Teresita E. Fajardo, the new principal of St. Philip Neri School in Bedford Park, officially started on Sept. 1, but in the first week of August, she was already booked solid with appointments with veteran teachers, new hires and other members of the community.

Proud parents and their backpack-toting kids descended upon the campus of PS 15, just north of Bronx Community College in University Heights, for the first day of public school on Tuesday. It’s a bittersweet occasion that unofficially marks the beginning of fall and the end of summer.

Despite laws requiring large firms to award a percentage of subcontracting jobs to certified minority contractors on large public projects like the Croton Water Treatment Plant in Van Cortlandt Park, small contractors are finding that the certification process, high insurance costs and a lack of political connections make it tough to win bids.

As we report in this issue, the Parks Department is about to embark on a desperately needed rehab of Williamsbridge Oval Park, Norwood’s most active and much loved green space. The $13.5 million allocated for the project – from that controversial deal that swapped the giant filtration plant being built in nearby Van Cortlandt Park for improvements to Bronx parks – sounds like a lot of money, but it is, unfortunately, not sufficient to address all the park’s needs.

How many parents of public school students could pass a pop quiz on the latest reforms of the system? Would any of them know where to seek help for their child if they can’t get it at their school? (Answer: the new local Office of Parent engagement).

The decrepit fencing around Oval Park has become a safety hazard. This time it fell down on the grass. Next time it could be on a car or a person. See editorial.

With a federal grant of $354 million for congestion pricing secured, plans are already under way how to spend the money to be raised by the toll, if approved. Among them, the MTA is considering diverting New Haven Metro North service through the underused northeastern Bronx Amtrak line and to build three stations: Co-op City, Parkchester and possibly Hunts Point.

It becomes more and more clear with each passing day that outright lying, half-truths, inefficient engineering, poor planning, and politically-influenced decision-making by the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have turned the construction site of the Croton Water Treatment Plant in Van Cortlandt Park into an unmitigated environmental disaster that is costing taxpayers billions of dollars and needlessly wasting precious natural resources.

The Citizens Committee for New York City is sponsoring the fifth annual Quality of Life Survey Saturday, Sept. 8 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Bronx Library Center at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road. Residents will be polled about their top concerns to guide government officials as they work to improve quality of life in the area. For more information, call (646) 262-0484.