Bedford Park Congregational Church Aims to Restore Organ

By DAVID CRUZ

At Bedford Park Congregational Church, members maintain one foot in the past, and the other in the future. The past: A historic, 124-year-old rustic church at the intersection of East 201st Street and Bainbridge Avenue, whose architecture representing a bygone era earned a landmark designation by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2000. “This is the way it was when I first got here,” said Annette Porter, president of the church’s Board of Trustees, looking back when she first began worshipping at the church twenty years ago. The future: Preserving the past. Such has been the case for

By DAVID CRUZ

The newest edition of the award-winning Norwood News is out with plenty of community news you can use. We begin in Bedford Park with yet another homeless shelter sneaking into the neighborhood, only there’s a twist: the tenants won the fight! Read up on suspicions by tenants and what conditions were like inside the building. Switching to lighthearted fare, with an article by salesperson/reporter extraordinaire Vivian Carter on results of the Norwood News survey we asked neighbors to take over the summer. We crunched the numbers and the results were pretty surprising. Definitely worth a read. Next, Jasmine Gomez takes a look at a

Back-to-School Giveaway By Your Side Tutoring hosts a Kids Launch Free Event on Sept. 5 from noon to 3 p.m. at Van Cortlandt Park. Enter at the entrance of Broadway and 242nd Street. One hundred free backpacks filled with a shirt and school supplies will be given away to students who register for fall tutoring. Attendants will receive a free raffle ticket for a bike, a gift, and wrist band to participate in each activity. Events include face painting, magic show, games, concert, and more. Students receive free drinks and snacks. For more information, call (347) 280-7919. MetroCard Buses/Vans The

COMMUNITY BOARD 7 will hold its general board meeting on Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Bedford Park Senior Center, 243 E. 204th St. CB7 committee meetings are held on the following dates at the board office, 229A E. 204th St. at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted: Public Safety & Quality of Life, Sept. 3; Environment & Sanitation, Sept. 8; Health & Hospitals, Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m.; Senior Services, Sept. 9; Parks & Recreation, Sept. 9 at 7:15 p.m.; Traffic & Transportation, Sept. 10; and Veterans, Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 933-5650.

Shelter Plan Nixed for Bedford Park Building, Tenants Hail

By DAVID CRUZ

In a rare reversal, a Bedford Park landlord has halted a process to convert a significant portion of their seven-story building into a shelter, a win for tenants who are celebrating with cautious optimism.

Neighborhood Notes

Education & Resource Fair Learn about free computer and ESL classes, NYCID registration, citizenship applications, health insurance, and more, at the free Community Education & Resource Fair on Aug. 28 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. For more information, call (718) 579-4244. Free Curb Your Dog Signs Free “Curb Your Dog” signs are available to homeowners and building superintendents at Community Board 7’s office, 229A E. 204th St., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information or to schedule a pickup, call (718) 933-5650. Daycare Provider Workshop NYC Small Business

The Norwood News has upgraded its website, following several weeks of brainstorming, trial and error, and tinkering. Some of the bigger revisions to the site include a slider window prominently featuring the latest news stories impacting Norwood News’ coverage area, which primarily includes Bedford Park, Kingsbridge, Fordham, and University Heights. “The community newspaper had long sought to convert the existing site, which leaned towards a blog format, to a more traditional news website look,” said David Cruz, editor-in-chief of the Norwood News, who collaborated with his website designer, Neil deMause, to bring the site to life. The truest change can

By DAVID CRUZ

The digital edition of the Norwood News is back from production break to bring you our latest edition, with plenty of community news you can use. If you want to grab a hold of the edition, just stop by the 300 local offices, restaurants and stores that carry our award-winning newspaper. We first take a pause to ask you: Have you noticed a change in the website?!? This past weekend the Norwood News shed its familiar blog-style website for a more upgraded site with mobile capabilities. Yes, it’s mobile. So you can take the Norwood News anywhere you go. Though new features

By DAVID CRUZ Residents can expect another supportive/affordable housing hybrid in the neighborhood, adding to a cluster of new specialized housing sites in Norwood/Bedford Park and fueling an ongoing tug of war between residents and non-profit housing groups over the community’s vision.