Greenwich Time Rookie Reporter Meredith Blake Article Wont Tell You All The Facts About The $350,000 Byram Pocket Park
Conflict Of Interest? : The Board of Estimate and Taxation Appropriated $350,000 For The Proposed Pocket Park.
A house directly across the street from the proposed park is owned by Stephen Walko, chairman of the Board of Estimate and Taxation.
The Protesters Say:
Byram Neighborhood Association President Michael Bocchino has refused to put the pocket park on the agenda, because he is afraid it will be voted down.
The Expensive Pocket Park would lead to the elimination of parking spaces that Byram businesses and neighborhood residents heavily rely on.
The people who support this don't live here and don't work here.
The Proposed Park creates a public safety issue: Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg Has Been Unable To Suppress Crime On South Water. The pocket park will likely make the job of Greenwich police officers harder, because it will attract drug sellers and will probably covered with gang graffiti tags overnight.
The Town Of Greenwich already has budgeted $350,000 for the proposed park: Byram residents and merchants would rather the money go for community policing that would make the village save Again.
By Meredith Blake
STAFF WRITER
.....Carrying signs that said "Say No To the Park," "Use Our Tax Dollars Wisely," and "Sidewalks, Not Boardwalks," protesters were hoping their message -- about the problems they have with the proposed pocket park in Byram -- is heard by the Byram Neighborhood Association and other town leaders, according to organizer John Bowman, a Byram resident and a member of BNA.....
....Linda Gionfreddo, a 25-year resident of Byram, said she Linda Gionfreddo, a 25-year resident of Byram, said she......
Rookie Greenwich Time Reporter Merideth Blake
Only Briefly Touches On The Byram Crime Problem
The Out Of Control Byram Crime Problem
Is Destroying The Fabric Of The Community.
.....This is a proposal that some residents have been fighting since it was first proposed in 2007, according to Dominick Genovese, 51, who lives on Mead Avenue. He circulated a petition which got 150 signatures.
"I think this is going to cause a lot of problems in this area," he said.
He said there have been a slew of car break-ins along South Water Street and problems with teens loitering in the area that may only become worse with a new park. .....
Byram Neighborhood Association President Michael Bocchino Should Put Byram First.
Bocchino should stop refuseing to put thepark on the Byram Neighborhood Association agenda.
If Town Hall Boy Michael Bocchino's Park Gets Voted Down.
Then The Park Gets Voted Down.
Let's Spend The $350,000 On Additional Police Protection That Will Help Solve The Out Of Control Byram Crime Problem
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