Winner of Vol. 71, No. 30
What’s inside?
the Pulitzer Prize
Thursday, September 3, 2020
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Neighbors call ol’ sidewalk shed an eyesore It’s supposed to protect pedestrians — instead, critics say it really only attracts vermin, trash By KIRSTYN BRENDLEN kbrendlen@riverdalepress.com
Oh, fare thee well The months of riding the bus free are now over. But will collecting fares be enough to save NYC’s transit system? Page A3
Sometimes it seems the official landmarks of New York City should not only include the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, but also the infamous sidewalk shed. Mistakenly called “scaffolding” from time to time, the city boasts more than 10,000 of the temporary structures, designed to protect pedestrians from being hit by anything from above. While most common at construction sites, more and more often, they are popping up around buildings in need of renovations. Overall, sheds cover more than 2 million linear feet of sidewalks in the city — or enough to stretch from New York City to West Virginia. One of those sheds in particular has been a thorn in the side of some Waldo Avenue residents for years, covering just over
HIRAM ALEJANDRO DURÁN
A sidewalk shed over the West 238th Street step street between Irwin and Waldo avenues has been a sore subject between neighbors for years. The shed was built in response to a reportedly unsafe façade at 3660 Waldo. 2,000 feet on the West 238th Street step street between Waldo and Irwin Avenue. Its permit was granted to the managers of 3660 Waldo Ave., an apartment building just south of Gaelic Park and the entrance to Manhattan College, some five years ago,
the same time the city’s building department issues warnings about loose façade that could fall and hurt people below. While the shed might help 3660 Waldo buy time to get necessary renovations done, for Joan Kaufman — who lives near-
by at 3800 Waldo Ave. — it’s been a nightmare. She’s lodged complaint after complaint about the building, and especially about the long-standing sidewalk shed, for years. “This is ridiculous,” she said. “There’s vermin. There’s rats running all over the place. I can see them, (and) we can’t live like this. It’s filthy, they’re not cleaning it, they should take that down.” One of her in-building neighbors, Annette Douglas, had even gone so far as to post flyers around the neighborhood, she said. They warned of the rats that had shacked up under and around the step streets, encouraging neighbors to instead call Councilman Andrew Cohen and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz in the hopes of cleaning it up. Complaints filed with the DOB date back at least five years. One, from September 2015, says the shed was constructed earlier that summer, but that construction didn’t appear to be occurring above or around it. Other complaints say the shed blocks access to handrails, and that the lights under the shed were out. “Our neighbor has an issue, a DOB issue, with Local Law 11,” said Steven Berisha, an agent and property manager for 3800 Waldo. “Basically what happens is the SIDEWALK SHED, page A4
Israeli-Palestinian conflict comes home
Is it a fair question? Or is it just hate?
Enough nurses? Even with in-person classes delayed, schools still scrambling to find in-house medical help. Page A5
By KIRSTYN BRENDLEN kbrendlen@riverdalepress.com
KIRSTYN BRENDLEN
The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America came under fire from various elected officials after reportedly asking some of the city council candidates it was looking to endorse two questions about traveling to Israel and supporting the so-called boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. DSA has defended the questions, saying the trips promote an agenda counter to Palestinian efforts in that part of the Middle East.
Teaching abroad Technology during the pandemic has shown you don’t need to be here to, well, be here. Page A8
Council candidates not interested in DSA By MICHAEL HINMAN mhinman@riverdalepress.com
Could you pledge not to visit a specific country if it meant getting help to achieve a goal, like winning public office? That was a question facing some candidates looking to become members of the city council. A local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America targeted junket trips to Israel organized by groups like the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York they say pushes an anti-Palestinian agenda on city lawmakers. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz was one of the early lawmakers to call the DSA out
on such a question, yet his son Eric — who is running for the city council — was not one of the candidates who received the questionnaire. Still, the younger Dinowitz called the question about travel to Israel, as well as whether he would support the so-called boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel “heartbreaking.” “I am a proud American and New Yorker, but I have been — and will continue to be — vocal in my criticism of leaders and policies in our country and city,” Dinowitz said. “But I do not pledge to boycott the United States or New York because of the problems I see. The same can be said of Israel. You can have
disagreements with policies and elected leaders without boycotting and condemning an entire nation.” For Jessica Haller, who also is seeking the same seat currently held by Andrew Cohen, it’s even more personal, considering her father is from Israel. The way the DSA posed its question to some potential candidates was something that just, to her, crossed the line. “I have yarmulke-wearing friends who were part of the DSA for 10 years, but they don’t go anymore,” Haller said. “They just don’t feel comfortable wearing a yarmulke around them anymore.” CANDIDATES, page A4
A vast majority of the seats in the city council are up for grabs in next year’s election, and with just over a year to go before voters head to the polls, candidates are launching campaigns, raising tens of thousands of dollars in donations, and trying to get their names out into the public while maintaining six feet of social distance from their wouldbe constituents. Of course, any election means endorsements — from other politicians, nonprofits, and even advocacy groups. It’s just a part of the process. But the requirements for one of those endorsements this year has caught the attention from not only council candidates, but dozens of elected officials all over the state. Those requirements were in the form of two questions posed by the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. “Do you pledge not to travel to Israel if elected to city council in solidarity with Palestinians living under occupation?” The other, will that same candidate support the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement — more commonly known as BDS — which calls for governments and individuals to pullNEXT MEA economic and social support from Israel in response to “settler colonialism, apartheid, and occupation over the PalQUESTION, page A4
Refocusing from the virus to finding your next meal By ROSE BRENNAN rbrennan@riverdalepress.com
Not having enough good, healthy food to eat isn’t a foreign concept to William Littleton. In his job as the development director at Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, Littleton sees as many as 20 families every week without reliable access to food. He makes sure they don’t go hungry by inviting them to the center’s food pantry. But as the year goes on and the coronavirus pandemic continues, more people are relying on KHCC’s wares — to the point where it’s no longer 20 families a week, but some 200 families. Per day. While the city’s positive test rate re-
mains stable, many in this part of the Bronx are still feeling the after-effects of its peak. Many city workers were furloughed, or lost their jobs altogether. And finding a steady job in the middle of an economic recession is no easy task. That uncertainty of employment therefore led to another uncertainty: Could those facing unemployment put food on the table for their families? Many community mainstays saw the growing hunger in the borough, and sought to address the issue as quickly and effectively as they could. And from that, the Northwest Bronx Food Justice Project was formed. Sponsored by RSS-Riverdale Senior NEXT MEAL, page A4
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St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church is among several other community organizations that joined the Northwest Bronx Food Justice Project this year. Other Marble Hill mainstays partnering with the project are RSS-Riverdale Senior Services and the Marble Hill Community Center.
A2 - THE RIVERDALE PRESS - Thursday, September 3, 2020
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A scary chance reservoir meeting It wasn’t even particularly late at night — and probably not even all the way dark yet — when someone walked up to a 33-year-old man walking near the Jerome Park Reservoir at University Avenue and Reservoir Avenue. When the second man drew close, he pulled up his sweatshirt, showing a pistol tucked into his waistband, police said, telling him, “I’m going to kill you.” But he didn’t kill him. Instead, the gun-brandishing man ran away, and the victim was reportedly too shocked to see where he went or share with police exactly what he looked like. Investigators weren’t sure if the victim and the man who threatened him knew each other, or if it was just a random encounter, but are on the lookout for the pistol-wielder.
Revving the engine
It was a sad day for one motorcycle owner on Aug. 17. The driver had parked his red and black Suzuki near the intersection of Kappock Street and Johnson Avenue, police said, and last had eyes on it around 1 a.m. on the 17th. When he returned for it later that day, keys in hand, it had been stolen. He called the police, who searched the surrounding area but didn’t find much, but did open an investigation into the theft. The victim reported that the bike was worth about $4,000.
Street when he saw two people entering his neighbor’s garage — two people who definitely weren’t supposed to be there. It was around 6:30 in the evening on Aug. 17 when the man followed two young men into the garage to see what they were up to. They appeared to be stealing a bicycle, police said, but promptly dropped it and ran out of the garage and down the street in different directions. Nothing was successfully taken from the garage, thanks to the neighbor’s confrontation, but police are still looking out for the would-be thieves, one white man about 28 years old, standing five-foot-nine and 170 pounds, and the second a Black man about 20 years old, six feet tall, and 150 pounds.
Home renovations, or something illegal?
Some might see construction sites as an offense to the eyes and ears, but for others, they look like a goldmine. That was the case for someone walking past a construction site at 3707 Blackstone Avenue, police said. Cipco Developers of New York, Inc., reported that sometime between 1:35 and 7 a.m. on Aug. 17, someone entered the construction site empty handed and left with their bags packed full of tools — $7,500 worth of tools. Those included a Milwaukee press tool, used in plumbing to create a water tight seal, worth nearly $4,000, and a series of drills, each worth at least a few hundred dollars. Police are on the lookout for the thief, but don’t have much description to work with.
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THE RIVERDALE PRESS - Thursday, September 3, 2020 - A3
Only ‘fare’ — Front-boarding, MetroCards return to buses By ROSE BRENNAN rbrennan@riverdalepress.com
JULIUS CONSTANTINE MOTAL / File
After months of not doing so, city buses began front-door boarding and fare collection this past Monday. With new barriers set up for drivers, the MTA hopes to recoup the tens of millions it says it’s lost from bus fares alone. public health crisis,” MTA chair Patrick Foye said at the time. Fare collection did remain in effect when payment boxes and off-board ticket machines were available. But largely, fares were not collected on city buses for the better part of half a year — a move that cost the agency tens of millions of dollars for service that is funded, in large part, by those fares. With infection rates at lows not seen since the beginning of the pandemic, and the MTA seeing budget shortfalls in the billion, front-door boarding on buses has resumed. While there are obvious benefits at the fare box, reopening the front of the bus allows for up to 40 percent more space, MTA of-
ficials said, making it easier for passengers to socially distancing. Returning buses to some sense of normalcy doesn’t come without its concerns, however. Especially from Dan Padernacht, chair of Community Board 8’s traffic and transportation committee, who remains worried about the safety of bus drivers. But his concerns go beyond the transmission of the virus. “You’re now asking folks to pay fares again, so even pre-COVID, there’s always a risk of conflict between bus drivers and passengers,” Padernacht said. “Now, with the pandemic, I believe many people will be a little bit more sensitive or nervous on
public transportation.” As front-door boarding and fares return to city buses, the MTA might be facing bigger problems. Due to the unprecedented loss of bus ridership and revenue during the pandemic, the transit authority estimates it lost some $431 million. Not collecting bus fares alone cost the MTA $159 million. In order to address the financial crisis caused by the pandemic, the MTA requested $12 billion from the federal government to see them through the end of fiscal 2021. While there’s been little — if any — action from the federal government, the MTA remains hopeful that collecting fares on buses again might help to start chipping
PRESS POINTS Axelbank pares down online newsletter A borough-wide online newsletter run by a popular Bronx media personality appears to be the latest victim of the coronavirus. ThisIsTheBronx, launched by Gary Axelbank in May 2017, has ended its daily emails. “Unfortunately, due to pandemic and resultant business considerations, we are reorganizing ThisIsTheBronx Today,
and this will be our last daily newsletter,” Axelbank wrote to his subscribers last week. “We will convert to either a weekly, monthly or periodic publication which you will receive, like always, in your email. Those details are still being worked out.” The newsletter provided a half-dozen stories about the Bronx every day, many of them coming from various news outlets, including The Riverdale Press. However, the newsletter also included hundreds of origi-
By Michael hinMan nal stories and columns as well like its Weekday Magazine feature, and various arts reviews. “Thank you for your past support of ThisIsTheBronx, and we look forward to our continued participation as we transition into an adjusted publication schedule,” Axelbank said.
Lawyers threaten to sue over homeless Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposal to move homeless people
out of hotels in the Upper West Side could have ripple effects through the rest of the city. Especially after The Legal Aid Society threatened to sue the mayor if he follows through on such plans. “These hotel rooms have afforded some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers safe refuge from exposure to COVID-19 in the city’s saturated shelter system, where at least 96 people have already died from contracting the virus,” said Judith
Goldiner, attorney-in-charge of the society’s civil law reform unit, in a release. “The public health crisis is not over, and moving people experiencing homelessness back into overcrowded shelters could spark a second wave of COVID-19, putting needless lives at risk.” The mortality rate for single adults in shelters is 79 percent higher than the city as a whole, Goldiner added. The society claims the may-
or made the decision to move the homeless out of hotels after the public complaints of some people living and working in the UWS, compaining about the degraded quality of life there because of the hotel sheltering. The society called de Blasio’s response “racist NIMBYism.” The lawyers say they’re ready to seek an injunction on behalf of the Coalition for the Homeless against the city, in an effort they say to protect 18,000 people who depend on shelters.
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Every cloud has a silver lining, even in a public health crisis. In the midst of the widespread death and destruction of the coronavirus pandemic’s onset in the city, commuters — and simply those looking to just get around — could at least ride the bus at no cost. But six months down the line, that’s not the case anymore. Fare collection and front-door boarding returned to the city’s buses on Monday, marking the end of the free rides. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority suspended fare collection and front-door boarding on local and Select bus services at the end of March when the coronavirus pandemic was just beginning a prolonged attack on the city. Front-door boarding remained in effect on express buses and for physically disabled customers, though they weren’t allowed to sit in the first three rows in order to physically distance from bus operators, who were especially prone to getting sick. The choice for rear-door boarding represented a symbiotic relationship between the city’s essential workers and the transit authority. Despite Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s stay-at-home order for most of New York, essential workers still needed to leave the house, and many relied on public transportation to do so. In order to do that, the bus operators — essential workers themselves — needed to be protected from exposure. Thus, rear-door boarding was implemented for the safety of both the bus operators and its passengers. “We are taking aggressive action to protect our thousands of frontline employees who are delivering a critical service to New York, moving the health care workers, first responders, utility workers and essential employees who are protecting us from this
away at its massive financial need. Padernacht is less optimistic. He doesn’t think collected fare money will even come close to supplementing the MTA’s financial need, but it might make a “very small dent.” While bus ridership is slowly rising — especially compared to the low ridership of March and April — Padernacht thinks it could drop again now that passengers boarding will have to pay. However, that loss might be recouped as many students are set to return to school by the end of the month. “It’s interesting because they’re rolling it out with school,” Padernacht said. “Because of school, you will have an increase of ridership of the buses for students. I believe there will be a decrease in ridership for those who use the bus to go to and from work.” While the city largely has the coronavirus pandemic under control, Padernacht is still hesitant about safety on public transportation — especially buses. In addition to mask-wearing and physical distancing, he believes ventilation is key to curbing the spread of the coronavirus on public transportation. And while keeping windows open remains an option for the immediate future, that won’t be the case as the winter months approach. And when the air turns colder, walking might become less enjoyable, not to mention the added obstacles of snow and ice. The combination of those conditions might lead to more people opting to take the bus. And to Padernacht, an enclosed, densely populated space is one of the worst places to be when the coronavirus is still a threat — and the city might end up right back where it started. “Especially in the morning and afternoon commute hours, our buses are generally packed,” he said. “What (passengers) can do is wear a mask and be cognizant of others around them.”
A4 - THE RIVERDALE PRESS - Thursday, September 3, 2020
Sidewalk sheds are not quite neighborly ERIC DINOWITZ
JESSICA HALLER
DAN PADERNACHT
ABIGAIL MARTIN
Council candidates not interested in DSA CANDIDATES from page A1 Because of her climate activism, Haller’s world crossed paths with DSA’s on more than one occasion in the past. But the more she’s seen the direction of the group in recent years, the less she’s willing to work with them. “I think it was lazy,” she said of the questionnaire. “If you’re saying it was ill-phrased, you should have written it better.” While the original DSA question talked about all travel to Israel, some members involved with the questionnaire now say the travel question was focused more on the free trips organized by groups like the JCRC, and not personal travel, like Haller might do to visit family. Haller doesn’t believe that being critical of Israeli policies is the same as anti-Semitism. When she has the chance to visit her family in Israel, the dinner table can many times be the site of pretty serious debates about what lawmakers there are doing. Yet, she believes you can still be critical of leaders in a democracy while still loving the country they represent. “It’s a democracy, just like what we have, and you’re allowed to criticize the government over different policies,” Haller said. “But for what the DSA is doing, it just comes back to carelessness. If you’re talking about being comfortable or uncomfortable in
a space, as a daughter of an Israeli, that hit me in the pit of my stomach.” Dan Padernacht, who was the first to announce a run for Cohen’s seat back in 2018, comes from a household with both Jewish and Roman Catholic backgrounds, creating a rather unusual mix of faiths growing up. Even though he would describe his heritage as that of “a mutt” — a mix of a number of backgrounds, including Native American greatgrandparents — that’s also reflective of what’s seen in New York City today. “Being an American, we understand we’re a melting pot,” Padernacht said. “And I think when you look at it, when you see city government, we have to be cognizant of all the different cultures. The more we know about different cultures and different nations, the better we are as legislators, on creating laws for our diverse population.” As far as the DSA questions are concerned, Padernacht says if they aren’t outright anti-Semitic, then it’s a “pretty loud dog whistle.” Abigail Martin, who jumped into the race this past summer, says she’s not a supporter of the BDS movement against Israel, calling such a practice “rooted in anti-Semitism.” But then again, junket trips — or even ones she pays for herself — are at the very back of her mind. “I have no plans on traveling anywhere outside
the U.S., at this time, as I am focused on finding solutions to the egregious health and economic impacts of COVID-19 and serving the people of the northwest Bronx,” Martin said, in an email statement to The Riverdale Press. Just days before stepping out of the race and throwing his support behind Padernacht, former Press intern and museum docent Dionel Then said the while criticizing Israel isn’t necessarily anti-Semitic, “it does open the window for those individuals who are to voice and add hateful views.” “I personally have seen criticisms of Israel spiral into anti-Semitism on CUNY campuses, and subsequent alienation of my Jewish peers,” Then said. “I believe the question by DSA was poorly thought out and in poor taste, especially with the increases antiSemitic tensions we have seen in the past few years.” Traveling to places — whether it’s Israel or anywhere else — is part of becoming a more well-rounded person, Dinowitz said, especially when it comes to other people, other cultures. “At my core, I am an educator focused on building empathy and understanding,” he said. “We should take every opportunity to learn and educate ourselves, not shut ourselves off from difficult or uncomfortable conversations — especially as they relate to the lives of people I seek to represent in the city council.”
Drawing the line between politics and hate QUESTION from page A1 estinian people.” City council — what does that have to do with foreign policy? That’s a good question. The DSA qualified the first question to explain that these trips were more like junkets organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. All travel expenses are paid, and at least according to DSA officials, such travel helps promote a proIsrael agenda. But Noam Gilboord, the JCRC’s chief operating officer and Israel and international affairs director, said the trips are primarily learning experiences for the local lawmakers who board the plane for Israel. Calling to end that practice is unnecessary, because the trips are not political. “It’s forcing someone to pledge not to learn,” Gilboord said. “It’s essentially forcing future city council candidates to decide, preemptively, that they are not going to take time to learn about one of the world’s most complex conflicts.” Participants travel into the West Bank, Gilboord said, where they are led by Palestinian guides and have a chance to talk with Israelis and Palestinians alike. “They speak their story, they speak their narrative, they speak their truth,” Gilboord said. “We don’t shut down if we disagree with them. I disagree with
plenty of people we hear on our missions — Israeli, Palestinian, Arab, Jew, you name it.” One councilman who had participated in a trip said JCRC coordinated it with the council Speaker, and that such trips must first be cleared by the council’s conflicts of interest board. More than 50 members of the Assembly — including Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, whose son Eric Dinowitz is running for Councilman Andrew Cohen’s seat — signed onto a letter condemning the DSA questions as antiSemitic and dangerous. Noah Weston, a DSA member who was one of the writers of a letter defending the questions signed by more than 100 Jewish DSA members, said critics were intentionally misunderstanding what the group was trying to accomplish. “You would have to read the question in that questionnaire in the most uncharitable, bad faith way to arrive at the thought that people, for instance, wouldn’t be able to visit family that they have in Israel,” Weston said. “That’s absurd.” DSA has more than 5,000 dues-paying members in the city, Weston said, hundreds of whom are Jewish. Those members have taken direct action against anti-Semitism, he said, even traveling to Charlottesville, Virginia, to
protest the “Unite the Right” rally that involved white supremacists and other hate groups at the beginning of the Trump presidency in 2017. “It’s a little ridiculous for these politicians who haven’t really done anything to actually fight real anti-Semitism in our state, or anywhere else, to call us anti-Semitic when some of our members put their actual bodies on the line,” Weston said. The trips to Israel encourage council members to become “mouthpieces” for the country’s government and build up their political and financial relationships with one of the largest cities in the country, he added. “They’re also trying to build support for things like resolutions for things that criminalize, or otherwise penalize people for practicing or otherwise taking part in the boycott, divestment, sanctions.” That resolution, introduced by Cohen in 2016, didn’t make any laws against taking part in the movement, but formalized the council’s stance on BDS. The resolution overwhelmingly passed with just four against. “I think it bodes well that people should know, and my constituents should know that progressive Democrats can stand up for Israel,” Cohen told The Riverdale Press at the time. Cohen won’t speak out now, claiming his nomination to the Bronx su-
preme court limits what he’s allowed to publicly speak about. Yet another councilman in the area, Fernando Cabrera, hasn’t hesitated to call the DSA question nothing short of anti-Semitism. “It was very disturbing to me,” Cabrera said. “I’ve been to Israel seven times, and I’ve seen the benefits of going. I’ve been to the different quarters — the Jewish quarters, the Arab quarters, the Christian quarters. I would have never otherwise had that advantage to get a perspective of what’s happening to Israel and its democracy.” Cabrera, who is running to replace Ruben Diaz Jr., as Bronx borough president, called Israel “our strongest ally in the Middle East.” “This is not how you treat friends,” the councilman added. The JCRC is ultimately not looking to influence policy, Gilboord said, just educate lawmakers about an issue important to many of council members’ constituents. “We’re not a lobbying organization, we’re a nonprofit,” he said. “We’re not pushing legislation. Let other organizations push legislation. And if people want to accuse us of lobbying and pushing for certain policies on Israel, it’s just not correct.” Editor Michael Hinman contributed to this story.
Hunger remains serious issue throughout Bronx NEXT MEAL from page A1 Services, and funded in part by Bon Secours Mercy Health Foundation, the food justice project brings together community centers and faith organizations throughout the region, including the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, Outer Seed Shadow, St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church, the Marble Hill Community Center, and the Schervier Apartments. One terms heard far too often in the Bronx is “food desert,” which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define as “areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk and other foods that make up the range of a healthy diet.” To Andria Cassidy, a member of the project from RSS, this part of the borough might not be a food desert, but it certainly isn’t a food paradise either. “It’s sort of a food swamp,” Cassidy said. “There’s loads of stores and loads of places to go (on) one side of the Major Deegan. But on the other side of the Major Deegan, where Kingsbridge Heights is, there’s virtually no shopping.” KHCC runs a number of programs to help in that regard, but Littleton estimates its food pantry is the largest of its programs. He says while the food project was in the works before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the virus’ arrival in New York City all but necessitated its immediate implementation. “We’ve worked to identify the needs of the community, and obviously the largest need that we identified — before COVID hit — was food insecurity,” Littleton said. “We can say that exacerbated because of COVID, hence the real rallying cry for us to support each other and make sure that we have the resources to support our community.” To Cassidy, the project has a two-
Not ever really having enough food to eat Some call it “food insecurity,” but what they really mean to describe is a situation where someone simply doesn’t know where their next meal is coming from. It’s definitely part of the issue. But the World Food Program USA recognizes four pillars that contribute to lack of food access — availability, accessibility, utility and stability. The absence of any one of them could be the difference between eating or going hungry. There could be extenuating circumstances as to why food might not be available, like a natural disaster — or perhaps a pandemic. Remember how difficult it was to buy a pack of chicken breasts only a few months ago? Yet, even when food is available, it doesn’t do a community much good if there are no grocery stores in the neighborhood. People who are struggling to find food might need to go out fold goal. “We had recognized and identified that there was a lot of misinformation on nutrition,” she said. “There are two intents of the project … improve nutrition literacy in a very culturally sensitive and respectful way, and to improve access to fresh food.” Those different components are interlocked, Cassidy added. Simply having access to food doesn’t necessarily mean they have enough food, or even the right food. “Food insecurity also includes eating bad food,” Cassidy said. “We were surprised to find out that people thought a Pepsi and potato chips were just fine … for breakfast.” Malnutrition can occur in a number of ways, whether someone isn’t eating enough food altogether, or is eating too much unhealthy food. “It contributes to higher rates of health issues, sickness, higher rates of people going to the doctor’s (or) going to the emergency room because of those sicknesses, and a much, much
of their way to go to a grocery store, and it only becomes more difficult if they need to rely on public transportation to do so. Once food is available and accessible, it needs to be utilizable. Food must be healthy and contribute to a well-balanced diet, including such staples as fruits and vegetables. It may seem like a contradiction, but there are plenty of people who don’t have access to proper food but are overweight. Finally, food must be stable — that means it needs to be available, accessible and utilizable without interruption. It doesn’t help a community if someone can only purchase healthy food sporadically. It needs to be something they can rely on. According to information from the Northwest Bronx Food Justice Project, one-in-four households in the northwest Bronx meet the criteria for “food insecurity.” — Rose Brennan
higher burden on the health system that we don’t need at the moment,” Littleton said. “When people don’t have a healthy, balanced diet, we know that … they’re less able to react to and fight off diseases or sicknesses.” Deborah Johnson heads to St. Stephen’s emergency food pantry at West 228th Street on Wednesdays, distributing flyers and infographics about health-related topics. As the project nutritionist, Johnson wants people to know everything out there, from the health benefits of kale, to information about the virus that causes COVID-19, or anything in between. The information she provides isn’t limited to distributing flyers once a week. Like the food the project distributes, information must also be accessible. And she’s gotten creative in the ways people can access what she has to provide. Each week, the project releases a new video, some of which Johnson films in her own home. She often features seasonal food and recipes, like
in a recent video tutorial on making healthy water popsicles for the hotter days of the summer. Many of the videos, flyers and infographics are also posted on the coalition’s social media pages. The project even partnered with borough-wide cable channel BronxNet so people without internet access could get nutritional information on television instead. Most of the nutritional education the coalition provides had to go online because of the coronavirus pandemic. And Johnson was willing to do whatever she could to make that possible, even if it meant learning how to make and edit videos for people to watch. “The plan was to be in the community, to speak to people in-person (and) to do workshops in-person,” Johnson said. “It was tough to pivot, but I think that this coalition, this group of folks, (is) passionate about the work. So it’s coming out in how we’re rallying together and doing whatever it takes.”
SIDEWALK SHED from page A1 city requires you to file your buildings as ‘unsafe,’ or ‘safe with repairs.’” Local Law 11 is a successor to Local Law 10, enacted by Mayor Ed Koch in 1980 after a college student was killed by a piece of terra cotta that fell from a building. Now buildings of six stories or more — which describe 12,000 such structures in New York City — must be inspected every five years by a licensed architect or engineer. If the façade is found to be unsafe, building owners must put up scaffolding or sidewalk sheds to protect pedestrians from any potential falling masonry while construction or repairs are carried out. Three inspection reports from 3600 Waldo found unsafe conditions — including one from this past July, according to documents filed with the city. That report noted that while some previously discovered issues had been fixed, there were new unsafe conditions in need of repair. Those included damaged and “fractured” stone and brick at the top of the building, which already had been repaired to some degree, but needed further repairs. A 2019 analysis by the New York Post found that some buildings throughout the city were covered in scaffolding more than a decade old, as putting up scaffolding or sidewalk sheds after an inspection and just leaving them up is easier and cheaper than putting up the sheds, taking them down after repairs, and reconstructing them after another inspection. The city’s buildings department said permits for the shed were issued in 2015, and that the shed is required to stay up by law until repairs on the façade are completed. A spokesperson said they have issued multiple violations to the owner of the building for failing to maintain the façade and the shed. The owner has hired a contractor and there are active permits for the repairs. Kaufman and her neighbors have tried to make contact with the building’s managers, but getting through to the people in charge on the phone is a Sisyphean task. Only assistant managers would speak to her or Berisha, Kaufman said, and hadn’t been helpful when they called about issues with the shed. “We don’t have the support,” Kaufman said. “We got the people fighting. We have a terrific building, we have a terrific agent, we have a terrific board, we have a terrific agent. Our shareholders, they’re supportive, but we can’t get the support outside.” She has been in contact with Cohen’s office, but has been frustrated with a lack of concrete, tangible changes. Even representatives from Cohen’s office were struggling to get a concrete response on when construction would be over. “This was before the pandemic,” Berisha said. “When we started complaining, it was January, February, March. We hadn’t really gotten into the pandemic just yet. The conversations that Pat and I had were prior to everything being locked down.” When reached by phone, a representative at the number listed online for 3660 Waldo told The Riverdale Press it was the wrong number — that she was not the apartments on Waldo Avenue. Kaufman and her neighbors want an effort to take the shed down and revamp the step-street, which was in rough shape even prior to the construction of the shed. A similar effort was carried out on a step street just blocks away, on West 232nd Street, she said, resulting in clean, new concrete steps connecting Irwin and Riverdale avenues. Such an effort, they said, would make walking through the neighborhood much safer and easier. “We want everybody in the building to be safe,” Berisha said. “Our safety for our building also reflects in the neighborhood. We want everyone in the neighborhood to be equally safe.
HIRAM ALEJANDRO DURÁN
Neighbors say the sidewalk shed standing over the West 238th Street step street, has caused irritation and unsafe conditions.
THE RIVERDALE PRESS - Thursday, September 3, 2020 - A5
School nurses ‘essential’ now more than ever before By ROSE BRENNAN rbrennan@riverdalepress.com
Cuts, scrapes and bruises are common injuries among children. And when they happen at school, more often than not, there’s a nurse nearby to patch them up and send them back to class. But when campuses reopen later this month, school nurses might be doing much more than doling out bandages and ice packs. During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, nurses were synonymous with the term “essential workers.” And even with New York’s infection rates at lows not seen since the start of the public health crisis, these nurses become just as essential to the overall reopening process — to the point where Mayor Bill de Blasio has promised each public school will come complete with a full-time nurse on staff. de Blasio made the commitment just last month, but the idea was floated as early as July when city comptroller Scott Stringer released a report detailing measures he believed schools should take if they wanted to reopen as safely as possible. Among Stringer’s recommendations were for each school have at least one full-time nurse, guidance counselor and social worker on staff beginning on the first day of class. According to the city’s education department, 90 percent of the city’s public schools already have nurses on staff. But this, the largest school system in the country, has nearly 1,900 schools to deal with. And as any good math teacher at any of these schools might deduce, some 200 of them could open without nurses. Even outside of a pandemic, the beginning of the academic year coincides with the beginning of flu season, according to school officials. That’s definitely something nurses will need to be on guard for, since some of the flu’s symptoms — like fever, cough
ADRIAN FUSSELL / File
With city public schools set to open Sept. 21, there are many questions still unanswered. And although Mayor Bill de Blasio promised each school would have a full-time nurse on staff, whether that will be possible before campuses welcome students remains to be seen. and fatigue — are also symptoms of the virus that causes COVID-19. Perhaps the mayor’s promise was meant to put parents at ease for the upcoming school year, but there hasn’t been much detail beyond that. In fact, many parents haven’t received much information about the nurses in their schools aside from “there will be one.” Abigail Martin finds the lack of detail surrounding school nurses policy and school reopening plans in general worrying. The city council candidate and former social worker feels the city had ample time to prepare its public schools for reopening, yet not much has been done. Martin’s also not reassured by the chancellor’s plans to play school reopening by ear either. “Richard Carranza was quoted … saying, ‘It’s a work in progress,’” Martin said. “That is really frustrating as a parent to hear because they’ve had months to prepare for this.” Martin plans to send her children
to P.S. 81 Robert J. Christen in just a few weeks. While she thinks the mayor’s promise to have a nurse in every school is the right idea, as far as she’s concerned, it’s nothing more than lip service. “That’s great, but what are the nurses going to do?” Martin asked. “How are these many students packed into these schools going to actually remain socially distant? How are teachers actually going to be able to implement social distancing protocols while also trying to teach with their faces covered with a mask?” Morgan Evers, a parent to two students at P.S. 24 Spuyten Duyvil, recognizes how important nurses can be to a school community. To her, that need is only greater in schools during a public health crisis. “There needs to be a health care professional there to help students, to screen them, to make sure throughout the day that they don’t develop symptoms,” Evers said. “In case there
are any medical emergencies, I believe there should be a trained person there … whose job it is to handle those emergencies.” Even with the start of the academic year just a week away, there are still several job openings for vacant school nurse positions on the city’s official website. As of Aug. 24, there were 73 openings for junior public health nurses and 89 for public health nurses in the school health bureau. The positions are also not full-time, as the mayor insisted they should be. On the city website, both junior public health nurses and public health nurses are listed as part-time positions, expected to work up to 35 hours per week. Furthermore, according to the city’s website, school nurses must attend six weeks of paid orientation for their positions. And given the academic year begins in less time, it might be unlikely every school will have a nurse by Sept. 21.
As such, many city and state organizations — like the New York State Nurses Association — are recommending public schools open remotely and remain that way until all of the kinks are worked out, especially as they relate to school nurses. The nurses association representing some 42,000 health care workers warned the city might not be prepared for another surge of the virus, insisting there is a “clear and present” danger of SARS-CoV-2 spreading despite the city’s extremely low positivity test rates. “We now know that adults and children transmit this virus, and that between 25 to 50 percent of those infected with the virus are asymptomatic,” the nurses group said, in a statement. “There is no question that reopening in-person schooling will accelerate the spread of COVID-19 and expose educators and school staff to greater risk of infection.” The United Federation of Teachers, a union representing more than 180,000 educators, released its proposed reopening plan Aug. 19, which includes a comprehensive checklist ranging from social distance guidelines to distribution of personal protective equipment and installation of Plexiglas-like barriers. The checklist includes an entire section devoted to nurses, asking about capacity for social distancing, ventilation, the use and disposal of personal protective equipment, if the office’s sink functions properly, and if there’s a protocol for bringing children to the nurse’s office. To Evers, reopening schools shouldn’t be about politics or promises. For her, the health and safety of public school students needs to remain at the center of all consideration. “The teachers and the administrators, and I’m sure the nurses, are all really dedicated, caring professionals,” Evers said. “I think that they are all trying to make decisions about what’s best for our children.”
WHAT’S IN / WHAT’S ON Riverdale native in online production Judy Rosenblatt, an actress who grew up in Riverdale, appears in “Collected Stories” with Annemarie Hagenaars at the 2020 Virtual Fringe in Rochester. Rosenblatt plays Professor Ruth Steiner, an aging but established short story writer living in a “cosily messy” apartment in Greenwich Village, who agrees to take on a young graduate student, Lisa Morrison, played by Hagenaars. Performances will be hosted online beginning Tuesday, Sept. 15, and running through Thursday, Sept. 24. Tickets are $5, and are available at RochesterFringe.com.
Dance company comes to Untermyer
Lori Belilove & The Isadora Duncan Dance Company comes to the Walled Garden’s amphitheater at Untermyer Garden, 945 N. Broadway, Yonkers, on Sunday, Sept. 13 at 5 p.m., with a rain date scheduled for Sept. 26. Cost is $50 per ticket, with socially distant seating provided. And coming up Saturday, Sept. 5, is Cocomama! beginning at 5:30 p.m. The “virtual
The Bronx Toastmasters of Riverdale meets online Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m., via the Zoom online videoconferencing app. Information: bronxtoastmastersclub@gmail.com.
Pelham art knocks on door
The Pelham Art Center hosts art projects and classes
Family arts available in trying times
Artist Nina Velazquez presents “Come Draw With Me,” a daily drawing activity via her Facebook page. Families can sit down together and create their own versions of Velazquez’s drawings, and are encouraged to post their new versions when complete. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/CommunityDraws.
Yonkers museum begins reopening
Saturday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. Visit HRM.org.
The Hudson River Museum, 511 Warburton Ave., is open to the public once more. Capacity is limited to 50 people, and timed entry tickets and reservations are required. Upcoming events include: • A live concert by Indian electronica and art rock Rini on
The garden beyond the screen The New York Botanical Garden opens its virtual gates with “The Garden at Home,” a project where the entire garden — from its programs to tours of the spring landscape — are
available online. Some of the upcoming events include: • A spring walk among the garden’s recently bloomed daffodils. • A virtual tour of the orchid show: Jeff Leatham’s “Kaleidoscope,” hosted by senior orchid curator Marc Hachadourian. For more information, visit NYBG.org.
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A6 - THE RIVERDALE PRESS - Thursday, September 3, 2020
Return to
SCHOOL 2020
Our Back to School Pledge
Health and safety always come first. Students will be learning 5 days a week, no matter what. Learn more: schools.nyc.gov/returntoschool2020
THE RIVERDALE PRESS - Thursday, September 3, 2020 - A7
Remembering a march, and an American dream By MICHAEL HINMAN mhinman@riverdalepress.com
W
hen Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., announced his original March on Washington in 1963, many might remember it for his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, but the original purpose was to fight for not only civil rights, but jobs as well. Upward of 300,000 people crowded into the mall in front of the Lincoln Memorial — a crowd with such a commanding force, many directly credit it for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 the next year. More than a half-century later, a new “March on Washington” came together in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers — this time led by the Rev. Al Sharpton and his National Action Network, along with the NAACP. But in 1963, the Bronx sent a delegation to Washington, led by U.S. Rep. Charles Buckley, a few years before he succumbed to lung cancer. He was joined by future city councilman Edmund Farrell, as well as state Sens.
THEN
&NOW
Part of an ongoing series celebrating the 70th anniversary of The Riverdale Press. alive last Wednesday. The embers which were lighted here in Riverdale in the early morning darkness were brought to life when our four buses were absorbed in a caravan of hundreds on the way to Washington for the March for Jobs and Freedom. When we entered the nation’s capital, the eager faces, the wildly waving hands, the throngs which greeted us, were the fuel which ignited a glorious torch, a flame which burned brightly, but with a great weight of responsibility — the quick knowledge that we must bear it with dignity, or forfeit the privilege.
Harry Kraf, Ivan Warner, Abraham Bernstein and Joseph Marine. Also coming along were Assembly members Donald Sullivan, Burton Hecht, Ferdinand Mondello, Aileen Ryan and Fred Eggert, as well as councilmen Leonard Fastenberg and David Ross. They were part of nearly 200 from this borough alone who traveled together, and had a chance to witness history in the making. Several days after the march, some of those who took part shared some uncredited thoughts with The Riverdale Press, which appeared on its Sept. 5, 1963, front page. Here are their words:
A
Symbolic journey
n old American dream — the dream of unity and spontaneity of purpose — flickered
The journey into twilight was almost symbolic; moving from dusk
to daylight, one understood he was taking part in a grand mission, a mission the world had awaited for a century and was now watching with a suspicious eye. The burden of proof lay with us. We were arriving now, 185 Riverdalians among more than 200,000 Americans; we were arriving with a message, but the nature of our message demanded that it be delivered with unprecedented dignity. Part of our contingent was cut off before we could reach the Lincoln Memorial. But one of our members, Mrs. John Goldberg, knew the area well, and we circled the Lincoln Memorial, working our way towards the steps of the speakers’ platform.
Largest gathering
We were part of the largest group ever assembled in Washington. People lined the pool from the Lincoln Memorial more than half way back to the Washington Monument. They were on the grass, and under the trees, occupying every inch of available space. They listened quietly, except for an
occasional shout of approval — and the one chant, “Pass that bill,” which swelled to a roar when the congressmen were seated on the steps of the memorial. It was a polite, friendly, dignified gathering. People were eating on the grass, talking casually, but it was not the air of a picnic we breathed. There was, instead, the sense that one was being woven into one of the important moments in history.
One dream
Dr. Martin Luther King told us of his dream, and we recognized that his and ours were one. We who went were still, two days later, keyed from the impact of the demonstration. It was not so much the emotional appeal of the speakers, but the sight of the people — men and women, Black and white, from the north and the south — hundreds of thousands of people standing in the light of the same sun, breathing the same air, sharing a common vision. One had the feeling that mankind was demanding, and earning a new dignity.
OBITUARIES
Arthur Vouté, Riverdale native, White Plains lawyer, 85 Arthur J. Vouté, 85, of South Salem as well as Newport, Rhode Island, passed away peacefully at his home in Newport on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and wife of 55 years, Rosanne (O’Neill) Vouté. He was the son of Josephine Rolleston Vouté and Arthur Vouté, and raised in Riverdale. After graduating from Villanova University and Fordham Law School, he began his career as a trial lawyer, which
lasted more than 50 years. He was a founding partner of Vouté Lohrfink Magro & McAndrew in White Plains. He was passionate and dedicated to his craft. He had many professional distinctions, and was most proud of being inducted into the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers. The Catholic faith was a centerpiece of his life, and gave him comfort and purpose throughout his days. As a young man, he enjoyed all sorts of sports. His life could
have taken a different turn if his tryout as a pitcher for the New York Yankees had a different result. He also had a lifelong love of competitive handarthur ball. voutÉ He had an intense curiosity, represented in a wide range of intellectual interests. He always had a cam-
era on-hand for special occasions, a harmonica in his pocket for a sing-along, and you would often see him accompanied by one of his many beloved dogs. For anyone who knew him, his notorious sweet tooth drove him to ever more creative ways of sneaking cookies when his wife wasn’t looking — a credit to his intellect. He was blessed with a large, loving family, and was never happier than when in their company. The Vouté home was always open to their children’s
friends who needed a place to stay, creating a group of family friends who look to Art and Rosanne as second parents. He is survived by his wife Rosanne and three children, Aimée Lord (Thomas Thramann) of Middletown, Rhode Island; Kate Wright (James) of Jamestown, Rhode Island; and Arthur “Chip” Vouté (Leigh) of Portsmouth, Rhode Island. He also leaves his beloved 12 grandchildren: Gavin, Cecelia, Blake, Brock, Matthew, Tabitha, Charlie, Redwood, Catharine, Luke,
Jack and Hudson. He also will be sorely missed by his beautiful sister, Kathleen Vouté MacDonald, of Bronxville. He was preceded in death by his dynamic younger brother, William Vouté. Funeral services were held Tuesday, Sept. 1, at St. Barnabas Church in Portsmouth. Burial immediately followed at the South Salem Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Maryknoll Sisters in Ossining.
Bill Stone, community leader, activist for the disabled, 91 I. William Stone, known as Bill Stone, passed away on Friday, Jan. 10, 2020, after a brief illness. Bronx-born, on Sept. 3, 1928, he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, and was honorably discharged, having attained the rank of staff sergeant and earned a Bronze Star. He attended Bronx public schools, including Wade Junior High School and the Bronx High School of Science, where he was popular, and was on the track and handball teams. He also was on the staff of the Survey, the school newspaper, and the “Observatory,” the school yearbook. He attended Baruch College of Business Administration, the premier school for accounting, where he honed his leadership skills through extracurricular activities. He was editor of Accounting Journal, representative to the student council, vice president of his class, on the track team, and a member of the Phi Alpha fraternity. He met the “love of his life” Dorothy at a Bear Mountain picnic, where they were dating different individuals. And after waiting a respectable amount of time, through sheer perseverance, he tracked her down by going from building to building on her block. He already had made up his mind, so
and hospitals committee meeting, the chair tried to bar him, other parents, and a professional social worker who was with them. They stood their ground that evening, and within a few years, he was appointed to Community Board 8 and was chairing that same committee. Subsequently he, along with other parents, made progress in educating community board and elected officials, and was instrumental in effecting the establishment of community residences for the developmentally disabled. He also chaired the library committee, was a member of the executive board, became treasurer, vice chair, and eventually served three terms as chair of CB8. Former staff members called him a “hands on” chair, but always fair and showing great integrity. He remained an active member of the community board until his passing. He also worked closely with four Bronx borough presidents as part of the Borough Advisory Council for Persons with Disabilities. His goal, whether in the community or citywide, was always to make locations barrier-free, long before it was an issue in society at large. It was his persistence that pushed agencies and government to develop programs that would accommodate people with phys-
after a short courtship, they were engaged two months later, and married in October 1955. The only time he left the Bronx, aside from his time in the army, was for six years when they lived in Upper Manhattan. After their two children, Linda and Howie, were born, they moved to Riverdale and continued to live there for the rest of his life. The first thing they did bill was subscribe to The stone Riverdale Press to learn about activities in the area, and eventually got to know the Stein family quite well. They also joined the Riverdale Jewish Center, and have been members for more than 50 years. He became interested in community activities and joined the Riverdale chapter of B’nai B’rith. It was not until later, when their son Howie was diagnosed with multiple handicaps and there were no services for him or other children like him, that he realized the importance of getting involved in the local community board, thus advocating from within. When attempting to attend a health
ical as well as cognitive needs. Locally, he badgered the Riverdale Jewish Center board to include ramps in its renovation plans. With so many people attending services using wheelchairs, walkers or strollers, the building is now fully accessible to all existing and new congregants. At the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, he secured funding for the interior ramps, which Rabbi Avi Weiss insisted be built on both the male and female sides in the sanctuary. Both in the Riverdale-Kingsbridge community and the world of the disabled, he made himself available for any individual problems, and always followed up to make sure all expressed concerns were addressed. At the same time, Dorothy served on numerous additional committees and councils. Together, their motto was “the difficult we accomplish today, and the impossible tomorrow.” Howie’s untimely passing 10 years ago was preceded by a milestone celebration of his 50th birthday held at The Riverdale Y with 100 people in attendance. Howie’s passing left a huge void in his father’s life, but he continued his volunteer efforts for other individuals. Funeral services were held at the Riverdale Jewish Center on Monday,
Jan. 13. More than 200 people attended, including such public officials as U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel and Councilman Andrew Cohen. Top executive staff members from numerous non-profit agencies, as well as current and former chairs of Community Board 8 and its members, were present. The services were presided over by current rabbis David Zirkind and Yitzi Genack, while eulogies were given by longtime friends Rabbis Jonathan Rosenblatt and Avi Weiss. Burial took place at Cedar Park Cemetery, thankfully before the COVID-19 outbreak. On a personal note, his favorites were mostly the underdogs in sports, first the New York (baseball) Giants, then the Mets, the Jets, the Rangers, and of course, the Knicks. He liked listening and dancing to the music of the big bands, reading westerns by Louis L’Amour, watching the opera “Carmen,” attending Broadway musicals, and spending quiet time at Wave Hill. He loved to travel both near and far, with his favorite trips being Israel and Australia. He is survived by his wife of nearly 65 years, Dorothy, daughter Linda (Michael), grandson Matthew (Alliana), granddaughter Rachel, and many dear relatives and friends.
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A8 - THE RIVERDALE PRESS - Thursday, September 3, 2020
RNH keeps community together online
SCHOOL DESK
By MAYA KATZ
By ROSE BRENNAN SAR Academy to use ‘pods’ of its own
Special to The Riverdale Press
The coronavirus pandemic has pulled people apart from both their routine and loved ones. In order to prevent spreading or contracting illness, many have spent most of the past few months in their homes. Despite the change in lifestyle, Riverdale Neighborhood House — like other organizations used to welcoming many through their doors — has kept its programs active. Even if that’s happening virtually. Many of the neighborhood house’s classes have become virtual, using online videoconferencing apps like Zoom to connect. Rob Adelman, who runs the neighborhood house’s health and harmony program, sends out email reminders to members and other participants, letting them know their class is coming up. He also reaches out to each group leader or teacher. Adelman has even become tech support for anyone struggling maRCia to adapt to the virtual SaNToNi environment. However, that hasn’t stopped him from participating himself, a regular at the neighborhood house’s Pilates class. “We’re not letting this pandemic stop us from continuing to try to provide the community with programs that enrich their lives and help them expand their own capabilities,” Adelman said. Although certain classes that do not make sense virtually due to spacing issues or lack of personal connections, there are other programs that have worked well virtually, like yoga, Pilates, and a college advisory program for middle and high school students. Exercise classes that have continued virtually have thrived because those participating have enjoyed the continuity and have strong connections, according to Marcia Santoni, who stepped in as the new executive director of Riverdale Neighborhood House as the pandemic was starting to take hold in the city. Even the college advisory program has done well, since it can help teens virtually navigate the changing college process and build in more time to meet with advisors and help them find the best course for their lives post-graduation. There have even been new additions to Riverdale Neighborhood House’s programs. A meditation series started online in response to stress many were feeling during the stay-at-home order by Gov.
Courtesy of Kiki Georgiadou
The Riverdale Neighborhood House has worked to stay connected as a community despite being apart. Pilates instructor Kiki Georgiadou feels her students are more than just students. Andrew Cuomo. The class is geared toward learning to meditate, but still, before each session begins, participants get a chance to socialize and share what’s happening in their lives. The social aspect allows them to develop personal connections to the class even though they cannot physically be together. The neighborhood house also started a new drawing class that kicked off with nine people — seven of them new themselves to the Mosholu Avenue facility. The class leader shares her computer screen with the other Zoom participants to show what she’s creating. Then her students can return the favor, revealing their own work on their own computers. Despite the limitations of virtual programs, they’ve accomplished making the world a smaller place, where distance no longer is an issue. Pilates instructor Kiki Georgiadou has spent the summer in Greece with her family, but she’s still keeping up with her class, helping her students from 5,000 miles away. When it’s 5 p.m., in the Bronx, it’s midnight in Greece, so the time difference did force Georgiadou’s tabata class to be temporarily suspended since it was
on Monday evenings. But Georgiadou’s Sunday morning Pilates class has continued as usual. Even through an internet connection, Georgiadou says she feels the positive energy. She even enhances it by sharing with her Pilates students pictures from her time in Greece. “I am so lucky to be teaching this amazing group of people,” Georgiadou said. “They are not only my trainees, but my friends and my support — especially through this tough COVID-19 experience.” And attendance has held steady, despite the nature of remote classes, Santoni said. Classes range between 12 and 15 participants — a high number, compared to in-person gatherings at the neighborhood house, especially for exercise classes. There is even a student from Israel taking part in Georgiadou’s Pilates class. “I’m amazed at people’s connection to RNH through all of our programs,” Santoni said. “That connection has become even more important during the pandemic.” There are other factors that may limit
someone from attending a class in-person that is no longer an issue virtually, Adelman said. Some things preventing someone from attending a class could be because they aren’t joined by friends, or are facing bad weather, or simply lack of transportation. The virtual programs sidesteps all that, allowing participants to join in from the comfort of their own home. “It’s a very good thing that our teacher can go back to her family thousands of miles away and people don’t miss a beat with their regular exercise program,” Adelman said. “I think the students are appreciating the fact that, at a time like this when people are feeling isolated, they can be together virtually.” Since arriving at the Riverdale Neighborhood House, Santoni has admired the organization’s commitment to the community and its ability to adapt to change — even after 148 years of existence. “I think that what we are experiencing now is what it means to create a community beyond our space in Riverdale,” Santoni said. “We are redefining communities and also highlighting the importance of staying connected.”
The city’s parents are between an ever-growing assortment of rocks and hard places when it comes to learning options for their children. They’re juggling the moving parts of in-person classes, mitigating exposure to the coronavirus, and — for parents of younger children — child care. But SAR Academy is putting all of those worries at ease with its reopening model — and it doesn’t even include remote classes for its youngest. Instead, nursery and elementary school students at SAR will operate in “pods” similar to the new teaching fad sweeping major cities. But the students will still be in classrooms five days a week. And to ensure no student is left behind, they’ll wear color-coded masks to keep track of each other. This model is largely possible because the nursery and elementary school classes are smaller than middle and high school classes, according to school administrators. In addition, the younger students don’t require specialized subject classes as older students, and can largely rely on two teachers for all their learning. For the older, middle school students at SAR Academy, many of the same procedures will be used. They’ll still be in the building five days a week, but will have at least some supervised remote classes — where they’ll attend remote classes, but still be in an actual classroom. Just in a different room. This “fills the gap” for specialized subject classes, but still allows students to have “classroom time,” administrators said. Architects Hila Stern and Esther Sperber were put in charge of both renovations and repurposing existing facilities that could be used as classrooms — like cafeterias and offices of school personnel who are working remotely. “We mapped out every available space,” Stern said. That’s how we managed to get all of the students from the (early learning) center and the academy.”
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THE RIVERDALE PRESS - Thursday, September 3, 2020 - A9
Activists raise $11,000 to fight Waldo Avenue project By MAYA KATZ Special to The Riverdale Press
Petitions have been part of the Coalition to Save Brust Park ever since the public first learned of plans to build a highdensity residential building in a Waldo Avenue lot where a single-family home originally stood. These activists brought a number of concerns to the table — everything from the impact on parking and traffic, to the kinds of shadows cast over the nearly two acres that make up the pocket park near Manhattan College. Over the past year, the coalition has primarily collected signatures for three petitions, including one to compel the owner of 3893 Waldo — Timber Equities — to partner with its neighbors, or even consider having the take over the project. With some 1,000 signatures in hand, the coalition met with representatives of both the owner and architects of the proposed 29-unit building, expected to tower by as much as six stories over Brust Park. Their requests focused on moving the entire building back 15 feet from the street, or even selling the property to the city’s parks department as a way to expand Brust. The ownership group — which had purchased the property in 2018 for $1.75 million — reportedly rejected all these requests. Now, the coalition is focused
Courtesy of the Coalition to Save Brust Park
The Coalition to Save Brust Park formed last year to fight the planned construction of a new residential tower next to Brust Park near Manhattan College. Coalition members collected signatures in the neighborhood to show opposition to the new building. on strengthening its relationship with elected officials like Councilman Andrew Cohen and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz in the hopes of salvaging some sort of victory from what appears to be an as-of-right construction project. “It was a big move to bring a stack of signatures to elected officials and show that all of these people in the community want to protect Brust Park,” said Aurora De Armendi, one of the key leaders inside the coalition. From the beginning, De Armendi has warned this new building would significantly impact the park’s ecosystem.
While noise and air pollution wouldn’t help Brust, neither would increased traffic and blocked sunlight. Even worse, De Armendi and the coalition believes the new building would interrupt the flow of water into the park. “It will keep water from arriving to the stream,” said Jim Wacker, another coalition member. “The water that falls on the property now goes into the stream, and it will probably never have water in it again once this is built.” The coalition has worked to push for an environmental review to address these and other issues they’ve expressed from
the construction plans. They’ve even tried to stake a claim that part of the land Timber Equities has control of has evolved into parkland, and that interpretation of city laws would mean the land must remain parkland. Developers have noted Brust Park and the Waldo property are separated by empty land that is actually platted to be an extension of West 242nd Street, which was never built. If coalition members can get government officials or even a court to take their side that the platted land is now part of Brust Park, that could create additional red tape for Timber Equities, forcing the develop-
ers to comply with laws specific to properties that immediately border a parkland. So far, however, those efforts have been unsuccessful. What’s complicated it even more is that 3893 Waldo doesn’t require an environmental review ahead of construction, meaning impacts to the park won’t be considered by city officials. Calder Orr, another member of the coalition, disagrees, saying there are enough problems with this project to justify an environmental review. Making that happen, however, will likely take an order from a judge — something the coalition is notably missing. “It is clear that there will be these impacts on the park,” Orr said. “But without the environmental review, they will not be considered.” Still, the coalition is raising money through an online crowdfunding site to pay for an environmental lawyer. With more than 90 individual donations, nearly $11,000 has been raised with a goal of $15,000. One anonymous donor contributed $3,500 at the beginning for the campaign. A spokesman for Timber Equities told The Riverdale Press back in May 2019 that they had “begun to reach out to local stakeholders, and will maintain an open line of communication as the process continues. Brust Park is an important asset to the local community, and we will work diligently to avoid any adverse impacts to the park.” Taking on developers, how-
ever, takes making friends, De Armendi said. Along the way, the coalition has connected with the Friends of Spuyten Duyvil and the Kingsbridge Historical Society. Both unsuccessfully fought another Timber Equities project on Palisade Avenue, the demolition of Villa Rosa Bonheur — one of the borough’s original multi-family structures. “The people who organized against the Villa Rosa destruction have been offering their advice to us,” said Sherry Kassel, another Coalition to Save Brust Park member. “Different groups in the community are supporting each other as they try to preserve the green spaces.” The coalition has scrutinized every permit the developers file in an effort to ensure construction guidelines are followed. Some of the more recent clashes have involved fencing around the project, which has resulted in some visits from buildings department inspectors. Long term, coalition members hope to push for broader zoning changes — primarily to remove some of the higher density zoning that still exists in their neighborhood, even beyond 3893 Waldo — so community members like them can have more of a say in future development. “We want to address the issue not to stop all construction,” coalition member Melanie Wacker said, “but to preserve the character of Riverdale.”
POLITICAL ARENA Then drops council bid
Dionel Then’s time as a city council candidate has ended with a pledge to donate his campaign war chest to charity, and give his endorsement to Dan Padernacht. “With New York City and the nation as a whole radically transformed over the last seven months, the priorities and level of experience needed to keep our communities safe and prosperous have become not only self evident, but also the No. 1 priority for myself and my campaign,” Then said, in a statement to The Riverdale Press. “With humble self-awareness of the limitations I currently have available to me, I am bowing out of the city council
By Michael hinMan
race and will endorse Daniel Padernacht’s campaign for District 11’s city council seat set to undergo a special election in early 2021.” Padernacht, a Kingsbridge Heights real estate attorney and current chair of Community Board 8’s traffic and transportation committee, was the first to enter the race to succeed Andrew Cohen — in 2018. He was quickly joined by Eric Dinowitz, a schoolteacher who is son of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, and later by Then, Jessica Haller, and most recently, Abigail Martin and Marcos Sierra. Padernacht told The Press he was honored that Then decided to endorse him, and says he knows all too well
what it’s like to withdraw from a race — something he did in 2010 for a state senate seat, eventually allowing Gustavo Rivera to take office. “It means a lot that Dionel has chosen to support me in this race,” Padernacht said, in a statement. “We have spoken about issues and our roots in the district, including similar family backgrounds. Dionel thinks through issues and gives genuine and thoughtful answers about how he feels on a topic.” Ahead of the pandemic, Then was a docent with a city museum, and had previously served several internships, including one here at The Press. With Cohen’s nomination to the
Bronx supreme court bench in August, this race will likely be decided by a special election sometime in March.
in both U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel’s and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s offices. “When I arrived in D.C. in September 2015 knowing no one, I rolled my suitcase down the halls of Congress in search of a job.” Cruz now heads to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan MBA program with a Dean’s Fellowship. He graduated from RKA in 2011 where he described himself as a “nerd.” With his mother an immigrant from Ecuador and his father’s family from Cuba, Cruz grew up with Spanish in his household — a language fluency that has helped him in Washington.
Cruz leaves White House
A Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy alum who made his way from graduation to the White House in less than a decade, has left his role inside the Trump administration. Anthony Cruz stepped down as regional communications director for Hispanic media at the White House in early August, he told friends and acquaintances in a group message. “Growing up in the Bronx, working in the White House was once a pipe dream,” wrote Cruz, who also worked
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A10 - THE RIVERDALE PRESS - Thursday, September 3, 2020
Opinion
The Riverdale Press maintains an open submission policy. Opinions expressed in this section do not necessarily represent those of this publication. Submissions can be made to letters@riverdalepress.com.
Editorial
Thanks a million, Andy
A
s someone who would likely want to serve on the city council sooner rather than later, one might expect Jessica Haller to be elated to learn Andrew Cohen is stepping down from his seat a year sooner than expected. But she isn’t. In fact, Haller had some critical words regarding the man she’s hoping to succeed, saying Cohen “has a contract with us until the end of next year, so why are you taking him out of his role?” That question wasn’t to Cohen or even to voters, by the way. That was a message to the Bronx Democrats, who nominated the councilman to the Bronx supreme court bench. In a city that hasn’t backed a Republican presidential candidate since Calvin Coolidge in 1924, it’s pretty safe to say that, by the time 2021 starts, Cohen will don a black robe. But where does Cohen leave his constituents? Where does he leave his county? Cohen’s departure from city hall will cost taxpayers at least $1 million to conduct a special election, if not more — and that’s simply the kind of money our government, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, can’t really afford. It’s tough luck that there’s term limits, and we get that Cohen has to find somewhere to go once his term expires. But this was a man ready to leave less
than a year after seeking re-election, and doesn’t seem interested at all in maybe lessening the blow of his departure by timing it in a way that this special election can be held the same time as another election, maybe even the one in November. Longer-term, however, we can’t pick on elected officials who are just trying to ensure they maintain some sort of stable income. We need a better solution in how to fill vacancies that remain democratic, but also don’t unnecessarily cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more, to pay for poll workers, sites, equipment, and actually counting the votes. Many other jurisdictions allow for special appointments — interim office holders who can ensure people are represented, while waiting for elections. Maybe such appointments are made by the mayor? Maybe this is something that could involve the borough president? No one wants to lose representation any longer than necessary, especially at the city council level. And if we can’t encourage elected officials to stay in office for the full-time they committed to voters who elected them, then we need to find ways to keep the wheels of democracy moving — without vacuuming out all the cash from our taxpayerfunded treasury.
Point of view
Dinowitz should return to his roots as a reformer
By ERIC SEIFF (re: “Some still frustrated by rather confusing nom process,” Aug. 20)
I
n the Aug. 20 edition of The Riverdale Press, Kirstyn Brendlen informatively reports of Jeffrey Dinowitz’s continuing defense of the indefensible closed-door Bronx County judicial selection process. Ms. Brendlen writes that Dinowitz justifies this practice as “a necessary and effective way to get nominations locked in.” Locked in for whose benefit? Certainly not with a standard of excellence in mind. I urge the Assemblyman to reconsider his embrace of this destructive practice. Mr. Dinowitz, you came to this community as a reformer — and for much of your career, you have pursued that promise. In recent times, however, you appear to have slipped into a routine that so often infects long-termers, placing party loyalty above enlightened independence. Thus, you were woefully late in supporting Sen. Alessandra Biaggi’s progressive campaign two years ago. And more recently, fought the congressional candidacy of Jamaal Bowman, working instead on behalf of our absentee congressman, Eliot Engel — himself a one-time reformer who abandoned his roots. Your dogged support of this borough’s judicial selection process is the antithesis of what is good for this community — or your legacy. Leaving aside the practical hurdles any interested attorney has in timely understanding and fulfilling the detailed judicial application process, your selection process has systematically sacrificed judicial excellence to the altar of support for the Bronx Democratic Party organization. It makes no pretense at seeking the best. As you know, there are two ways for women and men to become judges in the Bronx County supreme court. One, which has consistently produced well-qualified acting supreme court judges, comes by way of the mayor’s non-partisan committee. Each of these appointees to the criminal court or family court first undergoes careful scrutiny by an independent body of experienced practitioners, whose sole focus is to select the best. Those chosen often spend several years or more presiding and learning their trade in the lower courts before being promoted to the supreme court. Fealty to a political organization — or boss — simply has no part in that selection. The second group, which I will call the “Dinowitz group” — whose names appear on the election day ballot — are chosen by a small cabal of the party leadership, with no independent scrutiny. Although I have been a litigating attorney for well over a half century, I rarely
recognize a single candidate from the slate offered each November, in part because few if any of your nominees have attained any recognizable stature as trial attorneys. Indeed, it is not unusual for those selected by the Dinowitz group to have never tried a case before a jury. Necessarily excluded from any considerations are the hundreds upon hundreds of attorneys from this borough who have earned the respect of their peers and the judiciary throughout the city and beyond. The mediocrity of the Dinowitz group is well known. Come with me to court one day, when courts are again in session, and you will see the slothful, uneven performance of these public servants who enjoy a minimum of 14 years of job security, virtually immune to effective administrative oversight. There is, of course, an alternative. Nominees of the Democratic Party in Manhattan have a similar certainty of election as those in the Bronx. There, however, putting the interest of the public at large to the fore, the Manhattan Dems cede a major portion of the selection process to an independent cross-section of representative groups. Interested designees from a score of community and professional organizations — ranging from the Fortune Society to various defense and ethnic bar associations — spend months interviewing every interested candidate. From that extensive inquiry, a small handful are selected. And, depending on the number of judicial openings, the group forwards the names from whom those nominated will be chosen. From that small number, the Manhattan Democratic organization will pick an even smaller number, whose names then appear on the November ballot. The contrast in the quality of the candidates chosen in the two counties is palpable. Adopting a comparative practice will assure that excellence prevails over insider connections. Those selected will no longer be obligated to staff their judicial offices with other party faithful dictated by the Bronx organization. Such independence in the staffing gives promise that talent will prevail over party connections. If you continue to have the welfare of your constituents as a hallmark of your public service, I urge that you use your powerful positions and provide the necessary leadership to fight for the termination of this shameful judicial selection process. It is a goal worthy of any reformer. The author is a former special district attorney in Bronx County, and former chair of the New State Commission of Investigation.
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Letters to the editor
Hire back the union workers To the editor:
(re: “Union workers want jobs back at Key Food,” July 30)
To the new owners of Key Food, as the pandemic continues to upend our lives, grocery workers — like so many other “essential” workers — have continued to be the quiet heroes of this crisis. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit New York, many people who were fortunate enough to retain employment were able to safely work from home, but not our grocery workers. These heroes have been on the front lines of the pandemic for the past five months, risking their lives to ensure their fellow New Yorkers have the food and supplies our families need. These heroes include the workers of your North Riverdale store, which you only took control of a few weeks ago, some of whom have worked at this location for more than 20 years. New York City is a union town, and Riverdale is a union community. Thousands of union members — from health care workers to teachers to grocery workers — call Riverdale home. We are also a close-knit, supporting and caring neighborhood. We look out for one another, and stand up for each other when no one else will. While you are new to our neighborhood, your callous treatment of our front-line grocery workers is an affront to our community’s values. That is why I’m writing this letter. That is why
I have proudly stood outside your store with 21 former Key Food workers whom you pushed out the door, solely due to their union membership. These essential workers enabled us to get groceries and cleaning supplies at the height of the pandemic, and deserve much better than the treatment they have received from you thus far. It is unconscionable that you have refused to rehire these workers simply because they are unionized, especially amidst a pandemic-induced recession. If the moral imperative were not enough to convince you to rehire these workers, let me simply remind you that you are on the wrong side of the law. The Grocery Worker Retention Act, passed by the city council in 2016, requires that new grocery store owners must employ all workers of the previous owner for a 90-day transition period at minimum. You must put these workers back on payroll immediately. As a fellow union member, I will continue to stand with my fellow brothers and sisters in RWDSU Local 338 by encouraging all our neighbors to shop elsewhere until you do. I urge you to do the right thing. Not just because you are required to by law, but because you know it is the neighborly thing to do. Eric DinowiTz The author is a city council candidate.
Mayor not helping homeless To the editor: Mayor Bill de Blasio is so useless that even when he comes up with a good idea, he doesn’t have the capability or common sense to effectively implement it. Such is the case when it comes to moving homeless people out of shelters and into hotel rooms. It seemed reasonable enough. Homeless people crowded together in shelters is even more of a problem during a pandemic. That same pandemic has resulted in many empty hotel rooms. Homeless people get rooms. Hotel owners get income. But screening homeless people so that you move those who are honest and not problematic was too logical for de Blasio. His homeless services department spokesman Isaac McGinn twists logic into a pretzel by saying “the city cannot tell certain New Yorkers based on your background or prior
experience you cannot live here. That would be unlawful discrimination.” Really? Is it discrimination when you put criminals in prison? The majority of homeless who only got into their predicament because they couldn’t afford a raise in rent due to their poverty wages, or who lost their jobs, or who got burnt out of their homes, or simply aren’t paid enough to afford housing, don’t get priority over criminals for hotel rooms? Meanwhile, people in what has been a good Midtown Manhattan neighborhood suddenly have to deal with thefts, aggressive panhandling, people spitting in their food, and harassment. De-institutionalization should be reversed so that the mentally ill homeless can be treated in hospitals. Those who suffer from mental illness need help and sympa-
thy since they have problems they didn’t create or have control over. But the ones whose issues are so serious they can’t take care of themselves are not being treated humanely by being dumped out of hospitals and being told they must care for themselves when they cannot. Appropriate housing for criminals is available at Rikers Island. Good people who behave responsibly and who are able to take care of themselves should get hotel rooms. Anybody with more sense than de Blasio realizes that if you bring dangerous people from the shelters to the hotels, the hotels become dangerous. On Aug. 17, de Blasio announced that, in the future, the homeless will be moved out of hotels and back to the shelters. This does not help the noncriminal homeless. richarD warrEn
It’s not aid, it’s an investment To the editor: As New York City reaches an astounding 20 percent unemployment rate due to the economic and precautionary effects stemming from COVID-19, it is more imperative than ever that U.S. job creation becomes a focal point for our political leaders. While political leaders scramble to find and fund new services to mitigate this job loss, the answer may be far simpler than many think: increased foreign aid. Now understandably, it may be perplexing how increased foreign aid could help mitigate extreme economic loss in the United States as, after all, foreign aid does mean the distribution of U.S. money to foreign countries. Historically, the United States has seen robust returns when providing aid to foreign countries. One of the first examples of this connection can be observed through the Marshall Plan following World War II. The Marshall Plan’s goal was to help rebuild the European Union following years of destruction, authoritarianism and isolation. The United States provided $12.7 billion in aid to the European Union, and as of 2018, receives $318 billion in annual U.S. exports. More recently, beginning in the 1960s, the United States provided Mexico with $1.7 billion in aid, and again as of 2018, the United States receives $265 billion in annual U.S. exports. What these numbers truly illustrate is that when the United States provides struggling countries with foreign aid to help stimulate their economy, this amount of money is later returned to the United States, but in exponentially higher sums. Former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
said it best: “We need to stop viewing it as aid. It’s an investment.” However, despite this direct relationship, the United States only gives 0.19 percent of its annual gross national income, or GNI. When compared to other countries, the United States falls far behind its overseas counterparts, countries like — but not limited to — Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Denmark giving more than 0.72 percent of their annual GNI. When aiming for a future of economic stability in New York City and the greater New York region, it is of vital importance that we, as citizens, reject the narrative that foreign aid means taking money away from American citizens. Numerous pieces of literature and evidence — many of which can be found on The Borgen Project’s website — point to the opposite: Increased foreign aid actually creates more U.S. jobs and U.S. economic revenue than many other commonly accepted solutions to economic loss. Now, more than ever, as New York City and the rest of the United States face economic hardship, it is imperative that we urge our congress people — specifically U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer, as well as who will likely be our future congressman, Jamaal Bowman, to serve the best interests of their constituents and vote to protect and increase the international affairs budget. isabEla waTson The author represents The Borgen Project, the Seattle-based advocacy group that fights what it describes as “extreme poverty.”
Riverdale 5.375 X 5.25
THE RIVERDALE PRESS - Thursday, September 3, 2020 - A11
Op-Ed Point of view
T
his crisis, which began about 20 years ago, has now taken more than 800,000 lives. The number of deaths per year has increased in proportion with the use of prescription opioid drugs. Assuming this was an avoidable crisis, who would we hold responsible? The doctors? The drug makers? Or those who approved the drugs? Is it a culture that exploits for profit, agencies established to protect? Is it by coincidence that the former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration serves on the board of Pfizer? In New York, should we question when a former majority leader of the state senate who recently resigned from the senate takes a position with Northwell Health? The chief executive of Northwell Health has previously held a senior management position with a major health insurance company in New York. He also has served in the New York state government. An opponent of a single-payer system, his salary is in the millions. The COVID-19 pandemic is testing every country. Two major factors in controlling the virus are national leadership and the health care system. The number of lives lost in each country will continue to grow in relationship to the ability of that country to deal with the virus. In the United States, communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. These groups are also disproportionately underserved by our current health care system. Where would we be now if our country had adopted some form of universal health care? With a different health care system, could we have avoided the opioid crisis? With universal health care, would we have done a better job of containing COVID-19, thereby saving the lives of thousands of Americans? The data is available and evolving. Comparisons can be made. We need to pay attention, ask questions, and hold our representatives accountable. What will future generations think of us for accepting a health care system where profit is prioritized over care? Should we not consider every person of equal value and of equal importance in the future of this country? Universal health care is a necessity in our march toward social justice.
Letters to the editor
Don’t slow vaccine development To the editor: Federal policymakers are considering laws that would force federal agencies to rely solely on medicines made in the United States. Instinctively, one might take comfort in this mandate — technically, an expansion of “Buy America” rules that date back nearly a century — as it would reduce our reliance on the foreign laboratories that supply American drug companies with the “active pharmaceutical ingredients” they need to manufacture medicine. But that comfort would be misplaced, as the mandate would delay the deployment of a coronavirus vaccine, create shortages of many critical medicines, and raise drug prices. It doesn’t make any sense. The coronavirus is ravaging our nation. Public health experts believe we’re still weeks away from the disease peaking — and months away from developing a vaccine and developing effective therapies. Fortunately, the nation’s leading research scientists are working overtime. Massachusetts-based Moderna Therapeutics and Pennsylvania-based Inovio Pharmaceuticals already have started human trials on each of their experimental vaccines. And other biopharmaceutical companies, like Gilead Sciences, are working to develop effective coronavirus therapies. As a physician, this lightning pace is amazing to watch, but hardly surprising. Before I became a member of Congress, I spent a quarter-century in the field of medicine. I remember how, during my medical school days, treating an ulcer often required removing part of a patient’s stomach. Then, a few years later, a new drug called Tagamet became available followed by the development of an armamentarium of medical treatments that made risky invasive stomach surgery infrequent. And, all of a sudden, ulcer patients no longer needed those risky, invasive stomach surgeries. They could simply take a pill. In other words, I’ve seen how medical innovation can save lives, alleviate suffering, accelerate
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lease consider the following: The United States is the only wealthy industrialized country without some form of universal health care. How many Americans are aware that after World War II, under the Marshall Plan, Germany and Japan’s universal health care systems would be completely rebuilt? A good decision for Germany and Japan? It certainly appears so. In comparing health outcomes, both countries outperform the United States, and do it at approximately half the cost. A good decision by our representatives not to establish some form of universal health care in this country? Certainly not for those Americans unable to afford our current system. That would include the uninsured and under-insured. The approximate half-million Americans every year who go bankrupt due to health costs, not to forget those who never seek needed treatment because of cost. The Legatum Institute, a London-based think-tank, publishes an annual prosperity index ranking countries on the ability of their residents to prosper and flourish. One of the contributing factors — or pillars — for individual prosperity is health, defined by the organization as what “measures the extent to which people are healthy and have access to the necessary services to maintain good health, including health outcomes, health systems, illness and risk factors, and mortality rates.” The Legatum Prosperity Index 2019 rankings for the health pillar are Japan second, Germany 12th, and the United States 59th. Nothing to be proud of. The Commonwealth Fund is a non-profit health policy group with headquarters in New York City. The group compared the health care systems of 10 other wealthy Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development — or OECD — countries with the United States. The data used in the study came from the OECD. A publication from the analysis on Jan. 30 concluded that the “U.S. health care system is the most expensive in the world, but Americans continue to live relatively unhealthier and shorter lives than peers in other highincome countries. Efforts to rein in costs, improve affordability and access to needed care — coupled with greater efforts to address risk factors — are required to alleviate the problem.” An analysis from 2000 by the World Health Organization of the overall efficiency of national health care systems ranked Japan 10th, Germany 25th, and the United States 37th. Other current national health care rankings are similar order-wise. The transition of countries to some form of universal health care has occurred over the last century. The first attempt to establish universal health care in this country was in the early years of the 20th century. Since then, every attempt has failed. If the argument for the continuation of our health care system is based on the belief that the market will create a better system, maybe we should ask, “A better system for whom?”
Certainly not for the majority of Americans. A September 2019 report from the House Ways and Means Committee concluded that “Americans pay, on average, nearly four times more for drugs than other countries — in some cases, 67 times more for the same drug.” How many Americans are aware that direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs is legal only in the United States and New Zealand? Who benefits from advertising prescription drugs on television? We know who pays for the cost of advertising. In preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2019 was 70,980, which includes 50,042 deaths involving opioids. This year, that number is expected to increase.
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recovery, and even cure patients that, just a generation ago, were untreatable. However, it was only after I entered government that I began to see this astonishing medical progress not simply as the result of painstaking research, but also as the result of sound public policy. Intellectual property gives investors the confidence they need to back longshot research projects. Globalized trade gives American drug companies the resources they need to develop We’ve latest news news and andinforming informingyou youabout aboutaa We’vebeen beenhard hardat atwork work reporting reporting the the latest medicines quickly and cost-effectively. pandemic that’s disrupted everyone’s lives. We’re proud of our brand of trusted journalism. Any “Buy American” expansion ignores this pandemic that’s disrupted everyone’s lives. We’re proud of our brand of trusted journalism. second key component of our biomedical ecosysNow, as our nation looks to Let’s reopen, andhad resurge, our advertising representatives face rebound it. No one has it easy during this pandemic. tem — and is as fantastical as it is dangerous. areashere to helplooks your to business. Hire us toand help get your customers back and your Now, our nation reopen, rebound resurge, our advertising representatives Some people have demands for a series of Your newspaper is reporting from the front lines the local stories of employees ready. Nobody cares more about your success than us. new manufacturing plants to open within months. COVID-19 and its painful shutdown. We thank our talented journalists. are here to help your business. Hire us to help get your customers back and your Typically, it takes $2 billion and up to a decade to But we’ve losthas business, too. Likeaudience us, you’re probably saying is enough. No one an engaged like ours. Ourenough growth online, employees ready. Nobody cares more about your success than us. build a new factory. Those plants need qualified pharmaceutical chemists as well, and right now combined with print, is impressive as more readers turn to us for local news. Let’s work together as businesses reopen. We’ve got the engaged audience share your advertising messages. Our ad staff stands ready to help. there’s a shortage of those workers in the United Notoone has an engaged audience like ours. Our growth online, States. Newspapers are your investment. arebest your best combined with print, isNewspapers impressive as more readers turninvestment to us for local news. The expected executive order is also dangerbecause we care most ous, as it would also slow the deployment of a We care about local. about local. coronavirus vaccine — because once researchers here successfully develop one, they’ll need to source ingredients from overseas to produce it in mass quantity. Vaccine developers aren’t the only ones who depend on globalized trade. So, the mandate would inevitably create shortages and raise drug prices. These are the simple realities of today’s supPrint, advertisers. Print, Digital Digital&&Social SocialSolutions Solutionsfor foryour your business ply chain. Our health care system already is on the bring thanks to a surge in coronavirus patients coupled Design by Metro Creative Graphics, Inc. Print, Digital & Social Solutions for your advertisers. with a shortage of masks, beds and ventilators. Now is not the time to prevent drug companies from purchasing the ingredients, components Design by Metro Creative and supplies they need, no matter where they Graphics, Inc. come from. Charles BousTany
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Tax Foreclosed Real Estate Auction Cattaraugus County • Online Only 75+ parcels available: Lots, Acreage, Homes, Commercial Properties Due to COVID-19 mandates and regulations, this auction will be conducted 100% online.
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Phone/fax ads in: ☎ 718-543-6200 ☎ 718-548-4038 E-mail: ø classified@riverdalepress.com Our address is: 5676 Riverdale Ave, Ste 311, Bronx, NY 10471
Classified Computer services
W 230's4 BR, 3 Bth massive prewar apt. Nr all amenities. Unit has long elegant foyer plus sunken living room. All new stainless steel appls plus Bosch W/D in unit. Parking avail & pet friendly. $4100. 718-543-2266
Parking space available
Wanted to buy
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COMPUTER PC, MAC EXPERT Repairs, Upgrade, Installations & Set-ups Slow computer, Virus removal, Data recovery
Freon Wanted: We pay CA$H for cylinders and cans. R12 R500 R11 R113 R114. Convenient. Certified Professionals. Call 312-361-0601 or visit RefrigerantFinders.com
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1-5 WEEKS: $4.30 per line, per week 5-9 WEEKS: $3.85 per line, per week 10-25 WEEKS: $3.30 per line, per week 26+ WEEKS: $3.05 per line, per week Minimum order is 5 lines for one week.
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Situations wanted Annie Williams Skilled and experienced home care provider. Available full or part time. Available for interview or trial shift. Reference letters on request. Licensed driver with vehicle. Excellent cook. Riverdale resident. awilliams.homecare@gmail. com 917-847-5548
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JOB OPPORTUNITY $18.50 P/H NYC $16 P/H LI $13.50 P/H UPSTATE NY CDPAP Caregiver Hourly Pay Rate! Under NYS CDPAP Medicaid program you can hire your family or friends for your care. Phone: 347-713-3553
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Service Guide Home improvement
Miscellaneous Home Improvement
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Lorence NY Contracting Corp. We specialize in Kitchen & bath renovs. NYC 646-407-3913 Lic. #2091374-DCA.
New Heights Construction, LLC Siding, Roofing, Painting, Basements, Decks and more. NYC Lic. #1191201 Call 800-525-5102 or 718-767-0044
BROWN'S JEWELERS
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Miscellaneous Jewelers Quality jewelry, watch batteries and bands. Expert repairs. 5690 Riverdale Avenue 718-549-2730
Miscellaneous Window Cleaning Mario's Window Cleaning Service
Available anytime. Free ests. Riverdale references. Call 347-671-4040
TALENT SEARCH FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD
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Legal Notices Legal Notice
NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Renova Star LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on June 15, 2020. Office location: Bronx County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her is Legalinc Corporate Services Inc, 1967 Wehrle Drive, Suite 1 #086, Buffalo, NY 14221. The principal business address of the LLC is 1173 Colgate Avenue, Apt. 1F, Bronx, NY 10472. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. 3289
Legal Notice
Notice of Formation of a Limited Liability Company (LLC). Name: JUSTCAMI LLC, Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 07/17/2020. Office Location: Bronx County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: C/O JUSTCAMI LLC, 1223 Wheeler Avenue Apt. 5L, Bronx, NY 10472. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose. Latest date upon which LLC is to dissolve: No specific date. 3294
Legal Notice
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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF AMIVA Management Services LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on July 30, 2020. Office location: Bronx County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process
800.231.6152
against the LLC served upon him/her is AMIVA Management Services LLC, 3424 Kingsbridge Ave, STE 1H, Bronx, NY 10463. The principal business address of the LLC is AMIVA Management Services LLC, 3424 Kingsbridge Ave, STE 1H, Bronx, NY 10463. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. 3301
Legal Notice
Notice is hereby given that an Order entered by the Civil Court, Bronx County on August 21, 2020, bearing Index Number NC-000013-20/BX, a copy of which may be examined at the Office of the Clerk, located at 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10451, grants me the right to assume the name of (First) Josselyn (Last) Rivera Salas. My present name is (First) Josselyn (Last) Garcia Salas (infant). The city and state of my present address are Bronx, NY. My place of birth is Bronx, New York. The month and year of my birth are January 2011. 3305
Legal Notice
Notice is hereby given that an Order entered by the Civil Court, Bronx County on June 30, 2020, bearing Index Number NC-000139-20/BX, a copy of which may be examined at the Office of the Clerk, located at 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10451, grants me the right to assume the name of (First) Cessya (Middle) Jakelin (Last) Infante. My present name is (First) Cessya (Middle) Jakelin (Last) Lopez AKA Cessya Lopez. The city and state of my present address are Bronx, NY. My place of birth is Bronx, NY. The month and year of my birth are November 1992. 3306
Legal Notice
Notice is hereby given that an Order entered by the Civil Court, Bronx County on 8/13/2020, bearing Index Number NC-000201-20/BX, a copy of which may be examined at the Office of the Clerk, located at 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10451, grants me the right to assume the name of (First) Rox (Last) Javadi-Kashani. My present name is (First) Roxana (Last) Javadi-Kashani AKA Rox Javadi-Kashani. The city and state of my present address are Bronx, NY. My place of birth is County of Los Angeles. The month and year of my birth are October 1980. 3307
Legal Notice
Notice is hereby given that an Order entered by the Civil Court, Bronx County on 8/27/2020, bearing Index Number NC-000190-20/BX, a copy of which may be examined at the Office of the Clerk, located at 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10451, grants me the right to assume the name of (First) Ali (Last) Hussain. My present name is (First) Uridalis (Last) Martinez. The city and state of my present address are New York, NY. My place of birth is Bronx, NY. The month and year of my birth are June 1997. 3308
Legal Notice
Notice is hereby given that an Order entered by the Civil Court, Bronx County on 8/22/2020, bearing Index Number NC-000207-20/BX, a copy of which may be examined at the Office of the Clerk, located at 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10451, grants me the right to assume the name of (First) Enentsa
(Last) Ishtaru. My present name is (First) Alison (Middle) Patricia (Last) Harmon AKA Alison P Harmon, AKA Allison P Harmon, AKA Alison Harmon, AKA A Harmon. The city and state of my present address are Bronx, NY. My place of birth is Bronx, NY. The month and year of my birth are February 1972. 3309
Legal Notice
NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: LA JOYA COSMETICS LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on July 09, 2020. Office location: Bronx County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, LA JOYA COSMETICS LLC, 7014 13th Avenue, Suite 202 Brooklyn NY 11228. Purpose: For any lawful purpose. 3310
Legal Notice
Notice is hereby given that an Order entered by the Civil Court, Bronx County on 8/27/2020, bearing Index Number NC-000208-20/BX, a copy of which may be examined at the Office of the Clerk, located at 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10451, grants me the right to assume the name of (First) Juliet (Middle) Marie (Last) Irick. My present name is (First) Juliet (Middle) Marie (Last) Lewis AKA Juliet M Irick, AKA Juliet Irick, AKA Juliet Marie Irick. The city and state of my present address are Bronx, NY. My place of birth is New York City. The month and year of my birth are January 1969. 3311
THE RIVERDALE PRESS - Thursday, September 3, 2020 - A13
Note: Each week’s featured home is chosen at random from among houses and apartments offered by Riverdale Press advertisers. The opinions expressed are those of the advertiser and not The Riverdale Press news department. For further information, write to advertising@ riverdalepress.com.
Home of the Week Sandhya Tidke Team of Halstead Real Estate
Your personal sanctuary away from everything C ome out to 3027 Netherland Ave., to find a unique Tudor home with beautifully landscaped grounds, set far enough back from the street to ensue privacy, and most importantly, quiet. This five-bedroom, two-bathroom home is introduced by a wrought iron-gated long driveway, and comes complete with a cedar deck in front, nestled between and surrounded by full-grown trees and landscaping. The first floor offers a windowed foyer, high ceilings throughout, hard wood oak flooring, picture moldings, and wood baseboards. From the formal dining room, there’s an
archway to the living room with a woodburning fire place and a windowed eat-in kitchen with 9-foot ceilings and two exposures. It features custom solid oak glass front cabinets, custom oak built-in pantry and new appliances. The finished basement includes recessed lighting, offering a large living space that is wired for cable that could easily become a den or playroom. There’s also a laundry room with a dryer, washer and utility sink, as well as a new water heater. It’s very close to the center of Riverdale, near parks as well as transportation and schools. And it’s waiting for you at $1.15 million.
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A14 - THE RIVERDALE PRESS - Thursday, September 3, 2020
TrebachRealty.com
718.543.7174
Family Owned & Operated Since 1972
NeW exclusive
NeW exclusive
FieldstoN Web #877 Renovated bright and airy 6-bdrm, 5.5-bath house with spacious grounds. Features entry hall, living room with fireplace, spacious and inviting eat-in kitchen, formal dining room, sunroom with radiant-heat floors and finished basement. $3,450,000
FieldstoN Web #881 Classic and Spacious 6-bdrm, 3-full and 2-half bath Craftsman-Sytle house with sunroom, patio and garden. Entry hall flows to a spacious living room with WBFP, formal dining room adjacent to spacious kitchen with a breakfast nook. $2,175,000
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NeW exclusive FieldstoN Web #885 Stately, secluded georgian revival stone 6-bdrm, 6-full, 2-half bath residence situated on nearly three quarters of an acre. Completely renovated with wide front terrace, large living room with WBFP and french doors to four-season sunroom. $4,900,000
NeW exclusive
FieldstoN Web #839 Bright 4-bdrm, 3-bath solar modern home with patio & garden. Living rm with WBFP & eat-in kitchen. $1,750,000
West oF the parKWay Web #886 Charming and renovated 3-bdrm, 2-bath with center hall, living rm with WBFP, dining area and eat-in kitch. $1,350,000
exclusive
exclusive
West oF parKWay Web #846 Spacious 3-bdrm, 2.5-bath house features a living room with bay windows and marble WBF, dining room with sliding glass doors to large level backyard, eat-in kitchen, MBR suite & den with a wet bar. 2-car garage plus plenty of off street parking. $1,549,000
West oF parKWay Web #891 Lavish newly built 8-bdrm, 7.5-bath on 0.29-acres features 2-story center hall with curved staircase, double height great room with gas fireplace, glass doors to wraparound porch, den with wet bar, formal dining room and center island kitchen. $4,888,000
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exclusive
NeW exclusive North riverdale Web #892 Two-family, semi-attached brick house with wide entry terrace & backyard with a deck & patio on Cul-de-Sac. $945,000
NeW exclusive
NeW exclusive
NeW exclusive
West oF parKWay Web #880 Grand bucolic beauty and open space classic 6-bdrm, 5.5-bath mansion with wraparound porch on over one acre with grassy lawns. Large center hall, living room with WBF, formal dining room with fireplace and eat-in kitchen. $4,475,000
south riverdale Web #884 Renov 6-bdrm, 2-full and 2-half bath brick house. Tiled entry foyer, formal dining rm & renov kitchen. $1,395,000
West oF parKWay Web #755 3-bdrm, 2.5-bath center hall colonial. WBFP in living rm, open plan kitchen & dining & finished basement. $1,420,000
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ceNtral riverdale Web #859 4-bdrm, 3-bath detached brick house with high ceilings, living room with brick WBFP & formal dining room. $890,000
NeW exclusive West oF parKWay Web #883 Renovated and countrified 4-bdrm, 3-bath house with patio and level grassy backyard. Features an entry hall, living room, formal dining room with WBFP, skylighted eat-in kitchen and family room. Central a/c, tool shed and driveways. $1,950,000
NeW exclusive
exclusive
West oF parKWay Web #882 Vacant site of approx 0.37 acres is a rare opportunity to build a home with commanding views of river. $1,495,000
south riverdale Web #871 Spacious 4-bdrm, 2.5-bath house with living room with WBFP, formal dining room and eat-in kitchen. $1,595,000
exclusive West oF parKWay Web #873 4-bdrm, 3-bath Tudor-Style house on double lot with grassy yard and river views on private cul-de-sac. $1,575,000
exclusive North riverdale Web #887 Secluded single level side by side twofamily house with porch, deck and grassy front yard on Cul-de-Sac. $850,000
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North riverdale Web #888 Sunny and spacious 3-bdrm, 3.5-bath with sunken living room, dining room with bay windows and deck. $969,000
exclusive south riverdale Web #872 Three vacant lots with R2 Zoning and Single-family 4-bdrm, 2.5-bath, stucco, Tudor-style house. $3,000,000
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exclusive
exclusive
NeW exclusive
FieldstoN Web #844 Classic & Elegant 4-bdrm, 3.5-bath with abundant French doors leading out to expansive front terrace, a stone patio, an open, shady side porch and a level grassy yard. Living room with WBFP, formal dining room and eat-in kitchen. $1,895,000
West oF the parKWay Web #856 Classic 3-bdrm, 2.5-bath house features a center hall, living rm with WBF, formal dining rm and eat-in kitchen. $995,000
NeW exclusive North riverdale Web #889 Renovated 3-bdrm, 2-bath house with side and back yards, patio and garden. Living room with fireplace. $1,095,000
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co-ops, condos and REntals
NeW coNdo exclusive
NeW exclusive
NeW exclusive
NeW exclusive
NeW coNdo exclusive
3800 blacKstoNe ave Web #cc630 Contemporary 2-bdrm, 2-bath duplex penthouse with private roof terraces, laundry & indoor parking. $699,000
3850 hudsoN m.t. Web #cc644 Low flr 3-bdrm, 2-bath w/ picture window in LR, updated kitchen, W/D in unit and part time DM. $449,000
3616 heNry hudsoN parKWay Web #cc642 Spacious and Bright 2-bdrm, 2-bath co-op with balcony and doorman. Entry foyer, living room with picture window, stylish pass-through kitchen, professionally soundproofed music room, refinished hardwood floors and near all. $429,000
601 KappocK st Web #cc647 Bright, low-floor Junior 4 (converted to 2-bdrm), 1.5-bath Co-op with doorman and pool. $335,000
ceNtral riverdale Web #cc643 Contemporary Condo with balcony, modern kitchen, laundry in unit, DM and indoor parking. $640,000
No board approval West oF parKWay - 3-bdrm, 2-bath, w/ balcony, L-shaped LR/DR area, DM, fitness room, private playground and childrens recreation room. Dogs OK. Indoor parking available. $515K West oF parKWay - 2-bdrm, 1.5-bath, w/ balcony, L-shaped LR/DR area, DM, fitness room, private playground and childrens recreation room. Dogs OK. Indoor parking available. $420K sold - North riverdale - Renov Jr-4 with entry foyer living rm, dining rm and windowed eat-in kitchen. $299K sold - ceNtral riverdale - Newly renov studio with hrdwd flrs, seperate kitchen and sleeping area. $185K
coNdo exclusive
exclusive
exclusive
445 West 240th st cc637 Postwar 2-bdrm condo with large entry foyer, living rm & windowed kitchen. $375K
290 West 232Nd st cc626 2-bdrm with entry foyer, living room, kitchen, dining area and balcony. $305K
3875 Waldo ave cc640 Charming & updated Jr4 with large dining foyer and sunken living room. $229K
house For reNt FieldstoN vic. rr880 Spacious 6-bdrm, 4.5-bth center-hall Colonial w/ patio & yard on cul-de-sac. $8,800
house For reNt
FieldstoN vic. rr871 Picturesque 1920s 3-bdrm, 2-full & 2-half baths with WBFP & grassy yards. $6,500/mo
house For reNt
FieldstoN vic. rr642 6-bdrm, 3.5-bath, 7,500 sq. ft. house w/ Expansive wraparound porch & pool. $19,500/mo
proFessioNal & oFFice space
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3875 hh parKWay cc638 Spacious & bright 3-bdrm, 2-bath corner unit. Entry foyer, living rm & renov kitch. $618K
NeW exclusive
611 West 239th st cc645 Spacious split-design, 2-bdrm, 2-bath co-op w/ indoor parking, balcony and doorman. $425K
reNtal - pets oK West oF parKWay rr879 Friendly 3-bdrm, 2-bath, dining area, sunset balcony, drmn & fitness rm. $3,195
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exclusive 3601 JohNsoN ave. cc587 Walk-in level doctor’s office with seperate entrance and reception area. $295K
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exclusive 5715 mosholu ave cc635 Bright L-shaped 2-bdrm postwar co-op. Hrdwd flrs, South & West expos. $208K
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sunset balcony, D/M, fitness. Dogs ok. $3,195/mo GreystoNe aveNue - 3-bdrm, 1.5-bath with dining area and yard in multi-family house. $2,800/mo south riverdale - 2-bdrm, 1.5-bath with large kitchen and hardwood floors in multi-family house. $2,450/mo reNted - West oF parKWay - 2-bdrm, 2-bath, sunset $2,400/mo balcony, doorman & fitness room. Dogs OK.
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No Fee reNtals West oF parKWay - Luxury 2-bdrm, 2-bath with balcony, doorman, tennis courts and fitness room. $3,595/mo West oF parKWay - Luxury 2-bdrm, 2-bath, 24-hr doorman, pool & tennis courts. 1 month free rent $2,795/mo West oF parKWay - Luxury 1-bdrm with balcony, doorman, tennis courts and fitness room. 1 month free rent $2,295/mo West oF parKWay - Luxury studio in 24-hr doorman building NeW exclusive with pool and tennis courts. 1 month free rent $1,850/mo 555 KappocK st cc605 Bright 1-bdrm with dining pet-FrieNdly reNtals area, C/A/C, Hudson River West oF parKWay - Spacious and bright 3-bdrm, 2-bath, view and 24-hr DM. $179K
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4455-65 douGlas cc622 3755 hh pKWay - the imperial - Walk-in level doctor’s Spacious Townhouse with office with reception area and 2 exam rooms. $360K 3-bdrms, 3.5bths, sunken North riverdale - Office Space Available. $1,500/mo LR, WBFP & patio. $1.699K
exclusive 3530 hh parKWay cc628 Huge 3-bdrm conv 4, 2-bath at Parkway House. Low floor, high ceilings. $649K
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3875 Waldo ave cc639 Spacious and charming Jr4 corner unit w/ lrg dining foyer and widowed dining area. $249K
exclusive 3755 hh parKWay cc623 Spacious 1-bdrm with entry foyer, living room, renov kitch & dining area. $199K
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exclusive 5355 hh parKWay Updated Jr-4 with balcony, living rm, rm and eat-in kitch.
cc634 sunrise dining $279K
5355 hh parKWay cc629 Renovated Jr-4, living room, dining room & eat-in kitch. No board approval. $299K
Trebach Realty, Inc. • 3801 Greystone Avenue, Riverdale Open 7 Days • www.TrebachRealty.com