Juneteenth (June 19), commemorating the end of slavery in the US, is now a federal holiday
Vol. 56 No. 25
New Board members sworn in Director Cylich elected new Board President
Celebrate & Reflect
Saturday, June 19, 2021
$1.25
Riverbay Board presents Farewell Tribute to outgoing president, Linda Berk
Riverbay Board of Directors 2021-2022 Officers
BY ROZAAN BOONE
The 2021-2022 Riverbay Board of Directors held their annual election of officers on Wednesday night, June 16, after the new Board was officially sworn in. This was the first meeting of the new Board and it included newly elected member (L-R) Elected Board members Kevin Anika Green-WatLambright, Leslie Peterson, Anika son, and re-elected Green-Watson, Leah Richardson and members Daryl Daryl Johnson recite the oath of of- Johnson, Kevin fice administered by General Coun- Lambright, Leslie sel Jeff Buss. Photo by John Alexander Peterson and Leah
President – Bernard Cylich First Vice President Sonia Feliciano Second Vice President Michelle Marbury Treasurer – Claudia Sampson Assistant Treasurer Kevin Lambright Secretary – Leah Richardson Assistant Secretary Francine Reva Jones Audit Committee Chair Andrea Leslie Cooperator Appeals Committee Chair – Leah Richardson
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MTA seeking feedback on environmental impact The comment period open until July 3
BY TORIEA McCAUSELAND
After New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the resumption of the Metro-North Penn Station Access Project on May 13, plans have been moving full-steam ahead. As planners continue to outreach to communities regarding the overall project, the powers that be are now seeking feedback regarding the project’s environmental impact. Due to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), they require agencies to “take a hard look at the environmental consequences of a proposed project.” Hence, the MTA conducted an Environmental Assessment (EA). According to the MTA, the EA, along with other evaluations, meet the standards of federal and state environmental agencies, including the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). (Continued on page 9)
Primary Election Day this Tues., June 22 BY TORIEA McCAUSELAND
Election Day is this Tuesday, June 22, and polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Voters can express their choices on important races, including comptroller, Bronx borough president, councilman, and most importantly, New York City Mayor. Thirteen Democratic candidates are on the ballot for New York City’s mayoral primary election. Previously, eight top contenders – Eric Adams, Shaun Donovan, Kathryn Garcia, Ray McGuire, Dianne Morales, Scott Stringer, Maya Wiley and Andrew Yang – were front runners for New York City mayor. Now, early voting polls show Eric Adams and Kathryn Garcia leading the race. Although there can only be one winner, voters can choose up to five (Continued on page 11)
Surcharge Notice to Shareholders According to the revised HCR procedures, surcharges for prior year (2019) will end July 31, 2021 to avoid overlap with new surcharges. New surcharges (2020) will be assessed effective August 1, 2021. Shareholders with specific questions may contact the Riverbay Finance department by calling (718)-320-3300, or by email to RiverbayFinance@ riverbaycorp.com. ––Riverbay Finance Department
Ms. Berk urges Board to continue to work in unified manner
BY ROZAAN BOONE
At Wednesday’s Board election, the Riverbay Board of Directors expressed its gratitude to outgoing President of Riverbay Corporation, Ms. Linda Berk, for the more than seven years of volunteer service she has dedicated to the Board and to the Co-op City community. Ms. Berk served as president of the Riverbay Board for three consecutive terms. She did not seek re-election this year to the board. Then-First Vice President Bernard Cylich opened Wednesday’s Board meeting with the tribute to Ms. Berk. Later in the evening, Mr. Cylich was elected by his fellow directors as the new Board president for 2021-2022. “It is my pleasure and distinct honor of presenting this plaque to you, Linda Berk, for seven years of (Continued on page 9)
Lottery drawing for Summer Intern positions A lottery drawing was held earlier this week for community youth ages 16 to 22 to work during the summer in the Riverbay Grounds and Janitorial Services departments. In photo at left, Riverbay’s Executive General Manager Bob Klehammer (center), pulls the names of the youth, from a random drawing. Some of the young people have worked previously in the Riverbay Learning Institute Summer Internship Program, a Riverbay Corporation youth summer initiative for young residents to gain work experience and learn skills that will have long-term benefits. This year, the program is tailored to accommodate safety protocols in light of COVID-19 concerns, without compromising meaningful work experiences. “In addition to enhancing skills or learning new ones, the youth will participate in educational opportunities to round out their experience,” said Riverbay’s Human Resources Director Inelle Cooper (left). The program begins on July 6, and ends on Aug. 20. The intial orientation training will include Safety training as well as other important information about Riverbay Corporation. They will each be provided with face masks, gloves and other PPE as required by the duties to which they are assigned. They will also be required to adhere to all safety guidelines implemented by Riverbay Management. Since the youth will be visible in the community in the course of performing their duties, they will be outfitted with uniform t-shirts to make them easily identifiable as part of the program. General Manager Noel Ellison (right) was also present for the drawing. Photo by John Alexander
Indoor Activities to Resume at some Senior Centers BY BRANDON ORTIZ
The most vulnerable population to COVID-19 got their chance for a return to some semblance of normalcy this week when senior centers across the city were officially allowed to resume indoor activities. On June 1, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that beginning this month, city senior centers could resume outdoor activities immediately, and subsequently on June 14, senior centers would then be allowed to resume indoor activities. “We know our seniors have deeply missed the opportunity to be together. And we also know seniors bore the brunt of the COVID crisis. We're so happy that now vaccination rates with seniors are so high. Our homebound vaccination effort reached thousands and thousands of seniors,” Mayor de Blasio (Continued on page 6)