PLANS FOR BRONX SKATING RINK NOW ON ICE
BY DANIEL BEEKMAN (NYDN)
The city is putting its plans for a Bronx skating rink on ice.
The Parks Department has announced it won’t fulfill Mayor Bloomberg’s promise to bring an ice rink to Van Cortlandt Park this winter because it and Con Edison can’t supply enough electricity to power the outdoor facility.
CANADIAN OLYMPIC TEAM HORSES GET FREE RIDE FROM CITY
BY DANIEL BEEKMAN (NYDN)
Talk about a free ride: The city is giving away Bronx stable stalls to horses that compete in the Olympic Games for Canada.
The Parks Department is forgoing boarding fees from 43 stalls at the Riverdale Equestrian Centre in Van Cortlandt Park, including several that house horses owned by Canadian equestrian Ashley Holzer, the Daily News has learned. The agency claims the horses “raise the profile” of the sparkling facility on Broadway.
BRONX COULD FINALLY GET PUBLIC ICE RINK NEXT MONTH
BY DANIEL BEEKMAN (NYDN)
The Bronx could finally be getting the ice skating rink that Mayor Bloomberg promised the borough last January - but without formal community input. Local leaders are upset they won’t get to vet how the facility is run.
“The agency has decided to circumvent the public process,” said Bob Bender, Community Board 8 parks committee chairman. “It concerns me greatly.”
MORE AND MORE BIG-BOX RETAIL DEVELOPMENT PLANNED FOR BRONX
BY DANIEL BEEKMAN (NYDN)
Runners and cyclists are warring over renovations planned for a beloved Bronx nature trail.
The 1.5-mile Putnam Trail in Van Cortlandt Park is slated for $2.4 million in renovations
by the city Parks Department
to widen and pave the rugged dirt path, changes the agency claims will benefit cyclists, wheelchair users and people with strollers.
But members of the Save the Putnam Trail campaign argue the project will ruin the bucolic atmosphere of the leafy byway.
VAN CORTLANDT PARK REOPENING DELAYED, CRICKETERS ANGRY
BY DANIEL BEEKMAN (NYDN)
Bronx parkgoers and cricket players are getting crabby about renovation delays at the Van Cortlandt Park Parade Grounds.
The Parks Department won’t reopen eight cricket fields until next fall because the renovated Parade Grounds contain weeds and crab grass, said an agency spokesman.
The renovations began in 2009 and the fields were slated to open last spring. But the Parks Department contractor hired to reseed the turf has botched the job twice, said Bob Bender, Community Board 8 parks committee chairman.
JEROME PARK RESERVOIR ACTIVISTS BLAST PUBLIC ACCESS REPORT
BY DANIEL BEEKMAN (NYDN)
The city has issued a long-awaited report on public access to Jerome Park Reservoir, but angry locals say their requests have been watered down.
CONTROLLER LIU URGED TO SIGN SPOTLIGHT ON BRONX CONCERNS
BY DANIEL BEEKMAN (NYDN)
Controller John Liu had a date with the Bronx on Valentine’s Day, as a small but passionate crowd begged the city’s chief auditor to aim his magnifying glass at the borough.
CITY CHANGES COURSE ON PIPE PLAN
BY DANIEL BEEKMAN (NYDN)
It was a pipe dream from the start. The city Department of Environmental Protection is scrapping its plan to lay seven miles of pipe through the Bronx, thanks to a surprise discovery and inflated costs.
BY DANIEL BEEKMAN (NYDN)
