• Home
• News
• Health
• Politics
• Schools
• Crime
• Business
• Opinion
• Sports
• Culture

 RSS

Neighborhood Notes

By Norwood News

[Neighborhood Notes final 3’2]

Health Seminar
On Thursday, March 19 at 6 p.m. at St. Ann’s Church, 3519 Bainbridge Ave., Leroy Pharmacy and K-Pax will hold a “Nutritional/Immune Support Seminar” for clinical staffers and local residents. Learn how to stay healthy and boost your energy. Learn about taking daily multi-vitamins. Learn about the latest research studies. HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases will also be discussed. There will be special guest speakers and light refreshments. For more information, call Janet at (718) 775-5018.

Norwood Food Co-op CSA
Get fresh local and organic produce delivered to your neighborhood every week from June through November, starting at about $14 a week. If you are interested in joining, call (718) 514-3305 or visit norwoodfoodcoop.org. Deadline for a deposit is April 15.

Flea Market and Auction
St. Brendan’s Leisure Club is having a Chinese Auction/Flea Market on Sunday, March 29 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the school cafeteria at 207th Street between Bainbridge and Perry avenues. Come and win some great prizes or find some treasures.

Financial Literacy Classes
Credit Inc. and the Financial Empowerment Center are teaming up to provide Bronx residents with four free sessions on financial literacy. These classes will help teach residents how to empower themselves with key financial skills to manage money wisely and gain financial independence. Classes will be held on March 26, April 9 and 23, and May 7 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The March 26 class will be held at SoBRO, 555 Bergen Ave., 3rd floor. To register, call Miriam Johnson at (718) 732-7540 or Rebecca Stich at (347) 329-3929. Seating is limited, so register as soon as possible.

Planning for Retirement Seminar
The Methodist Church Home, 4499 Manhattan College Parkway in Riverdale, is holding a free seminar on Planning for Retirement presented by MetLife Cross Hudson Agency. It will take place on March 19 at 6:30 p.m. Reservations are required. To register, call (718) 548-5100 ext. 231.

Be the Face of Fordham Road
The Fordham Road Business Improvement District (BID) is holding its first ever Face of Fordham Road competition. It will run through March 31 and is open to all Bronx residents ages 18 to 25. Applicants must live in the Bathgate, Bedford Park, Belmont, Bronx Park South, East Tremont, Fordham, Mt. Hope, Norwood, West Farms, Kingsbridge, Morris, and University Heights neighborhoods. Applicants must submit an application form with a personal statement (300-500 words), an image release form with two photos, and a recent resume. All forms are available at www.fordhamroadbid.org. For more information, call (718) 562-2104. Winners will be announced in late April.

Celebrate National Nutrition Month
The City of New York Parks and Recreation is hosting an event to celebrate National Nutrition Month featuring community health groups, entertainment, and refreshments, on March 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. James Recreation Center, 2530 Jerome Ave. For more information, contact Tina Mejia Inman (718) 430-1824 or tina.inman@parks.nyc.gov.

Local Craft Club Needs Location
Little Debbie’s Craft Club is looking for a free space to host its knitting club. The group is looking for a space near the Fordham and Jerome area to meet twice a month. Please contact Debbie at (646) 670-9518.

English, Citizenship and Computer Classes

• Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, 3450 DeKalb Ave., is offering free English as a Second Language (ESL) and Citizenship Classes.  Ongoing classes run through June 30. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

 

• Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, 3101 Kingsbridge Terrace, is enrolling students for free English as a Second Language (ESL) and Citizenship classes. Ongoing classes run through June 30. For more information, call Aisha Abdul-Wahhab, program director, at (718) 884-0700 ext. 191 or 132.

 

• PS 94 at 3530 Kings College Pl,. offers ESL levels 1 and 2 and Computer Skills classes through summer 2009. Both classes meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Computer classes will be taught in English and will include lessons on keyboarding, Microsoft Word and other programs. Registration is first-come, first-served. For more information, call Ms. Seminario, the parent coordinator, at (347) 563-4772 or (718) 405-6345.

 

• St. James Recreation Center at 2530 Jerome Ave. offers free classes in Microsoft Office, Resume/Cover Letter Writing, Computer Basics, and much more. For more information, call Justin Young at (718) 367-3659.

 

• Fordham University, 557 E. Fordham Rd., is currently holding free computer and English Language classes for parents, Mondays through Thursdays and on Saturdays. Classes can either stand alone or as an 8- to 12-week series. For more information or to register, call (718) 817-3503.

Summer Youth Employment
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center is offering a Summer Youth Employment Program. Pick up applications at the center, 3450 DeKalb Ave., Monday through Friday from 2:30 to 6 p.m. You can also apply online at www.application.NYCSYEP.com. Be sure to pick “MMCC” as your Project Sponsor. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

Homeowner Resource Fair
University Neighborhood Housing Program is sponsoring a foreclosure prevention workshop at Our Lady of Refuge on April 12 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Free dinner will be provided. Homeowners can receive a free weatherization kit and a free rat-proof garbage can. Please RSVP to UNHP at (718) 933-2539.

Tax Help
Mosholu Preservation Corp., West Bronx Housing and University Neighborhood Housing Program have teamed up, along with corporate sponsors, to provide northwest Bronx residents earning less than $45,000 with free tax preparation. For appointments, contact Jumelia Abrahamson at (718) 933-2539, ext. 12 or e-mail jumelia@unhp.org.

Free Medicine Programs for Cancer Patients
The Complementary Medicine Program at 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 to see if yoga can help patients with breast, lung, and colorectal cancer. A certified yoga instructor teaches classes in both English and Spanish. The Mind-Body Cancer Program includes 8 weeks of Mind-Body groups (The Stress Management Education Group and the Spiritual Support Group) for patients with most types of cancer. Some restrictions apply to these groups, which have been specifically designed by a psychologist and an oncologist. For more information and to find out eligibility, call (718) 430-2380.

Social Security Basics
The Methodist Church Home, 4499 Manhattan College Parkway, is holding a free seminar on Understanding Social Security, presented by MetLife Cross Hudson Agency. It will be held on April 9 at 6:30 p.m. Reservations are required. To register, call (718) 548- 5100 ext. 231.

MS 80 Needs Love
MS 80 is asking parents and community members to show some love and volunteer for just an hour each week. The school needs mentors, math and reading tutors, part-time coaches and volunteers to help with cafeteria duty. For more information, call Ms. Alejandro (718) 405-6300 ext. 111.

Free Kids’ Summer Vacations
The Fresh Air Fund is currently registering boys and girls, ages six through 12, for free summer vacations in the homes of volunteer host families throughout the northeast or at one of five Fresh Air Fund summer camps in upstate New York. To find out how to register, call (800) 367-0003 or go to www.freshair.org.

52nd Precinct Council Fundraiser: Trip to A.C.
The 52nd Precinct Council is sponsoring a bus trip to the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City on May 30th. The cost is $35 a person, and the casino will give each person $18 back in chips. Participants will meet in front of the 52nd Pct, located on 3014 Webster Avenue, at 8 a.m. and return in the evening. Refreshments and games will be on the bus. If interested, contact Steven Bussell at (718) 364-0462, or call Community Affairs at (718) 220-5824 and leave a message.

Charter School Accepting Apps
The Bronx Community Charter School, located at 2348 Webster Ave., is now accepting kindergarten applications for fall 2009 (spaces for 1st and 2nd graders may also be available). For more information, call (718) 584-1400 or visit www.bronxcommunity.org.

MMCC Grade School & Teen Programs at Tracey Towers
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center is accepting registration for their free after school program at Tracey Towers, 40 W. Mosholu Pkwy. The program meets Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. and is open to children in the third through sixth grades. From 6:30 to 9 p.m., the free Teen Center is open for youth ages 12 to 18. Programs include homework help, computers, arts and crafts, sports, acting, and quiet games. To register, stop by the Youth Community Room on the second floor of Tracey Towers and speak to Antoine Fields, or call him at (917) 482-5039.

Self Defense Classes
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center still has space in its boxing, karate, and self-defense classes for children, teens, and adults. To register or find out class times, call (718) 882-4000 ext. 0, or stop by the center at 3450 DeKalb Ave.

Free Meditation for Breast Cancer Survivors
The Montefiore-Einstein Cancer Center is offering a free 20-week course on meditation and stress management for breast cancer survivors. The course is part of a research study. To register or learn more, call Kimala Harris at (718) 430-2380 or e-mail kah2019@med.cornell.edu.

Place for Teens With Issues
The Power Project is a free program for teens ages 12 to 18 who are dealing with substance abuse and other problems. Located at 3464 Webster Ave., Power Project provides case management, individual and group counseling, trips, and is just a place to get away from it all. For more information, call (718) 515-7971.

Seeking Foster Parents
The Foster Care Network is urgently looking for adults who want to become foster parents to provide a stable home and guidance to children in the upcoming year. For more information, call Jacob Kramer, outreach coordinator at (800) 454-3727 ext. 129.

Wii Games for Adults and Seniors
On Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4 p.m., adults and seniors can enjoy free Wii video games at the Mosholu Library, 285 E. 205th St. To sign up, go to the Adult Information Desk. For more information, call (718) 882-8239.

Free Parking Calendars
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz is offering free New York City Parking Calendars to community residents. To receive one, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to his office at 3107 Kingsbridge Ave., Bronx, NY 10463, or stop by the office in person.

Free Career Workshops
The State University of New York, located at 3950 Laconia Ave., is offering free career workshops, including job readiness training, resume and cover letter preparation, help with job searches and computer skills, job placement assistance, an Office Skills Certificate Program, college prep and more. For more information, call (718) 547-1001 or visit www.NBX.SUNYEOC.org.

After School Care
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, 3450 DeKalb Ave., provides after school care for children in elementary school. Children are transported from their schools in Norwood, Bedford Park, Williamsbridge and Van Cortlandt Village. The center provides a snack, help with homework, and an array of activities to keep children busy. Financial aid is available. For more information, call Ruth Moore, program registrar, at (718) 882-4000.
      
Schizophrenia Study Seeks Participants
A research study seeking new treatments for schizophrenia is looking for patients in the Bronx. Candidates must be 18 to 65 years old, diagnosed with schizophrenia at or before age 35 and currently on certain medications for schizophrenia. Patients can enroll through the first half of 2009. For more information, call (888) 988-6736 or go to www.cognitivestudy.com.

Job Opportunities
On Dec. 1, Mayor Bloomberg announced the expansion of free job placement services through New York City’s Workforce1 Career Centers. The centers provide personalized career counseling, interview training, resume/cover letter assistance, workshops and ESL classes. For more information, call the Bronx Workforce1 Center, 358 E. 149th St., (718) 960-7099.

Quality of Life Screening
The Psychosocial Oncology Program of the Montefiore-Einstein Cancer Center is conducting a survey study in order to learn about the physical and emotional stresses faced by cancer survivors. Participants will have to fill out questionnaires and have the opportunity to participate in free/low-cost programs and support services within the program. For more information, call (718) 430-2380.

Breast Oncology Program
The Breast Oncology Living Daily Program also known as BOLD living offers a variety of free educational, support, and mind-body workshops. They are designed to empower and nurture breast cancer patients, survivors, and loved ones, but are open to all. For more information or to register, call (718) 430-3613 or email outreach@aecom.yu.edu.

Preschool New Enrollment
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center now has more space available for childcare. There are new classrooms for 2- to 4-year-olds at the center, located at 3450 DeKalb Ave. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

Alzheimer’s Support Group
The Alzheimer’s Association’s New York City chapter provides a support group in Norwood for Spanish and English speaking caregivers who have relatives with Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia. The support group meets on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 5 to 6:15 p.m. For the location or more information, call Mark Goodwin at (718) 920-7377.

Free Respite Program
Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC) is offering free after-school services to families with mentally retarded or developmentally disabled children ages 5 to 21 from 3 to 6 p.m. KHCC is also offering a Saturday Respite Program for ages 15 to 25, and on Sundays another Respite Program is provided for ages 18 to 65. Weekend Respite Program hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They are held at the KHCC, 3101 Kingsbridge Terrace (near Sedgwick Avenue) at West 230th Street. To register or for more information, call Hanna Gabris at (718) 884-0700 ext. 202.

Speech Program at Ursula 
The Mt. St. Ursula Speech Center, 2885 Marion Ave., is now accepting applications for its fall program. The center has openings for children ages 2 to 5 who are in need of speech and language services. Medicaid and other insurances accepted. For more information, call (718) 584-7679.

Aphasia Clinic Accepting Clients
The Lehman College Speech and Hearing Center, which provides therapy on a sliding scale payment schedule, is now accepting new clients in its recently expanded aphasia clinic. The clinic will provide individual and group therapy sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. and 2 to 3 p.m.; group therapy sessions also take place on Tuesdays from 1 to 2 p.m. Diagnostic and therapeutic sessions will be supervised by faculty members who are licensed by the NYS Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and certified by ASHA (American Speech Language Hearing Association). For more information, call Wanda Adams at (718) 960-8138.

 

Out & About

By Judy Noy

Onstage

• The Lehman Center for the Performing Arts presents Cinderella, performed by the Russian National Ballet Theatre featuring Tchaikovsky’s music, March 22 at 4 p.m.; and Forever Freestyle, presenting performers featuring dance music of the ‘80s, March 28 at 8 p.m. (tickets for each are $20 to $35; and for Cinderella: $10 for children 12 and under) in the Concert Hall at 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W. For more information, call (718) 960-8833.
• The Bronx Library Center, located at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road, hosts Papo Pepin y Su Orchestra, March 21 at 2:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 579-4244/46 or visit www.nypl.org.
• The Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance (BAAD!), located at 841 Barretto Street in the south Bronx, presents several performances celebrating the empowerment of women. Retro Petro features Elizabeth “Macha” Marrero performing comedy, March 20 and 21 ($20); Nigger/Nigga: A Discussion of Language, Culture and History, featuring a panel discussing the word in society, March 26 (free); Warrier Women, presenting three performers featuring a variety of entertainment, March 27 ($15); and By the Souls of Their Feet, featuring dancers performing a variety of genres, March 28 ($20). All performances are at 8 p.m. For more information, call Charles Rice-Gonzalez, (917) 604-3598.
• Church of the Visitation, located at 160 Van Cortlandt Pk. S., will host a free piano duo classical music concert on March 21 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 548-1455.
• Wave Hill, located at West 249th Street and Independence Avenue, presents a concert, Cabaret and the Concourse: Barbara Brussell, March 29 at 2 p.m. in the Wave Hill House, celebrating the musical history of the Bronx’s great boulevard, followed by a conversation with the artists. Tickets are $15/members; $24/non members; $21/students and seniors 65 and over which includes admission to the grounds. Advance purchase is recommended. For more information, call (718) 549-3200 ext. 385 or visit www.wavehill.org.

Events

• Wave Hill offers two family art projects: Up Pops Spring, to make cards ad pictures that unfold, move and grow, March 21 and 22; and Branches Against the Sky, to visit a painting exhibition and sketch bare and newly leafed out branches, March 28 and 29; both in the Kerlin Learning Center from 1 to 4 p.m. Wave Hill is located at West 249th Street and Independence Avenue. For more information, call (718) 549-3200 or visit www.wavehill.org.
• Lehman College presents a free lecture, film and panel discussion to celebrate Women’s History Month, including “Gender, Race, and Politics,” a talk by Dr. Mary Childers, March 24 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Gillet Hall Auditorium; and “Envisioning Justice: The Journey of a Transgendered Woman,” a film and panel discussion focusing on dealing with gay students in grades K to 12, March 26 at 7 p.m. For more information, call (718) 960-1160.
• The Bronx Council on the Arts and the Huntington Library present a free ECO Art Creative Recycling Art Collage workshop on March 21 from noon to 3 p.m. at the library, 9 Westchester Square. For more information and to reserve, call (718) 829-7770.
• The Bronx Culture Trolley, a replica of a 20th-century trolley, transports visitors on the first Wednesday of every month (except January and September), to Bronx hot spots, ending at Sweetwaters Bar & Grill with jazz, and food and drink. A reception is held at the Hostos Art Gallery, 450 Grand Concourse (at 149th St.) at 5 p.m., followed by three trolley departures at 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. New attractions are added monthly. Trolley ride is free. Riders can get on and off at any scheduled stop and spend as much time as they wish at any or all of the featured venues. Venues and activities vary each month. The next trip is on April 1. For more information or to confirm, call (718) 931-9500 ext. 33 or log on to www.bronxarts.org.

Exhibits

• En Foco and Pregones Theatre present Mi Sangre, a free photo exhibition held at the theatre, located at 571-575 Walton Ave. (between 149th and 150th streets), through May 9, by Mexican-American photographer, Rojelio Reyes Rodriquez, currently living and working in New York City. For more information, visit www.pregones.org.

 

• The Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th Street, presents a three-part exhibition series commemorating the Grand Concourse’s centennial, starting with The Grand Concourse at 100, through July 20. Originally called the Grand Boulevard, the Grand Concourse celebrates its 100th year in 2009. For more information, call (718) 681-6000 or visit www.bronxmuseum.org.

 

• The Bronx Council on the Arts presents two exhibitions at the Longwood Gallery at Hostos, 450 Grand Concourse (149th Street), Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., including Dream Sequence, through May 9, free, which explores a number of themes using drawings, paintings, photography, sculpture, and video (an artists talk will take place on May 9 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the show’s closing); and Vidal Centeno: F119, in the gallery’s Project Room through April 4. For more information, call (718) 931-9500.

 

• The Lehman College Art Gallery presents ViÀoly in the Bronx, highlighting building designs of architect Rafael ViÀoly, including a model of Lehman’s APEX Building. The exhibition, which runs through May 20, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., also features drawings, photographs, and planning documents. For more information, call (718) 960-8731.

 

• The Orchid Show: Brazilian Modern, designed by landscape architect Raymond Jungles, which draws on his work with the late Roberto Burle Marx, renowned Brazilian artist and landscape architect, takes place in the New York Botanical Garden’s Haupt Conservatory through April 12. During this exhibit, a complementary hands-on children’s program, Chocolate and Vanilla Adventures, will be held in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, to learn about the plant origins of these two sweet treats, including making and tasting these products, through April 19. Call for schedule (718) 817-8700.
• The Young and the Restless, an exhibition of six emerging artists based in New York, featuring painting, sculpture, and photography, will be held at the Gordon Parks Gallery, 332 E. 149th St., through May 3. For more information, call (718) 665-1310 or (914) 654-5427.

Learning

The Bronx Library Center has events for all ages:

• For children and preschoolers, there is Preschool Romp, March 19, 21, 26 and April 2 at 11 a.m.; Story Time, March 21 at 2 p.m.; and Pajama Party, March 27 at 7 p.m.
• Also, for school-aged children, there is Theatre Group Meetings, March 23 and 30 at 4 p.m.; Arts & Crafts, March 26 at 4 p.m.; Toddler Two-Step, March 28 at 11 a.m.; and Rosie, March 29 at 2 p.m.
• Young adults can attend The Three Borough Read: Meet the Authors, March 19 at 4 pm.; Yu-Gi-Oh No You Didn’t, March 20 and 27 at 4 p.m.; Let’s Talk With Nikol Hasler, March 30 at 4 p.m.; and How Do You Identify, April 1 at 4 p.m.
• For adults, there is Getting Started: Choosing a Resume Style That Works for You, March 20 at 3 p.m.
• The entire family can enjoy Mississippi Burning, March 28 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.

• The Mosholu Library, located at 285 E. 205th St., presents Toddler Story Time, April 2 at 10:30 a.m. For more information, call (718) 882-8239.

 

• The Jerome Park Library, at 118 Eames Place, presents programs for all ages. For children, there is Toddler Story Time, March 20 at 11 a.m.; and Carnival, March 24 at 4 p.m. For young adults, there is Pizza Making, March 26 at 4 p.m.; and Doughnuts, April 2 at 4:30 p.m. For adults, there is Resume Workshop, March 30 at 11 a.m. For more information, call (718) 549-5200.

NOTE: Items for consideration should be received in our office by March 23 for the next publication date of April 2.

Monroe Hoops Falls Just Short

By Peter Mullin

With another college basketball season in the rearview mirror, both the men’s and women’s basketball teams at Monroe College can look optimistically towards next year’s campaigns even though they fell short of their championship aspirations.

On the women’s side, the Lady Mustangs, led by Coach Seth Goodman (180-35 in eight seasons with Monroe), captured third place at the eight-team National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), Division III tournament held in Rochester, Minn., to finish the season with a record of 31-2.

In semi-finals, Monroe was beaten 58-53 by Madison Area Technical College, of Wisconsin. 

The Lady Mustangs had won two of the previous three national championships.

For the men’s team, the season highlight came by way of a No. 13 ranking in the NJCAA, Division I poll, the Mustang’s highest-ever national ranking.

Led by Coach Jeffrey Brustad (.795 winning percentage in seven seasons), the men went undefeated in conference play winning both the regular season title and the right to the No. 1 seed in the Region XV tournament. Their unfortunate upset loss in the district semis aside, Monroe ended their campaign with a more-than-admirable 30-3 record.

The Mustangs will send three players, Kyle Wright, Westly Perryman and Tyvon Williams, to the biggest stage in college basketball. Shedding their familiar blue and gold, next season the trio will suit up in the NCAA’s Division I for Providence, Boise State and South Carolina State, respectively.
 

Amazing What a Fresh Coat of Paint Can Do

By Falon Perez

This winter, the halls of the Bronx Aerospace Academy, a small military-themed high school on Gun Hill Road, look fresh and new thanks to a nonprofit group that is making it their mission to spruce up the city’s drab and dilapidated public school buildings.

Publicolor, founded in 1996 by industrial designer Ruth Lande Shuman, aims to engage at-risk students with their learning envrinoment by getting them to paint their schoolhallways, classrooms and other facilities.

Each semester Publicolor works with students to paint a handful of schools in New York City. Last fall, Publicolor brought new color to three Bronx schools: Bronx Aerospace, Philip Sousa Middle School and PS 69.

Following these colorful transformations, schools say they see tangible changes that go beyond the aesthetic, including an enhanced academic experience, increased teacher attendance, an overall better sense of school community, increased feelings of safety and improved perceptions of at-risk students who participate. 

This semester, Publicolor is helping students paint at PS 112, Bronxwood Elementary.

At 75, Monroe Still Place to Move Ahead

By Graham Kates

In October, Monroe marked 75 years of bettering students with an event-filled celebration complete with spotlights, big heated tents and a slew of alumni.

Since its inception in 1933, the Jerome Avenue-based private college has evolved over the years to fit the growing needs of its diverse and expanding student body.

Founded as the Monroe School of Business, the school’s initial enrollment was just seven students. The original pupils, all women, had come at the height of the Great Depression to learn skills like stenography, so they could secure better jobs to help their families through those difficult times.

Many of Monroe’s current students come with the same enterprising spirit of those first seven women, Axelbank said.

Jason Muharran, a 20-year-old Business Administration major who was raised nearby on Fordham Road, says he tested the job market after high school, but enrolled at Monroe after he realized that he needed to equip himself with better skills in order to be competitive in today’s job market.

Indeed, with the job market shrinking, Monroe has seen an increase in new applicants interested in job training. “If the economy is bad or maybe you’re unemployed, this is a great time to build up your skills,” said Director of Admissions Evan Jerome. “You’ll be higher on the ladder. In this day and age, people need to get jobs.”

Today, during this new era of trying economic times, Monroe is 1,000 times larger (the current enrollment is around 7,300) and co-ed. Once a school with just four small classrooms, Monroe now has three separate campuses, each with its own distinct personality. They offer nine two-year associate degree programs (such as nursing and information technology), six four-year bachelor’s programs (such as criminal justice and hospitality management) and three graduate masters’ degrees in business management.

Monroe’s Bronx campus, mainly on Jerome Avenue, is composed mostly of students from within the borough and has a high percentage of part-time students. The New Rochelle campus is composed of mostly “traditional” (full-time) students, one-third of whom live on campus in dorms, and 30 percent of whom are international students. The school’s third campus, which opened in 2006, is in Castries, a city on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. It caters primarily to local St. Lucians as well as some of the school’s international Caribbean students.

Anthony Allen, the school’s vice president for enrollment management, says that as the school has expanded, so has its involvement in the community. Allen said Monroe’s facilities are open to community members (groups and individuals can reserve classrooms and gym space for meetings, practices or clubs), and that the school employs the use of mini-street sweeper vehicles to keep its surrounding neighborhood clean. Monroe’s security team, mostly former police officers, patrols the area around the college nightly.

The school’s academic offerings have diversified over the years as well.

Freshman Irene Clemente, 18, says that she recently decided to change her field of study.

“I saw our school’s culinary facilities and was so impressed,” says Clemente, who in January became a Culinary Arts major, and will begin taking classes in the school’s high-tech culinary center on the New Rochelle campus.

Monroe has also tried hard to stay on the cutting edge technologically. They’ve received acclaim for helping bridge the borough’s digital divide through a student-run program that sets up Bronx businesses with wireless Internet access and have ramped up online offerings.

Craig Patrick, Monroe’s director for online services, said each semester “over 20 percent of [Monroe’s] students take at least some online courses, so at some point during their education nearly every student takes an online course.”

Nearly five percent of Monroe’s students take online classes exclusively, Patrick said.

With all its conveniences and offerings, Monroe is making it easy for students to better themselves. As Muharran puts it, “This school is good at preparing us for the world.”

Ed. note: This story has been slightly revised from the original appearing in the print version.

State’s First Lady Stumps for Fitness

By Peter Mullin

New York’s First Lady, Michelle Paige Paterson, recently stopped by Mosholu Montefiore Community Center to check out the B’N Fit anti-obesity program and meet with some local teens striving to improve their lives while shedding a couple pounds in the process.

Paterson spoke about the importance of diet and exercise and took part in a healthy eating class alongside program participants before heading off to see the rest of the community center facility.

Open to adolescents aged 12 to 21, B’N Fit, a collaboration between the center and the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, provides the support, education and encouragement for participants to adopt healthy eating and make exercise a regular part of their lives. 

“[The program] helps make us feel more confident in ourselves,” said Nmeoma Ubozoh, one of the many program participants to meet with New York’s First Lady.

Ed. note: For more information, including registration for the upcoming B’N Fit 2-mile walk-a-thon on May 30, contact Elicia Johnson-Knox at (718) 920-2232 or e-mail BNFIT@montefiore.org.   

Crime Stats Clampdown

By Editorial

Three months ago, we submitted a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request to the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

We simply wanted a neighborhood-by-neighborhood breakdown of crime statistics in the 52nd Precinct. We received such a report directly from the precinct last year. And the 50th Precinct regularly provides similar information to The Riverdale Press.

Our readers tell us they find it useful to know the number of robberies and murders right on the streets where they live, stroll and send their kids to school. We receive lots of positive feedback from local residents whenever we’ve published such information.

Ask concerned residents, especially those who want to help by being the precinct’s eyes and ears, and they’ll tell you that stats for an entire precinct are useless without information about where those crimes occur. People want to know what’s happening in their neighborhoods.

This year the commander of the 52nd Precinct told us we needed to request this sector-by-sector breakdown from Police Department headquarters, and the press office there said we needed to file a FOIL request, basically a formal letter detailing the information sought.

A month after we sent the letter, the NYPD’s Legal Bureau replied that it would take three months – until April 17 – to make a determination as to whether they could release the information. This is unacceptable, especially since the precinct could provide us with the information practically instantaneously.

We spoke with Deputy Commissioner for Public Information Paul Browne two weeks ago and he said he’d look into it, but he still hasn’t gotten back to us or responded to a follow-up e-mail.

Keep in mind that this is information that the Police Department routinely collects, and is in fact the basis of the storied Compstat program, where police resources are supposedly deployed according to areas where it is most needed.

We’ve had a good relationship with 52nd Precinct officials, who have given us access to these and other statistics in the past. We have no gripe with them.

This clampdown is coming from the top.

We will continue to press the NYPD to release this basic public information. And our readers should feel free to do the same. The Freedom of Information Law is not just for reporters. It is for everyone.

Coincidentally, it is Sunshine Week nationwide, where news organizations nationwide work to raise public awareness of freedom of information laws and problems with their implementation.

Consider this our contribution to the effort.

If you would like to learn more about FOIL, which is a state law (federal agencies are governed by the federal Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA) go to the Web site of the state

Committee on Open Government at www.dos.state.ny.us/coog/coogwww.html or just Google it. If you have any questions about FOIL, e-mail us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

Ed. note: The day this issue of the Norwood News hit the streets, March 19, NYPD headquarters provided the information we requested. More about this here.

New School Building Rises at Norwood’s PS 94

By Peter Mullin

Rising above East 211th Street on the grounds of PS 94 in Norwood, the iron skeleton of a new school building takes shape. As it progresses, the three-story edifice holds the promise of accommodating 490 new school seats.

But it remains unclear which students will occupy those seats and how much the new building will help alleviate overcrowding in District 10.

Set to open in September 2010, the structure at PS 94 will include 22 classrooms and three special education classrooms.

According to Department of Education spokesperson Will Havemann, the construction will be an Early Childhood Education Center and remain under the jurisdiction of the school’s current principal, Diane Daprocida, who declined to speculate on her future role with the new building. “We’ll have to wait,” she said.

That wait comes as no surprise to Eleanor Edelstein, the education liaison for local Councilman Oliver Koppell, who claimed the DOE has yet to decide how they will appropriate the new space.

“[DOE officials] don’t know yet,” she said. “Originally it was going to be an Early Childhood Education Center, but now there’s been some discussion otherwise. It’s all still up in the air right now.”

Uncertain future aside, the new building replaces two transitional structures that used to occupy a chunk of PS 94’s playground. Those structures held 13 temporary classroom units (TCUs) and accommodated 325 of the more than 1,000 students that attend the K-5 school.

Daprocida said no students were displaced during the construction. Through increased class size and squeezing in more classrooms at the school’s main building, PS 94 retained all those students who attended class in the TCUs last year. “We were able to keep our kids,” Daprocida said.

Incoming kindergartners and first graders zoned for the Norwood school, however, are now being bused to PS 23 in Tremont, and, unlike in past years, the school was unable to accommodate overflow from chronically overcrowded PS 56.

When completed, the additional seats in the new structure “should help to relieve overcrowding in PS 8 (in Bedford Park) and PS 56, as well as at PS 94 itself,” Havemann said in an e-mail.

In the same vein, Daprocida sees the new building as a tool to help alleviate the burden of overcrowding in District 10, the third most crowded district in the entire city.

“With the new building we should be able to accommodate more students and give relief to other schools in the area,” she said. “The DOE really has been receptive to our needs in the community. I am 100 percent satisfied with the progress made so far.”

The DOE counts the new structure as 490 new seats. But when including the loss of TCUs, the total number of additional seats created by construction at PS 94 amounts to a net gain of only 165 additional seats.

In an email, Havemann said the DOE doesn’t differentiate between replacement seats and additional seats.

For Marvin Shelton, president of Community Education Council 10, the project at the Norwood elementary school “looks pretty much like a wash [in terms of additional seats].”

The Department of Education’s (DOE) current Five-Year Capital Plan (FY 2005-09) and the newly proposed plan for the years 2010 to 2014, call for the creation of around 2,900 seats at five locations throughout the district. Three of those projects are either finished or in the process of being completed. The DOE locations for the other two projects (for a total of 1,154 new seats), have yet to be determined.

Investors Cutting Losses on Bronx Buildings

By Chloe Tribich

Only eight months after investing in a portfolio of two dozen rent-regulated Bronx properties, a private equity fund known as Hudson Realty Capital is now putting several of the buildings, including 1985-1995 Botanical Square South in Bedford Park, up for sale at prices significantly below what it paid for them.

Tenant advocates who have long worried that private equity groups, with their mandate for quick returns on investments whatever the cost, threatened the borough and city’s affordable housing stock.

But now, it appears Hudson and other private equity funds may have over-reached and are now trying to cut their losses.

Hudson’s efforts to sell low could be indicative of “a misstep in the private equity misery,” said Benjamin Dulchin, advocacy director of the Association of Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD), a nonprofit group that focuses on affordable housing.

At the height of the recent real estate boom, many private equity investors poured capital into rent-regulated housing, assuming that if apartments could be released from regulation (through vacancies and capital improvements), rents would increase dramatically and swell investors’ incomes.

Hudson Realty Capital has not caught the eye of advocates before, but their partners in the Bronx portfolio of 1,449 apartment units, the Pinnacle Group, has been criticized by advocates for using aggressive tactics to drive out tenants. In 2006, the company submitted to an agreement with the New York State Attorney General to provide redress to tenants claiming they had been overcharged for rent.

Last summer, Hudson bought into the Bronx apartment portfolio (they purchased the investment from the Praedium Group) for a sale price that housing policy experts said was some 10 percent above market value. The high sale price and the landlord’s debt obligations could lead to maintenance cutbacks or an aggressive effort to hike rents, the experts said.

“Unless there are other elements of this deal not apparent on the surface, the sales price suggests that Hudson is working with a profit margin so thin as to be hard to see,” said Harold Shultz, Senior Fellow of Citizens Housing and Planning Council.

Those fears remain, but it seems Hudson and Pinnacle are trying to cut at least some its losses or raise capital by selling off some of the portfolio.

One of the properties, 1985-1995 Botanical Square South in Bedford Park, is listed on the website of realtor Massey Knakal for $14.5 million, though Hudson acquired the building for $17.3 million last June. At least three other buildings — 1121-1171 Morrison Ave., 2254 Cedar Ave. and 2269 Hampden Place — are also selling for less than the purchase price.

Shane Kavanagh, a spokesman of both Hudson and Pinnacle, declined to comment on the sale for this article, though, in an e-mail exchange with the Norwood News in December, he said that Pinnacle was still the “primary owner,” despite Hudson’s investment last June, and planned “to continue to invest the necessary resources to maintain [the apartments] to the highest standard.”

According to realty firm Massey Knakal, the buildings were placed on the market that same month.

[The ownership relationship between Pinnacle and Hudson remains unclear, but housing experts say Hudson is essentially just the financial backer of the investment portfolio, while Pinnacle manages the properties and provides advice to Hudson on ownership decisions.]

Dan DeSloover of the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board said the current terms of loans from New York Community Bank require the landlord to make higher monthly payments beginning in June 2010, and DeSloover said this would pressure even a principled landlord to cut back on repairs or drive out long-term tenants to raise rents.

Gregory Lobo Jost of University Neighborhood Housing Program, a local non-profit, agreed that no matter who owns the properties, the mortgage terms should be changed in order to protect tenants and preserve the buildings.

Ilene A. Angarola, a spokesperson for New York Community Bank, said that it’s routine for the bank to thoroughly vet buyers of their mortgaged buildings, but that the original terms of the loan would probably apply.

It’s not just Pinnacle and Hudson feeling the pinch. ANHD has identified nine affordable housing portfolios in the city facing severe financial problems.

Riverton Houses in Harlem, owned by Stellar Management and the Rockport Group, is now in foreclosure. And the owners of Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village in downtown Manhattan, Tishman Speyer and BlackRock, are trying to raise capital to stave off default.

Spike in Robberies

By Alex Kratz

Robberies have surged in the 52nd Precinct in 2009 compared to the same time period a year ago.

There have been 114 robberies so far this year, compared to just 74 at this point last year.

In February, police attributed the spike, which they said was heavily concentrated in Norwood, to be due to a string of robberies involving Chinese food delivery men. One particular delivery man had been robbed multiple times, leading to outrage amongst Chinese restaurant owners and workers.

Police believed the robberies were the result of young opportunists finding easy targets. 

After working through a language barrier, police said they made an arrest that they felt would stem the rise in robberies.

Indeed, robberies have evened out compared to last year in the last month (29 last year, 29 this year) and have dropped significantly in the last week (11 during this time last year, compared to four this year).

Ed. note: To see a complete listing of crime statistics compiled for the 52nd Police Precinct, visit www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/ html/precincts/precinct_052.shtm.

Mystery in Death of Homeless Man

By Alex Kratz

For weeks, a poster on the white tiled wall inside the 205th Street D train station has asked for information regarding the mysterious death of a 48-year-old man named Sangh Shingeia.

On Feb. 20, police found Shingeia unconscious and unresponsive near the entrance to the D train station near 206th Street and Bainbridge Avenue.

According the Medical Examiner’s report, he was taken to Montefiore Medical Center where he was treated for his injuries, which included multiple skull and rib fractures, according to Montefiore doctors.

Shingeia was also severely intoxicated, doctors said.

Shingeia survived for five days in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, but finally succumbed to his injuries and died on Feb. 25.

Shingeia was believed to be homeless and frequented Part of the Solution (POTS), a soup kitchen on Webster Avenue.

It’s unclear if police are treating this as a homicide, but doctors said it appeared that Shingeia had been severely beaten.
Calls to the 52nd Precinct and the Transit Robbery Unit were not returned by press time.

Public and Community Meetings

By None

•    Community Board 7 Committee Meetings: The Education, Libraries, and Cultural Affairs Committee will meet on Thursday, March 19, 6:30 p.m. The Traffic and Transportation Committee will meet on Monday, March 23, 6:30 p.m. The Health and Hospital Committee will meet on Tuesday, March 24, 6:30 p.m. The Parks and Recreation Committee will meet on Thursday, March 26, 6:30 p.m. All committees meet at the Community Board office, 229A E. 204th St. For more information, call (718) 933-5650.
•    The 52nd Precinct Community Council will meet on Thursday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the Bedford Park Senior Center, 243 E. 204th St. For more information, call (718) 220-5824.
•    The Croton Facility Monitoring Committee will meet at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 19 at the DEP community office, 3660 Jerome Ave. 

Espada Gets New Digs?

By Alex Kratz

More than two months into his latest term in the state Senate, Pedro Espada, Jr. says he’s finally found a home for his district office.

Espada will be moving into office space at 400 E. Fordham Road, a newly renovated office building near Webster Avenue which also houses Sears and a fitness center, sometime in mid-April, according to Steve Mangione, who says he’s handling some of the senator’s press calls while he attends to legislative business in Albany.

(Mangione also handles public relations for Espada’s Soundview Healthcare Network, but he insists he’s keeping the two gigs completely separate.)

Mangione said the delay was because the new Democratic Senate majority is still working out the kinks of its leadership responsibilities, including figuring out how to budget things like staff and office expenses.

Calls to property managers at 400 E. Fordham Rd. couldn’t be reached at press time. In the meantime, Mangione said constituents can contact Espada at his Albany office at (518) 455-3395.

A spokesperson for State Senator Majority Leader Malcolm Smith said she didn’t know of any other senators who didn’t yet have district offices set up.

Espada will also finalize his staff in the coming weeks, Mangione said.

State Unveils Plan to Stave Off MTA Cuts

By Alex Kratz

On Tuesday, the State Senate’s Democratic majority leadership released its plan to save mass transit riders from massive service cuts and fare hikes.

State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr., in a press release, said Democrats would propose a four percent fare hike for subways and commuter trains and impose a small payroll tax (25 cents for every $100 in payroll). He said the payroll tax would generate $1.16 billion and the fare hikes $117 million.

The state legislature has been loath to adopt the Ravitch Commission’s recommendations of an eight percent fare hike, 33 cents per $100 of payroll tax and tolls on bridges over the Harlem and East rivers.

Even the Senate acknowledged that this will not be a long-term fix, but before implementing anything more substantial, lawmakers want the MTA to open up its books for further review.

“Our proposal addresses the MTA’s immediate need for operational funds,” Espada said in a statement. “In the meantime, it allows us to review the MTA’s financial records and needs.”

Later Tuesday, Gov. David Paterson rejected the plan.

Ruben Diaz, Jr. All But Locks Up Borough Presidency

By Alex Kratz

Last week, it appeared, for all intents and purposes, the Bronx found a replacement for now-departed former borough president Adolfo Carrion, who took a job with the Obama administration in February.

One by one, potential Democratic rivals to Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, Jr.’s run at the borough presidency fell by the wayside. And last Monday, Diaz, Jr., a 35-year-old career politician who was first elected to the assembly at age 23, was swarmed by supporters at a campaign kickoff at Borough Hall.

It might as well have been a coronation ceremony.
At the event, former borough president Freddy Ferrer (who preceded Carrion and unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2005) and new County Democratic Party Chairman Carl Heastie stumped for Diaz, Jr.

Comptroller and mayoral hopeful Bill Thompson also assured the media that he has Diaz, Jr.’s back. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer was also there to support him.

Ferrer basically congratulated him on taking over the post he once held.

“I’ve seen Ruben Diaz, Jr. grow in his public service over the years,” Ferrer said. “I’m happy for him. I’m happy for the people of the Bronx. I think the Bronx would be in very, very good hands.
For a while, this looked like it might be a race, but with Councilman Joel Rivera dropping out and throwing his support behind Diaz, Jr., it appears the outcome of the April 21 election is a foregone conclusion.

(It should be noted that Anthony Ribustello, a Republican district leader from Throggs Neck who also appeared in a handful of “Sopranos” episodes, is also in the running, says GOP spokesman Vincent Trabone. Ribustello, however, has not filed financial disclosure forms with the Board of Elections and is facing near impossible odds in the race. He couldn’t be reached by press time.)

Last Thursday, Diaz, Jr. held a fund-raising event at the Sofa Lounge (formerly the X Bar) on Fordham Road. The event was a who’s who of Bronx political figures and featured an appearance by Diaz, Jr.’s buddy, Bronx rap star Fat Joe.

At the event, Diaz, Jr. addressed the borough’s unemployment problems and said he wanted to keep the Bronx affordable.

In Fits and Starts, Hotel Slowly Moves Forward

By Rachel Waldholz

After nearly three years of debate and delay, a Comfort Inn is slowly rising on Webster Avenue.

But the project is once again on hold because of a partial stop-work order due to unapproved steel work and a fight with neighbors over property boundaries.

These are not the first halts the developer, McSam Hotel Group, has faced. Sounding exasperated, Gary Wisinski, McSam’s chief operating officer, admitted in an interview that he “can’t seem to keep the project going.”

Initiated in April 2006, the project was on hold for a full year and a half while McSam sought to allay community concerns that a Comfort Inn would not be viable on Webster and might devolve into a so-called “hot-sheet” hotel, as has happened with similarly sized hotels across the Bronx River.

These fears were among the factors prompting the community board to undertake its current effort to rezone the Webster corridor (see story on front page). Under the proposed new rules, projects like the Comfort Inn could not be built without a variance.

Wisinski said community fears are misplaced and expects the 5-story, 48-room hotel to have a “multi-market” appeal, drawing people with business in the area, and those visiting the local hospitals and universities. Wisinksi expects the hotel to charge $105-$125 per room, down from the $125-$150 per room he had expected before the economic downturn, and to maintain an occupancy rate near 75 percent.

Actual construction on the hotel began last June. Wisinski said he tentatively hopes it will open within 14 to 16 months.
Nine complaints have been lodged with the Department of Buildings since last summer, though only one resulted in a violation. Two others resulted in stop-work orders.

One stop-work order remains partially in place. It was issued in December because “the structural steel work did not conform to approved plans,” said Carly Sullivan, a spokesperson for the Department of Buildings (DOB). Wisinksi said that McSam is in the process of submitting updated plans to the DOB and expects the order will be lifted by the end of March.

The other stop-work order was issued when neighbors Harold and Virginia Hekimian complained that work was damaging their roof, which slightly hangs over the site. That order was rescinded when McSam submitted a survey supporting their claim that the roof encroached on their property, but construction has remained stalled while McSam negotiates with the Hekimians.

The Hekimians say they have been overwhelmed by the construction’s constant intrusion into their lives, and have objected to changing their roof. Both in their 70s, the Hekimians were raised in the house, which their parents bought in the mid-1920s, and have been involved in a series of disputes with McSam.

Recently, McSam decided to build around the encroachment, Wisinski said, despite their claim that the roof is intruding on their property (the Hekimians dispute this claim). The new plans must be approved by the DOB, and he expects construction on the stalled south wall to begin again in April.

Rezoning Could Revitalize Webster Ave.

By Sarah Trefethen

Ozzie Brown looks at the oil-drenched industrial stretch of Webster Avenue and sees a completely different future for this wide corridor that runs parallel to the Bronx River.

“We want to see bookstores, museums and cafés, so that it has a village feel,” said Brown, the chair of Community Board 7’s Land Use Committee. “We want to see nightlife, cuisine and culture.”

The Department of City Planning, working closely with Brown’s committee and the whole board, have drafted a plan designed to bring in new apartment buildings, stores and businesses on Webster, between Fordham Road and Gun Hill Road.

Auto repair shops, parking lots and hair salons currently dominate the almost two-mile stretch of road on the eastern edge of Norwood, Bedford Park and North Fordham. It also hosts a large supermarket, a discount wallpaper warehouse, and a small Halal poultry shop.

The area’s zoning designation, which dates back to pre-1974 when the Third Avenue El (now dismantled) still defined the road, restricts new development to heavy industrial use.

“It’s kind of stuck in time, this little area,” said Carol Samol, the director of the Bronx office of City Planning.  

The zoning came to the attention of Community Board 7 when a developer moved to locate a hotel close to PS/IS 20. The hotel is still being built, but the board wants to avoid similar development in the future.

Joe Muriana, an associate vice-president at Fordham University, said the Bronx Four Institutions Alliance, a coalition that includes Fordham, the New York Botanical Garden, Bronx Zoo and Montefiore Medical Center (all of which are located in close proximity to Webster), has been advocating for a similar vision.

“We were like two ships headed in the same direction,” he said. 

Muriana said Fordham has no current plans to develop in the area itself, but that the University would like to see investment in a mix of residences and resident-friendly stores.

But rezoning provides no more than a framework for development. Developers must actually invest in the area. 

Board member Barbara Stronczer, who lives near Webster, worries private investment won’t be sufficient to provide for the corridor’s revitalization.

“On paper the plans look wonderful,” Stronczer said. “City Planning did a wonderful job, but it’s not City Planning’s job to make sure that we get the services, and that’s what concerns me.”

Stronczer said the area needs more banks and produce markets, and could benefit from an additional grocery store — exactly the kinds of businesses rezoning advocates hope to attract. But she also remembers that the city predicted a revitalization of the area after the demolition of the Third Avenue El.

“We all have a vision, but having seen what happened in the ’70s and seen what the area looks like today, I’m not so sure,” she said. “The city promised that Webster Avenue would have many improvements, and things fell short of that.”

Fernando Tirado, CB 7’s district manager, said that things have changed since the ’70s.  He anticipates the rezoning will bring new jobs to the area, either through the expansion of current employers or the attraction of new employers.

It remains unclear how existing businesses will be affected. A handful of business owners on Webster weren’t aware of the zoning changes. Tirado said the board alerted property owners to a forum on the rezoning proposal at PS/IS 20 on March 5. But that information may not have trickled down to merchants.

The owner of a hair salon on Webster said she didn’t know about the rezoning effort, but welcomed any changes that might make the area better.

In addition to allowing a greater range of development on Webster, the plan would change the zoning of the adjacent residential areas to protect two- and three-story houses from replacement by apartment buildings. 

Richard Guether, the city planner working with the community board to devise the plan, said that the proposal is an ongoing process. He predicts the formal public review process will begin in the fall.

$17.8 Million in Tax Breaks OK’d for Armory Developer

By Ivonne Salazar

Last Wednesday, the city approved a proposal that could lead to $17.8 million in tax breaks for the Related Companies, the developer that plans to transform the massive landmarked Kingsbridge Armory into a shopping center.

The city’s Industrial Development Agency (IDA), an arm of the Economic Development Corporation (EDC), voted to provide Related with a preliminary tax break inducement, a non-binding agreement that will allow Related to secure funding from banks and purchase supplies.

The vote occurred during the agency’s board meeting despite a motion by a representative for city comptroller and board member William Thompson to delay the vote. All but two of the agency’s 14 board members — Thompson and a representative of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer’s office — voted to provide the preliminary inducement.

For the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA), a coalition of community groups, unions, religious leaders and local residents backed by support from local politicians, the decision was a setback. The Alliance hoped the agency would postpone its decision until Related committed to negotiating a community benefits agreement (CBA) that includes living wage jobs (40 hours per week at $10 an hour, plus benefits), more community space for youth and seniors, schools to alleviate overcrowding, and an option for employees to unionize.

A week earlier, KARA held a rally on the morning of an IDA public hearing on the steps of City Hall and brought approximately 80 members of the community to demand negotiations with Related.

Electeds Rally for KARA
Several elected officials came to voice support for KARA, including Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera, Councilman Oliver Koppell and Thompson. During the hearing, representatives of Congressman Jose Serrano and State Senator Pedro Espada urged the board to postpone its decision until Related met with KARA.

“While I am in favor of this project moving forward, I am concerned that the salary levels and number of future employees may be inaccurate,” Thompson said in a statement. “I also am concerned that the [agency] voted today on a project that is not allowed under its own policies.”

The IDA provides tax benefits exclusively to commercial and industrial organizations that are expanding in empire, empowerment, and industrial business zones. Under these requirements, the development project at the armory would not qualify for tax benefits. [The IDA has also approved millions of dollars in tax breaks and subsidies for the new Yankee Stadium project and Related’s Gateway Center Mall project at the Bronx Terminal Market.]

Janel Patterson, an EDC spokesperson, said the board was making an exception because the armory is in a “distressed” neighborhood.
“It’s not an empowerment zone,” said Patterson, “but it’s very underserved.” She added later, “It’s a criteria that we always judge proposals by.”

KARA supporters say the IDA decision will exacerbate the travails of the working poor.

“Would you be willing to live on 30 hours [of low pay] a week with no benefits?” asked the Rev. Doug Cunningham, pastor at New Day United Methodist Church in Bedford Park. “I experience the social costs of jobs that don’t pay. The IDA has the responsibility to the public, not just to the developer. We are not blocking the project, but it needs to benefit everyone and not become a center for working poverty.”

Citing CB7 Support
Despite Thompson’s concerns and KARA’s protests, EDC Chairman and IDA board member Seth Pinsky pointed to Community Board 7’s approval of the project as proof that local residents support the tax breaks, even though the board never voted on whether to support them.

CB7 Chair Greg Faulkner admitted there had not been a vote, but said he sent a letter to the IDA in support of the project on behalf of the board’s Executive Committee, which is made up of six of the board’s 32 members.

[Usually, before a community board takes an action such as writing a letter of support, a quorum must be present and then a majority of members must vote in support of an action. Faulkner said that he now needed to get support for the project on the record.]

Faulkner said the board agreed in principle on almost all of KARA’s demands and will continue to fight for community benefits.
Faulkner hopes to create a negotiating committee that includes members of the community board, City Council, borough president’s office, and KARA.

“We’re going to be tough on [Related],” Faulkner said. “I’m not going to vote for a project without a strong community benefits agreement.”

Related did not specifically mention a community benefits agreement, but spokesperson Joanna Rose said in an e-mail that Related wants to ensure the armory project “is a benefit to the entire community.” She added, “We are working closely with the local council member, community board, borough president and other area stakeholders, and are hopeful that KARA will join the ongoing discussions in partnership with these stakeholders.”

Neil Stephenson, legal counsel for KARA, says a successful community benefits agreement should be negotiated between the developer and an organization that represents the community, as has been the case with most substantial CBAs signed in other parts of the country.

He added that although elected officials and community boards play an important role in supporting community organizations, they should not negotiate or sign community benefit agreements because it would compromise their role in the land use review process and might make the CBA difficult to enforce.

Related must now go through the city’s uniform land use review procedure (ULURP) and draft an environmental impact statement that outlines how the community will be affected by the development project.

KARA plans to continue urging Related to negotiate an agreement before the ULURP process takes place.

Transitional Housing is Not Supportive Housing

By None

I would like to thank the Norwood News for their tremendous coverage of the cluster-site housing for homeless families (article, editorial in March 5 – 18 issue) in two local private apartment buildings funded by the Department of Homeless Services (DHS). 

However, I would like to make an important distinction that was lost in the your editorial when you wrote, “Is it really fair to impose this environment on regular tenants who did not sign up to live in what is essentially a supportive housing facility?” [Emphasis added.] DHS’ cluster-site housing model couldn’t be further from supportive housing. 

Supportive housing is not a facility, but rather permanent affordable apartments with on-site services, including case management, mental health services, substance abuse counseling, and employment programs, to homeless, disabled and at-risk New Yorkers. Supportive housing apartment buildings are often the most beautiful buildings in the neighborhood and they provide housing stability to our most vulnerable neighbors without attracting the notice of even longtime neighbors. A recent study by NYU found that the values of properties near supportive housing buildings actually go up after residences open.

Most supportive housing buildings also offer units to low-income members of the community. Of the 1,842 units of supportive housing built in the Bronx since 2000, 424 units (or 23 percent) have been set aside for low-income community residents. If they choose, these tenants can use supportive services offered in the building (from child care to case management to counseling); or tenants can enjoy a permanent affordable apartment any of us would be happy to call home.

Supportive housing is a permanent answer that costs only a fraction of the money spent on cluster-site housing. While the city is reimbursing Aguila $90 a day for cluster-site apartments, permanent supportive housing costs $68.50 a day or less to keep the most vulnerable families safely and stably housed. The lack of supportive housing and other permanent solutions to family homelessness force the city and state to spend scarce resources on expensive emergency shelter. And because shelter does not address the underlying cause of family homelessness – lack of appropriate, affordable housing – these costs extend in perpetuity.

With cluster-sites having been brought to our attention, community leaders, elected officials, government agencies, non-profit homeless service and housing providers, and residents should come together to share ideas in an effort to create a more effective policy. While the vast majority of homeless families just need a Section 8 voucher and linkages to existing community services in an unclustered setting, supportive housing is an important part of the solution for some homeless families with significant service needs.

-Nicholas Napolitano

The author is a Norwood resident and policy associate for the Supportive Housing Network of New York, a member agency for supportive housing providers in New York State. The views expressed in this letter are his own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Network.

By Norwood News

[Neighborhood Notes final 3’2]

Health Seminar
On Thursday, March 19 at 6 p.m. at St. Ann’s Church, 3519 Bainbridge Ave., Leroy Pharmacy and K-Pax will hold a “Nutritional/Immune Support Seminar” for clinical staffers and local residents. Learn how to stay healthy and boost your energy. Learn about taking daily multi-vitamins. Learn about the latest research studies. HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases will also be discussed. There will be special guest speakers and light refreshments. For more information, call Janet at (718) 775-5018.

Norwood Food Co-op CSA
Get fresh local and organic produce delivered to your neighborhood every week from June through November, starting at about $14 a week. If you are interested in joining, call (718) 514-3305 or visit norwoodfoodcoop.org. Deadline for a deposit is April 15.

Flea Market and Auction
St. Brendan’s Leisure Club is having a Chinese Auction/Flea Market on Sunday, March 29 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the school cafeteria at 207th Street between Bainbridge and Perry avenues. Come and win some great prizes or find some treasures.

Financial Literacy Classes
Credit Inc. and the Financial Empowerment Center are teaming up to provide Bronx residents with four free sessions on financial literacy. These classes will help teach residents how to empower themselves with key financial skills to manage money wisely and gain financial independence. Classes will be held on March 26, April 9 and 23, and May 7 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The March 26 class will be held at SoBRO, 555 Bergen Ave., 3rd floor. To register, call Miriam Johnson at (718) 732-7540 or Rebecca Stich at (347) 329-3929. Seating is limited, so register as soon as possible.

Planning for Retirement Seminar
The Methodist Church Home, 4499 Manhattan College Parkway in Riverdale, is holding a free seminar on Planning for Retirement presented by MetLife Cross Hudson Agency. It will take place on March 19 at 6:30 p.m. Reservations are required. To register, call (718) 548-5100 ext. 231.

Be the Face of Fordham Road
The Fordham Road Business Improvement District (BID) is holding its first ever Face of Fordham Road competition. It will run through March 31 and is open to all Bronx residents ages 18 to 25. Applicants must live in the Bathgate, Bedford Park, Belmont, Bronx Park South, East Tremont, Fordham, Mt. Hope, Norwood, West Farms, Kingsbridge, Morris, and University Heights neighborhoods. Applicants must submit an application form with a personal statement (300-500 words), an image release form with two photos, and a recent resume. All forms are available at www.fordhamroadbid.org. For more information, call (718) 562-2104. Winners will be announced in late April.

Celebrate National Nutrition Month
The City of New York Parks and Recreation is hosting an event to celebrate National Nutrition Month featuring community health groups, entertainment, and refreshments, on March 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. James Recreation Center, 2530 Jerome Ave. For more information, contact Tina Mejia Inman (718) 430-1824 or tina.inman@parks.nyc.gov.

Local Craft Club Needs Location
Little Debbie’s Craft Club is looking for a free space to host its knitting club. The group is looking for a space near the Fordham and Jerome area to meet twice a month. Please contact Debbie at (646) 670-9518.

English, Citizenship and Computer Classes

• Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, 3450 DeKalb Ave., is offering free English as a Second Language (ESL) and Citizenship Classes.  Ongoing classes run through June 30. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

 

• Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, 3101 Kingsbridge Terrace, is enrolling students for free English as a Second Language (ESL) and Citizenship classes. Ongoing classes run through June 30. For more information, call Aisha Abdul-Wahhab, program director, at (718) 884-0700 ext. 191 or 132.

 

• PS 94 at 3530 Kings College Pl,. offers ESL levels 1 and 2 and Computer Skills classes through summer 2009. Both classes meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Computer classes will be taught in English and will include lessons on keyboarding, Microsoft Word and other programs. Registration is first-come, first-served. For more information, call Ms. Seminario, the parent coordinator, at (347) 563-4772 or (718) 405-6345.

 

• St. James Recreation Center at 2530 Jerome Ave. offers free classes in Microsoft Office, Resume/Cover Letter Writing, Computer Basics, and much more. For more information, call Justin Young at (718) 367-3659.

 

• Fordham University, 557 E. Fordham Rd., is currently holding free computer and English Language classes for parents, Mondays through Thursdays and on Saturdays. Classes can either stand alone or as an 8- to 12-week series. For more information or to register, call (718) 817-3503.

Summer Youth Employment
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center is offering a Summer Youth Employment Program. Pick up applications at the center, 3450 DeKalb Ave., Monday through Friday from 2:30 to 6 p.m. You can also apply online at www.application.NYCSYEP.com. Be sure to pick “MMCC” as your Project Sponsor. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

Homeowner Resource Fair
University Neighborhood Housing Program is sponsoring a foreclosure prevention workshop at Our Lady of Refuge on April 12 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Free dinner will be provided. Homeowners can receive a free weatherization kit and a free rat-proof garbage can. Please RSVP to UNHP at (718) 933-2539.

Tax Help
Mosholu Preservation Corp., West Bronx Housing and University Neighborhood Housing Program have teamed up, along with corporate sponsors, to provide northwest Bronx residents earning less than $45,000 with free tax preparation. For appointments, contact Jumelia Abrahamson at (718) 933-2539, ext. 12 or e-mail jumelia@unhp.org.

Free Medicine Programs for Cancer Patients
The Complementary Medicine Program at 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 to see if yoga can help patients with breast, lung, and colorectal cancer. A certified yoga instructor teaches classes in both English and Spanish. The Mind-Body Cancer Program includes 8 weeks of Mind-Body groups (The Stress Management Education Group and the Spiritual Support Group) for patients with most types of cancer. Some restrictions apply to these groups, which have been specifically designed by a psychologist and an oncologist. For more information and to find out eligibility, call (718) 430-2380.

Social Security Basics
The Methodist Church Home, 4499 Manhattan College Parkway, is holding a free seminar on Understanding Social Security, presented by MetLife Cross Hudson Agency. It will be held on April 9 at 6:30 p.m. Reservations are required. To register, call (718) 548- 5100 ext. 231.

MS 80 Needs Love
MS 80 is asking parents and community members to show some love and volunteer for just an hour each week. The school needs mentors, math and reading tutors, part-time coaches and volunteers to help with cafeteria duty. For more information, call Ms. Alejandro (718) 405-6300 ext. 111.

Free Kids’ Summer Vacations
The Fresh Air Fund is currently registering boys and girls, ages six through 12, for free summer vacations in the homes of volunteer host families throughout the northeast or at one of five Fresh Air Fund summer camps in upstate New York. To find out how to register, call (800) 367-0003 or go to www.freshair.org.

52nd Precinct Council Fundraiser: Trip to A.C.
The 52nd Precinct Council is sponsoring a bus trip to the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City on May 30th. The cost is $35 a person, and the casino will give each person $18 back in chips. Participants will meet in front of the 52nd Pct, located on 3014 Webster Avenue, at 8 a.m. and return in the evening. Refreshments and games will be on the bus. If interested, contact Steven Bussell at (718) 364-0462, or call Community Affairs at (718) 220-5824 and leave a message.

Charter School Accepting Apps
The Bronx Community Charter School, located at 2348 Webster Ave., is now accepting kindergarten applications for fall 2009 (spaces for 1st and 2nd graders may also be available). For more information, call (718) 584-1400 or visit www.bronxcommunity.org.

MMCC Grade School & Teen Programs at Tracey Towers
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center is accepting registration for their free after school program at Tracey Towers, 40 W. Mosholu Pkwy. The program meets Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. and is open to children in the third through sixth grades. From 6:30 to 9 p.m., the free Teen Center is open for youth ages 12 to 18. Programs include homework help, computers, arts and crafts, sports, acting, and quiet games. To register, stop by the Youth Community Room on the second floor of Tracey Towers and speak to Antoine Fields, or call him at (917) 482-5039.

Self Defense Classes
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center still has space in its boxing, karate, and self-defense classes for children, teens, and adults. To register or find out class times, call (718) 882-4000 ext. 0, or stop by the center at 3450 DeKalb Ave.

Free Meditation for Breast Cancer Survivors
The Montefiore-Einstein Cancer Center is offering a free 20-week course on meditation and stress management for breast cancer survivors. The course is part of a research study. To register or learn more, call Kimala Harris at (718) 430-2380 or e-mail kah2019@med.cornell.edu.

Place for Teens With Issues
The Power Project is a free program for teens ages 12 to 18 who are dealing with substance abuse and other problems. Located at 3464 Webster Ave., Power Project provides case management, individual and group counseling, trips, and is just a place to get away from it all. For more information, call (718) 515-7971.

Seeking Foster Parents
The Foster Care Network is urgently looking for adults who want to become foster parents to provide a stable home and guidance to children in the upcoming year. For more information, call Jacob Kramer, outreach coordinator at (800) 454-3727 ext. 129.

Wii Games for Adults and Seniors
On Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4 p.m., adults and seniors can enjoy free Wii video games at the Mosholu Library, 285 E. 205th St. To sign up, go to the Adult Information Desk. For more information, call (718) 882-8239.

Free Parking Calendars
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz is offering free New York City Parking Calendars to community residents. To receive one, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to his office at 3107 Kingsbridge Ave., Bronx, NY 10463, or stop by the office in person.

Free Career Workshops
The State University of New York, located at 3950 Laconia Ave., is offering free career workshops, including job readiness training, resume and cover letter preparation, help with job searches and computer skills, job placement assistance, an Office Skills Certificate Program, college prep and more. For more information, call (718) 547-1001 or visit www.NBX.SUNYEOC.org.

After School Care
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, 3450 DeKalb Ave., provides after school care for children in elementary school. Children are transported from their schools in Norwood, Bedford Park, Williamsbridge and Van Cortlandt Village. The center provides a snack, help with homework, and an array of activities to keep children busy. Financial aid is available. For more information, call Ruth Moore, program registrar, at (718) 882-4000.
      
Schizophrenia Study Seeks Participants
A research study seeking new treatments for schizophrenia is looking for patients in the Bronx. Candidates must be 18 to 65 years old, diagnosed with schizophrenia at or before age 35 and currently on certain medications for schizophrenia. Patients can enroll through the first half of 2009. For more information, call (888) 988-6736 or go to www.cognitivestudy.com.

Job Opportunities
On Dec. 1, Mayor Bloomberg announced the expansion of free job placement services through New York City’s Workforce1 Career Centers. The centers provide personalized career counseling, interview training, resume/cover letter assistance, workshops and ESL classes. For more information, call the Bronx Workforce1 Center, 358 E. 149th St., (718) 960-7099.

Quality of Life Screening
The Psychosocial Oncology Program of the Montefiore-Einstein Cancer Center is conducting a survey study in order to learn about the physical and emotional stresses faced by cancer survivors. Participants will have to fill out questionnaires and have the opportunity to participate in free/low-cost programs and support services within the program. For more information, call (718) 430-2380.

Breast Oncology Program
The Breast Oncology Living Daily Program also known as BOLD living offers a variety of free educational, support, and mind-body workshops. They are designed to empower and nurture breast cancer patients, survivors, and loved ones, but are open to all. For more information or to register, call (718) 430-3613 or email outreach@aecom.yu.edu.

Preschool New Enrollment
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center now has more space available for childcare. There are new classrooms for 2- to 4-year-olds at the center, located at 3450 DeKalb Ave. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

Alzheimer’s Support Group
The Alzheimer’s Association’s New York City chapter provides a support group in Norwood for Spanish and English speaking caregivers who have relatives with Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia. The support group meets on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 5 to 6:15 p.m. For the location or more information, call Mark Goodwin at (718) 920-7377.

Free Respite Program
Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC) is offering free after-school services to families with mentally retarded or developmentally disabled children ages 5 to 21 from 3 to 6 p.m. KHCC is also offering a Saturday Respite Program for ages 15 to 25, and on Sundays another Respite Program is provided for ages 18 to 65. Weekend Respite Program hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They are held at the KHCC, 3101 Kingsbridge Terrace (near Sedgwick Avenue) at West 230th Street. To register or for more information, call Hanna Gabris at (718) 884-0700 ext. 202.

Speech Program at Ursula 
The Mt. St. Ursula Speech Center, 2885 Marion Ave., is now accepting applications for its fall program. The center has openings for children ages 2 to 5 who are in need of speech and language services. Medicaid and other insurances accepted. For more information, call (718) 584-7679.

Aphasia Clinic Accepting Clients
The Lehman College Speech and Hearing Center, which provides therapy on a sliding scale payment schedule, is now accepting new clients in its recently expanded aphasia clinic. The clinic will provide individual and group therapy sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. and 2 to 3 p.m.; group therapy sessions also take place on Tuesdays from 1 to 2 p.m. Diagnostic and therapeutic sessions will be supervised by faculty members who are licensed by the NYS Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and certified by ASHA (American Speech Language Hearing Association). For more information, call Wanda Adams at (718) 960-8138.

 

By Judy Noy

Onstage

• The Lehman Center for the Performing Arts presents Cinderella, performed by the Russian National Ballet Theatre featuring Tchaikovsky’s music, March 22 at 4 p.m.; and Forever Freestyle, presenting performers featuring dance music of the ‘80s, March 28 at 8 p.m. (tickets for each are $20 to $35; and for Cinderella: $10 for children 12 and under) in the Concert Hall at 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W. For more information, call (718) 960-8833.
• The Bronx Library Center, located at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road, hosts Papo Pepin y Su Orchestra, March 21 at 2:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 579-4244/46 or visit www.nypl.org.
• The Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance (BAAD!), located at 841 Barretto Street in the south Bronx, presents several performances celebrating the empowerment of women. Retro Petro features Elizabeth “Macha” Marrero performing comedy, March 20 and 21 ($20); Nigger/Nigga: A Discussion of Language, Culture and History, featuring a panel discussing the word in society, March 26 (free); Warrier Women, presenting three performers featuring a variety of entertainment, March 27 ($15); and By the Souls of Their Feet, featuring dancers performing a variety of genres, March 28 ($20). All performances are at 8 p.m. For more information, call Charles Rice-Gonzalez, (917) 604-3598.
• Church of the Visitation, located at 160 Van Cortlandt Pk. S., will host a free piano duo classical music concert on March 21 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 548-1455.
• Wave Hill, located at West 249th Street and Independence Avenue, presents a concert, Cabaret and the Concourse: Barbara Brussell, March 29 at 2 p.m. in the Wave Hill House, celebrating the musical history of the Bronx’s great boulevard, followed by a conversation with the artists. Tickets are $15/members; $24/non members; $21/students and seniors 65 and over which includes admission to the grounds. Advance purchase is recommended. For more information, call (718) 549-3200 ext. 385 or visit www.wavehill.org.

Events

• Wave Hill offers two family art projects: Up Pops Spring, to make cards ad pictures that unfold, move and grow, March 21 and 22; and Branches Against the Sky, to visit a painting exhibition and sketch bare and newly leafed out branches, March 28 and 29; both in the Kerlin Learning Center from 1 to 4 p.m. Wave Hill is located at West 249th Street and Independence Avenue. For more information, call (718) 549-3200 or visit www.wavehill.org.
• Lehman College presents a free lecture, film and panel discussion to celebrate Women’s History Month, including “Gender, Race, and Politics,” a talk by Dr. Mary Childers, March 24 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Gillet Hall Auditorium; and “Envisioning Justice: The Journey of a Transgendered Woman,” a film and panel discussion focusing on dealing with gay students in grades K to 12, March 26 at 7 p.m. For more information, call (718) 960-1160.
• The Bronx Council on the Arts and the Huntington Library present a free ECO Art Creative Recycling Art Collage workshop on March 21 from noon to 3 p.m. at the library, 9 Westchester Square. For more information and to reserve, call (718) 829-7770.
• The Bronx Culture Trolley, a replica of a 20th-century trolley, transports visitors on the first Wednesday of every month (except January and September), to Bronx hot spots, ending at Sweetwaters Bar & Grill with jazz, and food and drink. A reception is held at the Hostos Art Gallery, 450 Grand Concourse (at 149th St.) at 5 p.m., followed by three trolley departures at 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. New attractions are added monthly. Trolley ride is free. Riders can get on and off at any scheduled stop and spend as much time as they wish at any or all of the featured venues. Venues and activities vary each month. The next trip is on April 1. For more information or to confirm, call (718) 931-9500 ext. 33 or log on to www.bronxarts.org.

Exhibits

• En Foco and Pregones Theatre present Mi Sangre, a free photo exhibition held at the theatre, located at 571-575 Walton Ave. (between 149th and 150th streets), through May 9, by Mexican-American photographer, Rojelio Reyes Rodriquez, currently living and working in New York City. For more information, visit www.pregones.org.

 

• The Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th Street, presents a three-part exhibition series commemorating the Grand Concourse’s centennial, starting with The Grand Concourse at 100, through July 20. Originally called the Grand Boulevard, the Grand Concourse celebrates its 100th year in 2009. For more information, call (718) 681-6000 or visit www.bronxmuseum.org.

 

• The Bronx Council on the Arts presents two exhibitions at the Longwood Gallery at Hostos, 450 Grand Concourse (149th Street), Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., including Dream Sequence, through May 9, free, which explores a number of themes using drawings, paintings, photography, sculpture, and video (an artists talk will take place on May 9 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the show’s closing); and Vidal Centeno: F119, in the gallery’s Project Room through April 4. For more information, call (718) 931-9500.

 

• The Lehman College Art Gallery presents ViÀoly in the Bronx, highlighting building designs of architect Rafael ViÀoly, including a model of Lehman’s APEX Building. The exhibition, which runs through May 20, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., also features drawings, photographs, and planning documents. For more information, call (718) 960-8731.

 

• The Orchid Show: Brazilian Modern, designed by landscape architect Raymond Jungles, which draws on his work with the late Roberto Burle Marx, renowned Brazilian artist and landscape architect, takes place in the New York Botanical Garden’s Haupt Conservatory through April 12. During this exhibit, a complementary hands-on children’s program, Chocolate and Vanilla Adventures, will be held in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, to learn about the plant origins of these two sweet treats, including making and tasting these products, through April 19. Call for schedule (718) 817-8700.
• The Young and the Restless, an exhibition of six emerging artists based in New York, featuring painting, sculpture, and photography, will be held at the Gordon Parks Gallery, 332 E. 149th St., through May 3. For more information, call (718) 665-1310 or (914) 654-5427.

Learning

The Bronx Library Center has events for all ages:

• For children and preschoolers, there is Preschool Romp, March 19, 21, 26 and April 2 at 11 a.m.; Story Time, March 21 at 2 p.m.; and Pajama Party, March 27 at 7 p.m.
• Also, for school-aged children, there is Theatre Group Meetings, March 23 and 30 at 4 p.m.; Arts & Crafts, March 26 at 4 p.m.; Toddler Two-Step, March 28 at 11 a.m.; and Rosie, March 29 at 2 p.m.
• Young adults can attend The Three Borough Read: Meet the Authors, March 19 at 4 pm.; Yu-Gi-Oh No You Didn’t, March 20 and 27 at 4 p.m.; Let’s Talk With Nikol Hasler, March 30 at 4 p.m.; and How Do You Identify, April 1 at 4 p.m.
• For adults, there is Getting Started: Choosing a Resume Style That Works for You, March 20 at 3 p.m.
• The entire family can enjoy Mississippi Burning, March 28 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.

• The Mosholu Library, located at 285 E. 205th St., presents Toddler Story Time, April 2 at 10:30 a.m. For more information, call (718) 882-8239.

 

• The Jerome Park Library, at 118 Eames Place, presents programs for all ages. For children, there is Toddler Story Time, March 20 at 11 a.m.; and Carnival, March 24 at 4 p.m. For young adults, there is Pizza Making, March 26 at 4 p.m.; and Doughnuts, April 2 at 4:30 p.m. For adults, there is Resume Workshop, March 30 at 11 a.m. For more information, call (718) 549-5200.

NOTE: Items for consideration should be received in our office by March 23 for the next publication date of April 2.

By Peter Mullin

With another college basketball season in the rearview mirror, both the men’s and women’s basketball teams at Monroe College can look optimistically towards next year’s campaigns even though they fell short of their championship aspirations.

On the women’s side, the Lady Mustangs, led by Coach Seth Goodman (180-35 in eight seasons with Monroe), captured third place at the eight-team National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), Division III tournament held in Rochester, Minn., to finish the season with a record of 31-2.

In semi-finals, Monroe was beaten 58-53 by Madison Area Technical College, of Wisconsin. 

The Lady Mustangs had won two of the previous three national championships.

For the men’s team, the season highlight came by way of a No. 13 ranking in the NJCAA, Division I poll, the Mustang’s highest-ever national ranking.

Led by Coach Jeffrey Brustad (.795 winning percentage in seven seasons), the men went undefeated in conference play winning both the regular season title and the right to the No. 1 seed in the Region XV tournament. Their unfortunate upset loss in the district semis aside, Monroe ended their campaign with a more-than-admirable 30-3 record.

The Mustangs will send three players, Kyle Wright, Westly Perryman and Tyvon Williams, to the biggest stage in college basketball. Shedding their familiar blue and gold, next season the trio will suit up in the NCAA’s Division I for Providence, Boise State and South Carolina State, respectively.
 

By Falon Perez

This winter, the halls of the Bronx Aerospace Academy, a small military-themed high school on Gun Hill Road, look fresh and new thanks to a nonprofit group that is making it their mission to spruce up the city’s drab and dilapidated public school buildings.

Publicolor, founded in 1996 by industrial designer Ruth Lande Shuman, aims to engage at-risk students with their learning envrinoment by getting them to paint their schoolhallways, classrooms and other facilities.

Each semester Publicolor works with students to paint a handful of schools in New York City. Last fall, Publicolor brought new color to three Bronx schools: Bronx Aerospace, Philip Sousa Middle School and PS 69.

Following these colorful transformations, schools say they see tangible changes that go beyond the aesthetic, including an enhanced academic experience, increased teacher attendance, an overall better sense of school community, increased feelings of safety and improved perceptions of at-risk students who participate. 

This semester, Publicolor is helping students paint at PS 112, Bronxwood Elementary.

By Graham Kates

In October, Monroe marked 75 years of bettering students with an event-filled celebration complete with spotlights, big heated tents and a slew of alumni.

Since its inception in 1933, the Jerome Avenue-based private college has evolved over the years to fit the growing needs of its diverse and expanding student body.

Founded as the Monroe School of Business, the school’s initial enrollment was just seven students. The original pupils, all women, had come at the height of the Great Depression to learn skills like stenography, so they could secure better jobs to help their families through those difficult times.

Many of Monroe’s current students come with the same enterprising spirit of those first seven women, Axelbank said.

Jason Muharran, a 20-year-old Business Administration major who was raised nearby on Fordham Road, says he tested the job market after high school, but enrolled at Monroe after he realized that he needed to equip himself with better skills in order to be competitive in today’s job market.

Indeed, with the job market shrinking, Monroe has seen an increase in new applicants interested in job training. “If the economy is bad or maybe you’re unemployed, this is a great time to build up your skills,” said Director of Admissions Evan Jerome. “You’ll be higher on the ladder. In this day and age, people need to get jobs.”

Today, during this new era of trying economic times, Monroe is 1,000 times larger (the current enrollment is around 7,300) and co-ed. Once a school with just four small classrooms, Monroe now has three separate campuses, each with its own distinct personality. They offer nine two-year associate degree programs (such as nursing and information technology), six four-year bachelor’s programs (such as criminal justice and hospitality management) and three graduate masters’ degrees in business management.

Monroe’s Bronx campus, mainly on Jerome Avenue, is composed mostly of students from within the borough and has a high percentage of part-time students. The New Rochelle campus is composed of mostly “traditional” (full-time) students, one-third of whom live on campus in dorms, and 30 percent of whom are international students. The school’s third campus, which opened in 2006, is in Castries, a city on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. It caters primarily to local St. Lucians as well as some of the school’s international Caribbean students.

Anthony Allen, the school’s vice president for enrollment management, says that as the school has expanded, so has its involvement in the community. Allen said Monroe’s facilities are open to community members (groups and individuals can reserve classrooms and gym space for meetings, practices or clubs), and that the school employs the use of mini-street sweeper vehicles to keep its surrounding neighborhood clean. Monroe’s security team, mostly former police officers, patrols the area around the college nightly.

The school’s academic offerings have diversified over the years as well.

Freshman Irene Clemente, 18, says that she recently decided to change her field of study.

“I saw our school’s culinary facilities and was so impressed,” says Clemente, who in January became a Culinary Arts major, and will begin taking classes in the school’s high-tech culinary center on the New Rochelle campus.

Monroe has also tried hard to stay on the cutting edge technologically. They’ve received acclaim for helping bridge the borough’s digital divide through a student-run program that sets up Bronx businesses with wireless Internet access and have ramped up online offerings.

Craig Patrick, Monroe’s director for online services, said each semester “over 20 percent of [Monroe’s] students take at least some online courses, so at some point during their education nearly every student takes an online course.”

Nearly five percent of Monroe’s students take online classes exclusively, Patrick said.

With all its conveniences and offerings, Monroe is making it easy for students to better themselves. As Muharran puts it, “This school is good at preparing us for the world.”

Ed. note: This story has been slightly revised from the original appearing in the print version.

By Peter Mullin

New York’s First Lady, Michelle Paige Paterson, recently stopped by Mosholu Montefiore Community Center to check out the B’N Fit anti-obesity program and meet with some local teens striving to improve their lives while shedding a couple pounds in the process.

Paterson spoke about the importance of diet and exercise and took part in a healthy eating class alongside program participants before heading off to see the rest of the community center facility.

Open to adolescents aged 12 to 21, B’N Fit, a collaboration between the center and the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, provides the support, education and encouragement for participants to adopt healthy eating and make exercise a regular part of their lives. 

“[The program] helps make us feel more confident in ourselves,” said Nmeoma Ubozoh, one of the many program participants to meet with New York’s First Lady.

Ed. note: For more information, including registration for the upcoming B’N Fit 2-mile walk-a-thon on May 30, contact Elicia Johnson-Knox at (718) 920-2232 or e-mail BNFIT@montefiore.org.   

By Editorial

Three months ago, we submitted a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request to the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

We simply wanted a neighborhood-by-neighborhood breakdown of crime statistics in the 52nd Precinct. We received such a report directly from the precinct last year. And the 50th Precinct regularly provides similar information to The Riverdale Press.

Our readers tell us they find it useful to know the number of robberies and murders right on the streets where they live, stroll and send their kids to school. We receive lots of positive feedback from local residents whenever we’ve published such information.

Ask concerned residents, especially those who want to help by being the precinct’s eyes and ears, and they’ll tell you that stats for an entire precinct are useless without information about where those crimes occur. People want to know what’s happening in their neighborhoods.

This year the commander of the 52nd Precinct told us we needed to request this sector-by-sector breakdown from Police Department headquarters, and the press office there said we needed to file a FOIL request, basically a formal letter detailing the information sought.

A month after we sent the letter, the NYPD’s Legal Bureau replied that it would take three months – until April 17 – to make a determination as to whether they could release the information. This is unacceptable, especially since the precinct could provide us with the information practically instantaneously.

We spoke with Deputy Commissioner for Public Information Paul Browne two weeks ago and he said he’d look into it, but he still hasn’t gotten back to us or responded to a follow-up e-mail.

Keep in mind that this is information that the Police Department routinely collects, and is in fact the basis of the storied Compstat program, where police resources are supposedly deployed according to areas where it is most needed.

We’ve had a good relationship with 52nd Precinct officials, who have given us access to these and other statistics in the past. We have no gripe with them.

This clampdown is coming from the top.

We will continue to press the NYPD to release this basic public information. And our readers should feel free to do the same. The Freedom of Information Law is not just for reporters. It is for everyone.

Coincidentally, it is Sunshine Week nationwide, where news organizations nationwide work to raise public awareness of freedom of information laws and problems with their implementation.

Consider this our contribution to the effort.

If you would like to learn more about FOIL, which is a state law (federal agencies are governed by the federal Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA) go to the Web site of the state

Committee on Open Government at www.dos.state.ny.us/coog/coogwww.html or just Google it. If you have any questions about FOIL, e-mail us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

Ed. note: The day this issue of the Norwood News hit the streets, March 19, NYPD headquarters provided the information we requested. More about this here.

By Peter Mullin

Rising above East 211th Street on the grounds of PS 94 in Norwood, the iron skeleton of a new school building takes shape. As it progresses, the three-story edifice holds the promise of accommodating 490 new school seats.

But it remains unclear which students will occupy those seats and how much the new building will help alleviate overcrowding in District 10.

Set to open in September 2010, the structure at PS 94 will include 22 classrooms and three special education classrooms.

According to Department of Education spokesperson Will Havemann, the construction will be an Early Childhood Education Center and remain under the jurisdiction of the school’s current principal, Diane Daprocida, who declined to speculate on her future role with the new building. “We’ll have to wait,” she said.

That wait comes as no surprise to Eleanor Edelstein, the education liaison for local Councilman Oliver Koppell, who claimed the DOE has yet to decide how they will appropriate the new space.

“[DOE officials] don’t know yet,” she said. “Originally it was going to be an Early Childhood Education Center, but now there’s been some discussion otherwise. It’s all still up in the air right now.”

Uncertain future aside, the new building replaces two transitional structures that used to occupy a chunk of PS 94’s playground. Those structures held 13 temporary classroom units (TCUs) and accommodated 325 of the more than 1,000 students that attend the K-5 school.

Daprocida said no students were displaced during the construction. Through increased class size and squeezing in more classrooms at the school’s main building, PS 94 retained all those students who attended class in the TCUs last year. “We were able to keep our kids,” Daprocida said.

Incoming kindergartners and first graders zoned for the Norwood school, however, are now being bused to PS 23 in Tremont, and, unlike in past years, the school was unable to accommodate overflow from chronically overcrowded PS 56.

When completed, the additional seats in the new structure “should help to relieve overcrowding in PS 8 (in Bedford Park) and PS 56, as well as at PS 94 itself,” Havemann said in an e-mail.

In the same vein, Daprocida sees the new building as a tool to help alleviate the burden of overcrowding in District 10, the third most crowded district in the entire city.

“With the new building we should be able to accommodate more students and give relief to other schools in the area,” she said. “The DOE really has been receptive to our needs in the community. I am 100 percent satisfied with the progress made so far.”

The DOE counts the new structure as 490 new seats. But when including the loss of TCUs, the total number of additional seats created by construction at PS 94 amounts to a net gain of only 165 additional seats.

In an email, Havemann said the DOE doesn’t differentiate between replacement seats and additional seats.

For Marvin Shelton, president of Community Education Council 10, the project at the Norwood elementary school “looks pretty much like a wash [in terms of additional seats].”

The Department of Education’s (DOE) current Five-Year Capital Plan (FY 2005-09) and the newly proposed plan for the years 2010 to 2014, call for the creation of around 2,900 seats at five locations throughout the district. Three of those projects are either finished or in the process of being completed. The DOE locations for the other two projects (for a total of 1,154 new seats), have yet to be determined.

By Chloe Tribich

Only eight months after investing in a portfolio of two dozen rent-regulated Bronx properties, a private equity fund known as Hudson Realty Capital is now putting several of the buildings, including 1985-1995 Botanical Square South in Bedford Park, up for sale at prices significantly below what it paid for them.

Tenant advocates who have long worried that private equity groups, with their mandate for quick returns on investments whatever the cost, threatened the borough and city’s affordable housing stock.

But now, it appears Hudson and other private equity funds may have over-reached and are now trying to cut their losses.

Hudson’s efforts to sell low could be indicative of “a misstep in the private equity misery,” said Benjamin Dulchin, advocacy director of the Association of Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD), a nonprofit group that focuses on affordable housing.

At the height of the recent real estate boom, many private equity investors poured capital into rent-regulated housing, assuming that if apartments could be released from regulation (through vacancies and capital improvements), rents would increase dramatically and swell investors’ incomes.

Hudson Realty Capital has not caught the eye of advocates before, but their partners in the Bronx portfolio of 1,449 apartment units, the Pinnacle Group, has been criticized by advocates for using aggressive tactics to drive out tenants. In 2006, the company submitted to an agreement with the New York State Attorney General to provide redress to tenants claiming they had been overcharged for rent.

Last summer, Hudson bought into the Bronx apartment portfolio (they purchased the investment from the Praedium Group) for a sale price that housing policy experts said was some 10 percent above market value. The high sale price and the landlord’s debt obligations could lead to maintenance cutbacks or an aggressive effort to hike rents, the experts said.

“Unless there are other elements of this deal not apparent on the surface, the sales price suggests that Hudson is working with a profit margin so thin as to be hard to see,” said Harold Shultz, Senior Fellow of Citizens Housing and Planning Council.

Those fears remain, but it seems Hudson and Pinnacle are trying to cut at least some its losses or raise capital by selling off some of the portfolio.

One of the properties, 1985-1995 Botanical Square South in Bedford Park, is listed on the website of realtor Massey Knakal for $14.5 million, though Hudson acquired the building for $17.3 million last June. At least three other buildings — 1121-1171 Morrison Ave., 2254 Cedar Ave. and 2269 Hampden Place — are also selling for less than the purchase price.

Shane Kavanagh, a spokesman of both Hudson and Pinnacle, declined to comment on the sale for this article, though, in an e-mail exchange with the Norwood News in December, he said that Pinnacle was still the “primary owner,” despite Hudson’s investment last June, and planned “to continue to invest the necessary resources to maintain [the apartments] to the highest standard.”

According to realty firm Massey Knakal, the buildings were placed on the market that same month.

[The ownership relationship between Pinnacle and Hudson remains unclear, but housing experts say Hudson is essentially just the financial backer of the investment portfolio, while Pinnacle manages the properties and provides advice to Hudson on ownership decisions.]

Dan DeSloover of the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board said the current terms of loans from New York Community Bank require the landlord to make higher monthly payments beginning in June 2010, and DeSloover said this would pressure even a principled landlord to cut back on repairs or drive out long-term tenants to raise rents.

Gregory Lobo Jost of University Neighborhood Housing Program, a local non-profit, agreed that no matter who owns the properties, the mortgage terms should be changed in order to protect tenants and preserve the buildings.

Ilene A. Angarola, a spokesperson for New York Community Bank, said that it’s routine for the bank to thoroughly vet buyers of their mortgaged buildings, but that the original terms of the loan would probably apply.

It’s not just Pinnacle and Hudson feeling the pinch. ANHD has identified nine affordable housing portfolios in the city facing severe financial problems.

Riverton Houses in Harlem, owned by Stellar Management and the Rockport Group, is now in foreclosure. And the owners of Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village in downtown Manhattan, Tishman Speyer and BlackRock, are trying to raise capital to stave off default.

By Alex Kratz

Robberies have surged in the 52nd Precinct in 2009 compared to the same time period a year ago.

There have been 114 robberies so far this year, compared to just 74 at this point last year.

In February, police attributed the spike, which they said was heavily concentrated in Norwood, to be due to a string of robberies involving Chinese food delivery men. One particular delivery man had been robbed multiple times, leading to outrage amongst Chinese restaurant owners and workers.

Police believed the robberies were the result of young opportunists finding easy targets. 

After working through a language barrier, police said they made an arrest that they felt would stem the rise in robberies.

Indeed, robberies have evened out compared to last year in the last month (29 last year, 29 this year) and have dropped significantly in the last week (11 during this time last year, compared to four this year).

Ed. note: To see a complete listing of crime statistics compiled for the 52nd Police Precinct, visit www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/ html/precincts/precinct_052.shtm.

By Alex Kratz

For weeks, a poster on the white tiled wall inside the 205th Street D train station has asked for information regarding the mysterious death of a 48-year-old man named Sangh Shingeia.

On Feb. 20, police found Shingeia unconscious and unresponsive near the entrance to the D train station near 206th Street and Bainbridge Avenue.

According the Medical Examiner’s report, he was taken to Montefiore Medical Center where he was treated for his injuries, which included multiple skull and rib fractures, according to Montefiore doctors.

Shingeia was also severely intoxicated, doctors said.

Shingeia survived for five days in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, but finally succumbed to his injuries and died on Feb. 25.

Shingeia was believed to be homeless and frequented Part of the Solution (POTS), a soup kitchen on Webster Avenue.

It’s unclear if police are treating this as a homicide, but doctors said it appeared that Shingeia had been severely beaten.
Calls to the 52nd Precinct and the Transit Robbery Unit were not returned by press time.

By None

•    Community Board 7 Committee Meetings: The Education, Libraries, and Cultural Affairs Committee will meet on Thursday, March 19, 6:30 p.m. The Traffic and Transportation Committee will meet on Monday, March 23, 6:30 p.m. The Health and Hospital Committee will meet on Tuesday, March 24, 6:30 p.m. The Parks and Recreation Committee will meet on Thursday, March 26, 6:30 p.m. All committees meet at the Community Board office, 229A E. 204th St. For more information, call (718) 933-5650.
•    The 52nd Precinct Community Council will meet on Thursday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the Bedford Park Senior Center, 243 E. 204th St. For more information, call (718) 220-5824.
•    The Croton Facility Monitoring Committee will meet at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 19 at the DEP community office, 3660 Jerome Ave. 

By Alex Kratz

More than two months into his latest term in the state Senate, Pedro Espada, Jr. says he’s finally found a home for his district office.

Espada will be moving into office space at 400 E. Fordham Road, a newly renovated office building near Webster Avenue which also houses Sears and a fitness center, sometime in mid-April, according to Steve Mangione, who says he’s handling some of the senator’s press calls while he attends to legislative business in Albany.

(Mangione also handles public relations for Espada’s Soundview Healthcare Network, but he insists he’s keeping the two gigs completely separate.)

Mangione said the delay was because the new Democratic Senate majority is still working out the kinks of its leadership responsibilities, including figuring out how to budget things like staff and office expenses.

Calls to property managers at 400 E. Fordham Rd. couldn’t be reached at press time. In the meantime, Mangione said constituents can contact Espada at his Albany office at (518) 455-3395.

A spokesperson for State Senator Majority Leader Malcolm Smith said she didn’t know of any other senators who didn’t yet have district offices set up.

Espada will also finalize his staff in the coming weeks, Mangione said.

By Alex Kratz

On Tuesday, the State Senate’s Democratic majority leadership released its plan to save mass transit riders from massive service cuts and fare hikes.

State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr., in a press release, said Democrats would propose a four percent fare hike for subways and commuter trains and impose a small payroll tax (25 cents for every $100 in payroll). He said the payroll tax would generate $1.16 billion and the fare hikes $117 million.

The state legislature has been loath to adopt the Ravitch Commission’s recommendations of an eight percent fare hike, 33 cents per $100 of payroll tax and tolls on bridges over the Harlem and East rivers.

Even the Senate acknowledged that this will not be a long-term fix, but before implementing anything more substantial, lawmakers want the MTA to open up its books for further review.

“Our proposal addresses the MTA’s immediate need for operational funds,” Espada said in a statement. “In the meantime, it allows us to review the MTA’s financial records and needs.”

Later Tuesday, Gov. David Paterson rejected the plan.

By Alex Kratz

Last week, it appeared, for all intents and purposes, the Bronx found a replacement for now-departed former borough president Adolfo Carrion, who took a job with the Obama administration in February.

One by one, potential Democratic rivals to Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, Jr.’s run at the borough presidency fell by the wayside. And last Monday, Diaz, Jr., a 35-year-old career politician who was first elected to the assembly at age 23, was swarmed by supporters at a campaign kickoff at Borough Hall.

It might as well have been a coronation ceremony.
At the event, former borough president Freddy Ferrer (who preceded Carrion and unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2005) and new County Democratic Party Chairman Carl Heastie stumped for Diaz, Jr.

Comptroller and mayoral hopeful Bill Thompson also assured the media that he has Diaz, Jr.’s back. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer was also there to support him.

Ferrer basically congratulated him on taking over the post he once held.

“I’ve seen Ruben Diaz, Jr. grow in his public service over the years,” Ferrer said. “I’m happy for him. I’m happy for the people of the Bronx. I think the Bronx would be in very, very good hands.
For a while, this looked like it might be a race, but with Councilman Joel Rivera dropping out and throwing his support behind Diaz, Jr., it appears the outcome of the April 21 election is a foregone conclusion.

(It should be noted that Anthony Ribustello, a Republican district leader from Throggs Neck who also appeared in a handful of “Sopranos” episodes, is also in the running, says GOP spokesman Vincent Trabone. Ribustello, however, has not filed financial disclosure forms with the Board of Elections and is facing near impossible odds in the race. He couldn’t be reached by press time.)

Last Thursday, Diaz, Jr. held a fund-raising event at the Sofa Lounge (formerly the X Bar) on Fordham Road. The event was a who’s who of Bronx political figures and featured an appearance by Diaz, Jr.’s buddy, Bronx rap star Fat Joe.

At the event, Diaz, Jr. addressed the borough’s unemployment problems and said he wanted to keep the Bronx affordable.

By Rachel Waldholz

After nearly three years of debate and delay, a Comfort Inn is slowly rising on Webster Avenue.

But the project is once again on hold because of a partial stop-work order due to unapproved steel work and a fight with neighbors over property boundaries.

These are not the first halts the developer, McSam Hotel Group, has faced. Sounding exasperated, Gary Wisinski, McSam’s chief operating officer, admitted in an interview that he “can’t seem to keep the project going.”

Initiated in April 2006, the project was on hold for a full year and a half while McSam sought to allay community concerns that a Comfort Inn would not be viable on Webster and might devolve into a so-called “hot-sheet” hotel, as has happened with similarly sized hotels across the Bronx River.

These fears were among the factors prompting the community board to undertake its current effort to rezone the Webster corridor (see story on front page). Under the proposed new rules, projects like the Comfort Inn could not be built without a variance.

Wisinski said community fears are misplaced and expects the 5-story, 48-room hotel to have a “multi-market” appeal, drawing people with business in the area, and those visiting the local hospitals and universities. Wisinksi expects the hotel to charge $105-$125 per room, down from the $125-$150 per room he had expected before the economic downturn, and to maintain an occupancy rate near 75 percent.

Actual construction on the hotel began last June. Wisinski said he tentatively hopes it will open within 14 to 16 months.
Nine complaints have been lodged with the Department of Buildings since last summer, though only one resulted in a violation. Two others resulted in stop-work orders.

One stop-work order remains partially in place. It was issued in December because “the structural steel work did not conform to approved plans,” said Carly Sullivan, a spokesperson for the Department of Buildings (DOB). Wisinksi said that McSam is in the process of submitting updated plans to the DOB and expects the order will be lifted by the end of March.

The other stop-work order was issued when neighbors Harold and Virginia Hekimian complained that work was damaging their roof, which slightly hangs over the site. That order was rescinded when McSam submitted a survey supporting their claim that the roof encroached on their property, but construction has remained stalled while McSam negotiates with the Hekimians.

The Hekimians say they have been overwhelmed by the construction’s constant intrusion into their lives, and have objected to changing their roof. Both in their 70s, the Hekimians were raised in the house, which their parents bought in the mid-1920s, and have been involved in a series of disputes with McSam.

Recently, McSam decided to build around the encroachment, Wisinski said, despite their claim that the roof is intruding on their property (the Hekimians dispute this claim). The new plans must be approved by the DOB, and he expects construction on the stalled south wall to begin again in April.

By Sarah Trefethen

Ozzie Brown looks at the oil-drenched industrial stretch of Webster Avenue and sees a completely different future for this wide corridor that runs parallel to the Bronx River.

“We want to see bookstores, museums and cafés, so that it has a village feel,” said Brown, the chair of Community Board 7’s Land Use Committee. “We want to see nightlife, cuisine and culture.”

The Department of City Planning, working closely with Brown’s committee and the whole board, have drafted a plan designed to bring in new apartment buildings, stores and businesses on Webster, between Fordham Road and Gun Hill Road.

Auto repair shops, parking lots and hair salons currently dominate the almost two-mile stretch of road on the eastern edge of Norwood, Bedford Park and North Fordham. It also hosts a large supermarket, a discount wallpaper warehouse, and a small Halal poultry shop.

The area’s zoning designation, which dates back to pre-1974 when the Third Avenue El (now dismantled) still defined the road, restricts new development to heavy industrial use.

“It’s kind of stuck in time, this little area,” said Carol Samol, the director of the Bronx office of City Planning.  

The zoning came to the attention of Community Board 7 when a developer moved to locate a hotel close to PS/IS 20. The hotel is still being built, but the board wants to avoid similar development in the future.

Joe Muriana, an associate vice-president at Fordham University, said the Bronx Four Institutions Alliance, a coalition that includes Fordham, the New York Botanical Garden, Bronx Zoo and Montefiore Medical Center (all of which are located in close proximity to Webster), has been advocating for a similar vision.

“We were like two ships headed in the same direction,” he said. 

Muriana said Fordham has no current plans to develop in the area itself, but that the University would like to see investment in a mix of residences and resident-friendly stores.

But rezoning provides no more than a framework for development. Developers must actually invest in the area. 

Board member Barbara Stronczer, who lives near Webster, worries private investment won’t be sufficient to provide for the corridor’s revitalization.

“On paper the plans look wonderful,” Stronczer said. “City Planning did a wonderful job, but it’s not City Planning’s job to make sure that we get the services, and that’s what concerns me.”

Stronczer said the area needs more banks and produce markets, and could benefit from an additional grocery store — exactly the kinds of businesses rezoning advocates hope to attract. But she also remembers that the city predicted a revitalization of the area after the demolition of the Third Avenue El.

“We all have a vision, but having seen what happened in the ’70s and seen what the area looks like today, I’m not so sure,” she said. “The city promised that Webster Avenue would have many improvements, and things fell short of that.”

Fernando Tirado, CB 7’s district manager, said that things have changed since the ’70s.  He anticipates the rezoning will bring new jobs to the area, either through the expansion of current employers or the attraction of new employers.

It remains unclear how existing businesses will be affected. A handful of business owners on Webster weren’t aware of the zoning changes. Tirado said the board alerted property owners to a forum on the rezoning proposal at PS/IS 20 on March 5. But that information may not have trickled down to merchants.

The owner of a hair salon on Webster said she didn’t know about the rezoning effort, but welcomed any changes that might make the area better.

In addition to allowing a greater range of development on Webster, the plan would change the zoning of the adjacent residential areas to protect two- and three-story houses from replacement by apartment buildings. 

Richard Guether, the city planner working with the community board to devise the plan, said that the proposal is an ongoing process. He predicts the formal public review process will begin in the fall.

By Ivonne Salazar

Last Wednesday, the city approved a proposal that could lead to $17.8 million in tax breaks for the Related Companies, the developer that plans to transform the massive landmarked Kingsbridge Armory into a shopping center.

The city’s Industrial Development Agency (IDA), an arm of the Economic Development Corporation (EDC), voted to provide Related with a preliminary tax break inducement, a non-binding agreement that will allow Related to secure funding from banks and purchase supplies.

The vote occurred during the agency’s board meeting despite a motion by a representative for city comptroller and board member William Thompson to delay the vote. All but two of the agency’s 14 board members — Thompson and a representative of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer’s office — voted to provide the preliminary inducement.

For the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA), a coalition of community groups, unions, religious leaders and local residents backed by support from local politicians, the decision was a setback. The Alliance hoped the agency would postpone its decision until Related committed to negotiating a community benefits agreement (CBA) that includes living wage jobs (40 hours per week at $10 an hour, plus benefits), more community space for youth and seniors, schools to alleviate overcrowding, and an option for employees to unionize.

A week earlier, KARA held a rally on the morning of an IDA public hearing on the steps of City Hall and brought approximately 80 members of the community to demand negotiations with Related.

Electeds Rally for KARA
Several elected officials came to voice support for KARA, including Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera, Councilman Oliver Koppell and Thompson. During the hearing, representatives of Congressman Jose Serrano and State Senator Pedro Espada urged the board to postpone its decision until Related met with KARA.

“While I am in favor of this project moving forward, I am concerned that the salary levels and number of future employees may be inaccurate,” Thompson said in a statement. “I also am concerned that the [agency] voted today on a project that is not allowed under its own policies.”

The IDA provides tax benefits exclusively to commercial and industrial organizations that are expanding in empire, empowerment, and industrial business zones. Under these requirements, the development project at the armory would not qualify for tax benefits. [The IDA has also approved millions of dollars in tax breaks and subsidies for the new Yankee Stadium project and Related’s Gateway Center Mall project at the Bronx Terminal Market.]

Janel Patterson, an EDC spokesperson, said the board was making an exception because the armory is in a “distressed” neighborhood.
“It’s not an empowerment zone,” said Patterson, “but it’s very underserved.” She added later, “It’s a criteria that we always judge proposals by.”

KARA supporters say the IDA decision will exacerbate the travails of the working poor.

“Would you be willing to live on 30 hours [of low pay] a week with no benefits?” asked the Rev. Doug Cunningham, pastor at New Day United Methodist Church in Bedford Park. “I experience the social costs of jobs that don’t pay. The IDA has the responsibility to the public, not just to the developer. We are not blocking the project, but it needs to benefit everyone and not become a center for working poverty.”

Citing CB7 Support
Despite Thompson’s concerns and KARA’s protests, EDC Chairman and IDA board member Seth Pinsky pointed to Community Board 7’s approval of the project as proof that local residents support the tax breaks, even though the board never voted on whether to support them.

CB7 Chair Greg Faulkner admitted there had not been a vote, but said he sent a letter to the IDA in support of the project on behalf of the board’s Executive Committee, which is made up of six of the board’s 32 members.

[Usually, before a community board takes an action such as writing a letter of support, a quorum must be present and then a majority of members must vote in support of an action. Faulkner said that he now needed to get support for the project on the record.]

Faulkner said the board agreed in principle on almost all of KARA’s demands and will continue to fight for community benefits.
Faulkner hopes to create a negotiating committee that includes members of the community board, City Council, borough president’s office, and KARA.

“We’re going to be tough on [Related],” Faulkner said. “I’m not going to vote for a project without a strong community benefits agreement.”

Related did not specifically mention a community benefits agreement, but spokesperson Joanna Rose said in an e-mail that Related wants to ensure the armory project “is a benefit to the entire community.” She added, “We are working closely with the local council member, community board, borough president and other area stakeholders, and are hopeful that KARA will join the ongoing discussions in partnership with these stakeholders.”

Neil Stephenson, legal counsel for KARA, says a successful community benefits agreement should be negotiated between the developer and an organization that represents the community, as has been the case with most substantial CBAs signed in other parts of the country.

He added that although elected officials and community boards play an important role in supporting community organizations, they should not negotiate or sign community benefit agreements because it would compromise their role in the land use review process and might make the CBA difficult to enforce.

Related must now go through the city’s uniform land use review procedure (ULURP) and draft an environmental impact statement that outlines how the community will be affected by the development project.

KARA plans to continue urging Related to negotiate an agreement before the ULURP process takes place.

By None

I would like to thank the Norwood News for their tremendous coverage of the cluster-site housing for homeless families (article, editorial in March 5 – 18 issue) in two local private apartment buildings funded by the Department of Homeless Services (DHS). 

However, I would like to make an important distinction that was lost in the your editorial when you wrote, “Is it really fair to impose this environment on regular tenants who did not sign up to live in what is essentially a supportive housing facility?” [Emphasis added.] DHS’ cluster-site housing model couldn’t be further from supportive housing. 

Supportive housing is not a facility, but rather permanent affordable apartments with on-site services, including case management, mental health services, substance abuse counseling, and employment programs, to homeless, disabled and at-risk New Yorkers. Supportive housing apartment buildings are often the most beautiful buildings in the neighborhood and they provide housing stability to our most vulnerable neighbors without attracting the notice of even longtime neighbors. A recent study by NYU found that the values of properties near supportive housing buildings actually go up after residences open.

Most supportive housing buildings also offer units to low-income members of the community. Of the 1,842 units of supportive housing built in the Bronx since 2000, 424 units (or 23 percent) have been set aside for low-income community residents. If they choose, these tenants can use supportive services offered in the building (from child care to case management to counseling); or tenants can enjoy a permanent affordable apartment any of us would be happy to call home.

Supportive housing is a permanent answer that costs only a fraction of the money spent on cluster-site housing. While the city is reimbursing Aguila $90 a day for cluster-site apartments, permanent supportive housing costs $68.50 a day or less to keep the most vulnerable families safely and stably housed. The lack of supportive housing and other permanent solutions to family homelessness force the city and state to spend scarce resources on expensive emergency shelter. And because shelter does not address the underlying cause of family homelessness – lack of appropriate, affordable housing – these costs extend in perpetuity.

With cluster-sites having been brought to our attention, community leaders, elected officials, government agencies, non-profit homeless service and housing providers, and residents should come together to share ideas in an effort to create a more effective policy. While the vast majority of homeless families just need a Section 8 voucher and linkages to existing community services in an unclustered setting, supportive housing is an important part of the solution for some homeless families with significant service needs.

-Nicholas Napolitano

The author is a Norwood resident and policy associate for the Supportive Housing Network of New York, a member agency for supportive housing providers in New York State. The views expressed in this letter are his own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Network.

Neighborhood Notes

By Norwood News

Webster Rezoning Forum
Community Board 7 will hold a public hearing to discuss the Webster Avenue Rezoning Initiative on Thursday, March 5 at 6:30 p.m., at PS 20, 3050 Webster Ave. The board invites the community to express their needs and concerns regarding the future development on Webster Avenue and surrounding neighborhoods. For more information, call (718) 933-5650.

Join Education Council
The Bronx Borough President’s Office is interviewing candidates to fill its vacancy on Community Education Council District 10. Members are unpaid volunteers and serve for two years. The right candidates will have experience in business, trade or education. E-mail resume and cover letter to the Borough President’s Director of Education Policy, Mr. Jesse Mojica, at jmojica@bronxbp.nyc.gov or fax documents to (718) 590-4690.

Charter School Accepting Apps
The Bronx Community Charter School, located at 2348 Webster Ave., is now accepting kindergarten applications for fall 2009 (spaces for 1st and 2nd graders may also be available). Meet the co-directors, see students and teachers in action and take a tour at 9 a.m. on March 19. For more information, call (718) 584-1400 or visit www.bronxcommunity.org.

Nursery School Open House
The Amalgamated Nursery School will hold an open house and registration for the 2009-2010 school year on Saturday, March 7, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, at 3980 Orloff Ave. Childcare is available while parents tour the school. The school serves children ages 2 to 5, and offers full- and half-day and Pre-K programs. For more information, call Lisa Wenz at (718) 543-8688.

Health Seminar
On Thursday, March 19 at 6 p.m. at St. Ann’s Church, 3519 Bainbridge Ave., Leroy Pharmacy and K-Pax will hold a “Nutritional/Immune Support Seminar” for clinical staffers and local residents. Learn how to stay healthy and boost your energy. Learn about taking daily multi-vitamins. Learn about the latest research studies. HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases will also be discussed. There will be special guest speakers and light refreshments. For more information, call Janet at (718) 775-5018.

Summer Youth Employment
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center is offering a Summer Youth Employment Program. Pick up applications at the center, 3450 DeKalb Ave., Monday through Friday from 2:30 to 6 p.m. You can also apply online at www.application.NYCSYEP.com. Be sure to pick “MMCC” as your Project Sponsor. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

Small Business Workshop
The New York Small Business Development Center is running a free workshop on small business development. The next class is “Financing Your Business” on March 11, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at Lehman College, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd., W. To register, call (718) 960-8806.

Tax Help
Mosholu Preservation Corp., West Bronx Housing and University Neighborhood Housing Program have teamed up, along with corporate sponsors, to provide northwest Bronx residents earning less than $45,000 with free tax preparation. For appointments, contact Jumelia Abrahamson at (718) 933-2539, ext. 12 or e-mail jumelia@unhp.org.

English, Citizenship and Computer Classes

• Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, 3450 DeKalb Ave., is offering free English as a Second Language (ESL) and Citizenship Classes.  Ongoing classes run through June 30. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.
• Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, 3101 Kingsbridge Terrace, is enrolling students for free English as a Second Language (ESL) and Citizenship classes. Ongoing classes run through June 30. For more information, call Aisha Abdul-Wahhab, program director, at (718) 884-0700 ext. 191 or 132.
• PS 94 at 3530 Kings College Pl,. offers ESL levels 1 and 2 and Computer Skills classes through summer 2009. Both classes meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Computer classes will be taught in English and will include lessons on keyboarding, Microsoft Word and other programs. Registration is first-come, first-served. For more information, call Ms. Seminario, the parent coordinator, at (347) 563-4772 or (718) 405-6345.
• St. James Recreation Center at 2530 Jerome Ave. offers free classes in Microsoft Office, Resume/Cover Letter Writing, Computer Basics, and much more. For more information, call Justin Young at (718) 367-3659.
• Fordham University, 557 E. Fordham Rd., is currently holding free computer and English Language classes for parents, Mondays through Thursdays and on Saturdays. Classes can either stand alone or as an 8- to 12-week series. For more information or to register, call (718) 817-3503.

MS 80 Needs Love
MS 80 is asking parents and community members to show some love and volunteer for just an hour each week. The school needs mentors, math and reading tutors, part-time coaches and volunteers to help with cafeteria duty. For more information, call Ms. Alejandro (718) 405-6300 ext. 111.

Free Kids’ Summer Vacations
The Fresh Air Fund is currently registering boys and girls, ages six through 12, for free summer vacations in the homes of volunteer host families throughout the northeast or at one of five Fresh Air Fund summer camps in upstate New York. To find out how to register, call (800) 367-0003 or go to www.freshair.org.

MMCC Grade School & Teen Programs at Tracey Towers
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center is accepting registration for their free after school program at Tracey Towers, 40 W. Mosholu Pkwy. The program meets Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. and is open to children in the third through sixth grades. From 6:30 to 9 p.m., the free Teen Center is open for youth ages 12 to 18. Programs include homework help, computers, arts and crafts, sports, acting, and quiet games. To register, stop by the Youth Community Room on the second floor of Tracey Towers and speak to Antoine Fields, or call him at (917) 482-5039.

Special Needs Workshops
Resources for Children with Special Needs, Inc. is offering free workshops for families of children, youth, and young adults with disabilities. The next workshop is “Turning 5: Transition to School Age,” on March 13 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Bronx Family Center of the Children’s Aid Society, 1515 Southern Blvd. For more information, call Gary Shulman at (212) 677-4650 or email gshulman@resourcesnyc.org.

Self Defense Classes
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center still has space in its boxing, karate, and self-defense classes for children, teens, and adults. To register or find out class times, call (718) 882-4000 ext. 0, or stop by the center at 3450 DeKalb Ave.

Free Meditation for Breast Cancer Survivors
The Montefiore-Einstein Cancer Center is offering a free 20-week course on meditation and stress management for breast cancer survivors. The course is part of a research study. To register or learn more, call Kimala Harris at (718) 430-2380 or e-mail kah2019@med.cornell.edu.

Place for Teens With Issues
The Power Project is a free program for teens ages 12 to 18 who are dealing with substance abuse and other problems. Located at 3464 Webster Ave., Power Project provides case management, individual and group counseling, trips, and is just a place to get away from it all. For more information, call (718) 515-7971.

Seeking Foster Parents
The Foster Care Network is urgently looking for adults who want to become foster parents to provide a stable home and guidance to children in the upcoming year. For more information, call Jacob Kramer, outreach coordinator at (800) 454-3727 ext. 129.

Wii Games for Adults and Seniors
On Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4 p.m., adults and seniors can enjoy free Wii video games at the Mosholu Library, 285 E. 205th St. To sign up, go to the Adult Information Desk. For more information, call (718) 882-8239.

Free Parking Calendars
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz is offering free New York City Parking Calendars to community residents. To receive one, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to his office at 3107 Kingsbridge Ave., Bronx, NY 10463, or stop by the office in person.

Free Career Workshops
The State University of New York, located at 3950 Laconia Ave., is offering free career workshops, including job readiness training, resume and cover letter preparation, help with job searches and computer skills, job placement assistance, an Office Skills Certificate Program, college prep and more. For more information, call (718) 547-1001 or visit www.NBX.SUNYEOC.org.

After School Care
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, 3450 DeKalb Ave., provides after school care for children in elementary school. Children are transported from their schools in Norwood, Bedford Park, Williamsbridge and Van Cortlandt Village. The center provides a snack, help with homework, and an array of activities to keep children busy. Financial aid is available. For more information, call Ruth Moore, program registrar, at (718) 882-4000.
      
Schizophrenia Study Seeks Participants
A research study seeking new treatments for schizophrenia is looking for patients in the Bronx. Candidates must be 18 to 65 years old, diagnosed with schizophrenia at or before age 35 and currently on certain medications for schizophrenia. Patients can enroll through the first half of 2009. For more information, call (888) 988-6736 or go to www.cognitivestudy.com.

Job Opportunities
On Dec. 1, Mayor Bloomberg announced the expansion of free job placement services through New York City’s Workforce1 Career Centers. The centers provide personalized career counseling, interview training, resume/cover letter assistance, workshops and ESL classes. For more information, call the Bronx Workforce1 Center, 358 E. 149th St., (718) 960-7099.

Quality of Life Screening
The Psychosocial Oncology Program of the Montefiore-Einstein Cancer Center is conducting a survey study in order to learn about the physical and emotional stresses faced by cancer survivors. Participants will have to fill out questionnaires and have the opportunity to participate in free/low-cost programs and support services within the program. For more information, call (718) 430-2380.

Breast Oncology Program
The Breast Oncology Living Daily Program also known as BOLD living offers a variety of free educational, support, and mind-body workshops. They are designed to empower and nurture breast cancer patients, survivors, and loved ones, but are open to all. For more information or to register, call (718) 430-3613 or visit outreach@aecom.yu.edu.

Preschool New Enrollment
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center now has more space available for childcare. There are new classrooms for 2- to 4-year-olds at the center, located at 3450 DeKalb Ave. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

Alzheimer’s Support Group
The Alzheimer’s Association’s New York City chapter provides a support group in Norwood for Spanish and English speaking caregivers who have relatives with Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia. The support group meets on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 5 to 6:15 p.m. For the location or more information, call Mark Goodwin at (718) 920-7377.

Free Respite Program
Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC) is offering free after-school services to families with mentally retarded or developmentally disabled children ages 5 to 21 from 3 to 6 p.m. KHCC is also offering a Saturday Respite Program for ages 15 to 25, and on Sundays another Respite Program is provided for ages 18 to 65. Weekend Respite Program hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They are held at the KHCC, 3101 Kingsbridge Terrace (near Sedgwick Avenue) at West 230th Street. To register or for more information, call Hanna Gabris at (718) 884-0700 ext. 202.

Speech Program at Ursula 
The Mt. St. Ursula Speech Center, 2885 Marion Ave., is now accepting applications for its fall program. The center has openings for children ages 2 to 5 who are in need of speech and language services. Medicaid and other insurances accepted. For more information, call (718) 584-7679.

Aphasia Clinic Accepting Clients
The Lehman College Speech and Hearing Center, which provides therapy on a sliding scale payment schedule, is now accepting new clients in its recently expanded aphasia clinic. The clinic will provide individual and group therapy sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. and 2 to 3 p.m.; group therapy sessions also take place on Tuesdays from 1 to 2 p.m. Diagnostic and therapeutic sessions will be supervised by faculty members who are licensed by the NYS Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and certified by ASHA (American Speech Language Hearing Association). For more information, call Wanda Adams at (718) 960-8138.
 

Out & About

By Judy Noy

Onstage

• The Lehman Center for the Performing Arts presents The National Acrobats of China, including martial arts, illusion and traditional music from China, March 8 at 4 p.m.; and Cinderella, performed by the Russian National Ballet Theatre featuring Tchaikovsky’s music, March 22 at 4 p.m. (tickets for each are $20 to $35; $10 for children 12 and under) in the Concert Hall at 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W. For more information, call (718) 960-8833.
• Lehman College presents the Metropolitan Opera’s Madame Butterfly in the Studio Theatre located in the Speech and Theatre Building on March 7 at 1 p.m. Tickets for this free event may be reserved by calling the box office at (718) 960-8025.
• The Albert Einstein Symphony Orchestra performs an All-Beethoven Program at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s Robbins Auditorium in the Forchheimer Building, 1300 Morris Pk. Ave., on March 15 at 3 p.m. Contributions are suggested. For more information, visit einsteinorch.tripod.com.
• The Bronx Library Center, located at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road, hosts Rumba Tap, featuring the Max Pollock Trio, March 7 at 2:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 579-4244/46 or visit www.nypl.org.
• The Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance (BAAD!) kicks off its spring season with BAAD! ASS WOMEN 2009, its annual cultural festival celebrating the empowerment of women.  The festival will open with a special concert by BRIO Award-winning Bronx choreographer Jessica Danser on Friday, March 13 at 8 p.m.  The festival will continue through April 10 with 10 performances of dance, theatre, music and film. The events will be held at BAAD!, 841 Barretto Street in the south Bronx. Tickets for performances cost $15-$20, and some events are free. Special discount packages are also available. For more information, call Charles Rice-Gonzalez, (917) 604-3598.

Events

•  The Bedford Mosholu Community Association sponsors flea market, free, March 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church, Bedford Park Boulevard and Decatur Avenue. For more information, call (718) 367-2230.
•  The Riverdale-Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture, 4450 Fieldston Rd., will host Observations and Impacts of Climate Change presented by Elaine Matthews on March 8 at 11 a.m. in the Meeting House. For more information, call (718) 548-4445.
•  The Bronx Council on the Arts launches Culture Trolley Saturdays (one per month) from noon to 5 p.m. All trips begin at the Longwood Gallery at Hostos, 450 Grand Concourse (149th Street) and takes guests to various free events held at cultural organizations and artists’ studios throughout the South Bronx Cultural Corridor. The first tour starts on March 14 and features Big Read in the Bronx (on the trolley) and Bronx Heroes: Comic Convention (in the art gallery, including a panel discussion by the comic book artists from 2 to 4 p.m.). BCA also presents The Big Read on March 12 at 6 p.m. featuring “To Kill a Mockingbird,” at the Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road For details, call (718) 931-9500.

Exhibits

•  The Bronx Council on the Arts presents two exhibitions at the Longwood Gallery at Hostos, 450 Grand Concourse (149th Street), Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., including Dream Sequence, through May 9, free, which explores a number of themes using drawings, paintings, photography, sculpture, and video (an artists talk will take place on May 9 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the show’s closing); and Vidal Centeno: F119, in the gallery’s Project Room through April 4. For more information, call (718) 931-9500.
•  The Lehman College Art Gallery presents Viñoly in the Bronx, highlighting building designs of architect Rafael Viñoly, including a model of Lehman’s APEX Building. The exhibition, which runs through May 20, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., also features drawings, photographs, and planning documents. A reception will be held March 16 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 960-8731.
•  The Orchid Show: Brazilian Modern, designed by landscape architect Raymond Jungles, which draws on his work with the late Roberto Burle Marx, renowned Brazilian artist and landscape architect, takes place in the New York Botanical Garden’s Haupt Conservatory through April 12. During this exhibit, a complementary hands-on children’s program, Chocolate and Vanilla Adventures, will be held in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, to learn about the plant origins of these two sweet treats, including making and tasting these products. Call for schedule (718) 817-8700.
•  The Young and the Restless, an exhibition of six emerging artists based in New York, featuring painting, sculpture, and photography, will be held at the Gordon Parks Gallery, 332 E. 149th St., through May 3. For more information, call (718) 665-1310 or (914) 654-5427.
•  The Bronx River Art Center, located at 1087 E. Tremont Ave., presents two solo exhibitions through March 14, featuring New York artists Jillian McDonald in Gallery 1 and Jennifer Grimyser in Gallery 2. For more information, call (718) 589-5819.

Learning

The Bronx Library Center has events for all ages:

• For children and preschoolers, there is Preschool Romp, March 5, 12 and 19 at 11 a.m.; and Family Time, March 14 at 2:30 p.m.
• Also, for school-aged children, there is Robin Hood, March 8 at 2 p.m.; Arts & Crafts, March 12 at 4 p.m.; and Ti-Oh-Oh, March 15 at 2 p.m.
• Young adults can attend Yu-Gi-Oh No You Didn’t, March 6 and 13 at 4 p.m.; HIV/AIDS Awareness and Safety, March 11 at 4 p.m.; and Music: What’s Love Got to Do With It?, March 18 at 4 p.m.
• For adults, there is Women Artists in MoMA’s Collection, March 9 at 6 p.m.
• The entire family can enjoy Do the Right Thing, (120 minutes), March 14 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.

•  The Mosholu Library, located at 285 E. 205th St., presents Toddler Story Time, March 5 at 10:30 a.m.; Preschool Story Time, March 12 at 10:30 a.m.; and Grandpa’s Unicorn, March 17 at 4 p.m., all for children. For more information, call (718) 882-8239.

 

•  The Jerome Park Library, at 118 Eames Place, presents Arts & Crafts, March 10 at 4 p.m.; and a film, March 17 at 4 p.m.; both for children; and St. Patrick’s Day Green Candy, March 12 at 4:30 p.m. for young adults. For more information, call (718) 549-5200.

Public Announcement

Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday, March 8 at 2 a.m. Turn clocks ahead one hour.

NOTE: Items for consideration should be received in our office by March 9 for the next publication date of March 19.

Bronx High Schoolers Debate Racial Identity

By Ivonne Salazar

Dressed in professional attire, two teams, the juniors versus the seniors, assembled on stage. One by one, students walked to the podium with three minutes on the clock to deliver provocative and emotional speeches delving into controversial issues of social inequality, racial identity, and ethnic pride.

On Feb. 23, after three weeks of preparation, students from the debate team at Samuel Gompers High School in Mott Haven held their first Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois debate titled, “Imperialistic Names Divide Us,” in honor of Black History Month, at Bronx Community College inside the Parthenon-style Gould Memorial Auditorium.

The juniors argued against imperialistic names — terms and categories imposed on cultures as a result of imperialism and colonialism — saying these terms fuel racism, ignorance and even genocide.

The seniors, on the other hand, presented the benefits of using these names, reminding the audience of the importance of cultural pride, primarily focusing on the Latino experience.

The debaters are part of the College Now program, a collaboration between the city’s Department of Education and the City University of New York, which prepares high school students for college. College Now participants at Samuel Gompers take advanced placement classes in History and Government and engage in regular debates in the classroom.

But on Feb. 23, they hit the bigger stage at BCC.

Defending the use of imperialistic names, Maria Hidalgo, a senior, argued in favor of reclaiming the term “Hispanic” because the name serves as a source of pride. “I would rather die as [a Hispanic] in order to keep my name,” she said.

A member of the junior team, Joel Labron, argued against imperialistic names, referring to Christopher Columbus who colonized the island of Borinquen and named the people Puerto Ricans. “Do [Puerto Ricans] even know their own identity?” Labron asked.

Donte Page, a member of the senior team, asked, “How dare you try and make people feel ashamed and forget the accomplishments of our forefathers?”

Arthur Papovich, representing the juniors, referred to the emotional scene in the novel “Roots,” when the character Kunta Kinte refuses to call himself by another name. “Who is whipping you?” Papovich asked the senior team.

The debate was organized by Raymond Mathews, a history teacher at Samuel Gompers, junior captain Ana Basilis, and senior co-captains Barbara Diaz and Juan Alcantara.

Norwood’s Beefiest

By None

Richard Diovisalvo (bottom right) won the in-house power-lifting championship, known as the James McCree Power Lifting Championship, at Mosholu Montefiore Community Center last week. McCree, a retired Montefiore nurse, has trained adults at MMCC in the art of the bench press and squat for the past seven years. McCree (top right) is training local lifters for the Big Apple Championship to be held on May 23 in Manhattan.

Lehman Loses Heartbreaking Championship Game

By Norwood News

The Lehman College women’s basketball team lost the city college championship last week in heartbreaking fashion, falling 64-63 to nemesis Baruch College in a thrilling game decided on a controversial call in the final seconds.

With the win, Manhattan’s Baruch earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III national tournament. It was their third City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) championship in four years.

The Lightning could still garner an at-large bid into the national tournament, but they will more likely be relegated to a less prestigious regional post-season tournament.

Lehman battled back from a 12-point second half deficit to take a two point lead with under a minute to play. But Baruch’s Karlee Whipple nailed an outside shot from the wing with 14 seconds left to tie it.

Play continued with Lehman superstar senior Sally Nnamani taking the ball down court and getting fouled on a shot attempt. But during a timeout called by Lehman coach Eric Harrison, the referees decided to review Whipple’s made shot using video. After several minutes of deliberation, they ruled Whipple’s shot a three-pointer, giving Baruch a one point lead with Nnamani on the line shooting two free throws.

The normally reliable Nnamani, one of CUNYAC’s best players, missed both free throws. The second miss deflected out of bounds off a Baruch player, giving Lehman one more shot to win it. But Nnamani’s final attempt at the buzzer, again, from around the free throw line, misfired.

Following the game, Harrison said the three-point call changed the “entire complexion of game.” Still, he was happy with his team’s effort. They “left it all on the court,” he said. “They showed heart, character and grit. I couldn’t be more proud.”

Ed. note: This article is based on a statement released by the Lehman College Athletic Department.

For PS 94 Kids, Stepping A Source of School Pride

By Rachel Waldholz

For two dozen kids at PS 94 in Norwood, the motto is: step loud and step proud.

Stepping isn’t usually an elementary school thing. The dance form, which uses footwork, clapping and call-and-response to pound out rhythms on the body and stage, has its roots in historically black college fraternities and sororities, and remains based on college campuses. Students can rarely join a team before middle school.

But on Feb. 13, PS 94 put on a dazzling display of the form. Two dozen third-through-fifth graders stomped and clapped in unison and sent canes flying through the air as the school’s step team performed at a citizenship assembly.

Fourth grade teacher Melodie Brewington founded the program two years ago.

“I wanted to show them a different thing than they’re used to, and get them to strive for college,” Brewington said.

Almost 100 students auditioned for the team. Those who were accepted have to keep up their grades, behavior, and attendance to stay on the team. The program is clearly a hit. When the crowd of red-dressed steppers headed onto stage, their classmates cheered in anticipation. When they stomped their final step, the audience exploded.

George Rodriguez choreographs the routines. An ambulance driver by trade, Rodriguez started stepping in college as a member of the national Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Now he volunteers with the PS 94 team two days a week and relies on a network of KAP brothers to mentor students.

Half a dozen KAP brothers attended the assembly. Two performed. Joshua Whiting and Mike Zalaznick stepped up to the mic before getting on stage. They pronounced themselves Bronx born and raised, to loud cheers. Then they laid out the message that goes with the steps.

“I can’t emphasize it enough,” Whiting said. “Stay in school.”

Mess of the Month

By None

The graffiti situation on the Bainbridge Avenue/East 204th Street merchant corridor has gotten out of control. In the 1990s, community residents were able to raise money to pay for weekly cleaning of the strip. But for years after funding ran out, taggers stayed away because they knew Bainbridge/204th as a place their tags wouldn’t last. But now we’re back to where we were. We hope local merchants, elected officials and community organizations will come together to find a new solution to the problem. In the meantime, we hope landlords, homeowners and merchants will paint over or steam clean their own gates and façades. It’s in their self-interest and the community’s collective interest.

No Community Benefits, No Tax Breaks for Developer

By None

Yet another developer in New York City is asking for millions of dollars in tax exemptions. On March 5, the Related Companies will ask the New York City Industrial Development Agency (IDA) for a huge tax break to redevelop the Kingsbridge Armory. The company is actively refusing to negotiate with the Bronx community and guarantee basic outcomes, such as good, living wage jobs for local residents, vital community space and quality retail shopping opportunities.

The Bronx is one of the poorest urban counties in the entire country. Even before the current economic crisis began, our community has long suffered from the ills of working poverty – lack of safe and affordable housing, quality education, access to good jobs and vibrant community spaces. Like other communities around the country, we are looking for every possible opportunity on the horizon to ease the economic hardships we are all facing and improve the quality of life in our neighborhood. And the redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory could be one of those opportunities.

After a decade of community pressure from the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC), the Related Companies intends to develop the Armory as a destination retail center. Revitalizing this historic neighborhood landmark is a truly exciting opportunity – but only if it’s done with an eye on the needs of our community. A legally binding Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) is the only way we can guarantee that our needs as a community are met.

Community Benefits Agreements have been negotiated in cities around the country with developers receiving tax dollars and tax exemptions to help underwrite their projects. These agreements have helped developers build profitable projects while guaranteeing good jobs that pay living wages and provide health care, and create community spaces and affordable housing.

Our community will live with the results of this development for years to come, and as leaders in the Bronx, we are taking this reality very seriously. The Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA) is a coalition of community-based organizations, labor unions, small businesses and churches that have a vision of the Kingsbridge Armory as a place where we can gather to socialize, work and prosper. KARA has a seven-point plan to achieve this goal, which includes permanent living wage jobs for local residents, the right to union representation and affordable recreational facilities and vibrant community spaces.

At the hearing on March 5, members of the IDA will discuss Related Companies’ application for more than $13 million in tax exemptions for the Armory project. We believe that these tax exemptions should be considered only if the Related Companies sits down with our coalition to negotiate community benefits for the Bronx. Our elected officials should also support our call for a Community Benefits Agreement in exchange for any tax breaks.

We cannot simply let the Armory be development as usual; this project should enhance our community and accomplish more than generating a profit. This is not simply about redeveloping an old building; this is about developing desperately needed economic opportunities for our neighborhood. We must seize this opportunity to negotiate a Community Benefits Agreement and create good, living wage jobs for local residents and essential community space for the Bronx.

-By Rev. Tom Lynch, Rev. Katrina Foster and Rev. Tobias Haller

Revs. Tom Lynch, Katrina Foster and Tobias Haller are members of KARA and pastors of Our Lady of Angels Church, Fordham Lutheran Church, and St. James Episcopal Church respectively.

Fixing All the ‘Broken Windows’ This Time

By John M. Reilly

The looming financial disaster has people looking back to understand what we’re facing, as well as to search for possible solutions.

In the early 1990s, crime overran many parts of New York. Seniors were mugged on their way home from church, sleeping children were shot in their rooms and subway passengers became cash machines for criminals. While increasing the city’s various police departments by 6,000 officers alone failed to bring crime under control, the Dinkins Administration’s appointment of Bill Bratton to head the Transit Police brought a new approach to crime-fighting.

Bratton used a simple tactic. He stopped fare beaters at the turnstiles. He guessed right that most muggers were not using tokens to enter the subway. And when undercover officers arrested fare beaters, they also confiscated hundreds of weapons used to terrorize commuters. Subway crime dropped.

Bratton’s approach was right out of a theory known as “broken windows.” The theory declares you need to fix broken windows right away to avoid more. Anyone involved in community work understands this. Litter attracts more litter. A rundown park attracts loiterers, not families. A vacant house means trouble for the rest of the block.

New York did make a comeback from those terrible days for a lot of reasons, not the least of which involved fixing lots of broken windows.

But in too many parts of the city, lots of broken windows never got fixed. As wealthy communities enjoyed dramatic improvements in public and private amenities, service gaps remained on the streets of the poor and working classes. And as the city tumbles into this bleak economic mess, these broken windows will become gaping holes without attention.

Many Bronx streets have never become as safe as they should be. Immigrants are victimized at will, drug sales and related violence continue to jeopardize bystanders while muggings and burglaries rise along with unemployment. My own street in Bedford Park has never had so much graffiti and is often filthy. Our parks show the signs of deferred maintenance. Would the vacant city-owned land at Oliver Place be a rat infested dump anywhere in mid-town Manhattan?

Too many children remain in overcrowded, antiquated classrooms even as the city eliminates new buildings from the capital budget. Temporary schools placed in playgrounds years ago are now considered permanent seats.

And the subways, once a symbol of the city’s renaissance, may lead us back to the past.  They have already grown filthy again even as the MTA announces service and staff reductions. Is graffiti far behind?

Yet again a crisis not of our making threatens this great city we love. Another part of the broken windows theory relies on an involved citizenry for solutions. We won’t create solutions by calling New Yorkers crybabies and ignoring their concerns. We can’t solve crime by endlessly citing statistics that don’t tell the truth about our streets. And we certainly won’t help our city by fixing broken windows for the rich while ignoring those of the poor.

John Reilly is a lifelong resident of Bedford Park and executive director of the Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation.

DEP Strikes Again

By None

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has done it again. In 2008 we were told that the excavation project on Goulden Avenue would use a mechanical method known as “hoe ramming.” But the DEP lied to us! They never intended to use this quieter and safer method. Our community activists learned that in spring 2009, DEP will begin “surface blasting,” a process that presents potential danger to all who live near the Jerome Park Reservoir.

“Surface blasting” creates extreme noise, emits tons of dust and kicks up bits of rock. Huge numbers of trucks will rumble through our street daily to cart away the disruptive methods of excavation. But DEP refuses to explore and consider other options.

To add ‘insult to injury,’ DEP held a meeting this past week to discuss its plans. Why have a meeting during Presidents Week when schools are closed and many families are away? The impact of this excavation will fall hardest on the students of the Bronx High School of Science and DeWitt Clinton High School and the residents of Scott Tower, Tracey Towers and the two Amalgamated Towers.

We cannot allow DEP to begin “surface blasting.” Please write, phone or e-mail the DEP and all our elected officials to stop the excavation until this issue is re-examined for its impact on our community. Do not let the DEP get away with another public relations scam when our health and safety are concerned.

-Sonia Lappin

The author is a member of the Scott Tower board of directors, the Friends of Jerome Park Reservoir and the Bronx Council on Environmental Quality.

Bad Solution for Homelessness

By Editorial

One drawback to a city this large is that the  bureaucrats – most of them dedicated public servants – who formulate policy can’t be familiar with most of the neighborhoods their policies shape. 

The remedy for that was supposed to be community boards, originally conceived as Little City Halls in the Lindsay Administration.

But community boards can only be effective if they are kept in the loop about critical local projects.  We can’t think of a project more suited to community board review than the city’s decision to transform residential apartment buildings into transitional shelters for the homeless, yet Community Board 7 was kept completely in the dark about this until some teachers at PS 8 noticed what was happening. And the community only learned about what has been happening at 15-19 Mosholu Parkway because tenants called us when they saw our story about 3001 Briggs.

As many local residents have stated, their opposition is not a rejection of homeless people. Community Board 7 has been among the most hospitable to special needs housing programs; there haven’t been the typical knock-down drag-out, not-in-my-backyard protests that have beset other communities.

There’s much more at issue here. The buildings that have been substantially converted into shelters are some of the worst in the area. They have hundreds of serious housing code violations and many tenants have reportedly been harassed out of their buildings to make room for shelter residents. In both cases, tenant repairs were neglected while the landlords focused on renovating vacant apartments. The Department of Homeless Services (DHS) policy rewards the worst landlords with rents three times as much as previous tenants paid.

DHS says it will pull out of any buildings where there is evidence of tenant harassment, but they are doing nothing to uncover that evidence. They are not conducting an investigation.

We thought the city would have learned its lesson when it ended a similarly unpopular scatter-site housing program for homeless families several years ago.

This program may even be worse because it takes over large chunks of buildings to house a transient population. DHS says this time they are providing better security and social services, but is it really fair to impose this environment on regular tenants who clearly didn’t sign up to live in what is essentially a supportive housing facility?

Geraldeen Salvatorelli,  who visits her frail 91-year-old father at 3001 Briggs Ave. in Bedford Park says the building no longer has an on-site super and that she’s regularly scrutinized by security guards. “Looks like they’re turning the place into a prison,” she told us.

Should the city really be creating situations where residents of apartment buildings can only watch while their mini-communities are essentially taken over by the city?

We urge DHS to investigate the allegations of harassment in these buildings and to review a policy that, on the surface, addresses the problem of a growing homeless population, but in reality decreases the amount of scarce affordable housing and may even perpetuate homelessness.

Path to Citizenship Now Has Stop in the Bronx

By Ivonne Salazar

Residents of the north Bronx will no longer have to travel to Manhattan to obtain free immigration services now that the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights has opened a new office in the immigrant-heavy borough.

More than half of the Coalition’s clients traveled from the Bronx to its only location in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan.

To better serve the Bronx’s growing immigrant community, which counts for 29 percent of the population, according to the latest census figures, the Coalition’s new office, known as the Bronx Project, will provide general educational workshops, free citizenship and English classes, and legal aid related to family petitions and deportation. 

Last Saturday morning, the first floor of Refuge House in North Fordham, where the center will be located, was bustling with community activists, elected officials and journalists attending the opening ceremony for the Bronx Project.

Congressman Jose Serrano presented the organization with a $300,000 check representing a citizenship grant from the Department of Homeland Security. As he addressed the audience, Serrano highlighted the need for comprehensive immigration reform and criticized the growing trend of deporting undocumented individuals whose children were born in the United States.

“We have a lot of folks [in the Bronx] who need these services and are lacking this level of services,” said Serrano.

The Coalition worked with Serrano to secure the federal grant to expand services to the Bronx, where they will focus primarily on securing citizenship for legal immigrants.

“I am humbled that the board has entrusted me with the Bronx Project,” said newly appointed Deputy Director, Angela Fernandez. “Something has to happen to address the 12 million people [in the U.S.] who do not have a clear path to citizenship.”

Raquel Batista, the Coalition’s executive director, thanked Serrano for his efforts. “Thank you for taking this risk,” Batista said.

The event was attended by Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera, his father Assemblyman Jose Rivera, Council Member Oliver Koppell, Assemblyman Nelson Castro, and a representative of U.S. Senator Charles Schumer.

Ed. note: The Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights’ Bronx Project is located at Refuge House, 2715 Bainbridge Ave., and is open from Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The phone number is (718) 484-8294.  

Next Page »

Current Print Edition

Click here for PDF downloads of recent editions. Click here for all recent print edition stories.

Latest from Breaking Bronx

• Tomorrow: Live Coverage From The Bronx BP’s State of Borough Speech Wed, Feb 22 at 5:27pm
• Bronx Nabe Note: Become Your Own Boss Workshop, Thursday Night Wed, Feb 22 at 4:35pm
• Wednesday’s Bronx News Links Wed, Feb 22 at 3:17pm
• Local Initiative Puts Focus on Teens’ Reproductive Health Wed, Feb 22 at 12:33pm
• Bicycles and Basketballs Could be in the Armory’s Future Wed, Feb 22 at 5:58am

Archives

Copyright © 2007 Norwood News · Log in