BRONX TIMES REPORTER, N BTR OV. 12-18, 2021 45
BY JOHN DOYLE
The ongoing pandemic has
completely altered our daily
lives, both in big ways and
small. We’ve lost loved ones,
many have lost their jobs
and others have long-term
health effects that will stay
with them for years to come.
Neighbors have struggled
with economic uncertainty,
food insecurity and the longterm
psychological effects
of depression and isolation.
While it may not be as apparent
or visible for all to see,
COVID-19 has also wrecked
signifi cant damage and delay
upon our community and its
priorities.
In February 2020, a mere
month before COVID-19
changed our lives, a number
of City Islanders were
present at a Rodman’s Neck
Monitoring Committee Meeting.
At this meeting, we were
thrilled with a surprise announcement
that the NYPD
and Department of Design
and Construction had agreed
to fully enclose the shooting
range, an improvement from
their previous commitment of
66% enclosure.
It’s widely known that we
will only be able to really mitigate
the noise pollution emanating
from the facility by enclosing
the range. No sooner
was this said than the pandemic
struck. The economy
tanked and people were sheltering
in place. This project,
along with many others, was
put on hold.
That summer, cuts to
the NYPD budget — $1 billion
from the operating budget
and another $500 million
from its capital budget — led
to the temporary scrapping
of the long-awaited 116th Precinct
in Queens. For a period
of time, it seemed as if Rodman’s
Neck — the top-funded
item of the NYPD’s capital
budget — could also be canceled
and a victory so many
have worked towards was
about to be snatched out of
our very hands.
Thankfully this was not
meant to happen, but there
was a price: the range will
now only be approximately
85% enclosed. To be clear,
this is better than where we
started, but it is still a setback
from what we were promised
early last year. Furthermore,
getting monitoring committee
meetings arranged or
even basic responses or clarifi
cations from 1 Police Plaza
has been as diffi cult as ever.
This is not isolated to one
agency. In my 15 years of service
to our community, perhaps
no project has consumed
more of my time than the fi ght
for 24/7 Bx29 bus service. After
years of sending hundreds
of late complaints, collecting
countless petition signatures
and helping arrange three
MTA town halls (two on our
island) we were fi nally told in
May 2019 that they had fi nally
recognized something that
was so clear to us: our community
deserved 24/7 service
and this service would be
coming in summer 2020.
But as they say: “Man
Plans and God Laughs.” COVID
hit, telecommuting became
the norm, and ridership
tanked to a minuscule 10% of
its pre-pandemic levels. In
the interim, nearly two years
have come and gone and our
residents, visitors and offhour
workers have been left
without a safe and affordable
means to travel to and from
the Island. Thankfully, the
MTA recently announced it
will restart its Bronx Bus Design
plans, and re-affi rmed
its commitment to our community
in writing. But I can’t
help to wonder how many of
our neighbors have been literally
left out in the cold during
late nights when the bus
ceases operations. They and
we deserve better.
Finally, a project we, at
Rising, have launched and
prioritized since our founding
two years ago: cleaning
up the Hutchinson River
Parkway and sewage that
spills into it. Working alongside
state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi,
the Hutchinson River
Restoration Project and the
City Island Oyster Project,
we have had numerous meetings
with the leadership of
the city of Mount Vernon,
where the sewage originates,
because they dump it into the
river. It is clear that to solve
this problem the city needs
funding from either the federal
or state government to
repair its sewers. In April
2020, shortly after the pandemic
fell upon us, former
Gov. Andrew Cuomo — remember
him — announced
that the New York State Budget
would include $3 billion
towards a Mother Nature
Bond Act, a November ballot
initiative that would include
hundreds of millions of
dollars to address poisoned
waterways exactly like the
Hutchinson River Parkway.
Unfortunately, COVID continued
to take its toll on our
economy and the revenue
our state collects from it. By
July 2020, Cuomo was forced
to postpone the vote until the
following year. Through his
own misdeeds, it would eventually
be postponed again,
this time to November 2022.
Even after it passes next
year, we will have to fi ght
for this funding. But that’s at
least several more years of all
of us swimming in polluted
waters, and some getting sick
because of it.
I know we’ve had some
false starts, but it seems
like we’re fi nally starting to
emerge from this pandemic
and the accompanying fear
and anxiety that has grappled
our community and nation.
While we’re all of course
fortunate to be alive, our
community has lost years on
all of these initiatives; time
that could have been spent
dramatically improving the
commutes, health and quality
of life for our neighbors;
time that could have been directed
towards tackling new
problems like climate change
or fi nding a new universal
pre-kindergarten site for our
youngest neighbors. Wasted
time and opportunities have
become the unseen scars of
this pandemic.
CIVIC CENTER
City Island Rising
BY MARY JANE MUSANO
Our next meeting will be
on Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m. at the
First Lutheran Church on
Hollywood and Baisley avenues.
Our guests will be the
staff from Ridgewood Bank.
They will be speaking about
ways to make your money
grow. With the poor state of
the economy and the increase
in prices of everything it is
crucial that we know how to
make our money work for us.
Of course, they will be bringing
some giveaways as usual.
We have also asked that
the captain of our precinct
address our membership.
Capt. Isaac Soberal has a special
place in his heart for the
Bronx as he grew up in our
borough. I’ve read that he
has the Bronx motto — Yield
not to evil — tattooed on his
body. He seems dedicated to
our borough and is trying his
best to maintain our quality
of life even though our mayor
has thrown roadblocks in the
way of good policing.
As you know, it is diffi -
cult for us to get a fi rm commitment
on scheduling but I
can tell you that we are on his
schedule for November and
December. So, he will visit us
as his schedule allows.
The Bronx Coalition
Against Upzoning had a fundraiser
at The Strand Beach
Club. The use of this beautiful
waterfront facility was
donated as was the food. So,
we would like to thank The
Strand Beach Club, Barino’s
Market, Patricia’s Restaurant,
the Crosstown Diner
and everyone that attended
and donated. We raised almost
$5,000, which has our
total around $25,000. We are
doing well but we still need
your help. If you can donate
even $10 or $20 it will be very
much appreciated. Your donations
are needed to preserve
our quality of life by stopping
the proposed Bruckner upzoning
and any upzoning that
may follow. We are now in the
process of interviewing land
use attorneys, as this along
with engineering fi rms will
be necessary in this fi ght.
This is a very expensive process
but we can do it if we do
it together. If you can donate
please make your check out to
Bronx Coalition Against Upzoning
and mail it to Waterbury
LaSalle Community Association,
1145 Hobart Ave.,
Bronx NY 10461.
With your help we have
garnered strong support from
community groups, residents
and politicians. Our new City
Councilmember-elect Marjorie
Velásquez, has stated
that she is against the Bruckner
upzoning. This is important
because she has a heavy
weighted vote in this. State
Assemblyman Mike Benedetto
has also said that he is
against this upzoning.
Although Curtis Sliwa did
not win the race for mayor,
he attended our fundraiser,
donated and committed his
continued support. Curtis is
a networker. He knows many
people and organizations all
over the city who are trying to
fi ght upzoning. He will put us
in touch with them so that we
can work in unity toward our
common goals of preserving
our low-density communities
throughout this city. There is
strength in numbers. Slowly
but surely we will unleash a
tsunami of strength against
those who are determined to
destroy our quality of life.
There are so many ways
you can help. Many residents
are organizing petition drives
and rallies on their own. Debbie
Teska is organizing the
second car rally to be held on
either Nov. 20 or 21. Cars will
be lining up at 11 a.m. outside
of Veteran’s Park to decorate
their cars for the parade
through the streets of our
community. There are still
residents that are unaware of
this threat to our community.
This very visible rally will
inform them and will also let
the developers know that we
will fi ght this in every way
possible. The confi rmed date
and details will appear in our
next column.
Until then stay safe and
stay involved.
CIVIC CENTER
Waterbury-LaSalle
Association
Rodman’s Neck Photo by AP Images/
Kevin Hagen
File photo