GJONAJ AIDS FEDCAP GRAFFITI REMOVAL
Councilman Mark Gjonaj’s offi ce has been working closely with
Fedcap on graffi ti removals throughout the 13th Council district.
(Above) A Fedcap worker helped remove graffi ti from underneath
an overpass. Photo courtesy of Councilman Mark Gjonaj’s Offi ce
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, M BT AY 22-28, 2015 73
Post members and Marine
Corps League members had
the honor of giving a fi nal salute
to Staff Sergeant Christopher
A. Slutman, United
States Marine Corps and
NYFD member.
We also had the privilege
of rendering honors to Marine
Robert J. Graham, a WWII
Marine Raider who served in
the Pacifi c Theater.
I thank all that were able
to attend, may they rest in
peace, keep their families in
your prayers.
A few dates to keep in mind
this upcoming month. Friday,
May 17 will be the Support the
Troops Bingo Night, all proceeds
of this event go to packaging
and shipping care packages
to our troops serving in
harms way, great event and
for a great cause. Saturday
May 18 we will be going to St.
Raymond Cemetery to place
fl ags on the graves of our veterans,
please lend a hand. On
Saturday, May 25 the Sons of
the Legion will be holding
the Memorial Day BBQ, $20
a head gets ya burgers, dogs,
salads, tap beer and wine, 1
to 5 p.m., can’t beat it. On Memorial
Day, Monday, May 27,
a parade will be held on City
Island, hot dog lunch back
at the City Island Post after
the parade. Second month of
nominations for all elected
offi cers positions, fi rst Saturday
of the month, make an effort
to be there. That’s all for
now.
We are stronger as one,
lets work together. God bless
America!
BY GEORGE HAVRANEK
The well-attended March
and April meetings of the
Spencer Estate Civic Association
brought to the forefront
multiple community concerns.
The following information
will hopefully add clarity
to these ongoing issues.
Tractor-Trailer Parking
The illegal, weekend long
overnight storage of tractortrailers
along the Bruckner
Boulevard corridor made
the top of the complaint list.
Bronx Department of Transpotation
Commissioner Nirvado
Lopez, 45th Precinct
Captain Thomas Fraser and
Councilman Mark Gjonaj put
this thorny issue in perspective.
The review of DOT Complaint
406075-H7D7, fi led by
our association, affi rmed that
our Bruckner Boulevard corridor
is a residential area and
the ongoing parking of these
oversized vehicles is illegal.
According to Commissioner
Lopez, the DOT fi ndings
fi rmly placed this problem in
the hands of law enforcement.
Captain Fraser revealed that
the lack of large tow trucks,
storage spaces, and oversized
boots makes the issuance of
parking summonses the lone
weapon readily available to
NYPD.
It is evident that in this
circumstance these truckers
prefer to pay a summons and
devalue a community rather
than endure the higher cost of
proper legal storage. To counter
their cavalier attitudes,
Councilman Gjonaj introduced
legislation to dramatically
increase the cost of existing
fi nes. The City Council
overwhelmingly passed the
Gjonaj sponsored legislation
and recently passed it forward
to Mayor de Blasio for fi nal approval.
The mayor has 30 days
to sign the legislation into law,
veto the bill or take no action.
The council can override the
mayor’s veto with a 2/3 vote.
If the mayor doesn’t sign or
veto the legislation within
30 days, it becomes law. Mayoral
inaction and the council’s
overwhelming support suggests
this law will be enacted
shortly. Our community must
be marathon ready, as this issue
will continue to test our
unity and stamina. For now,
the only recourse is reliance
on NYPD and Traffi c Enforcement
to ensure that those
parking along our Bruckner
Boulevard corridor comply
with the law.
Four Way Stop Sign
The safety improvement issue
of four-way stop signage
at the intersection of Stadium
Avenue and Spencer Drive was
reopened under case number
DOT-406073-G6P8. The
DOT is conducting another
traffi c study, to determine
necessity that should be completed
by mid June. According
to DOT Commissioner
Lopez the intersection is unlikely
to meet the strict traffi c
volume standard or have the
number of documented accidents
to warrant this signage.
The obstructed view due to
the awkward angle at the intersection,
most notably when
traveling northbound on Stadium
Avenue falls within
DOT signage standards.
However, the DOT has other
tools in their safety box such
as ‘day lighting”. The implementation
of day lighting will
prohibit curbside parking in
portions of the area in to create
clear sightlines. This will
result in a loss of parking
spaces in an already parking
deprived neighborhood. Our
association in concert with
our friendly neighbors from
the Country Club Civic association
will await the results
from DOT and conduct a mutual
assessment prior to presenting
a fi nal recommendation
to Commissioner Lopez.
Traffi c Congestion
Traffi c congestion on the
I-95 corridor and around Pelham
Bay Station was a concern
for many in attendance
at our April meeting. The I-95
project slated to begin in 2020
is designed to eliminate or alleviate
traffi c congestion in
many crucial areas. Assemblyman
Mike Benedetto is the
driving force behind this long
awaited infrastructure improvement
and will address
the community at our May
15th meeting. The assemblyman
will give a detailed presentation
about this upcoming
project and fi eld questions
from our residents. This is a
prime opportunity for community
residents to learn the
potential short-term and longterm
affects of this large project.
Neighborhood Cleanliness
Issues affecting the cleanliness
and neatness of our
neighborhood arose at multiple
meetings. Upon examination,
it became clear that
compliance with laws and ordinances
tailored to keeping
our neighborhood charming,
neat, and clean could curtail
this problem. This is an area
in which our community has
moderate control.
First: Pet owners must comply
with city regulations and
properly cleanup after their
pets. Failure to do so truly degrades
and soils our neighborhood.
Second: NYC Department
of Sanitation regulations must
be strictly followed. In Spencer
Estate bulk items are picked
up on Wednesday and recycling
occurs on Saturday. All
trash should be securely bundled
or packaged and placed
curbside after 4pm the day before
scheduled pickup.
Third: Residential homeowners
are responsible to
clean the sidewalks adjoining
their property and 18 inches
beyond the curb into the
street.
Fourth: Civil communication
should be used to resolve
community related issues
with neighbors, negligent homeowners,
or negligent absentee
landlords. If unsuccessful,
please report the issue to 311
to generate a complaint number.
Please bring the documentation
to our civic association
meeting to discuss any
further actions.
Fifth: Any illegal dumping
should be immediately
reported to 311. In addition,
please report any illegal dumping
to the association.
We are grateful that an
overwhelming majority of
our residents faithfully follow
these neighborhood friendly
rules; however, it only takes
a small number to tarnish the
efforts of many. Please, let us
all do our best to preserve the
charming characteristic of
our neighborhood by keeping
our neighborhood clean and
abiding by the mantra: “See
something. Say something”
Political leaders to gauge a
community’s interest and fortitude
use the attendances 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 momentum. The next
meeting of the Spencer Estate
Civic Association is Wednesday,
May 15, ,7:30 p.m. at
Knights of Columbus.
Assemblyman Mike Benedetto
is scheduled to address
our community. Our assemblyman
is chairman to the State
Assembly Education Committee
and a driving force behind
the I-95 project slated to begin
next year. Our long time
friend, Assemblyman Benedetto
is highly knowledgeable
and prepared to address questions
in those areas.
Any area homeowner or
renter interested in membership
to the all inclusive Spencer
Estate Civic Association
in box George Havranek on
Facebook or 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.’
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