Van Cortlandt Park Alliance - There’s Something for Everyone in May in VCP!

 

Pinkster Festival

Saturday, May 4 - Noon to 4pm - FREE!

Our second annual Pinkster Festival is a celebration of African culture that dates back to the 1700s. The Pinkster Players perform throughout the day to share the unique history of this important but little-known holiday. 

Live Music • Crafts • Storytelling • Performances

Vendors include African food and clothing.  

Presented in partnership with Van Cortlandt House Museum.

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Van Cortlandt House Museum Grounds 

 

Wetland & Floodplain Volunteer Days

Tuesday, May 7 and Wednesdays, May 8, 15, 22, 29 - Meet at 9am

Projects will vary from removing invasive plants to planting aquatic flora in the floodplain to water chestnut removal in Hester & Piero’s Mill Pond. Bring your adventurous spirit, plenty of water, a hat, and an extra pair of dry socks.

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Meet at Van Cortlandt Golf House

Forest Restoration Fridays

Fridays, May 10, 17, 24, 31 - Meet at 9am

Gear up for some hands-on conservation work, including tree planting, all while learning about the forest’s ecosystem in the Northwest Woods.

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Meet at VCPA Garden & Compost Site.

 

Birding with NYC Audubon

Saturdays, May 11 + 18 - Meet at 9am

Explore Van Cortlandt Park’s ecologically diverse grounds and celebrate a long tradition of birding in the park. Each walk will be led by a New York City Audubon guide.

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Meet at the Nature Center.

 

Spring Garden Tune-Up Tuesday

Tuesday, May 14 - From 10am to 1pm

Turnip to volunteer and help plant our garden beds! Volunteers will learn how to care for the garden, maintain compost bins, weed, water, and harvest produce.

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Meet at VCPA Garden & Compost Site.

 

Springtime Shindig!

Thursday, May 16, 2024, 6 to 9pm

Join us for our annual spring fundraiser, benefiting the park and making it possible to offer FREE community programs throughout the year!

Cocktails • Lite Bites • Dessert • Music • Picturesque Setting • Raffle

Tickets, Journal Ads and Sponsorships Available!

Van Cortlandt Golf House Terrace

 

Northwest Corner Care

Saturday, May 18 - 10am to 12pm

Join VCPA and Riverdale Main Streets Alliance to show the Northwest Corner some TLC!

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Meet at W. 261st Street and Broadway.

 

Woodlawn Beautification Day

Saturday, May 18 - 10am to 12pm

Join VCPA, Women of Woodlawn, and Woodlawn Taxpayers Association as we continue to beautify the area around Woodlawn Playground. 

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Meet in front of Woodlawn Playground.

Barefoot Dancing with Yahaya Kamate

Saturday, May 18 - 2pm to 4pm

Kick off your shoes and learn to dance on the lawn to West African Drumming with Yahaya Kamate and friends. 

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Van Cortlandt House Museum

 

Mark Your Calendar!

Barefoot Dancing with Estelle Walkin

Saturday, June 1 - 2pm to 4pm

 

NY Philharmonic in Van Cortlandt Park

Tuesday, June 11 at 8pm

 

Juneteenth Celebration

Wednesday, June 19 - 6pm to 7:30pm

 

Support Our Work in Van Cortlandt Park

Make a Donation

The park is really big. Our staff is really small. Only with your help can we grow our capacity, hire more staff, and take on projects to improve Van Cortlandt Park… for YOU!  Please consider a gift to Van Cortlandt Park Alliance today.

Donate!

VCPA Merch Shop!

Show your love for Van Cortlandt Park while supporting the Alliance!

Shop Now!

 

Become a Member

Members get VCPA merch and invitations to member only hikes while supporting their favorite park!

Join Now.

Our Contact Information
Van Cortlandt Park Alliance
80 Van Cortlandt Park South, Ste. E1
Bronx, NY 10463
718-601-1460
http://vancortlandt.org

Governor Hochul, Retail Workers and Small Business Owners Celebrate New Landmark Protections Against Organized Retail Theft

 New Felony Penalties Created for Assaulting a Retail Worker

$5 Million Tax Credit Available to Business Owners for Security Cameras and Other Anti-Theft Expenses

$40.2 Million for Dedicated Retail Theft Teams for New York State Police and Local Law Enforcement

Governor Kathy Hochul today joined a coalition of frontline retail workers and small business owners to celebrate new protections against organized retail theft that were signed into law with the FY25 State Budget. This comprehensive approach puts more power in the hands of law enforcement, prosecutors and business owners – targeting every area of vulnerability. The new protections include increased criminal penalties for anyone who assaults a retail worker elevating it from a misdemeanor to a felony, and includes a $5 million tax credit to help small business owners invest in added security measures. Governor Hochul’s FY25 State Budget again makes historic investments in public safety and builds on three years of progress driving down crime statewide.

"I promised the retail workers and our small business owners that I would protect them - and we are doing just that," Governor Hochul said. "Here in New York, we are standing up to organized retail theft, backing our businesses and their workers with the full force of the law, and restoring that sense of security and peace of mind so they can focus on what they do best."

Governor Hochul's focus on organized retail theft comes as crime data shows a significant spike in these crimes over the past six years. Larceny offenses in New York City have spiked by 51 percent between 2017 and 2023. Robberies, grand larceny and petit larceny in New York City are up by 86 percent during that same time period.

The FY25 State Budget includes Governor Hochul’s five-point plan to fight organized retail theft:

• Increases criminal penalties for anyone who assaults a retail worker by elevating it from a misdemeanor to felony. Any person who causes physical injury to a retail worker performing their job will be subject to this new felony.
• Allowing prosecutors to combine the value of stolen goods when they file larceny charges. The Budget allows retail goods from different stores to be aggregated for the purposes of reaching a higher larceny threshold when stolen under the same criminal scheme.
• Making it illegal to foster the sale of stolen goods to go after third-party sellers. A person will be found guilty if they use any website or physical location to sell stolen goods.
• $40.2 million for dedicated Retail Theft Teams within State Police, District Attorneys’ offices and local law enforcement, including 100 New York State Police personnel dedicated to fighting organized retail theft.
• $5 million tax credit to help small businesses invest in added security measures such as cameras. To help alleviate the burden on small businesses for additional security measures, the Budget creates a $3,000 tax credit for any small businesses who spends the threshold amount of money on retail theft prevention measures.

Governor Hochul’s commitment to fighting retail theft in the FY25 Budget builds on core strategies that have driven violent crime to historic lows. As a result of programs like the Gun Involved Violence Elimination Initiative (GIVE), which provides funding to local law enforcement in 21 counties outside of New York City, gun crimes have seen dramatic drops. Last quarter, GIVE regions had the lowest number of shootings on record, and New York City had the lowest number of shootings in any quarter since the pandemic. Since 2021, murders statewide are down 30 percent.

NYC PUBLIC ADVOCATE'S STATEMENT ON THE RENT GUIDELINES BOARD PRELIMINARY VOTE

 

"Neither the Rent Guidelines Board nor the mayor who appointed it seems to understand the reality of the housing crisis our city is confronting and the dire circumstances New Yorkers face in trying to find and stay in their homes. Their definition of 'reasonable seems written' by the real estate industry. Under this administration, which professes to care about affordability, we continue to see the largest proposed rent increases in decades. 

"With Albany’s housing deal and so many tenants left unprotected, and providing new tools available for landlords to raise rents, tenants simply cannot afford these proposed increases – and owners can’t squeeze more money from people who just don’t have it. Instead, government and banks should crack down on lending to bad landlords and on insurance companies harming responsible ones. 

 
"I’m sure the Board will hear the stories of struggle from people across the five boroughs in the coming weeks, and I implore them to actually listen." 

NYS PARKS EMPLOYEE PLEADS GUILTY TO OFFICIAL MISCONDUCT

 

New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang announced the guilty plea of Daniel Blamowski, an engineer employed by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), who fraudulently collected thousands of dollars in unearned state wages.

Blamowski, 52, of Orchard Park, pleaded guilty yesterday in New York State Supreme Court before the Honorable Debra Givens to one count of Official Misconduct, a class A misdemeanor under the New York State Penal Law. As part of his plea, Blamowski will make full restitution to the State of New York.

Following a referral from OPRHP, the Inspector General’s investigation established that Blamowski was engaged in unauthorized employment for a private development firm while on state payroll. The investigation revealed that between December 2020 and July 2021, Blamowski performed at least 92 hours of work for this private firm while on duty for OPRHP and submitted certified timesheets reflecting full days worked for the State. In total, Blamowski submitted sixteen inaccurate timesheets during the course of his unauthorized employment, while continuing to receive unearned wages paid by the State.

“For one hundred years, the public servants who comprise what is now New York State’s Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation have led the nation in safeguarding and preserving our state’s precious natural assets for all to enjoy,” said New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang. “Integrity in the allocation of resources is crucial to maintaining and providing access to the 360,000 acres of our state’s parks, trails, beaches, historic sites, and campgrounds. My office and the dedicated staff of OPRHP are committed to these principles and to identifying those who would undermine them.”

“Together, we will continue to prosecute any public employee who steals from the taxpayers of New York. In addition to pleading guilty today, this defendant must pay back the wages he was paid by New York State Parks while also working for another employer,” said Acting District Attorney Michael J. Keane. “I want to thank the Offices of the New York State Inspector General and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for their work in this investigation. I encourage anyone with information on suspected time theft or other corruption within our state agencies to contact my office’s Public Integrity Unit or the Inspector General’s Office.”

“OPRHP is committed to the highest standards of ethics and integrity,” said Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Pro Tempore Randy Simons. “I commend staff who brought this to the attention of authorities. We are grateful to the Inspector General’s Office and the Erie County District Attorney’s Office for their thorough investigation and prosecution of this matter.”

Inspector General Lucy Lang thanked the members of her staff responsible for conducting this investigation, including Investigative Counsel Jonathan Schultz, Investigative Auditor Meghan O’Dell, and Chief Investigator Martin Stanford, under the supervision of Deputy Inspector General for the Western Regional Office Jeffrey Hagen.

Inspector General Lang also expressed her gratitude to OPRHP for their prompt referral and partnership on this investigation and to Acting District Attorney Michael J. Keane and his staff for their work in diligently prosecuting this matter.

Housing Lottery Launches For 138 Bruckner Boulevard In Mott Haven, The Bronx

 

The affordable housing lottery has launched for 138 Bruckner Boulevard, a 12-story mixed-use building in Mott Haven, The Bronx. Developed by JCS Realty, the structure yields 447 residences. Available on NYC Housing Connect are 135 units for residents at 130 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $105,875 to $218,010.

Amenities include assigned parking spaces, bike storage lockers, elevator, and security cameras. Residences include name-brand kitchen countertops and finishes. Tenants are responsible for electricity, which includes stove and heat.

At 130 percent of the AMI, there are eight studios with a monthly rent of $3,088 for incomes ranging from $105,875 to $161,590; 93 one-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $3,298 for incomes ranging from $113,075 to $181,740; and 34 two-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $3,939 for incomes ranging from $135,052 to $218,010.

Prospective renters must meet income and household size requirements to apply for these apartments. Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than June 24, 2024.