There may be a sign of relief in the distance for homeowners crippled by what many have called New York’s foreclosure crisis. A bill sponsored by State Senator Jeffrey Klein, that offers more protection and resources to those on the brink of foreclosure and toughens regulations on lending institutions, passed the Senate on Monday.
The Parks Department has not acted in the public interest in the case of Harris Field.
If Norwood News reporter Megan Taylor hadn’t stopped by Harris in October and talked with construction workers, who told her that heavy metals were found at the site, we probably still wouldn’t know anything about it.
Two weeks ago, Parks did tell the Croton Facilities Monitoring Committee (CFMC) that a consultant is assessing the problem. In the meantime, Parks will only say the contamination is from "urban fill," and their legal department told us it will be at least another month before they answer our Freedom of Information Law Request for documents pertaining to the discovery of the metals.
Maybe this isn’t a big problem and the contamination will be easily remediated.
But that’s not the point.
Harris Field is heavily used, particularly by youth baseball leagues that need to plan their seasons months in advance. Last year, Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, which relies heavily on Harris, fielded its teams there but permits were revoked two weeks later to make way for construction. As a result, hundreds of children were unable to participate in the league.
If Norwood News reporter Megan Taylor hadn’t stopped by Harris in October and talked with construction workers, who told her that heavy metals were found at the site, we probably still wouldn’t know anything about it.
Two weeks ago, Parks did tell the Croton Facilities Monitoring Committee (CFMC) that a consultant is assessing the problem. In the meantime, Parks will only say the contamination is from "urban fill," and their legal department told us it will be at least another month before they answer our Freedom of Information Law Request for documents pertaining to the discovery of the metals.
Maybe this isn’t a big problem and the contamination will be easily remediated.
But that’s not the point.
Harris Field is heavily used, particularly by youth baseball leagues that need to plan their seasons months in advance. Last year, Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, which relies heavily on Harris, fielded its teams there but permits were revoked two weeks later to make way for construction. As a result, hundreds of children were unable to participate in the league.
While I do agree with Sally Dunford ("Don’t Blame Residents for Norwood’s Woes," Oct. 22 issue) that you need to follow the money to get to the root of the problem, ultimately it lies in the individual and family. The reason why Norwood is heading downhill is because of the bad-quality, non-working tenants with issues moving in which forces working middle-class families to flee because it is no longer a nice place to raise a family.