Council Member Marjorie Velázquez - What's Happening in District 13

 

Dear Neighbor,

This week has been full of events, and I am excited to share these moments with you. From the retirement of Det. Souhrada to the enactment of Int 559-A, also known as ‘Skip the Stuff’ (more information can be found in the ‘Legislative Corner’) to Governor Hochul’s announcement of a $1B investment into the mental health care crisis across New York City, there is much to celebrate.

Over the past year, there has been an increased need for enhanced transportation hubs. Here in Pelham Bay, the Department of Transportation unveiled its latest improvements, which include a new BX12-SBS bus route design and expanded sidewalks, providing riders with faster, safer commuting for everyone. For more information on the redesign, please scroll to ‘What’s Happening in District 13.’

In January, my office began a partnership with NIDC to provide one-on-one appointments for those needing housing assistance. Due to its success and increased demand for appointment, my office will be transitioning to an online appointment scheduling system. We highly encourage appointments; walk-ins are welcome based on availability. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please scroll to ‘Community Resources.’ Alternatively, you can still contact my office for further assistance or to schedule an appointment.

This month, I’ve partnered with the New York City Department of Finance to host in-office, one-on-one appointments for homeowners to learn more about their property values and exemptions on Friday, February 17, 2023 from 12 PM - 4 PM. Appointments are required and can be made by scrolling to the ‘Community Resources’ section or by calling my office.

In this week’s email, you will find critical information regarding disaster readiness and hands-only CPR, a workshop in partnership with the Red Cross of Greater New York, as well as information about the Department of Small Business Services’ Opportunity Fund, tax preparation services, and city-wide events for the whole family. I’d also like to remind community-based non-profit organizations, that the FY 2024 Discretionary Funding Expense Application is available; to learn more, please scroll to the ‘Budget Corner.’ If you have any questions or need assistance registering, a member of my staff will be happy to help you.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please call us at (718) 931-1721 or email us at District13@council.nyc.gov.

Sincerely,

Council Member Marjorie Velázquez

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN DISTRICT 13

Kosova Independence Day

On Monday, February 13 at 6 PM, join me at City Hall for this year’s Independence of Kosova celebration. This year’s celebration is in partnership with New York City Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams, Council Member Robert Holden, Council Member Joseph C. Borelli, Council Member David Carr, Council Member Oswald Feliz, and Council Member Vickie Paladino.

We had a wonderful time at our last celebration, and we are excited to share the beautiful culture and traditions of Kosova with you all on such a special day.

If you are interested in attending this year’s Independence of Kosova celebration, please call 212-482-4120 to RSVP.

BUDGET CORNER

FY 2024 Discretionary Funding

The New York City Council's Fiscal Year 2024 Discretionary Funding Expense Application for non-profit community-based organizations is live on the City Council's website. Applications will be accepted until Tuesday, February 21, 2023; if an application is not submitted during the filing period, the community-based organization will not be eligible for funding.

Apply

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Constituent Appointment Scheduling

Due to an increase in appointment requests, our office will be transitioning to an online scheduling system for SNAP and SCRIE/DRIE support. To schedule an appointment, please follow one of the below links (click or copy and paste). If you would like to schedule an appointment for NYC Housing Connect (also known as Section 8), or need assistance scheduling an appointment, please call our office at 718-931-1721.

SCRIE/DRIE: https://calendly.com/bxcd13/scrie_drie

SNAP: https://calendly.com/bxcd13/snapbenefits

NYC Dept. of Finance - Property Assessments and Values

On Friday, February 17 from 12 PM - 4 PM, the NYC Department of Finance will be at my office to help homeowners learn about their market and assessed values, exemptions, how taxes are calculated, and more. Appointments are required and can be scheduled by following the below link or calling my office. Please note that appointments are limited; if more than one individual in a party requires assistance, they must schedule a separate appointment.

Register

2023 Tax Preparation

The New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection is currently taking appointments for this year’s Tax Prep program. This free tac preparation service is available to New York City residents throughout al five boroughs. This year, there are three ways to file: In-Person, Drop-Off Service, or Virtual Tax Prep. To schedule an appointment, click below or call #311 and ask for ‘Tax Preparation.’

Schedule Appointment

Developer Reveal Plans For 15-Story Apartment Building At 157 Westchester Avenue In Port Chester, New York

 

Titanium Realty Group has revealed proposals to redevelop a historic theater into a mixed-use rental property at 157 West Chester Avenue in Port Chester, Westchester County. If approved by the Port Chester Planning Commission, the new building will top out at 15 stories and comprise 169 market-rate rental units, 21 affordable housing units designated for households earning 60 percent area median income (AMI), 1,465 square feet of commercial space, and two levels of parking for up to 110 vehicles.

The development site referred to as 157 Westchester Avenue, is an assemblage of three neighboring lots with frontage along Westchester Avenue and North Pearl Street. Existing properties include the Capital Theatre which was constructed in 1929 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, in addition to a one-story commercial building, a vacant firehouse, and two vacant commercial properties.

Along with proposals for the new building, the developer submitted the findings of an environmental assessment study to the Port Chester Planning Commission. The assessment was completed by DTS Provident Design Engineering, which states that the proposed development will have no adverse impacts to vehicular or pedestrian traffic, parking, or the architectural character of the surrounding neighborhood. As of today, the project team has revealed no renderings of the proposed buildings to support the latter.

FLORIDA MAN SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR THE MURDER OF BRONX WOMAN IN 2000

 

Defendant Pleaded Guilty to Second-Degree Murder; He Was Extradited From Florida After DNA Matched to Him in 2017

 Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Florida man has been sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for the strangulation murder of a Bronx woman in a Van Nest apartment in 2000. The cold case was solved in 2017 when DNA and a fingerprint from the crime scene were matched to him.

 District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant killed a 19-year-old woman in December 2000 and her lifeless body was discovered by her mother. The defendant moved on and started a new life in Florida, but justice always catches up. The defendant pleaded guilty to second-degree Murder and was sentenced today to 20 years to life in prison. I thank the NYPD Detectives who never gave up on finding the person who killed Dora Del Valle, whose family has waited too long for closure, but I hope today they can take some comfort in this sentence.”

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Christopher Gonzalez, 41, of Naples, Florida, was sentenced today by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Martin Marcus to 20 years to life in prison. The defendant pleaded guilty to second-degree Murder on December 21, 2022.

 According to the investigation, on December 2, 2000, inside an apartment building on 1186 East 180th Street, the victim, Dora Del Valle, 19, was house-sitting for her uncle who was hospitalized at the time. The defendant, who lived blocks away from the victim, strangled her with a telephone cord, causing her death. The victim, who had been raped, was found dead by her family later that day.

 A fingerprint and significant DNA evidence collected at the scene was matched to the defendant in 2017. He was extradited from Florida on December 8, 2017. The DNA hit also matched the defendant to a 2005 cold case murder in Westchester County.

 District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detectives Malcolm Reiman (retired) and Matt McCrosson (retired) of Bronx Homicide, Detective Arthur Connelly (retired) of NYPD Latent Print Section, Investigator Eugene Donnelly from the New York State Police Major Crimes Unit, and Detective Kevin O’Neill and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

Individual Who Portrayed Himself as Experienced Stock Trader Sentenced to 30 Months' Imprisonment for Defrauding Investor

 

Defendant Also Ordered to Pay $224,500 in Restitution to the Victim

 Gonzalo Ortiz was sentenced in federal court in Brooklyn by United States District Judge William F. Kuntz II, to 30 months in prison for defrauding an investor of nearly $600,000 by making false representations about Ortiz’s trading expertise and the profitability of various investments.  The Court also ordered Ortiz to pay $224,500 in restitution to the victim and imposed two years of supervised release to follow his custodial sentence.  In November 2021, Ortiz pleaded guilty to one count of investment advisor fraud.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the sentence.

Mr. Peace expressed his appreciation to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, New York Regional Office, for their significant cooperation and assistance in this case.

Between approximately April 2015 and May 2017, Ortiz falsely represented himself to an investor (the “Victim”) as a successful investment adviser who had made profits for other individuals by trading stocks on their behalf.  Ortiz convinced the Victim to allow him to invest the Victim’s money, promising significant returns.  Based on those misrepresentations, the Victim made successive investments with Ortiz over a period of years.  During this time, Ortiz falsely told the Victim that the investments were profitable and sent the Victim a false account statement to support these claims.  In reality, Ortiz made poor trading decisions that resulted in the loss of a portion of the Victim’s money, and also stole some of the Victim’s money for himself, siphoning off portions of the investments to pay for personal expenses, including clothing, food and car payments.  Ortiz controlled nearly $600,000 of the Victim’s money, stole approximately $224,500 for himself, and lost a significant amount of the Victim’s money to unprofitable trades.

DEC AND PARTNERS CONDUCT SECOND YEAR OF ADIRONDACK MOOSE RESEARCH PROJECT

 

Data Collected from GPS Collars Guides Research on Moose Population Health, Mortality, and Dispersal

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced the second year of a moose research project in the Adirondack region. This year, 19 moose were fitted with GPS collars as part of a multi-year project assessing moose health and population. DEC partnered with researchers at the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University, the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF), and Native Range Capture Services to safely capture, collar, and collect biometric data on the sample moose.

“Each year of this valuable research increases our understanding of New York’s moose population and its vital role in our State’s biodiversity,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “The data collected through DEC’s research partnership with Cornell, SUNY ESF, and Native Range Capture Services helps us understand the health of our moose and allows us to make evidence-based management decisions to support this treasured species in the future.” 

The GPS collars will provide location data and information on moose activity patterns, movements, and mortality. Data collected as part of this research effort will contribute directly to the continued management of moose in New York.

Previous moose research in the Adirondacks has helped researchers better understand adult moose survival and reproduction, but little is known about calf survival and dispersal in New York. By collaring calves and monitoring their survival to adulthood, biologists will be able to investigate factors limiting moose population growth, such as the effects of parasites on juvenile moose survival. These parasites, including winter ticks, brain worm, and giant liver fluke, and their associated diseases have increasingly become a management concern in the northeast and elsewhere.

“There are multiple stressors in New York that might be limiting moose population growth,” said Angela Fuller, Cornell University Professor and U.S. Geological Survey New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Leader. “Our research team includes wildlife and disease ecologists and wildlife managers, working closely to better understand the role that parasites might be playing in limiting moose populations. The recent moose collaring effort will allow us to estimate calf survival and better understand moose health.”   

“The opportunity to capture and sample live moose provides us with a ton of valuable information about moose health,” said Krysten Schuler, Wildlife Disease Ecologist and Director of the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab. “Unfortunately, we are seeing more evidence of parasites, like winter ticks and liver flukes, on the young moose, but this study allows us to identify management options for these problems.”

The cooperative research project is funded by a Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration grant through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These funds are collected through federal excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment and then apportioned to states for wildlife conservation. 

This year’s research also included sampling white-tailed deer pellets and water sources to detect and better understand the prevalence and distribution of brain worm and giant liver fluke across the landscape. Larvae from these parasites are found in deer scat, where they are picked up by snails and then incidentally consumed by moose as they forage on plants. Trail cameras were deployed in the fall of 2021 to determine range overlap between deer and moose and to monitor hair loss on moose infested with winter ticks. 

For additional information about moose biology, current research, or to report moose sightings, visit DEC’s website at https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/6964.html. 

Film and Event Series at BAAD! celebrates Queer Power - Get Tough! Get BAAD! - Feb. 14-25

 

BAAD! - THE BRONX ACADEMY OF ARTS & DANCE PRESENTS

 GET TOUGH, GET BAAD!

February 14-25, 2023

A FILM AND PERFORMANCE SERIES CELEBRATING QUEER POWER, DIVERSITY, VISIBILITY AND DEFIANCE INCLUDES A VALENTINE’S CELEBRATION CALLED SHOW ME LOVE PAIRED WITH THE GLOBAL EVENT ONE BILLION RISING, AND QUEER MOVIE MOVERS, EVENING OF DANCE TO MOVIE MUSIC AND 8 QUEER NARRATIVE FILMS

ALSO IN FEBRUARY AT BAAD!, ANGELA’S PULSE CONTINUES ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF 

DANCING WHILE BLACK WITH HOW WE DO: Centering the Body, February 11

BAAD! Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance presents GET TOUGH, GET BAAD!, an annual series of films and events celebrating queer power, diversity, defiance, strength, and visibility. The series was initiated in 2010 to take a stand against violence and to counter negative and victimized images of queer people in the media from a wave of homophobic attacks in the Bronx and New York City that year. GET TOUGH, GET BAAD! presents narrative films that are empowering to the LGBTQ community that feature queer, people of color as the protagonists, and also offers events that celebrate queer strength and value. This year’s installment includes two thrilling events and eight films. Kicking off the series on Valentine’s Day is “Show Me Love/One Billion Rising,” where BAAD! brings its Bronx queer flavor to a global mass action to end violence against women (cisgender, transgender, and those who hold fluid identities that are subject to gender-based violence).  The festival will screen eight films and end with a dance concert set to movie music.  Also in February, BAAD! continues its partnership with Angela’s Pulse and its 10th Anniversary of Dancing While Black with day-long events, in person and virtually.   The Dancing While Black event is on February 11, 2023, and GET TOUGH! GET BAAD! runs from February 14-25, 2023. Both events are at BAAD!, 2474 Westchester Avenue in the Bronx’s Westchester Square neighborhood. Most events are free to $20. For reservations, directions, and further information call (718) 918-2110 or visit www.BAADBronx.org. 

DANCING WHILE BLACK at BAAD!:

Saturday, February 11 | Free to $20

ANGELA’S PULSE/DANCING WHILE BLACK

HOW WE DO: Centering the Body

DANCING WHILE BLACK is an artist-led initiative that supports the diverse work of Black dance artists by cultivating platforms for process, performance, dialogue and documentation. This day of workshops asks how practices by Black-embodied/movement artists shift with the mo(ve)ments in which they find themselves. 

In-person events: 

• 11am-1pm: Improvising Our Diaspora with Joya Powell & Marguerite Hemmings;

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  1pm-3pm: Move to Transform with  Candace Thompson-Zachery & Sydnie L. Mosley;

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  3pm-5pm: Rest Your Eyes & Tell Me A Story with Alethea Pace & Katrina Reid.

Virtual event:

Sunday, February 12:

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  3pm-5pm: All of Us: Coming Together Through Movement with Kayla Hamilton & India Harville.

GET TOUGH! GET BAAD! FESTIVAL

Tuesday, February 14 at 6:30pm | Free

SHOW ME LOVE!/ONE BILLION RISING!

The series kicks off on Valentine’s day with a vibrant event with food, performances, a photo shoot and party. BAAD! bring its Bronx queer flavor to One Billion Rising’s global mass action to end violence against women (cisgender, transgender, and those who hold fluid identities that are subject to gender-based violence). MC’d by Destination Tomorrow’s Landon Dickerson, the program includes performances, short films curated by Black Trans Media, a photo shoot where all who attend can pose for a portrait, and a party to groove and show love. 

Friday, February 17 | Free

7:00 pm

VENUS

When Sid decides to come out as a woman, a 14-year-old son shows up announcing that Sid is his dad. Then mix in Sid’s South Asian parents, white boyfriend, and white ex-wife and see what happens when gender, generations, and cultures collide to create a truly modern family. Directed by Elisha Marjara.

9:00pm

UNA MUJER FANTASTICA

In this Academy Award-winning, set in Santiago, Chile, Marina, a transgender woman who works as a waitress and moonlights as a nightclub singer, transcends adversity after the death of her boyfriend. Directed by Sebastián Lelio. In Spanish, English subtitles.

Saturday, February 18 | Free

3:00pm

HEARTS BEAT LOUD

Touching drama about a white single father and his Bi-racial, lesbian young daughter who form a band and a bond. Directed by Brett Haley.

5:00pm

THE HALF OF IT

When smart but cash-strapped teen Ellie Chu agrees to write a love letter for a jock, she doesn't expect to become his friend - or fall for Alexxis, his crush in this Cyrano de Bergerac-esque story. Written and directed by Alice Wu.

7:00pm 

DUCK BUTTER

Two women (one played by Iraqi-American actress Alia Shawkat who co-wrote the script) who are dissatisfied with the dishonesty they see in dating and relationships, decide to make a pact to spend 24 hours together hoping to find a new way to create intimacy. Directed by Miguel Arteta.

9:00pm

ELSA Y MARCELA

Based on real events, Elisa takes on the identity of Mario Sánchez in 1901 Spain to marry her lover of fifteen years, Marcela. Directed by Isabel Coixet. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Friday, February 24 | Free

7:00pm

ALASKA IS A DRAG

Leo is a glam-obsessed Black young man whose dreams of being a drag superstar are hard fought while working in a fish cannery in Alaska and fighting back against homophobic attacks. When fabulous Leo takes his fighting skills into the boxing ring, this fish-out-of-water dramedy takes off while it explores themes around the fluidity of gender identity, conforming to norms, being accepted for who you are, and defining love.  Directed by Shaz Bennett.

9:00pm

THE INSPECTION

Powerful drama of a young man who joins the Marines in an attempt to win his mother’s love, but finds his power.  Directed by Elegance Bratton.

Saturday, February 25 at 8pm | $20, Virtual: Free to $20

QUEER MOVIE MOVERS

Eight choreographers take over BAAD!’s stage with a series of dances set to music from their favorite films.  Featuring performances from Javier Cardenas, Ian Fernandez, Diamante Habibi, Shizu Homma, Linda La, LeFierce LaBeija, Hannah Littman and Edgard Toro.

Crowned “a funky and welcoming performance space” by The New York Times, BAAD! is a performance and workshop space that presents cutting-edge works in dance and all creative disciplines empowering to women, people of color and the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) community. BAAD! is home to Arthur Aviles Typical Theatre (AATT), and the AATT Academy, and was founded by Arthur Aviles and Charles Rice-Gonzalez in 1998 in Hunts Point. BAAD! moved to Westchester Square in October 2013 to a gothic revivalist building on the grounds of St. Peter’s Church.

BAAD!/AATT receives support from The Ford Foundation, The Howard Gilman Foundation, The Mellon Foundation, The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, The SHS Foundation, The Mertz Gilmore Foundation, The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, The Mosaic Fund, The Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, The New York State Council on the Arts, The Jerome Foundation, The Robbins Foundation, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, The John and Jody Arnhold Foundation and private donations.