Town of North Castle
Supervisor
Michael J. Schiliro
E-News Update
Dear Neighbors and Friends,

Unfortunately, RESTORATION is still the word of the day. Inexplicably, we started today with about 56 outages, great progress but absolutely awful for those 56, and as of this afternoon we increased to 147!! We are getting to the bottom of this; sometimes “de-energized” outages happen during repair but this is larger than that. Please know we are finding out what the heck is going on, and it will be remedied. Regardless, they are still many restoration crews out working on all of those very small and difficult jobs. As example, we have one house out in a neighborhood, but Con Ed needs an entire new pole and transformer just for that house – that’s a big job.   Same as always, if Con Ed has given you an estimated time of restoration, hedge against it. Also, if you were advised by Con Ed that your power was restored, then returned home and found no power, I apologize on behalf of Con Ed, even though they do this on every storm. I have no answer for that ineptitude. All that I have repeated to Con Ed for 9 days now is simple, just tell us and our residents the truth and we’ll deal with it, as painful and inconvenient as it is. Honestly, I feel like I’m on the Island of Misfit Toys and I’m waiting for a Charlie in the Box to show up on my front porch tomorrow morning. 

Here is our real time update:
·      Outages: Our outages were at 56 this morning and jumped to 147 now – I’m out of words on how our number could go up by 100 from this morning. For those 56 or 147, we’re feel your anger and frustration and are communicating it (to put it nicely) to Con Ed.   

·      Restoration: Numerous restoration crews in Town again today, mostly from out-of-state. They are all working hard to restore the remaining 56-147. Also, you may see Con Ed cars / small vehicles around Town. They are assessing repairs, if they need “cleaning up”, etc. 


·      Town’s Response: We’re on top of Con Ed. Sometimes it may not look like it to the remaining homes without power, but we are. On our daily Con Ed call today, our Police Chief Peter Simonsen was using electrical utility lingo that I don’t even think the Con Ed reps knew what it meant – he knows his stuff! The missing link is that we simply cannot make the repairs ourselves (for good reason) and are reliant on Con Ed. And just another shout out to staff – my Executive Assistant Mindy Berard has been carrying a huge communication and administrative load during this outage. I know many of you have talked to or received emails from her, as my office has received hundreds of both, and I know she doesn’t always give you the answer you want to hear, but you’ll get the truth. And she’s also handling all of your Verizon/Altice issues herself. Thanks Mindy. Like the Wizard of Oz, Mindy is who’s behind the curtain.  

STATUS ON ROAD OPENINGS:
All roads are clear except Palmer in N.White Plains. I misreported that yesterday; thanks to the residents that pointed that out.   

NOTE: You will see tree debris on the roadsides for many weeks. Our highway department will get to this over time, so it will not disappear quickly.  Please be patient.  

As of 11 AM Wednesday, August 12th: 
Total Roads impacted: 73  
Total Roads that are now passable in North Castle: 72
Roads that are closed in North Castle with wires down: 1 

TEMPORARY OUTAGES: Just a reminder, that it’s common during restoration that if you have power, you may temporary lose power; it’s called a “deliberate shutdown” or being “De-energized”. In the process of restoring certain properties, sometimes they must cut power to a broader area in order to complete, and then restore everyone in that area. If this happens to you, you can call Con Ed and they may be able to confirm, but odds are your power loss is short term. 


TOWN POOL IS OPEN: Our filter is working, so we’re in business. Remember to bring your own chairs. Also, for non-member residents still without power, up until Wednesday at closing, we will allow you to enter even though you are not a member, just pay our normal guest fee.

Please note that due to COVID restrictions the showers are closed, and the entire deck is marked as to where you can sit, to insure proper distancing. (Our Parks and Rec crew did a great job on this!).

CHARGING STATION / WATER / WIFI: 

Armonk: We have a 24/7 charging station outside of the Hergenhan Rec Center on Maple Ave and on the Whippoorwill Road East side of the Library. There are a finite number of outlets, bring your own cords and plugs, wear masks, bring disinfectant, etc. WIFI is also available. Also, we connected a hose in the rear of the building for those with well water who need water to flush, etc. Fortunately, this is a popular item for residents.  

North White Plains Community Center:  We also have a 24/7 charging station outside of the Center on the beautiful outdoor deck. There are a finite number of outlets, bring your own cords and plugs, wear masks, bring disinfectant, etc. We have also set up a hose as well if needed. 

Community Park Drive: The Town has provided a filling station for potable drinking water in Community Park (aka IBM Park) situated on the left side of the access road entrance.

DRY ICE: NORTH CASTLE LOCATION ADDED! Con-Edison has information vans located at the following locations. Dry Ice distribution will begin today, Wednesday, August 12th between 10:30 AM and 9 PM or until supplies run out. Police Chief Simonsen was dogged in his pursuit of a dry ice station in North Castle. 
  • The North Castle Community Park, 205 Business Park Drive, in Armonk.

  • New Rochelle City Hall (rear parking lot), 515 North Avenue.

Con-Edison Spoiled Food Claim Form: 
Con-Edison has expanded their claims policy for customers who have been without power for 48 hours or more since Thursday 8/6 to cover spoiled food, medication, or perishable commercial merchandise. Both forms are located on the Con-Edison File a Claim page.

REPORTING TELECOM ISSUES – FIOS / ALTICE, ETC.: 
We have been in direct contact with both Verizon and Altice.

Altice/Optimum is currently reporting that all residents will be restored by Friday evening, some before that. We continue to pressure them for better restoration times. Residents no longer have to apply for the credit, the credit will be "pro-active" meaning Altice will automatically issue your credit. Click Here for trouble shooting informtion.

Verizon is not providing any restoration dates. We will continue to pressure them for more information.

If you have issues, call your provider directly and get a ticket number, if possible. Then email my Executive Assistant Mindy Berard (mberard@northcastleny.com) with that ticket number, your name, address, provider and the phone number associated with the account.


REPORTING POWER OUTAGES:

Call Con Edison directly: (800) 752-6633 or visit their website at www.coned.com. Every residence should report their own outage directly to Con Edison in order for them to create a ticket. 

You can also sign up for Con Edison Text Alerts by Clicking Here. And while on their website, you can find a “map of outages” and customize right down to North Castle. 
 
  
EMERGENCIES and HAZARDS:

In case of Emergency call the North Castle Police Department (NCPD): 273-9500.

Please register for NIXLE to receive Police and Highway Alerts www.nixle.com. 

If you use life-support Equipment – register with Con-Edison by filling out the life support equipment form on the Con-Edison website.

Dangerous conditions still exist like weak limbs, etc. Please be careful!! 

CAUTION: Do not drive around Police barriers or yellow Caution Tape once a road is closed. The NCPD closes a road because a hazard exists, and NEVER ATTEMPT TO TOUCH WIRES.  
COVID:  Don’t forget – MASK UP!!! Keep distancing!!! Model Good Behavior and get used to it as it will be around for a while. A quick date update: We remain well below the county average of incident rates per population. We currently have 5 active cases in Town, and our total since Covid began is 218. We can report these numbers, but that is all that we can and will report, thus please understand and appreciate that due to confidentiality laws, emails to us asking for any further info regarding details will not be responded to.

It’s easy to lose focus on Covid with this aggravating storm and power outage, but we can’t let our guard down. Also, if you have questions regarding your child’s school attendance, you should direct those to your school district.  
I along with the Town Board and Town Administrator continue to advocate on behalf of you all. We have all had enough. Just stay moored as best you can, and we’ll get through this together. So many neighbors have been so gracious with their homes, letting friends without power practically “move in”.
Happy Year End 2020!!

Continue to stay safe.  


Mike

Michael Schiliro - Supervisor Town of North Castle 

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