Residents Get Empowered, Envision Their Take on two Bronx Communities

Paula Caplan sat in the Sister Annunciata Bethell Senior Center in Bedford Park, surrounded by a group of concerned community members as they listed gripes for overdevelopment. She listened and watched as her colleague jotted down a vision residents have carved for their neighborhood. As CEO of the Collective for Community, Culture, and Environment (CCCE) and hired by Community Board 7 at a rate of $25,000 to make a compelling argument for neighborhood preservation, Caplan is tasked to argue for what the residents want. She’s expected to take her findings to the New York City Department of City Planning (DCP)

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

Well, Donald Trump will soon be President of the United States. Thank God our advisors do not talk to our clients about politics; we talk to them about economics. And from a domestic economic perspective, that is tax, spend and trading policies, much of which I can presume is coming in 2017. Individual Taxes “Imagine your paycheck was 40 percent higher than it currently is. What could you do with 40 percent more wealth? How many jobs and opportunities for others could you create?”—President-elect Trump Mr. Trump wants to reshape America’s tax system. His plan has just four tax brackets

By DEBORAH CRUZ

Things got heated at a Community Engagement Forum where the results of a two-month study on Norwood were unveiled. The findings were surprising, but its presentation irked community stakeholders already aware of its problems. The study by the Public Agenda, a civic engagement think tank commissioned by the de Blasio administration, sparked much debate between the study’s investigator, Nicole Hewitt, and guests who found the study pointless. “We don’t need people to come and tell us what the problems are, we know what they are. We need solutions,” said Sheila Sanchez, president of Friends of Williamsbridge Oval. Hewitt reviewed the

It seems money grows on trees for the Parks Department. The city agency looks to spend several hundred thousand dollars to dig up close to 200 trees along Mosholu Parkway and replant them, leaving those want the young arbors exactly where they are scratching their heads. Parks explained in a letter to Elizabeth Quaranta, president of Friends of Mosholu Parkland, a volunteer advocacy group, that the agency “is currently reviewing its plans for the transplanting of these trees,” adding “no work will be done until the plans are reviewed by and confirmed with the community.” Still, the mere decision

By DAVID CRUZ

For neighbors living in one section of Fordham/Bedford Park, scouring for an overnight spot means traveling outside the neighborhood to look for one. In an ironic twist, spots are indeed available overnight in the neighborhood; residents just can’t utilize them. The roughly 80 street spots can be found at East 194th Street, between Valentine and Marion avenues. But a near 15-year parking rule restricts cars from parking there between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., a stipulation instituted after crime spiked so much in the neighborhood it warranted the provision. It was intended to last for one year, but has since stretched for

Free Legal Services The Office of Councilman Andy King is hosting a free civil legal services mobile van for Bronx residents in front of his district office, 940 E. Gun Hill Rd., on Nov. 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lawyers will be on hand to assist with family issues, immigration, and more. To set up a required appointment, call (718) 684-5509. Heating Assistance Available Assistance in having your heating bill paid for is available through the state government. Eligible households can receive a one-time benefit of up to $626, depending on income, household size and heating source. A

By DAVID CRUZ

Employees at a Kingsbridge Heights supermarket woke up to find the place they worked was scorched, following a two-alarm fire sparked by a gas explosion. Fire officials say the blaze at Morton’s Supermarket, one of the few supermarkets on the east side of the neighborhood at 19 E. Kingsbridge Rd., was reported just after around 4 a.m., escalating to a two-alarm blaze. According to the FDNY, the fire was brought under control at 5:10 a.m., the department reported that 106 members from 25 units responded to the call. Fire marshals continue to investigate the cause of the explosion and blaze. John

By DAVID CRUZ

Two neighborhoods falling within Community Board 7 will be the subject of an independent rezoning study by the board, in a move that revisits a request community stakeholders made years ago when rezoning efforts were happening in other parts of the district. But the New York City Department of City Planning (DCP), the agency tasked to devise the overall makeup of neighborhoods, will likely reject any plans to down-zone, a request community stakeholders have long sought. The board has now scheduled a brainstorming forum for Nov. 16 to gauge residents on how sections of Kingsbridge Heights and Bedford Park, home

Hello Fellow Readers! The latest edition of the Norwood News, serving Norwood and other Bronx communities, is out with plenty of neighborhood news you can use. We’ve packed the paper with coverage on the historic general election, and our take on what lessons may have been learned. We first begin with a local story on a move by Community Board 7, the all-volunteer civic panel, looking to take the wheel in deciding Bedford Park’s future look. The Board has hired a consulting firm to carry out an independent study on the needs for the neighborhood, home to a hodgepodge of two-story