Message from
Councilman Mark Gjonaj
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, D 28 ECEMBER 14-20, 2018 BTR
COUNCILMAN MARK GJONAJ
BY ARLENE GRAUER
My does time fl y. Here it is
December and it’s time decorate
and celebrate. Nevertheless,
the month is not without
sadness at the passing of our
41st President, George Henry
Walker Bush; the last President
to experience active military
service - a gentleman and
a humanitarian.
Just a reminder, you can
avoid the crowds at the mall
by shopping at our local businesses.
Not only do they carry a
variety of items, they also contribute
to the community, and
many owners live right here.
Our December meeting
means ‘Christmas Party,’
CCCA’s annual event where
we can enjoy food and drink
and socialize with our neighbors,
new and old. Remember,
if you wish to bring a nonmember
neighbor/guest to the
party you need to RSVP to the
association phone at (718) 823-
1814. The party will be after a
very short Membership Meeting
on Wednesday, December
19 at 7:30 p.m. This will be
our last meeting until March
2019. Due to an expected bad
winter, we will not have meetings
in February or March.
We don’t want any members to
slip, trip, or fall on the way to
the Villa.
As usual meeting will be
held at the Villa Maria Academy
Cafeteria, located at 3335
Country Club Road. The association
can be reached via mail
at P.O. Box 211, Bronx, N.Y.
10465, and via telephone at (718)
823-1814. Follow and like us on
Facebook at www.facebook.
com/countryclubcivicassoc.
Please remember, “Take
pride in your community. Your
home extends beyond your property
line.”
BY GEORGE HAVRANEK
The Spencer Estate neighborhood
went through dramatic
changes in the latter
parts of the 1950s through the
middle 1960s. During this period
of development many unsightly
lots gave way to sturdily
built one- and two-family
homes. Layers of blacktop
would soon blanket previously
rugged dirt roads. In the midst
of considerable neighborhood
transformations an invaluable
constant prevailed. Unyielding
community support
for neighborhood small businesses
along the commercial
corridor of Ampere Avenue
has survived the test of time.
Let’s turn the calendar
back to a summer day in 1960
and take a leisurely stroll
along Ampere Avenue.
A warm breeze off the Long
Island Sound is at our backs as
we stride across Bayview Avenue.
The sound of laughter
combines with the loud creaks
of a wooden door as a group of
sweet-toothed children, small
paper bags in hand, casually
depart Mr. Piccolo’s candy
store (current day- Alpha Air
Conditioning).
A leftward glance puts a
disgruntled teenager in sight.
The youngster hurriedly left
Ampere Grocery (former
Country Club Market) with a
capped bottle of soda pop. No
twist off caps in those days,
his return to the store is imminent.
We lazily walk toward
Research Avenue and hear the
hustle and bustle of shoppers
coming from Rudy’s Market
(current day Barino’s). Rudy’s
was the neighborhoods’ prime
source for fresh meat and produce.
Diagonally across from
Rudy’s, are the graffi ti-laden
walls of local employer, the
North American Printing
Press Company (current-day
Knights of Columbus).
We proceed downhill and
through small storefront windows
see Jimmy the Barber
and Tony the Shoemaker hard
at work. On our approach
to Ohm Avenue we arrive
at the bottom of the hill and
pass Mr. Lobalbo’s store (formerly
LoParrino’s, currentday
Westfi eld Market). An afternoon
visit to Mr. Lobalbo’s
could bring a unique experience.
The store also served as
a social setting for some of the
neighborhood’s older Italian
men. A potential customer
interrupting their friendly
but intense afternoon card
game may not be warmly received.
Farther down Ampere
between Robertson Place and
Dwight Place was Alberti’s
Grocery (current day Nonna’s).
Mr. Alberti stocked Spalding
rubber balls and broom
handle bats that were essential
to a fun day of stickball.
A commonality shared
by many of these small businesses
of that era is their
properties served as both
places of business and family
residences. Common sense
strongly suggests that this
dual dynamic made the businesses
profi table. The effi -
cient ‘mom and pop’ business
model of the past has virtually
disappeared from developed
communities. Today, it
is typical to see rental spaces
above or buttressing many
small businesses whose owners
also rent. The small businesses
along the commercial
corridor of Ampere Avenue
continue to be the lifeblood of
our neighborhood. Let us do
our parts to save this, valuable
yet vulnerable, piece of
neighborhood tradition from
extinction.
Community Footnote
A late November meeting
to identify the obstacles
confronted by small business
owners was coordinated by
Councilman Mark Gjonaj. Unfortunately,
it came too late for
one small neighborhood business.
The doors of the Country
Club Market offi cially closed
on Saturday, December 1. Joe
Lionetti, the affable and dedicated
proprietor, explained
that unprecedented high business
expenses and increased
competition played signifi -
cant roles in the unwanted closure.
He adamantly stressed
that there were neither landlord
issues nor other extenuating
circumstances. The tough
decision to close a business in
a revered neighborhood was
solely economically based.
Joe, your charming witticisms
will be sorely missed.
Please accept our heartfelt appreciations
and best wishes
for a prosperous future.
One door has closed and
another will surely open. It
is our duty as stewards of the
community to ensure whatever
lurks behind that next
door is not detrimental to our
neighborhood. We collectively
share this responsibility to
preserve the fi ne quality of
life in our neighborhood. Our
community will be vigilant to
ensure whatever enterprise
succeeds the Country Club
Market is a potential asset to
our neighborhood.
Multiple scholarly, peer-reviewed
studies strongly indicate,
liquor stores, and check
cashing places negatively affect
the small community. In
the past, the Spencer Estate
Civic Association has learned
of covert attempts to establish
businesses and other enterprises
that are incongruous
with our neighborhood lifestyle.
We are the ‘eyes and ears’
of the community and need
to implement the maxim, “If
you see or hear something say
something”. Let your voices
be heard. Please join us at
our next meeting, Wednesday,
December 19, at 7:15 p.m.
at the Knights of Columbus,
3243 Ampere Avenue. For additional
information, e-mail
with the header Spencer Estate
to gghh55@aol.com
The NYC Department of Transportation’s
recent decision to proceed with
the original road dieting of Morris
Park Avenue, despite intense community
opposition is just a continuation
of the ‘City Hall knows best’ approach
we’ve all become accustomed to.
Earlier in the year, I, along with
the Morris Park Community Association,
helped start a petition that was
signed by over 1,000 local residents
and business owners voicing their objection
to the proposed road dieting. In
light of this overwhelming opposition,
the DoT signaled that they were willing
to work together with the community
for a mutually acceptable solution
and even created an alternate design
proposal that was slightly more amenable
for the neighborhood.
While the altered proposal only
included minor concessions, it was a
positive step in the right direction and
showed that the department was taking
the concerns of area residents and
merchants seriously. However, the latest
proposal and the city administration’s
current plans have gone back
to the original plan, which community
leaders have called detrimental to
safety and traffi c fl ow.
As the council member for this district,
I fi nd this proposal unacceptable
and pledge to always fi ght for the interests
of my constituents and use every
tool available to me in my capacity to
do so. I will explore all options, including
legislation, and stand with the residents
of Morris Park against this illconceived
plan.
I acknowledge that congestion and
pedestrian safety are an issue, but this
plan will not alleviate either of those
two issues. Removing a lane, on a major
commercial corridor, will only add
to the congestion issue.
This plan will hurt small businesses
and will negatively impact the
quality of life in the neighborhood. I
will continue to work with community
leaders and activists, as well as
the DoT, to fi nd a solution that is acceptable
to everyone, but road dieting
is not it.
“You can only get out of a community
that which you put into it” – Council
Member Mark Gjonaj
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