With their playground padlocked shut, two kids ran around benches and trees, playing with sticks.

That was the scene last Thursday at Sachkerah Woods, in the southeastern section of Van Cortlandt Park (at the corner of Gun Hill Road and Jerome Avenue), where the city has shut down a relatively new playground facility while the Parks Department works to fix a leaking underground water pipe.

Last week, we tried to cover a meeting of the Kingsbridge Armory Task Force, held at the office of Community Board 7. We were told that the state Open Meetings Law did not apply because the task force only makes recommendations and is not an official government body.

This is technically correct and we also understand that people sometimes feel more comfortable offering unvarnished opinions if they can do so without the press in the room.

The problem is that, too often, decisions get made in advance at these kinds of things without public scrutiny or even awareness. Then the formal "public review process" becomes a sham, a lesson in theater or both.

We hesitate to bring up disagreeable memories, but are compelled to do so by an overwhelming desire not to see history repeated.

As the city continues to review the possibility of building a new elementary school on Webster Avenue, parents and activists wanted to know how it will affect other schools and if it will alleviate the chronic overcrowding problems in the area.

The current economic downturn inspired Miriam Seminario, the parent coordinator at PS 94 in Norwood, to create a job readiness program to help her unemployed parents.

The winners of the annual Tiger Day reading challenge at PS 94 ("The Magnificent 7" pictured, from left to right,Caius Gillett, Kayla LaTorres, Anna Williams, Mahrukh Jaura,Maisha Haque, Melanie Carrasco, JImmy De La Cruz) read at least 10 nonfiction books, including five biographies, and completed a project to showcase their favorite book. The children read a wide variety of books about famous figures, including Martin Luther King Jr., Helen Keller and President Obama.

A listing of community events, programs, services and other useful information for our readers in the Bronx.

A listing of arts, entertainment and learning events for our Bronx readers.

The city’s Parks Department announced last week that it was setting up a Central Park-like Conservancy in Van Cortlandt Park.

This is a bad idea.

Up until now, the Friends of Van Cortlandt Park have acted as independent caretakers of the park responding to community concerns, helping to organize upkeep, maintaining trails, advocating for park interests, fundraising, providing important programming and maintaining ongoing communication with the Parks Department.

So why does the city feel the need to add on a Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy, right in the middle of the biggest economic downturn in a generation? One possible explanation is vengeance.

Mayor Bloomberg is mad at the Friends because they decided to oppose the siting of the Croton water filtration plant at Mosholu Golf Course. Unlike the mayor, they believe that the land use review process should be adhered to, that parks are not for sale, and that if land at Van Cortlandt Park can be alienated then it can happen elsewhere.

The Fordham Bedford little league season, featuring these excited young Yankees, started last Saturday morning with a parade down to the ball fields on Jerome Avenue near Walton High School.