BRONX TIMES REPORTER, O BTR CT. 8-14, 2021 43
BY MARY JANE MUSANO
We are still trying to notify
everyone in our community
about the proposal made
by Joseph Bivona, owner of
Super Foodtown on Bruckner
and Crosby avenues. There are
many misconceptions fl oating
around and it is important
that we all know the truth. The
proposal and what we can do
about it will be discussed in detail
at our next informational
rally. The rally will be on Oct.
16 at 12 p.m., at Bufano Park
also know as Waterbury Park.
The park is on Waterbury and
LaSalle avenues. Please tell
your neighbors and be sure to
attend.
Basically, the proposal is
to upzone the area from Foodtown
on Crosby and Bruckner
avenues down to Gifford Avenue
and into a portion of Tremont
Avenue. If the proposal
goes through our low-density
community will become a
very high-density community
in that area. It will set a precedent
for this to happen all
over our community. There
are 34 properties that will be
upzoned. Right now they are
proposing two 8-story buildings,
one fi ve-story building
and one three-story building.
But we can expect that eventually
34 high-rise buildings
may block out our sun and
clean air. It won’t be a welcomed
sight.
We fought very hard for
this community to be a lowdensity
community. We won
that downzoning because the
Community Board, City Council,
borough president, city
Planning and the mayor all
agreed that our infrastructure
could not accommodate
high-density buildings. They
agreed that our schools, Police
Department and Fire Department
would be negatively affected.
Nothing has changed
since that downzoning. Therefore,
this proposal should not
even be considered.
If this community is upzoned,
it will change our community
forever. We must fi ght
with all we have. Part of that
fi ght must be to get every local
politician to say publicly that
they are against this upzoning
and any other upzoning that
may be proposed for our community.
They must commit to
garnering the support of their
colleagues. They must not accept
the endorsement of Open
NY, whose policy is to upzone
everywhere. Every politician
that has a vote must commit to
voting no on this proposal with
no negotiation of any kind.
They are either with us or
against us. If they are against
us, we must vote them out. The
politicians that do not have a
vote must support our communities
wishes. Remember,
they work for us. If they are not
working for us, we must vote
them out and keep voting them
out.
That being said, we have
the support of many politicians
both Republican and Democrat.
This is not a race to vote along
party lines as some of us do. We
must vote for the person who
commits their full support, who
attends our rallies and who is
listening to us. It does not matter
what party they are from.
DUESIf you have not yet
paid your dues, please do so
today. We need your support
more than ever with this issue
knocking at our door. You
can send your $10 dues to Waterbury
LaSalle Community
Association, 1145 Hobart Ave.
If you have not yet donated to
our online GoFundMe page you
can send a check to the above
address. The check should be
made out to Bronx Coalition
Against Upzoning. It doesn’t
have to be a lot. If everyone sent
in $5 or $10 we would reach our
goal. Thank you so much to our
members who not only sent in
their dues but included an extra
gift. It is very much appreciated.
Please know that we are
working very hard to maintain
the quality of life we all want to
enjoy.
VACCINE MANDATESThere
are many teachers
and nurses that are about to
lose their jobs. Teachers and
nurses are being discriminated
against as they do not have the
same option that every other
city worker has. All they want
is the option to either get vaccinated
or get tested once a week.
The discrimination goes further
as the CDC has said that
vaccinated or unvaccinated
people shed the virus and contract
the virus in the exact
same way. So, why are unvaccinated
people subjected to a
different set of rules? On top of
all that, if they leave due to the
mandate they cannot get unemployment,
which they paid
for. So, how are they to support
themselves? It’s not science. It’s
political and we must resist.
I ask for your prayers for the
teachers and nurses that have
been put in this no-win situation.
They desperately need our
support.
Until next time, please stay
safe and involved.
Photo Adrian Childress
CIVIC CENTER
Waterbury-LaSalle
Association
BY STEPHEN GLOSSER
Join us as the Pelham
Parkway Neighborhood Association
has their monthly
community meeting on Tuesday,
Oct. 12, at 7 p.m., at our
new location 2134 Barnes
Ave., on the corner of Lydig
and Barnes avenues. We will
welcome Stephen J. Caruso
Jr., citywide community affairs
offi cer from the NYC
Department of Sanitation.
This is your opportunity to
bring your issues, questions
and concerns, and problems
to this meeting. Involvement
from the community is essential
to having a safe, clean and
graffi ti-free neighborhood. It’s
time to get involved in your
community and stay involved.
Your problems get addressed
and action taken. Show up and
speak up.
BY TONY SALIMBENE
So we still have a few nice
days left, hope you enjoy them.
Be safe out there. Hey, I like
fall, too.
Maybe it’s a good time to
check on worn U.S. and POW
fl ags. They may still have service
life left in them, please
haul them down when necessary
and be ready to replace
them.
Don’t forget the Columbus
Day Parade coming up. And
from that area of the hood,
Rich V (SAL 253) announced
the Korony Post Color Guard
will be this year’s honorees
at the Van Nest new monument
area this Veterans Day.
Giving your personal time to
honor and remember is beyond
amazing to me. Much
improved from our good attempts
of old, this unit is a
combo of dedication, sacrifi
ce and professionalism. As
someone once “conned” into
a boot camp ceremonial unit,
I can attest that Korony 253’s
Color Guard is up there with
the military units I observed.
Flag hoist Bravo Zulu = job
well done.Hope you got out to
LH Hawkins Post on City Island
Avenue for some pumpkins,
mums and such. Joe
Goonan and Peter Del-Debbio,
senior legionnaires, I know
would appreciate your patronage
for a good cause. Any time
you see an American Legion
function where ever you are,
please patronize it to help out.
Until Next Time: The fool talks
about it, the bragger makes a
scene about it, the wise man
just quietly gets it done.
CIVIC CENTER
Korony Post 253
CIVIC CENTER
Pelham Parkway
Neighborhood
Association
BXTIMES.COM
From Councilman Mark Gjonaj
BY COUNCILMAN
MARK GJONAJ
Constituents of the
Bronx’s Council District 13,
it is my pleasure to serve
you and this week is no exception.
This week and last
weekend have been replete
with an assortment of different
constituent services
offerings and events.
This weekend we began,
in observation of Breast
Cancer Awareness Month,
with a free mammogram
service to all interested
district members in Westchester
Square at the Santa
Maria Church. I thank the
American Italian Cancer
Association for joining my
offi ce in putting this great
event on. It was a tremendous
success, making sure
the women of District 13 are
healthy and cancer-resilient.
The next day we continued
on to hold yet another
by-demand clean up
of our streets with the tireless
Wildcats, and the join
efforts also of Sanitation,
Team Gjonaj and the City Island
Civic Association. The
benefi ciary of this weekend’s
effort was City Island.
Debris and litter was collected,
greenery was maintained
and graffi ti was also
removed. For suggestions
about new cleanup sites,
please contact my offi ce.
This week kicked off
with another successful
mask and hand sanitizer
giveaway with community
activist Christian Amato on
the corner of Astor Avenue
and Boston Road. We gave
out more than 81,000 masks,
1,000 units of hand sanitizer,
reusable bags and more.
Throughout the pandemic,
and even before, my offi ce
has been on the front lines
getting vulnerable constituents
PPE, and also food.
Hundreds of thousands of
items of aid have made their
way to needful hands.
To receive assistance
from my constituent services
team, receive information
about upcoming
services and events, or for
anything else, please contact
my district offi ce at
either MGjonaj@council.
nyc.gov or at (718) 931-1721.
Thank you and stay safe.
Once again, it is my pleasure
to serve this wonderful
Bronx community.
/BXTIMES.COM
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