ICYMI: Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center Re-Opens

[Slideshow: Photographer Adi Talwar chronicles the re-opening of the Williamsbridge Oval Rec Center.] by David Cruz To Norwoodians and beyond, Williamsbridge Oval Park is considered “the hidden jewel of the Bronx,” a park so immersed in Norwood, it’s deemed the epicenter of the leafy neighborhood. So when the recreation center temporarily closed in 2010 for repairs, a sense of loss rippled throughout the community. That is until now.

Community Board 7 Meeting CANCELLED

With black ice, slippery sidewalks and another layer of snow falling throughout the northwest Bronx, Community Board 7 has cancelled it’s monthly general board meeting today, Tuesday, December 17th. Folks were to have gathered at the Bedford Park Senior Center at 243 East 204th Street at 6:30pm. Folks would have noticed the board convening without the presence of it’s district manager, Socrates Caba, who resigned with just six months on the job. No word on when the next meeting is slated to start, but check back with the Norwood News for any updates.

Holiday Lights Aglow At Local BIDs

By David Cruz The holiday spirit courses through your friendly, neighborhood business improvement districts with two commercial strips ringing in the Yuletide season in high style. The Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District and the Fordham Business Improvement District held separate holiday lighting ceremonies these past two weeks, treating kids to gift-wrapped presents while encouraging bargain hunters to shop locally. “This brings you together,” said Marcia Cameron, executive director of the Jerome Gun-Hill BID. “There’s something in the air.” Cameron was on hand for the BID’s second annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony, fighting frigid temperatures with some Dunkin’ Donuts brew and a

Out & About: What’s Happening in the Bronx this Weekend (Dec. 13-15)

Editor’s Pick Hot Chocolate and Goodies Bronx Parks invites the public to the following free holiday events with tree lighting ceremonies, caroling, cookies, and raffles. Details are subject to change in case of inclement weather. Dec. 14, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. – Shoelace Park, 211th Street and the Bronx River Greenway. Hot chocolate will be served. Holiday Events The Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd., presents A Christmas Carol, theatre show for ages 3 to 12, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. For more information, call (718) 579-4244/46/57 or visit www.nypl.org. Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum, 895 Shore Road, Pelham Bay Park, presents the following holiday

The newest copy of the Norwood News is out at your local diners, clinics and stores with several high-profile stories that already has everyone talking. The big story, of course, is the New York City Council voting 48-1 in favor of repurposing the Kingsbridge Armory into an ice skating mecca, capping an often challenging struggle over what to do with the massive property that’s stood vacant for roughly 20 years. To find out who the lone dissenter was, you have to read the paper! Another bombshell of a story can be found on page 2–the resignation of Community Board 7’s

Norwood News’ Bronx News Roundup Returns

The Norwood News would not be the same without the popular Bronx News Roundup, showing some love to borough papers as they attempt to keep everyone honest. Baseball, an impending mega-ice center and now a possible soccer stadium. As plenty of attention was focused on the Kingsbridge Armory vote by the City Council, New York Football Club and the Bloomberg administration kicked around a possible deal to bring a soccer stadium to the borough, as reported by The New York Times. Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio is said to have “real concerns” over whether this project can work for a

In one of the shortest administrative tenures in recent times at Community Board 7, the board’s district manager has suddenly resigned with just only half a year on the job. Socrates Caba turned in his letter of resignation on Wednesday, Dec. 4 to CB7 Chairwoman Adaline Walker, who was voted into office in June, the same month Caba had been hired following a lengthy recruiting process. Walker, a seasoned CB7 member with an education background, had replaced outgoing Chairman Paul Foster. Caba, meanwhile, had replaced Fernando Tirado, who resigned following hostile tensions between him and the executive board who often

If anyone had foretold I’d be the next editor at the Norwood News a year ago, I probably would’ve told them they got the wrong guy. But that make believe scenario has turned into reality, and I’m still pinching myself these days even as I keep revisiting this cute phrase our previous editor repeated—“May God have mercy on your soul.”

Council Approves Kingsbridge National Ice Center 48-1

by David Cruz By a vote of 48 to 1, the New York City Council overwhelmingly passed a plan for a project allowing developers to convert the Kingsbridge Armory into a colossal ice skating center, with elected officials, community groups rejoicing at the end of a near 20-year-saga. The entire Bronx Council Delegation, including holdout Councilman Fernando Cabrera, voted for the $320 million project that clears the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC), bringing nine ice skating rinks, and a 5,000-seat arena to the facility, drawing droves of hockey fans while also grooming any potential hockey stars, as developers see it.