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The Stories That Shaped 2007

By None

Click here to see the Stories That Shaped 2007.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

By Norwood News

The Norwood News would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Here’s hoping for a year of good news in the northwest Bronx in 2008.

Santa Comes to Bainbridge

By None

Santa’s sleigh, powered by support from Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera and the Bronx Central Council for Economic Development, touched down on Bainbridge Avenue at North Fork Bank on Dec. 15 delighting these area kids and many more. The first 50 kids who visited Santa received a free gift and photo, and parents received coupons for savings at area stores.

Out & About

By Judy Noy

Holiday Happenings

•   The New York Botanical Garden is full of holiday cheer through Jan. 13, with the yearly Holiday Train Show in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory with city and suburban scenes all made of plant parts and large-gauge model railway trains and trolleys. Holiday Nights at the Garden, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 26-31, includes lights, caroling performances, cider, hot chocolate and gingerbread. In addition, children can have Gingerbread Adventures in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden where they can smell, touch, and taste the ingredients of a gingerbread recipe and decorate their own gingersnap cookies, followed by Winter Wonderland of Gingerbread Houses, a display of elaborate gingerbread creations by renowned bakers. For more information, call (718) 817-8700.

Onstage
                                                                                                                  

•   “The Little Engine That Could,” in puppets, joins the host of holiday activities at the New York Botanical Garden in the Arthur and Janet Ross Lecture Hall daily Dec. 26-31 at 1, 2 and 3 p.m.  For more information, call (718) 817-8700.

 

•   The One-Man Parade features Rick Adam, who will juggle, do hat tricks, hand shadows, and generally be a one-man band, at the Mosholu Beacon Youth Center at PS 8, 3010 Briggs Ave., on Dec. 27 at 1 p.m. Please arrive by 12:45 p.m. for seating. For more information, call (718) 329-0595.

 

•   The Bronx Library Center presents An Afternoon of Dance from Hawaii and Other Polynesian Islands, Dec. 29 at 2:30 p.m.; and Tony Terell Caribbean Jazz Quintet, Jan. 5 at 2:30 p.m. The Center is located at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road. For a detailed schedule, call (718) 579-4244/46 or visit www.nypl.org.

 

•   Lehman College’s Center for the Performing Arts presents Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway musical hit, “Evita,” about the rise and fall of Eva Peron, wife of former Argentinean dictator Juan Peron, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. Tickets are from $20 to $45. The college is located at 250 Bedford Park Blvd. W. For more information, call (718) 960-8833.

                   
Exhibits

•   Lehman College’s Art Gallery hosts Beatrice Coron: The Secret Life of Cities, through Jan. 11 in the Edith Altschul Lehman Wing. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 250 Bedford Park Blvd. W. For more information, call (718) 960-8731.

 

•   Ornamental Instincts, a show of seasonal, nature-inspired installations that bring into focus the ornamental genius of nature’s varied habitats, will be on exhibit through Feb. 10, 2008 at the Wave Hill House located at West 249th Street and Independence Avenue in Riverdale. For more information, call (718) 549-3200 or visit www.wavehill.org.

 

•   The Bronx Museum of the Arts hosts Quisqueya Henríquez: Outside Traditional Art in the artist’s first major appearance in the United States, through Jan. 27, 2008. The exhibition is a selection of her work examining the sensory qualities of urban life, including a daily visual dispatch from Santo Domingo, where she currently lives. The museum, located at 1040 Grand Concourse at West 165th Street, is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m., except for Friday, when it is open until 8 p.m. Suggested admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors and is free on Fridays for members and for children under 12. For more information, call (718) 681-6000 or visit www.bronxmuseum.org.

 

•   The Longwood Arts Project, the contemporary art center of the Bronx Council on the Arts, presents Material Culture at the Longwood Art Gallery at Hostos Community College, 450 Grand Concourse at 149th Street, through Feb. 7. The artists in this exhibit present works in a selection of wood, clay, metal, glass, fiber works and mixed media art, rather than simply paint and canvas. For more information, call (718) 931-9500 ext. 21 or (718) 518-6728.

Learning

•   Wave Hill presents a family art project: Calendar Creations, Dec.29 and 30, to paint your favorite view onto a calendar, in Wave Hill’s Kerlin Learning Center from 1 to 4 p.m. Wave Hill is at West 249th Street and Independence Avenue in Riverdale. For more information, call (718) 549-3200 or visit wavehill.org.

 

•   The Bronx Library Center has events for all ages:

For children, there’s a video on Jan. 2 and 9 at 4 p.m. Also for school-aged children, there’s Stick Pals Making, Jan. 3 at 4 p.m.; and Tales from the Northlands, Jan. 7 at 4 p.m.
Young adults can Play Chess! in a workshop with Ramon A. Hernandez, Jan. 7 at 4 p.m.
The Center is located at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road. For a detailed schedule, call (718) 579-4244/46 or visit www.nypl.org.

•   The Mosholu Library will present Toddler Time, for babies, toddlers and children, Jan. 3 at 10:30 a.m.; and Make Your Own Belt Buckle with Susan Hale, Jan. 8 at 4 p.m. Please call in advance to confirm dates. The library is located at 285 E. 205th St. For more information, call (718) 882-8239.

A HEALTHY AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS!

NOTE: Items for consideration should be received in our office by Dec. 31 for the next publication date of Jan. 10.

Neighborhood Notes

By Norwood News

Free Computer Tutoring
Mosholu Preservation Corporation, 3400 Reservoir Oval East, is hosting free computer tutoring from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays beginning again on Jan. 3. Tutoring ranges from basic computer skills to navigating the Internet. All are welcome. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (718) 324-4468.

ESL and GED Classes
Fordham Manor Reformed Church is offering free ESL and GED classes at its building on 2705 Reservoir Ave. The ESL classes will be held on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the GED classes are on Monday and Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The ESL class requires a 15-minute test for enrollment. A longer three-hour test is necessary to take part in the GED class. For more information, call (718) 796-4980 ext. 16.

BRIO Arts Awards
Applications and guidelines for the 2008 Bronx Recognizes Its Own (BRIO) Awards are currently available on-line. The BRIO awards support artists creating work in literary, media, performing, and visual arts. This year, 25 grants of $3,000 each will be given out at the awards ceremony in June 2008. The application deadline is Jan. 25 at 5 p.m. For an on-line application, visit www.bronxarts.org. For more information, call (718) 931-9500 ext. 35.

Citizenship Test Prep
Two Bronx High School of Science seniors and a student in the Macaulay Honors Program at Lehman College are offering a free Citizenship Test preparation course. The course will be held in Room 131 of the Bronx High School of Science, 75 W. 205th Street on Thursday nights at 6:30 p.m. For more information or to sign up, call Andrew Levin at (917) 532-7727.

Adult ESL and Computer Classes
Now through June, PS 94 at 3530 Kings College Place is offering beginning and intermediate ESL classes as well as beginner computer classes. All classes will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. For more information or to sign up, go to room 105 or call the parent coordinator, Ms. Seminario, at (347) 563-4772, (718) 405-6345 ext. 1050 or (718) 863-4057.

Free Assistance
National Student Partnerships provides no-cost help with job searches, housing searches, education, job training, resume-writing, childcare, legal services and much more. There are no eligibility requirements, and all services are completely free. NSP is located at 2715 Bainbridge Ave. at East 196th Street. Please call (718) 733-3897 to set up an appointment. You do not need to be a student to obtain services. Se habla español.

Little League Registration
The Fordham Bedford Little League is currently accepting applications for interested boys and girls from ages 5 to 18. For more information, call Pete at (917) 645-9514 or visit www.fbllnet.org.

Speech Center Program
The Mount Saint Ursula Speech Center is accepting applications for its fall program. The Center, at 2885 Marion Ave., has morning and afternoon openings for children ages 2 to 5 who are in need of speech and language services. Children can work in groups or individually. Some types of insurance are accepted. For more information, call (718) 584-7679.

Jewish Culture for Kids
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center offers a free Hebrew School/Jewish Family Connection Program on Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon for children in grades 2 through 6. The program offers a wide variety of activities and is open to all. For more information, call Abraham Rubin at (718) 882-4000.
50-Plus Yoga Class
The Norwood Triangle, the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center’s Adult Education Division, has added a “Yoga on the Go” class for adults ages 50 and up. The eight-session class will be offered on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at 3450 DeKalb Ave. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

Applying for HEAP
Older New Yorkers can apply for the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) grant to help meet the challenges of paying for heating and utility costs during the cold winter months. This federally-funded program provides financial assistance to limited-income households to offset costs of heating and energy bills. Applicants must meet income guidelines and be 60 or older. To receive a HEAP application, call 311 or visit DFTA at www.nyc.gov/aging. For more information about the HEAP program, seniors can log onto ACCESS NYC at www.nyc.gov, call the Human Resources Administration’s Info Line at 1-877-HRA-8411 or visit HRA’s Web site at www.nyc.gov/hra.

Foster Care Network
The Foster Care Network currently has an urgent need for adults who want to become foster parents for the hundreds of area children who need a home for the upcoming holiday season. For more information, call (800) 454-3727 ext. 110.

New Year’s Mass at St. Ann’s
Saint Ann’s will be holding masses on both New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. New Year’s Eve mass will be held Dec. 31 at 5:30 pm, a Holy Hour at 11 pm and a Midnight Mass. On Jan. 1, New Year’s Day, English Mass will be held at 10 a.m. and Spanish Mass will be held at 11:30 a.m.

Jonas Bronck Academy Offers Tours
Through Jan. 29, Jonas Bronck Academy will be offering school tours for those interested in applying to the academy for September 2008. The academy is a small middle chool of choice located on the Manhattan College campus in Riverdale. They serve students in sixth through eighth grades who reside in District 10. Interested applicants must tour the school. Families should call ahead to sign up for tours by contacting Ms. Torres, parent coordinator, at (718) 884-6673 or (347) 563-4833.

Research Programs for Cancer Patients
The Albert Einstein Cancer Center is offering two free research programs for patients with cancer. The Yoga-Based Cancer Rehabilitation Program includes 12 weeks of yoga classes as part of a research study to see if yoga can help patients with breast, lung and colorectal cancer. Classes are taught in both English and Spanish by a certified yoga instructor. The Mind-Body Cancer Program includes eight weeks of mind-body groups as a part of a research study for patients with most types of cancer. The groups are specifically designed by a psychologist and oncologist for patients. Some restrictions may apply and both programs are taking place in the Bronx. For more information or to find out if you are eligible for participation, call (718) 430-2380.

Baseball/Basketball at MMCC
Registration for the Mosholu Community Center’s spring 2008 baseball league for boys and girls ages 5 to 15 and for Girls Softball ages 9–15, will be held Sunday, Jan. 6 from 10 a.m. to noon in the center’s lobby at 3450 DeKalb Ave. Registration is $90. Children in grades K to 6 can register for basketball for $85, which begins Jan. 6. Each program requires a $10 accident insurance fee. For more information, call Chris Pinto at (718) 882-4000, ext. 280 or the front desk at ext. 0.

Concert in VC Village
Keyboardist and singer Igor Sherbakov is set to perform on Thursday, Dec. 27 at 1 pm at the Van Cortlandt Senior Center located at 3880 Sedgwick Ave. A festive holiday lunch will be served at noon. Suggested donation for lunch and entertainment is $3. RSVP to (718) 549-4700.

Winter Trip for Seniors
On Jan. 16, the Mosholu Montefiore Senior Center at 3450 DeKalb Ave. will sponsor a trip to see “Phantom of the Opera.” The trip will include a luncheon. The cost is $62 for active senior center participants and $68 for non-active senior center participants. For more information, call (718) 798-6601.

Dance, Art and Sports Classes for Kids
Mosholu Montefiore Community Center offers 10-week children’s classes for kids 5 to 13 in ballet, jazz, hip-hop dance, ballroom dance, Latin dance, jewelry making, drawing, puppetry, karate and fitness training, gymnastics, indoor soccer, computers, Spanish for beginners and small group tutoring in reading and math. Fees for classes range from $75 to $90 for each 10-week class, depending on the subject. Community center members will receive a discount. Classes begin on Jan. 5 and advance registration is required. Call (718) 882-4000 ext. 0 for more information.

Wanted: Community Board Members
The Office of the Bronx Borough President is accepting applications for all 12 Bronx Community Boards. “Participation on local Community Boards can provide Bronx residents with a forum to share with their community their expertise and talents,” said Borough President Adolfo Carrion in a statement. “It is important that community residents participate in the decision making process in their communities on important budget, land use and service delivery issues,” he said.
To apply for one of these volunteer positions on Community Board 7, pick up an application form from the Board’s office at 229A E. 204th Street, or call the Borough President’s Community Board office at (718) 590-3914. The application form is also online at www.bronxboropres.nyc.gov. The deadline for applying is Feb. 1, 2008.

May Shooting Highlights Rivalries

By Alex Kratz

The kind of violence associated with summer in the city didn’t wait for the official beginning of the season. In May, four young Ghanaian American men were shot outside of the Tracey Towers apartment complex early on a Friday night.

Though all four victims survived the shooting, the incident put a spotlight on an ongoing, and increasingly violent, rivalry between the youth at Tracey Towers and those living in the Knox-Gates neighborhood, just across Mosholu Parkway. Not to mention the problem of gun violence in the Bronx in general.

In connection with the shooting, police from the 52nd Precinct arrested two teenagers, both of whom were known to spend much of their time in Knox-Gates. Charges were later dropped when the victims refused to identify the suspects.

Police said the victims and shooters were both spoiling for a fight.

But one of the victims, Farid Haruna, a 22-year-old college student who recovered fully after being shot in the chest, said he and three friends were simply “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

It’s still unclear exactly what happened that night.

Regardless, Tracey and Knox-Gates residents both acknowledged the ongoing turf battle, saying tensions had been simmering for the past six or seven years and that nobody knew how the beef started originally. Some Tracey parents said they wouldn’t even send their kids across the parkway to Jerome Avenue without supervision for fear of violence.

Following the shooting, Tracey tenants held several emotional meetings to discuss the shooting and how similar incidents could be prevented in the future. Local elected officials came out to show their support. Police stopped short of making the area an Impact Zone, which would have flooded the neighborhoods with foot-patrolling rookie cops, but new 52nd Precinct Commanding Officer James Alles said his unit would pay closer attention to the situation.

In the end, a task force of officials, residents and community leaders called the Safe Streets Initiative was formed to brainstorm and implement solutions. Mostly, after hearing from area youth, the group focused on creating more activities and programs to help keep kids off the street and out of trouble. With help from elected officials, the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC) was able to add more programming at Tracey and Knox-Gates (where MMCC took over control of the COVE, a struggling youth center on Gates Place).

While Tracey has stayed relatively violence-free since the shooting, the situation in Knox-Gates has grown progressively worse. In July, a 38-year-old man was shot to death in the Mosholu Parkway woods, which surrounds Knox-Gates. In September, a 17-year-old Knox-Gates resident was shot in the back while walking down Gates Place and is now paralyzed. Both incidents were drug related, police said. At the end of November, a 22-year-old man was arrested for gun possession on Gates Place.

While the Tracey Towers-Knox-Gates tension appears to have dissipated, the problem of community — and especially drug-related — violence remains.

Beloved Doctor Murdered

By Alex Kratz

In early January of 2007, Dr. Leandro Lozado, who ran a pediatric health clinic on Kingsbridge Road, was found murdered in his Westchester County home with several bullet wounds, including two to the head.

The gruesome murder shocked the local community, which had come to love and depend on Lozado, who had opened up his health clinic on Kingsbridge Road in North Fordham to help out disadvantaged, low-income Hispanic residents.

One client, whose 3-year-old twins adored Lozado, said, “He could have opened [the clinic] anywhere, but he wanted to have his practice here where he knew people needed him.”

Another client added: “And it’s so sad, because we’re not going to get someone like him again.”

Despite his death, Lozado’s health clinic, Hispanic Pediatrics, remains open and running.

CB7′s Tumultuous Year

By Alex Kratz

The times they are a-changin’ at Community Board 7.

But it hasn’t been easy.

Last winter, a rift began to form between longtime District Manager Rita Kessler and the relatively new chairman, Greg Faulkner, who was elected by default three years ago.

Early in the summer, after 18 years on the job, Kessler decided she’d had enough and announced she would resign soon after the Board elections, which were shaping into a competitive showdown between two slates of candidates.

On one side was Faulkner, the current chairman, and a slate of newer board members. On the other side, was community stalwart Don Bluestone, a longtime Board member who runs the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, and a slate of incumbent Board officers.

Faulkner’s slate won convincingly and Bluestone graciously conceded victory, saying Faulkner now had a definitive mandate to lead the Board.

Kessler, who announced her resignation on election night, couldn’t hide her personal feelings, saying loudly, “Lord have mercy on this Board,” when the results were announced.

Weeks later, Kessler was gone and the Board began an exhaustive, months-long search for a new district manager. The borough president’s community board specialist, Tom Lucania, a former district manager, took over on an interim and part-time basis.

Meanwhile, Faulkner began making subtle changes to the committees in an effort to make the Board more effective. The changes were approved by the full Board this fall.

In another interesting development, 2007 saw an influx of nine new Board members. Both Bluestone and Faulkner praised the new crop of local residents for their enthusiasm and activism.

In November, the CB7 search committee chose one of those new Board members, Fernando Tirado, a Health Department employee who lives in Bedford Park, to be the new district manager. Tirado will start his new job on Jan. 7.

Faulkner, who presided over a recent Saturday open house at the Board office, something he plans to do monthly, said he expects the board to grow again in 2008. After adding nine new members last year to bump the total up to 34, Faulkner said that in 2008, “We’re anticipating another nice new crop.”

Virginia Car Crash Hits NW Bronx

By Alex Kratz

For more than a month late this past summer, there was a makeshift memorial outside of the Norwood apartment building where a mother mourned the loss of five of her six children who died together in a horrific Virginia car crash.

On July 24, a sedan carrying all five children swerved on a Virginia highway and ran smack into an oncoming truck, killing the kids and another companion almost instantly. Local activist Joe Thompson and Pastor Jay Gooding helped the mother, Pamela Ramharrack, arrange the funeral and deal with the loss.

The five children – Jessica, 11; Anderson, 13; Emmanuel, 16; Anthony, 21; and Perthrian, 24 – were brought to McCall’s Funeral Home on Aug.17.

Turf Battle

By Allison Grande

The construction of a new track and field at Williamsbridge Oval Park in Norwood and three new synthetic ball fields at Harris Park in Bedford Park has heated up a debate among local residents about which surface – grass or synthetic turf – is better and safer for city parks.

The new synthetic fields play like natural grass fields because they are infused with pellets made up of tire grounds, which give the fields more resilience. Grass advocates oppose the use of these tire “crumbs” because they contain carcinogens (cancer causing chemicals) that may be harmful. Synthetic turf opponents also worry about high heat retention and the increased start-up cost of synthetic turf fields as well.

The Parks Department and the company FieldTurf counter with studies that claim the tire pellets are not harmful because the turf does not emit a high enough level of toxins to affect humans or the environment. They say that although synthetic fields cost more initially, they don’t require as much maintenance and that heat is not a problem.

Meetings for groups on both sides of the debate are being planned into the New Year. With the Parks Department planning to go ahead with its installation of synthetic turf in Bronx parks and natural grass supporters calling for a moratorium on construction until more research can be done on synthetic turf, this debate shows no signs of cooling down.

Fordham Hill Power Struggle

By Alex Kratz

Last winter, the Norwood News reported that a majority among the Fordham Hill Owners Cooperative’s Board of Directors had begun making a string of sweeping changes at the high-end University Heights housing cooperative.

The board chair, who said the other majority members met in secret, resigned in protest and, after several accusations of impropriety from the Board majority, the cooperatives’ property management staff started resigning as well.

The owners began organizing behind activist Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, who, after a heated campaign, took over as board chair after elections.

A couple of weeks ago, Pilgrim-Hunter admitted the situation was still tangled and fraught with tension, but she said the Board has begun to right the wayward ship and is on the verge of hiring a new management company.

Foreclosure Crisis

By Alex Kratz

This fall, when northwest Bronx homeowners began losing their homes at an increasingly high rate to foreclosure, housing advocates pointed to a half decade of subprime lending practices, which left borrowers with high monthly payments they simply couldn’t keep up with.

The entire nation began feeling the pinch as housing groups scrambled to cobble together resources to reverse the foreclosure trend. Advocates blamed mortgage companies and big investment banks, saying the two worked in tandem to push subprime loans on borrowers, many of whom could have qualified for prime loans with lower interest rates.

Housing groups say government remediation efforts have fallen short and more resources are needed. Shockingly, there is only one counselor in the entire northwest Bronx doing foreclosure counseling. Homeowners stuck with bad loans and facing foreclosure simply don’t have anywhere to turn for help.

But as we went to press, Greg Jost of University Neighborhood Housing Program, reported on the West Bronx Blog, that the mayor, City Council and the nonprofit Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project (NEDAP) had formed the Center for New York City Neighborhoods, a new nonprofit that will “fund a major expansion and coordination of counseling and referral services, legal assistance, loan remediation, preventive outreach and education, training, research and advocacy around sub-prime lending and mortgage foreclosures.”

So, early in 2008, help should be on the way. To access assistance under the new program, just call 311.

New Use for Library?

By Alex Kratz

Local groups staged not one, not two, but three spirited rallies last summer in front of the vacant Fordham Library building demanding the building be turned over to the community.

Although two different groups – the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition’s youth group Sistas and Brothas United and Community Action United – staged separate rallies, both say they want to work together to turn the building into community space primarily for youth programs.

There’s only one problem: the library is contaminated and needs extensive remediation work done. Recently, the city, which controls the property, bid out the clean-up contract, but it remains unclear when that work will be finished. Not until that is done will the city decide what to do with this valuable space. Stay tuned.

Finding Florence Bock

By Jordan Moss

An enduring neighborhood mystery was partially solved in 2007. The bones of Florence Bock, a woman in her 80s who lived at 3280 Perry Ave. were discovered in her home when workers were cleaning out the house for a new owner. For two years, her neighbors watched litter and mail pile up on her doorstep (though eventually the mailman stopped delivering there and sent her pension check back to the city coffers), and wondered what had happened to her. Several people had been by during that time, and found no sign of Ms. Bock, including representatives of the Police Department, Ms. Bock’s insurance agent, and the office of the public administrator, which handles properties with no apparent owner. But no one saw any sign of Ms. Bock until after the public administrator’s office sold the house, with the permission of the Bronx Surrogate Court.

Ms. Bock had relatives named in her will, but it’s unclear whether any of them tried to determine her whereabouts in the two years prior to the gruesome discovery.

Alles Takes Over 52nd

By Alex Kratz

Deputy Inspector James Alles took over command of the 52nd Precinct, ending the lengthy (three and a half year) run of Deputy Inspector Joseph Hoch, who moved on to run the Bronx transit division.

Alles, who came to the Five-Two after a two-year stint as the commander of the Four-Five in the east Bronx, took some criticism for not attending certain community meetings. He was well received, however, at a November meeting at Our Lady of Refuge Church where the largely Mexican immigrant audience complained of being targeted by robbers and rampant drug sales in area buildings. He brought his top lieutenants and other borough brass to respond to residents’ concerns, and community leaders report an increase in uniformed police presence since then in the area, which has been besieged by the drug trade for two decades.

In the precinct, official crime numbers remain virtually the same as last year, although there have been 13 murders (as of Dec. 21) as opposed to 11 last year. There was a 12 percent reduction in auto theft.

LaMotta Removed

By Alex Kratz

After being reassigned to the city Education Department’s Region One offices last February pending an internal investigation, former PS/MS 280 Principal Gary LaMotta quietly retired over the summer.

LaMotta’s tenure at PS/MS 280, one of the most successful and praised schools in District 10, came to a sudden and ignominious end after 16 years at the Mosholu Parkway school.

The Department of Education Department (DOE) said LaMotta’s reassignment came when a female employee accused LaMotta of inappropriate conduct. The spokesman also said the DOE would publicly release a full report of the investigation’s findings, but that has not materialized. The DOE did not return calls requesting information about the LaMotta investigation.

Former Assistant Principal James Weeks took over as PS/MS 280 principal this year on a permanent basis.

 

Sentences in Death of Quachaun Browne

By Jordan Moss

2007 brought resolution – at least in court – to a 2006 child abuse case that shocked the Bronx and the city, when those responsible for the brutal beating death of 4-year-old Quachaun Browne were convicted and sentenced.

In July, Quachaun’s mother, Aleshia Smith, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received a sentence of two-and-a-half to seven-and-a-half years in prison for failing to promptly seek medical help for the boy. Then came the trial of her boyfriend, Jose Calderon, who did the actual beating. Prosecutors in Calderon’s trial said he had struck Quachaun with a belt and hard plastic baseball bat and repeatedly slammed his head into a wall. The family’s apartment on Kossuth Avenue was literally steps away from North Central Bronx Hospital. The boy was eventually taken there for medical treatment but it was too late.

Calderon stood trial and was found guilty of manslaughter, but not murder, surprising even Calderon’s attorney, Edward Zismor, who had been preparing his client for the worst.

Zismor told the media that jurors had told him that they believed that Smith had also beaten Quachaun in the three days preceding his death despite prosecutors’ claims to the contrary.

Calderon was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but could have received more than 25 years if convicted of more serious charges.

Quachaun’s death came only three weeks after 7-year-old Nixzmary Brown died in Brooklyn in a similar incident that made citywide headlines for days. Both cases prompted calls for reform at the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). Workers from ACS had been to Quachaun’s apartment several times prior to his death.

Banner Year for Nonprofit Bronx Media

By Jordan Moss

2007 was a banner year for bringing more local media to many more west Bronx residents.

In late 2006, the Norwood News introduced the West Bronx News Network, a collaboration that includes the Highbridge Horizon, another nonprofit paper published by the Highbridge Community Life Center, and the Mount Hope Monitor, an on-line effort launched by the Norwood News with support from the Mount Hope Housing Company. In 2007, the Network introduced the print edition of the Monitor and published five issues in 2007. The Monitor will be published monthly throughout 2008. The Network also launched the West Bronx Blog (www.westbronxnews.blogspot.com), the first news and policy blog of its kind in the borough. Reporters and editors from all three publications contribute to it.

The Norwood News also launched a new Web site (www.norwoodnews.org) with many new features, including fully searchable archives, the ability to e-mail and print articles, RSS feeds, and PDFs of the print edition. All of the paper’s contents are now available on line for free.

In early 2008, Norwood News and Mount Hope Monitor will start the West Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative, which is made possible by a generous grant from the New York Foundation. The program will teach the fundamentals of writing and reporting to a dozen local high school students, and their work will be published in Network publications.

Foreman Leaves Monte

By Jordan Moss

Hospital wings are usually named for people who have donated a substantial amount of money. But a major portion of Montefiore’s main campus was named in 2006 for someone who transformed the institution over two decades as its president, Spencer Foreman, MD.

Foreman, who officially retires on Jan. 6, 2008, presided over two decades of growth for Montefiore, the largest private employer in the Bronx. He is widely known for stewarding the vast expansion of Montefiore’s medical services such as the Children’s Hospital and a full-service community care system in 30 health centers in the Bronx and Westchester.

But Foreman also made his mark in an area not usually associated with hospital executives – community development.

Early on in his tenure, he made it clear that the community’s viability was connected to the hospital’s and vice versa.

“Large, successful businesses have a responsibility to improve the world in which they prosper,” Foreman said in a 2006 interview with the Norwood News. “Corporate philanthropy, corporate involvement, is very much a part of the great American tradition.”

Foreman said that fostering community improvements in the area surrounding Montefiore are a “two-fer” – they benefit the Medical Center and its staff and patients, and also the neighborhood as a whole.

“Having a neighborhood which looks good and feels good is very much in the institution’s own best interest,” Foreman said. “If the place is in good repair, and is orderly, clean and safe, people want to come here. If the neighborhood is a wreck, they don’t.”

Foreman was an active member of the board of Mosholu Preservation Corporation (MPC), a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore which publishes the Norwood News. He supported MPC’s efforts to move beyond the renovation of the derelict buildings to include graffiti removal as well as the eventual creation of the paper and the Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District.

He also was a key supporter of MPC’s efforts to renovate the historic Keeper’s House on Reservoir Oval and other conversions of dilapidated area buildings to community uses.

Foreman brokered the deal between the New York Botanical Garden and Fordham University to end a decade-old battle over a half-built radio tower on Fordham campus. Fordham offered the roof of a Montefiore apartment building, where the tower now sits. That development preceded an ongoing collaboration among the three nonprofits and the Bronx Zoo to beautify and enhance the thoroughfares leading to the institutions.

In November, Montefiore’s board of trustees named Steven M. Safyer, MD, as Foreman’s successor. Safyer has been senior vice president and chief medical officer at Montefiore since 1998.

Hopes for Armory Deferred to 2008

By Jordan Moss

2007 was supposed to be a landmark year for the landmarked Kingsbridge Armory. In the fall of 2006, the city finally announced the release of a request for proposals, a key development the community had waited — and agitated — years for.

Three firms did put in bids and the city was supposed to pick one last July, but the decision was postponed until October, which came and went with no action, as did November and now December.

Two weeks ago, the Norwood News asked a spokesperson for the city’s Economic Development Corporation when the city would announce its chosen developer. “Soon, and I can’t be more specific,” was the terse reply we got back.

But community activists who pressed the city to act probably won’t be quite ready to break out the champagne even when a developer is announced. That’s because the Department of Education threw cold water on their campaign to include public schools in the redevelopment. A proposal developed by the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition with the Richman Group, which is now a collaborator with the Related Companies – one of the firms in the running — had called for four schools or 2,000 school seats at the armory. The RFP cut that in half, calling for about two schools and 1,000 seats at the armory.

And in June, in response to a letter from City Council members, Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm said that demographic trends made more schools in the area unnecessary. A survey done by Council Member Oliver Koppell over the summer, however, revealed significant overcrowding at area schools.

Grimm did hold out faint hope for one school at the armory, but until some of the 1,700 seats the city removed from the capital plan in late 2006 are replaced – perhaps in an amendment in February or in the new capital plan next fall — redevelopment will proceed without schools.

The Coalition and the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA), an umbrella group of community institutions it organized, are demanding a seat at the negotiating table when the city picks a developer. KARA wants the developer to sign an agreement guaranteeing that the project is built by union members who are community residents. It also wants living wage jobs for employees of businesses in the revamped facility.

Whether or not these community hopes for the armory are realized will probably be known by this time in 2008.

 

Public and Community Meetings

By None

•    The 52nd Precinct Community Council will meet on Thursday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. at the 52nd Precinct headquarters, 3016 Webster Ave. For more information, call (718) 220-5824.
•    The Bedford Mosholu Community Association will meet Wednesday, Jan. 2 at 8 p.m. at 400 E. Mosholu Parkway South, Apt. B1, located on the lobby floor. All are welcome.
•    Community Education Council 10 will meet on Thursday, Jan. 17 at PS 3, 2100 LaFontaine Ave. at 6:15 p.m. for the business meeting and 7:15 p.m. for the calendar meeting. Topics will be Gifted and Talented programs and the Welcome Center. For more information, call (718) 741-5836.

Carrion Drops Mayoral Bid

By Alex Kratz

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión spent 2007 positioning himself for a 2009 mayoral run, but the former teacher sent shock waves through the city’s political establishment when he announced in mid-December that he would instead be running for comptroller.

Politicos say Carrión’s decision most directly benefits current comptroller Bill Thompson, the only other minority candidate. It was widely believed Thompson, who’s black, and Carrión, who’s Puerto Rican, would have fractured the kind of minority coalition that either would have needed to win.

Carrión immediately becomes a formidable force in the comptroller’s race, with a $1.4 million war chest and the highest profile of any of the other candidates. Joining Thompson in the mayoral race will most likely be Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Congressman Anthony Weiner.

Dinowitz’s Human Trafficking Bill Passes

By Alex Kratz

Calling it “without a doubt the most important legislation I’ve ever passed,” an anti-human trafficking bill first introduced by Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz became a law in 2007.

“If I do nothing else in the Assembly, this will make it worthwhile,” Dinowitz told the Norwood News.

The bill will essentially strengthen penalties against traffickers and improve aid to victims.

Sunlight on NY Politics

By Alex Kratz

Senator Efrain Gonzalez’s indictment on criminal corruption and fraud charges put a face on the secret nature of member items, or state grants doled out by elected officials at their discretion. Before 2007, neither the Senate nor Assembly publicized how $170 million in member item funds were being distributed.

After a lawsuit by the Albany Times-Union and Gonzalez’s indictment, transparency and ethics reform became the hot topics going into the legislative session of 2007. Governor Eliot Spitzer and new Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, both newly installed in their positions, said ethics reform would be a high priority.

Spitzer made it so individual member items would be attached to the names of lawmakers and published in the state budget. But the list is not published until after the budget has been finalized, leading transparency advocates to say the reforms don’t go far enough.

Cuomo hired longtime government watchdog Blair Horner to run Project Sunlight, a Web site detailing the work, fund-raising and member items of individual lawmakers, which was just unveiled on Dec. 5. Check out what your local elected official is doing at www.sunlightny.com.

The transparency bug has bitten the Big Apple as well. Last summer, the City Council began publishing individual member items on its Web site.

Gonzalez Trial Stalls

By Alex Kratz

State Senator Efrain Gonzalez’s pending trial on fraud and corruption charges is still pending after pre-trial hearings were postponed twice in 2007.

In the fall of 2006, Gonzalez was charged with mail fraud. Three months later, federal authorities heaped on several more serious charges for allegedly bilking $423,000 in state funds and using the funds (mostly local grants, so-called member items, that were supposed to go to local organizations) to pay for his own personal expenses.

In March, Gonzalez’s lawyer, Murray Richman, said he needed more time to go through the mountains of evidence against his client and the judge postponed pretrial hearings, the precursor to a trial, until November. Then, in November, that date was pushed back again, this time until April.

Gonzalez has indicated he intends to run for office again next fall when he’s up for re-election, but rumors are swirling about who might replace him if he resigns or is convicted. Longtime Bronx politician Pedro Espada, Jr. recently moved to Bedford Park (Gonzalez territory) and said he wants to run for something, possibly the 33rd Senate District seat.

 

Off and Running

By Alex Kratz

Despite Election Day for city offices being still almost two years away, local City Council races began warming up this fall.

All three City Council seats in the Norwood News readership area are up for grabs when term limits force out Maria Baez (14th District), Oliver Koppell (11th) and Joel Rivera (15th) at the end of 2009.

In the 14th District, two fledgling politicians with activist roots, Haile Rivera and Fernando Cabrera, declared their interest in Baez’s job.

Rivera (no relation to Joel), who works for the New York Food Bank, officially announced his candidacy earlier in the fall after gaining some notoriety for being chosen to have an intimate dinner with Barack Obama. Though his staff consists mostly of his girlfriend, Rivera is using cyberspace to get the word out, writing his own blog and sending out mass press releases weighing in on issues ranging from the Iranian president’s visit to Gotham (he shouldn’t be allowed at Ground Zero) to indicted State Senator Efrain Gonzalez (he should resign).

Cabrera, the lead minister at North Fordham’s New Life Outreach International Church, began weighing a bid for Baez’s seat over the summer. A former member of Community Board 7, Cabrera has not officially announced his candidacy, but has created a fund-raising committee, the first step in running for office. He enjoys the backing of CB7 Chair Greg Faulkner, who is a member of New Life.

In District 15, a host of possible names have been mentioned, but only Koppell’s lead counsel Jamin Sewell has announced his candidacy. Community Board 8 Chair Anthony Cassino is also contemplating a run and has formed a fund-raising committee to put himself in position. Randi Martos, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz’s chief of staff, is also said to be weighing a bid.

Meanwhile, Joel Rivera, the Council majority leader, is ramping up his run for borough president and has already raised more than $200,000. So far, no one has vocalized their intention to run for his 15th District seat.

In the borough president’s race, Rivera will face off with Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, Jr. and possibly State Senator Jose Marco Serrano, both of whom, like Rivera, have fathers with significant political clout in the Bronx. Ruben Diaz, Sr. is a state senator and Jose Serrano is a powerful congressman.

 

Monitors Vote for Filter Investigation

By Joshua Cinelli and Alex Kratz

The Croton Filtration Monitoring Committee passed a resolution, 5-2, last week calling for three public officials to investigate the cost overruns that have ballooned the project estimate from $890 million to nearly $3 billion.

The Independent Budget Office (IBO), as well as the city and state comptrollers, were asked to do a thorough audit of the project.

“The question for [the] comptrollers is how we got here and how we don’t get here again,” said Father Richard Gorman, chairman of Community Board 12 and author of the resolution. “I think we owe it to the people of New York to do this.”

The chairs of the three affected community boards voted for the resolution as did representatives for two elected officials on the Committee—Borough President Adolfo Carrion and Council Member Oliver Koppell. Only Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Emily Lloyd and Bronx Parks Commissioner Hector Aponte voted against the measure.

The vote occurred after a presentation from Lloyd, which primarily consisted of a listing of projects nationwide experiencing cost overruns. “We are not sanguine about these costs,” said Lloyd. “This is a tremendous problem for us.”

The explanation clearly didn’t satisfy the Committee, particularly Dinowitz, Koppell and Gorman, who made critical speeches after Lloyd’s presentation.

Lloyd, citing limited resources, then retracted her proposals for greater transparency including twice-a-year budget updates and community roundtables with the experts who calculated the bids.

Gorman’s response: “I feel like we just got publicly spanked.”

These developments capped a year of bad news for the mammoth project. Contractors bailed, fines accumulated, construction stopped and costs soared. At the same time, community and political criticism mounted.

In the fall of 2006, the Norwood News reported that the cost of building the plant had nearly doubled from the original environmental impact study (EIS) estimate in 2003.

That revelation drew the ire of community activists and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz who were particularly upset at the exploding costs because the DEP said building in the Bronx would be cheaper than on a much more remote city-owned industrial plot in Westchester County.

The call for an accounting of the costs grew louder as 2007 began. Critics were not placated by the DEP’s explanation that ballooning costs were the result of an unprecedented spike in construction and material prices during the past four years.

As the year played out, Dinowitz and local activists began calling for a formal probe by the Department of Investigation (DOI), the attorney general’s office and the City Council.

The DEP responded that they were, from the spring of 2007 on, working with the DOI to prevent any waste, abuse or corruption. The agency also announced that the Independent Budget Office (IBO) had conducted a review of the costs. The IBO reported that the numbers added up, but stated that they hadn’t done a cost analysis.

Meanwhile, the contractor hired to complete the biggest phase of the project – the actual building of the facility – backed out in April. The problem was exacerbated by the fact that Perini, the original contractor, was supposed to start work in February, according to a federal mandate. When it balked, New York City began accruing thousands of dollars in federal fines, compounding the rising costs.

In August, the fines finally stopped (final tally: more than $5 million) when the Swedish mega-firm Skanska took over the project and were given an order to proceed — bumping the cost of the plant up an additional $200 million because that’s where Skanska’s bid came in.

In September, Dinowitz gained some allies in his criticism of the “disastrous” filter project when eight of 11 members of the Bronx Assembly delegation agreed to call for an investigation into the rising costs.

Fordham Methodist’s Spirited ‘Messiah’

By Melissa Cooper

Frigid temperatures and the promise of rain were not enough to stop parishioners and visitors from attending Fordham United Methodist Church’s seventh annual production of George Frederic Handel’s “Messiah” last Sunday evening.

Written in 1741, “Messiah” is a legendary oratorio about the life of Jesus Christ. It’s comprised of a series of solos and choruses and the lyrics are all based on Biblical passages.

“It grows in spirit and musical excellence every year,” said John Carlton Banks, the church’s musical director. “I have been told it is the highlight of many people’s Christmas season.”

“It’s wonderful!” said Georgia Williams, a longtime parishioner of Fordham United Methodist. She has been to all seven productions of “Messiah” and says she enjoys it just as much each time.

The climax of the performance came when the members of the chorus and the audience stood together while the well-known “Hallelujah” was sung.

At the end, many seemed to be lost for words. “Stellar,” was the best way Reverend Leo Curry could sum up the evening. “It surpassed my most fervent prayers.”

 

Lighting Up The Holidays

By Norwood News

More than 125 people showed up for the Fordham Road Business Improvement District’s third annual “Sparkling the Heart of Fordham” tree lighting ceremony at Bryan Park on Nov. 30 (top). The Fordham University Choir performed at the ceremony.

A few days later, the Bronx Veterans Affairs Hospital on West Kingsbridge Road lit its Christmas tree for the 10th consecutive year on Monday, Dec. 3. Volunteers from the AmVets Ladies Auxiliary, Post #38, served hot chocolate and donuts to about two dozen patients and staff.

Out & About

By Judy Noy

Holiday Happenings

• Kick off the holiday season with the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, sponsored by Borough President Adolfo Carrion and Community Board 7, on Dec. 13 at 6 p.m. on Bainbridge Avenue at Mosholu Parkway.

 

• Join the tree lighting at Poe Park on the Grand Concourse at East 192nd Street and East Kingsbridge Road, Dec. 13 at 6 p.m., hosted by Bronx Parks.

 

• Lehman College’s Center for the Performing Arts hosts the Messiah, featuring members of the Bronx Opera Chorus and the Orchestra of the Bronx, conducted by Michael Spierman, as well as text readings by Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, Jr., Bronx historian Lloyd Ultan, and Bronx community members, Dec. 16 at 3 p.m. (tickets are from $10 to $25; $10 for ages 12 and under). Immediately following this event, ticket holders can partake in A Taste of the Bronx Food Show, courtesy of the Bronx Tourism Council, where visitors can sample the cuisine of some of the Bronx’s top restaurants. Lehman is located at 250 Bedford Park Blvd. W. For more information, call (718) 960-8833.

• A free Holiday Spectacular, concert featuring a mix of holiday music is brought to the Bronx by the Lehman College Community Band, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. in Lehman’s Lovinger Theatre, located at 250 Bedford Park Blvd. W. For more information, call (718) 960-8247.

 

• The Church of the Holy Nativity, at 3061 Bainbridge Ave., presents a Christmas Concert, Dec. 22 at 4 p.m. Tickets are $10 and $7 for ages 10 and under. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call (718) 652-5853.

 

• A Ceremony of Carols, performed by the Riverdale Choral Society, will be held at Christ Church Riverdale at 252nd Street and Henry Hudson Parkway East, Dec. 16 at 4 p.m. Tickets are $15 and $13 with the Bronx Cultural Card. For more information, call (718) 543-2219.

 

• The Bronx Museum, 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th Street, presents its Family Affair Holiday Party, Dec. 15 from 1 to 4 p.m. Festivities include art making, food, and guided tours of the Quisqueya Henriquez: The World Outside exhibit (see listing under “Exhibits”). For more information, call (718) 681-6000 ext. 120.

 

• Los Nutcrackers: A Christmas Carajo, a Latino comedic Christmas play about a gay couple, interweaving the stories of “The Nutcracker” and “A Christmas Carol,” will be at the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance on Dec. 13 to 15, at 8 p.m. BAAD is located at 841 Barretto St. in the south Bronx. Tickets are $15. For reservations, call (718) 842-5223.

 

• The New York Botanical Garden is full of holiday cheer through Jan. 13, with the yearly Holiday Train Show in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory with city and suburban scenes all made of plant parts and large-gauge model railway trains and trolleys. Holiday Nights at the Garden, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 15, 22, and 26-31, includes lights, caroling performances, cider, hot chocolate and gingerbread. In addition, children can have Gingerbread Adventures in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden where they can smell, touch, and taste the ingredients of a gingerbread recipe and decorate their own gingersnap cookies, followed by Winter Wonderland of Gingerbread Houses, a display of elaborate gingerbread creations by renowned bakers. For more information, call (718) 817-8700.

 

• The Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road, presents a Holiday Concert, featuring Mary Pearson’s YES/NO NET Jazz Band, Dec. 15 at 2:30 p.m.; Spanish Holiday Concert, featuring Teodoro Colon and Marilyn Rivera, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m.; and A Christmas Carol, for children, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. For a detailed schedule, call (718) 579-4244/46 or visit www.nypl.org.

Onstage

• “The Little Engine That Could,” in puppets, joins the host of holiday activities at the New York Botanical Garden in the Arthur and Janet Ross Lecture Hall Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 23 and daily Dec. 26 through 31 at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. For more information, call (718) 817-8700.

Events

• Seasonal Tastings will be offered at Wave Hill’s Shop in the Perkins Visitor Center from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends throughout the holiday season. Try zesty tangerine tea and marmalade, Dec. 14 through 16 and discover the flavors of orange cranberry tea and marmalade, Dec. 21 though 23. Wave Hill is located at West 249th Street and Independence Avenue in Riverdale. For more information, call (718) 549-3200 ext. 385 or visit www.wavehill.org.

Exhibits

• Lehman College’s Art Gallery hosts Beatrice Coron: The Secret Life of Cities, through Jan. 11 in the Edith Altschul Lehman Wing. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 250 Bedford Park Blvd. W. For more information, call (718) 960-8731.

 

• Ornamental Instincts, a show of seasonal, nature-inspired installations that bring into focus the ornamental genius of nature’s varied habitats, will be on exhibit through Feb. 10, 2008 at the Wave Hill House located at West 249th Street and Independence Avenue in Riverdale. For more information, call (718) 549-3200 or visit www.wavehill.org.

 

• The Bronx Museum of the Arts hosts Quisqueya Henríquez: Outside Traditional Art in the artist’s first major appearance in the United States, through Jan. 27, 2008. The exhibition is a selection of her work examining the sensory qualities of urban life, including a daily visual dispatch from Santo Domingo, where she currently lives. The museum, located at 1040 Grand Concourse at West 165th Street, is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m., except for Friday, when it is open until 8 p.m. Suggested admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors and is free on Fridays for members and for children under 12. For more information, call (718) 681-6000 or visit www.bronxmuseum.org.

 

• The Longwood Arts Project, the contemporary art center of the Bronx Council on the Arts, presents Material Culture at the Longwood Art Gallery at Hostos Community College, 450 Grand Concourse at 149th Street, through Feb. 7. The artists in this exhibit present works in a selection of wood, clay, metal, glass, fiber works and mixed media art, rather than simply paint and canvas. For more information, call (718) 931-9500 ext. 21 or (718) 518-6728.

Learning

• Wave Hill presents two family art projects: It’s A Wrap, Dec. 15 and 16, to make one-of-a-kind wrapping paper by printing repeating patterns inspired by nature; and Collage the Colors of Winter, Dec. 22 and 23, to collect a variety of plant materials, then combine them with a variety of papers in collage creations that capture the tones and textures of the season. Both are in Wave Hill’s Kerlin Learning Center from 1 to 4 p.m. Wave Hill is at West 249th Street and Independence Avenue in Riverdale. For more information, call (718) 549-3200 or visit wavehill.org.

 

• The Bronx Library Center has events for all ages:

For children, there’s a video on Dec. 19 at 4 p.m.; Family Time for preschoolers and school-aged children, Dec. 15 at 11 a.m. Also for school-aged children, there’s: Stories and Songs of Latin America, Dec. 15 at 2 p.m.; Stories and Tales from Around the World, Dec. 17 at 4 p.m.; and Holiday Magnet Making, Dec. 20 at 4 p.m.

Young adults can Play Chess! in a workshop with Ramon A. Hernandez, Dec. 18 at 4 p.m.; join Anything Goes!, a clay workshop, Dec. 14 at 4:30 p.m.; and Make Your Own Kwanzaa Ornament, Dec. 20 at 4 p.m.
Adults can attend Make Crochet Gifts for the Holidays, a workshop on Dec. 17 and 19 at 4 p.m.;
The Center is located at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road. For a detailed schedule, call (718) 579-4244/46 or visit www.nypl.org.

• A special children’s program, Gadgets and Gizmos: Gears, to assemble your own see-through clock to understand how its mechanisms work, will be held at the Mosholu Library, 285 E. 205th St., Dec. 18 at 4 p.m. For more information, call (718) 882-8239.

 

• Folk Tales from Around the World, will be presented for ages 5 to 12, at the Jerome Library, 118 Eames Place, on Dec.18 at 4 p.m. For more information, call (718) 549-5200.

A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HEALTHY AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS!

NOTE: Items for consideration should be received in our office by Dec. 17 for the next publication date of Dec. 27.

Neighborhood Notes

By None

Christmas Blood Bank Drive
The Hudson Valley Blood Bank will hold a Blood Bank Drive on Sunday, Dec.16 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the St. Brendan’s school cafeteria at 333 E. 206th St. and at Walton H.S., West 196th Street and Reservoir Avenue on Dec. 17 from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Blood donors are required to know their Social Security number and bring in a picture ID. For further information, call the Rectory at (718) 547-6655.

Santa in Norwood
Santa Claus will be visiting North Fork Bank, 3159 Bainbridge Ave., on Saturday, Dec. 15 from 11 a.m. to noon. The first 50 children to see Santa will receive a free gift and photo, and parents will receive special sale coupons for shopping in the area. The event is presented by Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera, the Bronx Central Council for Economic Development and the North Bronx Merchants Association. For more information, call (718) 829-2020.

Free Computer Tutoring
From Dec. 17 to 20 (Monday to Thursday), Mosholu Preservation Corporation, 3400 Reservoir Oval East, is hosting free computer tutoring from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tutoring ranges from basic computer skills to navigating the Internet. All are welcome. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (718) 324-4468.

Social Security Assistance
Representatives of the Social Security Administration will be at Congressman Eliot Engel’s Bronx Office, 3655 Johnson Ave., on Tuesday, Dec. 18 to assist people with questions and issues concerning Social Security. This service is available by appointment only, which can be made by calling Engel’s executive assistant Richard Fedderman at (718) 796-9700.

Holiday Arts Sale
The Bronx River Art Center (BRAC) will host its 2007 Student, Faculty, and Studio Artists Exhibition and Benefit Sale on Dec. 14 from 4 to 7 p.m. at 1087 E. Tremont Ave. The event will open with a holiday party and feature a presentation of awards and certificates, refreshments, a raffle, and live music. Proceeds from sales will help keep quality art programs free or affordable to Bronx youth and community residents. The exhibition will be open to the public for viewing and purchasing through Dec. 22. For more information, call (718) 589-5819.

Free Marketing Workshop
Monroe College, 2468 Jerome Ave., hosts a free workshop on market research and marketing strategies on Wednesday, Dec. 19. The course will take place in Library Room 501 from noon to 3 p.m. Participation is limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. For more information, call (718) 960-8806.

ESL and GED Classes
Fordham Manor Reformed Church is offering free ESL and GED classes at its building at 2705 Reservoir Ave. The ESL classes will be held on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the GED classes are on Monday and Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The ESL class requires a 15-minute test for enrollment. A longer three-hour test is necessary to take part in the GED class. For more information, call (718) 796-4980 ext. 16.

MetroCard Van Coming
MTA MetroCard buses will make scheduled stops in the Bronx during December, including Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse on Dec. 14 and 28 from noon to 2 p.m.; Scott Tower (3400 Paul Ave., corner of West 205th Street) on Dec. 24 from 1 to 3 p.m.; and in Van Cortlandt Village at 3880 Sedgwick Ave. on Dec. 14 and 28 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Senior citizens and persons with disabilities may apply for the Reduced Fare MetroCard and obtain applications from the vans. Senior citizens must present photo ID proving they are at least 65. For more information, call (212) METROCARD or visit MTA’s Web site, www.mta.info.

BRIO Awards Info
Applications and guidelines for the 2008 Bronx Recognizes Its Own (BRIO) Awards are currently available on-line. The BRIO awards support artists creating work in literary, media, performing, and visual arts. This year, 25 grants of $3,000 each will be given out at the awards ceremony in June 2008. An application assistance program will be held on Saturday, Dec. 15 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Longwood Art Gallery at Hostos Community College. The application deadline is Jan. 25 at 5 p.m. For an on-line application, visit www.bronxarts.org. For more information, call (718) 931-9500 ext. 35.

Citizenship Test Preparation Course
Two Bronx High School of Science seniors and a student in the Macaulay Honors Program at Lehman College are offering a free Citizenship Test Preparation course. The course will be held in Room 131 of the Bronx High School of Science, 75 W. 205th St. on Thursday nights at 6:30 p.m. For more information or to sign up, call Andrew Levin at (917) 532-7727.

Adult ESL and Computer Classes
Now through June, PS 94 at 3530 Kings College Place is offering beginning and intermediate ESL classes as well as beginner computer classes. All classes will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. For more information or to sign up, go to room 105 or call the parent coordinator, Ms. Seminario, at (347) 563-4772, (718) 405-6345 ext. 1050 or (718) 863-4057.  

St. Ann’s Festival Events
A Festival of Lessons and Carols by the Novena Choir will take place on Saturday, Dec. 22 at 6 p.m. at Saint Ann’s Church, 3519 Bainbridge Ave., at the corner of Gun Hill Road. Other events will be Misa de Gallo Filipino Tradition, Dec. 16 to 24 at 6 a.m.; Dec. 24 Christmas Eve Mass at 5 p.m., Christmas carols at 9:30 p.m. and Solemn Christmas Mass at 10 p.m.; and Dec. 25 Christmas Day English Mass at 10 a.m. and Spanish Mass at 11:30 a.m. For more information, call (718) 547-9350.

Free Assistance
National Student Partnerships provides no-cost help with job searches, housing searches, education, job training, resume-writing, childcare, legal services and much more.  There are no eligibility requirements, and all services are completely free.  NSP is located at 2715 Bainbridge Ave. at East 196th Street.  Please call (718) 733-3897 to set up an appointment.  You do not need to be a student to obtain services. Se habla espanol.

Little League Registration
The Fordham Bedford Little League is currently accepting applications for interested boys and girls from ages 5 to 18. For more information, call Pete at (917) 645-9514 or visit www.fbllnet.org.

Speech Center Program
The Mount Saint Ursula Speech Center is accepting applications for its fall program. The Center, at 2885 Marion Ave., has morning and afternoon openings for children ages 2 to 5 who are in need of speech and language services. Children can work in groups or individually. Some types of insurance are accepted. For more information, call (718) 584-7679.

Jewish Culture for Kids
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center offers a free Hebrew School/Jewish Family Connection Program on Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon for children in grades 2 through 6. The program offers a wide variety of activities and is open to all. For more information, call Abraham Rubin at (718) 882-4000.

50-Plus Yoga Class
The Norwood Triangle, the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center’s Adult Education Division, has added a “Yoga on the Go” class for adults ages 50 and up. The eight-session class will be offered on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at 3450 DeKalb Ave. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

Hanukah Celebration
On Sunday, Dec. 16 at 1 p.m., Jake Shulman-ment, violinist, and Laura Berkson, accordionist, will perform klezmer, Yiddish and international music at the JASA Van Cortlandt Senior Center, 3880 Sedgwick Ave. A festive holiday lunch will be served at 12:15 p.m. Suggested contribution for lunch and entertainment is $4. For more information, call (718) 549-4700.

Murky Melee

By Alex Kratz

A fight on Gun Hill Road involving at least eight people, a golf club, a knife, a stolen Sidekick cell phone and an exchange of accusations, led to the arrest of four men on Thursday, Nov. 29.  

Details of the fight remain murky at best.

One of the men was taken to a hospital with blood all over his face and white T-shirt. He told police that someone had hit him in the head with a golf club when he was exiting a Gun Hill Road liquor store near Rochambeau Avenue. He was later arrested for assault.

Another participant ended up with a stab wound to his ribs, while someone else said he had been punched in the face and that his Sidekick had been stolen.

Police said the fight was between two groups from different neighborhoods – one from around 196th Street and the other from the Rochambeau-Gun Hill area – who may have had a run-in previously.

Both groups blamed each other for starting it.

Ultimately, however, it was the group from 196th Street that ended up being charged with assault.

Two Gun Arrests

By Alex Kratz

Officers arrested two people on Nov. 29 for harboring guns.

In the first case, two young men walked into a restaurant on East Kingsbridge Road and soon became embroiled in an argument with another group of young men.

One of the two young men, who police identified as Michael James, 24, of Bailey Avenue, raised up his shirt, showing his adversaries a weapon tucked into the waist of his pants.

Restaurant workers immediately called the police who arrived just as the gunman and his associate were leaving the restaurant. The two men resisted, but were eventually subdued by police officers. One of the cops, Officer Troy Griffith hurt his knee in the melee.

James, who police said has six prior arrests including at least one for robbery and one for gun possession, now faces gun possession and resisting arrest charges.

In the other case, members of the Five-Two anti-crime unit stopped a young man outside of 3405 Gates Pl. at around 9 p.m. when they noticed a suspicious-looking bulge protruding from his waist band.

Officers discovered that the young man was packing a .32 caliber Baretta in his pants and arrested him.

Police say Alejandro Huerta, 22, who lives at 3405 Gates, was arrested and charged with gun possession. Over the summer, police say Huerta was released on bail after being charged with gang assault.

Officer Caught Stealing

By Alex Kratz

Police nabbed one of their own on a recent Saturday afternoon for stealing at a large retail store in the west Bronx.

On Dec. 1 in the late evening, Alfredo Guerra, a housing policeman who works in Queens, was caught on camera stealing Playstation games and other merchandise at the Target on West 225th Street, police said.

Security guards detained Guerra until police from the Five-Two showed up to arrest him. The Police Department immediately suspended Guerra and he now faces termination, al

Murder in North Fordham

By Alex Kratz

Last Saturday night, a 26-year-old man named Souleymane Haidara was murdered in North Fordham.

A little after 6 p.m., police said Haidara was walking down Marion Avenue, near Poe Park, when he was approached by two young black men. One of the men pulled out a gun and shot Haidara in the torso.

Haidara, who police said lived in Brooklyn, managed to walk about half a block to 2696 Marion Ave. before responding officers discovered him.  

Haidara was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The suspects left the scene in a black car, police said. Though they haven’t identified any suspects yet, police said the investigation is ongoing.

 

12-year-old Survives Silver Bullet

By Alex Kratz

A 12-year-old girl narrowly escaped death or serious injury when a bullet passed through another man and hit her in the stomach.

In the early afternoon of Nov. 28, outside a bodega on Jerome Avenue near the corner of East 196th Street, an argument erupted between a 31-year-old black man and a Hispanic man in his mid-20s. The Hispanic man pulled out a gun and shot the black man in the back, police said.

The bullet traveled through the victim’s torso and hit the 12-year-old girl, who happened to be passing by. Luckily, the girl only received superficial wounds, including bruises, when the bullet lodged into her jacket. Doctors at St. Barnabas examined her and released her the same day.

The other victim was in stable condition at St. Barnabas.

Meanwhile, police cordoned off the block around the crime scene and found a .40 caliber handgun and the shooter’s black bubble NorthFace jacket. Police still haven’t found the suspect. 

For Extending the 2nd Ave. Subway

By None

This is the second part of a three-part open letter to Bronx elected officials.

In the first part of my letter, I argued that congestion pricing offers a golden opportunity to make a stand for the Bronx by supporting it only if revenues are legally dedicated to subway expansion projects in the outer boroughs. Congestion pricing also provides a second golden opportunity: its revenues would provide a down payment (supplemented by private and other funding sources) to make the dream extending the 2nd Avenue subway to Co-op City a reality.

What makes this extension so doable is the Amtrak line which runs the length of the eastern Bronx. It is a four-track roadbed but today, Amtrak trains only use two tracks; the other two are empty. Extending the 2nd Avenue subway would mean placing ballast, ties, tracks and signals on these and the line would run from the south Bronx right to the doorstep of Co-op City. No tunneling, no traffic snarls, no heavy construction! The most expensive item would be a dedicated railroad bridge to bring in the line from Manhattan.

The Amtrak route could not have been planned better: it’s next to Co-op City, the Bronx Municipal Hospital Center (another area in desperate need of a direct subway line), the western edge of Parkchester and the #6 station at Hunts Point. Two of these stations would provide service where there is none and all of them would substantially relieve the overcrowded #6 train.

This project would generate enormous popular support. It is necessary, however, that you do something! It’s an open secret that the MTA has started construction of the first phase of the 2nd Avenue subway thanks to the extraordinary leadership provided by Manhattan elected officials. While they were fighting, you did nothing to try to commit the MTA to a Bronx extension and to make the Manhattan portion more Bronx friendly. Instead of preaching the pessimistic and defeatist view that the MTA will never build a Bronx extension, start organizing and campaigning now!

You must also stop eagerly accepting any bone the MTA throws such as the Metro North stations. MTA plans to run Metro North New Haven trains to Penn Station via the Amtrak line would not be affected since they would use the already existing Amtrak tracks. But MTA plans to place these stations on the unused Amtrak trackbed would forever block a 2nd Avenue subway extension along this line. Any stations must be built beyond the Amtrak roadbed and fortunately, there is plenty of space next to the line to do so.

Given the choice, you certainly realize that most Bronx residents would prefer a subway to Metro North by overwhelming numbers. While the new MTA line would take riders exclusively to Penn Station in Manhattan, the 2nd Avenue subway would take riders all over Manhattan. And, obviously, the subway is far more affordable to the people of the Bronx. In this case, however, you can have both!

For years you have demonstrated almost no leadership on the mass transit front. Will you let this golden opportunity to achieve Bronx subway expansion, to reduce traffic and to improve Bronx quality-of-life go by?

In my third and final part, I’ll discuss some improvements that can make present Bronx subways more efficient and more attractive.

John Rozankowski

Bedford Park

Report Cards Disservice to Clinton

By None

The public school progress report of the Department of Education published in your Nov. 15 issue grievously misrepresents DeWitt Clinton High School’s achievements past and present for the Bronx, the city and the world.

The report measured certain numerical quantifiable factors while ignoring many positive qualifications. For example, some or many other schools use permissible but more lenient grading methods. This factor alone would have accounted for a full letter grade higher for Clinton were it less demanding of true achievement.

Clinton has more than 10 times as many students as other Bronx schools and is a veritable United Nations school preparing for college children from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe who enter the school with limited proficiency in English, but who receive millions of dollars in scholarships and grants upon graduation to attend some of the most selective colleges and universities in the nation.

The people of Norwood, the Bronx, the city and the world have every reason to be proud of DeWitt Clinton High School.

Henry Kelly

The writer is a librarian at DeWitt Clinton High School.

Crowding? What Crowding?

By Editorial

Despite overwhelming evidence that District 10 schools are still bursting at the seams, the Department of Education’s (DOE) November amendment to the 2005-09 capital plan brings no relief.

Sadly, it’s not a surprise. The DOE cut 1,700 seats from the capital plan last year and is on record saying, with a straight face, that there is no need for additional schools at the Kingsbridge Armory.

Judging the state of overcrowding takes some work but it’s not exactly astrophysics. The DOE could learn from Council Member Oliver Koppell, who simply sent a survey to every school principal in his district.

Here’s a look at just some of the conditions Koppell’s survey revealed:

• PS 8 has eliminated its science lab and turned two full-sized classrooms into four smaller ones. Five under-sized rooms there are used as classrooms.

• At PS 56, all its art, music and science rooms have been converted into classrooms. Its overages have been absorbed by PS 94, which may not be able to accommodate them as a new building is constructed its schoolyard. With its own schoolyard already occupied by a mini-school, the PS 56 principal writes, “We must get an extension to accommodate our growing population.”

• DeWitt Clinton High School runs three staggered sessions to accommodate 4,521 students in a building designed for 3,600.

• PS/MS 95 has created several classrooms in its indoor play yard. Despite the squeeze, it will lose a small playground to a new structure that will mainly be used for AMPARK, a new school of choice.

• The High School for Teaching and the Professions, a relatively new small high school on the Walton campus, is already showing signs of strain. It has converted its art and science labs into classrooms and has no music room or confidential space for its guidance counselors to talk to students.

• PS 86 also has converted music and art rooms into classrooms.

And these are only the schools in Koppell’s district. PS 246, just a couple of blocks from the armory, still has kids crammed into rooms that were designed as dormitory rooms. And we aren’t even including schools that need capital repairs to existing facilities, like the deteriorating portables at PS 280. (These are supposed to be temporary anyway!)

Determining school capacity can be something of a shell game. Do you count seats in temporary portable classrooms that suck up vital schoolyard space, or science labs that were converted for regular classes, as part of a school’s capacity? Maybe. Maybe not.

Either way, the point is that a modern school without a science lab or music room space, or private space for students to talk to guidance counselors, or space for kids to run around outside should be reason enough to create new classroom space.

There is also the troubling demographic methodology used by the Department of Education, which factors in the high school dropout rate in determining space needs.

(The Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition calls it “Planning for Failure.”)

There are two more opportunities in the coming year to change the capital plan — first in February when new amendments are considered and then in November when the next five-year plan is drafted

Koppell has written to Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm about the urgent needs. We’ll see what she has to say in reply.

In the meantime, parents, educators, community leaders and politicians should all get on the same page and make sure the capital plan reflects the dire capital needs in District 10 and that the armory redevelopment ultimately includes school space.

With all the current needs we have, and as new multi-family housing continues to go up all around us and the city plans for the city’s population to increase to nine million by 2030, failing to increase local school capacity just doesn’t make any sense.

Local Pastor Questions Obama on Healthcare at Iowa Forum

By Jordan Moss

As if the prospect of meeting and questioning Barack Obama before thousands of grassroots community activists wasn’t exciting enough, Rev. Katrina Foster pastor of Fordham Evangelical Lutheran Church was assigned another little task at the Heartland Presidential Forum in Des Moines, Iowa last week — giving the opening prayer.

A bishop who was scheduled to give the opening prayer couldn’t do it at the last minute, so Foster was tapped for that honor, too.

The event, called the Heartland Forum, featuring 2,000 potential Iowan caucus goers and another 1,600 grassroots community activists from around the country, was an attempt to stitch together a new national constituency for issues the activists feel are given short shrift. The Forum launched the Campaign for Community Values.

“We are replacing the old ‘family values’ [which] was a code word for defining people who we are against,” Foster said in an interview upon her return. “And ‘community values’ defines what we are in favor of.”

That includes universal healthcare, fixing the “subprime debacle [so] people can keep their homes,” a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants and making sure “that in actuality no child is left behind.”

Five presidential candidates participated including Obama and Senators Chris Dodd, John Edwards and Hillary Clinton (who appeared via satellite), and Congressman Dennis Kucinich.

Foster, who attended the event as a member of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, asked Obama whether his healthcare plan — which includes a mix of private and government insurance — was the way to go, since private insurance isn’t always cost-effective and does not cover everyone. Obama said that, if he were starting from scratch, he’d prefer a public system known as single-payer, but because he wanted to cover everyone soon, it made more sense to give people a choice while expanding government programs like SCHIP (state children’s health insurance programs) and negotiating with drug companies for lower prices.

All the candidates, with the exception of Hillary Clinton, agreed to tackle immigration policy in their first 100 days, Foster said. She added that they all “committed to meeting with us to shape their agenda in the first 100 days.” Obama even said he’d meet with representatives of the group during his transition.

Foster said the gathering was refreshing because “it is the first time that live candidates came face to face with regular citizens, not pre-recorded YouTube videos and paid talking heads. We were just everyday people.”

She said she hasn’t made up her mind about whom to support and is encouraging people to listen to all the candidates and not just support who has the most name recognition.

But that doesn’t mean Foster wasn’t wowed by meeting a potential next president of the United States.

“Are you kidding?” she said. “I got to shake Obama’s hand twice! That’s better than shaking Elvis’ hand.”

Ed. note: Video of Katrina Foster questioning Sen. Obama is available on the West Bronx Blog (www.westbronxnews. blogspot.com). More video is available at www.movementvisionlab.org and more information about the Campaign for Community Values is at www.communitychange.org.

Caregivers Find Solace in Alzheimer’s Support Group

By Melissa Cooper

They meet in a room with a penthouse view. Manhattan’s jagged skyline magnificently backdrops the Bronx’s expansive green spaces. It’s a beautiful setting and serves as a periodic haven where overtaxed caregivers can talk about the effects of a relentless disease.

It’s there, on the top floor of Montefiore Medical Center’s Children’s Hospital, that the New York City Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association holds a support group meeting for caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients.

The meetings, especially in such a beautiful setting, provide a welcoming outlet where caregivers can share their experiences, many of which are colored by frustration and pain.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Some four million Americans have Alzheimer’s and 100,000 die annually from the disease, the association reports, adding that one in three Americans will see the effects of the disease through an older relative.

Alzheimer’s mainly affects the neurological system and reveals itself through memory loss, behavioral changes, and loss of cognitive functions.

Medications can help with memory loss, but there is no cure for the disease. Caregivers for Alzheimer’s patients, many of whom are close relatives to their charges, must deal with the decline and then death.

Mark Goodwin, a social worker at Montefiore’s Sickle Cell Center, has volunteered his spare time to facilitate the caregiver support group for the past three years.

The group is “an open and safe place” where people can empathize and listen to each other, Goodwin says. They know “somebody else is in the same situation. They can cry. They can laugh.”

Goodwin says a handful of people consistently attend the Alzheimer’s support group meetings at Montefiore. Several others come from time to time. “If a few people show up and talk about what’s on their mind, to me, that meets the goal,” he says.

Twice a month, the group gathers and its participants simply talk to each other. There is no fixed schedule or particular topic. Every now and then, there are guest speakers.

As Alzheimer’s progresses through the early, middle, and late stages, it can be extremely exhausting for caregivers as well as family members and other loved ones, Goodwin says. Very often, he says, caregivers are under so much pressure that it can result in stress and interfere with other parts of their lives.

“So many people have the frustrations on their mind and have no one to talk to,” Goodwin says. “The support group is a way to alleviate some of that pressure by knowing that they are never truly alone.”

One participant, who chose to remain anonymous, has been coming to the support group since her husband of over 40 years was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s three years ago. She admits that it is “very difficult” and at times, she gets angry.

“It’s frustrating just to see him going away and I can’t do anything about it,” she says. “This is my partner and I miss him very, very much.”

She finds that coming to the support group allows her to learn new things about the disease as well as different ways to carry the weight pressing down on her as the primary caregiver.

Another regular participant, who also chose to remain anonymous, comes to the group meetings to cope with her 90-year-old mother’s dementia.

“She used to crochet, sing in the church choir,” she says. “It bothers me just to see her lay in the bed and watch TV.” But for this caregiver, taking part in the support group meetings allows her to realize that, in comparison to some other people’s situations, hers may not be that bad.

Goodwin says that what he finds to be the most common characteristic amongst the participants is an extreme fear of the “unknown.”

The path Alzheimer’s can take is unpredictable, he says. Each patient is different. By attending the support sessions, caregivers can find it to be “emotionally stabilizing.” Ultimately, they can develop “coping strategies” and attempt to find a balance within their own lives. Eventually, “there is acceptance,” he says.

Ed. note: The group is held every first and third Wednesday of each month from 5 to 6:15 p.m. at Montefiore’s Children’s Hospital on Bainbridge Avenue and is facilitated in both English and Spanish. For more information, call Mark Goodwin at (718) 920-7377.

For more information on Alzheimer’s, contact the Alzheimer’s Association at (800) 272-3900, or go to www.alz.org.

Public and Community Meetings

By None

•    Community Board 7’s Open House will take place on Saturday, Dec. 15 at 1 p.m. at Community Board 7, 229 E. 204th St. For more information, call (718) 933-5650.
•    Community Board 7 will meet on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the Bedford Park Senior Center, 243 E. 204th St. For more information, call (718) 933-5650.
•    The 52nd Precinct Community Council will meet on Thursday, Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m. at New York Botanical Garden, near the main entrance off of Southern Blvd. For directions, call (718) 817-8700. For more information, call (718) 220-5824.
•    The Bronx Neighborhood Advisory Board for the Kingsbridge/Bedford Park area, which helps guide the distribution of city resources for youth services, will meet on Thursday, Dec. 13 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at M.S. 13, 3710 Barnes Avenue. For more information, call (212) 442-5880.
•    Croton Facility Monitoring Committee will meet on Monday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. at the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, 3450 DeKalb Ave. For more information, call (718) 231-8470.
•    The Community Education Council District 10 will meet on Thursday, Dec. 20 at 6:15 p.m. at PS 7, 3201 Kingsbridge Ave. For more information, call (718) 741-5836.

CB7 Executive Committee Rejects Hotel Plan

By Alex Kratz

Community Board 7’s Executive Committee recently voted unanimously not to support the building of a small hotel on Webster Avenue.

“It’s not the type of development we want to see there,” said CB7 Chair Greg Faulkner. “We’d like them to build it somewhere else.”  

Last fall, the prolific McSam Hotel Group’s plan to build a 48-room Comfort Inn on Webster Avenue, just a stone’s throw from PS/MS 20, met stiff community opposition (see photo). McSam has a right to go ahead without the Board’s approval, but McSam lawyer Pat Jones said the community’s hard stance forced them to put the project on the shelf for the past year.

This October, a half dozen McSam representatives, including Jones, returned to Community Board 7, saying they were adamant about obtaining community support for the project. They also said they were in the process of talking to some of the local institutions, including Fordham University, about supporting the hotel.

Father Joseph McShane, Fordham’s president, wrote a brief letter supporting the hotel, but quickly retracted it because it hadn’t gone through a proper vetting process, Faulkner said. He then wrote a follow-up letter saying he could not support the hotel, mostly because the plan only called for eight parking spaces.

McSam told the Board that they were working on a feasibility study (which they said they had already done when they came to the Board in October) and wanted the Board to see it before making a decision.

But, after a lengthy discussion, the Executive Committee cast its pre-emptive vote, essentially telling McSam to save its money on a feasibility study because they would not support the project regardless.

Faulkner said the Board appreciated McSam’s most recent efforts, but the Executive Committee ultimately decided not to support it because they feared it would turn into a hot sheet motel like several similar sized hotels across the Bronx River in Wakefield.

Despite this latest setback, Jones said McSam plans to go ahead with the hotel.  “We strongly believe that building this hotel in this section of the Bronx will be profitable and add value to the surrounding community,” Jones wrote in an e-mail.

The full Board will vote on whether to reject the hotel plan next Tuesday. (See “Public and Community Meetings” on this page for details.)

Koppell Examines Mental Health Services

By Allison Grande

Council Member Oliver Koppell, chair of the Mental Health Committee, said New York City needs to do more to help youth with mental health issues.

At a recent hearing, Koppell said there are between 15,000 and 30,000 runaway and homeless youth in the city, and that many of them have undiagnosed or recently diagnosed mental illnesses such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction.

Koppell emphasized the need for preventative services to identify and treat symptoms of mental illness among youths before they become runaways. He is considering introducing a legislation that would require having a mental health professional available at every school in addition to the school’s full-time nurse.

“Identifying and treating mental health issues at an early age will help avoid many serious problems later that often lead to youth becoming runaways,” Koppell said.

Housing Safety Program

By Allison Grande

The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) recently announced the launch of a new housing safety program, called the Alternative Enforcement Program (AEP). This program will allow HPD to name the 200 most unsafe properties in New York City each year and force the landowners to bring these buildings up to code in a reasonable amount of time.

“With the inauguration of the Alternative Enforcement Program, the landlords of 200 New York City properties are now on notice that we will not tolerate unsafe conditions for tenants and the willful disregard of the City’s Housing Maintenance Code,” HPD Commissioner Shaun Donovan said in a statement.

Under this new program, HPD will choose buildings that need to be repaired based on the specific criteria outlined in the Safe Housing Law. This year, the final 200 buildings were chosen from a list of those that had 27 or more serious violations over the past two years. Out of the buildings chosen, 52 are located in the Bronx. Landlords now have four months to work with HPD to fix their violations.

Bloomberg and Council in Water Agreement

By Allison Grande

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced an agreement on new legislation authorizing lien sales for the collection of overdue taxes and water bills.

A one-time Payment Incentive Program (PIP), which will eliminate late payment charges when a bill is settled and can reduce an outstanding balance by more than a quarter, was also introduced with this legislation.

These liens, combined with PIP, will force more people to pay their bills and forestall a previously proposed 18 percent mid-year water rate increase.

“Now we can effectively enforce collections and stop passing the burden caused by a small percentage of irresponsible ratepayers onto the more than 85 percent of New Yorkers who pay on time and maintain their accounts,” Bloomberg said in a statement.

The agreement also features a complete redesign of the dispute resolution process so that problems can be resolved more quickly. Many disputes can now be settled by the call center (311), and account holders have the right to a dispute hearing before the newly formed Ombudsman Unit.

 

Engel Blasts Homeland Security Cuts

By Allison Grande

Congressman Eliot Engel slammed the Bush administration’s latest proposal to cut homeland security grants to $1.4 billion for 2009 from the $3.4 billion spent in the 2007 fiscal year. The proposal also includes cutting some rail and port security programs.

The10-term congressman said that this drastic cut would endanger the country and, more specifically, the New York metropolitan area.

“The anti-terror funds in the New York City region are already inadequate, and now the President wants to cut them even further,” Engel said. “This cannot stand.”

Tenant Harassment Bills Stir Controversy

By James Fergusson

If you don’t pay your rent, sooner or later the city marshal will come a-knockin’. Increasingly, though, even model tenants – those who pay their rent on time and look after their apartment – are being harassed and forced out by unscrupulous landlords, say affordable housing advocates.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn wants to help. In October, she introduced Intro. 627, the Tenant Protection Act. The bill, if passed, would enable tenants to sue their landlords for harassment, a complaint not currently recognized in Housing Court. Guilty landlords would be hit with a “C” house code violation, the most serious kind, from the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and a $1,000 to $5,000 fine.

“This is landmark legislation,” said Jackie Del Valle of Community Action for Safe Apartments (CASA), a Bronx-based tenant rights group.

The Tenant Protection Act is supported by the majority of the 51-member City Council, including most of the Bronx delegation. Still, not everyone is behind it. Bronx Council Member Maria Baez has sponsored a rival bill (Intro. 638) along with Majority Leader Joel Rivera, another Bronx politician, and five other Council members.

Baez Bill Attacked

Baez’s proposal also permits tenants to sue landlords for harassment. If guilty, the landlord would be fined $1,000 to $5,000, but they wouldn’t be slapped with a C violation. Most striking of all, landlords would also be able to sue tenants for harassment. If convicted, tenants would get the same fines.

“What Baez’s 638 pretends to be is even-handed, representing both tenants’ rights and landlord rights,” said Benjamin Dulchin, of the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD), an advocacy group. “But fining a tenant and a landlord the same amount isn’t [even-handed]. If a tenant’s hit with a $5,000 fine it’s a nuclear bomb.”

Dulchin added that Baez’s bill would make it difficult for tenants to prove they were being harassed, because the bill’s definition of tenant harassment was so narrow. Furthermore, he said, the bill’s definition of landlord harassment is so broad that a landlord could take a tenant to court for doing something as innocuous as making a complaint to 311. Dulchin was referring to a section of the bill that reads: “[Harassment is] making repeated baseless or frivolous complaints to any governmental agency relating to the ownership or management of the dwelling…”

About 20 protesters attended a Nov. 27 rally on the issue in front of Baez’s Mount Hope office, which Del Valle helped organize. Some waved placards that read “Landlords have enough power!” and “The Bronx is our home. Please stop tenant harassment.”

As the protest wound down, a Baez staffer released a statement saying the Council member was still negotiating with Quinn. “We are having a healthy discussion and debate about both bills,” Baez said in the statement. Added Rivera in the same release, “We want to ensure the legislation is fair and balanced on both sides.”

“The fact that they’re saying it’s not a done deal is a victory,” said Del Valle after the protest. “We clearly sent her a message.”

Baez didn’t return several phone calls left with her office seeking further comment on her position. Rivera also did not respond to a call seeking comment.

Types of Harassment

In a hot housing market, CASA and ANHD say some landlords are trying to harass tenants out of their apartments so they can hike up rents (increases for vacancies, new leases, and repairs are allowed by law).

Landlords have several tactics at their disposal, says ANHD’s David Shuffler. They may refuse to make repairs to an apartment. Or, they might bombard tenants with petty legal cases. (As reported in the Norwood News, The Pinnacle Group was accused of this after buying scores of Bronx apartment buildings and bringing cases against hundreds of tenants.) Or they may use threats, based on immigration status. “You don’t want me to call INS, do you?” often gets thrown around, said Shuffler.

Advocates also say landlords are trying to evict rent payers in order to convert buildings into co-ops.

According to Del Valle, tenant harassment is particularly common in low-income areas like the west Bronx. “[Baez’s] district is very vulnerable because it’s one of the poorest in the city, with some of the worst housing conditions in the city,” she said. “She should be a leader on the Tenant Protection Act [not against it].”

Mary Silva, a CASA volunteer who lives at 1505 Grand Concourse, says she knows what it’s like to be targeted by an aggressive landlord. Last year, Silva, 72, started receiving letters and phone calls claiming she owed back rent. Then she was told she had three days to vacate the apartment. But in housing court, it was determined that the landlord owed her money, she said.

Silva’s been in her building since 1971. She rents a two-bedroom for $633.65 a month. “These landlords, they probably figure, ‘If I can make people leave my building, I can fix up the apartment and rent it for $2,000 [the rent at which apartments cease to be rent regulated].’”

You can fight them, she added, but many people “get scared, they cry, they get sick, then they move out.”

The Landlords’ Position

CASA’s literature indicates that Baez’s bill was drafted by the Rent Stabilization Association (RSA), a group that represents landlords. But Frank Ricci, an RSA spokesperson, said they had nothing to do with it. In fact, he said, they dislike both Quinn’s and Baez’s legislation.

“We don’t think either bill is needed,” Ricci said, adding that there are already numerous checks in place to stop tenant harassment, such as the 1982 Unlawful Eviction Law.

Ricci isn’t convinced that widespread tenant harassment is happening, either. “It’s not something that, through this whole debate, has been substantiated,” he said.

Anti-harassment laws, he added, will “lead to a lot of frivolous complaints in Housing Court.”

In mid-December, both Intro 627 and Intro 638 will have public committee hearings, says Andrew Doba, a spokesman for Quinn. (Bills that pass in committee are sent to the full Council for a more thorough debate and final vote. If passed, the mayor can sign or veto them.)

Baez and Rivera, then, will get a chance to continue their “healthy discussion.” But Quinn has the majority of the Council behind her and may be unwilling to compromise. As her spokesman Doba said: “Speaker Quinn feels 627 strikes the right balance.”

Editor’s Note: The day after we went to press, Baez and Rivera both announced they were withdrawing their support for 638, although Rivera told the Daily News that he still has concerns about the speaker’s bill.

This article originally appeared in the Mount Hope Monitor.

Local Park Rehabs Unearth Turf Debate

By Allison Grande

With renovations coming to two heavily used playing fields in Norwood and Bedford Park, the debate over which surface is better – grass or synthetic turf – is heating up.

The city says synthetic turf, either FieldTurf or AstroPlay, is cheaper and easier to maintain in the long run and feels much like grass. Grass supporters are critical of FieldTurf, saying it could pose serious health risks.

In the past five years, the Parks Department has installed 63 synthetic turf playing surfaces throughout the city. Two new projects – a new track and field at Williamsbridge Oval Park in Norwood and three new synthetic ball fields at Harris Park in Bedford Park – are in the works.

Tire Crumbs

At the center of this turf war is the fact that the new synthetic fields (as opposed to the carpet-like AstroTurf first introduced in 1965), which play like natural grass, are filled with ground up old tires. Those tire grounds, or pellets, contain carcinogens (cancer causing chemicals) that may or may not be harmful to people and/or the environment.  

Citing recent studies noting the potential harmful effects of synthetic fields, Carl Lundgren, chair of the Bronx Green Party, wrote in a letter to the Norwood News that he saw “no compelling reasons why these materials should ever be used in public green spaces.”

Sonia Lappin, a board member at Scott Towers, just across the street from Harris Park, is “troubled with the idea of artificial turf in any public park where neighborhood children, Little League teams, and adults play.”

Studies conducted by grass advocates have found numerous carcinogenic materials in the rubber pellets. But it remains unclear if they are actually harmful to humans.

The company FieldTurf and the Parks Department counter with recent studies claiming “there is no cause for concern to human health” because the turf does not emit a high enough level of toxins to be harmful to humans or the environment.

Other studies have shown that even ingesting these tiny pellets would not be cause for concern.

The Parks Department calls these fields “more environmentally friendly than ‘natural’ grass fields,” which require more work and the use of harmful chemicals to maintain. They also cite a 2003 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory study that said “You are more likely to absorb [these harmful materials] from eating a grilled hamburger than from the rubber pellets you would come into contact with while playing soccer.”

Heat and Cost

Another point of contention is heat. The average temperature of a natural grass field is around 70 degrees. A study conducted by Columbia University this summer found that on a typical early afternoon the surface temperature at several synthetic fields in Manhattan and the Bronx was between 140 and 160 degrees.

Supporters of synthetic turf claim there is no potential health risk in this overheating and that they can control the temperature by cooling it with water on a regular basis.

Still, opponents are rallying support.

On Nov. 29, activists, educators, and environmentalists gathered in the basement of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Manhattan to discuss the numerous harmful effects synthetic turf can have to children’s physical and mental health.

Some groups there even wanted to put a moratorium on building any new synthetic turf fields until further research can be done.

Dr. William Crain, a City College professor, led the discussion. “Children need rich contact with nature to grow and develop well,” he said.

Crain said replacing natural grass with synthetic turf will hinder children’s creative and imaginative skills. Lundgren agrees, calling synthetic turf “a step backwards.”

On the other hand, one recent survey said children spend less than one hour a week playing outdoors. Because it can be used all year, Parks officials say, synthetic turf will actually give children more contact with the outside world.

What Players Say

Supporters cite the low maintenance cost to defend the initial high price tag of synthetic turf ($800,000 versus $260,000 for grass). Maintenance of synthetic fields, which can last up to 15 years, costs seven times less ($6,000 a year versus $42,000 for grass), according to a 2005 study by the City Fields Foundation.

For athletes, the jury is still out. Major League Soccer (MLS) star David Beckham of the Los Angeles Galaxy recently called synthetic turf “one major thing that should change” in the MLS, and a 2004 NFL Players Association Survey showed that 85 percent of more than 1500 active NFL players would rather play on natural grass surfaces than on synthetic turf.

Locally, however, Evelyn Colon, the president of the Fordham Bedford Little League, reports that the children love playing on the synthetic field behind Walton High School because “the kids think they are in Yankee Stadium [which is grass].” Colon, who hadn’t heard any of the health concerns with regards to synthetic turf, said she loves being able to use the field year round.

While the Parks Department says it will go ahead with installing synthetic turf in Williamsbridge Oval Park and Harris Field, the City Council was scheduled to hold a hearing on Dec. 13 to discuss the costs and benefits of installing turf in city parks.

The advocacy group New Yorkers for Parks also just issued a report on synthetic turf. Among its many recommendations, the group suggested that efforts to improve the performance of natural grass fields be expanded; that new green space be added nearby wherever turf is installed; and that safety information be included on signage at synthetic turf fields.

The full report can be found at www.ny4p.org.

Taking The Bull By Its Horns

By Alex Kratz

Grassroots community groups, including the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, are teaming up with larger national organizations in an effort to push Wall Street into paying up for its role in the mortgage foreclosure crisis hitting the Bronx and every other part of the country.

The Coalition, with help from the National Training and Information Center (NTIC, based in Chicago) and People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH, based in Buffalo) released a report last week saying the biggest Wall Street investment banks grew fat on, and encouraged, the very same predatory lending practices that led to the foreclosure crisis.

Now, the Coalition, NTIC, PUSH and other groups want Wall Street big wigs to give up their bonuses, which this year totaled $38 billion, to create a national foreclosure relief fund that will provide immediate help for borrowers in danger of losing their homes.

“The trail of money and greed leads straight to Wall Street. The big investment firms plan to cash in on big holiday bonuses while our neighborhoods are destroyed by foreclosures,” said NTIC board member Inez Killingsworth.

At a press conference in front of the bull on Wall Street two weeks ago, the collective released its report and demanded action from the banks. When they tried to take their demands to the offices of Goldman Sachs, one of Wall Street’s largest investment firms and a prime target for activists, group representatives were promptly removed from the premises.

Goldman Sachs did not respond to requests for comment.  

A recent spike in home foreclosures can be traced to a proliferation of subprime mortgages (which come with higher interest rates that often reset and balloon to even higher rates) over the past six years. Statistics and housing advocates say lenders and mortgage brokers pushed these loans specifically on minority borrowers in lower-income areas. University Heights, a predominantly minority neighborhood, for example, has the highest rate of subprime mortgages in New York City.

It now appears the foreclosure crisis could have been largely averted if investors had not pushed mortgage lenders to go after large quantities of subprime loans. As many as 50 percent of borrowers with subprime loans could have qualified for prime loans, according to a study by Fannie Mae, a government-run lending agency.

The report released by community groups two weeks ago, by freelance researcher Kevin O’Connor, says investment banks, through a variety of tactics, compelled mortgage lenders to produce more and more subprime loans even when it was apparent the housing market was cooling off. Large investment banks paid lenders more for producing high quantities of subprime loans, the report says.

Banks used the loans to make vast sums of money, which they paid out in billions of dollars in year-end bonuses, according to activists. “In the past six years, the hottest products on Wall Street were a collection of complex, lucrative financial products that relied heavily on high-yielding subprime mortgages,” the report says. “The investment banks were reaping billions in revenue for churning out these subprime-related bonds, and bankers who worked with them were taking home some of the biggest bonuses on Wall Street.”

“This is rich guys robbing poor people blindly,” said Coalition activist Joseph Ferdinand who attended the Wall Street event. A renter who lives in Mount Hope, Ferdinand said he doesn’t expect Wall Street big shots to just start emptying their wallets, but that doesn’t mean activists, advocates and homeowners should stop pushing them to help remedy a problem they helped create. Ferdinand sees the effort as a battle in a larger class war.

“This subject needs to be talked about,” Ferdinand said. “We need to keep the pressure on. Whatever weapon is used in this struggle, let it be used. There’s a battle going on between the rich and the poor. All poor people have is numbers. What poor people need to do is come together and keep talking about this and how are we are going to get this situation better.”

Jamie Johnson, a member of the Coalition’s housing committee who spoke at the rally, said he almost fell into the subprime trap a few years ago, when he was looking to move out of his Tremont-area apartment. “I think that people weren’t aware of what could happen,” Johnson said. “You give them the cream on the top, but didn’t tell them how it could go wrong.”

Local and national efforts to stop people from losing their homes are beginning, but none are directly targeting Wall Street investment banks. Last week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the creation of an independent nonprofit called the Center for NYC Neighborhoods to assist in subprime-related relief efforts. And President Bush recently unveiled a plan, working in conjunction with lenders, to freeze interest rates on subprime loans. But housing experts said the plan came late and would only help about 15 to 20 percent of subprime borrowers.

Here in the northwest Bronx, the need for loan counselors – specialists who can help borrowers refinance loans or stop the foreclosure process – is glaring. Homeowners defaulting on loans or slipping into foreclosure have nowhere to turn. Only one person, Teresa Ortiz, of Neighborhood Housing Services, counsels borrowers in the entire northwest Bronx. 

 

 

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