Co-op City’s official newspaper serving the world’s largest cooperative community. © Copyright 2014 Co-op City Times
Vol. 49 No. 34
Effort to rename Co-op City street in honor of Milton Alexander heads to City Council
Earlier this month, a petition package containing the signatures of approximately 1,200 residents, as well as support letters from a number of elected officials and community representatives in agreement with the Asch Loop street overlay in honor of Milton Alexander was delivered to Councilman Andy King for presentation to and approval by the New York City Council. On Monday, August 4th, Winston Dinkins, coach of the Velocity Track Club of New York and initiator of this effort, along with Robert Hedgepeth, president of the Section 5 Association, submitted the package to Councilman King requesting that Mr. Alexander’s name be overlayed on the street sign at Asch Loop in Co-op City where the Alexanders lived and Mrs. Alexander continues to reside. “I thought this would be a fitting honor for Uncle Milton as he was known to many of the young people he helped and mentored through the years and in recognition for all of his years of service to the youth in the community,” BY ROZAAN BOONE
While students across New York City and state showed slight improvements in the second year of the more challenging school assessment tests, several schools in Co-op City reported very significant gains on their thirdthrough-eighth grade test results. The annual state tests are given to all students in grades three through eight and cover math and English. The test results are scored on four levels, with Level 4 the highest score. This was the second year of students taking new, harder state tests aligned with the federal Common Core standards. Students who reach Level 4 and
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Newly erected signs on the east side of the Bay Plaza Shopping Complex direct shoppers into the narrow and congested streets of Section 5 in order to access I-95 South and Hutchinson River Parkway North. Section 5 residents fear that the increased traffic will have a detrimental effect on quality of life, the safety of school children attending P.S. 160 and the access of emergency vehicles to the heavily populated community. Photo by Bill Stuttig
Winston Dinkins (left) and Robert Hedgepeth (right) after delivering the petition package to Councilman Andy King (center) to rename Asch Loop in Milton Alexander’s honor.
said Dinkins. “I discussed it with his wife and she liked the idea, and from there, I approached a couple of the other youth organizers and we all agreed, so we went forward. (Continued on page 3)
Big gains on state tests scored at several Co-op City schools BY JIM ROBERTS
After Mall opening comes renewed calls for street and highway access improvements
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Level 3 are considered proficient and meet the state’s standards for that subject. Level 1 and Level 2 results indicate that the student has a partial or below grade level mastery of the subject. The schools in Co-op City generally exceeded the improved scores in the local Bronx District 11 overall. PS 153 Helen Keller outscored the Bronx District 11 scores in every category and MS 180 and IS 181 outscored the District 11 results in five of six categories. Three schools in particular – PS 153 Helen Keller, PS 178 Dr. Selman Waksman and Equality Charter School –
Almost from the moment that the new Mall at Bay Plaza and its new anchor store, Macy’s, was open to the public last week, Co-op City residents could see a palpable difference in the congestion and confusion BY BILL STUTTIG
on the streets shared between the massive shopping complex and this equally massive community. While some of the additional traffic is inevitable and a by-product of (Continued on page 4)
Riverbay Employee Appreciation Day rescheduled to Thursday Riverbay offices to be closed at 4 p.m.
The Riverbay Employee Appreciation Day approved by the Riverbay Board, which was originally scheduled to take place yesterday, Friday, August 22, has been rescheduled to Thursday, August 28, due to inclement weather. On Thursday, the Administrative Office will remain open for business only until 4 p.m. with a skeleton management staff available to oversee daily operations, as is normally the case during a holiday work schedule. All administrative staff will be dismissed at 12 p.m. to attend the celebration and Riverbay Operations personnel will be rotated to maintain sufficient coverage to respond to maintenance emergencies.
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Passes for Macy’s Charity Day available
The Riverbay Fund has all day shopping passes to Macy’s Charity Day scheduled for next Saturday, August 30. Each pass costs $5 and 100% of the proceeds go to the Riverbay Fund which sponsors events for the enjoyment of Co-op City residents. A Macy’s Charity Day shopping pass entitles you to significant discounts on select items and a chance to win a $500 gift card. To purchase a pass from the Riverbay Fund, please contact the Community Relations Department at (718) 320-3300, Ext. 3532.
Bartow Center’s West Stairs Reconstructed … Staff from Riverbay poured concrete last week to rebuild the stairs leading down to the center’s community rooms and administrative offices. The newly reconstructed stairs will now allow residents, staff and visitors to occasionally use the west rear entrance to the center that had been previously closed over several months due to the stalled renovations in the back of the center. That rear entrance can now be opened on an as-needed basis. Photo by Bill Stuttig