Could the curse of the Kingsbridge Armory be lifted? For decades, it seemed any time there’s some headway in turning it into a promising venue, a barrier gets in the way.

There was the failed attempt to repurpose the enormous castle into a public school and then a mall by the Related Companies. The latest proposal that’s within reach of reality is the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC). And even then, that project has hobbled along, facing lawsuits along the way.

But Governor Andrew Cuomo appears to have broken the spell. Even as the now-approved Fiscal Year 2018-19 $153 billion budget faced uncertainty, Cuomo still included a $108 million loan allocation to KNIC, advancing a mega project that bolsters the borough’s image to the outer reaches and activates a Community Benefits Agreement intended to add pump equity into a working poor community.

Though he’s the spell breaker, Cuomo’s commitment to the project is certainly politically motivated. After all, politicians aspiring for higher office need to demonstrate to their would-be constituents they are legislators who are doers. What better way to show that than by allocating monies for several major physical projects to spur job growth and build upon infrastructure? Cuomo, dabbling with the prospect of running for the White House in 2020, is taking a page from that playbook, and is willing to dole out a hefty loan to make that happen.

It’s a win-win, though the idea of accepting a major loan from the state (the state loan amounts to 68 percent of the total sum needed to begin the first phase of the project) signals some lack of confidence in the project by private investors. KNIC has presently remained quiet on any developments, abandoning a transparency it adopted last year.

Money has always been a major issue for the ice project that’s expected to bring permanent jobs to the Bronx. It’s certainly no bailout, but an investment into Cuomo’s future, and certainly a brighter one for Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. The project would serve as a major talking point for Diaz, who longs to be viewed as a job creator and infrastructure builder when he runs for office, be it Public Advocate or New York City mayor. He first needs to see this project through.

These days, he seems confident that he will. After all, he did include the project in his annual development report for 2016 even though it was nowhere near shovel ready. Perhaps his crystal ball told him that Cuomo the Sorcerer finally seals the deal.

Now get a shovel in the ground.

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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.