Bronx News Roundup, Feb. 3

Ever bend over a water fountain and thought: Where's this stuff coming from? Chances are, your water is fine, but that wasn't the case for the workers at a Hunts Point sewage plant. A missing "backflow preventer" is to blame for the water that backed up into the pipes from the plant's massive boilers, leaving its workers to drink (and bathe in!) contaminated water.

A team of four clinicians from Montefiore Medical Center have returned from Haiti with quite a story to tell. ABC Channel 7 News did a story on it Monday night, and you can view the video here.

More on Anibal Lugo, the guy who police say stole an idling police SUV and was caught minutes later. Lugo's being observed at Jacobi Medical Center and Nelson Robles, the NYPD vet who the van belonged to, has been suspended without pay.

Visions for the Bronx's first public skating rink are finally coming to fruition. An agreement has been reached, moving plans from a grassy spot in Joyce Kilmer Park (which would have cost an extra $4,000) to 900 Grand Concourse, formerly the Concourse Plaza Hotel, now a senior citizens' apartment complex. 

Sean Denashvar, owner of the Med Alliance medical clinic near Fordham University, is expanding the clinic's facilities to three stories total. However, the community has been upset by additional plans for plopping 10 more stories of moderate-income rental units right on top. The area's residents will finally be able to voice their opinions about the 13-story behemoth. The hearing will take place today at 6:30 p.m. at the Candy Lounge, 608 E. Fordham Road. However, the BoogieDowner expresses some extremely legitimate concerns about the location of the hearing.

The Army Corps of Engineers will be working with the city Parks Department on the Bronx River. The $6.3 million project will rebuild a wetlands habitat near the mouth of the river in Soundview Park. The project will begin in the Fall, starting with a much-needed cleanup. Soundview Project Manager Ronald Pinzon notes, "There was a lot of stuff dumped there. Rocks, pieces of concrete, even a few refrigerators."

City Limits spotlights Intervale Green, the new eco-friendly affordable housing unit opening its doors at the end of the month on Intervale Avenue near Freeman Street in the Bronx. Many of the benefits of more "luxe" rental options will be included, such as a sculpture garden, decorative lighting, and a free computer with wireless internet with each apartment.

Bronx News Roundup Feb. 3

Lots of housing news today:

The State Assembly yesterday passed a series of bills designed to strengthen rent-regulation laws. In previous years, the legislation would have thrown out by the Republican majority. Now the Democrats are in charge things are expected to change. It'll be interesting to see what State Senator Pedro Espada (who's chair of the Senate Housing Committee) does. In the past, he's been criticized by tenant rights groups for being too "landlord friendly."

More than 50 percent of Bronx residents worry they'll be priced out of the borough by rising rents.

A rezoning proposal could transform a 30-block area near the Yankee Stadium. Under the plan, many of the auto repair shops and parking lots that dominate the neighborhood will be replaced by apartments buildings and acres of retail space.

A 128-unit apartment building, aimed at low-incomes families and those leaving the shelter system, has sprung up on Freeman Street in a neighborhood that come on leaps and bounds in the last 20 years. Intervale Green, as the building's called, was built using a "green" design. Tenants will receive a free computer, Internet access, and other benefits.

Bronx residents can voice their opinions about proposed MTA service cuts and fare increases at a meeting this Wednesday.

The Bronx is becoming a mecca for immigrants from across the globe.

In his weekly column, Bob Kappsatter says Assemblyman Jose Rivera, the former Democratic party chairman, may run for borough president. If he does (which would certainly spice things up) son Joel would abandon his own bid and run for a third City Council term, says Kappstatter, where he could face a strong challenge from Radame Perez of Mastermind Management. More about Mastermind here.