BRONX TIMES R 28 EPORTER,MAY 1-7, 2020 BTR
So we had our fi rst electronic
meeting. Thanks to our
commander for this idea and
technology but it’s not perfect
yet. Hope we won’t be doing
this much longer!
We are fi nancially sound
and motioned and accepted
our usual community organizations
donations for this time
of year. One great organization
helping other great neighborhood
organizations!
Good membership news,
except I had wanted a few
vets to come by and observe
us and join. Of course, most
of our amazing activities are
on “Pause NY” till we fi gure
out a different way to conduct
them.
Please keep in touch with
members of your committees
and new folks and old, a
“beep” and a “thumbs up” if
you see them as you drive by.
Sick call: Pete Sigmund
and Joe Ronda were ill, I know
Joe is recovering and back to
work.
Remember, Community
Board 10 has many helpful
“links” and offi cial phone
numbers if you need emergency
assistance. I have
been sending out what I get
(amazing job Patrick Caruso,
thanks) so you can send me
your Email address to: tonysalmail@
gmail.com and I’ll
send you what comes in.
Until Next Time: It’s not a
failure if you learn something
from it.
Join The American Legion
Family- service since 1919.
BY SANDI LUSK
Snippets from a Diary from
a Plague Year in Quarantined
New York City 2020 (apologies
to Daniel Defoe)
I wake up every morning
and go to sleep each night
with the sound of sirens
in my ears. It is an almost
continual backdrop to everyday
life at this crazy
time. I listen for the welcome
sound of birds. I will
put my bird feeder back
up so I can watch them in
my backyard to remind me
that spring is coming on in
the succession of cold, grey
days.
I received a package of
masks and gloves. I give a
box to my son who manages
a pharmacy and is out dealing
with the public all day and
some masks to my good friend
who is still traveling the subway
each day to get to work
watering plants. I worry about
them every day. Last time my
son and daughter-in-law visited,
they kept their masks on.
I miss hugging them. I refl ect
on how fortunate I am to be
able to work from home, even
though my hours were cut,
many do not have this luxury.
Today I refl ect on my little
house and the people I live
with: my husband and son. I
am indeed fortunate to have a
real home and family so I am
not alone, as so many are. Doing
more house cleaning than
ever and cooking and baking.
Well, that is something. This
is like living during a time of
war. Shortages of basic supplies,
fear, deserted streets,
rationing. But somehow, we
carry on within our homes,
and we who can do this are the
lucky ones.
We went food shopping at
Shoprite during the “senior
hours.” Already a huge line
waiting for the regular opening
time. We went right in,
which was nice. Store fairly
well stocked, not too many
shoppers though. They were
playing Baby Boomer music
over the sound system. They
started playing “Daydream
Believer” by the Monkees,
and I started to sing through
my mask and dance around
through the almost empty
aisles. Suddenly I felt like I
was that 14-year-old kid going
to JHS 227 in Bensonhurst
Brooklyn, and for the fi rst time
in a long time I felt happy. Music
has that kind of power.
Watching Governor Andrew
Cuomo on TV. Latest
hospitalization and ICU rates
are down. Death toll is going
down from 780 people to 500s
per day. Federal government
still standing in the way of
testing, Congress wrangling
over relief bills. If it weren’t for
Cuomo’s daily dose of sanity, I
think I would feel totally lost.
Of course, here come the
COVID-19 profi teers and deniers.
Jacking up prices on
necessities and taking advantage
of us when we are down.
And the virus deniers waving
guns around demanding
the “right” to spread infection
and perhaps die. It is a hoax,
a liberal plot, etc. Willful ignorance
and blindness can
kill. This fi lls me with a type
of anger I have never known.
Death is not political. The virus
is nonpartisan, it sickens
and can kill anyone unfortunate
enough to be in its path.
There are people on the front
line EVERY DAY risking their
lives to save others. The people
keeping essential businesses
open, keeping our world from
collapsing, keeping the food
in the markets, the prescriptions
available for those whose
lives may depend on them, the
buses and trains running, all
at risk to themselves, for us.
So many people, especially
the healthcare workers at the
front lines in this war, are
called upon each day to put on
their “armor” and go back out
into the middle of the chaos of
infection, disease, and death
wondering “how long will it
be until I am also infected and
perhaps dead?” Yet they keep
on in the fi ght every day. This
is a new type of bravery. We
owe them everything.
These have been my
thoughts and feelings so far
during this pandemic lock-
CIVIC CENTER
Korony AL Post 253
CIVIC CENTER
Westchester Square-
Zerega Improvement
Organization
BY GEORGE HAVRANEK
Developer friendly, “as of
right” building regulations have
created mushroom fi elds of vertical
development. These developments
substantially increase
environmental density and population.
However, they are not
accompanied by proportional
increases to services.
“As of right” development has
negatively affected our education
system. A rash of new developments
are scheduled in overcrowded
school districts without
plans to accommodate an anticipated
deluge of new students.
The following passage is
taken from a September 2019
assessment by Bronx Borough
President Ruben Diaz subtitled,
An Action for Effi cient Use
of Public School Space: “The
School Construction Authority
projects enrollment declines in
every Community School District
throughout Bronx County
and Manhattan despite DCP
projections showing those two
boroughs will have the greatest
growth in school-age children
over the next ten years.
The SCA needs to plan for these
changes now so they do not have
to play catch up to a changing
population later. Their enrollment
projections must become
more realistic or else they will
be completely unprepared in the
future.”
Author G.K. Chesterton
stated, “Education is simply the
soul of a society as it passes from
one generation to another.” It is
imperative that we bridge this
inter-agency discrepancy between
the SCA and DCP to ensure
that every child is afforded
the opportunity for a quality education.
The spirit of the “as of right”
development is well intentioned.
However, when continuously
utilized in stressed communities
the intentions become at
best questionable and at worst
unethical. The time has come
to place a moratorium on unimpeded
“as of right” developments.
This pause is needed to
properly assess public school capacity
within our community.
Our community has traditionally
exhibited a “we are family”
attitude. Now, is the time to
let it shine through the fog of uncertainty.
Communicate; make
that phone call, text message, or
email. Please check on family,
friends, and neighbors especially
the elderly and vulnerable.
This virus is indiscriminate,
follow all protocols; if possible
remain home, wear a face covering
in public, always implement
cautious contact, cleanliness,
and commonsense. Any area homeowner
or renter interested in
membership to the all 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.
down. I have no doubt we will
get through this, and look back
on it as a very steep learning
curve and a true test of
our mettle. In the meantime,
PLEASE wear your masks and
gloves in public, observe social
distancing, keep washing your
hands and use the hand sanitizer.
We will get through this,
but what type of city, state, and
country we will be we have yet
to see. Hopefully we will be
stronger and wiser.
As of now, for obvious reasons
all WSZIO events are
suspended and probably will
be until next spring. Check
out our Facebook page(
https://www.facebook.com/
Westchester-Square-Zerega-
Improvement-Organization-
Inc-120099117078/) because we
post everything we get from
NOTIFY NYC on there.
Again, this is not a time for
politics or petty differences.
We all want to survive this. We
must help each other. We wish
you all health and safety. Until
we meet again.
A hopeful TTFN to you all.
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PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER: CEO AND CO-PUBLISHER: Joshua Schneps
BRONX TIMES PUBLISHER: Laura Guerriero
CIVIC CENTER
Spencer Estate Civic
Association
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