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Bronxites Study Medicine in Cuba

By Heather Haddon

Havana, CUBA — In 2000, Teresa Glover was doing that “young twenties thing,” as she put it. She worked at Fidelity investments, lived in Castle Hill with her boyfriend, and had a gym membership.

She gave it all up a year later for late nights in emergency rooms and a dormitory wing split with 11 other women.

Oh, and all this was in Cuba.

Glover joined the inaugural class of Americans studying at the Latin American Medical School in Havana. The six-year program trains students from around the world to serve as doctors in low-income communities. Glover, a former Tracey Towers resident, had to forfeit American comforts and her cosmopolitan lifestyle. But the program’s price tag — free — made it irresistible.

“I can’t complain,” said Glover, 29, as she sat in the warm Cuban sun, in her white medical coat, last month. “My expenses in my whole six years might not even add up to one year of medical school at home.”

Going to a developing country to learn medicine might seem strange, but Cuba boasts a highly advanced health care system. After free schooling, doctors are fed into a free medical system that prioritizes local, preventative care.

“It’s quite striking to see a system where there are no barriers to access,” said Matt Anderson, a Bronx family doctor who took part in a medical delegation to Cuba last month. “You really have the feeling that the public health authorities want the people in Cuba to be healthy.”

All that investment has yielded dramatic results. “Cuba has health indicators that are comparable to those of developed nations,” Anderson said.

Giving Americans, and particularly racial minorities, an opportunity to learn from Cuba’s medical achievements is the program’s raison d’etre. Black Congressional Caucus members, including Congressman José Serrano, hatched the partnership with the Cuban government in 2000 to address the lack of diversity among American physicians. Only 6 percent of U.S. doctors are black, Hispanic or Native American, according to a 2004 study.

Melissa Barber, another Bronxite, heard about the program the day before the deadline. She dropped everything for the opportunity.

“My uncle said I was crazy, but I knew this was for me,” said Barber, 26, who is from Morris Heights. “I felt it in my heart.”

Barber was further encouraged after consulting doctors who had attended medical workshops in Cuba. “They said I’ll be doing flips and circles around [American] students,” she said.

Over 80 Americans are now enrolled in the program, which is administered by Pastors for Peace, a New York City-based nonprofit. The initiative was almost killed in 2004 when travel restrictions to Cuba were tightened by the Bush administration. It was saved by Caucus members.

Glover is quite aware of the political divide between the two countries, but she strictly focuses on studying. “Being here is a political statement, but I didn’t come to go to rallies,” she said.

During their studies, students delve into the sciences before rotating through different specialties — ranging from pediatrics to holistic medicine — and treating patients at a Havana hospital. The sprawling medical campus, where they work and live, features buildings in various stages of repair and decay. As in most parts of Cuban life, the embargo forces students to be resourceful. “You learn that if you don’t have this [medical supply], you use something else,” Barber said.

The program emphasizes local practice. Cuba has established hundreds of neighborhood clinics as part of its preventative approach to medicine. Family doctors in Havana tend to cover a four-block radius (roughly 500 to 800 people). Providers are expected to not just treat patients, but also document their total health picture.

“I had to know how many people are pregnant, how many have animals, if they are vaccinated,” Barber said. “It’s very intimate.”

So is the living situation for students. “You’re lucky to have a little foot locker,” said Glover about their dorm room, which features bunks beds separated by a narrow sliver of space.

The lack of privacy given to the students, whose progress and whereabouts are carefully monitored, can feel claustrophobic. “Your teachers want to know when you’ve gone to the gynecologist,” Barber joked.

Over the six years, when the pain of missing family and favorite foods swelled, Glover toyed with quitting. She wasn’t alone — many of her original classmates have left. But Glover is proud of her education and the ways she handled her blue moods.

“I live in the ER,” said Glover, who thrives on patient contact. “You find your way to cope.”

Carmen Gonzalez, one of Glover’s former patients, is glad she did. “She’s very caring,” said Gonzalez, 66, who greeted her with a big hug.

After they graduate this year, Glover hopes for a residency at Bronx Lebanon Hospital, while Barber wants to start in family practice. Both strive to work where basic health services are needed.

“[Students] know they’re not going to be at the Ritz Carlton when they go home,” Barber said. “You take away the attitude that you’re here to help.”

Stadium Push Has Feel of Instant Replay

By Editorial

“It’s déjà vu all over again.” Yogi Berra said it and who knew it would be so applicable to the current controversy involving his old stomping grounds?
The juggernaut to destroy two south Bronx parks adjacent to Yankee stadium bears many of the same disturbing hallmarks, and even more troubling new ones, of the city’s almost Messianic push for a water filtration plant in Van Cortlandt Park. Here’s a look at how the two projects compare:  

• The parks — A vote of the state legislature is necessary to allow a municipality to use parkland for a non-park use. That’s what saved Van Cortlandt Park the first time the city tried to site the plant in the park (they conveniently avoided that little step before the state’s highest court set them straight), but then the city sweetened the deal by offering lawmakers $200 million in Bronx park improvements. State legislators from the south Bronx seem to have exacted little in return for their voting to alienate Macombs Dam and Mullaly Parks. But they did seem to learn from the prior controversial alienation vote that the quickest way to alienate parkland is when nobody is looking. Months passed before opponents realized that the critical action had already taken place. Many filtration plant opponents said that alienating Van Cortlandt would set a precedent for other communities. It’s hard to argue with that assertion now.

• The unions — At critical points in both battles, unions have bused in their members to pack hearing rooms and shout down community opponents. But at least community residents attending one of the last hearings on the Croton plant at Clinton High School could get in the door to get shouted down. After early-arriving union members packed the hearing room, many community residents were locked out of a recent stadium hearing at borough hall. In the case of the plant, the unions said many jobs would go to Bronx workers, but only 38 of 150 jobs are held by Bronxites. With the stadium, unions say the project would mean jobs, but opponents say those workers could replace the stadium at its current site. Sadly, no common ground between the underdog union movement and underdog residents of low-income neighborhoods has yet been identified on either project.

• The air — Norwood residents continue to be concerned about the effect on asthmatics of seven years of digging, blasting and construction for the plant. At Yankee Stadium, much of the worry focuses on the permanent ill effects of new parking garages in the parks, which will accommodate 4,500 additional cars. More automobile exhaust in a neighborhood known for its sky-high asthma rate is setting off alarm bells among public health experts. And there’s no new Metro North station in the plan, as some have proposed, to provide an incentive to fans to leave their cars at home.

• The borough president — Adolfo Carrión supported both plans, but he was a minor player on the filtration plant, which hinged on the Assembly delegation’s acquiescence. On the stadium, he’s been the borough’s chief cheerleader for the project even though some of his top priorities – e.g. a hotel, a Metro North station, and a skating rink – are not in the plan. His official recommendation to the City Planning Commission came with a wish list, but it’s non-binding. Will he get what he wants this way? Might he have had more luck if he told the team he wouldn’t support a plan that didn’t fit his bill? Time will tell.

• The uphill battle — When the city and most of the relevant local elected officials want to do something, it’s very difficult to stop them. But there’s a new Council speaker who successfully fought the Jets stadium in her own neighborhood. And savvy local residents and park advocates have launched a blog, hired a P.R. firm, and banded together despite some differences among them. If, as a result, the Yankees don’t get to build their stadium and parking lots in city parks, that would be the biggest difference between the two projects.

 

Bronx Library Center No Longer a Fairy Tale

By Heather Haddon

Hundreds gathered last week to officially open the Bronx’ breathtaking new central library. The unveiling of the $50 million project was a shot in the arm for a borough that too often gets the short end of the stick.

“We are inaugurating one of the single most important and beautiful libraries in North America,” said Paul LeClerc, president of the New York Public Library (NYPL), to a standing-room only crowd of officials, librarians and residents.

The opening of the Bronx Library Center comes after almost 20 years of planning and fund-raising for the new site, located at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. Its inauguration party brimmed with borough pride — from an old-school doo-wop group to the next generation of talent from PS 246 — along with evocations of Martin Luther King.

“He had a dream, and so did the New York Public Library,” said Joe Ithier, a state official who was closely involved with the project.

Talk of building a new library center began under former Bronx borough president Fernando Ferrer. Con Edison closed its Kingsbridge Road site in 1999 and Ithier, who then worked for them, donated some of the company’s computers to the Fordham Road Library. He was struck by the needs of the cramped, old-fashioned facility, which was the Bronx’ library hub, in the face of a population boom. The NYPL officially acquired the site in 2001.

Money trickled in to the project, with the state legislature and former mayor Rudolph Giuliani allocating funds in the late ‘90s. Fund-raising had picked up in earnest by 2000. Contributions from state, city and borough officials, along with private philanthropists, finally reached $50 million around two years ago.

“This belongs to all the many people who worked on this for many years,” said Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión.

The result of all that effort is spectacular. Employing a striking modern design, the library’s entrance is graced with an undulating overhang and a glass exterior that floods the 78,000-square-foot space with light. The building, designed by an award-winning architectural firm from Manhattan, also utilizes environmentally friendly construction techniques.

“It sets a new standard for sustainable design in this city,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg during the event.

The five floors are filled with resources and spaces tailored to borough needs. On the fourth floor, a Latino and Puerto Rican Cultural Center houses 20,000 bilingual periodicals and a database searchable in Spanish. There are many features for young people, ranging from an enclosed toddler space to a teen lounge with ambient music and a graphic novel collection.

“We want to grab their attention [beyond] just using the computers,” said Salvia Willis, a library center employee specializing in young adults.

But for those who want to surf the web, 127 desktops will be at their disposable along with 30 laptops available behind the counter. For those who don’t know how, the library offers popular computer and ESL classes that will now be expanded. Extensive adult literacy classes are available in the Center for Reading and Writing, which is the largest of its kind in the Bronx.

Featuring materials in Cambodian and Vietnamese, among other languages, the library caters to the borough’s diversity. “[The Bronx] is more than a melting pot. It’s a cultural feast,” said Catherine Marron, who chairs NYPL’s board.

Many speakers spoke of libraries’ potential to open new doors for patrons. “It was a place where no one asked if you were rich or poor,” said Susan Kent, director of the city’s branch libraries, about coming to the Fordham library as a child.

The facility, which is wedged between the bustle of Fordham Road and six-story apartment buildings that dominate the borough, also paints a new landscape. “It’s a lift,” said Greg Faulkner, chair of Community Board 7. “People have something to be enthusiastic about when they see an investment like this.”

Local residents are already taking advantage of the facility, with DVDs flying off the racks and a woman carrying out an “Idiot’s Guide to Inglés” book last week. Pedro Baez, a 20-year-old Decatur Avenue resident, got research tips from library staff. Maria Rios is excited to embark on an investigation of her own.

“I’m interested in doing research about my father who was a Bronx composer,” said Rios, 32, a 193rd Street resident.

The celebration continued last weekend with dozens of free events, including Mariachi music, ice sculpting, stilt walking, and Latin American storytelling. The library’s 150-seat auditorium will hold ongoing concerts and lectures.

Library staff, who worked hard on readying the space and its selections, couldn’t contain their enthusiasm. “I’m so proud,” said Donna Benjamin, who has worked at the Fordham Library for the past decade. “For our county, it’s the best thing we could get.”

Controversial Landlord Fined for Illegal Rent Hikes

By Heather Haddon

The state has found that a controversial management company intentionally overcharged some Bronx tenants after the buildings were purchased. The Pinnacle Group was caught flouting the legal limit for a rent increase in two cases, but advocates and tenants charge that the practice is rampant.

The state Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) ruled last year that Pinnacle had overcharged two tenants after purchasing three Olinville Avenue properties in 2003. In addition to a rent reduction, tenants received monetary damages from Pinnacle because the error was “willful,” according to DHCR documents obtained from an organization helping in the cases.

The two Olinville Avenue tenants were charged $110 and $258 a month over the legal limit for increases to a vacated rent controlled apartment. In both cases, Pinnacle issued a rent based on the number of bedrooms, not a percentage increase from the previous rate, according to Hazel Miura of the Neighborhood Initiatives Development Corporation, a Bronx organization assisting the tenants.

The Marino Organization, a public relations firm hired by Pinnacle, said they always follow rent guidelines. “The numbers are what dictates the rent,” said Frank Marino, the firm’s president, last week.

But after the rulings, other tenants suddenly received notices from Pinnacle stating that it had miscalculated their initial rent due to a “clerical error.” The Olinville Avenue residents received a credit and a new monthly rent.

Miura believes Pinnacle did this to avoid paying additional treble damages (fees levied by the state for willful overcharges). “What angers me is that it’s the same issue with all the other tenants,” she said about the overcharges.

Miura succeeded in reducing seven other tenants’ rents in court, but they were not awarded further treble damages. When she brought up the issue with DHCR, Miura says she was told that since Pinnacle is handling the matter, they should not be further punished.

But tenants in other buildings bought by the company report similar issues. Pinnacle has quickly amassed a sprawling empire of apartments in low-income areas, including the northwest Bronx. As the Norwood News has documented in several previous articles, the company begins by making certain structural improvement to the properties. Pinnacle residents in the Bronx and Manhattan say, however, that the company then begins a campaign to drive them out.

Hundreds of Bronx tenants have been sued by Pinnacle for back rent or specious claims of false residency, according to housing court records. Some of the tenants were forced to pay. Other cases were dismissed after rent arrears were nullified or technicalities — like tenants paying rent with a married name instead of a maiden one — were thrown out.

Marino said that Pinnacle follows an appropriate timeline before resorting to a suit. He asserted that the total number of evictions is low.

Many tenants also feel that Pinnacle is breaking rules concerning Major Capital Improvements (MCIs), or large repairs that tenants help pay, to reap greater profits. Pinnacle requested MCIs for a new roof and elevator in one of its Riverside Drive properties in Manhattan, but neither was replaced — just refurbished, according to Rylona Watson, a tenant.

“It’s a recipe for fraud,” she said, during a building-wide meeting of Pinnacle tenants last week. “They have manufactured their documentation.”

Tenants also report questionable practices when the company renovates vacant apartments. Pinnacle claims to have done work ranging from $13,000 to $25,000 per unit, then passes a percentage on to the new resident, according to several tenants. But the work orders look fishy. A few obtained from Olinville Avenue apartments are not printed on company stationery. Some supply invoices are clearly from a store, but the bill totals don’t match the checks proving payment. None of the check stubs have identifying information on them.

“There is no way to determine what was actually paid with those checks,” Miura said.

In a particularly egregious example, a Riverside Drive resident’s bill listed six toilets and hundreds of drywall sheets. “They refused to acknowledge the fact that there were six toilets on it,” said Mark Gordon, who successfully reduced the costs in court.

DHCR oversees the MCI process. They are responsible for ensuring that fees passed on to tenants fall within the legal percentage, but the agency does not determine if the bills are legitimate or the work was necessary, according to Miura.

Peter Moses, a DHCR spokesperson, acknowledged that Pinnacle paid treble damages in the two cases. He would not say anything else about the matter or whether there were additional cases involving Pinnacle. “I’ve had very little luck in getting stats,” he said.

Marino said that DHCR wouldn’t approve inappropriate work. “These expenses are in line what they are seeing all over the city,” said Marino, who also represents Wal-Mart and BJ’s Wholesale Club, among other powerful companies, in their city real estate bids.

Some elected officials are starting to look into the issue. Council Member Robert Jackson and Bill Perkins, a former member also from Manhattan, pledged to further investigate during the tenants meeting last week.

“[Pinnacle] is not in it to be a long-term landlord. They are in it to purchase a building, bring it up, and then sell it for a huge profit,” Jackson said.

Former Commish’s New Job Stirs Controversy

By David Crohn

The former commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has been hired to run the General Contractors Association (GCA), raising concerns from local officials over the possibility of a conflict of interest.

Christopher Ward presided over the DEP when it finally succeeded in securing approval for construction of the Croton water filtration plant in Van Cortlandt Park. The GCA, a lobbying organization representing construction contractors, was a major supporter of the project.

“No one knows at what point in time Commissioner Ward knew that he would become the general manager of the GCA,” said Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz in a statement, “but the appearance couldn’t be worse. At best, this shows very poor judgment and a conflict of interest.”

Councilman Oliver Koppell echoed that sentiment. “I think it’s very regrettable and casts a lot of doubt on his objectivity when he pushed so hard to get a filtration plant in Van Cortlandt Park,” he said. “It doesn’t smell good.”

Restrictions outlined by the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board state that an individual may not appear before his or her old city agency on business for one year; that an individual may never work on something that he or she was directly involved with while employed by the city; and that an individual cannot divulge confidential city information to benefit himself or his employer.

Mark Davies, executive director of the Conflicts of Interest Board, said high-level officials often consult with his office — and can seek waivers from conflict-of-interest culpability — before changing careers, but that Ward had not.

Ward, who left the DEP in late 2004 to run American Stevedoring in Brooklyn, did not return calls seeking comment.

Leadership Posts Doled Out to Bronx Lawmakers

By Heather Haddon

After weeks of speculation and negotiation, City Council members formally received their committee assignments last week. Every borough representative

will chair something in exchange for the Bronx’ loyalty to new Speaker Christine Quinn, though some got more lucrative posts than others.

Council Member Joel Rivera snagged the high-profile Health Committee while maintaining the majority leader position, which is the Council’s second in command. In his first Council leadership position, Oliver Koppell will lead the Mental Health Committee. Council Member Maria Baez was bumped as the Aging chair by Maria Del Carmen Arroyo, whose district is to the south. Baez instead will oversee State and Federal Legislation, which Rivera last chaired.

As for other Bronx members, Larry Seabrook and Helen Foster both maintained Civil Rights and Parks, respectively. Annabel Palma now oversees Drug Abuse and James Vacca got Senior Centers; both are subcommittees.

Standing committee chairmanships come with bonuses, known as lulus, ranging from $10,000 to $18,000, whereas subcommittees start at $4,000. The majority leader nets an extra $21,000. All the extra cash pads a healthy base salary of $90,000. All but five members citywide received something thanks to the Council’s sprawling committee system, with Quinn doling out $487,500 in one day.

The positions are based heavily on the loyalty of the borough party bosses and Council members to the winner of the speaker’s race. Quinn, who is from Manhattan, was selected earlier this month. Democratic county chairs from Queens and the Bronx paved the way for Quinn, though Rivera was also initially in the running.

Assemblyman Jose Rivera, chair of the Bronx Democratic Party and Joel’s father, has said for weeks now that borough lawmakers would be happy. “Everyone from the Bronx will have a position of responsibility,” Rivera said before Quinn’s public announcement.

But some got more than others. Rivera’s son may have lost the speaker’s race, but the Health Committee, which Quinn last chaired, is a handsome consolation prize.

“She did a great job. I hope to follow in her footsteps,” said Councilman Rivera.

Mental Health might not be as prestigious, but it’s a significant step for Koppell. A longtime adversary of party regulars, Koppell was one of the few members without a full chairmanship. He spent the last two years coming off the backbench by working with the Riveras. It seems to have worked.

Koppell said the committee, which also covers drug use and disabilities, was one of his picks. “There’s real legislation meat there,” he said. The committee’s topics fall less under state purview, and therefore presents more room for legislative changes, according to Koppell.

Assemblyman Rivera was pleased about snagging both health-related committees in a borough with so many medical facilities. “It might work well for us in the Bronx,” he said.

Mental Health, which was last held by Margarita Lopez, comes with a $15,000 bonus. That’s the same as Health and Housing.

Baez, who heads the Bronx Council delegation, had hoped for State and Federal Legislation while maintaining Aging. “I have my eye on both,” said Baez, who oversaw the former in 2002.

But Assemblyman Rivera openly spoke about a leadership change for Aging earlier this month. Baez oversaw Aging during controversial changes to the Bronx’ Meals on Wheels program, and Rivera now seems displeased with the pilot program.

Members and party officials appeared relieved to finally finish all the political jockeying, which begins as soon as a speaker emerges as a front-runner. “It’s torture for the members,” said Ululy Rafael Martinez, chief of staff for Assemblyman Rivera.

There was even more to go around this year with three new standing committees and two additional leadership positions. Four out of five of the leadership posts were allotted to contestants in the speaker’s race.

The Bronx increased its total number of chairmanships, but it lost Housing to Brooklyn. That committee is one of the Council’s most powerful. It was chaired by Madeline Provenzano until she left office due to term limits last year.

Vacca, who replaced her in the Council, will be one to watch this year. He’s already come out swinging against a proposed BJ’s discount store for Throggs Neck, and wants to shake up the city Buildings Department.

Police Academy in Store for Armory?

By Jordan Moss

Some officials in the Bloomberg administration want a new police academy inside the Kingsbridge Armory, and that is more of a stumbling block than where to put the two National Guard units who still use the site, say local elected officials.

Assemblyman Jose Rivera, chair of the Bronx Democratic Party, said Mayor Bloomberg told him around the time of Governor Pataki’s visit to the armory last summer that he was interested in pursuing the idea.

“The mayor was suggesting bringing the police academy there and he was going to talk to [Police Commissioner Ray] Kelly,” Rivera said.

But a staffer for another local elected official who asked not to be identified, said, “Kelly doesn’t want it there,” but added that a “free-flowing debate” continues within the administration. “There are people in the administration who feel strongly that that would be a [great] place to put a new police academy and others that feel [it wouldn’t].”

That’s the real problem blocking any progress on redeveloping the landmark, the staffer said.

“If they had a path forward … then the Guard thing would be solved,” he said, adding that, to his knowledge, the Bloomberg administration has not made a request to the city’s Congressional delegation for federal funds that could be used to build a new home for the Guard units.

Former mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins pushed plans to relocate the current academy in Manhattan to a new facility in the south Bronx, but Mayor Giuliani quashed the project almost as soon as he took office in 1994, citing cost concerns.

Rivera said he didn’t think the police would want to share the armory with anyone in a post-9/11 world and that he thinks the city should release a long-delayed request for proposals. He pressed the mayor on the issue in his speech marking the opening of the Bronx Library Center last week. Bloomberg had not yet arrived but members of his staff were present, Rivera said.

Ronn Jordan, president of the Northwest Bronx Community Clergy Coalition, a local grassroots group that has been the most active in pushing a specific redevelopment plan, said he felt a police academy at the armory would not be appropriate.

“Our schools are so over-policed now and there’s like 30 cops when you walk in the door,” said Jordan, whose group supports the construction of three schools on the site where the two National Guard buildings now stand in addition to recreational facilities and a movie theater in the rest of the complex. “They [students] see enough of it. They feel criminalized as it is.”

The mayor’s press office did not respond to requests for comment, and a Police Department spokesman did not respond by press time.

Business Bright at Mex Printing

By Heather Haddon

It’s hard to walk a Bronx block without seeing a bright poster announcing the next bachata or reggaeton concert. The signs seem exotic — emblazoned with tough looking men and sexy women — but many originate from a modest printing plant in Bedford Park.

“We do stuff for everywhere that Hispanics go,” said Sergio Camacho, the younger half of the father-son team behind Mex Printing. Within the white Jerome Avenue storefront, a handful of employees churn out posters, cards, T-shirts and other materials at a rapid pace.

“UPS now comes here every day,” Camacho said proudly.

Mex Printing’s success comes from years of experience, and a niche market fueled by the migration of Latinos to the U.S. Business cards printed by the company have similar imagery — tacos, Mexican flags and mariachi bands — but list addresses as diverse as Poughkeepsie, Delaware and North Carolina.

“It’s spread by word of mouth,” said Camacho, 27, about Mex Printing’s clientele up and down the eastern seaboard.

That wasn’t the case when the elder Camacho, Juan, immigrated to the Bronx in 1981. Far fewer Mexicans lived here then, and Camacho’s new environs felt unfamiliar and uncomfortable. “When you first get here, you feel strange,” said Camacho, 57. “But you get used to it. You have to adapt.”

Camacho was born in Puebla, as were many Mexicans living in New York, and grew up in Mexico City with his six siblings. While his father stuffed sausage for a living, Camacho got his hands dirty in the printing trade, first by cleaning the machines and then operating them. He worked at a large plant that churned out chocolate wrappers and cookie boxes before setting his eyes on America in 1978.

“I wanted a better life for my children,” said Camacho, a jocular man quick to grin.
Camacho struggled to immigrate (in one instance he wandered through the desert for days before being sent back), but eventually joined his older brother in the Bronx. He found work at a Manhattan printing plant, and his skills quickly garnered him a promotion.

“[The owner] saw how hard I worked,” he said.

Camacho opened Mex Printing at its original location on Webster Avenue in 1990 with one machine donated by his former boss. It was one of the first Hispanic presses in the city, according to Camacho, and he soon started creating fliers for parties at Orchard Beach and other local Bronx events.

Still, things were a struggle. “There was not that much to eat,” recalled Camacho, who also worked part-time jobs.

Language barriers also were a challenge for the family. “I remember the first day of school, everyone was speaking English, so I ran away,” said Sergio Camacho, with a chuckle. “Mom found me and dragged me back.”

Camacho’s older son was recruited to help after school, and eventually Sergio followed. “I used to hate it, but it was good experience,” he said. “We grew up in the business.”

As their client load increased, Mex Printing moved to its larger Bedford Park location in 1997. Orders are now taken in the small reception space by Nylsa, Sergio’s wife, which are then designed on computers or photographed by a camera the size of an oven. Workers man several presses in the back room, which is filled with ink bottles, bright white paper and Virgin of Guadeloupe imagery. On one particular day, 50,000 menus for a Mexican-owned pizzeria slid between the rollers before they were cut and boxed.

The office’s walls are lined with glossy event posters that range from small acts — like Phlo, a hip-hop artist posing in front of Tracey Towers — to Dominican star Juan Luis Guerra and ranchero singer Vincente Fernandez. Mex Printing also caters to local businesses like Bedford Café and small nail salons.

Alvaro Acevedo, a restaurateur on 180th Street, is loyal to Mex Printing for one main reason: “They’re on time,” he said, picking up fliers for a dance party.

Their timeliness has become a selling point since Web-based printing has made the market more competitive. “It’s a struggle,” said Juan Camacho. Yet, he vows, “I’m not retiring until I die.”

He’s confident enough about the future to purchase another press (they cost at least $150,000), and dream about opening a bigger Bronx plant. Still, Camacho feels loyal to Bedford Park. “The community has been very supportive,” he said.

The Camachos rarely have time to attend the events they advertise, but they are happy enough with success. “I’m proud of my children,” said Camacho, as his wife walked in the door with homemade tacitos. “[My son] knows how to run the business.”

The younger Camacho, who just saved enough to buy a house in Soundview, is also proud. “We came from Mexico, we worked hard,” he said. “We’re doing well, thank God.”

Armory Unit Returns From Iraq

By David Greene

Members of the National Guard’s 145th Maintenance Unit returned home from Iraq on Dec. 29 after the company’s first overseas deployment. The unit, which is based out of the Kingsbridge Armory, spent the last 13 months fixing vehicles and air conditioners in the southern city of Nasiriya.

About 100 of the nearly 200 members returned to the Armory in buses arriving from Fort Dix, New Jersey, where they underwent a battery of medical testing. The unit is now deactivated and its men and women will return to their families and old jobs.

Members all expressed their relief to have returned safe and sound. “I’m just so glad to be back home,” said Specialist Carlos Perez of Brooklyn, after stepping off the bus. The soldier will return to his wife and his 10-month-old daughter, Alondra, who was born while he was in Iraq.

Specialist Xiomara “Sammie” Thomas kept her return a secret from her family, and surprised her son, Junior, by picking him up at school. “It was a nice reunion," said Thomas, a Van Nest resident.

In addition to their relief, some members expressed concern about the security of their benefits and medical coverage. Others wondered how much longer the company will be based at the Armory, since the city is trying to identify a new site for them in order to make way for the redevelopment of the facility.

But the dominant emotion was joy. “It feels pretty damn cool,” said Sergeant Chris Perkins, a staffer at Lehman College, about his unit’s return.

New Tools in Battle to Erase Graffiti

By David Crohn

On Nov. 30, plainclothes officers caught and arrested two vandals in the act of defacing the Jerome Avenue overpass at Mosholu Parkway. After attending a debriefing session hosted by the city’s Anti-Vandalism Task Force, the 52nd Precinct officers knew just what they were looking for.

Two weeks ago, Mayor Bloomberg signed a law requiring property owners of six or more units to remove graffiti from their buildings or sign a waiver to let the city do it. The mayor said fines of up to $300 would be enforced.

These events are part of a graffiti prevention and cleanup renaissance, not only in the northwest Bronx, but also all over the city. Residents can call 311 to report graffiti in a public place to have the city clean it up. But thanks to new technology, dynamic police involvement and the burgeoning presence of business improvement districts (BIDs), cleanup and prevention efforts are taking root across the city.

Although graffiti as an art form has a significant place in the cultural history of the Bronx, the formation of the Anti-Graffiti Task Force in 1995 did a lot to clean up the streets and the transit system. Much of what remains — including the graffiti you see marring Norwood buildings — is just plain vandalism, said Officer Matt Crowley, who works with the 52nd Precinct’s Auxiliary Unit, a group of officers and volunteers dispatched specifically to deal with quality of life issues and community affairs. Their theory about battling graffiti is characteristic of the approach taken by just about everyone the Norwood News spoke to for this article: Be persistent; think small.

“It becomes a cat and mouse game. We clean it and they keep coming back. Hopefully we tire them out,” Crowley said.

It’s now a high-tech cat and mouse game, with digital camera-equipped officers snapping photos of graffiti and submitting them to Graffitistat, a citywide tracking program similar to Compstat, the acclaimed system for tracking crime data. The who, what, when, where and how of every arrest and every major tag is logged into the system, allowing unprecedented information sharing and collaboration across all the city’s crime prevention agencies. Vandalism arrests have nearly doubled since the system was implemented a year and a half ago, said Deputy Inspector Joseph Hoch, commander of the 52nd Precinct.

“It’s integral to what we’re doing [to prevent graffiti],” said Hoch.

Intelligence gathered from Graffitistat was vital to the arrests made in the Mosholu Parkway incident, said Special Operations Lieutenant Jerry O’Sullivan. “These were guys who like to get their names out,” he said, in an area the police knew was graffiti-prone.

Officers from his precinct have also been playing an increased role in cleanup in recent years. After obtaining a signed permission waiver from the owner of the buildings at 205th Street and Perry Avenue and faxing in the paperwork to the mayor’s office, Crowley was on hand recently to oversee that cleanup. (Although he usually wouldn’t attend a cleanup, he said, this area was notorious for its popularity among rowdy cliques of taggers like Los Locos and the Bainbridge Boys, and he wanted to ensure the safety of the workers.) Wielding pressure cleaners, two employees from Graffiti Free NYC, an organization funded by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, conducted it.

Cops say it’s not just an aesthetic improvement, but vital to the security of a neighborhood, Crowley said. “Muggers see graffiti and feel safe to commit crimes,” he said. “But if you have a well-lit, clean block, they know the community is involved and they stay away,” he said.

There are also other large-scale ways graffiti is cleaned up in the Bronx.

The Fordham Road and Jerome-Gun Hill BIDs serve a significant number of northwest Bronx businesses. Combined, the two entities comprise more than 500 businesses.

Dan Bernstein, deputy director of the Fordham Bedford BID, and Roberto Garcia, executive director of the Jerome-Gun Hill BID, agree that keeping the streets clean and graffiti free is vital to preserving a business-friendly environment.

The BIDs’ staff members personally walk the streets whenever they can, looking for fresh vandalism to report to Partners in Grime, which employs street cleaners who work every day of the year. The cleaners work on a seven-day cycle, so that when graffiti is reported, it’s gone by the following Saturday.

When you see graffiti, it’s usually a sign of urban decay that makes people feel unwelcome, which is bad for business, Garcia said.

Added Bernstein: “The visual perception may not be accurate, but it’s definitely how people tend to feel, and it might stop them from investing or shopping in an area.”

And, the average citizen can do his or her part as well, not just by reporting graffiti, but also by helping police with anonymous tips—rewards of $500 are available—or by calling 911 to report an incident in progress.

Store Closures Leave Fewer Lunch Options

By David Crohn

Two Norwood restaurants have gone out of business, leaving owners and regulars with more questions than answers over what it takes to run a successful business here and whether or not salads and bagels are in the equation.

Café Monte, on Gun Hill Road, and Sun Bagel, around the corner on Jerome Avenue, didn’t share much in common except for a zip code — and perhaps an under appreciated status as alternatives to the fast-food restaurants, delis and pizzerias that dominate area dining options.

Sun Bagel, at 3405 Jerome Ave., closed last December. It was the second bagel shop to occupy the space since Jerry’s closed in 1994 after more than 20 years in business.

It’s scheduled to become a Kennedy Fried Chicken restaurant in February, said the property’s landlord, Richard Iuso. He is president of Moshcorn, a

New Jersey-based company, which owns 15 properties in the neighborhood and has been in business here for 35 years.

Iuso said he has no intention of raising the rent — a neighboring shoe repair store has paid the same under-market rent for years — because he makes enough and likes to support area businesses. He blamed the closure on a change of taste in the neighborhood.

“It’s a different population,” he said, “and people would rather have fried chicken than bagels and lox.”

Whether Café Monte was also out of touch with area tastes is an open question. At 57 E. Gun Hill Rd., it was in a perfect spot to catch the Montefiore Medical Center and North Central Bronx Hospital lunch crowd. But its niche offerings of miso soup, gourmet sandwiches and Udon noodle bar, weren’t enough to support the restaurant. Its owner, who didn’t want to comment for this article, closed up shop last fall after a year in business.

Janet Omene, a hospital employee who said she was a regular Café Monte customer, praised the restaurant’s alternative cuisine and low-calorie options but said the menu was a little pricey.

“Maybe this just wasn’t the neighborhood for it,” she said. “Maybe if it was in midtown [Manhattan], or Westchester even.”

Landlord Tom Reilly admitted that the rent was high because of its large size—2,700 square feet—but that he couldn’t think of any other reason why it would go broke after the extensive renovations and success the owner has had in other areas of the Bronx. He said that back when it was the Norwood Pub he faced similar challenges keeping a place open without much evening business.

“We tried everything, live music, karaoke,” Reilly said, “but after 24 years we just had to give up.”

The Stories of 2005 … and Where They Stand in 2006

By Jordan Moss

Murders declined again in New York City in 2005 to a 40-year low of 537. But locally, in the 52nd Precinct, the homicide rate more than doubled, from eight in 2004 to 17 in 2005.

Shootings, however, only moderately increased from 23 in 2004 to 27 in 2005. Back in 2003 there were 44 shooting incidents, leading to the largest
shooting reduction in the city the following year. Police officials are reassured by that three-year comparison

“We’re a victim of our own success,” said Deputy Inspector Joseph Hoch, the Five-Two’s commanding officer, referring to the big drop from ’03 to ‘04. “I hate to use that cliché, but that’s where we’re at.”

Hoch said that the relatively small increase in shootings paired with the nature of the murders makes him and police brass less worried than if shootings and murder by gunfire dramatically increased. Seven of the 17 homicides were the result of gun violence, Hoch said, and only two were narcotics related. Four were the result of domestic disputes, and two were murder-suicides. “I’d be very concerned if there were 17 by gun,” Hoch said.

Overall, crime was down 9.4 percent in the precinct due to reductions in rape, robbery, and felonious assault.

As for other statistics that give a picture of crime in our area, there were 1,693 drug-related arrests in 2005 in the Five-Two, compared with 1,622 in 2004. Those in high-crime areas like the area of North Fordham between the Grand Concourse and Webster Avenue and south of East 198th Street say most drug dealing they see goes unpunished. The area has been the target of several manpower-intensive initiatives like Model Block and Impact, but many residents say drug dealing returns when those initiatives fold up their tents and move on.

The Five-Two also recorded a big jump in arrests, with cops collaring 4,342 suspects in 2005 vs. 3,828 the year before.

Hoch was particularly pleased with the number of search warrants his officers were able to execute, an indication of improved intelligence gathering on illegal activity. Thirty-seven search warrants were executed in 2005 vs. 16 the previous year.

Quality of life summonses, for offenses like noise and disorderly conduct, were up 22 percent, Hoch said.

Meals Makeover Tweaked

Bronx homebound seniors endured late deliveries and watery, unappetizing meals when the Meals on Wheels overhaul rolled out in late 2004. The pilot still has many critics, but the food and service improved some during the year.

Beginning in October 2004, meals cooked daily in local senior centers were substituted with pre-packaged frozen meals delivered by two Bronx agencies. Roughly 30 percent of homebound seniors in the northwest Bronx receive frozen meals twice a week, and the rest get reheated meals on weekdays.

RAIN, a large service provider, delivers all the meals in the area. Their performance led to numerous complaints in the beginning, but improved as kinks were remedied, according to the city Department for the Aging (DFTA) and some former providers.

RAIN partnered with ConAgra, a food-processing giant, to provide the TV-style dinners for all but kosher clients. A taste test by the Norwood News found the meals to be watery and unappetizing.

RAIN dumped ConAgra for Whitsons Culinary Services, a Long Island-based institutional caterer, in September. Mid-Bronx Senior Citizens Council, the other Bronx provider, has used Whitsons since the pilot began. “People seem to like them better,” said Brad Silver, head of the Bronx Jewish Community Council, which provides case management for pilot clients. “[Mid-Bronx] was getting a lot less complaints.”

Whitsons has Meals on Wheels contracts around the tri-state area. The 27-year-old firm runs a site on East Gun Hill Road.

Holly Von Seggern, a Whitsons spokesperson, said they follow strict nutritional and taste guidelines, and welcome client feedback. “We take great pains to work with our customers,” she said.

This month, RAIN started delivering hot or chilled meals on the weekends to clients who receive them during the week. City Meals, a nonprofit assistance group, funds Meals on Wheels providers to deliver hot meals to city seniors on the weekends. RAIN failed to continue this service after it took over the program, initially providing only frozen meals on the weekends. After City Meals put its foot down, seniors now receive a hot meal for Saturdays and a chilled one for Sundays.

“Eventually, they said, ‘We’ve given you enough time, it’s our money, we’re not paying for frozen meals on the weekends,’” Silver said.

There’s been less progress in assessing the pilot’s first year. DFTA named KPMG — one of the largest accounting firms in the country — to conduct a performance evaluation, which was supposed to have begun already. It will begin “in the near future,” according to a DFTA spokesperson.

During an event last week, Assemblyman Jose Rivera, who had supported the pilot, told the Norwood News that he was unhappy with its results and that promises of increased meal services to seniors were not fulfilled. “That commissioner can never come back to me,” Rivera said, referring to DFTA commissioner Edwin Mendez-Santiago. Rivera and his son, Council Member Joel Rivera, said they would consider holding a hearing on the program this year.
— Heather Haddon

Policies Spark School Protest

Captive lunch, the intimidating term for mandatory indoor meals at city schools, did not go down easy at DeWitt Clinton High School last fall. Outrage over the new rules and metal detectors installed at the school seems to have quieted, but the policy is still unpopular with some students.

City administrators decided to beef up Clinton’s security at the start of the school year, with metal detectors and surveillance cameras installed over the summer. Anger climaxed during the first week of classes, resulting in one of the largest student walkouts in recent city history. Over a thousand students marched to One Fordham Plaza and, as a result, a committee of staff and students was formed to improve the situation.

The long lines to enter school shrunk as more metal detectors were added. Fights inside Clinton initially spiked and then subsided, though not entirely, according to students. “There was a fight every day. Now it’s more like once a week,” said Valentine, 15, a Clinton student from North Fordham.

Several teachers channeled student anger by exploring activism in the classroom, and Clinton is hosting a conference on the topic this week. Activists from around the city have been invited and Mickey Melendez, a former Young Lord, is the keynote speaker. He is expected to address the security changes.

“His whole response to the metal detectors was one of outrage,” said Raymond Pultinas, a Clinton English teacher who helped organize the conference and a student publication addressing activism.

The lunch still seems to be a sticking point with students. Jennifer Rivera, 17, says she only has five minutes to eat after getting through the long cafeteria line. “You have to rush it,” she said.

Some students, like Valentine, still find a way to eat outside. But several area merchants reported that their business fell after the captive lunch took effect.
— Heather Haddon

The Mother of All Elevator Mishaps

When Ming Kuang Chen, a Chinese food delivery man disappeared last April 1, virtually everyone feared the worst. Two delivery men had been murdered in recent years. But almost four days later, Chen was discovered alive in one of Tracey Towers’ 12 elevators, where he had gone to make a delivery, shaken and dehydrated but otherwise in good condition.

How Chen became virtually invisible in the elevator, despite a massive police search and a bank of security cameras focused on each elevator car, is a tale of a remarkable string of security lapses.

Though 80 police officers searched most of Tracey’s 871 apartment units, they never brought each of the elevator cars down to the first floor, a precaution security experts consider routine. The security cameras, provided by R-Y Management, which oversees Tracey, proved useless as they were unable to project a discernable image. Even the head of the company that provides the building’s security conceded that fact. The elevator’s alarm apparently only rang in the lobby and not in the security room or in the vestibule where other security guards sit, according to a source familiar with the details of the case.

The incident was reported in media all over the world and even provided the material for a sub-plot in a recent episode of the TV show, “Law and Order: Criminal Intent,” where a missing health inspector was eventually discovered in the faulty elevator of a housing project.

The plight of Ming Kuang Chen, who has since moved outside the metropolitan area and is reportedly a kitchen worker for another restaurant, spotlighted Tracey’s notoriously malfunctioning elevators, which the Norwood News reported on back in 2002. The 12 elevators are now slowly being replaced. At least three are already finished, with the rest scheduled for completion this year, but some residents say they are still getting stuck and skipping stops.
— Jordan Moss

Still Waiting on Armory

A year ago, the Norwood News expressed a wish that 2005 would be the Year of the Armory. Twelve months later, it would be accurate to say that that wish went unfulfilled.

Governor Pataki visited the armory with local elected officials last July but 190 days later, there is still no new site for the National Guard units still stationed in the buildings to the rear of the facility. Their relocation is required for the redevelopment of the landmarked structure. An Economic Development Corporation (EDC) official who led community leaders on a tour of the armory last month indicated that part of the problem in identifying a new site was confusion over whether a new Guard facility was needed for both of the units based at the armory, or just one.

An EDC spokesperson was not able to clarify the issue by press time.

Meanwhile, the Northwest Bronx Community Clergy Coalition has been recruiting local institutional partners for the newly formed Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance in an effort to generate more local support for a redevelopment that is best suited to the community. The Coalition has partnered with a developer to draft a detailed plan for the armory that includes public schools, a movie theater, athletic space and retail stores.

If the city and state ever identify a new site for the Guard, the EDC will probably then issue a request for proposals.
— Jordan Moss

Construction Boom

Local construction projects continued to break ground at a rapid rate last year, but moving them to completion, and full occupancy, wasn’t so swift.

Ground was cleared in all corners of the district for new buildings, which range from two-family houses to 10-story high-rises.

Projects in University Heights are generally further along. Rows of identical three-story brick houses were erected by one company along the intersection of Grand Avenue and West 192nd Street. The homes span 13 lots, significantly altering a streetscape populated by homes built early in the century.

Over on Sedgwick Avenue, just below Fordham Road, four rows of three-story homes were completed in a similar brick style with more upscale features. Condominiums built by the Fordham Hill Owners Corporation are nearly finished up the street. Two four-story complexes in Norwood, one on Hull Avenue and another on St. George’s Crescent, are also moving along.

Other projects moved in fits and starts. The shell of a four-story office tower went up on Bainbridge Avenue early last year, and has sat untouched for months due to contractor issues. Similar issues hampered an eight-story residential tower on East Gun Hill Road. The Fire Department was called out to a development on Bedford Park Boulevard after the previous structure — the old Grace Lutheran School — was partially demolished and improperly secured.

Still other projects have yet to get off the ground. A 10-story high-rise was slated to wrap up this year on Villa Avenue. The plot is still an empty parking lot, changing hands for the second time in two years for a multi-million dollar profit. A 140-unit condominium project for Landing Road, located between West Fordham Road and the Major Deegan Expressway, is bogged down in zoning changes. Jack Gutman, a realtor overseeing the development, said that work should begin within a year. The building will include luxuries, like river views, for a reasonable price, Gutman said.

“It will be the most affordable new condominium project in the Bronx,” he said.

Some residents are happy to see all the development. “We need more buildings. There are more families who need more space,” said Carmen Pabon, 63, a Norwood resident.

Others are frustrated. The Department of Buildings has logged over a dozen complaints for noise and hazardous conditions related to the Slingsby building on Bainbridge Avenue. St. George’s Crescent residents have called the city repeatedly to complain about trucks and dumpsters left in the street near construction on that street.

It’s uncertain how much demand there is for the new developments, especially the condos and higher-end complexes. The Grand and Sedgwick avenue homes still had several vacancies as of last October.

Community Board 7 began to assess planning options for the area’s land use during the fall, and is looking to focus on the Kingsbridge Armory and the Harlem River waterfront.
— Heather Haddon

After-School Programming Overhauled

The city launched a massive revamping of its after-school programming in 2005 that, like the Meals on Wheels pilot, consolidated providers and streamlined services. Both initiatives terminated contracts with longtime area providers. But Out of School Time (OST), as it is called, also expanded programming for others.

New contracts were awarded in the summer. Local programs that served smaller populations of young people, like Tolentine Zeizer Community Life Center, Sistas and Brothas United, and EARS, all lost their funding. Other programs, like the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC), won additional contracts.

The transition was painful for Tolentine, which was forced to fold its teen program. Sister Margaret McDermott, the Center’s director, worries about where their kids now end up. “Some go to the public schools, but a lot of them just go home,” she said.

Tolentine has maintained some teen services through a separate grant, and they raised $17,000 in private contributions for a small program serving younger kids.

Sistas and Brothas lost $50,000, but Council Member Joel Rivera softened the blow with a $20,000 allocation. Both groups plan to reapply to OST.

Other programs grew. St. James Recreation Center added an educational component to its pre-existing after-school program, which serves 75 kids.

An after-school initiative run at MS 254, a Crotona school serving North Fordham kids, expanded from 150 to 330 children. “It serves almost all the kids at the school,” said Johanna DeJesus, who directs the program.

MMCC was able to expand its teen services, serve more children, and hire more staff. “I think our constituents are happy,” said Rita Santelia, an assistant director.

Critics of OST say it shaved off too much funding from providers. The city used to pay around $5,000 per child for after-school programming. OST allocates a maximum of $2,800. The city has solicited private grants to supplement the difference, but individual providers are expected to fill most of the gap.

“It costs much more than $2,000 [per child], that’s for sure,” said DeJesus, who taps other city and private funds, along with volunteers from Fordham University, to run the initiative.
— Heather Haddon

Driving Tenants Out?

Perhaps the latest sign of the hot housing market was the arrival of a controversial real estate company in the Bronx. As the Norwood News reported in October, the Pinnacle Group snapped up hundreds of buildings in low-income areas all over the city, including the Bronx, over the past two years. Their aggressive practices don’t seem to bode well for long-term tenants.

After they purchase the properties, Pinnacle makes improvements on the buildings’ infrastructure, like hallway lighting and security cameras. Additional Major Capital Improvements are then undertaken, which tenants must pay a portion of. The company says it is renovating neglected properties, but many residents dispute the necessity of the work and its high costs.

Further raising alarm bells, Bronx Housing Court records reveal that Pinnacle has taken hundreds of residents to court for rent or to dispute whether they are the proper leaseholder. Some residents have been taken to court for using their married name, instead of their maiden name, on rent checks. Critics fear that Pinnacle’s end game is to drive out tenants and turn the buildings into co-ops.

Residents of Manhattan Pinnacle buildings have begun to organize, and are seeking assistance from elected officials and city agencies. So far, the officials have been slow to respond. The Norwood News, which is the only city newspaper to write about Pinnacle’s practices in recent years, will continue to follow this important story.
— Heather Haddon

Ed. note: A meeting of tenants living in Pinnacle buildings will take place on Monday, Jan. 16 at 4:30 p.m. in the rehearsal room at Riverbank State Park, located at 145th Street and Riverside Drive in Manhattan. For more information, contact Kim Powell at Kimlpowell@aol.com.

School Leader’s Unfinished Business

Irma Zardoya was thrust into the spotlight this year for her successes as Region 1 superintendent. But with that feather freshly in her cap, she announced her retirement.

Zardoya was widely credited for orchestrating the Region’s significant boost in test scores last spring. Fourth graders registered the city’s largest increase in state reading scores, with many local schools showing double-digit improvements. Scores rose citywide, but the mayor chose to trumpet the good news at PS 33 on Jerome Avenue, where over 80 percent of the school’s students passed.

Zardoya attributed the results to her emphasis on professional development and incorporating literacy in all subjects.

Middle school scores did not fare so well. Less than one-third of area eighth graders passed, and most schools saw their numbers barely budge.

Zardoya said in an interview with the Norwood News last summer that she would put extra emphasis on middle-schoolers. What exactly she would have done will remain a mystery as she announced her retirement last month. The news came as a shock to many principals and parents, though Zardoya said she had planned the move for a year now.

Yvonne Torres will officially replace Zardoya next month. Torres has worked in area schools for nearly three decades, and was a principal at PS 291 in University Heights.
— Heather Haddon

Community Board 7 Shake-Up

2005 was a landmark year for Community Board 7, which saw its longtime leader Nora Feury step down as chair after being fired from her job at a Head Start program, along with an associate for allegedly stealing $800,000.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York said that Feury and Ruth Ramos, who also served on Board 7, pocketed funds from the agency’s operating budget.

It is unclear where Feury, who has not commented on the specific allegations, stands legally. Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the Archdiocese, said the matter rested with federal investigators. But Laura Bradbard, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services, said her office had nothing new to report. “There’s no new information that I can share, nothing new that I can tell you about the status,” she said. In June, HHS would not even confirm whether or not there was an ongoing investigation into the matter.

Gregory Faulkner, who had planned to run against Feury for chair even before the news broke, succeeded her without an election, as there were no other candidates for the position.

As chair, Faulkner has restructured Board committees; they now meet more regularly although attendance is still a problem. He has said he wants to create stronger connections with community residents by creating a Board 7 Web site and complaint intake forms.

Feury, who had served as chair for 17 years, is still a board member, but her appointment is up this spring. It will then be Borough President Adolfo Carrión’s decision whether or not to reappoint her.
— Jordan Moss

Tower Tiff Resolved

The seemingly intractable Fordham University radio tower controversy came to a complete resolution in 2005. Montefiore Medical Center brokered a deal last spring, allowing Fordham to build its WFUV antenna on top of a Norwood apartment building owned by the hospital. This paves the way for Fordham to dismantle the half-built tower on its campus, which rises near the New York Botanical Garden and has been the source of a decade of bitter relations between the two institutions.

After a swift review process, the slim antenna was raised onto the high-rise’s roof in the fall. The switch will be officially flipped this spring, and Fordham has promised to dismantle its campus tower shortly after that. In addition to smoothing relations, the new antenna will allow WFUV to almost double the number of listeners it can reach.
— Heather Haddon

Plant Construction Begins

The battle over the construction of the water filtration plant, which stretches back more than a decade, came to a close at the very end of 2004 with bulldozers clearing trees and earth in Van Cortlandt Park as 2005 rang in. Blasting to unearth bedrock from the site to make room for the facility began in May and will continue about another 18 months. Trucks leave the site every two minutes or so to remove the material.

Meanwhile, appellate courts dismissed all remaining lawsuits aimed at stopping the city in its tracks.

Though most opponents of the plant consider their battle lost, it nevertheless had an impact by getting the city to scrap an even more unpopular plan to site it above ground at the Jerome Park Reservoir and make it smaller.

And though it is a consolation prize few wanted, several area parks are getting massive makeovers as part of the political deal that paved the way for the facility. The installation of a $2.3 million playground is under way in Van Cortlandt’s southeast corner and the beginning of a massive $15 million makeover of Williamsbridge Oval Park should begin in 2006. St. James Park’s entrances are undergoing renovation and Aqueduct Park in University Heights is also scheduled for an upgrade.

Meanwhile, community members and local officials keep tabs on construction of the plant and its impact on the neighborhood at bi-monthly Facility Monitoring Committee meetings.
— Jordan Moss

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