Latest Complete Column
( Condensed for Bronx Times Reporter)
The Ferry Point Community
Advocates UPDATE
9/8/2012
We first want to say goodbye
and thank you to our Vice President Stephanie Gonzalez and her family. They will be moving from our neighborhood
and we will miss their help and input into our many projects and concerns.
She leaves the same VP position open as Victor Ocasio did a few years ago when
he moved. We have voted in an acting VP and will make it final soon.
There is a great deal going on in our neighborhood of Ferry Point. Here is an update.
Coming Soon:
Of course there is the projected Golf Course, The coming Target Shopping Center, The Woodbury Commons type Mall, the future
work on the Unionport Bridge and the restroom and water construction in our Park. In these matter we keep a photo archive,
attend whatever meetings we are allowed to participate in and give time to reporters and writers that need info on these topics.
Many times we will accompany a reporter to help them find locations, access for photos and or interviews.
Animals: There
is the ongoing spay /neuter/adoption of our neighborhood cats. I just attended a seminar to re certify as a TNR Rescuer with
Neighborhood Cats and ASPCA. We encourage Brush Avenue area residents to call us 917-741-2768 to report any new cats in the
neighborhood so we can neuter them before the cycle of kitten’s starts again. There are no “un fixed” females
and only two new males that need to be “fixed”. (In our Colony)
BAAC: Our Brush Ave. Action Committee
was also responsible for notifying a portion of our area that they were being excluded from the IBZ new boundary map. Since
then we have been supporting the request by our business and residential neighbors along Yznaga Place and Brush Avenue (from
Schley to Yznaga) to stay in the boundaries of the IBZ (industrial business zone) designation. We entered comments within
deadline online (thanks for follow through to Joanne Miller ).This is an M-1 zoned area and there is no reason to remove them
from this status. We thank CB10 for their letter to the Boundary Commission and to the Economic Development Committee for
inviting representatives from this Commission and SOBRO to their next Meeting to discuss this situation. We will attend the
Oct. Committee meeting where the BOEDC/or Boundary Commission rep. will be available. CB10 was very open to work with SOBRO
and we see a great cooperation between the two in the future. SOBRO reps. were very informative and we will be sitting with
our rep. soon to network and see how we can help them help our industrial zone.
Parking: There is also questionable
ticketing of (I counted 11 cars) across from Home Depot on Brush Avenue during the day. I can’t see any reason for those
tickets and will be discussing with the businesses in that area. We have been reading about the problems with overnight parking
of trailer trucks in CB10. Luckily we have eliminated this problem years ago by placing the no parking 10am-5am signs that
we saw on Zerega near the sanitation depot (thank you Jimmy Vacca). We later had to enforce them due to the needed clarification
that “US Mail Trucks do not get courtesy parking privileges” (thank you Jeff Klein). We are still working on the
problem with HOPenn delivery trucks idling overnight waiting to drop off parts across from children trying to sleep.
Maintenance:
As for repairs: We had the dangerous catch basin on Brush and Schley replaced (nicely) and the holes filled
in front of the homes from 680 to 710 Brush (Badly). (Thank you 311 and CB10). We have been working with Ciminello Properties
on various dust abatement and graffiti removals with great success and are now working with them to clear up the pallets and
debris behind Home Depot along Brush Avenue.
Relocating: Art Forms at 711 Brush Ave. will be relocating soon
and BJ’s still holds the lease from when it was Pro Foods. We are always afraid of who will come across the street from
our homes but we leave it to Ciminello Properties to choose the most non invasive tenant.
The Bus Company on the corner of Brush and Bruckner
will “really” be moving. Ciminello Properties has notified us that even though there were delays in the building
of the new location for the school bus co. the Nov. date is still viable.
The Senior Care Ambulette Co. says it will be relocating but that remains to be seen.
We would welcome their move because they are working from an office in an M-1 zone with little if any parking for their employees.
These employees are in the habit of emptying debris from their personal cars into our streets morning and night. Also their
fleet takes up the two sides of Brush most of the day with frequent double parking, open doors with inconsiderate conversations
happening in the middle of the street (making traffic bog down and enter oncoming lanes).
Street Trees: We are having a
dilemma as to the care of the street trees along 711 Brush Avenue. We need them cared for. We have personally done it a few
times; we even spent 45 minutes each night watering flowers (Thank you Sal Profita) with hoses that kept getting damaged from
vehicles. We have had community service volunteer’s care for them a few times (thank you Tom Accomando Jr. and friend).
The tenant Art Forms then had a caretaker caring for them. We now have to ask the City to come and weed and mulch around these
ten street trees.
Graffiti : Suddenly has become a bit of a problem in our area....we believe it is connected with the
new soccer leagues that have entered FP Park on Saturdays, we could be wrong but that is when it blossomed. We hope to design
a flyer and send out a E-blast to the industrial businesses to help the appearance of the area by removing this mess ASAP.
Traffic:
We are happy to hear Community Board Ten expressing the same concerns as we have on the haphazard way this limited access
Brush Avenue Development has been allowed. With all the proposed and in place constructions of very traffic laden malls and
shopping center etc. what is being done to keep traffic moving? Will the Unionport Bridge be widened? Will the overpass bridge
from Lafayette to Castle hill ever happen? Will the traffic back up into E. Tremont and surrounding areas? Will the Bruckner
Interchange ever be completely re- addressed and designed to have traffic move smoothly? Will these be the infrastructure
jobs that are promised in the near future?
3/23/2012 The Ferry Point Community Advocates is not
only a Civic Group. We represent our residential neighbors and members while we also try our best to protect the
entire mixed use area of Ferry Point. We
are proud to have Dorothea (Dotti) Poggi-Profita as our Founder/President and congratulate her on her recent nomination as
one of the 25 Influential Women of the Bronx for 2012 (by the Bronx Times Reporter). Dotti was also sworn in by Gov. Crowley as the Vice Pres of The Bronx Council for Environmental
Quality on March 14 2012. This day celebrated the 40th Anniversary of BCEQ at their Annual Waterfront Conference. On April 20th Dotti
will also represent “Friends of Ferry Point Park” as she leads a group of 125 volunteers at Ferry Point Park West.
50 of these Community Service “Earth Day” students will add compost to the 900 plus daffodils at the Ferry Point
9/11 Memorial Hilltop Grove garden. 50 will be removing this season’s ongoing Hindu worship debris from the waterfront
25 will be collecting hundreds of bottles and cans for recycling and 25 will be dragging debris from the wooded area. You
are welcome to stop by that day to watch or participate. The only requirements that we request you bring is a positive attitude
and maybe a hat!.
We consider our street boundaries of Ferry Point from where the Park starts along Balcolm Avenue and Emerson Ave. on
the East, to Brush Avenue on the West. We include the connecting Waterways of Pugsley Creek, Westchester Creek, a portion
of the East River, Eastchester Bay and Hutchinson River. Of course we cannot achieve as much as we would like, so we continue
to lead and help others in their quests to protect these common areas and causes. We communicate with the surrounding businesses
and bridges and try to keep an open network of information flowing.
Some
of the issues we are working on:
Feral Cats are a
problem all over. Our TNR Cat Colony is doing well, Although the economy has reduced the amount of people willing to adopt,
we have been able to maintain the existing neutered and released cats in a safe, healthy environment. I
would like to note that we are some of the diversified heroic people who donate much of their valuable time, caring and funds
to practice the proven method of TNR (Trap, Neuter and Release). Any development of vacant lots causes displaced critters
to roam our streets and yards. Our various registered cat colonies of the Bronx are suffering from the cumulative impact of
the slipping economy, budget cuts and reduced donations. The fact that people have less money to spend on pets has increased
the number of un neutered cats released and abandoned into our streets. The Bronx is on an uncomfortable precipice of reversing
all our success at humane feral cat population reduction and instead becoming the only Borough that has not yet addressed
the situation with a brick and mortar Animal Rescue building. Why? Why don’t our elected officials follow our lead and
supply the animals of the Bronx with the care we have been showing for many years now? Why hasn’t a building been designated
as a place to tend to the much needed care of the animals of the Bronx? The mostly overwhelmed Cat Rescuers will be meeting
soon to brainstorm as to how we can step our Advocacy up a few notches. So far we feel together as the “Bronx TNR Task
Force” we may be able to pull more weight for the Cats of our Bronx neighborhoods then we are able to do separately. August 9th we succeeded in arranging a visit from the Toby Project Van which neuters
and spays feral cats free for the public and the TNR rescuers. We had a total of 24 cats and one puppy neutered that day.
9 of them were from Ferry Point area. They are doing well and will not reproduce, fight or mark their territory in 3
weeks.
Community Board 10 has continued to support our request for a needed drainage
study of the Brush Avenue area. This is an item in this year’s annual Capital Expense Budget Requests.
As some of you may know from various meetings, Brush Avenue has an advanced double line sewer
running through it from at least Lafayette to Schley Avenue. This is an expensive and rare situation in the Bronx. It was
constructed around 1957 (under Robert Moses). The residents had to each pay for their connection to this new sewer at the
cost of a reported $900.00 and more for each home. Yet as the streets were raised 4 feet and economic development brought
asphalt and concrete encapsulating our small 3 block square community the catch basins were never placed and the drainage
of Rain Water into the second line away from our homes was never addressed. As water finds its own level,
and the level of everything except our homes has risen 4 feet, our washers, dryers, hot water heaters and oil burners are
in danger. Dear neighbors, please continue to add sump pumps to your homes to decrease any flooding which will cause mold
and mildew and affect your family’s health.
Mixed
use zoning is a bit confusing. Many of our members still question the zoning uses of this mixed use area. A few of us will
be researching this. An example would be the office space rented by an Ambulette company that uses both sides of Brush Avenue
to run their vehicles from all day and up to 9pm. The drivers double park and open their vehicle doors for conversations which
causes a lane of traffic to cross the line onto oncoming traffic and slows down the northbound lane of Brush Ave. Their many
drivers also park on street which contributes to the congested area which is also used for the turning tractor trailers in
a non truck route street. When we read the stipulations for M-1 zoning, all activity related to the business site is supposed
to be contained on site and enclosed. The use of Brush Avenue all day by Truck Parking/Heavy Equipment delivery-repair-storage/UPS
pedestrians-cabs-sidewalks-congestion-garbage/Hot Dog/Fruit vendor-shakes and future Target store.
Some
of our members are questioning the amount of representation that we have on Community Board 10. We understand that we are
a small population of residents but we are a unique community of a 2 Bridges, a 410 acre Park (with no paid Administrator
or Parks enforcement patrol), 2 waterways with only Grass roots Advocacy , industry, manufacturing, warehouses,
equipment rental and repair, Contractors, Parking, future retail. The Number of Representatives on CB10 Board for such a uniquely
burdened area of this district should be more than one. We recommend that our President who has applied many times, be considered
for a seat on the board.
Many stakeholders of Brush Avenue ask “What’s up with the
Whitestone Bridge?”The construction is part of the nearly $200 million, four-year project to rehabilitate 1, 785-feet
of roadway at the bridge’s Bronx approach. The project began in December 2008 and has included the construction of new
foundations and 15 double-arch concrete piers beneath the bridge. When work is completed later this year the Bronx approach
to the bridge will have wider 12-foot lanes, new safety shoulders and new roadway lighting. We had suggested an entrance from
the Hutch. South service road to carry many trucks and vehicles directly onto the bridge instead of using “Ring Road”
through FP Park to be included in this project but there was no funding.
The Target/Simone Dev. Has posted their demolition permits and has started
removal of the existing building which once served as a Bronx Bulk Mail Facility along Lafayette. Building permits have been
denied for some time now. BJ’s did not get the “go ahead” for retail in this congested area unless it was
all underground....we understand that the Target site has a ratio of below ground FAR that can be used as retail. We have
assumed that much parking will be on the roof. We can only imagine from the information that (CB10 chairperson) John Marano
has been able to share, that CB10 has requested that the developers consider an added entranceway to the Bruckner Expressway
past St. Josephs that may eliminate some Truck traffic that would normally pass through E.Tremont along Country Club to enter
95 North. Ferry Point Community Advocates again states that we request that any consideration of dollars spent as an amenity
from this development be spent immediately in the area affected. Each time a 6 acre piece of our once residential area is
developed we get nothing in return except the privilege of living with more noise, pollution, beat up roads, knocked down
signs, knocked over lampposts, less parking, more traffic etc. We can’t even get a bathroom in our 110 acre west side
of ferry point. Shame on the “Powers that be” for being so limited in their designs for the future of Ferry Point
as it fits into the larger Throggs Neck community. You are crippling the arteries that run through your area by not considering
our neighborhood. You need to improve our roads, drainage, widen, name and redesign “Ring Road. You have to take seriously
the immediate impact that Target will have on the existing businesses and residents of Ferry Point. We also request to see
the documents that address the future Target’s traffic study. We are mostly interested in 3 intersections. We ask to
see the future designs for the intersection of Brush and Bruckner and the intersection of Brush and Lafayette Ave. and the
one on the Hutch South and Lafayette where there are ongoing severe accidents.
The
FAA has been changing the flight patterns above our communities. Although they state they have not, a friend of mine witnessed
the change as he traveled into NYC by plane recently. At this time the height of our buildings are limited by the flight pattern.
We must be vigilant that the height of construction along Brush Ave. does not change. Our small neighborhood should not be
allowed to be overshadowed by huge buildings.
The coming Golf Course entrance will be on the notorious “Ring
Road” by 2013?. We will try to input into the design as it will definitely affect our community (hopefully for the better).
Friends of Ferry Point have shared their Phase 2 proposed Master Plan illustration (by the NYC Parks Department). We wonder
if this will be the future design. We hope that an exit onto the Bx Whitestone Bridge will be included in the design to help
reduce the use of this Park road by many trucks that need to access the Bronx/Whitestone Bridge. This would include the heavy
laden trailers from Pepsi that we were promised would not ever pass in front of our homes on the non reinforced Brush Ave.
How soon will we see the naming of “Ring Road” and a “Cross Street” with the 311 and-911 operator
availability that we have been requesting for years now. The safety of all travelers and park visitors that get stranded there
should be a priority. Brush Ave. from Wenner Place to Jay Place has no
cement or rebar foundation, yet the largest heaviest construction equipment and loaded tractor trailers use it every day.
(HOPenn and TOMCon, UPS, Pepsi and more) Since Pepsi we now have a dangerous situation of gas line, electric line and
water & sewer lines all on the East side of Brush Avenue in from of our wood framed homes.
Once just another ribbon cutting that we participated....now
an impressive Park. “Ferry Point Community Park at Balcolm Avenue” is completed. Not only is it visually attractive,
but as part of the ongoing Future Golf Course Design it will serve as a dry basin type area that will be able to hold water
runoff from rushing from the 20 or more foot high hills of the Golf Course into our sewers during hurricanes etc. This non
specific run off will have time to slowly absorb into the ground therefore reducing the amount of methane pushed up from beneath
the covered landfill at any given time.
The designs for the East FP Park Waterfront Crescent shaped Park are really impressive. The exciting use of this beautiful
waterfront for various recreational uses in our community is amazing. The designers have incorporated three basic pathways
varying from a road to a nature walk, small bridges over wetlands, concrete canoe / kayak launch site, and urban sandy beach,
sitting areas, etc. Dotti expresses her wishes to be alive to enjoy this area and is advocating for a Water Taxi Type Ferry
at this location that would open the area to many visitors. There is no set timeline on this project. As we continue our Advocacy for a cleaner
Pugsley & Westchester Creek the NYC Environmental Protection Long Term Combined Sewer Overflow Control Planning Project
brings good news. The sewer enhancements at two locations along Eastchester Road and a new parallel sewer along Lacombe and
White Plains with added Green Infrastructure will be expected to bring benefits of reduced combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharges
into Westchester and Pugsley Creeks. This will improve water quality, enhance fish breeding and health, and reduce flooding.
This $203.9 Million project is a welcome change to the water system in our area and we look forward to its success.For more info contact us at 917-741-2768 or visit
www.ferrypointcommunity.org
DESCRIPTION OF THE FERRY POINT COMMUNITY AND PARK
Basic History:
Ferry Point Community:
A "Mixed use" area of Industry and Residential Homes.
Originally the 35 lots were given as a wedding present from Mr. Wenner to his daughter and son inlaw
(1905?)
Parcels were purchased and re-purchased and developed by various people.
Location:
Located between Bruckner Blvd. and Schley
Ave. along Brush Avenue.
This community is bordered on the East by
the Hutchinson River Parkway
and West by Westchester Creek.
Brush
Avenue is the main road through the Industry and the residential area of Ferry Point.
Brush
Avenue runs (not quite a mile) from the Whitestone Cinema Entrance on the North Side of Bruckner Blvd. to Schley Avenue which
runs along the North Terminus of the West Side of Ferry Point Park.
16 addresses on Brush Ave. and the 4 (1 tenth of a mile) residential streets that branch off
to the East from Brush Ave. are zoned R4A-1 with limited Growth. Wenner Place, Rohr Place, Senger Place, Jay Place.
The
rest of the area is zoned M1-1 and M1-2.
Ferry Point Park:
This public
Park offers stunning East River views of the Manhattan Skyline, Westchester Creek, Queens, and the East River.
We are lucky to have such a large park just a few minutes walk from our residential
section.
The West side of this park is located at the
South End of Brush Avenue. Our affiliated group "Friends of Ferry Point Park" has represented this park for over
6 years and Dorothea Poggi continues the Advocacy of Catherine Poggi for this Park as of 15 years ago.The main Park road "Ring
Road" extends under the Bronx/Whitestone Bridge to the Easterly
Section of the Park that includes the land fill/Future Golf Course, Community Park and Waterfront Promenade. This East
side of the Park extends to Balcolm and Emerson Avenues.
Fur
Fins & Feathersis an animal sanctuary and care group that evolved out of necessity. When the land
for the Pepsi Building was being plowed in and filled, all the mature trees were removed and the 70 year old Habitat for many
animals "Critters of many kinds" can out into the neighborhood for shelter and food. Once a sustainable habitat
with water, a complete food chain including berries/nuts/grasses/insects/lizards/and each other these animals lived for
years without invading the neighborhood garbage and or finding shelter in our yards. With the destruction of their habits,
a few of us realized they were multiplying at a fast rate. So we started collecting kittens, spay and neutering the cats finding
homes for the kits and with permission at the time from Parks Department (relocating many raccoons and opossums).
www.BrushAve.org
www.NEBCAbronx.org
www.FerryPointPark.org
www.PartnershipForParks.org
www.FerryPointCivic.org
www.FerryPointBronx.org
www.ferrypointcommunity.org
www.HutchinsonRiverRestorationProject.org
www.BCEQ.org
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Memorial Day No Meeting· Monday May 30,
20112011 Survey of needs distribution Updated Newsletter & Email Blast to recorded Residents
and Businesses of Ferry Point (Brush Ave. and vicinity)
We are going door to door this year to get a better understanding of the "NEW" residents of Ferry Point with their "NEW" needs
....!!
The weather has been extremely hot and then
thunderstorms...not exactly perfect for this task.
Community Board takes a break from meetings until September, so we are not rushing this survey.
Our goal is to complete this by August 1st.
This survey also includes 4 petitions for various issues.
· Monday June 27 Let’s Talk: RE-MEET & GREETCoffee/Tea/ Beverages, Adults onlyIntroduce each other, share
contacts, list children in neighborhood, list interests and concerns. (add to contact list)
· Saturday July 23rd 1st Annual Catherine Poggi Memorial
BBQFounder of
the First Ferry Point Civic Group 1963 (in place of July 25 Meeting) By Invitation/RSVP (Separate yard Free Cat Adoption
to our Friends)
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· Monday August 29th GASLAND THE MOVIEGet to watch a movie about the Hydraulic Fracturing beneath our Farmland
and Watershed of NYC Drinking Water. See for yourself Hydro Frackin’ should be banned !
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· Saturday September 24, 2011 Historic–
Walk and photos FPCAC/NEBCA/HRRP St. Josephs School for the Deaf & Msgr. Scanlan HS from 1913 · Monday September 26, 2011 History-Bronx/Whitestone Bridge change from Ferris
Lane to Hutchinson River Pkwy.Building of the Bridge 1939 Slide show and Discussion
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Happy Halloween
Today Monday October
31, 20115th Annual “Trick or Treat” Halloween Crafts for
the Children. Adults are Welcome to stay for Halloween Cake and coffee to discuss any concerns
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Happy Thanksgiving
on the 24th· Monday November 28, 2011 Waterways of the East Bronx includes Westchester
Creek.2nd showing/
Updated Slide show and discussion
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Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas Dec.
25· Monday December 26, 2011
No Meeting...enjoy!!
Happy New Year Jan. 1· Monday January 30, 2012 Closed Meeting of the Board as per Bylaws Egg Nog and Hors D’oeuvres
· Monday February 27, 2012 Usually
cancelled due to weather CATCH UP! By now we will need a fill in catch up meeting for old business.Review all issues: Traffic, Noise, Air, Quality of Life and Safety
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· Monday March 26, 2012 (2 hrs)Bronx Park Speak Up Table/Raffle/Planning with BPGSC (Show updated Park PowerPoint
)Review Park Schedule of Events1. Community Service Day2. Annual Spring Evaluation
Photo/Walk3. It’s
My Park Day Spring4. Annual Littoral Cleanup5. Tree Stewardship6. Waterfront Cleanup7. Annual Fall Evaluation Photo/Walk8. Fall It’s My Park Day
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· Monday April 30, 20124/8 Easter 4/22 Earth Day Story of Anne Hutchinson (Namesake) Of River and Parkway · Pencil in Saturday
May 5th ”Bloomin’
Earth” Garden Club Plan
free plant trading eventPossible
plant sale fundraiser?Plant
Sale /or Trade (To be determined) Memorial Day 5/28· Monday May 25, 2012Annual Updated Schedule & newsletter update Email Blast to recorded Residents
and Businesses of Ferry Point (Brush Ave. and vicinity) History -Ferry Points Part in the Revolutionary War
Slide show and Discussion
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· Monday June 25, 2012 Update on all construction in Ferry PointIncludes update on Park and Golf Course Sat. July 28th 2nd Annual 4th Sat. in July
Catherine Poggi Memorial BBQFounder of the First Ferry Point Civic Group 1963
(in place of July Meeting) By Invitation/RSVP Separate yard Free Cat Adoption to our Friends)
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SPRING "It's My Park Day" Sat. May 15th
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Call for time9:30AM-2PM Join Volunteers to plant, clean, paint etc.
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Community Service day Earth Day Fri. April 30/raindate May 7
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9:30am - 1:30 pm150 Volunteers help maintain
the park
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Spring Survey Photo Session Holiday Egg Hunt
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Walk, run, Dog walk, or Photo with Dotti 10:30am - whenever? Egg Hunt to be determined |
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Summer Tree Stewardship
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Working with or without
Green Apple "Parks" Group, our volunteers will weed and mulch around sections of the 3000 sapling trees donated
by the Prince of Monaco to create a 9/11 Living Memorial Forest at Ferry Point Park and hundreds
of the Million tree plantings of Mayor Bloomberg 2007/2009/2010
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9:30am-2pm Join Volunteers to Clean, Plant etc. |
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FALL "It's My Park Day" Oct.
9:30 - 1:30 Hot Dogs and Daffodils
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Annual Fall plantings of Daffodils and other bulbs to bloom in the spring . Friends of Ferry Point Park along with Ferry
Point Community Advocates welcomes all who pre-register Free Hot Dogs /Beverage/snacks/Watermellon
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JULY 23rd and or last Sat. of July each year Catherine Poggi Memorial BBQ In the back yards of 716, 722 ?, 720, 724 Brush Avenue |
Combined Membership invite to FoFPP FFFoFP FPcomAdvoc NEBCA
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HALLOWEEN
a safe place
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Annual Halloween Costume Contest/
Trick or Treat Awards, Candy, Snacks, Haunted Trail and more Cup cake decorating at 724 Brush Ave, Evening |
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Adult
Annual Christmas Party
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Holiday Party will be planned
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AnnualNew Years Hot Co Co for the Children Party
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Annual Christmas Tree Lighting
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Plan for December/ Hot Co Co and Tree Lighting
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