BY TONY SALIMBENE
Waiting to hear if we
are back meeting in person
re: COVID-19 guidelines.
That’s the third Sunday
morning Post 253 meeting,
Sept. 19, at American Turners
NY.
I want to take a moment
to personally thank the
guys who returned my call
for assistance locating SAL
Membership cards.
That’s Peter Del-Debbio,
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR SEPT. 17-23, 2021 35
Peter Booth, Peter DeAngelis,
Bill Clancy III, Kevin
Devine, Charles from Department
HQ and Ed McGee
for the special delivery.
I am still looking for a
Post SAL advisor, the paperwork
takes a whole 2
hours once a year. I would
hate to decommission the
Squadron. Thanks for the
couple of projects this year.
Also, I’ll be checking membership
again. Those who
want a “cheap beer-free
card” can please join at
their local post.
A big thanks to Tom
from Texas Roadhouse
in New Rochelle for some
items for our Support the
Troops Bingo, and to DSNY
for an amazing response to
a post-storm cleanup.
We hope everyone took
a moment to refl ect upon
9/11/01. Never Forget.
Until Next Time: “No one
can make you feel inferior
without your permission.”
-Eleanor Roosevelt
CIVIC CENTER
Korony Post 253
BY LYNN GERBINO
The Villa Barone has graciously
opened its doors to us
once again and we will be having
our fi rst hybrid meeting
there on Tuesday, Sept. 28, at
6:30 p.m. Please note the new
time. This new time coordinates
with Villa Barone’s hours
and we thank them for being
able to use their catering hall.
We will have members come
in-person who will be seated socially
distant and we ask that
you wear a mask to protect our
members who are medically
compromised.
We will also have the meeting
on Zoom starting at 6:30
p.m. as long as we get the logistics
worked out. You can use a
phone or computer to log on.
The Zoom meeting number:
8395689027The Zoom meeting
passcode: 624067.
We have invited the captain
of the 45th Precinct to attend
and hope to hear soon.
This is an experiment to see
how many members are willing
to attend a live meeting. We
have many community issues
to discuss and look forward to
seeing all of you once again.
You can message us on our
Facebook page Throggs Neck
Homeowners Association or
call us at 718-823-0327.
BY AL D’ANGELO
Twenty years have passed
since the horrifi c attacks on
the World Trade Center and
I remember the day as if it
were yesterday. The nation
was touched — we were all
New Yorkers that day — as we
mourned the senseless loss of
innocent lives.
We learned a great lesson
in the days and months that
followed. We learned that
there is evil in this world that
is bent on the destruction
of our American way of life.
More important, we learned
that despite our differences
we came together as a nation
when our way of life was
threatened. In my lifetime,
we were never more united
than we were on 9/11. We
watched in horror as our fi rst
responders rushed into burning
buildings to help their
fellow man, regardless of the
race or religion. Nothing else
mattered — people were in
trouble.
The following days and
weeks saw an outpouring
of patriotism I have never
witnessed before nor since.
People helping each other
cope with devastating losses.
People volunteering at the
site of the devastation to sift
through the rubble in hopes
of fi nding survivors or remains
so families could fi nd
closure; unfortunately, the intense
heat left little to fi nd.
Blood banks were inundated
with people donating
blood; people donated money
to help those affected by the
tragedy; stores donated food
and water for the workers and
ordinary people volunteered
to hand out donations. Patriotism
was evident by the massive
display of American fl ags
all over this country.
“It was the best of times; it
was the worst of times,” Dicken’s
words ring so true.
The 2,996 people who lost
their lives brought us together
as one nation united,
not divided by political ideology,
race, religion or country
of origin. Let that be their legacy,
one that binds us together
in love for one another.
CIVIC CENTER
Morris Park
Community
Association
BY GEORGE HAVRANEK
Pitcher looks in, gets the
sign, batter readies, the pitch
is on the way. Check swing, a
lazy pop fl y into shallow left
fi eld. Leftfi elder moving in;
shortstop moves out. No one
taking charge; looks like trouble.
The ball drops as a chorus
of boos emits from a disappointed
crowd. Just like that,
the visitors are gifted a baserunner.
In baseball parlance
this is a tweener; a seemingly
routine play that fell in between
two indecisive fi elders.
The tweener creates opportunity.
Today, our community
confronts a variation of the
tweener.
Current City Councilman
Mark Gjonaj, District 13, is not
seeking re-election. Term limits
will oust Bronx Borough
President Ruben Diaz Jr., and
NYC Mayor Bill deBlasio. Successors
to these infl uential positions,
along with nearly 2/3
of the NYC council, will be determined
in November’s election.
During this precarious, inbetween
period our community
faces major issues.
Throggs Neck Associates
LLC, seeks upzonings along
a 3/8 mile stretch of Bruckner
Boulevard. The proposed
4-section Bruckner project
includes approximately 36
parcels of land and multiple
property owners. In specifi c
sections, including the current
Foodtown location, the
proposed upzone would replace
highly sought, hard
fought, low-density R-4A zoning
with higher density R-6A
zoning designation. The R-6A
designation permits construction
of 85-foot tall structures
and lays the path for future
upzoning and uncontrolled as
of right overdevelopment.
DeBlasio’s appointed City
Hall Advisory Commission
on Property Tax Reform
reached consensus on 10 initial
recommendations. The
commissions’ goal is to address
perceived inequities in
the current property tax system
and create an impartial,
understandable property tax
structure. In typical City Hall
fashion, these recommendations
create more questions
than answers. However, the
undefi ned and obscure consensus
verbiage strongly indicates
NYC middle class home
owners should anticipate
property tax increases.
Tropical Storm Ida brought
death and destruction to our
city. Thankfully, property
damage in our neighborhood
was not accompanied by sorrowful
loss of life. The consequences
of Ida beg questions:
Does the sewer and
storm drain infrastructures
in low-density communities
meet needs? Would proactive
measures, including routine
sewer and storm drain maintenance,
have mitigated fl ood
damages and possibly saved
lives? Should NYC’s Basement
Apartment Conversion Pilot
Program, which creates Additional
Dwelling Units (ADUs),
remain suspended pending
thorough damage and infrastructure
assessments? Will
elected offi cials scrutinize
NYC storm preparations as
they did Con Edison after Isaias?
The gap period between
outgoing and incoming
elected offi cials creates political
uncertainty.
Embracement of complacent
political lame duck status
by outgoing elected offi cials
makes communities vulnerable
and susceptible. Until replaced,
they remain our leaders,
the go-to, take charge
people; obligated to take defi nitive
positions and actions on
behalf of their communities.
Outgoing elected offi cials cannot
avoid or display indecision
about up in the air tweener
situations. Our communities
must send the message:
You still wear the community
team uniform; lead the team,
align the defenses, put on the
glove and make the catches.
Monthly meetings resume
Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 7:30
p.m. at Knights of Columbus.
If we want to keep and reap
the blessings of our fi ne quality
of life, we must endure the
fatigue of supporting it. Our
community has traditionally
exhibited a “We are Family attitude.”
Now, is the time to let
it shine. Communicate; make
that phone call, text message,
or email. Please check on family,
friends and neighbors,
especially the elderly and
vulnerable. Any area homeowner
or renter interested in
the Spencer Estate Civic Association
attend a meeting or
send an email to spencerestatecivic@
gmail.com.
R e m e m b e r :
Community=Common-Unity
and Inclusion brings Solutions.
CIVIC CENTER
Spencer Estate
Civic Association
CIVIC CENTER
Throggs Neck
Homeowners
Association
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. Photo Jewel Weber
link
link
/gmail.com