Co-op City’s official newspaper serving the world’s largest cooperative community. © Copyright 2011 Co-op City Times
Vol. 46 No. 22
Saturday, May 28, 2011
25¢
New Board Directors to be seated Transit executives visit Co-op City; June 9; 2011/12 Board officers promise to report back by July to be elected on that date BY BILL STUTTIG Last Friday’s meeting likely came out BY ROZAAN BOONE The 2011 Election Committee officially certified last week’s Riverbay Board election results after a recanvass of all ballots cast in the May 18th election resulted in the top five candidates holding onto their leads, but with the fourth and fifth place winners switching positions. After the recount on Thursday, May 26, the official results showed Rev. Dr. Calvin E. Owens, an incumbent Board Director running for re-election, holding onto his first place lead with 2,430 votes, followed by Leah Graham maintaining second place with 2,165 votes, and former Board Director Tony Illis also remaining in third place with 2,156 votes; Daryl Johnson moved up to the fourth place position with
2,028 votes; and Eleanor Bailey, another incumbent Director who sought re-election, slipped down into the fifth place spot with 2,023 votes. Among the other candidates, Emmanuel Manny Torres, an incumbent Director seeking re-election, placed sixth with 2,008 votes; Krystal Serrano placed seventh with 1,979 votes; Yolanda Canales Schumann placed eighth with 1,960 votes; John A. Rose placed ninth with 1,948 votes; Frank Belcher placed tenth with 1,839 votes; Michelle S. Davy placed eleventh with 1,838 votes; Carmen M. Howell placed twelfth with 1,047 votes and Kenneth Mercer placed thirteenth (Continued on page 2)
NYC starts repaying past shelter tax overcharges to Riverbay Corporation BY JIM ROBERTS The first payment of the $3.9 million that New York City owes Co-op City for tax overcharges over the past several years has arrived. Riverbay’s Finance Department reported this week that a check for $142,000 was received and has been added to the community’s operating budget to pay for ongoing expenses. New York City hasn’t provided any firm schedule as to when the entire amount of shelter rent tax overcharges will be paid back. “The money has begun to trickle in,” said Peter Merola, Riverbay Director of Finance. Persistent work by Riverbay’s Finance Department led to the $3.9 million refund calculation agreed to by New York City for overcharges in shelter rent taxes paid by
Co-op City over the past four years. For the four fiscal years from 2008 through 2011, shelter rent tax bills in the amount of $45,636,366.68 were sent to Co-op City by the city and paid as required by law. However, based on the final revised figures, the bills sent here for those years should have come to $41,694,068.00, leaving a balance owed back to Co-op City of $3,942,298. Because Co-op City is a MitchellLama development, Co-op City pays shelter rent tax to New York City every year instead of property taxes. Each year’s shelter rent tax is calculated by a formula that takes all the revenue, including carrying charges, garage and appliance fees and other income to Riverbay and then deducts the utility costs
The community’s hopes of having its bus lines partially revised and improved some time in the near future received a big boost last week when a number of high ranking officials from the New York City Transit Authority, including its President Tom Prendergast and the MTA Bus Company’s Vice-President of Operations and Planning Norman Silverman, met with Riverbay management, Board Directors and elected officials. State Assemblyman Mike Benedetto, who arranged for and hosted the private meeting held in his Co-op City office last Friday afternoon, called the discourse a very productive one in which both sides promised to continue a dialogue with the idea of making changes to improve service. Benedetto added that the MTA made it very clear that any adjustments to the routes must be done at little or no cost to the financially strapped agency, but they are willing to look at suggestions, as well as their own, and make improvements.
of a letter that Benedetto wrote to MTA Chairman Jay Walder in March inviting him to visit the community and see for himself some of the problems that were being experienced. While Chairman Walder didn’t personally come, Co-op City received the next best thing as many of his top decision makers did, including TA President Prendergast. Other NYCT representatives who came to the meeting included: General Manager Anna Peck, Chief of Operations Peter Cafiero, Director of Short Range Bus Planning Sarah Wyss, Assistant Director of Government and Community Relations Jacqueline Carter, Vice President of Government and Community Relations Lois Tendler, and Senior Vice President Darryl Irick. In a statement to the Co-op City Times following the meeting, MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said: “While we have not (Continued on page 4)
Power Plant completes change-over to air conditioning Riverbay Power Plant’s annual spring change-over from heat to air conditioning was on schedule this week with one chiller going online as of Wednesday, May 24, followed by the second on Thursday and the plant running at full cooling capacity by noon Friday, in time for the Memorial Day holiday weekend. During the change-over, aside from the usual tasks involved in preparing the chillers for the cooling season, upgrades to co-generation were performed, including a program upgrade to the digital control system, and inspections of the gas turbines to ensure their maximum efficiency.
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Memorial Day closings; CCT deadline notice
The Co-op City Times office and all other Riverbay administrative offices, will be closed on Monday, May 30, in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. Because of this holiday-shortened week, we ask all Board Directors, religious institutions, community organizations and others who submit articles to the Co-op City Times to please do so as early as possible. Directors viewpoints and club articles not received in our office by 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning, May 31, will not be considered for publication in the June 4th edition of the paper. As always, you may submit your article around the clock, seven days a week via fax at (718) 320-2595 or preferably via email at cctimes@riverbaycorp.com. Thanks for your cooperation. Have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend.
Three Co-op City centenarians were among the 35 seniors ranging in ages from 95 to 104 who were honored by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. on Thursday, May 12 at Villa Barone Manor, to kick off Bronx Week. Above, Mrs. Miriam V. Henson, 104 years young, is congratulated by Borough President Diaz, after he presented her with her Citation of Merit during the festivities which included music by DJ Carol and dancing. The other two Co-op City centenarians recognized during the ceremony are Mrs. Virginia Bollings and Ms. Marguerite A. Bayley.