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Borough’s Favorite Sons and Daughters Honored on Bronx Walk of Fame
June 29, 2006
By David Greene
The ninth annual Bronx Walk of Fame induction ceremony capped off the weeklong celebration of Bronx Week.
Honorees included Broadway producer Manny Azenberg, rapper Afrika Bambaataa, NFL Hall of Famer Art Donovan, best-selling author Mary Higgins-Clark, news anchor Tony Guida, musician Bobby Sanabria and Latina singer La India.
All but La India were introduced to a black-tie audience at the Bronx Ball on Friday at Orchard Beach.
Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión, Jr. kicked off the evening by singing a few lines from the Frank Sinatra tune, “New York, New York,” and went on to praise the strides made in the Bronx over the past several years.
"[Bronx Week] gives us an opportunity to tell a whole generation of kids that you can start in the Bronx, in the best place in the whole wide world.” Carrión said to a chorus of cheers. “You can start in the Bronx and get anywhere. You can achieve anything.”
After Carrión introduced the Bronx-born stars, each took a short trip down memory lane.
Now, using the aid of a cane, Donovan, the former Baltimore Colts defensive tackle who beat the New York Giants in the NFL Championship game in 1958, often referred to as “The Greatest Game,” recalled his days living on East 202nd Street in Bedford Park and playing football on the Mosholu Parkway mall.
Cardinal Hayes High School graduate Sanabria, who grew up in the Melrose Houses, said: “What can I say about growing up in the Bronx. When I left it to go to college and later began traveling as a professional musician, I came to the realization that the Bronx was the most exciting place on the earth.”
Bambaataa, a pioneer of hip-hop culture, boomed, “So, in honor of the great Sly and the Family Stone, as they say, to everybody, you can make it if you try, everybody is a star…here!”
Bill to Stop Deed Scams
June 29, 2006
By Jordan Moss
New York lawmakers dealt a potentially serious blow to predatory lenders, unanimously passing a bill that would protect vulnerable homeowners, many of them senior citizens, from “foreclosure rescue” scams.
“Older New Yorkers are particularly targeted by ‘deed theft’ scams, which can rob of them of their very homes – they need this new law to help protect them from this horrible fraud,” said Lois Aronstein, state director of AARP New York.
The new law, called the Home Equity Theft Protection Act, would give homeowners written disclosure of title transfer terms and give them a grace period to back out of shady contracts. Stiffer penalties would also be applied to those attempting to defraud homeowners.
“My house was stolen through deed theft and my family almost ended up in a shelter because of this,” said Michelle Fayez Olabie, a mother of six who is fighting to get her home back in Queens. “I hope Governor Pataki signs this into law right away. No one else should have to go through this.”
University Neighborhood Housing Program, a local nonprofit, is a member of New Yorkers for Responsible Lending, a state coalition pushing for the reforms.
Medicaid Fraud Office Created
Last week, state legislators announced the opening of a new office that would work closely with the state attorney general’s office to combat fraud and abuse of New York’s $45 billion-a-year Medical Assistance Program for the poor.
When the office is finalized, the Medicaid Inspector General will have more than 600 full-time staff members. Currently, the state’s Medicaid fraud workers are divided into six separate agencies. Theoretically, this will streamline efforts at the state health department.
The bill also calls for improved fraud-monitoring technology and tougher penalties on those found guilty of Medicaid abuse.
“New York spends more on its Medicaid program than any other state in the nation, and there are those who prey on the program’s inability to combat fraud and abuse,” State Senator Efrain Gonzalez said. “This is a major step in stopping those criminals who exploit the most vulnerable New Yorkers, wringing billions of dollars in overpayments out of a health care system.”
The local lawmaker added, “This is a good first step in the right direction, but we can do better.”
Legislature Wants Hurricane Plan
With the memory of last year’s devastating Gulf Coast hurricanes still lingering, New York officials want local residents to be aware that the city is not immune to a similar natural disaster.
At a recent Community Board 7 meeting, a representative for Borough President Adolfo Carrion urged everyone to prepare for the possibility of a severe hurricane. And now New York lawmakers are holding a public hearing downtown on July 7 to evaluate the city’s emergency response plan in the case of a weather-related emergency.
In September 2005, Assemblyman Richard Brodsky’s (D-Westchester) Committee on Corporations released a report saying the city’s current weather-related emergency plans were inadequate in several ways, citing problems with mass transit and “unintelligible policies” with regards to residents with disabilities.
New York is the third most vulnerable major city to a hurricane, behind only New Orleans and Miami and the city averages a hurricane every 9.5 years. “Scientists tell us that it’s not a matter of if another Category 3 hurricane hits New York, it’s a matter of when,” New York lawmakers wrote in a press release.
CB7 Appointments Announced
June 29, 2006
By Jordan Moss
Several community residents have been appointed as new members to Community Board 7, according to the Bronx borough president’s office. The new members are Helene Hartman-Kutnowsky, Cynthia O’Neal Riley, Enrique Vegam, George Berdejo and Waleska Roldan.
Ruth Ramos and Anthony Rivieccio were reportedly not reappointed, though the borough president’s press office did not confirm this by press time.
Ramos worked with fellow board member and former chair Nora Feury at the Roman Catholic Archdiocese’s Head Start program in the Bronx. Both were dismissed from their jobs last year when the Archdiocese charged that they had embezzled $800,000 over three years by inflating their salaries. Feury was asked to step down as chair by Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión but remained on the board. She has been reappointed.
Feury has maintained her innocence. The Archdiocese says the investigation is in the hands of the federal government, but the Department of Health and Human Services will not comment on the situation.
Though she no longer works or lives in the district, Feury was reappointed because she is director of the Bedford Park Senior Center, a Carrión spokesman said. Asked if the borough president was still concerned about the allegations concerning Feury, his communications director issued the following statement: “Nora, at the request of the borough president did step down from her post as Chair of the community board. Until this investigation is resolved, I think it would be premature to discuss it.”
Feury did not return phone messages by press time.
Other members who were reappointed to the board are: Donna Benjamin, Donald Bluestone, Elizabeth Errico, Gregory Faulkner, Paul Foster, Judith Freeman, Lowell Green, Rafeek Khan, Dave Laguer, Ricardo Parker, Barbara Stronczer, and Hector Torres.
Fine in Worker Death At Pinnacle Building
June 29, 2006
By James Fergusson
Sarwar Construction, a Brooklyn-based construction company, has been fined $7,450 by OSHA (the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration), following the death of employee Mohammad Nadeem who fell from scaffolding on Dec. 7 last year while working on a Bedford Park apartment building.
As the Norwood News previously reported at the time, Nadeem, 29, fell five stories onto concrete while replacing brickwork above a window inside the courtyard area of 2985 Botanical Square, owned by the Pinnacle Group, a controversial landlord the Norwood News has reported on for several months. Nadeem was pronounced dead at St. Barnabas Hospital. A spokesperson for the Medical Examiner’s office gave the cause of death as blood trauma to the head and neck.
Following a five-month investigation, OSHA, which investigates all workplace fatalities, cited Sarwar Construction for failing to provide its workers with safety equipment to protect against falls. Specifically, no guardrail, safety net, or personal fall arrest systems were in place, the agency said, and no training had been given to workers on how to use this equipment and the importance of its implementation. The company was fined $7,000, the maximum penalty for this type of offense, and another $450 for failing to keep the work area clear of debris.
Nadeem had been standing on makeshift scaffolding, police had said at the time, and OSHA confirmed this. Workers were standing on planks set up on fire escapes, investigators concluded.
John Chavez, an OSHA spokesperson, said that by fining Sarwar Construction, OSHA was sending a message that dangerous working conditions won’t be tolerated. “The law requires that employers provide a safe working place,” he said. “This is what we are trying to get into employers’ heads. There are no excuses for not looking after employees’ safety.”
According to Chavez, OSHA sent Sarwar Construction a letter on May 10 informing them of the fine. It was returned unopened, however, and so OSHA staff tracked down the company’s president, Ghulam Sarwar, in person. On June 15, he appealed and the case is currently with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The Norwood News attempted to contact Sarwar last week but was told he was in the hospital.
Many tenants have complained of shoddy construction work in Pinnacle buildings and that the company does not obtain proper permits for its work.
Asked for comment, the Pinnacle Group released the following statement: “Pinnacle has not used Sarwar on any of its properties since the tragic incident last year.”
Developer Seeking Armory Job No Stranger to Controversy
June 29, 2006
By Alex Kratz
Peter Fine, the well-connected developer who is emerging as a top contender to secure the rights to redevelop the Kingsbridge Armory, has cultivated success as well as controversy in other areas of the city.
As the Norwood News reported last issue, everyone interested in the armory project generally liked the detailed proposal Fine laid out at a Community Board 7 Land Use meeting on May 31. Fine put wind behind his own sails by securing a Zerega Avenue industrial site, which he would use to relocate the two National Guard units currently housed in the armory.
But community leaders stopped short of endorsing the proposal before the city outlines design requirements, in the form of a Request for Proposals (RFP) in late August.
Fine’s story reads like a rags-to-riches tale. The son of a cab driver, he grew up in a Queens public housing project. After earning his bachelor’s degree and doctorate in sociology from New York University, Fine began his non-profit housing development career in the late 1980s and early 1990s working for the Educational Alliance and the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty.
In 1991, Fine created a development and consulting firm to assist social service organizations in creating service-oriented housing and treatment facilities. Fine then partnered with Marc Altheim in 1996 to form the Atlantic Development Group, which focuses on affordable housing projects in the five boroughs.
It’s through his prolific affordable housing work, which relies heavily on tax abatements from the city and state, that Fine has garnered attention as well as controversy.
“Some people are picking on him right now,” said Michael Stoler, a real estate columnist and television personality who works closely with Fine. “When people become successful, other people want to bring them down.”
Recently, Fine came under criticism from housing advocates and elected officials who said he “wildly inflated” construction costs in the development of two apartment complexes on the east side of Manhattan. To complete the projects, Fine had applied for $41 million in tax-exempt bonds and $13.3 million in tax credits from the state.
Brad Lander, director of the non-profit Pratt Center for Community Development, argued against the deal at a community meeting last November.
“This cost exaggeration alone could amount to approximately $8 million in exaggerated expenses and thus excess profits, paid for by taxpayers, potentially going straight into the developers’ pockets,” Lander said, according to a written copy of his testimony.
Lander, with the help of State Senator Liz Krueger and Assembly Member Sylvia Friedman, managed to stave off state legislative approval on Atlantic’s deals until the end of the session last week.
According to campaign finance records, Fine contributes heavily to numerous city, state and federal elected officials on both sides of the aisle. In 2005 alone, Fine gave local State Senator Efrain Gonzalez $7,000. Since 2004, Assemblyman and Bronx Democratic Chair Jose Rivera received more than $10,000 from Fine and his wife, Elizabeth. Fine also gave thousands to Rivera’s children, Joel, a Council member, and Naomi, an assemblywoman, during their last campaigns. Fine has also given money to Democratic powerhouses Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Joseph Biden (D-Del.) as well as Republicans Dennis Hastert, the House Speaker, and Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.).
None of the Riveras or Gonzalez returned phone calls seeking comment.
Fine and his wife also have given a combined $65,341 to Pataki during the 2004 election cycle, according to campaign finance records.
Pataki appoints the membership of the state’s Housing Finance Agency (HFA), which issued tax-exempted bond financing for seven Atlantic projects between February 2004 and January 2006. According to research by Krueger and the Pratt Center, that accounts for 39 percent (seven out of 18) of the HFA deals completed during that same time period. In 2004, Atlantic hired former HFA official Ronald Schulman to be an executive vice president.
In a May memo from Pratt, Lander also questions Atlantic’s use of the non-profit group Senior Living Options, which Fine created. By working with a non-profit group, Atlantic receives other tax exemptions. In the application for these benefits, however, Atlantic failed to acknowledge that two out of the three directors of Senior Living Options had family or business ties. One of the directors is Altheim’s brother-in-law and the other is Michael Stoler, who acts as Atlantic’s title insurer in addition to his newspaper and television gigs.
In addition, the Pratt Center memo cites two deaths that have occurred on Atlantic construction sites over the past three years. In both cases, the contractors were hired by Atlantic and cited for safety violations, according to the memo. In the most recent death, on March 13, 2006, scaffolding collapsed at a site in the Melrose section of the Bronx. The construction company cited for safety violations was Knickerbocker LLC, an Atlantic-controlled contractor.
Lander says Fine has become successful by “pushing every envelope and cutting every corner.”
In a rebuttal to Lander’s accusations of cost-inflation and the hoarding of state funds, Altheim wrote a letter to the New York Observer, which published an article critical of Atlantic’s two east side development bids.
“These projects are valuable to all New Yorkers because they help fulfill the universally supported public policy goal of achieving economically integrated neighborhoods in New York City,” Altheim wrote.
Also, Altheim wrote, the cost of building the two projects was validated by outside consultants independent of the HFA and that “the creation of these two projects in no way impedes development of other affordable housing projects in [New York City] or [New York State].”
Fine said in an Observer interview that Atlantic dropped its partnership with Senior Living Options to avoid any conflict of interest.
Fine did not return several phone messages regarding this article.
Petr Stand, a Bronx resident and Manhattan architect who has worked on urban renewal efforts with residents of Melrose, where Fine has been a significant development presence, says the local community should proceed with caution. In Stand’s view, Atlantic’s developments aren’t appropriate for the Bronx, a borough of families.
Conversely, many see Fine as a philanthropist and humanitarian who provides valuable affordable housing where there isn’t any. Even Lander admits that “he does provide affordable housing.” In May, SUNY-Cortland awarded Fine an honorary doctorate for his work in the community and his $100,000 contribution for an endowment in memory of his father. Fine, a father of three, also serves on the board of several charitable organizations and his donations to the arts and other charities mirror his political contributions
Some community leaders believe that by securing a location for the National Guard, Fine may be the only developer with the right combination of resources to turn the Armory into a vital and sustainable community presence. But Lander’s not so sure.
“It’s not like he’s walking on water or turning stone into gold,” Lander said.
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Armory Task Force Formed The city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has formed an official advisory task force to oversee the creation of the Request for Proposals (RFP), which outlines design requirements that developers must follow if they want to be selected for the armory redevelopment project. The RFP is on pace to be completed by the end of August, according to a spokesman for EDC, which will draft the RFP with the task force’s input. The task force will consist of local elected and appointed officials who may designate other individuals as emissaries in the case of their absence. According to the EDC, the task force includes: Council Member Maria Baez, Council Member G. Oliver Koppell, State Senator Efrain Gonzalez, State Assemblyman Jose Rivera, Borough President Adolfo Carrión, Congressman Jose Serrano, Community Board 7 Chair Greg Faulkner, and Community Board 8 Chair Anthony Casino. Note: Of the elected officials on this list, only Koppell and Serrano have not received money from the Atlantic Development Group’s Peter Fine.
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Mayor Slackens Local Schools’ Tether toTweed
June 29, 2006
By Alex Kratz
Beginning this fall, more than a dozen northwest Bronx public schools will be granted a greater degree of autonomy as part of Mayor Bloomberg’s ambitious new Empowerment Program.
Though it remains unclear exactly how the program will work, in theory, principals at empowerment schools will receive additional funding and be free to make most school decisions — on everything from hiring teachers to buying textbooks — as long as they don’t violate union contracts or state laws. Along with this new freedom comes a new set of performance standards.
Bloomberg announced the launch of the program on June 12 at Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School in the Bronx, which has participated in the district’s empowerment program since it began two years ago when it was called the “autonomy zone” program.
Of the 350 schools (far more than anticipated) that applied to the program, 331 were chosen to participate.
The application process was actually very simple, said PS 340 principal Deirdre Burke. The seventh-year principal said she filled out a questionnaire and then what amounted to a job application. A couple of months later, Burke received a letter from the city saying PS 340, located across from the Kingsbridge Armory, on East 195th Street, had been accepted into the program.
Burke signed up because she liked the idea of more flexibility and more money, she said.
Forty-eight of the schools chosen, including PS 280 on Mosholu Parkway, have been operating under the new autonomy program for at least a year.
PS 280 is already realizing the benefits of the program after just one year of relative freedom, PS 280 Principal Gary LaMotta said.
“We’ve had more autonomy, just to a lesser extent [than what schools will experience starting in the fall],” LaMotta said. “It’s allowed us to really take ownership of what we’re doing here.”
For example, instead of following the city’s guidelines for summer school during the next three months, LaMotta has designed a “summer institute” that he says will benefit his students.
Tailoring curriculum to the specific needs of a school community is something Scott Goldner, the principal of Discovery High School, located on the Walton campus, is most looking forward to.
“It’s an amazing challenge,” Goldner said in a phone interview. “There’s no more excuses. I can run my school how I want to.”
The administration is essentially saying, “Good leaders make or break schools,” he said.
In exchange for more autonomy and flexibility, schools will sign performance agreements that “lay out principals’ new powers, resources, and responsibilities,” according to an Education Department press release.
Details of these performance standards will be hashed out over the summer, but principals were given a loose definition of how they might work.
According to Goldner, under the Empowerment Program, students will be tested every six to eight weeks rather than once at the end of the year. It will give teachers more data and help them pinpoint an individual student’s strengths and weaknesses.
The other piece of the evaluation process will be qualitative, which will take the form of reviews from outside observers, who will be looking at all aspects of the educational environment, including student makeup, teacher evaluations and family support mechanisms.
Burke is “skeptically optimistic” in general about the new program, but likes the idea of the new performance standards because it measures kids against themselves rather than another set of kids.
The plan, according to Bloomberg, is for all 1,500 New York public schools to run under the new evaluation process by fall 2007.
Carlsen, principal of PS 20, said the evaluation data will be helpful to teachers. “This will be a very sophisticated system of information and we’ll be using it in a very expedient way,” she said.
Along with a broad set of performance standards, empowerment schools will receive $250,000. Goldner, Burke, Carlsen and LaMotta all say they will primarily spend the money on professional development for teachers. The rest of the funding, the principals said, will be used for new materials, student programs and curriculum development.
Each school will be able to share its empowerment experiences with a “network” of 19 other schools. Burke, Carlsen and LaMotta will join forces in a network of other District 10 schools, while Goldner wants to join a network of New Visions (a non-profit education reform organization) schools. Each network will elect a “network leader” who will coordinate information-sharing efforts and provide support for their network schools.
The new District 10 network has already elected Jackie Young, a former Local Instructional Superintendent (LIS) in the area, as their network leader. As part of the program, many of the LIS positions will be phased out.
Free Laptops and an Eye on College
June 15, 2006
By James Fergusson
Shawn Ramos and Benjamin Berrios were wearing wide grins last Friday at MS 80’s first annual curriculum fair. And with good reason: the seventh graders, together with 53 of their peers, were each taking home a brand new Dell laptop, theirs to keep until they graduate high school.
“A lot of students showed us they were having to spend many hours waiting for a computer in the library,” said Assistant Principal Carmen Toledo. “This allows them to do their homework and research at home.”
The laptops were paid for with the 2005 grant that the Bronx Institute at Lehman College received from the federal program GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs). GEAR UP aims to increase the number of students graduating from high school and entering college.
The fortunate 55 were selected from a school class of 275. Students were chosen based on school attendance, teacher recommendations, and a paper they wrote on why they deserved it. “I was in shock when I found out,” said Berrios, 13.
As well as rewarding these hardworking students and celebrating the grant money, the fair, held in the school’s auditorium, showcased some of the seventh grade’s best work. Thoughtful poetry and eloquent essays adorned the walls, and student bands played “Amazing Grace” and music by Tito Puente, the Latin jazz and mambo legend. PowerPoint presentations, created by students and displayed on a projector, told the story of each piece.
Toledo has other plans for the grant money, which is to be spent over the next five years. Starting Oct. 1, after-school programs including Robotics, Architecture and Engineering, and Meteorology will be offered to all seventh graders, with the purpose of enriching math and science skills.
MS 80 is one of 18 Bronx schools in Education Region One to benefit from the GEAR UP grant of $16.3 million (which has been doubled to $32.6 million by other contributing organizations). The funding will follow these youngsters into high school, where the Bronx Institute will work closely with each student. Among other things, students will be able to sign up with mentoring programs, tour colleges, and attend PSAT/SAT preparation classes and career awareness workshops.
Ramos, 12, already knows what he wants to do when he grows up: “A teacher or a cop,” he said, without hesitation. But he’s excited about what he’s heard of GEAR UP. And he’s especially excited about getting home and playing w
Food Co-op
June 15, 2006
By Editorial
Pick up any piece of fruit at a supermarket or bodega and there’s bound to be a sticker on it with its place of origin – Mexico, California, Georgia, etc. But at the 2-year-old Norwood Food Co-op, there are no stickers. What co-op members get instead is fresh, delicious produce delivered every week by upstate farmer Zaid Kurdieh. They learn about vegetables most have never tried before, like fennel, tat soi, and heirloom tomatoes. They also get familiar items like lettuce, squash, onions and peppers; what’s unfamiliar is the tremendous taste that agribusiness can’t deliver to your market. Co-op members also get the knowledge that they are contributing to the sustainability of the kind of local farming that yields healthy food and healthy people. Sharing and learning about food is also a great way to build community.
The co-op begins June 15 (and goes through November), but it’s not too late to check it out and sign up for a share, which costs about $260 for the whole season. Food stamps are accepted, too. Just stop by the distribution site at Epiphany Lutheran Church, 302 E. 206th St., just off of Bainbridge Avenue this Thursday or next, between 4 and 6 p.m. Or go to www.norwoodfoodcoop.org
Bronx Week
There are so many fun and worthwhile events scheduled for Bronx Week, it’s hard to know where to start. With a family day of fun by the Bronx River? Or a Bronx Trolley Tour with borough historian Lloyd Ultan? What about watching famous former Bronxites get inducted on the Concourse’s Walk of Fame? Or how about partying along Mosholu Parkway for the Bronx Week Parade and Food & Art Festival?
They all sound great, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg. A look at the listing of Bronx Week events beginning on page 17 is a little overwhelming. So much fun to be had, so little time. But we hope that all our readers will pick something out, have a great time, and learn a little more about the borough we all call home.
Welcome, Alex Kratz
Last issue we bid a fond farewell to our reporter and deputy editor Heather Haddon.
This issue we welcome her replacement, Alex Kratz.
Alex, a Seattle native, comes to us with experience writing for a scrappy bi-weekly (sound familiar?) called the Seattle Sun and Star. And he’s just finished a year studying journalism at American University
New to the Bronx and New York City, Alex is already eagerly plunging in to the issues that are important to our community. Of course, he still has a lot to learn and we’re confident our readers will help him along by giving him a call or shooting him an e-mail with your news or concerns at akratz@norwoodnews.org.
In any event, we welcome Alex and wish him the best of luck as he begins his work in the Bronx.
Developer Seeks CB7 Stamp of Approval on Armory Project
June 15, 2006
By Alex Kratz
Builder Peter Fine unveiled his colorful and detailed Kingsbridge Armory redevelopment proposal at Community Board 7 two weeks ago, hoping to bypass a laborious city process for choosing a developer.
The city plans to issue a request for proposals (RFP) in August that would essentially open the door to any interested firm to present their vision for the mammoth landmark.
Fine, who is close to the Bronx Democratic organization, said it was in the community’s interest to act quickly and decisively in support of his proposal.
“The way I’d like you to think about it is as community empowerment,” Fine said to members of the Board’s Land Use Committee. “We’ve responded to what we’ve heard.”
Indeed, Fine, whose Atlantic Development Group has joined forces with the Richman Group, appears to have incorporated many of the items on the wish lists of local stakeholders.
The plan includes 2,000 public school seats, 1,000 parking spots, a movie theater multiplex, large and small retail stores (such as the home improvement giant Lowes and the department store Kohl’s), a National Guard recruiting station, and community space for youth and seniors. The YMCA is interested in opening a branch at the Armory and Fine would like to identify a bookstore chain as well.
“It’s a wonderful proposal,” said Community Board 7 District Manager Rita Kessler. “It recognized the wish list of the Community Board and all the other groups.”
Key to Fine’s pitch, Kessler said, is his plan to relocate the National Guard units currently occupying the annex building behind the facility.
Atlantic Development is in contract to purchase a four-acre plot of land in a southeast Bronx industrial district at Zerega and Hermany avenues and has drafted plans for a new National Guard facility there. A letter from military officials attached to Fine’s proposal said the site “is suitable for a National Guard facility.”
During the committee meeting, Fine said some of those interested in leasing space at the Armory might not stick around through the entire RFP process, during which other developers would have a chance to submit competing proposals. The city says the process could take anywhere from three months to a year.
“God willing, we can hold on to the YMCA,” Fine said, adding that AMC, a national movie theater chain that is interested in the Armory, might bolt as well.
After his presentation, Fine asked the board to come up with a resolution saying that “you support our proposal.”
Following Fine’s presentation, Community Board 7 chair Greg Faulkner questioned the need to act with such urgency.
“Shouldn’t we wait to see what the RFP looks like?” Faulkner asked.
“If it’s an RFP, it becomes the administration’s project,” Fine responded. “I think what we’re trying to do is something that’s the community’s project. A one-and-a-half- year solicitation won’t bring in anything else [that we’re not already offering].
“[If you avoid the RFP] then it becomes your project and not the bureaucracy’s project.”
A spokesperson for the Economic Development Corporation, the city agency overseeing the project, said the city was still on track to issue an RFP in August.
“Our intention is to go ahead with the RFP process,” said an EDC spokesperson who then asked for the name of the developer making the push.
The city has also formed a task force, comprised of local elected officials and community representatives, to help shape the RFP.
However enamored they were of his attractive proposal, community leaders appeared leery of throwing their weight behind Fine.
Officials at the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, who led a community planning process over the last few years that resulted in designs that are very similar to Fine’s, like what they see. But they believe that going through with the RFP will be healthy.
Faulkner said he wants to hold off on endorsing the project until he’s convinced that an early endorsement wouldn’t create any legal problems in the future.
“If it could expedite the process and if I could be convinced that we could avoid legal issues, I would say fine,” he said, adding that the community needs to act with caution because of the size and importance of the project. “I want to make sure it’s done the right way.”
Still, Faulkner believes that if Fine’s group sticks around through the RFP and continues to keep its offer on the table — with the proposed design as well as the plan to relocate the National Guard — then the Atlantic Group will “become the overwhelming favorite.”
Kessler, who said Fine does a good job of completing building projects throughout the Bronx and the rest of the city, also said that it’s too soon to back his proposal.
Jordan Moss contributed to this story.
Ed. Note: There will be more discussion about the project on Tuesday, June 20, at Community Board 7′s final public meeting before the summer break.
Bedford Park Project Draws ResidentBedford Park Project Draws Residents’ Ires’ Ire
June 15, 2006
By James Fergusson
Plans to build a housing complex for former homeless people and low-income families on the southeast corner of East 204th Street and Villa Avenue in Bedford Park have infuriated local residents and community leaders.
Project Renewal, the not-for-profit behind the venture, plans to construct a 49-unit, eight-story apartment building. Most of the apartments – 30 – will be for people referred by the Department of Homeless Services.
Sonia Lappin, who lives nearby in Scott Tower, is concerned the facility might jeopardize the safety of the neighborhood, as many of the residents will be former drug addicts living with mental illness. And she is angry at what she sees as the secrecy and haste with which the project has come into being. “It’s not that we don’t welcome people of all persuasion,” said Lappin, a Bedford Park resident for last 39 years. “We are not a “NIMBY” (Not In My Backyard) community…but to have this thrust down our throats in this way is insulting, disrespectful and offensive.”
The plans came to light in April when Project Renewal wrote to Community Board 7, them of their intentions to buy the vacant property. The letter stated that the facility would rid the neighborhood of a “blighted area” and bring employment opportunities to the community.
Eugene Parrotta, another long-term Bedford Park resident, is seething. “These people [Project Renewal employees] who are doing all these great things don’t live here,” he said. “They don’t have children who are at school 50 feet from the building. I understand people need help. But there are lots of places they could put this instead of in the middle of a residential community.”
Project Renewal completed the purchase last month, paying $1.3 million for the land, and on May 31, Andrea Harnett-Robinson, a Project Renewal spokesperson, attended a Board 7 meeting, where prominent community leaders, including Father John Bonnici, pastor at St. Philip Neri Church, were quick to voice their reservations and demand more information.
John Reilly, of Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation, said he was disappointed with Harnett-Robinson’s presentation. “A lot of people had very specific questions that weren’t answered, such as who exactly will be living there,” he said.
Reilly himself is concerned with the size of the building, how it will be kept secure and also the large number of single person apartments. Project Renewal contends that the building will provide homes for families with low income or formerly homeless, as well as single individuals. But according to design plans, there will only be five two-bedroom apartments. The remainder will be one-bedrooms (seven) and studios (37). “It’s not being built to attract families,” Reilly said.
Sandra Erickson, chair of Community Board 7’s Land Use Committee, said that, at a follow-up meeting, the Board’s Executive Committee voted against the project and sent a letter to the state’s Department of Mental Health informing the agency of its decision. Erickson said the vote stemmed from the site being too close to local schools, churches, and residences for the elderly. The proposed facility is also situated along a 52nd Precinct safety corridor, according to Erickson.
Harnett-Robinson says she understands the community’s apprehension, but thinks too much emphasis is being put on the tenants’ past. “These individuals have been through treatment and are trying to rebuild their lives,” she said in a telephone interview following the meeting, adding that there is no truth to rumors the building would house a methadone clinic or that some residents may have committed sex crimes.
“I would love for the community to learn more about Project Renewal,” she said, “and before passing judgment, to come visit our other buildings, to see for themselves what they’re like and speak to tenants and neighbors. When we build something we don’t just walk away.” Harnett-Robinson said she’d arrange transport to these sites if anyone expressed interest.
According to the letter Project Renewal sent the Community Board dated April 19, the New York State Office of Mental Health will not issue final approval of the group’s plans until the community has had 75 days to consider the project. And knowing time is of the essence, Lappin and Parrotta are busy circulating a petition in the neighborhood, in the hope of raising awareness in the community and catching the attention of locally elected officials.
Harnett-Robinson said that approval by the state is usually a formality. But, she added, she’s eager to talk more with the community. “This is just the start of our dialogue,” she said.
Paying Tribute
June 1, 2006
By Jordan Moss
Norwood resident Anna Rogovin (left) was among those honoring the fallen at the annual Memorial Day ceremony organized by Post 69 of the Jewish War Veterans at the Museum of Bronx History on Bainbridge Avenue. Rogovin, a former Navy WAVE (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), served as a chemist in Washington, D.C. during World War II. She went on to work for Sloan Kettering, Colgate Palmolive and the American Petroleum Institute. She will turn 90 in September.
It was the 40th anniversary of Post 69’s installation of the flagpole monument, which is maintained by the Bronx County Historical Society.
Don Tannen, a World War II veteran, held the American flag while Edward Baraw, the Post’s commander, saluted. The ceremony was attended by about two dozen members of the Post and its Ladies Auxiliary.
School Construction Projects Set to Move
June 1, 2006
By Heather Haddon
Classes are now winding down, but renovation work will soon be ramping up now that billions of dollars in state funds have been allocated to city schools this year.
After a heated fight, state lawmakers agreed in April to fund half of the city’s $13.1 billion, 5-year capital plan. That funding will allow 21 stalled construction projects, along with dozens of new science labs, technology upgrades, infrastructure improvements and other renovations, to move forward.
Locally, construction on a new home for the Leadership Institute, a small high school founded by the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, will proceed. The 1-year-old school will eventually move from a temporary facility on Webster Avenue to the old Fordham Road Library building. It will house 300 classroom seats, and is slated to cost $21 million.
Several existing schools will receive major renovations and new facilities through the state funds this year (see chart). The work, totaling over $60 million, ranges from new science labs and security cameras to wireless internet and recreational equipment.
Yolanda Torres, principal of MS 399, welcomed the good news. “It’s unfortunate that it took so long, but we’re very enthusiastic about continuing to improve the school,” she said.
Torres is especially excited about funds to renovate an old pool in her East 184th Street building, which is the former home of the Bronx High School of Science. She is hoping to open up the facility to local residents of all ages. “There’s not much around here in terms of athletic activities,” Torres said.
The city Department of Education (DOE) could not provide details about the projects or a schedule of work. For example, a DOE spokesperson said that a proposed additional floor for MS 254 was “a real project” but wouldn’t further elaborate on it.
Students and staff from the Washington Avenue school are hoping for a fourth floor on their current building, which lacks an auditorium. “This is something we really need,” said Sonia Edmondson, a MS 254 administrator.
The capital plan lists an $825,000 allocation for MS 254 next year. It does not specify what the funds would do.
While the state money is welcome, the process of getting the work done isn’t always as embraced. Don Bluestone, director of the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, was told that work on MS 80’s roof and walls will begin this summer and continue next year after school. MS 80 won’t be able to house summer school this year, and the Center’s Beacon program will have to relocate to a different during the work.
Bluestone said he is considering permanently moving the Beacon from MS 80 because of the renovations. He was angered that the work was necessary at all, as MS 80 received a new roof 12 years ago.
“Why are they putting on a new roof again,” Bluestone asked. “Shouldn’t it last longer than 10 years? The kids on the fifth floor are getting rained on.”
Alicia Maxey, a DOE spokesperson, agreed that there had been problems with the roof. She said it required “emergency repairs” last year because of water seeping through the masonry.
“After a thorough inspection, it was found that a new roof, along with a new parapet wall, would be the best way to solve the current problem,” Maxey said.
Learning to Report, and Care, Step-by-Step
June 1, 2006
By Heather Haddon
The first time I walked out of the Mosholu Parkway No. 4 train station — well before I worked for the Norwood News — something clicked. I was instantly drawn to Jerome Avenue and its throngs of shoppers, workers and high-schoolers. This was a nice place. Perhaps I’d come back.
I did — over 1,000 times. In my four years at the Norwood News, I’ve written about 603 stories. We’ve run roughly 254 of my photos. I have managed production on 98 issues, gone through 22 notebooks (140 sheets each), and attended dozens of meetings. My thousand-plus days working here have been busily consistent. They have never been dull.
This is my last issue. My byline will pop up on some future stories, but this is the final time that I will edit the school briefs, sort through press releases, badger Bronx politicians, or perform the tasks big and small that have filled my weeks and quickly spun my life’s clock.
Saying that fills me with a deep sadness. I’ll tell you why.
I was 25 when I joined the Norwood News. I had no formal journalism training. My experience was limited to 1 a.m. lessons at a ragtag, start-up alternative paper in New York. When the reporter job opened up, I was working at a nonprofit in Hunts Point. I applied. Somehow I got hired. I was damn lucky.
My first year or so was bumpy. My stories were way too long. I was shy and rather naive. My spelling and grammar were severely hampered by a slight learning disability. Jordan, the most patient of bosses, finally had to lay down the law: use that red pen, or else!
Things gradually got better. After three weeks roaming Ecuador, I came back with new confidence and enthusiasm. I bought some more professional clothes. I started smiling more. I realized that politicians were just people — they could easily be a quirky uncle or younger brother. I started writing for style, reporting more aggressively, and editing tight.
Perhaps, most importantly, the veneer of scared, cynical youth wore away. I began to care — a lot. I became more passionate about Norwood, Bedford Park, North Fordham and University Heights than where I actually live (in Queens). I rejoiced or became saddened by the latest developments at Tracey Towers, Community Board 7 or the Kingsbridge Armory. My hipster friends from Brooklyn heard about Webster Avenue cab dispatchers, PS 291’s chess team, and the Clinton student walkout. The Bronx was always kicking around my mind.
I made mistakes. I could have been more thorough on parent-teacher tensions at MS 80. On a few occasions, dollar amounts were printed with an extra zero. But, hopefully, I got most things right. I’m proud of my analysis of the Bronx Terminal Market deal, dissection of the Meals on Wheels overhaul, and an in-depth series on the Pinnacle Group buildings. My writing, I believe, helped stir discussion and push for change.
Journalism requires a strange duality of solitary focus and extrovertedness. I tried to juggle both. Stopping for lunch was unheard of, and I would barely avert my eyes from the computer screen while swimming in a story. But I’ve also savored being out in the Bronx — whether it was chasing PS 246’s running club or dancing salsa with Assemblyman Jose Rivera (I got two kinds of leads out of that one).
I recently happened on a bumper sticker stating, “God loves the Bronx.” So do I. I love the Mexican soccer players kicking around the Oval. I love the inspired students at Lehman and Bronx Community College. I love the lady with the elaborate underwear stand on East 208th Street. I love seeing the morning frenzy at corner bakeries, people with their pet parrots and, once, the cashiers dancing to Monchy Y Alejandra at Fine Fair.
It’s funny how this reporting relationship goes. You probably don’t know my name, let alone what I look like. Yet I know so much about you — the dynamic of your area, the businesses that come and go, the resident eccentrics, the demographics and character of most every block.
Leaving here is painful. I can’t suddenly file away all this devotion and plunge into the next place. It took too long to research, discover and digest.
I am excited to be moving on to a daily paper in another dense, largely Hispanic area (Paterson, NJ). The issues will be similar. The faces and places won’t.
I will still care. When the park renovations wrap up and Adventura comes back to Harris Park, I will visit. When the Armory is finally redeveloped and the subways are renovated, I will jump for joy.
I will walk out of the new Mosholu No. 4 stop and, remembering the 1,424 days of deep puddles and decrepit stairs, know that my work helped lead to their renovation.
It was those steps that shaped the exciting ones I am taking today.
Heather Haddon, deputy editor of the Norwood News, will leave the paper on June 2. She starts as a reporter at the Herald News in July
A True Community Journalist
June 1, 2006
By Jordan Moss
If I ever teach a journalism class, I will assign my students Heather Haddon’s article on the Op-Ed
Page.
To me, it beautifully captures everything that is right with this profession.
And it punctures an enduring myth about this line of work and the people that practice it.
Too many people believe, or are taught, that reporters are not supposed to care too much about their subjects.
But the thing that I like best about Heather is that she cares so deeply. She almost always returned from covering a school event – and there were dozens of those, virtually all of which she discovered and assigned to herself – charged with positive energy. “What a great program!” she’d exclaim, or “That was so much fun!”
But she also cared when things didn’t go well. When a community meeting was unproductive, she’d lament the lack of progress as if she lived here herself. When a politician or public official gave a silly reason for supporting a misguided program, like the switch to frozen meals for senior citizens, she shook her head in disappointment.
During her four years here, Heather developed sharp investigative reporting skills, which she used to uncover the Pinnacle debacle. She stopped by the buildings at Botanical Square because she heard about a nice garden being planted there and thought it would make a nice feature photo. When she did some checking on the landlord, she found out that he had bought hundreds of buildings in only a couple of years. She dug, and dug some more, and uncovered unscrupulous practices affecting thousands of tenants in four boroughs.
For months, she was the only one covering this story. When she attended tenant meetings in Pinnacle buildings in Manhattan she was greeted with applause. (The citywide press finally discovered this story in May, but Heather Haddon was there first – last October!)
Most of all, though, Heather loves telling people’s stories, whether it was the shy but articulate National Guardsman who returned from Iraq to surprise his colleagues at Lehman College, or the family who lost their most precious possessions in a tragic fire at Tracey Towers, or the fast-talking taxi dispatchers who have formed a tight-knit community in their office on Webster Avenue.
Heather also deeply cared about the paper itself. She cared about how it looked and cheered when it was chock full of ads. She developed a meticulously organized photo archive that enabled her to pick out an old picture like a rabbit out of a hat anytime I said, “Hey, you remember that shot of …?”
She drove herself hard, and often couldn’t bring herself to miss covering an evening meeting, even when I told her it really would be OK if she did.
The Norwood News is what it is now in large part because of Heather and the caring she brought to everything she did here.
Heather might not know much about the good people of Patterson, New Jersey, where she will soon be working for a daily newspaper, but it won’t be long before she becomes one of them.
We will miss Heather very much. We wish her tremendous success as she takes on the next challenge of her journalistic career.
A Look at the Pinnacle Players and Their Bronx Buildings
June 1, 2006
By Heather Haddon
The controversial practices of the Pinnacle Group, a city real estate company, have started to attract citywide attention and scrutiny. Since 2002, the company has purchased over 400 buildings in lower-income communities across every borough, save Staten Island. Tenants have suffered through a variety of serious problems since, as the Norwood News reported last October.
Much of the focus has been on the company’s extensive holdings in Manhattan, where a growing number of tenants have organized against Pinnacle. Three upper Manhattan community boards came together last month to assess the situation with hundreds of angry Pinnacle residents. Growing numbers of city and state officials have become involved. Tenants are now petitioning state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer to investigate the company.
Pinnacle’s holdings in the Bronx, while not as numerous as in Manhattan, are extensive. The company owns 40 properties all over the borough, including several in the local area (see map).
A variety of people and entities are involved in financing and running Pinnacle’s buildings. Here’s a look at some of those involved:
Praedium Group
Who: A Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) founded in 1991 to buy “underperforming and undervalued” real estate in the U.S.
Portfolio: Runs six REIT funds that have acquired office buildings, retail properties and multi-family homes across the country. Most holdings are in New York, California and Texas. Invests money from pension funds, foundations, endowments and other financial firms.
Partners: Started by Credit Suisse First Boston, one of the largest institutional banks in the country. Cadim, a real estate advisory firm from Montreal, invested $100 million to expand Praedium’s reach in 2001. The company is a division of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, one of the largest institutional fund managers in Canada. Cadim has since formed a long-term partnership with Praedium.
Worth: Over $5 billion in assets. Requires a 15 to 20 percent return on its investments. Crain’s listed them as one of the top 500 money managers in the country last year.
Pinnacle Connection: Has financed many of the Pinnacle deals. The Praedium Fund V raised $465 million and made 139 investments in New York, with 70 percent going to apartment buildings. Praedium had purchased more than 10,000 city units as of 2004.
Russell Appel
Approximate Age: 45
Who: Founder of the Praedium Group. Former managing director of Credit Suisse First Boston and an associate at Goldman Sachs. Attended the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania.
Strategy: Praedium holds on to properties “on average between three to six years, a relatively short term,” said Appel in National Real Estate Investor earlier this year. Praedium has bet on deals that other investment trusts might shy away from (like purchasing Florida properties after they were leveled by hurricanes last year). Appel has been outspoken about the profitability of low-income neighborhoods. “We look to take advantage of the opportunities in the marketplace,” said Appel in Commercial Property News last year.
Pinnacle Connection: Both Appel and Pinnacle Group Founder Joel Wiener appeared at the U.S. Real Estate Opportunity and Private Fund Investing Forum together last year. Wiener presided over a mock deal between a developer and real estate fund. Appel spoke on how to make “20 percent returns” in real estate investments, according to a brochure.
Pinnacle Group
Founded: Early 1990s by Joel Wiener
Located: 1 Penn Plaza, with some city satellite offices
Holdings: Owns over 400 rent-stabilized buildings in every borough but Staten Island. Purchases began in 2002, and include entire portfolios of buildings. The properties are managed through dozens of separate limited liability corporations.
History: Started with seven former Mitchell Lama buildings in the Bronx. Rapidly expanded, including the purchase of almost 3,000 northern Manhattan apartments for $500 million from Baruch Singer, a widely criticized landlord.
Management Style: Replaces many existing building staff with inexperienced workers, according to a federal class action lawsuit. Plaintiffs also accuse Pinnacle property managers of not closely supervising their properties. Many tenants charge that the supers do shoddy renovations, which have incurred code violations and ruined previous fixtures. They then send bills at inflated rates to residents.
Strategy: Tenants say they have received hundreds of eviction notices, lawsuits and harassing letters, along with exorbitant improvement costs and rent increases beyond the legal limit. They fear they are being forced out to make room for condos. Two Manhattan properties, 706 and 725 Riverside Dr., have begun the conversion process.
Joel Wiener
Approximate Age: 57
Background: Married, a daughter. Lives in Woodmere, NY, an affluent section of Long Island. Has owned homes in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Long Island and Florida.
Education: Graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 1974. His law practice is thought to deal exclusively with his real estate company.
Family History: Third generation real estate family begun in the ‘50s in Brooklyn. His father, Paul, acquired properties in the ‘60s, including some in Riverdale. Of Paul’s six children, Joel and Arthur carried on in the business. Arthur began acquiring properties in the ‘70s, but Joel has done more to expand their holdings in recent years.
Business history: The family business, Arthur Holding Company, bought buildings in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Joel Wiener purchased buildings on his own in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. He started Wiener Realty in 1995 in Manhattan. He opened another site in Lawrence, NY. Pinnacle is now the flagship company.
Legal issues: Has been personally sued 84 times, according to civil county court records. Cases include contract disputes, negligence, back taxes, and a dispute with the Woodmere Club (a golf course).
Zerega Site May Hold Key to Armory Progress
June 1, 2006
By Alex Kratz
A large industrial property in the southeast Bronx has emerged as a potential new home for two National Guard units now housed in the annex behind the Kingsbridge Armory.
According to a military spokesman, developers have submitted a proposal to move the units to a site in the Zerega industrial district south of Westchester Square that, as of right now, appears to meet the military’s requirements.
The Zerega site was mentioned by two developers at a small meeting with Community Board 7 members two weeks ago. Bill Traylor of the Richman Group and Peter Fine of Atlantic Development are considering buying the property, according to Board 7 chair Greg Faulkner, as part of a larger plan to redevelop the armory.
In an interview, Traylor acknowledged that his firm and Fine’s were looking at a site in Zerega. He said he would provide further details at a May 30 meeting of Community Board 7’s Land Use Committee.
Military spokesman Kent Kisselbrack said the Zerega proposal “appeared to meet requirements,” which includes eight to 10 acres of land and 30,000 square feet of building space. Federal regulations stipulate that the outpost must be 148 feet from a fence.
Relocating the Guard units has been the primary obstacle blocking redevelopment of the massive military complex, which is vacant aside from the annex buildings. Local officials and community leaders want to build four smalls schools in place of the annex structures along with a mix of recreation space and retail and entertainment outlets in the drill hall and head house, as the two main buildings are known. The Richman Group has worked closely with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition in developing a proposal that includes those priorities.
Ideally, the two National Guard units – the 145th Maintenance Company and the 258th Field Artillery Unit – would like to stay in the Bronx, Kisselbrack said.
“This is a community-based outpost and we’d like it to remain community based,” he said.
On May 4, Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff toured the armory and vowed to begin the request for proposal (RFP) process by mid-August. The city’s Economic Development Corporation is in the process of forming a task force to shape the RFP.
On a break from contentious budget negotiations in Albany, local assemblyman Jose Rivera said that he’s pleased with the progress being made on the armory project.
“Things are beginning to move,” Rivera said from his cell phone.
A week after Doctoroff’s armory tour, which Rivera arranged, the assemblyman said he called Governor Pataki and implored him to continue to work on building momentum for the development project. In response, according to Rivera, Pataki said that the National Guard is ready to leave.
“I told the governor, ‘As soon as you finish up work in Albany, you can come make the announcement [in the Bronx] yourself.’”
The new proposed site for the Guard units – at Zerega Avenue and Hermany Avenue – would be perfect, Rivera said.
“There is a lot of vacant land there,” Rivera said. “Put it there and it doesn’t bother anybody.”
At the site, across the street from a gigantic New York Sanitation Department facility, is a building and lot controlled by Hermany Farms, a conglomeration of dairy and poultry companies. Amid the hum of refrigeration units, preparations for departure are under way. A Penske moving truck sits in front of a loading dock. At the same time, four employees of Westco, a Westchester company that specializes in dairy processing equipment, are slowly clearing out the dusty building.
No one seemed to know exactly what’s going to happen to the old plant, but certainly, change is in the air.
What does all the buzz surrounding the Zerega site mean?
“It means the city and state are really looking into it,” Rivera said.
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