Public hearing nonsense

Wakefield Area News


By Mary V. Lauro

BRONX, NEW YORK, May 22- The caller asked, "What is the New York Waterfront Revitalization Program and what is Charter Section 197-a?" The caller was referring to the notice recently sent out by Community Board 12 regarding a public hearing to be held on that topic on Thursday, May 24 at 7 p.m.

We give you the exact wording of the notice. "Community Board 12, The Bronx, will hold a Land Use Committee Meeting to gather the consensus/comments of the community regarding New York City Department of City Planning's proposed revision to the New York City Waterfront Revitalization Program for consideration under the rules for the processing of plans pursuant to Charter Section 197-a.” At the bottom of the notice it requests that those wishing to speak should contact the Community Board office by Wednesday, May 23.

Since we could not give an intelligent answer, we said, "Why don't you go to find out?"

“Whatever for?" she responded. “What am I going to learn in half an hour? The regular Board meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. That means this so-called hearing is going to last only half an hour. If City Planning is going to explain the issue, it will take about 10 minutes. We won't be able to ask questions, only the Land Use Committee will and I bet you dollars to doughnuts the Land Use Committee members don't know what the issue is about either. So, who gets to speak? The Chairman gets to speak, that's who and the rest follow like sheep when they vote on it at the regular Board meeting less than half an hour later."

We laughed, "Sounds like you are familiar with the workings of our Community Board."

She laughed too. You never get to hear the other side of an issue at CB 12. Now it would be totally different, if along with the notice, an explanation was included on the revision to the Waterfront Revitalization Program and why City Planning thought a revision was necessary. Helpful, too, to include what Charter Section 197-a was about. This way one could give some thought to the issue; not only us, the public, but the Land Use Committee itself. Then we could participate.”

“You know,” we interjected, “You could call D.M. Carmen Rosa to ask what it is all about?”

“Sure,” she said, “Me and 50 other people. That's no solution. There is no reason for not explaining the issue other than the Board chairman does not want you or me or the public to really know the issue since there might be some controversy whether it is this subject or another and god-forbid the hearing might go over half an hour.” She took a breath.

We didn't dare interrupt. She went on. “Note that at the regular meeting, there will be a vote by all the Board members on the Waterfront Revitalization Program. That's half an hour later, mind you. The Land Use Committee will ask them to consent to the change and like sheep, they will follow the leader.”

Then the caller said something very important. “Generally I find the City Planning Commission is on target. What I am complaining about is the faulty process of the Board and what appears like deception.”




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Man Survives Four-Shot Barrage at Melrose Club

(Photos by David Greene)

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, May 22- A man hit with a barrage of gunshots has apparently survived as police look to surveillance cameras and the community for assistance in capturing the two assailants.

Officers from the 42nd Precinct were called to Maria's Restaurant, located at 645 Courtlandt Avenue, in the Melrose section at just after 4 a.m., on Sunday, May 20.

The gunman apparently opened fire on the unidentified victim as he exited the popular club and sports bar at closing time. One police source stated, "The victim was likely (to die) and was transported to Lincoln Hospital," and has since survived.

Three bullet holes could be seen in the front door of the club and latex gloves used by paramedics, littered the street.

According to several NYPD sources, detectives were looking for two Mexican men, one fled on foot and the other fled in a white vehicle."

EMS records show the victim was hit four times, once in the torso, twice in the arms and once in the leg.

Two women were returning home to the block, when one woman asked, "What is happening to this neighborhood? Something is always going on here."

A woman answering the phone at the club that caters to a Puerto Rican and Dominican crowd, refused to answer any questions and quickly hung up the phone.

The scene was a block away from a brutal beating at the Melrose Houses on April 16. Police say Moises Lora, 16, was beaten to death by a group of men. Police have recently released a video of the suspects in that case.

On February 17, Norman Lodge, 32, was shot in the lobby of his building on E. 153 Street at Courtlandt Avenue. Lodge, who police say had a lengthy police record, died at Lincoln Hospital. Police still have no suspects in any of the three cases.

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BEER HERE!

(Photos by David Greene)

Large crowds flocked to the two-day event titled, "The Bronx Beer Hall Preview," held on Thursday and Friday, May 17 - 18, at The Valentine- Varian House on Bainbridge Avenue. The event, held in association with "Bronx Week," celebrating the announcement that the staff of the Jonas Bronxk's Beer Company has joined with Mike's Deli on Arthur Avenue, to open The Bronx Beer Hall, housed inside The Arthur Avenue Retail Market. Glasses of the Bronx-made beer were available for a nominal fee. The event also feature a live musical performance.

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Yanks Comeback Falls Short

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, May 20- The failure of Yankee batters to hit successfully with runners in scoring position continues to plague the team. After failing in three at bats to move runners beyond second base, the Yankee futility in scoring runners from second and/or third base reached a mark of three scores in 51 at bats.

It looked as if they could move beyond those failures in the ninth inning as a runner in scoring position was plated for the first time in 23 at bats as Nick Swisher singled Raul Ibañez home after the latter was at second after doubling. Singles by Eric Chavez and Jayson Nix accounted for the fifth run of the Yankees.

The streak of success ended quickly as Derek Jeter forced Nix at second and Curtis Granderson ended the game by grounding out to first base.

After the contest concluded, Yankee manager Joe Girardi spoke of this problem, “We just didn’t get the last hit we needed. It’s frustrating that we got so close. I’m sure it’s frustrating for them.”

Solo homers by Russell Martin in the third and Jayson Nix in the fifth accounted for two earlier runs. A double by Ibañez scored Robinson Cano from first in the fourth.

Returning to action after suffering a sprain of his right ankle in his last start on May 14, Ivan Nova hit a career-high of 12 strikeouts, but gave up five runs in six innings.

Girardi said of the performance of the 25 year old, “I thought he threw the ball pretty decent. When he got hit, they made it count.”

The instances the Yankee skipper referred to were: a single after two walks in the first, two doubles in the second and a three-run homer to Cincinnati star Joey Votto in the fifth.

Of the long ball hit by Votto, Girardi commented, “He made a mistake to Votto; he let the ball up.”

The pitcher was dissatisfied with his work, “I don’t care about strikeouts. I made a lot of mistakes. It was a slider [to Votto], I didn’t get it down.”

The defeat was the fifth in the last seven games for the Yankees.

CC Sabathia (5-0) will start the final game of the three game series for the Yanks against Johnny Cueto (4-1) for the Reds on Sunday afternoon.

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Now THAT’s Our Andy

Pettitte Blanks Reds; Yanks Win, 4-0

(Photos by Ken Carozza)

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, May 19-Andy Pettitte, in his second major league appearance since October 2010, shut out the Cincinnati Reds for eight innings. The victory was his first in a regular season big league game since July 8, 2010.

After losing their last three games, the Yankees were happy to return to the Bronx and overjoyed to be facing a national league team. The win kept the Yankees at the top of the standings in inter league play. They have compiled the most win, 158, and have the highest winning percentage, .597.

The story of the game was the superlative performance of the veteran left hander. Pettitte, less than one month shy of reaching the age of 40, pitched like the comeback kid. He shut out the Reds for eight frames, giving up only four isolated singles and one walk while fanning nine batters.

Yankee skipper Joe Girardi was ecstatic regarding Pettitte’s work, “He had everything going tonight. I thought his cutter was exceptional. I thought the location of his fastball was exceptional.” When asked if Pettitte looks any different than in years past, Girardi responded, “If you want to go back 2- years, to me, it’s the same guy.”

Catcher Chris Stewart saw very little difference between this victory and the loss Pettitte suffered in his first start of the season last Sunday, “The difference was just a couple of pitches. Tonight, he didn’t make those mistakes. Tonight was outstanding.”

Pettitte was especially pleased with his improvement, “Everything was working. It was good to get in a good rhythm.”

The Yanks continued to be unable to hit in the clutch. Yankee batters have only hit safely three times in the last 48 at bats with runners in scoring position.

The Yankees first was scored on a ground out to shortstop by Alex Rodriguez in the fourth.

The other three runs were scored on three hits in the eighth. Robinson Cano hit a solo homer. A- Rod, the next batter singled. Raul Ibañez followed with a two-run home run.

The second game of the inter league series will be played on Saturday afternoon Ivan Nova (4-1) expected to take the mound for the Yankees against Homer Bailey (1-3).

Pettitte is scheduled to start against Kansas City on Wednesday.

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FreshDirect Now Delivers throughout the Bronx

Initiative Could Lead To Food Stamp Policy Change

BRONX, NEW YORK, May 18 – FreshDirect announced that it is now accepting delivery orders from every zip code in the Bronx, expanding access to fresh, healthy groceries. Actualdeliveries to the new zip codes will start being made on May 21.  

As part of FreshDirect’s service expansion, the company will promote a Bronx grand opening sale with discounts on popular items of up to 50 percent plus new customer discounts of $25 all for Bronx residents – available now at www.freshdirect.com.  

Earlier this year, FreshDirect partnered with Governor Cuomo, Mayor Bloomberg, and Borough President Diaz to announce that the leading fresh food Internet grocer will invest $112.6 million to build its new headquarters at Harlem River Yard.  The move will create 1,000 new jobs to support our continued growth over time and will retain 2,000 existing jobs. In addition, the actual construction of the new headquarters will create approximately 684 construction jobs.

FreshDirect also said it has secured approval for a novel pilot program that it hopes will result in changing a federal policy that currently keeps food stamp recipients from using their benefits to purchase groceries over the Internet. This pilot program will enable food stamp recipients at a few Bronx locations to purchase groceries from FreshDirect and will enable the company to identify regulatory modifications that may need to be made to the Electronic Benefits Transfer, the system that supports food stamp transactions.

“As we continue to grow and create jobs in New York City, we are thrilled that we are now able to serve the entire Bronx and provide residents there with convenient access to quality, fresh foods,” Jason Ackerman, CEO of FreshDirect said. “This expansion is part of our larger effort to find ways to enable all New Yorkers to lead healthy lifestyles.”

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said, “FreshDirect has already demonstrated a clear commitment to strengthening New York City’s economy through a significant private investment and the creation of nearly 1,000 new jobs.  Now, with its plans to expand services to all of the Bronx and advocate for an onlineFood Stamp pilot program, FreshDirect will further benefit the City by improving access to healthy foods.”

“Throughout the relocation process, FreshDirect has been focused on the needs of Bronx residents, so much so that the company signed a comprehensive MOU with my office outlining their commitment to the Bronx on service expansion, accepting food stamps, local hiring and other key concerns,” said Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “Today’s announcement shows that FreshDirect is ready to live up to those commitments ahead of schedule, years before making the Bronx their official home. I am pleased with FreshDirect’s plans to expand its delivery zones to every corner of the borough. Ultimately, this move will offer residents increased healthy grocery options.”

FreshDirect said details about the food stamp pilot program are still being worked out but that it will enable food stamp recipients at a few Bronx locations to purchase groceries. 

USDA Undersecretary Kevin Concannon emphasized the importance of the FreshDirectproject, saying “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients in the Bronx will have greater access to the fresh foods that are so vital to healthy nutrition.”

Currently, those who rely on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – also known as Food Stamps – are unable to purchase groceries over the Internet from online vendors like FreshDirect. Electronic Benefits Transfer(EBT), the system that allows SNAP recipients to pay for groceries, does not now support Internet transactions.  As a result, FreshDirect is currently unable to accept food stamps.

FreshDirect asked the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to approve a pilot program to allow it to serve a test segment of Food Stamp beneficiaries in the Bronx.  With USDA’s approval freshly in hand, FreshDirect is now working to implement the pilot program and will detail how it will work in the coming weeks. 

To ensure compliance with EBT regulations currently in place, FreshDirect will make several modifications to its business operations for the pilot program.  The company will waive all delivery charges for EBT orders as a condition of current EBT purchase restrictions; purchase thousands of dollars worth of offline payment processing machines and pay incremental fees to accept EBT at the point of delivery; and modify its website interface and driver delivery software to ensure electronic reconciliation of individual EBT order accounts – something that is not currently available with mobile EBT processing devices.

USDA approved the pilot program last week.  FreshDirect will announce the pilot deployment launch date, delivery locations, and other program details soon. 

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Will New Mall Stem Bronx Depression?

By Michael Horowitz

BRONX, NEW YORK, May 17- With unemployment in the Bronx reaching 14.1 percent in February, Bay Plaza's new mall promises to be a big economic boon for Co-op City and the rest of the Bronx.

All told, the new mall is expected to generate 3,700 new jobs, 2,000 temporary positions relating to construction of the mall and another 1,700 permanent jobs.

At a time of deep economic retrenchment on a wide variety of fronts, Prestige Properties is planning to spend $270 million on construction of the new enclosed mall.

The new mall at Bay Plaza, in addition to providing greatly expanded opportunities for shopping, is expected to spur a variety of ancillary economic activities and commerce in the area.

Renovations at the existing portion of Bay Plaza have already started. Ultimately, Prestige Properties plans to spend $5 million on renovations of the existing portion of Bay Plaza, which opened in the mid-1980s.

Ultimately, the current and new portion of Bay Plaza will be connected into one enclosed mall.

Joseph Comparetto, senior vice president of Prestige, stressed, in a recent interview, “It is important that a shopping center not look outdated or faded. That's why we're spending an estimated $5 million on renovations of the existing portion of the shopping center.”

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