Demolition Begins for Plaza R.H
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U.S. Postage PAID Bronx, New York Permit No. 7608 Thursday, Non-Prof it Org. November 10,1983 Volume 65 , Number 25 FORPHAM UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK Demolition Begins For Plaza R.H. To Lose Post Office by Murk Dillon A bulldozer's "flam shell bucket" and a l)> Kosvmurie Connors link-Belt crane demolished Iwo six-story Need a stamp? In two years you may apartment buildings on Washington Avenue have to go oil'campus to get one. last Thursday, starting the first step in eon Upon completion of the new Federal slrueting Fordham Plaza, an urban renewal Post Office, currently slated lo be built project delayed for more than a decade. behind Theodore Roosevelt High School, the Rose Mill post office will forced to alter Those structures and others on the 3.2 current service, according lo Financial Vice acre site, located between Theodore President Jarhes Kenny, S.J., who was in- Roosevelt High School and the Sears, formed by postal officials concerning the Roebuck Building adjacent to the Rose Hill decision. campus, are being torn down to make way for the $60 million office-shopping mall "Members of the Rose Hill community complex. will no longer be able to purchase stamps or post registered letters on campus," said Ken- The New York State Urban Develop- ny. "It will mean a great loss of convenience, ment Corporation, co-owners of the project, as well as the loss of a $.10,000 subsidy that recently signed a $103,000 contract with B.C. Fordham receives to help offset the cost of Enterprises of North Bergen, N.J., to runningthc post office." demolish the apartments, a row of stores on Fordham Road and the Ed-Dorado Bar, said "Mail will still be delivered to the cam- UDC Project manager John Conway at the pus, but mailboxes will have to be placed in site. all the dorms," said Kenny. "The status of current workers has not yet been evaluated," "We wanted to get the biggest ones Kenny added, "but workers will still be down first," said Conway. "The whole needed to sort mail and perform other square block will be demolished. We'll have DEMOLITION OF TWO SIX-STORY APARTMENT BUILDINGS last duties." 30 percent done in two weeks." Thursday gives a green light to Fordham Plaza construction. Other A worker at the Rose Hill substation "Demolition will be finished by the end structures on Fordham Road and the El-Dorado Bar will be said he could not say for sure, but he did not of December," said Toni Jones, a UDC demolished by the end of December. think his job would be affected. public affairs officer. "Final plans are being 189th Street, one of the two being torn down. plaza developers must go through a number As of Thursday, November 10, a drafted and should be ready by early spring." Conway said vandals broke into the st ructurc of administrative procedures before con- spokesperson from the Postal Service could When completed the commercial com- two weeks ago. struction can begin. plex will contain a 15-story office building, As Conway spoke a bulldozer poked a not be reached for comment on the proposed According to the University's Special service changes for the Fordham substation. 500 car garage and enough retail space for 15 30-foot metallic scoop mounted on its front Assistant for Urban Affairs Brian Byrne, an stores. The Chase Group, Ltd. of Hartford, end which he called a "clam shell bucket" amendment to the Bronx Urban Renewal Conn, a nd the Reynolds Company are the through an upper floor window and ripped Plan must be made and two special zoning project's principal private developers. out the corner of one ol the buildings, permits must be secured. Deli Although no leases have been signed yet, Meanwhile, • a Link-Belt crane smashed "Current zoning 'does not permit a (of- there is a "tremendous amount of interest" through several rooms and crushed a .stair- fice) building or allow for a 5O0 car parking in renting out the retail space, said Stanley well. A firehose was sprayed on the debris to lot," said Orvillc Romney of the New York Gardner, president of Chase's New York of- minimize dust. City Public Development Corporation. Penalizes fice. He said Chase has been approached by Arthur Bergman, a B.C. Enterprises These changes must go through a ladies' wear stores, children's stores, men's supervisor at the site, said his crew did not process called the Uniform Land Use Review shops, a large commercial bank, a Latin foresee any technical problems in leveling the Procedure, said District Manager of Com- Shoplifters American bank and a savings bank. buildings. munity Planning Board No. 6 Edwin Mar- "Preliminary plans should be ready in "Our big delays and problems over the tinez. After certification by the New York by Vcronicu Murru) January" for public release, said Gardner. past few months were getting people City Planning Commission, Planning Board Fordham's Student Deli has instituted "Our application is being prepared by the relocated satisfactorily," said Conway. No. 6 must schedule a public hearing on the new policies to deal with a recent increase in City and will be ready by the end of Decem- Conway said one resident, Joseph matter in 60 days. After that the plans go shoplifting. ber'." Porrpvecchio, is still operating a used car back lo the Commission, which sends them "Sanctions placed on shoplifters became Chase will own 50 percent of the com- dealership and parking lot on the Fordham to the City Board of Estimate, who then must effective some time in October, and include plex, UDC will have 25 percent ownership Road side of the site. He said Thursday, also review them in 60days, said Martinez. paying for the product, working in the deli and the City of New York will own the Nov. 3, that Porrovecchio would be Martinez said Board No. 6 has set up a for five hours, and donating money to the remaining quarter. relocated to a siteacioss from the Sears Auto task force to monitor the progress ol the soup kitchen (located on Fordham Road)," Conway spoke of the UDC's.desire to Center on 188th Street and 3rd Avenue Plaza, headed by board member Julio said Assistant Dean for Residential Life get the project moving. within three to four clays. As of this Tuesday, Munoz. "We're putting together the group Winnil'red Wegmann. "I'm happy lo get this done. We've had he was still at the site. to represent community interests, especially "Shoplifting is the major concern of this a couple of fires," he said while pointing to a Conway said the last residents of the in hiring practices," said Munoz. "We're year's deli operations," said Deirdre Calucci, burnt out second floor window of an apar- apartment buildings left eight weeks ago. making sure they (the developers) hear our FC '84, the deli's financial director for the tment on the corner of Washington and As the buildings are being demolished, point of view." past two years. Certain precautions are being taken to aid employees in viewing shoplifters. "As of last week, two round mirrors were placed in the back corners of the deli, and some time next week we plan to have a Record Endowment Set one-way mirror installed in the back near the ice cream," said Catueci. "The back of the President Paul Reiss. Despite an estimated deli is the hardest to view and, therefore, by Dan Vincclelte needs to be more carefully monitored." The 1983 fiscal year was a financial suc- 2.6 percent decline in enrollment in 1982, "Fating within the deli is no longer per- cess for the University, according lo figures tuition revenues were up almost nine percent mitted," said Catueci. "There have been too released by the Budget Planning Committee last year clue to an increase in tuition rates. many incidents where students arc eating last Friday. Other observations made by the Com- their purchases while wailing on line and not. miltee included the decline in grants that was The University's permanent endowment paying for the goods." has reached a record $12.7 million, up from balanced by a greater increase in the amount "Bob (Wallace) caught someone about $9.3 million reported last year, while funds of gills that the University received. two weeks ago placing Iwinkies in the pocket functioning as endowment totaled $14.5 Physical Plant was also able to keep ex- of a winter coat and he brought him into the million, a significant gain over the $9.8 penditures constant, despite increases in the deli office," said Wegmann. "This has been million reported in 1982. costs of fuel oil. the only incidence of shoplifting where the Reiss also noted that Fordham does not These gains and a rise in unexpended sanctions are intended lo be applied." plant funds to $12.5 million brought the compare well to other Jesuit Universities' "The shoplifter sanctioned should do University's total' reserve funds lo $39.8 ratio of reserve funds to total expenditures. his service lo the deli some time next week," million for 1983, a 42 percent gain over last Despite this comparison, Reiss was op- said Kevin O'Neill, CBA'85. year's amount. Total expenditures for the timistic. Earlier in the semester, three Fordham University only rose 15 percent. The ratio of "Proportionally, we're not as well off as Prep students were also caught shoplifting. reserve funds lo total expenditures, 63.4 per- we were in 1978, but it's not dramatic," Reiss However these sanctions were not effective in cent, is the best the University has recorded said.