Town of North Castle
Supervisor
Michael J. Schiliro
E-News Update
Dear Neighbors and Friends,
 
It’s all about RESTORATION now. Same as yesterday, crews have been dispatched, mostly out-of-state crews. I just got off of my daily Con Ed call where I asked Con Ed directly, “What do I and the rest of the Supervisors/Mayors tell our residents today, as your website says ‘More Work Required’ for estimated restoration time.” Their answer was “We are working towards restoring everyone by 11pm tonight.” So here’s my interpretation; many of our remaining outages will be restored today, but not all, so as I have been strongly suggesting to all of you, make preparations if they do not meet their deadline. It shouldn’t be this way, but it is; it’s unacceptable and I get the anger. We are doing everything in our power to expedite restoration, but we cannot do the work ourselves.  

Here is our real time update:

  • Outages: Our outages are now at either 186 or 272, thus real-time evidence of part of the problem with Con Ed’s information that they cannot provide any Town with the accurate outage count, and just par for the course. So the good news is about 1000 more restored from yesterday. But for the 186 or 272 left, your aggregate anger is probably equal to the 1200 or 1900 from a few days ago, and we get it. Con Ed should have enough staff and mutual aid to fix everything much much sooner, but they do not, and there is an unfortunate reality that when you get to the end of any outage, many of the outages are “onesies and twosies” and small clusters fed off of a main feed, and many times they encounter another issue when they get to those small clusters. They are working diligently and throughout my writing of this message, I have been getting texts and emails from residents that are restored, so that’s hopeful info. 

  •  Restoration: We have numerous restoration crews in Town again today, mostly from out-of-state. They are all working hard to restore the remaining 186/272. If you see crews and they seem to appear inactive, they most likely are awaiting work orders. And I again suggest that you don’t query any of the workers that you see; it will most likely get you more frustrated, and it can also slow their progress. 


  • Town’s Response: Our employees continue to exemplify their commitment to our community, but I must shine a light on Police Chief Peter Simonsen. The Chief’s commitment to our community, his “energy and electrical intelligence”, his ability to foster relationships instantly to secure proper resources, his knowledge of Emergency Management, his management style, it all comes to bear in a crisis like this, and we are the benefactors. Whenever you see him in Town (always in a white shirt!), thank him for all that he does for us.  If you think I’m doing a good job, it’s because of the Chief. If you think I’m doing a lousy job, keep it with me.  
STATUS ON ROAD OPENINGS: All roads are clear. 
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.  Also, you may see hanging wires, limbs, etc. These may be temporary repairs until Con Ed and come back and clean things up. They will start that when all restorations are completed. But if you see one, please email me with specific locations (as some of you have been doing – thanks!). 

As of 11 AM Tuesday, August 11th: 
Total Roads impacted: 73  
Total Roads that are now passable in North Castle: 73
Roads that are closed in North Castle with wires down: 0
 
IMPORTANT REQUEST REGARDING CON ED COMMUNICATIONS IN THE FIELD: If Con Ed field staff communicates to you that they are waiting for the Town for repairs or to call us to report an outage, you are being misinformed. We wait for Con Ed or out-of-state crews to arrive to complete jobs, they don’t wait for us. It continues to be a source of frustration for all muni officials.  
 
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, Tuesday, August 11th 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 providing additional information and a way to apply for a credit for lost service, Click Here. We are working to get the same information from Verizon.

If you have issues, call your provider directly and get a ticket number. Then email my Executive Assistant Mindy Berard (mberard@northcastleny.com) with that ticket number, your name, address, provider and the 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 9 positive cases in Town, and our total since Covid began is 217. 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 are grateful for your patience, but we know with Covid and now Isaias, your patience is fully taxed. 

Someone mentioned New Year’s to me yesterday, and it made me think. This year, I think instead of screaming “Happy New Year”, we should be screaming “Happy Year End”, and let’s get 2020 behind us! What a year!

Continue to stay safe, we keep working to get everyone back up, and enjoy the rest of the summer as best you can.  


Mike

Michael Schiliro - Supervisor Town of North Castle 

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