community board 8

UPDATE: International Salsa Museum Seeks Home in the Bronx’s Kingsbridge Armory

By ARACELIS BATISTA, DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY
  The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition. Music industry professionals have joined forces to form the concept for the International Salsa Museum (ISM) in The Bronx and organizers recently held a press conference in Kingsbridge Heights, outside the massive Kingsbridge Armory which they hope will, someday, be the home of “El Condado de la Salsa.”   The ISM is a non-profit which was created to educate and increase the public’s awareness of salsa and to “preserve salsa music’s rich cultural history.” It was founded by musician, music director, and producer, Willy


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CB7 DM Out for Several Months

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service
Community Board 7 is currently operating without a district man- ager, following suit with Community Boards 5 and 8, also without DMs. Andrew Sandler (pictured left), the CB7’s district manager, has been out on medical leave since early January and it is unclear exactly when he will return. He’s expected to be back within the next couple of months. In the interim, CB 7 will be run by Tom Lucania, director of community boards from the Bronx Borough President’s office. He’ll also take over DM duties at CB5 and CB8 until the DM seats can be filled. He’ll also handle


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Old Putnam Trail Bike Path Proposal Advances

By DAVID CRUZ
A proposal to create a bike path connecting the Bronx to Westchester in Van Cortlandt Park won approval by Community Board 7’s Parks Committee, beating out environmentalists who objected to disruptions in the park’s ecology. The decision could end years of starts and stops for the project, which involved several revisions by the New York City Parks Department, which proposed the bike path. The meeting also offered CB7 members to meet their counterparts at Community Board 8, which voted for the proposed 1.25-mile bike path the day before. Arriving at the meeting were proponents of the bike path boosting the


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Old Putnam Trail Plans Up for Community Review…Again

By VIVIAN R. CARTER
Wheeled vehicles powered by humans, not steam engines, may again be able to traverse the Old Putnam Trail in Van Cortlandt Park.  But not anytime soon. Two community boards are considering a controversial $2.5 million proposal to redesign the trail by adding a 10-foot wide asphalt surface and 3-foot wide jogging trail. The trail, once the New York Central Railroad line, cuts through the center of Van Cortlandt Park, from its southern border, north to the city line with Yonkers. In 2013, a plan to redo the trail was rejected by Community Board 8 of Riverdale/Kingsbridge.  The park is designated


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Race to Replace Norwood/Bedford Park Councilman Heats Up

Last week, Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz showed up at Scott Tower in Bedford Park to address the audience at the November Community Board 7 general meeting to talk about a few issues facing the state legislator. He also brought along a friend and ally, Andy Cohen, who he introduced as the Aging Committee Chair of Community Board 8, which includes Kingsbridge and Riverdale.

Bronx Anti-Smoking Events This Week

A number of local groups and elected officials will host a forum tonight at the Riverdale Y, 5625 Arlington Avenue, from 6 to 8 p.m. “Laying the Foundation for Healthy Living,” is the first in a series of forums organized by the Bronx-Smoke Free Partnership, and will focus on the health benefits of smoke-free housing policies. Panelists include the housing chair for Bronx Community Board 8, a representative from the New York Fire Department Fire Safety Education Department, and a pediatrician from Montefiore Medical Center. RSVP to Deidre Sully at dsully@healthsolutions.org or at (718) 466-8862. In other anti-smoking news, tomorrow,


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