Co-op City’s official newspaper serving the world’s largest cooperative community. © Copyright 2012 Co-op City Times
Vol. 47 No. 10
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Public Safety adds five fuel efficient vehicles to its fleet BY BILL STUTTIG Five non-traditional patrol vehicles were recently added to the fleet of Public Safety vehicles, replacing older patrol cars as each older vehicle’s life span of usefulness ends. Central to the new fleet are three new Ford Escape SUV’s, with four cylinder engines that reduce fuel consumption by
more than 50% over the traditional eight cylinder Crown Victoria patrol cars that were used by Public Safety over previous decades. Kevin Keenan, Director of Riverbay’s automotive pool, said that one Ford Escape was purchased for Public Safety (Continued on page 2)
Public Safety has added five fuel efficient vehicles to its existing fleet including (l. to r.) three Ford Escape SUVs, a Ford Transit to serve as the department’s Emergency Services vehicle, and a Smart Car to replace the aging patrol scooter. Photo by Bill Stuttig
Cablevision hooking up Co-op City for Wi-Fi BY BILL STUTTIG Within the coming months, Cablevision Optimum customers will be able to access the internet and their e-mails on their mobile devices from various public locations throughout the community. A Cablevision representative said this week that technicians are now in the midst of installing Wi-Fi services throughout the community. The representative said that next week the company will release further details on the service including the exact and numerous locations throughout Co-op City where Wi-FI service can be accessed by Optimum subscribers. The Wi-Fi service will be available at no additional charge to the Optimum subscribers. Locations where Wi-Fi service will be available in the near future include all three Co-op City shopping centers, the two Greenway areas and other open areas in the community, such as playgrounds, ball fields, parks, and walking paths.
Riverbay’s Technical Services Director Rick Schmidt has been working with Cablevision technicians in recent weeks planning out the installation of the necessary hardware. Schmidt said that technicians were on site last fall studying the feasibility of blanketing most of the open areas of Co-op City and after receiving positive results back then, the actual installation of the necessary equipment began last week. Co-op City residents who use Cablevision’s Optimum service for their internet provider on their home computers, will now be able to access their emails and go on-line at faster speeds than standard 3G via their I-phones, I-pads, androids and laptops from most areas in the community outside their homes at no additional charge. Details about how to access this free service will be made available shortly to their subscribers, the Cablevision representative said earlier this week.
See 2012 Riverbay Election Rules on pp 18-20
25¢
Petition period for 2012 Riverbay Board election begins on Monday BY ROZAAN BOONE The petition period for the 2012 Riverbay Board of Directors election begins on Monday, March 12, when shareholders interested in running for a seat on the Board can begin picking up their qualifying petitions. Petitions are available from the Riverbay receptionist at the Administrative Desk in the Bartow Community Center, located at 2049 Bartow Avenue, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. each weekday, and after 5 p.m. on weekdays and on the weekends, from the Public Safety window in the Bartow Center. All petitions must be picked up and signed for by the prospective candidates, not by any representative, friend or family member. In addition, candidates for the Riverbay Board must be the shareholder of record as indicated on the candidate’s stock certificate, occupancy agreement and the current occupant’s Annual Affidavits of Family Income. The completed petition packages are due back to the Riverbay Legal Department by 5 p.m. on Monday, March 26. Director Eleanor Bailey, Chair of the 2012 Election Committee, said: “If you are a prospective candidate, it is very
important when you pick up your petition package that you go through the package and read and check everything in there. You cannot go wrong if you follow the instructions. Seventy-five signatures is not hard to get here in Co-op City. I wish everyone the best of luck.” The Riverbay Board voted on February 15th to approve Resolution 1211 setting the date of this year’s annual shareholders meeting, in accordance with the Riverbay Corporation By-Laws, Article II, Section 1, which stipulates that the meeting be held in the month of May on a date set by the Board of Directors. The 2012 annual meeting of shareholders to elect five candidates to serve threeyear terms on the 15-member Board, which sets policy for the Riverbay Corporation and the Co-op City community, will take place on Wednesday, May 16th when voting by machine will take place in the building lobbies from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. After the polls close on May 16th, the vote tallies will be counted in Room 31 of the Bartow Community Center. This year, the terms of Directors Khalil Abdul-Wahhab, Bill Gordon, Francine Reva Jones, Othelia Jones and (Continued on page 3)
Building associations to register voters in lobbies next Saturday BY BILL STUTTIG As part of a massive voter registration drive ongoing in Co-op City, volunteers from a majority of building associations will help register their neighbors in the lobby of their respective buildings from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. next Saturday, March 17. Unregistered residents in participating buildings can go to their lobbies next Saturday and get a registration form which they can fill out there and hand back to the volunteers or take back to their homes and
fill it out and mail it back themselves. Posters have been placed in each participating building, advising residents of the drive on March 17th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Registration forms will be available in both English and Spanish on that day and throughout the voter registration period. According to Riverbay Ombudsman Joe Boiko, most buildings will be participating on March 17th and other building (Continued on page 12)
Its Daylight Savings Time! Don’t forget to set your clocks 1 HOUR ahead this Sunday at 2 a.m.