letters & comments
Dear editor,
Cheers!
I’m writing to shout out
Clinic for managing to
remain open to care for our
pets during this COVID-19
crisis
My two little dogs needed
veterinary care recently and
it was beautifully provided. I
made advance appointments
and called once outside the
clinic. One of the assistants,
fully covered in protective
gear, came out to accept the
pet who was then examined
by one of the vets. I was advised
by phone of the diagnosis
and treatment plan. Once
agreed upon and carried out,
my pet was returned to me
waiting outside. Payment was
made by credit card passed in
and out in the same manner.
The staff was wonderful
with all the pets, many of
whom were not happy to go
into the vet without its owner.
However, it all went smoothly
and my pets are home and in
fi ne condition. I know this
was stressful all around, but
kudos to Middletown Animal
Clinic. They made it work!
– Majorie O’Neil
editor, Alex Mitchell
Very pleased to share
some excellent news about
the largest growth of the
Bronx Times website to date
that’s happened since the
start of April:
The site saw a 162 percent
increase in users at 124,000
total and pageviews fl ew up
155 percentto 199,000 total,
which I’m confi dent that
we’ll be breaking 200,000 in
May.
Social media post engagement
jumped to an astonishing
365 percent growth with
the BX Times Facebook page
showing green arrows in
each analytical category.
These numbers have more
than doubled what they were
in April 2019! Excited to continue
sharing more good news
in the upcoming weeks.
For our latest stories visit
our website at bxtimes.com
or fi nd us on social media @
BronxTimes.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR MAY 15-21, 2020 13
oped
Gjonaj: Virtual town hall for
renters and homeowners
BY COUNCILMAN
MARK GJONAJ
Last week, I held a remote
town hall for renters and homeowners
in cooperation
with the Neighborhood Initiatives
Development Corporation
(NIDC), the NYC Department
of Finance and the
NYC Department of Environmental
Protection. The town
hall saw to clarify a number
of pressing concerns for
these renters and homeowners
as they try to navigate
this COVID-19 space and all
of its challenging economic
problems.
Many useful bits of information
came out during this
virtual town hall, including
that which was related
to DOF relief programs for
property taxes, information
specifi cally related to renters
and homeowners unable
to pay their water bills and
clarifi cation regarding the
90-day moratorium placed on
evictions of renters.
It is highly recommended
that renters and homeowners
refer themselves to the DOF
website for tax relief. Popular
programs of recourse include
payment plans, PTA
programs for deferment of
payments in special cases,
special programs tailored to
the needs of seniors. While
the DOF cannot waive interest
rates on property taxes,
they will not charge late fees.
Similarly, with regard to
water bills and the DEP, interests
payments cannot be
waived, but they are willing
to develop payment plans as
well.
The NIDC, during the
town hall however, took
care to clarify that the 90-
day moratorium on evictions
does not extend to rent payment
and charges, and that
it merely applies to evictions
(as previously stated) and
foreclosures. As such, NIDC
emphatically encourages all
tenants to continue to pay
their rent.
If you are a renter or homeowner,
and you either attended
the virtual hall and
still have questions or were
unable to attend and need additional
clarifi cation, please
contact my district offi ce at
718-931-1721 or email me at
mgjonaj@council.nyc.gov.
Constituent service personnel
in my offi ce are readily
able to walk you through the
various DOF programs available
to you and their application
process.
Councilman Mark Gjonaj Photo courtesy of Gjonaj campaign
LET US HEAR FROM YOU
Letters to the editor are welcome from all readers. They should be addressed
care of this newspaper to Laura Guerriero, Publisher, the Bronx Times Reporter,
3604 E. Tremont Ave., Bronx, NY 10465, or e-mail to bronxtimes@cnglocal.com.
All letters, including those submitted via e-mail, MUST be signed and with a
verifi able address and telephone number included.
Note that the address and telephone number will NOT be published and the
name will be published or withheld upon request.
No unsigned letters can be accepted for publication. The editor reserves the
right to edit all submissions.
cheers to Middletown Animal
As reported by our digital
Assemblyman Michael Benedetto took a walk through District 82 to thank essential businesses who are
currently open, like William’s Cafe in Westchester Square (pictured above.)
Photo courtesy of Assemblyman Benedetto’s offi ce
Call 718.260.2555
..to sell your car in our
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& get...Real Results!
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