A bill that would create greater accountability on city agencies carrying out long term construction projects, or capital projects, has been introduced.

Councilman Andrew Cohen, representing Norwood, introduced the measure amid long delays to capital projects he’s funded since his time in office, including a skate park at Williamsbridge Oval Park. The original completion date for the project, which Cohen earmarked $750,000 in 2014, was this year. So far, nothing has been done. The proposal for a skate park has been in the works since 2004. Much of the delay stemmed from a winning contractor dropping out of the project, according to a New York City Department of Parks spokesman.

His bill calls for city agencies to notify community boards, New York City Council members, and borough presidents whether any project experiences delays by 60 days or more or cost overruns that run ten percent or higher. Capital projects are funded by capital monies, are valued at over $35,000, have a five-year longevity, and are for general public use.

In a statement, Cohen called the city’s lag time on capital projects “unacceptable.”

“[A]gencies must know that when they make a commitment to our communities, they have to deliver on it, and if they don’t there will be consequences,” Cohen said in his statement.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.