BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J 50 ULY 19-25, 2019 BTR
KIPP NYC COLLEGE PREP
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
KIPP NYC College Prep High School hosted its graudation ceremony
for the Class of 2019 on Friday, June 28 at Lehman College.
Above, ll-r) Valedictorian Chevelle Frimpong; KIPP NYC College
Prep principal Carlos Capellan and Jennifer Luzon. Frimpong will
attend University of Pennsylvania while Jennifer Luzon will attend
Georgetown University this fall. Photo courtesy of SKDKnickerbocker
BY GENE DEFRANCIS
Freedom Bingo. Thank you
once again to Beth Abraham
for hosting our Bingo Night.
For those that do not know,
Beth Abraham is under major
renovation right now. The
auditorium, in an immediate
executive decision, is being
transformed into a rehabilitation
center with new cooling
and heating system.
Before Centers Health
took over, the various rooms
for therapy were scattered
throughout the building. With
this new plan they will be together
improving communication
and equipment. Being
that they are a health center
with the mission to rehabilitate
their clients this is a priority.
We will miss the auditorium
and all the meetings
and events held there. But this
is for the greater good and
a meeting location for such
events shall hopefully restore
sooner rather than later. But
this is a good thing for the residents
of Beth Abraham and
their care.
That said, they still went
above and beyond to accommodate
us for this year’s Freedom
Bingo July 5. They gave
us a conference room on the
second fl oor to utilize however,
given the condition of the
weather that day (it was beautiful)
we decided to take the
risk and hold the Bingo event
outside on the patio. We had a
large turnout. A slight wind
came in now and again which
added excitement but there
were only a few bingo card casualties
and chases. We had
some fun with a mini auction
break and raffl e prizes.
All in all the night was a
success. We raised a few dollars
for the community and
our friends and neighbors
enjoyed themselves. We sincerely
and deeply thank everyone
who invested their
time and money to support
this event. It brings great joy
to many of the residents in
Beth Abraham bringing new
energy inside and brightening
up their day. And it brings
the residents together so they
can talk and get to know each
other better. That is the overall
goal of these Bingo nights.
Winning prizes is great but
making someone smile is even
greater. So again thank you.
The next Bingo Night will
be Friday, November 9, Turkey
Bingo. Date is subject to
change so stay in touch and
follow us on Facebook.
Flags on Allerton
Allerton is diverse. Allerton
is beautiful. Allerton loves
its country. It’s always pleasing
to prove the nay sayers
wrong. When we said we were
putting pumpkins around the
tree for Halloween some whispered
they won’t last the day.
Someone will take them. The
same comments were made
when we were fi rst told we
wanted to put up the beautiful
USA fl ag. They clearly don’t
know Allerton that well.
The fl ags are fl ying high.
The only issues we have is
Mother Nature and her power.
But we have some amazing
volunteers who are passionate
about their home. And
who help us monitor and protect
our fl ags. A special thank
you to Roberto who joined me
10 p.m. to 2 a.m. for two nights
to install our fl ags. And thank
you to Jeremy Warneke and
Al D’Angelo (district manager
and chairman respectively) of
Community Board 11 for securing
75 American fl ags for
us. You can help us too. If you
see a fl ag twisted by the wind,
stuck or unfastened before we
see it, please feel welcome to
contact us.
Movie Nights, Summer
Concerts
You should know we are
in talks and working out the
logistics of Summer Concerts
and Movie Nights in our community
and we would be happy
to promote, help and share our
resources with neighboring
neighborhoods. Especially
those we share the district
with. We have been delayed
in preparation as we work out
other priorities and events but
we are optimistic we will have
something prepared in time
for mid August. If you are interested
in sponsoring or being
a vendor at these events
email us at AllertonMerchants@
gmail.com. Join us
on Facebook (Allerton International
Merchants Association
Inc.) to stay engaged.
Facebook Surveys
Your voice is your power.
For too long residents have felt
what’s the point of saying anything
if no one listens. That’s
why community organizations
are so important. Perhaps
you won’t always get your
way but you will be heard and
it will dictate what happens in
the community. More of your
neighbors think and believe
the same as you do. Maybe
difference in execution of the
plan but we all want the same
thing. Food on the table. Roof
overhead. Good schools. And
clean/safe streets.
These are common goals
for all of our people. Now and
in perpetuity we will be conducting
these surveys. Not
necessarily because we need
to know where you stand. We
are in the community and talk
with our neighbors daily but
so it’s documented and demonstrated
where we stand. Now it
would be great to have 30,000
votes in each survey but we
feel unoffi cial delegates in the
community who are on our
page represent the voice of 500
people. So we look to secure at
least 50 to 100 votes before closing
a survey. Not everyone is
comfortable enough to express
their opinion publicly. We understand
and respect that. But
we will be vigilant about your
safety, peace of mind, and respect.
Even if our board does
not agree with you and your
position you will be respected
and heard.
We are conducting a survey
regarding bike riding and
poll results will be available
in time for the next article.
National Night Out
Reminder there is no AIM
meeting in August because we
are scheduled to attend and
support NNOAC the night of
Friday, August 2. So join us
and the rest of the community
for this amazing event.
No BID
As I’ve stated in the past
I was not for or against the
business improvement district
in Allerton. I can make
it work if the decision to go
forward with the BID was decided
by the property owners.
I brought important owners
and key players to the table
who were not in favor of a BID
and had no interest in listening
to what they had to say.
My belief is and always has
been even if you are against it,
ignoring it will not make it go
away. I asked that they listen,
hear the BID organizer and
get the facts. They did. They
attended a few meetings and
returned calls. They were genuine
in their attempt to listen.
Then conversation fell apart.
Namely because of the city
and their inability comprise
and let the BID run on their
own power without manipulation.
Deception was evident
and comments were made that
if a small business can’t afford
a BID they shouldn’t be
in business. And if Allerton
doesn’t become a BID they will
be “cut out”. Our small businesses
pay taxes, we won’t be
threatened with fi nes for not
“cooperating”. We will receive
the services the city is mandated
to provide us. We will
not be threatened. We will not
be strong armed. This is why
today the Allerton International
Merchants Association
is a fi rm ‘no’ regarding forming
a business improvement
district for Allerton.
AIM is a registered not-forprofi
t organization. We run
and provide the services a BID
would provide at a lower cost
than the BID would charge.
You should know we have spoken
with many board members
and leaders within BIDs
throughout the Bronx and they
all suggested a strong merchants
association is better
than a BID. That BIDs should
focus on other communities
that have no organization.
To come into Allerton where
we are strong and united is
an insult to our organization
and how we operate. But more
importantly we began talking
with property owners and
our relationships have grown
stronger and the votes are not
there. As we speak, we have 20
signatures of property owners
against the BID. So even if we
were in favor of the BID the
owners are not and the numbers
are not there to pass.
Any further conversation
regarding the BID is not recommended.
We will at this
point not engage in further
conversation and have our
lawyers ready to ensure the
city and other outside agencies
do not continue the conversation.
If it was the right thing
to do, then it would not have
been important to threaten
and force us to support it. We
will not turn our backs on any
of our members. If they can’t
survive a business improvement
district, then there will
not be a business improvement
district in Allerton. That
is where our loyalty lies. Our
members are the best of the
best in Allerton.
link
link
/gmail.com