Bronx News Network

NRI and Gustavo Head Upstate

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What will Bill Samuels and his New Roosevelts do now that they’ve reached their goal of defeating Pedro Espada? According to a press release, they’re taking their show on the road-and bringing Gustavo Rivera with them-to throw support behind Mary Wilmot, a Democratic candidate running for State Senate in Rochester against a Republican incumbent.<br /><br />The most-likely-to-be-elected Rivera was in Rochester today to officially endorse Wilmot, who, in turn, had endorsed him against Espada back in August.<br /><br />Samuels, a wealthy businessman and former candidate for Lieutenant Governor, founded the New Roosevelt Initiative this year to change Albany, he says, by helping to elect more “reform-minded candidates.”  His<a href=”http://www.norwoodnews.org/story/?id=2023″> group spent much of the summer campaigning in the Bronx against Espada</a>, handing out leaflets, knocking on doors and pledging $250,000 to see Rivera on the ballot instead.<br /><br />NRI said the group’s next move is to help get more women elected to the legislature. The general election will be on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Bronx News Network

Orchard Beach To Expand; Help for the South Groin

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Between October and next summer, 250,000 cubic yards of sand – about 15,000 dump truck loads worth – will be added to Orchard Beach to expand its total area and help protect the beach’s eroding “south groin,” according to a press release sent out today by the Army Corps of Engineers.<br /><br />The Army Corps say they are partnering with the city’s Parks Department, 50-50, on a $10.6 million contract they recently awarded to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company of Oak Brook, Illinois. <br /><br />”The work will help combat erosion at Orchard Beach by replacing lost sand and repairing the south groin to inhibit future erosion,” the release says. “It will also make the beach safer by relieving overcrowding and eliminating dangerous drop-off zones.”<br /><br />More than 1.4 million people visited <a href=”http://gis.nyc.gov/parks/lc/NYCParkMapIt.do;jsessionid=B00E8CC9748893C0E8A91C858465FC04”>the man-made Orchard Beach</a>, a.ka. the “Riviera of the Bronx,” this past summer, the release says.<br /><br />Although we’ve never heard of a non-human element at a beach referred to as a “groin,” this appears to be great news for the Bronx and badly needed for Orchard Beach. <br /><br />Parks Commish Adrian Benepe: “This WPA-era, man-made beach was last nourished with sand in 1964.

Bronx News Network

Bronx Events This Week

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Check out our newly updated events calendar to see what’s happening this week, or to plan your weekend. Details are below (and you can access the calendar anytime by clicking the <i>What’s Going On? </i>link on the right side of this page.)<br /><br /><div style=”text-align: center;”><div style=”text-align: left;”><iframe allowtransparency=”allowtransparency” border=”0″ frameborder=”0″ marginheight=”0″ marginwidth=”0″ scrolling=”no” src=”http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?mode=AGENDA&showTitle=0&showTabs=0&showPrint=0&showCalendars=0&wkst=1&element=true&src=bronxnewsnetwork%40gmail.com” style=”border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; height: 400px; margin: 0px; width: 435px;”></iframe></div></div><br /><div style=”text-align: left;”><strong>Editor’s note:</strong> <em>What did we miss? Send details to bronxnewsnetwork[at]gmail.com.</em> </div>

Bronx News Network

Survey for Rezoning of Fordham Road

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Community Board 6 is asking residents to fill out the following survey (see below) for ideas on how to rezone a portion of East Fordham Road, between Bathgate Avenue and Cambreleng Avenue. Read more about the plans in <a href=”http://www.blogger.com/goog_987611179″>this month’s issue of the Tremont Tribune,</a><i><a href=”http://www.blogger.com/goog_987611179″> </a></i><a href=”http://www.tremonttribune.org/?p=775″>here. </a><br /><br />Completed surveys should be mailed to 1932 Arthur Avenue, Bronx, NY 10457, or sent by e-mail to brxcb6@optonline.net. Forms are also available in Spanish, Italian and Albanian; call the Board at (718) 579-6990 for more information. <br /><br /><a href=”http://www.scribd.com/doc/38327734/Fordham-Road-Rezoning-Survey-in-English” style=”-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto; text-decoration: underline;” title=”View Fordham Road Rezoning Survey in English on Scribd”>Fordham Road Rezoning Survey in English</a> <object data=”http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf” height=”600″ id=”doc_517615879719618″ name=”doc_517615879719618″ style=”outline: none;” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” width=”100%”> <param name=”movie” value=”http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf”> <param name=”wmode” value=”opaque”> <param name=”bgcolor” value=”#ffffff”> <param name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”> <param name=”allowScriptAccess” value=”always”> <param name=”FlashVars” value=”document_id=38327734&access_key=key-193v1ejl22yy5rdnsarn&page=1&viewMode=list”> <embed id=”doc_517615879719618″ name=”doc_517615879719618″ src=”http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=38327734&access_key=key-193v1ejl22yy5rdnsarn&page=1&viewMode=list” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowscriptaccess=”always” allowfullscreen=”true” height=”600″ width=”100%” wmode=”opaque” bgcolor=”#ffffff”></embed> </object>

Bronx News Network

The Mystery of New Lowercase Bronx Street Name Signs

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Boogiedowner <a href=”http://boogiedowner.blogspot.com/2010/09/photo-of-day_28.html”>beat us to the punch on this</a>, but we also noticed over the weekend that many street name signs have been changed to lowercase – not all of them, just some. Is the DOT changing them all over the Bronx, the city, etc.? What’s the reason? How much is it costing?<br /><br />We put these questions to DOT  this morning. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear back.

CITY WIRE: THE BLOG

City Council Releases Report on Milbank's Woes

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By: Jarrett Murphy

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QZAZwXXn2pw/TJu6FgKGrEI/AAAAAAAAAN4/05kdK3k2HP4/s1600/DSCN2252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QZAZwXXn2pw/TJu6FgKGrEI/AAAAAAAAAN4/05kdK3k2HP4/s400/DSCN2252.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Council Speaker Christine Quinn at City Hall last week, announcing a new strategy to deal with distressed buildings like Milbank’s (Photo by Jeanmarie Evelly)</td></tr></tbody></table>Members of City Council and a number of housing advocacy groups unveiled a plan last Thursday to deal with the city’s growing number of distressed, overleveraged properties-including 10 Bronx apartment buildings owned by Milbank Real Estate, which have been in worsening states of disrepair since the company went into foreclosure on the properties last year.<br /><br />The program will elicit the help of pro-bono engineers and architects to assess the damage in properties like Milbank’s so that tenants can have a detailed list of their building’s problems, and better hold landlords accountable for making repairs.<br /><br />"We believe it’s important for residents to be armed, so they can advocate for their own solutions," said Andrew Reicher, executive director of the Urban Homestead Housing Board, which has been working with Milbank tenants for the past several months. <br /><br />The first property survey, done by Baer Architect Group and the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, is a nightmarish list of 3,300 housing violations in the 10 Milbank’s properties, which are scattered throughout the northwest Bronx. The study confirms what tenants have long been saying.<br /><br />Complaints include leaking walls and ceilings, broken elevators, rotting floors and months without a working toilet in some apartments. It calculated that the cost of repairs for all the buildings could add up to over $24 million.<br /><br />"It’s reprehensible," said Charlene Barton, who lives in one of the properties at 1576 Taylor Avenue, and says she’s been fighting a mold infestation for almost a year. "Why manage a building if you’re not going to take care of it?"<br /><a name=’more’></a><br />Milbank, a California-based real estate company, bought the buildings in 2006 and 2007 during the boom times, taking out a hefty $35 million mortgage to pay for them and hoping to hike up rents to turn a profit.

Bronx News Network

Bronx News Roundup, Sept. 28

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Police are hunting for a hit-and-run driver <a href=”http://www.wpix.com/wpix-hit-run,0,3762339.story”>who struck and killed a man</a> on the Cross Bronx Expressway this morning. <br /><br /><a href=”http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2010/09/28/2010-09-28_church_vics_funeral_set.html”>A funeral service will be held Friday</a> for the six members of a Bronx church who died earlier this month when their van crashed on the New York State Thruway. <br /><br /><a href=”http://www.lohud.com/article/20100928/NEWS02/9280327/-1/newsfront/Bronx-motorcyclist-ID-d-as-Taconic-crash-victim”>A Bronx motorcyclist was killed</a> on the Taconic State Parkway on Sunday.<br /><br />Lehman High School’s football team is one of the best in the city, but it can never play at home because its field is <a href=”http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2010/09/28/2010-09-28_the_longest_20_yards_city_falls_short_in_expanding_lehman_highs_80yard_field.html”>20-yards short of the regulation size</a>. <br /><br />In Riverdale last night, a man traveling on a city bus <a href=”http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/09/28/2010-09-28_bus_driver_burned_in_chem_toss.html?r=news”>squirted a mystery chemical</a> into the driver’s face. <br /><br />There were <a href=”http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2010/09/28/2010-09-28_scripts_replace_old_party_elect_brawls.html”>few surprises at last week’s</a> Bronx Democratic County Committee Convention, unlike the 2008 event, where there <a href=”http://www.bronxnewsnetwork.org/2008/09/democratic-committee-meeting-to.html”>were fireworks, so to speak</a>.