, and produce more combustible gases than their organic counterparts. For example the heat release rate for a cotton mattress is 40 to 970 kilowatts, while the heat release rate from a polyurethane mattress is 810 to 2630 kilowatts; or for a cotton easy chair the heat release rate is 290 to 370 kilowatts, while the heat release rate from a polyurethane easy chair is 1350 to 1990 kilowatts. Thus fires spread faster and the progression of the fire in the home accelerates much faster. An example of this fire activity is shown in a video prepared by Underwriters Laboratories, which depicts fires in a Legacy Room and a Modern Room. The fire in the Legacy Room, which uses traditional furniture items, burns slowly at three minutes into the fire. while the fire in the Modern Room, which uses polyesters and plastic style furniture items advances to full room burning within three minutes. You can see this video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsReYgKpHbE An example of this fire activity is shown in a video prepared by Underwriters Laboratories, which depicts fires in a Legacy Room and a Modern Room. The fire in the Legacy Room, which uses traditional furniture items, burns slowly at three minutes into the fire. while the fire in the Modern Room, which uses polyesters and plastic style furniture items advances to full room burning within three minutes. You can see this video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsReYgKpHbE It should be recognized that the response time is the time it takes the fire department to leave the Fire Station and arrive at the fire scene. The quicker fire response occurs when the home is connected to a central station, such that detection devices in the home would detect a fire. and would send a signal to the central station. The central station would then call the fire department. If a home is not connected to a central station, detection of a fire and notification to the fire department would rely on occupants of the home. When local smoke alarms notify occupants they will be concerned with evacuating rather than calling the fire department immediately. This will result in additional time, therefore maintaining the current response times is critical. We are unaware of the furniture configuration and central station connections in the homes of the residence in the Gedney Farm neighborhood. Therefore, our concern is to address the worst-case configurations, which would be plastic materials and no central station connection. This would result in a delayed notification of a fire incident to the fire department, and cause a larger fire upon the fire department arrival. Therefore, the requirement of NFPA 1710 for a four-minute response time is critical. With the potential closure of Hathaway Lane. the calculated response times and actual drive times through an alternate route using North Street would create times for some locations in the Gedney Farm neighborhood of more than four minutes. Finding and Conclusions Findings 1. The French American School of New York has purchased the former Ridgeway Golf Club in White Plains, New York. 2. The French American School of New York proposes to develop a school on the former Ridgeway Golf Club property. 3. The French American School of New York proposes to de-map Hathaway Lane in White Plains, New York. 4. The French American School of New York proposes to provide an alternate route through the French American School property, as required by SEQRA Finding G-4. 5. The FASNY petition of October 20, 2014 states that the White Plains Department of Public Safety indicated that it would not use the alternate route through the French American School property. However, the report of David Chong dated November 6, 2014 contains language that seems to indicate that Public Safety will use this route. No reasons were stated for this apparent reversal of position. 6. The de-mapping of Hathaway Lane will cause changes to the routing of fire department access to the Gedney Farm neighborhood. 7. Using available public roads, the response time for the White Plains Fire Department would be two to three times greater than the current response time through an open Hathaway Lane. 8. NFPA 1710 requires a response time to be less than four minutes. 7. Using available public roads, the response time for the White Plains Fire Department would be two to three times greater than the current response time through an open Hathaway Lane. 8. NFPA 1710 requires a response time to be less than four minutes. 9. The calculated and measured response time is more than four minutes for some residential units in the Gedney Farm neighborhood. Conclusions 1. The proposed emergency access road is not acceptable for the reasons set forth in this report. 2. FASNY has not adequately addressed how fire protection would be provided to the Gedney Farm neighborhood if Hathaway Lane were abandoned. FASNY has correctly determined that the Murchison Place route is not a realistic option due to an unacceptable increase in response time. FASNY has not evaluated the North Street route, and the response times on this route are even greater that the response times for Murchison Place. which FASNY has deemed an unrealistic option. 3. FASNY has not provided a complete fire department response time evaluation for the Gedney Farm neighborhood. This is a standard step that an applicant takes in cases where a proposal will adversely affect fire response time. As the proponent of the street closure. it is the responsibility of FASNY to provide an acceptable alternate route. 4. Earlier, White Plains Public Safety officials stated that they would not make use of this driveway access provision for access to incidents not located on the FASNY campus, except in the most remote emergency conditions. We concur in this opinion for the reasons discussed above. However, we currently understand that the White Plains Public Safety Officials have now determined that they would use the proposed FASNY Emergency Access Driveway. We disagree with this approach and suggest that the items provided in this report be reviewed more thoroughly before a decision is made to use the FASNY Emergency Access Driveway. The above information is based on FIREPRO's examination and analysis activities to date, utilizing good engineering practices related to fire protection engineering. These findings are subject to change, and we reserve the right to amend this report should more information become available. Lee C. DeVito, P.E. President Kurt A. Ruchala, P.E. Principal 3/92 - Present FIREPRO Incorporated North Andover, Massachusetts President: President and Manager of Special Projects in this technical consulting center for fire protection engineering, fire defense programming, and fire incident reconstruction. 4/91 - 2/92 FIREMARK INTERNATIONAL Harrison, Maine General Established this organization to provide business development and management assistance to Background: businesses serving the fire industry. Principal: Developed marketing and business management tools to assist FIREPRO Incorporated with retaining its marketing position during an economical recession. During this period production increased and no work force reductions were required. Assisted with the relocation and implementation of a new management team into Syon Corporation, which was the organization created as a result of the purchase of the Packaging Systems Division from Fenwal Incorporated.  retaining its marketing position during an economical recession. During this period production increased and no work force reductions were required. Assisted with the relocation and implementation of a new management team into Syon Corporation, which was the organization created as a result of the purchase of the Packaging Systems Division from Fenwal Incorporated. Acted as the general manager of the Packaging Systems Division of Fenwal Incorporated. This Division produced epoxy resin patching kits for the automotive and aerospace industry and provided contract packaging for the medical and cosmetic industry. I was responsible for improving morale and production and maintaining market share of the Division during negotiations for its sale. 4/90 - 3/91 FENWAL INCORPORATED Ashland, Massachusetts General Fenwal, having been acquired by Williams Holdings Company, 1989, and operated by their Background: Special Operations management teams, was undergoing extensive reorganization. The Protection Systems Division, which manufactured and marketed mechanical and electronic fire protection equipment, had lost its aerospace group which had been established as an independent organization and relocated, and had absorbed the operation of the Walter Kidde Fire Systems Company, which had been relocated to Fenwal from Wake Forest, North Carolina. The negative influences associated with the acquisition, relocations, and re-allocation of resources had caused the projected 1990 sales to drop from a forecasted $47 million to a run rate of $38 million. Sales activity consisted of components marketed through 40 domestic OEM's, Fenwal-brand systems marketed to high-value commercial environments through 90 domestic and international distributors, and Kidde-brand systems marketed to price-conscious industrial environments, through 500 domestic and international distributors. In March of 1991 the reorganization was completed, and the company repositioned to report to Williams' International Fire and Safety Division, resulting in the elimination of several reorganization-related positions, including divisional marketing managers. Marketing Reporting to the Vice President of the Protection Systems Division, I had total responsibility for the Manager: marketing efforts associated with the company's fire protection product lines. The immediate implementation of a direct marketing approach resulted in year-end sales of $43 million. Formalized the marketing organization of nineteen personnel into a traditional product management structure of six major product groupings, with centralized application engineering, customer service, and advertising organizations, and established consistent directions focusing on market strengths, benefit selling, and maximum product gross margin potential. Designed and implemented an automated market-tracking system which allowed direct monthly analysis of domestic sales activity by product line with respect to key demographic and geographic characteristics. Redefined and accelerated the development of four state-of-the-art microprocessor control and detection product lines, which would allow Fenwal to penetrate new markets, including environmental control. Initiated full production of two of the lines by 1990 year end and targeted production of the others by second quarter 1991. Directed the efforts that resulted in these new Fenwal products being selected as the specifying standard for telecommunication facilities by AT&T, GTE, and United Telephone. 7/89 - 3/90 KIDDE-GRAVINER INTERNATIONAL Colnbrook, England General Kidde-Graviner International was a new organization created by Williams Holdings Company, Background: the parent of Graviner, Ltd., to direct and coordinate the efforts of their newly acquired group of fourteen military and aerospace safety systems companies. Their initial direction was to KIDDE-GRAVINER INTERNATIONAL Colnbrook, England General Kidde-Graviner International was a new organization created by Williams Holdings Company, Background: the parent of Graviner, Ltd., to direct and coordinate the efforts of their newly acquired group of fourteen military and aerospace safety systems companies. Their initial direction was to focus on developing a global market strategy and consolidate operations. Business Reporting to the Managing Director, I coordinated the consolidation of Pyrotector, Inc.'s Development military and aerospace-related marketing and sales programs into the organization of Walter Manager: Kidde Aerospace Incorporated in Wilson, North Carolina. 2/85 - 6/89 PYROTECTOR, INC. Marshfield, Massachusetts General Pyrotector was formed in 1957 to provide specially developed fire detectors to the U. S. Air Background: Force for certain aircraft. The founders of the company were true innovators, holding several patents in fire detection, and by the early seventies the company was recognized as the world's leading authority on sophisticated fire detection devices for military applications. Through a couple of ownership changes, the directions of the company shifted, such that in early 1985 that area of the business was virtually dormant. The product line's only sales activity, $4 million, resulted from either spare parts requirements or long-term contracts for those products developed in the early sixties. I became associated with Pyrotector when the Grinnell Corporation, the owners, recognized this as a potential growth area and decided to invest in its redevelopment. Reporting to the President, I was tasked with creating an organization to recapture Pyrotector's market leadership. After three and a half years of expansion, Pyrotector was purchased from Grinnell by its major overseas competitor, Graviner, Ltd. In April of 1989 Graviner acquired the fire protection companies of Kidde, Inc., and during the summer of 1989, consolidated the Pyrotector operation with Walter Kidde Aerospace in Wilson, North Carolina, and Detector Electronics in Minneapolis, Minnesota, eliminating the Pyrotector marketing organization. Manager Developed an organization of eleven personnel that performed the worldwide marketing, sales, Special service, and application engineering functions for Pyrotector's highly specialized fire detection Projects: devices, focusing on military and commercial aircraft, ships, armored vehicles, and highly volatile facilities. Designed and implemented marketing strategies and programs that resulted in doubling the group's sales the first year and continued to improve sales to represent 50 percent of the company's total. Researched, specified, and implemented product-development programs that brought all of Pyrotector's products to the leading edge of technology and returned Pyrotector to its previous position as the world's leading authority on infrared flame detection. The combined effect of these programs generated an increase in average gross margin from 50 percent to 60 percent, eliminating the need for significant price increases and allowing the continuation of competitive average unit selling prices of $200 to $500. Initiated the program that resulted in the upgrading by the U. S. Air Force and the Boeing Aircraft Company of their aircraft smoke detection systems to the newest products. Initiated the program that resulted in the upgrading of the U. S. Navy's infrared flame detection systems on their patrol craft to Pyrotector's newest products. Initiated the program that resulted in the upgrading of the infrared flame detection systems by the U. S. Air Force on their fleet of C-5 aircraft and in the U. S. Army's planning an upgrade to their fleet of Black Hawk Helicopters. Developed and implemented programs that resulted in Pyrotector's being selected as the specified supplier of Fire and Explosion Detection and Suppression Systems for armored vehicles for the countries of Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey, and Taiwan. Awarded a $2.6 million contract from the U. S. Army for second-source supply of flame detectors for the M-1 tank.  fleet of Black Hawk Helicopters. Developed and implemented programs that resulted in Pyrotector's being selected as the specified supplier of Fire and Explosion Detection and Suppression Systems for armored vehicles for the countries of Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey, and Taiwan. Awarded a $2.6 million contract from the U. S. Army for second-source supply of flame detectors for the M-1 tank. Awarded a long-term contract from McDonnell Douglas to provide the smoke detector systems for the U. S. Air Force's newest cargo plane, the C-17, at $45,000 per aircraft. Awarded a $1.6 million contract from Sikorsky Aircraft to provide an RFI hardened control amplifier system on the Black Hawk Helicopters. 2/84 - 1/85 WEST PARIS TOOL AND DIE West Paris, Maine General West Paris Tool and Die was a family operation that had been in business for seven years. The Background: family was disenchanted and was contemplating closing the business. The company's principal products were stamping dies and stamped parts for the automotive and electronic industries, including fire protection equipment manufacturers, such as the Edwards Company and Pyrotector Incorporated. They were noted for producing quality products, but their operational philosophy had been conservative, with staffing kept to a minimum and their equipment operating well below capacity. I became associated with the company in February of 1984 to oversee its restructure. Our principal goals were to obtain working capital to finance growth and to expand the business. The West Paris Tool and Die Corporation was established in June of 1984. In February of 1985 I left the operation to address another opportunity. President- Organized stockholders, negotiated financing, and developed this company into a viable General organization. Manager: Developed and implemented a management information system specific to the needs of the operation. Designed and implemented engineering product specifications and costing standards. Designed and implemented a marketing program to expand the company's product line and customer base. When I left the organization, the backlog was more than double its previous running rate. 4/83 - 11/89 CASWELL HOUSE RESTAURANT Harrison, Maine General The Caswell House Restaurant was established in April, 1983, and began full operation in July, Background: 1983. Situated in an historic house in a resort community, it was a full-service operation specializing in steaks and seafood to the upscale market. Co-Owner: Designed and supervised the renovation of the property. Designed and implemented the marketing and community involvement programs. Developed and implemented a management information system for the restaurant that would be effective in the early stages of development and adapt to the organization as the business matured. This system was adopted by two other restaurants for which we provided consulting services. Sold this business at a value representing 8.5 times return on initial investment. 10/75 - 8/83 FENWAL INCORPORATED Ashland, Massachusetts  Sold this business at a value representing 8.5 times return on initial investment. 10/75 - 8/83 FENWAL INCORPORATED Ashland, Massachusetts General Fenwal was a division of Kidde, Inc., with three marketing divisions: Protection Systems, Background: Industrial Controls, and Resin Systems. I became affiliated with the Protection Systems Division in October, 1975, to expand the support provided to their industrial fire protection distribution network. The Protection Systems Division was a market leader in industrial and aerospace fire and explosion suppression systems using the inert gas Halon 1301 as the suppressing agent. In 1983 the division contributed sales of $45 million to the company's total annual sales of $100 million, representing a division growth rate of 375 percent from the time I joined them. Fenwal had 1100 employees and manufactured all of the components used in their systems. The component prices ranged from $25 to $1,500 with the typical system price ranging from $6,000 to $20,000. I left in August of 1983 to pursue personal business interests. 2/81 - 8/83 Manager Responsible for the entire operation of the Systems Contracting Group, which provided total Systems industrial fire protection systems to international customers. The primary functions of the group Contracting: were to prepare system specifications and proposals, negotiate contracts, design and document systems, procure components, assemble and test the equipment, hire and train construction personnel, and perform on-site installation, testing, training, and maintenance. Developed this new organization into a viable part of the division. Directed the sales effort and negotiated a contract with PEMEX, the government-owned oil company in Mexico, to provide the total fire protection packages for their offshore platforms. The first order issued was for three platforms at an initial value of $0.9 million. Our exceptional performance resulted in an expansion of the scope of the project to include a two-year construction services contract. Directed the sales effort and contract negotiations for Fenwal, Fenwal Controls of Japan, and Fukada-Kidde Japan to provide the total fire protection systems for a special arctic offshore platform that Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding of Japan was constructing for Gulf Canada Resources, Ltd. The Fenwal portion of the initial order was $0.6 million. Time was the most critical factor on this project, and although several construction design changes occurred, the project was completed ahead of schedule. Assisted K.B.K. International on the final contract negotiations with Holzmann Engineering of West Germany for providing fire protection systems at 160 classified installations in Saudi Arabia. Then I acted as Holzmann's representative to the Saudi Arabian customer to finalize the system specifications. The Fenwal portion of the initial order was $1.1 million. Innovative engineering resulted in design costs being 20 percent below budget. 11/79 - 1/81 Product Responsible for the entire fire suppression system product line, consisting of electronic controls and Manager: mechanical equipment. Responsibilities included management of product-line growth and new product development, development of marketing tools and forecasts, and monitoring of field performance and profitability. Developed this new position into a viable part of the organization. Developed the market intent and product specification for a highly efficient electronic fire alarm control panel and supervised its initial development. This control panel was subsequently utilized on 60 percent of the systems Fenwal provided. 9/78 - 10/79 Project Until 1979 the primary market area for Fenwal fire suppression systems was electronic equipment  control panel and supervised its initial development. This control panel was subsequently utilized on 60 percent of the systems Fenwal provided. 9/78 - 10/79 Project Until 1979 the primary market area for Fenwal fire suppression systems was electronic equipment Manager: rooms and data processing centers, which required small, dedicated, electrically-operated equipment packages. As Halon 1301 became more accepted in other industries, market areas opened for larger applications requiring larger, more versatile equipment. Therefore, Fenwal established a development team to produce a completely new line of electropneumatically operated equipment. This team performed market analysis, developed the products and their required manufacturing processes, instituted the product line into full production, and provided sales and service training to the distribution network. I coordinated the efforts of this team to ensure that they met our marketing goals. Once the product specifications were established, the product line was brought from concept to production in 14 months. This product line grew to represent 50 percent of their fire suppression systems sales in three years. 10/75 - 8/78 Systems Developed components and computer design aids for use in fire protection and designed explosion Engineer: suppression and Halon 1301 high-speed fire suppression systems for industrial hazards. Designs involved creating component layouts and providing technical support for product distributors, customers, and various insurance agencies. Represented Fenwal on the National Fire Protection Association Committee that established and published new international design standards for using two-phase flow theory to design Halon 1301 fire suppression system piping networks. Developed computer software to allow Fenwal engineers and customers to calculate flow parameters and establish material requirements for distribution piping networks of Halon 1301 fire systems., This program, which substantially minimized system design time and increased system reliability, was in daily use throughout the world until the advent of alternative suppressing agents in the mid 90's. 11/73 - 11/74 ROCKWOOD SYSTEMS CORPORATION South Portland, Maine General I became affiliated with Rockwood as a consultant in November of 1973 to provide fluid Background: engineering support for a U. S. Air Force research contract. Rockwood had been purchased from Gulf & Western in the spring of 1973 by the First Lexington Corporation. During this transition the research contract had fallen substantially behind schedule and required dedicated support. After the completion of the contract in the spring of 1974, I was officially employed by Rockwood until recessionary cutbacks in November of 1974 eliminated the position. Research Developed a high-efficiency foam application nozzle and fluid proportioning system for the U. S. Engineer: Air Force. Provided engineering management of a foaming-agent product development contract that Rockwood had issued to Case Western Reserve University. The project resulted in the establishment of the basic chemical properties that the new agent should exhibit and the materials and manufacturing processes that would control these properties. REGISTRATION State of Maine - Registered Professional Fire Protection Engineer #7853 Commonwealth of Massachusetts - Registered Professional Fire Protection Engineer #37968 EDUCATION State of Maine - Registered Professional Fire Protection Engineer #7853 Commonwealth of Massachusetts - Registered Professional Fire Protection Engineer #37968 EDUCATION Master of Business Administration Northeastern University, Boston, 1979. Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1973. Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1971. Associate of Science in Aeronautical and Space Engineering Wentworth Institute, Boston, 1969. CURRENT COMMITTEE POSTS National Fire Protection Association Member: Technical Committee 96 on Venting Systems for Cooking Appliances National Fire Protection Association Member: Technical Committee 720 on Carbon Monoxide Warning Equipment in Dwellings Underwriters Laboratories Member: Panel on UL 1978 Grease Ducts MEMBERSHIPS National Fire Protection Association Member Society of Fire Protection Engineers Member Society of Fire Protection Engineers Elected Fellow New England Chapter - Member Director (1995 - 1997) President (2000-2001) 1995 - Present FIREPRO Incorporated North Andover, Massachusetts Principal: Provide management for the engineering department to include engineering support for new and 2007- existing building fire safety evaluations, fire protection system design, and fire incident reconstruction. Present Conduct audits and tests, write reports and specifications, and provide project management support for facility audits and fire protection system designs. Apply engineering methodologies and fire modeling for both the evaluation of fire protection system performance, building layout effects, and analyzing fire and explosion incidents. Senior Associate 2001 - 2007; Associate 1998 - 2001; Engineer 1995 - 1998. 1994 - 1995 PROTO-POWER CORPORATION Groton, Connecticut Fire Duties involved evaluation of fire protection systems and procedures to determine deficiencies and Protection proper resolutions, preparation of industrial facility fire protection system descriptions discussing Engineer: component location and function, performance of technical evaluations of fire hazards utilizing qualitative and quantitative methods, and revision of technical installation and surveillance procedures for fire protection equipment. Protection proper resolutions, preparation of industrial facility fire protection system descriptions discussing Engineer: component location and function, performance of technical evaluations of fire hazards utilizing qualitative and quantitative methods, and revision of technical installation and surveillance procedures for fire protection equipment. 1993 - 1994 TUFTS UNIVERSITY Medford, Massachusetts Graduate Responsible for conducting fire and life safety evaluations of residence halls, administration Engineering buildings, and academic buildings. Work efforts also included assisting construction managers Intern: university fire marshal office personnel by collecting data on fire protection system design requirements and function from NFPA standards and other technical publications; designing a residential sprinkler system for a small dormitory; and interfacing with the engineering staff of the university's insurance carrier and the university's contracted fire protection system testing personnel. 1993 PARSONS MAIN INCORPORATED Charlotte, North Carolina Graduate Responsibilities included providing assistance in conduction of fire protection and life safety Engineering evaluations at the DOE Savannah River Site. Tasks included surveillance of 3,500 structures; Intern: documentation of the building type, fire protection features, and egress routes; and evaluation of fire protection audit findings previously recorded by Factory Mutual and Professional Loss Control Corporations. 1985 - Present FIRE SERVICE Several Massachusetts Fire Departments Captain: Groveland, Massachusetts Fire Department. Appointed 2011. Duties include managing the station operations and personnel for the central fire station and managing company operations during fire, rescue, and emergency medical calls. Lieutenant: Groveland, Massachusetts Fire Department. Appointed 1998. Duties include managing company operations during fire, rescue, and emergency medical calls. Firefighter: Duties include conducting training classes for department members and responding to fire, rescue, and emergency medical calls. Certifications through the Massachusetts Fire Academy and the National Board of Fire Service Professional Qualifications: Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Fire Officer I, Fire Officer II, Fire Instructor I, Fire Instructor II, Fire Inspector I, Incident Safety Officer (Pro Board Only). MEMBERSHIPS Society of Fire Protection Engineers - National Fellow 2012 Professional Member 1998 Society of Fire Protection Engineers New England Chapter Member National Fire Protection Association Member REGISTRATION Registered Professional Engineer - Commonwealth of Massachusetts Registered Professional Engineer - State of Connecticut REGISTRATION Registered Professional Engineer - Commonwealth of Massachusetts Registered Professional Engineer - State of Connecticut Registered Professional Engineer - State of New York Registered Professional Engineer - State of Rhode Island Registered Professional Engineer - State of New Hampshire Registered Professional Engineer - State of Vermont Registered Professional Engineer - State of New Jersey BOARDS, COUNCILS, AND COMMITTEE POSTS Editorial Advisory Board Fire Protection Engineering Magazine Society of Fire Protection Engineers Appointed March 2014 Fire Prevention Fire Protection Advisory Committee Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations and Standards Appointed January 2013 Massachusetts Fire Training Council Appointed by Governor Deval Patrick July 17, 2012 National Fire Protection Association NFPA 101 Life Safety Code/ NFPA 5000 Building Safety Code Principal Committee Member Building Service and Fire Protection Equipment Committee Appointed March 1, 2011 National Fire Protection Association NFPA 96 Venting Systems for Cooking Appliances Alternate Member to Lee DeVito, P.E. Appointed March 1, 2011 National Fire Protection Association NFPA 720 Carbon Monoxide Alternate Member to Lee C. DeVito, P.E. Appointed July 26, 2007 National Fire Protection Association NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm Code Principal Committee Member Protected Premises Committee Appointed April 14, 2005 Society of Fire Protection Engineers - New England Chapter President - Executive Board 2005-2006 Society of Fire Protection Engineers - New England Chapter 1st Vice President - Executive Board 2004- 2005 Society of Fire Protection Engineers - New England Chapter Board of Directors 2001-2003 Society of Fire Protection Engineers - New England Chapter Scholarship Committee 1997-2000 Chairman 1999-2000 Society of Fire Protection Engineers - National Design Basis Fires Task Group Task Group Dissolved 2012 PUBLICATIONS "Aspects of a Well-Engineered System," Fire Protection Contractor Magazine, July 2004 2012 PUBLICATIONS "Aspects of a Well-Engineered System," Fire Protection Contractor Magazine, July 2004 "Small Atria Smoke Control," Fire Protection Engineering, Winter 2000 "Quantification of Manual Fire Suppression," Master's Thesis, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 1994 PRESENTATIONS "Residential Fire Sprinkler Systems" Fire Protection Association of Massachusetts Annual Seminar April 2014 "NFPA 72 Update" Automatic Fire Alarm Association New England Chapter November 2013 "Smoke Control Systems" Automatic Fire Alarm Association New England Chapter April 2013 "Fire Alarm Systems" Fire Protection Association of Massachusetts Annual Seminar April 2013 "Sprinkler System Permitting and Construction Inspections" Fire Protection Association of Massachusetts Annual Seminar April 2012 "Flammable and Combustible Liquid Storage: Fire Protection Association of Massachusetts Annual Seminar April 2011 "General Sprinkler Systems and Hydraulic Calculations" Fire Protection Association of Massachusetts Annual Seminar April 2010 "Introduction to Sprinkler Plans Review" Fire Protection Association of Massachusetts Annual Seminar April 2009 "Flammable and Combustible Liquids and the Code" Fire Protection Association of Massachusetts Annual Seminar April 2008 "Interim Fire Protection Plans and System Impairments" Fire Protection Association of Massachusetts Annual Seminar April 2007 "Introduction to Fire Protection" Association for Facility Engineers Chapter 37 October 2006 "Sprinkler Plan Review - Workshop" Fire Prevention Association of Massachusetts Annual Seminar April 2005 "Sprinkler Plan Review" Fire Prevention Association of Massachusetts Annual Seminar April 2004 "Creation and Evaluation of Evacuation Plans" Society of Fire Protection Engineers - New England Chapter, Building Owner and Managers Seminar March 2002 "Seismic Bracing an Inspectors Viewpoint" Fire Prevention Association of Massachusetts Annual Seminar April 2002 "Fire Protection During Demolition and Construction Projects" Society of Fire Protection Engineers - New England Chapter, Building Owner and Managers Seminar March 1999 EDUCATION Seminar April 2002 "Fire Protection During Demolition and Construction Projects" Society of Fire Protection Engineers - New England Chapter, Building Owner and Managers Seminar March 1999 EDUCATION Pyro Sym & Pathfinder Seminar Worcester Polytechnic Institute April 8, 2013 Smoke Control Fundamentals and Pressurized Systems SFPE Annual Meeting, October 18, 2012 Speech Intelligibility for Emergency Communication Systems SFPE Annual Meeting, October 19, 2012 Fire and Explosion Investigations NFPA Seminar, April 19-20, 2010 Dust Explosion Hazards NFPA Seminar, September 4, 2008 Fire Pump Seminar NFPA Seminar, May 1, 2008 SFPE Seminar Introduction to Fire Dynamic Simulator and Smoke View Norwood, MA September 11 - 13, 2006 SFPE Short Course on Design Applications of Computer Fire Modeling New Orleans, LA, November 11-12, 1999 SFPE Seminar on Smoke Management for Atria and Other Large Spaces Boston, MA, June 7, 1999 SFPE Short Course Introduction to Performance-Based Design for Fire Protection Engineers Denver, CO, May 18-19, 1995 Master of Science in Fire Protection Engineering Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 1995 Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, 1992 ________ Communication received from Commissioner of Public Safety. Mr. Martin moved that it/they be filed and spread in full upon the minutes. Mrs. Smayda seconded the motion. Carried. TO THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMONC COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WHITE PLAINS Dear Mayor and Common Council Members: The Department of Public Safety has reviewed the report entitled "Gedney Farm Fire Department Response Analysis", dated December 1, 2014, prepared by FIREPRO Incorporated, and submitted to the Common Council by Joseph L. DeMarzo on behalf of the Gedney Association ("FIREPRO Report"). The Department has the following comments. 1. The FIREPRO Report relies upon statements made by the French-American School of New York in Response Analysis", dated December 1, 2014, prepared by FIREPRO Incorporated, and submitted to the Common Council by Joseph L. DeMarzo on behalf of the Gedney Association ("FIREPRO Report"). The Department has the following comments. 1. The FIREPRO Report relies upon statements made by the French-American School of New York in its petition for the discontinuance of a portion of Hathaway Lane. The Department of Public Safety, instead, relies upon its own research and data. The statement in paragraph 27 of the FASNY Discontinuance Petition which is referenced by the FIREPRO Report is specifically noted as being inaccurate in the November 18, 2014 report prepared by Management Associate Susan Habel (see Habel Report page 14). Although the FIREPRO Report acknowledges having reviewed pages 14 and 15 of the Habel Report, it ignores the fact that the FASNY Discontinuance Petition statement is not correct. Furthermore, as noted by the FIREPRO Report itself, the November 6, 2014 communication from the Commissioner of Public Safety contradicts paragraph 27 of FASNY's Discontinuance Petition. This Department states unequivocally that the reconfigured Emergency Access Drive from Ridgeway to an access merge onto the Hathaway Lane public street near 57 Hathaway Lane will be used for emergency services routing. 2. The Department of Public Safety has reviewed and had input into the design of the Emergency Access Drive, including requiring automatic gates at each end and an appropriately sized, designed and lighted roadway which accommodate turning movements for all emergency vehicles. This roadway will be serving as the emergency access, as well as a public access drive when school is not in session. The Department of Public Safety and the Department of Public Works will review and must approve all engineering drawings related to the design of this Emergency Access Drive which must be built to City standards. 3. The response time delays presented by the FIREPRO Report are based on emergency response routes being shifted away from the location of Hathaway Lane to Murchison or North Street, which the Department of Public Safety has no intention of doing. The tables presented in the Report indicate that Hathaway Lane is the quickest route. This analysis does not include an analysis of the Emergency Access Drive which follows essentially the same route as Hathaway Lane from the same point on Ridgeway to a point on Hathaway Lane that will remain a public street, following a gentle curve through the site with a consistent 24 foot roadway width and standard fire lane markings and no parking signage along the entire length. The arc of the Emergency Access Road would add about 0.1 of a mile to the distance from the Fire Station, placing response times for all properties cited at well within the NFPA 1710 threshold. The Department of Public Safety will continue to review the development of the design plans for the FASNY Emergency Access Drive and will continue to recommend any conditions necessary to remove any obstacles to providing safe, timely and efficient access for emergency vehicles to and through the site at all times. Sincerely, David E. Chong Commissioner of Public Safety Dated: December 3, 2014 ________ The Mayor announced a public hearing in relation to the proposed discontinuance of a portion of Hathaway Lane between Ridgeway and Gedney Esplanade pursuant to Section 152 of the White Plains Charter and Section 29 of General City Law, and a public hearing in relation to the application submitted by the French American School of New York (FASNY) for a Special Permit for a "Private elementary and secondary school," at 400 Ridgeway on a site containing environmentally sensitive features as defined by Chapter 3-5 of the White Plains Municipal Code; and a Special Permit for the The Mayor announced a public hearing in relation to the proposed discontinuance of a portion of Hathaway Lane between Ridgeway and Gedney Esplanade pursuant to Section 152 of the White Plains Charter and Section 29 of General City Law, and a public hearing in relation to the application submitted by the French American School of New York (FASNY) for a Special Permit for a "Private elementary and secondary school," at 400 Ridgeway on a site containing environmentally sensitive features as defined by Chapter 3-5 of the White Plains Municipal Code; and a Special Permit for the accessory tennis court and basketball court structures thereon. Mr. Martin moved that the hearings be opened. Mrs. Smayda seconded the motion. Carried. The Mayor declared the hearings opened and asked if anyone wished to be heard. The Mayor granted the privilege of the floor to Michael Zarin, attorney for the applicant, Diego Villareale, and Graham Trelsted. Mr. Martin moved that the hearings be closed. Mrs. Smayda seconded the motion. Carried. ________ On motion of Council President Martin , seconded and duly carried, the Common Council adjourned the meeting. ________ Anne M. McPherson, CMC City Clerk