THE HEZITORIAL ANALYSIS: Con Edison and Central Avenue Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge Responsible for Water Pooling onto Bee-Line Bus Stop, Sidewalk, and Main Thoroughfare for Almost One Year By HEZI ARIS

YONKERS, NY –October 15, 2014 — The alleged culprits that have been allowed to get away without resolving the consistent pooling of water flooding onto a Bee-Line Bus Stop, a large swathe of adjacent sidewalk, which further spills onto Central Avenue is a tragedy begging for circumstances to facilitate a future tragedy to life and property. When frigid arctic winds blow onto Yonkers this winter, and the relentless water that floods around and about the bus stop location and sidewalk and Central Avenue freezes, who will assist those passengers who await for a bus along the route adjacent to 1839 Central Park Avenue, when they must enter and/or exit the bus? Will passengers be prone to slip, break a leg, hand, or pelvis? Will cars crash onto one another because of the patches of ice that will form on Central Park Avenue in that vicinity? Will litigation be brought against the City of Yonkers for taking their sweet time before recognizing the entities responsible to mitigate this issue resolve this concern?

Financial considerations have yet to be defined and afterwards thereby assigned. How much responsibility falls onto the shoulders of Con Edison, how much of a financial burden must Central Avenue Chrysler Jeep Dodge Inc shoulder? And will the City of Yonkers find itself holding the bag –months long environmental disaster that is bound to nurture harm to body and property?

Communications Director Christina Gilmartin advises, “First, the water that is standing at the base of the driveway is trapped and cannot flow to the nearest curb inlet due to Con Edison’s contractor who excavated in that area, and placed the final pavement, altered and raised the existing grading which prevents the water to run along the curb southerly to the nearest curb inlet.”

Furthermore, Ms. Gilmartin advises, “A quick solution to this would be to mill down the existing pavement, and re- asphalt. Currently, Engineering has ended its seasonal operation and will not be mobilized until the spring of next year. Therefore we need to mobilize, remove the pavement, and pave — a possible cost, yet t be determined will likely be in the $10,000 range ($10K), and “no confirmation onto who will fund this.”

Central Avenue Chrysler Jeep Dodge Inc, the owners of the property from whence the water originate will need to bear the cost of excavation and thereafter installing possibly three internal drains to capture the surface runoff and pipe

It into the storm water sewer main line located on the sidewalk. He new car dealership will be saddled with costs somewhere between $15 to $20,000.

While every stage in planning is yet to be fully determined, winter will not wait too much longer. Mother Nature may have different plans. No one messes with Mother Nature! Trust me on that.

Until the effort to mitigate the issue is begun, it may behoove Mayor Mike Spano and Yonkers City Hall to ask Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino to move the Bee-Line bus location temporarily to an area along the route that will not suffer threat of the constant flow of water prone to freezing when the thermometer drops below 32 degrees. Signs to warn people to traverse that stretch of sidewalk gingerly may be of some value in warning people of possible danger. It may also be good practice to focus on maintaining that section to be well salted to avoid potential accidents that may reveal themselves as best as is possible. These concepts, among others, may stand CoY in good stead in dissuading possible litigious action against Yonkers.

The concern over the water issue rattled my memory banks. It caused me to recollect having uploaded a communiqué from the YIDA press office. The article was posted on May 13, 2011, entitled Yonkers IDA Approves Economic Package for Chrysler Dealership .

The article divulges that, “The Board of Yonkers Industrial Development Agency (IDA) unanimously approved an economic development package for Central Avenue Chrysler Jeep Dodge Inc. that will allow for significant renovation and expansion of its current facility, as well as gain approval for Fiat dealer status. Fiat owns a 20 percent interest in Chrysler Corp.”

Having checked today, October 15, 2014, Central Avenue Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram never built an automotive showroom to showcase the Fiat line of cars.

“The dealership has been in Yonkers since 1954…” Renovations estimated to cost $1 million were to begin 2010. A new 2,750 square-foot showroom space for all Chrysler brand vehicles and a new 750 square-foot customer service waiting area equipped with handicapped accessible bathrooms was to be built. The project was “to create 10 new full time jobs, 10 construction jobs and was also supposed to help the dealership keep 80 permanent jobs.”

The economic inducement package from the IDA included a mortgage tax exemption and a sales and use tax exemption for materials and equipment used in construction. The YIDA Board also directed IDA staff to negotiate an amendment to the existing full tax pilot agreement.

“With the support of the IDA and its tax incentive programs, Yonkers retail sector has boomed over the past year – with new projects in progress across the City.  Our success and our renaissance is a direct result of the wonderful opportunities we can offer to business leaders and entrepreneurs,” said then Yonkers Mayor Philip Amicone and chairman of the Yonkers IDA.

At issue is where is the financial proof that the YIDA funding was used as postulated and conjectured. Whatever happened to getting a Fiat franchise? And just as importantly, will the public be made privy to all the issues hidden herein?