Bronx Columbus Parade
grand marshals selected
and always supported the
parade – rain or shine.”
Alessandro added: “He
is just an all-around great
guy; he is always there for
us.” Vignali distinguished
himself on the pile after the
terrorist attacks on September
11, 2001, and is the father
of a FDNY fi refi ghter and a
NYPD police offi cer.
He said he was delighted
to raise his sons in the borough
and appreciates the
tight-knit community of
Morris Park.
The decorated fi refi ghter
said that he spent 15 years
in the St. Francis Xavier
Home School Association
and was president for three
years and treasurer for ten
years.
The parade continued
its tradition of honoring an
educator as its honorary
grand marshal by selecting
Gilligan.
Gilligan is he founding
principal of her school,
the Van Nest Academy, and
Alessandro said that she
does great work with children.
“Since I opened the
school in 2010 we have been
marching and participating
in the parade, and it is an exciting
event for our students
and their families,” said
Gilligan, adding “It will be
nice to see our school from a
different vantage point and
I really appreciate the sentiment,
and being chosen and
recognized by the MPCA.”
The parade is a chance
for all students to celebrate
Italian-American heritage,
which the school does during
October.
“It is a big school spirit
for us,” said Gilligan, adding
“No matter what ethnicity,
they still come out and
participate in this community
event. Everyone is Italian
for a day.”
Gilligan is a vice-president
of the Bronx chapter of
the Forum of Italian American
Educators and has been
an educator for 24 years,
fi rst in School District 8 and
later in District 11.
She added she is proud of
her Irish and Italian heritage.
Traffi c proposal for Southern
Boulevard is unpopular
for concern to residents
than the addition of bike
lanes.
Community Board 6
district manager John
Sanchez estimates that
Southern Boulevard
plan would cost the community
about 83 parking
spaces if the DOT follows
through with the proposed
change.
“Up to this point we’ve
supported what the DOT
has wanted to do in the
area, but this is something
that the community
board unanimously
voted against,” Sanchez
said, mentioning he was
skeptical about the proposal
when Lopez and his
staff wouldn’t specify the
number of accidents that
occurred in the corridor
that apparently prompted
the change, during the
town hall meeting.
“Not to mention no cyclists
spoke up in support
of the plan at the meeting,”
the district manager
added, drawing a
comparison to the DOT’s
ongoing battle with residents
and elected offi cials
over a similar plan for
Morris Park Avenue.
“I’m quite familiar
with that,” he joked.
As a matter of fact,
even Clarita Bailon, who
serves as the CB6 Transportation
Committee
chair, spoke out against
the DOT’s plan.
Her position carries
major signifi cance since
it was coming from someone
who is bound to a
wheelchair after being
struck by a car herself.
Bailon’s main objection
comes from her own
personal experiences
with cyclists not adhering
to traffi c rules in, on
top of the reasons already
given by the community.
Another point that
Sanchez and the board
raised was that adding bicycle
lanes wouldn’t solve
the issue of congestion on
Southern Boulevard.
The main traffi c problem
is generated by the
many buses going to and
from the Bronx Zoo, according
to Sanchez.
“If the DOT were proposing
something that
was more bus lane-oriented
then the board
would have been more
receptive,” he said, mentioning
that adding a
bike lane would only
make congestion worse
on Southern Boulevard.
Other concerns coming
from the community
are over the effect
of losing so many parking
spaces. Some feel the
parking loss would impact
on the Arthur Avenue
Market shoppers
who primarily use their
own cars.
“Most of Arthur Avenue’s
patrons drive in
from Westchester, Connecticut
and elsewhere,”
Sanchez said fearing the
plan would hurt the small
businesses if customers
can’t park in close proximity.
While the DOT has not
established a timetable
for the redesign of Southern
Boulevard, there will
be another component of
the plan that spans as far
north, to Mosholu Parkway
from Southern Boulevard.
It will be discussed
during a CB 7 public
meeting at its offi ce on
Thursday, June 6 at 6:30
p.m.
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MEMBER:
from Page 1 from Page 1
Carol Ann Gilligan is the parade’s
honorary grand marshal.
Photo courtesy of Carol Ann Gilligan
Frank Vignaili, a son of Italian-
American immigrants, will be
honored at the Bronx Columbus
Parade in October.
Photo courtesy of Frank Vignaili
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