Runaway youth shelter a concern:
Councilman Mark Gjonaj
idents,” Gjonaj said as an
explanation for the Covenant
House meeting.
One major concern
from neighbors and residents
was the site’s location.
Youth crime statistics
in the immediate vicinity
of the shelter were high
according to the 45th
Precinct, leaving many
puzzled by the Convenant
House decision.
It will also sit in close
proximity to The Pearly
Gates Park on Tratman
Avenue which has been a
noted trouble spot.
In addition to relatively
minor youth crime,
that park has also been
subject to frequent vandalism,
dangerous gang
activity and shootings,
added community representatives.
With that stated, Covenant
House personnel
at the meeting responded
that the organization
has enough youth programming
to address the
community’s concerns
regarding its clients general
safety.
Some of those programs
include an onsite
federally-qualifi ed health
clinic; full-time psychiatric
and psychological
services; a day treatment
program; employment
and education services
including onsite GED and
vocational classes; legal
services; an anti-human
traffi cking unit to provide
expert support to affected
youth; and a wide array
of youth development activities
including onsite
recreational and fi tness
programming and offsite
trips.
The eye-opening number
of programming
stated by Convenant
House rattled Cruz even
more. He cited there are
numerous public works
and homeless programing
already operating in
the immediate area surrounding
the new facility,
such as those run by Montefi
ore and other agencies,
to create a ‘cluster of
programs’, a situation he
opposed .
“Covenant House
would be within a stone’s
throw of another existing
family shelter,” Cruz
said.
CB 10 plans to hold
a public town hall-style
meeting for community
residents to express their
concerns. A City Hall representative
will also be
asked to attend the meeting.
W
hile the date for the
meeting has not been fi -
nalized, Gjonaj vowed to
continue to fi ght on the
community’s behalf.
Anticipated to open in
mid-February, the three
fl oor, recently rehabilitated
building on the corner
of Glebe Avenue, will
become the temporary
home to 30 males and 10
females between the ages
16 to 24, most of whom
originally hailed from the
Bronx, but have most recently
lived in Covenant
House’s 120-bed homeless
shelter, according to
spokesperson representing
the sponsor.
Diaz, Latimer (l), and Councilmark Mark Gjonaj air gripes over Amtrak. Offi ce of Ruben Diaz, Jr.
east Bronx before eventually
running parallel to
the Bruckner Expressway.
“Everyone except for
Amtrak is on board with
this,” Diaz said, referring
to the rail company’s alleged
stall tactics like that
of ‘robber barons’ in the
days of Cornelius Vanderbilt
. Some of Amtrak’s reluctance
to ink a ‘memorandum
of understanding’
with the MTA comes from
ongoing negations that determine
which party is responsible
for necessary repairs
to the tracks at stake.
Diaz cited the Pelham
Bay Bridge and Bronxdale
trestle as two specifi c
pieces of infrastructure
that are part of the MOU’s
holdup.
The Bronxdale trestle’s
repair would cost an estimated
$30 million.
Amtrak is insisting that
MTA cover the entire expense
of replacing the two
bridges.
“The MTA has been
willing to share the replacement
cost but Amtrak
is being a bully,” Diaz said.
While construction on
the new stations and track
repair was planned to begin
in April of 2019, there’s
another pivotal element
of the project that has the
clock ticking - it’s funding.
The project’s $1.3 billion
was allocated in the city’s
Five Year Capital Plan,
which expires after 2019.
Diaz and other electeds
believe that Amtrak is trying
to run out the clock,
forcing the MTA and city to
re-allocate the necessary
funds in the 2020 to 2025
capital plan.
“We’ve seen this move
before,” Diaz said, mentioning
how he remains
confi dent that the project
will break ground before a
re-budgeting would be necessary.
Meanwhile, Latimer,
the elected offi cial in
charge of the Bronx’s
northern neighbor, acknowledged
the changes
that the borough has undergone
in recent years
necessitates the need for
improved commuter rail
service.
He went on to explain
not only how many Bronxites
reverse commute to
Westchester and even
Stamford, CT, but how
this project would get his
suburban commuters directly
into Penn Station
for the fi rst time as well.
“We have a common interest
here,” Latimer said.
In addition to a now
transit-united Bronx and
Westchester, Latimer also
said that he highly anticipates
Connecticut’s new
members of government
to also ‘hop on board’ once
they take offi ce in January.
W
hile the government
municipalities opposed
to Amtrak’s delay strategies
continue to solidify,
the company stands by its
statement by spokesman
Jason Abrams: “Amtrak
has been cooperating with
MTA’s planning efforts
regarding the proposed
expansion of Metro-North
train service…Amtrak
and MTA executives have
met frequently in recent
months to try to reach
agreement on a number of
key issues regarding design,
construction and ultimate
train operation of
this project.”
Also supporting the
borough president were
Senator Luis Sepulveda,
Assmbly Members Michael
Benedetto, Nathalia
Fernandez and Karines
Reyes, Councilman Mark
Gjonaj, Bronx Chamber
of Commerce representatives
Joe Kelleher, chairman
and Lisa Sorin, president,
and Timothy L. Hall,
president of Mercy College.
BRONX W www.BXTimes.com EEKLY December 30, 2018 4
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MEMBER:
from Page 1
from Page 1
The community meeting with Covenant House. Councilman Mark Gjonaj’s offi ce
BP to Amtrak: Get on board
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