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DISTRICT NEEDS STATEMENT
FOR BRONX COMMUNITY BOARD #10
3165 East Tremont Ave.
Bronx, New York 10461
TEL: (718) 892-1161
FAX: (718) 863-6860
email:bx10@cb.nyc.gov
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STATEMENT OF COMMUNITY DISTRICT NEEDS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2010
BRONX COMMUNITY BOARD #10 JULY 22, 2008
Opening Statement
Bronx Community Board #10 is one of the largest Board service areas in the
Borough of the Bronx. It is primarily characterized by 1-3 family homes,
situated on tree shaded streets. There are a few multiple dwellings concentrated
in the Pelham Bay, Zerega and Westchester Square portions of the Board. However,
the Board is the host community to Co-op City, one of the largest housing
developments in the United States. One of the most interesting communities
within the Board’s service area is City Island. This nautically themed community
is home to several America’s Cup Yacht Race winners, and resembles a quaint New
England fishing village. The Board is also home to the City’s largest park,
Pelham Bay, in which Orchard Beach, the Bartow Pell Mansion and the Thomas Pell
Wildlife Preserve are situated.
History
The areas that comprise Bronx Community Board #10 were once part of the Village
of Westchester and before that, the private estates of several families, most
notably the Bartow and Pell families. A significant battle was fought during the
American Revolution between British and Colonial forces, in the vicinity of
Orchard Beach. The Battle of Pell’s Point delayed the British advance, allowing
Washington’s troops to regroup in White Plains. The Westchester Square area is
home to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, one of the oldest churches in New York
City, and one that received its charter from George III, the last ruling British
monarch over America. Westchester Square is also home to the Ferris Family
Cemetery, with graves dating back to the 16th Century, and the historic Collis
P. Huntington Free Library.
Boundaries
North-New England Thruway, Eastern Prolongation of Park Drive, Park Drive, Long
Island Sound, City Line; East-Western boundary of Pelham Bay Park, Eastchester
Bay Long Island Sound (including City and Hart Islands); South-East River; West
–Westchester Creek, Northern Prolongation of Westchester Creek to Waterbury
Avenue, Waterbury Avenue, Westchester Avenue, Castle Hill Avenue, East Tremont
Avenue, Silver Street, Eastchester Road, Blondell Avenue, East Tremont Avenue,
Hutchinson River Parkway, New England Thruway.
Public Safety
Bronx Community Board #10 is serviced by the 45th Precinct. The 45th Precinct
has one of the largest patrol areas in the Borough ranging from the Zerega
community to Co-op City. Yet, the 45th Precinct has one of the smallest
contingent of officers. Additionally, the 45th Precinct is responsible for
police services within Co-op City, home to 50,000 residents and while Co-op City
does have its own public safety force that works well with the 45th Precinct,
both the 45th Precinct and Co-op City could benefit from a satellite sub-station
within the housing complex and shared patrol resources. The Precinct’s physical
structure appears to be sound, its exterior was renovated a few years ago. Its
interior is in need of improvement, especially where the officers meet with
their commanding officers and where the public meets with NYPD personnel. An
interior upgrade would lend dignity to the building and enhance the public’s
image. The Precinct is also in need of additional vehicles to better patrol the
community. Many of the resources of the Precinct are expended on controlling
crowds of students at the Westchester Square bus and train hub. In the past,
during periods of high crime, School Safety staff was deployed from Lehman High
School, as well as units from the NYPD Transit Bureau to assist patrol officers
from the 45th Precinct to interdict in Westchester Square. The Board is
advocating for the regular assignment of School Safety and Transit Bureau
officers to Westchester Square, during lunch and dismissal times to augment the
presence of officers from the 45th Precinct.
Transportation
Bronx Community Board #10 is serviced by the IRT #6 Train, as well as several
bus lines. A recent addition to the bus service in the Board, is the Select Bus
Service or (SBS). This is a pilot project sponsored by the New York City
Department of Transportation and the MTA, which has as its goal the more
efficient passage of buses through the streets. Passengers use their Metrocards
to purchase their passage at specially designated stops from vending kiosks,
which dispense receipts. When the SBS Bus with its distinctive markings arrives,
passengers can use the rear doors or the front door to get on the bus. There is
no on board fare collection system. Passengers simply retain their receipt and
produce it, if requested. The SBS bus has the ability to hold lights green for
the time needed to pass through an intersection. This prevents buses from
bunching and allows them move along in specially designated lanes, serving
limited stops. The Board is excited to be one of the host community boards for
this project.
The mainline for Amtrak runs right through Co-op City’s Section #5. During the
debate on Congestion Pricing, it was thought that Co-op City would receive a
designatedMetro North station on the line. But with the failure of Congestion
Pricing, this plan fell through. It is Community Board #10’s contention that
this idea must be resurrected. Hundreds of people could reach Manhattan within a
half an hour if a Metro North train were to leave from Co-op City. Additionally,
ferry service from Co-op City, City Island, Orchard Beach and Throgs Neck should
be considered for water transit.
The Pelham Bay portion of Bronx Community Board #10 is situated between two
major highways, the New England Thruway and the Hutchinson River Parkway. Both
roads are notorious for congestion and pollution. Suburban drivers, seeking to
avoid the congestion on either road, often traverse through Pelham Bay streets
to reach one highway or the other. This practice causes massive problems for the
residents of Pelham Bay and Bronx Community Board #10 has reached out to the New
York State and New York City Departments of Transportation to develop a
comprehensive traffic study seeking creative solutions to the problems posed by
the traffic in this community.
Road construction has not kept pace with the production of new cars and trucks.
The number of vehicles using the roads has far outstripped the capacity of those
roads to handle the traffic. Transportation planners must develop alternatives
to car and truck transport. There is no reason why the residents of various
Bronx community boards must be burdened with pollution belching truck traffic on
the New England Thruway and the Cross Bronx Expressway, when a readily available
alternative exists in the railroad. For over a century, railroads have served
the Bronx, and served it well. With the presence of the Oak Point Rail Yard
providing a linkage between New England and points south, serving both local and
through freight needs, bulk cargo should be shifted to trains and away from
trucks. The trains could deliver the goods to central locations and smaller
trucks could deliver these commodities to retail locations and homes.
Health and Human Services
Bronx Community Board #10 is serviced by Bronx Municipal Hospital Center, the
Jack D. Weilor Hospital of Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center and
Westchester Square Medical Center. The Board is grateful that plans to close
Westchester Square Medical Center have been shelved. Surveys of the health of
the Borough and Community Board #10 have revealed high rates of asthma; problems
associated with childhood diseases; low birth weight babies; increases in HIV
infection; geriatric; and mental health issues. Health planners should
concentrate their efforts on preventive medicine. To their respective credit,
the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Health and
Hospitals Corporation and Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center have excellent
outreach programs and the Board applauds their efforts. However, it is vitally
important that these efforts be supported and the Board will work with these
providers to improve the health of our neighbors.
The Board is experiencing a disturbing trend in Westchester Square; this
community has been targeted by mental health, drug treatment and behavioral
modification agencies. The Board understands the needs of our neighbors, and we
have welcomed these agencies in the past, but health planners, particularly at
the State level should understand that the Westchester Square community has been
inundated by these agencies and suffers from over saturation. Such a high
concentration of group homes and other treatment facilities in one geographic
area is unhealthy, from a community perspective.
Education
Bronx Community Board #10 is home to fine grammar, intermediate schools. It is
also home to two high schools, Herbert H. Lehman and Harry S. Truman. The
schools in the Board service area are doing well and young people are entering
college. This was not always the case, but the schools and test scores have
improved. The Board will work with the community and its educators to see that
adequate funds from the State budget are dedicated to area schools.
Additionally, there is a great need for the students of Lehman High School to
have a cafeteria that serves quality meals. Currently, they leave the school
during their lunch period and eat out. Often, their dining choices are limited
to fast food outlets. It would be better for both the students and the
Westchester Square community, if the students remained on campus. Therefore, the
Board supports the creation of a cafeteria at Lehman High School. Additionally,
the Department of Education should explore the possibility of establishing
another high school for the northeast Bronx. Harry S. Truman High School in the
Co-op City community has an Olympic sized swimming pool. The pool is in
disrepair and funds will have to be allocated for its repair.
There is no reason why a resource of this value should languish in disrepair.
The Board is interested in seeing funding granted for these projects.
Parks and Recreation
Bronx Community Board #10 is the host community board for Pelham Bay Park, the
largest park in the City’s system. It is also home to many community parks,
which provide a welcome respite from the rigors of urban life. These are
resources that must be preserved and enhanced. The Board is grateful that the
City’s central administration has announced plans to build a golf course,
children’s playground and river walk for Ferry Point Park East. New pathways,
fields and a comfort station are planned for Ferry Point Park West, and plans
have been announced for the renovation of many athletic fields and local parks,
such as Pearly Gates. The Board would like to see the establishment of private
and public partnerships for parks. Parks such as Owen Dolan, with a recreation
center and greensward, in the midst of a commercial area, is an oasis of calm
and beauty. However, it is an older design and it is need of renovation, it is
time to modernize this park. The Westchester Square business community is
interested in working with the City on improving the park and enhancing its
appearance. This type of partnership has worked successfully in other sections
of the City, and it should be examined for application here. The Board has
worked continuously with the Department of Parks and Recreation on these
efforts, and will continue its advocacy in this area.
However, more resources must be brought to the parks for cultural enrichment,
nature programs and support of the Urban Park Rangers. The Board would like to
see a return of the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic to Pelham
Bay Park.
Housing and Zoning
Bronx Community Board #10 has experienced unprecedented growth in residential
construction. Often this construction was not consistent with the existing
housing in the area. This has led to a zoning resolution that downsized new
construction. However, developers continue to propose new projects that either
flout or come close to violating the zoning provisions. It therefore becomes
incumbent upon the Board, to do its utmost to assess these projects and work to
overcome the more onerous aspects of development. Community Boards are mandated
to provide advisory opinions on land use and zoning matters. It is important
that the City’s central administration commit to supporting Community Boards, so
that they are able to provide quality opinions on the many development projects
that come before them.
Emergency Management
Much of Bronx Community Board #10 is shoreline property, and as such, is subject
to the negative effects of storms. Central to the City’s emergency response
system in the Community Board, are Civilian Emergency Response Teams or (CERTs).
Each CERT TEAM is made up of trained community residents, who have agreed to
assist the NYPD, FDNY and EMS during emergencies. Currently, the Co-op City
community has a CERT TEAM. The Board will work with the community organizations
to facilitate the establishment of additional CERT TEAMS in the Board’s service
area.
Economic Development
The Westchester Square business community is working very hard on establishing a
Business Improvement District or BID. A BID will consist of property owners who
have made a commitment to the community in transforming an older shopping
district, into a revitalized economic entity. The Westchester Square experience
should be replicated across the other Board’s shopping areas along City Island
Avenue, East
Tremont Avenue, Crosby Avenue, Westchester Avenue and the Dreiser, Einstein and
Bartow Avenue Shopping Centers in Co-op City. The Board believes that the City’s
economic future lies in the preservation and enhancement of its older shopping
areas. To this end, the Board calls upon the City’s Small Business Services to
assist the older shopping areas of the Board.
Quality of Life
The Board receives inquiries from its constituents on a variety of issues. Most
often they center on the cleanliness of public spaces, the need for increased
parking, concerns over housing that was built, but never sold and many other
issues. In response, the Board is working with its partners in government to try
and address these matters. Air quality is of great importance to this Board. One
way to improve the quality of the air that we breathe, and ultimately the
quality of our lives, is to plant trees and create greenstreets throughout the
Board’s service area. To this end Bronx Community Board #10 has forwarded dozens
of locations to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, under the
PlaNYC Program, which has as its goal the planting of over a million trees.
Conclusion
This statement of District Needs has been submitted by Bronx Community Board
#10, in an effort to familiarize the appropriate government agencies with the
needs of our communities. This Board represents vibrant communities that are the
social and economic bedrock of the Bronx. The Board looks forward to working
with its partners in government to ensure our quality of life, and the continued
viability and growth of our neighborhoods.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kenneth Kearns
District Manager
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