State Says Park Reservoir Board Must Follow Mitchell-Lama Guidelines

By DAVID CRUZ

A state agency that oversees administrative decisions for Mitchell-Lama cooperatives has told the Board of Directors of Park Reservoir to comply with rules when it comes to changing management firms. The latest comes as a majority of board members for the Van Cortlandt Village complex seek to officially replace its longtime management company, Amalgamated Housing Cooperatives, at a board meeting scheduled Sept. 11. The letter could delay the vote, resulting in board members starting its vetting process all over again and giving supporters of Amalgamated more time to hammer out any differences. In a two-page letter obtained by the Norwood News, the

With more than 2,300 housing violations and a muddled reputation, the time had come for New York City’s worst landlord to take his place on the hot seat. Ved Parkash, long dubbed the worst landlord in New York City by the Public Advocate’s annual worst landlord’s watchlist, finally met with some of his residents in a Q&A forum at the Concourse House at 196th Street and the Grand Concourse in Bedford Park on July 12. For his part, Parkash sat in the center by his lonesome, left to answer tough questions from raging tenants. The Parkash Tenant Coalition, a

Hello Faithful Readers, The month-long edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of Bronx community news you can use. With our July-August edition, are some interesting stories intended to pique your interest. We first begin in Bedford Park with a tenants meeting involving Ved Parkash, dubbed the city’s worst landlord. Hear what tenants living in his buildings had to say about conditions, which have drawn the ire of city officials. Also, hear what Mr. Parkash had to say of his buildings. Moving into the pages of the edition you’ll read up on Mosholu Montefiore Community Center‘s respected executive director,

The fate of a well-respected management firm that’s provided services to a Mitchell Lama complex in Kingsbridge was put on hold by the building’s board of directors who seek to replace them. For some 60 years, Amalgamated Houses has been tethered to Park Reservoir, the first Mitchell Lama cooperative in the Bronx. It offers amenities that include community get-togethers, and custodial services such as pre-dawn snow shoveling during the winter season. Tenants fear those services will be diminished should a new management firm be hired. “The board felt there was a lot of confusion and anger at them so they

By DAVID CRUZ

An enormous but barren parcel of land at the southwestern tip of the Bronx is one step closer towards development by the city, testing interest in the waterfront while advancing Mayor Bill de Blasio’s overall vision for the South Bronx. The 158,000-square-foot property, settled at the shadow of the Major Deegan Expressway and Bronx Terminal Market near 149th Street, represents one of the city’s larger available spaces in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. The city, through a Request For Expressions of Interest (RFEI), is envisioning a whopping 40-story, mixed-used affordable housing complex overlooking the Harlem River. RFEI’s are a precursor

Body Camera Survey The NYPD wants your opinion on its officer body-worn cameras. Take the questionnaire or submit comments at nypdbodycameras.org. TV Production Training Workshops on television production are available through BronxNet Television, the borough’s official public access television station, from July 12 through Sept. 3, at either Mercy College or Lehman College. Registration fee is $90 for in-studio training and $100 for field production. For more information, call (718) 960-1181. Free Summer Meals Free summer meals for children age 18 and under is available until Sept. 2 at public schools, community pool centers, New York City Housing Authority complexes,

This week we asked readers their thoughts on the delay of redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory into an ice skating center, and if they think the project will ever be completed. I think an ice skating rink should be built there; it would be fun. There’s not many over here. Most of them are far away, like Manhattan. I honestly think they want to build something else there, they don’t want to build a skating rink. I heard some saying it was a waste of money, that once they build it, no one would go. Jahira Davis Yonkers I

Editor’s Pick Summer in the City The public is invited to attend Summerstage, a variety of free performances, all at 10:30 a.m., presented by City Parks Foundation, in city parks (schedule is subject to change): Van Cortlandt Park’s Classic Playground, VC Park South and Orloff Avenue – Todd Rolle: Kids Day Out on July 7; and Chinese Acrobat Li Liu on July 14. Van Cortlandt Park’s Sachkerah Woods Playground at Jerome Avenue and Gun Hill Road – PuppetMobile’s Puss in Boots on July 21; Marc Cary: The Harlem Sessions on July 28. Poe Park, next to the bandstand, Grand Concourse

By DAVID CRUZ

For the past six months, the small band of tenants at 267 E. 202nd St., a 2-story apartment building, have dealt with an uncertainty that hasn’t quite been resolved: are they staying or going? It’s a question that’s been on the minds of these tenants who’ve built lives there for as long as 30 years. “Everybody’s been living in that building for so long,” said Cynthia Garcia, a tenant and single mother of two children. “Everybody’s like family.” The piece of property, resting at the tip of Briggs Avenue in a sleepy part of Bedford Park, remains a source of