Co-op City Times 08/18/18

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Vol. 53 No. 33

Saturday, August 18, 2018

New Parking Garage Access System Starts In Garage 3 On Monday, Aug. 20 The new parking garage access system using RFID stickers, which will work just like an “EZ-Pass,” is rolling out next week with the first changeover in Garage 3. Starting Monday morning, Aug. 20, at 8 a.m., residents who park in Garage 3 will be able to enroll their cars in the new system. The enrollment can be done right on site at Garage 3 and should take approximately 10 minutes to fill out a vehicle information update form and have an attendant bring the tag up to the vehicle and place the sticker inside the front windshield. Staff members from the Riverbay Parking department will be on hand to verify that each car is registered to park in the garage and to update the information in Riverbay’s Parking Department database. Cars can be registered and receive the new RFID stickers on site at Garage 3 from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. next Monday through Friday, Aug. 20 to Aug. 24. Any resident who would prefer can come to the Parking Department office in the Bartow Center during office hours next week and fill out the form and have the sticker attached to their car immediately thereafter. Beginning the following Monday morning, Aug. 27, the current access cards cannot be used to wave cars into Garage 3. Only cars with the new RFID Workers from Riverbay’s Parking and Leasing stickers will be able to enter. If a resident Department and manufacturer Amano McGann has their car already parked in the garage completed work last week for the new access sysand can’t get out, the attendant on duty tem being installed in Garage 3. Shareholders will can call a dispatcher to open the gate, but register and receive their new RFID stickers at the Photo by Jim Roberts attendants in the garage will not be able garage starting on Aug. 20. to do so. The new RFID system uses an electronic eye at the gate to read the sticker on the front windshield and lift the gate to let the car enter. Until the entire system is working in all garages, Garage 3 parkers will be able to enter other garages, but they will have to be let in manually. Riverbay’s current parking access system suffers from frequent computer crashes and can’t provide reports detailing revenue and traffic flows that are needed to make the garages run efficiently. The software now used is no longer upgraded or serviced by (Continued on page 2) BY JIM ROBERTS

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Working Group Formed To Study Planned Train Service In Co-op City

A new city planning group created to study the best way to develop four new train stations in the Bronx, including one in Co-op City, will have plenty of time to meet and talk before rail service here actually begins. The “Bronx Metro-North Working Group” met for the first time in late July to “… engage local residents and businesses to optimize new commuter rail service that is in the works for the East and South Bronx,” according to a press release. The long-planned, long-discussed and long-promised train service from Co-op City to Manhattan has been on the drawing boards for many, many years. Hopes have been dashed frequently over the past decade, primarily because of constant construction delays and massive cost overruns on the East Side Access project which will connect the Long Island Rail Road service directly into Grand Central Station, opening up rail lines so Bronx train service will have access to freed-up Penn Station gates. The original completion date of 2009 for East Side Access would have made train service from Co-op City a possibility about seven years ago. The work to finish boring the tunnels for a new Manhattan tunnel to carry the LIRR trains to Grand Central is now expected to cost the MTA $11.2 billion. And a new completion date is now promised for December 2022, according to a presentation that MTA Chief Development Officer Janno Lieber made in May. Based on that date four years from now, any service from Co-op City is approximately five to six years away from BY JIM ROBERTS

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City Planning Commission To Discuss Animal Shelter Proposal Monday Afternoon No in-person comments accepted but online comments can still be submitted

According to a spokesperson for the City Planning Commission (CPC), the Mayor’s proposal to construct the Bronx Animal Care Center on Bartow Avenue will be one of the topics of discussion as the CPC holds a regular scheduled review session on Monday, Aug. 20th, beginning at 1 p.m. on the Concourse on 120 Broadway in Manhattan, the same room where last week’s hearing was held. According to the CPC press office, no public comments will be taken at this review session but the public is welcome to come and listen. Another way to watch and listen is to live stream the review session on-line. The live stream is available by going to the City Planning Commission website and clicking on “CPC meets.” A page will appear with the review session as the top item on the page. At 1 p.m. click on “View the livestream of the Review Session” and the session can then be viewed and listened BY BILL STUTTIG

to live. The discussion concerning the animal shelter is expected late in the afternoon. While no public comments will be taken at this session, on-line and mailed-in comments are still be accepted, according to the CPC website. A comment form is available online. Residents can go to NYC.gov and click on “City Planning” or go to www1.nyc.gov/site/planning/index.page. On that page under City Planning Commission, click on “agenda and videos.” On the next page that comes up, scroll down to “Comment on Active Land Use Application” and click on the highlighted words “CPC Comments.” A comment form will appear. Click on “select borough,” and select the Bronx. Then click on “select project,” and select “Bartow Avenue Animal Shelter.” Fill out the rest of the form which includes space for 500 words of comments. Then hit “submit” to file your comment with the commission. Comments can also be mailed to City Planning (Continued on page 2)

“Coming to the Bronx” is the headline on a press release discussing train service on the drawing board but still several years away from becoming reality. A new study group was formed this month to listen to ideas from residents of Co-op City and other areas in the Bronx.


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