This week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

Here are the stories in this week's issue (November 29 - December 5) of the Riverdale Review:

Selfhelp, a nonprofit organization, wants to redevelop
this service station at 6469 Broadway

* Housing, commercial space planned for gas station > A North Riverdale gas station will be completely razed to make way for a new multi-story, mixed-use development comprised of senior housing and commercial space. The Riverdale Review can reveal that nonprofit organization Selfhelp Community Services Inc. has submitted plans to redevelop the Prime has station site located at 6469 Broadway. Filings submitted to the New York Stat Department of Environmental Conservation show the group has proposed a building with up to 95 units of senior housing on the 17,424-square-foot site. Under the plan, the project will boast up to 28 parking spaces and up to 12,000 square feet of "community facility space."

* RKA high school records slight dip on latest progress report card > Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy's high school earned a B on this year's school progress report--a drop of one letter grade. The annual evaluation, released by the Department of Education on Monday afternoon, reveals H.S 141 racked up to 69.2 points out of a possible 100--down from its score of 73.9 in 2011. The local high school has registered an A grade for the past three consecutive years. But RKA principal Lori O'Mara said the high school was on the way up and insisted there were glimmers of hope. She also noted the school missed out on an A grade by just 0.8 points.

* City to apply popular tax break on next property bills > Local co-op and condo owners will continue to reap the benefits of an expired $430 million property tax break even though Albany lawmakers have yet to renew the scheme officially. City officials have confirmed they will retroactively apply the popular Cooperative and Condominium Tax Abatement in the next round of tax bills in the hope that an accord is struck.

Police remove the body of Eric Martinez from the tracks

* Man struck and killed by train > A man jumped to his death on Thanksgiving morning by leaping in front of a moving No. 1 train, authorities said. Police said Eric Martinez, 26 of Manhattan, was struck by a southbound No. 1 train at the 231st Street station in Kingsbridge early last Thursday. Commanding officer of the 50th Precinct Captain Kevin Burke said the man's lifeless body was discovered around 6:30 a.m., roughly two cars length south of the platform. "We suspect he was struck by an earlier train," he said.

* Riverdale building on HHP remains without gas following leak > More than 50 residents of 3616 Henry Hudson Parkway have been without gas service after a fire started on the fifth floor of their apartment building last week. According to Con Edison, building staff at the Algiers reported a possible gas leak on the south side of the complex on November 20 at 8:33 p.m.

* Mayor proposes $4.5 million NYPL funding cut > Weekend library service may be slashed, up to 50 full-time employees could be laid off and fewer library books may be purchased if new mid-year budget cuts transpire. Under a revised budget released by Mayor Michael Bloomberg earlier this month, the New York Public Library could see their funding axed by $4.5 million in fiscal year 2013.

* Congregation Tehillah rabbi feted in two-day tribute > Song of praise is one translation of the Hebrew word 'tehillah,' and when Riverdale's Congregation Tehillah honored Rabbi Linda Shriner-Cahn this month, they sang a song of praise that started Friday evening and continued until late the following night. Shriner-Cahn has been Tehillah's spiritual leader for several years. But members felt it was time for an official installation, a way to offer gratitude and tributes. Two Shabbat services and a Saturday night concert event were dedicated to the celebration.

* Verizon breaking ground here for FiOS > Verizon has begun installing an underground conduit system for cabling that will bring the much-anticipated FiOS to Riverdale by spring. The initial stage of work, evidenced by a long ditch in the road on West 239th Street near Blackstone Avenue, should be done by the end of the week, according to Verizon spokesman John J. Bonomo. But additional work will continue through January.

* Bronx woman dies on vacation > A local woman died while on vacation after she was denied seats on three separate New York-bound flights because of her size. Vilma Soltesz, who was 425 pounds with only one leg, was vacationing in Hungary with her husband Janos--on a trip they take almost every year. The couple, who live at Van Cortlandt Park South, planned to fly back to New York on October 15 so Soltesz could continue her medical treatment.

* Local resident oozes zeal for ice hockey > Many locals are excited about transforming the Kingsbridge Armory into a nine-rink national ice center, but no one is more enthusiastic than Jim Breidenbach. A Riverdale resident for 53 years, Breidenbach believes that the ice rink facility could be "just what the doctor ordered" for the community and for hockey enthusiasts like him.

Also, in the Bronx Press:

* Black Friday horror after teen found strangled in Hunts Point > A popular teenager was strangled and left for dead in the hallway of a Hunts Point building just hours after she celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday with relatives. Police were called to 632 Barretto Street at just after 8 a.m. on Friday, November 23. Family members said Destiny Sanchez was semiconscious when found by her brother in the hallway of the three-family home.

* Carrion lags in Quinnipiac poll > Former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion has a lot of work to do if he wants to be elected the next mayor of New York. In a new Quinnipiac poll released last week, only 11 percent of voters said they would vote for Carrion compared to 62 percent who would vote for the opposing Democratic candidate. Though he may be the only Hispanic in the race, the poll reported that only 12 percent of Hispanic voters would choose him.

This week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

Here are the stories in this week's issue (November 15 - 21) of the Riverdale Review:

The abandoned gas station at West 230th Street and
Broadway has been acquired by Equity One.

* 230th Street mall may expand with key corner > The developer of the yet-to-be-built $54 million Broadway Plaza shopping mall has purchased the adjoining vacant lot--the defunct Getty gas station. The Riverdale Review can reveal that Equity One last month acquired the 7,500-square-foot parcel at 5510 Broadway from a California-based LLC for a hefty $2 million--more than three times the current market value of $630,000.
* Local pols eye Senate leadership battle > Election Day is over, but a few state Senate races upstate are still too close to call, which could have an impact on the careers of some local politicos.
* Board rejects plans for new mansion > Community Board 8 has rejected controversial plans to construct a new mansion in the heart of the Riverdale Historic District. Following fervent opposition, board members last week voted unanimously against a proposal to develop the vacant lot at 5241 Independence Avenue into a four-story, single-family house. Under preliminary plans, the house would boast seven bedrooms, eight and a half bathrooms, an indoor swimming pool, two laundries and a maid's room.
* MTA's Bus Time program will let you track your ride on your phone > Local straphangers can finally track the real-time location of every local and express bus in Riverdale after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority quietly launched its Bus Time program. MTA officials flicked the switch and activated GPS hardware on all 54 Bronx bus routes, inculding the Bx7, Bx9 and Bc10, on Saturday, October 27. However, with efforts underway to restore subway service and repair critical signal and switch components in the wake of superstorm Sandy, the launch has received little fanfare.
* New president a kindred spirit at Riverdale rabbinical school > Open-mindedness, outreach and independent thinking--along with broad-based textual study--will still be the basics at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah when its presidency transfers from Rabbi Avi Weiss to Rabbi Asher Lopatin this July.
* iPhone stolen from woman at gunpoint > The armed serial robbers terrorizing Riverdale have struck again. Police said the two men suspected of carrying out at least five local robberies nabbed yet another iPhone on Sunday.

The Fieldston Lofts apartment tower

* New Fieldston Lofts building on Riverdale Avenue hits market > Luxury condominiums at Fielston Lofts, a boutique apartment building in Riverdale, have been re-listed for a price tag of around $1 million each. The seven-story building, located at 3751 Riverdale Avenue, features 10 three- and four-bedroom units, ranging in size from 1,849 to 2,164 square feet. Each condo boasts high-end finishes including bamboo floors, granite countertops, towering ceilings, marble tiles, custom kitchen cabinets and modern appliances. But it's the asking price--between $899,000 and $1.059 million--that has courted controversy among locals.
* Paradise Theater set to become Creflo Dollar megachurch > The Paradise Theater, an 83-year-old Bronx institution, will soon be home to the World Changers Church of New York. Pastors Creflo and Taffi Dollar reportedly signed the lease on October 20.
* Community leaders get a glimpse of learning at RKA > There was an upbeat vibe at M.S/H.S 141 as community leaders were treated to snapshots of learning in progress as they took a tour of the school on Tuesday morning.

Also, in the Bronx Press:
* Dominic Castore dies > Passionate Bronx resident and longtime Community Board 11 chairman Dominic Castore passed away last weekend.
* Veterans housing opens > At-risk war veterans now have a new, supportive place they can call home. Kingsbridge Terrace, the second of two state-of-the-art Bronx residences created by Jericho Project, will enable veterans to live in affordable, furnished housing.

SAT scores at RKA drop for second consecutive year

By MIAWLING LAM

Seniors at the Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy scored an overall average of 1,333 on the 2012 Scholastic Aptitude Test, more than 160 points shy of the national mean.

New figures released on Tuesday by the College Board, the company that administers the SAT, shows H.S. 141’s composite scores took a 34-point dive in 2012.

The school’s 113 test-takers averaged a score of 438 on critical reading, 455 on mathematics and 440 on writing, meaning it was ranked 64th among more than 470 city high schools.

Average scores for RKA seniors on the college entrance exam have plummeted by 91 points in the past two years. In 2011, students averaged 1,367 on the three sections of the test. In 2010, the composite score was 1,424.

Despite the poor performance, H.S. 141 emerged as the fifth-best high school in The Bronx and the third-best in District 10.

The borough’s two flagship specialized high schools—Bronx High School of Science and High School of American Studies—came out on top, followed by Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics and Collegiate Institute for Math and Science.

This week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

Here are the stories in this week's issue (September 27 -October 3) of the Riverdale Review and Bronx Press.

* SAT scores at RKA drop for second consecutive year > Seniors at the Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy scored an overall average of 1,333 on the 2012 Scholastic Aptitude Test, more than 160 points shy of the national mean. New figures released on Tuesday by the College Board, the company that administers the SAT, shows H.S. 141's composite scores took a 34-point dive in 2012. The school's 113 test-takers averaged a score of 438 on critical reading, 455 on mathematics and 440 on writing, meaning it was ranked 64th among more than 470 city high schools.

Tulfan Terrace is projected to be completed by March 2013,
nine years after construction began

* Tulfan Terrace apartment project, long delayed, is back on track > Thirty luxury units at Tulfan Terrace, the long-awaited apartment building on Oxford Avenue, may finally hit the real estate market in April next year. A representative from Ox-3620 LLC said the high-rise condo tower remains on track to be completed by March 2013-nine years after construction began. Scaffolding and black safety mesh surrounding the building's facade were torn down earlier this month, revealing a curved wall of windows.
* Boston-based Jewish congregation buys Fieldston Road spy house > A congregation with roots in Chernobyl is planting itself in the shadow of Riverdale's Russian embassy complex. The Talner Congregation Beth Davis relocated to Riverdale from the Boston area last year and purchased 5437 Fieldston Road, the site of a nondescript white house reputed to be an intelligence-gathering venue rather than a residence.
* Co-op board reverses error on canine house rules > A dispute between shareholders and a co-op board over canine guests at 3720 Independence Avenue appears to be resolving after nearly six years. The co-op's board of directors threatened shareholders Rita and Murray Hyman with eviction and terminated their proprietary lease, claiming the couple had breached a house rule about harboring pets. But the fight has concluded, according to board president Bob Moll, who said the case against the Hymans has been dropped and that their proprietary lease would be reinstated shortly.
* Henry Hudson Bridge to lose cash tolls by November > The Henry Hudson Bridge will become entirely cashless within two months, the Riverdale Review has learned. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority revealed it would push ahead with plans to implement all-electronic tolling and remove all means of cash collection by mid-November. The MTA's plan, which was obtained by the Review, was unveiled during a closed private meeting on Thursday, September 20.
* Drivers fight Independence Avenue parking ticket bungle > Local motorists are challenging a series of $60 parking tickets following claims that traffic enforcement officers are unfairly penalizing drivers for parking in front of Riverdale Jewish Center. Department of Transportation crews recently repaved the stretch of Independence Avenue between West 232nd and West 239th streets. However, in the course of putting down new road striping, workers erroneously painted additional lines outside 3700 Independence Avenue to indicate three legal parking spaces. The road markings contradict two signs that bookend the stretch, stating it is a "no parking zone." As a result, drivers who have failed to notice the signs have been slapped with a $60 ticket.
* Bronx unemployment rate still towers over city > The Bronx continues to grapple with high unemployment rates despite a slight decrease in overall unemployment in New York City. The county's jobless rate as of July 2012 stood at 13.9 percent, up from 12.8 percent a year ago, according to a report from CUNY's Labor Market Information Service.

James Downey

* Street renaming sought for James Downey > A slew of sporting and religious organizations have called on city officials to rename a local street in honor of James Downey, a community leader whose passion inspired a generation. The North Riverdale Baseball League, St. Margaret 0f Cortona and the Knights of Columbus Pro-Patria Council have joined forces to lobby for the stretch of Mosholu Avenue between West 254th and West 256th streets to be renamed "James V. Downey Way."
* Timber! Tree limbs coming down on Broadway > North Riverdale residents contacting 311 to report a poorly maintained tree are being told Whalen Avenue is not in the city's records and therefore, does not exist.

Also, in the Bronx Press: 
* Co-op City gives high marks to MTA Metro-North plan > More than 250 Bronx residents, business owners and elected officials piled into a Co-op City Community Center auditorium to hear and respond to a new proposal made by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to expand Metro-North service to the East Bronx. According to officials, the plan would cut average travel time to Manhattan in half, and many Co-op City residents think it's about time.
* Bronx Community College unveils $80 million library > With the gleaming new building as a backdrop, Bronx Community college feted the opening of its North Hall and Library last Friday in a lively ribbon-cutting ceremony.
* Man charged in Bronx Zoo tiger encounter > An Upstate man has been charged with misdemeanor trespassing, after performing a death-defying leap into a tiger enclosure before a crowd of horrified spectators at the Bronx Zoo.

This week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

Here are the stories in this week's issue (July 26 - August 1) of the Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

 Bronx residents flocked to Van Cortlandt Park for New York
Philharmonic's 2012 Concerts in the Park series on July 17.

* Parents demand restoration of PS 24 music program > Parents at PS 24 have stepped up their efforts to restore the school's cherished music program and are preparing to take their fight to the Tweed Courthouse. A group of more than 70 concerned parents and residents last week sent a letter to Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott pleading with him to save the school's music department.
* Eleanor McGrath, former school board member, passes away > Eleanor McGrath passed away surrounded by her loving family on the afternoon of Sunday, July 22 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. She was a lifelong Bronx resident and settled in Riverdale in 1954 after marrying Philip McGrath.
* Local activists protest anti-Israel billboard in Metro-North station > A provocative anti-Israel billboard greets locals as they start and end their daily commutes at the Spuyten Duyvil and Riverdale Metro-North train stations. Described by Isaac Geld as "a real poke in the eye," the ad uses a series of four color-coded maps to illustrate a progressive "Palestinian loss of land" from 1946 through 2010 and to support the statement, "4.7 million Palestinians are classified by the U.N. a refugees."

The controversial anti-Israel billboard

* PS 24 ratings fizzle while PS 81 soars > Satisfaction ratings at PS 24 have plummeted, Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy has lifted its game and PS 81 has retained its title as the local school darling among its parents and teachers. Results from the fourth NYC School Survey, released by the Department of Education this week, reveals Riverdale's three schools recorded mixed results. PS 24 was the only school to record a drop in all four assessed categories--academic expectations, communication, engagement, and safety and respect.
* Few local kids excel on state tests > Just 1 percent of Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy students exceeded the state's proficiency level on this year's standardized English test. A special analysis of data from the state's English and math exams found results varied across Riverdale's three public schools when the number of students scoring at Level 4 was taken into account.
* Famous local figure hooks up with the Glee gang > Archie Andrew, one of Riverdale's most famous residents, will be introduced to the cast of Glee in an eagerly awaited collaboration announced by the comic book's publishers. Archie, along with Betty, Veronica, Dilton and Jughead, are slated to meet their match in the crew from McKinley High in an upcoming storyline to hit bookstore shelves next year.
* Koppell reports progress > Department of Transportation crews are currently repaving a section of the Henry Hudson Parkway service road, following a request from Councilman G. Oliver Koppell. Koppell lobbied for the measure after constituents complained about the poor conditions along the busy road, particularly between West 227th and West 232nd streets.

And, in the Bronx Press:
* Bloomberg forces new homeless shelter in Wakefield > City officials are forging ahead with plans to transform the Muller Army Reserve Center into a 200-bed homeless shelter and have negotiated a $91 million contract with a social advocacy group. The Mayor's Office of Contract Services blindisded Bronx residents and held a public hearing on Thursday, July 19, to discuss a proposal to award The Doe Fund, a $91.27 million contract. According to the negotiated contract, the social advocacy group would be charged with developing and operating a "stand-alone transitional residence for homeless adults." The proposed agreement would be retroactively dated and run from July 1, 2012, to December 31, 2033, authorities said.
* MTA caves to politicos and community to restore transit service > Relief is finally on the way for thousands of Bronx bus and Metro-North commuters. As part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's sweeping $29.5 million package, weekend bus service on the Bx34 will be restored, while service on the Bx13 will be extended from East 161st Street to the Gateway Mall. Officials will also establish a brand-new bus route that connects the booming neighborhood of the South Bronx to the commercial areas of Hunts Point.
* Cabrera fights mayor on proposed super-sized ban > Bronx merchants fear their businesses will be driven to the ground if the city approves plans to ban the sale of super-sized sugary drinks. Merchants raised their concerns about shrinking profit margins to Councilman Fernando Cabrera during an impromptu neighborhood walking tour around University Heights last Thursday. Cabrera said many owners pleaded with him to fight the health policy. Although many acknowledged it was proposed with good intentions, they said the plan would adversely affect their bottom line.
* City unveils latest healthy eating plan in The Bronx > Fresh produce will be shifted to grocery entrance areas and water will be displayed at eye level in hundreds of coolers as part of the city's latest healthy eating plan to debut in The Bronx. Authorities unveiled the Shop Healthy NYC Initiative during a news conference outside the C-Town supermarket on Crescent Avenue in Fordham last Wednesday. Under the voluntary pilot program, bodega and supermarket operators will be asked to display a range of healthy foods including fresh fruits and vegetables in prime areas like entrances and checkout aisles, to relegate junk food to the back of their store and to post signs identifying nutritious choices.

Bomb scare at RKA

Here's a story from this week's Riverdale Review.

By Brendan McHugh 

There was bomb threat Tuesday morning at the Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy. 

Around 10:30 a.m. Dec. 20, RKA was evacuated as police investigated the threat. A neighbor of the school said detectives from the 50th precinct told him that a brown paper bag with “bomb” written on it was found in a third floor stairwell. 

A Department of Education spokesperson said a school safety agent saw the suspicious package. After a bomb squad searched the building and determined the packaged was not a bomb, students were allowed to reenter the building at 11 a.m. 

The package was empty.

Students say a picture of the bag was posted on Facebook, which is what a school employee may have seen.

A school official said everything had returned to normal shortly after. 

RKA is located at 660 W. 237 St., along Independence Ave.

 

Skateboarders seek park here

Here's a story from this week's Riverdale Review.

By Brendan McHugh 

In an attempt to get themselves off the streets, four skateboarders came to the parks committee of Community Board 8 last week asking for the area’s first skateboarding park. 

“We’d have a place to skate and we’d be out of your way,” said Michael Roberts, a Riverdale-Kingsbridge Academy graduate. 

They offered the committee pictures of themselves skating at public places as evidence. One was outside Bronx County Courthouse, another in front of RKA, yet another down the block from two of the community board members, and even one right outside the board office. 

They managed to win over support from the board fairly easily. The four skaters discussed skate park aesthetics, safety concerns and revenue for the community. 

“Skaters need to eat,” Michael Alfano, an eleventh grader at KRA, chimed in, saying putting in a park in the neighborhood will help out the local businesses. 

Jump below for the full story.

New answer for school traffic woes?

A story from this week's Riverdale Review. There is a similar story in a separate post that fully explains the 'slow zone' practice that debuted in Claremont this week.

By Brendan McHugh 

Last month, elected officials requested slower speed limits, new signage and speed bumps for the area around PS 24 and MS/HS 141. 

Turns out, the City has a new program that can do just that. 

On Monday, the Department of Transportation announced its first-ever Neighborhood Slow Zone in Claremont. The slow zone reduces the speed limit in the quarter-square mile neighborhood from 30 mph to 20 mph, adds nine new speed bumps and over 50 new signs—both on poles and stenciled onto the street—to the area alerting drivers of the speed limit. 

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, one of three legislators who wrote to DOT in October, says Independence Avenue is a model candidate for the new traffic safety program. 

“Given the area’s proximity to several schools, a public library, and houses of worship, I believe this stretch of Independence Avenue would be an ideal location for a Neighborhood Slow Zone,” he wrote in a letter to DOT commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan earlier this week. 

Jump below for the full story.

$1 million slated to fix Seton Park

Another story from this week's Riverdale Review. Check out old coverage of this issue here.

By Brendan McHugh 

City Councilman G. Oliver Koppell is set to allocate nearly $1 million to the restoration of Seton Park, and based off a recent community meeting, it will go towards repairing the natural grass, the ball fields and the tennis courts.

“[T]he consensus was to do various repairs to the ball field, tennis courts, etc., rather than use the money for artificial turf,” Community Board 8 parks committee chairman Bob Bender said. “We are sending our minutes to Councilman Koppell so he can learn what happened.”

Ultimately, the park users decided for renovation of the worst parts of the ball fields’ surfaces, including restoration of a field that has essentially disappeared to the naked eye, resurfacing the tennis courts, and brining in new infrastructure such as benches, backstops and dugouts. 

Koppell spoke briefly at the Oct. 27 meeting, held in the Schervier Apartments, to a group of Seton Park users that included tennis players, a Riverdale-Kingsbridge Academy representative, little league parents and other concerned residents before he had to run off to another meeting. 

Jump below for the full story.

Elected officials tackle school traffic crisis

I said I would hold off until tomorrow, but I thought I'd leak one story from the Riverdale Review today. Jump below for the full story, plus a document drop of the letter sent to the DOT.

By Brendan McHugh and Miawling Lam 

Stop signs, a lower speed limit and another change in arrival times are among the proposals flagged to solve the traffic snarls and gridlock outside two of Riverdale’s public schools. 

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz joined Councilman G. Oliver Koppell and State Senator Adriano Espaillat and submitted a list of five traffic-calming measures to the city last Tuesday.

The recommendations were drawn up amid growing safety and traffic concerns of the streets surrounding P.S. 24 and M.S/H.S 141, particularly along Independence Avenue. 

In the joint letter sent to Bronx DOT Commissioner Constance Moran, the trio calls for stop signs to be placed at West 235th Street and Independence Avenue, as well as new pavement markings for both northbound and southbound traffic. 

The elected officials also propose the creation of a 20-mile per hour zone for the entire corridor from West 232nd Street to West 246th Street.

Jump below for the full story and the letter.