A Bronx Street Without City Services for About 400 Years

By JOSEPH KONIG

Old Albany Post Road in Riverdale is unpaved and strewn with debris. Residents say cars are abandoned there, often left unattended sometimes for years. Their own cars, forced to navigate potholes and obstructions, have been damaged. Because of a massive puddle in the center of the road, which residents say is a year-round feature, the street was nicknamed “Lake Albany Post Road,” Any rain and the puddle consumes the opening of the street, preventing garbage trucks and other vehicles from driving onto it. A landlord of a Broadway building accessible from the tiny roadway built a wall to prevent the

VOLUNTEERS WITH THE Citizenship Project help foreign-born Bronx residents properly fill out their federal applications for U.S. citizenship status. The group was at Tracey Towers on Oct. 13 at the event sponsored by Councilman Andrew Cohen (right).

Street Honor for Late Bedford Park Local

By MARTIKA ORNELLA

On a rainy Sunday afternoon, neighbors, elected leaders and family members of the late community activist, Mary Vallati, gathered to honor her with the co-naming of the street she resided on. Councilman Andrew Cohen attended and, with help from Vallati’s son Dennis Vallati, and granddaughter Jamie McCauley-Iacocca, pulled the brown covering from underneath the East Mosholu Parkway South and Perry Avenue sign to reveal “Mary Vallati Place.” “I think this is a perfect tribute to her commitment, the really lifelong commitment to this community,” Cohen said at the street co-naming on Sept. 9. “I’m really grateful, and I know that

Whalen Park's Official Re-Opening Draws Namesake's Family

By SOPHIA EBANKS

After one year of reconstruction, Norwood’s Whalen Park officially reopened to the public with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by local officials and family members of the patriarch behind the park’s name. “I couldn’t stop crying,” said Kate Armstrong, daughter of the late Henry A. Whalen, a Norwood resident and the park’s namesake. “Our father would be so proud of this. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine that it would turn into this great park that it is today.” The park, located on Perry Avenue and 205th Street, has been revamped with the installation of new playground equipment, including

Cohen Intends to Swap Council Role for Judgeship

By DAVID CRUZ

For more than four years, Councilman Andrew Cohen has represented Norwood at the ready, overseeing a robust constituent services department, regularly appearing at community meetings across the 11th Council District, and carrying himself wholesome and scandal-free. But despite his popularity among constituents, political rumblings originating in Riverdale indicate Cohen is considering a judgeship nomination that’s guaranteed, triggering a vacancy, according to several sources who spoke to the Norwood News. Cohen, a Democrat in his second term, was upfront about the rumors, telling the Norwood News he is mulling the prospect of serving on the bench. “If it comes this year

25K Crops Expected to Grow at DeWitt Clinton HS School Farm

By CHRISTY RAE AMMONS

DeWitt Clinton High School is now home to the largest student-operated hydroponic system in New York and is expected to produce 25,000 lbs. of vegetables and herbs annually. That is enough to feed all 2,200 students lunch daily, with over 300 lbs. a week left over for the community. Officials unveiled the futuristic farm on June 2. Whatever produce isn’t used for school lunches will be donated to food pantries and emergency food assistance, like Good Shepherd Services at the school or City Harvest. The students will also set up a small farm market at the school, selling produce and

Ground Formally and Finally Broken for Oval Skate Park

By MARTIKA ORNELLA and JOSE A. GIRALT

“Today is a big day for the Norwood community,” said city Parks Department Commissioner Mitchell Silver, standing at a podium in front of the future site of the neighborhood’s first skate park. “We’re starting construction on something we’ve been waiting for for a very long time: A skate park right here in Williamsbridge Oval [Park].” Together, with a number of skateboarding enthusiasts in the Bronx, local officials and community leaders gathered at a ceremonial groundbreaking on June 5 to usher in construction of the long-awaited skate park. Councilman Andrew Cohen, representing Norwood, funded $750,000 in capital money towards the construction

Oval Skate Park Project Quietly Gets Under Way

By DAVID CRUZ

Without much of a notice, the bulldozers came to the west side of Williamsbridge Oval Park to break ground on the long-awaited skate park. A large patch of soil blankets the area once used for a dog run, with crews ready to spend until winter of next year to complete the project. But the council member who funded the project is planning a formal celebration. Councilman Andrew Cohen secured $750,000 in capital funding for the project in 2014, holding a news conference on the funding soon after. The price of the project eventually went up to $888,000. It was among

By NIALL RIDGLEY

Luis Diaz, a Bronx resident, is overjoyed as he shakes Councilman Andrew Cohen’s hand. He asks for a picture, saying, “I want to show people that, you know, I know big people.” A photo was snapped at Unique People Services (UPS), located at 3510 Bainbridge Ave. Diaz has been getting assistance there since 2014. He’s since moved into a role as a pantry volunteer. Diaz put the need for pantries in clear terms, saying, “It’s more than just food, it’s being aware.” The Bainbridge UPS pantry was founded in 2009 and operates via discretionary funds from the New York City