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Remembering Soldiers, Activists Mark War’s 2nd Year
March 24, 2005
By David Greene
Nearly 100 Bronxites gathered for a peace rally in front of the Kingsbridge Armory last Friday, denouncing the U.S. occupation of Iraq.
The event was organized by Bronx Action for Justice and Peace to mark the second anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion. Members of the group, and passersby who volunteered to help, tied 1,561 white ribbons on the chain-link fence in front of the armory, in honor of American soldiers who have died since the war began.
Heidi Hynes of Bronx Action for Justice and Peace, who came up with the idea of the ribbon project, explained its significance. “Fifteen hundred and sixty one U.S. soldiers have died so far in this war, and there are actually 1,561 ribbons on the fence to remind us how many people that is.”
A number of speakers addressed the crowd, including Korean War veteran and peace activist Stuart Edwards of Co-op City.
Members of the Army National Guard’s 145th Maintenance Company, based out of the Kingsbridge Armory, are currently stationed in Iraq.
The following day, Fordham University students and other peace activists marched from Fordham Plaza along Fordham Road to the U.S. Armed Forces Recruiting Station on the Grand Concourse, carrying mock coffins draped in American flags and black cloth.
“I think the war, from its beginning, the reasons for it have been over-justified many times, with different reasons every time,” said Fordham freshman Jenna Felz, “and I don’t agree with any of them.”
The recruiting station shut its doors as officers from the station watched the rally from an office building across the street. Many of the protesters then headed to a larger rally in Times Square and Central Park.
CB7 Votes for Sunshine
March 24, 2005
By Editorial
The members of Community Board 7 may have not known it was Sunshine Week when they voted unanimously to recommend that meetings of the committee monitoring the filtration plant construction should be opened to the public. But we can’t think of a better celebration of the week’s principles.
As we’ve reported on this page twice before, Sunshine Week, which began on March 13, was organized by the American Society of Newspaper Editors to educate Americans about the importance of access to public information and decision-making processes.
Open meetings are a critical component of our democracy, as is an informed citizenry, which does not develop if left in the lobby while its representatives secret themselves away behind closed doors.
While technically, the Facility Monitoring Committee, as the plant construction committee is known, may have been able to legally defend its closed meetings (because it’s a mixed grouping of public officials from various parts of city government, and because it has no decision-making capacity), there is no logic to keeping out the same community members the process is designed to protect.
This construction project has no rival in recent Bronx history. Just for starters, the city will blast a hole the size of Yankee Stadium in the park over an 18-month period. During that time, trucks filled with earth and rock will come and go at the site every two minutes.
The potential for air quality, traffic and noise problems are massive. Our community will benefit from as many vigilant residents from as many different perspectives as possible (time of day, proximity to construction and traffic patterns, those with asthma, etc.) watching the project closely and reporting what they find.
We are not saying that all community residents should be able to speak at will at these meetings – there needs to be time for the city to fully brief the Committee and for members of the Committee to question the city.
But that does not mean that community residents should be kept from absorbing as much information as possible from these meetings and relaying it to their neighbors. We think there should also be a period for public comment at the beginning of each of the sessions, as there is at Community Board meetings. But if residents find that their concerns have not been raised at a particular meeting, they can take it up with staff at the Department of Environmental Protection’s community office on Jerome Avenue or encourage Committee members to raise the issue.
The meetings aren’t open yet. Board 7 is only one of the three boards on the Committee. Members of the entire Committee must re-open the discussion when they meet again on April 2.
But we believe that Board 7’s wise action will lead the way for Board 8, which was not present at the first meeting, and for Board 12, which was.
In the meantime, Board 7 members should be proud that, in the fashion of true public servants representing and advocating for their fellow citizens, they voted to let the sunshine in.
Conference Spotlights Waterfront Plans
March 24, 2005
By Heather Haddon
Major strategies to develop the Harlem River waterfront, from bike lanes to ball fields, were on parade at the Bronx Council for Environmental Quality (BCEQ)’s fourth annual Water Conference. While most projects are slated for communities south of Community District 7, officials also discussed visions for the local area.
Held last week at Manhattan College, the conference brought together officials, advocates and other stakeholders to discuss the conditions in and around Bronx waterways. Brownfield redevelopment was a special focus this year, though problems with releasing promised funds in Albany has stalled projects statewide.
“It’s frustrating,” said Justin Bloom, a lawyer and BCEQ member. Bloom submitted a proposal last year to plan brownfield redevelopments along the Harlem River, but he still hasn’t received a dime because of the state snafu.
In the meantime, there are plenty of other plans percolating for the waterfront. Of local interest is the Parks Department’s push to build the Harlem River Greenway, a public corridor to run 3.5 miles between 225th Street and Macombs Dam Park near Yankee Stadium. The proposal has been in the planning stages since 1993, but parts seem to be progressing.
“It’s been discussed for so long … but we are trying to create an implementation plan,” said Colleen Anderson of the Parks Department’s planning division.
Locally, the Greenway would run from the Old Putnam Trail (a path flowing from Westchester to 225th Street through Van Cortlandt Park), down along the river, connecting to the University Heights Bridge, and traveling past Fordham Landing to points further south. The path would be accessible for pedestrians and bikers, and the Parks Department is considering other uses like boating.
But Community District 7’s section, mixing public and private land, is one of the more difficult portions to advance. The Putnam Trail terminus at 225th Street needs to jog west, where it would drop below street level to run 1.5 miles along the river. But parcels immediately adjacent to the river are owned by private companies, including a recently erected storage facility, and Parks doesn’t think they can acquire the land in the near future.
“We don’t want to condemn property,” Anderson said.
Instead, planners are considering routing the greenway between the Major Deegan Expressway and railways owned by Metro North. That prospect is looking hopeful.
“We have been encouraged by our conversations with Metro North,” Anderson said.
Following this stretch, the Greenway would run directly along the waterfront through a one-acre parcel owned by the Department of Transportation. Converting this property into parkland, estimated to cost $1.8 million, is one of the projects promised by the city in exchange for siting the filtration plant in Van Cortlandt Park.
The route would then pass the University Heights Bridge, with an optional spur traveling over the bridge to Manhattan, and continue on to Fordham Landing — a longtime snag for planners. La Sala Contracting Company purchased the land in 1982 and intended to build apartments on over three acres of waterfront land. In return for rezoning the property as residential, the developers promised to build an esplanade along the Harlem River.
But over two decades later, the land sits untouched. “It’s unbelievable,” said Karen Argenti, a BCEQ member who chaired Community Board 7 when La Sala first negotiated the purchase.
Argenti thinks the project stalled due to a lack of infrastructure in the area and its industrial surroundings, which are removed from shops and other buildings. “Who wants to be the first person to put people where [industry] is?” she asked.
Several Greenway projects south of Community District 7 are further along, including the Depot Place, Roberto Clemente, and Washington Bridge parks. An advisory committee consisting of officials, community board representatives, and the public meets every few months to discuss the Greenway.
The conference also featured presentations on other ambitious waterfront projects such as the new Bronx Terminal Market, the Yankee Stadium redevelopment, and developments associated with the 2012 Olympic Games like the velodrome racing arena. Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión is a big supporter of all three, but focused his presentation on the stadium plan. The design is still in the review stages, though Carrión said he’s received inquiries from those seeking to manage some of its components, like a sports medicine high school and a fitness center.
The conference was well-attended and upbeat, with organizers calling it a success. But Argenti was saddened that many of the future parks projects were funded by the filtration plant mitigation.
“Things don’t happen in the Bronx unless we sell off our land,” said Argenti, who has long opposed the plant.
Concourse Building Demolished
March 24, 2005
By Heather Haddon
Concourse Building Demolished
In the first major housing complex built on the Grand Concourse in decades, a 10-story building will rise where a former school was knocked down at Bedford Park Boulevard.
The squat building, most recently owned by Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, was half demolished as of early last week. Yoel Movtady, a Long Island marketing executive, purchased the site for $625,000 last fall.
The new development will house roughly 50 units of middle-income housing, predominantly two- and three-bedroom apartments with a few one-bedrooms. The first floor will include some commercial space, which Movtady hopes to rent to doctors or other professionals. A parking lot is permitted for the basement.
The building is still in the planning phases, and Movtady hasn’t yet devised a timeline for the construction. Build Tech Architects, who have designed many Bronx projects, are drawing up the building’s blueprint. They also designed an 8-story building slated to rise at Perry Avenue and East Gun Hill Road.
The complex is Movtady’s first real estate development. “I saw that this is an area that could be developed,” said Movtady, who came across the site about a year ago. “The building wasn’t being used … and there should be something built here. We want to bring new housing for families to the area.”
The structure was formerly home to the Bedford Park Academy, a private school, until Grace Lutheran bought it in 1981. The space hadn’t been actively used recently, with the school’s main site located around the corner on Valentine Avenue. Rev. James Gajadhar, Grace Lutheran’s pastor, did not return calls for comment.
The entire Grand Concourse, which was planned with a consistent architectural style, hasn’t seen a major new housing development in some 30 years, according to John Reilly, executive director of the Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation. “It’s a big change,” said Reilly, a lifelong Bronx resident. “There have been renovations and conversions, but I can’t think of any new [housing] construction.”
Given the site’s prominent location, Reilly hopes that the new building will be both attractive and affordable. He didn’t think a 10-story structure would necessarily tower over the surrounding apartments, which are mostly six and seven stories, due to newer construction trends toward shorter stories.
Movtady is toying with the idea of making the building into condominiums. “We are leaning toward ownership …. but we are still searching to see if there is a market,” he said.
Community District 7 as a whole has seen a spate of three-family homes constructed recently, reversing the long-standing trend toward rental apartments. “There has been a demand for private homes, so I guess there could be one [for condominiums] too,” Reilly said.
Movtady hopes so. “If this project is a success, we will try to develop more sites in the area,” he said.
Bridge Construction Begins, As Do Complaints
March 24, 2005
By Heather Haddon
Local commuting frustrations started to simmer last week as a major construction project on East Gun Hill Road caused an exit closure and increased traffic congestion.
On March 9, the southbound East Gun Hill Road exit from the Bronx River Parkway was closed, and will remain so for the next three years, to accommodate the reconstruction of a bridge over the Williams Bridge Metro North station. Signs on the parkway advise drivers to take the earlier exit at 233rd Street, and then continue on to Gun Hill via Webster, Bainbridge or Jerome avenues.
“There will be some inconveniences,” said Ali Mallick, an engineer at the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT), which commissioned the construction. “We are working with everyone to make sure traffic moves smoothly.”
DOT is reconstructing the Gun Hill bridge, spanning Webster Avenue to Bronx Boulevard, due to excessive age and weathering. Sections of the bridge will be demolished beginning in April. While DOT originally stated that one of the road’s five lanes would be closed, Mallick said that a fifth lane was created by narrowing a sidewalk.
“Luckily the sidewalk was wide enough,” said Mallick, who oversees road bridges at DOT. “There is no reduction of the traffic capacity on the bridge itself. This is not going to increase traffic problems.”
But many drivers insist they feel squeezed. “Forget about it, there’s so much traffic,” said Joe Kandic, manager of Joseph’s Pizza on East Gun Hill and Perry Avenue.
Kandic commutes from Yonkers every day, and now exits the Parkway at 233rd Street or Allerton Avenue to pick up supplies from White Plains Road. He then crosses the bridge to get to his shop. “I have to leave the house 45 minutes to an hour earlier every morning,” said Kandic, 36.
DOT has installed concrete barriers, chain link fences, and electronic signs along Gun Hill to keep drivers and pedestrians safe. Mallick said that DOT will also deploy transit police to guide traffic, but only if it is deemed necessary.
Kandic thinks it is. “Everyone is trying to cut you off,” he said. “They are rolling down their windows and cursing at you.”
DOT installed a traffic light at the 233rd exit last month to manage traffic flow. Drivers can make a right on red at the light, which Mallick said has eased congestion. “I was there this morning, and I didn’t find any traffic,” Mallick said. “People were coming out [of the exit] easily.”
But drivers have experienced delays. “It doesn’t matter which way you take … it’s all going to lead to traffic,” said Crysta Jones, a Montefiore Medical Center employee who lives in Westchester. Jones reported at least 20-minute delays last week after exiting either the Parkway or the Major Deegan Expressway at 233rd Street.
Those who continue on to Gun Hill via Bainbridge and Jerome avenues hit another series of blockages. Construc-tion materials for renovating the Woodlawn No. 4 subway station, where Bainbridge and Jerome meet south of 233rd Street, are stored in the road and block part of it. While work was already supposed to have been completed, construction will continue through October, according to James Anyansi, an MTA spokesperson.
To make matters worse, three Westchester express buses stop at the Woodlawn station. The stops were temporarily relocated a few feet north to accommodate the transit work, but they will be moved back soon.
“We think [the stop] is safer where it is now, but it’s a DOT decision,” Anyansi said. The temporary spot is near the entrance of the Mosholu Golf Course in Van Cortlandt Park, where traffic from the filtration plant construction will go in and out.
Mallick was not aware of the bus stop issue, but said that DOT is in communication with MTA. “They have to coordinate with us,” he said.
Drivers are finding ways to cope. “I’m plotting an alternative route,” said Jones, who wouldn’t reveal the specifics for fear others would copy her.
Council Member Oliver Koppell said he has sent staff to study the construction. Koppell promised to continue monitoring the situation, but said that there wasn’t much he could do to rectify it.
Kandic had an idea — speed up the construction. “I’ve taken this exit every day for 10 years,” he said. “I need my car. I don’t know what to do.”
CB7 Update
March 24, 2005
By Heather Haddon
Several future and impending construction projects, and a handful of motions, were addressed during Community Board 7’s public meeting last week.
Closest on the horizon is a project to build a parking lot on Briggs Avenue and Kingsbridge Road. Currently a vacant lot, the owner received a zoning variance earlier this month from the city Board of Standards and Appeals, allowing work to proceed.
Sandra Erickson, chair of the committee handling land use, said that the lot’s design is quite attractive. “It blends into the neighborhood well … and it won’t be really boxy,” she said. The proprietor is a veteran in the construction field, according to Erickson, a longtime affordable housing developer.
The lot will provide some relief to the perennial local parking crunch. “It’s such a big problem,” Erickson said. “People will pay for parking rather than getting a ticket.”
The facility will be especially useful when the new Fordham Library Center opens. Now in construction, the Center will house a large auditorium for public programs.
Also discussed was a new, mixed-use housing complex planned for Andrews Avenue between Fordham Road and 183rd Street. New Destiny Housing, a nonprofit developer, is looking to build the 38-unit structure. The organization already runs another complex in the area, according to Erickson.
Half of the facility will be for domestic violence survivors, and the other portion will be available for lower-income families who are from the community. New Destiny representatives presented the plan during the Land Use Committee meeting last month, and Erickson said the overview was “impressive.”
Land Use’s next committee meeting will address Bronx Community College’s (BCC) proposal to build housing and academic space on Hall of Fame Terrace. The college is already seeking developers for the project, but the Board had yet to learn its specifics.
BCC has sought for some time now to move its Center for Sustainable Energy to where an old army facility sits.
The committee expressed concern about a number of new developments springing up in the area without the Board’s knowledge, and will be getting a listing of construction permits from the city.
Erickson said her meeting was especially lively, and she supports the changes recently made to the Board’s committee structure. Last month, the Board’s district manager and chair collapsed the 11 committees into seven, and announced new meeting and reporting guidelines.
Erickson thought the requirements would provide more consistency to the committees. “Change is good,” she said.
But Andrew Laiosa, co-chair of the committee handling safety and transportation, said his meeting hadn’t benefited from the modifications. “There were the two chairs plus one other board member at the meeting,” said Laiosa about his committee, which has nine members total. “How could that be construed as a success?”
Their meeting did include a number of construction updates from the MTA concerning the No. 4 subway line. Renovations to the Kingsbridge Road and 183rd Street stations were postponed until this summer, and the Fordham Road work will finally wrap up this fall. Jacqueline Carter, an MTA representative, also said that stained glass panels will be added to the renovated stations.
The Parks Committee advanced two motions to the public meeting. The Board voted to support a City Council bill that would allow taxes from park concessions to directly benefit the Parks Department instead of going to the city’s general fund, as they do now.
The Board approved an amended version of the resolution that also seeks to examine what vending machines and stands are operating in local parks.
Another approved measure supports the transfer of a Bainbridge Avenue community garden from the city to the Trust for Public Land, a national conservation group. The garden, located near the corner of East 193rd Street, will receive additional money and labor through the sale, according to Barbara Stronczer, the committee’s chair.
The Board also approved a motion sponsored by its Executive Committee to appoint a sergeant-at-arms for their public meetings. It’s “to keep the peace,” said Norah Feury, Board chair. A Board member will be appointed to fill the position each meeting.
A number of officials attended the public meeting, including John Herrold, the new administrator for Van Cortlandt Park. Also in attendance was a graduate class from Lehman College who came as part of their study of public policy.
New Direction for Housing
March 24, 2005
By Heather Haddon
Advocates and officials are cautiously optimistic about a new housing inspection program that will target groupings of problem buildings by neighborhood. In its final stages of approval at press time, the program intends to put the squeeze on landlords who fail to correct violations in their buildings.
Developed through months of negotiations between City Council members, nonprofit housing groups, and the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the city hopes the initiative will be effective.
“[Code enforcement] has been a reactive process,” said Luiz Aragon, a deputy commissioner at HPD. “When someone calls with a complaint, we fix it. This is an attempt to develop a proactive approach and seeking out these conditions without having the complaint come to us first.”
Every two months, HPD will select three Council districts and 30 buildings within each to monitor. Buildings will be chosen based on code violations and inspection reports, along with recommendations from Council members and housing groups.
Once one of the buildings is re-inspected, HPD will contact its landlord to plan how to fix violations, and monitor the progress on a monthly basis. There is no hard and fast rule for how long that process will last, as it will depend on landlord cooperativeness, according to Carol Abrams, an HPD spokesperson.
If the landlord is not compliant, or fails to correct 80 percent of violations, the situation will be referred to housing court. “If we realize it’s not [progressing], we would cease to work with the owner,” Aragon said.
John Reilly, executive director of the Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation, a nonprofit housing manager and developer, thought HPD’s new push was auspicious, but didn’t think it would be a silver bullet. “HPD seems to genuinely want to increase their work in code enforcement,” said Reilly, who wasn’t directly involved in the initiative’s negotiations. “It’s a good way [to do enforcement], but it’s not the only way.”
Housing groups have advocated for two other approaches — tenant petition inspections and mandated follow-up on serious violations. The first would allow tenants to call for inspections in numerous apartments simultaneously, rather than have an inspector address a single tenant’s complaint while passing over the other problems in the building.
“Our landlord only does stuff when he has an inspection by HPD,” said Andrea Nelson, who lives in a building on East 209th Street with chronic problems. “He says he’s trying to do everything he can to keep people safe. But we are not safe.”
Reilly thought the new program could help these situations, but not as extensively as the tenant petition inspections. While HPD once used this procedure, a Council bill to reinstate the inspections died in 2003.
Advocates also backed the Health Homes Act, a Council bill requiring HPD to automatically re-inspect C violations, the most serious kind, and stiffen penalties for noncompliant landlords.
“We shouldn’t be allowing buildings with class C violations to remain unattended to,” said Council Member Oliver Koppell, who cosponsored the bill along with 26 others. Council members Maria Baez and Joel Rivera were not cosigners.
HPD is pushing the new program as an alternative to the other bills. “Suffice to say, this is the preferred approach to address those issues,” Aragon said.
While a tentative supporter, Koppell was worried about the pecking order of selecting the Council districts. Choices will be made based on a balance between violation hotspots and geographic diversity, according to Aragon.
A Memorandum of Understanding has yet to be signed between the Council and HPD concerning the program, but Abrams was confident it would happen shortly.
Board 7 Votes To Open Plant Meetings
March 24, 2005
By Jordan Moss
Community Board 7 voted unanimously last week to support a resolution that recommends that meetings of the committee set up to monitor the construction of the filtration plant in Van Cortlandt Park be open to the public.
At the first meeting of the Facility Monitoring Committee (FMC) earlier this month, Board 7 representatives, which included Board 7 chair Nora Feury and district manager Rita Kessler, supported the decision of the group to conduct the sessions behind closed doors.
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) organized the FMC. It exists to update the community about construction progress and to provide a mechanism for people to raise issues and problems. It is comprised of representatives of the three affected community boards (7, 8 and 12) and a staff person from Council Member Oliver Koppell’s office. Norwood activist Lyn Pyle also serves on the Committee as a designee of Board 7.
Board 7 member Greg Faulkner raised the open meetings issue. I’m confused how the community will be able to have input if [the meetings are] closed,” he said, later adding, “There are very few meetings in the City of New York that I know of that are closed to the public. I would like us to ask the Committee to revisit the issue.”
Board members Don Bluestone and Hector Lopez echoed that view.
“I think this is the wrong message,” Lopez said. “It doesn’t mean they [the public] are going to talk, but at least they can hear what happens.”
Feury said she would bring the Board’s concerns to the Committee.
But Faulkner wanted the Board to vote on the matter. “I think we need to go on record as a board,” he said.
After some back and forth, Feury then put a resolution forward and the Board approved the measure unanimously by a show of hands. There were no “no” votes and no abstentions.
In a phone interview after the Board meeting, Feury said she was concerned that the meetings would lose their focus if people outside the Committee were allowed to participate.
“If you let the public in, there’s no way you’re going to keep them from talking,” she said. “There’s going to be no protocol.”
But she agreed that Board 7 itself had been successful in limiting public comment to a brief period before its official meetings. And she said that, in light of the Board 7 resolution, the FMC would revisit the matter.
The next FMC meeting is on Thursday, April 7 at 2 p.m. at the DEP’s new community office at 3660 Jerome Ave.
Nonprofits Can Help Deliver Happy
March 10, 2005
By Heather Haddon
Mention W-2s and 1040s, and most people grit their teeth at the thought of tax preparation. Mention it to Wendy Garcia and she’ll tell you what it can mean — thousands of dollars back, painlessly.
“I was really grateful,” said Garcia, a Lehman College student, about the sizable sum her family will get back thanks to Money Site, a nonprofit tax preparation program sponsored by the Enterprise Foundation.
Each year, thousands of low-income residents fail to claim money they are entitled to on their tax returns. City residents took home a total of $1.4 billion last year from one deduction, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), but a further $500 million went unclaimed, according to Food Change, an advocacy group.
Food Change is but one organization that runs programs in the area to help residents get the maximum back on their returns. Operated by nonprofits, these services are far cheaper than commercial preparers, and many offer additional services like benefit applications and financial planning assistance.
“Many people think they have to pay H & R Block to get a bigger refund,” said Erika Martinez, a North Fordham resident who staffs the local Money Site at Fordham Bedford Children’s Services. “But that’s not true.”
No matter who is filing the returns, preparers all look to see if applicants are eligible for certain tax credits. One of the most lucrative is EITC, which this year is worth up to $5,800 for low-income individuals with children. Workers earning up to $19,000 receive the biggest refund, but those making up to $35,000 may also qualify.
There are EITCs available on federal, state and, as of this year, city returns. To easily check your eligibility, the IRS has started an EITC assessment tool on its Web site in English and Spanish (irs.gov).
The possible savings doesn’t end there, however. Many low-income residents are eligible for credits associated with childcare, education, and dependent expenses.
Garcia filed for her mother, who is a home health aide, and by accessing the EITC and other credits, they netted over $3,000 in refunds. The other day at Money Site, a woman with a family of four got back $9,000, according to Martinez.
But no matter how sizable the return, much of it can get swallowed up in hidden fees or handling rates. “Most of these income tax places try to scam you out of money,” Garcia said. “They charge you ridiculous rates.”
Money Site only charges $24.95 for its services and, for those earning less than $40,000, Food Change’s help is free.
Both groups do more than just help fill out tax forms. Martinez also provides financial planning services, guidance on saving for a home, business or college, and help on opening a bank account. “We encourage participants to save a portion of their refund,” she said.
Food Change can also access missed refunds on the last three years of an individual’s taxes, and help undocumented or self-employed workers file their returns.
Both sites are experiencing steady traffic as April 15, tax day, looms. Martinez estimates that she has seen between five and nine clients a day for the past few weeks. Last year, Food Change completed over 24,000 tax returns citywide, amounting to $45 million in refunds and $4 million in savings from preparation fees.
Garcia has no doubt she will use Money Site’s services again next year. “It was really simple and quick,” she said. “I’ll definitely go back.”
Confusion Over Stink Bombs Used at Walton
March 10, 2005
By Heather Haddon
The city steadfastly denies that stink bombs were used by safety officers to disperse loitering students, despite charges made by Walton High School teens last month.
“It has been determined to be unfounded,” said Alicia Maxey, a Department of Education (DOE) spokesperson. “These actions would not be part of the SSA [School Safety Agents] standard practices.”
But some Walton students say that the foul odor is all too common. “You smell them when the periods are changing,” said Cheyenne Garcia, 18, a student at the High School for Teaching and the Professions (TAP), a small school housed on Walton’s third floor. “I can’t really describe the smell, but it’s really bad.”
City Council members were shocked when two TAP teens testified during a school safety hearing last month about stink bombs being used to deter student loitering. “People don’t go to class on time, so the guards get fed up,” said Keith Manning, 16, who spoke at the hearing. Manning said guards throw the bombs in school stairwells, where students often hang out.
Whoever is responsible, the smell lingers and can be irritating. “A lot of people complain because they can’t breathe very well,” Manning said.
But city police say that it’s the students who are actually the culprits. “We’ve done investigations, and found that [the stink bombs] come from the students,” said Detective Water Burnes, a Police Department spokesperson.
Some officials aren’t so sure. “We’re not convinced that kids would come to City Hall and make this stuff up,” said Abby Wilson, a spokesperson for Council Member Eva Moskowitz, who chaired the hearing. Wilson said her office and the New York Civil Liberties Union will be investigating the matter further.
Stink bombs are small capsules that emit a foul odor, often of ammonia, when they are thrown. They are cheap and easily purchased.
Both Garcia and Manning said they hadn’t smelled the bombs in the last few months. They also have witnessed fewer fights recently.
Walton is one of 16 city schools with additional security officers deployed under the “impact” program, which targets schools with violence problems. Controversy erupted last December when a student at the Kingsbridge Heights school was maced by an officer after the teen allegedly hit him.
While security agents do carry Mace, it is used only in extreme situations, according to Burnes. “Mace is not used to control crowds, it’s a weapon,” he said. “There are very few instances that would lead to the point of using Mace, not that it would never happen.”
Burnes would not generalize about what situations would merit using Mace.
Walton’s security situation has generally resisted improvements despite the influx of officers, but there are some indications that things have improved in the last few months.
Agents have cracked down on loitering between classes, with hallways often put on “lockdown,” barring students from exiting classrooms. “We’re there to get kids into the classrooms so they can learn,” Burnes said.
Manning, a Fordham Road resident, had mixed feelings about the procedures. “We can’t get passes from teachers anymore,” he said. “It’s good the fights have calmed down, but not letting us use the bathroom is crazy.”
Principals and other administrators were given walkie-talkies to alert security agents when a fight breaks out, deterring other students from joining in. “That helps a lot,” said Garcia, a Decatur Avenue resident. “The officers will circle around [a fight] to slow down the process before the kids get through.”
Security cameras are slowly being installed in the separate entranceways for Walton and the three other small schools housed there. TAP parent Patricia Britton thinks the cameras have helped some. “Things are improving, but there is still much to be done,” she said.
While Garcia was not always an advocate of using cameras, she has changed her opposition in the face of Walton’s continuing problems. “There was a point of time when I didn’t want them,” she said. “But they are like extra eyes for the security guards.”
Passionate Educator Leads PS 246
March 10, 2005
By Heather Haddon
Beverly Miller is good at handling crises, even when they come rushing in her door. “I want them to know it’s OK to talk to me about things,” Miller said after a crowd of children, in the throes of a dispute, left her office relatively pacified. “There’s only one rule, and that is you don’t lie.”
Since settling in to her new role at PS 246 last fall, Miller has rolled up her sleeves to address student, teacher, and parent concerns. While getting used to being a principal isn’t easy, Miller says she enjoys the challenge.
“It’s a lot of work, but I’ve never shied away from work,” said Miller, flashing her brilliant grin.
Nor has Miller, 47, often strayed from schools. Born and raised in Parkchester, Miller took an early interest in education. After a brief stint in medicine, she switched her major at St. John’s University to education.
“Chemistry and I didn’t understand each other,” said Miller, a tall, elegant woman.
Miller has spent 20 years as a teacher and administrator in district schools, including PS 33 and PS/MS 95. After PS 246’s former principal, Jackquelyn Young, took a position with Region 1 in August, Miller was offered the job just weeks before school opened.
“A lot of people think I’m kind of crazy, but I don’t regret the step I’ve made,” she said.
Miller credits her staff and the school community for helping her get up to speed. “They have welcomed me and respected my opinions,” she said.
Shelly Whitlock Pope, an assistant principal, said that Miller has hit the ground running. “From the staff’s point of view, it was an incredibly smooth transition,” said Pope, who is pleased that Miller is continuing on many of the improvements begun by Young. “In my three years here, it’s becoming a whole different school.”
PS 246 is still a challenging institution to lead. The Grand Concourse school, formerly a home for the deaf, has always struggled with overcrowding due to its small classrooms. As has often been the case, Miller uses every possible room and has to double up some classes to house the 867 students. “I have no space in this building,” she said. “But we make it work.”
PS 246 has long struggled to bring up its test scores. Around 29 and 46 percent of fourth graders passed the state English and math exams last year, respectively, which is weaker than many local schools. PS 246 did make big gains last year in reducing the number of students performing at Level 1, the lowest ranking.
“We have a lot of work to do, but we are on the right track,” Miller said.
PS 246’s mid-year evaluation affirmed that trend. A review conducted by a Region 1 administrator last month found that there was more work to do, like giving additional feedback and writing work, but that the school’s overall progress was solid. “I was very happy to hear that,” Miller said.
No matter the stresses, Miller says she remains upbeat. “I try not to let what happens in these walls seep out,” she said, referring to her neat, tasteful office. She debriefs at the end of the day with her husband and 8-year-old daughter when she gets to her Wakefield home.
While the work ahead may be great, Miller seems ready to tackle it. “I’m passionate about teaching and learning — I really am,” she said. “I would not want to work in a place where there weren’t children.”
School Capital Plan Postpones Most Projects
March 10, 2005
By Heather Haddon
Most local school construction and repair will be postponed for at least a year under the latest version of the city’s capital plan, sparking an outcry when it was announced last month.
But what is actually being cut, and what was delayed or revised, depends on who you ask. City Council members allege the plan postpones most projects and cuts others, but the city says it’s simply revising the document to reflect funding limitations and more detailed information on school needs.
“The whole point is that it is a plan, and plans have to change,” said Katherine Grimm, deputy chancellor for the Department of Education (DOE).
Many advocates weren’t pleased with the latest amendment to the five-year capital plan, issued last month. On paper, the revision shaved $1.3 billion from the ambitious $13.1 billion proposal approved last June. According to a Council analysis, Bronx school repairs suffered a $267 million cut and delays of at least a year for $205 million worth of projects.
“What kind of message are we sending out children about the value of education when we continue to send them to antiquated buildings?,” asked Council Member Oliver Koppell in a statement. “We must not allow this to happen.”
A closer analysis presents a more complicated picture. Millions of dollars in projects for several local schools weren’t listed in the revision, including lighting and electrical work for MS 45 and its annex; lighting for PS 56; an auditorium upgrade, flooring repairs and other building work for PS/MS 95 and its annex; lighting for MS 206; and lighting and a gymnasium upgrade for MS 399.
Grimm insists that many of these cuts reflect a better understanding of building needs, which the city has begun assessing annually. The city surveyed individual schools since last year’s capital proposal, and found that some of the repairs, especially concerning lighting, weren’t necessary.
“This is a living document,” Grimm told the Norwood News. “Some of the original designs called for replacing lighting that has nothing to do with where the children actually are. Why replace a school’s lighting when it’s in the basement?”
In the reassessment, some area projects had slight additions, like repairs for PS/MS 20, PS 46, and PS 315.
Though she didn’t have specifics, Grimm guessed that the other local changes reflected projects that had to been pushed out of the plan for a year or two. “We did have to make some delays,” she said.
But all of the work detailed under the capital plan was postponed a year, and it now spans from 2005 until 2010 instead of 2009. Most local repairs are now slated to begin in 2006 or 2007, instead of this or next year, as originally proposed.
Joseph Solanto, principal of MS 45 in Belmont, can stomach the postponement of a promised refurbishment to his school’s playground. But he wasn’t thrilled about the other delays.
“All the other things are important for my school,” said Solanto, who said his building could, in fact, use better lighting. “I have an old building. They did good work repairing my roof last year, but my infrastructure still needs to be upgraded.”
In addition to the specific delays, the entire plan had to be put off a year while the city waits for the portion that the state is supposed to pick up. A State Supreme Court judge ruled last year that the city’s schools are shortchanged millions of dollars in state aid, and last month put that figure at an extra $5.6 billion annually for operations and $9.2 billion for capital improvements. The court, however, did not specify who should pay what, paving the way for further disagreements among the mayor, governor and state legislature.
That’s not very comforting for schools waiting for improvements. “We needed to have that work done yesterday,” Solanto said.
As far as new construction, the revised plan includes a highly-anticipated addition: a separate site for the Celia Cruz High School. The revised proposal states that a 500-seat school should take root in a leased facility by the fall of 2006.
Celia Cruz parents, who have fought hard to move from their current location in Walton High School, should be pleased by the news. But according to the School Construction Authority (SCA), which finds new school sites, things are far from certain.
“While a project was added for Celia Cruz, there is no site for this school at this time,” said Alicia Maxey, a DOE spokesperson. Maxey said there was no solid timeline for the project, as of now.
The Jonas Bronck Academy is the only other local project named out of a total 10 new schools slated for District 10. Under the amended plan, the project’s completion date was delayed three years until 2009.
The SCA has been hunting for sites for the middle school, according to Daniel Leist, a Community District Education Council 10 member. Leist said the SCA had examined a car factory near the Bronx New School, but determined it was too small. More promising is the old Stella D’Oro factory near 238th Street and Broadway in Kingsbridge.
“We’re going to try to get parents involved in finding spaces,” said Leist, during last month’s Council meeting.
Still Time for Sunshine
March 10, 2005
By Editorial
While we’re talking about open government, we’d like to reiterate our support for Sunshine Week, which begins on March 13. Organized by the American Society of Newspaper Editors, Sunshine Week is meant to educate the public about their rights to obtain public information and state and federal Freedom of Information laws.
As we stated in our last issue, information is the lifeblood of a healthy democracy. But if we don’t exercise this right, it will atrophy.
We continue to encourage local schools and teachers to discuss these issues with their classes and to even use the state’s Freedom of Information law to obtain records the students might be interested in.
For Open Meetings
March 10, 2005
By Editorial
In our last issue, we reported that the first meeting of the Facilities Monitoring Committee for the Croton filtration plant would be closed to the public, but that the participants would discuss whether to open up future meetings.
We are disappointed to report that the Committee decided to keep the meetings closed. We are confident that Committee members will do a good job of advocating for their community, but transparency is always better for all concerned than closed doors.
This is a gigantic lengthy project affecting many different segments of the community. Someone living say, on East 212th Street and Jerome Avenue, has a very different, but equally valuable, perspective on the project than someone living on Knox Place. (There is only one Norwood resident on the committee.) The more people who are involved and able to report to officials problems or concerns with the construction progress, the safer it will be.
We can’t blame this on the DEP. It was reportedly representatives of the local community boards and other officials who argued in favor of the meetings being closed. We hope they’ll reconsider.
No representative of Community Board 8 was present, however. Maybe this is reason enough to reopen the discussion of opening the meetings at the next session on April 7.
Claim Your Tax Credit
March 10, 2005
By Editorial
You don’t have to be an economic development expert to know that an extra $500 million in the hands of New Yorkers would be a good thing for city residents and the city at large.
That money is there to be had if only eligible low-income residents would apply for the earned income tax credit (EITC). As we report in this issue, city residents took home $1.4 billion from this one deduction but another half a billion dollars went unclaimed.
There are two nonprofits with outposts in our community, Food Change and Money Site that are trying to spread the word and help eligible residents apply for the money they are due. But they can’t do it alone. Local elected officials, community leaders and residents should help get the word out by telling their constituents and neighbors about the EITC.
Plant Committee Won’t Be Open to Public
March 10, 2005
By Jordan Moss
At the first meeting of the Facilities Monitoring Committee (FMC) for the filtration plant last Thursday, the participants decided that future meetings, to be held monthly, should not be open to the general public.
The meetings are designed to update the community on construction progress and provide a vehicle for expressing local concerns. Official members of the community include designated representatives of the three community boards affected by the project — 7, 8 and 12 — and Joe Gordon, a staffer from Council Member Oliver Koppell’s office.
According to participants at the session, held in the back room of the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) community office at 3660 Jerome Avenue, the vast majority of those present supported keeping the meetings closed.
Lyn Pyle, a Norwood resident who has long fought the siting of the plant in the park, and is a designee of Community Board 7, said she “argued strongly” that the meetings should be open to the community.
“I think it’s important to recognize that the people sitting around that table are really committed to doing a good job. I don’t question that, “ she said. “[But] the perspectives are really different from someone who is sitting next to the hole that they’re blasting. I’m really sorry it’s not an open meeting.” Pyle said she was the only one who argued in favor of opening up the meetings.
Asked about the open meeting issue, Charles Sturcken, assistant commissioner for governmental affairs at DEP, said, “That’s what they [the committee] decided amongst themselves.”
Rita Kessler, district manager of Community Board 7, who was present at the meeting, could not be reached for comment by press time.
Short of an open meeting, Pyle suggested that maybe more residents from the communities affected by the project (there will also be related work at the Jerome Park Reservoir) be appointed to the committee. Sturcken said that the Committee did decide to include Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and State Senator Jeffrey Klein as ex-officio members of the FMC.
Many issues were discussed at the first meeting, including traffic, rodents and air quality, according to participants. DEP engineers and consultants were present to provide information and answer questions. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 7 at 2 p.m. at the same location.
Meanwhile, Pyle and others still opposed to the plant, hold out hope for a long shot, last-minute reprieve in court, where a judge is considering whether to order the city to stop work and conduct a more rigorous environmental review of the project.
In an e-mail report on the meeting she distributed to local activists, Pyle wrote, “I’m waiting for a miracle from the lawsuits, and the hole they have dug will make a great swimming pool on our side of the park.”
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