From Councilman Mark Gjonaj
S SHOP OUR CLASSIFIED S
PAGES EVERY WEEK AND
SAVE MONEY
CB10 VIRTUAL PUBLIC HEARING – 01/21/2021
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J BTR AN. 15-21, 2021 55
BY COUNCILMAN
MARK GJONAJ
As you have undoubtedly
heard, COVID-19 vaccinations
have arrived and many New
Yorkers have already been immunized
with their fi rst dose.
Most of the offered COVID-19
vaccines are given twice for full
effectiveness. Vaccine administration
sites can be located by using
the search tool at https://vaccinefi
nder.nyc.gov/. Currently in
District 13, the vaccine is offered
only at Jacobi and Montefi ore, but
I sincerely hope the number of active
sites in our district expands
greatly beyond those two.
Being administered in waves,
the fi rst group (Phase 1a) to receive
their vaccinations were
front-line medical workers and
associated staff. The second part
of the fi rst phase includes those
75 and older, fi rst responders,
educational workers and public
transit workers.
For those still waiting, be patient.
Currently all vaccinations
are being done by appointment
only, and face coverings will be
necessary at these appointments.
To check your eligibility for immunization,
see https://am-ieligible.
covid19vaccine.health.
ny.gov/, and if you are eligible,
complete the .pdf form on the site.
At the time of writing, those
65 or older (high-risk age groups)
are now eligible to receive the
vaccine. I have joined the Brooklyn
Borough President and other
elected offi cials in a call on the
state and city to ensure greater
equity in vaccination distribution
by use of real-time data.
There should not be any discrimination
in the distribution
of COVID-19 vaccines.
Getting vaccinated protects
yourself and others. Both the
Pfi zer and Moderna vaccines
have been shown to be 94% effective
in preventing COVID-19
infection in those inoculated.
For any questions related to the
COVID-19 vaccine, or anything
else, contact my district offi ce
at either MGjonaj@council.nyc.
gov.
BY GEORGE HAVRANEK
Governor Cuomo’s Public Forum
Tropical Storm Isaias August 2020,
tropical storm Isaias brutally struck
leaving 22,000 Bronx customers without
electrical, telephone and Internet
services. Excessive winds, uprooted
trees, and downed branches
decimated vulnerable utility infrastructures.
The obstructed bus route
roadways and minor outages within
our footprint paled in comparison to
damages in harder hit regions. Despite
lesser damages, Con Edison’s delayed
response within our footprint
was glaringly unacceptable. Diligent
efforts by Councilman Mark Gjonaj,
staffer Farah Rubin, and Parks Administrator
Marianne Andersen facilitated
restoration actions by Con
Edison and numerous city agencies.
We applaud Councilman Gjonaj for
his efforts to better our community
and the opportunity to voice concerns
at this important public forum.
The January 5 th public forum
was a justifi able Con Edison bash-athon.
Multiple dozens of prominent
speakers, which included elected offi
cials, county executives and agency
heads, expressed outrage with the ineffi
cient utility. In the face of current
public interest oversights by NY State
Public Service Commission and Federal
Energy Regulation Commission
the prospect of municipalizing the
utility was raised numerous times.
It is plausible to suggest more than
Con Edison fumbled the ball this trip
down the fi eld. Con Edison’s past performances
in emergency situations
have been scrutinized. In 2006 segments
of Astoria, Queens went without
power for approximately three
weeks. In 2012 our Bronx waterfront
communities felt the destructive
forces of Hurricane Sandy. Luckily,
on our home front, a major crisis was
avoided since only the eastern section
of our small footprint lost power for
two weeks. Metaphorically speaking,
clearly this was not Con Edison’s fi rst
rodeo. This begs the question: Where
is the oversight? March 3, 2020, a
scant fi ve months before Isaias, an
audit by the offi ce of State Comptroller
Tom DiNapoli showed the Public
Service Commissions’ inadequate
utility monitoring across the state.
DiNapoli stated, “My auditors found
the state Public Service Commission
was not doing enough to make sure
utilities are holding up their end of
the deal.
When New Yorkers fl ip on the
lights…they should be confi dent
someone is making sure service providers
are living up to their promises.”
Con Edison performance in
emergency situations has been questionable;
however, state run oversight
has also proved unreliable. We
cannot hand New York State or New
York City custody of our energy supply
when the simple task of oversight
seems too diffi cult. Municipal control
in this sector brings to mind the
current conditions of NYCHA and
MTA. It is time for government oversight,
State Public Service Commission,
to implement stern, proper and
transparent oversight on Con Edison.
Bronx residents have been kept in in
the dark for too long.
January 7 , 2021: 45 th Precinct
Community Council Meeting: Captain
Thomas Fraser’s year-end report
for the 45 th precinct revealed a pandemic
related 10.5% decrease in crime
for calendar year 2020. Included in
this decrease is a 20% spike in Grand
Theft Automobiles. Although signifi -
cant, this 20% jump in auto theft represented
the lowest number in Bronx
County. A rudimentary breakdown of
automobile theft within the 45 th footprint
showed 150 occurrences with a
50% vehicle recovery rate. Approximately
50 or 33% of the incidences involved
Honda’s, while 35 or 23% of the
150 stolen vehicles were deemed to be
left running or started by key FOB.
Accompanying 8 documented shootings,
the 45th reported 2 homicides
including the April 15 th drug related
“Bay View Baseball Bat” murder
within the Spencer Estate footprint.
The evening’s eye opener: A spotlight
is needed on the disconcerting
rise in drug overdoses for 2020. The
47 incidences with 15 (almost 1/3) being
fatal is cause for multiple community
concern and needs swift, proper
attention. From a personal perspective,
I passionately believe the drug
addled do not receive treatments that
produce high probabilities rates of recovery.
A paradigm shift in treatment
for those seriously wanting to escape
the clutches of this societal plague is
justifi able.
Expectation for improvements in
this area absent of changes is simply
unrealistic. Legislations and well
directed fi nancial allocations could
bring the resources that are real difference
makers.
For perspective: Crime, for statistical
purposes, is defi ned by the
“Big Seven” which are Murder, Rape,
Robbery, Felony Assault, Burglary,
Grand Larceny and Grand Larceny
Auto. Numerous Quality of Life issues,
which are prime community
complaints, are categorized as nuisance
behaviors and continue to meander
through the maze and haze
of the 311 systems. The responsibility
of law enforcement and judiciary
within a community is clear: they
must abide by the rules crafted by our
legislative leadership. Like fi shermen
with a sub-standard catch, legislators
have mandated our law enforcement
and judiciary to quickly release most
of the arrested back into society. Remember
the words of the immortal
Maya Angelou “If we don’t plant the
right seeds we will reap the wrong
things…common sense tells you to be
kind.” Franklin D Roosevelt stated,
“It is common to take a method and
try it. If it fails admit it frankly and
try another.” It is time for our knowledgeable
legislators to heed the words
of these two guiding lights, utilize
conductor like intuitiveness, and correctly
guide the community orchestra.
Solidarity and community unifi cation
is disadvantageous to the multiparty
political machine. “If we want
to keep and reap the blessings of our
fi ne quality of life we must undergo
the fatigue of supporting it.” Our community
has traditionally exhibited a
"We are Family attitude"
Now, is the time to let it shine and
dissolve fogs of uncertainty. Communicate;
make that phone call, text
message, or e-mail. Please check on
family, friends, and neighbors especially
the elderly and vulnerable.
Any area homeowner or renter interested
in membership to the inclusive
Spencer Estate Civic Association in
box George Havranek on Facebook
or send-email to spencerestatecivic@
gmail.com Remember: “Inclusion
brings solutions.” Community= Common
Unity.
CIVIC CENTER
Spencer Estates Civic
Association
Bronx Community Board 10 will be having a virtual public
hearing on Thursday, January 21, 2021, 7 p.m., on BSA
Cal. No. 21-10-BZ, 2810 Roebling Avenue d/b/a/ Burger
King in a Special Order Calendar application before the
Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) to extend the
term of a previously granted special permit legalizing an
eating and drinking establishment at the subject premises
and to extend the time to obtain a Certificate of
Occupancy. Login Information is Meeting Dial In: (646)
992-2010, Meeting Access Key: 1736307272.
/am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health
/
/
/am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health
/am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health
/
link
/nder.nyc.gov
/ny.gov
/gmail.com
link