First Islander Inducted Into Bronx Walk of Fame Rodman's Neck
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Periodicals Paid at Bronx, N.Y. USPS 114-590 Volume 45 Number 5 June 2016 One Dollar the appropriately named Gangster Squad and the Bronx. “I love living in the Bronx. First Islander Inducted into band. Their next show is at Resorts Casino This borough is a great mixture of cultures in Queens on June 30. and ethnic groups—a true cross-section of Bronx Walk of Fame Not bad for an actor with a very late today’s America. And my home, City Is- By KAREN NANI start by today’s standards. Mr. Pastore con- land, is growing each year. It’s New York tinues to win awards and roles. He was City’s very own Martha’s Vineyard.” most recently honored by the Boys and In fact, Mr. Pastore purchased a home Girls Town of Italy as Celebrity of the Year. on Fordham Street in 2005, is a member “This was a nice award. My grandparents of the Fordham Street Beach Club, and is came from Calabria and Naples, and my fa- thrilled that City Island is being featured ther’s family lived on Arthur Avenue in the more and more in films and television. “I Bronx.” Although his parents have passed love that shows like ‘Billions’ and ‘The away, Mr. Pastore has a daughter, Renee, Family’ have been filmed here along with and a granddaughter, Maia, who live in movies like ‘Solitary Man.’ Danny DeVito Washington D.C. came over to my house when they were His success as a working actor is filming that movie at the Diner. City Island matched by his enthusiasm for City Island is becoming Hollywood on the Sound!” Rodman’s Neck Renovation Put on Hold Again By BARBARA DOLENSEK New York City has done it again. Or Civic Association: “Having transmitted our rather, not done it. Over 23 years ago, the project proposal to the Department of De- Photos by RON TERNER and courtesy of the BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT’s OFFICE mayor assured City Island that the New sign and Construction earlier this week, it City Island resident Vincent Pastore was inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame in May York Police Department would construct is the Police Department’s reasonable ex- 2016. He was honored for his many acting roles in the theater, movies and television. sound abatement at the Rodman’s Neck pectation that project construction at all six firing range so that neighboring communi- range enclosure sites will be completed by But he had majored in dramatic arts at ties would no longer have to suffer from September 30, 1999.” The Civic was later Pace University and always wanted to be the noise of gunfire. That promise was not informed that the pilot sound-abatement an actor. So at the age of 42, he had had kept, and this year, the very same promise model was a failure and the entire project enough of night clubs and “decided to try was broken again when it was learned that was abandoned. acting full time,” he told Miriam Klein- a capital expenditure of $150 million for On June 25, 2004, an officer of the berg, who interviewed him for The Current the renovation of Rodman’s Neck had been Civic Association received a letter from in 2000. She described him this way: “De- eliminated from the mayor’s budget. the commanding officer of the Firearms ciding to make acting your life’s work at The Island Current has reported on and Tactics Section stating: “The Sound any age is a true act of courage. It is a seri- this continuing saga for many years. In Abatement project, which is expected to ous, precarious business with an 85 percent 1993, the Police Department asked local lower the noise created by firearms train- unemployment rate. Anyone who tries it officials to have the parkland on which the ing, is still tentatively scheduled for the must have determination and a huge toler- range is located transferred to the NYPD Fall 2004.” ance for repeated rejection.” and agreed that it would implement lead re- On April 5, 2007, Mayor Michael Mr. Pastore’s determination paid off, moval and sound abatement. The New York Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray- and he has received many roles and ac- State Senate and Assembly approved the mond Kelly held a press conference re- colades over his 28-year career. He has parkland alienation, and on June 22, 1993, garding the proposed new police academy appeared in numerous films, including Mayor David Dinkins wrote a letter to the at College Point, Queens, and announced Vincent Pastore, a star of screen and “Goodfellas,” “Carlito’s Way,” “The God- speaker of the New York State Assembly that the new academy would have indoor stage and a City Island resident since father Part III,” and two movies filmed on in which he stated: “The City is commit- shooting ranges to replace the facility at 2000, is among the 2016 class of honorees City Island: “Awakenings,” the story of ted to reducing the noise emanating from Rodman’s Neck. for the Bronx Walk of Fame. Mr. Pastore former resident, Dr. Oliver Sacks, and one those operations to the maximum feasible On July 28, 2015, Commissioner Brat- joins more than 100 “homegrown heroes” of Angelina Jolie’s first films, “Love is All extent. To that end, the City will undertake ton acknowledged to the City Island Civic who have been inducted since 1997 dur- There Is.” a feasibility study regarding the construc- Association that he had decided not to ing Bronx Week and is the first City Island In addition to his television role on tion of effective sound barriers…. The City move the firing range to Queens, blaming resident to be added to the Walk of Fame “The Sopranos,” for which he won a Screen will make its best efforts to bid out and the City Council for not allocating suffi- street signs lining the Grand Concourse. Actors Guild Award, he has appeared on complete the study and construction within cient funding. He said that he intended to So how did the actor and singer, most “The Celebrity Apprentice” with Donald a year.” (Lead removal was finally accom- establish a capital budget to renovate the famous for his role as the mobster “Big Trump. Mr. Pastore said it was a great ex- plished, but not for another several years.) range and that sound abatement would be Pussy” in the HBO series “The Sopranos,” perience, and he raised $50,000 for his ex- On June 1, 1994, Commissioner Wil- a top priority. He confirmed that he had put wind up living in City Island? His story of wife’s charity, the Lustgarten Foundation, liam J. Bratton wrote to Assemblyman $28 million in the NYPD budget for fis- becoming a mussel sucker is interestingly which leads the battle against pancreatic Stephen B. Kaufman: “With respect to the cal year 2016 to cover the cost of design- intertwined with his acting career. cancer. Speaking of Mr. Trump’s current development and construction of sound ing the renovation project. (He reaffirmed Mr. Pastore (“Vinny”), who turns 70 presidential aspirations, Mr. Pastore said barriers at the facility, it is our intention to this commitment in a letter he wrote to the this year, grew up in New Rochelle but of- that he is not endorsing him, but he re- have Marcor Environmental pursue the de- Civic Association on March 16, 2016, but ten spent time on City Island with, among spects Mr. Trump and believes he would velopment of noise attenuators.” gave no schedule for the sound abatement others, his childhood friend Skip Giacco. make a great leader. On January 22, 1996, when nothing aspect of the project.) In a recent interview with The Current, he Meanwhile, Mr. Pastore shows no had been done, Mr. Kaufman filed a law- In April 2016, Council Member James said: “When Skip moved to City Island in signs of slowing down as an actor, writer suit on behalf of several City Island resi- Vacca reported that the NYPD had asked 1987, I moved into his aunt’s house in Pel- and even producer. He has his own compa- dents. He withdrew the suit, however, after the mayor for a minimum of $150 million ham Bay for the convenience to Manhat- ny, called the Renegade Theater Company, receiving a letter on June 19 of that year in capital funding specifically for Rod- tan and auditions. Then in 2000, I moved which has produced off-Broadway plays. from the Assistant Corporation Counsel, man’s Neck, although the schedule for the to Fordham Street near where Skip and his His business partner is Maureen Van Zan- who wrote: “Funds have been allocated to sound-abatement segment had not been an- wife, Louise, live.” dt, the wife of Steve Van Zandt from “The the Police Department for fiscal year 1998 nounced. However, on April 26, Mayor Bill When they were growing up, he and Sopranos” and a member of Bruce Spring- to implement a noise abatement pilot proj- de Blasio released his version of the FY17 Skip had formed an a capella singing group steen’s E Street band. Their next show is ect at the range. Accordingly, we expect to budget, and all capital funding for Rod- called the “Crystal Kings,” and they per- called “40 CPS,” which will open at the begin the process of selecting a contractor man’s Neck had been removed. formed in different venues in the Bronx Cutting Room in Manhattan on June 27. and installing noise abatement measures On May 23, at a City Council hear- and New Rochelle.