Friends of Van Cortlandt Park's May 2016 Enewsletter

Spring has sprung in Van Cortlandt Park!  Birds are chirping, trees are budding, flowers are blooming and the Friends' staff is out in the park almost every day leading volunteer programs and school groups. Below our Ecological Project Manager is showing a group of volunteers organized by NY Cares how to plant shrubs in a site in the wetlands we have been enhancing.

There is so much going on so please come out and join us this spring! We have a events planned for this month (see below) and more this spring. 

Christina and all of your Friends at the Friends of VCP

P.S. Don't forget to follow us on Social Media to keep posted on what is happening in the Park.

                         

May Events

Reclaiming Nature: An Insiders Tour of Daylighting Tibbetts Brook (A Jane’s Walk)

Saturday May 7th meeting at 10am

The Friends’ will be hosting a walking tour as part of the city-wide weekend of walks during Jane’s Walk.  The inside tour will talk about the current status of the Tibbetts Brook and the efforts to daylight it.  Visit the Jane’s Walk page for more info.  

It’s My Parks Day/ Spring Garden Planting Day

Saturday May 14th meeting at 10am

Join us as we prepare and plant our 800 plus square feet of vegetable garden beds for the 2016 growing season. Volunteers are needed to prepare the beds, sift our compost bins and help plant seedlings. Meet at the Compost Site- enter the Park at Broadway and Mosholu Avenue.

Get Active Hiking Series in VCP

Saturday May 14th at 10am, meet at the Friends Compost & Garden Site (enter the Park at Broadway and Mosholu Ave): A Tour of the Wetlands in the Northern Half of the Park.

John Muir Trail Volunteer Day

Saturday May 21st meeting at 10am

Join us as we continue our forest restoration efforts along the John Muir Trail. Volunteers are needed to remove invasive plants and plant native trees and shrubs. Meet at the Compost Site- enter the Park at Broadway and Mosholu Avenue.

Save the Date: Picnic Supper & Concert in the Park

Tuesday June 21st starting at 6pm

The Van Cortlandt Committee of the National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New York with the Friends of Van Cortlandt Park presents A Picnic Supper & Concert in Van Cortlandt Park with the New York Philharmonic. Join us as we Celebrate and Honor: Frank Vagnone, The Morris & Alma Schapiro Fund and Councilman Andrew Cohen.  Click here to purchase a ticket, become a sponsor or learn more about the event.

Bringing Youth, Community and Nature Together for over 20 Years!

Click here to make a secure tax-deductible donation to the Friends of Van Cortlandt Park.

Visit FVCP's website for information about any of these upcoming events.

Bronx Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing Tuesday May 3rd

Bronx Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing
Tuesday | May 3, 2016 | Trump Golf Links Ferry Point

 

Tomorrow we will hit the green Rain or Shine!
See you then!

      click here for printable handout.

Phil Cardone

Grants & Events Director

Bronx Chamber of Commerce

"The Network For Business Success"
1200 Waters Place, Suite 106
Bronx, NY 10461
718-828-3900

Assemblyman Mark Gjona - A Breakfast and Movie Screening of BESA: The Promise

Upcoming Event

A Breakfast and Movie Screening of  

BESA : The Promise

Tickets for the event will also be sold at Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj's Office: 

1126 Pelham Parkway South

Bronx, New York 10461

Phone: (718)409- 0109

Fax: (718) 409- 0431

Riverdale Avenue Street Festival

     Sunday was the annual Riverdale Avenue Street Festival. While the weather was not the greatest, it did not dampen the many people who came out to walk on Riverdale Avenue between West 236th and West 238th Streets. A huge stage set up where neighborhood children from the Riverdale Y Dance Theatre and the PS 24 Glee Club performed. On hand were State Senator Jeff Klein and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz who tried their best at the miniature golf that was set up. As you will see in those photos both were not to successful, but it was a cold rainy day and Riverdale Avenue between West 236th and West 238th Streets is on a slope. The event was put together by KRVC and KRVC Executive Director Ms. Tracy Shelton joined the two elected officials on the stage to thank the many sponsors, performers, and the many people who helped set up the tents that kept the people who were in attendance dry. There were several information tables set up, and while the merchants on Riverdale Avenue were set up to have tables outside their stores the weather kept most of that away. City Councilman Andrew Cohen (an elected official of a few words) also stopped by, but left before Senator Klein and Assemblyman Dinowitz spoke. An interesting photo I was able to take while Senator Klein was speaking includes the vacant lot which was the site of the proposed eleven (then revised to six story) medical center on Riverdale Avenue which was halted by the Klein/Dinowitz Bronx Medical Center Size Limit Law. That Law was repealed one year later after the developer and hospital abandoned its plans for the medical center. The lot remains vacant and an eyesore to the community. You can click on any small photo to make it larger.

    

     

Above and Below are children from the Riverdale Dance Theatre.

Above - A joint dance by several members of the Riverdale Y Dance Theatre.

Below -  The PS 24 Glee Club.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and State Senator Jeff Klein both tried their skill at miniature golf.

Above - State Senator Klein and Assemblyman Dinowitz gave remarks to the crowd after being introduced by KRVC Executive Director Tracy Shelton.

Below - As I took a wider photo the eyesore of an empty lot where the abandoned medical center was proposed to be continues to be a blight on the area much to the dismay of many merchants who were hoping for more business from the proposed medical center. 

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman - Cracking Down On Fraud & Abuse In The Ticket Industry

 

The Attorney General announced legislation this week to eliminate the rampant and illegal use of ticket “bots," computer software used by resellers to buy tickets for popular concerts and sporting events within minutes of those tickets going on sale. Last week, the Attorney General reached multi-million dollar settlements with six ticket brokers that will stop the use of ticket bots by some of the most common resellers. 

More news is expected next week. The Attorney General’s previous report on the investigation detailed the difficulties ordinary New York consumers face from these troubling industry practices and the middle-men that work to keep affordable tickets out of their hands. Read about the AG's recent efforts to create a fairer ticket marketplace in the Times Union here.  

Taking Trump University to Trial

The Attorney General's office was back in court this week seeking justice for the thousands of students defrauded by Trump University. Following the hearing, the Attorney General released the following statement. Read the WSJ story here. 

“I am very pleased the judge has indicated her intention to move as expeditiously as possible to trial, as thousands of Mr. Trump’s alleged victims have been waiting years for relief from his fraud. We believe that Mr. Trump and Mr. Sexton will be essential witnesses at trial. As we will prove in court, Donald Trump and his sham for-profit college defrauded thousands of students out of millions of dollars.”

Expanding Hep C Coverage For New Yorkers

The Attorney General reached agreements with seven health insurance companies to expand their coverage policies for patients suffering with chronic Hepatitis C. Under the agreement, health insurance plans will no longer deny coverage to members using alcohol or drugs, and will start treating patients at earlier stages. Read the WSJ story here.  

Empowering Suffolk Voters to Register Online

The Attorney General issued an opinion advising Suffolk County that online voter registration is legal in the State of New York. This determination was in response to a Suffolk County letter requesting the office’s opinion whether it would be permitted by State election law. For many voters, a fully online voter registration system would streamline the process, making it easier to enroll on one’s mobile device and electronically sign. Read the Newsday story about it here.

Compelling the D.A. Comply with Executive Order

The Attorney General sued Rensselaer District Attorney Abelove to compel him to comply with Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order that appointed the Attorney General as a special prosecutor in all cases where an unarmed civilian dies during a police encounter. The D.A. attempted to exercise jurisdiction over a police shooting case in Troy in violation of the Executive Order. The Attorney General’s suit seeks to require the D.A. to surrender his case file and bar him from exercising jurisdiction to investigate the circumstances that led to the death of Edson Thevenin on April 17, 2016. Read news coverage about it in the NY Times here. 

Have a question, comment, or complaint? Click here. You can also learn more about the various initiatives of the Attorney General's office by visiting our website at ag.ny.gov. You can also call our General Hotline: 800-771-7755. 

Mosholu Parkway Clean Up

   Today was the Mosholu Parkway Clean Up by Jerome Avenue which was sponsored by Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj, The Friends of Mosholu Parkway, The Jerome Gun Hill BID, Bedford Mosholu Community Organization, NYC Parks & Partnership for Parks, and 52nd Precinct Explorers. 

       Due to a death in his family Assemblyman Gjonaj was unable to attend, but members of his staff and some of his many friends were on hand to help the volunteers that showed up. The area to be cleaned up was the Circle of Friends Plaza located at Jerome Avenue and E. Mosholu Parkway North. As you will see in the photos below several activities went on including trash removal, planting of flowers, weeding, and more. 

Above - Residents are joined by others as they filled up bags of litter and trash from along this step street next to the train station.

Below - Two capable volunteers from the City Comptroller's office were on hand to help. 

Above and Below - Volunteers are planting flowers around this tree. 

Above - Ms. Barbara Stronzer Parks Committee Chair of Community Board 7 and CB 7 District Manager Andrew Sandler water the plants after they were planted.

Below - A group photo of some of the volunteers who came out to help.

Tomorrow's Festival is ON! Rain or Shine! Please join us

It is shaping up to be a great event with an  awesome music and entertainment line up  and numerous attractions.   Click  here for more details. Plus we have  made a decision to hold the festival  despite the weather forecast.  The event  will feature a large, covered stage with live  music throughout.  The street will be covered by  three 20 foot by 40 foot tents to keep our guests,  organizers and sponsors as dry as possible. Many  businesses on the block are participating so stop  into those to eat, shop and get info.   Join us tomorrow -  What else is there to do on rainy Sunday!!

Charlie Rangel - Proudly Endorsing Keith Wright - He'll Continue my Work

Representing Upper Manhattan and the Bronx in Congress has been an honor and a privilege. I'm incredibly proud of my service and, as I look to the future, it's important that I support a candidate who will work equally hard for New York. That's why I am proud to announce my endorsement of Keith Wright's campaign for Congress. Keith is the best choice for New York's 13th District!

I'm proudly endorsing Keith Wright - join me in support!

I first came to Congress in 1971. The world has changed since then, but my commitment to the great people of New York has remained steadfast. Our city is my priority - I created the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, sponsored the Affordable Care Act to expand healthcare coverage, and protested injustice by the hands of police officers. I made sure that Social Security was safe while raising the minimum wage and protecting low-income housing.

I know that Keith Wright will continue this legacy.

Keith has spent decades fighting for our community in Albany. His leadership has created real change for New York. He's empowered hard-working New Yorkers to protect our rights by establishing free legal clinics and has always fought to protect and expand affordable housing. The Second Avenue Subway extension is funded because of his tenacity.

Like me, when his constituents are protesting for equality, Keith is not afraid to stand side by side with activists - even willing to risk arrest to stand up for our hardest working brothers and sisters. 

Our community needs a tireless advocate like Keith Wright who will always stand up for what is right, even in the face of right-wing extremism in Washington. I know first-hand how essential it is to have an authentic New York leader in Congress fighting for our city. Keith Wright is the man to build on the success we have achieved together in my tenure and I'm proud to endorse Keith Wright as the next Congressman representing NY-13.

What the people of Harlem, the Bronx, Washington Heights, Inwood, El Barrio, and East Harlem need in Washington is not just an experienced legislator, but a community builder and proven leader, which Keith Wright has demonstrated to be throughout his entire public service career. We can count on Keith to represent the diverse needs of our community and keep fighting for all of us.

Thank you,
Charlie Rangel

EDITOR"S NOTE:

Congressman Rangel, What took you so long? 

Look at the previous posting from May 29, 2015 when you had me take a photo of you with your choice then to replace you in congress Keith Wright.