CB7, Along With Other Boards, Get Funding Boost

By JOSE A. GIRALT

Community boards in the Bronx will see $42,500 added to their operating budgets starting in July. Community Board 7, representing a chunk of the northwest and west Bronx, will now see their budget increase from $223,000 to $265,500, according to figures released by Councilman Fernando Cabrera. Cabrera stopped by CB7’s last general board meeting to present the news. Cabrera chairs the Governmental Operations Committee which is responsible for funding community boards. With rising costs and stringent budgets, community boards across the city have been asked to do more with less. Initially, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 2019 budget did not include

New CB7 Chair a Rising Leader (Web Picture)

By MARTIKA ORNELLA, JOSE GIRALT, and DAVID CRUZ

Jean Hill, a Community Board 7 member, was officially voted in as the new chair of CB7, humbly rising from her seat with a declaration to members: “[W]hen you come back in September you be ready to work.” “Everyone here has a job to do,” Hill told members at the latest general board meeting on June 19 at the New York Botanical Garden’s Ross Hall. “You know I can’t do this all by myself.” A round of applause soon followed, kick started by Ischia Bravo, CB7’s district manager. The two were seen sitting together. Hill fills out the term left

What to Expect from the Bike Share Program

By JOSE GIRALT

Officials from the city Department of Transportation (DOT) presented a slideshow to Community Board 7’s Traffic & Transportation Committee explaining how the new dockless bike share pilot program will work. Unlike the popular Citi Bike program that dominates Manhattan, the Bronx’s program will not include the bulky and space consuming docking stations. Instead, residents will use an app to unlock the bikes which will be parked on sidewalks. Bikes will be available throughout Community Board’s 5 and 6, with a small part of the southern-most section of CB7 included. Although the bikes will be only available in the designated areas,

By JOSE A. GIRALT

The bright blue sky triggers a special memory for Stephanie Sandler. “This is the type of day my brother loved to walk around the neighborhood. He loved meeting the people of this community,” says Sandler of her brother Andrew. A street renaming ceremony in honor of Andrew Sandler happened at his home neighborhood of Riverdale on April 28. Sandler, who served as district manager of Community Board 7, died last August at the age of 31 from cancer. The event was attended by Sandler’s family, friends and colleagues. The street renaming, which can be found at the corner of West

By DAVID GREENE

Five military veterans were recognized for their accomplishments at Community Board 7’s Veterans Brunch Awards, held at Herbert H. Lehman College on April 20. Honored this year were Nestor Cabrera, US Army and Navy; Petty Officer Doug Condit, US Navy; Claude Copeland, US Army; Marisa Estrella, US Army; and NYPD officer Crystal Reveron, US Army. Honorees were presented with an American eagle-designed award. Supporters of the event included Golden Crust and Applebee’s as well as several local elected officials. Photos are by David Greene. The event drew several dozen guests at Lehman College’s East Dining Room.

Out & About: CB7 to Honor Veterans

Editor’s Pick Veterans Brunch Awards The public is invited to the free Veterans Brunch Awards, April 20 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lehman College’s Music Building faculty dining room, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W. This event will acknowledge men and women from all divisions of the Armed Forces who have served our country, and includes free raffles and free brunch. Meet veterans, active duty members and their families, and get information about services for vets. RSVP to veteransbrunch.eventbrite.com. For more information, call (718) 933-5650. Onstage The Williamsbridge Oval presents Henry V, free, via a mobile theatre, April 14

COMMUNITY LEADERS FROM the various professional sectors were honored at Community Board 7’s second annual Women’s Empowerment Summit, “Powerful Women Share Their Secrets of Financial Independence and Success.” The event happened March 28 at Herbert H. Lehman College and involved panels, mentoring sessions, and workshops about how women can network for success. The event comes at the end of March’s National Women’s History Month. Photo courtesy Marketing and Advertising Solutions

Can a Community Board Ban You? Yes and No

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

Community Board 7 has once again banned a rancorous community activist after he raised his voice at a recent Veterans Committee meeting. Anthony Rivieccio was banned by Board District Manager Ischia Bravo after lashing out at the board for changing a planned breakfast honoring veterans. Rivieccio had been banned by the two previous district managers, inspiring one of them to erect a divider between the waiting area and where employees sit. The incident opened the question of whether a community board, a government entity on the ground level, can ban a resident. The answer is yes and no. The Norwood

DHS Moves Forward With Jerome Avenue Shelter

By DAVID CRUZ

The New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS) announced it plans to contract with a nonprofit to open a homeless shelter at a two-story property on the edge of Norwood. The news will likely be welcoming to parents who worried a shelter would be housed diagonally across PS/MS 20 on Webster Avenue. But while the news will likely be welcoming to parents of the southern Norwood school, the new location has drawn concerns from parents at a school adjacent to the new site. In a joint Op-Ed submitted to the Norwood News, DHS Commissioner Steven Banks revealed that the