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PS 94 Unveils New Library

By Heather Haddon

After a four-year journey, it all ends with a "Goosebumps" book in Dimitri Rhooms’ hand. Ten-year-old Dimitri and his fellow PS 94 classmates are the beneficiaries of a spacious, brand-new school library made possible with funding from the Robin Hood Foundation.  

"We have a lot of plans," said Cindy James-Manzi, PS 94′s librarian. "We have the freedom to have a flexible schedule here."

James-Manzi can finally exercise that creative freedom now that she has been liberated from a far smaller library on the third floor. Taking over three classrooms on the second floor, the new library is spacious enough for multiple classes to use simultaneously. 

PS 94′s facility was one of 21 libraries opened across the city last week through Robin Hood’s multi-million dollar initiative to encourage reading in low-income schools. In partnership with the Department of Education, Robin Hood is transforming the libraries –  from the physical surroundings to resources and staff –  in hopes of improving literacy rates.

PS 94 had searched for years for financial support to replace its existing library, which could only hold one classroom at a time. "It’s been a long journey for us," said PS 94 Principal Jacqueline Thomas, a former librarian herself. Through candy sales and alumni donations, the school was able to buy furniture and books but couldn’t afford a complete makeover.

Robin Hood visited PS 94 in 2000 in a citywide hunt for candidate schools. "We walked in and knew it was the right place," said Meagan Wyatt, a program officer at Robin Hood, during the formal ribbon cutting. 

Pro bono architects working with Robin Hood designed a dynamic, exciting space. The room is divided between tables with colorful chairs on one side, and a cozy reading nook with soft, stackable seats on the other. A circular computer table with new desktops and laptops equipped with wireless Internet stands in the center.

The wooden shelves are brimming with books divided into fiction, nonfiction, poetry and other areas. Jeremy Castillo is in charge of keeping the early readers section organized. "I come here to read because I only have one shelf of books at home," said Castillo, 10.

Jeremy is one of 12 "library squad" members –  fourth and fifth graders who applied to keep the bookcases organized and help patrons. Students took a quiz on the Dewey Decimal system to qualify, then completed two weeks of training.

The library’s doors opened a month ago, and all PS 94 students received an orientation. Library squad members were already zooming through the digital card catalogue during the formal opening, with one group of boys searching the extensive listing of animal books.

PS 94 students made their mark on the library’s design with a mural on the upper walls depicting students’ favorite toys from home. "We wanted them to come in and say "we brought that in,’" said Lynn Pauley, the mural’s artist, who was near tears during the presentation.

James-Manzi is especially grateful for the program, because it footed the bill for her master’s in library science. Robin Hood pays for all its librarians to get an advanced degree at Syracuse University, a top school for library science. "It’s very exciting," James-Manzi said.

Many school officials turned out for the opening, including PS 46 Principal Aramina Ferrer, whose Robin Hood library will have its own ribbon-cutting later this month. Former Region 1 supervisor Gail Davis was especially moved by the new facility. "This is one of the best things you could do for a child," she said.

But for Thomas, who waited to retire from PS 94 until the library was completed, it was especially poignant to see the tangible results of her efforts. 

"We will be celebrating this achievement each time a child opens that door," said 
Thomas, pointing to the library’s shiny green entrance.

 

Monitor Filter Work

By Editorial

While there are at least three lawsuits working their way through the court system to stop the city from building a water filtration plant at Mosholu Golf Course in Van Cortlandt Park, site preparation work has already begun. Archaeologists have begun digging to check for historic remains, the driving range has already been moved, and trees appear to have been marked for removal.

This is not an either/or proposition. The suits are in the hands of the lawyers now. We would be foolish to sit on our hands in the meantime, rather than be vigilant and monitor the city to make sure they do not harm our park and our community more than is absolutely necessary.

Have Ball at Armory

By Editorial

Every June, the Bronx Tourism Council puts on the best bash in the borough – the I Love the Bronx Ball. It’s a gala affair usually held at a Bronx landmark like the Bartow-Pell Mansion or Orchard Beach. 

Because this event attracts so many movers and shakers from all over the borough and throughout the city, we suggest that next June the Tourism Council holds the event at a venue where all that attention could do some real good: the Kingsbridge Armory.

Despite all the talk of new stadiums for the Nets and Yankees, and feverish planning for the city’s 2012 Olympic bid, the city’s indigenous resources are being left out in the cold. The armory is a prime example. 

But if politicians and civic leaders could see the awe-inspiring armory from the inside (the event could easily be held on the gargantuan drill floor), we think they would make the rehabilitation of the landmark facility a priority. Even the planning over the next several months for the event would pressure the Bloomberg administration to remove the remaining stumbling block to issuing a request for proposals for the project .  

Staff Sergeant Denis Flynn of the 145th Maintenance Unit posted in the buildings behind the armory had one wish before shipping to Fort Dix (in preparation for deployment to Iraq). "I hope the armory issue will be resolved when we return 14 months later," he told us in an e-mail. 

Having a ball at the armory in June might just get us there.

 

D’ for Disastrous

By Editorial

The MTA is celebrating the 100th birthday of the New York City subway system. Unfortunately, many area commuters feel like their stations have not been repaired in at least that long.

We’re pleased that the MTA has begun to rehab the stations along the No. 4 line, but that is no excuse for ignoring what local residents and transit advocacy groups say are some of the worst stations in the city. We offer just a few photos at the right, but anyone who uses the 205th Street D station or the one at Kingsbridge Road knows what a disaster they are. 

But money to fix these stations is nowhere to be found in the MTA’s capital budget. And now the agency is even talking about instituting a fare hike!

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion is speaking out about the awful state of the north Bronx subway station. We urge you to join him by writing to the MTA and attending any upcoming hearing that the Norwood News will inform you about. 

 

Senior Meals Improve, but Complaints Persist

By Heather Haddon

Though they’ve seen some improvements, many homebound seniors are still unsatisfied with the Bronx Meals on Wheels program since it was overhauled last month. Complaints to the Department for the Aging (DFTA) are down, but delivery times and the food quality are erratic, according to critics.

"It’s much better than it was, but they change the hours and the [delivery] person every day," said Rose Cohen, 89, of Kings College Place. 

Critics of the controversial overhaul were alarmed when the program, renamed Senior Options, debuted in October with seniors receiving their meals late in the evening, if at all. With two agencies — RAIN and Mid Bronx Senior Citizens Council — performing the work of the former 17 contractors, DFTA said the problems were due to initial stumbling blocks. 

"The drivers needed to get familiar with the routes," said Karen Schafer, DFTA’s 
assistant commissioner. After two of RAIN’s delivery trucks broke down in the 
program’s first week, DFTA acquired two backup vans, according to Schafer. RAIN, the area’s provider, now owns 17 vehicles.

DFTA claims that complaints have fallen since their peak of 100 in the program’s first week. Earlier this month, DFTA received a total of 12 complaints, according to Schafer. Tolentine Zeiser Community Center, a former local contractor, confirmed they’ve gotten fewer phone calls from seniors. "[Complaints] have died down," said Sister Margaret McDermott, the Center’s executive director.

But Fran Namzoff of the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, which also lost its meals contract, still hears reports of late or erratic deliveries. "[Seniors] are still calling to vent," she said. 

As part of Senior Options, which DFTA hopes will save the city money, at least 30 percent of seniors now receive frozen meals twice a week. Previously, when all seniors received a daily hot meal, vendors made daily deliveries within a strict window of 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

But the 2 p.m. cutoff does not apply to frozen meals, according to Schafer. "We don’t have to speak to that [cutoff] with a cold meal," she said.

In a surprise to advocates, even the hot meals are no longer freshly prepared. Neither provider makes the meals on-site, instead ordering them from another contractor and reheating before delivery. RAIN receives its meals from the Jersey City plant of food giant ConAgra, according to Schafer. The Kosher meals come from Allied Foods in Queens.

The multiple stages of delivery and reheating hurt the meal quality, according to Namzoff, contending that the delivery trucks can refrigerate but not freeze. "If it’s out in trucks for many hours, and reheated, [the meal] tastes like garbage," she said.

Cohen says the overall quality is adequate, but the defrosting makes the food watery.

DFTA continues to defend the meals and the vendors. "We tried all the meals 
beforehand," said Schafer, noting that ConAgra is the largest frozen meals company in the country.

All the changes have a big impact locally with Community Board 7 receiving the second highest number of meals in the Bronx. Of the 530,643 meals delivered annually, almost 15 percent went to local seniors, according to DFTA figures.

 

Pols Agree to Press Armory Issue

By Heather Haddon

 

Two Bronx Democrats often on opposite sides of the Bronx Democratic Party divide came together to agree on one thing last month — the Kingsbridge Armory.  Assemblyman Jose Rivera and Council Member Oliver Koppell sealed their commitment to pushing together for the armory’s redevelopment with a handshake on Oct. 27 at a Norwood News anniversary celebration.

Rivera agreed to go down to the 168th Street Armory in Manhattan with Koppell to inspect how it is utilized. The mixed-use facility includes a first-class track used 
primarily by youth. 

Rivera was slated to meet this week with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, which helped formulate the redevelopment proposal now favored by Bronx politicians. The plan would include schools, along with retail and community space.

Rivera is working to get the city and the state to sit down together to find another space for the two remaining National Guard units at the armory. Before the city’s Economic Development Corporation will issue a request for proposals for the project, the Guard must move the companies from the armory’s annex on West 195th Street (between Jerome and Reservoir avenues). While the state appears willing to relocate the units to a suitable space of a similar size (50,000 square feet), the city has lagged in making that transition happen.

Meanwhile one of the units, the 145th Maintenance Company, is actually on its way to a more serious battle –Iraq. Most of the 200 members started advance training on Nov. 1 in upstate New York before heading to the Fort Dix military base in New Jersey this week, according to Staff Sergeant Denis Flynn, a company member. The unit is slated to deploy overseas in January.

Despite the dangers ahead, Flynn e-mailed the Norwood News to say the armory was still one of his top concerns. "I hope the armory issue will be resolved when we return 14 months later," said Flynn, 39, a Soundview resident.

 

X Marks the Spot

By Jordan Moss

 

Site preparation work at the Mosholu Golf Course for the Croton filtration plant has already begun. Archaeologists have begun to identify areas to look for historic artifacts at hundreds of points around the golf course (marked by tiny red flags), and it appears that the red Xs pictured here identify trees that will be cut down to make way for the facility. 

While Charles Sturcken, a DEP spokesman, said he was not sure if the Xs relate to the filtration plant project, he did say the trees would eventually be removed. The first trees to go, however, would be those along the 233rd Street exit off the Major Deegan Expressway, so that the DEP can make way for a new entrance to the construction site in the park. 

Meanwhile, three lawsuits are making their way through the courts. The latest one, 
brought by the town of Eastchester, argues that because the town will have to filter its water if the plant is built in the Bronx (rather than further upstream in Westchester), that fact should have been considered in the environmental impact statement. 

The DEP disagrees. "We believe this claim is baseless," Sturcken said.

 

Community Funds Ignite Controversy

By Heather Haddon

A little-known board’s process of doling out thousands of dollars in community funding ignited a torrent of criticism when its selections broke with tradition. 

After a poorly-attended public hearing, the local Neighborhood Advisory Board (NAB) moved last spring to distribute over $500,000 in funds to AIDS, housing and other areas not previously benefiting from the funds. While youth programming was later substituted for three of the five priorities, many Community Board 7 (CB7) members are frustrated that senior and immigrant services were left out.

"It’s a major problem," said Don Bluestone, CB7 member and executive director of the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center. "They created priorities that don’t match what the community concerns are."

Every three years, the NAB in each community district oversees the distribution of federal and city funds flowing through the Community Services Block Grants. The grants, administered by the city Department for Youth and Community Development (DYCD), are intended to help low-income individuals and families achieve greater self-sufficiency.

The NAB’s 12 members must live in their community, with six appointed by DYCD and six by local officials. Appointees hold public hearings to choose five priorities, then help select the grantees among applying local organizations.

But the local NAB suffered from low participation this year, and their meetings, with an average of four members attending, fell below DYCD’s required quorum of seven. Most of the appointees were also new to the process.

"There was not adequate training," said Donna Benjamin, an NAB and CB7 member who works at the Fordham Branch Library. "We didn’t get the full support of DYCD."

Only a handful of people attended the public hearing last spring despite NAB’s efforts to advertise it. Members sent out mailings, passed out fliers, and made announcements at CB7 meetings, according to Rafeek Khan, a CB7 member and NAB’s chair. 

Based on priorities ranked at the hearing, NAB members chose the five top selections to divide up the pot of almost $530,000. In addition to Benjamin and Khan, CB7 members Sallie Caldwell and Ricardo Parker also sat on the NAB.

Given the size of the hearing, it’s no wonder that the funding pie was divided and distributed into unexpected areas. But the results were also due to member miscalculations, which DYCD later worked with NAB members to correct. The list now includes teen violence prevention, teen education, teen employment, housing and economic development.

While the first three fall in line with long-standing priorities, CB7 members were angered that immigrant and senior issues were missing. NAB funds have traditionally supported programming in those areas at Tolentine Zeiser Community Center and Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC). "It’s paid for buses … and nutrition counselors for seniors for the last 20 years," said Bluestone.

CB7 members sent letters to DYCD to recommend replacing the last two priority areas, but according to DYCD spokesperson Michael Ognibene, they came too late. Proposals for the local district must be in by Dec. 6 for contracts beginning July 2005. 

But Council Member Oliver Koppell is still trying to change the situation, and he met with DYCD two weeks ago. "It doesn’t make any sense," said Koppell about the priorities. "A few people show up to the meeting, pushed for one thing, and they got preference." 

The controversy instigated finger-pointing during CB7′s tense fall meetings. While CB7′s district manager and more veteran members blame the NAB for failing to seek advice from them, Khan, who admits the process was flawed, says that CB7 is trying to wield too much influence.

"[The NAB] is an independent board," he said. "I don’t have to go to [CB7] for final advice. I’m not a rubber stamp."

NAB members also fault critics for not attending the public meeting. "Those who were not at the hearing are the ones crying now," Benjamin said. MMCC and Tolentine both had representatives at the hearing, however.

Khan stepped down as chair, and CB7 officer Sallie Caldwell has replaced him. CB7 recommended several additional appointments, but it’s uncertain if they will be on the NAB in time to evaluate the proposals this spring.

Doreen Granai, a Bedford Park resident and Montefiore Medical Center employee, hopes to help NAB get back on its feet. "I live in the community and care about community," said Granai, who applied for one of the slots.

While the NAB may eventually benefit from the controversy through increased participation, the experience has left Khan bitter. "I didn’t want to be in a political fight with anybody," he said.

 

25 Years of Hope and Help at Tolentine Zeiser

By Heather Haddon

Sister Margaret McDermott’s office isn’t easy to find. 

Through the maze of ESL classes and senior programs, up the stairs from the sprawling daycare center, McDermott directs Tolentine Zeiser Community Life Center from a small space more devoted to supplies than self-promotion. But those priorities — putting good work above self — are the essence of what drives McDermott and her staff to continuously better the lives of residents of University Heights, and beyond. 

Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, Tolentine Zeiser has helped improve the lives of thousands of individuals and families (Tolentine estimates 2,000 visits daily). Mixing traditional social services and some unique offerings, the Andrews Avenue facility serves everyone from Cambodian refugees to homeless mothers.

“All our programs rose out of the needs that we saw here over the past 25 years,” said McDermott, the Center’s executive director and its founder.

McDermott’s devotion to the Tolentine community was sown early. She attended St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church’s high school, and was moved by the piety of her teachers. 

“I wanted to be like them,” said McDermott, 62, who became a Dominican nun herself. 

Tolentine’s pastor and McDermott’s former classmate, Father Michael Sullivan, invited McDermott to return to her old neighborhood in 1978. With attendance dwindling and the area struggling economically, the church could no longer afford to conduct community services. “There were new needs creeping up that weren’t here before,” said McDermott, who grew up in the area in a large Irish family.

In 1981, the Tolentine Zeiser Senior Center opened, and was soon followed by a summer camp, youth center, daycare program, and food pantry. McDermott had no formal social work training, but her unwavering conviction and determination compensated for that. “I came here to work and the Lord blessed me,” she said. 

Others quickly followed, and Tolentine expanded into a constellation of services. One of its flagship programs, St. Rita’s Center for Immigrant and Refugee Services, was founded in 1983 to aid the area’s growing Vietnamese and Cambodian communities. 

Sister Theresa Angelo Girolamo remembers when she and Sister Jean Marshall, St. Rita’s founder, would rescue refugees stranded at the airports. “We used to call it ‘refugee running,’” said Girolamo, a Bronx native.

St. Rita’s provides ESL classes, legal services, and employment counseling for an annual 12,000 immigrants of all nationalities. “They are very good for my life,” said Hata Haxha, an Albanian immigrant who lives on Webb Avenue, about St. Rita’s. 

Every inch of the cozy two-floor facility is occupied with classes for adults or daycare for their children. “We learn so much here,” said Orita Mici, whose ESL class includes fellow Albanians along with Hispanic, Asian, Ethiopian and Arab immigrants. 

St. Rita’s also provides off-site counseling, and just finished a successful initiative with Bosnian refugees in Queens. “We helped them so much that they are now self-sufficient,” Girolamo said.

Helping people help themselves, the way McDermott frequently describes her work, is exactly what Tolentine strives to do. Siena House, a 27-room women’s shelter, began in 1990 to give clients a place to get back on their feet.

“They couldn’t focus on our [GED program] because of the turmoil in their lives,” said Sister Cecelia Byrnes, who oversees the facility with founder Sister Mary Doris.

Located in a former convent on 168th Street, Siena House and Tolentine’s other transitional facilities help residents find permanent living situations. Eleanor, a Siena resident for four months, just found an apartment last week. “I’ll be leaving soon,” she said proudly while feeding her son in the cheery cafeteria.

But many Tolentine staff and participants gladly never leave. Shelley Parkin enrolled her daughters in Tolentine’s daycare when it first opened, and later took a job at the school. Making her way up the ranks, and going back to school with McDermott’s encouragement, Parkin now manages Tolentine’s books. “My kids grew up here of course,” said Parkin, a former University Heights resident. “But I grew up here, too.”

Tolentine employs about 110 people, many of whom are from the neighborhood. One of McDermott’s proudest accomplishments is watching her staff develop personally, and her employees seem to have a similar affection for her and each other.

“I enjoy it like a family,” said Davin Hun, a Cambodian immigrant and long-time social worker at St. Rita’s.

But, as in every family, there are struggles. Many of Tolentine’s 10 sisters are getting older, and Marshall is in poor health. They are a relatively young multi-service center, and still lack a full-time fundraiser.

While Tolentine’s $4.5 million budget might seem substantial, keeping the bank account full enough to support all the programming is always a challenge. “The only thing we don’t have is money,” said Girolamo after listing St. Rita’s extensive services.

Tolentine held an anniversary fundraiser last Friday, and McDermott counted over 200 RSVPs earlier in the week. Many of those attending are from the extended network of staff and participants. “Of course, my kids are coming,” Parkin said.

McDermott, who lives in Tolentine’s convent, says it is her dedication to the staff, community and God that has kept her going all the years — and will for the foreseeable future. 

“I belong to a religious community,” she said. “We don’t retire.”

 

Haunted Halloween

By None

Little ghosts, goblins and everything else imaginable emerged at events hosted by local schools on the Friday before Halloween. Kids from PS 280 (below left and below right) paraded around the East Mosholu Parkway school, and those from PS 54 (bottom left) walked along Webster Avenue.

 

 

Making the Most of Middle School Selection

By Heather Haddon

 

While the school year has just begun, it’s already time for parents of fifth graders to look ahead to the next big leap — middle school. This is an especially crucial choice, as a positive middle school experience is key to children’s development. What follows are some helpful tips for navigating the range of choices available to you. 

Zoned School

Every child can go to their default, or zoned, middle school. It can be difficult to figure out your child’s zoned school. Your child could live across the street from a friend who is one zone but you might be in another. To determine your child’s zoned school, talk to your elementary school’s guidance counselor or call 311.

Here are some rough guidelines by street address:

MS 399—West 183rd Street to West Fordham Road, Sedgwick to University avenues 
IS 206—East 184th to East 183rd streets, University to Jerome avenues
MS 143—West Fordham Road to Bedford Park Boulevard, University to Jerome avenues
MS 254—East Fordham Road to East 198th Street, Grand Concourse to Marion Avenue, East Fordham Road to East Mosholu Parkway, Marion to Webster avenues
PS/MS 95—Bedford Park Boulevard to East Gun Hill Road, Goulden to Jerome avenues
MS 80—East 198th to East 211th streets, Jerome to Webster avenues

Outside the Zone

Many parents choose to look beyond the zoned school, and if that’s the case, preparation is key. Below are some general tips culled from insideschools.org, an excellent Web-based resource of school profiles and advice.

• Talk to the Learning Support Center: The local Learning Support Center at One Fordham Plaza (718-741-7090) is a good starting point for getting a sense of how Region 1 is handling transfers and admissions to special middle school programs. 

• Arrange a tour: Many selective programs showcase their classrooms during established times, but most schools can be viewed by calling the guidance counselor or parent coordinator. This is one of the most important steps in getting questions answered and a flavor of the school environment. 

• Attend middle school fairs: Many agencies and schools host fairs with representatives from various middle schools. Contact your child’s current elementary and prospective middle schools to see if they plan to organize an event.

• Formulate questions: Prepare a list of questions before taking a tour or talking to a staff person. This is a good way to get information about the school’s philosophy, teaching style, programs, and atmosphere.

• Give the school a good up-and-down: Are the teachers engaging? Do the students look bored? How are the classroom libraries? Are the books new and are there enough of them? Are the classroom walls lined with students’ work? Are the projects interesting and well executed? And most importantly, could you envision your child walking down these hallways?

• Get your child involved: Bring them on the tours. Gauge their reactions to different schools. Make sure they’re happy with the option they will have to live with.

• Establish good relationships with teachers and the school’s secretary: Middle schools will often require letters of recommendation and school records, including the fourth grade state exams. Having the school administration on your side is helpful in gathering together all the required information. 

• Do your research: Talk with teachers at your child’s school about where they might do well. Visit the Education Counseling Center, located at 3150 Rochambeau Ave., and ask for one-on-one guidance and their middle school directory. Also, ask other parents of middle schoolers about their child’s experience.

A Middle School Choice Dictionary

School of choice: Public middle schools that are not zoned. Choice schools are usually smaller than traditional middle schools, and attendance is based on an application, audition, school record or other criteria. Some use a lottery (like the Jonas Bronck Academy). Students may attend choice schools in their region, or anywhere in the city. 

Zoned/neighborhood school: A middle school that has room (or is intended to) for all local students who choose to go there. Established by the superintendent, the zone is based on residential address. This school is the default unless parents seek out other options. 

Gifted/talented program: High performing children may attend a “gifted” program. All Region 1 schools offer an honors track, while some gifted programs are schools unto themselves. Often quite competitive, gifted programs usually require solid academic performance, high state exam scores and teacher recommendations.

Magnet school: Schools with magnet programs receive extra public funding to support special programs (like art, drama, science) to make the school more attractive. 

Charter school: While operating outside the public school system, charter schools receive state funding after submitting an application to start the school. They often have a unique atmosphere and philosophy. They are open to children by lottery.

 

District ‘Woefully’ Short of Seats; Food Supplies Lacking

By Heather Haddon

 

Rampant school overcrowding and insufficient cafeteria food were the focus of a recent meeting of the District 10 Community Education Council, which replaced the old school boards this fall. Members drilled regional representative Joel DiBartolomeo on school and district-wide issues during the business portion of the Oct. 21 meeting, held in the beautiful new library of North Fordham’s PS 46.

DiBartolomeo offered few concrete answers, especially on the district’s overcrowding epidemic. “We’re just woefully short [of space],” said DiBartolomeo, a local instructional supervisor for the newly created Region 1, comprised of Districts 10 and 9. 

DiBartolomeo put the district’s shortage at 4,000 seats this year, with the crunch especially concentrated in high schools. “Sadly, what has become a norm is a crowded school,” he said.

DiBartolomeo predicted that the space squeeze will continue for years unless the Department of Education (DOE) finds new space to house schools. DOE is currently focusing on finagling room within existing buildings to establish small high schools of around 400 students. 

While hoping to construct new schools, DOE is having little luck locally. DiBartolomeo asked Council members for input on untapped areas, but was dismissive of most of their suggestions. “We have picked over all the available real estate,” he said.

The DOE is eyeing schoolyards as another target for construction, according to DiBartolomeo, but most local schools already house a transportable structure in their play areas. 

DiBartolomeo also mentioned several times DOE’s intent to establish more charter schools within pre-existing buildings. “It’s a new paradigm shift,” he said.

Food shortage cited

Confirming reports citywide, many local school cafeterias received insufficient food supplies this year after a change in vendors. Maria Torres, a Council vice president, found that school kitchens were disorganized and not fully stocked. 

“We don’t want students to go all day without eating,” she said.

Three new vendors were selected in August, but the one serving Manhattan and the Bronx — Driscoll Foods of New Jersey — has long-standing credit problems, according to a New York Post report.

Members also reported that cafeteria menus were more limited this year. Torres said that some schools served tuna fish repeatedly, and many relied heavily on sandwiches. “They get choices but not good choices,” Torres said.

DOE officials acknowledged the problems and agreed to double the number of its vendors. “I can’t think of a principal who would want the situation like you are describing,” DiBartolomeo said.

Traffic safety update

While the 52nd Precinct is trying to rectify the situation, four district schools still have no crossing guard and several need more, according to Stephanie Pierce, a CEC member. The precinct steered guards to several areas this fall, including Kingsbridge Road and the Grand Concourse, and stepped up police surveillance during school arrival and dismissal times, according to Pierce.

“They’re calling in [manpower] from other precincts,” she said.

But many schools still need more staffing. A PS 8 student darting between parked cars was almost hit two weeks ago, according to Pierce. CEC Member Nicole Jackson also complained about traffic safety around PS 94. 

Math scores improve

This year’s state math scores made huge improvements locally and citywide, especially for elementary students. Over 60 percent of District 10 fourth graders passed the tests in 2004, up by over 25 percentage points from scores in 1999 — the fifth biggest five-year improvement citywide. “It’s fantastic,” DiBartolomeo said. 

PS 280, 291, 315, 340 and PS/MS 15 all made double-digit gains in their Level 3 and Level 4 rates, which constitute passing, and nearly 50 percent of fourth graders passed in most schools. 

Patricia Britton, a PS/MS 95 parent from Sedgwick Avenue, says she’s seen her principal put more emphasis on test preparation, and it has yielded results. “My daughter got a [Level] 4 this year,” she said.

As usual, middle school scores lagged behind. About 30 percent of district eighth graders passed the tests, up by almost 17 percentage points since 1999, but still far below the elementary levels. While a mixed bag locally, over half of PS/MS 15, 95, 315 and Jonas Bronck students passed the tests, and several schools made big improvements. 

DiBartolomeo said that DOE is putting extra emphasis on creating goals for Level 1 students. “The chancellor’s office e-mails me with individual students’ names specifically to make sure they’ve [made improvement plans],” he said. 

DOE has begun Saturday academies for students in danger of not passing fifth grade due to their test scores. The sessions will focus on math and reading test preparation.

 

Returning to Kosovo, and Looking for Home

By Alex Kratz

 

by PRANVERA MATOSHI

In April of 1999, during the war in Kosovo, the Serbian police and military forced my family and me out of our apartment in Prishtina. As we were on the bus fleeing toward the Macedonian border, I remember looking back one last time and wondering if I would ever come back again. It turned out that it wouldn’t be until five years later that I would be ready to go back to the place where I had spent the first 23 years of my life. 

For five years, I thought about the day that I would go back to my country. In my head, I painted an image that everything would be the way that I had left it — the city, the streets and the people. I expected to see the old familiar faces that I used to see whenever I went to the airport. However, the day of my return, June 3, 2004, was different from what I had been imagining. It was a cold rainy spring day, and as I walked down the steps from the airplane and toward the building, I felt like I was in a foreign place. I felt confused, like I did the day I arrived in America. Finally, I was back in my country, but as I was waiting for my baggage, I did not want to go any farther. I wanted to return to the United States right away. I felt like I did not belong there. Then, looking around, I noticed how old and tired the people looked, including my uncle and aunt who were waiting outside. When I saw my uncle and aunt I finally broke down in tears. 

Later that day, at my uncle’s house, relatives, one after the other, came to visit me. I was extremely happy to see my uncles, aunts and cousins, and I even met, for the first time, two of my cousins who were born after the war. While I was glad to be spending time with my relatives and reminiscing about the old days, there was one cousin, whose father and little brother were killed in the war five years earlier, that I was nervous to see. I felt nervous because I was not sure what I would say to him, and when he finally came, both he and I, without saying anything, broke out in tears. Seeing my relatives again and spending time with them made me realize how much everyone and everything had changed, and that nothing will be the same ever again. 

For the next 20 days, I had the chance to see my old friends and to visit the places where I used to hang out in my hometown of Prishtina. Even though I had spent 23 years of my life in Prishtina, I still felt like an outsider. I felt like I did not belong there.

The neighborhood and the building where I used to live looked the same, but to me it did not feel right. It took me a while to go back to my old apartment and, when I did, I stayed for five minutes and left. Since returning to the United States, I have realized that I preferred feeling like a stranger, a tourist, in my country, and staying with my uncle instead of staying in my apartment. Since Kosovo is not the Kosovo that I knew while growing up, I prefer to leave that chapter of my life as it was before the war. From now on, whenever I go back to visit, I will not try to go back to my old life, but instead to start a new life.

 

Scooter Lunacy

By Editorial

It was bad enough Mayor Bloomberg vetoed sensible legislation to ban the installation of car alarms in New York City. Now, he has actually vetoed a bill that would ban the sale of those small, motorized scooters that plagued our neighborhoods over the summer. 

What can the mayor be thinking? Yes, they are already illegal to drive in New York City, but that didn’t stop local teenagers and young men from buying the inexpensive vehicles and driving them through the streets day and night, disturbing and waking up residents. 

The scooters are also just plain dangerous. The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission reported nearly 5,000 emergency room injuries involving the scooters in 2000. Because they are so low to the ground, they are difficult for drivers of cars to see. Those who ride the scooters rarely use helmets or take other safety precautions. And the gasoline-powered vehicles are also a fire hazard as they are usually illegally stored in apartments. 

The mayor doesn’t seem to understand the extent to which car alarms and scooters disturb New Yorkers’ quality of life. We know he likes to travel with ordinary New Yorkers on the subway every day. Maybe he also needs to spend a summer night somewhere other than his cocoon-like East Side townhouse.

 

A Beautiful Day

By Editorial

It will be a while before we know how many people voted in our area, but as we write this on Tuesday afternoon, anecdotal evidence suggests that, like many other places in the city and the country, voter turnout is higher than it’s been since the 1960s. 

All of us will have stories from the great election of 2004, but here’s just one that struck us as we stood in line to vote. 

An African American young man, probably around 18, wearing a hooded sweatshirt was standing in line with his mother to vote a little down the line from us. He was visibly nervous but very excited as he kept reading whatever palm card he had in his hand over and over. He said a couple of times, “It’s my first time voting.” 

He was a little uncertain once he got in the booth about what to do next, but the workers helped him and told him to pull the big lever into voting position. He voted and when he came out everyone on line applauded. He beamed. If that doesn’t illustrate the beauty of democracy, what does? 

As we went to press, there were legions of stories burning up the Internet of young voters and immigrants casting their ballots for the first time all across the country. 

We hope this year’s election is a formative one for new voters and that high voting rates will continue in our communities. As we’ve said so many times before, politicians know how to count. Neighborhoods that vote in large numbers get the most attention from elected officials. It’s that simple. 

In the meantime, all who voted and participated in the election in any way (getting out the vote, working the polls, etc.) should be proud to have been a part of what will certainly be remembered as one of the most important elections in American history. 

 

Fordham Issues Study of Norwood Radio Tower Sight

By Heather Haddon

 

Fordham University has begun clearing the necessary hurdles to build a new radio antenna on a Norwood apartment building for its public radio station, WFUV. If successful, Fordham would finally put an end to a decade of controversy, which began when it started to construct a tower on its campus, which infuriated its institutional neighbor, the New York Botanical Garden. 

Fordham completed an environmental impact assessment for the project last Friday for the Montefiore II residential high-rise, located at 3450 Wayne Ave. at Gun Hill Road, which would host the 142-foot tower on its roof. Fordham contends that there would be little, if any, impact on local health, aesthetics and radio interference.

“We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to adequately address all concerns,” said Joe Muriana, Fordham’s associate vice president of Government Relations and Urban Affairs.

Local officials and Community Board 7 will have 30 days to comment before the assessment is sent to city and federal agencies. 

If the site proposal survives such scrutiny, it would permanently bury the longstanding feud between Fordham and the Garden over the university’s existing structure. Many argue that the 260-foot uncompleted tower, located near Southern Boulevard, mars the views inside the Garden. Fordham would dismantle the structure once the new one is built.

Montefiore proudly announced last May that it was offering Montefiore II’s roof, currently home to smaller antennas, as a solution to the intractable standoff. “It seemed to us that perhaps Montefiore could be of help, and if we could, we should,” said Spencer Foreman, MD, Montefiore’s president, during a press conference last May.

The controversy first began in 1994 when Fordham responded to new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) standards by building a radio tower on its campus. Fordham also wanted WFUV (90.7 FM), a well-respected music station, to reach more listeners throughout the metropolitan area. 

Once the metal tower rose above the tree line, the Garden appealed to halt further construction, ushering in years of hearings, negotiations and court rulings.

Under the current proposal, which most state and city officials support, Montefiore would rent the space to Fordham for $100,000 a year. Once a cooling system is removed from the building’s penthouse, the slimmer and shorter structure would rise from the building’s rafters. According to Steve Osborne, a Montefiore spokesperson, the Medical Center intends to dismantle the cooling system by February. 

Fordham employed Montefiore II’s original architect, along with a large team of engineers, to study the feasibility of the tower design. “We have been doing a lot of extra work on the engineering component,” Muriana said. Communications Technologies, designer of antennas for the Empire State Building and other major structures, is the architect.

To complete the impact assessment, Fordham hired AKRF, an environmental consulting firm previously used by both Fordham and Montefiore. The review examines possible impacts in five different areas, including interference and visual and health effects. 

Because the tower can’t disturb Montefiore’s sensitive medical equipment, Fordham followed far stricter guidelines for safety and interference, according to Muriana. 

“It’s especially designed so you can sunbathe on the roof and won’t be affected by it,” he said.

Though Fordham says the antenna is unlikely to disturb local reception of other radio stations, it intends to provide assistance to those experiencing problems.

But the tower will have a visual impact. It will appear prominently within a five-block radius and be visible for up to a half a mile, though Muriana contends it will look like “a toothpick” from that distance.

Members of the 204th Street/Bainbridge Avenue Merchants Association expressed concerns about the visual impacts when the project was first announced. Anthony Rivieccio, the association’s president, said merchant opposition mellowed after viewing a mock-up of the tower’s design. “If it goes according to that plan, we hope it works and life will move on,” he said.

Muriana contends that residents will quickly get used to the slim structure. “People probably won’t notice it within seven or eight months after it’s up,” he said.

After the Community Board makes comments, the impact statement is assessed by the city Board of Standards and Appeals, which must schedule a public hearing before issuing the project a special permit. The FCC and the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation must then give their approval.

Restraining Orders Lifted on Plant

By Jordan Moss

 

Call it musical restraining orders.

At different points over the last six weeks, two different lawsuits fighting the city’s plan to build a water filtration plant in Van Cortlandt Park succeeded in stays being issued to prevent work on the project.

And while the groups filing the suits still have some cards to play, right now there is nothing to prevent the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) from doing preliminary archeological evaluation work at the site. 

On Oct. 18, a panel of Brooklyn appellate judges lifted a temporary restraining order obtained by the Croton Watershed Clean Water Coalition (CWCWC) in an earlier ruling by one of the judges from the panel. The CWCWC has filed papers seeking a preliminary injunction in Queens Supreme Court. The court may consider that action as early as next week. 

The Friends also succeeded in getting a restraining order by a Manhattan judge only to have it lifted later. 

But the group is now seeking a preliminary injunction from the same judge, William Wetzel, who will make a decision on the matter on Nov. 4. 

The Friends believe the city has not followed proper zoning procedures in siting an industrial facility in public parkland. And the CWCWC maintains that the city has not explored more modern filtration technology that could make the plant much smaller. The group also argues that several documents referenced in the DEP’s environmental study on the project have not been made available to the public.

Two more lawsuits may still be filed. A group of local residents working with the Environmental Law Clinic at Columbia University may file an action based on environmental justice statutes. And the town of Eastchester has said it will sue the city because building the plant in the Bronx will mean it will have to build an expensive filtration facility for its relatively small population.

 

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