Tuesday night’s Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association meeting opened with a bang as PPNA President Edith Blitzer took aim at an unnamed person she said had a big mouth who is claiming that certain neighborhood organizations are in the pockets of the elected officials. Blitzer then turned the meeting over to Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez.
Assemblywoman Fernandez said that she has been visiting schools in her district, and that the high schools would be $12,000.00 in budget items.She then mentioned the Town Hall meeting about 2500 Williamsbridge Road adding 2440 Esplanade, the first not happening, and all elected officials monitoring the second.
State Senator Alessandra Biaggi congratulated the community board on the Town Hall meeting. She added that there are causes as to why people fall into hard times, poverty, loss of a job, mental illness, and other reasons. Senator Biaggi said that twelve bills introduced by her passed both houses with five signed into law by Governor Cuomo. She added that the state legislature passed 947 bills, but did not say ow many were signed by the governor into law. Senator Biaggi said that there is still more to do in Albany including closing a loophole in the Safe Act.
Next up was Councilman Mark Gjonaj. He also spoke of the Town Hall meeting saying there were three different flyers for the meeting. He added that on a rumor an idiot or group of idiots were using the situation for their own gain. Gjonaj then spoke of the opioid crisis saying there are 68 clinics in the Bronx, 18 in walking distance of Bronx House (where the meeting was being held), and 11 in his district. He added that people go into the clinics for treatment, but outside the clinics drug dealers are waiting for the people to come out to sell them drugs. He wants to chase the drug dealers out of the neighborhood, because residents feel unsafe, and that it is not he same area which he grew up in. Councilman Gjonaj was also impressed by the 700 people who came out in the rain for the Town Hall meeting.
I asked Council,am Gjonaj after the meeting when was 2500 Williamsbridge Road off the table. He replied weeks before the Town Hall meeting he and the community board knew that the sale of the building to Carnegie Hill was not going to happen, but the community board wanted to go through with the Town Hall meeting.
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