HUD-mandated smoke detector and GFI installation Co-op City Times / May 31, 2014
The installation of smoke detectors in every bedroom, GFI outlets on all terraces and in every bathroom, inspections for asbestos, as mandated by HUD, in addition to the painting of the apartment entry doors has gone very well. In fact, we would have gone through every building by the end of this month, ending in Building 29. As a result, we will be able to certify 93% penetration of the 15,372 units here in Co-op City. With that said, there are still approximately 1,100 apartments not completed because we have not been given access. We will apply to HUD and Wells Fargo for an extension of the time to complete this work. We will begin by calling all cooperators where work is not complete and arrange to have said work done by appointment. We are asking cooperators who still need this work to be done to cooperate with us by responding promptly to our efforts to make appointments. Aside from this project being a HUD mandate, the installations are safety precautions that can save lives, therefore, we are hopeful that everyone will comply and perhaps those that do not comply may be cooperators at risk and as a result this may enable us to gain access and assist where otherwise the opportunity has not yet presented itself. GROUND WATER There has always been the presence of ground water here at Riverbay because the property was built on top of two rivers. This ground water penetrates the basements in several of the high rise buildings when the tide rises and has been noticeable in common areas of the building like the basement hallways, laundry rooms, pump rooms, elevator pits, compactor rooms, storage rooms and crawl spaces. Our Maintenance staff has used pumps to collect the water away from the public areas and to direct same to drains. However, this practice requires constant monitoring and maintenance in order to prevent safety hazards. In some cases, our porters are pushing the water to drains to prevent it from spreading in certain sections of the basement. We had success in having a ground water condition resolved at another site where the ground water came into an elevator pit, which effectively rendered the elevator inoperable for a very long period of time. The contractor that corrected this problem was Structural Engineering and they successfully shot
Marion Scott Real Estate, Inc.
Management Corner
a chemical into the ground that, in essence, created a curtain wall that blocked the ground water out from the area in question, which, in this case, was an elevator pit. We have started using this company and their product at several locations in the basement of Building 10C thus far and their work has been effective. This work has taken place at the basement of this building, in the laundry room, pump room and the compactor room, where water flowed on a regular basis, and required our porters to constantly remove and clean up water in order to keep the area clean and to prevent hazards. We are also in the process of having this work done in the elevator pit of this building, the porters’ room and the room where the Bargold storage bins are maintained, which currently leaks on a regular basis and causes our porters to have to push water to pumps in order to remove it from the room(s). Structural Engineering will also be doing this work at the following buildings: 2, 9, 11, 15, 16, 22, 23, 25, 26 and 27. We are developing a schedule for this work to be done so that the contractor can go from building to building until the work has been completed. So far, the work has been done with little to no inconvenience to the cooperators and we will do everything possible to continue in that vein. Hopefully, these actions will be enough to circumvent the need for expensive undertakings like elaborate pumping stations that redirect large, steady volumes of water when the tide rises and this ground water finds its way in the basements of the buildings. YOUTH PROGRAM This month, Management met with Mr. Darryl Rattray, Assistant Commissioner from the City of New York’s Department of Youth and Community Development agency, regarding their Out of School Hours or After School program. Traditionally, this city agency has provided monetary funding to public schools for such programs, however, this year for the first time, the agency will also provide funding to community-based organizations for said programs for middle school aged children.
This new phase of the program will enable the housing company to partner with community based organizations that specialize in operating youth programs. The monies allotted to approved organizations will be at the rate of $3,000 per middle school aged child and we are told that we may be eligible to have as many as 100 to 125 middle school children in the program. Clearly, these monies appear to be enough to pay for the staffing required to run the program. We showed Mr. Rattray the vacant space under the supermarket in the rear of the Bartow Center, which he thought was ideal in terms of size and scope for the program. We also met separately with two community-based organizations that have proven track records and have had a great deal of success in running similar programs. They are Moshulo Montefiore and The Renaissance Youth Center, and both organizations are very interested in working with the housing company to start such a program. At this point, the city is looking to have RFP’s available for submission starting in July of 2014. We would need to clean out the space in the rear of the center if it is going to be the space used and begin to identify monies to do the necessary build out of the space. Mr. Rattray has expressed his willingness to
identify organizations that could help with light build out, like painting and installing shelves, cabinets, etc. at no cost to the housing company or the program itself. The space that we had in mind is currently being used to store archived files, which we will be moving over to the newly created Room 32 in the Bartow Center. At this location, the files will be scanned, archived in our computer system and then the paper will be shredded. This program will be coordinated by Gail Badger who has arranged to have young residents from the Life Spires group home here in Co-op City, along with children from P.S. 176 to do the scanning and shredding. Once the space under the supermarket has been cleared, it would be an ideal location to restore and make available to house the approximately 125 children that would potentially participate in the program. The meeting with Mr. Rattray was very promising in that he is already very familiar with the development, has a working relationship with the organizations that we mentioned would be considered to work with us and wants to have a program of this nature take place here at Riverbay. We will keep the Board and the community informed of our progress in this regard.
DR. LEWIS WOLSTEIN Podiatrist — Foot Specialist • Practicing in Co-op City since 1975 • Board Certified in Foot Surgery • ALL conditions of the foot treated • We
accept most health insurance plans
• Participating in the Medicare Diabetic Shoe Program • Evening and Saturday appointments
Dr. Lewis Wolstein
“Se Habla Español”
Happy 67th Anniversary, Mr. & Mrs. Kalter It was June 7, 1947 that Irene & Alan “tied the knot.” The reception took place at the Olcott Hotel on 72nd Street and Broadway. When the Kalters “tied the knot,” it was very tight and remains so to this day!! The Kalters are also celebrating 43 years in Co-op City this June. God bless America!
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718.671.7226 100 DeKruif Place
Building 8 • Ground Floor Section 1 • Co-op City • Bronx, NY 10475