Out & About: Speak Up About Your Parks

Editor’s Pick Have Your Voice Heard The public is invited to the 22nd annual Bronx Parks Speak Up held by the Bronx Coalition of Parks and Green Spaces, Feb. 20 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Lehman College’s faculty dining room in the Music Building, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W. Bronx residents will join elected officials and agency personnel to learn about government and non-government resources and participate in face-to-face discussions with city and local elected and appointed officials. Residents are encouraged for voice their opinions on neighborhood matters. For more information, visit www.bronxspeakup.org. Onstage Lehman College’s Center

By DAVID CRUZ

In a proposal that’s likely several years away from construction, Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. unveiled his vision for more development by plating over existing open air rail yards peppered around the borough. The prospect of plating the yards served as the crux to his 10-page report on the promise three rail yards hold for mixed-use development. And while two yards in the Concourse and Riverdale sections of the Bronx would work as pragmatic sites, Diaz zeroed in on the Concourse Yard, a breathtaking industrial span in Bedford Park, as having “tremendous potential” for development built above the tracks. The

By DAVID CRUZ

In his yearly address highlighting accomplishments while pushing a heavy agenda, Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.’s seventh State of the Borough speech addressed more city matters than in previous addresses, further underscoring his ambition to run for Mayor of New York. In the 44-minute speech, ripe with roughly 59 rounds of applause, Diaz took jabs at the city’s response to last year’s Legionnaire’s outbreak, its approach to its lofty rezoning plan, and made clear his support for charter schools, conflicting with the lukewarm take of Mayor Bill de Blasio. Issues relating to the borough, of course, took center stage in

Dear Loyal Readers, A brand new edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of local Bronx news you can use. We begin at the sprawling Concourse Yards in Bedford Park, where Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. is proposing to build a platform to serve as the foundation for potential development. Find out what one professor of civil engineering has to say about the project and whether it’s even feasible. At Montefiore Medical Center, read the life story of Montefiore Health System’s newest cardiologist, and his circuitous route to the Norwood hospital. It’s a story you won’t want to miss.

By DAVID CRUZ

The Borough President is thinking green to save some green. Continuing an initiative he introduced in last year’s State of the Borough address, Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. will announce participants of a revolving loan program intended to upgrade buildings with more energy-efficient amenities as a way to keep maintenance costs down. In return, property owners will agreed to keep costs, and subsequently rents, down. Chestnut Holdings, one of the largest property managers in the Bronx, was picked by Diaz as the first to take advantage of the “Green Development Fund.” In an excerpt of his speech shared ahead of

By DAVID CRUZ

Developers of the Kingsbridge National Ice Center are expected to attend a meeting over the status of the imminent ice project that’s suffered several delays within the last year. The meeting, organized by State Senator Gustavo Rivera, whose district falls within the Armory borders, organized the meeting at the behest of community activists outraged over an oddly timed hearing involving the state loaning $30 million to the ice developers. Many are concerned about the lingering effects a major project brings to a community, particularly fears of gentrification in a largely working poor neighborhood. “Striking the right balance between fostering progress

By DAVID

The former executive director of the Bronx Democratic County Committee has officially announced a run for the 78th Assembly District, long held by Assemblyman Jose Rivera, whose term expires at the end of the year. The race pits two politicos heavily entrenched in borough politics, which could force established lawmakers to pick a side. Ischia Bravo announced her candidacy via Facebook, calling her run for office “a life changing decision” that generated nearly 200 comments from well-wishers. “The people of this district deserve a fresh choice and a new vision in Albany. I am committed to enacting a strong agenda

By DAVID CRUZ

A proposal to create a bike path connecting the Bronx to Westchester in Van Cortlandt Park won approval by Community Board 7’s Parks Committee, beating out environmentalists who objected to disruptions in the park’s ecology. The decision could end years of starts and stops for the project, which involved several revisions by the New York City Parks Department, which proposed the bike path. The meeting also offered CB7 members to meet their counterparts at Community Board 8, which voted for the proposed 1.25-mile bike path the day before. Arriving at the meeting were proponents of the bike path boosting the

By DAVID CRUZ

A new era of healthcare is slowly dawning in New York, and many of its city-run hospitals are spending the next four years preparing to shift gears before its event horizon. For NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx in Norwood, that strategy involves the patient experience and its nurses, often deemed the face of most hospitals. NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx is part of the Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), the city’s financially beleaguered hospital network that was once referred to as North Central Bronx Hospital. Making things tougher is cuts in state and federal subsidies by 2020, which