SERRANO ANNOUNCES $35 MILLION FOR SOUTH BRONX

Congressman José E. Serrano (D-NY) recently presented $35 million in ceremonial checks representing federal appropriations earmarks and federal grants to local organizations during a Community Empowerment Celebration at the Bronx Zoo. “As the Ranking Democrat on the Commerce, Justice, State, Judiciary, (CJSJ) and related agencies subcommittee of  the House Appropriations Committee, I was able to ensure that the budgets of federal agencies reflected the needs and aspirations of our South Bronx community,” Serrano said. During the celebration, Serrano presented checks to recipients of fiscal year 2001 appropriations earmarks that he secured, and to recipients of certain recently-awarded grants from federal agencies. The monies will be used for at-risk youth, a cultural center, a hiking and biking trail along the Bronx River, and housing programs for the homeless, among other things. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Serrano is involved in the annual budgets of a long list of federal agencies including the Department of Housing  and Urban Development, the Department of Education, the Department of Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection Agency. His own CJSJ subcommittee includes the Legal Services Corporation, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Small Business Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Census Bureau, among others. Serrano presented checks to the following 30 organizations Wednesday:

Federal Appropriations Earmarks
• Bronx Zoo, $340,000
• Greening for Breathing in the Bronx, $238,000
• Hostos Community College & Columbia University, $2,345,000
• Bronx Museum of the Arts, $2.6 million
• Soundview Community In Action, $1 million
• Promesa Enterprises, $2 million
• Sports Foundation, $375,000
• Latino Pastoral Action Center, $1 million
• Bronx River Restoration, $950,000
• Serrano Waterfront Committee, $8.5 million
• Youth Ministries for Peace & Justice, $500,000
• Phipps Housing Corp., $1 million
• New York Botanical Garden, $3,585,000
• New York Public Library/Mott Haven Branch, $500,000
• Soundview Greenway, $939,500
• Casa Puerto Rico, $250,000
• Joyce Kilmer Park, $50,000
• The Point Community Development Corporation, $150,000
• Seneca Center, $325,000
• Hunts Point Health Study, $1 million

Federal Grants
• Deacon Juan Santos Plaza, $70,100
• South Bronx Overall Economic Development (SOBRO) Corp., $272,157
• Bronx Community College, $610,000
• Morris Heights Health Center, $765,000
• Comprehensive Community Revitalization Program (CCRP) Inc., $200,000 
• Tremont Crotona Day Care Center, $1,204,695
• Bronx Overall Economic Development (BOEDC) Corp., $90,000
• Sharon Baptist Head Start, $185,821
• United Bronx Parents, $1,258,585
• Argus Community Inc., $2,770,605