Thank You. The following information has been submitted to Cuomo as he runs for Governor:
Form submitted on May 23, 2010 1:08:37 PM EDT Personal Information: Ms Geanine Profita 724 Brush Avenue Bronx, NY 10465 Phone: 718-892-7303 Email: mail@ferrypointbronx.org Comments: Please help stop the hydrofracking of natural gas in NYS. This type of drilling and use of much of our "potable"water for each drill site, is a terrible waste of our resources. Water throughout the world is respected as a life giving force. here we are allowing it to be filled with toxic chemicals and then evaporating it into our air and clouds and then it comes down on our trees and plants and is re distributed throughout the life cycle of nature. When the toxins are eveaporated in large holding tanks, the evaporated water does collect particles of toxins due to wind etc. We should be more careful with our futures... Please stop this method of natural gas removal MOW!!!! We are depending on you for some common sense.
Thursday, July 10th 2008, 9:46 PM
When they televise the All-Star Game from Yankee Stadium Tuesday, the cameras will show dazzling shots of the team's majestic replacement home rising across the street - the most expensive sports venue in America.
One thing you will not hear from the announcers is how hundreds of South Bronx youngsters have lost their parks and baseball fields so the Yankees can erect a new palace geared to the corporate elite.
"It's been chaos for us," said Tony Melendez, the wheelchair-bound president of the United Youth Baseball League. "I had to cancel 12 teams this year because we had no fields for them to play on. That's more than 200 kids whose summer is ruined."
Ever since he was left paralyzed by nine shots in an assault by carjackers nearly two decades ago, Melendez has devoted himself to the youth of the neighborhood.
He has run the league out of his tiny sports souvenir shop on E. 153rd St., half a block from the Stadium, and most years has managed to field 40 teams, ranging in age from 5 to 19.
All his teams played in the four fields at Macombs Dam Park adjacent to the Stadium or at nearby Franz Sigel Park.
"We've had more than 40 of our kids signed to major league contracts," he said proudly.
Then, in 2005, Mayor Bloomberg rushed a bill through the Legislature to give 22 acres of Macombs Dam Park and part of John Mullaly Park as sites for the new stadium and its parking garages.
The city promised to replace the lost parkland, but all the new baseball fields won't be completed until 2010 at the earliest.
When stadium construction started in August 2006, four different youth leagues at Macombs Park were forced to look for temporary fields.
If you listen to the Parks Department, everything has gone smoothly.
"We found fields for all groups that had permits to use baseball and Little League fields at Macombs and Mullaly parks," Parks spokeswoman Jama Adams said.
League organizers tell a different story. They say the Parks Department, far more than the Yankees, has forgotten them.
"I just wrote a check for $1,200 to the state for fields we used last month at Clemente State Park," said Eddie LaGuerre, director of the Neighborhood Association for Intercultural Affairs, which sponsors six local teams.
Four of the teams were displaced from Macombs park, and with no space available for them this spring at other city parks, LaGuerre had to resort to using Clemente, which charges $75 a game.
In mid-June, the city finally opened the first of the new replacement fields at E. 156th St. and Melrose Ave., and some of LaGuerre's teams landed regular slots there.
"For the first two weekends, Parks officials never showed up to unlock the fields, so our kids couldn't play," LaGuerre said.
Then there's the Cibao League, whose two dozen teams also used to play at Macombs park. League President Juan Lora has been forced to scramble all over the Bronx looking for empty slots at other parks.
Melendez, with the biggest league in the neighborhood, has been hit the hardest. He was forced to disband his four oldest teams (for 18- and 19-year-olds), and two for 16- and 17-year-olds.
He manages to keep his younger teams playing at two Little League fields in Franz Sigel Park, but, he said, "we have to rush the games to get in as many as possible each day."
Early this year, he convinced the Parks Department to keep the dilapidated field lights at Franz Sigel Park on until 10 p.m., to get in an extra late-night game every weekday.
Those lights broke down last month.
"The Parks Departments says they don't have the money right now to fix them," Melendez said, "so we're losing more games." When asked about it yesterday, Parks officials said they would "try to expedite" the repairs.
Hundreds of millions to subsidize a new stadium, but still not enough ballfields for neighborhood kids.
That picture you won't see at the All-Star Game.
.more info to follow
Blue Angels Model Airplane Club
Meeting with executive board of Blue Angels Members of "Friends" on July 10th
at out Meeting Hall on Brush Ave. Update on plans included in phase 1 of the
4.5 Million Croton Dollars for the West Side of Ferry Point Park.
Lively discussion of many aspects of the projects under way at the Park.
Barbara and her youth team........
Two girls enjoy the day.....................
There are many Cricket Teams that use Ferry Point Park:
check out www.newyorkcricket.com
Flag Football www.I9sports.com
All Terrain Vehicles continue to be a problem in the Park.
We now have a Mounted Police team that may be able to enforce the mis use of theis Park for ATV's
Motor Bikes and ATVs were impounded and Ticketed
ATVs tear up the already desperate Ball Fields...Use your cell phones to take photos and call 311 and report these riders before they destroy any more grass that will not be re-seeded....
Our Elected Officials have made many improvements to Pelham Bay Park which is wonderful but NONE to Ferry Point Park which is strange if not pathetic.
Jimi and Dotti attended a meeting to discuss the ATV Problem amoungst other problem at thi spark. It was held 3 days before we lost Philip Roublick to an accident while on his ATV.