Shelter Developer Eyes One for Norwood, Sources Say

By DAVID CRUZ

A homeless shelter provider is eyeing a Norwood property that rests across from PS/MS 20 as his next shelter, sources told the Norwood News. But the New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS), which offers multi-million dollar contracts to nonprofit shelter providers, hasn’t drafted a contract, according to the agency. News of the proposed site, currently Sam’s Floor Covering at 3041 Webster Ave. near Mosholu Parkway North, caused widespread panic among stakeholders who have demanded that specialized housing be kept to a minimum along the Webster Avenue corridor. The proposal conflicts with and appears to undermine long-term plans to

By JALEESA BAULKMAN

The civil war continues at a Mitchell-Lama complex in Van Cortlandt Village. Following opposition to a plan by the Board of Directors to replace management services by Amalgamated Houses for another, more than 100 cooperators living at Park Reservoir approved a proposal to modify the building’s bylaws to prevent its management firm to be replaced without two-thirds support of tenants. But the proposal, approved 111 to 35 in favor, must be approved by the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR), the agency that oversees Mitchell-Lama cooperatives. If this amendment is approved, cooperators could thwart the board’s yearlong plan

By CATHERINE CLARKE

Community-based groups in the northwest Bronx care for their senior citizens! Significant local efforts to assist low-income seniors include the creation of new affordable housing for seniors, the promotion of city programs to keep rents affordable to seniors and a wide array of health, social and recreational services offered by religious institutions, community groups and senior centers. Affordable, safe and decent housing remains an urgent need for all Bronx residents, and more so for seniors who have limited incomes and often growing physical needs in terms of accessibility and safety. New York City recently increased the income limits for its

By DAVID GREENE

For the second time in as many weeks a pair of bandits has broken into a local GNC store and police and passersby were baffled to learn that the intruders were of the 4-legged kind. Police were called to the vitamin supplement shop at 3453 Jerome Ave. along the Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District at 9 a.m. on Sept. 29, for an “animal incident,” involving raccoons. A dispatcher quickly reported it had “one in custody.” The four officers met the employee, who watched as the pair of furry creatures scurried about the store’s counter-tops and shelves in a search for food. Asked

By DAVID CRUZ

Hello fellow readers, The newest edition of the Norwood News is out with 20 pages of Bronx community news you can use. We begin with a familiar story: The Kingsbridge Armory. The latest in this poor, ongoing saga is the Kingsbridge National Ice Center’s attempt at wanting to purchase the enormous property from the City of New York. Read about those attempts by the developers attorneys who are using every legal maneuver in the book to grab a hold of the property. Here in Norwood, we feature a story on the District Manager of Community Board 7, Andrew Sandler, facing the possibility

By DAVID CRUZ

Emily Flores’ conviction is so strong she’s willing to take on injustices all on her own. So when she saw that her building management company initially stood ready to jack up her monthly parking bill 84 percent with not much notice or discussion, she mobilized…herself. “I gotta take the bull by the horns because I’m not having it,” Flores said. It took management some convincing to bring the rate down from its original monthly charge of $280, a fee Flores thought was just way too high for Norwood’s working class. It was a good thing then that the management company

Securing Kingsbridge Ice Center Funding a Waiting Game

By DAVID CRUZ

Vacant Armory purchase price assessed at $17 million, says KNIC In the last year, progress at the Kingsbridge Armory, which was expected to house a large ice skating complex by next year, has stalled with nary a shovel in the ground. A lawsuit by developers of the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC) against the New York City Economic Development Corporation prompted the stall. Attorneys for KNIC have since regrouped with a new tactic to settle the case: an offer to buy the landmark Armory. In a two-page letter obtained by the Norwood News, KNIC, the developer picked by the city

COMMUNITY BOARD 7 will hold its general board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 20, at 6:30 p.m. at Sister Annunciata Bethell Senior Center, 243 E. 204th St. CB7 committee meetings are held on the following dates at the board office, 229 E. 204th St., at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted: Housing, Land Use & Zoning Committee on Sept. 21; and Economic Development Committee on Sept. 27. For more information, call the Board office at (718) 933-5650. THE 52ND PRECINCT COMMUNITY COUNCIL will meet Sept. 22 at 2455 Sedgwick Ave. (across from Fordham Hill Oval Cooperative) from 7 to 9 p.m. For

By DAVID CRUZ

It is now law that schools test drinking water for lead contamination. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation to identify traces of lead, a toxin that can cause brain damage if overly exposed. The state Department of Health issued emergency rules mandating school districts test their water for lead contamination by Oct. 31 and report results to parents, the state Department of Health and local government officials. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, representing the northeast Bronx, said the new law gives “parents, students and faculty the peace of mind they deserve. If lead levels are detected above 15 parts per billion at any