Ferry Point Community Advocates

5/19/2008

Saturday May 17^th, 2008.

At Ferry Point Community Advocates we don’t just write about “It’s My Park Day” we are the fundraisers, planners and coordinators (with Partnership for Parks) of this semi annual event each year at our Park. I started out with 5 dedicated people on our first event and now celebrated our 7^th semi annual “IMP Day” and 6^th waterfront cleanup. We have brought over 500 hundred volunteers to better our Public Park since then. We were awarded Honors by Partnership for Parks for our fast growth and dedication.

Saturday was a great day! Marianne Sheridan (of campus recruitment), Karen (a teacher) and the students, waited for Senator Klein. The Senators pre-scheduled visit must have been absorbed by one of the other many events going on that day. We thank him for trying to make it anyway. We thought after the column last week from the other Ferry Point group we might get some unregistered volunteers at the last minute from them but there were none.

Due to the heavy rain on Friday, we delayed the delivery of mulch to the Throggs Neck Memorial area. 80 out of the100 registered Monsignor Scanlan students showed up to re-plant the vandalized trees and beautify the waterfront of the park in spite of the rain scare.

From 9:30 until 1:30 these students worked in a pleasant organized fashion. They were polite but also had a lot of fun. First the students helped plant 12 of the vandalized Memorial Forest Trees. Students dug holes, in the same places the trees were planted last November. The students then placed the trees and top soil in place. We reserved the 3 original trees that we recovered from the woods after the vandalism for the Lynch Family to choose from. We felt it may help for them to know that some of the same trees that they planted were again safe in the ground.

Before we started the largest Waterfront Cleanup in Ferry Point Park Yet, (This cleanup covered the entire West shore of the Park) one young man (Roberto Diaz) announced that the group should gather in a prayer. Everyone held hands as Roberto thanked God for the opportunity for the group to be there today to replant these trees, to help make the park even more beautiful, and for such wonderful weather. Roberto then asked God to also protect the group during this cleanup. It was nice to see 80 of our future Adults holding hands and thanking god for the opportunity to do something Great!

We applaud them!

I personally enjoyed talking with the students as we pulled the yellow Hindu cloth from between the rocks, a rug from under a tree, placed horseshoe crabs back in the water, and chatted in general about the some of the countries they lived in before. I tried to describe the Combined Sewer Overflows and why there are so many floatables in Westchester Creek.

The NY Post Photographer jumped between the planting of Sept. 11 Living Memorial Forest Trees to the waterfront cleanup.

At 11:30 The Bronx Times Reporter and the Daily News joined us as the Lynch Family replanted the tree that was to memorialize their Son Michael a Firefighter who was killed in the Sept. 11 tragedy. Jack Lynch picked the straightest tree and aligned the hole for the tree exactly where he had his son Michaels Tree in Nov. of 2007 and planted it with pride.

We were so glad to have the Lynch Family complete this planting. It was important to us to continue the good, positive energy that flowed through this entire 3000 sapling planting. Every one that participated throughout 2007 and now into 2008, were positive and respectful about the thoughtful, impressive donation to NYC from the Prince of Monaco. We are proud to have been involved throughout the planting of the Living Memorial Forest. All involved spoke about the future of the Forest and the beauty it would bring each Spring and Fall to the visitors of Ferry Point Park. (the trees were chosen to either have blossoms in Spring or bright colors in fall).

News 12 was short handed due to all the events so they met with me after the event to discuss the replanting.

We hope the vandals that removed the trees address the anger or whatever that welled up in them. To pull living trees from their lovingly planted ground and hurl them into the woods and weeds to freeze or dehydrate is just plain strange. Step up and be happy. Join us in the wonderful successes we are having at the Park. There are hundreds of volunteers, thankful for a chance to do something constructive that will erase the tiny angry spots that show up in our progress. If you have anger, hike up to the Hilltop and smell the flowers. This year our Flowering Hilltop Memorial Grove (pretty much completed) bloomed it’s fragrant blooms for the first time. The blooms came just as the daffodils, forsythia and honey suckle were fading. The contractor that did the restoration of the black iron crescent fence did a superb job. The newly seeded grass is delicate but yet a beautiful green. We look forward to the stone bench and intermittent pavers.

By July of this year Phase 1 of the F.P. Park Restoration will begin, the landscaping around the future Comfort Station will include an extension of the greenway path and some other paths will be improved. By next year the Comfort station and the synthetic soccer field should be underway. During this time the Balcolm Ave. and Crescent Shaped Waterfront Promenade should also be underway on the East side.

How exciting to see this Park coming back to life. To be used as a diversified park for everyone.

Throggs Neck, Castle Hill, and the few Manhattan Families who now ride their Bicycles on the Greenway to the park could in the future possibly take out their stored Kayak from a boathouse and paddle up and down Westchester Creek for the day and then get back on their Bicycles to go home. The City Island and Bronx River Kayakers can come by boat, use the comfort station, BBQ areas and then go back by Kayak.

As far as future sports: We now have flag football in the morning in the same fields as Mexican Soccer right next to a Guyanese Cricket club. This could be next to two restored little League baseball diamonds. Gaelic Football could be held Saturday on the same multiuse field as Honduran Soccer on Sunday. All this while Fishermen fish and dog walkers enjoy the views.

How’s that for diversity? The Bronx is ever changing and our neglected Parks should be a future outlet for passive and organized pastimes by all people. (Hey where’s the Italian Bocce Court? We will have to work on that).

Wishing all our neighbors a healthy, happy week until next time.

Ferry Point Community Advocates 2008

Where we believe “actions speak louder than words"

DO something for your community first and then WRITE about it afterward

Catherine Poggi and Dorothea Poggi join James Vacca and others to speak out about the water bill hike.

Ferry Point Community Advocates

4/28/2008

Hi Readers,

This is a note from D. Poggi of the Ferry Point Community Advocates, don’t miss my Letter to the editor that may help clarify the confusion as to which F.P group is which.

Golf Course:

As of Jan. 2007, according to some documents of the NYC Parks Department Budget, there has been a total of 51 million put aside for the future development of the East side of Ferry Point Park. This includes the Waterfront Park, (and it’s supposed to include the Balcolm Ave. Park). The left over should be approx. 30 million.

The small print said that the allotted dollars may be used to continue remediation of the landfill site. There was no mention of a Golf Course.

In the mean time, trucks keep rolling in, (who’s testing them?). According to the DEC there is an independent monitor on site.

There is a creepy looking overflow of “Ground water” that continually keeps flowing (Rain or Shine) out onto the sidewalks, streets and sewers along the Hutch. River Parkway N. Service Road with no testing. There are also some pipes with what appears to be thick asbestos insulation wrapped around them in sight along the Hutch as well.

So far there doesn’t seem to be any takers to run the Golf course after the Parks Department builds it with Taxpayers Dollars.

Pepsi:

Pepsi is moving along in its massive building construction. The bottom of the walls is a textured tan stone and the top part is Ivory metal sheeting. I worry already about how they will clean the graffiti off the textured stone. I believe they will have lighting and cameras around the perimeter. The building seems to be 2 feet from the sidewalk line along the Hutch. I don’t see any room for some trees sticker bushes, etc. to stop the Vandals from defacing this wall. We believe a smooth surface would have been easier to coat with graffiti protection and to power wash off. Our conversation with a rep. from Pepsi (that expressed their same concerns) brings about a need for NYS DOT? to put up a protective fence? I don’t exactly comprehend why the poor design of the building in respect to Graffiti problems in that area, should cost the tax payers the expense of “retrofitting” this design with an expensive, large, long fence. A vandal can reach through an expensive fence and spray the wall it is so close.

I pointed out the graffiti problem on this corner at various meetings of the designers.

I am appalled that they did not consider this obvious problem worth addressing before hand. According to our past experiences on that corner, the morning after Holt Construction moves the sidewalk barriers (that have already been graffitied); there will be graffiti on that huge brand new wall.

I have not heard from one person that uses Brush Ave. (or the surrounding blocks) to Live on, Work on, or travel on that is happy about such a huge project going up in such a small limited access area. How our electeds allowed this project to go through with no changes to the “as of right” that was determined 25 years ago is beyond us.

The idea that this neighborhoods ability to absorb such a project after 25 years of fervent development which includes over 200 UPS Trucks, over 200 Cablevision vans, Home Depot, Ambulance Co., Storage Facility, HOPenn and a large warehouse that housed Pro foods is ridiculously irresponsible. The 240 trips the 30 foot trucks will make each day will have to affect every aspect of this already crowded neighborhood. The 28 trips that the large tractor trailers will make each night, (7 days a week after 11pm) on overburdened, ill prepared asphalt streets (that have no concrete below them) is destined to create quite a mess.

Another fear is the reported and documented mess that Contractors on the Pepsi Site are pushing into the 30 ft buffer zone along the area which is mapped as the future continuation of Jay Place. We are photographing the mess and are assured that they will remove it. Some of this debris (insulation, iron, wood etc.) is sinking into the muddy mess and we are afraid it will be left behind because it is just to deep to remove easily.

Pepsi is here to stay and we will have to adjust to this “almost” last horrific assault on our small but ever increasingly important neighborhood of District 13/ Community Board 10. I say almost because we still have one more undeveloped large 6 acre parcel of M-1 zoned land to be built on, after that it is a matter of what companies occupy the existing buildings that will determine the degree of instability to our quality of life.

Home Depot:

Home Depot does not seem to have burdened our traffic conditions. The traffic light is annoying but compared to the Bus Company and Beverage Company that had been nearby at 999 Brush Ave., this is much calmer. We are thankful that Home Depot has put tarps over their dumpsters. This action has stopped debris that was blowing from their over filled dumpsters and parking area. We may request some trash receptacles down Brush Ave. to be maintained by NYC Sanitation.

Spring “It’s My Park Day”:

It’s My Park Day falls on Sat. the 17^th of May this year. As always everyone is invited to join us. We will have lots to do. Some of the projected duties may be, waterfront cleanup, painting, weeding, raking, bagging debris, planting flowers,

Separate Re planting the 15 removed Memorial Trees, creating an entrance garden?

We will have more info next week. As the “Friends of Ferry Point “ we repeat, all are welcome, we just have to have a list of names and contact numbers and who will be in charge of your group so we can submit it to the Parks Department ASAP. There is a form to complete to acknowledge the Parks Rules as well.

Budget permitting we will have the Hotdogs ready at noon? So far our Friends of Ferry Point Park Group, has contacted volunteers from Msgr. Scanlon, Girl Scouts, Lynch Family. I am still working with our outreach coordinator from Partnership for Parks to confirm the tasks we will take on. Watch for the details to come, and check out www.ferrypointpark.org.

Contact Dotti with questions 718-892-7303.

Fur, Fins & Feathers of F.P.

We have 3 cats for adoption…they are being treated for ear mites but are beautiful young cats whose owners had to move quickly. For 50.00 fee directly to our Veterinarian with a receipt, we will transport animal back and forth for neutering and spay. All other shots are extra. Pick -up is at 716 Brush Ave.

Check out Kids Korner button for photos on our website www.ferrypointpark.org.

Ferry Point Community Advocates

Letter to the Editor of the Bronx Times Reporter: March 24th 2

Dear Editor and Water Front Communities of the Throggs Neck Area:

I would like to bring everyone’s attention to an ongoing project that needs our communities input.

Your Phone Call or letter is Urgently Needed- Shell Oil is spending a large sum of money on radio and TV ads to influence Governor Paterson – Please Call Him Now!!!!!

New York State will make critical decision on risky proposal by April 11, 2008! Governor Spitzer had until April 11th to make his decision on Broadwater and decide whether or not he supported Big Oil’s interests or the Public’s interests. Now Governor Paterson needs to make a decision on this project.

Call Governor Paterson today at (518) 474-8390 or (518) 474-7516 . Please, if possible, try to call during regular business hours to speak directly with a staff member. Tell his staff member your zip code to be logged in as someone against the “Broadwater” project.

You may remember our long fight back in 2001 to keep the Iroquois Natural Gas Pipeline out of our neighborhoods and in the water all the way down to Con Ed in Hunts Point. All pipelines were also identified as dangerous, explosive, prime targets for future Terrorist attacks. We succeeded in this fight by researching and suggesting a real “all water” route. We held a “Letter Writing Rally” and submitted 2000 letters from the community expressing their fears about this terrible project. The proposed Facilities on Brush Ave. would have rendered our neighborhood dangerous, noisy, smelly and basically uninsurable.

Thank you for your help to win this fight. I now ask you to make a phone call to our new Governor Paterson. Please make your call today to protect the LI Sound and the waterways of our Community from a horrific use to supply this same Iroquois Pipeline.

What is Broadwater?

“Broadwater”: Liquefied Natural Gas Facility is a Corporate take over of one of our public resources, our waterways. How close will they get to our communities in the future when they start selling rights to the LI Sound now?
Broadwater, a joint venture between Shell Oil and TransCanada, is a proposal to place a huge Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal in the middle of the Sound, approximately 9 miles from Rocky Point. The Liquefied Natural Gas terminal would be permanently moored to the bottom of the LIS—destroying 13,000 square feet of critical habitat for lobsters. The LNG terminal would also require 2-3 large LNG tankers per week to traffic the waters, causing constant disruption to the waterway. An additional construction of a 22-mile pipeline would be required to transport the transformed gas into the existing Iroquois Pipeline. The tankers would bring in the Liquefied Gas to this Terminal where it would be transformed into gas by heating it, then it would be put into the Iroquois Pipeline and distributed mostly to Generating Plants that produce Electricity not necessarily for NY. If this Terminal was ever targeted or had a bad explosion it would devastate the ecosystems of our waterways.

The massive LNG terminal will forever change the way we currently use the Sound!

How You Can Help - We Can Stop Broadwater!
Call and write to Governor Paterson, the Department of State, and your officials. Tell them about your personal experiences regarding the use and enjoyment of this special natural resource. Tell them the Long Island Sound does not need a dangerous, costly, risky, LNG barge. Let them know the Sound has special values that will be in danger, disrupted, and should be protected and preserved.

Phone and Letter Writing Tips: Print your name and address under your signature. Make sure your letter is legible and in your own words. Tell them that Broadwater will conflict with the current uses of Long Island Sound and should not be built. Include personal stories and anecdotes about how you use Long Island Sound including: How a 1.5 square mile exclusion-zone would affect your boating and fishing Your experiences in the “Race”; how being moved from the “Race” boat traffic lane to accommodate LNG tankers will affect you. How an industrial facility will impact your beach-going experience. What special visual values Long Island Sound provides you and how Broadwater would impact those values. Tell them you object to a corporate takeover of a public resource. They wouldn’t build an industrial plant in Yosemite Park, and one shouldn’t be built in the Sound. Discuss your fears about our beautiful LI Sound becoming a prime Terrorist Target, endangering the future of the sensitive ecosystems.

Write to:

Hon. Lorraine A. Cortes-Vazquez New York Secretary of State NYS Department of State 41 State Street Albany, NY 12231	Hon. David Paterson NYS Governor The Executive Chamber State Capitol Albany, NY 12224	Hon. Hillary Clinton US Senate 155 Pinelawn Rd Suite 250 North Melville, NY 11747	Hon. Charles Schumer U.S. Senate Two Greenway Plaza 145 Pine Lawn Road Suite 300N Melville, NY 11747
Magalie R. Salas Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 888 First Street, N.E, Rm 1A Washington, DC 20426	Governor M. Jodi Rell Executive Office of the Governor State Capitol 210 Capitol Avenue Hartford, Connecticut 06106	Hon. Chris Dodd US Senate Putnam Park 100 Great Meadow Rd Wethersfield, CT 06109	Hon. Joseph Lieberman US Senate One Constitution Plaza 7th Floor Hartford, CT 06103

Ask your official(s) to respond in writing, informing you of their position. Please send a copy of any response you receive to Ferry Point Community Advocates 716 Brush Ave. Bx, NY 10465 fax 718-829-7165 or email friends@ferrypointpark.org - it helps us track progress on the issue. Thanks from Dotti Poggi!

DONE: April 100 volunteers worked along side Dotti Poggi and Jimi Hughes as they weeded raked and planted in the wonderful outdoors of Ferry Point Park.

DONE: March

Happy Spring!!!

Ferry Point Community Advocates

March 14th Bunny Story:

Thank you Anne Jack and members of the AARP group for inviting me to help you distribute the 80 adorable baskets filled with candy filled eggs to the children at Jacobi Hospital March 14th. I got a chance to break out my furry “Spring” Bunny suit and surprise the children. The “Bunny” ears that the rest of you wore were quite entertaining. It was great to see the scared, sad, children perk up to shake my bunny hand and get their basket from the “Bunny Eared Ladies” as we cruised down the hallways.

I noticed our visit it was also appreciated by the parents who were sitting there trying to console their little ones. The nurses and staff who were attending the children or busy in their daily routine of work welcomed the break as we paraded by with our “Spring” greetings.

I congratulate you on your good work and hope to help you in the future.

IF YOU ARE NICE PEOPLE AND SHARE IN THE POSITIVE FUTURE OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD YOU ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US AT ANY TIME JUST CALL DOTTI AT 718-892-7303

If you are nasty, spiteful, miserable people that are actually doing damage to the future of our neighborhood, stay home please and we sincerely wish that by next year you may be nicer and more able to join in the wonderful achievements that we accomplish.

Cancelled:May 24 the Girl Scouts cleanup was cancelled due to less children available than planned.

DONE: May. IMPark Day 2008 100 Volunteers from Msgr. Scanlan H.S. replanted some ofthe vandalized trees and cleaned the entire west side waterfront.

DONE: April. 150 Volunteers from the Millenium Arts Academy of Stevenson H.S. weeded and mulched around many of the F.P.Living Memorial Forest Trees.

Done: Feb.We had our table as usual at the "Bronx Park Speak Up" Feb. 23rd at Lehman College.

0. This year we will be showing our ideas for utilizing the possibly undeveloped areas of the future golf course.
0. We will also be distributing and displaying the way a waterless toilet works.

DONE: Feb.We have been honored by the Parks Dept. for our work over the last 5 years at F.P. Park

especially out gathering of 170 volunteers to plant the trees and daffodils on Oct. 20th 2007

We continue to trap neuter and return or relocate in homes the feral cats of the community.

DONE: Jan. We have brought up the possibility of using whatever portion of the future golf course that may not be developed as a good place for a few football fields and softball fields for the youth of District 13 and others.

DONE: Dec. We have filed many complaints to 311 about the empty trailer on Brush Ave.

We have continued to wait for the Pigeon cBirth Control to become a legal use in NYC

DONE: Nov. 2007 : Parks meeting coming up to discuss the Ring Road under the Bridge. We imediately asked for an entrance to the Hutch. directly from Pepsi on to the highway bound for College point. This would eliminate any chance of trucks wandering around through our streets at night without opening the park back up to dumped cars, vandalism, bridge security risks, etc. Even with the ring road open the Lazy Truck drivers will use Wenner Place (illegal 2 way) and Rohr (even if it is one way) to access the entrance to the Hutch. at 3 in the morning, instead of going all the way under and around the ring road to Lafayette and back to Rohr to enter the Hutch. Ask your elected officials to have a curb cut opened from the Pepsi Plant to the Toll Booths.

DONE: Oct. 2007: FP Community Advocates held an costume contest for halloween check out the photos under the parks events button that's where we load up the photos

DONE: Oct. 2007 We participating in the planning, and decorations, and more along with the "Friends of Ferry Point Park Group" to plan the Haunted Halloween Trail at FP Park for "It's My Park Day".\

We are working along side"Friends of Ferry Point Park Group" to plan the Planting of the second wave of trees for the FP Park Memorial Forest donated by the Prince of Monaco. We are helping to gather 150 volunteers to plant the trees on the 19 and 27.

Parks Comm. decided to combine the 3 events with the Million trees being planted by "Mayor Bloomberg" by 2030. This may be a nice thought but it is to late to stop our Halloween Trail and get back the fkyers we sent out for the original dates of 19 and 27. We will have to do it all on the 20th and then still be available for the 19 and 27th..

more about it under Parks Button (Photos)

Oct.22,2007 Parks Meeting at Com. Bd. to discuss the future Golf Course?

Anthony Macarri of the Pks. Dept. continued to evade most direct questions and Gallagher told us her smae stories again whenever she needed to change the subject. Ken Kearns tried his best to follow the rules that were laid down by the chairperson "Gallagher" that we should write our questions and then have them read to Anthony. This did not last long and that is when the answers came to light.

DONE:Sept. 2007: working hard planning the littoral cleanup along side the "Friends of Ferry Point Park" which is an off shoot group to help with the volunteers and events that have become to big for the Ferry Point Park West Coaliton.

This is where we and the girlscout troops 1302/1322 clean up basically after the HIndus religious ceremonies that leave tons of debris in our waterways each year.

more about it under Parks Button (Photos)

DONE:August: this month we have spent a lot of time on phones and letters researching a communicating the dangers of the West NIle virus and the huge pond that has formed on the pPepsi Site during Construction.Many of us were worried about the increase in Mosquitos since the pond had formed. Discussions and letters about this problem the permit for Holt to pump water into the Street Catch Basins from the site were finally granted by the DEP and the problem was solved.

We had the street repaired in front of 680 Brush Ave.after 18 calls to 311. It has gotten worse and we will have to try a new approach.

DONE:July 4th all previous members and friends of the Friends of Ferry Point Park, the Fur, Fins & Feathers, The Bloomin' Earth and the Ferry Point Community Advocates are invited to the BBQ at 716....join us for darts, music, friends, family & fun...(we will take our walk to the Park at dusk to watch the fireworks)

DONE:June 21, 2007 (Dotti Poggi) Members of the (Friends of Ferry Point Park) will be attending the East River Day. A Water Taxi ride from the South Street Seaport to Fort Schuyler to evaluate the work being done by over 40 groups of waterfront groups throughout the 4 boroughs that share the East River...We will be getting Ferry Point on more lists of networking and we will be letting our hopes for the future be known for the PLANYC 2030 agenda of the Mayor and hopefully future Mayors.

311 complaint June 20 # to get the loop road Named officially on the 311 & 911 map

must complain to 45th Prec./ Borough Pres. TYpography office.

311 complaints June 20 # 210-32-78 Flashing Street Light located between Rohr and Senger / Riv. Pkwy Serv. Rd S.Hutch.

311 complaint June 20 # c1-1-326-556-068 Missing no U- Turn sign on Median at Lafayette and Hutch. Riv. Pkwy Serv. Rd S.

DONE: June 13, 2007...(various groups and individuals) Holt Construction held a meeting at Toscas to introduce themselves to the neighborhood many problems about the future construction were addressed.

DONE: June 12, 2007 (Dotti Poggi) Meeting of the CSO stakeholders at NYU. Mayors PLANYC agenda for the handling of overflow into the Cities waters and other agendas.

CANCELLED: June 11, 2007 Community Board 10 Parks & Recreation Meeting

DONE: June 7, 2007 Dotti and other Friends of Ferry Point Park met with at least 60 other volunteers and the Parks Dept. to plant the first "Wave" of trees to comemorate the lost lives of the Sept. 11 2001 terrorist atttack on NYC. (the details are on www.ferrypointpark.org)

The first group of trees to the left of the Greenway at the end of Brush Ave. were planted as a memorial to Philip Roublick we hope to add flowering bulbs in this area in the fall.

DONE: June 4, 2007 (Ferry Point Community Advocates) Meeting was held and the discussion centered around the Combined Sewer Overflows...and the need for drainage assessment in our community, a letter will be drawn to ask the Community Board to arrange a Drainage assessment of our neighborhood.

DONE: May, 2007 DEP met with Dotti to examine the ugly run off from the toxic landfill called the future golf course. They saidit was the water table that brings the constant overflow and the iron in the ground that grows the bacteria.

311 complaint to the Parks Depart brought the DEP to the runoff site and said it may be underground broken water pipe, they will research the area.

DONE: May 1, 2007 the building department held an open house type info session for homeowners....we were given short notice (same Day) by Co. Bd 10 but I ran down there and asked some major questions that affect our neighborhood and I have a contact now at the Buildings Department that may help us with further questions about zoning, selling, building, illegal basements, etc.

DONE: May 8, 2007 CSO Meeting at Com. BD 10 about the way the city will solve the raw sewage contamination and floatable debris that enters the Hutch. River and Westchester Creek when the Hunts Point Sewage Treatment Plant is overflowing from the Hurricanes or heavy Rains that enter the Combined Sewer Overflows....

DONE: March 2007 The problems we face as a divided community were discussed. The limited representation by the New Ferry Point Civic Association offers a watered down intensity of research and pro active action that is needed for this abused neighborhood, we will have to continue to rely on the stamina of a few to Advocate for our Ferry Point. We need to act fast and hard to stop the mis use of our originally Residential Community.

We now not only fight the abuse by the encroachment of the Industrial developers and the misuse by the elected officials, but now this voluntary work has to be done among the negative, angry, vibes of what appears to be 3 of our own neighbors that seem to think that popularity equals leadership, that a Title "entitles" you instead of actual successes in your continuously changing problems..'a flash in the pan' or a reliable Advocate?

Well whatever floats their boats, we cannot retreat from our duties as Advocates for our safety, property values and our Quality of Life Issues. Maybe someday they will get on board and do what they should do. Actually research the problem before it occurs and head it off before it happens. Not complain afterwards.

This group of neighbors will now learn that it is the "fault" of the people who do not participate when we have BAD outcomes from the trusting of Elected Officials of our Community.

It is not some hidden agenda by the hardworking volunteers that give their time, energy, money and intellegnce to battling the problems that face our neighborhood each day. It is the hidden agenda of the Paid elected officials that give away our Quality of life for some contributions, ammenities, or tax dollars.

It is the fault of the lazy minded individuals that trust these elected officials to protect and provide a decent quality of life to us without spending the time to insist on it..

Misplaced blame on the subject of overdevelopment and the downzoning delay that caused a parking problem in our community has only hurt the representation of our neighborhood.

We held a meeting at our New Meeting Hall and hope to meet at least the first week of each third month....

March, June, Sept., Dec., March.

May/June 2007 Terrible accident at Lafayette intersection takes life of Philip Roublick at 21 year of age.

Illegal use of our streets by Trucks parking overnight and for days between "runs" has rendered our neighborhood "commercial" beyonds it's zoning and has made for limited visibility to vehicles trying to follow the strangly timed lights at this intersection.

Link to article about Senator Klein addressing the Parking and Timing of Lights problem at the accident site of Lafayette and Hutchinson River Parkway Service Road South.

http://www.nyssenate34.com/34/news/07-06-11/klein_tours_accident_site_with_dot.aspx

APRIL 28th

4/28/2008

Golf Course:

As of Jan. 2007, according to some documents of the NYC Parks Department Budget, there has been a total of 51 million put aside for the future development of the East side of Ferry Point Park. This includes the Waterfront Park, (and it’s supposed to include the Balcolm Ave. Park). The left over should be approx. 30 million.

The small print said that the allotted dollars may be used to continue remediation of the landfill site. There was no mention of a Golf Course.

In the mean time, trucks keep rolling in, (who’s testing them?). According to the DEC there is an independent monitor on site.

There is a creepy looking overflow of “Ground water” that continually keeps flowing (Rain or Shine) out onto the sidewalks, streets and sewers along the Hutch. River Parkway N. Service Road with no testing. There are also some pipes with what appears to be thick asbestos insulation wrapped around them in sight along the Hutch as well.

So far there doesn’t seem to be any takers to run the Golf course after the Parks Department builds it with Taxpayers Dollars.

Pepsi:

Pepsi is moving along in its massive building construction. The bottom of the walls is a textured tan stone and the top part is Ivory metal sheeting. I worry already about how they will clean the graffiti off the textured stone. I believe they will have lighting and cameras around the perimeter. The building seems to be 2 feet from the sidewalk line along the Hutch. I don’t see any room for some trees sticker bushes, etc. to stop the Vandals from defacing this wall. We believe a smooth surface would have been easier to coat with graffiti protection and to power wash off. Our conversation with a rep. from Pepsi (that expressed their same concerns) brings about a need for NYS DOT? to put up a protective fence? I don’t exactly comprehend why the poor design of the building in respect to Graffiti problems in that area, should cost the tax payers the expense of “retrofitting” this design with an expensive, large, long fence. A vandal can reach through an expensive fence and spray the wall it is so close.

I pointed out the graffiti problem on this corner at various meetings of the designers.

I am appalled that they did not consider this obvious problem worth addressing before hand. According to our past experiences on that corner, the morning after Holt Construction moves the sidewalk barriers (that have already been graffitied); there will be graffiti on that huge brand new wall.

I have not heard from one person that uses Brush Ave. (or the surrounding blocks) to Live on, Work on, or travel on that is happy about such a huge project going up in such a small limited access area. How our electeds allowed this project to go through with no changes to the “as of right” that was determined 25 years ago is beyond us.

The idea that this neighborhoods ability to absorb such a project after 25 years of fervent development which includes over 200 UPS Trucks, over 200 Cablevision vans, Home Depot, Ambulance Co., Storage Facility, HOPenn and a large warehouse that housed Pro foods is ridiculously irresponsible. The 240 trips the 30 foot trucks will make each day will have to affect every aspect of this already crowded neighborhood. The 28 trips that the large tractor trailers will make each night, (7 days a week after 11pm) on overburdened, ill prepared asphalt streets (that have no concrete below them) is destined to create quite a mess.

Another fear is the reported and documented mess that Contractors on the Pepsi Site are pushing into the 30 ft buffer zone along the area which is mapped as the future continuation of Jay Place. We are photographing the mess and are assured that they will remove it. Some of this debris (insulation, iron, wood etc.) is sinking into the muddy mess and we are afraid it will be left behind because it is just to deep to remove easily.

Pepsi is here to stay and we will have to adjust to this “almost” last horrific assault on our small but ever increasingly important neighborhood of District 13/ Community Board 10. I say almost because we still have one more undeveloped large 6 acre parcel of M-1 zoned land to be built on, after that it is a matter of what companies occupy the existing buildings that will determine the degree of instability to our quality of life.

Home Depot:

Home Depot does not seem to have burdened our traffic conditions. The traffic light is annoying but compared to the Bus Company and Beverage Company that had been nearby at 999 Brush Ave., this is much calmer. We are thankful that Home Depot has put tarps over their dumpsters. This action has stopped debris that was blowing from their over filled dumpsters and parking area. We may request some trash receptacles down Brush Ave. to be maintained by NYC Sanitation.

Spring “It’s My Park Day”:

It’s My Park Day falls on Sat. the 17^th of May this year. As always everyone is invited to join us. We will have lots to do. Some of the projected duties may be, waterfront cleanup, painting, weeding, raking, bagging debris, planting flowers,

Separate Re planting the 15 removed Memorial Trees, creating an entrance garden?

We will have more info next week. As the “Friends of Ferry Point “ we repeat, all are welcome, we just have to have a list of names and contact numbers and who will be in charge of your group so we can submit it to the Parks Department ASAP. There is a form to complete to acknowledge the Parks Rules as well.

Budget permitting we will have the Hotdogs ready at noon? So far our Friends of Ferry Point Park Group, has contacted volunteers from Msgr. Scanlon, Girl Scouts, Lynch Family. I am still working with our outreach coordinator from Partnership for Parks to confirm the tasks we will take on. Watch for the details to come, and check out www.ferrypointpark.org.

Contact Dotti with questions 718-892-7303.

Fur, Fins & Feathers of F.P.

We have 3 cats for adoption…they are being treated for ear mites but are beautiful young cats whose owners had to move quickly. For 50.00 fee directly to our Veterinarian with a receipt, we will transport animal back and forth for neutering and spay. All other shots are extra. Pick -up is at 716 Brush Ave.

Check out Kids Korner button for photos on our website www.ferrypointpark.org.

PLANNED:

December, 20th ? 2008   "Friends" and "Advocates" Awards, CHRISTMAS PARTY

724 Brush Ave.

November, 8th 2008   Advocates help Friends with Tree Planting

October ,31st 2008 Advocates help Friends with Trick or Treat Haunted Garden Costume Contest for under 12 and pets

October, 25th 2008  Advocates help Friends  with "It's My Park Day"

October, 13th 2008 Advocates help Friends with Waterfront Cleanup with "Building With Books" group

DONE: September 15th, 2008 Advocates help Friends with Waterfront Clean up

250 hotdogs, watermelon, water, snacks etc.

DONE: August, 2008

DONE: July, 2008

DONE: June, 2008

DONE: May, 2008 Spring "It's My Park Day"

DONE: April,2008 150 Millenium Volunteers

DONE: March, 2008

Done: Feb.2008: We had our table as usual at the "Bronx Park Speak Up" Feb. 23rd at Lehman College.

0. This year we will be showing our ideas for utilizing the possibly undeveloped areas of the future golf course.
0. We will also be distributing and displaying the way a waterless toilet works.

IF YOU ARE NICE PEOPLE AND SHARE IN THE POSITIVE FUTURE OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD YOU ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US AT ANY TIME JUST CALL DOTTI AT 718-892-7303

If you are nasty, spiteful, miserable people that are actually doing damage to the future of our neighborhood, stay home please and we sincerely wish that by next year you may be nicer and more able to join in the wonderful achievements that we accomplish.

Cancelled:May 24, 2008: the Girl Scouts cleanup was cancelled due to less children available than planned.

DONE: May. IMPark Day 2008 100 Volunteers from Msgr. Scanlan H.S. replanted some ofthe vandalized trees and cleaned the entire west side waterfront.

DONE: April.18.2008: 150 Volunteers from the Millenium Arts Academy of Stevenson H.S. weeded and mulched around many of the F.P.Living Memeorial Forest Trees. Thank you volunteers!

DONE: Feb. 2008:We have been honored by the Parks Dept. for our work over the last 5 years at F.P. Park

especially out gathering of 170 volunteers to plant the trees and daffodils on Oct. 20th 2007

We continue to trap neuter and return or relocate in homes the feral cats of the community.

DONE: Jan. 2008: We have brought up the possibility of using whatever portion of the future golf course that may not be developed as a good place for a few football fields and softball fields for the youth of District 13 and others.

DONE: Dec.2007: We have filed many complaints to 311 about the empty trailer on Brush Ave.

We have continued to wait for the Pigeon cBirth Control to become a legal use in NYC

DONE: Nov. 2007 : Parks meeting coming up to discuss the Ring Road under the Bridge. We imediately asked for an entrance to the Hutch. directly from Pepsi on to the highway bound for College point. This would eliminate any chance of trucks wandering around through our streets at night without opening the park back up to dumped cars, vandalism, bridge security risks, etc. Even with the ring road open the Lazy Truck drivers will use Wenner Place (illegal 2 way) and Rohr (even if it is one way) to access the entrance to the Hutch. at 3 in the morning, instead of going all the way under and around the ring road to Lafayette and back to Rohr to enter the Hutch. Ask your elected officials to have a curb cut opened from the Pepsi Plant to the Toll Booths.

DONE: Oct. 2007: FP Community Advocates held an costume contest for halloween check out the photos under the parks events button that's where we load up the photos

DONE: Oct. 2007 We participating in the planning, and decorations, and more along with the "Friends of Ferry Point Park Group" to plan the Haunted Halloween Trail at FP Park for "It's My Park Day".\

We are working along side"Friends of Ferry Point Park Group" to plan the Planting of the second wave of trees for the FP Park Memorial Forest donated by the Prince of Monaco. We are helping to gather 150 volunteers to plant the trees on the 19 and 27.

Parks Comm. decided to combine the 3 events with the Million trees being planted by "Mayor Bloomberg" by 2030. This may be a nice thought but it is to late to stop our Halloween Trail and get back the fkyers we sent out for the original dates of 19 and 27. We will have to do it all on the 20th and then still be available for the 19 and 27th..

more about it under Parks Button (Photos)

DONE: Oct.22,2007 Parks Meeting at Com. Bd. to discuss the future Golf Course?

Anthony Macarri of the Pks. Dept. continued to evade most direct questions and Gallagher told us her smae stories again whenever she needed to change the subject. Ken Kearns tried his best to follow the rules that were laid down by the chairperson "Gallagher" that we should write our questions and then have them read to Anthony. This did not last long and that is when the answers came to light.

DONE:Sept. 2007: working hard planning the littoral cleanup along side the "Friends of Ferry Point Park" which is an off shoot group to help with the volunteers and events that have become to big for the Ferry Point Park West Coaliton.

This is where we and the girlscout troops 1302/1322 clean up basically after the HIndus religious ceremonies that leave tons of debris in our waterways each year.

more about it under Parks Button (Photos)

DONE:August: this month we have spent a lot of time on phones and letters researching a communicating the dangers of the West NIle virus and the huge pond that has formed on the pPepsi Site during Construction.Many of us were worried about the increase in Mosquitos since the pond had formed. Discussions and letters about this problem the permit for Holt to pump water into the Street Catch Basins from the site were finally granted by the DEP and the problem was solved.

We had the street repaired in front of 680 Brush Ave.after 18 calls to 311. It has gotten worse and we will have to try a new approach.

DONE:July 4th all previous members and friends of the Friends of Ferry Point Park, the Fur, Fins & Feathers, The Bloomin' Earth and the Ferry Point Community Advocates are invited to the BBQ at 716....join us for darts, music, friends, family & fun...(we will take our walk to the Park at dusk to watch the fireworks)

DONE:June 21, 2007 (Dotti Poggi) Members of the (Friends of Ferry Point Park) will be attending the East River Day. A Water Taxi ride from the South Street Seaport to Fort Schuyler to evaluate the work being done by over 40 groups of waterfront groups throughout the 4 boroughs that share the East River...We will be getting Ferry Point on more lists of networking and we will be letting our hopes for the future be known for the PLANYC 2030 agenda of the Mayor and hopefully future Mayors.

311 complaint June 20 # to get the loop road Named officially on the 311 & 911 map

must complain to 45th Prec./ Borough Pres. TYpography office.

311 complaints June 20 # 210-32-78 Flashing Street Light located between Rohr and Senger / Riv. Pkwy Serv. Rd S.Hutch.

311 complaint June 20 # c1-1-326-556-068 Missing no U- Turn sign on Median at Lafayette and Hutch. Riv. Pkwy Serv. Rd S.

DONE: June 13, 2007...(various groups and individuals) Holt Construction held a meeting at Toscas to introduce themselves to the neighborhood many problems about the future construction were addressed.

DONE: June 12, 2007 (Dotti Poggi) Meeting of the CSO stakeholders at NYU. Mayors PLANYC agenda for the handling of overflow into the Cities waters and other agendas.

CANCELLED: June 11, 2007 Community Board 10 Parks & Recreation Meeting

DONE: June 7, 2007 Dotti and other Friends of Ferry Point Park met with at least 60 other volunteers and the Parks Dept. to plant the first "Wave" of trees to comemorate the lost lives of the Sept. 11 2001 terrorist atttack on NYC. (the details are on www.ferrypointpark.org)

The first group of trees to the left of the Greenway at the end of Brush Ave. were planted as a memorial to Philip Roublick we hope to add flowering bulbs in this area in the fall.

DONE: June 4, 2007 (Ferry Point Community Advocates) Meeting was held and the discussion centered around the Combined Sewer Overflows...and the need for drainage assessment in our community, a letter will be drawn to ask the Community Board to arrange a Drainage assessment of our neighborhood.

DONE: May, 2007 DEP met with Dotti to examine the ugly run off from the toxic landfill called the future golf course. They saidit was the water table that brings the constant overflow and the iron in the ground that grows the bacteria.

311 complaint to the Parks Depart brought the DEP to the runoff site and said it may be underground broken water pipe, they will research the area.

DONE: May 1, 2007 the building department held an open house type info session for homeowners....we were given short notice (same Day) by Co. Bd 10 but I ran down there and asked some major questions that affect our neighborhood and I have a contact now at the Buildings Department that may help us with further questions about zoning, selling, building, illegal basements, etc.

DONE: May 8, 2007 CSO Meeting at Com. BD 10 about the way the city will solve the raw sewage contamination and floatable debris that enters the Hutch. River and Westchester Creek when the Hunts Point Sewage Treatment Plant is overflowing from the Hurricanes or heavy Rains that enter the Combined Sewer Overflows....

News!! for info on any of these meetings call our office 718-892-7303

DONE: Dec. 5, 2006 Pepsi meeting 7:00 at com. bd 10 office

DONE Unionport Bridge meeting...held by the Com. Bd. at our request....

DONE: March 2007 The problems we face as a divided community were discussed. The limited representation by the New Ferry Point Civic Association offers a watered down intensity of research and pro active action that is needed for this abused neighborhood, we will have to continue to rely on the stamina of a few to Advocate for our Ferry Point. We need to act fast and hard to stop the mis use of our originally Residential Community.

We now not only fight the abuse by the encroachment of the Industrial developers and the misuse by the elected officials, but now this voluntary work has to be done among the negative, angry, vibes of what appears to be 3 of our own neighbors that seem to think that popularity equals leadership, that a Title "entitles" you instead of actual successes in your continuously changing problems..'a flash in the pan' or a reliable Advocate?

Well whatever floats their boats, we cannot retreat from our duties as Advocates for our safety, property values and our Quality of Life Issues. Maybe someday they will get on board and do what they should do. Actually research the problem before it occurs and head it off before it happens. Not complain afterwards.

This group of neighbors will now learn that it is the "fault" of the people who do not participate when we have BAD outcomes from the trusting of Elected Officials of our Community.

It is not some hidden agenda by the hardworking volunteers that give their time, energy, money and intellegnce to battling the problems that face our neighborhood each day. It is the hidden agenda of the Paid elected officials that give away our Quality of life for some contributions, ammenities, or tax dollars.

It is the fault of the lazy minded individuals that trust these elected officials to protect and provide a decent quality of life to us without spending the time to insist on it..

Misplaced blame on the subject of overdevelopment and the downzoning delay that caused a parking problem in our community has only hurt the representation of our neighborhood.

We held a meeting at our New Meeting Hall and hope to meet at least the first week of each third month....

March, June, Sept., Dec., March.

Below (The Following Links are to articles on Your NABE.com that Dorothea Poggi has been involved with: Keep scrolling sorry . .

Police clear tractor trailers from Lafayette Avenue After a couple of years of wrangling that produced little progress, tractor-trailers using Lafayette and Brush avenues as a truck stop finally got the boot. The NYPD, which had started an innovative booting program for tractor-trailer trucks parking ... 2.8K - May. 22, 2008; scored 252.0 Defaced 9/11 memorial replanting set for May After a grove of saplings serving as a living memorial to 9/11 victims disappeared, community leaders and activists vowed to return the trees to their rightful places. A shocking January defacement to the Ferry Point Park memorial hasn t deterred do-... 3.2K - Apr. 24, 2008; scored 217.0 FP Golf Design Team A renowned golf course design firm out of Florida is the presumptive choice for design and construction management of the Ferry Point Golf Course, allaying concerns of those who live near the site that were worried about when progress would be made.... 3.6K - Jun. 20, 2008; scored 217.0 Capri-Whitestone Motel to MD group In what is a grab for a key piece of Bronx real estate with a somewhat dubious reputation, a Maryland-based hotel company purchased the Capri-Whitestone Motel last week. Capri-Whitestone Motel, located in Ferry Point in the shadow of the Whitestone B... 2.5K - Sep. 17, 2008; scored 171.0  FERRY PT. PARK HOSTS 'IT'S MY PARK DAY' More than 250 volunteers, including members of the National Resources Group, celebrated It's My Park Day at Ferry Point Park on Saturday, October 20, by planting a third of the nearly 3,000 saplings that will serve as a local monument to the victims ... 2.0K - Oct. 25, 2007; scored 171.0 HOME DEPOT TAKES BJ'S BRUCKNER SITE Home Depot has applied to construct a 135,000-square-foot store on the massive Brush Avenue lot where BJ s Wholesale Club had hoped to open its first Bronx location, the Bronx Times Reporter has learned. The Georgia-based company s December 13 applic... 2.0K - Dec. 28, 2006; scored 108.0 9-11 GROVE TO BLOSSOM AT FERRY POINT In a project meant to memorialize the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks and provide a tranquil spot for reflection, the Parks Department will plant a grove of 20 to 30 white flowering redbud trees at the southern tip of Ferry Point Park W... 2.4K - May. 3, 2007; scored 108.0 OFFICIALS SEEK SAY IN FERRY PT. GOLF COURSE RFP Nearly a decade after the city first set out to develop an 18-hole golf course at Ferry Point Park and four months after it booted the original developer, the Parks Department said last week it is nearly ready to accept new bids for the project. But ... 1.9K - Mar. 22, 2007; scored 108.0 BRUSH AVENUE HOME DEPOT TO REPLACE, NOT COMPLEMENT, ZEREGA STORE Home Depot will close its Zerega Avenue store as soon as the proposed site at Brush Avenue and Bruckner Boulevard materializes, a company official confirmed last week, prompting nearby homeowners to bristle at the expected surge in local traffic. Yes... 2.0K - Mar. 15, 2007; scored 108.0 HOME DEPOT TAKES BJ'S BRUCKNER SITE Home Depot has applied to construct a 135,000-square-foot store on the massive Brush Avenue lot where BJ s Wholesale Club had hoped to open its first Bronx location, the Bronx Times Reporter has learned. The Georgia-based company s December 13 applic... 2.0K - Dec. 28, 2006; scored 108.0 9-11 GROVE TO BLOSSOM AT FERRY POINT In a project meant to memorialize the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks and provide a tranquil spot for reflection, the Parks Department will plant a grove of 20 to 30 white flowering redbud trees at the southern tip of Ferry Point Park W... 2.4K - May. 3, 2007; scored 108.0