LOCAL CLASSIFIEDS PAGE 10 September 21, 2014 Your Neighborhood — Your News® W. Bronx assembly HOMELESS AT recount BY PATRICK ROCCHIO A recount is now underway in a razor-thin close primary elec- tion for a west Bronx assembly district. With unoffi cial primary night CAPRI MOTEL results showing a margin of just 11 votes separating challenger Hector Ramirez and incumbent Assemblyman Victor Pichardo Villa Maria Sends Community reacts in the 86th Assembly District, the New York City Board of Elections began a recount of paper ballots 9-11 Gift to city’s plan on Wednesday, September 17 after First graders at Villa Maria Academy prepared a the appropriate amount of time BY PATRICK ROCCHIO tray of cookies and a card for Police Commissioner elapsed under state election law. There’s collective concern among residents and “The bi-partisan team will be- William Bratton and the NYPD on the morning of elected offi cials grappling with the opening of a gin opening all the paper ballots, Thursday, September 11 to commemorate the 9/11 homeless shelter at a recently shuttered motel near meaning affi davits, military, ab- terror attacks. The cookie tray was presented to Ferry Point Park. sentees,” said Valerie Vasquez, a Assistant Chief Edward Delatorre at the school The city Department of Homeless Services con- spokeswoman for the New York after the students sang a rendition of God Bless fi rmed that it began moving in families to the Ca- City Board of Elections. “By elec- NYPD of courtesy Photo America. The children were assisted by fi rst- pri Whitestone Motel this week. The closed “hot- tion law, we have to wait a certain grade teachers Ann Marie Marino and Sophie sheet” motel allegedly used to charge hourly rates number of days so we have am- D’Ambrosio. Bratton tweeted his thanks which can and was known for a rumored bed bug infestation, ple time to receive absentee bal- be found at https://twitter.com/commissbratton/ said neighbors. lots that were postmarked by the status/510154586410471425. See page 6 for more The Capri, at the Hutchinson River Parkway deadline. Then the staff has to do service road near the approach to the Bronx Whit- photos on other borough 9-11 memorials. their due diligence verifying that Continued on Page 4 they are in fact registered voters in the correct district.” The process is open to the can- didates and the public, she ex- plained. The counting of paper ballots New art sculptures on the Square is necessary because of the very close margin, with Ramirez gain- ing 1764 votes and Pichardo with BY JAIME WILLIAMS be unveiled on October 1, at 11 borhood will be the new home of 1753 votes, with 95% reported, Westchester Square is home a.m. A second piece has been the Bronx Council on the Arts in according to Board of Elections to new pieces of public art. installed in front of the nearby 2015. unoffi cial primary night results. Two sculpture pieces from DOT office on Williamsbridge “It’s the start of kicking off The primary election was held on Bronx-based artist Linda Cun- Road. something really exciting in Tuesday, September 12. ningham have been installed in Bringing the public art pieces the area,” said Sorin about the This is a particularly charged the neighborhood as part of the to Westchester Square is part art installation, which will last The scuplture, Urban Regenaration 2 recount because of allegations NYC Department of Transpor- of a larger mission to make the through July 2015. by Linda Cunningham, will be present of fraud against Pichardo by tation’s art initiative, in part- neighborhood a cultural desti- The goal of the cultural offer- in Westchester Square through July Ramirez in a close race between nership with the Westchester nation, said Westchester Square ings are to draw more foot traf- 2015 as part of NYC Department of the two candidates in 2013. These Square Business Improvement BID director Lisa Sorin. fic, and in turn more businesses Transportation’s Art Program, in part- charges included allegations of District. The BID has brought arts pro- to the area, said Sorin, which nership with the Westchester Square missing levers on machines for One piece, installed at the gramming to the square and has is ripe with potential thanks to certain candidates, including corner of Westchester and East plans for murals to beautify the abundence of transportation op- Business Improvement District. Photo courtesy of the Westchester Square BID Continued on Page 41 Tremont avenues, will officially area, said Sorin, and the neigh- Continued on Page 111 A CNG Publication • Vol. 673 No. No. 38 5 • Vol. 67 No. 5 UPDATED EVERY DAY AT BXTIMES.COM Pesky scaffolding grows in Pelham Parkway garden BY BEN KOCHMAN courtyard is now mostly started. They said “tear down shrouded in darkness, with that scaffold” — not expand the dark sheds crisscross- Glimmer of hope? it! ing the garden. But Feder said there may Tenants at one Pelham be a glimmer of hope with a Parkway apartment com- Shrouded in dark new property manager that plex where construction The darkness has some came in earlier this year. has been going on for half long-time tenants feeling New building manager a decade are griping again, trapped in an unsafe situa- Simply Better took over now that new management tion. from SW Management, a has only expanded a series “I’m afraid for my own company run by real estate of pesky scaffolding into safety, because I know that mogul Stanley Wasserman. the courtyard. there are drug deals go- And though new manage- BRONX WEEKLY September 21, 2014 2 2014 SeptemberBRONX WEEKLY 21, Residents at 2100 Bronx ing on,” said Elaine Feder, ment has only increased the Park East have endured a a long time resident and sidewalk sheds, they are at dark green wooden scaf- co-president of the Pelham least open to dialogue, said fold around the perimeter Parkway Neighborhood As- Feder. of their building since 2009. sociation. “They are a hell of lot Tenants have complained Construction has been more responsive than the Tear it down! After fi ve years, Elaine Feder is still waiting for her landlord to complete repairs on her that the so-called “sidewalk underway for years on the other landlords, who never Bronx Park East apartment. And now the scaffolding has expanded into the courtyard. sheds” attract vagrants and series of six-story apart- responded to my letters,” drug dealers to their prop- ment building’s facade and she said. Ben Kochman / Community News Group erty, and have long pushed parapet. Long time resi- Building management for them to be removed. dents like Feder remember told Feder recently that according to an email re- curity cameras at the com- “This courtyard is a But now, with the build- growing up in a nice build- management was “work- viewed by the Bronx Times plex. death trap,” said resident ing under new manage- ing, with a doorman and a ing with their engineer- Reporter. Any sort of help could Eve Demian. “I have never ment, the sidewalk sheds lush green courtyard, be- ing team” to see if they Management also said not come soon enough for seen such an unbeliev- have been expanded. The fore the building started to could provide “enhanced they would “look at the fea- residents looking for a way able disregard for human building’s once bucolic deteriorate and the repairs lighting” in the courtyard, sibility” of installing se- out of the dark. safety,” www.BXTimes.com Illegal park barbequers hit with summonses BY JAIME WILLIAMS The Parks and Recre- Grilling season ended ation committee of Com- early this year for those munity Board 11 was barbecuing illegally in two surprised and pleased by Bronx parks. the quick response to the Thanks to efforts from meeting, said Committee residents and a local coun- chair Joanne Rubino. And cilmember, Parks Enforce- although the barbecuing ment Patrol offi cers cracked dramatically decreased down on the issue in Bronx by the end of the summer, Park East and on the Pel- Rubino said the committee ham Parkway greenways. is planning to continue to After repeated concerns push the issue next spring. from locals and members of “This year they’ll know Community Board 11 about from the get-go this won’t the presences of dangerous be tolerated,” said Rubino. barbecues in the parks on People who want to bar- summer weekends, Coun- becue should go to dedi- cilman Ritchie Torres’s of- cated sites, like the ones fi ce organized a meeting be- in Pelham Bay Park, she tween the residents, Bronx said. Borough Parks Commis- “These parks are not A group grillng in the grass area of Bronx Park East in June. File photo sioner Hector Aponte and meant for that,” said Ru- Parks Enforcement offi cials bino. in early July. Pelham Parkway. After tinue to monitor the prog- Labor Day. Throughout the said Edith Blitzer of the It’s imporant for both At the meeting, Parks considerable pressure from ress of this effort so Bronx summer, offi cers issued 29 Pelham Parkway Neighbor- the safety of the residents Enforcement Patrol agreed my offi ce, and the offi ce of families can safely enjoy summonses, according to hood Association, and the and the preservation of to send offi cers to the Council Member Vacca, the their public parks.” the Parks Department. offi cers maintained a vis- the park that illegal barbe- parks. Parks Department has fol- A spokesman from the The difference between ible presence in the parks cuing be eradicated, said “Illegal barbecuing has lowed through with their Parks Department said that the number of barbecuers each weekend.