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Dinowitz Asks Board To Take Stance on Plant

By HEATHER HADDON

At Community Board 7's (CB7) monthly meeting last week, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz made an appeal for widespread attendance at a hearing on the filtration plant proposed for Van Cortlandt Park. The DEP is holding the hearing on March 3 at DeWitt Clinton High School. The plant "will affect not only Norwood, but . . . the entire northwest Bronx," Dinowitz said. The DEP's latest impact statement for the plant shows that areas south of the park will also be impacted if the plant is built in Norwood --  including drilling near the Bronx High School of Science and other schools.

In a press release after the meeting, Dinowitz urged Community Boards 7 and 8 to "take a strong position against this project, and to take this stand at, or prior to, this important hearing. . . . In the past, the Board released resolutions against similar projects being proposed. Community Board 7 has also been a leader in defending local residents against destructive projects in our neighborhood. The construction of this project would have a far worse impact on our community than any other recent proposal."

In a phone interview, Dinowitz added: "The boards take positions on every issue large and small. This is a big one."

The Board's president, Nora Feury, was not available for comment by press time. 

Dinowitz said the hearing "may very well be our last chance to derail the city's plan to build this monstrosity in our community." 

Youth Funding
The controversial push to reorganize city youth funding (reported in the last issue of the Norwood News) was also discussed at the Board meeting. With plans laid out last October to consolidate a variety of youth funding streams into one city-controlled pot, the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) finally solicited input from boards and agencies on the proposal earlier this month. 

Social service agencies were well represented at the meeting, according to Don 
Bluestone, executive director of the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC) and chair of CB7's Youth Committee. But Bluestone is still certain that the plan effectively strips away community input in funding priorities and decisions.

"They asked for our input, but [the mayor] is still going to make the decisions for us," he said.

Under the plan --  called Out-of-School Time --  the funding process for DYCD and a host of youth programs would be collapsed together. Many boards are angry that the Community Share funds, which the boards have long had a hand in steering to local youth programs, will no longer be under their aegis.

Bluestone also sees further problems. "There are all different rules in funding these 
programs," he said. "But they will be mixing all of these together."

Currently funded programs --  including the Tolentine-Zeiser Youth Center, MMCC, the COVE, and the EARS violence prevention program --  will be  funded until this December. New contracts will begin afterward, but there are no guarantees that these programs will be refunded. 

Devoe Park Problems
The chronically burnt out lights in Devoe Park brought Paul Vonseckendorff, director of the Friends of Devoe Park volunteer group, to the Board meeting. While Vonseckendorff has made many complaints about the problem to the Department of Transportation (DOT) through 311, only a third of the lights were fixed by last month. 

"[DOT] said that . . . the complaints were submitted and everything is now working," Vonseckendorff said.

CB7 agreed to register a complaint with DOT and follow up on the progress.

Plans for a Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) construction project is also slated to occur near the University Heights park. There will be pedestrian and vehicle detours, according to the Board. The DEP intends to present more detailed plans at the March Traffic and Transportation Committee meeting.

Fordham Road Parking
The chronic double-parking problem on West Fordham Road was also discussed. Large businesses west of University Avenue --  including Jimmy's Bronx Café, which was sold to a new owner --  make the already busy Fordham Road even more congested, according to the Board.

A motion to make the area a "no tolerance zone," which would seek to increase fines on double parking, was approved at the meeting. The Board also hopes to meet the new owner of Jimmy's to emphasize the need for security and parking enforcement.

Leash Law Petition
Andrea Nelson of Norwood came to the Board for support of her petition for better enforcement of the leash law, especially in regards to aggressive dogs. She has gathered 1,000 signatures and sent the petition on to elected officials and the precinct. Nelson's dog was attacked and killed by an unleashed dog last July.

Dinowitz said he supported the effort. "You shouldn't discriminate, but some dog breeds are more aggressive," he said.

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