Van Cortlandt Park Ice Skating Rink Ribbon Cutting

   NYC Parks Commissioner Veronica M. White welcomed those assembled to the ribbon cutting of the new Van  Cortlandt Park Ice Skating Rink. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.  said that he was glad to be on hand for the ribbon cutting here, and that he would like to have a permanent Ice Skating rink and arena for the future stars of the Bronx. Diaz naming former New York Ranger great Mark Messier and  Olympic gold medal winner Sarah Hughes, both who are pushing a proposed plan for up to nine professional ice skating rinks in the Kingsbridge Armory. Councilman G. Oliver Koppell, and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz also spoke of their hopes that the Kingsbridge Armory would be transformed into what is being called an Ice Skating Palace at the armory that they and other elected officials support. 

   Also on hand were members of the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy, Community Board # 8, and others that were involved in the process that made the Van Cortlandt Park Ice Skating Rink possible including the Project Manager Mr. Ron Kraut of Eckstein Development the operator of the rink.

    The Ice Theater of New York housed at the Chelsea Piers Sky Rink performed several different skating routine (as you will see in the photos below). Currently the Chelsea Piers are closed due to damage from Hurricane Sandy. The director of the Ice Theater said that it was great that the Van Cortlandt Park Ice Skating Rink opened up as the Chelsea Piers will not reopen for a few weeks.  

 The "Ribbon Cutting" ceremony by the elected officials. It was even colder on the ice  on this crisp fall day, as you can see.

 

           

In both photos is Gold medal skater 11 year old Jenny Birlin. She is wearing her Ice Theater of N.Y. warm up jacket as she is testing out the ice.

Left - Is another skater from Ice Theater checking out the ice. 

Right - You see Jenny and the other skater together on the ice.

Left - Another pair of skaters on the ice. 

Right- Since the rink is curbside, that is a real truck on Broadway in the background of the skaters.

Left and Right - A skating routine from "Buggy Woggy Bugle Boy".

Left - Some of the over 800 pairs of ice skates available for rental.

Right - The price list 

You can click on any photo to enlarge it.

Senator Klein's Veteran Day Breakfast

    Here is yet another reason that people in the Bronx love State Senator Jeff Klein. Sunday was his annual Bronx Veterans Day Parade Breakfast, and vets from wars back to World War II were on hand. I found two WWII vets Joe Garofalo (age 92) and Albert Mazza (age 89) on hand as you will see in one of the photos below. I also found out that one of the honorees Ms. Hattie Harris served during WWII and she was not afraid to say that she was 91 years old. This year all the honorees were women, and Senator Klein posed for a photo with a group of proud Korean War Veterans.  

 

 Left- The Color Guard enters the room.

Right - The SUNY Maritime College Chorale perform.

Left - The invocation with a moment of silence for those who have fallen in the line of duty.

Right - Taps is played by bugler Albert Nicotina. 

Left - With the exception of Mr. Joe McManus no cap who did not serve in WWII are Joe Garofalo (age 92) and Albert Mazza (age 89) who are wearing WWII vets with their American Legion caps on. Right - Ms. Hattie Harris (age 91) also a WWII vet was one of the honorees. 

Left - Senator Klein with all of the honorees that were present,

Tight - Senator Klein with a group of Korea War Veterans.

Howard Padernacht Way

   On Saturday November 17th the corner of Sedwick Avenue and Giles Place became "Howard Padernacht Way". Sons Michael, Daniel, and Steve joined with their mother Pam, Uncle Elliot, cousins, and over 100 other people to see the dedication of Howard Padernacht Way by Councilman G. Oliver Koppell. Mr. Howard Padernacht was the manager of the Shalom Aleichem Houses on Sedwick Avenue, and everyone said what a wonderful man Mr. Padernact was. I was told that it was Howard Padernachts dream that his three sons graduate from college which all three have done. Also on hand was former Councilman Larry Warden (another friend of Howard Padernacht) who helped get the street naming passed in the city council. Below are a few photos of the event.

 

 Sons Michael, Daniel, and Steve hold street sign in memory of their father. They are standing across the street from the apartment that their father grew up in.

 The family stands with Councilman Koppel after the sign Howard Padernacht Way is revealed. Howard Padernachts sons Steve and Michael (holding his child), wife Pam, and brother Elliot are in the front row, as third son Daniel who is partly blocked stands next to Councilman Koppell in the back row. 

The family thanked all those who came out to the street naming. 

 

Excelling at Work: Learning Excel for Business Workshop!!!

Food Drive in Riverdale

   The North Riverdale Merchants association headed by Mr. Gary Wartel (of Skyview Liquors), State Senator Jeff Klein, and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz teamed up to gather over 200 pounds of canned food for the local food panty that was running low. Also a part of the amount of food will be sent to victims of Hurricane Sandy in other parts of the city.

Here you see some of the canned food collected as Senator Klein talks with North Riverdale Merchants Association Vice President Anthony Fellia.

Here Community Board # 8 member Mr. Andrew Cohen talks with Mr. Wartel as Senator Klein and Assemblyman Dinowitz look on.

LIU: CITY SHOULD CLAW BACK $6.6 MILLION IN COSTS FROM CONSULTANT’S DESIGN FLAWS

Audit finds DEP Failed To Monitor and Recoup $6.6 Million in Errors and Omissions on Bowery Bay Water Pollution Control Project in Queens

   City Comptroller John C. Liu today announced that an audit of the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Bowery Bay Water Pollution Control project in Queens determined that a consultant’s design errors and omissions had cost the City an extra $6,591,192, but the agency made little or no effort to recoup the money for the City.

 

“A great deal of taxpayer money was wasted on this waste-treatment project, money that the City can and should recoup,” Comptroller Liu said. “Consultants may sometimes make mistakes but the City must not pay for those mistakes. We must recoup the money for taxpayers — now more than ever, in order to help rebuild and restore New Yorkers’ livelihoods, businesses, and neighborhoods in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.” 

 

When construction plans need revisions, they incur what are called “change-order costs.” When these revisions are the result of the hired consultant’s errors or omissions, the City has the power to recoup the added costs. The Comptroller’s audit found that the $213 million Bowery Bay project included $6,591,192 in costs caused by the designer’s errors and omissions.

 

DEP officials stated during the course of Comptroller Liu’s latest audit that they had created a review panel to oversee the collection of change order costs that resulted from errors and omissions.

 

The audit of DEP’s Bowery Bay project is available for download at: http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/audit/yearlyview.asp?selaudyear=2012

 

BACKGROUND:

In the past, the City has missed opportunities to aggressively go after costs attributable to design errors and omissions made by its hired vendors.  A 2011 audit of the Department of Design and Construction found that the agency had failed recoup $3 million in costs due to the consultant’s design errors and omissions.  (Audit Report on the Recoupment of Change Order Costs by the Department of Design and Construction, 7E11-063A; www.comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/audit/audits_2011/06-20-11_7E11-063A.shtm)

Van Cortlandt Park Ice Skating Ring Opening

    The Van Cortlandt Park Ice Skating Rink is scheduled to open to the public on Monday afternoon November 19th. Work as of today Saturday November 17th is almost complete for the Ice Skating rink to open on Monday. The ice for the rink has been put inside the arena and just has to be smoothed down one or two more times until it is ready to be opened up to the public. As you can see in the photos below rink general manager Ron Kraut laced up his skates to test out the ice. That is Bronx Parks Commissioner Hector Aponte looking on to the left.

   













 Left - Mr. Kraut testing out the ice.  Right - He starts to do full laps around the rink.

 Left and Right - some fancy foot work by Mr. Kraut on the ice.

As he finishes his test run of the ice, Mr. Kraut smiles with pleasure as the Van Cortlandt Park Ice Skating Rink is less than 48 hours away from opening.

To Set the Record Straight

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District, Bronx County, New York

To Set the Record Straight

You should know that I have been reading, here and there, different statements attributed to me, and some of them indicating my willingness to give my support for the State Senate to Dean Skelos and the Republican Conference.

You should also know that four years ago, in 2008, when the Four Amigos came into being, my mission at that time was to stop the gay marriage from becoming a law in New York State.  There were many different offers and wheelings and dealings from different people about who would become the leaders of the Senate.  Two of the Four Amigos, Hiram Monserrate and Pedro Espada, even got to the point where they jumped ship and crossed over to the Republicans making Skelos the Senate Leader.

With all of those pressures and with my mission to stop gay marriage, you should know that I never switched parties, never abandoned my Democratic Conference, and never gave my vote to the Republican Conference.

I have to make it very clear, taking a passage from my son's lectures to me, that it’s one thing to vote with the Republicans on legislation in order to benefit the community, and it is completely different thing to abandon the Democratic Conference and give the Republicans control the Senate. One thing is legislation, and the other is party politics.

Everyone knows that I have always been a Democrat, I am a Democrat, and I will be a Democrat.  The only difference is that I am a conservative Democrat.  I am a pro-life Democrat, meaning that I am against abortions.  I am a traditional marriage Democrat, meaning that I am against gay marriage, and that I believe marriage should be between a man and a woman as God created.

That said, you have to understand and I want to make it very clear that if four years ago, when my mission was to stop gay marriage and I did not jump ship and abandon my Democratic Conference, why should I abandon my Conference now that gay marriage has become law in the State – thanks to Dean Skelos and the Republican Party?

I don't think there is anything that the Republican Conference could offer me now that I could not get from my Democratic Conference. I am a Democrat elected by a Democratic community, I have always been a Democrat, and I will always be a Democrat fighting teeth and nail, to protect senior citizen benefits, better education for our communities, affordable housing, health services, immigration issues and those services that the Democratic party have always fought for.
 
My advice to my colleagues within my Democratic Conference is that nobody should take my vote for granted about who should become the Leader of my Democratic Conference, no matter if they are Black, White, Hispanic, Jewish, or Christian.

So let it be known, and let it be written, and let’s stop all of the rumors now and forever, because I am a Democrat and I will be voting with my Conference, and I will be voting for a Democrat as the Leader.

This is State Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz and this is what you should know.