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Landmark Georgia O’Keeffe Exhibition Coming to The Bronx’s New York Botanical Garden

Ed García Conde
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Landmark Georgia O’Keeffe Exhibition Coming to The Bronx’s New York Botanical Garden

Georgia O’Keeffe’s Works Coming to The New York Botanical Garden

The Bronx’s New York Botanical Garden will be the home of a landmark exhibition this year called: ‘Georgia O’Keeffe: Visions of Hawai‘i’ with over 15 of her paintings not seen together in New York since their debut 78 years ago.

On the heels of major exhibitions like last year’s Chihuly, and Frida Kahlo’s works and inspired gardens in 2015, this is yet another wonderful treat for Bronxites and art lovers from all over the world to be able to experience the art of Georgia O’Keeffe and enjoy a transformed Enid A. Haupt Conservatory transformed with the rich fauna of Hawai’i that inspired O’Keeffe’s works.

via NYBG

NYBG writes:

The New York Botanical Garden’s landmark 2018 exhibition, Georgia O’Keeffe: Visions of Hawai‘i, will focus on the iconic artist’s immersion in the Hawaiian Islands in 1939.

At a preview luncheon on January 23 at Grand Hyatt New York, Botanical Garden experts and the exhibition curator shared plans and background and announced that tickets are now on sale for the exhibition that will run from May 19 through October 28, 2018. Exhibition visitors will experience a lush flower show in the Garden’s Enid A. Haupt Conservatory evoking the gardens and landscapes that inspired O’Keeffe as well as the complex story ofthe flora and unique ecolog y of Hawai‘i. Curated by art historian Theresa Papanikolas, Ph.D., Deputy Director of Art and Programs at the Honolulu Museum of Art, the exhibition will feature 20 of O’Keeffe’s depictions of Hawai‘i—including paintings not seen together in New York since their 1940 debut. Visitors of all ages will learn about Hawai‘i through complementary events, programs, and demonstrations, including a film series, symposium, lecture, and the Interactive Mobile Guide.

The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory will feature the remarkable beauty and richness of Hawai‘i’s wild and cultivated flora. Featuring plantings designed by Francisca Coelho and set pieces designed byTony Award-winning set designer Scott Pask, the exhibition will also introduce visitors to the profound importance of plants in Hawaiian culture and growing concerns about threats to native Hawaiian plants. The centerpiece will be long borders of colorful tropical garden plants such as those Georgia O’Keeffe encountered and painted while in Hawai‘i.

These borders will burst with the dazzling flowers of ti, frangipani, bougainvillea, heliconia, hibiscus, bird of paradise, ginger, and many more tropical favorites. Beyond the borders, planting beds arranged around a hale, an open-sided thatched-roof pavilion inspired by traditional Hawaiian architecture, will tell the story of canoe plants—useful plants brought to the Islands 1,700 years ago by Polynesian settlers. Vignettes featuring native Hawaiian plants will teach visitors about modern efforts to preserve Hawai‘i’s imperiled flora.

Throughout the 5 month long exhibition there will be plenty of programming including Aloha Nights for after-hour viewings of the Conservatory and Art Gallery on select evenings.

Read the full press release over at their site and make sure to get your tickets for this unforgettable show!

$60 Million Animal Care Center of NYC FINALLY Coming to The Bronx

Ed García Conde
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$60 Million Animal Care Center of NYC FINALLY Coming to The Bronx

After decades of Bronx animal lovers pleading with New York City officials, we’re getting a real deal animal shelter in The Bronx.

The new center, which is slated to open in 2024, will be a large 47,000 square foot facility on Bartow Avenue in the Baychester/Co-op City area of The Bronx and will provide adoption and veterinary services as well as shelter.

According to amNY, the Bronx shelter will accommodate 70 dogs, 140 cats, 30 rabbits, and space for 20 animals of other species.

Rendering of the interior of the Animal Care Center coming to The Bronx/credit Mott MacDonald

An ACC employee told Welcome2TheBronx that the agency operates as a no-kill shelter unless it’s for medical or behavioral reasons (not sure what constitutes behavioral reasons nor do I necessarily agree an animal should be destroyed based on that criteria).

At any rate, this is a step in the right direction in making sure that all five boroughs of New York City have the same services with no need to go out of our way to travel to Manhattan or other boroughs that the city should be providing for all.

It’s about time we get a real animal shelter in The Bronx.

 

2017 Was Record Year for Legionnaires’ in NYC Despite New Regulations After 2015 Bronx Outbreak

Ed García Conde
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2017 Was Record Year for Legionnaires’ in NYC Despite New Regulations After 2015 Bronx Outbreak
According to experts, including Dr Yu who classified Legionella back in 1982, our drinking water supply should be tested as it is virtually always the source of outbreaks.

Legionnaires’ cases in New York City have increased by 65% in 2017 as compared to 2016.

It even surpasses 2015 when New York City recorded the worst outbreak of legionnaires’ in its history with 133 Bronx residents contracting the disease which resulted in 16 deaths (not counting the school teacher who died right before) the city enacted a series of clearly failed measures to curtail the disease by forcing strict inspections of water cooling towers.

Welcome2TheBronx went face to face at public hearings with the Department of Health asking why the city was neglecting to cite the water supply as the source of contamination and despite leading legionnaires’ expert, along with the Centers for Disease Control, and the EPA stating that the overwhelming cases of outbreaks results from the drinking supply, the city denied that the source was our public drinking supply.

Why? Because they didn’t even bother testing it as per protocol.

Several weeks later at the site of one of the outbreaks at Melrose Houses, the water drinking supply was found to be contaminated, something NYC’s Health Commissioner Dr Mary T Bassett said wasn’t the cause and they didn’t see a pattern.

Months later, a doctor from Lincoln Hospital took it upon himself to test patient homes and found the source to indeed be the water supply in bathroom shower heads and faucets. He was subsequently fired because he KNEW that the city was wrong in focusing on water cooling towers as the source of the disease.

The Alliance for the Prevention of Legionnaires’ Disease has issued a forceful statement slamming the city’s efforts or lack thereof in trying to address the health crisis:

“Unfortunately we continue to see cases of Legionnaires’ disease climb in New York,” said APLD Spokesperson Daryn Cline. “This is especially troubling since New York is holding itself out as the leader in Legionnaires’ disease prevention. The truth of the matter is their emphasis on water management inside the building has not had an impact on decreasing the rate of disease.”

“We are convinced that any meaningful reduction in Legionnaires’ disease in New York requires a focus on the complete water distribution system that supplies our homes and workplaces—from source to consumption,” added Cline.

New York led the nation again with 1,009 cases reported to the CDC—a 38 percent increase in cases compared to 2016. Of the state total, New York City recorded 441 cases—a 65 percent increase over 2016. In fact, New York City’s 2017 case total outpaced 2015—the year of the worst outbreak in New York City’s history.

“These continuous increases are exactly why more resources must be dedicated to better understand the relationship between waterborne pathogens such as Legionella and our public water supply and distribution system,” said Tonya Winders, President and CEO of Allergy & Asthma Network, and APLD member. “The fact remains that water containingLegionella bacteria from the public water supply is entering homes and buildings, and—as a result—people are getting sick. Some are dying.”

The Alliance has been critical of the New York City and State’s response to preventing cases of Legionnaires’ disease since regulations were put in place after the Bronx outbreak in 2015. The group’s main contention is that the regulations are too narrowly focused on building equipment and do not address the source problem—Legionella entering buildings from the public water supply and distribution system.

“Building equipment uses the same water source that supplies our showerheads and faucets. Without addressing the bacteria entering our buildings from the public distribution system, the issues we face with Legionella are not going to end,” said John Letson, Vice President of Plant Operations at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “According to the CDC, 35 percent of Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks can be attributed to conditions and disruptions to water service outside of the building. In order to keep people safe, especially those with compromised immune systems and patients receiving out-patient care, more must be done to remove the threat of Legionella in our public water.”

Among other things, the APLD is a staunch advocate of mandating that every case of Legionnaires’ disease undergoes a comprehensive investigation in an effort to better understand how to prevent the disease. The group also urges for more resources to be allocated to gain a better understanding of how aging infrastructure, heavy rain and flooding events, and the wider implementation of low-flow appliances are impacting the increase.

“The most important thing to remember is that Legionnaires’ disease is a waterborne illness so water must be the focus of any preventive measure,” added Winders. “Any solution that doesn’t address the bacteria entering our homes and buildings from the public water supply and distribution system is not a solution at all.”

 

Bronx Born & Raised Cardi B Makes History As First Woman to Have 5 Singles in Top Ten R&B Chart

Ed García Conde
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Bronx Born & Raised Cardi B Makes History As First Woman to Have 5 Singles in Top Ten R&B Chart

And our Bronx and Dominicana superstar Cardi B makes history yet again, this time knocking off Beyonce in becoming the FIRST woman with FIVE singles in Billboard’s top ten R&B chart.

This comes just two months after she made history with 3 in the top ten charts back in November.

According to Newsweek, she is only the third artist to achieve this status and the first woman to do so in the 60 year history of the R&B charts.

Newsweek writes:

“In the R&B chart’s 60-year history, Cardi is the first woman, and only the third artist, to have five singles appear within the top 10 in a single week. With “Finesse,” she is now tied with Compton-born rapper Kendrick Lamar for most tracks on the same chart. In 2017, he had five singles within the R&B chart’s top 10. Canadian rapper Drake currently holds the record, with eight tracks charting at once, in 2016.”

Not bad for a Bronx girl!

Uniqlo Is Opening Their First Bronx Store

Ed García Conde
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Uniqlo Is Opening Their First Bronx Store

Opening reception for the Mall At Bay Plaza / ©Welcome2TheBronx

Uniqlo, the popular Japanese clothing company, is opening their first Bronx store this coming Spring at The Mall at Bay Plaza in Co-op City.

According to Prestige Properties who owns and operates the mall, the store will occupy 8,000 square feet and will join over 100 other stores like Michael Kors, Macy’s, JC Penney, The Gap, H&M and more.

Although this is their first store in The Bronx, Uniqlo is no stranger to our borough as they have partnered with New York City Parks Department to bring art into local parks of which Virginia Park in Parkchester was one of them with an ongoing art exhibition, “Daylighting” by Bronx artist Lovie Pignata.

Local kids enjoying game night at Virginia Park for Bronx artist Lovie Pignata’s ‘Daylighting’ installation as part of Uniqlo Parks Expressions program with NYC Parks.

This announcement comes at a time when national retailers have an increased confidence in setting up shop in our borough which, according to a report by the Center for an Urban Future, indicates that retail chain stores opening in The Bronx saw a 1.8% increase in 2017 second only to Brooklyn which saw a 3.1% increase.

Manhattan and queens tied with a marginal growth of 0.9% and Staten Island actually saw a decline of 1.9%.

Overall, The Bronx’s growth in retail chains at 1.8% outpaced the city average of 1.3%.

Stay tuned for their grand opening.

 

 

Jerome Avenue Rezoning Approved by City Planning Despite Overwhelming Community Opposition; Now City Council to Vote

Ed García Conde
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Jerome Avenue Rezoning Approved by City Planning Despite Overwhelming Community Opposition; Now City Council to Vote

Despite overwhelming disapproval and community opposition, New York City Department of City Planning has approved the Jerome Avenue Rezoning Plan and has been sent to the city council for a vote where it is pretty much guaranteed to pass.

You can begin to say goodbye to the neighborhoods along the rezoning area as they will undoubtedly be forever changed as developers will begin to knock down and build up.

City Limits writes:

“De la Uz voted against the rezoning. While acknowledging the benefits of the Certificate of No Harassment pilot program and the creation of a universal right-to-counsel for low-income tenants in housing court, she said the city’s proposal “lacks a thorough and thoughtful analysis of the increased displacement risk for the existing rent-stabilized housing stock.”



She also said that while she supports “activating the corridor and limiting conflicting uses,” she felt the city didn’t have an adequate plan in place to support the relocation of auto-sector businesses that she says will be displaced by the rezoning. “No comprehensive analysis was done of how those auto-businesses are interdependent and who is in those jobs,” she said. “The city continues to reduce areas zoned for manufacturing throughout the city without a comprehensive assessment of how those changes may cumulatively impact goods and services New Yorkers need and the decent jobs [that could be] lost, [employment accessible] often to immigrants and individuals with limited education. This is inconsistent with the mayor’s 100,000 jobs plan.”

With the City Planning Commission’s sanction, the plan now moves to the City Council, which has 50 days to take action on the proposal. All eyes are now on Bronx councilmembers Vanessa Gibson and Fernando Cabrera, whose districts cover the rezoning footprint, to negotiate the plan’s final details.

It’s a sad day when the city ignores the will of the people who will be directly impacted by such a poorly thought out rezoning.



Breaking: Bronx LGBTQ Center Fully Realized

Ed García Conde
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Breaking: Bronx LGBTQ Center Fully Realized

 

Destination Tomorrow Expands LGBTQ Service Portfolio and Moves Forward with Bronx LGBTQ Center Expansion

The Bronx, NY – Destination Tomorrow, the Bronx’s leading trans-organization, in partnership with LGBTQ funders and the Bronx LGBTQ Caucus have announced plans to construct the Bronx LGBTQ Center in the Melrose section of the South Bronx.  The creation of the Bronx LGBTQ Center fills a void in the Bronx, which for nearly one decade has been the only borough in New York City without an LGBTQ Center.  The Bronx LGBTQ Center will expand Destination Tomorrow’s mission to serve the entire borough by providing holistic services in the areas of health and human services as well as wrap around programs to address workforce development, bullying, educational and vocational training, arts and cultural equity, housing, and economic development capacity building.  This organizational growth, developed after significant strategic planning, will close the New York City LGBTQ equity gap and provide services for Bronxites by a grassroots Bronx-based organization.

A new LGBTQ Center for The Bronx may soon occupy the upper floors of the old Sachs building on Third Avenue in The Hub./ Rendering courtesy of AQC Architects

The Bronx LGBTQ Center will develop innovative solutions for the Bronx’s LGBTQ population throughout the lifespan as the Center seeks to:

  • work to end homophobia and transphobia,
  • provide a home, safe space, and holistic service model for the Bronx LGBTQ community,
  • and to advocate for equality.

Renderings for the new center, stemming from an LGBTQ Community Needs Assessment were released in November and signaled the organic expansion of Destination Tomorrow’s service portfolio.  The momentum behind the planning efforts was confirmed during the organization’s annual gala where elected officials and leaders in the Bronx LGBT movement signaled their support of Destination Tomorrow’sefforts.

In a recent letter the Mayor Bill De Blasio, the New York City Congressional Caucus stated, “[T]he Bronx remains without an LGBTQ Community Center, and continues to be the sole borough in New York City without one. As you may know, community centers play a vital role in enriching the lives of residents and the neighborhoods they call home. Whether providing easy access to quality, safe programs and services or directing families to the appropriate channels to receive the much-needed assistance they are seeking, community centers are a crucial safety net for many. We strongly believe that no one should be forced to travel outside of their neighborhood in order to obtain essential care readily accessible in neighboring communities. For these reasons, we ask that you work to improve LGBTQ services in the Bronx by helping open an LGBTQ community center.”

“Destination Tomorrow has consistently provided evidence-based programs and wrap around services to the Bronx LGBTQ community,” said Sean Coleman, Executive Director of Destination Tomorrow. “After significant planning, listening to input from our community throughout the entire borough, and building relationships with funders, the business community, and fellow LGBTQ service providers, we decided the new center was not a want, but rather a need – and Destination Tomorrow is fully equipped to fill that need by providing services to our community from a brick and mortar LGBTQ Center.”

A rooftop memorial garden for Bronx LGBTQ residents who have perished due to HIV/AIDS, transgender and anti-gay violence./Rendering courtesy of AQC Architects

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. has been very supportive of Destination Tomorrow and their inroads to creating a holistic LGBTQ service model dedicating his assistance to the organization during its December 2017 Gala.  Additionally, the Bronx Borough President has committed support to LGBT initiatives in the borough providing $600,000 to the SAGE project and $100,000 to the Callen-Lorde clinic, “These are two projects that I am very excited about,” adding they are “unique projects that provide much needed help in the LGBTQ community.”

Over the next three months Destination Tomorrow will release its strategic plan, expand the base of its Board of Directors, and work to identify appropriate staffing to accommodate growth into the Bronx center.  In tandem, construction of the LGBTQ Center will launch in the second quarter of 2018.

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About Destination Tomorrow:

Destination Tomorrow is a grassroots agency located in the South Bronx that provides services to and for the LGBTQ community. It is our belief that no one should have to leave their neighborhood to access LGBTQ specific services. It is our belief that all LGBTQ young people deserve a space to grow, learn and flourish. It is our belief that people, regardless of their sexual identity or gender expression deserve a space they can call their own.

Destination Tomorrow has comprehensive programs and services both in house and referral based. We also offer capacity building to agencies who wish to work with LGBTQ communities but lack the cultural competency and expertise. We strive for excellence as an agency and for our community.

For more information: www.destinationtomorrow.org

WATCH: 91 Year Old Bronx Man STILL Goes to Work With No Plans on Retiring

Ed García Conde
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An amazing 91 year old Bronx man still goes to work everyday at the multi-million dollar manufacturing company he founded in Hunts Point which is one of the largest black-owned manufacturing companies in America.

According to the video below from NY1, Leon Eastmond has been working since the tender age of 12 and eventually built the current business from his father’s welding and repair business that was started back in 1926.



Eastmond talks about how by the 1940s, when the business had turned into manufacturing fuel tanks, potential clients turned him away because of his skin color but he eventually won their support.

Because of these early hardships, he’s gone on to make sure he gives back to the community by providing opportunities to those who typically wouldn’t get any like the formerly incarcerated and unskilled workers.

Watch the video below and let’s celebrate this amazing man and his entrepreneurial spirit, the stuff The Bronx is made of!

Why this 91-year-old Bronx man still works every day

Leon Eastmond has been working since he was 12 years old. At age 91, he has no plans to step away from the multi-million dollar manufacturing company that he built in the Bronx. “You know why so many people are anxious to retire? They don’t like what they do,” Arlington Leon Eastmond said.




Historic District Council Selects Westchester Square & Arthur Avenue For Annual ‘Six to Celebrate’

Ed García Conde
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Historic District Council Selects Westchester Square & Arthur Avenue For Annual ‘Six to Celebrate’

Each year, New York City’s Historic District Council selects that they believe, “…merit preservation…” and become priorities for the organization over the course of the year for advocacy and consultation.

We’re super excited that for 2018 they have selected two Bronx locations steeped in history: Westchester Square and Arthur Avenue home of New York City’s REAL Little Italy.

The landmark St Peter’s Episcopal Church rises above the Westchester Square Station on the 6 subway line and was built between 1853 and 1855. It is also the home of the Bronx Academy of Art and Dance.

HDC writes about Westchester Square:

Westchester Square, now a major transportation hub in the northeast Bronx, was once home to a critical location in the birth of our nation. Hidden in plain sight, sites such as Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church and the Westchester Creek were crucial to American victory in the Revolutionary War. Other sites such as the Huntington Library and above-ground subway station serve as vestiges of the early 20th century innovation and architectural character that continue to anchor the neighborhood today. The Westchester Square Business Improvement District is working to rebrand the area with a focus on its rich history. This public awareness campaign will involve formally documenting its history and commemorating important events through the installation of plaques in and around the Square.

On Arthur Avenue:

Arthur Avenue, the long-time home of The Bronx’s Little Italy, has been a haven for Italian-Americans, Italophiles and curious tourists seeking an authentic shopping and dining experience for generations. In a city that is constantly evolving, its family-run businesses offer consistency, quality and a connection to the past on a storied and historic street. To capture the essence of this place, the Belmont Business Improvement District will undertake a series of oral histories with key constituents and develop an official tour of the area. These place-making initiatives will serve to enhance the public’s experience of and appreciation for Arthur Avenue, as well as ensure that its history is not forgotten. The group also seeks to investigate zoning tools to protect the character and scale of the neighborhood.

It is because of organizations like HDC that we’re able to preserve historic places in New York City for future generations and without their hard work side by side with local residents, New York City just wouldn’t be the same.

These two neighborhoods offer distinct views into our borough’s past, present and a peek into our future which is why it’s important for preservation of these neighborhoods lest they fall under a greedy developer’s crane.

Check out the rest of the Six to Celebrate across NYC.

Developer “Excited” to Start Trend for New Construction for Middle Class in The South Bronx

Ed García Conde
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Developer “Excited” to Start Trend for New Construction for Middle Class in The South Bronx
414 Gerard Avenue, just south of 149th Street is slated to be complete within 18 months.

An economically diverse neighborhood is crucial for its financial stability and that is something we won’t deny. In a perfect world, low-income families can co-exist with middle and high-income families in the same neighborhood without fear of displacement or lacking services geared towards their economic demographics but sadly in the real world, that’s not how it works.

So as great as it sounds that housing is being being planned for the middle class in the South Bronx (after all, this demographic does exist within the neighborhoods of the South Bronx) it simply makes one cringe as little to nothing is being done for the absolute most vulnerable who are not only facing severe rent burdens and being one paycheck away from homelessness but oftentimes find themselves in overcrowded apartments to help ease the rent burden or from having taken in friends or family that may have recently become homeless themselves.

Treetop Development is bringing two buildings to the Lower Concourse area in Mott Haven which was rezoned back in 2009 to allow a transition from manufacturing and industrial towards residential, something which for years didn’t pick up much steam until the past 3 years when construction on the first developments in the area finally began.

414 Gerard Avenue will have an 11 story building with 134 units according to plans filed this week and will eventually be accompanied by a 14 story building across the street with 300 units. According to the developer, both buildings will have a mix of “affordable” housing along with market-rate units.

In an article in the Real Deal, developer Azi Mandel was quoted as saying, “We’re excited and I hope we start a trend for new construction for the middle-class.”

We need a strong middle-class, but what about excitement for the most vulnerable in our communities and building truly affordable housing for them?

75% of Samples Taken From Bronx Parks Test Positive Parasite Eggs

Ed García Conde
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75% of Samples Taken From Bronx Parks Test Positive Parasite Eggs
Photo by: Gregg Vigliotti for The New York Times

A survey done last year of New York City playgrounds revealed the presence of Toxocara eggs from a parasite that can cause blindness, respiratory problems, liver function, and negative impact on cognitive abilities especially in children.

The survey was conducted at 21 parks across the city with 9 testing positive for the eggs but more startling was that 75% of samples from Bronx parks revealed eggs in the larval stage that are considered to be more infectious according to The New York Times. Manhattan parks tested revealed in this stage.

The article goes on to say that these parasites are typically found in cats and dogs but more prevalent in strays than our furry friends at home and the parasites are generally transmitted via fecal matter, which of course, can pretty much be found everywhere thanks to our feral populations.

More worrisome is that as many as 85% doctors do not know much about the infection beyond basic understanding of it and not even half correctly diagnosed this infection according to The New York Times.

Read more: The Parasite on the Playground – NYTimes

 

Apply for New “Affordable” Housing Apartments in Allerton

Ed García Conde
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Apply for New “Affordable” Housing Apartments in Allerton

This one made me laugh when it came across my desk. Apparently $1,900 is “affordable” for a two bedroom in The Bronx according to a new offering on NYC’s Housing Connect.

There are currently 5 units available for residents making 130% of the Area Median Income which ranges from $49,715 – $86,840 for a single person looking for a $1,450 1 bedroom unit to a family of four making anywhere from $65,143 – $124,020 for a two bedroom unit at $1,900.

The apartments are located at  2548 Cruger Avenue and right around the corner from the Allerton Avenue stop on the 2 train pretty much centrally located to the area’s bustling shopping district and a stone’s throw away from Pelham Parkway and White Plains Road shopping district as well.

If you want to apply, head on over to NYC Housing Connect and do so. Good luck!

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