NYC Parks joined forces with various community partners and elected officials to host the Annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Williamsbridge Oval park in Norwood on Saturday, March 30.

 

While the event was organized by NYC Parks Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center, State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33) sponsored a magic show, Jerome Gun Hill BID provided Easter eggs, and local groups, Guerinos Against Graffitti* and Crusaders for Children’s Rights, organized a life-size Easter Bunny.

Meanwhile, the nonprofit, Build On NYC, volunteered their services throughout the day, NYC Parks staff ran the various booths and stations, Ridgewood Savings Bank sponsored prizes and big games, and City Councilmember Eric Dinowitz (C.D. 11) presented proclamations to various local honorees. Bronx Community Board 7 were also present on the day, sharing information and resources with district residents.

 

Rivera kicked off the formalities welcoming attendees. “If you can hear my voice, I work for you!” he said. “I wanted to come by on this beautiful, beautiful day… ” The senator then stopped abruptly as he noticed a lady had fallen in front of him and had dropped her possessions. “Whoa! This lady was running and the stuff fell but we’re gonna get it for her,” he said, as some people helped the woman.

Rivera continued, “I’m glad to be here this afternoon. Again, it’s a beautiful day; it’s almost spring. It doesn’t quite feel like it but it’s almost spring, and I’m always glad to be out here. I just wanted to come out and say thank you for making this event so successful year after year. Certainly, we thank Williamsbridge Oval park, a great asset in the northwest Bronx that I’m very, very proud to represent, and very proud to partner with for beautiful events like this.”

 

The senator added, “I wanted to let you know if you need anything from me, I am always available to you.” Joking that he had “only” been at the same office for 13 years, he then had to be reminded of the address before sharing that it was at 2432 Grand Concourse by 187th Street in the Poe Building. “As I always say, it is not my office, it is yours,” the senator continued. Gesturing to his office’s table, set-up inside the Williamsbridge Oval park, he encouraged constituents to stop by and say hello or to ask a question.

Rivera continued, “And if you want to see a magic show, there’s a magic show that’s happening right now, and it will happen again [later]. So if you want to see if you can figure out the trick the second time around, that’s what you do. So, anyway, thank you so much for coming out here this afternoon and have a wonderful, wonderful spring and wonderful Easter. Take care folks.”

 

The senator recently announced that three of his bills, as the State senate health committee chair, passed the health committee at a meeting on March 12. Details are attached below.

 

Rivera had also recently joined organizers from Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition and members of Tenants’ Association at 124 East 176th Street to call for support for the passage of a bill, the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA), sponsored by State Sen. Zellnor Myrie of Brooklyn.

Rivera had met with the Tenant Association of the building and other buildings owned by David Kleiner, who he said continues to show a history of neglecting his tenants. According to the senator, Kleiner’s neglect directly led to the partial collapse of the building at 1915 Billingsley Avenue in Morris Heights, as reported by Norwood News at the time, leading to the displacement of dozens of tenants from their homes.”

 

He said TOPA gives most tenants or non-profit organizations priority to collectively purchase rental housing before owners can sell to third party buyers. The bill outlines tenant eligibility, timelines to make purchase offers, purchaser qualifications by state agencies, and some exemptions for certain property types and ownership structures. Rivera made it clear the bill must be passed to ensure that if neglectful landlords are unable to do their jobs, “tenants should have the right to take over the building.” He had also encouraged residents to avail of free support with filing taxes. [See our latest Neighborhood Notes for a listing of different tax filing support services available.]

 

As youngsters enjoyed potato sack races, face-painting, the Easter Egg hunt of course, photos with the Easter Bunny, and lots of other games on what turned out to be a bright, sunny day, Norwood News spoke to some of those in attendance. For Carol, a visitor from Staten Island, it was her first time at the annual event.

“It’s a really good place for the kids; everything is amazing,” she said. Asked how her children had been enjoying it, she added, “We missed the Easter Egg hunt, but we got a couple of bags; we got bubbles and we’re going to get some iced tea.”

 

For his part, Dinowitz kicked off the formal presentation of some certificates of merit, saying, “I’m very excited to be in the Williamsbridge Oval, one of the best parts in New York City at the Annual Easter Egg Hunt. There are incredible investments our City’s making in this park. We got $10 million for this park in last year’s budget. We’re working on improving those lights here in this park so kids can play safely at night, and we just added a clean-up route around Williamsbridge Oval to make sure that the outside of this park remains clean.”

He continued, “And there are very, very special people who, every day, make this park as special as it is, and who are making this event very special. We have special citations we want to give out to you, and the first one to recognize is the maintenance staff of Williamsbridge Oval:  gardening, cleaning the park, making sure it has this pristine atmosphere, so who’s on the maintenance staff that I can present this to?” Amid applause and cheers, “Mason” duly appeared to accept the award on behalf of the team.

 

The next award was for the recreation staff of Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center itself. “For organizing all the  sports and fitness programs, engaging activities, and enriching opportunities for lasting memories through events like this one, like the Annual Easter Egg Hunt, and your unwavering dedication to our community, [it] is recognized by us at the City Council,” Dinowitz said.

“For all the recreation team, we’re delighted to present to you a citation from the New York City Council,” he added. As the recipients appeared to accept the award, there were shouts from those gathered of, “We appreciate you!”

 

The councilman continued, “The last one…… I had the pleasure of meeting some of these kids over there…. is ‘Build On,’ the nonprofit organization involved in youth service learning.” The Councilman said the group had made significant contributions to Williamsbridge Oval and had continued to volunteer their time for events like the Annual Easter Egg Hunt. “They create care packages, they do parks clean-ups, they do food distributions and childrens’ programming, and in the myriad of ways they are serving our community,” the councilman added.

He went on to say, “But my favorite thing that I love about them is just how they were volunteering at the potato sack races and encouraging the kids, and cheering them on, and giving them all the energy and love that our children deserve.” Amid more cheers, the said, “Come on up…”

 

The councilmand then concluded by sending greetings “from Wakefield in the east to Riverdale in the west.” He concluded, “My office is in Kingsbridge. We do office hours at the Mosholu Library. I encourage you all to come by. We are here to help and engage and support everyone in our Norwood community. Thanks and enjoy the egg hunt!”

Andrew Gold from Norwood told Norwood News he thought the Easter celebration was amazing. “It’s incredible!” he said. “It gets all of the kids, all the adults, and all the dogs, and gets everyone to come out and celebrate at the same time!” Gold added, “It’s an amazing event with positive vibes for everyone around here… It’s a beautiful day and everyone is getting together, and it makes me very happy.”