tioning subway stations like
Middletown Road that aren’t
yet ADA-accessible and how
Pelham Bay station’s handicap
accessibilities are constantly
out of order.
Biaggi also met with community
stakeholders from
across the Bronx portion
of her district in her offi ce
prior to the walkthrough of
Westchester Square station,
hearing what improvements
Bronxites wanted as far as
transportation goes.
Kennedy was planning
to sit in on the earlier meeting
as well; but ironically, he
was delayed by terrible traffi
c conditions on his journey
from Brooklyn to Biaggi’s
Waters Place offi ce.
Similar to the traffi c jam
the Buffalo senator encountered,
some residents griped
about the lack of adequte
bussing across the Bronx
and the lengthy waits that
permeate the system.
Community Board 10
district manager Matt Cruz
detailed the misery of waiting
an hour and a half for
the Bx5 bus at Bay Plaza.
Representing Hunts
Point, CB 2 district manager
Ralph Acevedo, also
called on more extensive
bussing for his waterfront
community.
Other transit issues effecting
Hunts Point, he
enummerated, were trucks
and tractor-trailers parking
illegally for long periods
of time as well as the many
18-wheelers that get stuck
beneath the Amtrak-owned
trestle that Metro North
will soon be using for its upcoming
east Bronx expansion.
Bronx director of City
Planning Carol Samol
also spoke about the Metro
North rail expansion not
only to Hunts Point, but also
Parkchester/Van Nest, Morris
Park and Co-op City.
She discussed the possible
approaches to developing
parking opportunities
around the soon-to-be transit
hubs, but warned the
Metro North stations project
would not have the funding
to develop parking garages,
so parking around the stations
will likely be limited.
Other concerns from
Bronxites addressed pedestrian
and cyclist safety.
Kevin Daloia, who heads
the Bronx branch of Transportation
Alternatives discussed
a safe streets initiative
that would make
sharing roadways more feasible.
Smaller quality of life
issues such as graffi ti and
cleanliness at transportation
hubs were mentioned
by CB 11 district manager
Jeremy Warneke.
While Biaggi and the rest
of the New York Senate jump
on these issues, improved
transit across the Bronx is
something we can all get on
board with.
Ladder Co. 27 fi refi ghter Slutman killed in Afghanistan
tinued, sharings some of
Slutman’s contributions
to the other members of
the house.
One of Slutman’s most
notable acts of stepping
up to the plate came in
the very early hours of
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
when he successfully rescued
a woman who was
trapped inside her bedroom
in a 7th floor unit
at 320 Morris Avenue in
Mott Haven.
“Something is burning
on the seventh floor,”
was the only heads up
he received prior to valiantly
crawling beneath
thick black smoke and
flames to make the incredible
rescue.
Slutman was awarded
the Fire Chiefs Association
Memorial Medal the
following year on behalf
of his brevity.
Since Slutman was a
child in Delaware, he had
dreamed of being a firefighter,
following in the
footsteps of his own father,
Fletcher Slutman.
Later in life, Christopher
become a father and
hero to three girls that he
had raised with his wife
Shannon.
Upon the news of Slutman’s
ultimate sacrifice,
the Stephen Siller Tunnel
To Towers Foundation
pledged to raise the
necessary funds to pay
off his family’s home
mortgage.
“He was a hero before
he went to serve his
country and he’s a hero
now,” said the foundation’s
CEO Frank Siller
inside Slutman’s Bronx
firehouse, which is now
draped in black and purple
bunting.
Siller made note of the
73 FDNY members currently
on active military
duty worldwide.
“These things happen
far to often,” he said.
Slutman was the second
Bronx firefighter to
be killed overseas since
2004 when Army Staff
Sergeant Christian Engledrum
of Throggs Neck
sacrificed his own life in
the line of service.
Engledrum’s aunt,
Cathy Praino, somberly
reflected on the news
of Slutman’s passing as
well.
“He was an exceptional
one, just like my
nephew,” she said mentioning
that she prayed
and held a moment of silence
after hearing the
sad news.
Even Mayor de Blasio
called Slutman an American
Hero just hours
after his death was announced.
In that same amount
of time, the FDNY established
a scholarship
fund for Slutman’s three
daughters.
To donate to the scholarship
fund visit http://
www. fdnyfoundat ion.
org/donate and to help
fund the paydown of Slutman’s
family’s mortgage,
visit tunnel2towers.org.
www.BXTimes.com BRONX WEEKLY April 14, 2019 4
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Christopher Slutman catches his breath during one of the many
Ladder Co. 27 life-saving FDNY operations he was part of.
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MEMBER:
from Page 1
from Page 1
Slutman (3rd from l) recieves his Fire Chiefs Association Memorial Medal in 2014. Courtesy of FDNY
Biaggi, Kennedy tour
WS Station
Biaggi address transportation
needs around the state and
specifi cally the Bronx. Photo by
Veronica Feliciano
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