New State of the Art Recreation Center Coming to the Edenwald Area

 

   Above are renderings of the new State of the Art recreation center that is coming to the edenwald area to be located at 1250 East 229th Street. Mayor Bill de Blasio, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, local Councilman Andy King, former State Senator now Special Advisor to Governor Cuomo on Housing Ruth Hassel-Thompson, and other Bronx elected officials were also on hand for the announcement. This is to be a 50,000 square foot YMCA that will include an aquatics center (with two swimming pools), a wellness center, full length basketball court, gymnasium, and programing for people of all ages and income levels. This will create 100 permanent living wage jobs, and 101 construction jobs. The Ymca has also pledged to a 35 percent MWBE contracting goal for design and construction, and to hire local residents through the NYCEDC's Hire NYC program. There will be 200 parking spaces for the new recreation center. The total estimated cost is forty-eight million dollars 

   Mayor de Blasio said that his commitment to the Y comes from his wife who grew up in a small town where the local Y had a big impact on her life. He quoted numbers that show this area of the Bronx has been short changed when it comes to family recreation centers, but that will now end when this new YMCA open in 2020. 

    Speaker Heastie said that this is not a new idea, but one that has lingered under five mayors now, and it seems that five is the lucky number to the community as their dream will become a reality. This had been a dream of former Community Board 12 District Manager Carmen Rosa before she passed away, and it would be fitting to name the recreation center after her. 

   Former State Senator Ruth Hassel-Thompson said that she rushed up from her new job in Manhattan as an advisor to Governor Andrew Cuomo on housing to be at this event. She said that it was the boys Mayor de Blasio, Speaker Heastie, and Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr. who were getting the credit, but that there were several women like herself who were involved in making this a reality. 

Above - Mayor Bill de Blasio points to a rendering of what the new Edenwald Recreation Center will look like when it is built.

Below - The mayor makes the famous Bronx X showing his support for the Bronx.

Above - Speaker Heastie and Bronx BP Diaz Jr. go over some of the features of the new recreation center.

Below - Mayor Bill de Blasio and Speaker Heastie.

Above - Mayor de Blasio with an ally from the 2013 election former State Senator Ruth Hassel-Thompson, who said she loves her new job as an advisor to Governor Cuomo on housing, and the commute to lower Manhattan.

Below - The mayor and the leading candidate to replace Hassel-Thompson in the state senate Mr. Jamaal Bailey, whom she has endorsed.

Above - Councilman Andy King is speaking as Mayor de Blasio listens. Councilman Kink was another supporter of candidate Bill de Blasio in th 2013 mayoral race.

Below - Councilman Andy King with Councilman Andrew Cohen who represents part of Wakefield and the neighboring council district. 

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. is interviewed by the local cable channel.

Nothing New at Board of Elections Hearings

  There seemed to be nothing new this year when compared to previous years when party positions have been up for grabs. There have been slates of people who want to get elected to a party position, and then there are those who want to stay an elected to their party positions. This year was no different. 

Down in the pits (as it is called) you can see the two Bronx Board of Elections official with counsel to the Board of Elections as the Commissioners of the Board of Elections sit in the background. 

Above - King Stanley Schlein is defending a candidates petition to keep that candidate on the ballot.

Below - King Stanley is representing the challenger to try to knock off the candidates petition.

  The highlights included King Stanley Schlein the lawyer for the Bronx Democratic County organization representing current 78th A.D. Assemblyman Jose Rivera's Democratic petition.  As I said in last weeks 100 PERCENT column in the Bronx Voice that Rivera's petition looked like a school board petition with lots of mistakes that would be expected of an amateur. Here are the numbers from the clerks report - 2,553 signatures filed for current Assemblyman Jose Rivera. Total valid signatures 901, valid signatures needed 500 - result Jose Rivera will be on the democratic primary ballot even though the Board of Elections ruled more than seventy-one percent of the signatures invalid. That was not counting any fraud, forgery, or any one of many items that the Board of Elections does not rule on which has to be challenged in the courts. Bronx Democratic County Counsel Stanley Schlein however was also able to keep incumbent Jose Rivera on the Working Families line. Probably should Rivera lose the Democratic primary he will still be on the November ballot. One person asked me "Just who is Schlein working for" adding that Schlein has no business keeping someone on the Working Families line. "What's next keeping someone on the Republican line"?

   As for others - Hector Ramirez was ruled to be on the ballot in the 86th A.D., Jason McNeil was ruled off for not having enough signatures filed, but was also ruled off earlier for no cover sheet. King Stanley said he wanted to give "A Double Whack to this one". In the 80th A.D. it looks like Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj will not face a challenger, but his Female District Leader will. In the 87th A.D. the entire slate of candidates for Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda will be facing primary opponents, and the 79th A.D. insurgent Judicial Delegate slate has been knocked off by Current Female District Leader Cynthia Cox. 

  

   The court challenges now begin as some of the challenges heard today are already in the courts as said by a few candidates. 

Potential Settlement over 15.1 percent Maintenance Hike at Parkchester

   Assemblymember Sepulveda, and Senator Diaz, a unit owner and lead plaintiff,  filed a lawsuit in Bronx state Supreme Court on March 23 against the Parkchester South Condominium's management over a 15.19 percent  maintenance hike that management said it needs for structural repair work. The court has barred management from evicting any unit owners for failure to pay the increase until the outcome of the court case. They will announce tonight a preliminary settlement in the case.

WHEN: 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 2, 2016

WHERE: St. Paul's Church gymnasium, 1891 McGraw Ave., Bronx, NY 

New York Post - Opponents Claim Crespo's Petition Riddled With Fraud

   That is the theme of a story in the New York Post which says that the 2016 petition of  Assemblyman, and Bronx Democratic County Leader Marcos Crespo includes. The Post reports that three pages in the petition have nearly identical signatures from the same address from one Bronx address, and are witnessed by three different people on the same day. 

   Crespo's opponent also claims that only 222 of the over 3,400 signatures are valid. 500 valid signatures are needed to be placed on the ballot for the Democratic Primary, which in the Bronx usually is the only election needed to win office. The Post says that Crespo is not concerned at all, and calls the charges "Absurd'. I was unable to contact the Crespo campaign for any other comments.

 Tomorrow is the hearings before the commissioners of the Board of Elections, but I can tell you the answer Crespo's opponent will get is that the Board of Elections does not rule on any cases of fraud, forgery, or any other matter that must be decided by the court system. 

  My prediction is that the Board of Elections will throw out any duplicate signatures or other matters they have jurisdiction over, thus leaving Assemblyman Marcos Crespo with more than enough valid signatures to make the primary ballot. The clerks report will be moved by King Stanley Schlein, and Crespo's petition will be ruled valid by the Board of Elections.

Frightening Pokémon GO sex offender investigation sent to Niantic Inc

Senators Klein & Savino urge company in letter to remove in-game objectives from within 100-feet of high-level sex offenders homes

Legislators also introduce legislation to requiring companies to consult sex offender registry; and bar sex offenders from playing augmented reality games

Senators Jeff Klein and Diane Savino on Monday sent a copy of their frightening investigation to Pokémon GO game developer Niantic Inc., asking the company in a letter to police their own application by purging in-game objectives from within 100-feet of dangerous sexual predators listed publicly under Megan’s Law.

Within 48 hours of the investigation’s release, Governor Andrew Cuomo recognized that the alarming discoveries spelled disaster and issued a directive to ban sex offenders from playing internet-based games.

“We do not want children hunting down to encounter a predator. Lingering in front of a dangerous pedophile’s home to capture a wild Zubat, a Pidgey or a Pikachu could lead to dangerous consequences and that’s why we must make sure that Niantic, Inc. and all future augmented reality game makers remove in-game objectives from appearing within 100-feet of sex offenders’ addresses. That includes pokéstops and Gyms where children congregate,” said Senator Klein.

“There could be real world consequences to playing augmented reality games and before any child winds up getting hurt we want Niantic, Inc. to act responsibly. Throwing pokeballs in front of a predator’s home to catch a creature generated by the game, or hanging out to battle a Pokemon at a Gym or collect needed objects at a pokéstop within 100-feet of a sex offender’s home puts children at risk,” said Senator Savino.

During the investigation, 100 Level 2 and 3 sex offenders’ residences were visited. “Protecting Our Children: How Pokémon GO and Augmented Reality Games Expose Children to Sex Offenders,” released on Friday, found:

• Pokémon materialized in front of Level 2 or 3 sex offenders’ homes 57% of the time.

• Pokéstops or Gyms were located within a half-block of convicted pedophiles’ residences 59% of the time.

• A Pokémon-related item appeared near a high-level sex offenders’ residences 73% of the time.

Senators Klein and Savino introduced legislation to require augmented reality game developers to regularly consult the Division of Criminal Justice Services sex offender registry and remove all in-game objectives within 100-feet of a high-level sex offenders home.

The legislators also introduced legislation to ban Level 2 and 3 sex offenders on parole and probation from playing augmented reality games. This legislation will codify Governor Cuomo’s directive.

Friends of VCP's August 2016 Enewsletter

  The Friends of Van Cortlandt Park are thrilled to announce that we will be receiving a National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program grant for the second year in a row.

The Friends of Van Cortlandt Park are one of the 58 recipients of this funding which will fund their new Wetland Internship for a Healthier Bronx project.  This funding will allow FVCP to hire 14 high school students to work with us during the school year to complete various projects to improve and monitor Tibbetts Brook and its wetlands in Van Cortlandt Park.  This project will be a continuation of our successful Wetland Stewardship for a Healthier Bronx which was launched in September 2015 with funding from NFWF last year.  Look for more information on this internship and other wetland projects this September.  Pictured below is a group of student from Cornell Academy using waders to get into the lake and collect aquatic invertebrates as part of a Freshwater Biodiversity study for our Wetland Stewardship for a Healthier Bronx program.

We have lots of great events planned for the summer.  Check out the list below and visit our website for a full listing of upcoming events.

Hope to see you in the Park!

Christina and all of your Friends at the Friends of VCP

SAVE THE DATE

Hike-toberfest 2016

Saturday October 1st from 2pm to 7pm

Hike, Eat, Drink & Celebrate with Friends during our new fun fundraiser for the hiking trails of Van Cortlandt Park.  Come see why VCP is Where NYC Hikes.  Hikes start at 2pm and the Oktoberfest is from 4-7pm.  For more information and to purchase tickets to one or both of the activities visitwww.vancortlandt.org.  Tickets sold in advance will be discounted.  Hikes will start at and Oktoberfest will be held on the grounds of the Van Cortlandt House Museum- enter the Park at Broadway and W. 246^th Street.

AUGUST EVENTS

Wetland Restoration Project

August 13th, meeting at 10am

Did you know there are only 98 acres of freshwater wetlands left in the Bronx and 56 of them are in Van Cortlandt Park?  Join us for this event and give back to a natural area in need.  Volunteers will help with trash clean-up and removal of non-native invasive plants to make way for native plants to increase the biodiversity of Tibbetts Wetland.  Meet inside the park near the last stop of the 1 train at Broadway and W. 242nd Street.

Garden Crew

Tuesdays until August 23rd from 10am-1pm

Help care for our vegetable beds (where all of our produce will be donated to local food pantries ), and compost bins. Bring water and sunscreen. Held at Friends’ Compost & Garden Site. Enter the Park at Broadway & Mosholu Ave.

Food Scrap Drop Offs

Tuesdays from 4pm-6pm

We want to use your food scraps to make compost and grow veggies. This location is operated by the NYC Compost Project hosted by The New York Botanical Garden. For more information about NYC food scrap drop-off site guidelines, e-mailcompost@nybg.org. Held at Friends’ Compost & Garden Site. Enter the Park at Broadway & Mosholu Ave.

Amalgamated & Norwood Youthmarkets

Amalgamated- Wednesdays from 2-7pm until  October 26that the Train Park at Orloff Ave. and Gale Place 

Norwood- Thursdays from 12-7pm until November 17th on the Corner of E. Gun Hill Road & DeKalb Ave.

Wednesdays will include healthy cooking demonstrations and hands-on activities for the community including kickboxing lessons from Shape Up NY at 6pm each week. Thursday’smarket is being held in partnership with GrowNYC. Both markets will accept Cash, EBT/Credit/Debit, Healthbucks, FreshConnect Bucks, WIC and FMNP checks. Special Thank You to Our Supporters: Councilman Andrew Cohen, Clif Bar Family Foundation and Bon Secours Healthy Community Initiative.

AM Dinowitz Secures $500k for Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy

  New York State Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz announced that he has secured $500,000 in funding for the Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy (M.S./H.S. 141) for technology upgrades.

The capital funds secured by Assemblyman Dinowitz are to be used for in-classroom Smartboards, which are interactive, computerized whiteboards that utilize touch screen technology. Smartboards are an innovative way to upgrade public schools as they enable students to engage in classroom activities and lessons in a highly immersive way. The addition of this technology to RKA also ensures that teachers have the best technology available to facilitate student learning.

“I am very pleased I was able to allocate this money for the Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy,” saidAssemblyman Dinowitz. “Smartboards are a great way to bring our schools into the twenty-first century and make sure that our students have access to the best resources possible. It is critical that as technology advances, our schools continuously improve to match those advancements, so I am very excited to see this funding go to good use in the near future. Exposing middle and high school students to this technology will help prepare them for both higher education learning, and gives them crucial experience with technology used in today’s workforce.”

The Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy is located at 660 West 236th Street and services over 1400 Middle and High School students.

Assemblyman Dinowitz presented the check for $500,000 to Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy Principal Lori O’Mara at H.S. 141’s graduation.

BP DIAZ CALLS FOR SNAP/EBT TECH ADVANCEMENTS

   Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. has issued a letter to Hon. Tom Vilsack, Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, urging his agency to adopt rules making it easier for consumers to use their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) benefits online using Electronic Benefit Transfers (EBT) cards.

“As we work to change habits and promote healthier food options, we must also do everything we can to create the opportunity of affordable choices,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “Allowing consumers to use their EBT card as one might use their own credit or debit card to purchase groceries will lead to lower prices and greater options for those living in food deserts or facing food insecurity, and I urge the federal government to update their regulations to account for ongoing advances in technology.”

“If healthy food is either economically unaffordable or physically unavailable,  that increases hunger and harms community nutrition," said Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, a nationwide advocacy group.  “That's why the federal government must keep pace with current technology by enabling more low-income families who rely on SNAP and live in food deserts to be able to use their benefits to order healthy food online. I thank Borough President Diaz for his partnership on this important issue.”

Borough President Diaz initial proposed such changes in his “State of the Borough” address this past February.

“We will make healthy food options more easily available by urging the Department of Agriculture to change its rules to allow the use of EBT benefits to purchase from online vendors,” said Borough President Diaz during the speech. “Affordable nutrition should not be a victim of antiquated regulations.” 

Borough President Diaz’s full letter to Secretary Vilsack can be read at http://on.nyc.gov/2a3x3zS.