Community Board 9 Fires District Manager

  Last night in a vote to relive its district manager Francisco Gonzalez of his job at Community Board 9 the results were 17 in favor, 2 against, and 2 abstentions. 

  The NYC Conflict of Board fined Mr. Gonzalez for using the community board office and  its resources in the fall of 2013 for his own personal business. In December of 2013 there was a vote to relive Mr. Gonzalez of his position that failed by 2 votes. 

  There was no immediate comment by CB 9 chair William Rivera. 

  CB 9 will now begin the process of looking for a new district manager. This come at the same time that Community Board 8 begins its process to hire a new district manager who is leaving as of the end of today for a job with the New York Empire Development Corporation. 

  Check back for updates, and check my column in the Bronx News or Parkchester News.

Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj to host Interfaith Peace Rally & Candle Light Vigil

Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj

Invites you to join an

Interfaith Community 

Peace Rally

& Candle Light Vigil

In light of recent terrorist attacks in Paris, we must unite and stand 

up against extremist intolerance anywhere in the world. We have to

come together in peace. Elected officials, Religious Figures and 

Community Leaders ask for your attendance as we commemorate 

those lost in senseless attacks and pray for a peaceful future for all.

Friday, January 16, 2015

3:30pm – 5:30pm

Pelham Parkway South 

at Wallace Avenue

For More Information: (718) 409-0109

FW: FY 2016 Borough President's Budget Hearing

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz 

Jr.

Invites you to attend and speak at:

The Bronx Borough Board 

Public Hearing on the 

Mayor's Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2016

& the capital and service needs of the Borough

Thursday, February 5, 2015

10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

10th  Floor Conference Room

198 East 161st Street, Bronx NY 10451

Subway: 4, B, D to 161st Street/Yankee Stadium Station

Bus: BX1, BX2 or BX6 to East 161st  Street - Grand  Concourse 

 BX32 to East 161st Street - Morris Avenue

Metro-North: Stations 

Melrose (Harlem) or 153rd Street-Yankees (Hudson) lines.

This hearing will give an opportunity to Bronx and Citywide non-profits, colleges, hospitals, schools, neighborhood organizations and any other parties to speak out on the Mayor's proposed budget and the capital and service needs of our neighborhoods.

Wave Hill Events Jan 30–Feb 6

  SAT, JANUARY 31    LOTIONS AND CREAMS: A CITRUS AWAKENING WORKSHOP 

Winter is the perfect time to pamper your skin and boost your spirits, and Lemon Day at Wave Hill provides the perfect opportunity. Guided by Melissa Rivera, founder of Naturally Good Soaps, use a citrus emulsion and other raw ingredients to create your own sweetly-scented lotions and creams. Take home recipes as well as a set of all-natural products created in class. After the workshop, visit the blooming citrus plants inside Wave Hill’s Conservatory. Registration required, online at www.wavehill.org, or at the Perkins Visitor Center. $45/$35 Wave Hill Member. Make a day of it with a light lunch in The Café, followed by a free lemon-cooking demonstration at 2PM.

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM–12:30PM

SAT, JANUARY 31   WINTER WORKSPACE WORKSHOP: HYBRID OBJECTS—AMULETS, TALISMANS & CURIOSITIES

Explore the history of amulets, talismans, and curiosities found in Wunderkammern (or cabinets of curiosities) with Winter Workspace artist Alisha Wessler. Focus on objects that blur the boundaries between artificialia and naturalia. Using your own concoction of personal objects brought from home and natural elements gathered from Wave Hill, learn sculptural techniques to create your own hybrid object of wonder.  All workshops with Winter Workspace artists begin in their Glyndor Gallery studios with an introduction to their creative process. Unless otherwise noted, art materials are provided. Ages 10 and older welcome with an adult. $15/$5 Wave Hill Member per session. 

GLYNDOR GALLERY AND ECOLOGY BUILDING, 1–4PM

SAT, JANUARY 31    LEMON COOKING DEMONSTRATION

Pucker up—it’s lemon season at Wave Hill, and we’ve designed Lemon Day at Wave Hill to celebrate! Find out how to make and use preserved lemons, a traditional ingredient in Moroccan cooking. A guest chef from Great Performances conjures up refreshing dishes featuring both fresh and preserved lemons. After the demonstration, visit our esteemed potted lemons in the Palm House, currently scenting the Conservatory with their sweet-smelling blossoms. In addition to this cooking demonstration, you may want to register for a Lemon Day lotions and creams workshop in the morning, followed by a light lunch in The Café. Free with admission to the grounds.

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 2PM

SAT, JANUARY 31    FAMILY ART PROJECT: KALEIDOSCOPE BLUES

Listen to some wintry blues and explore its patterns and rhythms, then express what you find with paper, crayons and scissors. Use the cool blue, grey and silver colors of winter, plus your images and cut-outs, to build your own easy-to-make, musical kaleidoscope. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon. 

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM

SAT, JANUARY 31    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 hour-long 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 indoors in winter. Session fee, which includes admission to the grounds: $25/$15 Wave Hill Member. Advance registration offered online only and includes a $2 discount. Online registration closes at 8AM on the day of the session. Drop-ins will be accommodated as the limited space permits. 

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10AM

SUN, FEBRUARY 1    FAMILY ART PROJECT: KALEIDOSCOPE BLUES

Listen to some wintry blues and explore its patterns and rhythms, then express what you find with paper, crayons and scissors. Use the cool blue, grey and silver colors of winter, plus your images and cut-outs, to build your own easy-to-make, musical kaleidoscope. Free with admission to the grounds. 

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM

SUN, FEBRUARY 1    HATHA YOGA

Reduce stress and increase your energy by focusing on your posture, breath and mind/body/spirit. Classes are led by Yoga for Bliss Director Neem Dewji and other certified instructors, and last for an hour and a quarter. 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 in winter. Session fee, which includes admission to the grounds: $25/$15 Wave Hill Member. Advance registration offered online only and includes a $2 discount. Online registration closes at 8AM on the day of the session. Drop-ins will be accommodated as the limited space permits. 

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10AM

SUN, FEBRUARY 1    MEDITATION

Let nature inspire you to find your center and reconnect with your true self using guided mindfulness and other meditation practices. Each session includes instruction in simple techniques, followed by guided meditations. Led by Yoga for Bliss director Neem Dewji and other qualified instructors. Sessions are held indoors. All levels welcome. Session fee, which includes admission to the grounds: $20/$10 Wave Hill Member. Advance registration offered online only and includes a $2 discount. Online registration closes at 8AM on the day of the session. Drop-ins will be accommodated as the limited space permits. 

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11:45AM

SUN, FEBRUARY 1    GARDEN & CONSERVATORY 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, FEBRUARY 2

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 and Tuesday mornings untilnoon. 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 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 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.

Mayor de Blasio comes to Bronx to Tout His Vision Zero

  Saying that in 2014 there were the lowest number of pedestrian fatalities (134), Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYC Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg announced the completion of more than 50 major street and intersection redesign projects. That come in the first year of deBlasio's 'Vision Zero' program. The announcement came right near the last project that was done at the intersection of East Tremont Avenue and Silver Street in Bronx Community Board 10. Public Advocate Letitia James, Councilman James Vacca, Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda, and local Community Board members and the CB 10 District manager. 

  Mayor deBlasio goes over some of the statistics of what Vision Zero has done in its first year. With the mayor are Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda, Public Advocate Letitia James, NYC Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, Police Chief Tom Chan, and Councilman Jimmy Vacca.

Left - Are the intersections of Broadway and 96th Street and Hudson Street before and after Vision Zero.

Right - Is the intersection of East Tremont Ave. and Silver Street, again before and after Vision Zero.

  NYC Transportation Commissioner Trottenberg echos the words of Mayor deBlasio, when it comes to lower pedestrian fatalities and lowering speeding on city roads. 

Above - Assemblyman Sepulveda, a partner of the mayor in Albany also echos the words of the mayor on the subject of 'Vision Zero'.
Below - Councilman Jimmy Vacca jokes that he would like to see a speed bump on every street.

After the presentation and the elected officials spoke, the mayor took some questions.

Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins Should Have a Seat at the Table with the 3 Men in a Room

What You Should Know 
By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz 
32nd Senatorial District 

You should know that Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins is a bright, well-educated, articulate, intelligent, professional, beloved and highly respected African-American woman who has been elected to serve as the Leader of the Senate Democratic Conference. The experience that Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins has had in her professional and personal life overshadows most other Senators by far. 

 

New York State's political history has been comprised of 3-Men-in-a-Room: the Governor of New York State, the Majority Leader of the State Senate, and the Speaker of the Assembly.  Those three men - for years and years and years - are the ones who shut themselves in a room and decide what is good for the State, and determine the Budget that will service 20 million people in the State of New York. 

 

Never, EVER has a woman been part of those negotiations. The process has been completely chauvinistic. 

 

Now, on the other hand, we have a Governor who prides himself in establishing things that no one else has ever done. He takes great pride in being a Governor who got gay marriage laws passed.  He prides himself in passing the budget on time for 4 years in a row. He is the one who got the Women's Equality Party on the ballot as a political party in order to show his support for women. 

 

This year, the Governor is again pushing for the Women's Equality Act to pass with all 10 points, which include Achieve Pay Equity; Stop Sexual Harassment in All Workplaces; and Stop Human Trafficking.  Two contentious points the Governor is fighting for are for more abortions, including late-term abortions. 

 

My dear reader, it seems to me that a person who prides himself on being such a champion for women, and that same person does things that have never been achieved before in New York State, should realize this great opportunity. Governor Andrew Cuomo can demonstrate his real interest in achieving women's equality by inviting Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins to join him and the other two men in that room during Budget negotiations because she is, in fact, a Leader of 30 Democratic Senators in the State. 

 

You should know that when we talk about a Leader of a Conference, we are not talking about someone who is the Leader of a group of 5 or 10 people. We are talking about someone who is the Leader of 30 Democratic Senators who represents millions of people from downstate to upstate to Long Island to Western New York to Central New York. No other so-called minority represents all of those Senators and as many people in the State - and she's also a woman. 

 

This is the right time, 2015 - the 20th Anniversary of United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women - for Governor Andrew Cuomo to establish another record and set a precedent for the advancement for women in the New York State. 

 

Ladies and gentlemen, in my humble opinion, I submit that Governor Andrew Cuomo can make history in New York State by welcoming Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins - a Leader - as equal to the other 2 men who will be in the room. To do this will be a great accomplishment for the rights of women AND for the 30 Democratic Senators who she represents. To not do this will leave an accomplished woman who represents 30 Democratic Senators in New York State locked outside the door while the 3 men make all of the decisions for New York State. 

You should know that because of my religious beliefs, I have had disagreements with Senator Stewart-Cousins in the past.  If I, with my disagreements with her, believe that the Governor should invite her into Budget negotiations, then I have to ask: “What about those women’s organizations, elected officials and unions that are big supporters of women? Do they think that this is the right thing to do?” 

 

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

Riverdale Gas Leak Update

 

  This is what the intersection of the Henry Hudson Parkway North and West 239th Street looked like today after yesterdays gas leak at the site that closed area streets into the night. Workers for the contractor are back on the job, and you will see in the next photos just where the problem was. 

  It was this connection to other gas mains that had the problem or should I say leak.

  Here is a close up of the interconnection and overlapping gas lines where the gas leak occurred. 

  Interestingly enough, here is one of the barriers used around the construction area. Note the start date of the construction is 10 - 6 - 14 which is about when the contractor for Con Edison started. However the completion date is 11- 7 - 14, or over two months ago. A question to the DOT who issues the work permits would be - did the contractor have a valid work permit, and if not why did the DOT not shut the construction down?

COUNCIL MEMBER ANDY KING TALKS RECYCLING WITH BRONX 3RD GRADERS

  “What is the importance of recycling?” asked Council Member Andy King to the third graders of PS 41 in the Northeast Bronx during a special assembly Monday morning about the importance of recycling and saving the environment.   

“So that you won’t slip and fall on plastic containers or bottles”, 8-year-old Darren Williams informed the Council Member. 

Council Member King partnered with the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to put on the program as a part of the 12^th District Operation Cleaner Streets initiative, which was started two years ago by Council Member King to get the community involved in the beautification of their neighborhood.

“DSNY has the important task of keeping the city clean but on the 12^th of each month we clean our neighborhood,” said Council Member King to the youngsters.  “That means on the 12^th of the month, you must pick of every piece of paper or something to help keep our neighborhood clean.”

More than 150 students attended the assembly program. Joining the Council Member was DSNY’s Community Affairs Liaison Julian Sepulveda, who quizzed the students on the information they learned during the presentation.  All the students were treated to comic and coloring books and quiz received a mini toy DSNY truck.