A New High-Tech Tool in Quality of Life Campaign By JAMES FANELLI Sidewalk cracks, empty tree pits, potholes, graffiti, broken lampposts. These blemishes have long plagued North Fordham and other area streets for years and are now being scrutinized and recorded by six Fordham University students who hope their survey will result in city action. The six undergraduate students are interns at the Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation (FBHC), a nonprofit that provides housing for over 1750 families with moderate and low incomes in the northwest Bronx, and tries to improve other neighborhood conditions and services. Since October, the students, in two teams of three, have scoured the North Fordham area from 194th Street to 198th Street, between the Grand Concourse and Webster Avenue, three days a week, for two hours at a time. Each team, consisting of two observers and one recorder, inspects and notes every physical problem they encounter. To record their findings, they use the latest in technology - a palm pilot device that neatly categorizes the disrepair and comes equipped with a camera to photograph conditions. Since its inception in 1980, FBHC's mission has been to improve housing and neighborhood quality of life through advocacy. "We have always been involved in housing issues, which include the upkeep of open spaces, cleaning streets and improving transportation," said Rosanna Viera, the FBHC staffer who is coordinating the surveys. Earlier this fall, while researching better advocacy methods, Viera and Pat Logan, FBHC's director of policy and planning, came across the Fund for the City of New York's ComNet (Computerized Neighborhood Environment Tracking) program. ComNet sets up an easy and efficient system for neighborhood groups to survey disrepair and then transmit their findings to city agencies. The program provides participating agencies with training, recording devices and access to their database. The database helps neighborhood groups, like FBHC, sort their survey findings into a presentable format and it also tells them which city agency to contact. The reports also make coordinating easier for city officials. "It's very helpful to government agencies, since they often get sporadic complaints," said Barbara Cohn, vice president of the Fund for the City of New York and director of ComNet. "They'll send someone out to fix one broken lamp, but they won't know about several others in the area that are also broken. Our system allows a neighborhood group to present all the problems, at once, to an agency." Fordham Bedford is one of 17 city neighborhoods to partner with ComNet. Some surveys, such as one undertaken by high school students in the Longwood section, have already proven successful. They sent Bronx Transportation Commissioner Connie Moran a report that detailed 13 lampposts in their area which were missing base plates. Moran reviewed the information and corrected the problem. FBHC hopes to have similar success when they send out their reports in the spring. Viera believes they will. "City agencies like getting their information from people in the community," she said. "They respond when they see the community is trying to get something done." Nnenna Egbuchunam, a student on the inspection team agreed. "When people see a clean area and things get fixed," she said, "then they have more motivation to keep their neighborhood clean."
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