Gray skies above couldn’t dampen the spirit of green below.

Hundreds streamed into St. Mary’s Park for the fourth annual South Bronx Earth Fest on April 16 for music, dancing and educational events, but one thing was clear: the environment was center stage.

Green-themed games abounded, such as a Butterfly Project table, where kids crawled around while learning about butterfly habitats, and Materials for the Arts, in which children created masks from recycled materials, with the help of the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs.

Members of the group GrowNYC provided recycling demonstrations and helped kids make solar ovens out of tin foil and pizza boxes. Although rainy conditions didn’t allow 12-year-olds Wasan Bonilla and Gavin Thomas from Mott Haven to make s’mores, , they were among dozens of kids busy crafting ovens.

“I think it’s great, because it’s helping people go green and help the Earth. It’s very helpful to show people how to help the Earth,” said Bonilla.

Contestants were required to get stamped by one of the many volunteers working the tables, in order to win a prize. In turn, the volunteers helped educate them about the environment.

“It’s not just a one-shot deal,” said John H. Johnson III if GrowNYC, which helped organize this year’s festival. “We want to make sure that people walk away with something other than a prize and free food, but some information and knowledge on how to make the planet a much better place.”

On the other side of the pavilion, volunteers staffed prize tables with books, frisbees and organic snacks, while two Green Carts loaded with mangos, apples and other produce added a nutritional component.

Mott Haven resident Donnie Jones Wilson came to spend the day doing something positive with his family.

“I like the fact that it’s a positive thing, and I can bring my children out here and not have to worry about any negativity going on,” he said. “It’s just a good day. Even though it’s cloudy, it’s a great day.”

He said Global Man was his favorite part of the day, and he wasn’t alone. The green-masked avenger mingled with the crowd and pointed out litter. That needed to be thrown out. And he brought green-masked young acolytes along, to help him recruit newer members.

“I think the young people that support, educate, walk around and clean-up and recycle,” said Jean Pierre LaCour who played Global Man, “it shows a lot of faith that young people really believe what we’re doing.”

His message — that everyone can be a superhero for the environment — seemed especially plausible, as volunteers at every table recommended different ways for festival attendees to green the environment.

Adam Liebowitz, director of community development for Hunts Point’s The POINT CDC, told the crowd about some of that organization’s current initiatives, including teaching urban agriculture, helping plan construction and implementation of the South Bronx Greenway project along the Bronx River, and launching a community garden in Hunts Point that will offer low-cost, locally-grown vegetables for low-income residents.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. praised the volunteers, saying, “It really shows that we can care about Mother Earth,” he said,” pointing out projects such as the vertical farming project at Discovery High School, where students grow food.

Rain forced some tables to pack up early, but a committed crowd sought shelter under a tent while watching environmentally-themed performances like a hip-hop performance by Wildlife/ATM.

Despite the damp chill and dark skies, activists for the environment were undaunted. Marta Rodriguez, who administers a green jobs training program at Sustainable South Bronx in Hunts Point, got through the afternoon just fine.

“It’s just Mother Nature telling us she’s giving back, so we have to give back to her,” said Rodriguez.

Dancers get a workout at St. Mary's Recreation Center

Responding to the twin epidemics of diabetes and obesity in the South Bronx, the city has pioneered free fitness programs in its recreation centers, engaging residents of all ages.

But City Hall wants to make it harder for the poorest people in the city’s poorest neighborhoods to use the recreation centers. It wants to double the fees.

In typical government double-speak, Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared that he would not raise taxes to balance the city budget, then proposed the increase in park use and other fees. Translation: protect the rich; take from the poor.

In 2006, when the city first imposed a fee to use such facilities as the Hunts Point weight room and the St. Mary’s pool, membership fell 66 percent. The Parks Department claimed it just shed dead weight, people who had signed up but didn’t show up to use the centers. But residents stood for hours in freezing weather last year to gain one of the 100 spots in St. Mary’s free swim program, and both centers have waiting lists for their free after-school programs.

The Parks Department has done an admirable job of reaching out to residents, with its free Shape Up New York fitness programs, its free after-school programs and, most recently, its partnership with the New York Rangers to help youngsters in Hunts Point and Mott Haven hone their street hockey skills. But for much of the week, the centers’ machines and the St. Mary’s pool are off limits to those who don’t pay. How many more will join their ranks, if the fees rise to $100 at Hunts Point and $150 at Mott Haven?

Some people sneer at the notion that there are those who can’t afford those annual fees. They haven’t tried to put food on the table on $18,000 a year or less, the income earned by more than half of local residents.

Mott Haven Councilwoman Melissa Marks-Viverito, who chairs the parks committee, has been prominent in the fight to keep the city from imposing these new fees. For now the City Council has staved them off; but the Bloomberg administration plans to renew its effort to hike the fees in the spring.

At a Jan. 25 hearing on the proposal, only three members of the public showed up to voice their displeasure at the idea that we should pay more to use public parks. If this mean-spirited effort to soak the poor is to be permanently shelved, the voices of the South Bronx will need to be raised.

Shawn James, the rec center director at St. Mary's Park plays goalie while a youngster learns how to shoot into the goal. The park and several others in the city are offering free hockey lessons for the next several weeks. Photo by Lisha Arino.

Mott Haven youngsters can learn the game for free

Shawn James, the manager of the recreation center in St. Mary’s Park, was playing goalie in street hockey practice.  As he hunkered down in the net, a boy teed up the ball but, just as it looked like he would shoot, he swiftly moved to the other side and fired the ball towards the goal. The shot was a near miss.

“I saw that!” said James with a laugh. “You tried to fake me!”

James was taking part in an effort spearheaded by the New York Rangers to promote exercise and healthy eating. Along with the Department of Parks and Recreation and Coca-Cola, the team has organized free, once-a-week hockey training sessions for young people 8 to 16.

The first session at St. Mary’s brought about a dozen youngsters to the recreation center on Dec. 12.

Most of the kids had never played hockey before, but they quickly picked it up. Halfway through the session, they were passing the ball to each other and shooting goals, using equipment that had been donated by the Rangers.

Parents sat in the bleachers, cheering on their kids. Meari Santiago’s son, Isaiah was already playing basketball at St. Mary’s when he heard about the hockey program.

“He wanted to try it out and when it comes to sports, I won’t say no,” Santiago said. “It keeps him off the streets,” she said.

Isaiah had never played hockey before, but his mom said he seemed to be enjoying himself.

Macario Quizhpi also found out about the clinic that morning, when he and his son John arrived at the center. “I was like, ‘Let’s try it. You might like this,’” Quizhpi said. “You know, it’s great. At least, we keep him doing something different.”

Like Santiago, he said that he hoped sports would keep his son out of trouble, especially when he gets older.

Staff members at 10 community centers around the city have been trained by the Rangers. They will teach fundamental skills like shooting, passing and defense, according to the Parks Department.

At the end of the eight-week program, participating community centers will play against one another in a tournament. The program will also offer “MVP” and “best attendance” awards. And in February, select participants will be able to see the Rangers play for free.

The program at St. Mary’s Park meets on Saturday afternoons, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at 145^th Street and St. Ann’s Avenue. No pre-registration is necessary.

At the end of the clinic, the kids put away their equipment and left the gym with smiles on their faces. James was smiling too. He said that the first day was great and that it was a lot of fun.

He hopes as many as 100 youngsters will participate at the Mott Haven center.

“It’s a feeling out process. Most of them have never played hockey,” he said reflecting on the first day of the clinic. “As long as you see smiles on the kids’ faces, then you know they enjoyed themselves.”

The bloodbath continues. A 21-year-old man was shot and killed at 4 a.m. Friday in front of 285 East 156th Street, near the Andrew Jackson Houses. The victim, Delquan Alston, had two gunshots wounds to the head and two gun shot wounds to his body. According to the Daily News police say Alston was a drug dealer, and may have been murdered in a dispute over territory.

A devastating fire took the life of a young man when it raged through his apartment in the early morning of Aug. 23. It took 65 firefighters to extinguish the blaze on 149th Street, the Daily News reported.

A new charter school will open in Mott Haven on Wednesday. Bronx Success Academy 1, which will share quarters with PS 30 at 510 E. 141st Street, will start with a Kindergarten and first grade and add a grade each year. It will feature a longer school day, starting at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 4:30 p.m. The school is part of the Success Charter Network founded by a politician, former City Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz.

SummerStage Dance 2010, will be in St. Mary’ Park this weekend. Rennie Harris RHAW and Le Soul Afrique with Special Guest Akim Funk Buddha will perform on Friday, June 25, at 7 p.m. Abakua Afro-Latin Dance Company and Areytos Performance Works will be on stage on Saturday at 7.

One of the culprits in a scandal that has cast a shadow on Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo and City Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo is headed to a federal pen for the next 10 months. Margarita Villegas pleaded guilty to embezzling $50,000 from a non-profit housing corporation that manages low income apartments. Next up, Richard Izqierdo Arroyo, who admitted stealing $115,000, some of which prosecutors say went to the assemblywoman and councilwoman, his grandmother and aunt, respectively.

Friends of Brook Park has a plan to create oyster and mussel beds in the Bronx Kill, which separates Mott Haven from Randall’s Island. The organization is awaiting word from the feds about a $50,000 grant for its proposal to clean up the polluted water nature’s way.

Assemblyman Michael Benjamin won’t challenge Congressman Jose Serrano this year, but won’t rule out a run in 2012, when new district lines are drawn. Benjamin is giving up his seat in the State Legislature.

A refugee from Sierra Leone, who attended International Community High School in Mott Haven was stabbed to death in Washington Heights Sunday. Police said 18-year-old Mohamed Jalloh, who lived in the Highbridge section of the Bronx, was seen arguing with a group of men in a McDonald’s.

Mott Haven has a new landmark, the seven-story Haffen building in the Hub. The Landmarks Preservation Commission also began considering creating a Grand Concourse Historic District stretching from 153rd to 167th Street.

Thirty-three-year-old Tamar Brown was killed on Courtlandt Avenue near the Melrose Jackson Houses Sunday. Police said he had been shot several times.

A soldier who grew up in Mott Haven was murdered on an Army base in Georgia. Master Sgt. Pedro Mercado, 47, a father of three was shot several times. Police have not identified the shooter, who turned himself in and is in custody.

Thieves broke in to St. Rita’s Shrine Church in Mott Haven and stole chalices and communion plates, some jewel-encrusted.

Children gather around a newly-planted cherry tree.Photo courtesy of Friends of Brook Park

Hip-hop and Afro-Latin dance are on the agenda of St. Mary’s Park, with performances on June 25 and 26 at 7 p.m. and a family day celebration at noon on June 27.

A Mott Haven company, Bronx County Recycling, LLC “dumped dangerous construction debris” in an illegal landfill upstate, charged Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who announced a criminal indictment against the company and its owner Salvatore Cascino.

A dog run is under construction in St. Mary’s Park, at the corner of St. Mary’s Street and Cypress Avenue, thanks to the efforts of the South Bronx Dog Owner’s Group.

As Sustainable South Bronx prepares to open the farmers market at Padre Plaza Success Garden, the organization’s Greenway Stewards have worked with trainees enrolled in the Bronx Justice Corps program to replace the gazebo roof, as part of a 10-week partnership with the Justice Corps.

St. Mary’s Recreation Center's dance room

St. Mary’s Recreation Center serves thousands

By 3 a.m. on a freezing January 30, two dozen people had already lined up outside St. Mary’s Recreation Center to be sure they got one of the 100 available slots for the center’s free swimming program.

Some brought pots of coffee. Some wrapped themselves in blankets. Some who showed up later that morning were wearing pajamas, and said that they’d rushed down after calling the center and being told of the line.

One mother explained that her family had missed out last year. She got her children up so early because she wants them to learn to swim, she said.

The Parks Department boasts that St. Mary’s is the city’s first indoor recreation center. Last year nearly 80,000 people walked through its doors, according to Shawn James, the center’s manager.

On a recent morning, the smell of chlorine greeted visitors to the U-shaped, three-story building. In the pool, swimmers were swimming laps. In the computer lab, residents were using the center’s five Macintosh and seven PC computers. Basketballs thudded and sneakers squeaked on the basketball courts. Music spilled from the dance studios. Men and women worked out on the machines in the weight rooms.

Many of the participants said they were grateful for the center. “The rec center is an oasis and place to have fun and socialize with friends,” said David Cordova, 17. “They have resources I don’t have in school. I can do work on the computers or be on a social networking website.”

Anthony Loves-Rhodes, who runs the computer resources room, said he’s tried to make the lab a place that fosters thought and imagination for young people. “For example, youth come in wanting to rap and I curve them towards something positive, like creating a ‘Go green’ video,” he said.

Nick Diaz and his family have enjoyed the recreation center and St. Mary’s Park for years. Even though they’ve moved to Soundview after living in Mott Haven for seven years, they return to for aerobic classes and to use the gym. “It’s a safe space that is family orientated,” said Diaz.

Others, though, complain about the facilities, saying affluent neighborhoods get newer equipment. “They haven’t gotten the best of anything,” grumbled Clarence Williams, 62. If a piece of equipment breaks down, he said, “it takes six months to fix.”

Bur Stefanie Knight, 28, believes, “There’s more motivation here.” She says, “You are more likely to stay committed here versus a regular gym.”

Mirrors cover the entire front wall of the dance room. Other walls are painted with murals of dancers dressed in bright clothes. On a recent night, 15 young people moved bodies, legs, hands and heads to the rhythm of Hip Hop as they choreographed a dance routine.

Each month, the room showcases the work of another group of dancers. A recent “Living Through Dance” program called “Tradicion Y Cultural” featured a group of seniors performing a visual tour of the history of Latin folklore, music and dance for a delighted audience.

James says St. Mary’s has always prided itself on its cultural offerings. The monthly programs, he boasts, reflect the diversity of the Mott Haven community.

Since 2006, the Parks Department has charged adults a $75 fee for use of the facilities, but the swimming classes remain free. As part of the “Be Fit NYC” citywide campaign, all the city’s recreation centers are free on the first Monday of each month to introduce the range of activities they offer. Shape Up New York classes, described by Kim Carr, the instructor, as “a fitness program aimed at overcoming obesity issues in the Bronx community,” are free, as well.

Because a quarter of the neighborhood’s adults are obese, according to the health department, residents are also at increased risk of heart disease. Nearly one in five residents of Mott Haven, Melrose, Hunts Point and Longwood has adult diabetes, double the citywide average, according to the health department, which says more than half of area residents get no exercise.

As a result, St. Mary’s Recreation Center has made improving the health of local residents part of its mission, according to James.

The Shape Up New York classes, which began as an outdoor free fitness program have now been expanded by Kim to include yoga, cardio kickboxing and body sculpting. In a brightly lit classroom, participants ranging in age from five to 75, some wearing Spandex, others well-worn t-shirts, all work out together.

Three years ago the center began co-hosting a health fair with the American Diabetes Association, in an effort to improve the neighborhood’s grim health statistics. Sponsors from health organizations and hospitals offered free screenings, literature and cooking seminars.

Nearly 4,000 people attend the fair, James said, and because of its popularity, the center has begun to sponsor smaller health fairs, as well.

A version of this story appeared in the April 2010 issue of the Mott Haven Herald

Neighborhood dog owners unite to bring a dog run to the South Bronx

The South Bronx Dog Owners Group will hold a fund-raiser on May 16 at the Bruckner Bar & Grill in an effort not only to raise money, but to spotlight its efforts to “make the South Bronx’s parks friendlier” for dogs and their owners.

DJ Angel De Los Santos will spin House music from 4-8 p.m. at the local gathering place. The fee of $15 at the door includes a free drink.

According to Justin Ortiz, the dog-owners group’s spokesman, the Parks Department has agreed to set aside a 60- by 40-foot lot at the park’s Southwest corner for the dog run, if the group can raise the money for fencing and benches.

A dog run, says the association’s literature would provide “a safe secure place to socialize” animals and to “share ideas and experience, and meet other dog owners in the community.”

The organization has already sponsored a mobile spay and neuter clinic at the park. It has won a $1,300 grant from the Citizens Committee for New York, and has the support of Community Board 1 for the dog run.

More information can be found on the South Bronx Dog Owners Group Web site.

Betances Houses residents are tired of sharing their building with live --and dead-- rats.

Tenants complain that they live in ‘The stinkiest building in New York” and say the Housing Authority makes things worse

By Lindsay Lazarski
lindsay.lazarski@motthavenherald.com