Briefs
Community Board 12 to vote on plans for Ft. Washington Park Community Board 12 is expected to vote on a plan by the Parks Department for a rehab of Ft. Washington Park. Some of the plans for the park include widening paths for bicyclist and pedestrians and creating a new path along the water. Recent meetings on the plan have been tumultuous. A vocal group called Friends of Ft. Washington Park opposes several aspects of the designs, and has amassed over 1,000 signatures supporting their concerns. The Community Board 12 General Meeting will be held at the Russ Berrie Medical Science Pavilion on Amsterdam Avenue near W. 168th Street on Tues. April 28 at 7 p.m. Manhattan borough president offers free legal clinic for low-wage and immigrant workers Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer’s office holds a law clinic where workers can take advantage of free services every Friday through June 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The clinic is designed to help with legal matters pertaining to employment, such as reduced hours, withheld pay, unemployment insurance, and issues of having a criminal background. The clinic is a pilot program held at the borough president’s Northern Manhattan Office at 163 W. 125th St., 5th Floor. To schedule an appointment, call: 212- 531-1609. Services are available in Spanish. RING Garden to hold spring flea market The Riverside-Inwood Neighborhood Garden flea market will be held on Sat., May 2 from 10 a.m. to 4p.m. The market will have dozens of vendors selling housewares, clothes, books and CDs. The spring planting of annual flowers will accompany the event. For more information about the RING garden visit www.ringgarden.org. Health Department hands out nicotine patch and gum The Health Department announced April 21 that it will launch a two-week Nicotine Patch and Gum Giveaway Program to help New Yorkers quit smoking. The campaign features new television spots in which Marie, a former Bronx smoker, recounts losing portions of her fingers, a leg and a part of one foot to smoking-related illness. Last year’s campaign prompted 30,000 calls to 311 for nicotine replacement therapy. This year’s campaign will run through May 7. New York City smokers now pay $9 or more for a pack of cigarettes due to a 62-cent federal excise tax increase that went into effect on April 1. As many as 20,000 adult New Yorkers are expected to quit smoking as a result of the measure. For more information visit www.nyc.gov/health/smokefree. Mayor signs bill renaming Northern Manhattan streets Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed a bill into law co-naming two streets in Northern Manhattan after local heroes on April 20. The corner of W. 218th Street and Indian Road has been dubbed Homer Young Kennedy Way. Kennedy contributed to the revival of the Drums Along the Hudson and helped start the Uptown Arts Stroll. He was active on Community Board 12 and unlocked the Indian Road Playground everyday. W. 159th Street between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway has been co-named in honor of Lucille Bulger, the founder and executive director of Community League of the Heights. Bulger helped grow the organization from offering services for neighborhood youth to providing local residents social services, affordable housing, healthcare, a food pantry and summer jobs for youth. Assembly Member Adriano Espaillat endorses Liu for comptroller Assembly Member Adriano Espaillat gave his support to Queens City Council Member John Liu, who is running for city comptroller, on April 20. “John Liu has been a leader on issues that matter most to middle-class New Yorkers and on issues that matter greatly to the Washington Heights community and disaffected communities throughout New York City,” Espaillat said. Liu was also endorsed by the Northern Manhattan Democrats for Change club. On-hand for the announcement were club president Rolando Cespedes, District Leader Maria Morillo, State County Committeeman Ricardo Ureña and members of the club. The Manhattan Times is the bilingual newspaper of Washington Heights and Inwood.
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