Wave Hill Events March 21–March 28

  Could there possibly be a bright side to the weather we’ve endured this winter?  In a word, yes—if you are a plant growing in a garden. Our Director of Horticulture describe for me yesterday how the snow acts like a blanket, protecting our much-loved plants from the wind and extended low temperatures of the season. Moreover, with no major storms to damage our trees, and no branch breakage from the snowfall, he would describe this as a winter that’s been “kinder” than what’s blown through over the last few years. His perspective was a comforting one, and reminded me how important it is to listen to Mother Nature. I invite you to come to listen, too. Wander the gardens as spring makes its stealthy approach, or join a guided walk or one of the workshop or wellness sessions planned. Bring friends or family for the brunch on Saturday, or to hear the “glorious sonorities” of the Enso String Quartet on Sunday, and enjoy a delightful boost to your winter-worn spirits.

SAT, MARCH 22    FAMILY ART PROJECT: PRIMITIVE PRINTS
Use simple shapes found in nature, like the outline of a flower or a leaf. With an easy printmaking method using tempera paint and a few simple gestures, make large-scale, bold mono-prints. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.
WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM

SAT, MARCH 22    TAI CHI CHUAN

Quiet like a mountain, moving like a river, Tai Chi is a sequence of gentle movements based on images found in nature. In this beginner-level class, Irving Yee, a member of the William CC Chen Tai Chi School, introduces students to the internal martial arts and promotes an awareness of its benefits. March sessions are held indoors. Session fee: $25/$15 Wave Hill Member. Register online and, day of, onsite at the Perkins Visitor Center. (Reservations may not be made by telephone.) Online registration closes at 8AM on the day of the session. Cancellations must be made by 3PM the Friday before; after that, refunds will not be made.  Drops-ins will be accommodated as the limited space permits. Participants must present a Member’s ID card or a printed program registration form at the front gate.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10‒11AM

SAT, MARCH 22    WELCOME SPRING BRUNCH IN ARMOR HALL

Presented by Wave Hill's long-time partner and exclusive caterer Great Performances, New York City’s premier catering and events company, this very special brunch in historic Wave Hill House’s Armor Hall features a beautiful spread of unique twists on classic brunch presentations and is perfect for welcoming the spring season. Seatings will be offered at 11:00 and 11:30AM.  Wave Hill’s Welcome Spring Brunch is $45 per person excluding tax and gratuity—and Wave Hill Members enjoy a 10% discount. Please note that payment will not be accepted day-of and must be received by noon on March 20.  Reservations may be made online or by calling 718.549.3200 x395. Guests will be provided with a secured credit card payment link to purchase tickets online at wavehillreservations@greatperformances.com.

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 11 & 11:30AM

SUN, MARCH 23    FAMILY ART PROJECT: PRIMITIVE PRINTS
Use simple shapes found in nature, like the outline of a flower or a leaf. With an easy printmaking method using tempera paint and a few simple gestures, make large-scale, bold mono-prints. Free with admission to the grounds.
WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM

SUN, MARCH 23    HATHA YOGA

Reduce stress, increase your energy and bring strength and flexibility to mind, body and spirit with a yoga practice. Classes are led by Yoga for Bliss director Neem Dewji and other certified instructors. Ms. Dewji is certified in Hatha and Therapeutic Yoga from The Yoga for Health Foundation, England, and The Integral Yoga Institute, NYC. All levels welcome. Sessions are held indoors until May. Session fee: $25/$15 Wave Hill Member. Register online and, day of, onsite at the Perkins Visitor Center. (Reservations may not be made by telephone.) Online registration closes at 8AM on the day of the session. Cancellations must be made by 3PM the Friday before; after that, refunds will not be made.  Drops-ins will be accommodated as the limited space permits. Participants must present a Member’s ID card or a printed program registration form at the front gate.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10‒11:15AM

SUN, MARCH 23    MEDITATION

This spring, take a moment to release stress and reconnect with your inner self while practicing meditation. Each session includes instruction in simple techniques followed by 20 to 30 minutes of meditation. Classes are led by Yoga for Bliss director Neem Dewji and other certified instructors. All levels welcome. Sessions are held indoors. Session fee: $25/$15 Wave Hill Member. Register online and, day of, onsite at the Perkins Visitor Center. (Reservations may not be made by telephone.) Online registration closes at 8AM on the day of the session. Cancellations must be made by 3PM the Friday before; after that, refunds will not be made. Drops-ins will be accommodated as the limited space permits. Participants must present a Member’s ID card or a printed program registration form at the front gate.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11:30AM‒12:45PM

SUN, MARCH 23    WINTER WORKSPACE WORKSHOP: ALTERED BOOKS   WAIT‒LIST ONLY
Gain insight into Winter Workspace artist Shanti Grumbine’s creative process and explore the winter landscape as a source of inspiration. Responding to the grounds and greenhouses, participants will use disparate collage materials, paint and paper-cutting techniques to transform existing books into a series of personal and formal impressions. Without having to face a blank page or commit to one image, participants will learn how to alter existing content to explore and reflect their immediate experience. Art materials are provided unless otherwise noted. Workshops are open to all visitors ages 12 and over when accompanied by an adult. Registration required, online at www.wavehill.org, onsite at the Perkins Visitor Center or by calling 718.549.3200 x251. Free with admission to the grounds.
MEET AT GLYNDOR GALLERY, 1–4PM

SUN, MARCH 23    CONCERT: ENSO STRING QUARTET
Described by The Washington Post as playing with “glorious sonorities,” the Enso String Quartet shares a program that features Puccini’s elegiac Chrysanthemums and Verdi’s String Quartet in e minor, as originally scored for two violins, viola and cello. One hour, no intermission. General Admission Tickets $32, $28 Senior, $18 child (ages 7 to 18); Wave Hill Members $22; child $12. Order online, onsite at the Perkins Visitor Center or by calling 718.549.3200 x251. Illustrious Residents event.

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 2PM

SUN, MARCH 23    GARDEN HIGHLIGHTS WALK

Join us for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 2PM

MON, MARCH 24

Closed to the public.

A 28-acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River  and Palisades, Wave Hill’s mission is to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens and landscape, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts.

HOURS  Open all year, Tuesday through Sunday and many major holidays: 9AM—4:30PM. Closes 5:30PM, March 15—October 31.  

ADMISSION  $8 adults, $4 students and seniors 65+, $2 children 6—18. Free Saturday mornings until noon. Free all day on Tuesdays in March. Free to Wave Hill Members and children under 6.

PROGRAM FEES  Programs are free with admission to the grounds unless otherwise noted.

Visitors to Wave Hill can take advantage of Metro-North’s one-day getaway offer. Purchase a discount round-trip rail far and discount admission to the gardens. More at http://mta.info/mnr/html/getaways/outbound_wavehill.htm

DIRECTIONS – Getting here is easy! Located only 3o minutes from midtown Manhattan, Wave Hill’s free shuttle van transports you to and from our front gate and Metro-North’s Riverdale station, as well as the 242^nd Street stop on the #1 subway line. Limited onsite parking is available for $8 per vehicle. Free offsite parking is available nearby with continuous, complimentary shuttle service to and from the offsite lot and our front gate. Complete directions and shuttle bus schedule at www.wavehill.org/visit/.

Information at 718.549.3200. On the web at www.wavehill.org.

Council Member Andy King's State of the District Address

Bronx Waterfront Planning & Design Guidelines, Mar 19, Manhattan College

Bronx Council for Environmental Quality

 Annual Membership Meeting and Water Conference

Bronx Waterfront Planning & 

Community Environmental Design Guidelines

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

3 p.m. to 7 p.m

Manhattan College

Leo Engineering Building

3825 Corlear Avenue at 238^th Street, Bronx NY

 

The program invites the community to join the discussion in order to create a report at the end of the year; and includes a plenary session and three workshops.  Main speakers will be NY/NJ HUD Sustainability Coordinator, the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, and the Bronx River Alliance.  Other groups (HEP, ALS) doing work to protect waterfront edges and water bodies will host one of three geographical workshops:  South Bronx Rivers, Bronx Harlem River, and the East Bronx Rivers.  Free and open to the public, we thank Con Edison for their support & refreshments for this conference.

COMPTROLLER SCOTT M. STRINGER TESTIFIES BEFORE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL ABOUT NEW YORK CITY'S PRELIMINARY FISCAL YEAR 2015 BUDGET

  New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer testified about his office’s analysis of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Preliminary FY 2015 Budget and Financial Plan for FY 2014-2018 before the New York City Council Finance Committee this afternoon. 

“My office expects tax revenues to be slightly higher than City Hall’s forecast in the coming years, driven primarily by additional property tax revenues,” Stringer said.  “But we identified additional risks as well, including higher than expected overtime spending and lower than projected Medicaid reimbursements. This is a prudent budget given our City’s economy, but, as I’ve said in the past, its Achilles heel remains the City’s expired labor contracts.”    

The February Financial Plan presents a City budget with a stronger economic outlook and relatively small out-year gaps.   According to the Comptroller’s office, these gaps are projected to be smaller than the City’s estimations in each of the fiscal years. For FY 2014 and 2015, Stringer’s office projects $860 million in additional tax revenues, about 1% higher than Mayor de Blasio’s outlook. For FY 2018, it is $1.823 billion higher, a difference of 3.3%.

Stringer’s analysis identified expired labor contracts as the major risk to the budget.  In addition, the Comptroller identified two additional risks to the City’s budget: Uniformed overtime spending will exceed the projected amount by $128 million in FY 2014, $122 million in FY 2015 and $100 million annually beginning in FY 2016. Also, lower than estimated Medicaid reimbursements in the Department of Education could mean a liability of $30 million in FY 2014, $110 million in FY 2015 and $140 million annually beginning in FY 2016.

Stringer suggested several potential sources of revenue and savings to be considered to meet our budgetary demands:

1.      Restore revenue sharing to New York City

2.      Collect education funds due to the City under the Campaign for Fiscal Equity

3.      Draw down Federal Medicaid Funds for Special Education Services

4.      Claim New York City’s share of the $8 billion federal Medicaid waiver

5.      Produce agency savings from efficiencies that don’t reduce services or hurt vulnerable populations

6.      Achieve savings through productivity and benefit reforms including health care costs

7.      Reform tax expenditures

8.      Generate additional savings in FY15 debt service through aggressive refinancing

9.      Recognize FY14 resources from prior year payables that are not needed

10. Realize savings from ending the budget dance and member item reform

Bronx Assemblymen José Rivera stars in raunchy Dominican Video

  A video from 2005 of Bronx Assemblyman Jose Rivera ogling women while on vacation in the Dominican Republic has surfaced. The Daily News reports that Assemblyman Jose Rivera posted and then deleted the 2 minute video of himself and former Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. flirting with different women. Assemblyman Jose Rivera is seen asking women for their measurements, their name, and even asks one if she has a little sister. Rivera is then seen joking with a street vendor about a concoction made of rum and other things said to be an aphrodisiac. Rivera then joke with the street vendor about the strength of the brew, and the article quotes Rivera as saying "is strong enough to get laid with all those young ones".

  While this happened in 2005 there have been many scandals in Albany since then where young women (and in some cases young men) were taken advantage of by elected officials. Several officials have either been forced to resign or have retired over such charges. It is well known that Assemblyman Jose Rivera loves to have a good time, but did he cross over the lines of decency. Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQE0kX3GZWA to see the video and decide if Assemblyman Jose Rivera went to far.

Immigration Forum, hosted by NYS Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj

Friends of VCP's March 2014 Enewsletter

Please join us on Saturday March 29th as the Friends and Bronx CB 8 host an event to highlight a broken link and broken promise in Van Cortlandt Park: a Pedestrian Bridge over the Major Deegan to connect its eastern and western halves and connect the broken Old Croton Aqueduct Trail.  Below is a map which shows the desired location of the bridge (green line with black bars).

Join us along with community members, our elected officials, and all those who love Van Cortlandt Park as we demand that NYC DEP keep its promise to the Bronx by funding this project.  With the Pedestrian Bridge now part of Van Cortlandt Park's Master Plan (which will be released this spring), the time for action is now!   Also, please take a moment to sign our online petition.

The bridge event will kick off a packed spring season of events in the Park.  Below you will see all of our April events.  Visit our Events Page to see a full listing of spring events.

Hope to see you in the Park!

Christina

 

Friends' April Events

Volunteer Trails Restoration Crew
First Saturday of the Month from April to June 2014 from 10am to 3pm
Crew Members will work alongside trails professionals, developing skills in various areas of trail construction while improving the various trails in Van Cortlandt Park.  Projects include building boardwalks, clearing waterbars and drainage swells and installing drainage dips.  No prior trails experience is necessary but encouraged; all training will be offered in an on-the-job format.  All volunteers must register online by April 1st.

Get Active Hiking Series in VCP
Join us on the Second Saturday of Each Month at 10am for a hike in Van Cortlandt Park.  Please wear appropriate shoes and bring plenty of water and a snack for the hike. 

April 12th, meet at Woodlawn Playground (VCP East & Kepler Ave.):  Family friendly leisurely hike in the Northeast Wood.  Hike will last 60-90 minutes.
May 10th, meet at the Friends Compost & Garden Site (enter the Park at Broadway and Mosholu Ave):  An introductory hike of 2-3 hours on the Northwest Woods of VCP.
June 14th, meet at the last stop of the 1 train: Our longest hike a 3-4 hour, hike to see all Seven Wonders of VCP.

Spring Garden Crew for 6th-12th Graders
Tuesdays from April 29th to June 10th from 4-6pm
Garden Crew is a chance to get outside, learn something new, have fun with your friends, and spend time working towards making your community and park a better place.  Any high school and middle school student interested in community service can come out and prepare our garden for the growing season by sifting compost, planting vegetables, weeding and watering the plants as they start to grow.   Applications for Spring 2014 Garden Crew are due on April 25th.

Spring Kickoff Forest Volunteer Event
Saturday April 12th meeting at 10am
Join us as we start our spring volunteer season with projects throughout the Northwest Woods of Van Cortlandt Park.  Projects, including tree plantings and invasive plant removal, will take place on the John Muir and Cass Gallagher Trails.  Meet at the Compost Site- enter the Park at Broadway and Mosholu Avenue.

5th Annual Hike-a-Thon
Saturday April 26th, 2014 at 10am

Get out for a hike and help us raise funds for the restoration of Van Cortlandt Park’s spectacular hiking trails.  Similar to a Walk-a-Thon, we are asking you to seek out supporters to sponsors your hike for this rain or shine event.  Participants can choose one of three hiking routes (ranging from an easy 1 mile hike to a strenuous 5 mile hike) the day of the event. $25 Registration Fee includes a Hike-a-Thon t-shirt, water and snacks at the event, and an expertly guided hike of our beautiful park. Register online or by mail.  

87th A.D. Democratic District Meeting

  It was billed as a meeting to "Meet Your Elected Officials", and "Join Our New Democratic Club". There were estimates of 100 - 150 people that were expected to show up, but when  almost 250 people showed more food had to be brought in. 87th A.D. Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda has quietly grown a local Democratic club called the Roselyn Johnson Democratic Club on Castle Hill Avenue. This club helped him get elected to the 87th A.D. seat with a huge majority over his opponent in 2012. Last year the Club was very instrumental in helping Democratic Mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio not only win the Democratic primary, but win without a run off election.

  On a primary or election day people known as poll workers are needed. Local clubs and district leaders help bring the names of qualified people to the Board of Elections to become poll workers. The 87th A.D. is no different and today names of qualified people wanting to be poll workers for the upcoming June Congressional, September Democratic primary, and general election in November were gathered. The crowd also heard from the many elected officials that were on hand as you will see in the photos below. State Senate Co-Leader Jeff Klein, State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., Bronx Democratic County Leader Assemblyman Carl Heastie, Assemblyman Louis Sepulveda, Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, Councilwoman Annabele Palmer, Councilman Fernando Cabrera, and 87th A.D. District Leaders Julia Rodriguez & William Rivera were in attendance. 

 Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. bows down to his leader in the state senate Co-Leader Jeff Klein.

One of the group photos- (left) Councilman Fernando Cabrera, Female District Leader Julia Rodriguez, Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., Senator Jeff Klein, Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda, and District Leader William Rivera.

 

Left - Bronx Democratic County Leader Assemblyman Carl Heastie addresses the large crowd of people.

Right - Councilman Fernando Cabrera speaks of getting cameras installed at the NYCHA Houses in his council district, and that he would like to see a bridge named after former Mayor David Dinkins.

Bronx Democratic County Leader Assemblyman Carl Heastie listens to Councilman Fernando Cabrera a possible challenger to 33rd State Senator Gustavo Rivera as Councilwoman Ananbel Palma is also in the photo.

Another group photo of the elected officials and District Leaders.