Friday, May 30, 2014
The Dirty Tricks Some Landlords are Playing to Feed on the Pain and Suffering of Our Community
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
By Senator Rev. Rubén DÃaz
32nd Senatorial District, Bronx County, New York
By Senator Rev. Rubén DÃaz
32nd Senatorial District, Bronx County, New York
You should know that there are
many landlords who are forcing people out of their homes so they can make
more money by using those apartments as cluster-site housing for homeless
families, and my Senatorial District has become a hot spot for this scam.
These landlords are playing very dirty tricks, and this is ruining many
people's lives and making our neighborhoods unstable.
You should know that when these landlords get their current tenants to move out and convert their apartments to cluster-site housing, they charge the city $100+ per night/per apartment, which is comparable to a hotel nightly rate. (And the price they charge comes nowhere near the level of service any hotel might provide.) Cluster-site contracts are reported to have cost the city an estimated $77.8 million last year.
You should know that there are constituents from my Senatorial District who tell us that they are being harassed by their landlords to move out of their buildings. They say that the landlords offer them $5000 to $7000 dollars incentive to vacate their homes so the landlord can make money from these apartments by charging the City of New York a lot more money to let homeless families live there. While $7000 might sound like a lot of money, people on fixed incomes will find themselves homeless in no time if they take these incentives - and it's a small investment for landlords who will profit greatly.
These families who are being forced out of their buildings by their landlords often have no place to go, especially if they are on fixed incomes. They cannot afford to move or rent elsewhere, and if they stay, their living conditions quickly deteriorate, some landlords won't renew their leases, and make life impossible for them to live there.
You should also know that to add insult to injury, the management companies that are being subsidized by New York City to provide maintenance services to these buildings have been neglecting their responsibilities.
These management companies ignore the residents' complaints about deplorable conditions. Rats, mold, debris, holes in walls and floors, leaky roofs, sparking electrical outlets, unreliable heating, and broken fire escapes are common complaints in cluster-site housing buildings in my district. Families and children should not be living in these conditions. No one should.
Families who reside in buildings where their landlords are converting these buildings to cluster-site housing tenants are not even allowed to have their personal mail delivered to their buildings. Instead, they must go to the local US Post Office and wait on line just to pick up their mail.
Families who reside in these buildings must suffer in silence. Of course they can join the ranks of other New Yorkers who call 311, but the complaints of cluster-site housing families are somehow not put on the same level as others who call 311 and ask for help.
Ladies and gentlemen, I hope that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and his Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Lilliam Barrios-Paoli take notice, pay attention and work to put an end to those greedy landlords who come to our community to feed themselves on the needs and suffering of our people. No more!
This is New York State Senator Reverend Rubén DÃaz and this is what you should know.
You should know that when these landlords get their current tenants to move out and convert their apartments to cluster-site housing, they charge the city $100+ per night/per apartment, which is comparable to a hotel nightly rate. (And the price they charge comes nowhere near the level of service any hotel might provide.) Cluster-site contracts are reported to have cost the city an estimated $77.8 million last year.
You should know that there are constituents from my Senatorial District who tell us that they are being harassed by their landlords to move out of their buildings. They say that the landlords offer them $5000 to $7000 dollars incentive to vacate their homes so the landlord can make money from these apartments by charging the City of New York a lot more money to let homeless families live there. While $7000 might sound like a lot of money, people on fixed incomes will find themselves homeless in no time if they take these incentives - and it's a small investment for landlords who will profit greatly.
These families who are being forced out of their buildings by their landlords often have no place to go, especially if they are on fixed incomes. They cannot afford to move or rent elsewhere, and if they stay, their living conditions quickly deteriorate, some landlords won't renew their leases, and make life impossible for them to live there.
You should also know that to add insult to injury, the management companies that are being subsidized by New York City to provide maintenance services to these buildings have been neglecting their responsibilities.
These management companies ignore the residents' complaints about deplorable conditions. Rats, mold, debris, holes in walls and floors, leaky roofs, sparking electrical outlets, unreliable heating, and broken fire escapes are common complaints in cluster-site housing buildings in my district. Families and children should not be living in these conditions. No one should.
Families who reside in buildings where their landlords are converting these buildings to cluster-site housing tenants are not even allowed to have their personal mail delivered to their buildings. Instead, they must go to the local US Post Office and wait on line just to pick up their mail.
Families who reside in these buildings must suffer in silence. Of course they can join the ranks of other New Yorkers who call 311, but the complaints of cluster-site housing families are somehow not put on the same level as others who call 311 and ask for help.
Ladies and gentlemen, I hope that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and his Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Lilliam Barrios-Paoli take notice, pay attention and work to put an end to those greedy landlords who come to our community to feed themselves on the needs and suffering of our people. No more!
This is New York State Senator Reverend Rubén DÃaz and this is what you should know.
Wave Hill Events Jun 13–Jun 20
SAT, JUNE 14 FAMILY ART PROJECT: MARK TWAIN GARDEN ADVENTURE
Go on a grand scavenger hunt, as Wave Hill’s illustrious resident Mark Twain did on his world comedic tour. Gather “passport” stamps from each garden area, as well as notes and images, for your own personal booklet and adventure story. Share your story with others or package it as a gift for Dad! Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon. Illustrious Residents event.
WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM
Go on a grand scavenger hunt, as Wave Hill’s illustrious resident Mark Twain did on his world comedic tour. Gather “passport” stamps from each garden area, as well as notes and images, for your own personal booklet and adventure story. Share your story with others or package it as a gift for Dad! Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon. Illustrious Residents event.
WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM
SAT, JUNE 14 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. Sessions are held outdoors; indoors in
inclement weather. Session fee: $25/$15 Wave Hill Member.
Advance registration receives a $2 discount. 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. Drop-ins will be accommodated as the limited space permits.
Participants must present their Member’s ID card or a printed program registration form at the front gate.
MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10‒11AM
SAT, JUNE 14 COLD PROCESS SOAP-MAKING WORKSHOP: SERENITY WITH LAVENDER
Kensico Soap Bar co-founder and certified soapmaker Kirsten Nagashima leads this fun, hands-on soap making workshop using organic lavender and good-for-you ingredients. Come discover why particular butters and oils are used as we create soap from scratch. You'll also learn about how to use essential oils in soap making. Students will create several lavender-scented soaps that will gently cleanse your skin and relax your entire body. Don’t forget to include a stroll through the gardens to check out Wave Hill’s collection of lavender in full bloom! Space is limited. Ages 12 and older welcome with an adult. Space is limited. $55/$45 Wave Hill Member per project. Registration required, online at www.wavehill.org, by calling 718.549.3200 x251 or at the Perkins Visitor Center.
WAVE HILL HOUSE, 9:30AM–12:30PM
Kensico Soap Bar co-founder and certified soapmaker Kirsten Nagashima leads this fun, hands-on soap making workshop using organic lavender and good-for-you ingredients. Come discover why particular butters and oils are used as we create soap from scratch. You'll also learn about how to use essential oils in soap making. Students will create several lavender-scented soaps that will gently cleanse your skin and relax your entire body. Don’t forget to include a stroll through the gardens to check out Wave Hill’s collection of lavender in full bloom! Space is limited. Ages 12 and older welcome with an adult. Space is limited. $55/$45 Wave Hill Member per project. Registration required, online at www.wavehill.org, by calling 718.549.3200 x251 or at the Perkins Visitor Center.
WAVE HILL HOUSE, 9:30AM–12:30PM
SAT, JUNE 14 COOKING DEMO: FLAVORSOME FLORA—LAVENDER
Join us for a summer-long celebration of aromatic herbs. Sample dishes prepared by chefs from Wave Hill exclusive caterer Great Performances, then stroll in the garden with a horticultural interpreter to see the featured ingredients in their summer glory. Often associated with soaps and potpourri, lavender can be a delightfully unexpected ingredient when used in sweet dishes. Taste lavender-laced treats, then follow your nose to the lavender border to enjoy our diverse collection of lavender in full bloom. Free with admission to the grounds.
ON THE GROUNDS, 1PM
Join us for a summer-long celebration of aromatic herbs. Sample dishes prepared by chefs from Wave Hill exclusive caterer Great Performances, then stroll in the garden with a horticultural interpreter to see the featured ingredients in their summer glory. Often associated with soaps and potpourri, lavender can be a delightfully unexpected ingredient when used in sweet dishes. Taste lavender-laced treats, then follow your nose to the lavender border to enjoy our diverse collection of lavender in full bloom. Free with admission to the grounds.
ON THE GROUNDS, 1PM
SAT, JUNE 14 GALLERY TOUR
Join a curatorial fellow for a tour of three current exhibitions. In the main gallery, Gregory Crewdson’s Fireflies series is being shown for the first time in its entirety. Crewdson’s photographs capture the fleeting light of these nocturnal creatures. Experience the natural landscape from the comfort of a domestic interior in Marek and Kristyna Milde’s Sunroom Project, an installation of planters shaped as couches and chairs. In the Sun Porch space, listen to With Hidden Noise, a traveling exhibition featuring evocative sounds, some recognizable from traditional instruments and field recordings, and others masked through electronic processes. Tours take place Tuesdays and Saturdays at 2PM. Free with admission to the grounds.
Join a curatorial fellow for a tour of three current exhibitions. In the main gallery, Gregory Crewdson’s Fireflies series is being shown for the first time in its entirety. Crewdson’s photographs capture the fleeting light of these nocturnal creatures. Experience the natural landscape from the comfort of a domestic interior in Marek and Kristyna Milde’s Sunroom Project, an installation of planters shaped as couches and chairs. In the Sun Porch space, listen to With Hidden Noise, a traveling exhibition featuring evocative sounds, some recognizable from traditional instruments and field recordings, and others masked through electronic processes. Tours take place Tuesdays and Saturdays at 2PM. Free with admission to the grounds.
GLYNDOR GALLERY, 2PM
SUN, JUNE 15 FAMILY ART PROJECT: MARK TWAIN GARDEN ADVENTURE
Go on a grand scavenger hunt, as Wave Hill’s illustrious resident Mark Twain did on his world comedic tour. Gather “passport” stamps from each garden area, as well as notes and images, for your own personal booklet and adventure story. Share your story with others or package it as a gift for Dad! Free with admission to the grounds. Illustrious Residents event.
WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM
Go on a grand scavenger hunt, as Wave Hill’s illustrious resident Mark Twain did on his world comedic tour. Gather “passport” stamps from each garden area, as well as notes and images, for your own personal booklet and adventure story. Share your story with others or package it as a gift for Dad! Free with admission to the grounds. Illustrious Residents event.
WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM
SUN, JUNE 15 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
outdoors, indoors in inclement weather. Session fee: $25/$15 Wave Hill
Member. Advance registration receives a $2 discount. 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. Drop-ins will be accommodated as the limited space
permits. Participants must present their Member’s ID card or a printed
program registration form at the front gate.
MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10‒11:15AM
MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10‒11:15AM
SUN, JUNE 15 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.
Advance registration receives a $2 discount. 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. Drop-ins will be accommodated as the limited space permits.
Participants must present their Member’s ID card or a printed program registration form at the front gate.
MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11:30AM‒12:45PM
MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11:30AM‒12:45PM
SUN, JUNE 15 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, JUNE 16
Closed to the public
TUE, JUNE 17 GARDEN HIGHLIGHTS WALK
Join us for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.
MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11AM
MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11AM
TUE, JUNE 17 GALLERY TOUR
Join a curatorial fellow for a tour of three current exhibitions. In the main gallery, Gregory Crewdson’s Fireflies series is being shown for the first time in its entirety. Crewdson’s photographs capture the fleeting light of these nocturnal creatures. Experience the natural landscape from the comfort of a domestic interior in Marek and Kristyna Milde’s Sunroom Project, an installation of planters shaped as couches and chairs. In the Sun Porch space, listen to With Hidden Noise, a traveling exhibition featuring evocative sounds, some recognizable from traditional instruments and field recordings, and others masked through electronic processes. Tours take place Tuesdays and Saturdays at 2PM. Free with admission to the grounds.
Join a curatorial fellow for a tour of three current exhibitions. In the main gallery, Gregory Crewdson’s Fireflies series is being shown for the first time in its entirety. Crewdson’s photographs capture the fleeting light of these nocturnal creatures. Experience the natural landscape from the comfort of a domestic interior in Marek and Kristyna Milde’s Sunroom Project, an installation of planters shaped as couches and chairs. In the Sun Porch space, listen to With Hidden Noise, a traveling exhibition featuring evocative sounds, some recognizable from traditional instruments and field recordings, and others masked through electronic processes. Tours take place Tuesdays and Saturdays at 2PM. Free with admission to the grounds.
GLYNDOR GALLERY, 2PM
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 until noon on Tuesdays in June. 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/
DIRECTIONS
– Getting here is easy! Located only 30 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 242nd 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.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
City, State and Federal Legislators Announce Citywide Coalition Against Predatory Equity in Housing
Council Members Dan
Garodnick, Ritchie Torres, and Jumaane Williams announced the formation
of a coalition to fight one of the major threats to New York's
affordable housing stock: predatory equity.
The Coalition Against
Predatory Equity (CAPE) already boasts over 40 elected officials and
scores of advocates and is expected to grow considerably. They have
organized around 4 principles that will protect affordable
housing from being purchased in overleveraged deals that put tenants in
the crosshairs. Such deals have endangered affordable units in places
like Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, the Three Boro Pool
portfolio, the Urban American Portfolio, and many
others.
CAPE’s organizing principles are:
1)
We need a commitment from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that they will not
lend money in any residential housing deal that puts affordable housing
at risk.
These mortgage giants play an enormous role in securitizing mortgages
for home sales, but their charge should be kept to helping Americans
afford a home, not helping drive Americans from those homes. This
standard should apply to them making an investment
directly or through any affiliate. Their balance sheet should have no
exposure to plans that weaken our city.
2) Responsible investment of City and State pension funds.
Some recent over-leveraged deals designed to harm tenants were
supported
by the investment of pension funds around the country. We must invest
responsibly to ensure pension fund growth, while also avoiding deals
that do harm to our affordable housing stock.
3) No subsidies for deals that create risk for affordable housing.
We want to end any special protections from government -- either
through tax breaks or subsidies -- that enable the reduction of
affordable housing. Government help may exist to promote development,
or to renovate apartment units, but with such benefits should also come
an obligation to keep housing affordable to the maximum
extent.
4) Legislative solutions defending tenants.
We
will seek opportunities to support legislation that helps to limit the
abuses of predatory equity, and assists tenants in over-leveraged
buildings.
"We are not going to just sit back and watch as properties get ravaged and tenants get harassed repeatedly in this city, " said
Council Member Dan Garodnick, who represents Stuyvesant Town and
Peter Cooper Village, and released a report about the dangers of
over-leveraged housing last month. "This is a broad and determined
coalition, and together we are determined to fight to
end these predatory practices."
“One of enduring lessons the recent housing
collapse taught us is that there are certain investors who will take out
risky mortgages with no solid plan to avoid default. When defaults
occur, tenants suffer from unlivable conditions and
are often constructively evicted from their homes. Those engaged in
predatory equity not only threaten the homes that people have lived in
for decades, but they help deplete this city of desperately needed
affordable units,” said
Council Member Williams. “As chair of the council’s Committee on
Housing and Buildings, I’ll do everything I can to end this dangerous
practice and protect tenants and income-targeted housing. I am proud to
stand with Council Members Garodnick and Torres
on this effort.”
“ We cannot allow bad-actor landlords to
overleverage the value of our homes and threaten the city’s already
limited availability of affordable housing. In forming this coalition we
are taking a stand against the degradation of a vital
public resource,” Said Council Member Ritchie Torres, a leader in the fight against predator equity.
"I am proud to join this coalition and its mission
to protect and preserve our city's affordable housing. Nothing was more
shocking about the Tishman Speyer - Stuy Town/Peter Cooper transaction
than finding out that the federally-chartered
Government-Sponsored-
“I commend Council members Garodnick, Williams and
Torres for creating this coalition, which will serve as an important
tool to address the problem of risky, predatory investment in New York
City’s affordable housing stock," said
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. “Too often, high-leverage
deals have led to disturbing reports of tenant harassment and high
levels of disinvestment. Recently, for example, my office confronted the
owners of a 1700-unit portfolio - where landlords
were resorting to illegal tactics to salvage a bad business deal - and
forced them to respect the rights of tenants and compensate renters for
their hardship. My office will continue to keep a close watch on these
deals as they evolve, and I look forward to
working with the coalition to enforce the laws protect New York City’s
renters."
"Too many New Yorkers are in desperate need of
affordable housing throughout our city. We can no longer sit idly by as
big banks and big-money investors engage in over-leveraged deals that
put our economy and limited housing stock at risk.
As a trustee of NYCERS, I am committed to taking a closer look at these
deals to ensure that the City is not using pension monies that
adversely affect New Yorkers. I am proud to stand with the members of
the Council as we call for new policies to protect
against predatory equity transactions," said New York City Public Advocate Letitia James.
“New York’s families can’t afford to see their
access to quality affordable housing undermined by the purveyors of
predatory equity financing and our families need creative solutions that
will expand the pool of capital that is invested
in meeting the housing needs of all New Yorkers,” Council Member Vanessa L. Gibson
said. “Innovative initiatives such as strengthening the Community
Reinvestment Act to encourage lending to responsible building owners,
ensuring that government subsidies
result in the creation of truly affordable quality housing and
expanding the investment of City and State pension funds in the
affordable housing market are essential measure that will go a long way
toward making housing more affordable for the families I
represent in the Bronx.”
“The practice of predatory equity investing is the
worst thing to hit the NYC housing market since the 2007 crash! The
practice is dangerous to our affordable housing market and the working
people of New York City, creating a ‘lose-lose’
situation. In order for investors to profit, rents must be raised and
the old tenants must move out. If this doesn’t work, the owners
disinvest from the buildings, forcing the tenants to live in substandard
living conditions. This is unacceptable and it must
end. I commend Council Members Daniel R. Garodnick, Ritchie Torres and
Jumaane D. Williams for bringing this issue to the forefront and working
to put an end to this practice our city,” said
Council Member Andy King, Co-Chair, Black, Latino and Asian Caucus.
Monday, May 26, 2014
Cuomo to Go After Senate Republicans Unless They Agree to Campaign Finance
In what has to be a blow to die hard Democrats who are against the Independent Democratic Conference In a Daily News story If Republicans don't get a campaign finance deal done this session, Cuomo will move to toss them out of power, say sources.
The first line of the story reads - Gov. Cuomo will work to toss the Senate Republicans from power by
reuniting the chamber’s fractured Democrats if the GOP does not agree to
create a statewide public financing system for campaigns, according to
sources with direct knowledge of the situation.
After reading just the first line one has to wonder if Governor Cuomo wants Senate Republicans to stay in a leadership role in the State Senate. That would explain why two years ago Governor Cuomo did little if anything to help Democratic State Senate candidates win over their Republican opponents.
The Daily News story goes on to say that State Senate Republican Leader Dean Skellows in March promised to finalize a campaign finance deal, one that State Senate Co-Leader Jeff Klein had agree to with Governor Cuomo by the end of May. There are only a few days left for this to happen.
Another source in the Daily News article confirmed that Klein isn’t ruling out aligning the mainstream Democrats, and quotes Klein as saying “If Dean is reneging, then all options have to be on the table come November,”
I asked Senator Klein last week at the Riverdale endorsement if he is thinking of having the same co-leadership of the state senate with the Senate Democratic Conference instead of the current co-leadership with senate Republicans. Senator Jeff Klein's answer was "we will have to wait until after the election in November." One of Klein's aides then asked me why I asked that question.
It would seem that by the Governors action (or lack of), new State Democratic Party Leader David Paterson's statement that it is not important that Democrats win back the State senate this year, and Senator Klein's coyness, that an eminent agreement will be reached with State Senate Democrats for a co-leadership with the IDC whether the Senate Democrats like it or not.
It is only a matter of time in which we will see what happens to the two IDC challenges Oliver Koppell and John Liu now that this deal between the Senate Democratic Conference and the IDC seems to be a done deal.
Senator Klein Kicks Off First Ever Bronx Jewish Film Festival
Bronx Jewish Film Festival to feature six films over three days in five locations across the Bronx
In honor of Jewish-American Heritage Month, Senator Jeff Klein will host the first ever Bronx Jewish Film Festival, featuring six films over three days in five locations across the Bronx. Popcorn and water will be provided and the films are free and open to the public. On Tuesday evening, Senator Klein will kick-off the film festival with a red carpet event at 7:30pm before the showing of Goodbye, Columbus in Seton Park in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx. For a full list of Senator Klein’s first ever Bronx Jewish Film Festival, see below.
World-famous actress, comedian and writer, Joan Rivers said: "I
am thrilled for the First Annual Jewish Film Festival in the Bronx. As a
New Yorker through and through, there is no better place to celebrate
Jewish films - both classic features and more contemporary hits - than
the Bronx. Thank you to Senator Klein for presenting this festival and
for giving New Yorkers an excuse to re-watch these films or see them for
the first time."
"As
a life-long New Yorker, I have always had a strong appreciation for
Jewish film and culture. I am thrilled that the first Bronx Jewish Film
Festival will take place later this month in Riverdale. Thank you to
Senator Jeff Klein for giving New Yorkers of all ages and background the
opportunity to see these wonderful films,” said acting and comic legend Jerry Stiller.
Movie dates - Times - Locations - Stars
May 27th
The Chosen @ 1 p.m.
Starring Maximilian Schell & Robby Benson
Location: Bronx House, 990 Pelham Parkway S, Bronx, NY 10461
Goodbye, Columbus @ 8 p.m.
Starring Ali McGraw & Jack Klugman
Special 7:30pm “Red Carpet”
Location: Seton Park, Independence Ave (between W. 232nd St. and W. 235th St.), Bronx, NY 10463
May 28th
Lost in Yonkers @ 1 p.m
Starring Richard Dreyfuss & Mercedes Ruehl
Location: Riverdale Y, 5625 Arlington Avenue, Bronx, NY 10471
Yentl @ 6:30 p.m.
Starring Barbara Streisand & Mandy Patinkin
Location: P.S. 24, 660 W 236th St, Bronx, NY 10463
May 29th
Gentleman’s Agreement @ 1 p.m
Starring Gregory Peck & Dorothy McGuire
Location: Bronx House, 990 Pelham Pkwy S, Bronx, NY 10461
Annie Hall @ 6:30 p.m
Starring Woody Allen & Diane Keaton
Location: Riverdale Neighborhood House, 5521 Mosholu Ave, Bronx, NY 10471
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Saturday, May 24, 2014
CFMC Meeting May 27
Father Richard Gorman the new Chair of the Croton Filtration Monitoring Committee has scheduled a monthly meeting of the CFMC for Tuesday night May 27th at 7:00pm in the basement of the Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 160 Van Cortlandt Park South, across from Van Cortlandt Park by the Major Deegan Highway.
Fr Gorman has asked DEP to present "Water for the Future" as well as the
upcoming scope, costs, and schedule for construction projects at Jerome
Park Reservoir(JPR) beyond the JPR Croton Filter Project.
As of now the
DEP has been invited and has not confirmed attendance. At last months CFMC meeting scheduled by Father Gormen in attendance were representatives from the Parks Department, but DEP did not show up.
A note of interest is that at the Community Board 8 Environmental and Sanitation Committee meeting there was a power point presentation about the rehabilitation of Gate Houses 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 at the Jerome Park Reservoir by the DEP with Shane Ojar the Community Outreach Director for DEP answering some of the questions with "That is a matter for the CFMC meetings not this presentation". Mr. Ojar is the representative from DEP to the CFMC meetings.