BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR APRIL 26-MAY 2, 2019 71
Bronx Jewish Center
holds community dinner
COUNCILMAN GJONAJ DONATES HP COMPUTER TO P.S. 175
Enjoy a community Shabbat
dinner at the Bronx
Jewish Center, 1969 Haight
Avenue on Friday, May 3,
starting at 7 p.m.
The special theme for that
evening will be Shabbat in
Chile.
All of your favorite Chilean
style dishes will take
center stage.
The Bronx Jewish Center
look forward to seeing you.
Enjoy a delicious 4-course
dinner with your fellow
neighbors.
Turn your Friday night
Shabbat into an evening of
spiritual awakening, inspiration,
Jewish songs and culinary
delight.
For additional information
and to RSVP call (718)
812-1701. Community Shabbat
dinners are held the fi rst
Friday of every month.
Councilman Mark Gjonaj proudly presented the P.S. 175 Parent Teacher Association a
HP computer courtesy of TDS to be raffl ed to raise funds for the PTA at their Bingo Night.
BY GEORGE HAVRANEK
Over one hundred concerned
neighborhood residents
fi lled the seats at the Knights
of Columbus Hall on April 17
for the Spencer Estate Civic
Association’s second meeting
of 2019. This overwhelming
inter-neighborhood response
clarifi ed that residents of this
community truly care. Guest
speakers, Bronx Department
of Transportation Commissioner
Nirvado Lopez and 45th
Precinct commander Captain
Thomas Fraser captivated the
audience with their knowledge
and expertise.
Commissioner Lopez thoroughly
explained the dynamic
of the DOT as it relates to traffi
c safety and infrastructure.
He covered an array of topics
including street resurfacing
projects, corner curb ramps,
traffi c light synchronization,
traffi c congestion, signage
guidelines, and the illegal
weekend long storage/parking
of tractor trailers along the
Bruckner Boulevard corridor.
Commissioner Lopez offered
advice and theoretical
solutions to multiple issues;
however, strongly stressed
that unforeseen consequences
may accompany perceived remediation.
Problems that affect
multiple communities
must be resolved with communication,
consideration, and
caution. Our association must
carefully analyze multiple scenarios
prior to presenting any
recommendations to the Department
of Transportation.
Additional meetings with our
neighbors at the Country Club
Civic Association and Commissioner
Lopez will occur
prior to the implementations
of any actions that affect our
communities.
Captain Thomas Fraser
patiently addressed our community
and addressed multiple
community concerns. He
adeptly explained the NYPD’s
prioritization model and was
forthright in explaining the
obstacles that confront law enforcement.
He acknowledged the impending
loss of six offi cers
through attrition; however,
reinforced that his responsibility
and dedication to the
community will always be
steadfast. Captain Fraser engaged
in a lengthy, passionate
Q and A session with our
residents and revealed that
neighborhood response to recent
criminal activities demonstrated
the effectiveness of a
community’s ‘See something,
say something’ attitude.
The cooperation of local
residents and surveillance
footage is aiding law enforcement
in their investigation of
a recent robbery that victimized
a young area resident. It
appears that community vigilance
in conjunction with
the hard work of local law enforcement
will bring this egregious
matter to a swift and just
conclusion. The young man
and his family remain in the
thoughts, prayers, and hearts
of our entire community.
Today’s environment creates
a distinct need for strong
bi-directional relationships
between law enforcement and
the communities they serve.
The NYPD’s ‘Build the Block’
program is designed to create
strong ties between the rank
and fi le offi cers that patrol the
streets and community residents.
Spencer Estate, Country
Club, and Pelham Bay comprise
the Sector B area of the
45th Precinct.
The upcoming Build the
Block meeting for our area is
Thursday, April 25, 6 p.m. at
Santa Maria Church, 2352 St.
Raymond Avenue. All area
residents are encouraged to
attend this event that fosters
acquaintanceships with our
(NCO’s) Neighborhood Community
police offi cers. The B
sector NCO’s are police offi cer
Harmanjot Singh and police
offi cer Juan Trinidad. These
fi ne men are pillars of the
principles that make our men
and woman in blue New York’s
Finest. Their fantastic presentation
and interactions at the
Build the Block events highlight
the importance of neighborhood
policing.
In attendance at our April
17 meeting were representatives
from neighboring civic
associations and local elected
offi cials. Arlene Grauer, president
of the Country Club Civic
Association; Michelle Torioni,
president of the Pelham
Bay Taxpayers Association;
and Annie Boller treasurer of
the 45th Precinct Council and
administrator of the popular
Friends of Community Board
10 website displayed support
for our community.
In addition, our valued
friend Ted Pryor, head counsel
for Councilman Mark Gjonaj
and John Korres legislative
aide for Assemblyman Michael
Benedetto mingled with
area residents and earnestly
listened to various community
concerns. We are honored
by their supportive presence
and look forward to future collaborative
ventures tailored to
better our communities.
At the very core a community
is simply a group with
common- unity. Throughout
the past year we have been
given cues that strongly suggest
that law enforcement is
being severely restricted by
policies set in City Hall and Albany.
It is clear that the fi ne leaderships
of law enforcement
and numerous city agencies
have a duty bound silence that
prevents their articulation of
wanted legislative modifi cations
and changes. A community
is obligated to help their
allies in law enforcement and
civil services unlock the handcuffs
of restrictions. Legislative
change is warranted.
The extremisms that resulted
from the archaic ‘Broken
Windows’ mandate has
fostered an overt antonymic
change that threatens the
quality of life of the honorable,
respectable, law-abiding citizen.
Broken Windows has now
become Open Doors. Neither
policy is good for our community.
This swing in extremisms
cannot repair past damages or
right past injustices.
It is time our legislators institute
commonsense middle
ground reforms that promote
a high quality of life and an environment
of fairness and faith
in our criminal justice system.
Our legislators need to be accountable
for the undue stress
and strain that is a consequence
of neighborhood degradations.
Their emotion-laden dubious
decisions have made our communities
playgrounds for the
criminal element. It is time
to close those criminal playgrounds
and make our communities
amusement parks for
the honorable, respectable, lawabiding
citizens.
Community Footnotes
From Pat Caruso and our
friends at Community Board
10: Mark your calendar: rain
or shine, Saturday, May 4 at
Orchard Beach parking lot, 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. the NYC Department
of Sanitation will hold a
Safe Disposal Event. This is
an opportunity to legally and
safely dispose of pesticides,
paints, automotive fl uids,
medications, electronics and
mercury containing devices.
Please note: only city residential
waste will be accepted.
A Plant & Boutique Sale
hosted by the Sisters Servants
of Saint Mary Auxiliary will
take place Thursday, May 9
and Friday, May 10 from 11
a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday,
May 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 3305
Country Club Road, For additional
information call (718)
829-0428
K n L Mediterranean Market
at 3284 Ampere Avenue is
offi cially open for business.
Stop in and say hello to our
friendly new neighbors Mike
and Aida. Our community
wishes them good fortune.
The American Red Cross in
partnership with Councilman
Gjonaj provides free smoke
alarm installation through the
‘Sound the Alarm’ program.
Remember, a mere two minutes
can be the difference in
successfully escaping a house
fi re. Call (877) 733-2767 to take
advantage of this vital service.
Political leaders to gauge a
community’s interest and fortitude
use the attendance at local
civic association meetings.
The large turnouts by our
community show our elected
offi cials that we have the fortitude
and resolve needed to confront
adversity. It is critical for
our community to continually
build on this this momentum.
The next meeting of the Spencer
Estate Civic Association
is Wednesday, May 15, ,7:30
p.m. at Knights of Columbus.
Assemblyman Michael Benedetto
is scheduled to address
our community.
Our assemblyman is chairman
to the State Assembly
Education Committee and is
especially well prepared to
address any questions in the
area of education. In addition,
he is a driving force behind
the I-95 project slated to begin
next year.
Homeowners or renters interested
in membership to the
all inclusive Spencer Estate
Civic Association can contactin
George Havranek via Facebook
or an send-email with
subject matter Spencer Estate
to gghh55@aol.com. If we want
to ‘keep and reap the blessings’
of our fi ne quality of life
‘we must undergo the fatigue
of supporting it’.
Remember: ‘Inclusion
brings solutions.’
link
link